It is with great pleasure to announce a new partnership between FishingForEdTech and AcademyLion.com. Academy Lion is a professional development course platform that focuses on teacher development through free professional development courses. All courses are meant for educators and focus on EdTech topics however the site just like fishingforedtech is open to the public but does have an educational intended target.

Fishing For Edtech’s blog is proud to be the first of many educational technology blogs to be featured on www.AcademyLion.com

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the courses offered at AcademyLion.com I strongly suggest you do so. Academy Lion currently has course’s on

• EdCamp’s
• Edmodo
• Google Hangouts
• Flipped Classroom
• Digital Citizenship
• Social Media and so much more.

AcademyLion offers 5 to 25 minute short FREE courses that consist of lessons that range between 3 and 10 lessons. The lessons are short sweet and to the point. They have great screen shots, videos, and step by step guides on how to use specific edtech tools. There is no doubt that it was created by educators for educators, and the exciting piece is that they are expanding to add more courses weekly.

There are so many ways to transfer files. The most common being Email, USB, or cloud based solutions. Here are some great options for educators or the common person.

File Transfer Sites:

What do they do?

The following resources are web sites that allow you to upload a document or folder and convert the document or folder into a link. You can email that link or post it on a website/blog for others to easily have access.

How does this apply to educators?

This is the quickest and easiest way to transfer file – to be more specific “Large Files” that you may just be to large to transfer over via email.

No Sign-up is required. Just drag and drop your document and copy the link. There’s no limit to how many files you can share. Each file is automatically stored for 7 days. Send movies to friends, TPS reports to coworkers or study guides for students.

Share images, documents, media, files, and links over the internet.

Share Folders, images, documents, media, files and more. Allows up to 5gb per canvas which should be more than enough for basic file transfer.

Final Thoughts:

All three of these resources are a must have tool for an educators toolbox. Is this something that you are going to use everyday? Probably not. However, is this a tool that will come in handy when you need it the most? Most definitely? Transfer important files the “Easy Way”.

Edcamp Orlando Presentation Materials:
http://www.haikudeck.com/p/AwQeUSbceC/flipped-classroom-101-edcamp-orlando

Here is my flow chart presentation Popplet: http://popplet.com/app/#/843467

Before I get into the product review, I must say that I am an iPad Case junkie. I have gone through so many different covers and cases looking for the right one. After all is said and done your case should meet your needs based on how you use your iPad. When people purchase Tablet Cases, or phone cases they instantly think protection. To be more specific they think protection from dropping the device on the floor and having it break. This of course is important however what I was looking for is functionality. I use my iPad at technology conferences and business meetings non-stop. Mostly I take notes or need access to important emails and files to review or edit during meetings.

My iPad was good enough to meet these needs. I usually toggle between my Mac Book Air and my iPad to meet these needs it just depends one, which one has more battery life left at that point in the date.I felt so efficient with my Mac Book Air and was trying to get some of the same efficiency out of my iPad for my way of work.  This is where the Zagg Pro Plus Keyboard came into play. I looked at some other great keyboard options for iPads out there but I thought it was ridiculous to pay 200 plus dollars on a keyboard case.

Before I get into the details of why I like this product so much, I wanted to go over why I was so hesitant to purchase this product. They keyboard on the Zagg Pro Plus is not a full size keyboard. This bugged the heck out of me because I am a typer. I can fly when it comes to typing. This is a key part of my daily job. I thought to myself that there would be no way that I can get used to or like the smaller keyboard that the Zagg Pro Plus comes with. I WAS WRONG. I can use is just as good as a regular keyboard. The Zagg Pro Plus does a great job at keeping up with my typing speed and keys do not get stuck. It took about 5 minutes of typing for me to get used too.

So what did this case do for me?

1)   It became my keyboard case – It was easy to carry around and looked like my Mac Book Pro Air, just lighter.

2)   It gave me the flexibility of easily not using the keyboard and just holding the iPad the way it was meant to be used – which is in your hand. If I needed to put it back with the keyboard then it took me less than 1 second to put it back with the keyboard. No Sleeve or fancy connectors to toggle between using that iPad in different ways.

3)   It had a back-lite keys option that could be turned on or off. Similar to my MacBook Air. This was a flashy looking feature that really makes the product/ keyboard stand out. I did want to add that in retrospect the Zagg Pro that does not come with the back-lite keys would have been ok and just a bit cheaper. The back-lite keyboard is nothing more than just a personal preference.

4)   Battery Life is incredible.  I can go 2 weeks without charging my keyboard, and when I do charge it, it can recharge fully in just minutes.

The Zagg Pro Plus for me personally was a no brainer.

Educational Value: As we continue to move toward high stakes testing on tablets, educators are not only going to have to find a great functional tablet that meets all of the students, teachers, and testing needs, but find one that has a keyboard attached to them for testing. Call me crazy but I do not see a student answering a short response or essay using a tablet that does not have a physical keyboard, especially on a timed test.  Based on size, functionality and battery life, something like the Zagg Pro or Pro Plus does make a lot of sense for students in the educational setting. The ease of using it with a keyboard or without a keyboard is just too easy to pass up.  This keyboard gives you the best of both worlds.

Image Source: http://investors.zagg.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=703630

Flipping the lesson or the classroom is no easy task. There are lots of steps that must be done before you flip a lesson or the classroom.

Here are some recommendations:

1)   Do you have a way to record your lessons with your computer or iPad.

Using an iPad is a great tool for flipping. There are so many great apps out there that allow you to screen cast with ease.  For Elementary – Screen Chomp by Tech Smith is the app that I really love, it’s simple quick and easy for teachers and students to use. For secondary – I also recommend Screen Chomp for the same reasons but you can also look into apps such as Educreations, Show Me, Coach’s Eye, and Explain Everything. If you are trying to do a screen cast with your computer I recommend Jing by Tech Smith. This is a great tool for both PC and MAC platforms. Just like the iPad apps mentioned previously, Jing for PC or MAC allows you to create a video or screen shot of any window you create in your screen and allows you to have a voice over so you can explain your lesson or ideas while recording.

2)   Where are you going to host the videos? The majority of these screen casting services coverts your videos into a link. Some even allow you to have the embedded code so you can embed the video to your site.  This is where your personal teacher website comes in to play. It is not visually appealing to a parent or even administrators to have a site with 50 links that are tied to lessons that you flipped. As a parent I am not willing to click through all fifty links, so labeling them correctly and having a visual picture for each lesson is definitely going to be more visually attracting. Think about how YouTube has their site set up, they don’t just have links but sample pictures of the videos.  So going back to your website – can it handle the embedding of videos or pictures that can be linked to those video URL’s. Lots of times teachers (specially elementary teachers) purchase a licenses to use these cute simple websites that really don’t do much except allow you to put text in them. The websites are not very interactive or even visually appealing. I would recommend that educators look into blogging type sites for their websites that can still be visually appealing and look like a regular teacher website even though it’s a blog site. WordPress, Blogger, and EduBlogs are all great suggestions.

Here is a sample of a Blog converted into a teacher site: 

Some teachers use learning platforms such as Edmodo to flip lessons and the classroom. Edmodo is a great place to post assignments, thoughts, ideas, videos and more. It also fits the flipped lesson/classroom concept perfectly because it also allows students to ask questions using that platform that the teacher or other students can answer.

3)   Communication – You should never flip a lesson or a class with out some clear concise communication between you the teacher, administrator, and students parents. They all need to be on board for this. I saw an example of a very good teacher trying to flip a lesson- she explained her frustration to me that only 5 out of 18 kids actually watched the lesson at home like they were supposed to. My first question was did you send any documentation to the parents explaining the concept of flipping or even meet with the parents face to face to explain this concept with them and of course she said – no. Flipping the classroom or flipping the lesson is not a homework assignment. It’s a philosophy, a classroom teaching strategy, it must be explained to all stakeholders and there must be buy in before you jump into this.  The concept of flipping the classroom or flipping a lesson is based on communication. You communicate the concepts of what you are trying to accomplish with all parties. You then communicate with your students and parents through digital resources such as a short 2-minute lesson video. Parents communicate with their child by helping them understand the concepts the teacher has explained in the videos. Students communicate with their teacher’s questions that they have through an online platform (like Edmodo) or in class the next day.

4)   Connectivity: Not all students have access to the internet at home. Chances are that the videos that you are creating and posting to  your website for flipping the lessons are all web-based videos that students and parents need internet access to see. So what is your plan for these students? First thing is to identify them. If possible, try to have an iPad, or computer available for them in a class after school and before school. Give those students a chance to access the same information that everyone else might have seen at home. The lower the number of these students obviously the easier this is going to be. This is why these 2-minute videos are so important because they don’t take that long to watch. Having said this, if 90% of your students do not have Internet access at home then maybe flipping the classroom or lesson is not the best teaching strategy to try and implement.

5)   Differentiated Instruction: From an administrators point of view the main reason I am a big fan of flipping the classroom or flipping a lesson is because it gives teachers who already have little to no extra time an avenue for a new method to successfully differentiate instruction.  By flipping a lesson the teacher can have students from all levels working on different assignments and watching different video lessons be engaged in the content and classroom instruction.

Key teacher questions about Flipping the Classroom or Flipping a Lesson:

Question: How do I turn my 45-minute math lesson or reading block into a video?

Answer: You don’t! You should focus on the learning goal, main idea or concept of the course. You ask yourself what is the main thing that my students must leave today knowing and that is what you create a 1-3 minute video explaining. Another option is to create a quick video on the part of the lesson that you know your students struggled with the most.

Question: Is this more work for a teacher?

Answer: Yes it is more work if you consider creating a 3 minute video more work. You are now going to have to take an extra 3 minute of your busy schedule to create a video and post it to your website or Edmodo group for your students and their parents to have access to them.  However, it’s going to save you time from having to re-teach concepts to you’re struggling students, and help your advanced students stay engaged in lessons.  So you see how this can also help save you time.

Final thoughts:

Where school administrators and teachers get it all wrong is by trying to do too much to fast. The concept of flipping the classroom is great but it does not happen over night. It’s also something that you must stick to in order to eventually see the success of the concept.  My suggestion for a school, teacher or administrator that is interested in flipping the classroom is to flip a lesson first.  Maybe pick a lesson once a week and flip a lesson that way. As you start to see the increase in student interest of that flipped lesson then start adding to flipped lessons a week. Please note that you need buy in from all stakeholders so the lessons that you start off with must be extremely interesting and engaging. Lets get those students and parents hooked on this concept first by engaging them.  Flip the lesson first, don’t try to do too much.  By flipping the lesson once a week and adding lessons as you see fit, your class will eventually morph into a flipped classroom. Do not rush it.

As stated earlier you can not have success in flipping the classroom or lesson without, the proper hardware and software, proper website or learning platform. You must communication to all stakeholders, have a plan for how to handle the students that have connectivity issues at home, and a plan to meet the needs of your students by differentiating your instruction.

Image Sources:

• http://doceri.com/blog/2012/03/doceri-and-the-flipped-classroom-audiovideo-screencasting-coming-this-spring/
• http://fernandez1stgrade.blogspot.com/
• http://spinsucks.com/communication/the-four-is-of-leadership-communication/
• http://www.purepursuitintelnetwork.com/how-wireless-connectivity-influence-people/
• https://sites.google.com/site/touroskhaimova1/differentiated-instruction

I am always looking for great classroom tools to help our teachers and students with digital story telling. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves with little to no time for students to spend on learning programs such as iBook Author, which also happens to be one of the best book creators ever designed. Then there are other schools that do not have the 1:1 resources like iPads and can’t use apps like Book Creator.

After I presented at FETC, (Florida Educational Technology Conference) Mrs. Krystal Princehorn from Lake Mary High suggested a great resource for student collaboration/creation for those of you who have one or more computers in your classroom. She suggested FlipSnack. After a quick look at FlipSnack I thought it would make a great addition to any teachers digital tool belt.

FlipSnack easily converts PDF’s to Flipbooks. The flipbooks are mobile friendly and can be created in just minutes. FlipSnack allows you to share your flipbook with others by converting it to an easily accessible link or share your flipbook through social media for all to see. Publishing student work and sharing their creations globally not only gives our students a voice but also allows them to understand that what they learn, and what they create does not stay in the classroom but can be shared globally. Students must always be reminded that they can and do have a positive impact on others based on their creations and their ability to share it.

I often read blogs and attend great presentations that share great tools but fail to discuss ideas on how these tools can be used in the classroom. So here you go:

Teaching strategies: Team up with another class, school in your city, state, or country and share your flipbooks with them. Use the flipbook as a way to demonstrate the knowledge that you have gained in one lesson or a series of lessons. Share the flipbook with other students and see their feedback.  It can also be used as a classroom publication for students, parents, or create one for your school.

Teaching strategies with Special Education students:  Have students create books for special education students and flip it around as well where the special education students are sharing content with the other students. After this has been done – take it to the next level where they collaborate together to create flipbooks together.

Final thoughts: Technology should not separate us but bring us together. What we create is important but what truly is important is what we do with our creations and whom did we create them with. Share your works with the world by using resources like flipbook that can be seen by anyone no matter the device.

Move over Socrative you have several serious web 2.0 tools that are attempting to dethrone you.  There is no shortage of student response systems ranging from physical devices to web 2.0 tools that can be used with any mobile device. If you are not familiar at all with Socrative, I strongly suggest that you visit Socrative.com as quickly as you can. I have yet to run into an educator that speaks negatively about such a phenomenal tool. Socrative is a FREE web based student response system that also works on android and IOS as an app.

For any school that is implementing a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiative or wants to get more out of their teaching in a computer lab atmosphere, then Socrative for you. For the last 2 possibly 3 years, teachers have been raving about Socrative and its ability to do multiple forms of questions such as polls, surveys, multiple choice, short response and even questioning games like Space Race.

So should Socrative worry? I am not sure but here are two other great resourcesthat are worth a look. Competition can only make products better so my ears and eyes are open for new educational resources.

Infuse Learning is a web based student response system that can be used on any platform. Educators can assign a question and push them out to students. Infuse Learning allows the teacher to push out true or false, short answer, multiple choice, and more. What really does take infuse learning above and beyond is how it allows students to reply by creating drawings/pictures on their device (no matter the device).  For those visual or artistic students this could be a huge game changer. It allows students another way to express themselves and show growth and understanding, when speaking about curriculum.

GoClass is like the other tools mentioned above, and  is a solid student response system for the digital teacher. The concepts of SHOW-EXPLAIN-ASK are the tested teaching methodology that GoClass believes in.  The application allows you to create, deliver, evaluate, and update content  from the same application and store the information that you create on the Cloud.

Final Thoughts:

Educators get excited about these tech tools all the time specially after they go to incredible technology conferences such as FETC, ISTE, ICE, TCEA, and others. Socrative, Infuse Learning, and Go Class are just three incredible classroom tools, but what makes these resources incredible are the well though out activities and questions that the teachers create. Technology is not going to make you a better teacher. If used correctly it will help you with student engagement and give you another tool to help take your teaching to the next level.

Came across this amazing web2.0 tool that is not only a great collaboration resources but also a tool that helps me out by converting a Microsoft Word Document or PDF into HTML5. That is correct, you read it right: converts Microsoft Word Documents and PDF’s to HTML5. I am a huge iPad user and I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating it gets when I come across websites (usually dated ones) that are still using flash. Seriously, coming from a business and educational background I just do not understand why anyone would want to limit their website exposure by using a product that is Flash heavy and can not be read by all devices?

So how do I use CrocoDoc? You will need to upload your document (word or pdf) to crocodoc. After you have uploaded the document you can begin annotating over the document. CrocoDoc allows you to strick through text, highlight, free hand annotation, make comments and more.

Crocodoc will also converts your document to a link that you can share with any other collaborators. You can download your original or annotated document version. Other features include an email functionality so you can send your document to other collaborators via email or best of all CrocoDoc will give you the HTML5 code so you can embed that pdf into your website of choice.

For educators like myself, we just don’t have time to learn HTML5. We have all played with it at some point and either loved it or found it incredibly frustrating. This HTML5 feature really takes your document and website to the next level by making sure that all readers (students and parents) can easily view your information.

Last year I wrote an FETC (Florida Educational Technology Conference) Survival Guide blog post for new and returning attendees and received a great response back from readers. I wanted to change it up a bit this year and list what I thought were some of the greatest apps that will help you the educator be effective in doing everything that you truly want to accomplish at FETC.

The best advice that I can give you for FETC is to:

1)       Trust FETC: They know what they are doing. Check out the featured presentations, keynote speakers, and use their app. This is not their first rodeo and you will definitely get a lot out of this conference by listening to them (yes this also does include their amazing first timer’s session).

2)      Document Everything: Take great pictures and great notes. Sometimes you get so caught up in the wow factor of FETC and you go back home empty handed with no resources. Don’t let this happen to you.

3)      Socialize – Make new friends. Don’t just stick to the people that you know and see every day. Go and talk to people and make some new connections. Grow that PLN! (Personal Learning Network).

4)      Have Fun! – Go to the Tweet and Greet at TGI Fridays on Tuesday night (6pm – 8pm) or go to Howl at the Moon on Wednesday night. We go to FETC to learn but sometimes it’s those relationships that we create at conferences that can be more valuable than any resource or Edtech tool that you may learn about at a workshop.

Must Have Apps for FETC:

FETC 2013: This is the first obvious choice for apps that will allow you to stay organized. The app has so many great features that include

• Your Conference Schedule
• Conference Highlights
• Sessions
• Sessions Evaluation
• Exhibitor and Sponsor Information
• Maps
• Conference updates
• Twitter and so much more

Around Me:  If you are looking for a quick gas station, bank, bar, coffee shop or place to eat then the Around Me App is for you. The app shows you the closest venues that you desire and how physically far you are from them.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aroundme/id290051590?mt=8

Genius Scan: This app will allow you to take a picture of a paper document and it will keep the picture as a jpeg or convert it to PDFs. You can then email yourself these PDFs and keep it with your organized FETC digital notes (e.g., Evernote). This will come in just incase any presenters give out paper copies of their resources.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/genius-scan-pdf-scanner/id377672876?mt=8

EVERNOTE: Everyone has their own style of taking down notes. Some people just can’t let go of the traditional yellow note pad – and that is ok. Use what works for you. However if you are ready to venture off into a new world of note taking that will transform you to be more organized and change your note taking ideology forever, than EVERNOTE is the app for you.  Organize all of your FETC documents using EVERNOTE. Your travel itineraries, receipts conference agenda, workshop notes and more. You can organize your notes via tags, or create your own notebooks.  Lastly, you can share your notes or notebooks with friends, co-workers, or amazing attendees that you met at the conference.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

Evernote Hello: Remember the connections that you make at FETC by using Evernote Hello. It’s quick, simple, and free. Create your profile on your iPhone, Android Phone, or iPad, and pass it on to another FETC attendee that you just met and shared a great conversation with. By passing your device to them using Evernote Hello – it will ask them to put down their basic contact information and take a picture of them as well. I have yet to meet someone who did not love Evernote Hello.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/evernote-hello/id484359282?mt=8

Foursquare: Yes you could be the major of FETC in Four Square. Well good luck with that one. The reason I mentioned Foursquare is because so many of the restaurants and bars near the Orlando Convention Center have great deals for just checking in using Foursquare.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foursquare/id306934924?mt=8

EDMODO: If you have never been to FETC or you haven attended in several years you will soon learn what EDMODO is. Edmodo is not only one of the best if not the best classroom tool/resource for any educator but a way to keep your personal professional development organized and in one place. Every session at FETC will have an Edmodo group code attached to it. Go to http://www.edmodo.com/ and register as a teacher or login. Click on “Join Group” and insert the group number for the sessions that you attend and the ones that you wanted to attend but just could not fit into your sessions. All presenters will be posting their presentation/ workshop materials and resources on Edmodo.

iHome + Sleep: Yes there is a great chance that you are going to a bar or stay out late with some friends at FETC. Not only is FETC a great conference where educators from all levels can come to learn but you will also quickly realize that it’s also an extremely social conference. iHome app is going to be your best friend that wakes you up after a great night with friends and remind you that  you have an 8am workshop or concurrent session that you really want to attend.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ihome+sleep-alarm-clock-app/id346249053?mt=8

iTip:   Great calculator tipping app for those moments that you just don’t want to do the math on 15%, 18% or 20% for tips.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/itip-tip-calculator/id282914454?mt=8

Moleskine Journal: Just learned about this app a couple of days ago and love it. I am also a big fan of annotation apps like Bamboo Paper or Penultimate. Moleskine Journal does a nice job at allowing me to take type notes and annotated notes together on the same page. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moleskine-journal/id550926297?mt=8

http://www.moleskine.com/us/

Other Options: Bamboo Paper, Penultimate

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bamboo-paper-notebook/id443131313?mt=8

• https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/penultimate/id354098826?mt=8

Stay Connected:

Google+: Yes shockingly not everyone has an iPhone or iPad, hard to believe I know. This is a home-run app for me for two simple reasons.

1) Anyone with a SMART PHONE can get this app.

2) You can use Google Hangouts via 3g or 4g and not be a slave to that wifi connection that you may not have when you need it the most.

I strongly suggest that you continue to use your Google account however you deem necessary but for face to face quick communication at FETC you will find out that Google+ Hangouts will be GOLD.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google+/id447119634?mt=8

DOCUMENT YOUR FETC TRIP:

Your trip is more than just learning. Take pictures with old friends and new friends. Take pictures of sessions that you attend. Add your pictures to your session notes. Keep more than just written documentation of this trip. Use your favorite camera on  your device of choice and shoot pictures left and right. If you are going to actively be using social media apps at FETC share those pictures with your followers.  I know many educators that were not able to attend FETC for one reason or another and would greatly appreciate pictures as well as updated post and tweets of the sessions that you attend.

Twitter, Twitteriffic, Hoot Suite, or Tweetdeck: - It does not matter which twitter aggregator you use as long as you use it to stay connected. It’s hard to go to every conference session that you really wanted to go so there is no better way to follow the current conversation than to use #FETC. Keeping up with #FETC might just be one of the best decisions that you make before, during, and after the conference.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/twitterrific-5-for-twitter/id580311103?mt=8

About Me/Shameless Self Promotion:

If you wish to check out my workshops while at FETC I will be presenting the following workshops:

Monday:

• 8am – 11am WMA016 – Digital Teacher: Online Tools to Study, Organize and Succeed
• 4pm – 7pm WME048 – Digital Collaborator: Online Tools for Work and Feedback

Tuesday:

• 6pm – 8pm Tweet and Greet at Fridays (TGIF) Sponsored by EdCamp Leon Come kick back and relax and have some drinks/appetizers and grow your PLN with new and old friends. Address: 8955 International Drive

Wednesday:

• 11am – Digital Citizenship PD on Edmodo – Location: the Exhibit Floor Stage with Edmodo
• 1:00pm – CS3059 – Text Me The Answer: Using Cell Phones & BYOD Devices in the Classroom
• 4:20pm – 5pm CS6529 – What in the World is a Local Instructional Improvement System (LIIS)?

School District Policy or School Policy:

Before you make an announcement to all of your students saying “Bring Your Cell Phone/Mobile Devices to class tomorrow” and watch a complete uproar of cheering and celebration their are a few steps that need to take place by the instructional leader so we don’t disappoint the students or discourage the educator from pursuing these types of  initiatives. The first step is to have a well written policy put in place. When running a BYOD environment you should not just expect every student to have 3g or 4g internet connection. This is not how to effectively reach your goal. Students need access to your school network. A best practice scenario would be to create a guest network that is configured differently (meaning a bit more security) that students will be able to access once they are on school grounds. By creating this guest network, teachers should be able to access their regular school network and if one network goes down you have a backup on where to connect too.

It is always best practice for that student to go through the same process that teachers do in the beginning of the school year signing an AUP (Acceptance Use Policy). The AUP should clearly define the rules and limitations of what the students are to access the network for.  School districts need to clearly define what a mobile device is; or what is the name of the device that will be accessing the school network. I would suggest using the term “Personal Communication Devices” and within your school district policy clearly define what devices fall under this term. This is where you also get as broad as to say the functionality of the device, which will help the policy last in our ever so changing technological world.

The School policy must also clearly define what is the intended use of the personal communication devices? What are the students allowed to use the device for, when are they allowed to use it, and most importantly what are the consequences for misuse of the device. A well written policy puts all of the responsibility and liability within the student and not the teacher, administration or school. This basically means that if a student visits an inappropriate web site or takes inappropriate pictures on their device while on campus or more specifically in class then they are 100% liable and not the school or teacher. As you proceed through this process you are going to want to make sure that you have parent involvement and permission in these kinds of initiatives. Parents need to fully understand the goals of the learning environment that you are trying to create.

Allowing the use of personal communication devices in your school environment is not always a huge hit with all teachers. Some teachers are just not ready to take this kind of leap and that is perfectly acceptable. As instructional leaders we need to expose these teachers, and show them the benefits and risks of these kinds of environments. It is important to have layers of authority within the written school policy when it comes to BYOD. The layers of authority would clearly give the ok for students to use the devices “IF” the school administration allows it and “IF” the teacher allows it in their class. Those are some big “IF’s” but what I like about this is that it allows the educator to make these kinds of decisions if and when they are ready.

Digital Citizenship:

Teachers need to be educated just as much as the students when it comes to proper use and management of the devices. There are plenty of opportunities when infusing personal communication devices in the classroom to teach digital citizenship. Topics such as: cyber-bullying, copyright and plagiarism, netiquette, digital footprint, connectivity, social media, text talk vs. formal text and so much more. (See my Digital Citizenship Post for more info). It’s important that students learn these simple rules and dangers of communication and connectivity however I also believe that educators need to understand the students, their habits so they can better be prepared to teach and guide them to proper usage. An example that I have always used and it just happened again about 1 week ago in the college football national championship where athletes tweeted inappropriate comments thinking that it was a private message when it was not. This lack of digital citizenship rules and understanding can cost someone their job or a company millions of dollars. Any time that we use our personal communication devices is a great time to talk about digital citizenship and infuse those concepts into any educational lesson.

Device Management 101:

The biggest fear that an educator has when implementing mobile devices is not that the students are going to visit inappropriate websites. It’s that they might not be able to control the class and the devices causing their classroom management skills to be tested and possibly loose valuable instructional time.  When implementing a BYOD environment as carefully stated previously there needs to be set rules. This also applies to the classroom. Two words that will help you control the devices are “Screens Down”. You the teacher should be able to control when the students use the device, and when it is not the proper time just teach the students to put the screens down and the devices flat on their desk. Here are some great device management strategies.

1) Know where the devices are at all times. I do not recommend that you do the whole put the device in your pocket or book bag and then take it out and then put it away. All this is going to do is cause a classroom disruption. You need to have the students treat the device as a learning tool/regular classroom tool.  In the beginning of class have them take out the device and put it flat on their desk “Screens Down”.

2) Use the device and use it often in your instruction. Students want to use their device. Don’t just use it once in a 45 minute lesson. That is not maximizing the use of those devices in an educational environment. Get the kids excited and take brain breaks with the devices. Ask a quick feedback question or exit survey and allow them to use the device. Maybe even team them up in groups and have them agree on a response to text in or poll before they all do it individually. Make the device an important staple of your lesson for feedback.

3) Device must be used often and in quick and short time periods. What you don’t want is to have the students use the device for 30 minutes or even 5 minutes. This is when and where you will lose them to the device. Focus on speed and quick responses with your students. By allowing them to hold that phone for 5+ minutes is enticing them text a friend or visit another website. When using Personal Communication Devices many educators think that the most effective way to use them is a student response system focusing more on the quick feedback aspect of the device rather than the research aspect of the device where you can Google something or look something up. You know your class and subject area better than anyone else so that educator will need make the informed decision on best usage of devices in the classroom.

4) Know your student population – are you sharing student devices? Do you have a plan for those students who do not have any devices? These are important questions to take into account. Many of the major Interactive White Board and Clicker companies like Promethean and SMART Technologies now create apps and web programs that integrate with the interactive boards. This allows the student who does not have a mobile device to still use the classroom clicker (Student Response System) to participate. If your school does not have these resources does this mean that you decide to not use devices in the classroom? That sounds ridiculous. That is like me saying that I will not teach tomorrow because a student might not have paper or a pen. We need to expose our students to these kinds of technologies. We are showing them more than just proper device usage, but we are teaching them how to work in groups, collaborate together, make team decisions, agree with each other, support our disagreements come to conclusions, and more. What we are doing is engaging the students and giving them a voice and allowing them to formulate opinions on the content that they are learning, and getting that student that would have never said a word in class now participate in class. These are the 21st century skills that so many of them will need to be successful in the future.

Mobile Device Teaching Strategies:

When allowing the students to use mobile devices it really comes down to the questions that you the teacher ask. A teaching strategy is to use the “Scales of Agreement” strategy. This strategy allows you the educator to open up a classroom debate or to close a lesson. Instead of having students respond to a question that has a correct answer.

Here is a sample Question: How would you describe your perspective on this concept/topic/issue?

A: Completely Agree
B: Somewhat Agree
C: Somewhat Disagree
D: Completely Disagree

Another teaching strategy is by using a Likert Scale question to check for student understanding.

Here is a sample Question: How well do you understand the concept/topic/issue?
A: Completely Understand
B: Somewhat Understand
C: Do Not Clearly Understand
D: Completely Do Not Understand

Classroom Tools for BYOD:

These are a list of phenomenal tools that you and your students can use in the classroom with a BYOD environment or Computer Lab setting.

Socrative:

Socrative brings smart clickers, student response and ease of use to a whole new level. Be engaged for the entire class with educational exercises and games. See all your classmates’ ideas in real time and interact with the responses. Provide your instructor feedback on the lessons and how well you understand the material. Ask your own poll questions for the entire class or build a pre-made activity for your whole class. Socrative is a web tool that is a perfect fit in almost any classroom. If you are looking for an application that will grade for you, create surveys, allow you to create polls, and give you student feedback that will help you plan and create your lessons more effectively than Socrative is for you.(Source - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/student-clicker-socrative/id477618130?mt=8)

Edmodo:

Edmodo is a one stop shop for learning.  It is one of the easiest way to digitize your classroom for FREE.  Edmodo is web-based and also has an App that can be downloaded from the Apple ITunes Store or Android Store. Some of Edmodo’s best features include classroom collaboration, polls, quizzes, and a personal digital library. I have yet to meet a teacher that says they don’t love Edmodo. Edmodo is a secure, social learning platform for teachers, students, schools and districts. Edmodo provides a safe and easy way for your class to connect and collaborate, share content and access homework, grades and school notices. Their goal is to help educators harness the power of social media to customize the classroom for each and every learner. (Source http://help.edmodo.com/faq/what-is-edmodo/)

Polls.io

Polls.io is my favorite poll creator. It’s quick, simple and to the point. It allows you to make a quick poll, gives you the URL and then just post the URL somewhere in your classroom so that the students can get to it. You can create multiple polls in one lesson and get some great feedback from the students.

Remind 101

Remind 101 allows you to  send group texts to your class. This is a great tool for reminding them of upcoming exams, quizzes  or projects. It is very simple to set up and students or parents can sign up for your class. Of course standard rates for text messaging do apply. There have been many cases where schools have used this to update parents on sporting events or major school functions as well.

Blog Post By: Carlos Fernandez

Images Created By:Hank Hodges