"Creativity is contagious, pass it on." ~Albert Einstein

Sunday, January 19, 2014

I recently blogged about how I had begun creating App Task Challenges for the teachers in our district.  The challenges have been well received and I think teachers actually enjoy the process of completing the challenges and then having an idea on how to easily integrate an app into their curriculum.

One of my responsibilities as the Integration Specialist for our district is to plan professional development focused on technology for the third Wednesday of each month.  To tell you the truth, it's tough to provide valuable, authentic tech trainings to a large group of teachers at one time.  I have showed our teachers how to use Twitter, Skype, Google Apps for Education, etc., but it was always in a large group, and I struggled to keep it engaging and valuable.  The last thing I want to do is waste a teachers time. 

I wanted our teachers to be active, moving, collaborating, designing. I began thinking that I could achieve these results by creating a "challenge" for our PD day.  I came up with a challenge in which teachers (in their PLC's) had to create a 30 second public service announcement using the iMovie app.  Their topic:  "How To..."   Click here to see the details of the challenge.    When we went 1:1 with iPads a year ago we installed the iMovie app on all of our teacher and student devices.  I wanted this challenge to provide our teachers an opportunity to learn how to use the iMovie app.   I love the creation possibilities with this iMovie and it's so easy to use! 

Our teachers did an AWESOME job!  You can see some of the examples below.  I have a read a lot of banter on Twitter lately about transforming the traditional "sit and get" PD to something more meaningful and valuable.  It is my hope that teachers that weren't using the iMovie app previously, now see how easy it is to create a simple product using iMovie. 

Steal this idea, take it to your administration team.  YOU create the challenge (just use this one) and let your teachers create!   




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Wednesday, January 15, 2014


One of the first things kids want to do after signing up for Edmodo or KidBlog (and other accounts that allow avatars) is to customize their avatars.  If only I had a dollar for every time I heard a student say, "Mr. Badura, how do we change our picture?" 

I'm not comfortable having students place images of themselves online, especially at the elementary level, so why not have student create avatars of themselves using the Doodlebuddy app?  Here is how you do it:

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Tuesday, January 14, 2014



Oftentimes teachers will say to me, "How did you know that?" or "How did you learn how to do that?" when sharing or showing them how to use a new app or technology tidbit.  I simply say, "I played."  

I enjoy playing around with apps to see how they could be used in a classroom setting. I don't know everything about the iPad or the best apps to use.  I just play.   

Why do we lose the urge "to play" as we get older?  We get set in our ways.  Tunnel vision sets in.  Life gets in the way.  

Think of all the life lessons you learned when playing as a kid.  I was that kid that learned the hard way about peeing on an electric fence.  I learned that you have to make sure that you land on the other haystack you are jumping to so you don't land like a sack of bricks when missing. Another valuable lesson I learned while playing with my Grandpa Al... NEVER play "52 Pick Up." 

Most importantly, I learned that I didn't always get what I wanted.  I had to be willing to compromise.  I learned that if I wanted to play my game, I had to be willing to play theirs too.  I learned how to share. I learned that life isn't fair.  

We learn(ed) so much from playing.  Take some time to play again.  Dig into those tools that you have been wanting to play with, but simply haven't found the time.  Trust me,  your students will love it. 


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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

I created the Smore that you see below awhile back in order to better educate the parents of our K-12 students.  We have been 1:1 with iPads at the school I teach at for a year and I am constantly trying to stay ahead of our students when it comes to the social media apps that they are using.

I am a firm believer that education is the best medicine when it comes to prevention in regards to students making mistakes online. Yes, students are going to make mistakes online.  I know I did plenty of stupid/silly things when I was a teenager and I am so thankful that I didn't have access to social media like our students do today.  Schools and parents need to work together on educating our children about appropriate online behavior.

Like I mention in the Smore, I think it would be a great idea to sit down tonight with your child and go through the apps that they are using.  Look at their camera roll, dig into some of the apps that they are using, talk about the recent Snapchat hack.  Have them explain to you how they are using certain apps. Be ready, your child probably knows a lot more about some of the apps than you do.  Ask them why they use a certain app.  Ask them what they are doing with the app.  Become an investigator.

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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Recently a few members of my PLN (Marialice Curran, Craig Dunlap, Jamey Boelhower and Jennifer Scheffer) mentioned me in one of their blog posts and it had something to do with an "11 Man Game" or a "Sunshine Award."

What in the world is that?  I found myself asking the same question.   Essentially,  it's a blogging challenge from a member of your PLN that allows them and other members of your PLN to learn a few things about you.

Here are the rules:  (Marialice, I am sharing them from your blog post)
1.  Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
2.  Share 11 random facts about yourself.
3.  Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
4.  List 11 bloggers.  They should be bloggers you believe deserve a little recognition.
5.  Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they've been nominated.  (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)

11 Random Facts About Me
1.  I am the oldest of four boys.
2.  I shave my head each and everyday.
3.  I am married to my high school sweetheart.
4.  I love to garden and perennials are my favorite. 
5.  I love to cook.
6.  I enjoy cleaning and find it very therapeutic.
7.  I am an avid DIY'er.  I recently refinished the 99 year old Douglas Fir floors on the second floor of our home.
8.  I have a metal plate under my right eye as result of a baseball accident.
9.  I love to learn about Lewis and Clark.  I have traveled and camped along the trail as far as the Bitteroot Mountains in Idaho and look forward to going completing the journey by traveling to the Pacific Ocean.
10. I love bluegrass music.  Some of my favorites would are Town Mountain, Split Lip Rayfield and Old Crow Medicine Show
11. The first record (yes, vinyl) I ever bought with my own money was Billy Joel's "Glass Houses"

The 11 questions I have to answer for Maralice: 
  1. Why did you start blogging? To create a digital presence, and as a way to share some of the things/ideas I was doing in my classroom.
  2. What was/is your favorite lesson to teach in the classroom?  When I was teaching Nebraska History I loved my unit on Lewis and Clark, World History was the Romans.  Today, I love teaching students how to CREATE with the iPad.  
  3. If education wasn’t an option in any form, what would you be instead? A Landscape Contractor
  4. What was the hardest lesson you learned?  That my Dad wouldn't live forever. 
  5. What is your proudest moment?  When my children were born. 
  6. How do you explain your job to people?  I get to work with teachers and collaborate on the best ways to integrate technology into their classrooms.  I also get to teach or students and parents about Digital Citizenship.
  7. If you could send a message back to yourself 20 years ago, what would it say? Don't sweat the small stuff!
  8. If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about the public education system, what would it be and why?  Quit testing so much.  Eradicate the industrial revolution learning model that we are stuck in (teachers deliver content to students, students regurgitating information back) and instead start focusing all collaboration, design and creation in the classroom.
  9. If you could visit any event in recorded history, what event would you pick and why? That's a hard question for former History teacher.  There are so many events that I would love to witness, but I would actually go back to the last round of golf that I played with my Dad before he passed away.  The day was rainy and our round was slow because we had to wait for the rain as it was off and on.  We were able to have some great father son conversations during our down time.  What I wouldn't give to go back and relish ever minute of that day with my Dad.
  10. What is the title and author of the last book you read for fun?  Breaking into the Backcountry by Steve Edwards.  Great read!
  11. What book should I read over break? Which book is a must-read and why? Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption  Just read it. It will be one of the best books you have ever read!
11 Educator Bloggers/Teachers that have challenged my way of thinking, inspired me to try something new or taught me how to do something with something they shared:

Greg Swanson           @gregdswanson
Darin Swenson          @Swenson_N111
Greg Miller                @millerg6
Kevin Steinkuhler      @KSteink
Brent Catlett               @catlett1
Jodie Morgenson       @morgetron
Mr. Mansour             @mrmanteacher
Shawn Avery            @mr_avery
Jon Smith                   @theipodteacher
Jennifer Regruth        @jennregruth
Jeremy Macdonald    @mrmacnology

11 Questions I have for my bloggers/educators:

1.  What motivates you?
2.  Is the iPad a distraction in the classroom?
3.  In your opinion, who has been the most influential person in the history of the world?
4.  Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right thing?
5.  What's one thing you have not done that you really want to do?
6.  What is your happiest childhood memory?
7.  What is best part about about current job?
8.  Which is worse, failing or never trying?
9.  iOS or Android?
10.  Do you have a bucket list actually written down somewhere?
11.  Why did you become a teacher?


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