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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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MIE
Microsoft Tips and TricksPodcastsProfessional Learning

MIE Podcast #2: April Wagner on OneNote

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Welcome to TCEA MIE Podcast #2!  In these conversations, we explore how educators are using Microsoft tools to achieve instructional objectives. At the Tots and Technology 2016 Conference in Galveston, Texas, I had the opportunity to connect with April Wagner. April provides assistance to teachers of students in grades 4-6. She models how to use Office 365 tools in the classroom. In today’s chat, she shares how easily tools like OneNote can be used to collect information and share it with students’ parents.

Microsoft is putting a lot of effort into OneNote.  In fact, they have revamped the Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Program to reflect new features.  For example, in only a few short months, Microsoft has added the ability to quickly embed a variety of media formats into OneNote.

Some of those media formats include Vimeo, Youtube, and Microsoft Snip, an easy-to-use screen capture and audio annotation tool, as well as Microsoft Sway. One of the ways I am using OneNote in my workshops is to setup an “anyone can edit” notebook. Then I ask participants to record an audio summary. The audio summary involves them sharing what they are learning in the session and provides an opportunity for reflection.

This is really a powerful way to introduce folks to how they can use OneNote to capture audio recordings of learners. It makes it easy to keep artifacts (e.g. digitized paper, photos) and audio reflections in one place. A neat tidbit of information is that Office Lens will be available this summer for your Windows tablet (it’s only available for Android and iOS when I wrote this blog entry).

Let’s listen in on the conversation with TCEA member, April Wagner.
(Twitter: @wagnerwoman)

MIE Scenarios

One of April’s suggestions for helping teachers was to explore scenarios that illustrate how to overcome problems they sometimes encounter. Three scenarios that April mentions in our conversation are below. I created some quick “Snips” using Microsoft Snip to illustrate possible solutions:

  • How can you put information in separate sections? How do you put information back when you accidentally put it in the wrong section? Watch video response.
  • How can you delete information in Class Notebooks? Can students delete information in Class Notebooks? Watch video response.
  • How does OneNote Class Notebook interact with MS Classroom? Watch video response.

 

Thanks for listening to this TCEA MIE Podcast! I hope you will join us again. Subscribe to the TCEA TechNotes blog. You can enter your email and get email notifications, or follow @tcea, as well as @mguhlin, on Twitter to stay in the loop. New blogs are posted several times a week with great information and resources for integrating technology into the classroom. If you are interested getting access to more resources and ideas, please join us for the TCEA MIE Skypechat which will be kicking off in August, 2016, as well as leave a comment on this blog entry to sign up for the TCEA MIE Diigo group, where I frequently share links to web sites, breaking news and more.

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MIE
LeadershipMicrosoft Tips and TricksProfessional Learning

Learner? Leader? Innovator? Attend the FREE MIE Academy!

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Are you a…learner? Teacher? Leader? Innovator? Take advantage of the no-cost TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) academies taking place throughout Texas over the next few months. TCEA and Microsoft have partnered to make these professional learning opportunities available to anyone, member or non-member, FREE! Find a location near you at the list appearing at the bottom of this blog entry.

What is the TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator Academy?

The newly re-designed TCEA MIE one-day academies provide participants with specific instructions and suggestions for blending technology into the classroom curriculum. Some of the topics include:

  • Create narrated slideshows, digital stories, and information-rich slideshows that enhance teaching, learning, and leading.
  • Organize classroom lessons for students that allow them anytime, anywhere access to embedded videos and content, great for flipped learning opportunities.
  • Develop web-based forms to capture real data from respondents and then aggregate data for analysis.
  • Connect with educators, students, and others via international connections using tools like Skype.
  • Explore a wealth of lesson plans and ideas that help you meet ESSA expectations for blended learning using technology.
  • Learn how to create resources and easily share them with others via the web.

Attendees will have the opportunity to craft powerful conversations about learning in a hyper-connected world, as well as receive hands-on practice and modeling with Office 365 for Education tools like OneNote, Docs.com, Sway, Office Mix, and Office Forms.

Note: Did you know that when you attend the TCEA MIE one-day academy, you receive access to a OneNote Notebook, which you can read on any device, chock-full of curated content, video tutorials, articles, and more?

But wait, there’s even more! AFTER the TCEA MIE session, you will have the opportunity to join the TCEA MIE Diigo Community, an online group open to all regardless of whether you are a TCEA member or not.

And, if that wasn’t enough, you are also invited to participate in the upcoming TCEA MIE SkypeChats that will begin in August 2016 with special guests. In the meantime, join the TCEA MIE SkypeChat and get access to sneak previews of audio interviews with MIE practitioners.

Opportunities to Take Your MIE Innovation to a Whole New Level

Session Date

City

Location

Registration Link

7/18/2016

Abilene

Region 14 Education Service Center

Register

8/2/2016

Killeen

Killeen ISD Career Center

Register

8/4/2016

Lumberton

Lumberton Performing Arts Center

Register

8/8/2016

Austin

TCEA Conference Center

Register

8/19/2016

Kilgore

Region 7 Educational Service Center

Register

9/9/2016

Arlington

University of Texas at Arlington, College of Education

Register

9/19/2016

Pittsburg

Region 8 Educational Service Center

Register

9/23/2016

Edinburg

Region 1 Educational Service Center

Register

9/28/2016

Victoria

Region 3 Educational Service Center

Register
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Announcements/Important Dates

You Deserve an Award!

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

Educators don’t receive the recognition they deserve, which is terrible. TCEA wants to remedy that and call attention to all of the amazing things that teachers, campus and district leaders, librarians, technical support staff, and more are doing every day in our schools with our Educator Awards and Scholarships program. Nominations are open now from September 14 – October 16. The awards will be presented at a formal awards ceremony and reception during TCEA’s Annual Convention & Exhibition in February.

These awards recognize excellence in the integration of technology in schools and have been bestowed upon some of the most innovative and engaging educators in Texas. Award recipients receive a $1,000 prize and two finalists in each category receive $500 prizes. One award recipient and two finalists are chosen in each of these eight categories:

  • Classroom Teacher of the Year
  • District or Campus Administrator of the Year
  • Instructional Technology Specialist of the Year
  • Library Media Specialist of the Year
  • Lifetime Achievement for the Advancement of Technology in Education
  • Superintendent of the Year
  • Technical Support Person of the Year
  • Technology Administrator of the Year

TCEA Scholarships are awarded each year to deserving teachers and students studying technology in education. TCEA encourages and applauds members who choose to continue learning about technology, and scholarships are available for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professionals seeking continuing education. Working on a higher education degree? We have a $1,000 scholarship for that. Have a son or daughter pursuing a career in education? We have a $1,000 scholarship for that. Want to attend a professional learning conference or workshop? We have a $500 scholarship for you.

The nomination process is simple and easy, so get started on it today.

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