Technology+Best+Practices

__Ed Tech Teacher__ (@http://www.edtechteacher.org/)
EdTechTeacher's Tom Daccord is a former (history) teacher and this experience shows in his site. He and his co-creator, Justin Reich, are very knowledgeable and accessible. I have attended two of their trainings and left both with resources that I could implement the following day in my classroom. They also have a GREAT book that you should check out. Actually, you could ask your principal to purchase a few copies and have them on hand for teacher use. [|Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology]

From their site: "EdTechTeacher's Tom Daccord and Justin Reich are dedicated to helping teachers incorporate technology effectively into the classroom. Our goal is to use technology to creative active, student-centered learning communities. EdTechTeacher delivers presentations and workshops around the country and abroad. EdTechTeacher also designs and provides high quality online courses and webinars that support teaching in technology integrated classrooms."



__Power to Learn__ (@http://www.powertolearn.com/teachers/index.shtml)
Power to Learn has some great tech-based resources on their site including links to interesting articles and reviews of tech-tools. There is also a section for parents and students.

From their site: "Power to Learn, Cablevision's nationally recognized education initiative, empowers K-12 learning in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado by making technology in the classroom useful and by facilitating the home-school connection. Founded in 1998, Power to Learn provides:
 * Broadband Internet access to schools and libraries;
 * Single-line Voice, to enhance learning through collaboration;
 * Cable television service, bringing educational programming into school curricula;
 * [|Powertolearn.com], an online learning community for teachers, students and parents; and
 * Technology applications to make the Internet useful for learning.



__**Teaching History with Technology**__ (@http://thwt.org/)
The title of this page is a bit misleading because it has great information for non-history teachers as well. The site has information and links to tech-tools (many of which are free) for presentations, multimedia, research, writing, assessments, handheld/portable devices, and other resources.



__Best Sites for History__ (@http://besthistorysites.net )
I have to include this site because I am a history/Social Studies teacher. This site is a division of EdTech Teacher and has fantastic links! It is organized into time period and is just a treasure chest of links! It is definitely an asset for history teachers and students.



__Teaching with Tech__ ( @http://www.teachingwithtech.net)
This blog has lots of links and articles about tech-tools. The creator of the blog is a professor who teaches teachers how to incorporate technology. A sure bet!

From this site: "My name is Jason Beach, and I am a professor at Tennessee Technological University where I teach teachers how to incorporate technology into their classrooms. My goal for this site is to be a one-stop-shop of techniques, ideas, and resources on how to use technology in a prek-12 classroom. I have incorporated a variety of techniques to teach technology integration in this web site. I hope you find this website useful and a great resource for incorporating technology in your classroom."



Common Craft (www.commoncraft.com)
OK, so maybe this site shouldn't go in the "Best Practices" page. However, it is a very useful site. Common Craft's service is "explanation", as they say. They provide quick, easy to follow videos on a variety of tech tools. Not sure what "the cloud" is? Want to expand your web search skills beyond "google it"? Don't know what RSS means? In less than 5 minutes, you can find an answer on Common Craft.

From their site: Our videos may surprise you. They're short and simple. They use paper cut-outs. They cover subjects "in Plain English." But lurking under the simple surface are lessons that have been crafted with great care. Despite our fun and lighthearted style, we take explanation seriously.



Primary Source, Web 2.0 Tools (@http://resources.primarysource.org/web2tools)
Primary Source is a fantastic professional development organization based out of Watertown, MA. They focus on global awareness and education and provide really high-quality PD workshops and courses. They also have a strong emphasis on technology. This resource on their site provides descriptions and links to web 2.0 tools.



Talking Tech with Robin ( @http://talkingtechwithrobin.blogspot.com)
Robin is a teacher and provides lots of review and links on her blog for all things tech in education. This is a great site to check out if you are looking for a specific tech tool- just scroll down to the archive menu on the right side of her blog's homepage.

From her blog: I entered the field of educational technology six years ago with the purchase of my first apple computer. Teaching in the music classroom I instantly became intrigued with Garage Band. This attraction led to the completion of a Master of Arts In Education/Curriculum and Instruction-Computer Education from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Science Education, Integrating Technology into the Classroom from the Walden University. I served as Technology Integration Specialist in the Edgewood City Schools for two years. This year, due to budget cuts, I am back in the classroom, teaching grade seven computer applications.