Trending

"Trending" refers to Twitter tags or hashtags as a way of organizing and following topics.  When I sat back today and thought to myself, "I'm not doing so well on my blogging goal..." I also thought about why I have not been doing so well.

The truth is...life happens. I've been trying to take care of business and just get things done, which unfortunately doesn't always make for interesting blog posts.  So, let me tell you a little bit about what is trending in my world (educational technology) and what I've been working on and in.

Interactive whiteboards:  the teachers that I work with are in all different stages of uses.  After the initial getting started phase, I really haven't had a lot of calls for help.  I think this is really interesting as most teachers aren't sure how they are going to handle this new way of teaching, but it seems that once they get started they have no problems. I just hope that the students are using the boards effectively.

Clickers:  Now that the interactive whiteboards are in place, a lot of teachers are ready to capture students in another way--as well as real time data.  Clickers are allowing teachers to give students pre/post tests, get a quick glimpse of where their students are and who may need remediation, and even having tests self-corrected with immediate feedback.

iPods, iPads, and Apps...oh my!  These devices are popping up all over and I need to be on top of how to use them.  I have been researching and testing myself, along with some technical support--all of which is new to me.  Management of these new devices poses a whole new set of problems that we have to think about and at times, I have to just stop thinking about it and just do it.  Sometimes you have to live and learn.

PLNs, Social Networks, and Web 2.0:  Your personal learning network is the digital network that you create and pull together your peers and professionals that keep you up-to-date in your field.  Many of these include social networks and my belief is that many teachers just aren't sure where to go or what to do in a social network.  Some of these include Web 2.0 websites.  These are websites that allow users to interact with each other and the content.  A few of these:

Many of these also have apps to be used on any iPod, iPad, or iPhone.  Speaking of apps, you know the blog post I wrote a while ago about AutoTuning?  Well, there's an app for that!  It's called "I am T-Pain".

Lastly, I have revived my iGoogle homepage with all of the blogs and feeds that keep me current--one of which is Twitter.  This page alone is enough to keep me busy all day and make my brain swell.  In fact, just today I stumbled upon a post on Twitter regarding the Flipped Classroom.  As usual, one link lead to another...lead to another.  

Hopefully, I'll be back on the blogging block and typing away in no time.