The smartphone captures real time learning. I snap pictures of everything from the whiteboard notes to student work examples and passwords to sticky notes. It's the most important organizational tool I have because all my documents, all my plans, all my student work, all my classroom library checkouts are literally at my fingertips. It's magic how all that paper has become pixels.
In addition to video and photo I use it to record audio. I have taught so many kids how to use talk to text to help them get started on their writing by transcribing a recording of their thoughts. I also use it for audio comments on student work. Heck, I can lie in bed and check papers by talking into my phone. That's basically how I did this blog post. I love my iPhone!
Having a learning management system (LMS) is also an important organizational tool. No matter which one you use, it's simply awesome to have all the materials, assignments, quizzes, tests, discussion boards, calendars and communication all in the same place. When students ask me a question about an assignment or due date, I always respond, "What does Schoology say?" It's a godsend for keeping me organized and keeping students on track, especially when they're absent. And when I'm absent, I can communicate directly to my students which is really helpful for subs.
The most recent technology experiment I've been using regularly in my classroom is blogging using Weebly. This year, through weekly blogging in regular writing groups or book clubs, students are beginning to develop a sense of audience. They are no longer writing just for me but consciously crafting their work for a group of their peers. Their voices are emerging in fun and fascinating ways. They look forward to this activity every week. It has been a game changer as far as writing motivation, and it supports learning in a growth mindset because it stores all their writing in an organized fashion from beginning to end. It contains their reflections about that work. Their portfolio is embedded into their blog, so it serves as a collection of their work and a tool for curating the work. And if I really start getting crafty, it can contain multimedia artifacts as well as their writing. There. I've thrown down the gauntlet for myself. I will have my students embed one multimedia item in their portfolios by Christmas.
Having a learning management system (LMS) is also an important organizational tool. No matter which one you use, it's simply awesome to have all the materials, assignments, quizzes, tests, discussion boards, calendars and communication all in the same place. When students ask me a question about an assignment or due date, I always respond, "What does Schoology say?" It's a godsend for keeping me organized and keeping students on track, especially when they're absent. And when I'm absent, I can communicate directly to my students which is really helpful for subs.
The most recent technology experiment I've been using regularly in my classroom is blogging using Weebly. This year, through weekly blogging in regular writing groups or book clubs, students are beginning to develop a sense of audience. They are no longer writing just for me but consciously crafting their work for a group of their peers. Their voices are emerging in fun and fascinating ways. They look forward to this activity every week. It has been a game changer as far as writing motivation, and it supports learning in a growth mindset because it stores all their writing in an organized fashion from beginning to end. It contains their reflections about that work. Their portfolio is embedded into their blog, so it serves as a collection of their work and a tool for curating the work. And if I really start getting crafty, it can contain multimedia artifacts as well as their writing. There. I've thrown down the gauntlet for myself. I will have my students embed one multimedia item in their portfolios by Christmas.
I use a ton of other tech tools, and I am happy to talk about any of them at length because it's one of my passions. Technology is truly integrated in my classroom, especially now that we are one to one with Chromebooks, but the smartphone, the LMS and the blog have probably changed my daily practice most.
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