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More Google Learning with Indiana Jen

Aug7

I love having time over the summer to sink my teeth into learning new technology skills!  Professional and personal learning is life-long and summer break is an ideal, relaxing and rewarding time to surf the net, explore twitter and catch up on professional reading. One of my favourite ways to begin my day is to sit with my coffee at my laptop or iPad and check out my twitter feed.  I have created a rich PLN that suits my professional needs and allows me to learn from other administrators and educators all over the world!  It’s quite amazing how much professional development happens during my summer break in the comfort of my own home.

I am sharing some of my favourite Twitter finds of the summer that are a perfect match for the direction my school is taking in the upcoming 2014-2015 school year.

We have set all of our students and staff up with Google accounts.  Some teachers are very familiar with this platform while others are brand new to using the many features Google offers as a teaching and learning tool.  I “hit the jackpot” when I came across http://indianajen.com/!  You can follow Jennifer Cary on Twitter @TeacherJenCarey.  Here are links to some of her posts; let the learning begin!

1) http://indianajen.com/2014/07/23/10-things-every-teacher-should-be-able-to-do-on-google-docs/

2) http://indianajen.com/2014/08/07/5-ways-to-use-google-presentations-not-as-presentations/

3) http://indianajen.com/2014/08/04/5-great-ways-to-use-google-forms/

4) http://indianajen.com/2013/07/23/2-great-visual-lists-of-ipad-apps-for-students-teachers/

Here is a Google Cheat Sheet for new users and something I plan to share with my students the first week of school as they navigate through their new Google accounts: http://www.scribd.com/doc/233976129/New-Google-Drive-Cheat-Sheet

I am interested in learning more about BYOD as a teaching and learning tool for the upcoming school year in my classroom.  Check out this Epic Toolchest of BYOD tools : http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-epic-byod-toolchest-vicki-davis

For teachers who love to use Guided Reading and are familiar with the CAFE model, here is a great way integrate iPads in your reading program: http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/1-1-ipad-menu-for-guided-reading-apps/

I’ve packed these great sites in my toolbox and I am ready to start off the new school year!

 

Power Searching on Google

Sep2

I recently took a free course called Power Searching With Google.  I was surprised to find out that searching on google was such an art and could be used so much more effectively than I was using it.  Here are the best 5 things I learned during the course:

1.  When doing a google search, you can filter the results you get to really zero in on what you are looking for by using the color paintchips in the lower left corner of the interface.  Color carries a context!  For visually similar results, click on an image and then click on “similar”.

2. The “Art” of keywords – Focus on your question “What are you trying to find?” Synonyms for the word that you are searching are helpful.  Be descriptive and stay on topic in your search because every word you enter in the search box matters…even the word order matters!

3.  “Ctrl F” – Once on a page with a lots of information (for example, a page where information is ranked), using the “Ctrl F” keys will provide you with a search box within that document to specify the exact information that you are looking for and it highlights it for you – AMAZING!

4.  Use of the minus (-) sign in your search:  The minus sign can be used to help you narrow in on your topic by taking a word away in your search…. it “erases” a term from the results that you get.  The example that was used in the course was this one: “salsa -dancing” – this would be a way to find salsa recipes but take any references to salsa dancing out of your search.  Very helpful!

5.  The use of “OR” in your search – Using the capital letters OR between 2 related words in your search and putting quotation marks around your phrases (more than one word) helps you refine your search so that those words are in the page that you are looking for.

These are great ways to speed up your search and really focus on the kind of results that you get in your search!

Sharing What You Learn…

Sep2

I had an interesting conversation recently with a colleague/friend about “sharing what you learn”.  My learning has exploded this past summer due to a MOOC (massive open online course) I took and as a result of becoming connected on Twitter and various other online collaboration platforms.  I still feel relatively new to digital learning and social media.  I am humbled by how much I don’t know about the digital world, especially when I compare myself to many of the “educational movers and shakers” I have discovered on Twitter.

However, in speaking with my teaching friends about all that I have learned in the last 12 months from teaching and learning online, I realize I have become more progressive in my thinking in terms of the “Digital World”.  Many teachers are not yet aware of the professional benefits of using Twitter and how having a PLN (Professional Learning Network) can enrich their professional lives. Becoming a “connected educator” is a concept that many educators have not yet explored.  I continually ask myself “What can I do about this?”, “Am I enough of an ‘expert’ to share what I know?” and “How can I empower others to explore the Web 2.0 World?”

My colleague tweeted me this link; a powerful video about sharing what you learn:

 

 

 

An explosion of Learning ~ Summer 2012

Aug30

This summer has been an incredible learning experience for me in terms of my own professional development – specifically with the digital world.  A friend and colleague was teaching a free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) and I decided to participate.  Over the course of 5 weeks I learned about online safey, creating and caring for your digital footprint, twitter as a professional networking tool and cyberbullying.  Through this course, I heard about another free online course, Powersearching with Google and I decided to explore that as well.  Both of these courses were open to anyone who was interested.  I participated on my own time and in my own way to make the learning meaningful for me.  This led me to finding out about Connected Educator Month and a free online bookclub.  It sounded like an interesting venture to participate in so I joined that also.  The format was a combination of a weekly Blackboard Collaborate Session (a virtual classroom) and a ning where I could connect with other educators in the course.  The book was called The Connected Educator – Learning and Leading in a Digital Age by Sheryl Nussbaun-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall.

I am amazed at all that I have learned this summer and feel honoured to have connected with educators from all over the world.  I continue my quest; learning about the best ways to infuse technology into our students’ education and how I can grow as a professional through “connected education” and life-long learning.  The word cloud below represents key aspects of my summer learning – my digital footprint for Summer 2012.