Friday, June 12, 2015

Are You Tech Mobile?


I’m a Mac geek. I love all my Apple products that I get to use everyday. When I got my first Mac Laptop, I was so excited to have a mobile device that could go everywhere with me. Then the iPhone came along and WOW, I could have every thing with me all the time, in my pocket. I loved it. Next came along the iPad. This was amazing because it was the perfect device. It was smaller than the laptop but bigger than the iPhone and so I thought that it was the best device to use. Well, Apple decided to introduce the iPad Mini and I fell in love with this device. It was the perfect size for all my computing needs. They only issue was that I couldn’t fit it in my pocket. During this time the iPhone also was changing. It kept getting bigger, faster and better.
I currently have the MacBook Air for my laptop, iPad Mini for my iPad, iPhone 6 for work and iPhone 6+ for personal. I love my 6+ and use it for everything. It is my total personal computing device. I just wish that Apple would allow iPad apps to run on it since it is large enough to run them.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, I would like to hear from you. What is your ultimate device? Is it one device, is it a combination of some? Please post your comments below.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Code.org, a Bigger Presence in the District


Canyons School District has begun a partnership with Code.org that will aim to increase participation in computer science courses by women and underrepresented students of various ethnic backgrounds.


Code.org is a non-profit dedicated to expanding computer science education by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and minorities. Their vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to have access to computer science education. Code.org believes computer science should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra.

“Code.org is excited to partner with Canyons School District to expand access to computer science.  They are among the handful of districts leading the nation in this movement,” said Cameron Wilson of Code.org. “This partnership can help change the lives of the districts’ students by preparing them to think critically about real world problems and put them on a pathway toward the highest demand jobs in the U.S. economy.”

The partnership will begin in the Fall. Students at these schools will have increased access to computer science courses, curriculum and resources.  The partnership will also provide new opportunities for professional development and training for Canyons School District teachers, in addition to creating a sustainable program via a community of support for the teachers. Camille Cole and other educational technology specialist in the district will be providing the professional development and training to our teachers.