AUM Instructional Technology

Technology is always changing and advancing. As educators, we must keep with with ever changing playing field of technology in the classroom. There are several fluid trends that are changing the way educators teach and students learn. Gamification - Is digital competition. By providing “game-like” principals, to appeal to learners in a meaningful way. Students respond to  gamification which can provide the learner with a better understanding of their knowledge. Students learn their own limitations and ways to improve their retention.   Device Mesh - the mix of devices you are using on your network. In a school setting this allows for a seamless access my interconnecting students accessible. This is always changing environment Personal Learning - Students can choose what they want to learn and how they learn it. Using technology to learn can benefit the learner by allowing them to choose the platform to address their learning style and learning platform. This is especia...

Digital Storytelling is a fun way to use mixed media such as videos, pictures and audio to focus on a specific topic while incorporating technology. This creates an interactive way for the viewer to learn a wide range of stories from historical perspective, personal stories, science, pop culture and more. As a teacher, this digital tool can engage the learner with a different perspective with the hope that the student learner will want to know more about the topic that is presented with digital storytelling. Students will love to use digital storytelling. Students can created their own stories. This encourages research, collaboration with others and a way to express creativity through technology.  Students will take responsibility for their own learning and hopefully learn in a meaningful way. 
 Here are some links to some digital storytelling example that I find to be helpful to show and review. 
 Historial Heroes- http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/view_story.cfm?vid=390...

As educators, we know that technology changes very quickly. Sometimes it is hard to keep up the the ever changing tech environment. Here are some up to date ways to know the latest updates in technology in the classroom.   Custom Learning Experiences are not the same for everyone in your classroom, they can be adapted to accommodate every learner. Through the cloud, computing has become even easier. It is an any time, any place way to access information and a new way to collaborate with students or colleagues. For students in your class that might have a hard time keeping up, there are speech-to-text options that are available to assist those who may need help making note taking. Virtual Reality is becoming a very popular way to give your students a way to  experience learning in a new way. For example, if you are talking about the Statue of Liberty, you can send your students on a virtual field trip to examine all aspects of the place making them feel like they are there....

Nearpod is a fun and creative way to integrate technology in the classroom. Students use their own device and that becomes an awesome tool to learn. As a teacher, you can plan interactive lessons that engage the learner by adding features such as, Virtual Field Trips, 3D objects, Quizzes, polls and open ended questions. The best part for the teacher is that there are thousands of lessons that have been created from other teachers. You can customize any lesson so that it meets the needs of your students. Once you have selected a lesson for your students, you share the live lesson with your students by entering a code that is synced to all devices. As you are teaching, the student can interact with you in various ways. For example, virtual tours are beneficial by allowing the student to take a tour of a historical landmark that you might be teaching in class. I also like the ability to use polls periodically throughout the lesson to check for understanding. A teacher could use this as ...

Backchannel Chat is an online tool that allows for an educational discussion between the teacher and students. It is a way to engage students and get everyone to participate. Here are some instructions to get started: The teacher and student should create an account. The teacher has full control over the chat room, they can remove unwanted comments and set the chat room pace and in line with the lesson plan. Just simply give your students a code to get them started. This is an instant way to start a conversation with your class. The teacher should create a discussion for the student that provokes classroom discussion. Backchannel Chat allows you to embed YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Tweets or set up a quick poll. Backchannel Chat can work with Google apps. So picture it, a student can follow along with your presentation on Google Slides and be able to chat with you while you teach. This is a way to get students to be engaged in a new way. This might be especially helpful f...

Etherpad is an online collaborative tool that allows individuals to simultaneously edit in real-time and see everyone’s edits that you are working with. Each participants’ edits are in their own color as well as a chat box to allow for easy communication. This program acts alot like Google Docs. I see this as a way to incorporate collaboration if Google Docs not available to use. Anyone can create a new collaborative document, as each “pad” has its own URL. The document or “pad” can be downloaded in plain text, HTML, Open Document, Microsoft Word or PDF. This is a great way to encourage collaborative technology in the classroom. 

Today, I toured a website called Newsela. This is an online tool that is a collection of non-fiction articles that ranging from current events, history, literature, science and many more. There is a wide range of sources and offer articles from elementary to high school. This site is free for students and teachers. But, there is a pro edition that offers more options for the teacher. Articles seem to be updated regularly. The articles are offered on different reading levels which make it easy for the teacher to cater to the needs of each student. After you assign a reading, there is a quiz and a writing prompt tailored to that particular article. It is helpful as well because there is content available in Spanish and can switch between Spanish and English for ELL students. With the pro edition, the teacher can monitor student progress and customization. You can simply search for a topic you are discussing in class, and many articles come up for your convenience. I found many of the art...

Plicker is a quick response classroom polling app that allows the teacher to use a mobile device to scan paper cards for student responses. Teachers can create one or more questions in several different ways. These include; text and images,multiple-choice or true/false responses. As the teacher projects the question on the screen, the students are expected respond with cards in different orientations to show their answers. The teacher holds up a device and scan the responses which are recorded. The responses are automatically shown on the screen. The teacher can get a rapid sense of students’ progress and adjust accordingly. This is a great tool for the reluctant learner. It is an engaging tool for students who are not outgoing or shy. This gives them a way to actively participate in the learning process. Some ways that Plicker can be used in the classroom is for warm-ups. The teacher can as review questions from a previous lesson or as a way to introduce new information. The teach...