Tag: Apple Teacher

#Edtech: 5 Ways to Avoid Becoming Fossil Fuel

#Edtech: 5 Ways to Avoid Becoming Fossil Fuel

Warning: The following blog post contains strong language and opinions that may be offensive to technophobes and Luddites. Proceed accordingly. 

Hey dinosaur, I’m talking to you. Don’t become fossil fuel. Evolve or get out of the classroom.

Now I know what you are saying, me?–a dinosaur? How dare she!!!  Well, showing students, Youtube videos doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”.  Assigning Khan Academy for homework doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”.  Sending an email to parents doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”.  Putting together a PowerPoint presentation doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”–even if you used animation. I know you think you are dabbling with some fancy technology there, being more “paperless” and “productive” but really you have put in minimum effort to stay relevant. And ….it shows.

Now maybe you teach in a distant Columbian jungle school, in which you zip line to class every day, but even if you live in Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland, one of the remotest places on this planet, I’m not letting you off the hook. Because these faraway places, places culled from technology are the most vulnerable to suffering from the digital divide.  Classroom technology narrows the education gap,  which I can speak to first hand having had the opportunity to teach in underserved communities internationally–Heck, I think my friend in Montana would tell me that there are quite a few schools on the Native American reservations that also face a similar plight due to the challenges that poverty creates for education. So if you teach there, don’t tell you “can’t do technology”–nope, you just don’t want to, and you’re not fighting hard enough to get those communities connected. C’mon Chalkdust, get busy- those kids really need access to technology if they are going to raise themselves out of poverty.

I know, I’m being a really cruel and insensitive here, especially if you actually teach in a school whose main form of technology is a chalkboard and chalk, but most of us don’t teach in such environments and yet we fail to update our skills.  Quite a few of us teach in technology-enriched schools, schools with iPads and laptops and interactive whiteboards–goodness knows what else–and yet we fail to appreciate and use technology efficiently and effectively in our classrooms.   What’s the excuse?

The other day I was sharing with a colleague that I was going to through the Google Certification program and they asked me, “Why do you want to do that?” Truthfully, I was taken aback. They might have well said, “Why do you want to improve teaching and learning in your classroom?” Um……I don’t know, maybe because it’s my job and I teach digital natives. Of course, I recognize that they think it’s about “the badge”, but that is really misplaced motivation for upskilling. Do it because it makes you a better educator. Do it because you are a life-long learner. What is a badge anyway but a recognition device for your skills and pedagogical values? When soldiers decorate their uniforms with “badges” it shows their commitment and principles. Medals of honor are given to those who serve above and beyond their call of duty. If you got saved in combat by another platoon soldier and they got a medal of honor to risking life and limb, we’d never say to them, “You’re just a show-off. You’re just doing that for the badge.” Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? So,  I have to say that I have high respect for those who don those learning badges because it means that they are passionate about learning and are diligent in improving their practice. Also, it indicates someone that can be my mentor, someone I can turn to if I have questions or when things get messy I know they can help show me the way through it.  As educators, we are all on the same team, which is why I am here to give you a stern talking to. I care about the difference you make in classrooms.

Now I can’t make you take your personal time and professionally develop yourself, jim kwik quotebut there may very well come a time in your career that you will be asked to move on or move out of the profession simply because you DON’T have the 21st-century skills to continue teaching. You do more harm than good in the classroom. So I hope this tough-love message is a wake-up call.

 

So Here are 5 Things You Can Do to Upskill Your Tech Knowledge

Depending on your school’s context, there is a variety of free to low-cost options for professional development. This is is really NOT an exhaustive list.

  1. Microsoft Innovative Educator Program: There are so many resources here, which is why I put it as my #1 resource. I made a podcast episode about it. From webinars to quick tips, or you can go through a “learning path” to get badges–whatever your desire is, there are things to suit. It’s not just about Microsoft programs either, there is STEM stuff, Skype, Minecraft, and Project Based Learning (PBL). I recently took a course about teaching the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (#WorldsLargestLesson).
  2. Google for Education Certification: I know you think you know Google apps, but I’m telling you there is so much more you can do with students if you go through this program. I actually feel schools that use Google in their administrative management systems (like school emails and shared docs), need to make Level 1 Certification mandatory because these apps are so robust. It cost a little bit of money, and the exams are 3 hours long, but it’s so worth it. There are a ton of Google Trainers and Google Innovators who have resources and videos, so you can also use them as a study resource.
  3. Common Sense Education: This is the go-to place to learn more about digital citizenship. They will give you a “webucation” on a myriad of topics through blog posts and webinars. They also have lots of tech and media reviews, which I found extremely helpful when I am looking for specific types of apps. The only cost to this is your time–and that’s well spent!
  4. Apple Teacher Program: It’s a free, self-paced program, that gets you knowledgeable about their main apps: Pages, GarageBand, Numbers, iMovie, Keynote through the app lens of either the Mac or iPad. There’s so much you can do if you know how, and if you want to go further, they have an Apple Distinguished Teacher Program. After going through the program, I got super inspired and started a podcast simply so I can have a deeper context of some of GarageBand’s capacity. I hope it inspires you too.
  5. Code.Org: I remember reading HTML for Dummies years ago but now you can learn computer science and computational thinking through code.org for FREE. You just sign in and pick your path. They also have workshops that you can attend, which I am going to do when I go home to the States this summer. Maybe I’ll see you there. (:   (Psst…those are also free.)

These are really just a handful of places to start. But if you use a particular software or digital tools at school, then seek out professional development in them. There’s always an opportunity to deepen your learning and use the tools to be more productive and effective. For example, after doing the SeeSaw Ambassador Program, it unlocked worlds of possibilities for using it to document student learning. Now I can’t wait until the next “PD in Your PJs” comes out since I want to learn new ways to unlock student learning. I’m telling you, the more you know about tech, the more you can do with tech. If you’ve got devices in your school, you have got to avail yourself of these online learning resources. And maybe you can encourage a friend to sit and do it with you–that would be even more fun. Professionally developing yourself shouldn’t come as a mandate from the administration, it should come from within. Your work matters. You are impacting lives. Take it seriously.

I hope this harsh nudge from me gets you motivated. My parting advice is that you find some time this summer to do at least one of these programs and then set some goals for next school year to embed some of this into your classroom. We have such wonderfully designed tools at our disposal. It’s like having the BatMobile at your disposal and never driving it. C’mon take a spin with tech!

 

 

Season 1, Episode 3 of the Educator’s Companion to PD (Show Notes)–Taking a Byte Out of Apple

Season 1, Episode 3 of the Educator’s Companion to PD (Show Notes)–Taking a Byte Out of Apple

I know that a lot of people enjoying reading and skimming through podcast show notes to get a gist of the highlights of the episode. This podcast was originally recorded back in June 2017. To listen to the podcast, please go here.

Can you think back to your first experience with an Apple product?  Was it with an iPod, iPhone, Mac or iPad?
My “aha” Apple moment was several years ago when we went on a trip to India with my family and friends. My daughter was turning 1 year old at the time and she was eager to explore and crawl around. Now I don’t know if you have ever been to India, which is a fantastic country, but with over a billion people, there is a lot of humanity and it was really hard to contain my daughter’s eagerness to crawl all over the ground. My friend Eric, in his wisdom, had downloaded a few toddler apps on his iPhone, and I can’t begin to tell you how much this saved us during our adventures in India. Although she was barely 1, she could completely navigate and engage with the games on his device. It blew my mind away. Clearly, Apple had designed such a user-friendly interface that even a toddler could use it. After this trip, I was transformed and became a technology optimist and began an advocate for its use in classrooms.
Now let me just say that Steve Jobs, the well-known founder of Apple, had been conspiring to hook us educators on its products nearly since The company’s inception.  You see Apple has always been vying for its place in education ever since the Apple 2 was introduced into classrooms in 1978. Back in the early 80’s Jobs marched up and down the halls of Congress for weeks to actively lobby them with an initiative called Kids Can’t Wait. This allowed corporations to make it easier to get tax breaks for donating to schools, libraries, and museums. It was after this push that  Apple soon came to dominate the education PC market (for a while at least), and developed initiatives like the Apple Distinguished Educator program and research projects like Apple Classroom of Tomorrow. So you could say that educators have been taking a “byte” out of the Apple for quite some time now. With the advent of iPads, tablets have become a staple in schools around the world, with over 8 million iPads in schools across the globe.
What is it?
So now that you know this, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Apple has created an online Apple Teacher program. When Apple first started teaching teachers about computing, its focus was on programming with LOGO. Nowadays the Apple program is focused specifically on the features and tools of their products, allowing you to take 2 tracks–either on the MAC or iPads. And you can deep dive into the tools on applications such as Numbers, Garage Band, iMovie, and Keynote. You may think you know these apps well, but I guarantee that you will discover new things they can do with Apple Tools. Once you complete the training, you are provided Recognition with a special badge that you can put on your resume or CV, website or blog.
How does the program work?
  1. How you get the certification?
  2. What the certification means?
First of all, yuh need to head over to Appleteacher.apple.com and sign in using your Apple ID. Once you’ve logged in, you have to select your learning track, which will be with Mac or IPad. There you will review and study materials and pass the quiz for each app which will earn you a badge. Once you earn all 8 of the badges, you get the certification. For example, when I got my certificates, I had to get learning badges for the iPad, Pages, Numbers iMovie, GarageBand, keynote, creativity, And productivity with the iPad. Once I had all the badges, I was emailed my Apple Teacher logo and certification. It was a very straightforward and easy system.

The 3/2/1: 3 Pros, 2 Cons, and 1 Tip
The Pros: 
  1. The program is constantly evolving and expanding. Since the program launched in the summer of 2016, Apple has already added badges for teaching coding with Swift Playgrounds. I expect more apps will be launched and the training will go with it.  Also, earning badges in education is a trend that teachers need to pay attention to. I think in the future, our degree programs will be either augmented or replaced by badge systems. My opinion, but I think earning these symbols of recognition will be an important aspect of determining whether a teacher is “highly qualified” when it comes to 21st-century learning. Apple means to be a mover and a shaker in education, so I believe that their badges are going to carrying more clout as the program continues to evolve. After becoming an Apple Teacher, be sure to get the little badge/graphic so you can advertise your expertise either on your classroom door, blog, or website.
  2. There is a growing community of Apple Teachers. You can get your geek on and join Follow #appleteacher on Twitter to connect with other like-minded educators.The resources are fantastic. It’s not just about the badges. There are some fantastic resources here. Stories of technology being used in the classroom, starter guides for the most often used apps, teacher-created iBooks and much, much more.
  3. You can go deeper and apply to become an Apple Distinguished Educator. As per the 2017 guidelines, you must be employed in an academic capacity and submit a 2-minute video that demonstrates how you transforming the learning environment and creating success in the learning as well as extending your reach in education beyond your classroom walls. All applicants must attend an in-person ADE Academy event, which would cost a chunk of change, but you could imagine what an inspiring and life-changing event this could be. Perhaps something to look forward to doing some time in the future if you’re an Apple Geek.
The Cons:
  1. Learning through iBooks:  Currently, the program’s content is offered through ebooks, which I personally found a bit bland and I really wanted more of a multimedia approach with the How To’s, especially when I worked through the module on Garage Band and iMovie. I ended up going onto YouTube to watch videos, which was a bit confusing since there are different ways to navigate features on the iPad vs. the Mac, and there are different versions of the apps.
  2. It’s easy to Cheat: Meaning that you can take the quiz over and over again without really demonstrating true expertise in an app. Once you know the questions, it’s easy to go back and find the answers in the ebook without really developing the skill. I have a confession, I totally did that with the Numbers module. I am not a spreadsheet person so the least amount of effort I could put into that module, I did, but I didn’t feel that I really mastered the nuances of the app because the quizzes didn’t demand it from me.
So head on over to appleteacher.apple.com

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