In order for students to take advantage of all those great Web 2.0 tools online like Ning, Animoto, Glogster, and Google Docs, it is necessary for them to have an email address. In APS, we don’t want to have the kids to have unsecure email addresses, so we use a secure system called SchoolMail by ePals. This email allows for the teacher to control and monitor all email activity taking place amongst their students. More importantly, if set properly, students cannot receive any communications from outside of SchoolMail (like from spammers, predators, etc.) The easiest way for your Instructional Technology Coach or Trainer to give your students email addresses is if you export your student list from Infinite Campus into an Excel Spreadsheet. I have provided the directions for how to do this, and upon successful exporting, you can email your lists to your coach or trainer. Export Student List

At many of our schools in many of our classrooms we’ll find them… those old computers that we can’t wait to be replaced.  I’ve been there, thinking about how my old, slow desktop will be replaced with something fast and new - and I couldn’t wait.  I couldn’t wait to ditch that sluggish machine and be happy to never be at its mercy again.  But then I was enlightened through the genius of others and saw a new potential in an otherwise hunk of recyclable parts. Repurpose Recycled Computers Naturally, the old will be replaced with the new, but you’ve been afforded an opportunity… you can keep those old computers!  How about giving them new life? Here’s some ways how: 1) Replace Big Brother with Free Brother - install a Linux operating system like Edubuntu for free!  We’ve found through testing that the OS works fast and crisp - and there’s even versions (Kubuntu) for slow computers to make them seem like a new kid on the block. 2) If you have a couple of computers in your classroom, consider using them for stations if you don’t already (especially primary teachers).  One great way to provide students with practice is to install Promethean’s ActivStudio software onto your stations so that students can work on their own interacting with flipcharts.  That’s right… you don’t have to have a board to be using ActivStudio! Also, kids can create their own flipcharts, too. 3) All those great resources you’ve been downloading from One Place can be compiled and packaged for your students to access in your classroom. Imagine having video clips, tutorials, websites, simulations, etc. all available at their fingertips when they need it and how they need it. 4) Use the computers as a publishing station for students to access a classroom blog or collaboration network in which they can post, share, collaborate, and reflect on their written work.  GoogleDocs is a great way for students to have work that is always accessible as long as they have an internet connection.  Their docs can be private or shared amongst their teacher and peers. For example, Language Arts can post written work, science students can post data on spreadsheets. 5) There are many other possibilities… use your imagination and be creative! The point is people, don’t give up on those old machines!  If set up right, they can provide quite a few more learning opportunities for your students in many dynamic ways before they keel over.  The possibilities don’t have to be limited - consult an instructional coach or trainer and work with them to help you make the most of what you have - or are keeping, even when you do get that shiny fast new computer! Sited Links: Ubuntu Kubuntu Edubuntu One Place Google Docs Promethean ActivStudio

Yes, that’s right, you heard correctly!  You can use those student response systems like the Votes and Expressions without being in possesion of a board.  I’ve found from many of my visits with teachers that there is a general misconception that they need a board in order to use these gadgets.  The reality is, if you have a projector connected to your computer and you have ActivSoftware (like ActivStudio 3 or the new and improved Inspire edition) loaded on it, you too can get instantaneous feedback in your classroom.  All you have to do is learn how to use the software and you will be asking yourself why you hadn’t been using this before.  Using response systems (RS) in the classroom will take your teaching and the student’s learning to a whole new level.  Just imagine that as any great lesson goes, you want to check for understanding periodically and identify if there are areas in the content that need more explanation or practice.  Students are often hesitant to reveal that they don’t understand something, but with an RS, you will be able to see that when the rest of the class cannot.  They provide meaningful feedback for you and the students and can really make lessons a lot more interactive with everyone’s input involved.  So get to it!  If your school has a set or two of these, get your hands on them and learn how to use the software - you will absolutely not be disappointed!

This post is a couple of observations I have made concerning the installation of new hardware and software in our schools.  Specifically, the hardware is Promthean’s ActivBoard (interactive whiteboard) and the software is their ActivStudio product. Personally, I feel that Promethean’s software for interactive whiteboards is the most useful for teachers compared to packages that are offered by Smart Technologies, Hitachi, and Mimio.  The reason for this is fourfold: 1) the software offers many resources in the library and many, many resources (almost 10,000) that are downloadable from Promethean Planet, 2) it has many users who share flipcharts so that teachers don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” - almost a quarter of a million registered users, 3) the software is robust - it has many tools and customization options for teachers to make the most of their teaching environment, and 4) there are many training/professional development opportunities for new users to make the most of the software at Promethean Learning. **DISCLAIMER** - I swear Promethean or any of it’s affiliates did not pay me to say any of this - no money, candy, cars, etc. Promise.  I am just speaking on experience, using the package in London, England when I taught there, and now helping teachers integrate it into their classrooms in Aurora, CO and experimenting with the other packages and what they have to offer.  Now on to the observations: Logistical: “Be Prepared” It seems that when new hardware and software is introduced into a school, all parties involved should be aware of what the new package is being added on to.  At one site, this new package is predominantly being added to older model PC’s that have the capacity to not run properly if they are not optimized before adding the new software.  We have found that many of the teacher’s computers are not running properly and leading to less than desirable effects such as running extremely slow and crashing.  This can most likely be alleviated by preparing the computers beforehand by re‑imaging them and setting them up for a scheduled bi‑weekly defragment.  Re‑imaging takes off all of the old and makes room for the new and will allow for better results when adding the new hardware and software. Community Building and Sharing It has been observed that the new implementation of the hardware and software has lead to the formation of user groups centered around using the software.  Whereas before teachers may “go it alone” in terms of their planning, now they have an opportunity to plan together by learning the software and creating products to be used in the classroom during these groups.  The groups have also fostered the sharing of best practices and teaching strategies centered around the delivery of content via the use of the hardware and software.  Now the teachers have the ability to create lessons together and divide up work in order to lessen the workload which frees up time to focus on preparing meaningful opportunities for students to engage, learn, and understand new content.

It was a cold and rainy morning… On my way to the office this morning it was raining and cold.  It reminded me of my stint in London and I was having frightening weather flashbacks - but at least I knew that here in Colorado, it is only temporary!  Anyways, I saw a guy riding his bike out there carrying a gas can and it got me thinking.  This dude isn’t riding to get his can filled for his lawnmower or something - it’s raining!  He must be desperate and he must have done what I have admittedly done before myself… run out of gas in the car.  Now when I did it, I was just a young punk trying to push the limits of how long I could drive before having to drop five bucks at the station again (yeah sure).  But like I said, it got me thinking about all the “stuff” in our lives we have to maintain.  Lightbulbs burn out at home, we replace them.  A room gets dirty, we pick up, vacuum, and dust.  Our car indicates that we need more gas, we hopefully heed its warning and fill up the tank.  We know that if we never get the oil changed in our car, or rotate our tires, we will drive the thing straight into the ground and we’ll be relying on mass transit from there on out.  We just know that most things have to be maintained if we want them to work, look good, and do what we expect of them!  Imagine if we didn’t maintain ourselves… I don’t even want to go there. The Point For some reason many of us at school, home, and the workplace choose to ignore the tell-tale signs that our gadgets like computers, visualizers, projectors, etc. need to be maintained, too!  I guess many of us are under the impression that technology doesn’t have to be maintained and it will… just work.  Oh man, I almost fell out of my chair laughing after writing that last line!  You should know that there are filters that need to be cleaned once a month on your projectors so the life blood of air can soothe and cool their firey hot bulb in them - which cost a few hundred dollars to replace.  Extend the the bulbs life and save yourself the hassle and money of replacing the thing.  When your computer says it needs to be updated, don’t be annoyed by the pop-up window every time it shows up in a lesson or in the office because you keep closing it… deal with it!  There is a reason those annoying update bubbles want your attention - they’re your friend (who is needy and calls 20 times a day)!  You’ll know if you need to update by seeing a shield in the system tray in the bottom right of your screen. (I know, I know, there are two… it’s the straight up and down one - ridiculous, I agree).  If your computer is running super-slow, you may need to reimage it or defragment the drive (if I just spoke jibberish, contact your tech person to take care of this) - this is equivalent to “spring cleaning.” Update other software if needs be (not everything has an automatic update).  Physically clean and dust off monitors, keyboards, computers, filters, lenses, etc. at least every couple of weeks, and definitely no longer than every month.  Turn stuff off when you’re not using it - especially at night, and Mother Earth will appreciate it, too.  Keep your stuff running optimally, take care of it, and it will last a long time and be more reliable.  We all know that nothing’s worse than teaching when the instructional technology fails and we have a classroom full of students waiting to erupt into chaos like a ticking time-bomb…  More importantly, we’re inadvertently letting down our students who deserve high quality lessons if they’re to have a chance to achieve in the 21st century. Don’t ignore the signs, the bubbles, the indications, the time to maintain your high-tech gadgets or you too will be left out in the cold, cold rain - now do yourself and your students a favor and go check your stuff!