Amagansett School

Memo
To: Faculty and Staff
From: Kristen Graboski
Date: 4/1/2015
Re: Technology: Prepare for Future Teaching and Learning
Dear Colleagues,
Technology is changing dramatically in not only our society, but education as well. As
educators, we need to be sure we are updated in the latest technology trends and prepare
ourselves on how to teach students growing up in the current and future digital age.
There are some new recent technology innovations I would like to make you aware of.
Mobile learning (using a Smartphone as a tool in the classroom), is making its way into
education. We always have students put their phones away for the day, but now our society wants
us to implement a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) plan. Students will be encouraged to bring
devices into the classroom where teachers are expected to have students use them to learn. All
assignments will be turned in via the device by using a website (ex: eBackpack, Google Drive).
Paper books and textbooks will be no more with the creation of eBooks (electronic books).
Books and textbooks will be read on a tablet or mobile screen, where students can read, highlight
and take notes digitally. The cloud is created for students to use to save their work and work
collaboratively with their peers in a digital environment. Student work is no longer saved on
disks or drives, but in the cloud. Google Glass is a prototype from Google, where it is worn on
your head and can access the internet as you go. 3D printers will assist teachers with their
budgets! Teachers will be able to create any tool needed to assist them in the classroom, whether
it be scissors or a toy.
Here are some suggestions to assist you in learning about the new technology innovations
described and creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN) to keep you updated and aware of
new technology in the future:
1. Join several professional development blogs and follow current trends.
Becoming in efficient in using Twitter is key in staying updated with technology. Some hashtags
to follow include #mobiletrends, #technology, and #digitaltrends. Development blogs are similar
to journals. People involved in educational technology will write an entry or "blog" daily,

weekly, or monthly, to inform teachers on the current trends of technology. Here are some
helpful educational technology blogs to get you started:

http://www.downes.ca/
http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/
http://edutech4teachers.edublogs.org/
http://www.elearnspace.org/edutechblogs.htm

2. Read professional articles addressing technology integration.

The Technology & Learning magazine always has wonderful articles that keep its readers up to
date on the latest technology. You can subscribe to their magazine and/or read the articles on
their website (http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx). Pinterest is another great tool to find
articles and topics on educational technology. Go to their website, (https://www.pinterest.com),
and sign up. Follow popular technology boards that you find on the site. Free Tech 4 Teachers
(http://www.freetech4teachers.com/) also has quick articles that can teach you about fixes in
technology and some helpful hints.
3. Attend technology professional development classes available in the district.
Our district offers a small amount of professional development classes we can take. However,
you can find many webinars to learn about new technology tools and news to share with the rest
of your colleagues. Here are some sites that offer webinars to get you started:

http://edtechteacher.org/webinars/
http://www.eschoolnews.com/events/webinars/
http://www.edweek.org/ew/marketplace/webinars/webinars.html
http://www.simplek12.com/

4. Implement and use new and relevant technology in your lesson plans.
There are many easy and free tools you can try implementing into your lessons. Socrative Class
Dojo, and Kahoot are great tools to try out in the classroom. You can also find more tools at
https://edshelf.com. Sign up for updates on the site that are sent to your email with new tools that
you can try out in your classroom.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. We need to collaborate with each
other to be sure we can successfully teach our students using 21st century tools and ease them
into this new, upcoming digital world.
Sincerely,
Kristen Graboski