The next step...

Looking back at the beginning of my teaching career when technology meant overhead projectors and tv mirroring, I cannot believe what it means today. Document cameras, mobile apps for flashcards and blogging, TED Talks, and smartphones continue to challenge me as a teacher. How do I harness these tools to enhance my lessons without giving into the "dog and pony" show of on demand student entertainment and the degrading "engage me" video? I certainly don't have all of the answers, but I do try to encourage my students to lead me in the right direction. Currently, I'm experimenting with Twitter. After talking with some students, I realized this may not work well because their posts for class may decrease their following. I'm hoping my requests for students who are concerned with this to create a class account will solve this hurdle, but I know others will crop up as I continue to navigate this new frontier of teaching. Final thought?  Keep experimenting and don't be afraid of challenges.