Yesterday I posted questions about the digital divide.  Today, I would like to share ideas presented by Patrick Larkin, who is the principal of Burlington High School in Burlington, Massachusetts. I met Patrick at the ASCD conference in Boston this summer and have been following his school leadership blog ever since.

Click here to connect with Patrick via his blog…

His post from Tuesday August 23^rd is thought provoking for anyone who is in a leadership role in a school.

When we talk about the digital divide much of the rhetoric is about access to computers and the Internet. Students from all walks of life have the opportunity to connect with each other and learn using their cell phone. I understand the concerns of administrators with the use of cell phones in the classroom and how they could become a distraction. Why not train teachers to facilitate the power of the cell phone and change it from a distraction to a learning tool that is already in the classroom in a bag or purse? One of the strategies that could be used in attacking the digital divide is to empower teachers with the skills to allow students to use their phones as learning devices. As with any instructional technology tool the teacher requires the training to become a facilitator in the use of any of these tools. Patrick’s leadership allows for that type of teacher

Patrick’s interview with the Boston Globe last year on cell phones and technology in the classroom…

Vicki Davis did this amazing presentation about cell phones in the classroom at the ISTE Conference in 2009! Look at it again and reflect on where we are now in 2011.

It has been a busy summer and I want to thank my friends Silvia Tolisano, Angela Maiers,  and Mike Fisher for encouraging me to get back to my blogging and posting on Twitter. The sharing of information is so important in classrooms, learning labs, and in virtual learning environments. When educators have the opportunity to share knowledge and empower others we need to do our best to lead that process.

In my work this summer I have had the opportunity to work in a number of Title I schools.  Here are some questions that I would like to build a discussion around:

• Does a student that has an Internet connection in the home have an advantage over a student that does not have the Internet in their home?
• Do students that have access to mobile devices (iPad, Android tablets etc.) at a young age have an advantage in reading and computation skills?

Click here to access Edutopia Digital Divide: Where We Are?

The majority of the learning tools that are shared by leading educators require a high-speed Internet connection. How we can close the digital divide in our schools that struggle with academic achievement?

• We can reduce the digital divide by empowering teachers with the tools to build their own virtual learning communities that reach out to the families of their students. Click here for sample teacher web pages…
• We can encourage instructional leaders to empower students with mobile devices that connect students in the classroom to the infinite number of quality learning tools available to them today. Explore Silvia Tolisano’s info graphics for iPads in the classroom…

If you you want to connect an iPad to your PC or Mac and run all of your instructional tools contained inside your computer from your iPad you can get Splashtop. It is a $4.99 app for the iPad and the download for the PC or Mac to create the desktop sharing connection is free.  In a test with the SmartBoard Notebook 10 software it worked great!

A teacher asked me recently about connecting a SmartBoard to a PC and this looks like a workable solution.

This application turns your iPad into an awesome wireless presentation tool!

Today on www.freetech4teachers.com, Richard Byrne posted an article about teaching kids real math using computers.  The article emphasizes that the current math curriculum does not teach kids real-world applications.  Click here to access the TED Conference presentation by Conrad Wolfram.  It will motivate you to think about how mathematics is presented in our schools.

Testmoz is a quick and easy way to create online tests.  Each test has its own unique URL making it easy for students and teachers to access and administer each test.  Choose between a variety of question types including multiple choice, multiple response, true/false, and fill in the blank.  Upon completion, you can view, print, and export detailed student results.   Best of all, there is no registration, no advertisements, and it is free! 

To create a test, go to Testmoz and follow these simple instructions:

1. Click “Make a Test”   
2. Give you test a title and password and click “Continue”
3. Bookmark the test URL so that you can link it directly from your classroom webpage
4. Add questions and publish

Upon completion, click reports to view and export student results.  Click here to view frequently asked questions before you get started.

Although I have blogged about Quizlet in the past, I think it is definitely worth bringing up again.  Quizlet is a Web 2.0 tool for making interactive flashcards to review vocabulary and other important facts.  What is so great about it?  First, it is one of the easiest Web 2.0 applications for educators and students.  Second, it is much more than just flashcards; there are interactive tests, games, and you can even embed the scatter game into your own classroom website.  Best of all, it is free!  Although there is a paid version ($10 a year), the free version has everything you need!  With just a few clicks, your students can study and memorize vocabulary words, multiplication tables, important terms, and much more.  Click here to get started!

Twiducate is a free social networking tool that enables students and teachers to collaborate and work together online.  Twidicate allows for conversations, file sharing, and communication in a secure and safe virtual environment.  Through this “online classroom” teachers can promote higher order thinking, provide immediate feedback, and encourage collaboration.  Today’s students need to have social networking skills to  be able to compete in today’s highly technological world.    Why not let them learn this tool in an educational environment with curriculum at the core of the collaboration? 

 Why use Twiducate?

• Free
• Private
• Promotes collaboration
• Encourages higher order thinking
• Share ideas and thoughts
• Upload and download files
• Self-Publishing
• No login or email address required

 Click here to get started today!

If your school does not have its own website hosting service, Yola is a great choice for building your own virtual classroom!  It is quick, effortless, and free!  Yola’s free service offers photo and video uploads, numerous editable backgrounds, multiple page creation, form creators, HTML embedding code, and more.  For a small price, you can also customize your domain name.  Click here to get started today!