23 Mobile Things 1. Blogging

I hope to gain knowledge of how others are using mobile devices and make connections with other educators. I have found that learning thorough my Personal Learning Network (PLN) has been a wonderful journey. I enjoy being able to post questions and topics and interact with others who have something to add. I enjoy the give-and-take that is available with blogs and hope to contribute to others, as well as have others contribute to mine.
I find my personal style meshes best with Twitter and blogging is a challenge for me. You can connect with me on Twitter at @MrsKalthoff .

Webinars

I love connecting with other educators! One of the ways I like to learn is through webinars. I have had great opportunities to lead a few webinars on edtech with Sophia. Tonight I lead a webinar on Google Forms in Education. People from all over the world joined in on the conversation as we looked at different uses for forms, scripts and the creation process. You can visit my information from tonight at goo.gl/oylj4R .

Here are a few links for past webinars with Sophia Learning.




and



I will post my webinar from tonight as soon as it is available. What are your favorite ways to learn and connect with others?

The next five years....

After a lot of research, reaching out to others and thinking about my future, I have decided to apply to the following two programs:

• Interdisciplinary PhD in Education Sciences with a Focus in School Technology Leadership at the University of Kentucky 
• Doctor of Education(Ed.D.) Educational Technology with the College of Education at Boise State University

I hope to being school this fall. Now, I am struggling to write my personal statement. Here is what I know :

• I like to help people 
• I like to teach
• I like to learn from others 
• I like to connect with other educators
• I am interested in how both kids and adults learn
• I am intrigued how educational settings are changing with the introduction of mobile devices
• I am interested in finding out how student engagement is evolving

However, what I do not know is what "specifically" I want to spend the next four to five years researching and studying. 

I am looking for advice. Have you been in this situation before? What have you done to find focus? Have you graduated from either of the programs or are you in one now?

The Techie Teachers

In the summer of 2012, I had the pleasure of co-teaching a mixed classroom. Our class consisted of kindergarteners and 1st graders for summer school with a wonderful teacher, Sara Norman. During this time, we had daily access to five iPods. Both Sara and I are supporters of small group instruction and each day we ran literacy and math stations. One of our stations, for both math and literacy, involved using the five iPods. We had a variety of activities planned for this time.

Some of their work was content specific. We matched apps to standards and with the use of pictos, we created, we were able to connect each student with the skill work needed. The first time an app was introduced, it was done so with either Sara or I. We felt it was important to teach students the most affective way to use the devices and get the most of the apps we had assigned.

We also felt the devices gave them the chance to create and share in ways not possible before. Using certain apps we guided students to record themselves reading. They were able to play their reading back and listen to their fluency. They were also able to use these recordings during "Read to Self" time.

One of their favorite content specific apps was Fetch! Lunch Rush.
With the use of Fetch! Lunch Rush, an Augmented Reality app,  students were up out of their seats on a scavenger hunt. Yes, we allowed kindergarteners to walk around with an iPod. We were nervous about it at first, but with one partner responsible for the iPod and the other responsible for recording, two hands were always on the device.  If you are interested in learning more about lessons please visit our blog posts App Review Retch! Lunch Rush  and for the materials visit Fetch! Lunch Rush

As colleagues heard of what we were doing, they encouraged us to share with others. We started our Blog
https://sites.google.com/site/thetechieteachers/
and began leading workshops and presenting at schools. We decided to share the materials we made on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Sara, is currently teaching kindergarten and I am the technology integrationist for our district. While I am not longer in the classroom, I am in close contact with classroom teachers and co-plan lessons as much as possible. Both of us enjoy collaborating and working with other teachers. Our goal is to make technology that is available to teachers and students impactful and not just a busy time activity.