For years, I have studied multiple programming languages including Visual Basic, Java, C++, Assembly Language, LUA, Objective C. I am now teaching programming classes at my high school. When I found out that I would be teaching Java I was thrilled. Later I found the other programming class would be an HTML class. I was far from excited because I never had the need to learn HTML, it is rather basic and I find little challenge in coding in it. I have now come to a point in teaching the class that I can appreciate the benefits of HTML.
My students will leave the class appreciating how well done a good website is. They can begin to appreciate and understand seeing the website, to how the website works. The other benefit is that most online blogs have an option to write in HTML instead of a rich style text. By writing in HTML, I can now import java script into my code and have things happen that normal bloggers can't...all because I took the time to learn some HTML. A simple language, but provides a nice foundation when entering other programming languages, especially if you incorporate javascript into your HTML coding. As an example, here is a button you can click on.
Learning HTML should be an essential tool that bloggers and anyone who manages or oversees a website consider investigating in.
Stay Effective!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Google Forms
Google Forms is becoming a very powerful assistant in the classroom. Forms allows you to make all sorts of things such as fill in the blanks, rate from a range, multiple choice, etc. Currently google forms do not grade the problems, but you get a display on an excel sheet that you could set up some formulas that would self-grade if you have a multiple choice test. (I am hoping they will make it easier on us sometime soon). Anyways, I wanted to write about how we could use these forms and ways I use them in the classroom.
I teach some programming classes in which the entire class is differentiation at its best. Every single one of my students work at their own pace, experiment differently on the projects and reason out the projects different ways. My role as the teacher in this class is to simply guide struggling students along with support and encourage and get excited for students that are just excelling. I have several google forms available for my students to use. What is nice is that students that work in the library during study hall or at home can use these forms and request things. I have forms where students can request help on a packet. This way I can go in order and I have documentation of which packets have the biggest struggles. I can then go back to these packets at a later time and see if I need to touch them up or reexplain something. I have another form that students can request additional packets for enrichment, such as if they are working on drawing on a Frame, they can request how to incorporate other shapes, polygons, or colors. I then have a tally of most requested and can write additional packets to enrich my students to the best of my ability.
We did a class competition, I used a google form for students to rate each other projects privately. I can also make a course evaluation that students can answer anonymously so I can get some feedback on what I can do to better serve my students or to consider altering in the class. Google forms are extremely easy to work with and design.
You can use it for a quick assessment, you can keep the data up on your computer and watch as people submit their answers. Instant feedback, you can do a poll on your students on a lesson and get instant feedback. There is a lot of potential and with combining of google drive for sharing files, you could run a whole online class or provide a lot of supplemental information where you have a lot of data that is easy to crunch and use as you wish.
Stay Effective!
I teach some programming classes in which the entire class is differentiation at its best. Every single one of my students work at their own pace, experiment differently on the projects and reason out the projects different ways. My role as the teacher in this class is to simply guide struggling students along with support and encourage and get excited for students that are just excelling. I have several google forms available for my students to use. What is nice is that students that work in the library during study hall or at home can use these forms and request things. I have forms where students can request help on a packet. This way I can go in order and I have documentation of which packets have the biggest struggles. I can then go back to these packets at a later time and see if I need to touch them up or reexplain something. I have another form that students can request additional packets for enrichment, such as if they are working on drawing on a Frame, they can request how to incorporate other shapes, polygons, or colors. I then have a tally of most requested and can write additional packets to enrich my students to the best of my ability.
We did a class competition, I used a google form for students to rate each other projects privately. I can also make a course evaluation that students can answer anonymously so I can get some feedback on what I can do to better serve my students or to consider altering in the class. Google forms are extremely easy to work with and design.
You can use it for a quick assessment, you can keep the data up on your computer and watch as people submit their answers. Instant feedback, you can do a poll on your students on a lesson and get instant feedback. There is a lot of potential and with combining of google drive for sharing files, you could run a whole online class or provide a lot of supplemental information where you have a lot of data that is easy to crunch and use as you wish.
Stay Effective!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Adapting from Paper to Paperless
This is just a quick note. Currently, I am assessing student growth through multiple measures. One of the measures is retention on vocabulary they haven't heard of before. The first two chapters, I gave each student a piece of paper with a pre and a post test on it. They did the pre-test first, then take the post-test later. I scan over the pre-test to see which words students knew already. Afterwards, I use this for my planning. After the chapter they take the post assessment that counts as a quiz grade. After an hour or two of grading I then need to input my data to make some calculations.
For chapter 3, I tried something differently. I made a google form that has a list of the vocabulary, when students answer the form, they get an immediate score...no more grading for me! Instead, I can focus that hour on analyzing the data, seeing common answers, mistakes, and recording growth. This is a prime example of how we can use technology to improve our lessons...
What if you don't have a class set of computers or tablets? Well you can have 4 or 5 devices and do station work and one of the stations could be to take the vocabulary assessment.
To make a google form, you go to your google drive and select to make a new form. After that the directions are very straight forward.
Stay Effective!
For chapter 3, I tried something differently. I made a google form that has a list of the vocabulary, when students answer the form, they get an immediate score...no more grading for me! Instead, I can focus that hour on analyzing the data, seeing common answers, mistakes, and recording growth. This is a prime example of how we can use technology to improve our lessons...
What if you don't have a class set of computers or tablets? Well you can have 4 or 5 devices and do station work and one of the stations could be to take the vocabulary assessment.
To make a google form, you go to your google drive and select to make a new form. After that the directions are very straight forward.
Stay Effective!
Monday, October 21, 2013
University of Delaware iPad Conference
This past Saturday I had the privilege to present at an iPads in Education conference. The conference started out with a keynote speaker, a former professor at Millersville University, and currently a top executive at Apple.
He shared a multitude of points and thoughts. First he showed how the ability to be connected was growing. There was a graph and somewhere in 2013, the amount of used using a non-mobile device for the internet will equal the amount of mobile devices (Note laptops count as non-mobile).
He continued to talk about the role of teachers. He stated that teachers were once important for their information, but now days the information is out in the world already and that teachers are no longer an essential step for content. Instead teachers need to build relationships with students and guide them through their own education. This is a really neat model, that I hope to develop into more as I progress in my teaching. He then talked about how technology is great, but it is not a replacement to education, but a tool that can be used. Lastly he added that schools should not have a 1 to 1 iPad initiative, but rather a 1 to 1 student initiative with technology. He feels education wants to brag about having the best technology without regards to what the students need to be successful.
After the keynote speaker, I held one of the few sessions available immediately afterwards. In my presentation we discussed using technology to facilitate a dynamic classroom that meets the needs of the students. We discussed various apps that can be used, including the several I have developed, "WileD Math". Along with that, teachers learned some neat tricks such as guided access and other things we can do on our iPads to make them usable and safe in the classroom.
I also attended other sessions, such as using the iPads to make claymations, using the website TodaysMeet, to facilitate a classroom discussion without talking, but typing. Other sessions shared apps they use in the classroom, as well as how to flip the classroom using the website Edmodo (which is a very neat website that I will blog about next!).
Back to Business
The current intentions of this blog is to post once a week a significant post on a technology we can use, a smaller post once a week sharing some simple strategies to try in the classroom, and an app review of an app that is under the education branch of the app store. If you have an app or want an app reviewed, feel free to let me know!
Stay Effective!
He shared a multitude of points and thoughts. First he showed how the ability to be connected was growing. There was a graph and somewhere in 2013, the amount of used using a non-mobile device for the internet will equal the amount of mobile devices (Note laptops count as non-mobile).
He continued to talk about the role of teachers. He stated that teachers were once important for their information, but now days the information is out in the world already and that teachers are no longer an essential step for content. Instead teachers need to build relationships with students and guide them through their own education. This is a really neat model, that I hope to develop into more as I progress in my teaching. He then talked about how technology is great, but it is not a replacement to education, but a tool that can be used. Lastly he added that schools should not have a 1 to 1 iPad initiative, but rather a 1 to 1 student initiative with technology. He feels education wants to brag about having the best technology without regards to what the students need to be successful.
After the keynote speaker, I held one of the few sessions available immediately afterwards. In my presentation we discussed using technology to facilitate a dynamic classroom that meets the needs of the students. We discussed various apps that can be used, including the several I have developed, "WileD Math". Along with that, teachers learned some neat tricks such as guided access and other things we can do on our iPads to make them usable and safe in the classroom.
I also attended other sessions, such as using the iPads to make claymations, using the website TodaysMeet, to facilitate a classroom discussion without talking, but typing. Other sessions shared apps they use in the classroom, as well as how to flip the classroom using the website Edmodo (which is a very neat website that I will blog about next!).
Back to Business
The current intentions of this blog is to post once a week a significant post on a technology we can use, a smaller post once a week sharing some simple strategies to try in the classroom, and an app review of an app that is under the education branch of the app store. If you have an app or want an app reviewed, feel free to let me know!
Stay Effective!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Designing Quality Apps
Let me start that I in no way claim to make quality apps with respect to famous games like Angry Birds. I do however consider my apps to be successful and growing in success.
Let's go into a little background story.
In September of 2012, I decided that I wanted to use my computer programming experience to make an app for my students to use that would both educate and engage. I proceeded to use an app called Codea, which allows the user to write apps from your iPad. I went through a general designing phase of about 3 months. At the end of December I thought I was ready to develop the app and put it out on the market. I learned very quickly that I had to do a lot more to make the app be successful, including testing nearly everything a person would try to do. The app was officially published near the end of January. By the end of the school year, my app had over 2000 downloads.
I spent the summer moving, working, and developing my next math app (still in production). I then decided that my main market for my app would be schools, so I spent a lot of time getting the app's name out in mainstream flow as best as I could. In August I was around 2,500 downloads. It is now October and I have doubled that number, surpassing an unexpected 5,000 downloads.
What changed?
1: Schools started looking for new apps to use, which would help in getting the app noticed.
2: I spent hours finding websites that review apps and requested that my app be reviewed. Since that time, I have had 2 new app reviews and was told of another that will be posted in November.
3: I worked on reimaging the app. Now I don't think this has had a big influence yet, but I am predicting this will help a lot. My apps, now have a classy looking logo brand, looks professional, so people will be more likely to take it seriously.
4: I will be attending a conference to promote the app in which I have new business cards to pass out that you can scan through a QR scanner and it will take you immediately to the apple store where my app is located.
5: An exciting portion was that New York City Department of Education listed my app as an app available for schools to use for math.
It is sort of funny to think about the fact that I spent so much time making this app for my students and for others to use. This app features a lot of things that students can practice and since it was designed by a teacher, it contains some features that teachers would appreciate having. Among the countless hours of the app, I thought that this app would naturally get found, noticed, and used, but it took many additional hours of time to market the app and get the name out there.
In short, if you are a one person team designing an app, be aware the production of the app doesn't stop at the publishing, you must also take a lot of time to market your app and get it noticed. When I first searched WileD Math, only my facebook page would show up. Now days, my app is referenced on the first 3 pages of google at least 10 different times, whether from reviews, facebook, twitter or other sites.
Stay Effective!
Let's go into a little background story.
In September of 2012, I decided that I wanted to use my computer programming experience to make an app for my students to use that would both educate and engage. I proceeded to use an app called Codea, which allows the user to write apps from your iPad. I went through a general designing phase of about 3 months. At the end of December I thought I was ready to develop the app and put it out on the market. I learned very quickly that I had to do a lot more to make the app be successful, including testing nearly everything a person would try to do. The app was officially published near the end of January. By the end of the school year, my app had over 2000 downloads.
I spent the summer moving, working, and developing my next math app (still in production). I then decided that my main market for my app would be schools, so I spent a lot of time getting the app's name out in mainstream flow as best as I could. In August I was around 2,500 downloads. It is now October and I have doubled that number, surpassing an unexpected 5,000 downloads.
What changed?
 |
| New Image |
2: I spent hours finding websites that review apps and requested that my app be reviewed. Since that time, I have had 2 new app reviews and was told of another that will be posted in November.
3: I worked on reimaging the app. Now I don't think this has had a big influence yet, but I am predicting this will help a lot. My apps, now have a classy looking logo brand, looks professional, so people will be more likely to take it seriously.
4: I will be attending a conference to promote the app in which I have new business cards to pass out that you can scan through a QR scanner and it will take you immediately to the apple store where my app is located.
 |
| Old Image |
5: An exciting portion was that New York City Department of Education listed my app as an app available for schools to use for math.
It is sort of funny to think about the fact that I spent so much time making this app for my students and for others to use. This app features a lot of things that students can practice and since it was designed by a teacher, it contains some features that teachers would appreciate having. Among the countless hours of the app, I thought that this app would naturally get found, noticed, and used, but it took many additional hours of time to market the app and get the name out there.
In short, if you are a one person team designing an app, be aware the production of the app doesn't stop at the publishing, you must also take a lot of time to market your app and get it noticed. When I first searched WileD Math, only my facebook page would show up. Now days, my app is referenced on the first 3 pages of google at least 10 different times, whether from reviews, facebook, twitter or other sites.
Stay Effective!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Eno - A different type of "smart"board
Greetings folks!
I have switched classrooms, which also means different technology and different classes. I am currently teaching Geometry and two Programming courses, Java and HTML. Along side teaching, I am working diligently on marketing my WileD Math app and designing the High School Version of WileD Math.
Throughout the next set of times, I hope to share some things I have learned about my marketing experiences, what worked, what did work, as well as what I am experiencing in the classroom.
The biggest change in my classroom besides locations is that I no longer have a smartboard to utilize...Instead I have an Eno Board.
Now this board may look similar to a Smart Board, but the operating system is completely different. This board is not activated by anything touching the board. The Pros: No one can mess with your computer from the screen, no accidental bumping, and much harder to bring something up that you shouldn't, such as e-mails. The Cons: You are required to use a special Bluetooth device that syncs with your computer and calibrates to the board (the projector). If this is misplaced, you are out of luck. This can be a pro, because it limits who can use it, but if you like to move around a lot and misplace this marker, then you can't do anything with the board!
The problem with required syncing is that you can have a lot of battery issues, so a back-up battery is a must. You also have delay times that vary, sometimes it writes right away, other times it takes a little for things to show up.
The Best: The neatest thing about this board is that the board is just a whiteboard, nothing fancy to it. The thing that makes this different from a smartboard (and I mean really different) is the fact that you have this strip that your marker can touch that changes the color, the width, you can scroll onto blank pages (up to 99, plus your computer screen). So the features are rather limited, but with each update, more things are being presented, plus you can always get better strips that feature more things.
The Worst: Some teachers shared that if their board is closer to another teachers computer in another room, that the syncing can get messed up and the boards react to each teacher's marker in the other room instead. So if you have one, you need to ensure your computer is closer to the board or at least no other teachers are closer than yours.
Overall, if you can get this up and working it is a wonderful addition to the classroom, as long as you can have a good system of placing the bluetooth marker down. Do I miss my smartboard? Yes. Will I get better and more used to the Eno? Yes. Would I choose one over the other? Not really, I enjoy adapting to new technologies.
Stay Effective!
Don't forget to subscribe if you want to get the posts without hassle!
I have switched classrooms, which also means different technology and different classes. I am currently teaching Geometry and two Programming courses, Java and HTML. Along side teaching, I am working diligently on marketing my WileD Math app and designing the High School Version of WileD Math.
Throughout the next set of times, I hope to share some things I have learned about my marketing experiences, what worked, what did work, as well as what I am experiencing in the classroom.
The biggest change in my classroom besides locations is that I no longer have a smartboard to utilize...Instead I have an Eno Board.
Now this board may look similar to a Smart Board, but the operating system is completely different. This board is not activated by anything touching the board. The Pros: No one can mess with your computer from the screen, no accidental bumping, and much harder to bring something up that you shouldn't, such as e-mails. The Cons: You are required to use a special Bluetooth device that syncs with your computer and calibrates to the board (the projector). If this is misplaced, you are out of luck. This can be a pro, because it limits who can use it, but if you like to move around a lot and misplace this marker, then you can't do anything with the board!
The problem with required syncing is that you can have a lot of battery issues, so a back-up battery is a must. You also have delay times that vary, sometimes it writes right away, other times it takes a little for things to show up.
The Best: The neatest thing about this board is that the board is just a whiteboard, nothing fancy to it. The thing that makes this different from a smartboard (and I mean really different) is the fact that you have this strip that your marker can touch that changes the color, the width, you can scroll onto blank pages (up to 99, plus your computer screen). So the features are rather limited, but with each update, more things are being presented, plus you can always get better strips that feature more things.The Worst: Some teachers shared that if their board is closer to another teachers computer in another room, that the syncing can get messed up and the boards react to each teacher's marker in the other room instead. So if you have one, you need to ensure your computer is closer to the board or at least no other teachers are closer than yours.
Overall, if you can get this up and working it is a wonderful addition to the classroom, as long as you can have a good system of placing the bluetooth marker down. Do I miss my smartboard? Yes. Will I get better and more used to the Eno? Yes. Would I choose one over the other? Not really, I enjoy adapting to new technologies.
Stay Effective!
Don't forget to subscribe if you want to get the posts without hassle!
Kick-off...Again
Happy Wednesday everyone!
I am writing a quick blog to say that I plan on updating this blog several times a week, filled with reviews, ideas to use technology, and experiences. I was quite busy as of late, switching up to the High School, preparing to teach Geometry and the computer programming! This blog will continue to serve you and share experiences, so stay tuned! First post will come tonight.
Stay Effective!
I am writing a quick blog to say that I plan on updating this blog several times a week, filled with reviews, ideas to use technology, and experiences. I was quite busy as of late, switching up to the High School, preparing to teach Geometry and the computer programming! This blog will continue to serve you and share experiences, so stay tuned! First post will come tonight.
Stay Effective!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Daily Presentations
As a teacher, I find myself presenting material multiple ways. In algebra, there are lots of different equations and although they use the same math properties, students need to many potential ways the property is used.
Well, this idea comes across in my teaching as well, I often find myself scaffolding and providing the same material multiple times throughout the year, sometimes I go over the material through notes, clickers, power point games, skits, songs, presentations. One great secret to share with you is that if you are in some sort of presenter (ex: power point), sometimes you have some distracting screens that require asking the students to look at you, not the screen, to easy solutions is to hit the B or W key.
By hitting the B, you will black out the screen.
By hitting W, you will white out the screen.
This would then force the students to not stare at the blank screen, but at you.
Stay Effective!
Well, this idea comes across in my teaching as well, I often find myself scaffolding and providing the same material multiple times throughout the year, sometimes I go over the material through notes, clickers, power point games, skits, songs, presentations. One great secret to share with you is that if you are in some sort of presenter (ex: power point), sometimes you have some distracting screens that require asking the students to look at you, not the screen, to easy solutions is to hit the B or W key.
By hitting the B, you will black out the screen.
By hitting W, you will white out the screen.
This would then force the students to not stare at the blank screen, but at you.
Stay Effective!
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