Forget Those Outdated Flash Drives!

As the new school year gets started there's always plenty of work to be done.  Sometimes, that work is done with late nights at school or home.  But wherever you work, the ability to take your work with you can sometimes be just a little cumbersome.  I can't count how many flash drives I've lost, or time I've wasted e-mailing documents to myself.  So here's a great tool that I've known about for some time, but only recently put into practice....Dropbox.

www.dropbox.com will take you to this fabulous life saving tool.  After creating an account Dropbox will begin downloading to your computer.  The "download" is essentially just the adding of a folder to your My Documents folder or a location of your choice.  If you want to be able to access files from other locations simply save the file in the Dropbox folder and off you go.  Download Dropbox on any computers you use as well as almost any mobile device.  And yes, on mobile devices you can view almost any file including documents, spreadsheets, and pictures.  If you happen to be somewhere where Dropbox hasn't been downloaded simply go to the website, log-in, and access your files that way.   Some advanced features include creating a public folder you can share the link to (think class information on your school website), or share a folder with specific people so they can contribute files as well.  You get 2GB of space for a free account, with the ability to earn more space for completing tasks or sharing with friends, and if you are willing to pay can upgrade to accounts with 50 and 100GB of space.

Never again lose a flash drive with crucial files, spend time trying to figure out how to get the files, or being able to access them from wherever you happen to be. This is one of the easiest tools I've integrated into my every day work and will definitely be one I utilize for years to come.

5 Great Sites to Start the Year Off Right

There are so many resources out there for teachers now that the problem is no longer.. "I can't find..." but it is instead, "How can I sort through all of this?"  Although there are a lot of resources out there...here are 5 that I can't live without as I start this new school year.

www.edmodo.com

This website transformed my classroom last year as I struggled to find a way for students to submit assignments electronically.  Create classes, have discussions, turn in and grade assignments, and most importantly keep connected with your students.  I used it with 4th-8th graders, and all students were equally excited.  In recent months Edmodo has pushed teacher communities and they have grown exponentially.  Now it's extremely easy to join communities related to subject areas and connect with other teachers. 

edu.glogster.com

This is a wonderful site for students and teachers alike.  Create interactive posters with pictures, links, video, and audio.  Students will have a great time creating these and sharing them with their classmates.  As a teacher I have also used Glogs to share links and instructions with students in a fun interactive manner.  The Glogster EDU site has a free teacher version where you can create 50 student accounts.  The only downside of the free version is you cannot create student usernames (they are gibberish letters/numbers), but students will get used to that.

www.cybraryman.com

This website was a lifesaver more times than I can count.  If you are looking for any type of resource, literally anything, you can find it here.  Jerry Blumengarten has created a very simple site that is updated quite frequently with resources on everything from Smart Board resources, to Graphic Organizers, to Special Education.  One of my favorite things about this site is that as special events or news stories arise he compiles links and resources that are relevant for you and your students.  This is definitely one to keep bookmarked and frequently check up on.

 kidblog.org

 Kidblog is a great site for any age level and subject area.  Create a free teacher account and student accounts to manage student blogs and comments.  There is no limit to what you can do with student blogging including writing constructed responses, having students write results of research, for formative assessment, and to do collaborative projects.  Need some ideas on how to use student blogs? Check out Cybrary Man's Student Blog or Class Blog Pages.

Google.com

A never ending favorite, I always seem to find some use for Google Tools in my classes.  In particular my favorites are:

• Docs: Collaborative document work with students, i.e. multiple students working on the same project at once
• Earth/Maps: Exploration of everything on earth and even beyond
• Books/News/Etc.: Customize your search for news articles, books, images, and much more 
• WDYL: Stands for "What Do You Love?", type in any topic and see the search results relating to just about everything and that topic.  For instance see pictures, 3D images, translations, search interest, videos, maps, and discussions all on one page. 

KASA Conference Presentation

PD That Doesn't Cause Panic Disorders! 

 Prezi Presentation

Find us on Twitter!  Whitney York - @w_york    Alison Gregory - @alison32303

----Hope you all enjoyed our presentation today! Keep watching this post/blog for more updates from Alison and I including information on implementing the PLI that she mentioned towards the beginning.  Thanks for coming!


Edmodo - Free Classroom & School Management, Learning, & Microblogging Site
Survey Monkey - Create surveys to send to others by e-mail or sharing link
Poll Everywhere - Instant audience polling through text message

Google Docs - Create collaborative documents to easily share and compile information
Glogster EDU - Create interactive posters with links and media that can be embedded on other sites
Prezi - Creative and dynamic presentation site
Jing - Create "screen casts", videos of your screen, record your voice, and share easily with others.

The Educator's PLN - Great way to connect, meet, and discuss with other educators
Twitter - Create your own network of education and learning
Cybrary Man's Twitter Page - Amazing collection of resources to learn about Twitter
Reform Symposium - International, online, FREE technology/education conference
Simple K12 Webinars - Archives and live learning sessions on a variety of topics

Kentucky Program Review Information

Here is all the information and helpful docs from what we are doing at Murray Middle School and at Murray Independent School District to prepare for the implementation of the program reviews in the state of Kentucky.

Here are two links to copies of the Program Review documents we have used to do initial evaluation in Google Docs.  They are copies, they may not be completely finished but feel free to save a copy for yourself or your school to work with.  Instructions for how to save a copy are at the end of the video posted.

Also, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions either by e-mail, whitney.york@murray.kyschools.us or on Twitter @w_york.

Copy of PL/CS Program Review Google Doc

Copy of A&H Program Review Google Doc

"Growing Up" with Technology

I often tell people that I didn’t always have technology growing up, and if I can get past the rolling eyes of my older colleagues I continue by saying that in fact I did “grow up” with technology in a particular way.  The milestones in my education growing up were punctuated with important technology advances that we had no option but to adjust to. 

A "visual timeline" of the most iconic
technology tools of all time.  Being born right
after the Nintendo (NES), I've experienced
a whole lot of technology changes in my life.
Original Link

When I started school we didn't use computers whatsoever.  By 3rd grade I remember going to a "computer class", and using that old Encarta CD to look up facts for class.  Through the years at home we began to acquire technology, going from a computer with only DOS through dial-up days and eventually having a fairly capable computer with cable Internet by the time I was in high school.  I continued using technology in school, although I never saw an interactive whiteboard until I was in college.  Fast forward to present day when I have more technology in my one classroom than ANY class I was ever in growing up, even though I'm only 24.


What "growing up" with technology did to my generation is something I think we're missing as an opportunity for with our students.  It taught us to troubleshoot, problem solve, and always be thinking of ways to make things  better.  These key qualities that employers clearly value are being lost on the children we're teaching today, so why is that?


I used to fix the computer at my house when it had issues, and even the computers at school.  But more than that, I used to come up with better ways to do things using the available technology...something I still do today.  Now though, kids are born with a cell phone camera aimed at their little face, iPad's used to practice motor skills, and by the time I get them in 4th grade they have gotten more technology for birthdays and Christmas than I ever have.


Bottom line...we're missing a big opportunity to let those students get their creative juices flowing and thinking of the next big thing.  We're either so overwhelmed with the current state of technology we have, or we just don't have time, that we have stopped thinking about what's next altogether unless Steve Jobs schedules another media event.


As teachers we not only need to model tech use, but more importantly get it in the students' hands by whatever means possible.  It's no longer an option not to utilize tech tools because you might think it's "good for them" or you don't want to learn.  Think about as teachers how we never STOP using technology to perform regular functions of our job: lesson plans, putting in grades, creating work for students, checking and writing e-mail, etc.  Those systems have only gotten more sophisticated through the years and they will continue to do so for those kids in our rooms today.  You don't have to steer kids towards  a particular field, prepare them ALL for college necessarily, but preparing them for the "future" is the biggest task we face.

Mostly because we're already behind in educating them for the present.