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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.

Alexa skills
Content AreasEducational Trends

Fine-tuning Your Virtual Assistant: Alexa Skills for All Content Areas

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Amazon’s Alexa can be a big help in a lot of contexts. But have you embraced the use of Alexa in the classroom yet? If you’re new to the idea of virtual teaching assistants, hop on over to this post to get some background on how Alexa can be a valuable addition to your lesson plans. If you’re already on board with Alexa, you’re in the right place to discover all the skills that will allow Alexa to be more helpful and relevant in your classroom, no matter what you teach.

Adding Skills

Begin by locating the Skills section in the free Alexa app that is associated with your Echo, Dot, or Tap.

While you can use the search feature, I have found it to be quicker to just browse the Education and Reference category. By default, your search results are listed by relevance, but you may want to change that to sort by average customer rating. Below are some skills that you might want to enable and how they can be used in the classroom. Search for the bolded skill name.

Primary Learners

  • Speak Listen Learn – Speak Listen Learn is being launched with the ability to sing the alphabet, teach letters/pronunciation, words, play sound effects, animal noises, tell jokes and more.
  • Animal Workout – Animal Workout allows kids to become different animals while getting exercise. Alexa will offer up encouraging words as they go along to also boost motivation and confidence.
  • Music Bop – This Alexa Kids Skill consists of fun, interactive adventures that get the kids moving around whilst also incorporating educational themes.

ELA

  • Earplay – Students will enjoy these choose-your-own-adventure stories featuring sound effects. You will need to sign up for a free Earplay account for Alexa to access.
  • Spelling Bee – The spelling bee is designed for students (grades 4 and 5) to help them practice their words. You can also use Spelling Champion, which will let you enter your own words to practice.
  • Amazing Word Master Game – Match your word skills against Alexa as you take turns saying a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word said. Earn more points for longer words. Consider having elementary students work in groups and take turns saying their word after Alexa to see how many points the class can get and if they can beat Alexa. Be sure to enunciate clearly; otherwise she might mistakenly think you said a shorter word!
  • Word Chain – Similar to the Amazing Word Master Game above, this skill limits the game to two categories: names of countries or names of countries, states, and capitals. Social studies students will find this fun and challenging…especially since you cannot repeat a place previously said.
  • Difficult Word Quiz – This skill reminds me of the word quiz section of Reader’s Digest. You’ll find it very appropriate for middle and high school students to expand their vocabulary for the SAT and ACT. Each quiz has ten words, and you must choose the correct definition of each.
  • The Magic Door – This is a choose-your-own-adventure skill that lets you explore the sea, hills, or dark forests. There are sleeping dragons, temples, the faint sound of music, and other mysterious sights and sounds to lure your students in. They probably won’t be able to finish the adventure during the class period. So then you can have them write their own endings to the story.
  • Short Bedtime Story – Each of these stories is 30 seconds to one minute long and can be personalized to one student’s name. These might work well as writing prompts. The Amazon Storytime skill has professionally narrated stories for children ages 5 to 12.
  • Magoosh Vocabulary Builder – Alexa will ask questions about five different vocabulary words to help you increase your vocabulary.
  • Highlights Magazine – Bring the family together to try some terrifically toothsome tongue-twisters, laugh at family-friendly jokes, and reconnect with Goofus and Gallant™. If you’re up for a challenge, push your imagination to the limits with brainteasers, or host a poetry slam in your living room. You can also listen to stories about animals, friendship, sports, and more.
  • Listening Comprehension Practice – This is an interactive story game suitable for all ages. Hear fun, quick stories and answer questions at the end to sharpen your listening comprehension. Each story is about Hutch, a boy in the 5th grade with a big brother and little sister. Listen to Hutch’s adventures and hear him make up his own entertaining tall tales. New content is added weekly, so check back often.

Math

  • Math Mania – Solve these addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems.
  • The Queen’s Mathematician – Mischievous elves have kidnapped the Tree Queen, and she can only be rescued if you, her best mathematician, unlock the charms that are keeping her hidden. Kids 6-8 use early elementary math facts, solve word problems, and stretch their imaginations and vocabularies in a quirky tree house castle full of surprises and kid-friendly humor.
  • My Math – This is a powerful skill that can do lots of different things to help students master math facts.
  • 1-2-3 Math – A math challenge which tests your elementary computing skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, comparison, etc., in three modes.
  • Lemonade Stand – This game skill simulates owning a lemonade stand. Alexa states the weather forecast for the (simulated) day and then the player buys cups of lemonade to sell, buys signs for advertising, and sets a price for a cup of lemonade. The game focuses on the following player skills: careful listening, math, money, business, understanding odds and chance statements, and managing expectations.
  • Railroad Math – Railroad Math is a math challenge which tests your elementary math skills, including addition, subtraction and multiplication.

Science

  • NASA Mars – If your students are studying Mars, you might find this skill very resourceful. You can ask Alexa questions about the red planet or the rover Curiosity. Other similar skills to check out include Planets Trivia or Star Facts or Earth, Moon and Sun Facts.
  • Science Buddy – Science Buddy is a fun and interactive way for kids to learn about science. It quizzes topics including earth science, biology, physics, and energy. It is based on the National Science Bowl but with simpler questions; Science Buddy will ask you ten multiple-choice questions with three choices each.
  • Outer Space Alice – With Outer Space Alice, kids learn about the International Space Station, geography, languages and other fun facts about the world.

Social Studies

  • This Day in History – Check in with Alexa to find out what events happened on this day.
  • Black History Facts – Live stars share important facts about African American history.
  • Kids Court – No more “she pushed me/he started it.” Send them to Kids Court and let Judge Lexy decide.
    While you rest, they will learn some basic facts about the U. S. judicial system. They will learn to present their cases coherently and speak up for themselves.
  • Texas Fun Facts – Help students learn more about their home state.
  • Kids News – Kids News provides fun entertaining daily current events, science and other types of news.
  • Colonial History – Looking to learn more about our Founding Fathers and the era that they lived in? This skill shares interesting historical information about the era of American colonial history.
  • Time Machine – Listen to the top headlines of the same day in a randomly chosen year from 1851 on.
  • Kid Power – Want to get active and save lives? UNICEF Kid Power is a way to play games and transform your activity into food packets that UNICEF delivers to malnourished kids around the world.

Other Subject Areas

  • Jeopardy – Each weekday, Alexa receives six questions by the show’s official writers. How many can you get correct? This may be a great challenge for gifted and talented students. There’s also a Teen Jeopardy available.
  • Twenty Questions – Young students will enjoy thinking of an animal, vegetable, or mineral and seeing if Alexa can deduce it by asking yes-or-no questions.
  • Ditty – Ask Alexa to make a fast song with Ditty, which turns any message you give it into a song. This is a great way for students to quickly create a song about a particular topic.
  • Learn Spanish – Learn the most commonly used phrases in Spanish.
  • Take part in the breakout explosion and have your students Escape the Room. There are currently four different rooms to try and escape from. This activity is great for logical thinking and problem solving, as well as small group teamwork.

More Skills Coming

New skills are added every week. And as more folks rate the skills, you’ll find that it’s easier to find the best content. Regardless of the user rating, though, be sure to enable the skill and test it out yourself before you introduce it to the classroom. And if you have an idea for a skill that should be added and are interested in creating it for Alexa, jump over to Getting Started with the Alexa Skills Kit or the set of YouTube videos on Developing Alexa Skills.

If you find a skill that is great in the classroom or just plain fun, leave me a comment and we can enjoy it together!

 

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listen
Leadership

A Challenge to Leaders to Listen

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

The other day, I was talking with my wife. She had just come home from work and was sharing a frustration of her day. Before she was able to complete two sentences, I was ready to provide a solution that only included three easy steps. As I interrupted with what I thought was going to be received as a caring gesture, she looked at me and said “I’m not looking for a solution. I know what to do. I just needed someone that I can share my frustration with.” Ouch! While I didn’t gain any Husband of the Year votes from that encounter, it did get me to thinking about how many times I assume everyone is needing a solution when they talk with me…or at least before they get two sentences out.

As a leader at work we have a lot of people that share information with us. Some sharing is just to inform us, while other sharing may have a bigger need behind it. That bigger need could be “I need feedback,” “I need to hear myself think aloud with someone so I can decide the best solution,” or even “I need you to recommend a solution.” Sometimes I have asked at the beginning of a conversation, “How do I need to listen?” if it isn’t obvious or if I’m not sure. By interrupting with my solution, I have found that I break a connection and reduce their likelihood to share with me – neither of which I want to do.

The Seven Habits Include Listening

In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey had it correct when he said, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” That is so true. Even when I don’t blurt out a solution, it is likely that the voice in my head is formulating a solution even as the other person is sharing. Doing this robs me of being in the moment and hearing, I mean really hearing what is being communicated. As a leader, when we do really listen, we might be amazed at the insight of the one sharing, touched by their transparency, or even inspired by their perception or thought process. These are definitely traits I want my staff to emulate and share. In response, I find that I reciprocate by esteeming, having more respect for, and even wanting to know more of what they are thinking.

How Best to Listen

My challenge to you as a leader is to hold off on blurting out a solution so you can move on to the next problem that needs solving or the next item on your to-do list. Instead, take time to be in the moment and really listen to what is being said. Just like teachers give wait time after asking a question, give yourself wait time to hear what is being said. If you need more concrete steps, consider the following:

  1. Keep your mind from wandering – Learn to stay focused on what the other person is saying. Don’t let your mind wander to other tasks you have waiting or what you might rather be doing.
  2. Practice mirroring the speaker – Body language can go a long way in letting someone know that we are not only listening to what they are saying, but are interested in what they say. For more information, consider reading Todd A. Fonseca’s post The Power of Mirroring.
  3. Summarize – Summarize back to the person what you think you heard. Sometimes it is easy to miss an important part or overlook something that the speaker was trying to emphasize. And doing this also tells the speaker that you value them enough to pay great attention to their words.
  4. Ask open-ended questions – If you need clarification or more information, ask open-ended questions. This will encourage the speaker to elaborate and fill in those missing details while also letting them feel acknowledged and listened to.

I challenge each of you for two weeks to really focus on listening – whether at work, home, or play. Let me know how it goes. I’d love to have a conversation with you; you can email me at bellis@tcea.org or post your comment below. Either way, you’ve got my ear.

 

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better leader
CTO/CIOLeadership

Doing This One Thing Will Help Make You a Better Leader in 2018

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

With the new year already underway, you hopefully have had a chance to make a few meaningful changes to make life a little less hectic so that you can enjoy the moments with coworkers, friends, and family more. And, if you’ve started the new year without knowing exactly what goal you would like to consider to be a better leader for the new year, consider this one: be more specific. This really resonated with me while reading one of Shari Harley’s blog posts on being specific with feedback. The great thing is that this goal doesn’t add more tasks to your to-do list or require you to sit through a six-hour seminar. Let’s break it down.

Be Specific with Feedback

One of the main jobs you have as a leader is communicating with others, both of what you expect and in providing feedback. Here is where the goal of being more specific comes in to play and can make a big difference with your staff (and really, anyone you interact with). We are pretty good about communicating what we want, but tend to do less well when it comes to giving specific feedback or clarifying what we are saying thank you for. For example, instead of saying something like “Nice job, Bruce, on the PEIMS report to principals,” try making it more specific such as “Nice job, Bruce, on simplifying the PEIMS data and making it more meaningful for principals by breaking it up into the subgroups. That will help them understand the data better and make better decisions sooner.”

As you make your feedback more specific, you are affirming your employee of specific skills and/or thinking that you value and would like repeated. In doing so, it also helps you become more aware of the value your staff bring to the department in serving students. Another example of specific feedback examples could be instead of saying, “Great job on the trouble tickets, Carl,” try saying something like “I noticed the average time to resolve trouble tickets has dropped some. I’d like to hear about what you are doing differently that is making the positive impact.” This allows the employee to know that you recognize the improvement even if you aren’t aware of the details of what was done to bring it about…and that you are interested in learning more about what your employee does.

Be Specific When Saying Thank You

Being specific while saying “Thank you” can make your communication more meaningful. I was once talking with a friend when my boss passed by and said a generic “Thank you” to me. I grinned, nodded, and said “No problem.” My friend asked what I did to get the appreciation. Sadly, though, I wasn’t sure, so I just shrugged and said “Beats me.” There were several things that I think my boss could have been referencing. But without any specifics, I was left in that ambiguous moment of not knowing what exactly I did that was meaningful enough for my boss to make a point of saying thank you. Being more specific would have been helpful (and meaningful), especially if my boss had said something like “Thank you, Bruce, for following up with that principal for me on the use of that new app. She said you really helped her.” Similar to giving specific feedback as mentioned in the previous paragraph, being specific when we say thank you allows the other person to know specifically what you appreciated (and what you want to see more of).

As you seek to be more specific in your communication, let us know how it goes. We’d love for you to share of a time when someone shared specific feedback or a specific thank you with you. In the meantime, keep looking for opportunities to make a difference in the lives of those you lead.

 

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STEM
Coding/Computer ScienceContent AreasEducational TrendsSTEM/STEAM

Happy DeSTEMber!

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

It’s that time of year. Well, yes, of twinkling lights and gifts and snow. But I was thinking of that time of year when we consider some great sites to check out for engaging STEM ideas, resources, and lesson plans. I’ve gathered a few for you to explore. I’m sure you will find plenty of great ideas that you can incorporate in your classroom throughout this next year…or, better yet, share with your peers so they can enjoy increasing their focus on STEM in their classroom! Happy DeSTEMber!

STEAM-Powered Family

You will find lots of easy STEM (and STEAM) ideas that you can use with your students at this site. You’ll find most of the activities are great for the elementary through the tween years. To make these STEM activities even better, the author has several that are food related. After all, who doesn’t enjoy chocolate now and then! Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter for more activities and ideas right to your inbox. Even if you choose not to use these in the classroom, you can definitely share the ideas with your students’ parents to encourage family time that is STEM-based.

The STEM Laboratory

This is the place to go if you are looking for addictive activities to get students in pre-kindergarten through second grade into science, technology, engineering, and math! Though the site charges for many activities, you will be able to find enough freebies to make it worth your while to check out. Activities are neatly organized by grade level and by content (science, technology, engineering, and/or math) to make it easy for you to locate that perfect STEM activity for you to do next in your class.

How to Smile

If you are one of the special teachers who service students in non-classroom environments, then you will find this website perfectly-designed for you. It has awesome search filters that let you filter by age (4 years old to 18 years old), subject, learning time, prep time, and more. Wow! And, if you know of a resource that they don’t have listed, you can share it with questions@howtosmile.org to be considered.

eGIF

Though it has an odd name, this site is managed by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), which is committed to promoting and enhancing efforts to improve K-12 STEM and engineering education. So if you find that engineering may not be your strongest suit when it comes to promoting STEM, check out this site for lesson plans, class activities, outreach programs, and more!

The Periodic Table of Tech

This isn’t just your normal periodic table. This table identifies how each element is used in the making or using of technology. Chemistry teachers will find this site a great addition to add some relevance to what might otherwise be abstract elements.

100+ STEM Websites & Webtools for Teachers

Last, but definitely not least, is this Livebinder by Letia Cooper. After looking through the resources that she’s gathered for you, you won’t be surprised that her livebinder has earned the Top10 designation.

Enjoy these DeSTEMber resources as you explore activities, ideas, lesson plans, and more that will help you infuse even more STEM into your classroom. If you have a resource that you would like to add to our list, share it in the comments below; we’d love to have your input! Here’s wishing you a Happy DeSTEMber!

 

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Educational TrendsiOS Tips and Tricks

Augment Your Holiday with These iOS Apps

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Many of us are getting in the holiday spirit right now, and what could create even more fun but to add some augmented reality to our gathering times? We’ve curated a list of iOS apps that you might enjoy. If you want to be even more nerdy as a gift giver, you can download the templates by Top Advertising and print/send augmented cards that will delight the receiver. But be sure they know how to download the ePrism app (iOS or Android) so they can enjoy your card to the fullest.

As you take a look at the apps below, consider how you can use them to make memories with your students and friends. And, as always, be sure to preview the app prior to sharing with your students/parents.

Augmented Christmas Tree
Free

Pico Christmas Tree AR
Free

Christmas AR Free
Free

Dr. Panda AR Christmas Tree
Free

ElfYourself by Office Depot
Free

Be sure to share which app you used to add fun and merriment as you are with your group. If you tweet out a photo, be sure to tag #TCEA so we can enjoy it, too. And, if you happen to find other augmented reality apps that are holiday-focused, don’t forget to share them in the comments below!

This blog has only scratched the surface of great tools that can enhance your classroom, school, and district using iPads. If you would like more assistance, contact me at bellis@tcea.org to discuss scheduling TCEA to come to your site to provide either a half-day, full-day, or two days of training. You’ll find our training is very customized, research-based, definitely hands-on, and reasonably priced.

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followership
Leadership

Followership: A Critical Skill to Be Learned

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Whether you are looking at college applications or reviewing popular blog posts, it seems that leadership is the top skill that everyone wants to develop or improve. Ironically, though, most of the actual work in the world gets done by those who aren’t in leadership roles but who are, instead, followers. All of us, at one time or another, must be followers. However, few people talk about what it takes to be a good follower. What DOES make a good follower? And can followership skills be taught? Below are a few characteristics I would like to suggest that are critical for those who excel in followership.

Know Your Leader

Everyone has quirks or things “that make us tick.” Knowing these about your leader can help you be more successful when interacting with him/her. For example, if your leader is not a morning person, then you probably don’t want to schedule a 7:30 a.m. appointment to talk about some critical issues that have arisen. If he/she spends Friday afternoon reflecting on the week and strategizing for the next week, you may want to respect that time and see if you can get an earlier appointment that day. Is he/she a detailed reader? If not, provide your information in a concise way…possibly using bullet points or some other structure that makes processing your information easier and more efficient.

Know Who You Serve

Many times, the leader is looking at the big picture and seeing things from a 30,000-foot view, communicating the vision and direction. You, on the other hand, are in the trenches working to make the vision a reality. To best do that, you need to know who you serve so that you can make the vision relevant and meaningful to them. The better you understand your audience, their needs, desires, frustrations, and passions, the better you can codify the vision in language and work that make sense to them.

Look for Problem Areas

Unlike some folks who live to point out problems and complain about everything, someone with good followership skills looks for the problems so they can be addressed and averted, thereby giving their audience the best experience possible. So, while identifying problems, they are also generating potential solutions which can be tested and integrated into the process or system. Many times, these successes go unnoticed by leaders.

Provide Feedback

Just as a good leader should provide feedback to employees on how they can improve practice, a good follower should also have an avenue to provide feedback to his leaders. For as skilled as the leader is and as much as he/she may know, there are still blind spots and areas of weakness or bias that he/she may not be aware of. Be specific when providing feedback (view in the trenches), but also share the impact it has on the vision (30,000-foot view).

So, if you find that your inner voice is saying that you are not a leader, rejoice! That means you have the awesome privilege of demonstrating your followership prowess and modeling it for those around you. Be careful, though. You may find that in being a great follower, you will soon have folks looking to you as their leader.

What other skills should those in roles of followership possess? Jump in the comments below and add to my list from which other readers can benefit. Or, if you have a great story of how you have excelled in followership at one time or another, let us know. You can post it in the comments below or email me at bellis@tcea.org; I’d love to hear your story.

 

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coaching
Announcements/Important DatesLeadershipProfessional Learning

Recharge at the Campus Technology Specialist Academy

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Like many educators, you, the campus technology specialist, probably find that more is expected of you each year. That’s one of the compelling reasons why teachers move out of the classroom to positions that support other teachers….only to find out that the grass may not be much greener on the other side. And if you hold a position on a campus or in a district where you coach teachers as they integrate technology, assist with basic troubleshooting, AND take on “other duties as assigned,” you may feel like you need to be recharged and refreshed before you burn out. That’s exactly what the Campus Technology Specialist Academy is designed to do: recharge and refresh you with new ideas, relevant solutions, and activities you can take back to your campuses.

Join us at the TCEA headquarters in Austin, Texas on November 16-17 for great learning and sharing that will inspire you and provide that needed support you’ve been looking for. You’ll have the opportunity to attend great concurrent sessions led by educators who are or have been in your shoes. Each hour, you’ll be able to connect with others like yourself who have a passion for helping teachers better integrate technology so that students can be engaged by outstanding lessons.

Registration is only $239 per person (which includes meals for both days and 12 hours of professional development credit). You can check out the specific content sessions in this year’s lineup by going here. There’s also an unconference time frame to ensure that your specific questions are addressed. The schedule for this academy includes:

DAY 1
7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. – Check-in
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. – Welcome, Unconference Topic Selection, and Announcements
8:30 a.m. -10:00 a.m. – Concurrent Sessions
10:10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Concurrent Sessions
11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Concurrent Sessions
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch (provided)
1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. – Unconference Sessions
2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. – Unconference Sessions
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Closing Activity and Door Prizes for Day 1

DAY 1
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Concurrent Sessions
10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. – Birds of a Feather Sessions
10:50 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. – Concurrent Sessions
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Lunch (provided)
12:45 p.m. – 1:35 p.m. – Concurrent Sessions
1:45 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. – Concurrent Sessions
2:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Next Steps, Survey, and Door Prizes for Day 2

Don’t let this year go by without making time to recharge and refresh…and why not do so with about 200 others for an enjoyable time that will help you make it through this year and then some! Register today and ensure that you can continue to provide the best support to your students and teachers.

 

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connected educator
Good TeachingLeadershipProfessional Learning

We’re Better When We’re Connected

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Long gone are the days when an educator could shut the door to his classroom and work in isolation. In today’s rapidly-changing world, the only way to grow and become better at our craft is to learn with and from other educators. To help meet that need, October has been designated as Connected Educator Month.

Started by the Department of Education in partnership with many organizations, communities, and companies back in 2012, this month is a time to focus on developing connections with other educators and educational organizations and experts. In order to help facilitate building those connections, below are a few of the ones I enjoy learning from as they share on a wide variety of educational topics. Besides considering connecting with these leaders, give us a shout out to let us know who you are in the comments – your name, where folks can find you (Twitter handle, blog site, etc.), and what you are passionate about! Let’s use this month to expand our network of resources so that we can all better support students’ innovative and effective use of technology in education.

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom)

Steven shares relevant and frank information about education and technology integration. You will find he consistently offers a wealth of resources that you will want to check out. And, in a world where mediocrity can be the norm, you will be motivated by his daily reminder to “Be Awesome!”

Eric Curts (@ericcurts)

If you use any of Google’s tools in your classroom, you will definitely want to connect with Eric. He shares tons of resources and relevant ideas that you can make use of with your students and pass along to your peers. Besides enjoying his tweets, be sure to check out his blog Control Alt Achieve.

Jennifer Gonzalez (@cultofpedagogy)

Jennifer’s Twitter bio includes the statement “I help teachers crush it in the classroom,” an understatement for sure. She provides great ideas and resources for teachers including (but not limited to) educational technology. You can also enjoy her blog, podcasts, videos, and more.

Ginger Lewman (@GingerLewman)

Her Twitter bio includes, “As a teacher, I’m a resource, not THE source” which aptly describes who she is. You’ll benefit from connecting with Ginger as you’ll get great resources and ideas related to teaching gifted and talented students, Google tools, technology integration, and more.

Sheryl NussbaumBeach (@snbeach)

Sheryl shares insights and ideas that further great education. Expect to get fresh information, whether it’s related to project-based learning, maker education, or any one of many other ed tech topics. You may also enjoy reading her blog at Powerful Learning Practice.

Matt Richardson (@MattRichardson)

It is an understatement to call Matt a Raspberry Pi evangelist. As the executive director of the Raspberry Pi Foundation North America, Matt enjoys sharing his knowledge and connecting other Raspberry Pi users as they create innovative, interesting, and sometimes odd inventions that make coding and learning fun and meaningful. Be sure to also check out the free educational resources for teaching, learning, and making with Raspberry Pi.

John Wink (@JohnWink90)

If you are looking for someone who is a true advocate for teachers, then this is your man. Whether he is sharing a quote, idea, or opportunity, you’ll find John is one who helps keep the main thing the main thing. Superintendent, author, and leader, he provides a wealth of expertise to take advantage of. You may also enjoy his blog at LeadLearning with John Wink.

I hope you enjoy exploring some of the educational leaders that I follow. As mentioned earlier, I’d like to hear from you as to who you are and some of the giants whose shoulders you stand on. Post your info in the comments below and help make Connected Educator Month even better! And, for more ways to connect with other educators and tech enthusiasts, check out TCEA’s list of upcoming events!

 

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technical
CTO/CIOCybersecurityProfessional LearningTechnical Support

Professional Development for Technical Support Staff

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

If you are like many system administrators or technical support staff in districts, finding relevant professional development is hard and expensive. You either attend something that has no impact on your role or use a subscription to an online training service and watch mediocre videos…until now! The TCEA System Administrator and Technical Support Conference is designed just for you, covering common technical issues in your district and helping you find effective solutions that have been tried by other districts.

technicalJoin us on October 26 and 27 at the TCEA Headquarters  in Austin for sessions on hot topics such BYOD management, end-user technical support, security, Chromebooks, emerging technologies, network/wireless management, and more. Check out the full list of sessions being offered and start planning which ones you will attend. Intensive learning will be packed into this day-and-a-half conference.

Here are just a few of the many sessions being offered:

  • Exploring Eduphoria’s Facilities and Events
  • Amplified Google for Education
  • Optimizing Your Wireless Network
  • Understanding and Implementing the CoSN/NIST Cybersecurity Framework in Your District
  • Mitigating Student-Caused Damage to Devices
  • Disaster Routing SIP Trunking Voice Services
  • Re-purposing Laptops and Desktops

You’ll also be able to network with other like-minded individuals in order to grow your professional learning network of technical support folks you can call on throughout the school year when you are planning a new deployment/upgrade or when problems arise. And lunch on the first day is provided!

Because you work hard to make sure that systems (hardware, software, connectivity, etc.) work as efficiently as possible to allow the rest of district employees to do their job well without thinking about the technology, you will find great value in attending the 2017 System Administrator and Technical Support Conference. So grab your co-workers and register today. You’ll be glad you did!

 

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BYOD
AndroidBYODChromebooksiOS Tips and Tricks

Six BYOD Tools for the Classroom

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Making use of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) in the classroom can enhance your teaching if you are comfortable with students using various apps to complete their tasks. Many teachers, though, find that it may be more stressful when students use a different OS than what the teacher is familiar with. For educators who encourage the students to use the app of their choice, we recommend that teachers create a Padlet (shelf layout) as a place for students to easily share. If you don’t want to start from scratch, you can always use our template and make a copy of it for your own use to adapt with your students.

If you find that you prefer all your students to have the same app on their device regardless of the operating system, here are some great ones I recommend for iOS and Android.

 OverDrive

OneDrive icon imageIf you like listening to audiobooks, you’ll enjoy using OverDrive. If your district doesn’t subscribe to it, check and see if your local public library does. If so, you can check out audiobooks from them, as well as through their network of other contributing libraries!

Web, iOS, Android, Microsoft

PicCollage

PicCollage App IconWhile grandparents love this app for making collages of their grandkids, students of all ages will find this app easy to use when they have an assignment where they can create collages, annotate over photos, etc.

Web, iOS, Android, Microsoft

 Office Lens

Office Lens app iconThough many of us remember copying down notes in class to study for tests, current students seem to prefer to take photos of the board to capture their notes. This app is so handy for that. Point and aim it at the board, projector, paper, etc.. Once it detects the area, you just snap the photo; it will crop it so only the board is in the photo and deskew the image so it looks like you had prime seating in front of the board when you took the picture. Save as an image on your device or as a PDF or Office format if you have an Office 365 account.

iOS, Android, Microsoft

 Adobe Express

Adobe Spark Video app iconSometimes you want your students to record a video to capture their learning. But many devices have a default video recording app that is bare bones. You’ll find Adobe Express to be an easy go-to tool that will help students make great videos without getting bogged down in the technical aspects of videography. Though it is only for iOS currently, it is worth the wait for other operating systems.

Web, iOS, Android and Microsoft coming soon

 Pushbullet

Pushbullet app iconPushbullet is great if your students find that they need to “push” files or photos from their phone or tablet to their laptop/computer (and vice versa). Pushbullet makes it easy without having to move your file/photo to Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or DropBox first. And, since it is in the cloud, you can access your account from any device to retrieve previously pushed files. This is great if you have students taking photos or videos on their phones, but then need to add them to documents that they are editing on a computer.

Web, iOS, Android

 Flipgrid

Flipgrid app iconIf you want an easy app that allows all of your students to share, then this has to be the best app for that. It’s perfect for having students summarize their content or reflect on their learning. If they are using a phone or tablet, they’ll need to download the app; otherwise, they can use the webcam on their laptop to participate. Though I don’t recommend the paid version of many apps (I remember what it was like when my teacher budget was whatever I had in my pocket), this is definitely one app that is worth the price; consider getting others to join with you and you all can enjoy a discounted price. Even without the additional features in the paid version, this is a super app!

Web, iOS, Android

This only scratched the surface of great tools that can enhance your BYOD classroom, school, and district. If you would like more assistance, contact me at bellis@tcea.org to discuss scheduling TCEA to come to your site to provide either a half-day, full-day, or two days of training. You’ll find our training is very customized, research-based, definitely hands-on, and reasonably priced.

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