[Phillips] Google App Packs for Education

The article I read about google education app packs was very interesting to me and I'm surprised I've never heard of it before.  Google App Packs are pre-designed packages of applications that are popular among google app users.  With so many apps out there, it's often hard to find what you are looking for.  Often times, it's almost impossible to find the coolest and most productive educational apps because you don't even know they exist and therefore you don't know to look for them.  Google has taken the pressure off and has put these app packs together for you.

App Packs are available for three grade levels:

        Grades K - 5                                        Grades 6 - 8                                 Grades 9 - 12

The elementary app pack contains the following apps: CK - 12, Geogebra, DogoNews, GoAnimate, Haiku LMS, Hapara Teacher Dashboard, KhanAcademy, KidBiz3000, LearnBoost, Loupe, MeeGenius Children's Books, Pictico, Pixton Comic Maker, ScootPad, Slide Rocket, StupeFlix, SumoPaint, Typing Club, Vocabulary SpellingCity, Wixie, iPass, and nFinity Browser.

The middle school app pack contains 3D Tin, AudioTool, BuzzMath, CK - 12, DogoNews, Geogebra, Glogster, GoAnimate, Haiku LMS, Hapara Teacher Dashboard, Khan Academy, LearnBoost, Loupe, Lucid Chart, MindMeister, Pixton Comic Maker, Slide Rocket, Stupeflix, SumoPaint, TeenBiz3000, Typing Club, Vocabulary SpellingCity, WeVideo, iPass, and nFinity Broswer.

The high school app pack contains 3D Tin, AudioTool, CK - 12, Desmos, Diigo, EasyBib, Empower 3000, Geogebra, Glogster, GoAnimate, Hapara Teacher Dashboard, Khan Academy, Lucid Chart, MindMeister, OpenClass, Pixlr Editor, Pixton Comic Maker, Slide Rocket, Study Blue, Typing Club, Vernier LabQuest 2, WeVideo, and nFinity Browser. 

For a description of all the previously mentioned apps and to see all three app packs, click this link:  Google Education App Packs. 

App Packs are also available at 3 price levels:

• Free: Apps are provided free of charge.
• Freemium: The apps are provided for free, but there may be a charged for advanced features.
• Paid: Many of these apps come with a demo version, but you have to pay to use the full version.

If you are a teacher and you are looking for a great way to find useful apps for your classroom, I think the app packs are a great place to start.  

Google Extravaganza- Awesome Ways to use Google Forms and Docs in the Classroom [Berger]

So, by the closing of this school year you are probably feeling a little bit of GOOGLE FORM/SURVEY OVERLOAD!!!  

You may know that Google Forms can be used to collect valuable information for district office...but did you know that Google Forms can be incredibly useful in your classroom???

Check out these top ideas for using Google Forms in the classroom:

• Collect data from a lab or student interest survey!
• then graph your results on a google spreadsheet
• Collaborate on student created definitions!
• students submit definitions and then compare
• Create your own "create your own adventure" story! 
• students enter the story through multiple choice questions so they can decide where to go next, and then based on the answer the reader chooses, you select a different page to present to them
• Create extended Response Exit Slips!
• Gather student feedback with a quick click!
• "Google Flip Packs": Create a presentation combined with Forms for active guided  learning activities for your students!
• Check out this link for a great example!

What about other Google Docs options? WOW there is a LOT out there! Check out these ideas: 

• Use the comments feature for peer editing or to help scaffold students (see below) 

• Use a Google Template for students to copy and use (GREAT for providing modifications and structure for different learners) 
• While presenting a "Google Presentation" to class, have students ask questions via the chat bar for more classroom participation
• Students can collaborate on homework, while sitting miles apart  

29 interesting ways to use google docs in the classroom from Inge De Cleyn

So, what do YOU think?  Have you used some of these features before?  Are there features not listed above that you use with your students!  Blog it!

A Web of One or Big Brother 2013 (The Filter Bubble):  What can you do?

to all of you 20 somethings who did not read George Orwell’s  1984, Big Brother is not  just a tv show on CBS.

( by Andy Marx)

In Eli Pariser’s book The Filter Bubble, the curtain was pulled back, and a naive, green American populace saw that the internet was no longer a “web of one”, as Pariser called it, but a “bubble” we live in where our searches are tailored, and we are no longer exposed to controversial, contradicting viewpoints, essentially creating a myopic digital profile.

Did you know:

• “Google uses 57 different signals to shape individual search results, including what kind of browser you're using and where you are.”
• “Facebook does much the same thing with its News Feed function: if you click on certain friends' links more often, you'll see them float to the top of your screen, while unpopular links disappear. “
• “Yahoo! News — the biggest news site on the Web — is personalized, and even mainstream sites like those of the New York Times and the Washington Post are giving more space to personalized recommendations.”
• (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2071746,00.html#ixzz2UmPRLXXH)

Living in the bubble:

Everything from your Netflix, to your news feeds will be tailored to you based on a number of conditions- your search history, location, type of device you are using and your browser. So are you really connected to everything? It looks like the web is not connecting the world, but we are isolating ourselves in an insulated technological bubble.

What can you do?
Think about our job, teaching children how to think at a higher level through analysis, synthesis, evaluation.  As a history teacher, I strive to educate my students on evaluating bias, breaking down positions and opinions, and then formulating your own.  The scary part is we are slowly beginning to only hear our own opinions fired back at us... much like conservatives watching FOXnews or liberals glued to MSNBC, our technology is being manipulated to feed us what we already know.  So as we become more advanced, and ubiquitous computing becomes the norm- there in lies a hidden danger- we will never learn how to challenge ourselves, “think outside the box”, learn from debate, or heaven forbid... think for ourselves.  

As a teacher- keep this in mind... expose students to a number of views, help them experience life outside of their geographic, and technological bubble!

Please Read:Just test yourselves- in your comment section- take a screenshot of a google search on “Russia”- and just compare what it looks like with your classmates... then we will learn a lot about you, and maybe you may learn more about someone else!

The Digital Renaissance: Art, Design, and You [Berger]

 Have you ever imagined what the world would be like in 2020?  You may imagine a world of Star Trek technologies, glass phones, and holographs.  What about a world WITHOUT technology?  At least, that is, a world where technology is so seamlessly integrated into our lives, that we barely realize it's there?  Forbes magazine is picturing a world just like this, where we are the folks actually creating, and not just using, technology.  Sure, technology is a part of our every day lives now in 2013.  But, is technology a part of US?  Forbes suggests that in 2013, not only will we be living in a ubiquitous computing world, we will actually be the ones controlling and creating our technology.  Imagine a world where we are creating our OWN apps and programs, catered specifically for our own needs and aesthetic preferences. Creating technology will be as easy as drawing a picture.  WE WILL BE CONTROLLING THE DIGITAL WORLD!  Cool!  Even cooler, our students will be the ones running this digital artistic renaissance. The concept of running our own technologies will be a part of their everyday world, where they take center stage. 

I did a little investigating to see exactly what we could do now to help prepare our kids as the next technology inventors.  I was interested to see how many things we already did for our students, at least in eKids.  Here is a list compiled by readwrite.com:

1. Scratch - teaches kids the basics of coding and they can even create their own games (I used this a few years ago in ekids and the kids loved it....although it doesn't download anymore on the mini's.  Maybe they will come out with a version in the cloud!)
2. App Inventor- Apparently last July, Google released App Inventor for Android which like the name implies, uses building blocks similar to Scratch that allows you to create apps.  The goal of the program is to "enable people to become creators, not just consumers in this mobiel world". PERFECT!  The program is in closed beta version...hopefully we will see it soon!  Regardless, there are a ton of free app builder websites out there now that our students could take advantage of. 
3. Alice- a FREE open source program that allows students to learn 3D programing in a social networking type environment.  Looks awesome!  Not cloud based though!  Hopefully that's on the horizon!
4. Lego Mindstorms- lets students program robots to make them "humanoids".  I think the "Lego League" club uses these.  Why not bring them to the classroom? 

If in fact Forbes is making not only a very interestingly awesome but also accurate prediction,  how are we preparing our students?  Can our students create technology?  Do they have the tools to do so?  What can we do as educators to bridget this gap? 

1. 
   

1. MOODLE.... BLACKBOARD..... CANVAS..... Chalk and textbook.... Say what?

1. 
   

1. 
   

1. According to Edudemic.com's Chris Calimpong, "In 2010, education spent almost 2 billion in computer software for classroom usage." As we have learned there are many learning management systems (LMS) out there, and each of them has a number of benefits. 

In choosing a LMS we must look at a number of factors:

• Your audience
• Your budget
• Your prioritized list of requirements
• Your future plans- does this fit...?      

We know our audience- I hope. We understand our budget constraints, so let us focus on our requirements.  What do we want in an LMS?  What is important to us down the road in the next decade?  Is it customization? Support? Use of 3rd party elements?  Implementation? What do you think?

Technology grows so fast, the platforms are always changing- which platform best suits your classroom, your grade level and your building, or your whole district?

The answer at the college level has become MOODLE (take a look at the Butler University proposa(

Learning Management System Evaluation and Recommendation ...)

. YES MOODLE!  Why you ask- well the basic conclusion is that it is CHEAPER than BLACKBOARD, and many other schools have adopted it as their platform and it is compatible.  So while many of us chastise MOODLE, the universities are adopting it as the industry standard over the once powerful BLACKBOARD.  CANVAS is growing in popularity as well, in many cases, the schools that have transferred to MOODLE from BBoard, are now beginning to move onto CANVAS. Since 2012, a number of universities, who prefer the many nuances of CANVAS and the affordability, comparable to MOODLE, are beginning to make the shift, and experts seemingly prefer CANVAS.

So what do you think? What are your priorities?   Which platform is best suited for you and your students? Why?  

Let the debate begin....

1. Resources:

1. How to Choose a Learning Management (Barrish, 2013) and

Why Use a Learning Management System (2012)

[Claus] Google Glass vs. Privacy

I have only looked at and researched the positive side of Google’s newest creations, Google Glass.  After reading several articles, I have realized there are some major issues that no one is talking about.  There are several fascinating features incorporated into Google Glass that can be scary.  One of the scariest is the thought of being recording and not knowing it.  It is hard enough being a teacher and having the fear of getting your picture taken by of student.  Or even worse a video taken of you and posted to youtube.  At least with smartphones, you typically will see a student with their phone out before they actually record you.  With the new Google Glass you will have no idea if someone even has Google Glass on, let alone recording anything.  Right now it is easy to spot Google Glass but it has been said they look "nerdy," which I agree with. In the future these glasses will look like any other pair of reading glasses. Are you ready for Google Glass to make an appearance in your classroom?

These issues are not just ones that can occur in the classroom, what about outside the classroom?  The thought of possibly being recorded and not being aware is scary enough but then to have that data stored on Google’s cloud is a even scarier.  With all the new technology, things you say and do can be recorded, stored and attached to your name online, without you even knowing.

 Will we have any privacy left?  Do these downfalls outweigh the benefits of Google Glass?

The Future of Technology with Blurred Vision

Try to think of technology 5, 10, 15+ years down the road. No one knows what advances we will truly see in technology - it is a blurry set of details that if you squint, you can almost get a sense of where we will be.

Exhibit A: Envisioning Technology 2011

Some takeaways from the hard to view, squint-and-you-may-get-an-idea image:

Space and the impact our developing technology will have on it will not see real development until around 2030 and beyond. While I somewhat agree with this, I feel like the reason many people don’t see our space endeavors as being possible or on the radar because our space programs are not in the limelight, as opposed to our Internet, Energy, and Artificial Intelligence platforms. I believe we will see vast developments with our space programs sooner than this chart predicts.

Energy is an important and evolving technological field. I see this as being a big focus for the upcoming years. Any way technology can improve the future of our environment by improving how we harvest energy I believe will be a very important and highly debated topic.

Artificial Intelligence will not wait until 2020-25 to start having a bigger impact on our lives. We are already starting to see how we talk to our devices and the devices talk back. I think we are only in the beginning stages of this and soon will look back and not remember when this wasn't a part of our daily lives.

I wonder what this graph would look like if it were rewritten today. I think the overall view might still look the same with a lot of variances in the details. The major subjects may stay in the same relative places but the smaller branches would be moved around based on what we know today.

The bottom line is technology is advancing and having a profound impact in multiple areas. That new device that talks back and gives you the information you were looking for before you asked it will not only benefit you in your daily life, but also others in various fields. In some way or another, technology impacts nearly everything we do, either for the good or the bad. 

" Technology should do the hard work so that people can get on with the things that make them happiest in life. "

- Larry Page, Co-Founder, Google

Learning Management Systems:

Learning Management Systems:

In looking at Universities, Colleges often provide an open forum for experimentation and broad learning horizons.  However, online learning managements systems have been slow to catch on.  Many universities use the “one size fits all” format, that hinders the academic flexibility and creativity that is often encouraged in a campus setting.  

The learning management system of Blackboard often dominates the University setting.  However, administrators and students alike, find the system dated and cumbersome to use.  Many are experimenting with alternatives such as Schoology, Canvas, Moodle, and Saiki.   

According to The Journal of Educational Technology Systems, drawbacks of BlackBoard include.  

• Software that is difficult to learn
• restricted options on some operating systems
• excess downloading leads to insufficiencies in bandwidth
• cost

Looking through the case studies,  it is evident that most of the individuals see benefits of LMS, but that each course, or professor has their own needs.  Many of the LMS’s are becoming very innovative and producing systems that fit certain courses better than others.  Frustrations set in with LMS’s when limitations appear.  Some teachers expressed disappointment in how their presentations appeared in the LMS.  Regardless, most all saw benefits to the students and their learning as a direct result of the LMS.  

Benefits of LMS from Study

• Increased communication with students through post and discussion boards
• Helps students become “professional Thinkers”
• Increased availability and resources for students.
• Could be cost and administrative efficiencies
• Can be altered to meet a range of diverse learning styles

Drawbacks of LMS from Study

• Lack of face to face interaction and relationship building
• Limited discussion capabilities
• Lack of ability to see students hinders ability to see if they are truly learning
• Tough to replace hands on/interactive lab based experience (science)
• In-flexible Navigation
• Difficult to display complex concepts
• Students expectation that teachers were “online constantly”  
• Lack of audio/video features to present lectures

As the teachers reflected on their personal pedagogical beliefs, many found that the LMS restrict their teaching styles in some way.  Although most acknowledged benefits, nearly all saw restrictions.  Some restrictions were content based, some were software based, while others were limited by the teacher’s personal capabilities.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Blended Learning in Higher Education by. D. Randy Garrison, Norman D. Vaughan

Deep Learning for the Digital Age, by Van B. Weigel

Student Test Scores are Improved in a Virtual Learning Environment by Harry R. Goldberg, Guy M. McKhann

The Bionic Man (Coming soon to a body near you!)

How many of us feel as though we have left a part of ourselves when we leave our smartphone behind?  Or that we are disconnected from the world when we don’t have our device with us?  

How To Cope With Cell Phone Withdrawal

While I know that there are some out there who do not feel this way and still believe in the “old fashioned” way of things, most of us have moved forward to where technology has become an essential part of our lives.   We live in times where technology is becoming not only something that we use on a daily basis but something that is becoming a part of us.  

With the evolution of the smartphones and tablets we are more connected to information than we have ever been.  We are quickly moving in a direction where we feel as though we cannot live without our devices. Technology is evolving so quickly that it is actually becoming a physical part of us.  With how fast technology is moving they are quickly finding ways for technology to actually improve the human body.  In fact, Ray Kurzweil in Futurist: We’ll Someday Accept Humans as Computers talked about how in the future it will be possible to see, “...nanotechnology -- microscopic computers -- that will be 1,000 times more powerful than human blood cells and injected in people's bloodstreams to give them superhuman endurance.”  While this looks to be our future we do have some things coming our way that could be the next step in making technology a bigger part of our lives.

CHECK OUT THE ACTUAL BIONIC MAN!

If you’re a big tech nerd like myself, or even if you are not, you may have heard of the next “BIG” thing that is coming our way.  It is called Google Glasses.  Google Glasses might be the next piece of technology that you will be wearing that you can simply not live without.  

As talked about in, Project Glass: An Extension of Self, Google Glasses is closing the gap between us simply using technology and it becoming an extension of us.  In a class that I was in, we had talked about how looking at your cell phone while out at dinner is rude and there were various points of view on the topic.  Google Glass sets out to help this and many other situations by keeping the user aware of what is going on around them and even have the glasses become a part of the conversation or task.  In fact, Google Glass has already been used to show students in one part of the world an completely other place in the world in real time.  The implications for this kind of technology is amazing. 

Story of Professor Giving Class

GOOGLE GLASS

As we look to the future, we don’t know exactly how technology will become a part of us but we do know that it will become a part of us.  For someone like me, and hopefully someone like you, this is very exciting and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

P.S. - One of the places that I get a lot of my technology news is www.endgadget.com.  Feel free to follow them on Twitter or go to their website!