Let's Talk EdTech

It's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the new technology coming out each year and many of us spend most of our time learning (or trying to learn) those new tools. In Brian's last summer soapbox, he argues for a different approach on choosing what to learn.

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:50 TPACK Framework

• Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge

2:00 Visualize the Venn diagram

• How does technology influence pedagogy?
• How does your pedagogy change based on the content you're teaching?
• What technology do you have to support your content?

2:40 Your technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge
3:00 Identify your "small circles"

• Seek out information to help you grow in small circles
• Find resources to help you balance out your knowledge domains

4:05 Use TPACK to decide what you need to work on this year

• Stop chasing "stuff"
• Look for people, videos, podcasts, or books which can help you grow your smallest circle

6:05 The team is back soon!

The Chrome browser has 65% market share in terms of usage. In other words, six out of 10 people use it every day as their only tool for the web. If you're a Chrome user, Brian has some power tips for you to become a true wizard.

Links
Four ways to be a Chrome power user
The super shortcut cheat sheet

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:44 What is Google Chrome?

• Also, Brian was wrong about the usage stats in the audio
• Vivaldi browser if you want to check out a cool alternative

2:27 Tip 1: Bookmarks

• Add a bookmark

3:13 Tip 2: Re-open closed tabs

• Control + Shift + T (Windows)
• Command + Shift + T (Mac)
• Related: Reopen a closed window with all of its tabs

4:13 Tip 3: Search your open and recent tabs

• Control + Shift + A (Windows)
• Command + Shift + A (Mac)
• How to search open tabs in Chrome

5:12 Tip 4: Using Chrome Profiles

• Set up profiles in Chrome

6:25 Tip 5: Name your Chrome windows

• Organize Chrome with named windows

7:22 Tip 5: Open the search in a sidebar

• Using Chrome's new search sidebar
• Related: What are Chrome Journeys and why should you use them?

Have you ever felt frustrated with another department, in particular, your IT department? That relationship can cause friction, especially if you're in edtech and running into roadblocks. Today, Brian shares some ideas on how to work better with your IT department.

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
2:13 Tip 1: Get to know your technicians
3:25 Tip 2: Ask follow up questions

• Use non-confrontational language: "Please help me understand...", "Can you explain why...?"

4:28 Tip 3: Be as specific and detailed as possible when asking for help

• Never send "No subject" emails!
• Explain what you've tried
• Include screenshots or error messages
  • Taking screenshots on Windows
  • Taking screenshots on Mac

Brian is all alone this summer and needed to keep the podcast recording moving. In this episode, Brian talks about the best productivity tool for anyone trying to be efficient in their work.

Links
The BEST Productivity Tool for your Team

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:02 The best tool is the calendar
1:35 Don't use email to coordinate meetings
1:55 Share free/busy time on your calendar

• How to change your calendar settings

2:45 Attach documents to your calendar events
4:10 Use Find a Time to schedule large groups

• See calendars side by side to find a time to meet

5:30 What tips do you have?

Beth and Holly get together to talk about how to use translation tools to make text more accessible to your students. Brian also makes an appearance.

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:10 Snap & Read

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
• Take a photo of text to have it read aloud
• Translate text found using OCR
• Text-to-speech, translation, and text-replacement in Safari

5:05 Google Translate

• Use the camera to translate print text live

5:55 Conversation mode in Google Translate

• One on one translating between two people
• Fast & easy to open
• Can be slow to translate

7:12 Microsoft Translator

• Conversation mode with multiple devices
• English is shown along with translated text
• Multiple languages available in the same session
• Open a session on your phone so you can move around

10:30 Immersive Reader in Canvas (and other places)

• Images included for words (hover to show)
• Does not display images!

12:00 First contact should be text, images should support the text
12:35 Anyone remember "app smashing?" Anyone?
13:20 AI tools can be used to do quick translation

In Elkhart, we use iOS for our student device and Google for all of our cloud productivity tools, but which one is better? Beth and Billie Jo break down when to use what and why you shouldn't discount iOS tools when it comes to your technology use in class.

Links
We have a summer conference!
Sign up for your Canva Education account
WATCH: Using Numbers as a template creator
USE: Billie Jo's Great Lakes Numbers activity

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:55 Distracted by docs.new
1:40 Google Docs vs Pages

• Creating nice-looking templates
• Embedded media (video/audio)
• Placeholders for inserting their own media

5:45 Google Slides vs Keynote

• iOS tools are the same across all apps
• Create templates for students on your iPad

6:35 Google Sheets vs Numbers

• Delete the spreadsheet grid in Numbers
• Use tabs to scaffold activities in a template

8:40 Okay okay, Google sharing is better
9:00 AirDrop templates through Apple Classroom or Schoolwork
9:30 We still love Canva
10:13 What's making us happy?

•  Beth is still waiting for a library book
•  Beth is also super excited about the Speak Now re-release
•  Billie Jo is happy our office furniture is finally arriving

The amount of technology in schools can be overwhelming, especially if you have a different device than your students for classroom use. In this episode, Beth and Billie Jo explain why they tried to use student devices more than their teacher device in the classroom.

Links
Join us at our summer conference!

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:50 Our technology tools
2:45 Ask yourself, "What's possible with the student device?"
3:50 Start simple: timers!

• Set a timer on iOS

5:28 Use Apple Classroom for transitions

• How to use multitasking on iOS

7:20 Take advantage of the camera
8:15 Organize the home screen with widgets

• How to add widgets

10:00 Use iOS Shortcuts for quick actions

• Find and create shortcuts

10:25 Share resources with a QR code

The school year has come - or is coming - to a close. Beth and Billie Jo talk through their top tips for closing out your year so you're ready to jump back into teaching with technology in the fall.

Links
Filtering Gmail in 40 seconds
Join us at the DOT Conference - August 7-8, 2023

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:45 Clean up Gmail with filters and labels
4:00 Don't mark things as read when you filter
5:20 Filter emails by date to separate summer stuff
6:38 Delete "Untitled" stuff from Google Drive
7:00 Sort files by size and remove big stuff

• Click on "Storage" in the bottom left corner of Google Drive

8:00 Color-code folders for critical stuff
8:35 Use Gmail's vacation responder
9:15 In general - if you don't use it, delete it
9:40 Set up annual Google Drive folder archives
10:30 Brainstorm one way to learn something new for the fall

Pear Deck is an add-on for Google Slides which allows you to add interactive bits to your presentations. In this episode, Brian and Holly talk over what Pear Deck is and why it's a great tool to pull into your teaching.

Links
Formative vs Summative Classroom Techniques
Helping students own vocabulary
Adding audio to Google Slides

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:16 What is Pear Deck and how does it work?

• Learn more at peardeck.com

4:20 Using Pear Deck in different contexts

• Professional development conversation starters
• Substitute teaching activities

5:45 Watch thinking happen in real time
7:05 Using Pear Deck as a formative feedback tool
7:45 Take advantage of Student Paced activities
8:25 Pear Deck Takeaways - session reports in Google Drive
10:50 Why we pay for Pear Deck

ChatGPT is all over the place and schools are trying to figure out how to manage some of the implications. We don't talk about any of that in this episode. Instead, Brian teaches Holly about what AI is and how it actually works. If you want to know more about what goes on behind the screen when you talk with ChatGPT, this episode is for you.
 
Worth reading
Explore ChatGPT in these curated resources
ChatGPT is a Blurry JPEG of the Web
Stephen Wolfram has a super in depth look at Large Language Model AI

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:30 When was the term "artificial intelligence" first used?
2:03 What is AI?
2:53 What is "Machine Learning?"
3:50 How does this relate to ChatGPT?

4:35 What are the problems with this type of AI?
5:15 How was ChatGPT trained?
5:37 What do my students need to know?

7:05 True/False: ChatGPT can access the Internet to find answers to questions.

7:30 True/False: ChatGPT understands logic (true/false statements)
8:17 True/False: ChatGPT can hallucinate.
9:34 True/False: ChatGPT can’t remember it’s own name
10:09 True/False: ChatGPT will produce the same answers for identical prompts
10:49 True/False: ChatGPT can summarize current events

Video is a powerful teaching tool - it can be used to introduce ideas, remediate, or extend what you're doing with students. And don't limit it to yourself - have your students create their own videos to show what they know. In this episode, Billie Jo and Beth go through their top tips for teaching with video.

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:50 Beth wishes Billie Jo had introduced this episode
1:00 Why videos?

• Screen record on the Mac

2:58 Making videos with your phone or iPad

• Screen record on an iPad
• Different types of videos you can make

4:00 Using video in rotation stations
4:58 Loop videos in using Keynote slides
5:18 Beth says "GIF" wrong

• https://gifmaker.com
• Export a Canva video as a GIF

6:05 Getting used to your voice
6:25 Let your students make their own!
7:02 Using video as a choice board task
7:50 Apps to try out

• Flip (formerly Flipgrid)
• Three quick & easy podcasting projects in Flip
• Apple Clips
• iMovie Storyboards

10:04 Using Seesaw to make videos
11:34 Use Seesaw Frames to template your projects

• Billie Jo's video showing Frames

12:00 Canvas Studio

• Intro to Canvas Studio

13:45 Join us at the DOT Conference August 7-8, 2023

• Schedule and registration

We're taking a slight detour and using a whole episode to talk about stuff that's making us happy both at work and at home. Beth and Billie Jo share some of their delights that are sure to put a smile on your face.

Join us this August at Elkhart's summer learning series. More details and registration information are on our website.


Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:02 Beth's new superpower
2:05 Billie Jo discovers a Super Mario Bros. secret
3:13 Beth loves using AI tools at work

• Twee - ELA activities and questions generated from YouTube links
• Curipod - AI-assisted lesson builder

7:00 Billie Jo and powerful new Seesaw updates

• Copy and paste pages between activities
• Fit your pages to the device students are using
• Watch the full video update on our YouTube channel

10:07 Creative time after state testing
11:45 IXL quizzes are just the best
12:55 Bonus: Billie Jo's husband cleaned the entire house
13:25 Bonus: Beth still loves audiobooks

We're big fans of Canva in every way and this spring, they delivered 10 gifts for users. Beth and Billie Jo run through each of these new tools and why you'd want to try using them in your classroom.

Check out the full announcement from Canva here

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:25 Magic Design - drag any picture in to automatically design a post using AI
2:25 Draw your ideas - draw on top of any template, design, photo, or video
3:10 Translate - translate any text in your design with one click
3:45 Magic Eraser - easily remove something from any photo
5:35 Magic Edit - clean up photos by describing what you want instead
6:10 Beat Sync - sync what you're doing with your video
6:27 Presentation Generator - type in your presentation title to pre-fill slides with information
7:42 Magic Write - create engaging text for designs with chat-like prompts
8:12 Text to Image - describe what you want and an AI will create your post for you
9:20 Custom Animations - draw a path you want part of your design to move along
11:05 Sign up for your educator account on https://canva.com/education

• Free premium account
• Resources, webinars, and tutorials are included
• Student accounts can get linked to your class

iOS includes dozens of ways to make using the iPad more accessible. In this episode, Beth and Holly go over their favorite settings to use and why you should use them yourself and with students.

Check out our video demonstrating most of these tools

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:00 Enable dictation
2:05 Speak Screen and Speak Selection
3:14 Use Alex as the Siri voice for a more natural sound
4:45 Reader View in Safari to clean up and annotate web pages

• Watch Beth annotate an article with Reader View

6:20 Use Guided Access to help students focus during work times
8:59 Let students make their own choices
9:34 What's making you happy?

• Beth: Twee - AI-generated questions for any YouTube video
• Holly: Canva adds AI-assisted image cleanup

Do you have iOS tips or suggestions? Send us an email at pd@elkhart.k12.in.us.

QR codes have been around for almost 30 years and really became popular during the COVID restrictions. In this episode, Beth and Billie Jo share 21 ways you can use QR codes in your classroom to make life easier for you and your students.

Links
Denny Hammond shares a great trick for using QR codes on Chromebooks
Our one-click QR code video
Other ideas for using QR codes

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:45 What is a QR code?
1:45 Nerd alert: how many possible QR codes are there?
2:40 Why use QR codes?
3:37 How do you make a QR code?

• Chrome
• Bit.ly
• Canva
• https://qrtiger.com

4:15 Static vs dynamic QR codes
5:15 20 ways to use QR codes (+1 bonus unscripted way)
10:24 Wrap up

All four coaches gather in this episode to discuss things that really bother us. 

Join us for our conference!
Do One Thing (DOT) Conference
August 7-8, 2023
Elkhart, Indiana

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:35 Explaining the idea of the episode
1:10 Why Holly doesn't like sandwiches
2:10 Brian doesn't know what Chik-fil-A sauce is
2:30 Are hot dogs or burgers sandwiches?
3:35 Adults cannot be picky eaters
4:30 Beth's frustrations with Bitmoji Classrooms

• Lack of accessibility, high stimulation, time spent vs impact on students

5:48 Putting work into your career is good, but not at the expense of meaningful tasks
6:45 Freemium tools

• Companies create tools just to get bought

8:00 Conferences selling your information to vendors

Chrome Extensions are little plugins you can add to your browser. There are millions to pick from, so in this episode, Beth, Billie Jo, and Holly talk through their favorites and why you should consider adding them to your browser.

Join us for our conference!
Do One Thing (DOT) Conference
August 7-8, 2023
Elkhart, Indiana

Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
0:35 OneTab

• Save open tabs as saves them into sets you can reopen
• Good for saving projects or other things you want to explore later
• Keeps you from having to keep bookmarks for everything

2:40 Colorzilla

• Pick colors from websites to match in projects
• Also includes gradient and pallet generators
• The Canva eyedropper can be used across websites, too

4:00 Text Blaze

• Create snippets to reuse text over and over
• Save links, email signatures, or any other text you use frequently

6:50 The Elkhart Megaphone

• See events, new articles, and get links to common places.
• Technical instructions if you're interested in creating your own

If you've ever attended a conference for professional development, how you prepare to go can make a big difference. In this episode, Beth, BIllie Jo, and Holly talk through how our team prepares and spends conference time to make sure every minute is as worthwhile as possible.

Join us for our conference!
Do One Thing (DOT) Conference
August 7-8, 2023
Elkhart, Indiana

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:54 Plan ahead!

• Check out the conference sessions before you go
• Look at presenter slides or handouts if they're available
• Pay attention to vendor sessions

2:15 Contact presenters before you go to ask questions
2:45 Walk out if the session isn't right for you
3:25 Always have an alternate option
4:05 Meet people!

• Finding someone with a similar job to collaborate and share information
• Use meals as a way to make connections

4:50 Try to have business cards (or similar) to hand out to people

• Bump
• Sometimes you can put your info into the conference app

6:00 Use a shared Google Doc to take team notes

• You are one person - work with your team to get to a variety of sessions

7:40 Be intentional about talking about what you've learned as a group

• Bounce ideas and think about how you can apply what you're picking up.

Hands up, gloves off: Beth, Billie Jo, and Holly try to create their perfect Google team in a draft format. For each category, the coach picks their top tool or feature, hoping to beat the others out. Producer Brian is the benevolent judge of all picks and ultimately decide who has the best team.

Don't miss these links
Slidesmania
Google Docs are still Cool
Use captions on your Google Slides presentations (video)
Creating Google Slides themes (video)

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:57 The draft explained
1:25 Wheel of names
2:02 Round 1 - Google Calendar

• Billie Jo - Appointment scheduler
• Holly - Find a time
• Beth - Color coding your events

3:40 Round 2 - Google Docs

• Billie Jo - docs.new 
• Holly - "@" symbol for building blocks
• Beth - Pageless docs

5:10 Round 3 - Google Slides

• Billie Jo - Theme builder (master slides)
• Holly - Google Slides preview mode
• Beth - Live captions in Slides

7:20 Round 4 - Gmail

• Billie Jo - Custom signature image
• Holly - Scheduled emails
• Beth - Labels

9:48 Draft results and Brian picks a winner

Epic is a free reading platform for kids. Teachers are able to set up classrooms and allow students to pick from books in the teacher's library. In today's episode, Holly talks about things she didn't use while teaching that she wished she had.

Read: Holly's blog post with her tips

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:45 What is Epic?
1:45 Tip 1: "Read to me" books

• Books read and highlight text as it's reading
• Accessibility tools included
• Good way to have kids read above their comfort level

2:50 Create a collection of challenging Read to Me books for students
3:50 Tip 2: Use the audiobooks!

• Listening only - no text available
• Works your listening and comprehension skills
• Good way to hone in on listening skills for EL students

6:00 Tip 3: Browse books by language

• English, Spanish, Chinese, and French are available
• Free choice time is a good time for home language reading

7:18 Use Duolingo along with Epic for language learning
8:12 Accessing Epic as a teacher
9:00 What's making you happy?

• Billie Jo: Seesaw sent us stuff to send us to MACUL!
• Holly: Billie Jo has 14 emails scheduled and Holly loves seeing efficiency