Diary of a Digital Learning Coach

Usually at this time in December, the only bulbs I am thinking about are the ones I am putting on my Christmas tree.  This year, however, it is year 1 of our digital portfolio initiative through the tool called Bulb and visions of digital reflections have replaced the sugar plums dancing in my head. As we have gotten started with our portfolios,  my team and I have learned a couple of things worth sharing.  Think of these tips as the trim on your portfolio “tree” aka simple tips for you and your class to help make your portfolios “sparkle”! 1. Cook up some creative images for your Bulb  As our learners personalize their portfolios, consider letting them get creative with the images they create.  Why not have them create an avatar of themself using the drawing and shape tools in Keynote? Exported as an image, drawings can easily be added to their profile picture, providing an extra layer of safety and uniqueness. Creating an avatar in Keyn...

Hello from Apple Training! I am so lucky to be in a district that values learning for all - even me.  My team has spent the last couple of days working with Nelson Taylor, a trainer for Apple.  As I reflect on my learning, I keep thinking about how technology can assist us in reaching ALL learners in a deeper way.   Here are a few techno treats I have learned! Using drawing features, line animation, and audio in Keynote can help learners use modes of learning that are meaningful to them! Check out the  Elements of Learning  multi-touch book to learn more about deeper learning in the classroom! So many accessibility features that are underused in Settings! A couple of great reasons to use Safari on your iPads! What techno treats are inspiring YOU this week?  Teach me in the comments!

Once of my favorite articles I read last year was about the concept of innerput.  We all need time to digest and process information that we are learning.  That thinking time that happens between input and output is where the learning magic happens...the innerput. Read more about the concept in the article below. Less Input and More Innerput: Take Time to Internalize Information As with the input and output stage of a lesson design, innerput doesn't have to involve digital tools.  There are many ways for learners to make their thinking visible without technology at all.  What technology can do, however, is provide our learners with another outlet to interact with and apply information. So in today's post, we will take a digital spin on thinking maps, a great way for our learners to process the information that they are learning and make connections between concepts. Keynote  Share this Keynote template that my teammate, Kelly Skillingberg , mad...

Did you hear?  Apple recently hosted a huge education event in Chicago rolling out many changes to its products and software apps that have the potential to  impact education in a major way. There’s SO much good news from this event (including new devices priced for education) that my friend, Megan Kozar and I decided to break down some of our favorite updates for you vlog style in under 3 minutes! What devices do these work on? These awesome features work on any devices that run iOS 11.  Don’t forget to keep your iOS updated and update your apps periodically to get the smoothest experience! Even if your learner devices are older, you as an educator can use the updates to explore, practice and create materials for your classroom  - this is a great way to learn and explore so you are ready for when they do! What can YOU do with these to transform a learning experience? Need ideas?  Check in with your friendly neighborho...

I’m so excited to be blogging from the TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) conference in Austin, Texas this week! My team and I will be presenting several different sessions and I am so excited to be co-presenting “Apple in Education, We Say Yes!” on Thursday at 1:30! My Awesome Co-Presenters! In our session, we will celebrate the use of Apple in our district and encourage others to see the amazing educational value of Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Everyone Can Code.  Even if you are #notattcea, I encourage you to learn with us for this week’s installment of #anappleaweek. Simply go to www.flipgrid.com/AppleEDUyes , select a learning topic and click on the attached resource to begin exploring.   Attending TCEA and interested in more learning from the Coppell DLCs? Check out all of our session offerings below! Follow #TCEA and #TCEA18 for more great learning opportunities!   Check out other posts from this series here.

Hi friends! Are you having learners create thinking maps for processing their thinking?  Check out the template below made in Keynote by my teammate Kelly - open it on a Mac or iPad.  The template can be shared with learners to manipulate and create thinking maps using the Keynote app. Thinking Maps Keynote Template  Note: Open link on an iPad or Mac, tap download to view the file. Do you like this resource?  Check out An Apple a Week - each week, my team and I are highlighting some different Apple programs and how they can be used in the classroom.  I invite you to click on the Apple a Day link at the top of the blog to read OR listen to our accompanying podcast. Happy Learning!

   This week, our Apple A Week series continues with an awesome post from guest writer, Brian Timm .  Brian is a Digital Learning Coach in Coppell ISD and is an Apple Distinguished Educator.   Let's learn from him as he highlights some Keynote tips and tricks.   New to Keynote?  Check out Apple's user guide for iPad and for Mac . Keynote is Apple’s software for creating (potentially) beautiful presentations. I say potentially because you can take any presentation software and use it for evil deeds that’ll make you say, “What. The. Font”?  When building a keynote presentation, here are some quick wins, best practices, and creative uses that we have found helpful.   Quick Win: Resizing Objects Efficiently When resizing objects in Keynote for Mac, I used to drag from the corner, then have to move the object back to it’s original location. To keep the object in the same position and resize, simply hold down the “option” but...