I feel technology should always support teaching and learning in a meaningful way. And I know you do, too. As educators, we try new ideas, hardware, and software as they become available. But how do you decide on your real passion in the area of educational technology? I challenge you to step back from your
March 2018: Citation formats for elementary students
My February 2018 Kathy’s Katch blog post covered the topics of finding and citing online images. The post received a lot of positive attention, and some educators asked me for suggestions about how younger students can learn to cite . I have recently re-worked a document outlining this process on my Guide to Everything Web
February 2018: Finding and citing online images
I am passionate about students using online tools and standalone apps to create. I truly believe creation allows students to showcase how they have turned the content into their own knowledge. Many of these tools require the use of images for creation of the product. These images can be photos taken by the student, drawings
January 2018: Multimodal creation with Discovery Education Streaming
MULTIMODAL CREATION Multimodality occurs when students use several modes to create a product and/or communicate a message. These modes can involve speaking, writing, listening, and visual resources. When we have a student create a multimedia project that involves music, narration, and images, the goal should be for these resources to be used to create meaning
December 2017: Twitter for educators
I am a big social media user. I have accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+. However, the social media account I use most is Twitter, the microblogging tool. In Twitter, I share my own discoveries and learn from others every day. It is a huge source of professional development for me. Twitter is
November 2017: Web-ulous tools, part 2
Back in March of 2014, my Kathy’s Katch blog post highlighted some of my favorite online tools– Google Docs Story Builder, Magisto, Pixiclip, Thinglink, and Narrable. Story Builder and Narrable are gone. Thinglink has expanded into the VR arena. Magisto is now a paid service. Pixiclip has stayed the same. Apps and online tools come
October 2017: Sharing your ideas with video and audio
Sharing your successful practices with others is an important part of the role of a educator. Traditionally you have probably shared your ideas, tips, tricks, and findings in-person with your grade level team, your district team, and with face-to-face audiences at regional and national conferences. However, with the current crop of digital apps and tools,
September 2017: Put the “make” in your makerspace
When my son was in high school, our high school had really old technology. There were no CD/DVD players, just videotape machines. So, when his friends were done creating their great multimedia projects on DVD using their home computers, they would come to our house to move the project from DVD to videotape. We had
August 2017: Augmented reality in the classroom
Last year, I wrote a blog post dealing with the use of virtual reality resources to support the instructional process. I started the article with an explanation of the difference between virtual reality and augmented reality, which I feel is important to include again since, this time, the post will be about the use of
July 2017: Using fidget spinners to target literacies
Fidget spinners were the end-of-school-year passion for students. A fidget spinner is a small device, usually with three “arms” and a ball bearing center. The basic spin has the user holding the fidget spinner between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and spinning it with the other hand. The ball bearing in the