Sending Pictures to Update Your SchoolTech Website

Many of the schools that I service regularly want their site updated with pictures.  I've strongly encouraged this as images that are changed regularly keep a website fresh.

One of the problems has been that the sending limit for district email is small, as well as the attachment limit.  Also, sending large files via email is clunky and slow, and not very reliable.  Fortunately, I found a solution that's been tested to work, and I want to share this with the schools I service.

http://drop.io (100MB limit for each drop)

Please BOOKMARK this site for easy access. Here are the steps:

1. Click "Select Files." Go to where the pictures are located.  If you have MULTIPLE pictures, you can hold Ctrl on your keyboard and use your mouse to select the ones you want to send.

Special Note: If you are sending a lot of pictures that are in separate folders as albums, it's best to FIRST name your folders, and ZIP them: right click the folder and choose "add to zip". Then you simply send that ONE ZIP folder as one file, and do that for EACH album folder,

2. Click "Create a Drop." Wait for the files to upload; this could take a while depending on the size of the files and the speed of your network.

3. Copy the link at the top of your browser.   Paste that into an email and send it to me.  YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ENTER AN EMAIL ADDRESS ON THE WEBSITE.   That's simply if you want to access that drop later for yourself; it's not a feature that we will be using.

That's it! I'll get the link, download the pictures, and upload them for you.

Drop.io is a great service, and I'll be writing later with some ideas on how to use this great collaboration tool for staff development, homework, etc.

What Have Your Students Taught YOU About Technology?

As educators, we focus on what we can teach our students, after all, that's what we do.  Rarely though, do we stop and think about what our students teach us.

I learned so much from my students in my classrooms.  I learned patience, understanding, humor, humility, and so many other vital qualities.  The honesty of students is what made me better at teaching.

When it comes to tech, we tend to think that since we are older, we HAVE to know more; we HAVE to be better than the students.  One thing I found out very quickly was that this will almost never be the case when it comes to your students.  It's almost as if they were born with a technical inclination.  I've seen a 6 year old run loops around an adult in explaining how a technical device works.  As I traveled from school to school in my current work, students showed me shortcuts that I had never thought of which saved a lot of time, and I applied those in my future presentations.

There's a measure of humility that is required on the part of the teacher.  Some scoff when a student tries to tech them about tech.  Some teachers outright avoid using tech in the classroom because they don't know how to use it and want to save face; the students ultimately suffer.  How sad.

I stress to teachers all the time to learn the basics on how something works, then just go out there with it.  You'll make mistakes, get frustrated, but the students will have your back.  9 times out of 10 there is at least 1 student who knows how to solve a problem or how to use the tech and can/will gladly help.  As a matter of fact, make figuring out the problem a project for them; you'll be surprised at what they discover.  Let the students show you how something works.  Take your pride out of the equation.  They will feel empowered that they were part of the process, and then teaching becomes collaborative, vs. you teaching AT them.

What have your students taught YOU about technology?

The Social Media Debate in Chicago Public Schools (CPS)

A spotlight web page was created on the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website last September, and asked if social media in the classroom is a good idea or not.

To use social media or not to use social media…that is the question facing many school districts across the country.

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  Should video sharing sites like YouTube be used in the classroom?

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  Should teachers use FaceBook or Twitter to communicate with their students during class and outside of the classroom?

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  How can sites like this improve how we educate our students?

There are many questions with just as many answers circling around this issue. That’s why we’ve opened the discussion up to you: our parents, community members, students and staff. We’d like to get your thoughts on social media and how it should be used when it comes to educating our students. Read the comments below and chime in when you agree, disagree, or have an idea of your own that you’d like us to know about.

Check out the full article; there are answers from both camps.

How this effects you and your school:

Social media isn't going anywhere, and since students are starting to have such sophisticated phones & portable devices, it's going to come in the classroom.  As a school administrator, ask yourself: "Will I attempt to ban it altogether, or will I find a balance that appeases both teachers and students, while still making learning the priority?"

Thoughts? Leave a comment below.