"Creativity is contagious, pass it on." ~Albert Einstein

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

It all started with this Tweet:
Brent Catlett,  an Instructional Technology Teacher in Bellevue, Nebraska and an even better human being,  reminded me today of something that I had been wanting to do.  I wanted to write a blog post about a really cool feature that I read about last week pertaining to creating e-Pubs within Wikipedia.

You can now use a feature within Wikipedia to create e-Pubs that contain Wikipedia content.  When done, I download the e-Pub, throw it into Dropbox and then open it in iBooks.  It is so easy!  Here is how you do it:



Yes, I know that Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source, but this could be a way to introduce a topic, activate prior knowledge, or as a general resource for your students.  Here is what the finished product looked like when I opened it in iBooks.



While creating my first Wikipedia e-Pub (as you watched in the screencast) I used another tool I had been wanting to try called Screencast-o-matic.  This is an outstanding screencast tool and better yet, for the basic features most teachers will need, it's FREE! You can upload your completed screencast to the SOM site or YouTube.



Perhaps you have to be gone from school. Why not create a screencast of directions for your students?  Have your sub show the screencast you created and it's like you were never gone!




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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

One of my favorite things about my new position as the PK-12 Integration Specialist for Aurora Public Schools is when a teacher asks me to come into their classroom and help them introduce a new concept dealing with technology.  After being in the classroom for eleven years, I relish the opportunity to place myself back in front of students.  After all, they are truly the "heartbeat" of our schools.

About a week ago, Mrs. High, one of our Rockstar first grade teachers asked me to come into her classroom to help introduce her students to the world of blogging.  Immediately I accepted her invitation, because I had used the KidBlog platform last year and was anxious to get our junior Huskies published.  

Today we introduced her students to their future, we started blogging!  The students of today are going to be collaborating, designing, creating, and publishing works online in the future.  Why not start them now?  Isn't it our job as educators to effectively prepare our students for their future?  Why are you waiting?

Take a chance.

Get out of your comfort zone.

Make a change.

Get your students to Blogging!


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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Labor gives birth to ideas.
~Jim Rohn
I am nearing the first month anniversary of my new position with Aurora Public Schools as their PK-12 Tech Integration Specialist.  What an amazing opportunity it has been for me professionally!  I get to work with some of the most passionate, driven, creative educators I know.

A couple of weeks ago I was thinking to myself that we do a great job of educating our students and teachers, but what about our patrons and stakeholders?  I approached our Superintendent and threw out the idea of offering a "Tech Tailgate" before the remaining home football games.  I could offer some insight into some of the great things happening regarding technology at Aurora and include some "basic tech trainings" at the same time.

After getting the green light, I came up with a plan and I am excited for our first tailgate.  Here is what we have planned:

Friday, September 7th 5:30-6:30 "What's This Twitter Thing All About?"
Twitter what?  You have seen it advertised, you might have even seen the pound sign (#) and wondered what that is all about.  Come learn about Twitter. Craig will take you through the basics of what Twitter is and how it works.  You do not need an account to attend. 

Friday, September 21st 5:00-5:45 "I Have a Google Account, Now What?"
Google has a plethora of tools other than email.  Come learn how to make your Google account work for you.  Craig will show you the basics of your Gmail account as well as some other tools that you probably never realized you had!  He will also be demonstrating how the Aurora faculty and students are utilizing this powerful tool.
Friday, October 5th  "iPad 101" 
So you bought an iPad.  Need some help setting up your email?  What about setting up some of the security features?  How do I find "good" apps?  Bring your device and learn some of the "ins and outs" of the iPad.


Join us in the west commons at the Middle School.  Looking forward to a fun evening using and learning technology!  I hope that you can join us!


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