Please stop using the iPad as a TV!

We've all been there, you sit down at a restaurant and see a 3 year old staring at an iPad screen. I of course casually glance at the screen hoping to see one of my favorite CREATION apps in use but no. The 3 year old is watching a cartoon or a movie. I've seen this so many times I want to scream.

Is it time to take movies off ipads? 

Let's all say it together..... YES!!! 

As a parent I know how difficult it is to have a peaceful dinner but I am tired of seeing children given a device as a TV. Kids have plenty of time in front of the tube, lets do something amazing with this device.

I have a crazy idea, let's start learning from our device. Has anyone been on Youtube lately? My daughter struggled to make her first bracelet using all of the million colorful bands laying around the house. I attempted to help her but I to lost patience. At this point I encouraged her to use her device to help solve this problem. After multiple how to videos, failures, and more attempts guess what..... we have now mastered making bracelets. And the cool thing about Youtube, she will never run out of bracelet designs to conquer, its a never ending resource for her.

Since I brought up Youtube lets continue with that resource. How many students/children do you know that feel confident presenting in front of their peers? Unfortunately that is a skill that is lacking in children due to many factors in our society. Let's us Youtube to give each child a voice and practice those presentation skills. You would be surprised how long it takes to make a perfect 30 second video but the impact that video has on their confidence once it is viewed is immeasurable. Encourage your kids/students to make a how to video, tell about their day, or just share how they feel. I have personally seen the impact of making videos in my own child, she stands a little taller in each video, spends time looking at camera angles, plans her script, and then edits the video for appropriate content. And guess what, their are free apps that help kids do this safely and securely.


I think this is a obvious one but their are apps for student to learn how to read. Who knew? Kids are sponges, download those free alphabet apps and let them learn their letters and sounds. In my opinion you can't start this process too early. If they can manipulate a device on their own, they can click on a letter and hear its sound. While you are working on those letters and sounds why not throw in a counting app or app that reads stories to your child. Exposure is everything, give that opportunity in a fun platform.

Lastly, have your child CREATE something with their iPad. Creativity is a skill that drops drastically from age 5 to adulthood. It almost completely goes away if not used on a regular basis. I consistently hear adults say that they are not creative. We are all creative you just have to practice the skill occasionally, kind of like riding a bike. Let that 3 year old take pictures with all the different camera settings, use a drawing app to draw (digital drawings take up way less space than the paper ones), use the whiteboard apps to "play teacher", create a video, just make something!!

I will warn you that creating equals noise, questions, and a million items on your camera roll. I think that is a small price to pay for the positive outcomes.

Here are some of the positives attributes a child can acquire through proper iPad use:

• Problem solving
• Accepting that failure is normal and how to overcome it
• Presentation skills
• Effectively communicating with others
• Research skills
• Self confidence
• Creativity
• A really, really great brain

Let's make a difference in kids lives, delete those movie watching apps and encourage deeper skills in our kids. Tell you child this is a creation device and show me what you can make. I think you will be surprised what they can do. 

TCEA 2015.... Make the best of your presentations

A year ago I set a professional goal to present at the annual TCEA ,Texas Computer Education Agency, conference. I have attended the convention numerous years and always thought that there would come a time for me to share my knowledge. I sent in three proposals to the agency and then waited months to see if they would "choose" me.
To my surprise they wanted me to present two different sessions, One based on a makers project and then another about changing attitudes about tech integration. I have a passion for the makers movement and quickly created my presentation, complete with pictures and even a physical sample.
The other presentation was a little more complicated and I drug my feet for a month trying to figure out the right angle to come from. Obviously I had a struggle and I overcame it, but I wanted a way for the audience to relate in a positive manner.
I bounced some ideas off my coworker and created a pretty lame slide presentation with some cheesy pictures. Yes, I know, death by power point. I justified it because adults should be able to pay attention better than kids.
Jump ahead to one hour before the presentation. It's 4:00 PM and I see people half asleep roaming around the convention center. I'm trying my hardest to get pumped up about the presentation but find myself trying to calculate when I will get home and how soon I can be in my pajamas. It then dawns on me that I am turning into one of those teachers. The ones you look at during workshops and they are either zoned out, on their phones, or staring at the ceiling. This was my chance to make a difference and make some teachers happy to be at the convention at 5 PM!

Here was my plan (Take in mind its 4:45):

1) Play some super cheesy music! Thank you Vanilla Ice and Spice Girls!
2) Make the audience feel important! Thank you to my camera on my phone!
3) Make the presentation interactive! Thank you Poll Everywhere!
4) Make a connection with the audience! Thank you to my theory of "keeping it real" and being "Honest Cari"!


It's go time and I let Vanilla Ice finish his famous Ice Ice Baby and then jump into the middle of the room and tell the teachers I need a favor. I need to prove to my coworkers that the room is full and that people really stay at TCEA until 5:00 PM! Everyone eagerly jumps up and takes a silly picture with me. I'm feeling like I woke up the audience and that they may pay attention.

Yeah!!! 

Next, I pull up the back channel and let them know that this session will not be beneficial unless they participate. I told them I don't want to stand up here and talk all night, they needed to have a voice. The back channel was a hit and people were sharing their struggles and commenting that they shared the same issues that I had. The back channel also allowed me to put a face with a name. Being able to see the person and looking at them in the eyes was huge! They knew I cared and wanted to personal address their issue. Lastly, I kept it real, I didn't sugar coat any of the difficult answers. I owned the fact that not all teachers were on board with tech integration but that we were getting there slowly but surely.
Did I do anything difficult and mind blowing in my presentation? No, but I did the things that help people feel important and engaged. If you are a teacher, principal, parent, or trainer you can easily do the four things mentioned above. Next time you attend a conference or prepare a presentation think about how to make your content engaging. Even the most mundane content can be fun, you just have to give it a fair chance!

Wiki Seat... One year later!

I know we all get busy and forget to finish our 3 part blog post. However I feel like the Maker in me prevented me from writing this last post for a good reason!
I presented my Wiki Seat experience in a session at TCEA a few hours ago and feel like this is best time to wrap up my 3 part blog post.
In review, I learned about the Wiki Seat one year ago at TCEA and found a way to make it happen at the our district High School welding class. The project was a success but it was not an easy process to even start, get kids excited about, or have kids finish but definitely worth all the effort.

At my presentation today the audience was small but interactive. I would rather have a small group of excited teachers than a room full of bored people looking at youtube. (Yes, I did that during a slow session today.)


Here is some of the feedback today via Twitter!

If that doesn't make you smile you need to go back and read it again! 

After reflecting for a year I am able to go back and analyze all the positive things that came out of the project. Students were engaged (even if they didn't want to admit it), students made a home/school connections, students surprised their teachers, and most importantly they FINISHED the project with pride. 

In closing, don't be afraid to share the cool things that you do. You never know who may read it, get inspired, and then run with it. 

Here is a link to my TCEA presentation! 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12tKNoFjM1y-w4MVHkEpQ_byWXsrk7gIFszvM-i3DcOU/edit?usp=sharing