Technology for Teachers

cross posted @ www.PrincipalThoughts.org

Well, it finally hit me tonight.  I spend so much time searching for what others are using their iPhones for that maybe it’s time I post some of what I’m using.  As an educational administrator (Dean of Students and Activities Director) I use my iPhone more than any other tool.  Each day I have to charge it as I drain through the battery.  A common theme I find from the apps I use is their ease of use and web accesability options.  By web accessible I mean an alternate version is available for me to grab from my laptop or desktop.  I always have copies of information I need available with an internet connection and when I don’t have that I can access the info directly from my iPhone’s data connection.  The only information I can think of that I don’t have direct access to are items that present a data privacy concern (suspension records, specific student related communication pieces, etc.).  These are still housed on our in district network and I have to access them from my desktop.  Our student information system is accessible from my phone but does not meet the "ease of use" condition I mentioned earlier.  I usually only use it to check student schedules.

Here are a few screen shots of my first couple pages as well as the Google App:

 Here’s a short list of the apps I use the most:

• Google App
  • I use this to access my email through my gMail account, I forward my school email to it and keep a copy on that platform as well.
  • My iPhone calendar is synced to my Google Calendar.  Adding an item to either one updates the other and allows it to be accessible on the web.  I also have my Google Calendar set to send me a text message the week before and a half an hour before scheduled events.
  • I post all of the information I need to access (that doesn’t contain sensitive data or items that pose a privacy concern) directly into Google Docs and almost all of my time is spent enteriing directly into Google Docs. I can access from the iPhone, my computers, and have sharing capability with the many groups that I work with.
• Toodledo
  • A to do list that allows me to sort by priority as well as due date.  It also automatically updates and posts to the online toodledo website.  I have this site as one of my start pages on my laptop and desktop so that each time I log in to my machines I have instant access to my updated to do list.  If I make a change online it also updates on my phone.
• Evernote
  • I use this to take longer notes be they text, voice, or pictures.  This is another site that I have set as one of my start pages on my laptop and desktop.  Again, each time I log in to my machines I have instant access to my updated notes.  I have them sorted by category so I can take personal notes, Dean of Student Notes, Activities Director notes, etc.  Again, if I make a change online it also updates on my phone.
• TWC – Weather Bug
  • I’ve used both to track the weather, especially important when I have to make weather related decisions for events and scheduling.  You have to love the radar features that allow you to track the path and duration of storms.
• Facebook
  • I keep in contact with friends, family, and colleagues from around the world at a level I could never maintain through traditional mediums.
• White Pages
  • I’ll search out contacts and use the built-in app to get directions and update/add directly to my contact list.
• At Bat 2009
  • How else does a mobile guy keep up with his favorite team (MINNESOTA TWINS!!!)?
• NEWS Sites (each showing different world views through text, photo, and video).
  • BBC Reader
  • AP News
  • New York Times
• Twitterific
  • Much like my blogging, I go in spurts with Twitter.  I use twitter to network with colleagues around the globe who are in similar professional positions or share a common education and technology interests.
• TED
  • I love this app, it pulls audio and video presentations from the TED conferences.
• Wikipanion
  • Direct access to the Wikipedia.
• Clock
  • One draw back to this dang phone.  It has a use for everything… I even use it as my alarm clock to wake me up with Beatles or Kid Rock songs that I’ve created ringtones for with Garage Band.  I rarely turn my phone off…. I do try to utilize airplane mode at night though….
• BlogPress
  •  For the websites I’ve setup in our district (www.isd317.org) I try to use Joomla or Wordress as the platform.  Each of which tie in with this app that allows you to add and edit content to your websites with a rich editor directly from your phone.  SWEET.  I don’t use it too often but it came in handy when posting updates when our teams were in playoffs or at state competitions.

 If you have any questions about what I use my iPhone for in my postions please feel free to contact me or post a comment below.

Sean Martinson

(I should preface that I’m the Dean of Students and Activities Director at a rural school district in northern Minnesota and am due to receive an iPhone this coming week)

First of all I’m going to sync my iPhone to my laptop as it’s what I’ll have at work.  Hope that works okay but I can’t see any issues yet…

This list also doesn’t incorporate all of the contacts that I’ll load (school, AD, etc.).

Okay so what have I added so far to iTunes or noted for future addition even before I have the iPhone:

• Infinite Campus
  • Our Student Information System, I have to add the URL for the mobile interface.
• First Class
  • Our email system, until push is working have to do the mobile interface as well.
• Athletic Scheduler
  • Our activies scheduling software, also Facilities when it’s running.
• MSHSL
  • A link to our State High School League Website.
• District Site
  • Of course, our site.
• FaceBook
  • I use this to communicate with friends, educators, students, and other school community members.  I welcome any discussions this brings about.  I have only one version (no private areas) for my account.  Again love to hear the discussion begin about educators and administrators using FaceBook (yes I’ve had students contact me through FaceBook, some during school apparently).
•  Twitterific
  • I use this in communication/collaboration with other educators at www.Twitter.com/smartinson, I hope this app will improve my use of a great collaborative tool.
• WordPress???
  • I see an App for TypePad, probably only a matter of time before I can access a plugin to allow me to add content here as well.  Sorry TypePad, I like having control of my entire account.
•  An EDUCATION Category?  Sweet.
  • Yes a category started for education, so I’m not the only one who can see the iPhone grabbing hold in education?  Although I appear too cheap to spend any $ yet.  May change once I have the actual phone…
•  Games?
  • Okay, how old am I, not putting any games on it.  This is a productivity tool (for me anyway).
•  StarMap
  • OMG (oh my gosh!), scratch earlier… guess I’m not too cheap..  "A complete hand planetarium for beginers and advanced astronomers."  I am so in, I’ll drop the $12 on that one.  I’ll wait to see but this looks like a sweet app to turn students on to science.
• EverNote
  • Another OMG, an external brain, who couldn’t use that!  Had to sign up for their services as well.  I’m interested to see how the snapshots and their online service truly connect.  Now I need to learn how to use the site.  http://www.evernote.com
    
•  Picasa?
  • No app for Google’s Picasa, yet.
• WeatherBug
  • This should help me avoid the shorts on 30 degree days and the pants and long sleeve on 80 degree days.  If you lived up here you’d know what I mean, come on, can’t we just look out the window any more?
• Spanish English Dictionary
  • Okay I didn’t buy it but how many Spanish students with non-tech aware teachers just made a hey day?
• NY Times
  • I was thinking of getting a Kindle, maybe this app will knock out the need for that…
•  Health/Fitness
  • Plenty of apps but it’s getting late….  I use www.gyminee.com and they are supposed to run with an iPhone, we’ll see.
• Utilities
  • Still have to look through these, time for bed..

NOW IF ONLY I COULD GO WITHOUT SLEEP.

ps.  It’s been so long since I’ve used WordPress (the software running this blog) that I’m blown away by the changes/updates.  PS.  I use Bluehost for my sites and many school sites…. bluehost.com, not .org!

MP3 (Audio Podcast) File of this Posting

Yesterday, after a workshop that I’d attended, I had a list of books to order.  Well, the list totaled up to a bit more than I wanted to spend at the moment.  The books were in regard to educational leadership and it got me to thinking…. boy it’d be nice if I could list all the books I have (leadership specific) online for other educators  to borrow and in turn for them to list and share theirs with me.

I knew off hand that a few people I knew probably had the book that I was looking for…..  this in turn got me thinking about social networking and the possibility of there being a site that could do exactly this.  I really didn’t feel like digging through the billions of pages on the internet to look for this type of site, especially since I had no idea as to what exactly I was looking for.  So i hopped on to twitter (another social networking site) and asked my list of followers if they had any ideas, here’s  picture of that original question:

within minutes I had a response pointing me to a site called "Shelfari".

Right off the bat, the nice thing is that Krisitin (khokanson) saved me the time and effort needed to find and preview this site.  So far, with Shelfari, I’ve been able to create an online "bookshelf" that lists the books that I’ve read, I’m reading, I plan to read, I own, my wishlist, and my favorites.

Also, in the time that it would have taken me to locate this type of site, I’ve been able to create a group as well.  The group I created is called "K12 Administrators".  Time will tell how well this site will work but all indicators point to it being able to do exactly what I was looking for…. and that is provide an online place where a K12 Administrator could discuss and share professional resources.  If you have time I encourage you to check it out.   You can access my bookshelf and groups at the following page: http://www.shelfari.com/smartinson

Here’s my wish list:

This posting is cross posted at www.leadertalk.org.

This, my second posting on Leader Talk finds me reeling from the Easter weekend.  Now that the candy hangover has begun to subside I find myself reflecting on the many technology related discussions and experiences we had on Sunday.

This weekend I introduced my father to my portable jukebox, aka my video iPod.  Currently it’s at 65% capacity with 2,284 songs, 339 videos (including a couple full length movies), 2,313 photos, my calendar, my contact list, 366 podcast episodes, and Sudoku to boot!  With the help of my iPod I’ve traveled the world for professional development opportunities.  No, you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts… but it sure makes it easier!

Not to spend too much time talking about my family and my weekend BUT…. one last thing before I get to what I’d promised I’d write about.  I was quite the “gamer” in my day, not quite the Pong player my father was but many a system passed in which I spent countless hours playing, just me and the machine.  It was amazing to watch a video game system be embraced by my family, young and old, as they jumped, shouted, and basically burned off the Easter calories while “playing” our Nintendo Wii.  I’m again amazed at how technology has changed over time.  To watch those that would have previously criticized someone for “wasting their time with silly video games” completely lose themselves as they boxed their spouse or raced cows with their cousins is something to stop and take in.

One last thought on my not so connected introduction… for those that haven’t looked into video games for a while you might just be amazed at the levels of collaboration and communication going on in a media which has long been looked at as a waste of time.

What does any of this have to do with my posting for today?  I’m not really sure other than I’m fascinated with the rapid change of technology.  Maybe putting voice to the thought that teachers must first integrate technology into their own lives before the can be asked to find an educational use for the tool.

Today I want to talk about teacher time, technology integration, and what we as educational leaders can do to help teachers implement technology at the classroom level.  Please refer to my previous post for background information on technology integration.

So, How does teacher time affect technology integration?  In order to successfully integrate technology into the classroom, a school district must provide teachers with the time to learn and use new and existing technology.  In a review of studies on technology insertion, Cradler & Cradler (1995) found that staff development, training, and follow-up assistance are prerequisites for effective and sustained applications of technology and telecommunications. The authors report that effective technology integration requires that:

• Technical assistance is available when needed.
• Time for teachers to plan, learn about, and implement technology applications.
• Long-term staff development, rather than one-time workshops, is needed to support integration of technology into instruction.
• Teachers must have access to technology while planning.

Supportive workshops conducted over extended time periods throughout the school year enable teachers to acquire new technology skills and to learn how students can use technology to meet curriculum content objectives (Honey & McMillan, 1996).

A 2000 study by the Web-Based Education Commission, The Power of the Internet for Learning, demonstrates this point when 82% of teachers questioned cited lack of time to learn and plan how to use the computer in their teaching as their greatest barrier to using technology in the classroom.

There are many real-world obstacles to the time component of teacher use and training in regards to technology applications.  Trainings of any kind compete with current, ongoing, and new district initiatives.  Each competes for the time, effort, and attention of teachers.  Each also competes with the time and funding allocation of the district.

Time is a prerequisite for effective and sustained integration of technology.  However, districts struggle finding time to train teachers in new pedagological and technological approaches.

Teachers are being asked to do more throughout their day with no additional time built in to their schedules.  Teachers must have time specifically designated for the study, training, and practice that quality technology integration demands. Districts who fail to allocate time for teachers to study and practice technology integration will similarly fail at technology integration.

A professional learning community approach should be implemented; integrating technology into the ongoing learning which the learning community is taking place in. Learning communities extend the boundaries of education by recognizing that everyone is a learner and a teacher (Senge, 1990).  Technology can then be integrated throughout the weekly and monthly, large and small group sessions to study issues pertinent to the individual district while integrating technology throughout.  In professional learning communities, teachers build the community by working together towards a common goal.  This may be a unique approach to technology training but innovation requires the efforts of the whole community in creating a vision where the school is to go.

Technology should take its rightful place alongside other district initiatives.  To be fully integrated technology needs to be looked at as a part of the collective school community and should integrate with other topics, not compete for valuable training time.  Finally, districts should also look to utilize emerging staff development options such as web-based, on-demand training tools.

Thank you for lending me some of your valuable time.  Next month I’ll blog about how teacher knowledge affects technology integration.

Sincerely,
Sean Martinson

I am not, nor have I ever been, an employee of Apple or Nintendo, but I do shamelessly promote their tools and have no ethical qualms about signing a promotional deal.  My agent stands by 24/7. 

Cradler, J., & Cradler, R. (1995). Prior studies for technology insertion. San Francisco, CA: Far West Laboratory.

Honey, M., & McMillan, K. (1996). Case studies of K-12 educators’ use of the Internet: Exploring the relationship between metaphor and practice. Center for Children & Technology CCT Reports Issue No. 5. Retrieved April 9, 2007 from http://tinyurl.com/yqb3fs.

Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline. New York: Doubleday.

Web-Based Education Commission. (2000). The power of the internet for learning: Final report of the web and education commission.