Gabcast!
Play the podcast of this week's blog entry on the player... or read the blog entry itself!
Podcasts are not difficult to create. Nonetheless, they do require a decent microphone, some audio editing software, a set of procedures… and a bit of a learning curve. Well, at least, until Gabcast became available. Now they’re just plain easy!
Use a cell phone or a VoIP client or a landline touch-tone phone. No microphone. No audio editing software.
After you record your podcast, post the podcast to your blog. Gabcast plays well with Blogger, TypePad, WordPress, and other blogging software.
Individuals who subscribe to your Gabcast channel are notified when you publish a podcast made with Gabcast.
A basic membership is free. You can use up to 200 MB of disk space and each episode can be up to 60 minutes long. RSS feeds and integration into your blog are included. Upgraded memberships with additional features are available for a fee. You must be 13 or older to create an account.
So how do you create a podcast with Gabcast?
1. Sign up
2. Login
3. Create a channel
4. Record an episode
5. Publish the episode
You’re done! ☺
Gabcast is published by a small company in Canada. You can check out their web site (http://www.gabcast.com) to learn about other useful features.
I learned about Gabcast from Liz Kolb’s presentation, Cell Phones as Classroom Learning Tools (http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=152), at the K12 Online Conference 2007 (http://k12onlineconference.org/). Gabcast is just one of many Web 2.0 applications that Liz discussed in her excellent talk about applications for cell phones and how we can use these applications in the classroom.
If you’ve thought about using podcasts in your classroom, but thought they were too much work, this may be the solution for you.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
K-12 Online Conference 2007: Playing with Boundaries
This year’s K-12 Online Conference (http://k12onlineconference.org/) is truly an international conference… and it’s free. Educators throughout the world are sharing ways that Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to help our students--and us--learn. The theme this year is Playing with Boundaries. The pre-conference keynote took place this past week. This week and next, October 15-19 and October 22-26, forty presentations will be available to download and view. Live events will also be announced. If you’re interested in information about professional development and/or graduate credit, check out this site: http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=161PRE CONFERENCE KEYNOTE: Inventing the New Boundaries by David Warlick
http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=144
I just listened to the pre-conference keynote address by David Warlick. He commented that his generation was the last that could develop an insight into its future by watching their fathers and their fathers’ careers… that we are now educating students for a future that we do not know.
As I think about teaching my students, David’s comments ring true. When I taught mathematics, I knew what my students would experience when they studied mathematics in college. And I knew what they needed to be able to do when using mathematics in their careers. When I started teaching computer science --programming-- I was self-taught. Well, to be truthful, my students and I taught each other. But, I soon returned to college so I could experience what my computer science students would experience in college. All so I could do a better job teaching them. Now that I teach instructional technology for preservice teachers, I find that we are preparing for a future that does not yet exist. There’s no place to go to experience what these students will experience in their careers. Instead, we--i.e., they and I--need to invent their futures… and be open for change… by communicating, collaborating, and working creatively.
David also talked about boundaries… old ones no longer existent, new ones developed when and as needed. Well, obviously, David’s comments got me thinking. I recommend that you view and/or listen to his pre-conference keynote!
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
The easiest way to access the conference presentations is through the conference schedule, which is linked and updated daily. The conference schedule and lots of other helpful information is available at http://k12onlineconference.org/ I urge you to “attend” this conference. Remember… if you’re too busy to attend this week or next, it’ll still be available on the web for your perusal later.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Interactive Web Sites
As I've looked for good, interactive web sites that can be used on Smart Boards and other interactive white boards, I've found that these web sites are more likely to be accessible in groups rather than singly. So, most--although not all--of the web sites listed in today's blog entry are locations where you can browse and choose the web sites most useful to you. I think you'll find some very helpful sites in this list!
TeachersFirst (http://www.teachersfirst.com) shares an interactive web site that can be used to help study Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, The Raven. Literary devices highlighted are alliteration, assonance, internal rhyme, and vocabulary words. I think this is a very interesting approach for studying this poem, but I do have to admit that Poe is my second-most favorite poet!
http://www.teachersfirst.com/share/raven/index.html
While still at TeachersFirst, check out the featured sites for the week of September 30, 2007. You’ll find several interactive web sites that look very useful…
Teacher Magazine (http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/) features the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives which has more than 100 free digital games, tutorials, and virtual manipulatives. PreK through grade 12 students can practice a variety of mathematics concepts aligned with the standards. Activities range from playing with virtual blocks to programming a “turtle” to navigate a maze.
http://www.nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
Readers of Edutopia in a survey taken in 2006 (http://www.edutopia.org/best-site-download-free-lessons-and-materials) considered Marco Polo as the best site for downloading free lessons and materials. Marco Polo is now known as Thinkfinity: Literacy, Education and Technology
(http://www.marcopolo-education.org/). I think the easiest way to search for interactive sites at Thinkfinity is to use the Search Thinkfinity search engine (http://www.thinkfinitysearch.org/MPSearch/Basic_Search.asp) with interactive as the keyword. This search engine finds the interactive web sites and indicates which professional organization (e.g., NCTE or NCTM) is responsible for them. You’ll find some very good sites here.
To learn about the Constitution, try http://edsitement.neh.gov/ConstitutionDay/ where you can interact with information gathered from documents, background essays, and a bibliography. You'll be able to read George Washington’s annotated draft of the Constitution, visualize the Founders by using an interactive painting, and participate in other interesting activities.
The NetSmartz interactive web site teaches students about Internet safety. Many resources, including videos are available… and the site is up-to-date.
http://www.netsmartz.org/
Interactive Websites for Grades PreK-12 in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and assessment are available.
http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interactive.htm
teacher tap has interactive web sites, games, and activities for a variety of areas.
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic86.htm
Interactive Websites for the Primary Grades as compiled by Sue LeBeau for mathematics, literacy, science, and miscellaneous topics are available.
http://www.suelebeau.com/priminteractive.htm
Elementary Mathematics Sites can be found at http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/ekowalcz/math/elementary_web_sites.htm.
Ten Cool Sites provides some interesting sites at the Exploratorium when you do a search for interactive.
http://apps.exploratorium.edu/10cool/index.php?searchtext=interactive&cmd=search&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
TeachersFirst (http://www.teachersfirst.com) shares an interactive web site that can be used to help study Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, The Raven. Literary devices highlighted are alliteration, assonance, internal rhyme, and vocabulary words. I think this is a very interesting approach for studying this poem, but I do have to admit that Poe is my second-most favorite poet!
http://www.teachersfirst.com/share/raven/index.html
While still at TeachersFirst, check out the featured sites for the week of September 30, 2007. You’ll find several interactive web sites that look very useful…
- BBC-GCSE Bitesize English, recommended for teaching writing in grades 8 through 12
- and other web sites: reading, upcoming elections, oceans, music
Teacher Magazine (http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/) features the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives which has more than 100 free digital games, tutorials, and virtual manipulatives. PreK through grade 12 students can practice a variety of mathematics concepts aligned with the standards. Activities range from playing with virtual blocks to programming a “turtle” to navigate a maze.
http://www.nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
Readers of Edutopia in a survey taken in 2006 (http://www.edutopia.org/best-site-download-free-lessons-and-materials) considered Marco Polo as the best site for downloading free lessons and materials. Marco Polo is now known as Thinkfinity: Literacy, Education and Technology
(http://www.marcopolo-education.org/). I think the easiest way to search for interactive sites at Thinkfinity is to use the Search Thinkfinity search engine (http://www.thinkfinitysearch.org/MPSearch/Basic_Search.asp) with interactive as the keyword. This search engine finds the interactive web sites and indicates which professional organization (e.g., NCTE or NCTM) is responsible for them. You’ll find some very good sites here.
To learn about the Constitution, try http://edsitement.neh.gov/ConstitutionDay/ where you can interact with information gathered from documents, background essays, and a bibliography. You'll be able to read George Washington’s annotated draft of the Constitution, visualize the Founders by using an interactive painting, and participate in other interesting activities.
The NetSmartz interactive web site teaches students about Internet safety. Many resources, including videos are available… and the site is up-to-date.
http://www.netsmartz.org/
Interactive Websites for Grades PreK-12 in reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and assessment are available.
http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interactive.htm
teacher tap has interactive web sites, games, and activities for a variety of areas.
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic86.htm
Interactive Websites for the Primary Grades as compiled by Sue LeBeau for mathematics, literacy, science, and miscellaneous topics are available.
http://www.suelebeau.com/priminteractive.htm
Elementary Mathematics Sites can be found at http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/ekowalcz/math/elementary_web_sites.htm.
Ten Cool Sites provides some interesting sites at the Exploratorium when you do a search for interactive.
http://apps.exploratorium.edu/10cool/index.php?searchtext=interactive&cmd=search&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
Monday, October 1, 2007
Rubrics, Safety, History, Computer Lab, and a Game
As I was preparing a list of interactive web sites for an upcoming blog entry (hopefully, next week), I came across several web sites and short items that I think you’ll find interesting. It’s a diverse lot, but with some useful… and some fun… ideas.
The October 1, 2007 update from TeachersFirst (http://www.teachersfirst.com/update.cfm) includes a short course--Rubrics to the Rescue--for creating and implementing rubrics as an assessment tool. See http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/rubrics/
Their Featured Sites for the Week of September 30, 2007
(http://www.teachersfirst.com/feature.cfm) include a very useful site--Safe Teens--about Internet safety for teens. Even if you know this topic well, this is worth examining… and sharing. See http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8462
They also featured a fun site--Fake Out!--which is great for building vocabulary. Your students can even participate by making up some of the “incorrect” definitions for words to be featured in upcoming weeks and submitting them. I had fun at this one! See http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8590
Teacher Magazine led me to the Time magazine archive. See
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2006/12/01/03tools-3.h18.html
This is a free database of the almost 300,000 stories published since 1923. You can search by topic or keywords or by date. These stories--which are history for us--were current events when the articles were written. That changes the perspective!
Teacher Magazine also published at
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/01/01/04classtech.h18.html a good article--What Could Go Wrong?--about taking elementary students into the computer lab. The author has some good ideas for saving your sanity!
The October 1, 2007 update from TeachersFirst (http://www.teachersfirst.com/update.cfm) includes a short course--Rubrics to the Rescue--for creating and implementing rubrics as an assessment tool. See http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/rubrics/
Their Featured Sites for the Week of September 30, 2007
(http://www.teachersfirst.com/feature.cfm) include a very useful site--Safe Teens--about Internet safety for teens. Even if you know this topic well, this is worth examining… and sharing. See http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8462
They also featured a fun site--Fake Out!--which is great for building vocabulary. Your students can even participate by making up some of the “incorrect” definitions for words to be featured in upcoming weeks and submitting them. I had fun at this one! See http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=8590
Teacher Magazine led me to the Time magazine archive. See
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2006/12/01/03tools-3.h18.html
This is a free database of the almost 300,000 stories published since 1923. You can search by topic or keywords or by date. These stories--which are history for us--were current events when the articles were written. That changes the perspective!
Teacher Magazine also published at
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2007/01/01/04classtech.h18.html a good article--What Could Go Wrong?--about taking elementary students into the computer lab. The author has some good ideas for saving your sanity!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
More Blogs to Read
In last week's blog post I mentioned that Edutopia had listed their ten favorite edublogs. Several of those blogs are already on my "Blogs I Read" list.
I've added the remainder of Edutopia's list to my list. I will read them for a while to decide if they add value to what I want to accomplish with this blog, namely,
There are some other blogs that I read that I haven't added to my "Blogs I Read" list yet. I'll have to add them some day soon!
I've added the remainder of Edutopia's list to my list. I will read them for a while to decide if they add value to what I want to accomplish with this blog, namely,
"... a series of technology tips for educators... ideas for learning, teaching, and using digital skills."I'm sure the blogs are interesting and worth reading. I just want to be sure they share "ideas for learning, teaching, and using digital skills" for educators.
There are some other blogs that I read that I haven't added to my "Blogs I Read" list yet. I'll have to add them some day soon!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Project-Based Learning
When you describe the learning activities in your classroom, would you like any of these phrases to apply to them?
Do we have time for project-based learning and its teaching in these days when teachers must teach the standards and students must pass standardized tests each year to meet the need for data to guide decisions about education covering districts, states, and the entire country? Based on some of the research, the question might instead be, as we prepare today’s students to live and learn in a very different society and economy, how can we not teach the standards and the processes of developing insight into projects of various types and solving the related problems through project-based learning?
There is much information about PBL on the web. Much of that information is very good. Examine and explore some sites with me…
The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia lists project-based learning as one of its priority topics. Their site lists a summary of research activity that shows positive results of using PBL, including improved test scores. Stories are shared of students and teachers in both elementary and secondary schools and their effective project-based learning. (Be sure to watch the video of kindergarten students and their student-driven projects!) Specific ideas and resources are offered to help teachers who want to start using PBL in their teaching.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has begun a feature area--Your Learning Journey--on their web site. The first journey focuses on project-based learning. Annotated links to PBL web sites, one teacher’s experience, PBL articles from Leading & Learning (L&L) and the Journal for Research in Teacher Education (JRTE), and information about a new ISTE book (available November 2007)--Reinventing Project-Based Learning--provide excellent ideas and shared experiences. You can also access a blog about project-based learning or a wiki where educators will be able to share their experiences. This learning journey is well put together.
I have already mentioned in an earlier blog entry a useful checklist tool for PBL activities.
techLEARNING has posted a primer for beginning to work with PBL. The well-written primer covers these topics:
A good comparison of project-based learning, problem-based learning, and inquiry-based learning is available at teacher tap. If you have time, explore the entire teacher tap web site. There’s LOTS of good information there!
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) provides some useful information about problem-based learning. ASCD has published information about this topic. In fact, they have print, videotape, and audiotape resources.
A search on YouTube brings up some interesting videos about project-based learning. What Are Your Kids Thinking? offers what might be some students’ thoughts in a teacher-directed classroom. In Picturing the Possibilities, we watch a mathematics teacher and her students involved in some PBL activities. The next two videos--My Kind of High School and Sophia – Student at Avalon--show students describing their projects.
And, on another note, thanks to Eric Curts of the Ohio Treasure Chest who mentioned this blog in his recent podcast as one of his favorite places to find treasures for his Treasure Chest!
Added note: In the second comment below, Laura's link to the sample chapters in the ASCD book did not come through fully. So, if you would like to follow the link, click here.
- active learning
- authentic experiences
- demonstration of mastery
- engaging students
- experiential learning
- minds-on, hands-on
- real-world
- relevant
- rigorous
- standards-focused
- 21st century skills
Do we have time for project-based learning and its teaching in these days when teachers must teach the standards and students must pass standardized tests each year to meet the need for data to guide decisions about education covering districts, states, and the entire country? Based on some of the research, the question might instead be, as we prepare today’s students to live and learn in a very different society and economy, how can we not teach the standards and the processes of developing insight into projects of various types and solving the related problems through project-based learning?
There is much information about PBL on the web. Much of that information is very good. Examine and explore some sites with me…
The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia lists project-based learning as one of its priority topics. Their site lists a summary of research activity that shows positive results of using PBL, including improved test scores. Stories are shared of students and teachers in both elementary and secondary schools and their effective project-based learning. (Be sure to watch the video of kindergarten students and their student-driven projects!) Specific ideas and resources are offered to help teachers who want to start using PBL in their teaching.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has begun a feature area--Your Learning Journey--on their web site. The first journey focuses on project-based learning. Annotated links to PBL web sites, one teacher’s experience, PBL articles from Leading & Learning (L&L) and the Journal for Research in Teacher Education (JRTE), and information about a new ISTE book (available November 2007)--Reinventing Project-Based Learning--provide excellent ideas and shared experiences. You can also access a blog about project-based learning or a wiki where educators will be able to share their experiences. This learning journey is well put together.
I have already mentioned in an earlier blog entry a useful checklist tool for PBL activities.
techLEARNING has posted a primer for beginning to work with PBL. The well-written primer covers these topics:
- Getting Started with Project-Based Learning
- Criteria for PBL
- Elements of a Great PBL Project
- How to Pick a Project
- Steps to Creating a PBL Project
- Advice to Teachers, Technology Coordinators, and Administrators
- PBL Information Online
A good comparison of project-based learning, problem-based learning, and inquiry-based learning is available at teacher tap. If you have time, explore the entire teacher tap web site. There’s LOTS of good information there!
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) provides some useful information about problem-based learning. ASCD has published information about this topic. In fact, they have print, videotape, and audiotape resources.
A search on YouTube brings up some interesting videos about project-based learning. What Are Your Kids Thinking? offers what might be some students’ thoughts in a teacher-directed classroom. In Picturing the Possibilities, we watch a mathematics teacher and her students involved in some PBL activities. The next two videos--My Kind of High School and Sophia – Student at Avalon--show students describing their projects.
And, on another note, thanks to Eric Curts of the Ohio Treasure Chest who mentioned this blog in his recent podcast as one of his favorite places to find treasures for his Treasure Chest!
Added note: In the second comment below, Laura's link to the sample chapters in the ASCD book did not come through fully. So, if you would like to follow the link, click here.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Are You (or Your Students) Ready to Use Blogs?
Are you considering using a blog (or blogs) with the students in your classroom this year, but you aren’t quite sure how to start? Or do you just want to read what other educators are saying in their blogs about teaching and learning today? (Reading--and responding to--blogs written by other educators is much like chatting in a "teachers' lounge.") I think you’ll find many useful ideas in today’s blog entry. Enjoy!
Blogging Is History: Taking Classroom Discussions Online
http://www.edutopia.org/blogging-history
by Helena Echlin
Digital Discussion: Take Your Class to the Internet
http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2007-classroom-blog-setup
by Helena Echlin
Classy Blogging
http://www.edutopia.org/classy
by Mimi Gilman
Gilman lists some education blogs that you’ll want to check. There are blogs about blogging… blogs about education… guidelines for student bloggers… examples of blogs created by students… so much to learn about educational blogging!
Best Blog for Educators (2007)
http://www.edutopia.org/best-blog-educators-2007
by Edutopia Staff
Read about Edutopia’s choice for the best blog in 2007 for educators. Also, learn about Google Alerts, a useful tool. [An alternative to Google Alerts is Swamii which I described previously in this blog.]
Edublogs We Love: Ten Top Stops for Internet Interaction
http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2007-best-blogs
by Edutopia Staff
Blogging Is History: Taking Classroom Discussions Online
http://www.edutopia.org/blogging-history
by Helena Echlin
A blog is a tool for getting kids to think -- and type -- about what they're learningEchlin describes a successful classroom project in which a teacher included a book and its author, a blog, and participation by students, parents, and a class in another district. You can pick up many ideas for starting your own blog project.
Digital Discussion: Take Your Class to the Internet
http://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2007-classroom-blog-setup
by Helena Echlin
How to set up a blog in your classroomRead Echlin’s article for all the details, but here’s a summary… First, decide what the purpose of the blog(s) is: management, journal, notebook, discussion, or expression. Second, determine how to grade the students’ efforts. Then, go to one of several suggested sites to set up the blog(s). Make preferences choices that provide the protection you want for the students. Finally, there are suggestions for discussing the blog(s) in the classroom and even a sample lesson plan for teaching the students about blogging.
Classy Blogging
http://www.edutopia.org/classy
by Mimi Gilman
Gilman lists some education blogs that you’ll want to check. There are blogs about blogging… blogs about education… guidelines for student bloggers… examples of blogs created by students… so much to learn about educational blogging!
Best Blog for Educators (2007)
http://www.edutopia.org/best-blog-educators-2007
by Edutopia Staff
Read about Edutopia’s choice for the best blog in 2007 for educators. Also, learn about Google Alerts, a useful tool. [An alternative to Google Alerts is Swamii which I described previously in this blog.]
Edublogs We Love: Ten Top Stops for Internet Interactionhttp://www.edutopia.org/whats-next-2007-best-blogs
by Edutopia Staff
These web sites are the cornerstones of a vast online educational communityIf one “best” blog for 2007 isn’t enough, go to this site to find the Edutopia staff’s top ten edublogs for 2007.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Photo Journals and Student Recommendations
Edutopia
(http://www.edutopia.org/)
Some sites need to be revisited periodically (or, if possible, subscribed to with RSS) to determine what new information has been added or what might have been missed on previous visits. Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/) is one of those sites.
At this web site you will find many good examples of best practices, information about research, interviews, and lots of links. The many videos cover topics such as assessment and technology integration. If you have not spent some time exploring this rich site, you might want to add it to your “must visit” list.
On a recent visit to Edutopia I found two ideas I would like to share. The first activity was developed by a social studies teacher, although suggestions for using it to help teach literature were also listed. Actually, I see no reason why it can’t be used for any subject.
Now… one caution, please. If you’re not into scrapbooking, please ignore the title of this first article. Instead, pretend it says photo journals.
Academic Scrapbooking: Snapshots of Learning
(http://www.edutopia.org/academic-scrapbooking-photographs-journals)
Social studies teacher Heidi Willard uses scrapbooking with special-needs students and traditional students. The first time she tried the idea she took her students on a field trip. Afterward, she asked her students to create a scrapbook about their experience. To help make her idea work, the students had been provided with disposable cameras on the field trip. The students enjoyed the activity… and learned from it.
Benefits of the scrapbooking--or photo journal--projects she has used with her students include an increase in student interest, independent learning, and enhancing individual learning styles and strengths. She also found that students take ownership of their projects.
Language arts teachers who use this idea might have their students include pages of “narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive” writing. They could have pages about the themes of books they have read. Their creations could end up including poems, art, and information about famous writers. Photos play a role in these projects, too.
These assignments are not “scrapbooking for scrapbooking’s sake.” Teachers grade these projects as they would any other project. And the goal is that students learn what’s listed in the curriculum standards as it would be for any other classroom activity.
This article provides details about successful implementations of this idea and suggestions for how to do it in your classroom.
The Sky's the Limit: Kids' Top Tools for the Classroom
(http://www.edutopia.org/student-opinions-classroom-technology)
Today's students have grown up in a world filled with technology. DVDs, cell phones, and game consoles are part of their world. But… how much of this technology do they see in their classrooms? In Spring 2007, some teachers asked their students, "What technology do you use outside of school that would be good for the classroom? Why? How would that work?"
Here are some of the students’ responses…
Laptop computer: "We all do all of our work on computers anyway, and isn't that how it will be in the workplace, too?... Why don't the book publishers put all this material online? That way, it is easier to come out with new editions of texts, too."
Bluetooth, digital cameras, and flash drives are some of the students’ other hardware suggestions.
Software recommendations include…
Comic Life: Use digital photos to create comics, albums, story books, and how to manuals. (See very simple one-panel comic to the right.)
Dance Dance Revolution: Add this fun alternative to the physical education schedule.
Glossopedia: Enjoy this free multimedia, interactive environmental science encyclopedia for students aged 7 to 12.
The complete hardware and software lists and their explanations from the students in this article are very interesting. We do need to seriously consider them.
(http://www.edutopia.org/)
Some sites need to be revisited periodically (or, if possible, subscribed to with RSS) to determine what new information has been added or what might have been missed on previous visits. Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/) is one of those sites.
At this web site you will find many good examples of best practices, information about research, interviews, and lots of links. The many videos cover topics such as assessment and technology integration. If you have not spent some time exploring this rich site, you might want to add it to your “must visit” list.
On a recent visit to Edutopia I found two ideas I would like to share. The first activity was developed by a social studies teacher, although suggestions for using it to help teach literature were also listed. Actually, I see no reason why it can’t be used for any subject.
Now… one caution, please. If you’re not into scrapbooking, please ignore the title of this first article. Instead, pretend it says photo journals.
Academic Scrapbooking: Snapshots of Learning
(http://www.edutopia.org/academic-scrapbooking-photographs-journals)
Social studies teacher Heidi Willard uses scrapbooking with special-needs students and traditional students. The first time she tried the idea she took her students on a field trip. Afterward, she asked her students to create a scrapbook about their experience. To help make her idea work, the students had been provided with disposable cameras on the field trip. The students enjoyed the activity… and learned from it.
Benefits of the scrapbooking--or photo journal--projects she has used with her students include an increase in student interest, independent learning, and enhancing individual learning styles and strengths. She also found that students take ownership of their projects.
Language arts teachers who use this idea might have their students include pages of “narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive” writing. They could have pages about the themes of books they have read. Their creations could end up including poems, art, and information about famous writers. Photos play a role in these projects, too.
These assignments are not “scrapbooking for scrapbooking’s sake.” Teachers grade these projects as they would any other project. And the goal is that students learn what’s listed in the curriculum standards as it would be for any other classroom activity.
This article provides details about successful implementations of this idea and suggestions for how to do it in your classroom.
The Sky's the Limit: Kids' Top Tools for the Classroom
(http://www.edutopia.org/student-opinions-classroom-technology)
Today's students have grown up in a world filled with technology. DVDs, cell phones, and game consoles are part of their world. But… how much of this technology do they see in their classrooms? In Spring 2007, some teachers asked their students, "What technology do you use outside of school that would be good for the classroom? Why? How would that work?"
Here are some of the students’ responses…
Laptop computer: "We all do all of our work on computers anyway, and isn't that how it will be in the workplace, too?... Why don't the book publishers put all this material online? That way, it is easier to come out with new editions of texts, too."
Bluetooth, digital cameras, and flash drives are some of the students’ other hardware suggestions.
Software recommendations include…
Comic Life: Use digital photos to create comics, albums, story books, and how to manuals. (See very simple one-panel comic to the right.)
Dance Dance Revolution: Add this fun alternative to the physical education schedule.
Glossopedia: Enjoy this free multimedia, interactive environmental science encyclopedia for students aged 7 to 12.
The complete hardware and software lists and their explanations from the students in this article are very interesting. We do need to seriously consider them.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Resources for Technology Integration
The Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) is in the College of Education in the University of South Florida and is funded by the Florida Department of Education. The FCIT’s web site (http://fcit.usf.edu) has an interesting assortment of resources to help teachers integrate technology in the classroom.
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION MATRIX
The best part of this site is the Technology Integration Matrix (http://fcit.usf.edu:16080/matrix/). This matrix is “a video resource supporting the full integration of technology.” It pairs “levels of technology integration”—entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, transformation—with “characteristics of the learning environment”—active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal directed. Each cell in the matrix lists an indicator for that particular pair combination and two links, one to a video example for “1-1 access” and one for “shared access.”
The matrix is designed for several purposes; however, I think one of the most effective purposes is for individual teachers to determine where they currently are in the matrix and where they want to be in terms of their integration of technology in the classroom. Then they can watch videos on a path from their present status to their desired status to help them develop ideas for how they can intentionally change their teaching strategies.
Last week I said, “I can intentionally make changes in process… [to] come closer to… [my] goals.” The Technology Integration Matrix is a tool which can help us make those intentional changes.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Additional resources are available at this FCIT web site. Unfortunately, in some sections you will find some broken links as you explore due to the fact that they haven’t been updated since 2004.
A free set of online stories and poems is available in Lit2Go. These stories and poems are in MP3 format so you can listen to them on your MP3 player or your computer. The text can also be read on a web page. You’ll find works by Aesop, Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Beatrix Potter, Theodore Roosevelt, H.G. Wells, and many others. This site has been recently updated (2007).
Clipart, ETC contains clip art which teachers can use, usually free and with minimal restrictions. You’re not likely to find a picture of a computer in the collection, but there are some good items there. And a site map helps you find the good stuff.
robin
Shakespeare 
More than 20,000 backgrounds for Keynote or PowerPoint presentations, Holocaust resources (last updated January 2007), oral histories (video clips) from the Vietnam War, more than 5,000 maps covering different time periods (last updated August 16, 2007), … The list of resources goes on. Spend a few moments exploring this web site and you’re bound to find something that is helpful to you.
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION MATRIX
The best part of this site is the Technology Integration Matrix (http://fcit.usf.edu:16080/matrix/). This matrix is “a video resource supporting the full integration of technology.” It pairs “levels of technology integration”—entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, transformation—with “characteristics of the learning environment”—active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal directed. Each cell in the matrix lists an indicator for that particular pair combination and two links, one to a video example for “1-1 access” and one for “shared access.”
The matrix is designed for several purposes; however, I think one of the most effective purposes is for individual teachers to determine where they currently are in the matrix and where they want to be in terms of their integration of technology in the classroom. Then they can watch videos on a path from their present status to their desired status to help them develop ideas for how they can intentionally change their teaching strategies.
Last week I said, “I can intentionally make changes in process… [to] come closer to… [my] goals.” The Technology Integration Matrix is a tool which can help us make those intentional changes.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Additional resources are available at this FCIT web site. Unfortunately, in some sections you will find some broken links as you explore due to the fact that they haven’t been updated since 2004.
A free set of online stories and poems is available in Lit2Go. These stories and poems are in MP3 format so you can listen to them on your MP3 player or your computer. The text can also be read on a web page. You’ll find works by Aesop, Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Beatrix Potter, Theodore Roosevelt, H.G. Wells, and many others. This site has been recently updated (2007).
Clipart, ETC contains clip art which teachers can use, usually free and with minimal restrictions. You’re not likely to find a picture of a computer in the collection, but there are some good items there. And a site map helps you find the good stuff.
robin
Shakespeare 
More than 20,000 backgrounds for Keynote or PowerPoint presentations, Holocaust resources (last updated January 2007), oral histories (video clips) from the Vietnam War, more than 5,000 maps covering different time periods (last updated August 16, 2007), … The list of resources goes on. Spend a few moments exploring this web site and you’re bound to find something that is helpful to you.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Happy New (School) Year!
BEGINNING A NEW SCHOOL YEAR
I’ve always enjoyed the beginning of a new school year. It’s an opportunity to start afresh, to set new goals… both for my students and for myself. I can intentionally make changes in process that will help us come closer to those goals.
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
A comment by David Warlick in a recent blog entry (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2007/08/16/another-question-for-interviews/) started my thinking about reading. What have I been reading? Many years ago that question would be answered with a simple list of recently read books and periodicals. However, when I started thinking about what I currently read, my list includes books—paper and ebooks, periodicals—paper and online, newspapers—paper and online, blogs, podcasts, and web sites.
What about my students? The state standards for reading (http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=330&ContentID=489&Content=32574) indicate that students are expected to read “print and electronic text”… and they are to “listen.” The purposes of their reading include “learning about a subject,” “doing a job,” “making decisions,” and “accomplishing a task.” The types of items they are to read include “essays, magazines, newspapers, textbooks, instruction manuals, consumer and workplace documents, reference materials, multimedia and electronic resources.” These standards include the variety of types of reading that shows up on my list. This will be the basis of conversations with my students and of assignments for their classes.
If all of us—my students and myself included—are to learn throughout our lives, then it serves us well to develop the habit of reading well-chosen materials. Thus, one of my goals for this new school year is to develop assignments that encourage (require?) my students to read a variety of types of materials in a variety of ways… and to share with them that I also do that as a part of my own growth.
STUDENT LEARNING
A video on TeacherTube—Digital Students @ Analog Schools (http://www.teachertube.com/search_result.php?search_id=digital+students+%40+analog+schools&x=0&y=0) --has some ideas that I think are important to consider. In this video, students share their thoughts about the teaching and learning processes which they’ve experienced. (Although these are college students, their words could just as easily have come from K-12 students.) Some of the students share that they are visual learners in a lecture environment; some, that they are learning skills for past jobs rather than future jobs. Others state that the learning environment is frustrating and that they do not have opportunities to be creative. Will the students’ future lives and the skills they need be just as they imagine? Probably not, but nonetheless they express some very important ideas. So, my goals this year include the increased use of teaching and learning processes appropriate for students who have grown up in a visual, creative environment.
TECHNOLOGY HELPS US SET AND REACH OUR GOALS
Technology plays a major role both in the setting of my goals and in accomplishing them. As the year progresses, my students and I will both learn more technology to help us meet our goals.
What are your goals for this school year? What do you want to learn to help you reach those goals? What resources will make it easier for you and your students? Write to me through a comment on this blog to share how I can help you with technology this new school year.
WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ZIP CODES
Have you ever been curious about how and where different ZIP codes in the USA have been set up? Tim Stahmer’s Assorted Stuff (http://www.assortedstuff.com/?p=2161) blog shares this site (http://acg.media.mit.edu/people/fry/zipdecode/) about ZIP codes. You’ve got to check it out!
TIMELINE OF MAJOR DECISIONS OF 20TH-CENTURY USA PRESIDENTS
(http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/links/showLink.cfm?linkID=353)
eSchoolNews.com (http://www.eschoolnews.com) highlighted the Presidential Timeline of the 20th Century this summer. The web site provides access to portions of the collections of the presidential libraries of 12 presidents. A multimedia exhibit features key decisions such as Pearl Harbor and the Gulf of Tonkin. Some well-designed activities for classroom use are also available.
KEY IDEAS FROM THE MAJOR ED TECH CONFERENCE OF THE SUMMER
(http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7232)
If you did not attend the major educational technology conference of the summer, eSchoolNews.com has a site where you can learn what you missed at the NECC conference. Keynote speaker Andrew Zolli recommended we focus on students’ creativity and ISTE updated the National Educational Technology Standards for Students. Unrelated concepts? No… creativity and innovation top the list of traits in the revised standards. Read about these ideas and more at this site.
I’ve always enjoyed the beginning of a new school year. It’s an opportunity to start afresh, to set new goals… both for my students and for myself. I can intentionally make changes in process that will help us come closer to those goals.
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
A comment by David Warlick in a recent blog entry (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2007/08/16/another-question-for-interviews/) started my thinking about reading. What have I been reading? Many years ago that question would be answered with a simple list of recently read books and periodicals. However, when I started thinking about what I currently read, my list includes books—paper and ebooks, periodicals—paper and online, newspapers—paper and online, blogs, podcasts, and web sites.
What about my students? The state standards for reading (http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=330&ContentID=489&Content=32574) indicate that students are expected to read “print and electronic text”… and they are to “listen.” The purposes of their reading include “learning about a subject,” “doing a job,” “making decisions,” and “accomplishing a task.” The types of items they are to read include “essays, magazines, newspapers, textbooks, instruction manuals, consumer and workplace documents, reference materials, multimedia and electronic resources.” These standards include the variety of types of reading that shows up on my list. This will be the basis of conversations with my students and of assignments for their classes.
If all of us—my students and myself included—are to learn throughout our lives, then it serves us well to develop the habit of reading well-chosen materials. Thus, one of my goals for this new school year is to develop assignments that encourage (require?) my students to read a variety of types of materials in a variety of ways… and to share with them that I also do that as a part of my own growth.
STUDENT LEARNING
A video on TeacherTube—Digital Students @ Analog Schools (http://www.teachertube.com/search_result.php?search_id=digital+students+%40+analog+schools&x=0&y=0) --has some ideas that I think are important to consider. In this video, students share their thoughts about the teaching and learning processes which they’ve experienced. (Although these are college students, their words could just as easily have come from K-12 students.) Some of the students share that they are visual learners in a lecture environment; some, that they are learning skills for past jobs rather than future jobs. Others state that the learning environment is frustrating and that they do not have opportunities to be creative. Will the students’ future lives and the skills they need be just as they imagine? Probably not, but nonetheless they express some very important ideas. So, my goals this year include the increased use of teaching and learning processes appropriate for students who have grown up in a visual, creative environment.
TECHNOLOGY HELPS US SET AND REACH OUR GOALS
Technology plays a major role both in the setting of my goals and in accomplishing them. As the year progresses, my students and I will both learn more technology to help us meet our goals.
What are your goals for this school year? What do you want to learn to help you reach those goals? What resources will make it easier for you and your students? Write to me through a comment on this blog to share how I can help you with technology this new school year.
WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ZIP CODES
Have you ever been curious about how and where different ZIP codes in the USA have been set up? Tim Stahmer’s Assorted Stuff (http://www.assortedstuff.com/?p=2161) blog shares this site (http://acg.media.mit.edu/people/fry/zipdecode/) about ZIP codes. You’ve got to check it out!
TIMELINE OF MAJOR DECISIONS OF 20TH-CENTURY USA PRESIDENTS
(http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/links/showLink.cfm?linkID=353)
eSchoolNews.com (http://www.eschoolnews.com) highlighted the Presidential Timeline of the 20th Century this summer. The web site provides access to portions of the collections of the presidential libraries of 12 presidents. A multimedia exhibit features key decisions such as Pearl Harbor and the Gulf of Tonkin. Some well-designed activities for classroom use are also available.
KEY IDEAS FROM THE MAJOR ED TECH CONFERENCE OF THE SUMMER
(http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7232)
If you did not attend the major educational technology conference of the summer, eSchoolNews.com has a site where you can learn what you missed at the NECC conference. Keynote speaker Andrew Zolli recommended we focus on students’ creativity and ISTE updated the National Educational Technology Standards for Students. Unrelated concepts? No… creativity and innovation top the list of traits in the revised standards. Read about these ideas and more at this site.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Ideas for Using Digital Cameras in Your Classroom
Digital cameras are so easy to use nowadays… and they’re a great tool for both teachers and students to use in the classroom. This web page (http://coekate.murraystate.edu/camera/ideas.htm) has some good ideas for using them.
Suggestions are listed for:
• arts and humanities,
• mathematics,
• practical living,
• reading,
• science,
• social studies, and
• writing.
Some recommendations are…
• Take photos of items of a particular color. Insert the photos in a PowerPoint “booklet” for that color. This idea could be used when students are first learning colors or as they learn more about colors in art education.
• Take photos of favorites (food, colors, books, CDs). Use the information in the pictures to create a graph.
• When students make their alphabet books as they learn the alphabet, they can take photos of objects for each letter.
• Take photos of items that have a common characteristic (e.g., mammals, levers, triangles).
• Students can create their own textbooks on the weather with photos they take, illustrations they draw, and explanations that they write.
• Create a brochure about some aspect of your town: history, famous people, architecture, …
• Write a poem or story and illustrate it with photos. Or illustrate a favorite poem or story with photos.
• Write about a recent field trip and illustrate the information with photos your students took while on the field trip.
Although this web page (dated 2003) does not appear to have been updated recently, the ideas for using digital cameras in the classroom are still good.
Suggestions are listed for:
• arts and humanities,
• mathematics,
• practical living,
• reading,
• science,
• social studies, and
• writing.
Some recommendations are…
• Take photos of items of a particular color. Insert the photos in a PowerPoint “booklet” for that color. This idea could be used when students are first learning colors or as they learn more about colors in art education.
• Take photos of favorites (food, colors, books, CDs). Use the information in the pictures to create a graph.
• When students make their alphabet books as they learn the alphabet, they can take photos of objects for each letter.
• Take photos of items that have a common characteristic (e.g., mammals, levers, triangles).
• Students can create their own textbooks on the weather with photos they take, illustrations they draw, and explanations that they write.
• Create a brochure about some aspect of your town: history, famous people, architecture, …
• Write a poem or story and illustrate it with photos. Or illustrate a favorite poem or story with photos.
• Write about a recent field trip and illustrate the information with photos your students took while on the field trip.
Although this web page (dated 2003) does not appear to have been updated recently, the ideas for using digital cameras in the classroom are still good.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
21st Century Connections Web Site
I’ve discovered a web site that has some very useful links. The site is 21ST CENTURY CONNECTIONS: Innovative technologies to inspire digital creativity in 21st century classrooms (http://21centuryconnections.com/).
This web site is designed to provide resources for digital learning.
Technology & Learning (http://www.techlearning.com/) hosts the site.
Lenovo (http://www.lenovo.com),
Adobe (http://www.adobe.com/),
Intel (http://www.intel.com/), and
Futurekids (http://www.futurekids.com/) provide the information.
Here’s some of what I found:
• Photo Composition 101… instructions from Adobe for composing photos well
I’ve been taking more photos recently. I even entered two of them in a contest recently. However, my husband is the photography “pro” in our household. He recommended last week that I work on composition when I take photos. We had an interesting conversation as he shared some ideas with me. This short tutorial—Photo Composition 101—fits in perfectly with our discussion. It echoes some of my husband’s advice and adds a couple new ideas to keep in mind. One of the suggestions is that the point of interest in a photo be placed at one of the four points of intersection of lines which divide the photo into thirds horizontally and vertically rather than at the center of the photo.
The first photo is more interesting than the second one due to placing the statue at an intersection rather than in the center of the photo.
• Top 10 Tips for Digital Photography… also from Adobe
This article is worth several years of experience. You can learn the same ideas on your own, but it would be so much faster to learn by reading the article. One interesting technique I learned is that the camera may take pictures more quickly if the LCD screen preview is turned off.
• Nine Needs for Web Literacy… from TechLearning.com
Two of the suggested topics to include when teaching web literacy are web site spoofs and email spoofs. It is certainly very important to help both children and adults learn how to recognize these today.
• NECC Insights Offered in Podcasts… hosted on Apple’s Learning Interchange
Did you miss NECC? Or would you like to hear some of the speakers again? You can listen to Ian Jukes, Andrew Zolli, Doug Johnson, and others.
My only complaint about the site is that it’s difficult to discover some of the good information that’s available. Once you do discover it, though, you can use the Search function to find it again, if necessary.
I’ve shared some of the links on this web site that I find useful. I think you will find additional links that fit your interests.
This web site is designed to provide resources for digital learning.
Technology & Learning (http://www.techlearning.com/) hosts the site.
Lenovo (http://www.lenovo.com),
Adobe (http://www.adobe.com/),
Intel (http://www.intel.com/), and
Futurekids (http://www.futurekids.com/) provide the information.
Here’s some of what I found:
• Photo Composition 101… instructions from Adobe for composing photos well
I’ve been taking more photos recently. I even entered two of them in a contest recently. However, my husband is the photography “pro” in our household. He recommended last week that I work on composition when I take photos. We had an interesting conversation as he shared some ideas with me. This short tutorial—Photo Composition 101—fits in perfectly with our discussion. It echoes some of my husband’s advice and adds a couple new ideas to keep in mind. One of the suggestions is that the point of interest in a photo be placed at one of the four points of intersection of lines which divide the photo into thirds horizontally and vertically rather than at the center of the photo.
The first photo is more interesting than the second one due to placing the statue at an intersection rather than in the center of the photo.
• Top 10 Tips for Digital Photography… also from Adobe
This article is worth several years of experience. You can learn the same ideas on your own, but it would be so much faster to learn by reading the article. One interesting technique I learned is that the camera may take pictures more quickly if the LCD screen preview is turned off.
• Nine Needs for Web Literacy… from TechLearning.com
Two of the suggested topics to include when teaching web literacy are web site spoofs and email spoofs. It is certainly very important to help both children and adults learn how to recognize these today.
• NECC Insights Offered in Podcasts… hosted on Apple’s Learning Interchange
Did you miss NECC? Or would you like to hear some of the speakers again? You can listen to Ian Jukes, Andrew Zolli, Doug Johnson, and others.
My only complaint about the site is that it’s difficult to discover some of the good information that’s available. Once you do discover it, though, you can use the Search function to find it again, if necessary.
I’ve shared some of the links on this web site that I find useful. I think you will find additional links that fit your interests.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Swapping Books
Having lunch with a librarian recently provided more than just a delicious meal. I learned about sites for swapping books. (Thanks, Nancy, for both!)
After I returned home from visiting, I did some research on the web. The following list is just a bit of what I found.
Some sites charge no fee. You pay to ship your books to someone else and, thus, earn credits that allow you to choose a book to be shipped to you from someone else’s list. Some other sites charge a fee instead. You’ll want to browse what kinds of books are generally available in addition to comparing the costs.
As you check these sites, you will also find sources for free reading and for swapping items other than books (e.g., CDs, DVDs, video games).
This is a great way to limit your expenses without limiting your reading material!
Friedbeef’s Tech
Best Places to Get Free Books - The Ultimate Guide
http://www.friedbeef.com/2007/04/09/best-places-to-get-free-books-the-ultimate-guide/
This blog entry lists more than 30 sites to explore for swapping opportunities and, also, for free books. Some of the sites for trading books include Bookins, FrugalReader, ZunaFish, SwapSimple, and BookMooch. Do check this blog entry. They include much more than I’ve listed!
Digital Inspiration
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/02/online-book-swap-websites-for.html
This blog lists several sites including TitleTrader and Campus Book Swap. Be sure to also check the other sites listed on this blog.
After I returned home from visiting, I did some research on the web. The following list is just a bit of what I found.
Some sites charge no fee. You pay to ship your books to someone else and, thus, earn credits that allow you to choose a book to be shipped to you from someone else’s list. Some other sites charge a fee instead. You’ll want to browse what kinds of books are generally available in addition to comparing the costs.
As you check these sites, you will also find sources for free reading and for swapping items other than books (e.g., CDs, DVDs, video games).
This is a great way to limit your expenses without limiting your reading material!
Friedbeef’s Tech
Best Places to Get Free Books - The Ultimate Guide
http://www.friedbeef.com/2007/04/09/best-places-to-get-free-books-the-ultimate-guide/
This blog entry lists more than 30 sites to explore for swapping opportunities and, also, for free books. Some of the sites for trading books include Bookins, FrugalReader, ZunaFish, SwapSimple, and BookMooch. Do check this blog entry. They include much more than I’ve listed!
Digital Inspiration
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/02/online-book-swap-websites-for.html
This blog lists several sites including TitleTrader and Campus Book Swap. Be sure to also check the other sites listed on this blog.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Create and View Presentations Online
Using Thumbstacks, you can create a slide show presentation online and then share it with others by providing a link. You need to sign up for an account, but it’s free.
Here’s a quick slide show I made in Thumbstacks: http://thumbstacks.com/p/jo/Creating+JPGs
You should recognize this slide show from the instructions I provided in the last blog entry for how to create a JPG in PowerPoint.
I discovered Thumbstacks and how to create a JPG in PowerPoint at the same time as I examined some TeacherTube videos. In particular, I viewed Intro to Thumbstacks (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=6dd3cc56283f2313522d).
Creating slide shows in Thumbstacks is easy. Some of the menu choices are available at the top of the screen and some become available by right-click (on a two-button mouse) or control-click. Text-formatting options are available. You can upload images. You can drag-and-drop. Themes and styles are available.
The slide shows don’t have all the features of a full-fledged presentation tool. Options missing are transitions, sound, video, and drawing tools. A forum (bugs; feature requests and ideas; and comments, criticism and questions) is available.
Thumbstacks includes an option for real-time use during remote meetings. I haven’t tried this yet.
Thumbstacks is an easy-to-use Web 2.0 application for creating and viewing presentations. Both teachers and students would, most likely, find Thumbstacks very useful.
Here’s a quick slide show I made in Thumbstacks: http://thumbstacks.com/p/jo/Creating+JPGs
You should recognize this slide show from the instructions I provided in the last blog entry for how to create a JPG in PowerPoint.
I discovered Thumbstacks and how to create a JPG in PowerPoint at the same time as I examined some TeacherTube videos. In particular, I viewed Intro to Thumbstacks (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=6dd3cc56283f2313522d).
Creating slide shows in Thumbstacks is easy. Some of the menu choices are available at the top of the screen and some become available by right-click (on a two-button mouse) or control-click. Text-formatting options are available. You can upload images. You can drag-and-drop. Themes and styles are available.
The slide shows don’t have all the features of a full-fledged presentation tool. Options missing are transitions, sound, video, and drawing tools. A forum (bugs; feature requests and ideas; and comments, criticism and questions) is available.
Thumbstacks includes an option for real-time use during remote meetings. I haven’t tried this yet.
Thumbstacks is an easy-to-use Web 2.0 application for creating and viewing presentations. Both teachers and students would, most likely, find Thumbstacks very useful.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Creating JPGs
I’ve used AppleWorks for years to create files formatted as JPGs. The AppleWorks Draw module is very easy to use… to mix graphics and text… to create title pages, logos, and other JPG files.
The Save As options in Word do not, however, include JPG. So, I thought that Microsoft Office had not provided the option to save a file as a JPG.
I just learned that there is a procedure in Microsoft Office to do this. I was looking in the wrong application. I needed to look at PowerPoint.
Here’s how you create a JPG in PowerPoint…
Here's a JPG image I created in PowerPoint using this procedure. BTW, I never said I was an artist! ;)
I’ll share in next week’s blog entry how I discovered this procedure.
The Save As options in Word do not, however, include JPG. So, I thought that Microsoft Office had not provided the option to save a file as a JPG.
I just learned that there is a procedure in Microsoft Office to do this. I was looking in the wrong application. I needed to look at PowerPoint.
Here’s how you create a JPG in PowerPoint…
- Launch PowerPoint
- Create a blank slide (slide layout)
- View > Toolbars > Drawing
- Create a image using choices on the Drawing toolbar
- Save As whatever.jpg
Here's a JPG image I created in PowerPoint using this procedure. BTW, I never said I was an artist! ;)
I’ll share in next week’s blog entry how I discovered this procedure.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
TeachersFirst.com Provides High-Quality Resources for Teachers
TeachersFirst.com (http://www.teachersfirst.com/index.cfm) continues to provide useful resources. Some of these are helpful when working in the classroom with students and others help you grow as a teacher. Experienced teachers review the web sites so you know that any site listed is of good quality.
The featured classroom sites for this week include cave writings, how cells divide (mitosis vs. meiosis), and book reviews by students on podcasts. In the professional area, one of the resources I found is a list of very good ideas for working together with parents.
In addition to the many web sites TeachersFirst reviews—with suggestions for classroom use—a new feature is the TeachersFirst Edge. This section is where Web 2.0 tools are recommended. One particularly helpful feature is the page of practical tips for teachers who use these tools. You can tell the tips are written by “real” teachers.
I have listed only a few of the resources available at TeachersFirst. I’m sure you’ll find many useful ideas when you explore the site.
The featured classroom sites for this week include cave writings, how cells divide (mitosis vs. meiosis), and book reviews by students on podcasts. In the professional area, one of the resources I found is a list of very good ideas for working together with parents.
In addition to the many web sites TeachersFirst reviews—with suggestions for classroom use—a new feature is the TeachersFirst Edge. This section is where Web 2.0 tools are recommended. One particularly helpful feature is the page of practical tips for teachers who use these tools. You can tell the tips are written by “real” teachers.
I have listed only a few of the resources available at TeachersFirst. I’m sure you’ll find many useful ideas when you explore the site.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Ohio Treasure Chest of Technology Resources
Eric Curts, technology specialist, and the North Canton City Schools (Ohio, USA) publish a web site rich with resources to use when integrating technology in the curriculum. Their web site--the Ohio Treasure Chest of Technology Resources (http://ohiotreasurechest.org/)--is designed to work with Ohio’s technology standards; however, it can be helpful no matter which set of technology standards you’re using.
At this site you will find thousands of web sites that are aligned to the Ohio Academic Content Standards in the four core areas--mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. There are three good features about each of these sites: (1) they have been reviewed by teachers, (2) they are interactive, and (3) they are free. If you click on the podcast link on the Ohio Treasure Chest’s home page, you find information about related podcasts and a blog.
The resources are categorized as:
• Language Arts - Reading
• Language Arts - Writing
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Technology
• General
The site includes a process for any user to add a resource (web site) to the treasure chest. And, in case you’re not sure if the web site you’re considering adding is good enough, there’s a link to a site—Gems vs. Junk—to help you decide.
The web sites are sorted into K-12 grade levels plus general. When you go to any category (e.g., English Language Arts – Reading – Grade 1) you find the content indicators for the grade level. You can choose web resources that support an indicator or indicators from other content areas that relate to the indicator. New areas that are being added are lesson plans, comments, and assessments. To give you an idea of the quantity of web sites in this treasure chest, in English Language Arts – Reading there are a total of 628 resources in K-12 and general and in the Mathematics category there are 1,281 resources.
The resources at this web site don’t stop there. There is a page of “Viewers, Helpers, and Plugins” should you need to download a utility such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Java, or a PowerPoint viewer. There are tools that Eric Curts and the North Canton City Schools used to help implement the Ohio Technology Academic Content Standards in their district. And a page of ideas for how to use the Ohio Treasure Chest resources is also available.
This truly IS a treasure chest!
At this site you will find thousands of web sites that are aligned to the Ohio Academic Content Standards in the four core areas--mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. There are three good features about each of these sites: (1) they have been reviewed by teachers, (2) they are interactive, and (3) they are free. If you click on the podcast link on the Ohio Treasure Chest’s home page, you find information about related podcasts and a blog.
The resources are categorized as:
• Language Arts - Reading
• Language Arts - Writing
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Technology
• General
The site includes a process for any user to add a resource (web site) to the treasure chest. And, in case you’re not sure if the web site you’re considering adding is good enough, there’s a link to a site—Gems vs. Junk—to help you decide.
The web sites are sorted into K-12 grade levels plus general. When you go to any category (e.g., English Language Arts – Reading – Grade 1) you find the content indicators for the grade level. You can choose web resources that support an indicator or indicators from other content areas that relate to the indicator. New areas that are being added are lesson plans, comments, and assessments. To give you an idea of the quantity of web sites in this treasure chest, in English Language Arts – Reading there are a total of 628 resources in K-12 and general and in the Mathematics category there are 1,281 resources.
The resources at this web site don’t stop there. There is a page of “Viewers, Helpers, and Plugins” should you need to download a utility such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Java, or a PowerPoint viewer. There are tools that Eric Curts and the North Canton City Schools used to help implement the Ohio Technology Academic Content Standards in their district. And a page of ideas for how to use the Ohio Treasure Chest resources is also available.
This truly IS a treasure chest!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Picnik... Really Good Online Photo Editing
Wow! I’ve been testing a Web 2.0 application that’s a winner. Picnik (http://www.picnik.com/) is an online photo-editing tool. It does a very good job and it’s incredibly easy.
You can access photos you want to edit from your computer, from any web site, even Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, and Facebook. You can also email your photos from Picnik.
You can:
• fix underexposed photos,
• crop,
• rotate,
• resize,
• remove red-eye,
• sharpen,
• or apply special effects to your photos.
Because Picnik is an online tool, there is nothing to download and it works on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. I tested the free version, although there will soon be an additional version for a fee. While the company is in beta testing, you can use all features for free. When the beta is completed, basic photo editing will be available in a free version and a premium (fee-based) version will be available with more tools, storage, and content.
The company provides some tools to make it even easier to use Picnik.
• Bookmarklet makes it possible for you to grab an image from any web site.
• The Firefox extension enables you to grab a screenshot of any web site. This could be very useful for handouts or blog posts.
• The Yahoo Widget allows you to upload a photo directly to Picnik by drag and drop.
• It’s easy to take an image from any web site to Picnik in one click in Firefox, Safari, and Explorer.
The company maintains a blog so you know what’s going on and a forum so you can ask for help.
Minimum system requirements are:
• Microsoft Windows XP or Mac OS X
• 1GHz processor or better
• at least 256 MB of RAM
• Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher or
• Firefox 1.0 or higher.
You can access photos you want to edit from your computer, from any web site, even Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, and Facebook. You can also email your photos from Picnik.
You can:
• fix underexposed photos,
• crop,
• rotate,
• resize,
• remove red-eye,
• sharpen,
• or apply special effects to your photos.
Because Picnik is an online tool, there is nothing to download and it works on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. I tested the free version, although there will soon be an additional version for a fee. While the company is in beta testing, you can use all features for free. When the beta is completed, basic photo editing will be available in a free version and a premium (fee-based) version will be available with more tools, storage, and content.
The company provides some tools to make it even easier to use Picnik.
• Bookmarklet makes it possible for you to grab an image from any web site.
• The Firefox extension enables you to grab a screenshot of any web site. This could be very useful for handouts or blog posts.
• The Yahoo Widget allows you to upload a photo directly to Picnik by drag and drop.
• It’s easy to take an image from any web site to Picnik in one click in Firefox, Safari, and Explorer.
The company maintains a blog so you know what’s going on and a forum so you can ask for help.
Minimum system requirements are:
• Microsoft Windows XP or Mac OS X
• 1GHz processor or better
• at least 256 MB of RAM
• Internet Explorer version 5.0 or higher or
• Firefox 1.0 or higher.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Attending NECC… Virtually
I’d love to be at the NECC Conference in Atlanta this week!
The NECC conference has been around for approximately 30 years. It has workshops and other sessions, keynotes, and a very large vendor exhibit. ISTE sponsors the conference with the help of the Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Public Broadcasting and Georgia's Leadership Institute for School Improvement.
Topics at the conference include social networking and virtual worlds; 1-to-1 and mobile computing; 21st-century literacy and standards; and the globalization of education. Themes include school improvement, ethics and equity, technology infrastructure, professional learning, 21st-century teaching and learning, and virtual schooling/e-learning.
When the conference has concluded, we will be able to access selected content as video-on-demand and also as podcasts.
We can download handouts from some of the sessions now. So far I’ve found a list of web tools to use to differentiate instruction and also instructions for creating a virtual museum in PowerPoint (including a good looking building with halls and rooms to explore).
There’s a lot of blogging going on at the conference. I’ve been following David Warlick’s blog. He’s sharing his experiences as the day progresses. I feel like I’m at the conference!
The NECC conference has been around for approximately 30 years. It has workshops and other sessions, keynotes, and a very large vendor exhibit. ISTE sponsors the conference with the help of the Georgia Department of Education, Georgia Public Broadcasting and Georgia's Leadership Institute for School Improvement.
Topics at the conference include social networking and virtual worlds; 1-to-1 and mobile computing; 21st-century literacy and standards; and the globalization of education. Themes include school improvement, ethics and equity, technology infrastructure, professional learning, 21st-century teaching and learning, and virtual schooling/e-learning.
When the conference has concluded, we will be able to access selected content as video-on-demand and also as podcasts.
We can download handouts from some of the sessions now. So far I’ve found a list of web tools to use to differentiate instruction and also instructions for creating a virtual museum in PowerPoint (including a good looking building with halls and rooms to explore).
There’s a lot of blogging going on at the conference. I’ve been following David Warlick’s blog. He’s sharing his experiences as the day progresses. I feel like I’m at the conference!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Gliffy--an Online Diagramming Tool
I'm continuing my exploration of Web 2.0 tools. This week I tried several applications and found Gliffy to be the most helpful, friendly, and potentially useful.
http://www.gliffy.com/
Gliffy is an online diagramming tool. No download is necessary. I tried making a simple chart to see how it works. It was pretty easy. I exported it as a JPG. I can keep it as a private diagram or I can allow others to access it and work on it, too. I used flowchart symbols to create my (non-flowchart) diagram. There are, however, symbols for a variety of types of diagrams -- including network diagrams, mindmaps, seating charts, and floor plans -- in addition to flowcharts. The diagrams that you create are stored on Gliffy’s servers, although you can export them to your own
computer, too.
You can sign up for a free account which is supported by ads. The free Basic account has limits on the number of private diagrams you may have and the amount of storage space you use. A Premium account (with a fee) has no ads and less limits.
You and/or your students could use this tool from school or home... anywhere you have Internet access. Try this tool for yourself at http://www.gliffy.com/ and read more about it.
http://www.gliffy.com/
Gliffy is an online diagramming tool. No download is necessary. I tried making a simple chart to see how it works. It was pretty easy. I exported it as a JPG. I can keep it as a private diagram or I can allow others to access it and work on it, too. I used flowchart symbols to create my (non-flowchart) diagram. There are, however, symbols for a variety of types of diagrams -- including network diagrams, mindmaps, seating charts, and floor plans -- in addition to flowcharts. The diagrams that you create are stored on Gliffy’s servers, although you can export them to your own
computer, too.You can sign up for a free account which is supported by ads. The free Basic account has limits on the number of private diagrams you may have and the amount of storage space you use. A Premium account (with a fee) has no ads and less limits.
You and/or your students could use this tool from school or home... anywhere you have Internet access. Try this tool for yourself at http://www.gliffy.com/ and read more about it.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Schoolr... a handy reference tool
I’m checking out a variety of Web 2.0 tools this summer. This week I found one that is a useful reference tool. It’s called schoolr (http://www.schoolr.com).
From this one web site you can perform searches in…
Google,
Wikipedia,
Dictionary,
Thesaurus,
Acronym,
Urban Dictionary,
Encyclopedia, and
Book Summary.
It will translate text between a variety of languages.
It can convert a wide variety of units.
The “r” in schoolr stands for research. The site’s blog indicates that schoolr was launched in December 2006 by a university student in Canada and that it is available in both English and French. The author of the site states that he is receptive to adding other useful reference tools to the site.
Schoolr is a handy one-stop reference utility.
From this one web site you can perform searches in…
Google,
Wikipedia,
Dictionary,
Thesaurus,
Acronym,
Urban Dictionary,
Encyclopedia, and
Book Summary.
It will translate text between a variety of languages.
It can convert a wide variety of units.
The “r” in schoolr stands for research. The site’s blog indicates that schoolr was launched in December 2006 by a university student in Canada and that it is available in both English and French. The author of the site states that he is receptive to adding other useful reference tools to the site.
Schoolr is a handy one-stop reference utility.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Virtual Field Trips
Have you viewed some of the virtual field trips available on the Internet?
From ancient Indian mounds to paintings at the Louvre to a tenement to mummies… your students will enjoy their field trips as they’re learning new information. They can share their new knowledge with their parents as they examine these virtual field trips with them at home afterwards.
I have provided a glimpse into three web sites and just a few of the links available from each. In addition, I have listed some individual sites worth checking. Enjoy!
eSchoolNews
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7097
An article in eSchoolNews talks about the use of video, animation, and graphics to showcase places and events from the past. View ancient Indian mounds, museum exhibitions, or a Mandan village.
Earthworks: Virtual Explorations of the Ancient Ohio Valley
http://www.earthworks.uc.edu
Learning Sites Inc.
http://www.learningsites.com
On-A-Slant Virtual Village
http://onaslant.ndsu.edu
Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/node/4073
Tour Colonial Williamsburg, the solar system, or the Louvre. View the universe through Chandra’s X-ray astronomy. Learn about the lives of the immigrants who lived in a New York tenement in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Check out the electronic field trips from Ball State University. The series for this next school year includes topics in ecosystems, civil rights, migration, and science and mathematics. These field trips include “webisodes,” website, classroom lessons, and two live, 90-minutes TV broadcasts. (There is a fee for schools to participate.)
Internet4Classrooms
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/vft.htm
In addition to many links to virtual field trips, this site provides lots of good ideas for educators who are considering using virtual field trips.
Visit the Smithsonian’s collaboration with the National Zoo for a walk along their Asian Trail.
http://www.si.edu/natzoo
Watch the Franklin Institute Science Museum’s view of the human brain as it follows bicyclists on the Tour de France.
http://sln.fi.edu/
Additional Sites
Virtual Field Trips
http://campus.fortunecity.com/newton/40/field.html
The Teacher’s Guide: Virtual Field Trips
http://www.theteachersguide.com/virtualtours.html
The “OOPS” Virtual Field Trip Page!
http://oops.bizland.com/vtours.htm
VolcanoWorld Virtual Field Trips
http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/kids/vrtrips.html
Geology Field Trips
http://www.uh.edu/~jbutler/anon/anontrips.html
Field Trips
http://www.ibiblio.org/cisco/trips.html
Apple Learning Interchange 2007 Virtual Field Trips
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/search.php?text=virtual+field+trips
Virtual Field Trips
http://www.oswego.org/staff/cchamber/webdesign/virtual_fieldtrips.htm
Homework Spot Field Trip Archive
http://www.homeworkspot.com/fieldtrip/
From ancient Indian mounds to paintings at the Louvre to a tenement to mummies… your students will enjoy their field trips as they’re learning new information. They can share their new knowledge with their parents as they examine these virtual field trips with them at home afterwards.
I have provided a glimpse into three web sites and just a few of the links available from each. In addition, I have listed some individual sites worth checking. Enjoy!
eSchoolNews
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=7097
An article in eSchoolNews talks about the use of video, animation, and graphics to showcase places and events from the past. View ancient Indian mounds, museum exhibitions, or a Mandan village.
Earthworks: Virtual Explorations of the Ancient Ohio Valley
http://www.earthworks.uc.edu
Learning Sites Inc.
http://www.learningsites.com
On-A-Slant Virtual Village
http://onaslant.ndsu.edu
Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/node/4073
Tour Colonial Williamsburg, the solar system, or the Louvre. View the universe through Chandra’s X-ray astronomy. Learn about the lives of the immigrants who lived in a New York tenement in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Check out the electronic field trips from Ball State University. The series for this next school year includes topics in ecosystems, civil rights, migration, and science and mathematics. These field trips include “webisodes,” website, classroom lessons, and two live, 90-minutes TV broadcasts. (There is a fee for schools to participate.)
Internet4Classrooms
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/vft.htm
In addition to many links to virtual field trips, this site provides lots of good ideas for educators who are considering using virtual field trips.
Visit the Smithsonian’s collaboration with the National Zoo for a walk along their Asian Trail.
http://www.si.edu/natzoo
Watch the Franklin Institute Science Museum’s view of the human brain as it follows bicyclists on the Tour de France.
http://sln.fi.edu/
Additional Sites
Virtual Field Trips
http://campus.fortunecity.com/newton/40/field.html
The Teacher’s Guide: Virtual Field Trips
http://www.theteachersguide.com/virtualtours.html
The “OOPS” Virtual Field Trip Page!
http://oops.bizland.com/vtours.htm
VolcanoWorld Virtual Field Trips
http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/kids/vrtrips.html
Geology Field Trips
http://www.uh.edu/~jbutler/anon/anontrips.html
Field Trips
http://www.ibiblio.org/cisco/trips.html
Apple Learning Interchange 2007 Virtual Field Trips
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/search.php?text=virtual+field+trips
Virtual Field Trips
http://www.oswego.org/staff/cchamber/webdesign/virtual_fieldtrips.htm
Homework Spot Field Trip Archive
http://www.homeworkspot.com/fieldtrip/
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