 In our book, “TechnoTeaching: Taking Practice to the Next Level in the Digital World,” we created characters to help illustrate our TechnoTeaching continuum. The TechnoNOs are those who create barriers against the digital age entering their classroom. The TechnoMaybes have a casual approach, but are not the barrier-breaking TechnoYes brigade. In our blog posts we want to ensure that we are challenging and informing all types. So, if you are a TechnoNo… this might blow your mind. If you are a TechnoMaybe, you may have heard of them but not integrated them into your lessons. If you are a TechnoYes this might also blow your mind - but hopefully in a great way.
Let me tell you about two emerging edtech trends. First, Wireless Projecting is being used in business for conferences and for in-house meetings. Teachers can too. Everyone has their own device, so why not use this fact to your advantage? If you can stream your video/images/presentations right into the palm of another teacher, why not? Better than having your audience all stare at a large screen…more accessible, more comfortable, more personalised…? In education, the roll out of personal devices is more visible in schools and, if you have a class set of tablets wireless streaming is the next step in using them in your lessons. The second emerging edtech trend is very new—augmented reality. Only a handful of teachers are exploring the use of Augmented Reality in lessons. Wireless Projecting for 1:1 Learning To wirelessly stream from your device - especially when the school network goes down - Wireless Projecting for 1:1 Learning offers a great Plan B. However more and more teachers are using this tool as their Plan A. One benefit is that you can stream content directly to a hand held device, therefore making the learning 1:1 for students. It also doesn’t matter if you are using a Mac or iPad or PC. I have done the how-to searching for you (you’re welcome). For an Apple device, use Airplay. Also see this good roundup from a voice in the field. For Chromebook or Android users, try Chromecasting. Here are some tips for using Chromecasting in the classroom. Augmented Reality This is quite out there, even for us. Try using Layar to get started and see what the fuss is all about. It blew our TechnoTeaching minds. Then see this article. I see augmented reality as a really new trend, and in reality not many teachers will likely be using it. But still. It could very well be the shape of things to come. If film is not the future, as I have recently said as part of a live web chat, then this is. For more information, see this great article on Edutopia and another ‘How to’ from Edudemic. We would love to know what you think after reading more. Do these sound like edtech trends you would want to establish in your schools?
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 It’s not easy to be a global traveller if you never have the chance to leave home. Sure, you can read books and watch foreign films, but what you really want to do is explore art, music, culture, and more. And with the exception of being able to sample the local cuisine, you can get the flavor of various counties without leaving home.
Once again, champion blogger Monica Burns (ClassTechTips.com) weighs in with exciting ideas for virtual field trips. In a recent article in Edutopia, “Travel the World from Your Classroom: Free iPad Apps for Virtual Field Trips,” Burns inspires us to explore nine far-flung places, including near-real-time global climate information via NASA Earth Now, a free iPhone app. Interested in the great artists of the world? Try “Timeline – Art Museum.” Type in the name of a particular artist from the Renaissance through the present day—Picasso, for example––and you will get a range of images and background information. Ms. Burns’ article got me thinking—what other educational apps might also fascinate students and teachers? When I searched by “Education,” at Apple’s App Store, links to dozens of apps popped up. Three other cool apps that can take us beyond planet Earth caught my eye.
Which educational apps for exploring the world have you tried? Let us know!  In this series of exploring new trends, I thought it might be worthwhile to post an article about what’s new and what has caught my attention recently. This recent article echoed my thoughts (and a Twitter conversation I had) about how the movement from devices to the use of online space is about to happen. It might be that the Apple cloud is about to burst. It might be that people have had enough of upgrading both the software and/or hardware. In any case, I believe users now want to focus on the quality of sites and apps, rather than the quantity. As a result, I thought a quick list (with links) would show you what I have been impressed with recently. Hope you like it!
Teaching Sites
Resources = Sites/Apps 1. Using moving image is not new, but being able to crop it, add audio and basically mix it all up is cutting edge. Try EdPuzzle. View the demo to see how easy it is. 2. Want a collaborative platform for writing, you say? Go to MixedInk it. 3. Want to design video games? Gamestar Mechanic. They even offer an online course to get you started. 4. Want to turn your students into reporters? Try Stortify. 5. Interested in creating an online classroom for youself, or mini-learning environments for your students? Stoodle is worth a go. It allows you to store resources and collaborate within the platform. It started as an interactive student network and has blossomed. See what you think. 6. Want something with ‘Pod’ in the title? The award winning GCSEPod makes revision more engaging and accessible. You might also look into NearPod as a means of accessing the mobile devices in your classroom. 7. Want to create cartoons with your class? Try Toontastic. We love it. If you would like to add any, or if you have a click-fest and want to tell us what interested you, we would love to hear from you!  When I am not being an edtech consultant, I am busy being a range of things to my three-year-old son. Part of this includes now being his coach as he starts to explore the world of language, letters and sounds. Therefore I spend A LOT of time working out how children learn to match letters with sounds, blend sounds together to make words and form letters.
One day, when my son and I were thinking of words that began with ’S’, my mind went to my work and I said ’S is for Skype’. I paused. How would I explain that!? Well, I didn’t have to as we ‘Skype’ our family in Australia so my son was aware of it. My first reaction to his acknowledgement was immense pride! Of course, my son would be aware of Skype, he has a geeky Mummy. But later that day, I wondered how many of my colleagues were not only aware of Skype but knew of how it could be used in education? Therefore I thought a little blog post might help a few of our followers out there. So here we go…. S is for… Skype Skype Classroom may not be the newest kid on the block but it is definitely still causing ripples in education. In addition, the newly (adapted) Skype Qik has hit the streets and is being marketed as a rival to Snapchat. It is worth considering the ways that video calls (and videos in general) can be integrated into your lessons for both a new way to capture ideas and to make learning in your classroom more global. S is (also) for… Socratic Seminars As a way to stimulate critical thinking and textual analysis, I first came across this tool as part of my HarvardX MOOC in August, but have since seen it in practice in UK schools when doing Learning Walks. Here is a great YouTube Video with the USA teacher explaining how Socratic Seminars work. This site is being used in many American schools and now starting to find a place over here. It works for any year group and for any piece of discussion. The benefits are that it not encourages independent work, it also encourages productive talk. Please also see ReadWriteThink and the Teaching Channel for best practices using these tools. I would love to know what the letter ’S’ makes you think of (when it comes to teaching) and think there may well be a TechnoTeacher Alphabet to come soon… What do you think? |
