Google Hangout on Air - Managing BYOD - Live on April 7th!

Join me for a BYOD Google Hangout on Monday, April 7^th at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. 

Topic
Managing the BYOD classroom

Guests will discuss the following

• Getting started with byod management.
• Preventing distraction.
• Fostering trust in students who are using their own devices.
• The role of students in classroom management.
• Explaining this will work to administrators.
• Getting parents to support responsible use.  

Our special guests include

• Jill Hobson @hobsonjill
• Michelle Luhtala @mluhtala 
• Jason Suter @JKsuter

Connect with them on Twitter!

Backchannel

• Join our backchannel conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #BYODEquity. See all the backchannel hashtags on our Tagboard at http://tagboard.com/byodmanagement

Join the hangout at this link

https://plus.google.com/events/cnb6l98874hjdvh0ec92r289ktk 

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Teen explains the power of a student PLN

Guest post by Connor Wood

I had never heard of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) before Lisa Nielsen asked me to write about mine. I did not originally set out to make a PLN. It just sort of happened as I started asking around for interviews for my education blog, Trismegistus Nab-tu-we. I also contacted author  Henry Olsen and entrepreneur William Peregoy. They were both helpful in giving me the tools and ideas I needed to start my blog and autodidactism. There are a couple of other student groups I have turned to for advice including Students for Education Reform and The Providence Student Union.

I have a little secret. Aside from my blog, the only social networking site I belong to is Google+ which is only because of my blog. I use Google+ for major posts, but not much besides that. I guess I am kind of old school in using my email for most of my networking. When I started going around looking for people to interview, I used only email. This allowed me to connect to progressive educators and reform activists like John Robinson, James Bach, Lisa Nielsen, and Jerry Mintz, all of whom have been extremely helpful in networking ideas and suggestions. Jerry and Lisa, for example, both recommended I get in touch with Nikhil Goyal. Additional help in getting my voice heard has come from Diane Ravitch and Mercedes Schneider. Lisa too has helped me a lot. Allowing me to contribute this guest post is an example of that.

I want more »

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The hottest posts everyone's reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog. Below you’ll see the top posts along with the number of page views. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Entry	Pageviews
How obsolete is your school? Take this quiz to fin... Mar 19, 2014,	3773
Is boredom the real epidemic in our schools? Mar 23, 2014,	2990
Does Twitter have a minimum age requirement? Jun 13, 2013,	1713
8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s Firs... Jul 15, 2010,	1608
Face off: @Twitter verses @Remind101 for family ou... Mar 9, 2014,	1279
Google Drive gets add-ons. Yeah or Eh? Mar 16, 2014,	1369

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Don’t be fooled on Facebook

This week a relative of mine, who is a senior citizen, friend-requested me on Facebook. Not only do I love to see more and more seniors connecting online, I also love that this provides further opportunity for generations to share their lives. Especially these days when families tend to have busy lives and be spread out.

The relative was a cousin who I don’t see much beyond big family gatherings like weddings and funerals. The next day she messaged me. Nice! She was catching on quickly. We had the usual pleasantries. She asked how the family was in Vegas and said she had been there recently but unfortunately hadn't had time to visit. I gave her the update on my Dad's birthday party and also shared that things at work and home were very well and shared a couple pictures of my pups.

I was impressed at how she jumped right in. Bravo! Then she said she had been trying to reach me about something.

I want more »

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How to change your Facebook administrator from a personal to professional account

Innovative educators know it's not a great idea to use your personal account to administrate Facebook pages or groups that you are using for your school i.e. school page, library page, sports page.  However, for some, especially us early adopters, you may have a page that has been up and running for years using your personal account.

Don't worry! Switching it to a professional account is easy!

Step 1 - Select "Manage Admin Roles."

Step 2 - Select "Add Another Admin"
This is where you add a Facebook profile that has been set up for professional purposes and is not tied to a personal account.

Step 3 - Type in the name or email of the person you want to add.  This person must currently "Like" the Facebook page to be added.

Step 4 - Click the "x" to remove yourself as the administrator.

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The hottest posts everyone's reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog. Below you’ll see the top posts along with the number of page views. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Entry	Pageviews
Is boredom the real epidemic in our schools? Mar 23, 2014,	3478
How obsolete is your school? Take this quiz to fin... Mar 19, 2014,	3347
Does Twitter have a minimum age requirement? Jun 13, 2013,	2765
Google Drive gets add-ons. Yeah or Eh? Mar 16, 2014,	2406
Face off: @Twitter verses @Remind101 for family ou... Mar 9, 2014,	1245

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10 ways the research behind banning #mlearning for children is flawed

You may have come across Cris Rowan's popular HuffPost piece explaining 10 reasons handheld devices should be banned for children under 12. You may also haveread the rebuttal from a librarian mom who explains why she will continue to give her children handheld devices. While the pro-device author explains the benefits of handhelds, what she doesn't uncover is that the research cited by the original author doesn't support her claims.

In fact, the research cited in the Rowan piece is so unsupportive of her claims, it seems possible that the real motive behind the article was to test the reader's gullibility. If readers had dug a little deeper, they'd find the truth.

The research focuses mainly on passive television consumption and video games that are either simple or for mature audiences. Much of it also is focused, not on pre-teens, but rather on teens and adults. The research shows a dearth of findings around the type of technology use in which the overwhelming majority of children engage.

I want more »

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