Remind ; A Must Have App for Educators

Remind is a phone application and website (remind.com) that is a useful tool for all teachers and their students. This widget is a communication tool that allows for safe interactions between teachers and students both inside and outside of the classroom. This link provides 25+ ways that Remind can be used in the classroom. Some notable uses for remind are homework reminders, schedule changes, permission slips and extra credit opportunities.

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Back in high school, my soccer coach used the remind app to update the team on practice/game times, inclement weather and to congratulate us after a job well done. He would simply send out one message and it would deliver to anyone in the group. High school coaches all over the country may find this tool extremely useful.

In this youtube video a teacher explains how to use Remind and why it is useful in her class. Additionally, a lesson plan involving Remind can be found here in week 2 of this class schedule.

Overall, Remind is a tool that is extremely useful for teacher-student communication. I believe that Remind is best used for out of class announcements to grab students attention and make sure that they are on the same page with the teacher at all times. Remind claims to be “the end of unread emails and handouts.” Teachers can “see who is reading the messages and who is missing out.” This is a safe alternative to text messaging students and an essential tool for all educators to have.

 

How to Get Fired Using Technology; 3 Examples

Technology is a blessing… and a curse if used inappropriately. As an educator, you must understand that your use of technology inside and outside of the classroom will be criticized even more than the average adult. Even so, this article will be helpful to any professional who can’t seem to find a fine line between appropriate and inappropriate.

1.) My first rule for the use of technology, specifically social media, is be respectful. Human’s seem to have the tendency to become more “courageous”  when sitting behind a screen. When not face to face with the individuals you are insulting, it is easy to say what you want. However, what you say online is forever. Nothing is ever deleted permanently. Educators should be especially cautious to what they post, as students can be extremely impressive to what they can dig up. Never post embarrassing or offensive material because it will come back to haunt you. Overall, the first way you can get fired by using technology is posting inappropriate material.

Example: Just recently a second-grade teacher from Mississippi was fired for posting a racist message on her Facebook page. In this post she suggested that all black people “Move back to Africa.” That extremely offensive content was reported which resulted in her firing. The article on this incident can be found here.

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Never post offensive or embarrassing material.

2.) Another easy way to get fired as a teacher is through privately messaging your students. Whether through Facebook chat, messaging applications, or text messaging, it is never a good idea to engage in these conversations. A great alternative to doing this is using apps that are specifically designed for student-teacher interaction. Examples of these apps include the Remind app or Edmondo. Whether your messages with your students are innocent or not, the idea of these private messages is extremely suspicious. I would recommend avoiding sharing personal information such as phone numbers and social media accounts no matter what.

Example: In Utah, a well respected high-school teacher will potentially have his teaching license revoked after being caught messaging a 17-year old student. He has already been fired for the time being and the police are deciding whether or not to charge him criminally. These messages were sent a year ago to a student who is now graduated. This is a prime example of why you should stay professional as an educator to your students. The article on this example could be found here.

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Texting your students is a no-go.

3.) One last way that you can get fired by using technology is over-using the internet, or using the internet in an inappropriate way at the workplace. Being an educator, there will most likely be a computer in front of you all day. As well as this, you will most likely always have your smartphone with you (if you are like 99% of the world!). This technology, although helpful, can be extremely distracting. As well as this, searching up inappropriate images or videos on a school computer can get you fired as well. It is important to limit your time on the internet when using it for personal reasons at school. It is even more important to keep your searches appropriate. Here is an example of a Las Vegas teacher who did not keep his searches appropriate and is now being fired.

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The web is a large interconnected system.

In conclusion, it is important to stay smart about what you post inside and outside of the school. Remember, that everything you post, message and search is tracked. Be conscious that what you write could potentially be seen by the world. The internet is a great tool if we just use it correctly.

Integration of Technology in Education

Integration of technology in education is becoming more and more prevalent each new school year. When I began my own path of schooling in the early 2000’s, the only educational technology I knew was watching informational videos on old VCR tapes. When I graduated high school in 2016, I knew of schools that gave each student an iPad to do work with. The use of technology in classrooms is growing exponentially, but how can we use this technology as a useful tool, rather than a distraction?

I came across an article on Twitter which discussed integrating “gamification” in the classroom at certain schools. Two major problems with technology in the classroom that I recall from high school were that it often felt like teachers integrated technology as a ploy to get us interested in a lesson that was very boring and other distractions often took over actual learning. For instance, I remember using school lap tops to play the Jenga “snake game” rather that doing actual work. This article seems to tackle both of these issues, as it makes the technology in the classroom interesting and fun.

The article was written by Pete Whiting and is called Our Quest Into The Depths Of Gamification. The article disscuses the issue of students feeling like teachers were trying to trick them by using boring technology to teach them lessons by calling this “chocolate covered broccoli”. The article explains  “At first, they seem like fun, but they can leave students feeling as though teachers are trying to sneak in some learning.” The art of gamification involves turning the classroom itself into a fun, gaming experience. In this article, the gaming experience includes a collaboration of educators from grade 8 to grade 12. Students begin a quest to colonize Mars in the 8th grade. Each student is given a “job,” such as an engineering or researcher and they must collaborate with one another to make progress towards colonizing the planet. For example, in their 8th grade class, the electricity unit worked on getting lights to work. This promotes working together between the students. All of this is organized by a google site where students can see the progress that they have made.

Technology is becoming an essential part of the education experience.

My reason for sharing this article is that I really believe that this shows the advancements we have made in our ability to use technology for optimal student use. This doesn’t necessarily mean using more technology or more advanced technology, but it means using technology to its optimal value or what will teach our children the most skills. This example of gamification teaches the students to be both contributing members of a society and teaches them the actual lesson plans of the class, all while making it a fun experience.

As a student who just recently graduated high school, I can not explain how much more intrigued I would have been had we worked on a systematic experience of colonizing a planet for four years. This idea can integrate so many aspects of education into this one idea. Biology students could explain the colonization and evolution of species on the planet. Chemistry students could explain the reactions that could have went on, causing life to be possible. This gamification idea unites the scientific classes by creating one common goal. As well as this, students are able to be creative and collaborate with one another. This idea is very progressive and aims towards a student-centered teaching approach. I think this article is a must read!

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