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Dr. Bruce Ellis

Bruce specializes in leadership development and working with districts to tailor onsite professional development workshops. Bruce earned his Ed.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Supervision in Secondary and Higher Education and his M.S. in Learning Technology/Information Systems at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He earned his B.S. in Elementary Education at Dallas Baptist University.

back to school
CTO/CIOLeadership

Back to School Ideas for Leaders

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Ready or not, teachers and students are about to come back to school! Why not be a little creative in welcoming them back? Depending on what assets you have (time for planning, talent on staff, etc.) may determine if your efforts are a solo act or more of a group effort. Either way, your staff and students are sure to feel welcomed and happy to be back. Here are a few ideas that you might want to consider that won’t break the bank or require you to recruit Disney.

Introductions

Getting to know others is a great way to build camaraderie among your staff. Sometimes, though, the back-to-school to-do list is too full to allow you the flexibility to build in all the activities you’d like to do. Why not use Flip to introduce yourself to the group using this template: share your name and what you do, one thing you are excited about this school year, and one fun thing you enjoy doing when not at school. Here is a sample Flip Intro sandbox that you can jump in and record your own and see what others say that join in (be sure to use the guest password Leadership to access the sandbox).

Microsoft purchased Flipgrid (now Flip) and made it completely free to everyone! Educators can enjoy all the great features without having to worry about freemium issues. This has to be one of the best free tools for educators and leaders to use! And, since each Flip has to be password protected, you don’t have to worry about outsiders accessing your activities or seeing videos of staff and students. To find more great ideas of using Flip, consider searching on Twitter for #flipgridFever or take a look at their blog to more ideas.

YouTube Welcome Back to School

You don’t have to have Broadway in your background to create a great YouTube video that welcomes students and teachers back. It helps if you are creative, but even that isn’t always a requirement – just identify the creative folks around you and ask for their help. Here are a few YouTube videos that might serve as inspiration for a video you might do for your folks. As you will notice, some are more involved than others. But don’t feel that you have to achieve this on your first go round. Let it start a tradition of communicating that “we enjoy being together and working with students.”

Inspire to Make a Difference

Even if you find that you are not one that likes to be on either side of the video camera, you can still find resources that can inspire your staff to make a difference this year like never before. You can find a variety of inspirational videos at http://bit.ly/educatorsinspire. My favorite inspirational video for educators – whether in the classroom or in administration – is by Rita Pierson as she clearly gives a call for action to make a difference with those we serve.

What Will You Do?

How will you start the school year for your staff, teachers, and/or students? Will you design activities that help them focus on the critical nature of their job in supporting students? Will you help them grow in trusting their peers so they are more likely to look for inspiration and great ideas around them to emulate? Or will you use a video to evoke humor amidst the hard work that is already starting for the school year? However you choose to start this school year, we’d love to hear your story and possibly pass it on to encourage and inspire others to do the same. You can drop me a line at bellis@tcea.org and let me know.

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leaders
LeadershipProfessional Learning

The Year of Developing Leaders

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

You have checked your list twice as you prepare for school getting ready to start again. You have planned with your team and prepared your agenda for the first meeting back. You are ready to motivate and inspire as teachers and administrators begin a fresh year. But have you planned to look for teachers and administrators who show qualities that would make them great leaders?

When I was teaching junior high, a friend of mine who was an instructional specialist asked me to consider applying for an opening they had in the Instructional Technology Department. They had asked me to apply for prior openings, but my response was always the same, “I’m enjoying teaching in the classroom. Why would I leave it?” Somewhat convinced that I was planning to retire in the classroom, my friend said he wouldn’t bother me any more about job openings, but still thought I would be a great asset to help a wider audience. Needless to say, I applied and got the position and later rose to be director of the department. In that experience, though, I realized that they had been looking at me for a while and saw something more in me than what I saw.

We have the opportunity to work with so many people on a regular basis. Many of them show great potential in becoming leaders if they had someone to walk along side them and help develop those skills. As Carnegie noted, “The older I get, the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do.” So as you start this new year, here are a few items to add to your list as you go throughout your day.

Look for Talent in Future Leaders

Many folks can talk a good talk, but may lack the skill to put their words into practice. Others, though, may not say much, but are excellent at their work. Make note of these people and what they are doing that is making a difference. For many, it may not be that they received special training, but that it comes naturally to them. These may also be the people who just assume that everyone has these same skills and therefore doesn’t consider themselves as special, gifted, or talented.

Have Open Conversations

When you see skills in others, be sure to let them know that you recognize those attributes and encourage them in using those skills. You may be the lone voice that ignites a desire for them to make a difference on a larger platform. If you have an idea of where that skill may be needed or may be a great asset, then say something like, “You are really good at explaining complex problems in a way that is understandable. Have you ever thought of a job in ____?” By articulating the skills that you see in them and sharing what a possible career trajectory might be for them in making use of that skill, you may inspire them to start considering additional growth opportunities.

A Peek Behind the Curtain

Sometimes we might tell someone that we would like them to come work for us or be in our department. We may even assume that they understand what our department does and many of the details on which we spend our time. Consider being more direct and invite them to shadow you or one of your staff members. You might ask them to help out on a particular project or initiative to give them some exposure to the job and connect with others already in those positions.

Mentor and Connect

When you find someone with skills and talent to develop even further, consider making it a more formal relationship. Let them know that you would be willing to help them gain additional skills and/or develop those skills you have noticed even further. If they are interested, then start considering how you can be a meaningful mentor. And if you find that you would like to mentor, but just don’t have the time or flexibility, the best thing you can do is to be a conduit for the person and help them connect with others that might be interested in their skills. You have contacts that you’ve made throughout your career and can refer them with confidence to specific connections to help them advance and grow.

Who Will You Develop This Year?

Just as you have made it a priority to be aware of other things that are important to you, think about how you can be aware of talent you come across this year and how you can help those folks develop and grow into leaders. So, who will you develop this year? We’d love to hear about how you’ve grown leaders in the past, as well as who you might be working with this year. Email me at bellis@tcea.org and let me know.

You can also share with them some of the events we have going on at TCEA to help them hone various skills, make connections with other like-minded educators, and get “in the know” of additional opportunities that come available. A few of the events include the Technology Acceleration Academy, Innovative Learning Strategies Conference, and the SysAdmin Conference.

 

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Microsoft Word
Microsoft

Tips and Tricks for MS Word

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

graphic saying, "Focus on being productive instead of busy. Tim Ferriss"There are so many different tasks that I do which involve using either Microsoft Word or Google Docs that I have picked up a few tips and tricks over the years to help make using Microsoft Word even faster so I can get to other items on my to-do list. And isn’t that our main goal anyway? As Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, said, “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” I was training this past week on Microsoft Office and had that startling realization that there are things I know how to do in Office that I take for granted and just assume that everyone knows the same things and makes use of various tools to speed up their process. So, here is a shortened list I would share with someone if they use Word, but want to be more productive.

Customize Word Options

Word comes with many preferences and options that are available to tweak. To begin, click on FILE →Options. The Word Options dialog box appears with a navigational menu on the left and options to edit on the right. I have found the following changes to be beneficial.

Save Section

  • Auto Recovery – Initially set at ten minutes, I dropped mine down to five. Whether I’m on my laptop on the go or plugged in at the office, if something happens and my computer shuts off, the worst case scenario is that I have only lost five minutes of work.
  • Embed Fonts in File – If you are like me and enjoy a variety of fonts, then you will want to select this option especially if you share your Word files with others. When enabled this feature embeds your TrueType font within the document so you can edit/view it on a computer as intended, even if that computer doesn’t have the font installed. BTW, my favorite font sites include 1001 Free Fonts and DaFont.

Advanced Section

  • CTRL+Click URLs – I found it much simpler to deselect this option. Now, when I click on a URL that is a Word document, it automatically opens in my browser. Otherwise, I have to hold down the CONTROL key and click the link.
  • Copying/Pasting – When pasting from other programs, I typically want just the text (not the formatting), so why not set it here? I also have my pictures inserted/pasted as Tight…which is what I would change them to most of the time. The few times I want an image inserted in line with text or in front of text, I can easily change it on the fly using the Wrap Text button on the Format ribbon tab.
  • Recent Documents/Folders – It seems like I am always needing to find a Word file that I used a while back. To help make that easier, I increased the preference to show the 50 most recent documents (to quickly access them) and 50 unpinned recent folders.

Helpful Tools

While there are many tools in Word to make use of, here are the ones that help me be more productive when I am in a time crunch.

Home Tab

  • Format Painter – I cannot believe that everyone doesn’t know about the Format Painter tool! Click in the text that contains the format you want to paint somewhere else. Then, click the Format Painter tool once if you are only going to apply it once or double-click it if you want to apply it to multiple pieces of text (or graphics) in your document. If you double-click the tool, then you will need to click it again to turn it off. This tool is especially handy if you have multiple locations where you want to bold, resize, change the font, and the color!
  • Styles – Instead of being forced to use the styles that are listed across the Home tab ribbon, consider updating them to be what you want. When your cursor is in the text that contains the formatting you want to keep, right-click on the appropriate style and select “Update…to Match Heading.” This is equivalent to boosting the Format Painter tool in that I don’t have to go and find the format in my document to click in and then grab the tool. Updating the styles makes it even easier.

Layout Tab

  • Margins – I have noticed that when I start a new document, I typically want 0.5 inch margins all around. So to make it easier, I’ve updated my margins and clicked the “Set as Default” button. You can also specify the orientation, paper size, paper source (if you have a nice printer with multiple trays), and other settings. Setting as default will save the preferences in the normal template that Word uses each time it start a new document.

Favorite Shortcuts

Some folks are mouse people and some folks are shortcut people. I am a shortcut person. I would much rather learn a shortcut if available instead of moving over to use the mouse and then jumping back on the keyboard. So here are a few of my favorite shortcuts.

  • CTRL+m – This shortcut will indent the margin by 0.5 inch. And when you are ready to jump back to typing at the original margin, just do SHIFT+CTRL+m. If you are just wanting a hanging indent, then try CTRL+t.
  • CTRL+k – This shortcut is handy to use when you are typing a website and it doesn’t automatically convert or you want to add a link to text.
  • CTRL+e – Use this shortcut if you want to center align the text you are in. You can also use CTRL+r (right justified) or CTRL+l (left justified) (hitting the CTRL+l again will full justify the text).
  • CTRL+] – This shortcut applies to the text where your cursor is (or the selection if additional text is selected) and increases the font size. To decrease font size, just use the neighboring key to the left (CTRL+[).
  • ALT+click/drag – We know that you can click and drag to select text. This shortcut is like that only on steroids! While you hold down the ALT key, click and drag to select the columns of text you want to delete. Once selected, just his the delete key or backspace key.

Let me know which feature or shortcut you find most helpful and/or most used. You can tweet to us at @TCEA and @DrBruceEllis. Or, if you need more characters, share via the comment section below. If you would like TCEA to come to your location and train your staff to be more productive with Office products, including Microsoft Office 365, you can drop me an email at bellis@tcea.org with preferred dates and I’ll get back in touch with you regarding details.

 

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lego rocket orange fun brick
STEM/STEAM

Fantastic Nerdy Fun with LEGOs

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

 

Love legos? Check out our upcoming robotics training and workshops:
Intro to Lego EV3 Robotics
Mission Possible Summer Camp: Lego EV3 Robotics in the Classroom

Who doesn’t enjoy playing with LEGOs? There are more choices with LEGO today than when we were kids. There are also more choices as to making designs. If you don’t have an engineer or architect in the family, then consider using one of t

he following tools to convert 3D objects to ones made of LEGO bricks. For easy comparison purposes, we’ll use the same file, Cartoon Rocket by frankvb, with each tool so you can compare the quality and results.

Tinkercad

Tinkercad has to be one of the easiest CAD programs for kids. Students as young as kindergarten and first grade can start creating after learning just two or three simple skills. Plus, the new Brick feature makes it easy to convert your creations to LEGO designs. You have three resolution choices (1x, 2x, or 3x design size) with each increasing resolution making the final design larger. Though you’ll use the most LEGO bricks when using the 3x resolution, others will appreciate your work all the more. To “brickify” your object, just follow these steps:

  1. Load (or create) your 3D object in Tinkercad.
  2. Click on the brick icon in the top right menu area. Tinkercad will render your object. Larger and more complex objects may take a little longer to render.
  3. Select the preferred resolution (1x, 2x, or 3x).
  4. Click on the Layers button to review the design layer by layer. The indicator at the bottom of the design will indicate which layer you are viewing and how many total layers.

Tinkercad does not identify how many bricks you’ll  need, so you’ll have to make an educated guess. Review the online design and construct your piece, scrolling through each layer as you complete it.

Online Voxelizer

Dutch coder and designer Arjan Westerdiep has created Online Voxelizer to help you convert 3D objects to voxels; think of voxels as three-dimensional pixels. One advantage to using Online Voxelizer is that it will identify how many voxels (or 1 x 1 blocks) are used. Begin by opening a .obj or .stl file (remember, the larger the file size, the longer it may take to render/construct your object). Adjust the slider bar (from 1 to 128) to identify the resolution desired. A small slider bar below the resolution slider also allows you to adjust the transparency, which is helpful when identifying internal construction. At the highest resolution (128), the cartoon rocket object was 55 x 55 x 128 bricks and consisted of 18,358 voxels (151,735 voxels if the object was solid and not hollow). Click on the 2D icon to open the layer inspector which will slice the rendering for you; you’ll be able to scroll through each layer and refer to it during construction. There is not a way to download individual layers.

NOTE: I was not successful with Chrome or Firefox and Online Voxelizer. Microsoft Edge browser had no problems running the cloud-based application.

Brickr

Though you may feel like you are having to jump through a few hoops for your final product, Brickr does provide a nice conversion. To begin with, you’ll need an .obj file to upload. Since my original one was .stl, I went to meshconvert.com, uploaded the .stl file, and chose the Wavefront Object .obj format as the output. You are now ready to load your shape into Brickr. You will be prompted to specify the resolution; 30 appears to be the default, but was not acceptable to me. So I reloaded my shape and increased the resolution to 96. The resulting construction was decent. For a layer-by-layer map of how to assemble the bricks, click the “Save Instructions” button (bottom left of dashboard), give it a file name, and select whether you prefer the image layers as png, jpg, or svg format (I recommend png). It may make it easier, prior to saving instructions, to select Random as the brick color as this will help you distinguish different size bricks (and possible postpone getting cross-eyed in the process). You will now have one image for each layer; in my case, I ended up with 33 layers (instead of assembling from bottom-to-top, it sliced the construction from side-to-side.

Tinkercad
(3x resolution, 71 layers)
Tinkercad rendering

Online Voxelizer
(128 resolution, 128 layers)

Brickr
(96 resolution, 33 layers)

Recommendation for LEGOs

If you are wanting to convert a 3D object that the students will work together to construct, I recommend using Brickr. Once you render to brickified model, save the instructions as .png files and then print each of those files. Label each page with the layer (and possibly hole punch to keep in a binder for storing). Divvy out the pages to various groups of students and have them each construct their portion, which will combine with other groups’ work to create the final amazing LEGO construction.

Prior to beginning your project, you might have students measure a LEGO brick and then have them estimate how many bricks it will take to complete the rendering. After they get started, they will definitely want to modify their guess, which is good since that shows they are editing the calculations in their mind and becoming better at spacial reasoning.

Once you convert your object, share a screenshot of it with us. Better yet, share your final LEGO construction (along with how many bricks it took) with #TCEA and #brickify!

 

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BYODCTO/CIOCybersecurityEducational TrendsLeadershipProfessional Learning

Should Voice Assistants be Banned?

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Based on several comments on a previous blog post, Alexa: Your New Teacher Assistant, along with a few questions I’ve received via email, it seems there is a definite knee-jerk reaction by some districts to incorporating voice assistants in classrooms. While voice assistants are new technology and evolving quickly, I don’t think that necessarily makes them dangerous despite the recent scare with the Alexa emailing a recording to a person on a connected contact list. In all reality, stories like that one should reinforce the need for what most schools are already doing: providing training in the effective use of technology for educational purposes.

Responding to New Ideas with New Policies

When I look at some of the knee-jerk reactions that have taken place, it seems very reminiscent of when BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) was being praised (or scrutinized) in districts across the nation within the last decade. Those that accepted BYOD as a viable environment within classrooms thought through making sure their networks were secure, reviewing their policies, procedures, and practices, and even tailoring professional development to help teachers understand how to have BYOD in their classrooms. Districts put together their list of best practices, had open discussions with teachers, principals, and parents, and recognized that some educators may need more time before they can confidently support students in a BYOD environment.

Join the Conversation

I think we should approach voice assistants in the classroom in the same manner. Regardless of whether we use Google, Amazon, or Apple, or some other off-brand that pops up, we need to make sure that good thinking precedes it and lays the foundation for why we are doing what we do and how we do it. Since I’m guessing that voice assistants aren’t going away, it would behoove us to be part of the conversation that helps develop this technology to be valuable to education. Instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, consider having open meetings to discuss uses of AI devices, their connection to the curriculum, and how they can be incorporated in meaningful ways. If we don’t encourage students to evaluate the information they receive based on its credibility, authorship, or accuracy, then we have shortchanged our students and only provided a newer, trendy way of mindlessly copying/pasting information.

When I was an Instructional Technology Director, I was frequently frustrated by the technical side of the house. It seemed like they just wanted to say no to everything. Once I realized that was an asset and their perspective was really to provide as safe of an environment as possible, it became easier for me to change my communication from, “This is what I think we should do.” to “This is what I think we should allow our teachers and students to do. How can we do that in a way that is safe?” If you are in a campus or district and find yourself in a similar situation of being surrounded by those that don’t want to change (no matter what the change is), consider approaching them from this perspective.

Share Your Expertise

Are you already using voice assistants in your office or classroom (even secretly)? Let us know what you see as the pros and cons of the technology. What would be your recommendation to a teacher wanting to jump in and run with it? What advice would you give that would hopefully be useful not just for this technology but for future technology yet to be conceived? Remember, at the end of the day, it’s not really about the device.

If you are a technology director (or a technology director wannabe), we’ll be starting a new cohort in September with our Technology/IT Director Certification where you will find helpful live webinars and online courses to keep you current and help you stay ahead of the curve. Let us know if you are interested or if you have any questions.

 

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3D printing
STEM/STEAM

Bright Ideas for 3D Printing

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

With the cost of 3D printers coming down and the quality going up, it’s no wonder that more and more folks are joining the 3D printing craze. Even if you are a novice at designing in SketchUp, Tinkercad, or Fusion 360, you can find tons of files already created and ready to be downloaded and printed. If you haven’t joined the 3D printing fun yet, then jump over and read our post Easy Answers to FAQs about 3D Printing to get started.

3D Printing Starter Ideas

For some easy and fun 3D printing, I have pulled together a variety of light switches that you can download and print. Even if you don’t want to modify the files, you will find that you, and others, will get a smile each time you use your light switch. Above is the light switch that I modified for our type of plate at work. I set mine so that the switch is to one side in case I wanted to do something fancy on the other side. After you print one out, you will start having new ideas of how you can tweak it. If you plan to print out anything that LEGOs can snap to, be sure to print out a test file first and check to make sure that the pieces can snap on without crowding each other. Though you can create it from scratch, you might find it easier to start with a LEGO baseplate and then cut out the area for your switch(es).

Here is a super simple wall plate for a light switch to start with. Even though it has ON and OFF lightly carved in it, you can  easily fill it in to make a solid plate on which you can add text, objects, etc. Even though this one doesn’t involve LEGOs, you will want to print the first one in draft or quick mode so you can verify that the screws and switch hole line up with yours. No need to spend several hours designing first only to find out later that they apparently have one that doesn’t meet the specs of yours.

If you are into gears, then SRex has designed the Geared Light Switch Plate. This one is for the three-switch plate. Instead of flipping the switch, you crank the appropriate handle to turn the gear that moves the other gear plate to flip the switch. The nice thing about the two outer gears is that there is ample room if you wanted to add text or designs to the inner portion. This is a great switch for a child’s room or the STEM lab.

If you are a science teacher or English teacher, you might be interested in the Frankenstein Light Switch Plate by LoboCNC. Science teachers might like the electricity reference, while English teachers may enjoy just another reference to classic fiction literature. If you don’t have brown filament to use for it, then you might consider painting it before you assemble and install it. LoboCNC gives you several files so you can accommodate single, double, and triple switch plates, as well as one with a paddle-style rocker plate.

Harry Potter fans will enjoy the Harry Potter Light Switch Cover by momofthreeboys. No need for a dual extruder; just use black filament and then carefully paint the letters and lightening bolt with silver. This plate also has three hooks at the bottom (not shown) for you to hang your keys on…or your dragon leash or magic wand. Though I have not printed this plate, it appears that you might want to make the base slightly thicker so the supporting rafts are not apparent or just make sure the plate is solid and does not contain a hollow core.

And no collection would be complete without a Tardis Light Switch by zerocool5878 for all the Dr. Who fans in your classroom or office. Of course you know you have to print some extras for the others to have in their rooms. With just a little searching, you can find all sorts of matching Tardis projects to print.

So which one will you print out first? I bet that if you put it in your classroom, your students will want one and your cool factor will go up a few digits! If so, let us know how it goes…and be sure to share a photo of your final project by emailing it to me at bellis@tcea.org or tweeting it out using the #TCEA and #makers hashtags.

 

More 3D Articles

3D Printing Projects Can Bring Learning to Life

10 Reasons to Invest in 3D Printer Technology in Education

Three Steps to 3D Printing with Young Learners

3D Tools, Libraries, and Resources

3D Printing and Bulletin Boards

3D Printing Projets for Micro:Bit

Bringing Student 3D Creations and STEM to Life

Envision the Future: 3D Printing Apps

Happy 3D Valentine’s Day

Merry 3D Printing from TCEA!

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leaders
Leadership

Tech Tools for Leaders

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Being a leader, whether it is part of your title or given to you by those you support, can sometimes be challenging. With a wide variety of tasks and skills that you have to manage, you may find that it is sometimes downright daunting…unless you have some help from selected apps, websites, and gadgets. We’ve curated a few tech-related tools for leaders that are related to gathering information, sharing information, and focusing on work without distractions for you to try out.

Gathering Information

As a leader, it is important that you are up to date on so much information. Here are a few tools to help you in that endeavor.

Flipboard – This customizable e-magazine allows you to identify topics and sites you would like to follow. Unlike in the “old days” where you had to gather RSS feeds and put them in your aggregator, Flipboard allows you to easily search and identify resources in a very user-friendly way. Then, each time you open Flipboard, it will have gathered the most recent blogs, websites, videos, and news based on your identified interests. And it can even learn nuances of your interests as you like different pages.

Paper.li is a similar tool that does the gathering for you and puts it in a nicely presented newsletter format. With a paid subscription, you can upgrade the look of your paper from a newsletter to a full blown website. You may choose that you don’t want to start your own paper, so here are some that others have already been started to help you gather information on a variety of topics: edtech, students, classrooms, technology, and virtual reality.

If you are searching for information that is no longer posted on a website, then you might try your luck using the Way Back Machine. Enter the url of the site you want to review and check to see if there are any archived snapshots of it. If so, you can review the website on those specific dates and possibly find the information that you need.

Though many folks use digital tools to take notes (such as OneNote, Google Keep, etc.), you may prefer to take notes the old fashioned way with paper and pen. If this you, then check out the Rocketbook Wave Smart Notebook. Write notes and draw sketches in the notebook. Afterwards, you can use their app to digitize the information and sync to your favorite tool. When your notebook is full, just pop it in the microwave for the recommended time to remove all the ink. Voila, you now have a clean notebook ready to be filled again! You can refill a notebook up to four times.

Sharing Information

Whether you are sharing information with someone now or making it available for them to access at their convenience, you are sure to find these tools a handy addition to your toolbox.

Video conferencing doesn’t get any easier than Appear.in. This tool is great if you have virtual office hours or need to have a video chat with someone on the fly. If you think you would use it often, you can reserve a room name to make it easy for everyone to remember. There’s only enough “room” for four participants so it’s not the ideal solution for larger meetings. But if you are like me, many of my meetings include only one or two other folks; I’ve reserved the room https://appear.in/tcea for such meetings. This is a great tool, especially if you are meeting with tech-challenged coworkers or stakeholders since there is no learning curve and they can access through any web browser.

For instances when you need to share how to access or do something on the computer or internet, I highly recommend Screencastify.  This go-to tool allows you to record your screen casts with or without your webcam inset. This is one tool that is worth paying the low yearly fee to remove the watermark and the 10-minute time limit. When done, you can easily share your cast via YouTube or Google Drive. If you have the paid version, you can download the video as an MP4 or animated GIF, as well as crop/trim your video.

Flipgrid allows you to create asynchronous video discussions.  Again, this is another tool that is worth the annual fee to have the premium features. If you decide to purchase several licenses at once, you can get a discount! Think of this as an easy way to share your video without putting it out on YouTube, Vimeo, or the like. Then folks can respond and keep the conversation going (by text comments with the free version; by text or video with the paid version). Not only is this a great tool in the classroom, it’s a powerful tool for busy leaders.

Focused Work

We all hit times where we need to close the door and get the job done without any distractions. These two tools will help you be more aware of how you are using your time and block out some of those annoying distractions.

Timular, mentioned in a previous blog post, is an eight-sided die that lets you easily track the time you spend on various tasks. This is great for leaders who find they have more tasks than time to complete them. Knowing exactly how you spend your time can help you make positive decisions on where to make adjustments. You can review how your time was spent within the app or on a calendar that you’ve synced to it.

Noisli is robust noise machine with 16 different sound scenes that you can combine to make the perfect background noise for you…and you can save up to five favorite combos. One of my favorites is a little pink noise, some wind, and a modest thunderstorm. You can also set a timer and, if you need to do some writing, open its distraction-free writing tool. Whatever your recipe for helping your focus, you’ll find that Noisli is a great tool to have handy.

Even More Resources…

If you would  like additional tech tools for leaders, be sure to check out our longer list (PDF or PNG). As always, we would enjoy hearing some of your favorite tech tools – whether apps, websites, or gadgets – that you find helpful. Just add them to the comments below.

 

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academies
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and TricksMicrosoftProfessional Learning

Summer Academies to the Rescue!

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Now is the time to start thinking about how you can recharge yourself after a long school year. At TCEA, we have the perfect opportunity for you: summer academies. You’ll find that everything is designed to get you the information you need to get you further ahead of the curve for next year AND take your skills deeper. For each academy, we have a superb lineup of talented presenters, relevant concurrent sessions, opportunities to mingle and expand your professional learning network, and good food. You’ll leave with great resources and ideas to share with your district/campus as well as implement in your own practices as a skilled educator who’s using technology to impact students.

Adobe Academy – June 19-20

Adobe users unite! You’ll find this the perfect academy if you use any of the Adobe products yourself or if you teach your students how to use them. Innovative uses, clever work-arounds, and new features will be shared to give you the solutions and steps you need. And, if you are new to Adobe, you will find several sessions that will help you get up to speed and boost your confidence. Adobe pros haven’t been left out; our presenters have clever ideas that are worth listening to and taking note of.

Microsoft Academy – July 12-13

Make a point to attend our first annual Microsoft Academy to boost your skills in Microsoft products including Office365 and Minecraft. This is going to be a great gathering! You’ll also be introduced to mobile coding with Creative Coding through Games and Apps and gain a deeper understanding into Microsoft Makers projects and 3D Builder. You will definitely find this packed full of topics that you can’t get at other learning opportunities.

Chromebook Academy – July 26-27

Even if you don’t have a Chromebook, but use Google Suite for Education, you will find these sessions filled with new and great ideas that you can take back to transform the way your students learn. Be sure to bring a friend so you can divide and conquer on the sessions and then share with each other at the end of the day!

As you can see, there are several great ways to recharge this summer. Whichever way (or ways 😉 ) you choose will inspire you for another year of making a difference as well as enhance the skills that you use on a daily basis. If you have more questions, or are interested in group discounts, contact Ashley Weiler at 512-450-5450 or aweiler@tcea.org.

 

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academies
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and TricksMicrosoftProfessional Learning

Get Ahead with Summer Learning Academies

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

If you are like most educators about this time of year, you may have already started counting down the weeks (soon to be days) to summer break. After a year of great lessons and seeing your students grow in skills, you start thinking about what you are going to do differently next year. As you read blog posts and follow Twitter chats, you find new lesson ideas and innovative ways to engage your students and make learning exciting and challenging. To help re-energize you and get you ahead for next year, TCEA has several amazing summer learning events just for you.

Adobe Academy

Do you teach any of the Technology Applications or Career and Technology Education courses where students learn to use Adobe products such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere, etc.? Or do you want to enhance your creative Adobe skills for personal projects and enjoyment? If either of those are true, then you definitely want to attend the Adobe Academy on June 19-20! Besides networking with other creative educators, you’ll have concurrent sessions to choose from in order to gain fresh ideas, polish your Adobe skills, and take your curriculum to the next level. You’ll learn from other Adobe-using educators in this hands-on event. For more information about this academy go to http://academy.tcea.org/adobe.

Microsoft Academy

If you are one of the many Microsoft-using educators, you will find the Microsoft Academy a perfect fit. On July 12-13, you can experience a wide array of Microsoft tools to help you extend your learning and gain fresh ideas of how to use the tools with your students and fellow educators. Whether you are using Office365 in the cloud or are using a not-quite-so-new version, join in on the active sessions and take away new ideas. For more information about this academy go to http://academy.tcea.org/microsoft.

Chromebook Academy

Calling all Googlers! Learn from some of the Googliest educators around at our interactive Chromebook Academy on July 26-27. There will be great sessions for Google Suite administrators as well as for teachers integrating Google Suite in their classroom. You’ll learn about the most current features and how you can use them to maximize your impact with students. Add-ons, scripts, hyperdocs, Slides, Forms, and more will be explored so that you can get what you need to take your students to the next level! To learn more about the Chromebook Academy, go to http://academy.tcea.org/chromebook.

Don’t let the summer go by without taking advantage of at least one of these great events. You’ll be amazed at how much you learn and how much fun you will have doing it. Also, let us know if you have ten or more folks registering and we will extend a discount for you to use. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at bellis@tcea.org or Ashley Weiler at aweiler@tcea.org.

 

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productivity
Leadership

Three Ways to Increase Your Productivity

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Regardless of your job, you probably find that you have more on your to-do list than you can actually take care of. Many of us in that boat look for ways to work smarter throughout the day so that we can check off more of those items. Consider using one or more of these strategies to help you so that you can change your to-do list to a ta-da list!

Strategy 1 – Find Out Where Your Time Is Going

Before you can address some of your habits, you may have to identify them and discover which ones are taking up more time than you realize. In doing so, I highly recommend Timeular ZEI°. It is an eight-sided die in which you write up to eight different task categories, one on each side. Once you’ve installed the software and connected the device to Bluetooth, it begins tracking your time. The hardest part may be deciding which categories you want to identify. My categories include: Working on presentations; Blogs/writing; Break/Lunch; Brainstorming; Meetings; Email/communication; Social Media; and Miscellaneous. And because it syncs with my Google Calendar, I can take a look back at my history and see how I did. Or, if I want more stats, I can view how I’ve done in the app installed on my computer. I find this process similar to tracking my steps using my smartwatch. If you find that you are not ready to commit to the cost of the ZEI°, you can still download the app and manually choose your categories to track your time.

Strategy 2 – Rethink Your Time Management Philosophy

I came across Starre Vartan’s blog post several weeks ago and found it very interesting. Instead of focusing on my time management skills, she suggests that I consider taking a look at my attention management skills. How well do I set up my environment so that I can concentrate on tasks that require my attention? Do I let myself get distracted and actually undermine my own productivity success? Consider doing the following to help you give more [extended] attention to those heftier tasks:

  • Only check email at specific, planned times during the day. This means not jumping into your email every five minutes, but instead establishing a system in which you, for example, check email between 10 AM and 11 AM in the morning and then between 2 PM and 3 PM in the afternoon. Be sure your boss and coworkers are aware of your system; in case their need for you is urgent, they may need to call you or knock on your door. Taming the addiction of checking email most likely also includes not even having email opened in your browser when it isn’t email-checking time.
  • Quieten your phone or smartwatch that might alert you when you receive a text or email (or when a distant acquaintance posts something on Facebook, Twitter, Slack, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.). During these times, if you have multiple social media tools vying for your attention, consider just putting your phone on silence…and possibly in your desk or away from you.
  •  Consider adding background noise to help drown out the distracting ambient noise of your office area. For an adjustable tool, I like using Noisli. It is a free resource that allows me to mix different sounds to create the perfect background noise. When I’m not listening to straight white noise, I’m listening to this special mix. Listen to it and then share your special Noisli mix in the comments.

Strategy 3 – Consider Unique Headphones

Many people find that wearing headphones helps them tune out distractions so they can be more focused on their tasks. But if you work in an environment where you need to hear your surroundings or have to answer the frequent questions of your coworkers or customers, you may find that wearing headphones is not worth the hassle…or worse yet, sends a message that you don’t want to be bothered. In that case, I have a nice solution for you: bone conduction headphones. The technology has actually been around for several years, though it is just now improving to the point of making them mainstream for the public (at least, those that are nerdier or geekier than their neighbors).

Bone conduction works on a similar premise as how you normally hear. Normally, sound waves (vibrations) enter your ear and are translated by your inner ear. With bone conduction, though, sound travels through your bone (skull) to reach your inner ear. While this process sounds like something from science fiction, it works very well. You actually don’t feel anything unless you have your music turned up on high.

I picked out a pair of AfterShokz Trekz Titanium for my birthday gift last fall and have really enjoyed them. I can easily pair them via Bluetooth to my phone so I can listen to music (or take phone calls). They do not go in my ear like traditional earbuds or over my ears like traditional headphones, but in front of my ears covering my sideburns; this allows me to enjoy listening to my music while still being able to hear and respond to conversations around me. Without the buds in my ears, my mind is tricked and tells me that the sound is in the room and can be heard by other people. There are several bone conduction headphone makers on the market. I recommend going to a brick-and-mortar location where you can try a pair on and see if you like the feel and sound. But if you are a little more daring, then jump online, read some reviews, and order a pair.

These are three very different strategies to help you become more productive.

 

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