How and why do you Integrate Technology into the Classroom?

26. Penzu Keep an online journal using this site. This can be useful for both students and teachers.

27. Kinder Site Projects A great resource for Kindergarten teachers. Find educational games, songs & stories made especially for kindergarteners.

28. Smilebox Especially good for class blogs, this tool has some nice templates. Classmates can share photos or save them for their own projects.  

29. MakeBeliefsComix Encourage writing, reading , and storytelling. With this tool, students can create online comics.

30. SimplyBox Research can help students learn more about the subjects they're studying. Teachers can help them to think "outside the box" with this tool.

31. Hot Potato An easy tool that's free to educators. Build your own crosswords, matching exercises, short answer multiple-choice, and jumbled sentences. Makes homework prep a breeze.

39. Eyespot: Neat site where users can actually create video mixes online and share them with others. You can add up to 100 clips or photos to a movie as well as add transition and video effects.

40. Tag Galaxy A nice way to search through Flickr images. Just type in your tag and watch as numerous images appear.

Motivation

These tools will highly motivate students to participate in assignments.

41. Voki Allows students to create wacky avatars then record themselves speaking. Some teachershave found it to be a fantastic way to assess speaking in the target language.

42. Glogster  Students can create multimedia online posters or “glogs which can then be shared on the internet. This tool can be used to assess both writing and speaking.

Empowerment

 Using these tools will empower you to teach students to take ownership of their own projects.

61. Wikispaces  Create a public, online wiki for free. This is great for group assignments and class collaborations.

76. 80 Million Tiny Images Visual dictionary of Google images that presents a visualization of nouns in the English language. You can also label the images.

77. Carbonmade: Your Online Portfolio One fabulous way for art or photography students to create a free online portfolio to share work in your class, share with other students, or even submit as an online collection for competitions or college admissions.

78. Zoho Creator An way to make an online database application that can be used for surveys, inventories, data collection, and much more.   

 79. Calendar Hub Teach organizational skills to your students by using these calendars in class.  They will enjoy being able to take responsibility for their own time management by creating their own calendar.

80. EtherPad It's easy to use and no password is needed. A shared notepad that lets you store your revisions and synchronize with others.

Differentiation

94. Many Eyes A take on the power of human visual intelligence to find patterns. Use this tool to create great discussions and debates in your classroom.

95. Big Universe  Now, your students can create their own picture books with just a few clicks. Or if you want, you can read countless other books written by students. They also offer publishing of students' writing.

96. Funnelbrain Create flashcards for studying in a variety of courses from basic to advanced. Take flashcard one step further by using collaboration, and also choose the next cards based upon correct or incorrect answers.

97. DarkCopy A text editor for free writing.  This is for those teachers and students who enjoys the simplicity of a typewriter, and wants to increase productivity by focusing only on writing.

98. WiZiQ Virtual classroom application that is fully equipped with 2-way audio, text chat, whiteboard, PowerPoint and PDF document sharing capabilities.

Do kids use computers and get anything out of it?
Harris folded all teen social tools into its research, finding that 85% of 13-to-18-year-olds have email contact lists, 81% IM buddy lists, 77% have cellphones, and 75% have social-networking or community site profiles. But "for both tweens [ages 8-12] and teens [13-17]. Video Games

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds
is the third in a series of large-scale, nationally representative surveys by the Foundation about young people's media use.  The report is based on a survey conducted between October 2008 and May 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 2,002 3rd-12th grade students ages 8-18,including a self-selected subsample of 702 respondents who completed seven-day media use diaries, which were used to calculate multitasking proportions.

"The Net Generation Goes to College" by Scott Carlson in *The Chronicle of Higher Education*, vol 52, 7 (Oct 7, 2005), p. A34

Joan Lippincott's chapter "Net Generation Students and Libraries" in *Educating the Net Generation*

"The MySpace Generation: They live Online. They Buy Online. They Play Online. Their Power is Growing." *Business Week* Dec 12, 2005, p. 86

hOW TO
INTEGRATE TECH

Fran Lo Speaking from experience:

1. Have a plan B -
   Example: alternate website when the one you were planning to have students use is not working or disappeared.
   Example: non-tech version of the activity if the network/computers are down.  Or a non-tech version of a related activity.
2. Let kids teach each other. 
   They are generous with their knowledge, and often it's the kids who aren't ordinarily classroom stars who finally get to show they're good at something.
3. Let kids make mistakes. 
   Kids will not listen to you explain how to do something - they are too busy thinking about getting their hands on the technology.  Tell them where you want them to get to, then let them figure out how to get there (a very valuable skill in relation to technology, by the way).  If you have a series of small skills to teach, such as skills with Microsoft Word, create a written scavenger hunt listing what you want them to do, then let them figure it out.  Afterwards, they will be much more willing to watch/listen to a demonstration.

KISS OF DEATH AVOID WHAT CAN GO WRONG

1. You didn't provide specific websites for them to go to.
2. Students are not familiar with the Internet and don't know where to go.
3. Students are not familiar with search techniques, so don't know what to do.
4. Students at the computer take a lot of time and the others have nothing to do.
5. Your computer doesn't work

approach TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS

Execute Student Centered Collaborative Learning: Define your purpose for using the Internet and the activity using the information that they find.

Monitor the Internet: Google has given a $1 million grant to a team at Georgia Tech in order to build tools to help users around the world monitor the internet for free. The goal is to build web-based tools any user can use that enables them to detect Internet throttling, government censorship, and other transparency problems. It will let users verify that their ISPs are delivering the upload and download speeds they were promised. It will let users learn if their governments are blocking or modifying the Internet without their knowledge. It will basically help users know if they are being cheated from the raw internet.

Integrate Literacy, Music and Technology into your classroom.

Make sure to plan your lesson to include yourself in a way that lets you *guide* the students' activities without having the activities actually revolve around you as the centerpiece.

If you are going to use the net in any classroom start INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY IN KINDERGARTEN

Now progress to What you are supposed to cover between grades 8 - 12 where you will find Technology Applications Standards.

WHY USE TECHNOLOGY?
What's so great about the money and time spent on using technology? Why would administrators or teachers need to learn how to use it?

The media specialist is the only professional who specializes in teaching technological information literacy is one point of view. Due to teacher contractual constraints for prep time especially at the elementary level, the media specialist is the only educational professional trained to integrate and teach technology through collaboration with teachers in all curricular areas. Without the expertise of an information specialist, students fail to become information literate. 21st Century Literacy includes that we graduate students who know how to use research databases, e-mail netiquette, web safety and computer software programs.
Students also need an authentic reason to use these technology tools. The media specialist receives special training in a graduate level program to teach technology and information literacy fully integrated into the curricula; they are experts in both areas and should be of primary consideration when reassessing or contemplating how to teach technology. Computer teachers, only have expertise in teaching applications but they miss everything else.

PROJECTS

LEARN TO USE A HAM RADIO
Technology Standards Every High School Should have a Ham Radio and someone who knows How to use it in case of an emergency when all the cell phone technolgy breaks down every High School Should should have a Ham Radio and a student who knows how to use it.

1. Learn to Be a Ham Radio operator
2. WIFI Wireless Wide Area Networks for School Districts by Dave Hughes
3. And if you need a directional antenna, DIY wifi signal booster, you can build a Pringles cantenna on the cheap! Make your own Antenna extend your wifi connection.
4. How to secure Software Defined Radios
5. CLASSROOM RESOURCES, K-12 RADIO ACTIVITIES CONNECT RADIO TECHOLOGY TO SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES AND LANGUAGE ARTS.
6. Code Talkers To keep the Japanese from getting American secrets in World War II, Navajos - among the original Americans - spoke over the radio in their native tongue. Learn about the most romantic story in American cryptology.
7. Integrated Thematic Unit and Lesson Plans
   

Elementary

• Voting for First Grade Favorites
  Math, Social Studies, Technology - Grade 1
• Habitats - What Makes a Good Home?
  This lesson combines three great technologies to teach about habitats, including video clips from United Streaming, an interactive web site, and Kidspiration - Grade 2
• Subtraction Action
  This lesson plan uses virtual base blocks to teach subtraction of 2 and 3 digit numbers. Additionally it incorporates a video clip to engage the students and further explain the concepts - Grade 2
• DOES YOUR SCHOOL HAVE AM ELEMENTARY TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM?
  Technology Media Curriculum - TISS (Technology Integration Scope and Sequence) lesson plans, standards, and rational for a K-5 tech integration.
  

Middle School

• HOW TO INTEGRATE MATH INTO THE CURRICULUM
  
  
• Eric Langhorst a history teacher [email] from South Valley Junior High Liberty, MO who developed 15 to 20-minute podcasts, called "StudyCasts," in which he discusses study guides for upcoming tests.  Students are able to download the "StudyCasts" from the classroom Web site, receive additional subject content and study review sessions for tests. His other podcast, "Speaking of History," focuses on effective uses of technology and resources in the junior high classroom. Langhorst blog
  
  
• PROGRAMMING
  The Lost Art: There is no easy way to gets kids hooked today. Why Johnny can't code.
  BASIC used to be on every computer a child touched -- but today there's no easy way for kids to get hooked on programming.
  If you want to give young students a grounding in how computers actually work, there's still nothing better than a little experience at line-by-line programming. Almost none of the millions of personal computers in America offers a line-programming language simple enough for kids to pick up fast. Not even line-programming languages like BASIC. the one that was a on nearly all machines, only a decade or so ago. And that is a problem for our nation and civilization.
• Have several groups involved at their desks with print copy material, while other groups are on the computers.
• The groups on the computers must be given several sites for them to visit that you have already selected for them to go to.
• First do a boolean search lesson with a LCD projector for everybody to teach them search skills.
• Demonstrate how to use boolean search strategies to create keywords to find those sites.
• Have the kids do this as a lesson at their seats.
• After teaching them boolean search logic, have them write out some keyword searches. Reinforce the importance of correct spelling, this makes the search engine work correctly.
• Teacher can type these key words into a search engine for the whole class to see how well these words work.
• Divide students up into groups. Give each group a folder with detailed instructions stapled inside.
• Make something you can enjoy and use like a portable music player using Minty Mp3 see the make your own flash-based MP3 player.
• Center for Digital Government's “State of the Portal” compendium, this interactive map represents a snapshot of some of the most important online features and service capabilities offered by all 50 states. A valuable resource whether you are a state CIO, a local government employee or an interested constituent, this data-rich tool allows for quick comparisons between and among states, ideas for enhancing a state portal program and the potential funding and governance models for delivering services in the age of e-government.
• Online Signup for Recycling Bins Saves City Millions

Any Grade

• 15-minute writing exercise closes the gender gap
  What works for your University-level physics student may work for kids in first grade.

GAMES

Technology Can Be a Tool for Student Success, and a Distraction at Home
“The problem that kids are facing is that when high-speed Internet service comes into their home, it's leading them to do things like play games online, and chat or Facebook with their friends — and it's actually leading them to spend less time on their homework,” said Jacob Vigdor, professor of public policy and economics at Duke University.
“We see that when broadband Internet service comes into a student's ZIP code, the amount of time they report spending using their computers for school work actually declined,” he said. They wrote that there was very little evidence in existing research to support a positive relationship between computer access at home and academic outcomes. In fact, the opposite might be true: School performance seems to decrease. Another factor is parental supervision, or other forms of guidance and support, in students' lives.

From: John Kirriemuir
I am an independent researcher, who is also part of GERN (Games and Education Research Network)
at the University of Bristol in the UK:
I study the use of COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf) games in education, learning and teaching. The use of COTS games in curriculum-based education is a subject that's increasingly arisen in the games and education research overlap in the last few years. By COTS games, we mean those that you get from a computer and video game shop, and are designed purely for fun/entertainment - not for learning.   The most popular types of these games, being used in education, seem to be:

• Business and economic simulations, such as Sim City, Zoo Tycoon, and RollerCoaster Tycoon. Some of these have a cross-curricular role; for example, Zoo Tycoon encourages economic skill development, while at the same time educating about animals and their habitat.
• Dance mat-based games, used in physical education.
• Historical re-enactment games, such as the Civilization and Age of Empires series.
  There is a small blog that points to some examples here: More detailed examples, with descriptions from teachers of how the games were used in this 4Mb Powerpoint presentation
  

RESOURCES

More Higher Education Female CIOs Will Be Needed Within the Next Decade
October 14, 2010 - he percentage of higher education female technology executives will hit a new low in the next 10 years. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart Blazes a Trail as New York State CIO
August 17, 2010 - The first black female CIO of New York state went from living in housing projects to launching statewide IT projects.

Digital Divide vs Digital Equity
AIMED AT BOYS: The Federation of American Scientists declared that video games can redefine education. The theory is that games teach skills that employers want. It captivates students so much they will spend hours learning on their own.[1]

Women, Girls and Technology

AIMED AT GIRLS: There are Girl Gamers too. Girls' use of technology threatens the established social order.  That's the real reason behind the fear of girls using social networking sites. Throughout US history, each time women have become the most frequent users of a popular and brand new communication technology, narratives emerge in the mass media and eventually in the popular psyche about the dangers awaiting women who use technology alone.

GENDER DIVIDE
MOST CLASSROOM TEACHERS ARE FEMALE: There are other views about ways of training:
A classroom teacher has the best foundation for understanding a classroom teacher's schedules, constraints, and all the grips of "I just don't have enough time to also use computers in my classroom!"
"Tech" training can come from on the job experiences of learning the applications while creating lessons to integrate the curriculum. Honestly, the most valuable part of training could be from classroom teaching. It truly gives the foundations for appropriate learning activities, understanding how children learn, and how to communicate with teachers so they trust me when I say- "Well, we could just teach it this way with the computer and get the same results academically."

Remember: A dollar bought one transistor in 1968 and about 10 million transistors in 2002

October Named National Cyber Security Awareness Month October designated National Cyber Security Awareness Month with state, local and federal government officials joining industry groups and computer security companies to highlight efforts that will be taken this month to educate consumers in how to stay safe online.

GET A FREE EDUCATION ON THE INTERNET?
No books to buy, no hidden fees. Complete courses and tutorials for more than 120 different vocational and academic disciplines. This is the best reason in the world to use technology in your classroom or your home.

Computer Networks Explained

TECHNOLOGY TOOLS FOR K12 and the COMPUTER HELP FORM

A Retrospective on Twenty Years of Education Technology Policy
A new report from the Center for Children and Technology (CCT) finds a striking consensus in past recommendations for the effective integration of technology in schools and offers advice about recommendations for the next 20 years. "A Retrospective on Twenty Years of Education Technology Policy" synthesizes the findings of more than 25 major studies and policy papers, beginning with "A Nation at Risk" in 1983. In examining past research and policy work on technology's role in education, CCT researchers identified a conceptual framework that offers substantial guidance for striking a balance between the demands of improving practice over time and pressing public concerns such as accountability and equity. According to the report, the\focus of educational technologists and researchers has shifted away from an emphasis on "single input" strategies, such as the wiring of schools, to an appreciation of the multiple dimensions of the educational system that influence the way technology is used. "The lessons learned in this report can help to guide future educational technology policy so that we are building on past successes and continually working to improve teaching and learning," said CCT Director Margaret Honey. Forum Summary

Everyone can appreciate the job of the  educational technology person in your school and want to read the Survival Kit for the technology coordinator.