The hottest posts everyone's reading

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

Entry	Pageviews
What's your digital footprint? Take this quiz and ... Apr 9, 2013, 1 comment	2751
6 free ways to capture student responses w/out clickers... Mar 27, 2013, 7 comments	2013
Tell educators they matter. Place your #BammyAward... Apr 7, 2013, 2 comments	1894
6 Reasons Why You Should Use 6 Laptops ... Apr 8, 2013, 3 comments	1820
Ed-specific or student specific? Which device is ... Apr 3, 2013, 2 comments	1640
Education Reformers Apr 5, 2013, 2 comments	1604
8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Schoening’s 1st Gr... Jul 15, 2010, 24 comments	1409
Preparing Students for Success – Develop passions ... Dec 25, 2010, 3 comments	1237

Educators connect with students & parents using Voki animated avatar

With Voki (www.Voki.com) you can share a message using an animated avatar that talks. It is created using a student’s own voice recorded right from any phone. You can design the avatar’s appearance, add voice, and can get an embed code to pop it into any web2.0 compatible site (Wikis, Blogs, Facebook, Websites) or even powerpoint. The avatar moves and speaks based on what the caller says.

Not only does Voki provide a fun way to share information with parents but you can also capture anyone’s message with a cell phone. This means once you set up the Voki up on any computer you can hand phone to a student, teacher, principal or yourself to capture a powerful words and ideas to share.

Who's doing this?

1. Greg Miller - Primary school principal Since Vokis are easily embeddable school staff often use Voki to record introduction messages for their school websites. For example, special education teacher Kim Gill embedded a Voki to welcome students and parents to their home page (http://teachers.wrdsb.ca/gillk). Primary school Principal Greg Miller recorded a personalized welcome message and embedded onto the school website.

Yeeah! #BammyAwards nominates The Innovative Educator

Well isn't this fabulous? While I was out nominating awesome folks from around the nation for the Bammy Awards, I opened up my own email to find the Bammy Nomination Committee had selected me for the Education Commentator/Blogger category. How cool is that?

Click here to check it out and vote.

If you haven't heard of the Bammy's, it is the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences Award.  "The Academy exists solely to recognize what is right in education by identifying, honoring and celebrating the collective contributions of professionals, paraprofessionals and support staff across the entire education community." 

Here is the nomination:

Lisa Nielsen thinks in very liberated and liberating ways about education. She pushes the envelope in the area of reinventing what schooling means, what the objectives should be and how do it. Outspoken and courageous, she has taken many bold and controversial positions based on her belief that educators and education must be reinvented to be relevant in a brave new, technology-driven world.

Lisa is a strong collaborator and works with many groups to help move education reform forward. It's hard not to be impressed by the extent to which Lisa will go to push others forward, to empower and support the people she believes are on the right track. Her passion, energy and bias for action puts her in the league of proactive bloggers/commentators who go beyond writing and speaking about education reform to actually organizing and acting to advance the reforms she believes are critical to the field of education. Thoughtful, way out of the box thinker, more than and idea person...a "doer."

Perhaps most important to me is the fact that each vote has a short statement by the voter. It's an amazing feeling to be praised for exactly those qualities that I value and strive for. This one comes from my friend and fellow-nominee, Lee Kolbert:

"Lisa is a truly innovative educator who clearly articulates that which the rest of us are thinking. She is very knowledgeable and courageous. She deserves this award."

I would be honored if any of you who have believed in, been inspired by, or taken action as a result of my words, showed your support by clicking this link, then registering or logging in with Facebook, and submiting your vote (and if you’d like, I'd love to read a statement from you as well).

What's your digital footprint? Take this quiz and find out!

I developed this quiz with members of my personal learning network (found at end of post) to get students thinking about their digital footprint. The quiz was created at the request of high school students I spoke with who thought the creation of a such a quiz could lead to a smart conversation about ways students can update their digital footprint so that it is one that leads to college and career success.

Check it out with your students and let me know how it goes in the comments below. 

Per popular request, here is a link to the digital version of the quiz. Upon completion, quiz takers will receive a score.  

6 Reasons Why You Should Use 6 Laptops in Your Classroom

Guest post by Bradley Lands  | Cross posted at The Landscape of Learning

The 1:1 student to computer ratio initiative is a great goal for schools to have. I mean, what school would not want each of their students to have access to a personal laptop computer? The problem is that most schools can't afford to spend the kind of money that it takes to provide each student with a laptop, especially when the nation is trying to climb out of a recession. Moreover, lots of schools are not budging on their Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, preventing students from bringing their own technology devices to school such as their phones, ipods, tablets, e-readers and laptops.

Tell educators #YouMatter. Place your #BammyAwards Vote!

Educator's make their way to the red carpet.
I'm in the purple dress with my boyfriend, back right.

Envision a world that values education like it values entertainment. That is the goal of The Bammy Awards. It’s time for The Bammy nominations, a cross-discipline honor that identifies and acknowledges the extraordinary work being done across the education field every day-- from teachers, principals and superintendents, to advocates, researchers, education journalists and parents.  The Bammy Awards were created to help reverse the negative national narrative that dominates the education field.

Now, you, the online community, have a chance to bring recognition to those we know, admire, and respect by placing a vote for the Educator's Voice Award to recognize the nominees that you believe are making a significant difference in the field.  Below are my first round of five nominations. Please take a look and if you like what you read, click that little “vote” link to find out more and vote for this person if you believe they should be honored.  

	School Board - Lisa Cooley Lisa Cooley brings real education change to the school board table. Her position on progressive education and opposition to high-stakes testing and standardization bring the wider world of school transformation to a rural New England school district. She brings her ideas on meaningful student learning to every aspect of school board activity, from the budget, to curriculum decisions, to student expulsion hearings. Her goals are to bring students’ interests, passions, enjoyments and curiosities to their everyday work at school are why she should receive this recognition. Vote for Lisa here.
	David Bernstein - Education Reporter David is a passionate father of two sons both of whom have learning differences. He has become a prolific writer for such publications as the Washington Post and Education Week on education innovation and learning differences. Some of his thoughtful work includes this article in the the Washington Post’s “Answer Sheet”  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/06/is-school-reform-making-america-less-competitive/ and this from Education Week http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/04/03/27bernstein_ep.h32.html You can vote for david here.
	Kris Nielsen - Middle School Teacher of the Year There are innovative educators in thousands of classrooms all across America. Having served as a middle grades educator and instructional leader for six years in New Mexico, Oregon, and North Carolina, Kris L. Nielsen is one of them.  Nielsen became frustrated as he watched political policies put in place that are strangling the drive and desire for educators to be the innovative class leaders they grew to be. As a result Nielsen was compelled to write Children of the Core www.childrenofthecore.com written with parents in mind, and with students as the inspiration. Nielsen says, “We--parents, students, and teachers--were promised a revolutionary new system that would narrow the achievement gaps in reading and math, create environments for deeper and critical thinking, and prepare our students for life, career, and college.  What we’re finding is that none of this is true.  It’s all totally opposite.” Vote for Kris here.
	Secondary School Principal - Chris Lehmann Chris Lehmann not only talks the talk. He gets right in their and walks the walk...and in some cases, like when he does races with students, he'll run the run to keep up with his kids. The best way to explain why Chris should be recognized is to share some of the talking that Chris walks in his own words: "If you dare kids to do real stuff that matters, you better be prepared to get out of the way." “Technology should be like oxygen: ubiquitous, necessary, and invisible.” "I want kids to be "thoughtful, wise, passionate and kind." "Schools can be places of great passion where students learn what it means to be scholar-activists, fully invested in authentic work that matters to them today, not someday." When Chris is not talking the talk and walking the walk, he is writing about it. His blog (http://practicaltheory.org/blog) is a continual source of inspiration to educators, parents, and students around the globe. Vote for Chris here.
	Education School Professor - Mark Naison Ever since the community history projects he was doing in Bronx Schools were pushed out to make room for high stakes testing, Mark Naison has been taking a stand to end the demonetization of teachers and restore what is best for students, staff, and parents who are a part of our schools. Naison is the funky fresh Fordham University professor known as Notorious PhD. He spreads his message via his blog “With a Brooklyn Accent” (http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com); through his “Teachers Talk Back” listserve; and through the speeches and educational raps he gives at rallies and demonstrations in defense of public education. Check out his “Achievement Rap” which he performed here (http://youtu.be/IZfj5XMKVyc)at a “Save Our Schools” March. His most recent initiative is a Teachers Oral History project (http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2013/03/teacher-oral-history-project-to.html) that will document the damage that has been done to public education and  teachers professionalism in the age of high stakes tests. Vote for Mark here!
	Jessica Smock - Education Policy Research Jessica served as a teacher and curriculum coordinator for more than a decade before turning to research and writing. She recently defended her doctoral dissertation about the educational experiences of African American female graduates of a nonprofit. Currently, her focus is related to the role of innovative programs and individuals to transform education. Specifically she has been looking at what can be learned from models such as home education that empower young people to learn outside school settings which you can read here http://gettingsmart.com/cms/edreformer/what-an-educator-learned-from-home-schooling-parents/ You can read more of her work on her blog, School of Smock (http://www.schoolofsmock.com) Vote for Jessica here!
	Jean McTavish, High School Principal Jean Schutt McTavish is a unique school leader for her activism in ensuring our children have healthy bodies and minds. She gave up a considerable amount of office space to build a student kitchen where students can cook food that they have grown in the school’s garden and teaches a spin class at 7 a.m. three days a week. In addition to supporting the health and fitness of students’ bodies, she also works hard to support their minds. McTavish works to instill students with self confidence and the belief that they can do anything they set their minds to. Part of her work to instil confidence in students and ensure their success involves speaking out about the deleterious effects of high stakes testing on students who are most at risk in America. McTavish believes educational leaders must stand up for our children and will fearlessly call out any leader willing to sell out the education of children to advance their career. She speaks, writes, and acts to effect change in this area and opts her own children out of high stakes testing. You can find her activism at Our Village, Our Schools Vote for Jean here!
	Me! Education Commenter / Blogger I was excited to recently learn that I too was nominated for an award.  Exciting!!! Here’s what the nomination said: Lisa Nielsen thinks in very liberated and liberating ways about education. She pushes the envelope in the area of reinventing what schooling means, what the objectives should be and how do it. Outspoken and courageous, she has taken many bold and controversial positions based on her belief that educators and education must be reinvented to be relevant in a brave new, technology-driven world. Lisa is a strong collaborator and works with many groups to help move education reform forward. It's hard not to be impressed by the extent to which Lisa will go to push others forward, to empower and support the people she believes are on the right track. Her passion, energy and bias for action puts her in the league of proactive bloggers/commentators who go beyond writing and speaking about education reform to actually organizing and acting to advance the reforms she believes are critical to the field of education. Thoughtful, way out of the box thinker, more than and idea person...a "doer." Vote for me here :)