tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58266516794235153542024-03-13T11:27:05.595-05:00chadkafka.com blogMr. Kafka is a K-12 Technology Integration Specialist that works with teachers and students to guide technology forward in education.Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-51874878152825557982016-07-06T17:09:00.001-05:002016-07-06T17:40:28.966-05:00ISTE 2016 Round Up!
I had the good fortune to attend the annual ISTE conference this past June out in Denver. ISTE is a great educational technology focused conference to attend every so often to keep a good pulse on what's coming/going/successful in the world of technology integration. This year, I was able to attend as one of two Wisconsin ISTE "Making IT Happen" award winners. We were able Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-35630744498834358562015-07-30T15:36:00.001-05:002015-07-30T15:48:07.230-05:00Being 'Technology Rich' vs. 'Technology Integration' in the Classroom
At one of our district TILT (Tech Integration Leadership Team) meetings this past year, it was mentioned in a conversation about some of our classrooms being "Technology Rich" versus a classroom that is truly utilizing technology to where we could say "Technology Integration" was occurring. I've been thinking about this a lot over the summer so I thought I'd throw some thoughts out there andChad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-49858690335575351782014-09-21T17:48:00.002-05:002014-09-21T17:49:39.386-05:00Making a Custom Google Forms Banner with Google DrawingsEarlier this month, Google updated Google Forms so we can now customize the look of a form. Since I'm all about the snazz, I immediately took to this! I just made a template for a banner to share out to my staff with some directions on how to get started. Took some screenshots along the way and included those on the template as well.
EXAMPLE: I was creating a sign up form Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-43233313249210482422013-02-26T20:57:00.002-06:002013-03-07T06:26:21.853-06:00Podcasts I Listen To
Image Credit
I host a new podcast called Te@cher Tech T@lk through www.edreach.us with edtech colleagues and friends Tammy Lind & Judi Epcke. Between our bi-weekly regular shows, we are each doing a very short 5-10 min podcast around a specific topic. We're calling these "Tidbit" episodes. On our first Te@cher Tech T@lk TIDBIT podcast, I did a little 'Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-10571390247145417012012-11-13T20:53:00.003-06:002012-11-13T21:01:11.757-06:00Midwest Google Summit 2012 Takeaways
I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the 2nd annual Midwest Google Summit this past Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Wisconsin Dells and would like to share some of the takeaways and resources from the conference.
Check out the Resources page here where all presenters linked up their presentations online. You'll definately find some good Google resources! All my Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-72560515130899055912012-08-27T13:18:00.002-05:002012-08-29T23:48:28.904-05:00Google+ Hangout with Aaron Rodgers!
This past week, I was browsing around on Facebook and saw a post from the Green Bay Packers Facebook page about a "Google+ Hangout with Aaron Rodgers" taking place the following week on August 28, 2012. Being a Packers subscriber of everything, I also received an email about this, saw a Tweet and saw a Google+ mention as well. For those that don't know, a "Google Hangout" is a Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-64408877668513905622012-02-17T15:28:00.002-06:002012-02-17T15:28:51.189-06:00Using Google Forms FormEmailer Script
Over the past 5-6 months, I've been looking for an ideal way to have submitted Google Form responses go to my students in the form of an email and I think I finally have my solution! This has been around for a while and I remember looking at the FormEmailer script a while back but for some reason I didn't go as in to detail with it and didn't think it would fit my needs. Double Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-12027896419574593702012-01-18T06:19:00.001-06:002012-01-18T06:19:48.703-06:00Why the BLACK In My Internet World??
I just wrote an email to my staff about what's going on in the internet world today and I thought I would share this through my blog as well, because the implications affect all of us and how we use the internet.
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All -
Just sharing some answers here before the questions come up today.
Q: Okay, I went to Google this Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-88617632223837730202011-11-12T18:22:00.001-06:002011-11-13T00:26:51.026-06:00Apple & Google: Get Along!
Setup
This blog post about Apple and Google not getting along when it comes to the iPad and Google Apps for Education comes from my being inspired by the "This Week in Google" podcast episode #120 with Leo LaPorte, Jeff Jarvis and Gina Trapani. While writing what's below, I also stumbled on my friend Scott Meech's open letter to Apple & Google which is very similar to what I'm Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-42843909751952572722011-11-11T13:30:00.001-06:002011-11-11T14:07:56.569-06:00Google Multiple Sign-In
With many school districts "going Google," some educators are finding that they might have multiple Google accounts. Switching between these can be frustrating in your browser, but fortunately, Google has a built-in feature that users can turn on called Multiple Sign-In. Google's directions for turning this on are here.
For those that need to see some visuals, the steps for Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-23082716327753923142011-02-04T14:25:00.005-06:002011-02-04T14:26:47.743-06:00Google Earth Navigating ActivityWorking with a 7th Grade Social Studies teacher on using Google Earth for the first time with students. Our final product will involve Lewis & Clark's expedition and having students create a Google Earth file with pins for locations from the trek.
As a "Getting Started" activity, we are going to have students using this handout and possibly the links below to learn how to Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-4169177594944349072010-10-22T20:41:00.015-05:002010-10-22T22:05:53.373-05:00Google Spreadsheets for Voting CollectionOur middle school ran elections this week for Student Council officers. The Advisor of Student Council and I worked up an idea where videos of the candidates giving speeches would be placed in the shared drive so staff could show the videos during Home Room. Votes would be taken and then staff would enter the votes per candidate on a Google Spreadsheet. This went over very well so I wanted to Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-35738940027279699242010-10-13T17:13:00.017-05:002010-10-13T17:44:06.923-05:00Public Domain Clipart Website I Love!In this post, I want to share a tool that I've been using almost daily when creating handouts, lessons, presentations and the like. OpenClipArt.org is a site where users (anyone) can create and upload clipart to be used by others for absolutely free. It's a total community of those that just want to create and share images. You might be thinking, "how is that possible? Don't you have to cite Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-63326392139481423492010-10-09T22:59:00.027-05:002010-10-10T00:31:13.707-05:00Using Google Voice Search To Create My To Do ListI am always looking for new ways to better organize myself. Lately, I've been using my phone (Sprint EVO), which runs on the Android operating system along with some of the built in features to create and keep my To Do List. I haven't found a really good "to do list" app that's simple, quick and efficient enough for my liking so I created an alternate way to keep my items organized. Explained Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-14169942254389152482010-10-08T20:42:00.018-05:002011-04-26T14:15:17.278-05:00Using Quicktime Player To Make ScreenCastsThe new version of Quicktime Player comes with a GREAT feature that I have been using a lot lately. I learned about this at the Apple Academy I attended in August. You can create ScreenCasts (or Screen Recordings) for demo purposes in regular (free!) Quicktime Player. Here's some getting started points and tips for using.
To get started, launch Quicktime Player. Go to FILE > NEW SCREEN Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-41676814612923967842010-08-21T23:51:00.018-05:002010-08-22T00:55:11.999-05:00Apple Academy 2010 ReflectionWHAT IS APPLE ACADEMY?I was alerted by an Apple Development Executive I know back in the spring that he had nominated me to apply for the "Apple Academy" that would take place in the summer of 2010. I wasn't exactly sure what Apple Academy was. I was familiar with the Apple Distinguished Educator program and found out that this was not that. What it turned out to be was 95 selected educators Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-53081122345200823612010-05-29T10:32:00.014-05:002010-05-29T11:45:36.716-05:00Google Teacher Academy ReflectionPart of the Google Teacher Academy process is to write a final reflection on the process so what follows are some of my thoughts and feelings. I heard about Google Teacher Academy initially through my professional learning network (PLN) on Twitter. I had seen others posting about it and decided to check it out. Aside from filling out some information about yourself and answering some questionsChad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-40737713171337117002010-04-06T10:09:00.009-05:002010-04-06T10:46:17.402-05:00iPad in the Classroom? Maybe.The question or topic I have been asked most often over the last week in relation to the iPad has been, "so are you going to get one?" My answer? No. Not yet. This tends to surprise people as I like technology and I personally enjoy finding out ways to use new technology, especially in the classroom with teachers and students. Here are a few of my initial thoughts about the iPad being used Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-16532797586520960152010-03-25T14:48:00.012-05:002010-03-25T15:39:12.490-05:00Embedding Google Calendar(s) in Other SitesI did some training sessions this week for my staff on using wikispaces.com to create your own classroom, department or house wiki. Many seemed to take some steps toward really seeing how having their own website/wiki could be beneficial. One of the questions I was asked a lot was, "how do I put a Calendar in my wiki?" Some of our staff that have created a wiki have embedded a Google Calendar Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-37518699702299536752010-03-13T11:59:00.006-06:002010-03-13T18:59:47.053-06:00Edited (& Fixed) by the White HouseBack in early March, I saw a message either on Facebook or Twitter from the White House asking "What does 21st Century Education mean to you?" They encouraged people to respond via Facebook or Twitter. I posted a quick "tweet" back not really thinking much of it.So today I was looking up something else and remembered that call out. Went to White House.gov and found the article they did with Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-84524673585803360782010-02-28T11:12:00.006-06:002010-02-28T21:25:01.030-06:00Topify - A Twitter HelperBeen a while since I have written a blog post. Been a busy winter with heading to Disney last weekend (some great animal shots from our time there), attending the ICE 2010 Conference this past week, and work. :) Wanted to write a quick blog post about Topify, which is a great Twitter add-on that will make your life more efficient when people "follow" or message you using TwitterI remembered Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-55776242091663052010-01-31T21:39:00.006-06:002010-01-31T22:22:55.991-06:00Creating A Favicon For Your Google SiteAs I'm building my Google Site for www.chadkafka.com and also working on one for my church at www.underwoodchurch.org, I started to wonder how you get the little icon to appear before the web address. Through my Google searching, I came to find that this little icon is called a "Favicon." Here is how I made the Favicon for my Google Site.CREATE YOUR ICON AND CONVERTCreate your Favicon. I used Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-51016668486657530152010-01-29T21:33:00.007-06:002010-02-03T21:37:41.366-06:00Canon SD780 IS Video/Photo Camera ReviewWithin the past year, I purchased a Flip Cam Ultra HD for video and I loved the simplicity with using it. A lot of the 24 Franklin movie we made was shot using the Flip Cam. The only downside to the Flip Cam Ultra HD was the fact that I couldn't choose a video size; everything has to be shot in HD which leads to really large file sizes. Don't get me wrong, the quality is great, but I don't Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-48078167985120548842010-01-26T20:54:00.006-06:002010-01-27T05:20:24.308-06:00Parent Letter for using iPhone/iTouchOne of our 8th Grade Math teachers polled the students in his class and found out that all but 4 students had an iPhone or iTouch. This math teacher heard there were Graphing Calculator apps for the iTouch/iPhone. Below is a copy of the letter if you would like to take, use, adapt for your school. We found Quick Graph which is a FREE graphing app. For those students that did NOT have an Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826651679423515354.post-52100305007661001012010-01-23T08:34:00.010-06:002010-01-26T21:09:17.556-06:00DoInk.com 7th Grade Math ProjectAs part of my role as Technology Coach in my district, I helped the 7th grade math team put together a geometry animation project that had two goals:1. Incorporate some technology into class2. Meet some of the district ITLS (Info Tech & Literacy Standards) that we recently deployed by grade levelThis post contains all the materials we used so others can replicate this project.BACKGROUND: Chad Kafkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12657981899446042096noreply@blogger.com2