Paperless Powerhouse: 5 Tools that can Help Your Classroom go Paperless

Many things have changed over the past twenty years.  We used to listen to music on our shiny new CD's, now we listen to music with a digital device and some children don't even know what a CD is.  Twenty years ago we went to the video store to rent a VHS (or Beta) video so we could go home and watch it on our awesome 24" screen.  Now we just rent movies through our Apple TV, Roku or Netflix to watch in on many different devices.  Twenty years ago, when kids wanted to go out, they went home to ask permission or went to a friends house to make a phone call, now kids just send a txt.  Twenty years ago teachers would carry home all of these pieces of paper to grade.  Now...teachers carry home all of these pieces of paper to grade.  What happened?  How did the world move forward while we in education seem to be in some sort of time warp (not the fun one with the dance moves)?  This article will help those who want to break free of the time warp and move toward a paperless classroom.  It will also be useful to those who like to keep current on some great tools that can be helpful in maintaining a modern learning environment.

First, let's define a paperless classroom.  When I talk about a paperless classroom, I am not talking turing paper assignments into pdf files so kids can fill them out on a screen.  I am talking about a learning environment where students and teachers use technology in order to communicate, investigate, theorize, test, collaborate, create and I think you get the idea.  I am talking about a truly modern classroom, and guess what...sometimes that does include paper.  Use paper when necessary and appropriate and not an instance more.  Okay, enough rambling, let's look at some great paperless tools.

Hardware

The first thing you need is something to work on.  A laptop or desktop will do nicely, or you can use any one of the mobile devices available today.  Personally, I tend to go for the mobile device, they are smaller, easier to carry around and are just plain fun to work with.   Outside of the iPad (my personal favorite) some other tablets are: Google Nexus, Asus Transformer Pad, Samsung Tablet and the new kid on the block the Amplify Tablet.  Don't just pick any tablet that can use online collaboration tools such as Google Drive or Zoho.  Can the device record audio, video and still images?  Can it annotate pdf files?  Can you edit video?  A modern classroom is more than research and writing papers, it's about passion and exploration.  It's about critical and creative thinking and making new things. Pick the right hardware for reaching your goals.

Software/Apps

Yes....there's an app for that.  One very important thing to consider when selecting hardware is the software that will work with it.  Is there software (or apps) that will allow the user to  do what needs to be done.  Maybe the device is powerful enough to edit video, but the software is cumbersome and difficult to use.  If the software isn't user friendly, you have a hugh problem on your hands.   Let's not forget about the more mundane projects that are really important in the life of a student.  A good pdf annotator or journaling app can make a world of difference in the classroom.  There's no point in finding free apps if they aren't user friendly or don't accomplish your goals.  You will find some of my favorite educational iPad apps listed on the mobile apps page of my website.

Online Services

There are a lot of ways for students to share digital files with educators.  One way is through an online application system such as Google Apps or Zoho.  Both of these services are great and allow for file sharing.  In my experience though, it is sometimes better to use a Learning Management System (LMS) instead.  A LMS will not only allow students to share files back and forth with the educators, a good LMS will streamline a lot of the tedious work for the educator, leaving him/her more time to create quality learning experiences for students.  (See my recent post on this topic here)   It will also allow an educator (and students) to organize information and share a wide variety of resources under one "roof".  For example, several Google Documents, YouTube videos, websites and audio files can all be stored in folders organized by topic, date or type. All the necessary files for a lesson or unit can be stored in a single folder or "collection".  A similar result can be accomplished using Google Apps (including Google Sites), but I find a LMS to be easier to use in that type of situation.

Digital Quizzes/Tests

Giving quizzes and tests online can be a great way to remove paper from a classroom.  Online quizzes can be at least partially graded by the computer (non essay questions) leaving the educator with the results and data without the work ofgrading.  Some online quizzes will export to excel (can we say grade book integration?) and some give students instant feedback so they don't have to wait for the educator to take the papers home and grade them.  Many online quizzes can have times when they are visible to the students and can shuffle the questions and answer options.  If you like the idea of online quizzes and grade book integration, you should check out Schoology.  It has a nice quizzing module that talks directly to the grade book. Other nice online quiz options include: Quizlet, Quiz Star and Quiz Egg.

Video

Any truly modern classroom is going to include video of some sort from somewhere.  There are video sources for schools such as Khan Academy or IXL.  Educators that are so inclined to make their own videos, have a variety of tools available to them that varies according to the hardware available (see how some things go back to hardware?).  Let's not overlook the YouTube option.  Some people get nervous when you talk about putting videos on YouTube or students putting videos on YouTube, but there are things you can do to keep videos out of the "public eye".  If you are interested in using video or doing a flip classroom concept, you can find more information about flip and videos (including flip classroom apps for the iPad) on the Mobile Learning - Flip Classroom  page of my website.

And a pinch to grow an inch....

Vision

I am not talking about the superhero (don't worry if you don't know him, he's not that popular). I am talking about a vision for your classroom.  A classroom without a vision is like a sailing ship without a sail or a kite without a string.  You can get lost and/or things can get away from you very quickly.  Like with any environment, there needs to be direction.  People like direction (that's why we have GPS and cool looking maps).  Before embarking on a modern 21st century classroom, stop, breathe and make a plan.  A flexible plan, but it should still be a plan.  Below are a list of sites that may help you with your paperless classroom plan.  If you have any questions or would like some advice about implementing a paperless classroom, feel free to contact me through the Contact Randy page of my website.

Inside the Classroom, Outside the Box
Using Google Docs to go Paperless
Flipped Learning

Digital Classroom Environments

Over the past several years digital classrooms have grown at a tremendous rate.  Ten years ago it was not very common for anyone to take an online course and now there are millions of people across our planet taking online courses every day.  The pedagogy of online courses has evolved from a course where a student listens to a lecture and completes assignments to courses that have students interacting with instructors and each other in a wide variety of ways.  We have gone from live classes only, to choosing between live and online classes and today we even have a third option.  We can take classes live, online or in an blended environment.  The tools educators and schools use in order to provide online and blended courses have expanded and there are several different options for providing a online or blended class.

As I have explored different digital classroom environments over the past few years, I have noticed a fundamental shift between digital course software that has been around for many years (such as BlackBoard and Moodle) and newer digital environments (Edmodo and Schoology).  The software that has been around for many years seems to have a connection with a more traditional style of education.  They are simply digital versions of a traditional classroom.  The educators control what is going on in the room, share documents with students, hold discussion with students and provide a space for students to turn in home work and check their grades.  I am not stating that these programs are bad or inappropriate, I am simply stating that they are traditional.  Personally I believe we need non-traditional online options for classes to fit our modern day non-tradtional classroom.  This is why I have turned to Schoology.

If you haven't seen Schoology, you should...it's just plain cool.  Schoology was built in a fashion similar to Facebook and is very easy for anyone to navigate.  It allows for students or teachers to form groups, connect their learning to Google Docs, hold a wide variety of discussions (including adding audio and video in the enterprise version) as well as a great quizzing module.  More impressive than all of this is the fact that my teachers can be introduced to Schoology and in less than an hour they are experts.  (ok, they aren't experts in using Schoology, but they feel like they are). My educators have not gone through the stressful process of trying to understand how to navigate through an online classroom system such as BlackBoard or Moodle.  They are using an environment that seems, at least, vaguely familiar and comfortable.  Schoologys interface is laid out in a way that makes sense in our modern world.

As our students have been introduced to Schoology, there have been very few cries for help.  Students have enjoyed the discussion board and love the idea of making their own social groups within Schoology.  Educators love the ease and versatility of the discussion boards and the quiz module.  My IT person loves how easy it is to adjust the settings to allow everyone to do everything for their classrooms.  Overall, it's a win win situation.

Let's look at it from this point of view.  My spanish teachers have been searching for a way to use audio more within their classrooms. We have tried, with varying degrees of success, VoiceThread.  This has helped, but was just different enough from everything else they do, that my spanish teachers would get lost or confused.  They needed a SIMPLE solution.  The Schoology discussion board is just what the Education Technology person ordered.  It is easy enough for the adults and provides the authentic learning experiences students need.  The fact that this discussion board ties directly to the student calendar and grade book is simply icing on the cake, and I love icing.

Although I tout about Schoology, it is not the only game on the block with this more modern look at the classroom environment.  One comparable, and popular, program is Edmodo.  Other programs worth checking out are: EduOnGo and Udutu.

If you know of any other modern digital classroom environment, I'd love to hear about them.  You can contact me through my website at technologyskills.net

School Versus the "Real World"

Image Source

How many times have you heard someone in a school say something like "When you get into the real world..."  How many times have you said that?  I've been thinking about this statement a lot lately.  I've said it many times over the years and it's a true statement.  School is, in a sense, practice for the world outside of our environment.  It's a place where students are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.  A place where students can gain the base skills they will need in order to survive and thrive throughout the rest of their lives.  So why do we do things in schools that are only relevant at school?

I walked into a classroom the other day and noticed the students had created these beautiful tri-fold presentation board presentations.  For the most part, it was easy to see the main idea of the presentation and to understand what the creator was trying to say.  But why tri-fold presentation boards?  Where else do you see these outside of school?  Why not find more modern and authentic ways for students to demonstrate knowledge, teach each other and express their thoughts?  I thought I would focus this blog post on that very concept.  Below you will find a variety of ideas on how students can express their knowledge and thoughts.  Some ideas are iPad specific and some are not.

1. Create a video - This idea has been around for years now, and it's a good idea.  There are some very simple ways students can create videos to show or experience knowledge.
1. Use a web cam to record them selves inside of iMovie or Windows Movie Maker (Mac or PC) (free)
2. Compile images and create voice overs using iMovie (Mac), Windows Movie Maker (PC), PhotoStory (PC), iMovie app (iPad) (all free)
3. Use an interactive whiteboard app such as Explain Everything or Doceri in order to record videos and quickly and easily publish them to YouTube. (iPad) (4.99)


2. Create a visual/textual story - There are a wide variety of software applications and apps that allow teachers and students to create visually and textually appealing stories.  Here are some of them.
1. Comic life (PC, Mac, iPad) is a great way to allow students to have a lot of fun while learning and teaching using images and text.  (4.99 - iPad, 29.99 mac/pc)
2. Remarks - A student can use remarks to combine images, drawings and text.  This work can then be shared as a PDF document through email, Google Drive or DropBox. (iPad)(1.99)
3. MindMeister (Mind mapping) - MindMeiser is an online mind mapping application (and an iPad app) where students can create mind maps and presentations.  Students can also collaborate and peer edit these works.  The free version allows up to three mind maps, and the use of online images. (free and paid versions)
4. Photostory (PC) - An easy to use windows program that allows students to create an automated slide show that includes images, voice overs and sound tracks.  Each image is timed automatically to the voice over attached to it.(free)


3. Podcasting - Producing an audio program can be a wonderful way for students to express themselves, teach concepts to other and participate in modern digital communications and discourse.  There are many different services out there, both free and pay, that can be used, but ultimately the only things you need are recording devices, microphones and imagination.  Here are some of the ways I have seen students record themselves.
1. Audacity - An amazing free program with many robust features.  It's very simple to use (I've used it with second grade students), but have the power of many audio recording programs that can cost up to $100. (Mac, PC) (free)
2. Audio Memos - An easy to use app on the iPad where students can record themselves and critique their own work. (0.99)
3. Garage Band - Another wonderful program that kids and adults love to use.  If you want to  have background music playing on your podcast, this is the one to use!  (Mac, iPad) (free)


4. Power Pointish presentations - Of course there is always Power Point and Keynote, but there are many many more options on how to present information.  Some are strictly lecture based and some allow for more presenter audience interaction.  Here are a few.
1. Explain Everything - A presenter can create a PowerPoint type presentation with the added twist that things on the screen may be moved manually and the presenter can write directly on the screen during the presentation.  The presentation can also be recorded live and easily sent to youtube afterward. (free)(iPad)
2. MindMeister - This is wonderful mind mapping software (iPad friendly) that also allows the user to turn the mind map into a presentation similar to a Prezi.  The iPad app is still missing a few of MindMeisters great features, but they are working on it. (free version and pay version)
3. Prezi - Prezi has changed the standard for presentations.  The creator can make wonderful animated presentations that can stand on their own or be guided by the presenter.  You can now create a Prezi using their app, but not all of the features are available that way....yet. (free version and pay version)


5. Interactive Whiteboards - There are an enormous amount of interactive whiteboard apps for the iPad and they all have different strengths and weaknesses.  They all will allow you to add images and text to a screen as well as provides the ability to write on top of everything.  The largest differences are in how these apps allow you to share your files from these apps.  Personally, I like to use DropPox or Google Drive, but there are other options.  Here are some of the most popular ones I know of: (all free)(all iPad)
1. Explain Everything
2. Screen Chomp
3. Doceri
4. Educreations
5. ShowMe


6. Mind Maps - Mind maps are a great way to help students organize their thoughts, connect thoughts and share their thoughts with others.  Some mind map programs can also be turned into more interactive presentations.  Some offer the ability to share mind maps with others (besides just using email or iTunes) and some don't.  Some are specific to the iPad and some are not.  Here is a list of mind map apps I have seen and like.
1. MindMeister (free version and pay version)(iPad and laptop/desktop)
2. Mindomo (free version and pay version)(iPad and laptop/desktop)
3. iThoughtsHD (free)
4. DropMind (free version and pay version)(iPad and laptop/desktop)

What ideas do you have?  What kind of authentic presentation experience does your school provide for students?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  If you would like to see more resources for students and educators, please visit my website.

The Paperless Classroom

Image Source: http://edc.carleton.ca

I'd like to take a little time to talk about something that has been around for several years...the paperless classroom.  This is not a new way of teaching and learning, and it certainly isn't glamorous.  It is a basic day to day task that none the less can have a profound impact on the classroom.  Not only does a paperless classroom make the trees feel better, it can help a class stay organized, safe time and communicate more effectively.  (an all of that saved energy and time can be put into creating innovative and engaging educational experiences for kids).

Let's look at sharing files with each other.

In the good old days of blue ink ditto machines (if you don't know what I am talking about, you are very young) an educator would make an activity on a piece of paper and duplicate it.  That piece of paper would get handed out and the teacher would make and keep several extra copies because he/she knew someone would loose theirs and need another copy.  After class the educator would have to walk around the room picking up the papers that were left behind and the poor janitor would have to go around the entire building that night picking up all of the papers everyone (kids and adults) left on the floor.

Fast forward twenty years.  It is the good old days of black ink copy machines.  An educator would make an activity on a piece of paper and duplicate it.  That piece of paper would get handed out and the teacher would make and keep several extra copies because he/she knew someone would loose theirs and need another copy.  After class the educator would have to walk around the room picking up the papers that were left behind and the poor janitor would have to go around the entire building that night picking up all of the papers everyone (kids and adults) left on the floor.

Fast forward to today.  Is it the good old days of "The Test".   In some schools an educator will make an activity on a piece of paper and duplicate it.  That piece of paper will get handed out and the teacher will make and keep several extra copies because he/she knows someone will loose theirs and need another copy.  After class the educator will have to walk around the room picking up the papers that were left behind and the poor janitor will have to go around the entire building at night picking up all of the papers everyone (kids and adults) leave on the floor.   (Do you see a pattern here?)

What about a paperless classroom?  (NOT a classroom using a variety of technologies to improve teaching and learning, I mean a classroom that has made their physical material into a digital format)

An educator will create an assignment on a document creation program (Google Docs, MS Word, Pages etc...) and upload that file to an online source.  Students will download that file, manipulate it in some way and digitally send it to the educator.  The basic concept has not changed.  Make worksheet, fill out worksheet, turn in worksheet.  Nothing that couldn't be done on paper, so why bother buying students expensive equipment if they are just going to do the same old thing with a computer they were doing with a pencil?

There are a few reasons (although I'll leave the strength of these reasons to you).

1. The dog can't eat the laptop or the iPad.  (Although I have had people tell me that Google Docs ate their homework)
2. They don't forget a digital document in their locker, in their bedroom or on the bus.
3. They don't leave laptops or iPads lying all over the floor and all over the halls.
4. The teacher can't loose my homework
5. The teacher doesn't have to carry around a bunch of papers to drop into a mud puddle
6. There doesn't need to be a "back up" copy of every assignment
7. The time needed to hand out papers has just been reduced to less than 30 seconds
8. The time to gather papers has just been reduced to less than 30 seconds
9. Students don't have to carry around 10 different text books (they have them in digital format)
10. You don't have to stand in line at the copy machine to make a pdf

These reasons are in a paperless classroom where nothing else has changed.  No pedagogy shift.  Students still read the book and annotate, they still fill out the worksheet.  If we were to include the change in pedagogy that accompanies many paperless classrooms, this list would be enormous, but this will do for todays purpose.  Let's look at some of these benefits together.

Time, time, time.  One day I was observing one of my fifth grade classrooms and the educator asked the students to turn in their homework.  (This particular homework was a journal writing done in the app Paperdesk)  The students promptly opened their iPads and digitally "turned in" the file before the teacher finished taking attendance.  Fast forward to another classroom that does not have this opportunity.  I walked into the room and there was a flurry of activity.  One student was looking for a pencil to write their name on the paper, one person was looking for the stapler, some students were passing papers one way and some passing papers the other.  In all it took almost five minutes to get all of the papers gathered and the students ready to begin learning.  That's about 4 and 1/2 minutes of unnecessarily wasted time that is precious to any teacher.  That's just getting homework turned in...nothing had been passed out.

That darn dog.  Prior to the days of the digital classroom the dog got blamed for many misdeeds.  Once things became more digital I have noticed that the dog has been busy teaching the computer some dirty tricks.  (I have a really smart dog) The concept of "something happened and it wasn't my fault" is a constant theme in education and it probably will be for all time.  If you have a digital classroom, one way to alleviate this issue is to implement something like Google Docs.  If a student begins a Google document and shares it with you, you have instant access to that documents history.  So if Billy comes to you and says "I'm sorry Mr. Thomas, I've been working on it all week, but my work just disappeared" you can go into the document that was shared with you and say something like "I'm sorry Billy, I see that you started it a week ago, but you haven't been on it since." ... ouch...

Waiting for the copy machine can be a rough way to start your day.  Having to run across the building to make copies in the 2 minutes you have before class starts can be very stressful and is not a good way to begin a class.  If you share document digitally with your students (and you are a wee bit organized) you can send the file to the entire class in seconds.  If you only have a physical copy of what you want to share, you still have a couple of options.  Flatbed scanners are a cheap way to scan documents into a pdf format.  Another way is to use that gigantic copy machine we all love so much.  Many multi function machines (if set up for it) can scan documents and send them to you via email or save them directly to a school server without ever making a physical copy.  It's easy peasy.  If you would like to try this method to digitize your papers, ask your school secretary.  I bet they know if your machines can do this or not.

Another benefit of the paperless classroom is exposing students to the digital tools they will use when they get older.  As educators dare to embrace this new world that is so different from the one we grew up in, the last thing they need to do is stumble on a project because they or the students are unfamiliar with a specific technology.  If educators and students experience the technologies that make the paperless classroom possible, they are also experiencing the same technologies that allow them to do a wide variety of things to expand their learning.

If you would like to learn more about the paperless classroom, here are some resources for you:

http://www.paperlessclassroom.org/
http://thepaperlessclassroom.wordpress.com/
http://edudemic.com/2012/09/how-one-classroom-actually-used-ipads-to-go-paperless-part-1-research/
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech059.shtml

If you would like information on how you can use digital tools in your classroom, please see my website at http://www.technologyskills.net

iPad Restrictions: Parental Controls for the iPad

I had an interesting conversation with a parent this week.  Her child was using their iPad to watch funny YouTube videos and in the process ran across a video that was not appropriate for a ten year old.  She, of course, was concerned and her first consideration was to install spyware on her child's iPad.  I don't personally believe in this approach, even if I do understand the concern.  However, in order to be informed myself and able to talk to parents about this type of issue I did a little research.

There are several "spyware" programs out there that cater to the iPad.  After reviewing them I realize that many of them (if not all of them) require you jailbreak your iPad.  This is not an option for anyone that has Apple Care as the warranty would become null and void immediately if you jailbreak your iPad.  But there are ways parents can have some of the control they may need or crave.

First, if the child's iPad is WiFi only, a web filter is a great thing to use.  I have suggested that parents who have iPads contact their internet service provider in order to see is they provide this service.  There are also other web based services such as OpenDNS that could be employed in these situations.  These types of options do not require you to install software on any of your devices and anyone using the wireless at your home would be under the same restrictions as the child (although there are override codes adults could use).

Second, there is the restriction settings on the iPad that can be set by an adult.  If you go into the System Settings of the iPad and tap on "General", you will see the word restrictions on the right hand side of the screen.  Tap that in order to set up restrictions on the iPad.  See my video below for this process. Changing the restrictions on an iPad is a good way to help filter the information a child might access from the iPad.  For example: you can set the age restrictions for movies and TV shows on the iPad.  This could prevent the child(ren) from renting inappropriate movies and shows from iTunes.  You can also set music to not allow sexually explicit material and Siri to ignore explicit language.  Basically, there are a fair amount of options here.

This solution does not solve my original query about filtering YouTube  but after a little looking there is one thing you can do in order to filter YouTube videos on a computer.  This solution works on both the iPad and any other device that uses a web browser to access YouTube   The downside to this is that in order to be thorough  you would need to repeat the filter process on every browser on the device.  For example, if you turn on the filter in Safari on the iPad, but not the "Google" app (which is also a web browser).  In order for the filter to be turned on in both web browsers, you would need to go through that process on each browser individually.

Here are your steps in filtering YouTube:

1. Open the browser and go to youtube.com
2. Log in to YouTube.com.  If you don't have a YouTube or Google account....get one.  They are very useful and required for what you are about to do.
3. Scroll to the very bottom of the page.
4. Change to "Desktop" mode by clicking on the word "Desktop" (blue text) in the bottom right hand corner of the page.  What we are looking for doesn't show in the default mobile view.
5. Now that you are in "Desktop" mode, scroll back down to the bottom of the screen.  you will see several YouTube options in black lettering.
6. Locate the option for "Safety" (you should see the word "off" next to it with a down arrow)
7. Tap on the down arrow next to the word "off".
8. Select the "On" radio button
9. Tap "Save"
10. Logout

Now that you have turned the YouTube filtering on, it cannot be turned off on that browser unless it is turned off by someone logged into YouTube as you (which is why it's important to log out when you are finished).  Don't forget, this is only good on each browser this process is completed in.  

This process does NOT work on proxy browsers such as Rover and Photon (browsers that allow you to view flash content by using a "proxy").  The YouTube browsing experience through one of these browsers isn't as nice as a standard browser, so reduces the "fun" factor for anyone choosing to view YouTube that way.

I would be interested to hear about what other people are doing to filter and secure iPads for kids.  Please feel free to leave a post with any of your ideas or you can email me at randy@technologyskills.net.  More information about iPads, including iPad video tutorials, can be found on my website at technologyskills.net.

An Inefficient model: An Effective PD

When implementing any kind of technology, professional development is key to its success.  What is the point of purchasing a computer if you don't learn how to use it?  Most technology projects that fail, fail because of a lack of professional development.  I have spoken to many educators and technology people over the years and I have heard this same story over and over.  People talk about how their school or district purchased a smart board for every classroom, but no one knows how to use it.  Every teacher got a laptop, but didn't get any training so it is only used for typing letters, internet and email.  Every time I hear a story like this I am frustrated and saddened.  Look at it this way.

Let's say you have a teen aged child.  It's time for that child to learn how to drive, but instead of signing the child up for Drivers Education or taking him/her out with you to learn how to drive, you just buy them a new car.  That's it....you buy the car, give them the keys and say "you are on own" or "let me know if you need any advice".  Who in their right mind would do this?  When in comes to using technology in the schools, we do it all the time.  Schools or districts purchase equipment so they can show they are using technology (or with the goal of truly integrating technology into the classroom), but don't supply professional development.  Some schools give a little bit of training on the hardware and stop there.  Some districts have Technology Coaches, but a single Technology Coach for 100 educators is simply paying lip service to a serious flaw in our current educational model.

Let me clarify one thought.  Professional development is not training.  They are not the same thing and should not be approached the same way.  When someone receives new technology equipment, they need some training to learn how to use it.  When an educator receives new equipment, they need training on how to use it, THEN they need professional development to learn how to use it in the classroom.  They need to be able to explore the technology within the confines of their curriculum and they need to be able to speak with someone about their ideas who can speak back and help the educator explore the possibilities.  Without this step, technology integration into the classroom will never reach it's full potential.  Training is easy to understand.  Training has clear and observable goals that can be seen right away.  Training can be done through simple tutorials via video or text documents.  Training, if organized well, is efficient.  Effective professional development is not.

Professional development is that extra step educators need to help them use classroom technology in the best possible way.  It can be obtained through the many wonderful conferences that are available (see this page on my website for a list) and many schools and districts offer mini conferences during the beginning of the school year.  They are good ways to encourage educators to use technology and experiment with it's limits, but is simply isn't enough.  Technology is changing very quickly and we have to keep up or get left behind.  I am not talking about "Keeping up with the Jones", I am talking about using the best modern tools to facilitate teaching and learning.  I am talking about knowing and understanding which tools are best suited for a task and leaving behind old technologies when appropriate.  I am talking about understanding the myriad of tools available and having the ability to filter through them in order to find the most appropriate one for your situation.  This kind of understanding can come through conferences, but a truly thorough understanding of a technology and how it can be used in the classroom comes from high quality professional development.

At the school where I work, I have made some serious changes to technology professional development.  The first thing I did was to move my personal vacation time.  Every year I get three weeks of vacation (plus the week of July 4 which is a mandatory week off).  Instead of pretending to take my time off in July (when I end up working half of it anyway) I take my time off during the school year.  During the summer, educators are invited to work with me directly for up to three days as individuals or in small groups (I limit these groups to three or four).  I work with these educators and their curricula.  I don't "train them" even if we start with a little bit of training.  I help them explore the technology and how it relates to their classroom.  My results are sometimes not what I expected.  For example:  I was working with a couple of educators on the concept of digital portfolios.  The original plan was for me to teach the basics of creating a Google Site and helping them to create a template for their students to use.  This evolved into using iPads to document work and share files.  We explored various online storage options and found a system that would work well with their specific age group and their classroom environment.    The iPad discussion led to a variety of apps that could be used to teach math and explore information.  This led to their desire to learn how to use iMovie and Comic Life on the iPad.  Which lead to... and the list continues. We did accomplish creating the digital portfolio template and planning how digital portfolios would be implemented.  We did accomplish how to use the iPads to document information and share files (I'm talking the kids doing this as well as the adults).  We did accomplish finding apps to help teach Math and all of what we accomplished is now being smoothly (for the most part) implemented into the classrooms (grades 2,3,4).  So in a total of 6 days over the summer we have made an enormous change in their classrooms and students as young as 8 years old are creating their own digital portfolios and truly reflecting on their own learning.  How cool is that!?

Let's take that same situation and place it into a more traditional model of professional development.  Let's also use the six educators referred to above.  So I have six educators who are interested in having students create and use digital portfolios.  They discuss their idea with me and I ask for some training during the week educators come back in August and are given some training.  I argue with administration to separate these educators out from the rest of the staff.  I struggle with the schedule to find the best time to help them learn how to use Google Sites and at best I get to work with the whole group of 6 for up to 3 hours (at absolute best).  In that three hours I teach them how to use Google Sites and discuss how they can implement the concept into their classrooms.  That's all, I'm done and since it's the beginning of the school year, I may not be able to approach them again about this project until late September.  At best 2 of them will have implemented the project.  They get frustrated because things didn't work as smoothly as expected (we didn't have enough time to plan and discuss how to implement).  They get frustrated because they don't remember how to do some stuff in Google Sites (they didn't get enough practice).  The students get frustrated because the teacher can't help them (the teachers didn't get enough "play time" and we didn't plan out the student training portion of the idea.  In short, we have spotty success at best.  Does this sound familiar?

If we want technology to be truly and fully integrated into the modern classroom, we MUST provide quality professional development.  The money we save by not having teachers receive this experience is paid by student learning and success.  

Just-in-time Training

When working with a 1:1 mobile device program at any school there are certain things that have to be considered, and certain things that absolutely must be available to students and staff.  The first is technical support.  If technology doesn't run smoothly in the classroom, there is a larger chance they will simply stop using it.  The second is training and understanding how to do certain things.  I work for a small school and for everything we do with technology (and we do a lot), there are only two of us in my entire department.  My helper is in charge of technical support and I cover everything else.  It isn't possible to do everything that needs to be done, but it is possible to provide tools where educators and students can help themselves.

We have provided a wide variety of tools to our students and it is my responsibility that the students and educators know how to use those tools.  I have provided training over the summer for staff and I have actively been inside the classrooms, but that will never be enough.  My people (and probably most educators and students using technology) need high quality Just-in-time Training.  They need access to tutorials (written and/or video) on how to do the specific tasks they need to do.  There are many wonderful sources for technology tutorials online.  Video tutorial sites such as Lynda.com are wonderful for professionals.  Teachers and students however, tend to need training that is a little more specific.  They need a video or written tutorial that explains to them how to get from their point A to their point B.  For exampe: Let's assume that a child is working on a project using Google Apps.  They need to insert a specific table into a document, but have no idea how to do it.  Let's also say that I am not available to help them.  They could spend time searching for tutorials on how to accomplish this.  They could find information and mentally adjust it to their situation (maybe), but this type of thing takes time, especially if they lack experience with Google Docs.  Here's my solution:

If I know students (or educators) are going to do something that may be difficult for them, I will usually make a quick video tutorial or (upon request) a written tutorial on how to do a very specific task.  This way the learner does not need to go hunting for help and I know they will have help from their own individual starting point to their own individual ending point.  For example: A group of students or teachers need to connect a printer to their iPad.  There are tutorials on generally doing this, but they will be more successful if I take the 5 minutes to make a quick video tutorial (ipad screen casting resouces listed below) showing them how using their app and our printers.  Also, this way they can hear my voice and we know each others idosyncricies.  They are all more likely to understand what I am saying, even if a complete stranger uses the same words.  I also know exactly what the student/teacher heard and can adjust any trainings as necessary to improve student/teacher learning.  This is not something any third party can do.

Another version of Just-in-time Training that is important for technology integration success is having someone in the classroom to offer advice when needed.  Of course, it would be impossible to be in every classroom every day, but classroom observations could help.  Providing regular visitations to classrooms in order to observe and offer ideas can provide an amazing amount of help to staff and students.  Instructional Technologists must be given the time and encouragement to go into classrooms and provide another point of view.  Classroom teachers must be given the time and encouragement to allow someone to come into their classroom, in a non judgemental fashion, and give them another point of view.  This is a collaborative approach, not an evaluative one.  This is not about teacher performance or evaluation, it is about student learning and engagement.

If you find yourself in a situation where your school or district is interested in integrating technology into your classrooms and curriculum, encourage them to deeply consider the important of professional development for teachers.  Too many schools and districts have purchased large amounts of technology equipment only to have it sit in a room or unused in a classroom simply because they did not provide the necessary professional development.  Equipment alone is simply equipment.  Equipment plus training equals potential.  For an example of the effects of professional development on integrating technology, see my post titled "The Importance of Professional Development".

If you are an administrator and would like help teaching teachers how to use and integrate technology, please feel free to email me at randy@technologyskills.net or you can contact me through my website at technologyskills.net

A note about screen casting on the iPad:  I am not aware of any app that allows you to screencast directly from the iPad, however there is a nice work around.  I use AirServer to project my iPad onto my computer screen and then Camtasia for Mac in order to record what I am doing.  This allows me to make quick and easy video tutorials on doing different things on the iPad.  Some of my tutorials are listed on my website. If you don't want to play for a screencast software, Screencast-O-Matic and Jing are both nice alternatives.