Microsoft HoloLens - Coming soon!
"Transform your world with holograms..."
Check out this video preview of Microsoft HoloLens.
It's well worth the two minutes!
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Basic Paperless Classroom Tools
Technology integration allows students and teachers to have cloud based classrooms.
Students can access assignments, videos, discussions and much more anytime, anywhere and from any device - 24/7 access!
Folders, binders, packets, pens, etc have been replaced by online accounts and devices. All class resources and student documents are stored in clouds.
Students are no longer burdened by the requirements to have certain pieces of paper at certain places at certain times.
Everything is clean, organized and efficient, a big help for students who struggle with organization or who have poor penmanship.
Freedom, accessibility and convenience for all!
Check out these user-friendly options:
These online classrooms are used for assignments, discussions, polls, assessments, videos, research, messaging, and much more.
Newsela
Students use Newsela to read current news articles, take quizzes, annotate and track reading levels.
Lexile levels are adjustable so that all class members can focus on the same topic, but each at his or her own level. In my classes there is a reading range from 5th grade through college level, so Newsela is a valuable tool in providing individualization. I love being able to challenge upper level readers and provide support for struggling students.
Students enjoy reviewing their data and are motivated by seeing their progress tracked on colorful charts.
There are paid and free features. The free 6 month trail of the PRO version is a great way to get a feel for the abundance of data and options.
Google Chrome
I teach at a GAFE (Google Apps For Education) school, where students have Google Chrome accounts with cloud storage.
"G-Chrome" is used for creating, storing and sharing: documents, presentations, spreadsheets, drawings, research and much more.
GC eliminates the need for flash drives, printers, and Microsoft Word.
Consider using Google Chrome on your home devices instead of Internet Explorer!
Quizlet
Quizlet offers online flash cards for any subject that can be worked with in multiple formats (games, digital index cards, quizzes, etc).
Teachers can assign specific sets of cards for review.
Students can use Quizlet for any topic they are reviewing by searching existing sets of cards or by creating a custom deck.
Check it out for your next quiz or test!
Socrative
This student response system uses games to engage students in lessons and provides valuable data for teachers.
Socrative is a valuable tool in data-driven instruction, where teachers need to identify mastery of specific skills and where remediation is needed for individual students.
Socrative is a valuable tool in data-driven instruction, where teachers need to identify mastery of specific skills and where remediation is needed for individual students.
Kahoot! is game-based response system that all ages enjoy.
Similar to Socrative in regards to engagement and data.
Kahoot! makes reviewing any topics or terms fun.
Students especially enjoy the leaderboards.
I am a paperless classroom enthusiast and advocate.
Feel free contact me if you have any questions, ideas, etc.
Read more about eLearning / tech integration / going paperless:
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Curriculum Vitae
Kimberly Metzgar
kppaperless@gmail.com
Education
Master of Education - Secondary English
University at Buffalo
1999
Bachelor of Arts - English
University at Buffalo
1996
Professional Experience
English Language Arts Teacher (Grades 9 - 12)
Lancaster High School - Lancaster, NY
1997 - Present
Recent Presentations
"The Power of Paperless Workshop."
NYSCATE Annual Conference. 11/21/15.
"The Paperless Classroom Summer Workshop."
LCSD William Street School. 7/14/15.
"The Paperless Classroom."
Medaille College. 6/27/15.
"Paperless Classroom Tech Tasting."
WNY Superintendents at LHS. 4/30/15.
"Newsela: Something for Everyone."
LHS Paperless Faculty Meeting. 4/20/15.
"Paperless Classroom Tech Tasting."
NYSCATE Digital Wave at Erie 1 BOCES. 3/13/15. Video Excerpt
"Impact of Technology Curriculum Mentors."
LCSD Board of Education Meeting. 3/9/15.
"The Paperless Classroom: Positives and Possibilities."
Holland Central School District Superintendent's Day. 3/6/15.
"The Paperless Classroom: Positives and Possibilities."
LCSD District Technology Meeting. 1/21/15. Video Excerpt
"Paperless Classroom Tech Tasting."
WNY Principals at LHS. 1/16/15. Video Excerpt
"Online Learning: Successes and Challenges."
LCSD Online Learning Meeting. 10/30/14.
"Going Paperless (or at least paper-'less')."
LCSD Leadership Camp. 7/31/14.
Detailed List of Presentations
Recent eLearning Efforts & Exploration
Professional Blog: The Paperless Teacher
Paperless Classroom: Paperless Classroom Teacher Page
Bee Group Article: "Teachers use summer to get their homework done"
Lancaster RR Article: "English 9 Embraces Technology and Online Learning"
Member of LCSD Smart Schools Committee and LCSD Online Learning Team
Development and piloting of ePass system for LHS: ePasses Review Article
Professional Development: Transcript of Professional Study
I got schooled on virtual schools!
Written in response to
NYSCATE 11th Annual Riding the Digital Wave Conference
Erie 1 BOCES - March 13, 2015
Keynote speech on Virtual Education by Scott Merrick
"The unacknowledged design flaw in American education" is the school day and school year.
- 1994 report by the National Education Commission on Time and Learning
The infinite options presented by tech integration beg the question: Is it really necessary for humans (grouped by birth dates) to gather together, at the same place, at the same time, in an effort to "work together"?
A conference I recently attended opened my eyes to a whole new world...virtual schools!
Students:
Would you like to be gainfully employed during the day?
You can! If you attend a virtual school.
Are you in Europe training for a professional soccer career?
That's great! Just log in at your convenience.
Is your dad a rock star and you need to travel the world?
No prob! If you are a virtual school student...
The option to graduate early
In the traditional model, students are grouped by age and many decisions related to graduation are based on age. What if students could truly work at their own paces and on their own time schedules?
Students can "fast forward" through material that comes easily to them, and focus as much time and energy as needed to work through more difficult concepts.
Graduate when ready!
What are the options? Graduate when you're not yet ready? Or when you've been ready and waiting around until your scheduled time?
Scott Merrick asked, "Are students prisoners of time?"
A National Education Report states, "Learning in America is a prisoner of time. For the past 150 years, American public schools have held time constant and let learning vary."
Read the full report here:
Prisoners of Time - Education Commission of the States
Optimize energy
"The American Academy of Pediatrics declared the chronic sleepiness of our nation's teenagers a public health issue" (Netburn, 2014).
See the full LA Times article:
Do sleepy teens need later start times? Pediatricians say yes.
More from the article:
"The exhaustion has serious consequences. The AAP reports that the average teenager in the U.S. regularly experiences levels of sleepiness similar to people with sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Adolescents are also at higher risk for car accidents resulting from drowsy driving. And, as many of us know from personal experience, lack of sleep affects mood, attention, memory and behavior control."
And:
"When high school classes begin early in the morning, we ask teens to shine when their biological clock tells them to sleep."
What if students had the option to start the school day at noon? 6 pm? Whenever and wherever suited their ambition and energy levels?
Furthermore:
What if a student wanted to work on just math one day and just science the next?
What if a student wanted to focus on school on the weekends and hold a job during the week?
What if a student wanted to surf on sunny days and complete assignments on rainy days?
Want to read the full list of reasons to go virtual with your education?
Check out this list from the MNPS website:
MNPS Virtual School - Why Enroll?
Of course virtual schools are not for everyone!
This extreme option is for motivated and independent individuals.
Just like in business - People who can push themselves, focus, and rally others make great bosses, while people without that drive benefit from the motivation a boss provides. Likewise, the freedom of virtual schooling will cause some students to flourish, while some will need the structure of the school day, schedule, building, and all that comes with it.
Tech integration is rapidly changing the "details" in education.
It will be interesting to watch virtual schools gather momentum.
Intrigued? Check out these related items:
MNPS Virtual School
How about just one virtual day? A PA school tries it on 4/6/15
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Online Platforms Revolutionize Student Motivation and Engagement
Finally - what every student, teacher, and parent has been waiting for...
Online learning, or tech integration, has significantly increased student motivation and engagement.
Online platforms eliminate the guess work for everyone.
An abundance of data accompanies online platforms, allowing teachers to quickly and easily identify which skills / concepts / standards do and do not need more time and attention, and which students have mastered which skills / concepts / standards.
The valuable and detailed data allows teachers to customize and maximize class time, providing enrichment, support, and remediation as needed.
Online data is readily accessible allowing students to take ownership and parents to serve as valuable resources.
With details available online, students can check their grades as often as they want - and they do, very often, and it motivates them. Then they ask questions about missing assignments and options to revise work to earn more points. What a beautiful thing - a situation where students want to improve skills and earn maximum points.
Having access allows parents to be an effective part of a child's school experience.
And it's not just about grades; I know of elementary teachers who are having success with Class Dojo, which allows parents to know, in real time, a child's level of participation and behavior details. Parents can help more meaningfully when they have the details they need, allowing them to intervene before an isolated incident becomes a recurring issue.
Accessibility eliminates unpleasant surprises on report cards and at conferences.
Data and accessibility create independent learners who take ownership in their learning.
I love seeing students self-advocate. They rarely ask me to spell or define words, or other Google-able inquiries.
Now I deliberately turn questions related to the lower level of Bloom's over to Google.
I don't hold the keys to the kingdom; students do, and Google can help them take charge.
Students can immediately investigate facets of class topics that intrigue them - a diagram of the Globe Theater, statistics on accidents related to Daylight Savings Time, a historical speech, images of typical toys in the 1930's; the options are as infinite as students' questions.
Screen Time!
Like it or not, students like to look at screens. It seems as though anything on a screen is more interesting than anything on a piece of paper, a whiteboard, or, God forbid, a chalkboard.
I remember a time when the hot and happening classroom technology was a VCR - One day I ejected a VCR tape and a furniture commercial popped up on the TV, and the students were in a trance as a couch sale was described.
I decided to succumb to the power of the screen. Over the years I have found that it's even more effective to project simple things like directions or the agenda for the day, rather than write the info on "the board".
The success of online videos in education is a great example of the power of the screen. Sure I could tell my classes all about crafting a strong thesis statement, but having The Writing Ninjas explain really appeals to students.
Whether it's a text, a "worksheet", or a quiz, it's better received by a modern student on a screen.
Reading and Writing on Devices
Students are so much more open to "checking out" a reading assignment when it's on a screen.
And the same goes for writing. Somehow, the screen, with all its features, eliminates the old, ominous "blank page". I see students having a much easier time starting and progressing on a piece of writing when it's on a device.
Hesitant writers, or students who feel that typing is manual labor, now even have speech to text options and can easily download the creative thoughts in their heads with no typing required.
Devices and Online Learning Engage Students.
I can't say enough about student engagement...
Engaged students are learning and progressing.
Engaged students are too busy being constructive to be disruptive. Internet access diminishes boredom and frustration. Problematic and disruptive behaviors are eliminated when students are engaged.
I could go on and on about how tech integration, and the resulting paperless classrooms, are a big win for students, teachers, parents, and districts. If you have further interest, check out these related articles:
Why go paperless? Why not?!
Online Discussions - Effective for many reasons
4 Tips for Paperless Classroom Success
Chromebooks - The future of school supplies?
Paperless classrooms may make snow days obsolete
Paperless Classroom / Tech Integration Presentations
Pennsylvania school makes up snow day with an eDay
It's happening - A Pennsylvania School Makes Up A Snow Day With An eDay!
Back in January, I wrote about how schools out west are experimenting with virtual school days.
See the full article:
Now, after a long and brutal winter, Eastern schools are going to explore their options.
Carlisle Area School District, in Pennsylvania, scheduled an eDay on April 6th to make up a snow day.
"Learning activities and assignments" will be posted on teachers' webpages. Teachers will be available to answer questions during part of the day.
An eDay is also defined on the CASD website as a "Flexible Instruction Day" and as an "electronic snow day".
See the CASD website for full details:
Read more about virtual options to replace snow days:
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