Removing barriers to MEANINGFUL technology use! 

1:1, BYOD, Educational Tranformation Brian Yearling 1:1, BYOD, Educational Tranformation Brian Yearling

Bring Your Own Technology - What does it all mean?

On Wednesday, March 27th, Brian will be presenting to the Parents United Consortium in Waukesha, WI. This group is focused on providing educationally relevant information to parents in a consortium of local districts on a wide variety of educational topics.

 

The presentation will be focused generally on one question -- "Why do schools feel compelled to introduce a Bring Your Own Technology or 1:1 Technology initiative into the educational environment?"

I'm sharing my presentation here for those of you who have the same questions for your school administrators.

 

The presentation emphasizes five key areas:

 

  1. The World Has Changed...Schools Need to Change to Prepare Students for It (Academic Achievement is No Longer Enough)
  2. Schools Have to Provide Greater Digital Access -- Which models exist (Labs, Bring Your Own, or 1:1) and which is right for your school/student?
  3. The Great Device Debate - While we can get hung up on device selection, understand that we want to find the tool that can do the most, works best in our environment, and supports our educational needs.
  4. Cloud Services and Open Educational Resources - These are tools that change the opportunities for learning for students and teachers, and can be used for meaningful redefinition of what constitues education/learning.
  5. Changing Roles of Educators - The traditional vision of a teacher that controls the flow and depth of the lesson is quickly becoming outdated.  Many teachers realize this, but we have to give them room to grow into the new model of what a teacher can become.

 

 

I'm eager to share the presentation with those of you who are interested in viewing.  If you choose to use it with others, attribution is requested.

Please feel free to answer the polls and offer your thoughts!  

 

Here is a link to the presentation: http://portal.sliderocket.com/BNPBJ/BRING-YOUR-OWN-TECH

 

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Brian Yearling Brian Yearling

Let's Do This

A partnership has formed...a fellowship you might say.

It was an easy decision to join Brian at Getting Tech into Ed as a blogger.  We share the same passion for instructional technology and helping students learn at their highest maximum potential.

So here I am...ready to write and make you think.  

A little, and I mean a little, about me:

Likes:  Apple, Google Apps, Star Wars, and my inner geekdom

Dislikes:  The Bears, Bing, and mushrooms.

 

Dale

 

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Google Brian Yearling Google Brian Yearling

The New Look to Google Forms

Kind of like the weather in Wisconsin (it was 47 degrees and raining only 12 hours ago), Google can change its look and direction in a hurry!  It is something you just learn to live with as you increasingly depend upon the great tools they offer us in education.

 

For those who have delved into the world of Google Forms for data collection and formative assessment, be aware that in the next week or two, Google will likely release to us an updated version and look of Google Forms.  The updated look has already been released to individuals with a personal Gmail account, but it has not yet landed in our Google Apps for Education (GAFE) domain.

 

Added Functionality

Aside from an improved user interface, which is elegant and functional at the same time, there are some value-added benefits to the update.  These quotes about features are taken directly from the Official Google Enterprise Blog.

 

  • "Now with collaboration 
    Create a form faster than ever. Just as with Docs, Sheets and Slides, you can now collaborate with others in real-time. If you need to work with two colleagues on a survey, all three of you can work on the same form simultaneously and even have a group chat on the side, without leaving the form.
  • "Better editing 
    Even if you’re working solo, some new changes will make creating and editing forms easier. All your changes are auto-saved and you can quickly undo/redo edits. Improved copy-and-paste will let you copy a list of bullets from the web or multiple rows of text from a spreadsheet; then, when you paste into a form, each line will be appear as an individual answer. And you can use keyboard shortcuts to get things done more quickly. 

A Guide to the New Look and Functions


Molly Schroeder, a Technology Integrator from Edina Public Schools in Edina, MN, has put out a guide to the new look and features in Google Forms.  Molly's experience and ability to make Google seem useful and simple to maneuver translates well in this guide.  


You can access that resource here:  

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