Happy Birthday, Gretchen!

I'm sure you noticed the new photo gallery on the right side of this blog. I'm sure you are dying to know how I did that. There has to be a classroom application for this somewhere!
First, the pictures are of my daughter opening a birthday gift and she graciously said I could use the photos in an effort to promote technology use at Fremd. Thanks, Gretchen!

Ever the geek, I decided to take some of the pictures using my cell phone camera and thought I would use this opportunity to share how I got them from my cell phone to my Tablet PC. I don't have a cell phone data transfer cable that I can use to directly download photos to my Tablet, so I had to rely on wireless means.

The Flickr Approach

I have a Flickr account that I use mainly as a resource for getting pictures I might need for a quick presentation and also for quick uploads of pictures if I know I or someone else will need to access them from another computer later. Flickr offers me the additional ability to email photos to my account which makes it useful for me to send photos from my phone to the email address Flickr provides.

Basics

1. Create your account
2. Click on your username at the top of the screen next to where it says, "Signed in as [username]." This takes you to Your Account.
3. Click on the Email link next to the Personal Information section. Your unique Flickr email is listed next to where it says Your Flickr Upload Email.
4. Now, open your photo gallery (or what ever it may be called in your phone) and send the photos using that email address.

Now, I'm not about to attempt to tell you how to use your own phone to send pictures, as there are so many different phones and possibilities for doing this! Stop by to see me, though, and I'll help you figure out how it's done.
Next, I used Flickr to create a 'photo badge' that would generate some html code that I could easily copy and paste into the new HTML widget provided by Blogger. The result is the small gallery of photos you see to the right. There a few other steps involved, like creating a 'Set' of pictures in Flickr for the gallery. It took a little time, and patience.

I also learned that I could send pictures directly to this blog but have had a little trouble doing that. More later, when I figure it out. Or, maybe someone could help me with that part!

The only downside to sending photos from my phone to Flickr is that my phone has a 600 KB limit on file size sending, so, I could not send the 1.3 MB movies I had also taken. Now what?

The Bluetooth Approach

My Tablet PC has Bluetooth technology and so does my cell phone. They can talk to one another like a mini wireless network. I could do this in a forest with no access to any kind of wireless network needed. I had no trouble sending my cell phone movies to my computer. Bluetooth is cool.

Basically, the general process for using Bluetooth wireless technology is as follows:

1. Make sure your cell phone is 'discoverable' by other Bluetooth devices such as your Tablet PC.
2. Right-click on the Bluetooth icon in the lower right corner of your screen and Add a Bluetooth Device.
3. Click Next from the window that opened and let the computer discover all of the devices in my immediate area that had Bluetooth technology installed and turned on. This is a slick way to search for cell phones in your classroom, by the way!
4. Use your cell phone to search for new devices.
5. "Pair" them, if needed, so that they can talk to one another.

These instructions are purposely vague because each cell phone will have a slightly different way of finding and connecting to another Bluetooth device. Again, stop by and I will be more than happy to help you learn you how this is done on your phone.

So, how could either of these techniques be used in the classroom or school environment? Further, Flickr badges are just HTML code and could be used in your class, activity, or athletic website or blog. What do you think? Pros, Cons?

The Connection

Nicole LaBeau provides an excellent post in her blog where we are sometimes like a deer when it comes to new technology. We find ourselves on the road of change but don't really know where to go and need help making a move before those strange lights coming at us get too close. Using a Tablet PC is like this. We have it, wonder what to do with it, and need some guidance.

So, why use a tablet PC?
The first response I notice from teachers when this discussion begins is typically a glossy look in their eyes that conveys, "Yeah, so what? I can type faster than I can write." I think the disconnect is that people think using the stylus replaces typing, permanently, and, therefore, the Tablet PC offers no real advantage over a laptop. The realization that one doesn't need to stop using the keyboard with a Tablet PC is something I have to stress. I will be the first to admit that there are certainly times when typing beats the heck out of writing; like when I'm in my office answering email or creating a document in Word or crunching data using Excel. Using a Tablet PC goes beyond the keyboard, though.

Productivity
At conferences, I can draw a picture when, to me, the concept being presented makes more sense being written down visually compared to simple note taking. Writing notes is also a lot less distracting to others than the constant click, click, click, of the keyboard. More than one person has leaned over to see what I was doing and asked for a demonstration. I can write to my blog live (as long as I have a wireless connection!), take a picture of a workshop presenter with my cell phone and use Bluetooth technology to send the picture to my computer and load it into the blog, all on the fly and all without a keyboard.

I can walk around class with my Tablet PC and immediately access documents, web pages, recordings, videos, etc., that I have pre-loaded into my OneNote classroom lesson plan notebook. Further, I can work with a cooperative group of students and instantly bring back any information I had previously shown to the entire class in order to reiterate a point and provide more individual clarification. OneNote allows me to digitally have the entire school year of lessons with me all the time. "Hey, Mr. B., remember that time when you showed us that web site with the cool animations of molecular movement?" "Yep, I do, in fact, I can bring it up right now," (from my OneNote notebook).

I can add my own handwritten comments to anything in a shared OneNote notebook that I use to collaborate with my colleagues on teaching techniques, tools, and assessments.

Students can send me their papers electronically, I can ink (write using the stylus) on them, save them, and return them electronically. No paper exchanges hands. Think of the peer editing that could take place should all students have access to a Tablet PC.

Engagement
Various screen capturing methods using OneNote (windows key + S) or the SnipIt! program provide visuals to help make any email note, worksheet, or anywhere text is used, more meaningful.

I can present a PowerPoint presentation using a Tablet PC that is wirelessly connected to a projector and add inking to make the presentation more engaging. Imagine brainstorming on the spot with your students and recording their thoughts using inking tools along with your original presentation. I can save the ink annotations along with the presentation and make it available online for students to review on their own. Better yet, I could go further and have the Tablet PC record the presentation along with the inking and the audio from the class using Camtasia software (available on our computers) and save it all as a movie for replay. Anytime, anywhere learning?

Looking ahead, I can imagine all students using tablet PCs one day along with Classroom Presenter software where students interact with a teacher's presentation and provide visual feedback to the teacher for immediate or post teaching review. This is going further than using the CPS units.

Teachers can create and/or display anything on their Tablet screen and have their students use the stylus to interact with it. Provide a storyboard of people buying tickets for a train in World Language class and let students create a possible dialogue by writing on the Tablet in the target language. Let students correct the grammar in a sentence projected on the screen or identify the parts of a cell, balance a chemical equation, fill out a business form properly, write the next two or three notes to a music score, identify muscle groups and predict which muscle groups are needed to perform certain movements, have students create their own military deployment plans for previous wars and compare those to what actually took place in history, use the Ink Art program to demonstrate brush strokes and color manipulation, and on and on.

Mobility
I've noticed some teachers walk around with the Tablet PC in their classroom and enter grades into the electronic grade book using the stylus and the Input Panel. No need to set the Tablet down somewhere and type in a score as would have to be done if they had a laptop to use instead.

Teachers could also write comments in OneNote to help them remember specific situations where students may be confused on a concept. A digital reminder like this can help them remember to make lesson plan adjustments down the road. Sure, paper can do the same thing, as long as you can keep track of the paper!

I can access information from files on the network or send an email on the fly if I need to get some information while I carry the Tablet PC. I don't need the keyboard. Have you ever used your own handwriting to respond to an email? You can.

Your Turn

I invite you to share your own experiences with the Tablet PC. How does it help you become more productive as a teacher, with lesson planning, and in the classroom interacting with students. How does it help you as a coach or as an activity sponsor? Feel free to build upon a use already mentioned. I'd like to hear about the negative aspects of the Tablet PC, too. What doesn't work like you think it should? Don't be shy.

Remember, one person's love of a particular Tablet PC use may not be important to another but it's the possibilities that move us along. Let's brainstorm and keep supporting everyone who finds themselves a deer on the road of technology change.

Pep Rally

Today is our Homecoming Pep Rally!

A rather energetic atmosphere has engulfed our school this week. Students and most of the staff look forward to the daily dress up themes as they help lighten the overall mood of the school day. How cool is it that we can come to work in our pajamas? Seeing the majority of students in their class colors and the staff sporting the ever fashionable black pants, sweaters, and shirts has always been special for me. I like the feeling of so many different people coming together for one cause; Fremd High School. Although class competitions exist and freshmen take the brunt of many ill placed jeers, we really are one body and move together in an amoeba-like herd to the gym excited to partake in one more event where we can all be proud to be Vikings. Ah, the Pep Rally.

I’ve watched students and staff participate in the Pep Rally over the years in their own way, whether it is being on the floor, cheering in the stands, or not at all. I see a similar level of participation with the Tablet PCs and the word from my TC colleagues is that Fremd is not alone with teachers participating at different levels. All of us are struggling with the fact that teachers are not coming for training as quickly as expected.

How cool is it that I can come to work with my computer in my bag and be mobile with it throughout the day? Seeing different staff members carrying their tablet around is exciting. That signals something new is happening with that teacher and their classes that was not in place one year ago. I like the feeling of so many teachers coming together for one cause; our kids. I don’t think we are an amoeba-like body yet. More like a mass of conflicting impulses at times. Movement is there, though.

The movers and shakers in the building are having their own quite Pep Rally with the Tablet PCs. Competitions do not exist, however, as teachers are eager to share techniques that helping them make a difference. I continue to believe we have to work with and celebrate those who are on the floor, nudge those in the stands, and hope the non-participators watching from the wings will begin to think that participating in the Tablet Pep Rally can be fun even though technology in any form might not be their style.

Ah, the Pep Rally.

The TechSpot

New members continue to join the Fremd TechSpot wiki. New content is not really being added at this point, but I have this feeling people are wanting a place of collaborative ownership; somewhere to go to for quick help, general information, or to share their own educational technology tips and discoveries. I blogged a few weeks ago that OneNote can be that personal organizational tool that gets you going everyday. The Fremd TechSpot wiki, on the other hand, can be that place to wander with the comfort of knowing the information found there has been added by our colleagues both close to home and perhaps even in the neighborhood. Colleagues from PHS have caught wind of our wiki and have joined so they can help add to the knowledge base, too.

The wiki is taking on its own structure so be sure to follow it should you want to add a new page. I am promoting some of the more active Tech Coaches to the role of moderator as I know you will enjoy having more freedom to make changes as you see are needed.

Tablet tips will be archived at the Fremd Tech Spot wiki. Summaries of our monthly technology learnings will be kept there as well. I'll even try to do something with the tablet training topics. Less email is more and a more centralized location for information, beyond a static webpage, where true collaboration takes place, could be a welcome sigh of relief for us all.

I hope I'm 'getting' it. Please let me know.

Tablet Training

Several teachers came to the TLC or worked with Tech Coaches in other locations this week for tablet training. I am happy to say I've heard that teachers are generally happy with the information they learn. Are they sponges soaking up whatever we give them? Maybe leaky ones right now but repeated use of new techniques will help them retain what they learn. We all know this is a daunting task we face. Thanks, Tech Coaches, for making a difference! Let's hope these teachers go back to their departments and spread the word about their easy and enjoyable tablet training experiences!

I don't know about you but I seem to learn something new every time I help someone. I am hopeful this is a sign of the tablet learning/using/sharing culture being alive and well. Teachers are investigating on their own and discovering ways they can make the tablet do what they want it to do. For example, using the SnipIt! tool to encompass the entire IE7 window is a slick way to 'ink' on the Internet. (Normally, this can't be done with the standard inking tools like those found in MS Office.) Using SnipIt!, one can drag the + cursor over the open IE7 window to make a screen capture. That part won't be completed, however, until you tell SnipIt! what to do with the capture. So, ink away on the screen; just don't finish the capture unless you want to save it for a future use.

I had to trouble shoot an issue with a Word 2007 document all of a sudden not allowing inking. I found that if I save the document as a 97 - 2003 version, I was allowed to ink on it. I was also able to ink on the document if I then convert the 2003 version to a 2007 version. Very strange.

Please notice the new counter at the top right of the blog. Thanks to Nicole LaBeau for sharing that with me. Click on the link over there to go to the Easy-Hit-Counter.com site. Choose a counter and copy the code supplied. Go to the HTML/Java gadget and paste the code in the window that opens. Click OK and you are done!

That's it for now!

Off we go!

Staff Development, Late Start, and Institute day plans are all being made behind the scenes as we enter our third week of the school year. I am part of the Technology Staff Development committee that also includes Tony Miller and Eric Wenckowski. We've already met with Lisa Small and will provide her with what we think are most pressing needs of the staff for this school year. So far, we think that Tablet PC training, Web 2.0 tools, and Office 2007 are those top needs. Please think about these topics as I will ask for your thoughts on them at our first meeting in September.

Tablet training felt like 'Tablet draining' for me this summer but the enthusiasm teachers brought to the Phase 1 training sessions energized me each time I met with a different person or small group of teachers. They are excited and eager to continue training so it's up to us to hit a home run and provide the sustained support teachers need to bring the tablet into the classroom and anywhere else learning takes place. Many of you are setting a great example for your teachers, already, by using the tablet when you can with your students or to manage your daily teacher life more efficiently. I am so proud of you!

Phase II training will begin this week (as soon as I get the information out I tried to get send last week!). Please encourage teachers to use the TLC as the location for training. Perhaps a little reminder note in your office or even a cool poster (like Nicole put up in the English office!) will serve to remind teachers of the training they are expected to complete. I will continue to provide training to you and act as a sounding board for you so that you can become a Tablet PC pro. Remember, I'm only a few steps ahead of you so please don't be afraid to show me something you learn about the Tablet PC! I want to learn, too!

The DEG will have updates only a few times a year. Technology Services is going to put in fixes as needed, of course, but major changes, such as those listed in Jeff Butzen's recent email, will occur only a few times during the school year. This will help reduce the amount of time we spend troubleshooting any problems every time a change to the DEG is made.

Please remember to keep a log, journal, blog or some kind of record of your tech duty. This information should be updated periodically and made available upon request of your department chair.

I'm very excited about this school year and look forward to working with you, again!

Off we go!

New Beginnings

Another year has whisked by with many new educational technology changes being put into place.

The DEG improved in speed, recently, and new features are making it ever easier to do the tasks we used to grudge over in the past. Many new improvments are in the works and teachers are generally pleased with the progress, albeit, slow progress that is being made. I am impressed with the patience teachers exhibit as they absorb every single bit of electron text I send as I report pro-active instructions, or reactive fixes to problems with the DEG.

The Apperson Scanners are another matter altogether. I encourage you read Nicole LaBeau's post on her own and department frustrations with the machines, especially during finals week. I could not write a better essay on this topic. I am hopeful that changes will be put in place either during the summer or during the coming school year.

I have more to write and will continue after I help my daughter get a truck to help her move out of my house to her own dwelling in Lincoln Park this Saturday!