Educational Technology

1. Using technology

1.1. Apps - getting to know the Apps that are helping students learn more efficiently

1.1.1. I like the idea of finding Apps that will students learn BUT this can be VERY time consuming to find good Apps and learn them myself so I can teach others the benefits of their use

1.2. Gamifying lessons - I have looking into gamifying some of my lessons to increase engagement - recently at a Pro-D Ed-Tech I got to see examples of teachers using games such as Mind Craft to enhance the learning experience for students

2. Tool or Toy

2.1. Helping kids - what are better ways to increase learning in my classroom - how will I know the changes I am making are making a difference

2.2. Distracting kids - For years now I have been having to manage (police) students use on technology - is technology really helping?

3. Differentiating Instruction using technology

3.1. CEA's - helping students with technology - how can I make better use of technology with the CEA's in my classroom

3.2. Using technology to help students with IEP's or Learning Plans

4. Cell Phones

4.1. Positives - I have positive experiences using cell phones such as using them to document learning in electronic journals or using the cameras to record reflection videos - How can I keep using cell phones for positive outcomes more often?

4.2. Negatives - I feel cell phones can be incredibly distracting for students - there is plenty of evidence out there supporting this concerns - How can we as educators teach students to use their cell phones for positive things rather than having to police the use of cell phones so often?

5. Going Paperless

5.1. Cost - will going paperless reduce cost for schools? - Is this manageable? - What about students that do not have reliable access to technology all the time?

5.2. Impact on students - I wonder about the impact on students going paperless because so many students like to work with paper and handouts. - Parents also like having something their student can bring home.

5.3. Time to train students and parents - I think there will be a learning curve for both students and parents, having used Google classroom for a few years now, I have parents and students that have either loved or hated using Google classroom. Some parents are very confused by technolgy.