I was recently re-introduced to a tool that I used in the past but had forgotten about. The New York Times offers a service called The Learning Network. I have include the link here and on my 'Links' page under 'Lesson Plans.'
    If you are looking for materials to help you teach to the Relevance and Application portion of the 21st Century Skill and Readiness Competencies in the Colorado State Standards... Start Here!

    I'd like to share some information about what is going on in our world regarding technology. Most of our students have been introduced to their Google accounts. I am encouraging the students to use their Google Drive to create, upload, store, and collaborate on writing projects. I have also informed the students that they must still communicate with their teachers about sharing assignments and turning in work through Google. I stress that it is the teacher's decision to use or to not use Google. Despite this warning, students have tried to share assignments with teachers who have not set up their own accounts yet. This has prompted a number of teachers to ask, "Am I going to have to learn Google this year?" Here is a long answer...
    It looks as if the 1-to-1 program is here to stay. That doesn't necessarily mean we will stick with laptops. From my understanding, there are a couple of ideas being looked into and the idea has been floated about extending the program to the middle schools. To move forward with some of the ideas the speed of the network, expanding the bandwidth, is of utmost importance. This means we will have to get creative in addressing some of our tech-based issues and in finding money. This is part of where my Google push comes from. Google Apps provides a number of free tools for education. Free! By creating a domain, we can now consolidate some programs and save some money that can then be used to enhance our technology program throughout the district.
    Obviously, I am an education technology advocate, if not a down right fanatic. I believe we are going in the right direction for our students with our initiatives. I am also convinced of the benefits that technology can provide to teachers. I think a substantial amount of the teacher's time would be saved by incorporating Google into our environment. Well, if not saved, the teacher's time would be honored and respected by using online collaborative tools.
    Yes, it will take some training to create this kind of environment. And, I do not wish to add to anything to your already over-filled plates. I do want to introduce some of the basics of Google Drive to the teachers and I do think that some of the cost saving changes will require a bit of a migration toward Google. So, do you have to learn this Google stuff? Not yet, but let me show you how it can work and let me help you prepare for some of the possible changes.