UsingInteractiveTechnologytoEnlivenLiterature

@UsingInteractiveTechnologytoEnlivenLiterature =** Tynia Thomassie **= // (Tahn-ya TOM-a-see) // tthomassie@woboe.org or tyniathomassie@gmail.com aplitthomassie@twitter

West Orange High School Language Arts Teacher Essex County Teacher of the Year, 2010-11 http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid616303324001?bctid=625147989001 // Advanced Placement Literature, Broadcast Journalism, Public Speaking //

===11/7/10 - Post convention impressions: Teachers were very excited to try edmodo and I encourage everyone to immediately CONNECT and search for other teachers you might have met during the convention. Edmodo is an excellent and safe tool for collaborating, creating small (and flexible) learning communities, and extending to out-of-district communication, as well as cross-country and international exchange (via the subject matter communities). ===

===I had a lovely experience being at the tables. I did notice that toward the 2-4P Friday time slots there was less foot traffic in high tech hall and there probably could have been fewer tabletop demonstrations and more Smartboard specific demonstrations, because those seemed to draw the most crowds at that hour on a Friday. I would also suggest not scheduling too many teachers opposite big speeches. I was very sorry to miss Dani Kovach and Barbara Keshishian's addresses on Friday. As a County T.O.Y. I felt like I should have been there to support Dani. ===

===EVERY aspect of set up in High Tech Hall was easy -- the tech crew was terrific, and it seemed like a genuine learning experience for everyone in that area. Rosemary -- you are to be congratulated for everything from the shirts to the organization -- it was my favorite area of the convention, without a doubt. ===

// **High Tech Hall Presenter:** Thursday Nov. 3rd: 1p-3p and Friday Nov. 4th: 2p-4p "Using Interactive Technology to Enliven the Language Arts Classroom." // // County Teacher of the Year Dinner: Thursday 5:30PM, Friday Nov. 4th: 9A-11A "Best Practices" session with all County TOYs //

My High Tech Hall demonstrations will show how to use the free online tool **Edmodo [www.edmodo.com].** It creates a secure site that the teacher controls completely, but which interfaces to the student much like Facebook, therefore it is familiar and easy for them to use. With it you can blog, post assignments, interact teacher-to-student or teacher-to- groups, you can create subgroups... you can poll, send alerts, be notified by text message or by email when your students contact you. It has transformed my classroom and student interactions. I can't wait to show it to you. I have backchanneled, communicated in real-time, posted videos, photos, powerpoints, watched students interact with one another (they cannot post to each other individually - the whole group sees their communications - so it keeps exchange on the up and up. It's sort of the best of a wiki, a blog and a social network -- without exposing your students to the outside world. However the student can privately correspond with the teacher. You can maintain a library of documents -- tag items... it's a terrific resource. Edmodo also has excellent video tutorials and support.

Edmodo Overview

For Teachers - How to create class accounts

Questions to Ponder:
 * What does interactive technology mean in an English classroom versus technology in an English classroom?
 * Share some specific lessons you taught that incorporated interactive technology in your classroom.
 * How can I draw in quiet students with interactive technology?
 * What free technologies can you suggest for teachers to check out?