Tag: edtech

  • Your Seminary Needs Digital and Media Literacy Instruction

    I am enjoying the opportunity to teach adult Sunday School (again) at our church this year, and utilize Francis Collins‘ (@NIHDirector) book, “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief” as our initial course text for our class titled, “Curiosity and Questions: Jesus and Science.” This week in preparing for our lesson and…

  • Tutorials: Record Audio Podcasts with Voice Record Pro or Anchor

    Tomorrow I’m co-teaching with one of our high school history teachers, who is asking her students to create a colonial era podcast. Among other possibilities, students may choose to role play interviews about historical events, include sponsorships from historically appropriate businesses, and/or produce a more documentary-style audio recording. I’m excited to see the students’ creativity…

  • Options for Classroom Blogging (August 2019)

    Last week during our school’s scheduled meetings in preparation for a new academic year, I shared a workshop with teachers titled, “Getting Started with Student Blogging.” I’ve been blogging as a teacher since 2003, and remain a strong advocate for the benefits of empowering students to share their ideas, perspectives and voices beyond the traditional…

  • Essential Technology Support Staff Skills and Characteristics

    What are the most important skills and characteristics of the technology support staff members at your school or other organization? As the 2018-19 school year winds down, I’m wrapping up my fourth year to serve as the Director of Technology for Casady School in Oklahoma City. As I’ve been making preparations for a job transition…

  • VIDEO: 10 Tips from a Technology Fear Specialist

    Earlier this month, I had an opportunity to share a 45 minute webinar with the wonderful Seesaw community titled, “10 Tips from a Technology Fear Specialist.” This presentation (and subsequent Q&A session with live attendees) was based on my March 21st blog post, “Adult Identity and the “I Can’t Use Technology Well” Introduction.” The archived…

  • Adult Identity and the “I Can’t Use Technology Well” Introduction

    Last Friday evening before turning in for the night, I shared a six part, threaded series of thoughts on Twitter based on frequent conversations I have with technology-fearful adults. Before reflecting a bit more on these ideas, as well as sharing some of the responses these tweets invited from others, I’ll share this series of…

  • Seesaw Skills, Assessment and Parent Feedback

    Last week I had an opportunity to attend the LLI Southwest Conference at The Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas, and present with two of our second grade teachers about our “Seesaw Skills iPad Pilot Project,” which I’m leading this year with teachers in our Lower Division at Casady School in Oklahoma City. In this post,…

  • Why You Should NOT Quit Facebook or Twitter

    Powerful tools can be used, by definition, in BIG ways. “With great power comes great responsibility.” Social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, are globe spanning technological marvels. Unfortunately, these platforms have been used maliciously and abusively in recent years to radicalize politics, fuel genocide, and fracture cultural bonds in communities worldwide. At the same…

  • Guidelines for Digital Sharing

    The predominant technologies of a culture change literacy. When our society was primarily a print reading culture, reading and writing texts were appropriately the main activities of students in schools working on developing literacy skills. As our society has become increasingly dominated by multimedia, the imperative grows stronger to formally change the predominant literacy development…

  • Help Students Use Icons and Photos in Narrated Slideshows

    My wife (@sfryer) is starting a narrated slideshow media project tomorrow with her third graders. About a week ago, all the third graders at our school went on a field trip to a local kitchen where they prepared soup for the homeless in our community. This was part of a service learning project, and launched…