Deb Norton Tech

There are many ways to celebrate the end of the school year. One of the more popular ways is with pictures. Perhaps your students would like to try Loupe Collage  which is a Chrome App. Loupe Collage lets you create a collage out of your own pictures, and that collage can be in many different shapes and forms.  You can choose a pre-made shape, use your own text, draw your own shape or use a grid or create with a photo pile where you can arrange your pictures in any arrangement. Check out my collage: Click here to interact with my image.  If you hover over an image it will zoom. I included images from this year from my Facebook, Google+ and Google Drive accounts. Another collage using the photo pile option: Here is how Loupe Collage works: Give Loupe Collage a try and share the link to your collage in the comments. It would be fun to see everyone's year in review using all of the various options in Loupe Collage .

Recently we discussed the SAMR model of technology integration with our staff. This model provides us with a great reflective tool for evaluation of our lesson planning and engagement with our students. Check out this video about SAMR to become more familiar with the model: Here is a useful image: Today I am going to share with you several examples that I feel reach the redefinition of SAMR. When we consider the learning that is taking place instead of the tools being used, these redefinition examples promote student engagement and higher level critical thinking. #1  Cultural Awareness and Exchange: My colleague and friend, Ms. Gorges, used Google Hangouts to record a video for her students while she was traveling in the country of Russia. She created a Thinglink to for easy sharing. When we connect with others via web conferencing and experience a culture through the eyes of someone we know, the learning becomes more relevant and realistic. Kudos to Ms. Gorges ...

In May we focus on Connected Parents and Families.  In this Chat with Deb, I show two sites for connecting and communicating with students, parents and peers.   Here are the links to the two sites shared in this video: Bring.it YouCanBook.me Thank you to Intel's Teachers Engage for sponsoring this Chat with Deb.