Ed Tech Notes

Jillian Johnson, Technology Integration Specialist

Oakland Schools Field Services: Lake Orion Community Schools
December 2016

Need Help Getting Started With OneDrive?

With OneDrive, you can store your photos, files, and folders in one place, share them with others, and get
to them from anywhere.
The following website has videos that will walk you through:
What is OneDrive?
Signing into your account
OneDrive Basics
Uploading files and folders
Creating new files and folders
Sharing files and folders
Deleting and restoring files
https://goo.gl/TTfV6Q

The 10 Hottest Topics in Ed Tech

By ISTE Connects 2/18/2016 ISTE Conference & Expo
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=674

Whats hot in ed tech? Surprisingly or not surprisingly, depending on your point of view the most
compelling topics among educators who embrace technology for learning and teaching are not about the
tech at all, but about the students. And thats a good thing.
Heres a list the hottest topics in ed tech based on the more than 3,800 session proposals submitted to

reviewers for ISTE 2016, the worlds most comprehensive educational technology gathering.
1. Coding and robotics. No longer just a topic for computer class, coding is making its way across
grade levels

and curriculum areas. Now its something you can do in kindergarten, said ISTE 2016
program chair Camilla Gagliolo. Robotics, in particular, is making coding popular for students across
the globe.
2. The maker movement. You dont need a huge budget and expensive equipment to create a
makerspace
in your classroom or school. Its all about tinkering, fostering creativity and iteration.
3. STEAM. Adding

art to the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and math allows a
mash up between traditional math and science subjects with music, visual arts and performing arts.

4.

Virtual reality. Google Cardboard, a low-cost virtual

reality (VR) viewer, has made VR an
affordable

tool for the classroom. New VR apps, which are being released daily, allow viewers to get
360-degree close-up views of everything from the human

body to the surface of Mars. Add Google

Street View and you can get your students

creating their own 3D tours.

5. Gaming and gamification. Gaming has been around as a teaching tool for years, but it didnt
really take off until Minecraft emerged as a force or education

tool, that is too big to ignore. But

theres
more to games than playing them. Coding programs like Scratch allow students to create
their own games, and gamification is the process of adding gaming elements to the curriculum to

motivate students to succeed.

6. Google Apps for Education. The number of free and low cost Google Apps and Chrome extensions
have exploded and teachers are reaping the rewards, especially for 1:1 schools using Chromebooks.

7. Student-driven learning.
When you make time for passion projects and let students select and
develop topics, empowerment takes root.
8. New professional development models. Unconferences, edcamps, Twitter chats and other
active-sharing formats provide a more democratic approach to learning. These fresh models are
learner-driven and feature shorter chunks of training that fit an educators busy schedule.
9. Flexible learning environments. Educators are using design thinking to reimagine their learning
spaces to accommodate all learners and multiple formats. Even small tweaks to a library or
classroom, such as moving desks, adding soft seating or creating a makerspace in a corner, can
change the vibe and make learning more engaging.

10. Digital citizenship. Helping students navigate their digital world is important but it doesnt have to
be a do-this-dont-do-that type of lecture. Educators around the world are involving students in
solutions to stop cyberbullying and increase awareness of other digital pitfalls.