21st Century Education for ALL Students: The Time is Now.

On Tuesday Scott McLeod tweeted this link to a post on his blog, Dangerously Irrelevant.  The post, "If We Were Really Serious About Educational Technology", provides a starter list of things educators can to truly integrate technology and reach our 21st Century students.  Then yesterday, one of my Google+ followers, Stephanie Sweeney, wrote this blog post about professional vs. personal social media.

For background, Scott McLeod's post was from 2010.  Stephanie's was written yesterday.  What I find intriguing about the 2 articles, written nearly 3 years apart, is that we're still dealing with the same issues of teachers not being able to meet the needs of 21st Century students.  Even more disturbing are teachers' continual resistance to using the tools students are using everyday.

If we're going to seriously meet the needs of our students, and truly engage them, teachers need to change their mindsets and enter their students' technological world.  The true power of these 21st Century tools is that they're just not for students.  Tools like Edmodo, Twitter, and Instagram are just as powerful for a teacher's Professional Learning Network as they are for a student's learning.  I was one of those people 3 years ago who resisted Twitter.  My supervisor convinced me to try it, and I haven't looked back.  Twitter has become my most powerful ally, alerting me to other new tools, providing me new professional connections, and an outlet to get my own message own out.

It's time we get serious about about educational technology.  Our students deserve it.

New EdOnTech Web Page on Wix

The new EdOnTech web page has now been published.  Thanks to my colleaugue and fellow 20 to Watch Honoree, Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd), for introducing me to Wix.  I had started a Google Site, but once I saw what Wix could do I switched gears and moved my site to Wix.

Wix is a free (paid version available) online web page designer that provides several stunning templates to get you started.  The basics of my page are there and more is to come.  You'll notice a few pages are still under construction.  I'm looking forward to learning more about Wix and turning it into a platform for education professionals transforming education through technology.

Any feedback you have is greatly appreciated!

FlipSnack: Make a Flipping Book for Free

In my quest to go paperless in professional development sessions, I've found an alternative to the boring handouts we've always given.  FlipSnack make it possible to take your PDF documents and make them flipping books online (using Flash).  Have no fear, it is compatible with Apple products.

FlipSnack books can be customized any way you like.  When completed, you can download your flipping book, send an email link to your flipping book, or even embed your flipping book on your blog or web page.   FlipSnack is free and comes with limited tools and storage space for your books.  Like many services now, there is a paid version which will give you access to more of the service.

After trying the product out, it's very user-friendly and easy to use.  My document was uploaded quickly and I had several options to choose from for my background and cover.  What FlipSnack is sorely missing is an iOS/Android app that allows you to view your flipping book easily on a tablet (something Prezi added fairly quick).

Overall, I like FlipSnack and will be spending part of my summer work days converting my documents into flipping books.

Try making your own flipping book!

A Simple Guide on The Use of Hashtag for Teachers ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

A Simple Guide on The Use of Hashtag for Teachers ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

As if the timing couldn't have been any better, this comes on the heels of my post last week about teachers and Twitter.  This post by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning contains a good list of how teachers can use hashtags in Twitter.

The Power of a Twitter Hashtag

While discussing the pros and cons of using Twitter in the classroom with a group of teachers, one teacher, who's not a Twitter user...yet, asked me what a hashtag is and what its purpose is.  Of course, I explained all of this to the group, but upon reflecting on the conversation, I realized I have been missing an opportunity with Ed On Tech.  From this point forward I'll be adding the #edontech to all of my Tweets.

My recommendation to the teachers regarding hashtags was to develop a class hashtag and/or unit hashtags, and have students use that tag in all of their class tweets.  It not only makes the discussion easier to follow but also makes the conversation searchable.  Using the hashtags for class discussions removes the barrier of the school walls.  Students who are out sick or on vacation can still take part in the discussion.  Students who are shy and reluctant to raise their hand in class (I was one of those kids ) will participate in the the discussion.

Try it out in your classroom now so you can make adjustments over summer break.  See what the power of a Twitter hashtag can do to your classroom.

EdCamp NKY: An Imminent Reality?

With regularity over the past year, I've watched Tweets about various EdCamps pop up on my devices.  I've always wanted to attend a virtual EdCamp, but my job responsibilities have prevented me from attending.  As I've researched EdCamps, I realized how relatively easy it would be to create one for the Northern Kentucky area I work and live in.  

My goal is to have the first ever EdCampNKY up and running sometime in the 2013-2014 school year.  I know I can pull it off with the help of my friends at the SimpleK12 Teacher Learning Community, contacts at the Kentucky Department of Education, as well as my fellow 20 to Watch colleagues.

I look forward to starting EdCampNKY and look forward to any input anybody reading this post may have.  I firmly believe educators can do great things and drive education forward when we put our collective minds together.