Reeve EdTech Tips

The combination of whiteboards, projectors, and document cameras is more powerful than many teachers realize. In the hectic rush of our everyday teaching, it's too easy to fall back on using these powerhouse tools as little more than digital overhead projectors.  So, here's what I call some "mini-tricks" to get more out of your whiteboard setup! Take a picture!  Your document camera is great for taking a snapshot of that worksheet you are projecting.  Many have a snapshot button right on the case; others use a little software program (ELMOs use ImageMate). Take lots of pictures! Are you presenting your notes via the document camera?  Take a quick picture for every page.  You can upload the pictures to Google Drive, DropBox, or Moodle, and share them with your students. Take video!  Most document cameras have an adjustable lens that can face horizontally.  It is a snap to record snapshots or videos of your students with the camera's software...

Have you ever emailed a list of students for a field trip, event, or some other activity, only to have to email again and again every time the list changes?  Why not try the easier way:  share a Google Doc! When you share a Google Doc, everyone on your share list always has the most up-to-date copy.  Every time you make changes to the list, anyone who opens the list automatically sees the changes. Steps: Go to your Google Drive and create a new document. Click on Untitled Document and give your document an appropriate name , like "Mr. Reeve's Six Flags Field Trip List" Enter the names of the students on your list. Click " Share " and change the permission to "Anyone in [my school] can view." Better yet, if your school has a full-faculty list, share the document with the list, and choose "can view." Be sure to check "Notify people by email" (or manually email out the share link) so they know the list is there! Now ...

Good teachers are always looking for ways to create assessments that are both rigorous and authentically real-world.  Creating a web site about a research topic can be a 21st Century way to combine academic research with modern online presentation tools. Google Sites is a simple website creator, that allows a user easily to create pages, a navigation menu, and many of the site features in modern websites.  It is especially good for student projects in schools that use Google Apps, because of the privacy settings: students can share their project with just their teacher, or with partners, or with the whole class, without making the page public.