Promoting the #DeviceFreeDinner from @CommonSense

There are some places where devices don't belong... and yes the dinner table is one of those! Let's strive for good relationships with our children by having deep conversation over dinner, rather than being 2 adults and 2 children co-habiting the same house!

The argument 15 years ago was about watching television whilst at the dinner table, but it has become even harder now with the mobile phone and tablet devices and it's not just the children! Often it is the example of the parents taking a work phone call at the dinner table, reading the newspaper online or checking facebook that is demonstrated to children. It is a travesty to see a family in a restaurant with all members with heads buried in phones... often with the kids with headphones on just to make sure that no communication happens!

Dinner is not the only place this is an issue, but it is a great place to start. So, will you take the DeviceFreeDinner Challange that Common Sense has put before us?

Sign up for tips to make this a reality: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/device-free-dinner

I certainly don't have all the answers. There are definitely those nights where it is easier to let the tired 5 and 7 year old watch something on their iPad rather than struggle through getting them to eat their dinner and have some interaction, particularly after a hard day at work, but it's important to make the effort!

Training your children in good habits starts at a young age! Do you realise what you are doing and demonstrating at the dinner table?

Washington Post Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/08/05/can-you-survive-a-device-free-dinner/

Videos from CommonSenseMedia

An easy free way to use any printer connected to Windows PC to AirPrint from iPad or iPhone,

After much search and trying to install AirPrint as a service and not wanting to pay for FingerPrint, Netgear has recently released Netgear Genie. It is very easy to setup and allows you to AirPrint to any printer connected to a windows PC (it doesn't even need to be shared). The software is also designed to let you update settings on a small range of Netgear routers (mine is not supported).

 

Highly recommended.

 

AirPlay Mirror iPhone 4S / iPad to a Windows PC! It is now possible - no apple tv required!!

For a long time (about 9 months since I got my iPad 2) I have wanted to AirPlay straight to my laptop which is connected to the projector in the classroom. After considerable searching I found a few semi-reliable apps that would AirPlay sound or video, but they would not allow mirroring.

In May Airserver released a PC version of their software which allows wireless mirroring straight to my PC laptop. It is currently in beta, but available for purchase and free updates are promised (not that I have needed any). There is no sound at this stage, but on its way.

I purchased a teacher educational license for USD$5.99 through PayPal (you need to change your primary PayPal email address to be one that contains .edu) and now I have a license for 3 computers. I've already installed on my work laptop and my media center and it is working fantastically!!

The app on the PC opens when mirroring starts and closes when you turn mirroring off.

Applications:

I love to photograph students work - their way of solving problems or group work that they produce and project it straight on the board for others to see. Using my iPhone 4S / iPad makes this easy now and I no longer require an apple tv to get the job done.

 

Homework Grades using Google Docs

I currently grade my students homework using the following scale:

Grade	Description	Typical
1	Excellent	Completed with all working and marked
2	Good	Completed with working, but not marked
3	Satisfactory	Completed, without working
4	Cause for Concern	Approximately 50% complete
5	Intervention Required	Not attempted

 

I have tried a number of different methods to record these grades on a daily basis:

• On paper, with a class roll


• On my laptop, walking around the room


• On my iPhone, using a database app – HanDBase, StoreIt, Tap Forms

I have had great difficulty with these for a variety of reasons. This year, I started to call students out to my desk at the front of the room, so I could record it on my laptop. This worked quite well, but I am keen to be moving around the room. Google Docs has just released a new mobile version for creating and editing documents and I think that the spreadsheets fit the bill!



It's easiest to set up the file on the desktop version. I haven't set it up the way that I normally do, so that it's quick to record grades. Google Spreadsheets are set up for iPhone (and other mobiles) so that it is very easy to add a row. So, I have a column for each student (in my old excel markbook, I had a row for each student). It's easy to have a worksheet for HW grades and another one for marks. The other great benefit is that it's all backed up instantly and automatically all the time!

Sharing: The Moral Imperative

The K12 online conference has just started and it is on iTunes U this year! This is great for watching and listening via my iPhone. I watched the video below, which gave a good background to sharing with other teachers. I am a teacher - which by its very meaning, means that I teach! So, why do I often keep my ideas and musings to myself?

This is the third time that I have commenced this blog at http://www.maths.net.au/. I originally got the domain back in 2007 and now find an urge to launch and maintain this blog. Please join me for some ramblings and musings - I hope that some of what I put here will be of benefit to you.