#edcampNJ: Why I love Education.

Education has a bright future.

If November 23rd, 2013 is any indication of the state of education, we are in excellent hands. It was a day I won't forget anytime soon. #edcampNJ rocked Central Jersey, with nearly 300 educators. I have been fortunate to attend a few edcamps before (#edcampSTEAM and #edcampLeadership being two of them) but yesterday was something special. Yesterday, I felt what I #Ehad known for quite some time, that there isn't something wrong with education and that there doesn't need to be major overhaul in what educators do. Yesterday, I felt PASSION. I felt it as soon as I walked in. 

Opening remarks of #edcampnj from Linwood MS in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

When I walked in, I was greeted by +Cassie Gorombey and a few others, who gave us some free swag and let us know how the day would go. Then it was over to the Big Board and the photobooth (yeah, they pulled out all the stops!) to see what sessions were coming and what I could look forward to. To be 100% honest, there could have been nothing put on that board and I would have been fine. Not to say the sessions were terrible but my primary goal yesterday was to meet and talk, face-to-face, with some people in my PLN who I had established these online relationships. It was a strange feeling, looking for people based on a 150x150 picture, but I was determined.

Learning about Standards Based Grading.

After the opening remarks, which were awesome and led by +Bill Krakower, +Scott Rocco, +Dana Sirotiak, +Jeffrey Bradbury and a few others, it was off to the first session. What is always great about the Edcamp model is that if the doesn't pertain to you or it wasn't what you thought, you can leave! (The rule of two feet, thank you very much!) I didn't find myself leaving because the sessions were not what I thought but I wanted to see SO MANY great educators that I found myself walking from session to session just to get a feel of what was going on.

The morning went by in a blur. By the time the second session had come to a close, my head was spinning (and that is a good thing.) Another great thing about #edcamp is that if you are sitting in on a session and the people in the room are on a device, that is a POSITIVE sign that they are engaged. Just like I was, there were many people who were tweeting, taking pictures, and writing down notes. Of course, I had my trusty analog tablet along for the ride (yellow legal pad, anyone?) but most participants had a digital device of choice. WiFi was free and abundant, as was the breakfast and coffee. As +Jay Eitner always says, if you feed them, they will come!

(Another thing I noticed? That some of the best conversations happened AFTER the sessions ended. After one session led by +Bruce Arcurio, a few of us stayed behind to talk about where education was going and the differences some states have. There was someone there all the way from Virginia. We continued the conversation right into the lunchroom!)

An emphatic Jay Eitner speaking passionately about education and new teachers.

After lunch, I have made sure to meet up with all of my fellow twitter tweeps that I had formed professional relationships with. Whether it was the #edtechchat crew of +Tom Murray, +Alex Podchaski, and +Sharon Plante, or it was finally talking to and meeting +Sandra Paul, I was happy to extend a hand, or outstretched arms, to these people I hold in such high regards.

I mean, I talk to these people a few times a week, lean on them for some advice and truly consider them colleagues. I think out of all of the things I will take from #edcampnj, it will be the impact that these people have on me and the continued relationships I will have with my #PLN. 

Overall, I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that yesterday was about the best professional development I have ever attended. And do you know what made it even better? That it was FREE and I got to choose what I did. I would gladly give up another Saturday every month if there was something like this. It was unlike any conference I have ever attended. It was authentic, passionate and organic.

When you hear people talk or write about the negative state of education and how we are lagging behind and blah, blah, blah... do yourself a favor and ask them come out to one of these unconferences. I KNOW that their tune will change and that they will see and feel exactly how I do:


Education has a bright, bright future.

Some of my fellow edheroes - Tom Murray and Sharon Plante, along with Alex Podchaski, make up some of the #edtechchat team. Alex and Sharon met Tom for the first time yesterday as well!

In the AIR tonight...

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking of ways to bridge the gap between what people want and what we have. Its a tricky situation at times. For one, we have tons of iPads and iPod touches in the district but people also want document cameras and the like. 

I don't want to buy tech for the sake of buying tech (as some districts and people do). You know that person. The person who will wait inline for the new launch of something (hey, I've done it before. I'm not proud of it but I have done it).

After going to some Apple seminars and visiting the Apple store with our G&T students on a field trip, my mind began to spin with some new ideas. The Apple iOS devices are much more than just app-filled devices. The basic functions of it can be used by all teachers as a camera, recording machine, sharing and creation device. 

How could we stream what is on our iPads onto our SmartBoards? Currently, some teachers were using 30Pin to VGA connectors but that kept the iPad and teacher in the same location. I didn't want to do that anymore; plus, the cords and cables were expensive. Could we buy Apple TV's for each classroom? Sure we could, but at $99.99 a pop, money could have been spent better elsewhere. I couldn't figure this one out. 

So... as I do with many questions I can't answer, I turned to my collegiate friends and Twitter PLN. Thanks to my friend +Susan M. Bearden, I was able to get the answer I was looking for: AIRSERVER via Airplay. 

  No, not the 80's soft-rock band. AirPlay is something that gives us the ability to use all the technology in our classes concurrently to create a seamless class with endless possibilities for student-student create and interaction, as well as excelled lesson plans and ideas. 

Apple summarizes:


AirPlay Mirroring lets you show exactly what’s on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch screen to everyone in the room.2 Show web pages, games, photos, videos, spreadsheets, class material, and more on your HDTV via Apple TV. Zoom in and out and pause for applause. Rotate from portrait to landscape and your audience sees that, too. AirPlay does it all wirelessly, so you can work the room or sit comfortably among the crowd. If you see it, so can they.

Using a product called AirServer, which was about $3.99 a license for commerical and educational use, we will be able to give this great product to all our teachers who have staff laptops. This means that a teacher is no longer tethered to a certain spot in the room. It also means that they can use their SmartBoard while mirroring to their PC. It also means that they can use the iPad as a Document Camera, video camera, or picture editor. 

This has so many possibilities in the classroom. Mr. G summarizes quite nicely just some of the ways we can use this function:

• An ELA classroom where students can share their notes, collaboratively write paragraphs, edit shared texts and compare choices, or share drafts for others to read to feedback on, with the writer making real time changes as the feedback comes.

• In Math, where multiple strategies created by the students are shared simultaneously and discussed.

• Multiple videos showing different views of the same event or object.

• A music classroom using Garageband with children combining different instruments at the same time to create a digital orchestra,combine parts of the same song for harmonies or multitrack experimentation or simply share their individual creations wirelessly.

• A Science classroom where different observations, diagrams, videos of experiments are shared and compared.

• A video and text can be played simultaneously to compare and contrast how a particular part of the story is portrayed in different media.

• Ideas can be shared concurrently instead of waiting for turns, allowing students and teachers to focus on a specific point of their choice rather than waiting for turns.

• Collaborative teams presenting the work without having to spend time cobbling all their individual efforts together into a single PowerPoint/Prezi etc. Each student can just mirror their iPad on the screen at the same time and control a video, audio clip, slideshow, comic strip, ebook, themselves. 

Not all devices can connect to AirPlay or use AirServer. Here is a list of supported devices.

• iPad 2, 3, 4 or mini
• iPhone 4S or 5
• iPod Touch 5

This is going to change how we use tech and what learning will take place with it... and that truly is the most important thing we need. 

"Its not about the technology, its about the learning that can take place from it." - +Tom Murray 

App-O-Da-Week #5

It's Friday, Friday... gotta get my apps on Friday! 

It's the App-O-Da-Week time again and this week we are serving up two apps for the price of one. 

One paid, one free! Two reviews = you win!

First up, we have Sushi Monster. This app was made for Scholastic and is a fantastic FREE app (we love that word) that allows gamers to bone up on the mathematical skills in an entertaining way. Students feed their Sushi Monsters by correctly choosing two numbers that when added or multiplied result in the number that the monster wants to eat. When the monster has been fully fed students move on to feeding a new monster. 

It's fun and addicting!

For a more detailed review, check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mqXeHr6bkNE

Our next app is an all time classic. Many companies are taking their most popular books and turning

them into interactive reading apps for a new generation. 

That is certainly the case with "The Monster at the end of this Book" which start, lovable, furry old Grover. 

This was staple in my childhood. We would read this book every night  gestating how Grover would and acting out all the parts. It was great. Now, with this $4.99 book app (which is a steal if you consider how much books cost), you get a great interactive story with real life voice and sound effects!

The Review from About.com lays it out perfectly. "Grover’s expressions, which range from sheer overconfidence to utter dejection, are also a hoot, adding that Sesame Street personality to the tale. His comments are quite Grover-like and amusing as well."

Here are just some of the great features - taken from the iOS store site - 

Funny, furry features include:





• Lively, interactive animation that responds to your child’s touch



• Narration by lovable old Grover himself

--and tapping Grover makes him talk!

• Engaging activities that empower readers to decide how and when to move the story forward—plus encourage kids’ spatial development and listening skills



• Word highlighting to help build beginning reader skills



• Easy-to-follow parent tips for helping kids tackle common fears, reflecting the book’s underlying curriculum messages about courage and labeling emotions

• Bookplate personalization — add your child's name!

I hope this weeks installment will get you through until next week & remember, join me for #appyhour on Twitter @MrCsays