This post originates from the “I get this question a lot file” and after I spent the time to type out a response, it seemed like something I should be sharing openly, rather than exclusively through a private email message.

Mr. Brueck,

You were referred to me by [name withheld to protect the innocent], the tech coordinator for [insert school or district here]. He assured me that you were the “go to man” who could point me in the right direction.

I’m a reading interventionist and in search of quality iPad apps to support our reading instruction. In particular, I’m looking for apps to support comprehension and vocabulary development for 7-10 year olds reading at first and second grade levels.  Of course, they love interactivity and game playing.  Any recommendations?

Thanks for you help!

I was down in Columbus, Ohio this week to attend eTech Ohio‘s annual educational technology conference, OETC13. I was involved in a number of interesting sessions, but my one “official” conference presentation was a BYOT titled “Student-Created Multimedia eBooks on the iPad in Grades K-3.”

The Google Site I created as a resource can be found here. I included quite a bit of background information that covers the current research on ebooks for young children, types of ebooks, selecting ebooks and also evaluating ebooks. This content is Flash-based, so if you’re trying to review it on an iPad, you’re out of luck. Sorry! But trust me, it is good stuff, so find a desktop or laptop and go through it!

The BYOD activity for the session is here. Please feel free to borrow, steal, use or remix with your students or teachers. If you’re just looking for my app recommendations from the session, here are the FREE ones and the PAY ones. If you want to learn more about how the session went, read on…

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I recently had an opportunity to visit with Katherine Boyd from the local CBS Radio affiliate 104.1 FM and talk a little about educational technology.

Boy, times have changed when it comes to teaching our kids in the classroom.

Used to be a teacher relied on books, rulers and a chalk board to instruct the class.  Today, books are being replaced with tablets and e-readers, rulers are replaced with smart phones, and chalk boards are replaced by monitors and laptops.

In this edition of Cleveland Connection, we talk to three local educators who are on the cutting edge when it comes to technology in the classroom.

Listen to a a podcast of this show: 01 CC Technology In The Classroom

Thanks to Ryan MacRaild, Instructional Technology Educator at St Joseph Academy in Cleveland, for working with Kat to make this segment possible!

From the NAEYC ECETech Listserv:

As it takes so much time to locate and evaluate apps, I was wondering:

-Do you have favorite app review sites? (there are so many now, and video reviews cropping up, so people can see apps before they buy them.)

-Do you have a system, and if you do, what is it, for listing your favorite apps to share with others?  Is your favorites list available online/can you share it? I am interested in ways others in the group are organizing this info, and to take a look at your lists, if possible.

-In schools/programs where teachers in various classrooms may be exploring and finding new apps-are there systems set up to share about these discoveries with others?

So many apps, so little time- thanks for sharing tips from your workflow about these questions.

I’m often asked to provide lists of apps for schools, districts or teachers. This is tricky because of the wide variety of apps. In general, I’d say that there are way more skill and drill type apps available (flashcards, letter games, puzzles, etc…) most likely because they are simple for app developers (non-educators most often) to create. Apps that support higher-order think skills are less in numbers. I think the most important thing for a teacher to consider is what they want their students to accomplish using the app and then consider whether an app is actually the best resource for this learning experience. I like to point admins and teachers to the SAMR model when asking them this and then try to help them discern is the are using the app as simply a substitution for something they have always done or if they are able to use the app to help redefine the learning task.

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I facilitated two 135 minute discussions around the use of iPads in the classroom with teachers and administrators from the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City Schools (BBH) back at the end of August as part of their staff in-service day. Rather than deliver lecture style presentations over a ton of apps, I decided I wanted to create a more meaningful and engaging learning experience to use with the BBH staff.

The concept for the two sessions was to remix ideas and content I had seen used before in other professional learning settings. The first was an idea that I was familiar with from attending and leading conversations at Science Leadership Academy‘s EduCon. It involved the use of a conversation protocol to help guide the session. The second was drawn from a Media Scavenger Hunt that Dr. Wesley Fryer had put together for a session he led called “Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing.” The final idea was adapted from something I’d seen David Jakes use as part of his What If? presentation series.

Sources

• EduCon Session Protocols
• Wes Fryer’s “Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing” Media Scavenger Hunt
• David Jakes “What If?”
• Jeremy Brueck’s BBH iPads 2012 Google Site

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ISTE 2012 is underway. On Tuesday at 12:15 PM PST I’ll be moderating a panel discussion around 1:1 computing in education. A top notch panel has been assembled to contribute to the session. They’re all leading 1:1 initiatives in their districts and bring a wealth of experience to the table. But we need your help, your voice. We need to know what questions you have about going 1:1. However, the questions have to go beyond the device. We need to consider all aspects that contribute to building a successful 1:1 or BYOD program.

How can you contribute? Take a few minutes to look over our backchan.nl document. Vote for the topics and questions you feel are most relevant to this discussion. Feel free to add any questions you feel are missing. Make your voice heard and help shape the conversation that unfolds Tuesday. We appreciate your time and input.

From the ISTE porgram:

Transcending the Device: Crucial Conversations around 1:1

Jeremy Brueck, University Of Akron with Benjamin Grey, Jim Klein, Scott Meech, Matt Montagne and Joe Morelock

iPad2, Xoom, Playbook, iPod Touch, netbook, iPhone, Chromebook, this list of potential 1:1 devices continues to grow on a seemingly daily basis. Nearly everyday, a new device is hyped, over-hyped and pushed into our consciousness by a barrage of media and market glam. Due to the pervasiveness of mobile technologies into daily life, countless questions from school leaders and teachers continue to arise around mobile computing devices, specifically which device is best for creating a 1:1 program in a school or district.

Traditionally, much of the 1:1 discussion centers on “what” device to purchase, rather than what the school intends to accom­plish with 1:1. Through a variety of perspectives provided by the distinguished panel members, we will discuss both the overarching goals of 1:1 implementations, as well as debate the merits of iOS, Android, Linux, netbooks, iPads, laptops and other devices commonly associated with 1:1. This discussion will provide the information ISTE attendees need to begin this journey in their own school or district, including useful advice, best practices and practical strategies, from a panel of highly qualified experts who have an established track record of success in the 1:1 arena.

Creating 1:1 spaces enables students to learn in an environment where students can own their learning and are engaged meaningful work. Establishing a new environment for this type of learning takes careful planning and consideration. There is some research that indicates 1:1 computing can produce impressive results. Findings indicate that 1:1 computing can provide greater access to resources, information, and up-to-date instructional content. In addition, 1:1 environments can lead to increased student motivation, engagement, interest, organization, and self-directed learning. Join a collection of educational thought leaders from across the country for an interactive conversation focused on developing, deploying and sustaining a successful 1:1 program.

Photo Credit: Enjoying the Keynote by Ben Grey on Flickr

So you’re coming to DigiCamp for Teachers and you’re planning to bring your own Apple mobile device, but which apps should you load up prior to camp to make your time on the beautiful University of Akron campus productive? Look no further, I’m here to share with you all the apps that the Center for Literacy has loaded on their “loaner” iPads and iPod Touches. While we made ever effort to pick as many free apps as possible, sometimes it’s just worth paying to get a high-quality app.

iPad Apps

• View App List in Google Docs

iPod Touch Apps

• View App List in Google Docs

Cross-posted on Digi-Camp for Teachers

I’ve been off the blogging path for a while, sidetracked by a number of projects that I have kept me quite busy for the last 3-4 months. One of those projects was an eTech Ohio Teacher Planning Grant program I have been leading called the Digital Text Initiative. Over the course of the 2011-2012 school year, I’ve been working with 9 K-2 teachers in 3 local districts to study the ways elementary teachers incorporate eBooks in their classroom.

This has been a great project, and one that was noticed by a writer from the New York Times. He published a piece titled “Bringing up an E-Reader” back in March that featured students, parents and a teacher from the DigiTXT program. I’m currently working on data analysis from a variety of sources and also starting to put together some of the greatest hits from the project for the a final report. This report is slated to be released as a white paper about mid-June. I was asked for 3 DOs and 3 DON’Ts for using eBooks that we could use in the white paper. Here they are.

DO:

1. Look for eBooks with content that has direct ties to your curriculum and student’s personal experiences.
2. Allow students opportunities to self-select eBooks for independent and shared reading experiences.
3. Consider the role space plays in the reading experience and design a quality-learning environment for browsing/reading eBooks in the classroom.

DON’T:

1. Select eBooks with multimedia or interactivity that is extraneous and/or not relevant to the story.
2. Use an eBook with students until you have thoroughly previewed and evaluated its potential as an instructional resource.
3. Underestimate the “WOW” factor that eBooks bring to the table. Use their natural engagement to capture reluctant reader’s interest and motivate them.

Tonight I will be sharing some digital storytelling resources with one of Dr. Denise Stuart’s graduate classes here at The University of Akron.  I’m primarily planning to do some live demos of a variety of web-based and iOS options, but here are a few examples of published work from a few of the resources I’ll show. The complete list of resources I’m sharing are available from this Google Doc.

Animoto

A short piece that incorporates text and music to tell the story of a pumpkin’s lifecycle. The images used were created win Powerpoint and saved as .jpeg files. Those .jpegs were imported into Animoto for sequencing and audio integration. The finished story is available to view online or as an embedded video.

Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto. Read the rest of this entry…