Deb Norton Tech

My son, Ryan, needed help with a project in his zoology class.  He had 6 projects to choose from and had to use technology with whichever project he decided to do. Ryan chose a project which required him to view a webcam (4 times / 20 minutes each time) of a mammal and then record and describe what he observed using technology.  The technology requirement was that Ryan needed to incorporate images, text, audio and video. Now, my son is fairly literate with computers and his Chromebook, but he really had no clue about which tools were available to him to accomplish this project. So here is how I helped: Effectively search for a webcam: First, I introduced Ryan to Symbaloo , a bookmarking site. I remembered coming across a Symbaloo of animal webcams not too long ago.  As soon as Ryan went to the Symbaloo site and searched animal webcams, he was hooked!!!!  We found a webcam on jaguars, which interested him.  I explained to Ryan the importance o...

This week we are starting something new to wrap up our school year. Makerspaces!! Makerspaces are do-it-yourself spaces where people can gather to create, invent, discover, tinker, and learn. They are often found in libraries, but we will have ours right in our classroom. Watch this Chat with Deb to see the five different categories of maker spaces that we will be exploring. This is a longer video, so I posted the timestamp for each of the 5 categories in case you would prefer to watch a portion of the video.  0:53 - Hands-on Creations 6:42 - Programming and Coding 11:36 - Rube Goldberg 14:18 - Science and Physics 18:01 - Gaming Here is the presentation that we will be showing the students to get them started.

Makey Makey is an invention kit that I just ordered off of Amazon . Imagine a circuit board that can be connected to any object using alligator clips.  The circuit board is also connected to your computer via a USB.  Then objects, which can be food, paper, play dough or pretty much anything, can be substituted for a spacebar or other keys on your keyboard.  Perhaps you would like to watch this video to see Makey Makey in action.    I can't wait for our students to invent and create with Makey Makey as we finish the year by implementing some Maker Spaces and personalized learning time.  More to come in my next Chat with Deb on the topic of Maker Spaces.

Here are a few blog posts and articles that have come my way recently telling us about things that are up and coming or have just arrived. #1 Smartamp - SMART (the company that makes SMART boards) has unveiled a new way for students to collaborate and connect.  It is calles Smartamp.  I watched the live webinar last week to see the introduction to Smartamp, and I am impressed and excited for this new software. Click here for the Smartamp site.  Click here for a blog post by Vicki Davis. #2 Adobe launched a new iPad app called Voice, a storytelling tool.   Click here for a blog post.   Click here to download the free app. #3 New mobile apps for Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.  The apps have been updated to make things quicker and easier to find, create and edit.   Click here for a blogpost. #4 Google Maps also has some great updates!! #5 Plickers is a new solution to polling a class without the need for clickers. ...

Do you have a lot of end of the year events and happenings going on at your school?  Today I share a great way to keep students and parents up-to-date and privy to what is going on. Remind 101 is a great way to communicate with students and / or parents via text messaging.   Watch this new episode of Chat with Deb to learn how: Resources:  Remind 101 App Remind 101 Thank you to Intel and the Teachers Engage Community for supporting this video.