Technology Gems, Ideas, and Facts
Friday, Sept. 25, 2009
Gem ~ a website or application that might work well for you or your students
Educational Origami is a wiki that includes lots of helpful information about various aspects of education. One of my favorite parts is the Starter Sheets. This page provides quick introductions to a variety of free applications that teachers might find useful. Some of these Starter Sheets include sites I’ve mentioned previously including Delicious, Wordle, and Google Earth. Others might be new to you including Mixbook, an online publishing tool that allows the user to create, edit, share and publish their work in a digital or hard copy format, and Voicethread, an audio recording tool that allows you to upload images and video and allows audio and written comments. Some of the Starter Sheets also include short video tutorials. If you’re looking for a new tool, you might want to check these out. (http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Starter+Sheets)
Idea ~ a way to enhance your LFS lessons with technology
Looking for information about Content Area Literacy? This website has ideas for every grade level, K-12. Click on your grade level area on the left side and you’ll get links to activities and websites that your students can use to help promote their growth as readers and writers across the curriculum. (http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/contlit.htm)
Fact ~ just a bit of information
Using technology won’t always make our lives easier as teachers. Our decision to use technology should be based on whether or not it will increase learning opportunities for our students. Did you use technology with your students this week? How did it help them learn? Write a comment below to share your experiences. I’d love to hear from you!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Anne
Technology Gems, Ideas, and Facts
Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
Gem ~ a website or application that might work well for you or your students
Scribble Maps is an online application that allows you to customize Google maps including adding placemarkers and text, as well as drawing on the map. This could be a great way for you or your students to quickly and easily illustrate the path of a book character, the travels of an explorer, or the locations of natural resources or historical events. No accounts or registration are required. Maps can be saved as images or as .kmz files (to open in Google Earth). (http://www.scribblemaps.com/#)
Idea ~ a way to enhance your LFS lessons with technology
Looking for a new culminating activity for a unit that will get your students collaborating on an authentic task? Try a WebQuest. Krista Rosensteel, 8th grade history teacher at MMS, has put together a slide show that will tell you all about WebQuests and help you to find one that might fit your needs or to create your own. Thanks, Krista, for putting this together and sharing it with us! Click here to download Krista’s presentation.
Fact ~ just a bit of information
This week we welcomed Bruce Gordon back into the Tech Department after his year of military service. We also said goodbye to Bob Kauffman, who has moved upstairs to his new position as Supervisor of Administrative Services. Thanks Bob, for all your help and support this year and welcome back, Bruce!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Anne
Today is Constitution Day – the 222nd anniversary of the signing of our Constitution by the U.S. Constitutional Convention. Click here to find links to sites about Constitution Day.
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States.png
Technology Gems, Ideas, and Facts
Friday, Sept. 11, 2009
Gem ~ a website or application that might work well for you or your students
I hope last week’s directions for setting up an RSS reader were clear. I did get a few questions and was able to help those people out. It seems that setting up a Google account using the school network is not easy. If you’re trying to create a Google account and get a message saying “We’re sorry…” try creating the account outside of school. Once the account is created you’ll be able to access it here. Google just doesn’t like the idea that so many requests are coming from the same IP address. I guess it thinks we’re spam.
Now, many of you might be wondering why in the world you should go to all the trouble of creating an account, setting up a reader, and then subscribing to my blog. Wouldn’t it just be easier to keep getting it via email each week? Well, if the TGIF were the only thing out there that you want to read, then the answer to that question might be “yes”. But there are hundreds of blogs and news sites out there that you can subscribe to using your reader.
The vast majority of the links I post in these TGIFs have come to me through my RSS reader. Like you, I don’t have time to go out scouring the web for the latest and greatest on all facets of education. But there are plenty of people out there who do take the time to write about such things. So I subscribe to their blogs and let them do the work for me. Since I try to keep the TGIFs relevant to all our district teachers, I try to avoid posting links for things that are subject or grade level specific. From now on, when I find things like that, I’ll post them here under categories such as “Elementary” or “Science”. When your reader shows new posts from my blog, you can quickly scan the category to see if it’s of interest to you.
Today I want to get you started on finding some blogs in your own area of interest (educationally, anyway…there are also lots of blogs out there to address most personal interests…but you can find those on your own). Moving Forward is a wiki that lists subject-specific blogs. A quick scroll down the page will help you find your area of expertise. Click on a few links and see if you can find a blog that offers you some good ideas or new points of view. Add a comment to a blog and join the conversation. If you find one you like and would like to read again, subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed and add it to your RSS reader. Then every time that blogger adds something new, it will show up in your reader. (Just a disclaimer…I have not read every blog listed on the wiki. Some may be better than others. I offer this as a resource for you to find some professional reading, but your own judgement will tell you whether or not it’s worth your time.)
Idea ~ a way to enhance your LFS lessons with technology
Recipes4Success is a website that allows you to make customized graphic organizers. There are 15 different formats to choose from. Add your own instructions or use their default instructions. Organizers can then be saved or printed.
(http://myt4l.com/index.php?v=pl&page_ac=view&type=tools&tool=graphicorganizers)
Fact ~ just a bit of information
Fact: There’s lots of great educational software out there.
Fact: It is a violation of the MASD Acceptable Use Policy to install that software on a District computer unless it was purchased with District funds.
Please don’t put yourself in the position of violating the AUP. If you find software that you would like to use, please go through the appropriate budget process to request that it be purchased with District funds. This includes educational games, management programs, fonts, clipart, etc. Also, be sure to consult with the Technology Dept. prior to ordering the software so that we can be sure the software is compatible with our equipment and can keep all the licensing information on file.
Woo! That ended up being a lot longer than I intended! I promise, next week I’ll go back to the compact version of the TGIF. If you have any questions or comments feel free to reply below this post by clicking where it says, “Have Your Say”. I’d love to hear from you!
Have a great weekend!
Anne
Today I worked on a project with the staff at one of our elementary schools. I won’t say which one, but they’ll know who they are. I’d been working with one of the teachers to put together a kick-off for their schoolwide fundraiser for the year. We were prepared. We’d put together our resources. We’d tested the technology. We were good to go. Or so we thought. At 2:30 this afternoon…the afternoon before a four-day weekend, no less…about 20 or so dedicated folks showed up at the appointed time to play their part in this little production. And then the technical glitches began. The teacher I’d been working with was starting to panic. I was too, but I was trying not to show it. Everyone was very patient and helpful, but I really didn’t want to keep them all waiting while I tried to figure this out. So, we tried something a little different. It wasn’t quite what they’d planned and will definitely change the final outcome of the project, but it worked.
What did I learn today? I learned that this staff is amazingly patient and adaptable! But I also learned that when technology glitches occur, whether they are the fault of the technology or the user (in this case, I think it might have been a little of both and I take all the responsibility for that), there’s always another option. Your lesson or project might not turn out the way you had originally planned, but you can almost always still meet your instructional objectives. In this case, we switched from video to still photos. But the end result will still teach the kids what the fundraiser is all about and will be entertaining as well. Sometimes I think we’re so tied to our idea of what the final product should look like that we fail to accept anything else. If that had been the case today, this staff would have nothing to show for all their planning. Instead, they took the bumps in stride and we found a way around the issues. That’s how we need to address technology in our classrooms. So often we hear “technology is great…when it works.” I know as well as you do the frustration of standing in front of a classroom full of students and having something go wrong. When I’m planning a lesson or project I always try to have a “Plan B” in mind. But sometimes you just have to go with the flow. I am grateful for the cooperation of that wonderful staff today. I can’t wait to see their final project. It’s going to be great!
Technology Gems, Ideas, and Facts
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009
Gem ~ a website or application that might work well for you or your students
My blog looks a little different this week. I changed the theme so that I could emphasize the RSS subscription button. That’s the big orange guy peeking out at you from the top right corner. Today I want you to subscribe to my blog, so I thought that icon should be easy to find.
I was going to explain what an RSS feed is and how to set up a feed reader, but Beth Bard has already done this for me. Click here to read Beth’s blog posts about RSS. Beth’s done a great job of explaining how to set up a feed reader. You could also watch this three minute video from Common Craft called “RSS in Plain English”. There are other news readers or feed readers out there besides Google Reader, so feel free to explore online and find another if you wish. Once you’ve set up your reader, come back here and click on the RSS icon (the orange guy) at the top of my blog. Depending on what browser you’re using, you might have to copy the address and paste it into your reader or you might have the option to “subscribe” right from that page. Either way, it will only take a few clicks. Once you’ve subscribed, each time I post to my blog, your reader will show that there is a new entry that you can read when you have time. A few minutes spent setting up your reader now will pay off in the future. As always, if you need help with this, let me know.
Idea ~ a way to enhance your LFS lessons with technology
Looking for a short video to use as an activator? Curriculumbits.com has short videos and slideshows on a wide variety of topics. Teachers can use these videos to introduce or review a topic. Students can access the videos from home in case they miss them in class or just need to see and hear the information again. Topics range from English and Science to Performing Arts and Physical Education. Check them out! (http://www.curriculumbits.com/index.php)
Fact ~ just a bit of information
Bruce is home! He arrived home from Ft. Dix on Wednesday. I understand that he’s already getting his MASD email again, so…Welcome back, Bruce and thank you for your service. Can’t wait to have you back!
If you have any questions or comments feel free to reply below this post by clicking where it says, “Have Your Say”. I’d love to hear from you!
Enjoy the long weekend!
Anne