It has been quite sometime since I posted on this blog, and for good reason. I have been busy! Over 10 years ago I started this instructional technology site to share my learning from my master’s program at the University of Wyoming and my adventures as an instructional technology director for a school district. Life has thrown a few curves into my life’s plan along the way, but I still find myself in education but at the classroom level. Last summer, I gained new employment teaching world geography at Johnson Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I was able to bring my family back to my home state and to leave the Sand Hills of Nebraska behind after almost a decade living there. My new exploits have brought me from teaching 8th grade American History to 7th grade World Geography, and I have spent most of the year developing a website and learning tools that can be found at http://oxpower.org (http://geosearcher.wordpress.com). I continue to use Quia (http://quia.com) for building most of my tutorials, the old and trusty Content Generator tutorial creator software, and make most of my presentations for students via Prezi (http://prezi.com). The summer, then school year, has flown by with a major move, and getting accustomed to a new school, students, and staff, but I feel right at home in my native state. The fall allowed myself and my family to attend almost every Wyoming Cowboy home football game, and we even caught a basketball game when the Cowboys were at home for the CBI tournament that they eventually won! I recently purchased a new computer (Mac Mini), and have been transferring and setting things up to keep rolling with technology (I shall share my adventures with that soon). So, there is an update for those that care, and for those that may have thought I had fallen of the face of the earth!
Archive for the ‘Instructional Technology’ Category
Who has been blogging for a decade!?!
Posted: May 3, 2017 in Education, Instructional Technology, TechnologyTags: ed tech, Education, Instructional Technology, Technology
My new project…in the works
Posted: March 8, 2016 in Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyEmbedded Tech a Division of Hokanson’s Instructional Technology
This is the beginnings of a plan to provide services to the educational community. Stay tuned…
WWI Online Games…
Posted: December 14, 2015 in Educational Technology, Gaming, History, Instructional TechnologyTags: Education, Gaming, History, School, WWI
I have shared a few of these WWI online simulations and games before. Enjoy!
10 Essential FREE Android Apps…
Posted: June 7, 2015 in Android, Apps, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyTags: android, Android apps, apps, Education, StraghtTalk, ZTE
Android apps are plenty, and I have had the past couple of years to decide on what I consider to be the most essential. I am a low end user, purchasing economical devices for classroom use and, in the case of my phone, a StraightTalk ZTE Rapido LTE device. In these situations you don’t have access to much storage space; so, I have narrowed my usage to the following apps (all FREE):
WPS Office (Kingsoft): My go to app for reading and creating documents as needed. Yes, Google Drive is there too, but I really like WPS Office on my devices.
AVG AntiVirus & AVG Cleaner: Great antivirus detection and a cleaner to free up space when I need it.
Camera360: Solid photography app to make your phone camera full featured.
AccuWeather: In the Midwest it is nice to know what is on the horizon. This app provides you with all the information you need.
Chrome: First choice browser.
Dolphin Browser: The browser I use when I need to employ Flash for classroom use.
Amazon Kindle: This is where most of my books are; so, it’s nice to have access on multiple devices.
Facebook: Allows me to connect with family and friends.
Jewels 2: My favorite handheld game. Infinity mode is the best.
Walmart: Savings Catcher saves me money each time I go to the store.
Raspberry Pi 2
Posted: March 8, 2015 in Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyTags: computing, Education, raspberry pi, Technology
The History of the Learning Management Systems (LMS)…
Posted: March 5, 2015 in Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyTags: Instructional Technology, Learning, learning management system, lms, teaching
I am doing a trial of an LMS called Canvas. MOODLE was a great open source solution but is no longer an option in my current district. The following is a little history on the LMS for your perusal…
“Toys as Teaching Machines”
Posted: January 14, 2015 in Education, Educational Technology, History, Innovation, Instructional Technology, LearningTags: Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology
The Creation Continuum Revisted…
Posted: January 5, 2015 in Creativity, Differentiated Instruction, digital storytelling, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, project based learning, Technology, Technology IntegrationTags: creativity, differentiated instruction, Education, Instructional Technology, project based learning, Technology
A few years ago, while I served as an instructional technology director for a school district, I proposed the creation continuum after researching project based learning. The following link to my Prezi is an updated version of the presentation I shared on the subject…
How Android is Transforming Learning & Playing…
Posted: December 28, 2014 in Android, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyTags: android, educaion, Educational Technology, eLearning, Instructional Technology, Learning
Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics
More DOPO tablets on the way – Low cost tech in the classroom…
Posted: November 30, 2014 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Tablet, Technology, Technology IntegrationTags: DOPO, edtech, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, tablets, teaching, Technology
This is an update to my low end stab at furnishing my classroom with devices for student use (see other post here – Low end tech: a solution?).
Along with several old laptops I have been utilizing some DOPO Android tablets that have served very well. I was able to restore one device that was out of commision and that enabled me to utilize 8 of these tablets for a few months. After a tragic drop of one of the devices a couple of weeks ago (an accident), I was back to 7 DOPO tablets. Walmart had a good deal on these devices (upgraded versions for $39.99 each); so, I used some birthday money to order 5 more. These devices have been stellar in meeting the needs of my students. I have added cases for each and that has been a good investment in protecting the devices from day to day wear and tear.
I have had to adjust some of the tutorials (QUIA and ExamView activities – see weekly Agendas) that I create on a regular basis in order to bypass the lack of Flash availability on the Android devices. The old laptops are holding up well, and Ubuntu has been a refreshing answer to the old Windows machines. The Macs run well with OS 10.4+ and meet the needs of everything that is required for learning. The Android devices, particularly the DOPO tablets, in addition to students being able to use their own phones and a few other devices via a BYOD network is allowing access for all students on a daily basis.
I have set up a separate Gmail account to manage the Android devices that I will begin using once the new tablets arrive this week. I load each droid with the minimal browser and a few apps that enhance the classroom experience. Power management is achieved via several power strips, and I am looking for an improved storage system, but we are making do with what we have. Each of my students have a Google account via the school district that they can utilize as needed; so, my students are equipped with all the tools they need to be productive and to create on a regular basis (See our recent infographics projects).
The better solution would be if I didn’t have to pay for and support it all myself, but I have found a way for my students to be engaged, to learn, to remediate, and to be enriched on a regular basis. If you are looking for a low cost device that is sturdy, reliable, and engaging I highly recommend DOPO tablets as a positive addition to your learning environment.
5 Infographics to Teach You How to Easily Create Infographics in PowerPoint…
Posted: November 16, 2014 in Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyTags: Data, Education, infographics, Technology
Having students create an infographic is a great way for them to gather and organize data and information that they can display visually. The following article shows ways to create infographics using PowerPoint.
The article link is below…
“In this post, we’ll highlight some PowerPoint infographic creation basics as well as four of the infographic templates from the download that explain how to easily create infographics in PowerPoint (how meta, right?). Just be sure to download the PowerPoint templates for yourself so you can easily customize the designs you see…”
World War I Online Teaching Resources…
Posted: November 7, 2014 in Education, Educational Technology, History, Instructional Technology, Learning, School, Social Studies, Teaching
With the centennial of World War I there are several online resources and articles that can assist educators and students in teaching and learning about a very pivotal time in history. The following are links to several resources I have been collecting and creating as of late…
Articles
How a century-old war affects you (series of articles…this is a link to Part 1)
How World War I gave us ‘cooties’ (Part 2)
The ‘bionic men’ of World War I (Part 3)
ISIS caliphate shows still no end to WWI (Part 4)
The mighty women of World War I (Part 5)
How toxic weapons killed 90,000 (Part 6)
After war atrocities, who must pay? (Part 7)
World War I’s broken promise (Part 8)
How World War I gave birth to the modern (Part 9)
When the flu wiped out millions (Part 10)
Why words don’t work for war’s horrors (Part 11)
The man who started WWI: 7 things you didn’t know
Video: Three unexpected things from WWI
Photos: The ‘golden age’ of postcards
Video – World War I: American Legacy
In 2014, countries are still paying offf debt from World War One
Where Americans Turned the Tide in World War I
This Week in World War I, Nov. 1-7, 1914
How a war started Daylight Savings Time
Remembering forgotten veterans of World War I
Final Tower of London poppy ‘planted’ on Armistice Day
World War I in Photos – The Atlantic
The Art of WWI in 52 Paintings
WWI site offers hints of J.R.R. Tolkien
Resources
Hokanson’s American History WWI
Tutorials
World War I Cloze Activity – Popups
http://www.quia.com/cz/455972.html
World War I Cloze Activity – (Fill in the Blank)
http://www.quia.com/cz/456001.html
World War I Vocabulary
http://www.quia.com/jg/2433958.html
World War I Hangman (Hints)
http://www.quia.com/hm/873116.html
World War I Hangman (No Hints)
http://www.quia.com/hm/873421.html
World War I Jumbled Words
http://www.quia.com/jw/481171.html
World War I Challenge Board
http://www.quia.com/cb/826588.html
World War I Section 1 Rags to Riches
http://www.quia.com/rr/1026246.html
World War I Section 2 Rags to Riches
http://www.quia.com/rr/1026261.html
World War I Section 3 Rags to Riches
http://www.quia.com/rr/1026273.html
World War I Section 4 Rags to Riches
http://www.quia.com/rr/1026321.html
World War I Section 5 Rags to Riches
http://www.quia.com/rr/1026336.html
World War I Battleship
Android Tablet Advice…
Posted: October 12, 2014 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, TabletTags: android, Education, Instructional Technology, School, Tablet, tablets
I have purchased several Android tablets (DOPO) for my classroom recently, and I found the following infographic that offers some timely purchasing advice…
Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics
Components of the 21st Century Classroom…
Posted: October 12, 2014 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, School, TeachingTags: 21st Century, classroom, Education, Instructional Technology, School
Components of a 21st Century Classroom – An infographic by the team at Open Colleges
Teaching With Tablets…
Posted: October 12, 2014 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, School, Teaching, Technology IntegrationTags: Education, Instructional Technology, School, Tablet, tablets
From OnlineUniversities.com…
