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Posted on:January 6, 2014 Comments: 1 Comment Categories: M.Ed. Program Technology

Reaching 21st Century Students Where they Are

During a visit to the main office, I noticed a elementary student, having what I would call, an extreme bout of confusion. What object could cause a smart, young student this level of confusion? Operating a traditional telephone. Yup, a telephone…with a cord. A land line. Something many students don’t encounter or have knowledge of.

The student, to no fault of his own, didn’t understand the dial tone or where to push “send” to make a call. After assisting the student, I asked if he had “one of these” at home to which he replied, “my family only has cellphones.” Read more…

Posted on:December 6, 2013 Comments: 2 Comments Categories: Google Apps M.Ed. Program Technology

Extracting Content with Google Takeout

As a power-user and administrator of Google Apps for Education, the availability of extracting my work stored in various Google products is an important option. Although the school owns access to the account, all content, notes and hard work over the years is the end-users. Google has addressed a growing concern of many schools and made it quite easy to download a copy of your work using a simple tool. Users often transition either by graduating or leaving school and as the administrator of the Google Apps for Education program, rather than delete accounts and associated data, it is important that I offer every user the ability to save their content.  Read more…

Posted on:December 5, 2013 Comments: No Comments Categories: Google Apps M.Ed. Program

Advanced Google Apps Workshop

For my final project in Technology and Infrastructure Management at Framingham State University, I wanted to create a professional development workshop applying the knowledge and materials covered in class. In order to consistently push forward and dive deeper into integrating technology into the curriculum, well-timed professional development is of extreme importance. For this workshop, an often misunderstood product, Google Apps for Education, will be discussed as well as touching on a few other smaller technology related topics. Read more…

Posted on:October 27, 2013 Comments: 5 Comments Categories: Family

My Darkest Evening of the Year

On September 14th, my greatest supporter, confidant, and grandma, Muriel Constance Coyne McCloy, passed away. Our connection was strong, and her passing left a large void in my life. I was her “best bubba boy”, “the prince,” and “my love.” To never hear her call me those nicknames again is stunningly hard.

Muriel was my biggest fan; dependable, optimistic, generous, full of wisdom, and oozed a certain class most people can only dream of. She had a particular way of making people feel comfortable and shaping an entertaining conversation. Nothing was ever off limits. She was engaging, a true conversationalist. She was funny and had a great wit. I loved our visits and am unsure how I will replace that memorable time. Read more…

Posted on:September 12, 2013 Comments: 19 Comments Categories: M.Ed. Program Technology

Chromebooks: Ready for PARCC Assessments

With online assessments coming down the pike, especially the “big one” from Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), after some research, I wanted to squelch fears about properly setting up a Google Chromebook for the administration of the exams. Fortunately, our fifth graders will pilot the computer-based PARCC exam early next year, allowing myself to iron out any wrinkles before an official roll-out. Our middle school students are very comfortable using Chromebooks and after a little digging, it’s nice to know Google Chromebooks are comfortable with online assessments. Read more…