Free Technology for Teachers @ freetech4teachers.com
What is the author's background?
Richard Byrne: High School Teacher for 8 years where he started a 1:1 laptop to student program and a tech support group called "The Laptop Squad"; Google Certified Teacher (which, if you click here you can find out more about); organizes tech workshops for schools and conferences
"I believe that when used correctly, technology has the power to improve student engagement and student achievement. I also believe that technology gives teachers the ability to form powerful, global, professional learning communities."
What type of posts are written?
The main purpose of this blog is to share information with teachers about free resources that they can use in their classrooms. Blog posts are categorized into topics such as: IPad Apps for School, Android 4 Schools, Google Tutorials, Free Guides, Alternatives to YouTube, Advertise Here, Work With Me, Favorite Resources, Creating Blogs and Websites, and Video Creation Resources.
I love the fact that Mr. Byrne provides multiple examples and types of technology, and doesn't require his followers to fall under the only-one-type-of-technology-allowed category (cough, Apple Products, cough). Not that Apple isn't wonderful, I'm an owner myself, I just think it makes it really beneficial across the spectrum of tech users.
How credible is the information?
45.000+ Daily subscribers
Given the Edublogs awards for...
2008: "Best Resource Sharing Blog"
2009: "Best Resource Sharing Blog," and "Best Individual Blog"
2010: "Best Resource Sharing Blog," "Best Ed Tech Support," and "Best Individual Blog"
2011: "Best Ed Tech Blog" by Edublogs
How is technology used?
How is it not used?! This site is simply here to provide examples of every type of technology possible for your classroom... Like I said before, I really appreciate the spectrum of examples as well, from Mac to Android to Apps, to Alternatives to YouTube (who knew?!). It's really great that he provides so many choices.
Are the ideas/apps/resources in the blog worth trying in your classroom?
My favorite section of the blog (pardon the pun) is the Favorite Resources tab, in which after looking at the html link, is really called "multidiscipline-projects-with-web-tools" which is awesome and really makes it my favorite tab. The author provides not only the Top 20 visited resources/posts from his site, but provides his Top 10 favorites - which I will definitely explore and potentially use in my classroom.
Wow! What a great resource you have come across, Kirby! Of all the blogs I have read about via our class, this one seems to be the most interesting, credible, and worth looking at. I love that he actually is a teacher. He seems to be very creative with how he talks about using tech and it seems as though he is coming up with interesting ways of using tech for good reason. Nice!
ReplyDeleteHey Kirby,
ReplyDeleteThis site looks awesome. I really like the idea that it is cross platform - so nice when things are not exclusively PC or Mac. Thanks for recommending the Favorite Resources tab. I checked it out and it's really cool. I especially like "the 17 Free eBooks for Teachers and Parents" - even more great resources!
Hi Kirby,
ReplyDeleteIt is encouraging that this teacher came from such humble technological beginnings and is now sharing the knowledge with teachers like us that are new to both teaching and tech in teaching. Everyone has to start somewhere and it is good to know that we are starting in an environment where innovation has been put into practice.
I am reminded of my first placement where the English teacher became the de facto tech instructor by being the most knowledgable with EDU. The idea of (starting with this blog) sharing expertise makes a lot of sense because we are already teachers. If we teachers become immersed and fluent in a technology, sharing this with each other is not only possible but necessary.
Kirby,
ReplyDeleteExcellent, very well-written response to the homework prompt. Richard Byrne's site is very popular and he has won a lot of awards for it. What do you think about the credibility of his posts? Does he provide ideas that you could use directly in your classroom? Would you have to adapt the tools/ideas?
Nice post, Kirby! I really like the blog, and have bookmarked it for further reference. I agree with you and others who complimented the website on the diversity of the resources, across platform, discipline, and grade level. I think it speaks to his credibility that he does not simply stick to one brand. He's not a spokesperson for a brand but someone who wants to help as many people as possible. The website is very nicely organized, as well.
ReplyDelete