Tellagami in the Classroom

The favorite part of my job as an Integration Specialist is when I get to sit down with a teacher and introduce and work with them on a technology that can be integrated seamlessly into their classroom.  I had that opportunity yesterday with Brenda Klawonn (@bklawonnNE).  She teaches American History and does a great job of incorporatig the iPads into her classroom.

Her students are currently studying about the propaganda that was used during World War I and Mrs. Klawonn wanted to know if I had any new technologies or ideas up my sleeve.  I recommended that we integrate the Tellagami app into her classroom.  Together, we sat down and took the poster analysis worksheet that her students would have used as they analyzed their World War I posters and digitized this assignment in to time using Tellagmi.  Here is the example I created to show her students:


Tellagami is an app that allows the user to create thirty second movies that are called "Gamis."  The best thing about this app is that it allows for a tremendous amount of creativity. The user can customize the avatars clothing and voice and appearance.  A finished Gami can be emailed, saved to the Camera roll (great for iMovie integration), Tweeted or posted to Facebook.

I also like the fact that it is easy to App Smash with Tellagami.  Our Spanish teachers @RHulsHuls and @Kmcneese1 have their students create weather maps using the Pic Collage app, import their weather map into the background of Tellagami, then have their students create Gamis that have their character forecasting the weather in Spanish.  Here is an example:


If you haven't tried Tellagami, download it and integrate it into your classroom. Your students will love it!  Here are some of the Gamis that were created by Mrs. Klawonn's students.

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The Accountability Issue

"At the end of the day we are accountable to ourselves-our success is a result of what we do."  

~Catherine Pulsifer

As I sat in a session at #edcampcentralNE last week the topic of teacher accountability came up. Technology integration was the issue being discussed and a teacher in the room expressed something to the effect that "unless teachers are held accountable by administrators, the integration isn't going to happen."  I hear it time and time again, and I keep asking myself the following questions:

• Why should administrators have to hold teachers accountable?  

• If we expect and preach accountability in our classrooms, shouldn't we as professionals be expected to be accountable as well?

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What EdCamps Are All About

Year two of #edcampcentralNE is in the books. Another great day of collaboration, conversations and sharing.   I could go on and on about the benefits of attending an Edcamp and how amazing it is to sit in sessions with like minded educators discussing their passions, but I won't.

What I will do is offer you some insight from one of my former high school teachers that attended an Edcamp this last weekend.  I was also fortunate to call this teacher a colleague for eleven years and to tell you the truth, I was surprised to see him in attendance at #edcampcentralNE.  After all, what could a veteran teacher with 25+ years of experience gain from this new thing they call an Edcamp?

At the conclusion of our Edcamp the teacher approached me and said, "I have to tell you something, but I don't want to hurt your feelings."  My immediate thought was that he wasn't satisfied after attending his first "unconference."  I was wrong.

He proceeded to tell me that the state technology conference that he (and his entire school staff) attended the week before paled in comparison to what he was taking away from #edcampcentralNE.  I happen to be a board member that plans our state conferences and I informed him that I took no offense.  His comment piqued my curiosity, so I asked him why he felt that way.  He proceeded to tell me that he felt that his Edcamp experience was more "personal" and that people "listened" and had "conversations" that were relevant.  As an organizer of Edcamp Central Nebraska, I just smiled.  That teacher had just figured out what EdCamps ARE all about!

Upon returning to school last Monday my former teacher/colleague and newfound Edcamp follower sent the following email to his staff:

"Those of you who missed the tech/teaching meeting in GI last Saturday just flat out missed the boat.  I cannot remember ever going to sessions that were so informative and where the people were so able and eager to help (even tech-dinosaurs like me).

 BTW - there is a similar, though larger get together in Omaha in March. We should put together a crew and go." 

Powerful, indeed!  Now, can you give me a good reason why you haven't signed up for an Edcamp near you?

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