Why Use Voxer, the Messaging App

For the last few years, I have been an avid user of the Voxer app. When I mentioned the app to new users, they often want to know more. Here I explain some of its uses for professional development and integration with students.

Professional Development

The app offers the ability to send text, audio, images, videos messages to a single user or a group. If you have an interest in a special area, such as English Language Arts or the Flipped Classroom, you can join a group with others with the same interest and pose questions and learn of suggestions others offer. Planning on attending a conference or presenting at one, you can start a Voxer group to coordinate plans.

Here is a screen capture of just a few of the Voxer groups I have joined.

Integration with Students

In lieu of sending class emails or individual emails, Voxer can be used to send messages regarding course work. A class chat group can be set up with all class members. Once that is done, messages can be shared back and forth with all members in the class or separately to individuals by side voxing them. If a student has a question about an assignment, they can post it to the class chat or send it individually to the instructor.

Some Recommended Setting

• I turn off alerts and just check the app regularly throughout the day for new messages. 
• I prefer to have the audio message set to use the start and stop option instead of using the default option which requires holding down the audio button the whole time while audio recording a message.
• For long audio messages spoken slowly, I will sometimes use the option to listen at a faster speed, usually setting the speed to 2X. This is done by hitting the speed button at the bottom of the screen when listening to a message.

Still Not Sure about Twitter for Professional Development

Check out this Prezi about Twitter for professional development and about social media in general. Let us know your thoughts after you view the presentation.

Social Media - Twitter as a tool for Education on Prezi

It's SummerTime: Spring into Action

Next week begins the summer solstice. What does that mean for teachers? Time to kick back and relax, and time to extend your professional learning network. The Educators' PLN, The Personal Learning Network for Educators, is a wonderful community to join in the summer. With over 8,000 members, where else can you find so many educators willing to share? There are 89 special interest groups, daily blogging, forums to join, videos to catch, and more. The Educatiors' PLN,is open to all educators. Sign up today, and avail yourself of the many resources. Remember it is free to join. As an educator, you have nothing to lose, and tons to gain.

Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/popoever/1349897444/

Professional Organizations’ Facebook Pages

If you use Facebook, you might want to receive feeds from your professional organizations, or if you prefer, save the URLs in your bookmark folder and access the pages without using a Facebook account. Here are examples of five professional organizations with Facebook pages:

National Council of Teachers of Math at:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/TeachersofMathematics

Spanish Teachers at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Spanish-Teachers/306012289177

American Association of Teachers of French at:
http://www.facebook.com/AATFrench

International Reading Association at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Reading-Association/8149175108

Read, Write, Think at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/pages/ReadWriteThinkorg/114708779358

If you check out any of the Facebook pages of a professional organization, let us know your response. If you know of other organizations with Facebook pages, share with us this information.

Online Professional Development

I'm posting links to blogs, nings, and podcasts sponsored by the professional organizations in K-12 disciplines. Use the post a "Comment" feature to add to the list, and I will edit this Blog to include your addition. Also, post a "Comment" to let us know how professional blogs and nings contribute to your professionally development extend your repository of teaching ideas.

National Council of Teachers of English Blog
National Council of Teachers of English Ning
National Teachers of Science Association Podcasts
National Council of Teachers of Science Blog
National Council of Teachers of Social Studies Blog
National Council for Social Studies Ning

Also but not blogs or nings:
National Council of Teachers of Math (Middle School Resources)
National Council of Teachers of Math (High School Resources)
National Council of Teachers of Math (Illuminations)

Image from anniesullivan.org

What's a Ning? Why Use One?

The Ning in Education site provides a good overview of using Nings in the educational setting. Browse around, and let us know what you find of value, and what your initial impressions are of using Nings for professional development purposes. Remember our Class Ning at Computers in the Classroom has a Forum devoted to discipline-specific Nings. I also suggest browsing around the Classroom 2.0 ning. Yes, at times, the array of resources online can make you dizzy, but they can also put at your fingertips valuable resources for teaching and contribute to your development as a self-reflective practitioner. Of course, you need not agree, but what are your impressions for now of Nings for professional development? If you find Nings you want to share with others, visit Class Ning at Computers in the Classroom and add a Forum or Blog about the Ning.

Facebook and Twitter for Professional Development

Here are examples of how these two social networking sites can be used in the educational setting. Both come from Teacher Magazine that maintains a Facebook site and a Twitter site. Looking at these two examples will show alternative ways to use these sites. How else might these sites, Facebook and Twitter, be used in the actual classroom setting with students? What kind of Facebook site might you set up with students to engage them in the learning process, for instance?

Teacher Magazine on Facebook

Teacher Magazine on Twitter

Teachers Selling Their Wares on the Internet

Social network sites, such as Nings, allow teachers to share lesson plan ideas. Many teachers maintain websites where their lessons are readily available to others. But what about the selling and buying of lessons plans online. Check this front page article in the New York Times today: Selling Lesson Plans Online Raises Cash and Questions. Let us know what you think?

Image from the article, credit and photo caption:

Ruby Washington/The New York Times, Ms. Bohrer has sold 31 M&M counting exercises, which come with directions, sorting mats and work sheets, for $3 each.

It's Your Education: What Do You Think?

"Teach Your Teachers Well", an Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed) in today's The New York Times, offers advice on preparing teachers. Read through the editorial to see if you agree with the points. Let us know what you think. Basically, its author, Susan Engel, addresses: the poor quality of teacher education preparatory programs, the dearth of teacher preparation programs at high caliber institutions of higher education, the less than rigorous coursework required in one's content area to be and continue to be a teacher, and the lack of sustained mentoring for new teachers. Even the present system of student teaching is under attack. Engel claims student teachers are observed merely twice and not sufficiently mentored. What has been your observations and experiences of how teachers are prepared to enter the classroom and continue to be outstanding teachers? Do you agree with the points in the editorial? With which points do you differ? As for Engel's credentials, The Times notes she "is a senior lecturer in psychology and the director of the teaching program at Williams College."
Photo of Susan Engel from her faculty page at Williams College.

Sample e-Port with TaskStream

As some of you in the education program at Saint Joseph College know, we are using the TaskStream platform for creation of portfolios. Here is a professional one I found put together by Helen Barrett using TaskStream. Check out how she has organized her professional accomplishments. Let us know if you get any ideas for how to arrange your own e-portfolio and what to put in it after viewing Helen's sample. If you're not presenting doing an e-Port at the College, how else might you use one and for what purpose? Helen has also put together this same portfolio using other platforms, and you might want to check out some of these for comparison sake.
Helen's Portfolio in Googledocs
Helen's Portfolio in PBWiki
Helen's Portfolio in Google Sites
(image from Helen's TaskStream e-Port)

Why Use an E-Portfolio

Enjoy this short video on why use an e-portfolio for professional purposes. After viewing it, let us know what you think of the video and e-ports.

Free Technology for Teachers

Check out this blog, Free Technology for Teachers. This site is worth bookmarking and returning to weekly for access to sites that you can use. Just today I discovered from this blog this slide show Tap Into the World of Comics: Strategies for Using Comics in the Classroom as well as Museum of Humor, which offers teachers a host of lesson plans. The left sidebar on Free Technology for Teachers offers a list of links for resources in teaching social studies, English/language arts, math, science, and foreign language, while the right sidebar has links to a variety of resources. The site's designer boasts: "In 2008 Free Technology for Teachers was awarded the Edublogger Award for 'Best Resource Sharing Blog.' Free Technology for Teachers is read by an audience of more than 8000 subscribers." I know this is one blog that I have bookmarked and follow weekly. Hope you do too, and share with us helpful resources you find through the blog. Yesterday, October 29, the blog's main post was on the Crash of 1929, with the 80th anniversary of the Black Market marked on that date. A link to CNN Student News to a short segment and a PBS series American Experience with an hour long video about the stock market crash of 1929 were provided as well as this offering for watching an American Experience: The Crash of 1929 by clicking here. I also learned about the Science Netlinks - Dozens of Science Lessons, including ones for integrating science into the elementary school classroom.



For those of you seeking videos beyond YouTube these are offered:

Great Alternatives to YouTube
Dozens of More Resources
Teacher Tube
Edu Blogs TV
Nibipedia
Ted - Ideas Worth Spreading
Hulu