#EdTech for Fall 2020 - HoET159

Feedback, Shoutouts, and Links

• Join the 2020 PodcastPD Voxer Summer Podcast Listening Group!
• Derek Larson
• Hema Sharma

#EdTech Thought

Teacher Evaluations Feedback

Belinda Durling wrote a great email (excerpts below) in response to what I briefly shared in episode 158 about teacher evaluations.

I’d like to hear you talk more about why you think we should do away with teacher evaluations permanently. I am currently a 1st-grade teacher but I spent 9 years in administration before I got burned out and decided to go back to the classroom. So, I have the perspective of seeing and evaluating many different types of teachers. And truly most teachers are great. But, there are always bad ones- Teachers who do not treat students with respect and/or who are not effective at delivering content and engaging students. And even the good ones always have room to improve.

#EdTech Recommendation

Parlay – I first spoke about Parlay in the 2019 House of #EdTech Smackdown and I would like to reshare it as Summer is a great time to explore a tool like this as you prepare for what school might look like in the Fall of 2020.

Parlay puts your students and their unique perspectives at the heart of learning, and gives you the data that you need to help them grow.

• Discussion Prompt – Browse the Parlay Universe, create your own topic, or ask our team to create a custom discussion prompt just for your class.
• Personal Response – Each student reviews the materials provided and submits a unique response to the discussion prompt.
• Peer Feedback – Students join the discussion, provide constructive peer feedback, and build on each other’s ideas.
• Live Discussion – Students delve deeper and build verbal communication skills in a structured and equitable Socratic Seminar.
• Data Analytics – Review engagement data with the class, and reflect on how to improve discussions in the future.
• Teacher Feedback – Teacher provides personalized feedback to each student. Parlay makes automated suggestions.
• Teacher Trial
  • 6 Free RoundTables
  • 1 Custom Discussion Prompt
  • Google and Microsoft SSO
  • Connect to Google Classroom

Featured Content

#EdTech for Fall 2020

Updates to Google Meet

• https://9to5google.com/2020/06/25/google-meet-backgrounds/
• https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/new-meet-features-for-edu

Updates to Flipgrid

House of #EdTech VIP

KEN SHELTON – Ken currently holds an M.A. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology as well as New Media Design and Production. He has worked as an Educator for over 20 years and most recently taught technology at the Middle School level. As a part of his active involvement within the Educational Technology community, Ken is an Apple Distinguished Educator and a Google Certified Innovator. Ken has worked extensively at the policy level and was named to the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Education Technology Task Force. Ken regularly gives keynotes, presentations, he consults, and leads workshops, covering a wide variety of Educational Technology, Equity and Inclusion, Multimedia Literacy, Cultural Relevance, Visual Storytelling, and Instructional Design topics. Ken is the ISTE Digital Equity PLN 2018 Excellence Award winner.

Connect with Ken Shelton:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/k_shelton
• Website: https://kennethshelton.net/