Due to meetings after school there will not be a tech Tuesday meeting today. I'll pick things back up next week.
A few tech tips for the week:
-100 tips/tricks for google chrome. You are bound to find something useful: http://www.chromestory.com/google-chrome-tips-and-tricks/
-This is a really cool infographic on note taking in the 21st century classroom. I've thought a lot about how kids will/should take notes once they receive their chromebooks. Some of this information may prove useful in helping students decide what method is most effective: http://www.teachthought.com/technology/note-taking-in-the-digital-classroom-a-blended-learning-approach/
-It's no secret that kids like to multi-task and that they may even be "good" at it. Regardless of your stance on whether or not they should engage in the practice at all, it is as important as ever to teach kids how to focus and battle the world of constant distraction. 2 small things that you can use and teach the kids to use are the chrome extensions "Time Tracker" and "Stay focused". Time tracker shows you a log of how much time you have spent on certain websites (I've spent almost 22 hours on Google docs since the end of the summer...). Stayfocused is even better for staying on task: You can designate how much time to "allow" yourself on a certain website. 10 minutes to shop on Amazon a day, for example. There is also a "nuclear option" in which you shut down access to specific websites and there's NO WAY TO CHANGE IT. I don't know about you, but I'm as thankful as ever that the internet was not what it is today when I was in college. All-nighters would have been far more frequent. So, for a kid that knows that Twitter and Instagram are going to distract them, they can nuke them for a certain time to get their work done. Lastly, there is an option to face a "challenge" if you want to change any settings. You have to copy a body of text before being allowed to change anything. Here's what the default text states:
"The procrastinator is often remarkably optimistic about his ability to complete a task on a tight deadline; this is usually accompanied by expressions of reassurance that everything is under control. (Therefore, there is no need to start.) Lulled by a false sense of security, time passes. At some point, he crosses over an imaginary starting time and suddenly realizes, "Oh no! I am not in control! There isn't enough time!"
Pretty cool. Of course you first have to get a student to understand that they won't always be able to stay focused and that maybe these tools will help them.
- Edcamp NJ is an "unconference" that will be in central Jersey in a little over a month. The idea of an Edcamp is that its free, anybody can present, and there is no set agenda. You can hop around to talk/learn about whatever is most pertinent to you. Although not all of the topics are "tech", a great number of them will be. If you check out the site they have a listing of last year's topics. Like I said, it is free, and it is on a Saturday. I've tentatively registered myself (everything I have planned for after the baby is born is tentative...) and if you are interested here is the link:
Lastly, I'm going for 48 hours of no complaining... and I'm spending the ENTIRE DAY with Mr. Walsh today! Have a great day everybody,
