Ed Tech in Our Classrooms

Sometimes you just want the subject of an image without all that cluttered background. You can then move the transparent .gif around in a PowerPoint or Slides presentation. Take a moment with some favorite images of yours and explore remove.bg , I chose the image below for a very important reason which we will discuss in class someday soon. Bethany (FA19)

Some trends in technology are obvious such as the ever-decreasing size of electronics. But back in 1953, one fellow from the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company pretty well nailed it. I hope this isn't a "fake" but it's interesting none the less. There’ll Be No Escape in Future From Telephones PASADENA— AP —The telephone of the future? Mark R. Sullivan, San Francisco, president and director of the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co., said in an address Thursday night: "Just what form the future telephone will take is, of course, pure speculation. Here is my prophecy: “In its final development, the telephone will be carried about by the individual, perhaps as we carry a watch today. It probably will require no dial or equivalent, and I think the users will be able to see each other, if they want, as they talk. “Who knows but what it may actually translate from one language to another?” UPDATE: Snopes.com says "True."  https://www.snopes...

Our Saline Middle School students enter a lot of competitions. Football, golf, swimming, and basketball are some of the ones many of the teachers participated in when they were students. Once you get your job is a teacher, you may find yourself as the robotics coach. Last week, in Battle Creek, Michigan, our students placed first in the state. I sort of wish I had robotics but I was in middle school. Griffin watching his robot carefully stack blocks

I have been urging Michigan legislators to consider doing what many places have been doing in growing numbers. Last November, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, decided to have online learning days.   On a snow day, assignments will be posted online by 9:30 a.m. Students would log in to their learning platform and see the list of assignments from their teacher. They would just start going through the assignments and attendance for the day will be recorded at 3:30 p.m. Most parents and students say it’s fair. Plenty of time for fun in the snow.

Can you learn about technology from a podcast? One would hope so. The trick is to find your tribe – folks who are cut from the same cloth as you – and start asking around or asking Dr. Google (as we say in my household). One group I found a year ago when I was a Google Certified Trainer (since lapsed) is the Google Teacher Tribe . Usually, I hear (when I have time) or read (more often) about the latest Google Suite updates. Sometimes they are quite helpful and sometimes they are minor modifications that I will either store away or forget. Send me your favorite educational technology podcasts, if you have one.

This is an undergraduate of mine, Bethany, who just passed the Google Educator certification test (Level 1). I have been urging and encouraging my students to take this test to demonstrate their competency in the basic Google Suite of applications to potential employers. Employers I have spoken with are extremely interested and supportive of credentials like this on top of the teaching degree. To them, it demonstrates not only a skill set that is essential to a modern classroom, but it also shows that they are willing to get the appropriate training to succeed at their future role as a teacher. So, do we consider this a micro-credential?

This blog will be an attempt to dovetail discussions and insights from my Master’s students in Educational Leadership at Eastern Michigan University. The class will begin in three weeks so I have yet to get to know my students but I am looking forward to it. I am very curious about their take on what is going on in this place where technology intersects with education. Tools and applications overlap with policies and practice here and speculation is both welcome and expected. McVey - rendered by an AI Art Program - deepart.io