PPS Instructional Technology

We have been focusing a lot on Blended Learning here at Portage Public Schools, and each day we continue to introduce new teachers to the concept of Blended Learning.  It is always great when teachers are able to go to a conference and explore the topic you have been investigating from another district's or teacherss perspective.  Today's guest blogger, Ally Leverett - fourth grade teacher at Lake Center Elementary, was able to learn how to incorporate aspects of coding and blended learning into her classroom thanks to the MACUL conference. "Well...there are so many things that intrigued me at MACUL that it was hard to choose just one "big idea" I walked away with. However, since the conference I have showed my students the Scratch website, as well as the 21Things4Students website. They were so excited to be able to code and I actually have some coding experts in my room that I didn't even know about! Those students are now the "go to" references...

When I first started in my role as a Technology Integration Specialist four years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the Flipped Classroom and shortly after, Blended Learning. What I heard and read about each of these ideas piqued my interest and I had to know more. Subsequently, as more teachers and administrators within our district heard about the possibilities with Blended Learning, we began exploring what this model might look like in our classrooms. This six-part series will discuss what we have found Blended Learning to be and lays the foundation for Blended Learning that we use to train our teachers. In my last article, we explored the Keys for Success . In this series of sub-articles, we will look into what it takes to Prepare for Blended Learning. Today, we will focus on Student Preparation. Disclaimer : Yeah, so about that whole “Part X of 6” thing… Well, um, I could have stuck to that formula, but these articles need to be digestible and, well, as I was writing...

When I first started in my role as a Technology Integration Specialist four years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the Flipped Classroom and shortly after, Blended Learning. What I heard and read about each of these ideas piqued my interest and I had to know more. Subsequently, as more teachers and administrators within our district heard about the possibilities with Blended Learning, we began exploring what this model might look like in our classrooms. This six-part series will discuss what we have found Blended Learning to be and lays the foundation for Blended Learning that we use to train our teachers.  In my last article, we explored What Blended Learning is Not . In this article, we will look into the Keys for Success with Blended Learning. [Photo credit: Got Credit ] Let’s be real. The shift to Blended Learning in your classroom is going to require an investment of time and resources in order to be successful. Any shift in instructional style ...

When I first started in my role as a Technology Integration Specialist four years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the Flipped Classroom and shortly after, Blended Learning. What I heard and read about each of these ideas piqued my interest and I had to know more. Subsequently, as more teachers and administrators within our district heard about the possibilities with Blended Learning, we began exploring what this model might look like in our classrooms. This six-part series will discuss what we have found Blended Learning to be and lays the foundation for Blended Learning that we use to train our teachers.  In my last article, we explored What is Blended Learning?  In this article, we will look into what Blended Learning is Not. http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/62631203.jpg Photo Credit: Anonymous Now, that we have some understanding as to what Blended Learning is , we need to process through what it looks like when we believe we are implementing ...

When I first started in my role as a Technology Integration Specialist four years ago, I was introduced to the concept of the Flipped Classroom and shortly after, Blended Learning. What I heard and read about each of these ideas piqued my interest and I had to know more. Subsequently, as more teachers and administrators within our district heard about the possibilities with Blended Learning, we began exploring what this model might look like in our classrooms.  This six-part series will discuss what we have found Blended Learning to be and lays the foundation for Blended Learning that we use to train our teachers.  Perhaps you have heard the new catchphrase in education, Blended Learning. Education is no stranger to catchphrases or pendulum swings, the same concepts creep up year after year as something new. Well, I believe blended learning is something different from the new kid on the block or that reimagined technique from days past. I believe we are at th...

Blended Learning in the Classroom Course Flyer This spring, our PPS tech director, our tech integration specialists, four of our middle school teachers, and one elementary teacher completed the REMC Blended Learning in the Classroom (BLiC) course. This 62 SCECHs course was really beneficial in moving many of us forward in our learning and understanding of Blended Learning. It offered background on what blended learning was (hint: it isn't just flipping your classroom!) and how to organize your classroom to get the most out of the time you have with your students. Although the course was amazing, it was a significant amount of work that would be challenging to complete during the school year without release time. Thankfully, the course organizers have heard our concerns and have decided to offer a "split" course that would cover the first three modules during the summer when we all have more time to think and process, then finish up the rest of the hands-on modu...

Videos are a great way for students to learn and be exposed to content. YouTube, TeacherTube and Vimeo have a lot of wonderful video for teaching and learning. What if you could turn these videos from passive, sit and get learning to interactive education? It is now possible with eduCanon. Click the image below or the link in step 2 to check out an eduCanon lesson - eduCanon offers 10,000+ interactive lessons for you to plug and play into your class tomorrow, or the ability for you to easily make your own. Want to see how easy it is to add a lesson?  You can use the lesson below as-is or edit the questions to your students' needs. Either way, download this shared lesson to your account following these easy steps: 1. Go to http://www.educanon.com/signup/teacher/ to sign up (for free). 2. Click the interactive video link: http://www.educanon.com/public/9464/23623 3. Click the copy icon in the top right corner of the lesson as you watch it and select OK when it asks you if...

One of the key components of a flipped/blended classroom is providing video based content for your students to view at home.  However, as educators, we know that a lot of students will just turn on a video and multi-task until they get to the end of the video, not really understanding the content.  What if we could make the videos more interactive?  Using Zaption, teachers can include multiple-choice questions, continuous polls, discussions and more to videos they pull from Vimeo, YouTube or their own computer. Cost: Free for a 30 day trial.  $49/year after that. Uses for the classroom: Use Zaption to annotate and make your videos interactive while engaging students. Learn more about Zaption and watch some examples at:  http://www.zaption.com/

Start your New Year off right by registering for Blended Learning in the Classroom a free course for classroom teachers of students of all ages and administrators. The course begins online January 22 and ends May 9. Register at: Blended Learning in the Classroom . During this course you will: Experience active and timely practice Engage in learning, application, review, and revision of your own content Begin developing your own blended environment For more information check out http://www.remc.org/blendedlearning or contact blendedlearning@remc.org Sponsored by REMC Association of Michigan with support from the MACUL.

Are you looking to increase student engagement in your classroom? Do you want to effectively blend within your classroom to incorporate online elements? This free Blended Learning in the Classroom course is for all types of educators - administrators, teachers of all subjects, teachers of all levels! Participate in this FREE 16 week opportunity to begin transforming your classroom (*optional: 61 SCECHs for a minimal fee) As a participant, you will engage with a learning cohort in a blended course and begin developing your own blended learning environment to implement with your students. Participants will: • Experience active and timely practice • Learn with a small cohort of fellow educators • Engage in learning, application, review, and revision • Develop blended lessons in your existing classroom • Submit artifacts to your cohort for sharing and improving Q: Who is this course for?  A: Any Michigan Educator Q: How does this course meet?...