Ryan Collins

🕹️ Do Something Great! 😄

Author: ryan

  • Title: Dear Google, You Should Have Talked to Me First [Link]

    Dear Google, You Should Have Talked to Me First writes:

    It’s a sad commentary on the state of education in the U.S. when a move like this is praised.

    To say I’m disappointed that Google views education through such a narrow lens is an understatement. For a company that has been built on innovation to invest millions into a program that levels books, awards points for low-level knowledge and comprehension, and creates bad data is a travesty.

    And you call this personalized learning? What’s personalized about letting a computer system match kids with books?

    You’re missing the point about what reading instruction should be, and you are helping to systematically destroy the joy in books.

  • Beaver Local waiver day #bltlap

    On Wednesday I had the distinct pleasure of
    attending Beaver Local’s professional development waiver day. It was a
    twofer for me, I not only got a chance to see how they ran their waiver
    day PD, but I also had the
    chance to present and converse with the staff in the district. This was
    invaluable to me, and I was very appreciative to have the chance to
    attend.

    Since the Ohio eTech Conference I’ve been trying to screencast everytime
    I teach or present. Here are the 5 presentions from Wednesday:

    My apologizes for all the recycled jokes throughout the day. 🙂

    p.s. Picture courtesy of Eric Lowe

  • Gamification in education research

    How to effectively use Civ IV in higher education | Ars Technica writes:

    Lots of games, from dedicated educational titles to adult brain-teasers, make claims about how they can improve someone’s mental performance in various ways. But there’s often little evidence available to back up these claims and, in many cases, the evidence itself is ambiguous. Can playing games actually help in the classroom?

  • IRC for teachers #tlah

    Since the website at talk.eduk8.me just isn’t up to everyone’s standards on using IRC for group chats I’ve put together a brief tutorial on installing a Chrome app that works a lot better than the website. It is also prettier. 🙂 (I also stumbled acrossed Tiny Tiny IRC tonight, but the install is a little more involved, so this will be a later project.)

    For this tutorial, you’ll be using Google Chrome. There is a Chatzilla add on for Firefox, and if there is a demand, I’ll put together a tutorial for Firefox users (although you’ll probably be able to use this one to get started with Chatzilla). In Chrome, go to the Chrome Apps store and search for CIRC (or click the link). Install the app, and then launch it.

    CIRC

    You’ll be created with a nice chat box, but you’re not connected to any servers yet. Before you connect to a server, you’ll need to set a nickname. In the message box, type /nick NICKNAME where NICKNAME is the nickname you want to use.

    Set Nickname

    Now you are ready to connect. In the message box, type /server talk.eduk8.me (If you haven’t noticed, all of the IRC commands start with a slash (/)). CIRC will connect you to the server.

    Join Server

    Once on the server, you need to connect to a room. Type /join #tlah to join the Teach Like a Hacker. Rooms are created and destroyed on the fly. If you join a room that doesn’t exists, a room will be created. And as soon as the last person leaves a room, the room is destroyed.

    Join #tlah

    Now that you’re in the room, start typing! On the left you will see a list of members of the current room along with a list of connected servers and channels. Anything typed in the box that doesn’t begin with a slash will be sent to everyone in the room.

    Start Chatting

    Want to go native? Or mobile? Here are some other clients to check out:

    (This is just a list to get you started, there are a plethora of clients available for the modern operating systems!)

  • In honor of The Lego Movie I present Ohio Dan and the Silver Brick of Doom

    Back in 1999, my brother and I put together a Lego stop motion movie.
    Ohio Dan and the Silver Brick of Doom. I had to laugh at the
    beginning of The Lego Movie since the beginning scene and a couple of the
    lines reminded me of Ohio Dan.

    The pictures were taken with a Sony Mavica floppy disk camera at a
    whopping 640×480 resolution, with us pretty much making up the story as we went
    along. I can’t remember what software we used though. The credits said
    Made with Macintosh, so in 1999 that would be the Avid movie software
    that Apple was bundling with Macs at the time (iMovie wasn’t until
    October of that year). I had just learned that there are pickles called
    sweet gherkins, which I thought was hilarious, so that had to be the
    name of the villain. Our protagonist was a parody of Indiana Jones.

    The resultant movie still makes me chuckle. 🙂

    Stopmotion is such a neat storytelling format, and it’s relatively easy
    to do. Especially with all the software and digital cameras that are
    available now. In ’99 we had to juggle floppy disks. Sometimes the disk
    would go bad and we would have to redo the shots. There was no frame of
    reference on what the previous shot was (no onion skinning) so you just
    kind of guessed. An old iPhone or iPod touch is enough to get started.

    Maybe someday we’ll complete the story.

  • How does water instantly freeze in a water bottle?

    In our garage we have some bottled water. With the colder weather I’ve
    witnessed an interesting phenomenon. When I bring a water bottle into
    the house, it is entirely liquid, but as soon as I shake it, it fills
    with slush.

    Apparently, it’s a process called
    supercooling    .
    The water temperature is brought below the freezing point, and all it
    takes is a little shake to freeze the water. Pretty cool!

  • Open a new laptop like an animal

    The best part of the terrible story done by NBC was learning how to
    unbox a new MacBook Air.

  • Noteable people from #oetc14

    A quick script and I have a list of the people I interacted with on
    Twitter! I highly recommend following each and every one of person! (And if I missed you, let me know so I can update the list!)

    @_AmyHansen Amy Hansen @StateImpactOH education reporter, as well as second grade multiplication table champion, reality TV show couch critic, & Pittsburgh native. Opinions are mine. Homepage
    @allthejenkins Andrew Jenkins Tech Teacher 6-7-8/Inservice Instructor in Brunswick,OH & Medina ESC/MaEd EdTech/Marriage Ministry/Philippians 4:13/John10:10/Volleyball Coach/Dad(x8 currently) Homepage
    @alvintrusty Alvin Trusty tech director, ed tech professor, presenter, photographer, lover of orange Homepage
    @bapool Brian Pool NTLS Technology Coordinator, Moodle Administrator, PHP programmer, USAF Pilot. Homepage
    @benninto Toby West Delaware City Schools educational technologist, specialize in education data, wife and mother of two, Northwestern Wildcat
    @benthax10 Ben Thaxton Tech Coordinator/Asst K-12 Principal in Ohio, Husband, Father of 3 awesome kids, follower of Jesus Christ
    @bgsuclarks Jay Clark Proud husband, father of four great kids, principal at Van Buren Middle School. Opinions are my own. Homepage
    @BJThaman BJ Thaman Tech Coordinator, K12, PBL, PLN, GTD, Mac, iOS, Chromebooks, Gadgets, Photography Homepage
    @bob05 Bob Green Technology coordinator, hockey player, coach and referee. Homepage
    @brueckj23 Jeremy Brueck Associate Director @uakron_literacy, #ebooks, educational researcher, doctoral candidate, president of Brueck Educational Innovations. Homepage
    @ccarman602 Chris Carman I’m a science teacher at Roosevelt High School in Kent, Ohio. Homepage
    @chamady Chris Hamady PhD candidate (ABD) at the Univ. of Toledo in Curr. & Instruction, Dir. of Technology Anthony Wayne schools, ADE, Ed. Tech, Musician, Lifelong Learner, Runner Homepage
    @christopherdeis Christopher Deis Learner, educator, general tech geek, husband & father, hiker & camper, and extremely part time triathlete. Ramblings are mine. Homepage
    @CK_CoachK Mr. Kreischer Adminstrator and coach at Crestview Local Schools in the thriving village of Convoy! Go Knights! Homepage
    @Cncdky Craig Dunlap Child of God, husband, father, tech leader, iPad addict, Show Hope dad, hiker, Eagle fan, GBS survivor
    @CoachLoom CoachLoom Father.Husband.Director of Technology & Instruction.Former HS Principal.Coach.Friend.All Things Ohio State.Pay it Forward.Trying to be a better golfer. Homepage
    @dgrimes David Grimes I’m the Instructional Design Specialist for #WVJC’s eCampus & Director of Academic Operations at the ground campuses – #OVCT #PIHT #WVJC. Also enjoy photography Homepage
    @Digital_PLN Digital_PLN Husband, dad to 3 girls & a puppy (profile portait by my daughter). Former teacher & school admin connecting educators. Homepage
    @dmumaw dmumaw
    @DrGranma MarianneH retired teacher educator in Technology in Education, ADE2000, DigitalScrapper, Genealogy novice but love it!! Homepage
    @dtymitz Danielle Tymitz
    @EdReachUs EdReach EdReach provides a platform for passionate, outspoken innovators, taking education forward by discussing the critical education issues of the day. Homepage
    @edtechbglenn Elizabeth Glenn District Educational Technologist for Hilliard City Schools
    @edtechgirl Char Shryock I am a Dir. of Curriculum and Inst. I specialize in cross curricular learning and Technology Integration. OH PARCC Educational Leader Homepage
    @EdTechToolkit Andrew Boan Husband, Teacher, Artist, and Tech Enthusiast. Homepage
    @EmingerITC Chelsey Eminger Instructional/ Technology Coach, Mentor Public Schools
    @ericcurts Eric Curts Family man, Technology Director, Podcaster, Writer, Google Apps Certified Trainer, Geek Homepage
    @GarthHolman Garth Holman Middle School SS teacher and UAkron Prof. Working to INSPIRE, not motiviate students. Making Positive Digital Footprints Worth Following. What is your Legacy? Homepage
    @GHerm1 Gary Herman Curriculum Coordinator @ Putnam County ESC;
    JV Volleyball Coach at Ottawa-Glandorf HS; die-hard Detroit Tigers fan
    @globalearner Alan November Globe Wandering Educator,Founder,November Learning, author of Who Owns the Learning? Host of Building Learning Communities conference http://t.co/AYKsBlGYj8. Homepage
    @IFTTT IFTTT Put the internet to work for you. Homepage
    @iTeachLipscomb Keith W. O’Neal Instructional Designer for Lipscomb Universities Center for Teaching & Learning – Tweeting & Blogging Educational ideas, news, & resources. #lctl Homepage
    @iTechServices iTechnologyServices Experts in Educational iTechnologies, 1:1 & 1:Many Implementations, Support, Service, Consulting & Professional Development. Supporting K12 Nationally. Homepage
    @itslearningUSA itslearning USA itslearning is a personalized learning platform designed to make teaching easier, learning more engaging, and parent involvement more effective and efficient! Homepage
    @jakramer2 John Kramer Dad, Husband, Tech Integration Spec, Adjunct Inst, MS Tech Teacher, Semi-Retired Baseball Coach, & Lifelong Learner Homepage
    @jamesmallen James M. Allen husband, teacher at Hathaway Brown School, computer scientist, games enthusiast Homepage
    @JMarcHopkins J. Marc Hopkins The #SMBCIO: Working to improve education’s economic sustainability. Homepage
    @JoeBrownfield Joe Brownfield Husband, father, Ed Tech, workout junkie, & Saints fan
    @johncase142 John Case Technology Coordinator, father, husband, and cyclist. Views are my own. Homepage
    @JohnRundag John Rundag Technology Coordinator, Consultant, Computer Repair, Percussionist, Percussion Instructor Homepage
    @JR_evans Jeremy Evans Father and Husband first, ELA teacher, then hobby farmer. New MS teacher at Dover City Schools. #ohedchat contributer. Go Tornadoes! Homepage
    @kbrueck Kimberly Brueck Director of Learning and Teaching, mother of three sons, wife of @brueckj23, from Akron, OH
    @kellycroy Kelly Croy Speaker, Artist, Wordsmith & Educator. Married to @lorraincroy. Father of four girls. I am @wirededucator Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Teacher Homepage
    @KMBux Kecia Buxton wife, mom, special needs advocate, agriculturalist, teacher, techie, family farmer, photo nut Homepage
    @LimaLiteracy LimaLiteracy Teaching adults to read Homepage
    @lMrsSimpsonl Llyn Simpson I am a Middle School Math and Technology teacher. Homepage
    @markmyers markmyers ZCE PHP Developer and Technology Coordinator Homepage
    @MathRemix Nevin Jenkins Technology Integration Specialist for Warrensville Heights City Schools, 21st Century Thinker, PBL & STEM Instigator Homepage
    @McLane_Ryan Ryan McLane Principal, Big Walnut Intermediate School, Sunbury, OH. 20 yrs. from now I hope kids say, remember that one time at BWI? Views are my own. Homepage
    @mdroush Michael Roush Techie, specializing in access for people with disabilities, universal design for learning, instructional and assistive technology. Hockey fan, gamer. Homepage
    @MichelleJElia Michelle Elia Special Education consultant (SST), edu professor, tech enthusiast, mother of 3 amazing kids, and wife to the most handsome man in the world. Homepage
    @mjhutnick1 Megan Hutnick
    @morrisce22 Chad Morris manage a network of 2000+ devices, mostly Apple. love mac os x and mac os x servers
    @mpohlman88 Mark Pohlman
    @mr_randolph Ryan Randolph Husband, Father, Star Wars Fanatic, Follower of the Great American Pastime, 6th/7th Grade Math Teacher – Toledo School for the Arts, Ed Tech Geek
    @mr_rcollins Ryan Collins Director of Technology for Kenton City Schools Homepage
    @MrAaronCook Aaron Cook Marysville High School Principal, Former Math Teacher, Educator at Heart
    Views are my own    		 Homepage
    @MrBscjh Joe Bedingfield 307 our classroom updates English and Technology Teacher Homepage
    @MrGrifftastic Eric Griffith Director of IT for the Mechanicsburg Exempted Village School District in Ohio, Tech Presenter, Co-host of the State of Tech Podcast, & occasionally a funny guy. Homepage
    @MrGrodek Tom Grodek Father, Husband, Brother, Son, Assistant Principal at Memorial Middle School, Friend, Eater, Browns Fan, Reader, Coffee Drinker, Health Shake Drinker, Baller.
    @mrjdean John Dean Technology Assistant for a K-12 school district, Apple product user, and sometimes a bit of a mad scientist. Homepage
    @MrMacRaild Ryan MacRaild Instructional Technology Educator: Creating Users.
    GAFE, Schoology, Mac, PC, iOS, Android, Audio, Video.
    SJA+ 1:1
    Always moving forward, Never two serious.    		 Homepage
    @MrRileyjo Mr. John Riley Educator of future educators…..be passionate…pursue your goals… make a difference!
    @MrsDutrow Christine Dutrow High school English teacher at New Albany HS. Music enthusiast. Mom. Passionate about technology in the classroom. Buckeye faithful.
    @MrsLoriCheney Lori Cheney Mom, wife, special education teacher. Interested in education issues, educational technology, music, travel, the outdoors and OSU football
    @MrsTraceyDunn Tracey Dunn Kindergarten-Hopkins Elementary Homepage
    @mrwheeler Sean Wheeler Teacher, @teachinghumans, #wikiseat, interested in Language Arts, Tech, Design, The Digital Age, and Networked Learning. Dad, Husband, Non-Golfer Homepage
    @Ms_Lippy Karon Lippincott mother, wife, librarian, tech-geek
    @NLHSprincipal Bobby Dodd Principal, New Lexington High School, Former tech ed teacher, 1:1 school w/ iPads, student-lead learning, innovation Homepage
    @OhioEdTech OETC The third-largest state educational technology conference in the nation, welcoming more than 5,000 participants each year to Columbus, OH Homepage
    @piquea Arline Pique Director of Technology at Indian Hill Schools
    @ProfessorMike1 Mike Pennington Tech integration trainer for NORT2H. Effecting real change and helping create blended learning experiences for teachers and students. Homepage
    @rgallwitz Ryan Gallwitz 6-12 principal for Centerburg Local Schools Centerburg Ohio. I enjoy the outdoors, sports, my family and all things Apple. Lover of Learning! Homepage
    @RhondaLuetje Rhonda Luetje Technology Support Teacher Dublin City Schools | Apple and General Gadgetry | The Arts | Middle-Aged Woman on a Scooter
    @Ronbrogers Ron Rogers My passion is Universal Design for Learning, Assistive Technology, Cognitive Coaching, PBIS and one of the leaders of #UDLchat. Love God and my family .
    @RyanMocarski Ryan Mocarski 8th grade science teacher at BWMS, TRECA R&D 2, flipped classroom design model Homepage
    @sadkinsump Shawn Adkins Husband and father of a wonderful 7 year old. Spanish teacher at Northeastern High School who is an avid Ohio State, Browns and Reds fan. Love using technology
    @schinker John Schinker dad, tech coordinator, edtechtalk host, brewer, musician Homepage
    @ScottKinkoph Scott Kinkoph Lead #tech #teacher, learner, #PBL lover, #ohedchat, thought instigator, hates status quo, loves a clear vision, music junkie, aspiring golfer-Learn together! Homepage
    @shanehaggerty Shane Haggerty Marketing + Special Projects Manager at Tolles Career + Technical Center| Frmr teacher, asst principal, AD | Ed Leadership + #EdTech | #SchoolPR | Entrepreneur Homepage
    @shirky17 paul shircliff I teach high school students @ Buckeye High School in Medina & live in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. I work with our auditorium sound and lights & video performances. Homepage
    @StacyHaw Stacy Hawthorne Creativity & Innovation Strategist, Bb VIP Blogger & Catalyst Award Winner, Cyclist, UGA Alumnus, Google Glass Explorer Homepage
    @StacyLee889206 Stacy Knueve
    @StateImpactOH StateImpact Ohio Ohio’s source for education news. We’re a collaboration of @WCPN, @WKSU, @WOSU and @NPR. @_AmyHansen tweeting. Homepage
    @stevecrumbacher Steve Crumbacher Northern Ohio’s Educational Technology Consultant with the Ohio Department of Education. Homepage
    @SteveSwaggerty SteveSwaggerty Family member, Educator, Lover of Life
    @teachinghumans TeachingHumans We are a collective of teachers in the Cleveland area and we work for kids. Lead Blogger – Sean Wheeler Homepage
    @techgirlJen Jen Schofield SuperMom and music junkie. iPad Addict and female force field in the Ed Tech world…
    @theipodteacher Jon Smith Husband, father, TRT, Communicate Institute Instructor, former spec ed teacher, Apple freak, scratch golfer. Also tweet from @alliancecsd and @ahsipadproject Homepage
    @TheMrsGeeky Mrs.Geeky Mrs. Geeky, teacher, tech coordinator , consultant travels the world virtually and in person finding resources for the global classroom. It is Chic to be Geek ! Homepage
    @tjhouston TJ Houston Director of Technology for Huron City Schools, Author, Developer Soapbox, I love Photography, #edtech, blogging & helping others. Views are my own! Homepage
    @unangst Eric Unangst Geeky educator and entrepreneur. Homepage

  • Teach Like a Hacker presentation at #oetc14

    I’m finally getting a chance to post my presentation and supplemental materials from the OETC14 conference!

    Presentation Link

    “Ryan is a hottie” .mp3

    “Ryan is a hottie” .m4r

    Backchannel log

    And you know, for all the flack I get about trying to promote IRC, the back channel log is the most dialogue I’ve ever seen happen in a session! 🙂

  • How to differentiate using Screencasting in a flipped classroom! #oetc14

    Presentation link

    Introduction

    • Usually used at the high school
    • Equipment
      • iOS, PC, Mac, etc.
      • Microphone
      • Topic: script or keywords
      • Media
    • Options to record
      • Screencast-o-Mac
      • Jing
      • Screenr
      • EduCanon
      • Educreations
      • Teach by Knowmia
      • Camtasia ($)
      • Snag it ($)
    • Combining technology
      • Younger students, watch videos at school while teacher works with other students
      • different types of media: pictures, videos, PDFs, etc.
    • Put the video on an iPad, place the iPad at the back of the room
    • students create own screencasts
    • distribution
      • Twitter, shortened links, qr codes, LMS

    MS examples

    • 8-12 min
    • Paper and pencil only
    • Put little secrets into the audio that the student needs to know so you can verify they watched.
    • Help when students are absent
    • Homework is not a grade; it’s a behavior.
    • Students lost lunch with their friends if they hadn’t watched videos
    • Be consistant
    • Short 3-6 question formative assessment
    • Put into one of three groups based on assessment: relearn, practice, enrich
    • “I want to know what they know right now”
    • Asked principal to co-teach by having all the students with IEPs in the grade level
    • Or use centers
    • Or team with another classroom

    Differentiated assessments

    • same standards, different levels
    • Every page is a different standard
    • five levels of questions
    • low: 1-3, middle: 2-4, high: 3-5
    • “The definition of teaching is to ensure learning.” Jim Connell
    • Don’t let students off the hook, 81% on a test means they don’t know 19%
    • students like to hear their own teacher’s voice. Can be tailored to their needs
    • Very good for students on IEPs, able to watch at their pace
    • Good for parents

    What would I do different?

    • embed video in Google form for easy formative assessment
    • Sophia – create lessons/tutorials
    • Complete Chrome lesson, get a free tshirt
    • Flipped classroom and ipad certification available

    Pitfalls

    • stick with it. There is a learning curve for everyone
    • Create a system that works for you and your students when they don’t do it

    Results

    • Teachers have started at the high school
    • satisfaction, doing the right thing every day
    • more time in class to teach and troubleshoot
    • Actually took less time