Set up Anonymous Bully Reporting with Cel.ly

While innovative educators know that empowering students to use their own devices for learning is necessary for student success, the conversation of bullying often comes up as well. Not only are student-owned devices great learning tools, they also are great tools for helping to address bullying. A resource like Cel.ly provides a powerful tool for teaching and learning as shared in my book Teaching Generation Text and on my blog. As I've also shared on my blog, it is among several texting tools that can be used to report bullying. What's nice is that if you want, with Cel.ly you can make the reports anonymous.   Here is how schools can setup their own anonymous tip lines. 

The hottest posts everyone's reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog. Below you’ll see the top posts along with the number of page views. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Entry	Pageviews
Using Cell Phones to Support Student Engagement & ... May 6, 2012,	7724
Does Twitter have a minimum age requirement? Jun 13, 2013,	3136
Seven #BacktoSchool Strategies for Strengthening R... Aug 27, 2014,	2384
5 Ideas to Make Lectures and Presentations Interac... Aug 31, 2014,	1819
Seven #BacktoSchool Strategies for Strengthening R... Aug 27, 2014,	1384
8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s Firs... Jul 15, 2010,	912
#BackToSchool Must-Haves For Innovative Educators Sep 3, 2014,	852

Fear is not an option when it comes to social media in schools

By Chris Casal + Lisa Nielsen

Cross posted at http://thecasalos.blogspot.com

Innovative educators know first hand that social media like Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Instagram can be a powerful tool for teaching, learning, leading, and strengthening the home-school connection. In many cases though, others may need to be brought on board. Especially when parents are expressing concerns and unsure of how a platform can be used successfully.

It is the job of innovative educators to ensure parents, colleagues, and administrators know how to embrace the power of social media and also how to address their concerns.  

Here are suggestions for parents, teachers, and administrators in schools embracing social media.  

Connect to the Common Core with Resources Students Commonly Turn to For Learning

If you know the Common Core Standards you know that “The need to conduct research and to produce and consume media is embedded into every aspect of today’s curriculum. In like fashion, research and media skills and understandings are embedded throughout the Standards rather than treated in a separate section.” Common Core Learning Standards for  ELA & Literacy, Key Design Considerations

Innovative educators know that when used in the right way, social networks and other online technologies are great tools to conduct such research and gain knowledge. Not only do they leverage resources students already know and love, but they can also encourage learning in a way that is less restrictive and more open and natural.  For example, collaboration in an online group creates relationships “in which people from often widely divergent cultures and who represent diverse experiences and perspectives learn and work together” as called for in the Common Core Standards.  

Think of how access to personal learning networks created via places like Twitter, Facebook, and Google Hangout can expose students and teachers to “other perspectives and cultures through reading and listening, and they are able to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds.” Think about how these groups require members to “evaluate other points of view critically and constructively,” as is also called for in the Standards.

Unlike when we were in school, our students have access to the internet which has democratized the ability to access, evaluate, organize, and make meaning of what is found. With all this information however, comes a new issue:

The hottest posts everyone's reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog. Below you’ll see the top posts along with the number of page views. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Entry	Pageviews
It's #SoMe - Great #BacktoSchool Activity for Digi... Aug 20, 2014,	2554
5 Ideas to Make Lectures and Presentations Interac... Aug 31, 2014,	1761
Inspirational Videos Help You Frame Focus + Follow... Aug 17, 2014,	1503
Seven #BacktoSchool Strategies for Strengthening R... Aug 27, 2014,	1398

Student Voice Live - 9/20 in NYC: Calling All Innovative Educators

Guest post by student, Keaton Wadzinski

It started with just a few students and allies connecting over Twitter. Then came the weekly #StuVoice Twitter Chats, Facebook conversations, then Google Hangouts, which all led to the first ever Student Voice Live! in April of 2013.

What caught on so quickly? The Student Voice movement.

Once started, the spark of student voice caught fire, igniting the drive to create Student Voice, the for-students-by-students 501 (c) 3 non-profit dedicated to revolutionizing education through the voices and actions of students.

Event details

Innovative Educators are invited to join in this exceptional work on Saturday, September 20th, at Student Voice Live! 2014 at Shootdigital Studios (23 East Fourth St. New York, NY, 10003). Come to contribute your ideas, support, and passion by registering at http://stuvoice.org/student-voice-live. If you can’t attend, you can watch via livestream here and follow our Twitter stream @Stu_Voice!

#BacktoSchool List Begone. Google Chromebooks Are the New Kid in Town

If you're still talking about the digital divide, you haven't heard about Google Chromebooks. Chromebooks are not only affordable, they actually save schools, districts, and families money. Chromebooks are only about $225 and last for about three years. That's $75 a year. The devices cost less than your back to school list for the next three years and yet provide so much more.

Let's take a look. Check out the basic list below. With the exception of your child's clothing, the back-to-school list is history. Pencils, paper, sticky notes, calendar, crayons, erasers, notebooks, even trading cards are a thing of the past with Chromebooks. Say "Goodbye back to school list" and "Hello Google Draw, Docs, Sheets, Calculator, and more."

The New “Talk.” When Your Teen Wants to Tweet.

Editor's note: If you're an innovative educator in secondary school, you are likely to have parents ask for your expert advice on teens and social media. You can give them this article directly or use it to get some ideas about how to best approach the conversation.


If you are a parent of a teen, you already have a lot of experience working with your child(ren) to help them figure out how to engage safely and responsibly in the world. You've thought about which (or if) school is the best, which clubs they should join, which friends they should hang out with, which groups they should be a part of, and when and where they can go and hang out safely.

When your child becomes a teen there will be some new places for you to think about your child being a part of. That is because at 13 your child legally old enough to join popular social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and more.

The good news is you are prepared to do this. You have experience in making sure your child is engaging safely and responsibly in environments that are beneficial. What you've done in the physical world is exactly what you should do online.

When the time comes, be prepared to "discuss" not "tell" your child how to remain safe and responsible online. It is likely they already know what to do if someone writes something that makes them, or someone they know, feel uncomfortable.  For example, you can block or report them to the space. Also discuss what to do if they find someone is making someone else uncomfortable.

Here are some things to think about when, or ideally before, that day comes.

The hottest posts everyone's reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog. Below you’ll see the top posts along with the number of page views. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Entry	Pageviews
It's #SoMe - Great #BacktoSchool Activity for Digi... Aug 20, 2014,	2517
Seven #BacktoSchool Strategies for Strengthening R... Aug 27, 2014,	2388
Inspirational Videos Help You Frame Focus + Follow... Aug 17, 2014,	2091
5 Ideas to Make Lectures and Presentations Interac... Aug 31, 2014,	1747
3 Ways Effective Principals Support Teachers Aug 13, 2014,	1428
Seven #BacktoSchool Strategies for Strengthening R... Aug 27, 2014,	1388
8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s Firs... Jul 15, 2010,	1194

Teachers Get Your Tech On with PBS Learning Media

As innovative educators settle into the new school year, it's not just new students they see. There's also a new crop of devices, apps, and games about which students are excited. That excitement shouldn't end in the classroom.  

PBS LearningMedia, offers tens of thousands of free resources like videos, images, lesson plans, and professional development tools. And they’ve released some fun new ones just in time for the school year, in a collection they’re calling “Get Your Tech On.” 

Here are just 3 ways “Get Your Tech On” can help as you prepare for a tech-filled school year.

1) Get Social
Overwhelmed by social media? Find free info and how-to tutorials for teachers and students on using digital tools, including how to create use Tumblr, design infographics, build a Prezi, record a Vine, and more.

5 Innovative Ideas for Students to Give + Get Help As They're #BacktoSchool with @Fiverr

Fiverr is a hot new resource that is catching on like wildfire with innovative educators. But it shouldn’t end there. Back-to-school is a great time to think about what this could mean for your students! If you don’t know, Fiverr is known as, “The place for people to offer services starting at $5.” The services (called Gigs) are generally provided by freelancers who love what they do and want to share and spread their passion.

On Fiverr you can buy and sell Gigs in areas such as illustrating, writing, creating logos, designing business cards, and recording voiceovers. But it’s not just for grown-ups. Starting at just five bucks, Fiverr is also an innovative resource for students.  

Here are five ways Fiverr can help your students:

Get A Leg Up On Language

• Get Help:
• Have students struggling in a language course? Maybe they are finding Chinese challenging? Perhaps they need a little extra assistance studying for that French exam? No more paying for expensive tutors or participating in a ho-hum after-school program. Students can take their linguistic talents up a notch by getting help from a native-language speaker with Fiverr.  

• Give Help:
• Maybe you or one of your students is bilingual. Think about what services they might offer to other students, their teachers, or even parents!

The hottest posts everyone's reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog. Below you’ll see the top posts along with the number of page views. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you.  If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired use one of those icons below the post to share it with others and/or leave a comment.

Entry	Pageviews
It's #SoMe - Great #BacktoSchool Activity for Digi... Aug 20, 2014,	2409
When tech teaches, what do teachers do? Aug 3, 2014,	2183
Inspirational Videos Help You Frame Focus + Follow... Aug 17, 2014,	2112
10 Reasons Cell Phones Should Be Allowed In School... Aug 24, 2010,	1797
7 Simple steps to setting up Google Hangouts on Ai... Aug 6, 2014,	1710
3 Ways Effective Principals Support Teachers Aug 13, 2014,	1444
Six suggestions for effective, large-scale technol... Aug 10, 2014,	1155

#BackToSchool Must-Haves For Innovative Educators

As the school year begins there are numerous resources to ease and enrich the lives of innovative educators and their students that will facilitate effective teaching and learning.

Here are my top picks for 2014/15.