Teachers, Meet Graphite

In education and technology, there is always the "new" thing that is out there. For educators to research products, see if they are worthwhile to use, check to see how they can align to the CCSS and then use it in the classroom can takes weeks, even months.

Graphite helps to solve that issue. Put out by Common Sense Media, Graphite collates and curates only the best, top rated applications and programs for educational purposes, reviews them, shows what grades they would be best for, and aligns them to the different ELA and Math Common Core State Standards. For educators, this is a win-win. You only get so much time with your students that you can't waste it searching for products that may not be a good fit.

Stop wasting time and start searching smarter. BTW - Common Sense Media ranks the apps by top picks and has a Teacher Center where teachers can share info about those apps right on the site. Check them out at http://www.graphite.org/.

What a year! 2013 in Review

What a year it has been, huh? From going to my first #edcamps to wearing a pair of Glass, this year in edtech has been something of a whirlwind. It all started last January at the annual Techspo presentation, where I was able to present and meet some great folks, including +Jeffrey Bradbury. I will be presenting again this year and I can't wait to see how that helps me kick off 2014 with a bang. 

I want to thank all of those who made a difference in my life this year and helped me grow as a educator and a person. Even though I was on Twitter for a few years, this year took it to a whole other level. Never in my life did I think that I could make friends, colleagues, and compatriots on the twitter-verse, but I did and many of them I can truly call friends now. Heck, I even ran a 5K with some of my #njed friends, most of whom I had never met face-to-face before. 

To cap off the year, I was promoted to Supervisor of Instruction in my district! A honor and one that is certainly humbling. While my primary mission to serve our district with the best technology will not change, my aim and focus will become more precise. I will work even more with my teachers and students! That is something I can't wait for! I will be able to visit even MORE classrooms. 2014 is shaping up to be a pretty good year so far. 

As for resolutions, I resolve to follow my mantra:

Be attentive, vocal, and present. Be willing to be there for those who need you. Help in any way you can. 

Be an #agentofchange in anything that you do. 

iPads for Starters Follow Up

As a follow up to my post yesterday, I say a great article on Edudemic about iPads, starters, and failures.

Here is a clip:

Allow for Failure

Your classroom should be a hot mess at first. Enjoy this, even relish it. Every time someone makes a mistake or something goes wrong, celebrate it like they did at the Apple Distinguished Educator Institute with an arm-raising “Woo Hoo!” Let kids know that failure is okay, and not everything will be perfect. Have fun with failure and messiness that might come from trying something new – it really is the fun part of the process. Another great article to read: Failure is Mandatory – Creating a culture of innovation

Here is the rest of the article that I highly recommend - http://www.edudemic.com/teachers-ipad-guide/