Technology for Teachers

We recently started an online school store using www.payschools.com

Pretty slick and works with other systems including our student information system and accounting system.

Just added the wordpress app to the iPhone. Slow typing, but we’re mobile!

Picture is from the dentist’s office. Nasty, but an example of mobile pic.

So my iPhone is here.  So far I’m using www.EverNote.com and its plugin and I’ve been keeping busy using it for notes and work in both my Activities Director and Dean of Students positions.  The image at right is of my evernote page with the contained notebooks.

My daughter also finds the camera of measureable interest.  She had quite a bit of fun while watching me at the dentist.  The picture below was taken with the camera and then sent as a saved photo to evernote.

I’ve also been able to add the following sites to the phone for on-the-go use:  our district/school website, activities websites (including admin sections), student information system login, and email.  I’m still looking for the push client for our email system but using gMail to pull it all right now.

Day two with the phone and it’s already coming in quite handy!

(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!

Boy how long has it been since I posted last.  Obviously quite a while if I start with that question.   Wondering if anyone even reads this….???…..

So what’s new?  I’m currently working in Deer River and await approval on my not necessarily new but "updated" position.  I’ve been thinking about this blog and wondering if I’ll ever really catch on.  I seem to be quite preachy on the need to blog and share one’s knowledge but not quite putting that into practice.  One day at a time I guess.  Today’s post is an update on my position and things in the works.  I will be the Dean of Students and Activities Director at Deer River High School this year.  I’m quite excited at the opportunity to continue working at our High School with our students, families, staff, and leadership.

I’ll continue to offer technology staff development trainings albeit fewer but more targeted.  I’m looking at offering Saturday in-services in our region focusing on Web 2.0 technologies available to increase student learning.  To date I’ve been ruminating on Google Apps for increased communication/collaboration.  We have some currently using the tools but I hope to share the info with more.  Podcasting and blogging still haven’t caught on in my region of the US although I believe with the new options such as gabcast and other tools it will make blogging/podcasting easier.

Right now I’m going to fire up iTunes and look into the "App Store" and what’s currently available for the iPhone.  I’m excited to incorporate the iPhone into my position.  From accessing the student information system (Infinite Campus) to the Activities Scheduler we’re incorporating I should be working in quite a mobile and constantly connected world!

If this blog has lost your attention or strayed from topics, I apologize.  It is what it is.