What I am loving in technology...

Etowah County Schools has adopted a Bring Your Owen Device policy that allows our students to use their own mobile devices, laptops, iPads, tablets, etc. The school provides wireless internet that does have restrictions, so that these tools can be used for learning and not just social media. Many teachers have been very apprehensive about BYOD, because most of us have worked in an environment where cell phones in school resulted in some sort of punishment. The students absolutely love this new policy and sometimes ask, "are you sure I can use my phone?" It is quite endearing. In an effort to be proactive, I have implemented a few really awesome websites/aps in my classroom.

1.  Diigo - This website acts as a "binder" or "folder" for all my favorite websites. I spend a lot of time researching new ideas and new lessons on the internet. I love to read blogs and bookmark them for later use. Up until this point, I have just bookmarked them on my home computer and prayed that this machine lasts forever. Well, Diigo has changed everything for me! This website offers a free service that allows me to import my bookmarks on my home computer, school computer, and iPhone to my Diigo account. I can log in anywhere in the world and have access to my favorite websites. This was a life changer for me!

2. Remind 101 It is so hard to keep track of students' and parents' emails from year to year. It is also very difficult to keep in contact with parents when most of them do not have a local/home phone number. Well, Remind 101 is an amazing tool for teachers to use as a quick and easy way to contact parents and students outside of school. This website and ap assigns each account member a "phone number" or email address and pass code. The students text the code to the "phone number"  or email address provided and are automatically listed in the teacher's ap. The teacher doesn't have the students' numbers and the students do not have the teacher's number. The students cannot respond to a text message or email. I used it just this morning to remind my students to bring their headphones to class!

3. Edmodo It is about time someone created a "Facebook-like" website for teachers and students. This website is set up very similarly to Facebook, but it doesn't give students the freedom to post on students' walls or create statuses. I use this for every class I teach, including my courses at JSU. My students really enjoy completing their homework on this site, because it is quick and easy.

4. Web English Teacher I love this website and I have been using it for years! It is an amazing collection of resources for all levels of Language Arts instruction. It has AP resources and ACT resources too.