Use Your Summer to help You Plan you Technology Intergration

I know that summer is the time that teachers take a break from writing lesson plans and use thise tim to focus on their personal needs.

However this is also a great time to plan how you will use technology.  This the time to look up the pricing of new equipment,  learn to use a technology you already have better, or recreate a plan to get funding for additional technology.

Although it is summer,  you can create accounts at Adoptaclassroom or Donors Choose to create projects for next school. You can savevthese projects rather than publish them, so that you will recieve the materials when you need them. You may also need to edit the projects prior to publishing due to grade or class size.

Share any ideas you have for the summer Vacation!

Technology and Inventory

Inventory is a tedious task that is necessary for schools to complete on a yearly basis. Why? Because a count of what is in the building is needed to ensure that funds are sent appropriately. With the funding concerns of schools today, knowing what you have, what you need, and how to bridge the gap between the two.

Being a tech savy educator is difficult when you find negligence of any form. Your tolerance gets tested at many levels. Please!!! Stay strong in you efforts to make at your school or district. Technology is a new field in education and the diffusion of technology moves at various rates. Continue to be a catalyst in the feild: one classroom,  one co-worker, one grade level at a time, one school, or district.

Stay strong and fight the tech battle

My Technology Specialist Comrades

Integrating Technology into a Fables lesson

Over the course of a the past two weeks, I have been working with my 2nd grade students on a language arts lesson that I wanted to use our technology standards too. So, I took the writing components of the lesson and extended the lesson to incorporate technology as the finished product. The result of these lessons were: students wrote a fable, students illustrated their fable, students recorded their fable (technology), and students typed their fable their fable.

As a surprise to the students I am compiling their work to create a classroom Fables movie. This movie will be used to demonstrate to other teachers especially primary grade teachers that technology can be used in their classroom.

At this time I am unable to share the movie with the public because we are checking county protocol for personal presentation. I soon as I have permission I will gladly share this wonderful experience with you.

Ring in the new year

It has been a long time since I've blogged, but I have decided to ring in this year with consist blogging about technology and lessons I am learning in my classroom using technology. Take this journey with me. I plan to share with you every month at least.

Happy Tech-ing in the new year

Red Queens

When I went through the process of deciding how I would obtain the movie Blade; I thought about the following: (1) how can I get the movie quickly and (2) finding the movie without having to go out of my way to get it. This resulted in me renting the movie via a digital download.
DVD's are becoming obsolete, however the need for recorded entertainment remains. Thus providing growth for digital downloads and rentals or on demand experiences. The evolution from DVD's to digital access to media is a red queens event. I say this because digital media is the adaptation of DVD's. This adaption will allow rented, downloadable,or on demand access to media that was previously only available on DVD.

In McLuchan's tetrad, I would place DVD's in the rekindling/retrieves section of the tetrad because new technology has taken away the need of the hardware but the desire and need for the sevice is relevant. Digital media would be placed in the enhancment section of the tetrad because this technology builds upon the technology of the DVD's. It takes the development of the internet and streaming abilites and repackages the media found on DVD's to the format of these technologies.

Disruptive Technology

A disruptive technology is defined as an innovation that improves a product or service in ways that the market does not expect (Langson Energy, 2012). Second life is a disruptive technology because it has taken the technologies of the internet, avatars, distant learning, and virtual worlds; and combined them to create a new age learning environment. Thornburg (2009) explained disruptive technologies as completely new tools that change how things are done, and are not gradual extensions of older technologies. Disruptive technologies bring about the changes that come with little or no warning. Second life challenges the need for brick and mortar classrooms that would reduce the need or use of a multitude of other technologies such as the Promethean board.  With the rapid changes in technology and the ability to use cameras on both computers and mobile devices Second Life may also be on the verge of being replaced by Google+ Hangout. Members can communicate, view each other, and share material such as videos and articles with the group.  Google+ does not limit individuals to the use of their computer it can be utilized via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

With all the challenges that education faces Second Life and Google+ provide additional avenues to provide education to students of all age groups. In the state of Georgia there are some online state approve K-12 education providers such as K12.com and Georgia Cyber Academy. These are new ways the state is looking to provide education for students outside of the traditional classroom setting. Second Life and Google+ can help online providers of education find additional ways to communicate and share with students.  I look forward to what new technologies are to come.

References:

Irodriguezetc. (2009, October 29). Second Life as a Disruptive Technology in Education. Retrieved from The Next Step in Education: http://lrodriguezetc.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/second-life-as-a-disruptive-technology-in-education/

Langson Energy. (2012, July 20). Gas Pressure to Green Engery. Retrieved from Disruptive Technology Zone: http://www.langsonenergy.com/faqs-2/what-is-disruptive-technology

Nuthall, K. (2008, January 20). US: A Disruptive Technology Arrives. Retrieved from Univeristy World News: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20080117162121373

Solis, B. (2012, April 16). Disruptive Technology and How to Compete for the Future. Retrieved from BrianSolis.com: http://www.briansolis.com/2012/04/disruptive-technology-and-how-to-compete-for-the-future/

Tyan, D. (2008, March 19). The 10 Most Disruptive Technology Combinations. Retrieved from PCWorld: http://www.pcworld.com/article/143474-5/the_10_most_disruptive_technology_combinations.html

Thornburg, D. (2009). Evolutionary technology Vodcast: In Laureate Education, Inc. Emerging and future technology.

Rhymes of History

As communities strive to become more eco-friendly rhymes of history are bound to present themselves. This is because the need for the technology remains but how this technology utilizes power is the driving forces of change. The technology that brings this ideal to the forefront is transportation. The need for transportation remains, so the need for change is fuel driven. transportation ha.. always been a part of human life whether by foot or via some man-made vehicle. Over the centuries transportation has developed into planes, trains, and automobiles. The plane was invented by Orville and Wilbur Wright (also known as the Wright Brothers), in1903. The steam engine train was invented in first century A.D. by Heron of Alexandria, but was not utilized; this technology was ahead of its time. The automobile was invented in 1769 by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, this invention changed how individuals traveled and how long it took them to get to distant places.

Today,commercial trains and planes continue to utilize the same fuels: coal and high octane fuel. However, mass transit systems and cars are undergoing fuel development. So, although these technologies are new they rekindle vehicle development. With the growing number of fuel types the industry is striving to find the best fuel to provide for the future: diesel fuel, electric fuel, hybrid cars, bio fuels, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cell.

Links:
The Green Car Website at http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/a-guide-to-green-car-fuel-types/