What are your top 5 resources you use as you support and coach educators integrating technology?

This morning this question came through my email: What are your top 5 resources you use as you support and coach educators integrating technology? The question was posted in the ISTE EdTech Coaches Network. I wanted to save my response for future use and also share it with others as this is an important question. There were lots of "tools" being thrown around but if you know me you know I like to focus on the use of the technology and connection to pedagogy/teaching/learning versus the specific tool.

My response (cleaned up a bit for blog readiness:)):


"For me it is not so much the specific tool but rather what the tool does. These are the most purposeful uses of technology that I have found:

1. Screencasting - teachers need to have a tool that gives students a voice and makes learning audible. Screencasting is the perfect way to do this. Example tools include: Educreations, Explain Everything, Screencastify, SnagIt, Screencast-o-matic, etc.
2. Real-time collaboration - A tool that allows for real-time collaboration between teacher and students. Example tools include: Google Docs would be the gold standard but also Padlet, Popplet for different purposes AND Global collaboration - Tools that help the teacher break down the classroom walls to collaborate with those outside of the classroom. Example tools include: Skype (Skype in the Classroom), Google Hangouts, Twitter to make connections
3. Creation tools - Tools that turn students into creators and publishers. There are MANY options here for tools: Animoto, BookCreator, Thinglink, Smore, etc.
4. Authentic sharing - A tool that allows students to publish their wonderful creations from above and more. Example tools include: A blog (Blogger (easyblogger), Kidblog, Edublogs), a website/e-portfolio (Google Sites, Weebly), Twitter, YouTube channel
5. Digital formative assessment - tools that make formative assessment quick, easy, and track data for the teacher. Example tools include: Kahoot, Quizziz, Plickers

I tell teachers to focus on how technology can allow you do do things you couldn't do without the technology and then pick the tool that works best for you."


This goes a bit with a recent graphic I made to help teachers navigate and use the SAMR model:

If we are using technology to make learning visual, audible, authentic, and/or personalized then we are most likely using technology in a transformative way. I am debating adding collaborative to this model as well...

Do you agree with my response? How would you answer this question?

Wyoming Google Apps for Education Summit

This week I had the opportunity to attend and present at the Wyoming Google Apps for Education Summit put on by the EdTech Team in Cody, WY. Although I took away many things, below are a few of the highlights and things I want to further explore:

• Superquiz - Do you use Flubaroo? Superquiz is Flubaroo on steroids! It grades your Google Forms and provides all sorts of other info. I need to explore more.
• DocentEdu - I have to explore this more. Turn any website into an interactive online lesson!
• Ricoh Theta camera - A spherical camera! Oh the possibilities!
• Google Cardboard - Turns your phone into a virtual reality device!
• Docs Demo - I have to demonstrate how a collaborative Google Doc works all the time. This resource let's people demo a Google Doc with characters like Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson. I will use this a lot!
• Google News Archive - Google has archived hundreds of newspapers for FREE! What a great primary source resource.
• Flippity - Change Google Sheets into flashcards and games.
• Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus! - Do you need to teach your students that not everything on the Internet is true and how to find accurate information? Use this incredibly real looking yet totally fake website to do so.
• Flipface - Just for fun - cartoon-ize your picture!