How many of you have used an interactive Sky app?
They. Are. Incredible.

This is a beautiful use of technology! If you have Android, you can download the Sky Map app here! All iPhone users, we can’t get the same app, but a comparable one is here!

First of all, this blends learning with technology, and makes learning interactive and fun! This is one of those apps I knew existed but did not download it on my upgraded phone so haven’t played with it in over a year. Already I have found all the major constellations and some planetary bodies! I could totally get lost in this app.

Try it out!! what do you all think??
What other interactive learning apps do you know of?

In my last post, I discussed iPhone Separation anxiety. Simon Sinek really discusses WHY we feel that way and why we become so addicted to our phones. He also goes further to discuss this issue directed specifically towards millennials. Now, I am a millennial, and I understand the struggle. Everyone thinks were narcissistic, entitled, lazy, and the “worst” generation. In this video, Simon discusses the 4 pillars of the millennial problem: parenting, technology, patience, and environment. I’ll break it down a bit for you, but please watch the video..
Our parents told us we are all perfect and special and that we could have anything we wanted in life. Some parents complained to teachers, giving their kids As, and we even get medals for participating. We get medals for being last. So we graduate then go into the workforce, and realize we can’t have the best job because we want it. Its shattering. Compound that with instant gratification and dopamine flying around from our complete dependence on technology and our Instagram Hearts and Facebook Likes. It’s why we take selfies and post them, hoping for as many likes as we can get. We are used to that instant gratification. We can binge on TV shows, buy things online and get it the next day, we can find connections with people on Tinder apps. And finally, our environment. We get an entry level job and feel we must quit because we’re “not making a difference” yet and we should be doing something grand. Our parents forgot to tell us we have to start at the bottom. We’re not all going to be CEO on day 3.

As a generation, we are isolating ourselves from making real connections. This is increasing rates of suicides, depression, and anxiety. This technology and instant gratification is doing more harm then good. As Sinek said, “The problem is there is no app or instant fix for job satisfaction and strength of relationships.”

Now, please don’t think I am trying to pick on Millennials, after all, I am one. But this video is worth listening to, and worth trying to adopt a lifestyle that harbor real connections with people and less instant gratification in a fake online world.

That’s right, you read that correctly. It’s officially a real thing, guys.
We all know that one person (at least one) who ALWAYS has their phone glued to their hand. You try to have a dinner or coffee with them, but inevitably you sit there like an idiot while they are distracted with their phone the entire time. Fun, right?

This is a common issue in today’s modern world. People are so hooked on their phones there is now an official diagnosis for it: iPhone Separation Anxiety.  There have been multiple studies by multiple universities, and what they have found is anxiety increased in those who were moderate to heavy users when their phone was taken away in an experiment setting.
Check out this graph:

You can see a significant increase in anxiety from the low to moderate to heavy user, and the light daily user has what appears to be a teeny tiny decrease in anxiety.

Now, this bothers me. I know I use my phone a lot. I have 3 jobs and am a student, so I am pretty busy. I get work emails and reminders popping up on my phone constantly so I do not forget to do things or miss deadlines, so my phone is always nearby. And yes, sometimes when I open it, I check Facebook or Instagram. I am just as guilty as the rest of you. However, I sometimes think about the impact being so connected to the world is 24-7. There is great value in going outside being away from your Netflix and Instagram hearts and being still. No distractions, no noise, no demands for your time or attention, just peaceful nature. I need to do that more. I do not need an additional bout of anxiety to add to my already full plate because I’ve given myself a new disorder by being so obsessed with my phone.

This article also reminds me of a video I recently watched (found on Facebook of course and yes I already said I was guilty so don’t judge me) where Simon Sinek, Author and TED speaker, discusses the chemical reaction that occurs in our brains with technology. He talks about the dopamine response (the chemical that makes you feel good when you smoke, drink, gamble, and is highly addictive). He states that your phone, your Instagram likes, your instant text message “ping” makes you feel happy, because of dopamine. This video is worth watching..

In fact, I encourage you all to watch his other videos, especially those on Millennials
I encourage all of you to take a break for yourself and families every day to disconnect. To be mindful of your own existence and your own goals, and to stop being on your phones for everything.  This will be a new resolution for myself, to give myself some time every day to disconnect and focus on myself and those around me.

This Ted Talk , narrated by Jessie Woolley-Wilson, discusses blending technology and classroom learning to increase the learning potential, which in turn will improve their human potential.

Blended learning  combines traditional classroom learning with new innovative learning techniques that make the experience more powerful. She discusses the increase in classroom sizes, and broader cultural and socioeconomic environments. How can teachers keep up?

I will let you watch this video for the entire story, but here are my thoughts.

Using technology, which is almost second nature to our society today, will increase learning by engaging students and making the material more relatable. This type of connectivity puts students in control, where they can help to create their own learning experience. This makes it more unique and, relative to each individual. This will cultivate feelings of success between two very different students who learn very differently, and thus create very successful students.

What do you all think? Can you find ways to blend learning with technology in your classrooms? Do you wish your instructors adopted a more blended approach?

Alright my fellow hygienists, check it out!
RDH Magazine is a great resource for keeping up with the latest trends in our amazing profession. I love that they are available online and I can access any article I want with just a click of my mouse. Remember when we had to wait for our quarterly issues from resources in the mail?
Check out their website here

They publish all the latest evidence based research on topics such as e-cigs, vaping, new technologies in hygiene (that one was really cool, check it out) and oral pathology.

I have been thinking about assessment lately, I mean I am an educator after all.

Firstly, there are many types of assessments and ways to assess learning, but for my thoughts today I will focus on two:
Formative: done as students are learning
Summative: done at the end, like a test

I see value in both. Personally, as a hygienist/student who was taught in a very hands on environment, with formative assessment, is it what I am most comfortable with. However a summative final assessment can give peace of mind to the instructor knowing what was learned.

Yet in today’s connected society, technology is taking over. So how do we make formative assessments relevant to a generation glued to their phones?
I looked into it.

Luckily there are many apps and technological tools to help with this!
You can find them all here, but let me break it down for you!

1. Socrative can be used for quick quizzes, lets you break students into teams and make the assessment and learning more fun. It turns assessments into games, which is no easy feat in my opinion.
2. Kahoot also does quizzes, but students can use tablets, phones, and other technology to join quizzes and games to make the assessment into a game. However, be warned, students can create anonymous nicknames, but can still serve to give you a genera idea of what level of comprehension the class it at.
3. Back channel Chat Tools. Examples would be note taking alongside class in Google Docs, or asking questions for the instructor to answer with apps such as Chatzy or you can set up connectivity from social media websites with Ning for projects.

Do you think these are good ways to assess student progress with technology?

This post is more of a musing than something substantial with actual hard evidence and facts about something amazing or ground breaking.

But this last week has been insanely busy for me. I have 3 jobs and I am taking two courses at my PID at the same time. Now this is too much I know, but I was hired at my third job about a week after I enrolled in my second PID course.
When it rains it pours right?
I figure though, I got this..I can do it…
I can….
do…it?

I have still spent the last couple weeks running around like my hair was on fire, but without Skype, email, teleconferencing, iPhone scheduling apps, reminder software, group text communication, and my calendar app I would probably be a ball in the corner shivering and crying while I rock back ad forth and slip into the dark abyss of madness.
This has got me to thinking about how much technology has saved me these last few weeks, and until I complete these two PID courses and get back to doing one at a time like a smart person would do, I will have to reply on all my technological gadgets and apps to get me through.
As an educator, I have to remember that my students face the same overworked and busy schedule I do. Many students go to school full time and also work, or work full time and go to school. Juggling school work, deadlines, assignments, work schedule, duties, and in some cases kids and a family life can be overwhelming. This course focuses on Media Enhanced Learning; technology as a way to educate and help students. While I am and probably always be a paper and pencil kind of girl, I am being forced to rely on technology more. This is my springboard and defining moment where I will start incorporating technology into my lessons. To help students manage their time and to gain a more lateral scope of thinking and learning. To help myself grow as I am, after all a life long learner, and to stay ahead of the curve.

I did a bit of research and found this article on “Using Technology to Balance Your Education and Life”. In a nutshell, it has tips for:
* Getting Organized like using your calendar app and linking it to all devices
* Staying on Schedule with apps like Wunderlist
* Communicating more effectively by possibly blocking your social media feed so you can fcus on the task at hand
* Considering Every Possible Tool like a notepad app such as OneNote or Evernote
These tips come with apps suggestions and advice and just may help a few of you who are in the same whirlwind I am in.

I will continue to run with my hair on fire for the next few months, probably have a few “moments” here and there, and likely will drive my partner to contemplate killing me in my sleep, but this next phase will serve to reinforce how technology will help alleviate my burdens. I will also learn more about how to use technology in a way that can educate and inspire students.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to  go and download the Wunderlist app to help me stay on schedule.

Fingers crossed.

I love Ted Talks.
I love watching short videos in lecture style to teach me about topics that are new and exciting. Today, I saw an informative video on “The Incredible Inventions of Intuitive AI” by Maurice Conti.

According to Conti, he believes humans and robots are going to augment together, not replace each other. This will be a collaboration. Despite the fear of robots taking over, he believes this will not be an issue.
Take the robot “Bishop” for example, he is directed by his human handler and then performs the tasks with precision. This makes the job easier for the worker, and the results more precise. I wouldn’t mind having a robot helper for around the house…
What do you think of Artificial Intelligence?

I have been working on a course in my PID that focuses on Media Enhanced Learning. While I am no stranger to learning I notice it requires me to become even more technologically savvy. I am creating a blog, contributing to forum postings weekly, ad engaging in online communities more. This has been fun, challenging, and educational.

These forum community posting are opening my eyes to other application of technology in different fields. It has got me to thinking about other applications of technology to the learning process.

Medicine. Their entire profession has relied on technology from the beginning. Now they use robots to guide surgeons, and even have 3-D printing where they are experimenting with printing replacement organs. This article shows the top 5 new and exciting ventures into medicine with technology.

Teaching. In Japan, they have created the first robot teacher. While originally developed for rural areas that have a shortage of teachers and to engage younger students in the wonders of technology, I can think of countless applications for this level of technology. Watch her at work here.
Even though the creator stated he did not mean for this technology to take away the job of human teachers, could this be a slippery slope for allowing technology to take away needed jobs from humans?

The ability to use technology to train surgeons, create organs, to save lives to simply teaching kids without access to teachers in rural areas, it appears technology only serves to improve our lives. The dark side of this is the dangers we put ourselves in with our inability to manage this level of connectivity.

I am sure you all remember the Pokemon GO craze. People were playing 24-7 and it was a huge global phenomenon. Do you also remember the two men who fell off a cliff 50-80 feet because they were looking for Pokemon and not paying attention to their surroundings? Or the guy who crashed his car into a police cruiser while playing the game? It seems we are not always able to manage ourselves safely when we have the ability to be connected to the internet at all times. I see people wander into traffic constantly in downtown Vancouver because they are looking at their Facebook or Twitter feed. It is becoming downright dangerous, and many individuals are not being safe.

As an educator, I want to use technology to help students learn, but I also am torn as I want them to learn to disconnect themselves. iPhone separation anxiety is a real thing now, and I am not sure I want to encourage that.

What do you all think?