#NerdyCast Hits The Big Time

Tim and I have been teasing a huge announcement for the past couple of weeks. Well, here is the big announcement.
#NerdyCast is moving to BAM Radio!
The show will be focused on student engagement and we will have the best guests in the world on our show. We are excited to take #NerdyCast to the education world because we strongly feel that it is important to have good educational discussions and a hearty laugh as well.

We will keep you informed when the first episode will be available and we promise it will be as amazing as a baby T-Rex riding a unicorn over a rainbow during a total eclipse of the heart.

Check out this link for more information.

This pretty much sums up how Tim and I feel right now.

New @LivescribeK12 Education Bundles #edtech #edchat

I have been a big fan of Livescribe for a long time. Their pens have been awesome in allowing me to communicate with my students when I'm not around. The ability for me to do a pencast and upload it to Evernote has been key in helping me emphasize certain parts of my lesson plans. I know I'm not getting the most out of it, but I keep using it and discover new things to do with it all of the time.

I wanted to share with you some new educational bundles from Livescribe that might entice you to pick up a Livescribe pen for your classroom.

I love these deals that Livescribe is offering educators. School districts are tightening their belts when it comes to expenses and this is a great way to get amazing tech into your classroom for a cheaper price. Not only that, they are adding some great pieces to their awesome pens. The best practices guide, deployment guide and the extra ink cartridges are an excellent bonus when buying these bundles. 

Why should teachers have all of the fun with it comes to Livescribe. These pens are awesome for students who want to capture everything and their traditional pen and paper can't keep up! I also love that there is a chance to buy the great materials if you already own a Livescribe pen and are looking for ways to get even more out of it. It's a smart move. 

Livescribe is working hard to reach teachers and students to help them get the most out of their classroom. Their work with Evernote is another great step in the right direction. The Sky pen wifi connection that sends all of the work to an Evernote notebook has increased workflow for me and helped me stay a bit more organized. For those looking to finally take the plunge into the world of Livescribe, now is the best time to do it with these amazing bundles. 

For more information on the bundles, check out Livescribe's site and their PDF on the Bundles. 

Professionals Make Time for Learning #edchat

I was reading a comment on a blog post the other day and it really set me off. The comment boiled down to the same old excuse that I'm just tired of hearing. "I just don't have the time for tech." Of all of the excuses out there, this is the one that drives me up a wall and is the most devastating to students in the classroom.

First, I want to say that I am a High School English teacher. I am busy teaching 5 sections of English that have essays and projects. I'm also a father and a husband. That takes up some time as well. I also write for Edutopia, Smartblogs, my own site and prepare presentations for various groups. I do all of these things in the same 24hr period that everyone else has. I wish I had a TARDIS or a flux capacitor enabled Delorean, but I do not. I find the time because the time needs to be found.

The excuse that there is not enough time to look into new technology and integrate it into the classroom is a lazy excuse. There is time, but priorities must be shifted. I do not play as many video games as I used to because I need to focus on other things. I work on my blog or I read great blogs instead of shooting zombies. It was a tough choice, but my students benefit from it.

I have also integrated technology into my life in such a way that I actually have more free time. That is the part that really burns me. If these "too busy" teachers actually took the time to invest in technology, they would actually save themselves time in the long run. Some time up front will save plenty of time on the back end.

As a professional, "not enough time to learn new things" should not be in the vocabulary. What other profession gets away with ignoring tools that can make their job easier, more efficient and valuable to their clientele? I do not want a doctor to tell me they are using the old methods because it takes too much time to learn the new ones. My dad is a doctor. I grew up watching him be very busy. He constantly had to read and learn for the betterment of himself and for his patients. As teachers, we have a responsibility to be lifelong learners. As part of that, we need to learn about the new tools that are coming out that can help us and the students.

I'm not suggesting that every teacher learn every tool that comes out. That would be impossible. What I am saying is that teachers need to make the time to learn something new and try and use it to make them better at their job and/or improve the learning in the classroom. We cannot allow each other to sit back and make excuses as to why we are not pushing ourselves to be better. "Not enough time" is a phrase that makes all teachers look bad. We need to eliminate that from our vocabulary if we want the respect we deserve.

Lastly, do not end up like Jessie trying to do it all. It's not possible.

Creative Space in the Classroom #EdChat

I'm excited about the new additions to my classroom this week. I was lucky enough to get some IdeaPaint for my classroom a few weeks ago. I was excited to have this back wall painted with it so I could have this large space where my students could work, plan and just be creative. Sadly, my plans were not able to unfold due to some problems with the wall I wanted to paint. I was frustrated, by the school's team of awesome engineers came up with a solution that ends up being a win win for me and my students.

The engineers installed two large pieces of particle board on my wall. They look like whiteboards and are just as easy to write on and clean. The boards were up for only two class periods and this is what students did.

                              

You will notice the epic nerdiness of my students in these photos. I assure you that I had no influence over the quotes or pictures the students used. 

It is so awesome to see students get excited at the chance to be creative. A blank canvas and some dry erase markers inspired my students to draw and share their passions. Whether it was by drawing a TARDIS or the symbol for Skyrim, my kids were excited to share. The board is even crazier looking today than it was a few days ago when the picture was taken. Students have really taken to drawing and sharing bits of wisdom. 

Now I have the creative space I wanted, but I have IdeaPaint that needs to be used. I'm excited to take the paint and use it in a couple of places. I will be painting the door between the two pieces of particle board and I will be painting my desks as well. Now, my students will have a space to draw right on their desk and will be able to capture their work on their iPads using Evernote. This is perfect! 

As much as I love tech for certain aspects of my personal and professional life, I also just love to draw things out. It helps me think through various issues and plan my writing. I know that this is true for my students as well. The IdeaPaint will now allow my students to draw their ideas out and save them into Evernote. All of this can be done without the need to scrap paper. More trees will be saved!

The Plan:

The left wall will be used for planning. This is where groups can get together and plan out larger ideas for their projects. They can use it for story boards or large mind maps if they want. It is a work area for the groups that can't get all of their ideas out on their desks. 

The right wall will be the creative space. This will be reserved for students that need a place to doodle or share some art from their brain. It will be for before or after class use, but it will be their space. The board will be refreshed every Monday, so students are encouraged to take pictures, leave comments and support the work of their peers. It's a fun chances to bring some art into the classroom and I feel I can have some really great writing prompts created based on the art my students put up. 

The door is going to be a place for goals, dreams and quotes. I want this to be where students can write down what they aspire to be or do with their life. It can serve as a constant reminder of why they do what they do. This might be my favorite idea for using the IdeaPaint. 

These are just some of the things I plan to do with the creative space I know have in my class. What would you do with this space? I would love to hear from you. 

Thanks! 

Nick