The Unconference and how you can better yourself for FREE this year!

There are some great opportunities this summer for fantastic, FREE PD. This summer, join me for some EDcamps, Padcamp, and TeachMeet NJ.

If you have never heard of an ‘unconference’ it is something wild and great. It takes what you love about PD and removes what you hate about PD, which are things you don't care to learn about, expensive upfront charges, and speakers who have no authority to be talking about ed issues. 

Wikipedia describes them - “These are generally called Edcamps and they are designed to provide participant-driven professional development for K-12 educators. Edcamps are modeled as free participant-driven conferences with a primary focus on technology and computers. Educational technology is a common topic area for edcamps, as are pedagogy, practical examples in instructional use of modern tools, and solving the problems technology can introduce into the classroom environment.”

NJEA Review just had a great article about them as well in their latest magazine. I have copied the article for you to read.

Here is a list of them that will be in NJ in the next months:

Edcamp STEAM - Wednesday, July 31 at Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick, New Jersey!  S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math (a variant of "STEM") - http://edcampsteam.org/

PadCamp - PadCamp is a FREEunconference devoted to exploring the use of tablets, e-readers & other handheld mobile devices in K-12 education. It will be held at Galloway Township Middle Schoolin Galloway, NJ on August 8, 2013!. - http://www.padcamp.org/

EdCamp Leadership - Join us at Kean University's gorgeous STEM center on Monday, August 12, 2013! Its goal is to assemble forward-thinking school administrators, board of education members, classroom teacher leaders, parents/community members - http://www.edcampleadership.org/

     TeachMeet NJ - TeachMeetNJ is an "unconference" devoted to K-12 educators sharing different aspects of technology in education. Where: The Richard Stockton College of NJ When: August 22nd, 2013 – http://www.teachmeetnj.com

EdTechNJ 2013 - Coming to#Edison #NJ 10.12.13. Mark your calendars! http://www.edison.k12.nj.us/cms/lib2/NJ01001623/Centricity/Domain/58/save_the_date_edtechnj2013_official.pdf

EdcampNJ – November 22nd, 2013 - Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick, New Jersey - http://edcampnj.org

I will be at all of these this year. Thanks to my great friends at #njed for helping me understand just what these are all about. 

This include, but are not limited to: 
+TeacherCast +Brad Currie +Bill Krakower +Scott Rocco 

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