Deb Norton Tech

Are you getting ready for a new school year? Perhaps you're setting up your classroom or office. Maybe you are thinking of lessons and activities for your students.  If you are like me, you might be considering purchasing a few gadgets to start the new year. Here are a few of my recent purchases. one , two , three , four 1.  Earlier this summer I was driving on my way to a Google training and needed to stop for gas. And what do I find right by the check out? A selfie stick. I just had to have it. And let me just say, it has been so much fun.  Look for a blog post on selfie sticks very soon! I paid $11.99.  2.  I have a 45 minute commute to work each day, and the traffic can get a bit hairy. This cell phone car mount is perfect for keeping me updated without taking my eyes off of the road. I've been using this for about a week and I'm really happy with it. The suction cup sticks well to my textured dashboard and the cell phone does not move or shi...

In this Chat with Deb, I've put together a series of short videos highlighting 10 Google Doc Tips and Tricks that you may not know about.  I'm pretty sure you will thank me after you have watched the videos.  These tips and tricks are some of my favorites. Intro and Tip #1 - Web Clipboard Click here the for Google Doc. Tip #2 - The Paint Roller Click here  the for Google Doc. Tip #3 - Page Setup Click here  the for Google Doc. Tip #4 - Emojis Click here  the for Google Doc. Tip #5 - Math Equation Tool Bar Click here  the for Google Doc. Tip #6 - Speech Recognition Click here  the for Google Doc. Tip #7 - Tag Cloud Generator  and  #8 - Texthelp Study Skills Add-on Click here  the for Google Doc. Tip #9 - Publish to the Web and  #10 - Personal Dictionary Click here  the for Google Doc. Do you have a favorite tip or trick with Google...

one , two , three , four , five I am thinking about ordering a Google Cardboard Viewer .  With the Makerspace movement growing and knowing how much our high school students enjoyed the Makerspaces that we introduced last year, I'm thinking this could be a winner and quite popular with our students. I especially like the fact that there are many   Google Cardboard Apps   to download and try with the viewer.  My only concern is that I am known for having motion sickness and would probably suffer through out one of the roller coaster rides. Who doesn't love earning something for their accomplishments? I really want to try this activity to  Gamify Your PD   from Alice Keeler. After playing with the Google spreadsheet a bit and practicing with myself as a student, I found it quite easy to use and I really think this could be beneficial to teachers, coaches and students. Bring on the badges! I am not an artist, however, I do love to doodle an...

Let's think about Literacy in a Digital World Free literacy resources and high-quality online activities to help students respond to literature.  What I love about RWT: Save your work as a RWT file and open it at a later time. Student choice is built into many of the activities How to videos are available  Search by learning objective - Start with the goal in mind Free Printables  Thank you to Intel's Teachers Engage for sponsoring this Chat with Deb.

Pinterest - Seriously, I use this for so many different interests in my life. Healthy recipes that I want to try and healthy recipes that I have tried . Storytelling apps , Sphero , and a few of my favorite tech people: here and here .  I can always find some great inspiration to keep me busy in the Pinterest App. Evernote - My days would not be as organized and put together without this app. It works seamlessly on all of my devices. Whether I'm saving content from the web or making my grocery list, this app is a life saver. The ability to record an audio note is awesome. And I love the Web Clipper Extension ! Audible - I have a 45 minute commute to and from work each day and I also travel a lot in the summer. Need I say more? Here are a few of the books I've enjoyed over the past year: Dark Places - Gillian Flynn The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park The Silent Sister - Diane Chamberlain The ...

This is the first year in many years that I was #NotAtISTE15  I will admit that I missed going and wish I could have found the funds to go. I'm going to begin saving now for #ISTE16 in Denver. This is just too valuable of a tech conference to miss. Regardless of my absence, I would like to share a few finds that I bookmarked from following the #ISTE2015 hashtag for just 15 minutes this morning : #1 Gynzy Having just finished a two day SMART Notebook Training, I was pleased to find this fantastic resource for use on Interactive Whiteboards.  Gynzy is packed with fun tools and activities for grades K-8. Create lessons and add media to your lessons.  After playing with Gynzy for a short time I was pleased with the simplicity and helpful tutorials.   #2 A Redesign of Learning Spaces Example This video is an amazing example of the Elizabeth Forward School District bringing new learning spaces to their schools and the incredible impac...

Writers are going to love Grammarly and Creativity Portal! In this Chat with Deb, you will learn about two great tools for writers. Grammarly is a site and also an extension that can help with checking grammar as you write almost anywhere on the web. Creativity Portal is a site with exercises and resources for teachers and student who write. Here are a few additional features of Grammarly: Toggle sites on and off: Find synonyms: Check a word definition: Thank you to Intel Engage for sponsoring this Chat with Deb.

instaGrok is great for research projects and for writing research papers. . . Watch this Chat with Deb and see how instaGrok works and all of its wonderful features. Also, check out the Chrome extension called Quick Research  which allows you to search Google, Yahoo, YouTube and Images in a separate window.  Thank you to Intel Engage for sponsoring this Chat with Deb.  

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.

Some of the best tips and tricks I know are for staying organized. Watch this Chat with Deb video to see some of my favorites . Thank you to Intel's Teachers Engage for sponsoring this Chat with Deb

Teaching students to connect globally and to recognize what is happening outside of their immediate community is so important in education today. To me, Global Citizenship means expanding and deepening our understanding of people and events from around the world. To celebrate National Library Week and incorporate Global Citizenship, watch this Chat with Deb video: Here is the presentation: Thank you to the Intel Engage Community for sponsoring this Chat with Deb.

Recently, some educators that I work with, showed interested in having their students use Google Tour Builder to create a tour of locations from a historical time period. We could do this on desktops, but the teachers really want the students to be able to use their Chromebooks, which is not possible with Google Tour Builder since it uses the Google Earth download. So I found two alternatives that will allow students to build a "tour" of locations on a map and also include text, images and even video. Alternative 1: My Maps : With My Maps , students can add a marker, and then add an image to go with the marker. Students can also draw lines between different markers. One of the nice features of My Maps is that you can add layers. To display a "tour" the students can turn the layers on or off to show more or less at a time. For this tool, the students would use the extension, Screencastify to record a narrative to go with the "tour...

Oh how I love a little competitive fun. Have you ever heard of an App Slam?  It's a friendly sharing of favorite apps followed by a vote to see which app gets the most votes. Having an App Slam is a great way to have students guide and personalize their own learning and it also incorporates a lot of creative thinking and technology. Here is how it works: Students (or teachers) choose an app that they think is a winner. They then create a demonstration (video, live demo, example or other) The demo slam  is short (1-3 minutes) in length, highlights the features of the app, demonstrates how to use the app, and ends with the word SLAM. Here is a Thinglink with some awesome examples of App Slams:   and here is a popular App Slam from two young ladies who are showing how amazing Google Translate is: So as you can see, the idea is not just to share an app, but to do it creatively and convincingly. In a classroom or school, teac...

Not everyone learns the same way. We all have our preferences of how we like to obtain and show understanding of content.  This is especially true of our students.  Research shows that students who have choice over their learning can reduce dropout rates.   Click here for an example. So why not use a different learning model and try and motivate students with a personalized learning experience?  Here are three models to personalize the learning for your classroom. #1 Project Based Learning - In this model, units and lessons are set up with real life projects. Students work their way through the project and usually comprise a final project to share.  PBL often is very motivating for the student and can involve team work. Click here for more information about PBL. #2 Peer Led Classrooms - In this model, the teacher is a facilitator and the students are instructors.  Students who have mastered the content first, help other students to ...

Recently I was a big winner at the WEMTA Conference in Wisconsin Dells. My big winnings was a Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I had won until I looked it up.  Watch this Chat with Deb to see how this tablet can be used to create a flipped video: Click here fo r 4 great tips for Flipped Teaching . Thank you to Intel's Teachers Engage for sponsoring this Chat with Deb. 

Today's Chat with Deb shows the incredible app, Evernote .  This app will allow students to create a digital backpack with digital notebooks and notes.  A mobile phone or tablet allows you to add images and audio to the digital notes. There is also the ability to share notes with others and set reminders for tests or exams.  Evernote Web Clipper makes it easy to clip any webpage directly to your Evernote notebooks. Watch this Chat with Deb to see how it is all done: If you have an idea of how students or teachers can put Evernote to use, leave a comment below. Thank you to Intel's Teachers Engage for sponsoring this Chat with Deb.

Here are some websites that can be integrated into an existing lesson or provide a fully prepared lesson for High School Math Teachers. If you are a teacher of ELA or Science, check out #3 below. #1 - Free Online Resources from Courseware - Brought to us by the CEMC.   If you are a teacher of pre calculus or calculus, these are free online courses with videos, quizzes and exercises.  Parts of the site are under construction. Each lesson is broken into modules. Thank you to my colleague, Anthony, for sharing this with me. #2 - Transum.org offers math games, puzzles, resources and much more for Upper Secondary and High School students.  There is an option to sign up for an account and create a class. Transum offers a large number of free games and puzzles.  There is a lot to explore on this site. #3 - Better Lesson  offers thousands of K-12 rich Math, ELA and Science lessons from high performing Master Teachers. Math les...