By the NJEA Technology Committee
As members of the NJEA Technology, we are excited to launch NJEA TechTalks. The channel will introduce members to current and new applications in the classroom at various grade levels and subjects, as well as across all school support areas (i.e., offices, buildings and grounds, security, etc.).
The NJEA Technology Committee will use short video clips, solicited from NJEA Technology Committee members and other invited members, to share the variety of technology platforms used in classrooms and other places in the school setting.
This new content may be posted on various digital platforms, including the NJEA YouTube channel under “TechTalks.” Just go to
YouTube.com/njeaweb. It is our goal to engage certificated and support staff members to understand how beneficial technology is in our profession.
Videos and presenters
Our first two videos will feature WeVideo and Google Jamboard. Committee members and Frenchtown Education Association President Pete Moran will present Google Jamboard.
Committee member Lori Lalama will present WeVideo. She is a computer teacher at Christopher Columbus Middle School in Clifton and is president of the Clifton Education Association. She enjoys taking the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and designing her own engaging projects that utilize real-world applications. These projects can be used at any level, incorporating cross-curricular connections, while ensuring that content is grade specific.
WeVideo (wevideo.com) is an online, cloud-based video recording and editing platform that allows users to share videos anywhere at any time. One of Lalama’s favorite video projects having her students develop a video advertisement for their theme parks. The students are the CEOs of their theme parks, and they must brainstorm to develop a plan. The project requires them “outside the box,” to make their park one of the 10 best in the world. They must incorporate pictures (jpeg and gifs), captions, transitions, backgrounds and fun music. They can record themselves to create voice overs.
When the project is completed, students know how to share it across any device, through social media, in email, and embed it into different applications. WeVideo is easy to use in any class to develop collaborative, engaging and exciting projects. Who knows? You might have the next Steven Spielberg or Spike Lee in your class.
Committee member Peter Moran will present Google Jamboard. A Technology teacher for 20 years and a classroom teacher for five years, Moran is the president of the Frenchtown Education Association and a fourth-grade teacher. He is a Google Certified Innovator and has been a presenter at the International Society for Technology in Education and NJEA conventions. He is passionate about infusing technology into curricula that works seamlessly for educators and students.
There has been a tectonic shift in education over the past two years, which could not have been possible without the assistance of technology. The combination of Google Classroom and Jamboard can make remote and in-person learning easier for teachers and students. Moran uses the product almost daily with his students, and with the combination of Google Classroom and Jamboard, both teachers and students can create and complete assignments that can be shared and reviewed on their laptops.
The TechTalks video will show how to make it work on multiple devices such as iPads, Chromebooks or PCs. In addition, the video will show you how to have students work individually or collaboratively. We hope this will take some stress out of our new and highly stressful times.
The videos will highlight how to get started creating your own tech-based tools, and how to take advantage of all the wonderful features that can increase productivity and enhance the classroom and school-based experience.
The NJEA Technology Committee
Sabina A. Ellis, chair, Essex County
Michael S. Ryan, Bergen County
Christopher Bowman, Burlington County
Dali J. Kilpatrick, Camden County
Julie E. Stratton, Cape May County
Debra D. Byrd, Cumberland County
Stephen L. Whitehead, Gloucester County
Peter J. Moran, Hunterdon County
Olive M. Giles, Mercer County
Pallavi Shetty, Middlesex County
Ann M. Moyle, Monmouth County
Laurie A. Schorno, Morris County
Kayla A. Kanarkowski, NJEA Preservice
Virginia L. Hoden, NJREA
Melissa Krupp, Ocean County
Lori E. Lalama, Passaic County
Bethany Hannah, Salem County
Camille T. Ragin, Somerset County
Edith Farrell, Union County