I discovered some excellent on-line lesson plans to teach students how to more effectively use Google search.  The lessons are comprehensive and user-friendly with a lesson overview, materials (with slides and videos that support the lesson), detailed lesson steps and examples to support the objectives of the lesson and a closure that includes a printable handout for students to keep handy when they are using key words to search a topic or query.

The lessons are also levelled: beginner, intermediate and advanced.  Take a peek at the lessons here!

Today is Leadership Day 2014!  I love the stimulating questions posted on http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/ regarding what leaders are doing to promote digital technologies in order to promote student learning and thrive safely and responsibly in this digital world!  Three interesting questions to consider are:

• What do effective P-12 technology leaders do? What actions and behaviors can you point to that make them effective leaders in the area of technology?
• Do administrators have to be technology-savvy themselves in order to be effective technology leaders in their organizations?
• What are some tangible, concrete, realistic steps that administrators can take to move their school organizations forward?

The common thread that comes to mind as I reflect on these 3 questions is that I believe that as an administrator and technology leader you must first and foremost maintain a passion and love for teaching and learning.  In a nutshell, you must be curious and be willing to explore technology.  It is impossible to be a master of all of the latest apps, 2.o tools and devices and then apply them to student learning.  However, if one is curious and willing to explore the digital world and learn with and from students, the foundation is set.  As a technology leader, you need to be able to ask the right questions of students to facilitate rich learning and inquiry-based learning.  I believe this is what makes a master teacher!  You must be able to ignite the students’ passion for learning, inspire them to explore and open doors and “play” with technology in a safe and responsible manner.  One does not need to be fully technologically-savvy as the digital world is so vast that it is truly impossible to be an expert.  Exceptional administrators begin and thrive by being exceptional teachers and learners.  With this love and passion they serve as models to school organizations of what it means to learn in the 21st century.  My best technology learning occurs when I “play” with technology!  This summer I have been playing with various iPad apps and with Photo Story.  I learn how to use technology by exploring new tools every few months.  It is usually my own curiosity that guides me in learning something new.  Sometimes my colleagues may mention a new digital tool or sometimes I look for a new tool to meet my own needs.  Regardless of the circumstances, it begins with my own curiosity and desire to learn something new.

One of the guiding questions that I have been considering over the summer is: What technology tools will I use this year or over the next few months to curate my learning and student learning.  The new apps that I have been exploring this summer are: Phoster, PhotoGrid and Pic Collage.  I have used these apps to enhance my own professional portfolio and the options for students to show and share their learning with these apps are rich.

Strong administrators and technology leaders are learners!  They explore and learn with students and are filled with curiosity about how to use technology to meet their needs and then share their knowledge!