Tips for managing Tech - my love letter to you

Today’s post is my valentine for all of you, it addresses the task that at times is beyond overwhelming; I’m talking about keeping up with TECHNOLOGY. I find it near impossible – but, I saw this great graphic created by the amazing @SylviaDuckworth and it is a perfect reminder for all of us who strive to be on top of our technology game. 

   The first tip is key, let’s face it there are not enough hours in a day to keep up with it all. So, don’t try. The second tip, is the key—use social media to keep up with latest trends and tools. Personally, I find Twitter to be a great source of info regarding technology. Follow tech people who are doing things you admire. Technology is fun and enhances education.

  

Here are a few I like to follow on Twitter: the incredible @sylviaduckworth, @efitz_edtech, @MsMarshallCMS, @Hamm_Ed, @TheWeirdTeacher, @MsVenturino, and my good friend Naomi Bates @yabooksandmore. These people are critical to my tech practice. I gain valuable ideas and connect to great tech tools that make me look like a rock star with my teachers and students.

   Another great source of new tech trends are your students and teens! They are on trend before it even becomes a “thing.” 

Numbers 2 and 3 really go together like PB&J, tech in education, or Buzz and Woody in Toy Story. The third tip also serves as a needed reminder to share our tech tools – I find that when I share, my Personal Learning Network grows and I learn even more through the collaborative process.

   Number 5 is huge! One of the big pitfalls, is that we tend to try too much all at once. For me, it works best to try something new, play with it awhile and see where and how it is best used before adding new tools to the mix. Another reminder I like to make in my workshops is that you need to use the new tool within a few days. It’s definitely a use it or lose it thing. I’ve gone to some incredible workshops—taken copious notes annnnndddd walked away with every intention of coming back to it only to forget and leave it behind… 

   There are some incredible tools out there—but remember to make sure the tools are relevant to your students and what you are teaching. Using a tool for the sake of using it, is not best practice. Any tool you use should have a specific purpose. When we use a tool in a way that brings meaning, we help our students learn more deeply. 

  

Keeping track of tools is a challenge (Tip 8), curation doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be as simple as setting up an IFTTT (If This, Then This). Every time I email myself a tweet, it goes into a Google Spreadsheet. The possibilities are endless.

   Tip #10 is awesome and overwhelming at the same time. I love conferences! The connections and collaborative nature of conferences make them a must for your tech practice. But, be mindful of the other tips, use your time to make connections with others, and share, share, share! 

   Lastly, start a blog or something that will give you a space to share your success. I am so glad I did, it has been a great tool for keeping me on track with my tech practice. It has also given me opportunities to connect with other Teacher Librarians and Librarians around the country/world. 

   Happy Valentine’s Day friends! I hope you are feeling the love today. 

PS-- The latest issue of School Library Journal has my article on the benefits of having a coloring station for students to enjoy. Cheers.

Big thanks to @SylviaDuckworth for the use of her amazing sketch.

E-book Creation Tools

Well, January is in the books! It was such a busy month. Between the holidays and events such as the American Library Association Midwinter Conference, January simply flew by. 
To open the month, I'm beginning with a post about E-books. A veteran teacher at my school approached me last week and asked whether I knew anything about ebooks. He was looking to do things differently. Up until now, he had been allowing kids to make a paper booklet or powerpoint. 
The teacher, Mr. M, is a great guy; he's got a small case of tech-phobia, but always pushes through. Today we were talking and he said that a few weeks back a student was performing in a talent show he was judging and it led to an epiphany. The student had the wah-wah-wah sound from the Peanuts gang playing as he "sat in class." Mr. M got to thinking-- he pondered his own teaching practices, and decided that he needed to make it more engaging. He realized that flipcharts and "sage on the stage" just doesn't work. So, he's starting with E-books. Next week, I'm going to re-introduce him to Hyperdocs. 
Today, however, I'm going to share about Ebooks. 
 
This is one of those days where I wished we were an iPad 1:1 schools, but alas, we are not. So, I hit the Google trail. Here are a few resources to help teachers ease into ebook creation. 
For so many schools (like mine), we are Chromebook rich-- so with that in mind...a great and easy spot to start is Google Slides. There are some great ready-to-use templates that makes this an easy win for you in working with a teacher looking to engage students and go deeper in knowledge. 

Check out these templates: 

I purchased these templates from TeachersPayTeachers via Pinterest. It was a great time savings for me; I have one more crazy week, and then things will chill for a few weeks. (keep your fingers crossed)

Papyrus

I really liked the look of this online application. Sadly, it is not working right now. It has some cool features and a great WYSIWYG interface. 

iBooks Author

A few years ago, I attended the CUE conference in Palm Springs and was fortunate to garner a spot in an Apple iBooks workshop. This has all the bells and whistles and is simple to use. 

You will have the ability to add video, audio recordings, as well as space efficient text boxes with a scroll down feature, and pictures. 

Fun and dynamic. 

Regardless of the platform you use, eBook creation will help your students go deeper into the knowledge and create incredible ebooks that show that info off.