The Hottest Post 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
Nearly 60% of Teens Use Their Own Mobile Devices i... May 3, 2015,	5228
8 Digital Resources To Stay Connected to Families ... May 17, 2015,	3123
Handy Tip to Make Presentations Engaging + Interac... May 10, 2015,	2434
7 Must-Haves for Teaching + Learning with #BYOD #B... Mar 22, 2015,	2075
The Beginning of BYOD in New York City Schools May 18, 2015,	1082
7 Must-Haves for Teaching + Learning with #BYOD #B... Mar 22, 2015,	1075
Some good reasons to go to school Apr 11, 2011,	1073
9 Actions + Policies Necessary To Embrace Cell Pho... Apr 22, 2015,	1038
25 Incredible Assistive Technologies Sep 5, 2011,	891

The Beginning of BYOD in New York City Schools

Today is the first day of the New York City Department of Education's "Bring Your Own Device" Institute.  Below is an interview featuring teachers from two participating schools that was conducted by Common Sense Graphite (originally posted here.)

 By Erin Wilkey Oh 

On March 2, 2015, the New York City Department of Education lifted its school cell phone ban. Students are now allowed to bring cell phones and other personal electronic devices to school. Each school is tasked with creating its own cell phone and electronic device policy for students. This brings some challenges but also many exciting opportunities for those schools willing to explore the possibilities of a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program.

I recently chatted via email with Jackie Patanio, technology coach at Public School 16 in Staten Island, N.Y., and Carolyn Semet, technology specialist at Intermediate School 230 in Jackson Heights, N.Y. I wanted to hear how things were going for them and the teachers they work with one month after the ban lifted.

8 Digital Resources To Stay Connected to Families This Summer

I had the opportunity to speak to parent coordinators (those who are the liaison between families and schools) about great tools to stay connected to families this summer.  The focus was on free social media tools that parents can access via their cell phone. About half of the resources could be accessed on basic, text enabled phones which is great for communities where not all parents have consistent data plans or internet access.

I shared examples of each of the following tools. The goal for participants was to come away with one tool they would use this summer to stay connected with families.

Here are the resources I shared:

	Tool	Number	URL
1	Cel.ly	23559	http://cel.ly
2	Facebook	N/A	https://www.facebook.com
3	iPadio	866-605-0336	http://www.ipadio.com
4	Remind	81010	http://www.remind.com
5	Twitter Fast Follow	40404	https://twitter.com
6	UStream	N/A	http://www.ustream.tv
7	Vimeo	N/A	https://vimeo.com
8	YouTube	N/A	https://www.youtube.com

Here is the presentation I delivered to show how each resource is used:

Which of these resources have you used?  What has worked well? Have examples?  Share in the comments.

The Hottest Post Everyone's Reading

Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The 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
Screentime - Focus On Quality, Not Quantity Apr 12, 2015,	5379
Teacher Advice to Students On Social Media Use Apr 15, 2015,	3932
7 Must-Haves for Teaching + Learning with #BYOD #B... Mar 22, 2015,	2334
10 Reasons Cell Phones Should Be Allowed In School... Aug 24, 2010,	2255
9 Actions + Policies Necessary To Embrace Cell Pho... Apr 22, 2015,	2230
25 Incredible Assistive Technologies Sep 5, 2011,	1274
#Student Wisdom: Tech Doesn't Always = Innovation Apr 1, 2015,	1068
If You Haven't Paid Your Respects to Paper, You Sh... Apr 5, 2015,	971

My Wall Street Journal Article Answering: Does Technology Belong in Classroom Instruction?

The Wall Street Journal approached me to write an article sharing my views on whether technology belonged in the classroom. I was surprised anyone was still having this conversation, but like the technology-banning professor Clay Shirky, there are others, who don't see the power of technology beyond a device of consumption. They still view school time as a place for stand and deliver instruction where students need to be told how to learn and think critically and they can only do that with humans who are physically present. 

Of course, innovative educators have a different view of learning. We know that technology can be used as a tool to engage students with a global network experts and others who share their passions and interests. We understand that technology lets us go beyond handing work in and on to publishing it.  

Please check out both sides of the article in The Wall Street Journal at this link and comment there and here with your views on the topic.

I can't wait to discuss.

Visit this link to share your thoughts and comment on the article.

Handy Tip to Make Presentations Engaging + Interactive

Whether presenting to a class or audience, for most, interactivity is appreciated. One technique I enjoy is to ask participants to discuss an issue with colleagues. I generally leave the presentation platform to access the timer and countdown music, then come back to it.  But that can get annoying and sort of glitchy.  I thought there had to be a better way.

There is.