You know, I absolutely adore each of you, even if I don't know you personally. I love how open, honest, and giving we all are. We are all little golden nuggets of information, and let's be honest... we're all rockstars in the classroom!
Being informative nuggets is awesome. I've learned so much from our EdTech gals and other Fellows. Twitter is the bomb- for real, for real.
In an effort to be both open and honest, I must share something with you all. My brain cannot handle the app overload! I can't possibly try each app or program or software or whatever-you-wanna-call-it. Rather than even attempt this undeniably impossible task, I've taken a step back...
Reflection time, y'all! Stop, collaborate, and listen.
Stop- take a minute to learn from your Fellows. They'll share, I promise. Think about how you could use this tech in your classroom.
Collaborate- talk to your teammates about the tech. Are they willing to share the load??
Listen- you know your class, your content, and your teaching style. Is this tech really something you want to invest in? Are you going to commit to it OR is this going to be another app you test out on your kids? And, to be honest, I've totally done this a couple of times 🙋
We've got enough to do without trying to introduce something new ALL the time! I have determined that I love the following:
- itslearning: it's a blossoming kinda love, but at least it's not withering?
- masteryconnect: that data, tho
- nearpod.com: ohmygah this is awesome
- kahoot: I actually had a kid break his arm this year while we were playing a kahoot. It's legit.
- This last bullet point is empty. I feel that my kids and I could both handle one more app. What are your favorite apps/tech tools? What do you use them for?
I try very hard to follow the one screen rule - if the apps am using on a regular basis take up more than one screen, I know I'm using too many. While I don't think there is one app to rule them all - I do know that there are too many for anyone to ever truly master! I'd like to propose Google Keep for your final bullet point. Holds notes, lists, images, and can schedule to-dos by time or place. It also integrates with Docs and Slides, so when students are working they can keep a little note-pad off to the side. I use Keep so much it is in my app dock!
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