When I was in school we called them "webs", now they are mind maps. No matter what you call them, they can be a fun way to get ideas out of your head and into something visual that you can share and use as a planning reference. Mindmeister is a good app that is available on a variety of devices. https://www.mindmeister.com/

They do offer a paid tier, but the free product works well for most classroom activities. Students will need an account, but they can sign in with their Google Apps accounts and if you are using Chrome browser and signed in there is an extension that can be allowed access to your basic authentication info and will sign you in automatically.

Augmented reality works a bit like a QR or barcode in that you scan something, but then it gets really fun. While you can simply have the scan take you to a video or web link, you can also overlay a virtual transparency onto the real world. This post from Educational Technology and Mobile Learning features an AR app from Aurasma, but another company Daquri has some pretty fancy stuff as well. One of the cooler AR toys I've seen is the Elements 4D blocks http://elements4d.daqri.com/
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/10/5-ways-to-use-augmented-reality-app.html

This is a wonderful collection of recorded debates.

Our mission is to provide a new forum for intelligent discussion, grounded in facts and informed by reasoned analysis; to transcend the toxically emotional and the reflexively ideological; and to encourage recognition that the opposing side has intellectually respectable views.
http://intelligencesquaredus.org/

I've always had mixed feelings about testing. On one hand we need not only to know how our students are doing, but to be able to share that knowledge with others in a meaningful way. Numerical data can paint a clear picture, but it isn't always an accurate picture. Now even an administration that once actively promoted more testing under the guise of rigor and accountability, now recognizes that the current profusion of testing is counter productive.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/study-says-standardized-testing-is-overwhelming-nations-public-schools/2015/10/24/8a22092c-79ae-11e5-a958-d889faf561dc_story.html
Standardized testing has been around for generations and it isn't going away any time soon. Technology has made testing more productive in some ways, but it has also made it more pervasive. The craving for data along with a breauacracy that supports that desire will keep testing around for a long time, but we can minimize the damage and possibly even find some benefit in prudently using some of the data that we collect.

While the plethora of testing and the faux accountability has driven some teachers to quit and made it, in some circles, fashionable for those teachers to publicly enumerate their reasons for doing so, this letter has a slightly different tone. http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2015/11/a-not-quitting-letter.html

I particularly enjoyed the reference to edu-tourists. Those sometimes well-meaning meddlers who have little, if any, experience in out field and yet feel that they have something to teach educators about education. I would not walk onto a construction site and tell someone how to properly pour concrete, nor would I walk into an attorney's office and tell her how to properly draft a will or other legal document. Why then do construction workers, lawyers, and all manner of people seem to think they know how teaching should be properly carried out? Because they went to school? Because they have children? I have a house with a concrete walkway. I have a will and have worked with lawyers for a variety of reasons. I even have a fair handle on the law as it relates to education. Still I will stick to what I know.

How Being Busy Makes You Unproductive

I came across this post on Linked in yesterday and it really hit home. This is the same discussion that I've had with a couple of friends over the last week and another friend posted a short rant on Facebook that was essentially about the same thing. All of these people are teachers. Teachers are very busy. Mostly because they choose to be, but that choice is often driven by pressure. Another friend (also a teacher) commented on the Facebook rant that she had a principal tell her that good teachers work beyond contract hours.

This isn't necessarily true. Good teachers come in many shapes and sizes, literally and figuratively. I've known some very busy people who weren't especially good at their jobs, in some cases because they were so busy. Personally, I find myself falling into that trap more often than I'd like. I feel pressured by the disappointment and even frustration that a response like, "I can't do that right now" solicits. Teachers in general want to help students. They want to be the person who makes a difference, or at least they don't want to be the person that caused a child to plunge headlong into a downward spiral of apathy and malaise.

Teachers, I have news for you. Unless you are belittling, bullying, or berating children, or outright ignoring your responsibilities as an educator it is quite unlikely that you will be the cause of a child's abasement. While it is admirable that many teachers are able to connect with students on a level that inspires those children, that is not the only mark of a great educator. Some teachers connect with a few students, others with many. Some teachers impart knowledge in a way that leads to life-long learning, and others are able to get children through subjects that are not of any interest to those children. Still others are able to spark interest in new ways. One thing almost every teacher I know has in common, they want their students to learn, and to enjoy learning. They don't come to school every day with the goal of making children miserable, or of ruining lives, or even of giving up because they have a tough job.

Educators need to stop allowing others to set the bar so high that they are asked to sacrifice their own lives, their own families, their time with their own children, and their personal goals and leisure "for the children". They also need to stop putting that same pressure on themselves. Yes we all do it because we want children to be successful, but some of that responsibility needs to lie with the children, their parents, and their communities. Educators did not sign up to be foster parents (some may have, but they filled out different forms). More importantly, by setting this expectation, we are making educators worse at the job we actually hired them for.

That is where this post really struck a nerve for me. Education is about teaching children the things they need to know to be successful in the world. Yes, sometimes that includes things that aren't reading, writing, and arithmetic. Things like manners, note-taking, paying attention, and prioritizing. Often that takes modeling. We are modeling for our children a lifestyle where we push ourselves beyond the point of diminishing returns. We can only be so busy before we burn out or at least become less productive. We are also sending the message that for those who aren't interested in doing their own work, they can always count on someone else to get the work done.

Bradbury also points out that some researchers found we use "busyness" to hide from laziness and fear of failure. Just another excuse we are modeling for our children when we could instead be modeling good time management skills, professionalism, and the ability to prioritize. The point is, we need to stop being so busy. Get the job done, and do it well, but be judicious with your time. Don't allow the pressure of "being great" to force you into being so busy that your health and even productivity suffer. Remember, could actually be more productive if you weren't so busy.

"How Being Busy Makes You Unproductive" on @LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-being-busy-makes-you-less-productive-dr-travis-bradberry

In King George we use Calendarwiz for our publicly shared calendar. It is a pretty good calendar application, but one drawback is that if you want to see school events you need to go to a separate location to look at school events unless you want to enter them all by hand into your calendar. If your calendar is capable of supporting iCal links you actually add the calendar so that it will update itself. The updating only occurs once every 24 hours, so the updates aren't instantaneous, but they do happen.

Calendarwiz doesn't make the process especially easy, but I've written some instructions on how to make it happen. I have several of these calendars working with my Google Calendar and they work flawlessly. It's handy to be able to look at school events in my calendar without switching back and forth.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QS3hAjliLNh7RC4pInyaCRDmtVtb_2_5tJNsfb0Nfpc/view

Video: When to choose iPads vs. Chromebooks

This is a short video from a collaboration between Lesson Planet and eSchool News that compares iPads to Chromebooks. If you are considering purchasing a device, this has some good information. http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/10/12/video-ipad-chromebook-239/

Using Gmail to Handle "mailto" Links in Google Chrome Browser

So I was completely vexed by why "mailto" links didn't work in my Chrome browser. Turns out it is actually pretty simple, but unless you're someone who just clicks on stuff to see what it does, you probably won't ever figure it out. Here is a short video that explains how to turn on this feature. As a bonus, you can use the same process to make Chrome use Google Calendars to handle "webcal" links.

https://youtu.be/R_iUyNWLApE

How Secure is Your Password

Way back when no one worried about password security. Just having a password was enough. As long as your lock needed a key, it was enough. Over the last few decades that has changed, a little bit at a time. Gone are the days of using birthdays, spouses nicknames, and favorite pets as passwords. Sure you can still do it, but it is a little like trying to lock the front door of your house with an antique mortise lock. Just about anyone can figure out how to pick it in just a few minutes. This brings me to a story I came across a few weeks back.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3034256/Eighth-grader-charged-felony-changing-annoying-teacher-s-computer-background-picture-two-men-kissing.html
It was published back in April, so you may have seen it already. If not, you've probably heard of a similar story. While I am not a person who thinks that victims should ever be blamed for crimes committed against them, I also think that we all have a responsibility to lock our doors securely. For example, if you leave a key under the mat at the front door of your house, all day, every day, and every time you walk up to the door, you use that key to open the door and then place it back under the mat, you should expect that at some point, someone else is going to "borrow" your key to gain access to your home. Truly, if this is what you are doing, why bother even having a key? That really isn't any different from writing your password on a sticky note and tucking it under your keyboard.

About 7 years ago, I made a transition from a high school teacher to a technology coach. I was a prolific user of technology in the classroom, but I wasn't always good at security. Many of my early passwords were only five or six characters, all lower case. Any math teacher will tell you that every time you add a character, or variety to your password you increase the number of permutations, meaning it will be more difficult to guess your password. Moreover, many password cracking tools are available free of charge. These tools are the lock and key equivalent of giving a hacker the opportunity to attempt using thousands of keys in the lock in a matter of seconds. Another important point is that you should not use the same password for multiple services. Sometimes it makes sense to reuse a password, but if you use one over and over again, if one is ever compromised, say by a leak or a hacker, then all of your accounts will be vulnerable. It isn't a bad idea to create passwords that are so difficult you may not be able to learn them overnight. Keeping a list of your passwords with that list of credit card numbers and contact info, which you probably don't actually have, in case your wallet is ever lost or stolen isn't a bad idea. If you don't like that idea, you can keep an electronic database. To make this easier, here are a few tools that can help you keep track of your passwords. Some of them will even let you store credit card numbers and contact information in case your wallet is ever lost or stolen...

Here is a good review that describes a few popular password managers, which could help you to create and maintain more secure, robust passwords. http://lifehacker.com/5529133/five-best-password-managers

Google Docs Voice Typing

Google Docs supports voice typing! Yep, you can type by speaking in Google Docs. I definitely recommend using a headset microphone for this, and if you have a classroom full of students they might have trouble with getting an accurate transcription, but it is still pretty cool and very useful for a variety of applications. Here is Google's support link with some instructions on using voice typing to get you started. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226

Podcast: Ideas for Classroom and PD Technology

I really like Vicki Davis, aka Cool Cat Teacher. A few years back I had the opportunity to listen to her speak at a conference, and immediately started following her on Twitter. She is a wonderfully dynamic person with some great thoughts on education and what it means to be a classroom teacher. In this podcast she talks to Jennifer Gonzalez about several different technology tools that teachers can use in class and for professional development. http://www.coolcatteacher.com/classroom-technology/

Push Websites from Google Classroom

Here is another great post from Educational Technology and Mobile Learning http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/09/here-is-wonderful-google-classroom-tool.html.

I haven't had a chance to test this out yet, but if you are already using Google Classroom, this could be a great addition to your toolbox. If you aren't using Google Classroom, it is definitely worth a gander. Check with your resident edtech expert or your ITL/ITRT if you have one.

Create Instructional Videos Using Explain Everything

Explain Everything is a very cool app that can be used for a variety of purposes from creating virtual fieldtrips and QR quests, to flipped lessons for your students. http://explaineverything.com/

The app is available for Chromebooks, Android, and iOS. It allows you to create videos using slideshows, a virtual whiteboard, and imported images and videos. Create a quick lesson or demo to show in your classroom, share with an absent student, or for students to watch at home.

VR is a Thing

But is it a good thing?

It isn't extraordinarily expensive either. Take I am Cardboard http://www.imcardboard.com/Blog/. If you have an Android smartphone you can have Virtual Reality (VR) Goggles for about $20.

Ask just about anyone who owns a smartphone and they will admit that they have been distracted from a real-world interpersonal interaction by their device. Often the distractions aren't even that important. A text from a friend asking a banal question or a social media post with a cat video is not, for most of us, important enough to ignore a friend. Sure, sometimes we might check just to decide whether or not something is important enough to pry us away from another interaction, and sometimes we might use an alert as an excuse to end a less than interesting conversation, but mostly it's just hard to ignore the insistent interruption that is a smartphone alert. VR takes that a step further and actually places the user in an alternate reality. Netflix plans to release an app that will let you watch shows and movies in a virtual theater, so you don't have to sit in your boring living room with other presumably boring humans. Gaming, for all of its shortfalls still has the potential to be a social experience with groups of friends playing together in the same room. VR goggles, however, will make the fact that you are in the same room with other humans irrelevant. It won't matter that they are there because you will be wearing goggles and headphones that will make it impossible to interact with them outside of the virtual world.
http://www.newsy.com/videos/will-virtual-reality-be-more-than-a-solo-experience/

This inevitability has been explored in a variety of movies and TV shows, but one that sticks out in my mind is Surrogates. This 2009 movie explored a world where many people interacted with the world using a robot that they controlled through a VR interface. The technology already exists. The military and law enforcement use drones and robots to complete tasks that are considered too dangerous for humans. Even home inspectors are using drones instead of ladders to look at rooflines eves, and other hard to reach areas. As long as they don't find anything alarming they can complete their inspection even if they are wary of heights or unable to climb a tall ladder. In a few more years drones and robots may be advanced enough that drones can even give haptic feedback that will essentially allow an operator to touch and feel objects via the drone or robot. The potential for practical and entertainment applications is nearly limitless, but we humans need to learn to live in a world were we use this sort of technology without letting it destroy our ability to maintain real world, interpersonal relationships.

Sign Into Chrome

Signing into Google Chrome offers a variety of features. I think the most beneficial are the bookmark and extension syncing features. In may ways Chrome browser functions as a lightweight operating system. It allows you to add extensions or apps that can be used for a variety of purposes including editing images and video, capturing and sharing your screen, and casting to another device. The following is a brief video that shows you how to sign into Chrome.

https://youtu.be/lemNrt02Lok

Here is a great set of links from the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog with links for using Google Maps.

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/08/excellent-google-maps-tutorials-for-teachers.html

Maps can be a great resource for a variety of classroom activities, from virtual field trips to student created maps for demonstrating understanding and sharing.

Touch Typing

Touch typing is a skill that is largely being lost. Is that a bad thing. I'm not entirely sure, but I certainly do still see a use for it. While it is possible that in another 3 or 4 years our children will be able to speak naturally to their computers in order to create documents, program, and perform other tasks, I don't think the keyboard interface is going away anytime soon. Part of the reason for that is the comfort and familiarity of the keyboard. Even touchscreen phones largely use QWERTY keyboards even though we know that it isn't be best layout, it is familiar. Why isn't it the best? I won't go into that here, but you can read this link if you are interested: http://www.howtogeek.com/189270/alternative-keyboard-layouts-explained-dvorak-colemak-and-whether-you-should-care/

So why do we teach it that way? Again, familiarity. You can bet that in just about any English speaking location in the world you will be able to walk up to a computer and type in the QWERTY keyboard. The ability to touch type can save you time and frustration in a variety of situations. So, yes, I think it is worth taking the time to teach and learn.

Here a couple of basic tutorials:
https://www.typingclub.com/
http://www.typingstudy.com/lesson/1

This one has some tutorials along with basic games:
http://www.typingtest.com/

This one is fun for improving speed and accuracy once you get a little better:
http://play.typeracer.com/

These are all free tools and as such add supported. There are some good paid apps out there as well, but honestly, the best way to get better is just to practice. Personally, I didn't really learn to type until I started using instant messenger in college. I found that I couldn't keep up with the conversation, so I forced myself to learn to touch type. There are some fun games that you can play in class with Google docs like a "round robin" story or challenging students by having the cover their hands with a piece of cloth to see if they can type a phrase or vocabulary definition.

Google, like many other tech companies, is constantly updating the way their products work. For the most part they get better, but it can be hard to keep up with the changes, and sometimes it is frustrating when something doesn't work the way you expect it to work because someone made a change without telling you. Google apps update blog and sites like Android Police are good places to keep up with some of these changes. Occasionally I'll share their posts here when something big comes out. The two links below are examples of some good changes coming with Google products that can streamline the way you work and communicate.

First you can now open files from Google Drive with apps that are installed on your computer. PDF files for example may not be completely functional when opened in Chrome's browser viewer. You will need to install the Drive App to make this work, so it may not be practical on a public computer or your work computer, but it is a handy feature.
http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2015/08/launch-desktop-applications-from-google.html?m=1

Second, Hangouts is getting an update that will bring its user interface, or UI up to speed with most of the rest of Google's products. While it may seem confusing at first, the goal is to get products like Gmail, Drive, Hangouts, and Contacts to have a similar look and feel making them all a little more intuitive and easy to use.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/08/13/a-closer-look-at-the-design-of-hangouts-4-0/

The beginning of they year is a great time to think about new tools to use in your classroom and new ways to access professional development. We're fresh off of summer break and, hopefully, feeling like we can conquer the world. Here is a great place to start.

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/about/products/

This site offers resources for teachers to use with students and opportunities for professional development. Some activities are self-paced while others are facilitated to help keep you on track.

Sharing & Updating Files in Google Drive

Google Drive is a great place for storing and sharing files online. Not only can you create doc, sheet, and presentation files, you can also share other file types. One problem I always ran into when sharing files on Google Drive was that when I wanted to create a revision of a non-Drive file type, like a PDF or image file, I had to upload a new file and share the new link. There is, however, a way to update your files to a new version. This has been available in Google for some time, but I only discovered it recently. This was very exciting for me, especially since you can redirect a QR code or short link to a Google Drive document, then go back and update the document with pretty much anything you want: think class syllabus, assignment, word of the day, daily image, etc. Here is a short how to video to get you started: https://youtu.be/Yv_501XnwrI

Video for the Classroom from Virginia Public Media

Here is an excellent resource for classroom teachers in Virginia. If you don't have an account or don't know how to get access go to the about page http://www.emediava.org/about-us and find your school contact person. You will need an account to access the videos.

Once you get logged in you will find that you can search videos by SOL and by keyword. You can also create and manage classes, assignments, and quizzes. This is a resource that is definitely worth taking a few minutes to explore.

http://www.emediava.org/

This is just a little tool that works like a graphing calculator inside of a Google Doc. This is great for kids who don't have a graphing calculator at home, or if you want your students to create a paragraph style explanation of a mathematical process or a report that uses equations and graphs.
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/08/here-is-another-great-drive-tool-for.html?m=1

Hangouts is one of many chat and video conferencing apps. While it has a few advantages over services like Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Snapchat, it also has a few drawbacks. I do like Hangouts for voice and video chat for work because of its compatible with Google Docs and screen sharing capability. This makes sharing ideas and working collaboratively much easier. Now Google has added another great feature allowing users to share a presentation in the Hangout. Hangouts and Google Drive are a great way for students with limited transportation options or who live in rural areas to work together when they are not at school.
http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2015/08/host-google-slides-presentations-via.html?m=1

Keep is one of my favorite tools. It is great for note taking, making lists, and creating reminders. The best part is that it syncs between all your devices, so you can make a shopping list on your computer or tablet and the pull it up on your phone when you get to the grocery store. Of course, there are several other products that do the same or a similar thing, but now Keep has another cool feature. You can save directly to a Google Doc. Sure you could just copy and paste, but this saves a couple of steps.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/08/05/apk-download-keep-gets-update-allowing-you-to-easily-turn-your-notes-into-google-docs/

Sometimes when you're reading online or sharing an article with your class the ads and other junk on the page can be annoying, and even inappropriate at times. These are some tools to help solve that problem. Each of these can clear out some of the clutter around the focus of the web page. I have the clearly extension installed on my browser and use it frequently. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/08/3-awesome-chrome-extensions-to-enhance.html

This is such a creative way to reach a diverse audience with a challenging topic. It is also a great model for students who enjoy presenting material visually. http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=63280

New Math

For starters, new math isn't really anything new. What most people think of when they hear new math are confusing, backward ways of getting to answers that are actually fairly easy to get to in the traditional ways. They want memorization, skill and drill, traditional, straightforward ways of getting to the answer. The term New Math came into use in the sixties and has been used to refer to a number of revisions to math programs since then. I'm not a math teacher, but looking at these examples http://excelined.org/common-core-toolkit/old-standards-v-common-core-a-side-by-side-comparison-of-math-expectations/, I don't see much difference between "old math" and the Common Core or "new math". The difference is really in the teacher. How math is taught. Teachers can make up or use redundant, mind-numbing worksheets and skill and drill practice no matter what sort of math they choose, or are forced, to teach.

This is a great article from the NY Times that lays bare some of the problems with teaching in general focusing specifically on teaching math: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0.

Controller for Google Presentations

I really like the convenience of Google Presentations and other online presentation tools. One problem, however, that I've run into is that they are hard to control with traditional presentation remotes, especially if you have videos in them. There is a great app called deMobo that lets you control presentations from several online services including Google Slides, Prezi, SlideShare, Scribd and a few others. The only drawback is that you are basically looking at images of your slides, so animations aren't there and you can't click links either, but you can put screen captures of pages in your show. It does let you look at notes on your phone or tablet as you present your slides and even has a timer and the ability to tap into your web cam to use it as a document camera or to do a picture in picture with your slideshow.

Once you install the app and connect it to your service, go to demobo.com/slides and enter the code found in the settings on your controlling device. The app and your browser will sync and you will be able to control the slideshow from your device.

http://www.demobo.com/

"Like an Apricot only Sweeter"

Trudacot is a sort of guide to help with planning technology integration. While there are many perspectives on how technology should be integrated into instruction, most educators agree that technology tools should be used to enhance lessons and support good instructional practice. This generally means relevant, authentic, and student-centric activities and Trudacot supports that. The authors of the document also recognize that it is too much to do all at once and explicitly state that only a few points should be used when planning or observing using Trudacot.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/147Pqvr32qwnPXUBmUM1r8p10unZ-pID_cgLjkGwwAus/mobilebasic

Whether you're a classroom teacher, and administrator, or an educator in some other capacity, this is a great guide when designing, planning, or observing instruction with technology integration.

Another Classroom Video Resource

Here is another reshare from the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning site. This one is a collection of video footage available on YouTube. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/07/new-treasure-trove-of-historical.html?m=1
Short video clips can be a great way to give students a glimpse into other places and times and are often excellent segues into reflective writing or discussion.

What Can You do with a Piece of Cardboard

... and a few other bits and pieces. For about 25 bucks you can turn a smartphone into a virtual reality device. About a year ago, not long after Google have them away at their annual I/O coherence I bought a Cardboard. That's right, in this context cardboard is a proper noun. It's a thing, a really cool thing. When i got mine it was just a toy. It could interact with YouTube and there was a cool little demo, but not much else. Here is a taste of what you can do with it:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/07/23/google-expeditions-class-599/
How do you get one? In the past few months a few companies have given them away, but if you're not the type to wait around for the next freebie you can do a quick search for "cardboard vr"or "Google cardboard". For $25 bucks you should be able to get a ready to assemble kit with am NFC, near field communication, tag. How does it work? Does it really matter? It's cool, like bow tie cool, but if you really must know: http://www.imcardboard.com/faq
Be warned, not all phones have all their hardware set up in exactly the right way so that everything works just so. On my Galaxy Nexus I often had to flick the washer shaped switch several times before the phone got what I wanted it to do, but still it's fun. With more and more apps being built for Cardboard it is becoming a really useful little gadget.

Add a Twitter Feed to Your Google Site

witter can be a great way to communicate with parents and students, but not everyone has a twitter account. Sure you can share a link, but many people without twitter accounts would rather just go to your website. Instead of posting everything twice, you can make your account or a hashtag show up embedded on your website. Here are some instructions on how to do that:

https://sites.google.com/site/amslerclassroom/add-a-twitter-feed

While it may seem a bit complicated at first glance, if you follow the steps carefully you don't have to be very tech savvy to get it to work.

Hereis a nice little list of apps from eSchool News to help you gear up for the fall: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/06/05/graphite-apps-023/

Edtech Conferences

This list was shared early in June from the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning website. If you have an online Personal Learning Network (PLN) this site is a great addition. Here is the orignal link: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/06/top-40-edtech-conferences-for-teachers.html?m=1

Conferences are a great way to get fresh ideas for your classroom and also an excellent motivator. Over time most educators get overwhelmed and even a little defeated by the day to day of their jobs. Working with children, after all can be very challenging. Conferences allow you to meet with other educators to share common and uncommon ideas and experiences.

If you are an educator in Virginia, or a nearby state, the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) annual conference is a great event: http://www.vsteconference.org/. VSTE also offers other learning events throughout the year: http://vste.org/learn-with-us/.

King George County Schools has also hosted a free, one-day conference, for the past few years. This year's conference is on Aug. 12: https://docs.google.com/a/kgcs.k12.va.us/forms/d/1kuANEnX8JP0OzpwpdV84YBB_43OvsFvb6iBi--ZaxRY/viewform

The University of Mary Washington has also hosted an annual conference in recent years. Whether they will host one in 2016 remains to be seen, but here is a link to last year's site: http://2015umwedtechconference.umwblogs.org/

Edtech conferences aren't the only options either. My wife just got back from the Longwood Summer Literacy Institute, http://www.longwood.edu/cehs/Summer_Literacy_Institute.htm, and she is very excited to get back into the classroom this fall to put ideas from several sessions into action.

Keep an eye out and expand your PLN to include VSTE, UMW and other likely resources where nearby conference may be announced. One or two a year is probably enough for most people, but if you haven't attended a conference recently, put it on your to do list for the 2015-16 school year.

Backup Your Old Google Account

If you have a Google account that you haven't used in awhile, read this.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/07/29/psa-google-is-apparently-deleting-old-unused-accounts-without-warning-time-to-back-up/

Save Word Documents to Google Drive, but Keep Using Word to Edit Them

This has been out for about a week, so you may have already heard, but if you haven't, this is pretty cool. Microsoft and Google have a history of not playing well together, but they do both seem to realize that being two of the biggest players in the software world they can't totally lock each other out. Google Drive has allowed in app editing of some MS Office files for some time now in what they call Office Compatibility Mode https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6055139?hl=en, but it isn't great especially if you are an Office power user. Now you can edit documents in Office and save them back to drive without the hassle of downloading and re-uploading. This may seem like a small thing, but anyone who has gone through the process knows that the extra time it takes might just make someone create and edit their document in Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word. As far as I can tell, you still can make your changes in real time or work collaboratively (in fairness Microsoft does have their own product to do this without Google) when using the Drive plugin for Office, although it is still pretty interesting.
http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2015/07/google-drive-plug-in-for-microsoft.html?m=1

Virtual Building and Exploration

Virtual building and exploration can be a great addition to any curriculum. Many teachers have had great success using world builders like Minecraft in the classroom. In some instances it is appropriate for a teachers to set up a foundation, or to give directions to students on what or how they should create something, at other times it may be more appropriate to simply allow exploration and interaction. Later the class or groups of students can reflect, make comparisons, or complete other activities which help them to process the experience. Minecraft isn't the only world builder out there and some of them are more accessible (you need purchased software and a tablet, computer, or gaming system to play Minecraft).
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/07/20/minecraft-world-builders-777/

Here is a site to help you get started. As of this posting the lessons are all grades k-5, but many can easily be adapted to suit the needs of secondary teachers and the author of the site is looking to expand into upper grade levels.
http://lessons4minecraft.com/

Google Hangouts Vulnerability

So I use Google constantly and when someone shared this article I was alarmed. However, I read the comments and one poster mentioned that there was a way to close it. http://gizmodo.com/oh-great-new-android-flaw-lets-hackers-into-your-phone-1720381448

The vulnerability is that Google Hangouts automatically downloads MMS messages which include things like videos. That means that someone can embed malware into images and videos and since Hangouts retrieves them automatically, you are exposed to the malware. Now, first I want to say that most anti-virus/anti-malware apps will scan images and videos from MMS, so if you have one of these apps installed (and you should), then you aren't really vulnerable to the exploit in the first place, but even if you don't, or in the event that your anti-malware misses the malicious file there is another way you can help secure your device. Uncheck the box. That's right. It is a little less convenient, since your phone won't just download the MMS on it's own, but that will give you the opportunity to recognize that you are getting an MMS from a number you aren't familiar with and delete it before it is retrieved. Go into the settings in Hangouts, select SMS, and uncheck the box. This is what it should look like:

Staying Organized with Google Chrome

What do you do when you find a really great website that you want to use with your class or an interesting article to share with your colleagues or you vaguely remember something that caught your eye a few days ago, but now you can't find the link? I often create bookmarks for these situations, but if you switch computers or are using a phone or tablet it can quickly get pretty confusing remember which device you used to save a particular link. If you're using Chrome, you can sign in and link data across computers and other devices. I should note here that you can do the same with several other browsers.

Another advantage to signing into Chrome is that you can sync extensions which are in browser applications that can be used to do everything from capture notes like with Evernote to edit pictures with extensions like Picmonkey or Pixlr. That means that no matter where you access Chrome, you will have all your synced data (bookmarks, extension, etc.) You have the option to choose which data to sync, so you can include passwords if you want, and you can also set up a sync password which is separate from your regular account password for added security.

Here is a support link with more information: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/165139?hl=en

Updates to Google Drive and Classroom

If you follow Google Apps closely or are a Google Apps administrator, you probably already know about these things; if not, check out these links. There are some really cool updates Google Drive and Google classroom in the past week or two.

Google Drive http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/07/3-important-google-drive-updates.html?m=1

Google Classroom http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/07/some-new-interesting-updates-to-google-classroom.html

Google, like many other tech companies, is constantly updating its products. Some updates don't really mean much, but if you use Google Apps in your classroom or for work, many of these updates can help with productivity and can make your life easier. If you are interested in following updates to Google App, you can do it here: http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/

My wife, Amanda, sent me this link a couple of days ago.  http://pulptastic.com/17-awesome-things-didnt-know-google/ While a couple of these are pretty inane, most are very cool, and I can tell you from personal experience that this is by no means a comprehensive list. You can also do things like look up definitions, graph equations, play six degrees of Kevin Bacon, check things like sunrise/sunset times, or the status of a flight, perform measurement and monetary conversions, or even flip a virtual coin. Many of these things can be useful for making lessons and your life easier, and some of them are just fun.

Creativity and problem solving are oft referenced twenty first century skills, but can be very difficult to teach and learn. Computation thinking is one way to increase one's ability to think creatively and problem solve. This computational thinking course from Google can help teachers work with students using these skills. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/07/google-offers-free-online-computational-thinking-course-for-educators.html

Pax Makerspace Open House

A makerspace is exactly what is sounds like. A place where you make things. Sometimes they are referred to as hackerspaces or fablabs, but generally they are places where people can get together to build, experiment, and collaborate. Some teachers are even setting up makerspaces or making time for "life hacking" in their classrooms. This is a great opportunity if you want to learn more about makerspaces or get invloved with other makers:

https://paxspace.org/events/summer-open-house-2015/

Mechanical Marvels

In an age of digital technology we often forget just how amazing mechanical technology really is. While this sort of technology sees less and less practical application, it is still pretty impressive. This short video is a really good, easy to understand explanation of how a mechanical film projector works. This could be a great lesson starter too.

http://gizmodo.com/how-a-film-projector-works-and-why-theyre-still-mechan-1716191193

Sharing Videos with Students on a Network Where YouTube is Filtered

YouTube is a great instructional tool, but there is a good bit of questionable content both in videos and in comments. While many educators lean toward the "teach, trust, and monitor" mentality, most school boards and central office level administrator, the people who have to deal with the legal repercussions of students accessing inappropriate content, often lean more toward the "restrict access to questionable content" side of the debate. This post isn't about that debate, but rather about how to safely share your teacher content on networks where access is restricted.

Our school division is a Google Apps For Education (GAFE) division. Our teachers have access to YouTube, but students do not. Some teachers would like students to have this access, but many are happy to not have to deal with one more distraction while teaching lessons using laptops and other devices. This is all well and good until a teacher wants to share a video online with students or embed a video into a site, document or presentation. Since GAFE only allows embedding of  YouTube videos, which means embedded videos are out for teachers sharing Google slideshows with students during school. Linking, however, is another option, and frankly works just as well, you just don't see the video in the slide.

The biggest downside to viewing YouTube videos in YouTube is all the "related videos" that show up. There are a few simple solutions for this problem. For more on that, here is a link to a blog post from Richard Byrne: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/01/3-clutter-free-ways-to-display-youtube.html#.VPtT3PnF_6w

At the school where I teach, we are fortunate to have a tool that works with our filter to allow us to clear YouTube videos for student viewing. We can create accounts for teachers where they can link YouTube videos, then share those links with students. While direct YouTube links are still blocked, the new Go Live Campus links are available for students. If your school uses something other than iBoss for filtering, this probably won't work, but check with someone in your IT department; they may have a similar solution.
http://www.golivecampus.com/media/action/login

Another option for teacher in GAFE domains sharing videos is uploading them to Google Drive. From here you can link and share videos the same way you would share any other document. Just remember that videos count against your total drive storage space. I've heard rumors in the last few days that Google+ Photos photo and video storage will soon be integrated into drive, so I'm looking forward to more options becoming available once this happens since that is how Google product updates often work.
https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2423694?hl=en

Several tools are available for creating videos in Chrome browser. WeVideo and SnagIt are two that I have used and really like, but search the Chrome Web Store; you may find something you like more or that better suits your individual needs. The free version of WeVideo is pretty limited, but for a relatively modest fee (especially if you use it frequently), you can step up to a premium account that is packed with features.
https://www.wevideo.com/overview (Free Plan or Premium Plan $48/yr. or $7/mo.)

The second tool I recommend is SnagIt. It is developed by the same company that makes Camtasia and is great if you want to narrate a Google slideshow or put together a quick flipped lesson for your students using something that can be displayed on your computer screen.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/techsmith-snagit/fcnghgbgmemnlbckdipnmelbanpgneik