History and YouTube

Take a look at this blog post, How to Use YouTube in Your History Class.

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Alternatives to YouTube

There has been much talk over the past few years regarding the use of YouTube in the classroom.  It seems the use of videos that last 30 minutes or longer are not as effective as they once were.  Kids attention spans have definitely been affected by the use of electronic devices.  YouTube offers a wide variety of video and offers the ability to embed the video into Google Drive.  There are also many varied videos on current educational topics; The Flipped Classroom is one example.

SafeShare.TV - The Safest Way To Share YouTube videos

If you are working at a school that blocks YouTube, consider checking out this shared Google Doc, Eighty Alternatives to YouTube.

Everything Google

So many wonderful ways to use Google, finally folks are realizing it isn't just a verb for a search engine!

May 3, 2014

Google is offering productivity tools "outside" of Google Drive for mobile devices.  Take a look, One Month After Microsoft Office Hits iPad, Google Debuts Dedicated Productivity Apps For iOS | TechCrunch.  Google Docs and Google Sheets are available now and Google Slides is coming soon.  There is offline support so students will not have to connect to use these Apps.

Frog Days of Spring

While teaching sixth graders, my team offered students a variety of activities during the course of a week.  We tried to make as many connections as possible with the theme.  We asked students to:

• Read The Frog Prince
• Review math concepts by using the teacher made, “HOP TO IT “ sheet.  Students were asked to ‘hop’ around the Math book answering a variety of questions.
• Read The Frog Prince Continued and talk about points of view.
• Use a graphing page in Math, “RRi-BETT”, and review ordered pairs.
• Create a frog continent.  Design the continent, designate a frog civilization, and explain the customs, system of laws, and social structure of the civilization.
• Write their own fairy tale about the inhabitants of the frog continent. 

Resources:

The Frog Beyond the Fairy Tale Character: Searching Informational Texts

Frogs on a Log

Internet Quest: Frogs and Toads

The Celebrated Jumping Frog

Frog Alert!

FCIT Resources

The Florida Center for Instructional Technology, located on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa hosts a Social Studies blog.

Moving Forward

The Verizon Thinkfinity Community will close on June 30, 2014. I've been a Verizon Thinkfinity Host since February 1, 2013 and I've truly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with fellow educators from around the globe.

The desire to share educational best practices is still strong and so I shall continue whether it be here in Tech Musings or elsewhere on the web.

FETC 2014

FETC 2014 is in full swing today offering time in the exhibit hall and speaking with company representatives: Edmodo, Follett, Google Apps in Education, Dell, Amplify, and SynergySE, just to name a few.  As people mill in and out of display areas, the conversations vary but an overall topic is "I'd like to use that in my classroom."

Connecting with what is available is an important step for an educator or administrator.  When you see a technology tool and make the connection of how it can improve student learning, you've had a

WOW moment. It just might be the catalyst needed to change perceptions.

Twitter is active and #FETC is among the lead in topics of the day.  Speakers have used Twitter to advertise their sessions, share resources, and comment on the conference and the impact it is having on them.   Pics are being posted on Twitter as well.  Here are a few tweets, just to give you an idea!

• "Did you know there are 300 Canandians at #FETC?" from MindShareLearningMag
• "Twitter makes PD personalized." from Jonathan Apostol
• "Second Session that read write think from Thinkfinity has been shared today at #fetc cube creator. Favorite ela resource." Rhonda Roysden

Connecting with friends and meeting new people is a real plus when it comes to attending conferences.  Your PLN (Personal Learning Network) continues to grow.  Here I am with Luis Perez (Accessibility and Inclusive Design Consultant) and Tony Dutra, (Region 5 Technology Coordinator, Technology & Learning Connections/USF).