On Saturday I attended The Edscape Conference in New Milford, NJ learning with about 400 other dynamic educators.  The theme of this year’s conference was “Innovation Now”. We explored how learning environments can be established to promote critical thought, inquiry, problem solving, and creativity.

The keynote speaker was George Couros who is currently Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning with Parkland School Division located in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.  He was a great speaker and I loved the passion he has for making change.  Here are some great takeaways from the presentation:

“If you don’t know what @gcouros or #edscape are you are becoming illiterate”

“Be more dog- It is about transformation ”

“Learning happens everywhere.”

“Isolation is now a choice educators make.”

“Kids often defy expectations if you give them opportunities!”

“It is not enough just to be different; it has to be better.” Notter and Grant

We can’t teach students these things without immersing ourselves in the world they live in.  If you wait, you will get more scared. If you jump in you can see the results ……

You can learn more about George on his own blog entitled “The Principal of Change”.

Here are some things I learned:

Education is all about connections and transformation.  To be relevant and to help our students we need to always grow as professionals. Learning has changed and how we teach needs to change as well.  Even though everyone may be hesitant to use technology, it is necessary in order to further what you are doing as an educator.  It is not just about technology, it is about making relationships with other educators and being connected with unlimited resources.  I also attended some great sessions and learned a lot that I will be sharing in future blog posts.

The most innovative way to do this is to sign-up for a Twitter account and start following other educators.  You can follow me at @jeaninegottko Twitter is a game changer because of the immediate contact with educators from around the world. If you wan to learn more, please contact me or sign-up for my professional development class “Social Media for Professional Development”.

To find out more about the day from the man who created it click here for Eric Sheninger’s reflections on the day.  Best of all, attend next year.  You will not be disappointed!

Happy tech trails, Blue Devils!

Michelle White is a fifth grade teacher at Monrovia Elementary School in Huntsville, Alabama.  She uses her blog to keep families updated on what her students are learning in class.  She also provides some great resources for teachers in all subject areas.  Mrs. White is doing some great things with technology in her classroom. She uses Moodle, Zondle, Edmodo, and iPads to help her students learn.  When you go through her blog you can see great lesson ideas, video links, and app suggestions.  Her weekly updates contain many photos to demonstrate different lessons. What a great way to keep a professional portfolio!

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!

Today I am running a professional development class on interactive websites at Franklin School.  If you can not attend you can access the resources for the class by using the Livebinder I have created by clicking here.  I am also featuring the blog Resources 4 Educators today.  Jenny McClintock is an educational consultant who strives to equip teachers with research-based strategies and methods that incorporate the use of technology.  Her blog contains links to many interactive websites.  These sites can be used on any computer or with your interactive whiteboard.

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!

Last week I mentioned that I will be highlighting some of the amazing people that I was honored to meet last week at the COSN conference.  This week’s terrific teacher is fellow “20 to Watch” recipient Todd Nesloney.  Todd is a fifth grade teacher in Waller, TX.  When we met I knew I liked him because he stated that he was one for always pushing boundaries.  His passion for teaching and his belief that his students can do anything is very inspiring.

Todd is a leader in the flipped classroom model.  If you visit his blog, you can see some of the amazing things he is doing with his students like Skyping with a class from Sweden and Olympic Gold Medalist Steve Mesler.

or turning his classroom into a hospital so students could do different lab activities to review things they had learned with measurement conversions and perimeter/area/volume.

It looks like a lot of fun and the best part is that the students are learning.  Their test scores have risen and behavior issues have decreased.

Todd also is a co-founder of the Three Tech Ninjas a training company for teachers who want to use technology in their classroom.  They have an extensive website of resources for teachers.  I have spent quite a bit of time checking out the site, and it is one of the best our there.

Todd is also an avid Tweeter and always presents new and interesting ideas to his followers.  For those of you who are just starting out on Twitter, I would suggest you start following him.  @TechNinjaTodd

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!

Craig Badura is the PK-12 Technology Integration Specialist for Aurora Public Schools in Aurora, Nebraska.  He runs a blog that highlights new and innovative ways to integrate technology into the classroom.  This site shows examples on how to use Skype, Twitter, Google Docs, Dropbox, and other tools effectively.  The best part is that these are projects being done through all grade levels and subjects. I am really excited about what I have already learned from Craig and I hope you will enjoy the blog as well.  I encourage you to sign up for updates and let me know if you would be interested in doing a type of project you discovered on the blog.

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!

I found TeacherCast through Twitter.  It is a site that provides educational resources, online courses, resources, and broadcasts of live events like Twitter chats.   The site is extensive and has a blog that highlights what many teachers are doing in their classrooms.  For example, here is a blog post about this month’s Lunch and Learn topic “QR Codes”.

The TeacherCast Podcasting NetworkTeacherCast offers 6 distinctly different audio podcasts featuring todays hottest educators and app developers››

Tracy Watanabe is an educator that is passionate about engaging students in learning.  After 14 years in  the elementary school classroom, she now works in the Technology Department as the Technology Integration Specialist. Tracy has also recently been named a Co-Coordinator for the Common Core implementation in AJUSD.  Her blog is a great resource  to learn more about integrating technology into you curriculum.  She has a great post about iPad integration that includes more info on this month’s lunch and learn topic, “QR Codes”.

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!.

“When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.” – Kathleen Kelly “You’ve Got Mail”

Blue Devils, did you know that tomorrow is World Read Aloud Day?  I know that you all read aloud to your classes every day, so why not celebrate?  LitWorld has activities and a downloadable picture book that you can use to recognize the importance of reading to children.

There is also a blog that highlights literacy around the world.  There are posts about WRAD in Kenya, favorite read aloud memories, and much more.

Happy tech trails, Blue Devils!

Today’s webinar resource is a blog called Classroom 2.0 Live!  This blog contains weekly shows on a variety of education technology topics.   The webinars are hosted by educators and technology leaders from around the world.  Each week there are a variety of topics to chose from.

The webinars and the resources associated with them are all archived on the blog.  That way you can pick an chose what you want to learn about when you want it.  You will also have access to all the Livebinders associated with the presentations.  That way you can learn on your own.  Past topics include: iPads, Evernote, Kidblog, Digital Portfolios, etc.

Happy tech trails Blue Devils!

Many of you attended my class on using Google Docs.  I have found a great blog for those of you who would like to learn more and for those who are just getting started.  This blog was created by a Google Certified Teacher who has provided a wealth of information and tutorials to use with Docs.  Google Docs is a great why to collaborate with other teachers in unit planning and in sharing of resources.  If you would like to know more about this my partner, Nancy Latimer is running a class on February 21st.  Please contact Joanne Scutari if you are interested in attending.