Get ed tech into classrooms

Oh, will all administrators and principals who are reluctant to accept the fact that technology is here please read this article:

Education Technology: 7 Ways to Bring Apps, Gadgets, Online Services Into School Classrooms

I have heard of principals and administrators stating how teachers "should NOT text or email students.  And if we do email a student to copy the email to a parent."  They then go on to say something like when we were in school teachers communicated with our parents with out cell phones and  facebook......

Ok, they are correct, but my contention is they couldn't communicate that way because the technology  was not even thought of yet! 

Let's get into the 21st century, please.

Google Voice and Video

I am a big fan of almost all things Google!  I use Google Drive everyday, I have several Google Sites that I use with my students, and if it weren't for Gmail I do not know what I would do!

Which brings me to this thing called Google Voice and Video.  Now I have used Windows Messenger before with my web cam back in the day, but it just never seemed to work right.  Windows Live messenger was better but.... still lacking.  Now, using the video and chat features integrated with Gmail, well, it just works.  Period.  No huge setup, no drivers to download, no extra "nothing"! (NOTE: you do have to "install Google Voice and Video" but it takes seconds to download and seconds to install).

Once the installation is complete, go to your Gmail settings then click the "Chat" link.  In the middle you will see something like the picture below:

Make your selections and then click "Verify your settings" and make sure things are working.  Once done you are all set!!  You can make video calls to your contacts, then move that into a Google Hangout and invite others!! (A really good article about using Google Hangouts in education can be found be found at this link Using Google Hangouts for Teacher Development)

If that is not enough, you can now make phone calls using Google Voice..... more on that in a future post!

So, do any of you use Google Voice and Video and if so how are you using it?

Education Week Teacher: The Time-Tested Dos and Don'ts of Using Classroom Technology

The Time-Tested Dos and Don'ts of Using Classroom Technology

This is a very quick read about the "Do's" and "Don'ts" of using technology in the classroom.  If you are "testing the waters" or have been apprehensive of using technology this article will give you a very good perspective on what to do and try.

So, how many of you are doing the "Do's" mentioned in this article?