David Lee EdTech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzCyIEvfsBE "I don't have time to teach my students how to use the techology." This is a challenge I face constantly. I work with about 600 students across 28 classes. Because we don't have a designated "tech lesson," it is up to the teachers and me to find pockets of time to integrate digital skills. Recently, our 4th graders were wrapping up a Social Studies unit on Responsibility . They explored the driving question: How do our choices as consumers affect the world? To move beyond just learning the content, we wanted them to take Student Action —to create a campaign to influence others using digital media. The Problem: The Sustainable Model Initially, our EdTech team thought about pushing into every classroom to teach specific tools (websites, posters, videos). We quickly realized this wasn't sustainable. With so many students and conflicting schedules, we couldn't be everywhere at once. The S...

Slidebean  is a web-based tool that allows users to create aesthetically-pleasing presentations with very little difficulty and effort. It is so simple to use that I decided to have my 1st graders try it out. Slidebean will go live on June 4th, 2014. The beta version has already been used by over 7,000 people. According to the CEO of Slidebean,  Caya Jose Cayasso , the company's immediate goal is to become a "true valuable alternative alternative for teacher and students to build their presentations." With its extremely simple user interface and its elegant designs, Slidebean could become the next big presentation tool in education. However there are some issues that Slidebean needs to address before this can happen (see the  Needed Fixes  section at the bottom of the post).  Technology Integration  Our 1st grade classes just finished up their Plants unit. They learned about the different parts of a plant...

Virtual museums allow online visitors to explore and interact with digital exhibits that contain information about a collection of artifacts and other historical objects. A simple and effective way to create a virtual museum is to use Google Slides. The template I created consists of a title slide or museum lobby that contains links to the different rooms of the museum. 

What is Bump? Bump is an Android and iOS app that allows you to share contact info, files, photos, and videos by bumping two mobile devices together. Watch this video for more info! Now Bump with Your Computer! Here is what you need to do: 1. Install Bump onto your mobile device. 2. Go to https://bu.mp/ on your computer. 3. Choose a file, photo, video, or contact info on your mobile device. 4. Bump your spacebar on the computer with your mobile device. 5. You will see the next two images below when the bump was successful. 6. Download the file onto your computer!

One Second Everyday  is an  iOS documenting app  that allows you to film a second of video every day. All your seconds can then be combined to create a short movie (check out this  example video  made by the app developer). Its slogan is: Imagine a movie that includes every day of the rest of your life... Cesar Kuriyama, the app developer, showcased his app on  TEDTalks . He explained that capturing a second of every day changed the way he lived his life. He felt he needed to do something amazing everyday.  As teachers, we should enter our classrooms with the same mentality: strive everyday to facilitate and enhance learning in an awe-inspiring approach. Any teacher with an iOS device can use this app to record the events of her or his school year.  270 school days can be recorded into a movie that is less than 5 minutes long. To summarize a school year, teachers often show end-of-the-year slideshows to their students.  Instead of ...

Prezi gives you the option to import your PowerPoints and "Prezify" them. Prezi is a web 2.0 tool that has revolutionized slide presentations. Instead of simple slide transitions that PowerPoint presentations incorporates, Prezi utilizes a zooming user interface (ZUI) that zooms in or out to different slides . Here is the process you will need to take to import your PowerPoints: Click on "PowerPoint" when you are in editing mode. Choose the PowerPoint you want to import from your computer. Insert all, or drag and drop the slides you want to import. Click the X on the sidebar. Watch this YouTube video or go to this site for a more detailed description of the process.

Google Maps has captured the beauty of Grand Canyon in Street View . You can explore 75 miles of trails and roads, and view images of the canyon in 360 degrees. I think this would be a great tool for teachers who are introducing students to biomes and landforms. Visually exploring Grand Canyon can support and illustrate the ideas they learn from their science textbooks, and help reinforce important ideas about this specific landform. Google has also captured other famous and historical places in Street View that could be used to enhance student learning.

Technology is only the "Icing on the Cake" in Project-Based Learning

1. Have groups record footage with a mobile device (iPad). 2. Send the footage to a computer with a video-editing application (iMovie) via email OR use the an app to edit the footage.  3. The completed movies are then sent to the school’s server folder. 4. Step 3 allows the teacher to project the movies from one location. 5. Students reflect on their learning through an online word processor (Google Docuements). Images are from Ms. Mines’s drama lessons. 

47 percent of all gamers are girls: Implement Game-Based Learning?

According to Michael Griffie, blended learning requires the human element of teaching and modeling positive behavior for it to succeed in an urban setting.  His school uses the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) system to encourage students to be respectful, responsible and safe.  Blended learning is an approach that combines computer activities and direct instruction together. This can be done through classroom rotations or a flex model (online activities that deliver most of the curricula). This gives time for teachers to target smaller groups who need help.  Here’s an example of how a blended learning environment looks like from New Classrooms : The Human Element of Blended Learning

Mcgraw-Hill is on the right path with ebooks! It has introduced an ebook called SmartBook that provides students with questions throughout their reading. The purpose of this is to see what topics students are having trouble with, and try to reinforce learning by giving them additional text in the troubled areas. Amazing use of students’ learning patterns!

This article describes Phyllis Cavallone-Jurek, a principal at St. Therese Chinese Catholic School in Chicago, who transformed her struggling school with the integration of technology in a budget (local district spends three times more per child than her school). Here are some cool things she has done: Google Docs and Edmodo for 5th to 8th graders SMART products and Rosetta Stone for all students Shared vision with teachers STEM-focused classes Collaboration with area universities Technology class (research, design, and engineering) Principal Transforms School (with a budget)

I promised myself that I would catch up on my edtech reading during winter break. Here are the magazines and journals I collected throughout the year to find some great ideas I can use for tech integration in my school or use in my own classroom.  So here some ideas I hope to use in 2013: 1. TED-Ed Lessons TED’s education beta site provides teachers with great video “lessons worth sharing.” The videos are divided by series , subject , best flips (user created lessons), and YouTube . Teachers can create lessons around these videos. 2. Wevideo This video-editing tool is on the cloud! So there is no software that needs to be downloaded onto your computer. You can upload your video through any device, edit it, and share it to multiple platforms. This can all be done anywhere with Internet connection.  3. Use QR Codes for Educational Scavenger Hunt I want to have students create their own educational scavenger hunt. They will focus and research a specific academic content....

[gallery] PBL 7s Infographic 7-Phase Model of Project-Based Learning 7 Essentials in Project-Based Learning

What is Project-Based Learning? I have transformed my learning environment by incorporating project-based learning (PBL) through the use of technology. Technology in the classroom has given my students the necessary tools to inquire complicated questions and solve rigorous challenges. Through PBL, my students have gained academic content knowledge and developed important 21st century skills, which includes information literacy, problem-solving, communication, and the use of digital media. The PBL process involves the introduction of a driving question, the culminating challenge, content research, student-generated products, and a summative assessment. PBL entails student-centered activities that focus on authentic, real-world issues in the form of a driving question. This meaningful question is open-ended so that students can research and develop a solution through the utilization of technologies. For example, to review area and perimeter with my 3rd graders, I decided to have my stude...

The Research Tool allows students to search for more information on any word, phrase, or topic while creating their Google presentation. They can search for web results, images, quotations, maps, reviews and more!

If you are planning to assess student geometry knowledge and skills, look no further than a digital architecture . Students will learn and apply the process of planning and designing a 3D architectural building model. They will apply geometry concepts to accomplish their goal. To make the learning experience more authentic, the students will take on the role of architects who will create models for their clients.   Learning Plan Geometry Lessons Guided/Independent Practice Architecture Presentation/Lesson Architecture Research:  Paper Floor Plan/Geometry Sheet Digital Floor Plan Constructing Digital Structure 3. Architecture Presentation : Provide students with background information on architecture, examples of architecture, its design elements and principles, and a review of geometry concepts related to geometry. 4. Architecture Research : Have students navigate architecture websites and complete the graphic organizer that focuses on key information.  5. Paper Floor Plan/Geometry S...