One of the things most traveling presenters and workshop facilitators always seem to be looking for is portable speakers (that actually sound good). When I was once again contacted by IPEVO to try out a few more items, I jumped at the chance to try out their tubular wireless speakers. They generously sent me the tubular wireless speakers, the open stereo earphones, and the iPhone power pack.
The day they arrived, my 17 year old son, Josh, brought in the box and was delighted to think he was getting some new "give aways." He would have to at least wait for me to test these items out and see if I had any use for them myself.
It took me a few minutes to figure them out. Only because I think I'm such a Smartie Pants that I don't need to read instructions. Then Josh took over. He had those babies up and running in 5 minutes. For those of you who don't have kids to help you, the instructions ARE very clear. We first synced them with my computer and the sound was really good. Not as good as my 30" Klipsch speakers in the living room, but deeper than any portable speakers I've heard. We then tried them with my iPhone. Once again, great sound. We wanted to see how far the reach was, so Josh walked to the other end of the house with the iPhone while I listened. It was only when he was 2 rooms away (with walls in between) that we started to hear some crackling.
One of the nice things about the speakers is that all the wires are contained within the speakers and they charge with a USB connection. So you can leave them plugged into your computer while you use them if you want, and they will charge at the same time or you can plug them into an outlet using any USB connection that came with your iPhone or iPod. I don't have an iPad, but I'm assuming they come with the same type of charging connections.
I thought these were simply earbuds but was pleasantly surprised to see they also contained an inline microphone, making them perfect for talking on your phone. I never liked the earbuds that came with the iPhone because they always fall out of my ears. I once purchased an expensive pair of BOSE earbuds that sounded great, but when they weren't bothering me, they also fell out of my ears.
These IPEVO earphones allow you access to the external sounds around you as well, so they are safe to use for jogging or working at your desk in an office environment. They are very comfortable and small and sound great!
I was hoping I could replace my headset I use at the gym with these. Unfortunately, my gym is too noisy and these earphones don't cut out enough of the background noise for that type of setting.
There's only a few times I've ever run out of battery for my iPhone, but plenty of times I've worried about it. When I'm traveling, I make sure I charge my phone whenever I can, regardless of how much life is left in the battery. And you'll never find me playing Words With Friends, or checking Twitter, unless I've got lots of juice. I guess I'm compulsive like that.
Not really having much of a need for the battery pack, I still like the idea of carrying it with me. Last Tuesday, Josh and I went to the DMV so he could take his driving test to get his license. If you've ever been to a Florida DMV, then you know that you need to bring a duffel bag full of camping supplies. (I say Florida DMV because I imagine that the DMVs in the rest of the country are more like salons where they allow you to make appointments, keep them, have concierges, Starbucks and wine and cheese.) Anyway, you can be sure that battery pack came in handy. After watching several episodes of Prison Break, my phone needed a boost and the IPEVO battery pack helped us get through the rest of the day.
I like that you can charge it and your phone at the same time. It's also very small and sleek. I keep it in my purse and feel confident that I've got some extra battery life with me.
Some great products once again, from IPEVO. I'm happy to try out their products and share my experiences any day!
You'd probably never believe this about me, but back in high school I was a drama-geek. I hung out with my drama friends, sang showtunes, dressed silly and often on a Friday or Saturday night, we'd go to a local (yucky) theater at midnight to watch the Rocky Horror Picture show. I was never a performer, rather I was always on the Tech Crew (shocking, huh?) but still loved the roar of the grease paint and smell of the crowd! Those were the good old days!
I hardly watch TV these days but lots of my friends from high school have excitedly called my attention to this recent episode of Glee. Aside from some lyrics being whitewashed and some obvious creative liberties, this really brought me back to a fun time in my life. It was truly a time warp for me.
I was just reading this terrific article about overcoming technology even without extra money or support. There are some very good suggestions and examples. I particularly like the tip that emphasizes starting with small, fast paced but doable projects. I think so often we throw the kitchen sink at people; mostly because we're so excited and because our time with them is so limited.
I know I'm guilty. During PD sessions, I often feel like this is my one opportunity to share some great stuff, and if I can throw lots of cards in the air, at least one will land face up.
In the article, Sylvia Martinez, president of Generation YES (Youth Educators Succeeding), offers a powerful model for PD.
The company enlists students -- whom Martinez calls "the other 92 percent of the population in schools" -- as part of the solution. "Can we teach students to help teachers use technology more effectively in the classroom? We've got twelve years of data that says we can," she says.
...The bottom line is, do the best you can with what you've got. And, as Martinez says, when you achieve great results, "you should let people see the evidence that it's working."
I think that is a crucial part that's missing. There are so many enriching experiences that ARE happening in our classrooms, but are not being shared. As Sylvia says, we need to be sharing the evidence of what we are doing. Teachers can find ways to share what their students are doing with other teachers and (at the very least) their students' parents.
By publishing simple webpages, blogs, wikis or even something low-tech like faculty meetings and family nights. Small increments of "show and tell" can really inspire the most reluctant teachers.
This article is definitely worth reading. What are your thoughts?
A recent article in Time Magazine shouting, "California Teachers Paying For School Supplies and More" made me wonder where the author has been and under whose rock she has been hiding. Why is this suddenly newsworthy? I mean, haven't we been using our own money on our classroom for years?
I've been in education now for 26 years. At the beginning of my career, I remember spending hundreds of dollars (yes, even back then) for extra items when I wanted to do something with my class that wasn't "expected" of me. I remember buying books and tapes, LEGO Mindstorms, light-sensitive paper, etc. These days however, I truly must purchase my own basic supplies for even that which is expected of me; shelving for my room, baskets for organization, copy paper, paper clips, staples, pencils, pencil sharpeners (even the hand crank one), etc. To date (this school year alone), I believe I have over $800. in receipts for which I will never receive reimbursement.
Publishers are making millions of dollars by selling their textbooks to school districts with the "21st Century" feature of having almost all of their textbooks, workbooks, etc. online in PDF. This is awesome; until you realize that when you need the pages, you must copy them yourself. Let me make this clear though, I would like to have the option of having both (PDF and hard copy student versions of items of MY choice). Better yet, make the work interactive and reduce the PDF-type worksheets altogether. Young students do still need writing experiences though, so what's the harm in giving us all of it? Older students can use notebooks and take notes easily where elementary students take the bulk of their lesson time recording information in their notebooks. Having something pre-printed that they can work through and refer back to, makes a lot of sense. In the case of a science lab data record for example, my students took 45 minutes to record their observations in their blank notebooks and 10 minutes to do the same thing on a copied paper where I drew the data tables for them.
Teachers have always spent their own money on classroom items. Yet, I don't know of any other job where people do this. Those in the business sector don't seem to understand why we do this. My husband tells me all the time to just refuse to use what is not provided. He also tells me there's no point to doing anything if you're not getting paid for it. That includes blogging here, here or here. It also includes presenting at conferences, even at ones where my expenses are paid in full. His business-brain tells him that "nobody buys the cow when the milk is free."
Where do you stand on all of this?
I'd love your comments and I'd also appreciate it if you would take my poll. Let's see if teacher-spending is unique to California after all.
I'm always looking for ways to be sure students know what they're doing online before they get there and to be sure their parents are comfortable with what they see their children doing. I believe this post showcases a best practice for that very thing. As always though, I look to you for feedback and more suggestions.
Karen McMillan (@mcteach on Twitter) just gave an awesome presentation on Classroom 2.0 Live where she showcased her Paper Blog activity. You MUST watch the archived session here. Karen shared her Paper Blog activity with me a few months ago and I've used it with my students to get them ready to blog with the "real thing." My students have practiced writing and most of all commenting appropriately.
This week, my students will be receiving their real blog credentials and I'll be showing them the technical aspects of posting to their KidBlogs. Based on a recent comment to my class blog by an Australian teacher, I found my way over to his blog and loved what I saw; a well organized blog with some wonderfully helpful support pages for his students. Realizing I've taught these skills to my students, but have no place online for them to go for reference, I just had to steal this idea from Mr. Campbell in Australia. I've made some modifications and I'm excited to share it with you and show it to my students who will hopefully use it as a reference. Please check it out here and let me know what your thoughts are. Have I left anything out?
Is it every parent's nightmare to have a science fair project assigned? I think often it is but it truly doesn't have to be. With careful planning, following directions and helpful resources, creating a science fair project can (and should) be lots of fun and a great learning experience for kids. The most important thing to remember is that it's not a competition. Oh, well, I guess it is a competition. Let me put it this way: it is a STUDENT competition. Parents should do their best to let their kids take ownership of the project as much as possible. That means coming up with a topic that is interesting to the student yet sufficiently challenging. Parents definitely need to be involved, but mostly to make sure their child is following their plan, the directions, and conducting their experiments properly. A fantastic resource is Science Fair Central. I LOVE the 3 step process that walks you through the entire process. Obviously, there may be items on your school's criteria that is not on the site, but certainly you can make the adjustments.
What's your best advice for parents who are helping their kids with a science fair project?
