Posts

Showing posts from 2016

Make your Google Searches Awesome!

Image
Look!  by  Mark's Postcards...  via CC2.0 Searching the internet is not hard.  It has actually gotten easier! There are lots of ways to find your information faster... by knowing how to search.  In the slides below, there are lots of tips and information to follow to make searches: Faster, Easier, and more accurate. Take notes and do your own search here: https://goo.gl/KKQs1p What did you find helpful?  Make a comment below!

YouTube for Educators.

Image
Waupaca Middle School will be opening YouTube to students soon.  So... Why? 'introducing kobena super 8 for the creative film maker 1966' by Nesster  via CC 2.0 YouTube is a fantastic learning resource.  Don't know how to fix your garbage disposal? Chances are, someone on YouTube has already created a video to help you along .  Want to learn the basics of playing the guitar ?  Again, there is a giant pile of video content for that.  YouTube seems to be the way that people learn. But YouTube can also create new opportunities for your classroom.  Heard of 'Flipping' your Classroom?  YouTube is often a great way to change the dynamic of your classroom. What about homework help.... linking videos that cover content that you are sending home, that might be able to remind the student about what was discussed in the classroom. Here are my slides for the session: Here is my Handout :  https://goo.gl/hv5oZr Here is the shortened link to this post: 

New Job, New School, new blog...

Image
Life has been interesting moving back to the USA.  My new job has been interesting.  Still settling in, finding where to best use my techie skills.  I enjoy working with the fantastic staff at Waupaca Middle School. A big change for me this year is supporting Chromebooks mixed with iMacs as teacher computers.  It's a Google Apps for Education school, with Hapara dashboard mixed in.   Some good tools.  This is the first year of a 1:1 Chromebook initiative for the Middle School.  Although teachers have had Chromebooks in their classrooms in the past, the devices did not travel with the students around the school. The Chromebook program, at this point, has taken up most of my time. To help with the Chromebook program, I have started a new tech training blog for the Waupaca School District.  This is where I am posting information, tech tips, and training materials.  As the school year is young, I still have yet to start face to face tech training activities.  But that is on

My new office at Waupaca Middle School

Image
via Instagram http://ift.tt/2awVzYU

Goodbye KIS!

Image
It's been a great job, but it's time to move on... I've had the pleasure of working at Korea International School for four years.  I've had an opportunity to grow as an educator, and show my talents with technology.  I had the opportunity to work in the Fishbowl, KIS's training center. But this school has many talented people that I will miss. People that have shown me and my family friendship.  Many people that have been wonderful to work with and to coach.  Educators that have been willing to take calculated risks, and try new ways to improve their classroom with technology. Also, just some great folks with whom I have worked.  I was able to get some selfies with them, but sadly, I want able to get photos with everybody. Goodbye KIS album 27 new photos · Album by Art Schultz A I will miss Korea, and KIS, and many folks that I have been able to work with around the international school community around Asia.   I'm moving back to the United States,

I'll miss this crew!

Image
via Instagram http://ift.tt/24BPWfc Last day of students at Korea International School. I'll be moving on to Wisconsin, and Rick will be retiring! Best luck to the team next year! I'll miss this crew! 

Adventures in 3D Printing

Image
This year, my school purchased not one, not two, but five 3D printers.  All of them, the same model, the  XYZ DaVinci Duo printer .  As an EdTech specialist, and self-proclaimed 'king-nerd' of the office, I chose to learn what I could to get them useable in learning activities in the classroom. So... here is a bit of where I came from, and where I got to... and a few of the 'how-to-fix' things I figured out. STL vs CAD file .STL files are a pretty standard file for 3D printing.  Basically, your 3D printer is printing lots of little triangles, stacked and arranged in different ways to build your model.  But, there are different types of STL files.  The XYZ printer likes ASCII STL files.  So, if you are downloading... conversion may be required. Making  Getting 3D designs made is a challenge, but there are a lot of tools.  A number of them come from AutoDesk for free.  Here are a few I like: Mac 123D Design  this Application is Mac/PC and iPad..

Creating a Professional Digital Space

Image
'Growing Social Media' by  mkhmarketing  via CC 2.0 We all have needs for posting the great things we do at school.  This session is around how you can customise what you can do, without too much difficulty. Social Media, Websites, Blogs, all help build a profile for your professional life. This session is about how you can create new, or build upon what you already have!

21CL Hong Kong Conference reflection

Image
I had a great time presenting and Learning in Hong Kong. It was nice having 'the band back together'. Presenting and working with these guys is like getting your own, intense PD session, everyday. I've grown so much by working with Ben Summerton, Steve Katz, and the fantastic faculty and students at Korea International School. Photo by Ben Summerton   I was presenting about skills that my students at KIS have shown me. They have been working the 'Design Thinking' method finding solutions to problems their teachers asked open-ended questions about. I've learned some skills at conferences too, and I'd like to thank Heather Dowd who helped me through this process at a conference a few years back. I've learned a bucket full as well. Coming home with fantastic ideas about supporting students with sleep and mood through smart phone technology, thanks to Dr. Michael Carr Gregg. And Rob Newberry was fantastic. We need to look, as teac

Infographics, Charts, & Posters

Image
Want easy tools to make awesome displays?  Want students to output data collected in an interesting way?  How the heck do I get that big thing to print out on my teeny-tiny printer?  All things answered here. canva.com  A website that creates great graphics, without much hassle.  Does have in-app purchases, but they can be avoided easily. piktochart.com  Very similar to canva, but it can interpret data in spreadsheets for use with Charts.   Fill in the form here , and we will see how this works! color.adobe.com  Keep your colors collected!  Also has an iOS app, that allows you to upload images to create your custom color palette. rasterbator.net  Don't let the name put you off.  This is a website that allows you to create poster sized images, with an A4 desktop printer.  This feature can also be done in Adobe Acrobat, but this does not add in some of rasterbater's filters.

RSS in Education: Photography

Image
Photo by Art Schultz ©All rights reserved As well as a Tech Integrator, I co-teach this semester.  Along with Hannah Cone , my school's amazing HS 2D Art teacher, we teach a small Advanced Digital Photography course this semester. This class, is made up of Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors.  Assignments are all completed on their Blogger pages, and are paperless. Our school administration requires that all classes have an activity or test that counts towards an exam.  Not liking exams, I would rather give my students time to shine, and do something amazing. I proposed to my co-teacher that we have our students take the blogging up a notch, and start following professional photographers' blogs for a project.  The basic premise, for students to follow a thread in photography that interests, inspires, and pushes them to new learning. So, I am going to have them set up a RSS reader, Feedly , to follow a bunch of blogs that might interest them.  Then I am going to ask that

Consulting and Conference Sessions

Image
I have been working with iPads , Apple Computers , Google Apps , and how they relate to Schools for a number of years. I work as an Educational Technology Specialist, training Teachers to use technology more effectively in their classroom to inspire creative thinking. I believe in the SAMR model for delivering technology solutions for lessons. I currently manage over 1000 MacBooks, and over 300 iPads in a prominent international school.  This is done with Mobile Device Management.  I am happy to help your school find that tech solution to working with multiple student-owned devices. If you are interested in a consultation for your School, or would like me to present at your conference, please send me an email . Current Coaching a school about Google Classroom, SAMR, & Blogger. PAST Sept 19-20, 2015 https://2ndipadconference2015.sched.org/ Effective 1:1 iPad Programs Flipboard Session  Creating Content on the iPad Instagram

Fix that iOS Device

Image
I am often asked how to get their iPad or iPhone to do something.  Often when these devices are not playing nicely, there are some simple steps to fix it. Here are some tips on getting that Apple iOS device to play nicely.