Creating a Revealer Tool in ActivInspire & Finding Pre-Made Revealer Tools in Promethean Planet

Ok, first of all you might ask what is a revealer tool. It is a tool in ActivInspire that reveals pictures text or anything that is behind an image. Let’s first find an image to hide your pictures or answers. This can be a large picture or rectangles that cover answers. If it’s an image you are going to use, make it large enough to cover the whole page. Click on the object browser to move it to the top layer and lock it so that it does not move. Now let’s create the revealer tool. Draw a rectangle with the shape tool. Choose a color for the outline and the same color for the fill. Move this rectangle to the top layer too. Now select your magic ink tool. The thickness of this tool can also be changed but I just leave it at 50. Now erase the inside of the rectangle. Hold the mouse down the whole time you erase the inside of the rectangle otherwise you will have more than one magic ink shape. Now select both the rectangle and the magic ink shape and group them. Now place your text or images on the page. Make sure these items you want to hide are on the middle layer.

However, if you don’t want to make your own revealer tool you can get them from PrometheanPlanet.com http://www.prometheanplanet.com/index.php?20091201094212. If you’re not a member, you should sign up. If you do, be sure to tell them I sent you. It puts me in the pool to win free ActivGifts. However, it’s not about the gifts. Promethean Planet has flipcharts made by teachers around the world, resource packs, news & events, professional development, ActivTips, user guides & documents and so much more. So this is how you can download the magic eraser resource pack. Click on resources and resource packs in Promethean Planet. Type magic eraser in the search box, click the resource packs radio button and then search. Click on the magic eraser resource pack, click download resource pack and choose either open or save. To load it in ActivInspire on your computer, click the file menu in ActivInspire, import, resource to shared resources. Click on your resource browser and click on the plus sign for lesson building tools and the plus sign for magic erasers. You will find 29 pre-made revealer tools and pages of images that you can use the revealer tools with.

Remember, you can also add the revealer tools to other pages in your flipchart by dragging it into another page in the page browser. You can also copy the revealer square, open another flipchart and paste it into a page in that flipchart as well.

SMARTBoards: Where do I start?

Now that you are staring at a nice, clean, brand new SMARTBoard hanging on the wall in your classroom or rolling around on a stand what do you do with it. Here are a few things that you can do to get started amidst all the confusion and overwhelming thoughts of creating Notebook files.

First of all watch this video, it will help ease the pain a little bit.

Now that you have watched the video take a deep breath and start slow, the biggest thing that you can do to get started working with your SMARTBoard is to actually walk up to it and touch it. Now once you walk up to it and start using it now what do you do with it.

Well you are not alone in this, the Smart Tech website offers you a lot of resources in the way of videos, pdf and hands on practice documents to help get you started. You can view or read lots of information on the new version 10 software, activity toolkit, student response system and many other products available from Smart Tech.

There are many other Online Resources which you can access from the Gallery Tab in the software.
You have the SMART Exchange - you can search for content (Notebook files) that are aligned with state curriculum standards, by subject area, share your own resources and connect with other teachers looking for similar information. You can quickly preview and/or download the notebook files and have them up and running in your classroom in minutes.
There is also the Educator Resources - where you can search for lesson activities, resources, get ideas for classroom activities, look for curriculum based content, view current new articles and research, check out the community section to talk with others using SMART products around the world. And you can apply for grants to get additional products for your classroom.
Lastly you have the Teacher Resources - where you can talk with other teachers around the world who have been using SMART products for a while and those who are brand new and need assistance. Connect with teachers that are working on similar projects and curriculum that you are and work collaboratively to develop new notebook files.

Even though there are a number of online resources that you can use to get information, watch "How to" videos, and talk to other educators around the world there is a wealth of opportunities to get you going right in the software. If you go to the Gallery Tab and then to the Activity Toolkit there are many interactive pages that are Flash enabled which provide you instructions on how to use them and can have your students working collaboratively and interactively within minutes of choosing one of these resources.

A couple of things I can leave you with would be to take little bites, the more you use a SMARTBoard the more comfortable you will become. If you have questions or need help ask, no one will fault you for searching out an answer to a question. Lastly use the resources you have at your finger tips to get you started, whether you are a beginner or have been working with it for years.

video provided by: SMARTClassroom

Getting Girls Engaged in Digital-Game Design

Do middle school students spend too much time playing digital games? If so, is there any value in what they are doing within those games? There is a push to have all students, especially girls, to be more interested in STEM fields of study (science, technoloyg, engineering and math). During the middle school years it's important to expose students to STEM careers as these students begin thinking about future careers and the classes they will need to take in high school.

Girls and boys approach computers from different perspectives - boys enjoy being competitive and girls typically enjoy interacting with the characters and the environment of the game. To meet this need "requires a much more sophisticated technology that has only been possible in recent years to create those kinds of games", according to Cornelia Brunner, the deputy director of the Center for Children and Technology at the Newton, Mass.-based Education Development Center.

Karen Peterson, the executive director of the Lynwood, Wash.-based Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, states, “The gaming industry understands that they need to attract girls and women. Games and the virtual world can be a really great hook for getting girls excited about STEM careers.”

How can teachers differentiate their instruction to better meet the diverse interests of boys and girls?

Strategies for Girls from Education.com
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/best-teaching-strategies-girls/

1. Collaborative groups encourage girls to be leaders during instructional time.
2. Provide a more face-to-face nurturing environment rather than a shoulder-to-shoulder environment found in a coed or boys' room.
3. Consider comfortable seating - bean bag chairs or sofas.
4. Challenge girls as much as the boys.
5. Include the context surrounding the curriculum - who, what, why, when, where.
6. Tie the lesson to real world situations.
7. Encourage girls to ask questions in class.
8. Provide opportunities for role-playing within the curriclum.
9. Create a learning environment of openness and and understanding to encourage girls to take risks and be more willing to answer questions.

Strategies for Boys from Education.com
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/best-teaching-strategies-boys/

1. Move around the room - front to back and side to side.
2. Teach with a strong, loud, tone of voice.
3. Frequently interrupt the lesson to directly ask questions of students.
4. Provide clear instructions.
5. Find non-fiction literature with strong main characters.
6. Provide opportunitites to move and be flexible within the classroom.
7. Use games or models to engage them in a serious conference.
8. Use team competitions in academics.
9. Remember that feeling-based questions are uncomfortable for boys.

To read the entire article please go to Digital Directions and read Getting Girls Engaged in Digital-Game Design.
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2009/10/21/01girlgames.h03.html


To learn more about companies and schools who are making games for girls check out:
Universe Quest from the Hands On University Project
http://www.universequest.com/


Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab
http://gel.msu.edu/


Her Interactive
http://herinteractive.com/

Using Twitter Yet?

It's important to reflect on the implementation of professional development. Are the participants using the tools you're showing them weeks after the session? If not, why?

In the past few months I've had only a couple of workshops on Introduction to Twitter. However weeks after the meetings, many of the workshop participants don't seem to be using twitter. In the meantime I continue to hear about the power of Twitter as a learning tool for teachers and students and its possible impact on education. And I personally get great ideas EVERY DAY from twitter. So what's the deal?

I know there are a lot of factors to explain this, and I know teachers are very busy (and sometimes just need the tech credit :). And sometimes they just don't feel they have time to implement a new technology mid-semester. But with holidays around the corner, I'm going to encourage many of the educators to take a second look at Twitter. And I've reflected on a few reasons for the lack of use as well as a bit of advice for teachers who are interested in trying it out.

Why some educators might not be using Twitter (even after what I'm sure was an enlightening workshop:)?

• Time - Twitter is sometimes difficult to master in a hour or even 90-minute workshop. I can give examples and testimonials of how great it is, but until teachers can see the benefit and build a network and receive great info - it can be hard to see. Twitter takes time. I followed about eight people for about a month before I felt I really got into it. And it takes time to maintain and update. However, once I started to receive lots of great ideas and resources from others (more on this below), the time I now save has been well worth the initial investment.
• Misperceptions - I wish Twitter did not have "What are you doing?" at the top of the page because often the updates don't reflect that. Sure, there are some who use it as an opportunity to share what they're doing, but many of updates can be used to spread important ideas, information and resources. I get seven or eight sites every day with great information from Twitter. Information I would have spent much more time searching to find in Google or sites I wouldn't have know to look for. Unfortunately, for some workshop participants Twitter can sound very trivial, and although they'll politely pay attention and accept the tech credit, at the end of the day it's easy to dismiss as another fad in social networking. So don't limit Twitter to just a "social" network, instead think of it a "learning" network.
• Following too many and/or the wrong people- Twitter is what you make it. And who follows you is not as important as who you follow. But it takes time to create a group to follow who will give relevant information. Following celebrities sounds fun, and I'm sure Oprah is a super person, but she might not give me the info. I'm looking for. I've seen too many teachers start off following all the suggested celebrities. While that might sound fun, it's probably not the best way to build a personal learning network. Twitter lists (a relatively new feature) make it much easier to locate groups worth following, but you may want to start slow with a handful of users and add more when as you get use to it.
  
• Resistance to another social networking platform - In a few trainings I've heard, "This is like updating Facebook." And while the process is similar and you'll find those who integrated the two, I think a main difference is the audience (and this is a point to caution educators on). Facebook updates are mostly going out to a controlled group of "friends" while Twitter is a broadcast in a commons. There are some who "protect their tweets" limiting those who can see their updates, but this also limits those who you interact with. Be aware of the difference, if you choose to use both. Twitter can be the learning tool you use, while Facebook (or sites like it) can remain your social networking tool.
• Too Much "Pulling" not Enough "Pushing" - For some of us who remember web 1.0 it can be hard to move beyond the web as a place to read and pull information and move into the web 2.0 model of the contributing and pushing of information. I suspect some educators are using Twitter to read updates but maybe not post updates themselves. Although there is nothing wrong with this, they aren't benefiting from the "network" part of this tool. I'm not saying constantly "push" because there are Twitter users I've "unfollowed" just because I couldn't keep up with the constant flurry of updates. But pushing out info, answering questions or participating in Twitter groups is part of what makes the learning in Twitter so powerful.
• How am I going to use this in my class? - Twitter can be a powerful tool for learning more and connecting with other teachers, but if you want details about its use in classroom, there is evidence that students can use microblogging for learning too. The grade level will dictate the needed level of teacher supervision, but there are platforms like Edmodo that are available for use with students. Students can also benefit from the ability to quickly share information in a networked setting. But like a lot of technology, the teacher needs to become familiar with the technology before feeling comfortable using with students.

So give it a try (or another try)and see how much you can benefit from being part of a personal learning network using Twitter.

Asynchronous Global Connections

The classroom of today does not have walls. Through the use of Skype, teachers can connect with other classrooms around the world! Which do you think would be more memorable for your students, learning about how children live in a far away country from a book or seeing and talking to these children through Skype. The opportunities through these global connections are exciting and endless. You could have your students talk to the author of the book they are reading in class. You can take your students on a field trip without ever leaving the classroom. You could have your students learn foreign language from students their age in other countries. You could include a classroom student with a long term illness in your lessons so that he or she still feels like they are part of the group. You could let a parent see their child give a speech or present their project to the class. You would score some major points for that one! The possibilities could go on and on.

The steps to take are one, create a Skype account, two, find the connections and three, setup a time that works for both parties to connect. This is what my blog is about. These connections can be anywhere in the world. This is a great thing. However, there are 24 time zones around our magnificent planet. The time to meet may be your biggest challenge. If they are asleep when you and your students are in school, this puts a damper on this whole exciting adventure. No worries, you can meet asynchronously. You can record your students either through video or audio and place it out on the web. Your connection from that far away land can watch it or listen to it and record their response and send it to you. This is called an asynchronous connection.

The recording or podcast if it is audio, can be done with Audacity, a free audio editing program. If you are recording a video, or in other words, creating a vodcast, this can be done through Movie maker. This is an exciting way for your class to learn. Make it happen!

Cable: A Classroom Connection

The Cable in the Classroom initiative offers free educational on-line videos. In one location you are able to select from varied sources copyright free videos that may be viewed for educational usage. For an overview of their mission visit: http://www.ciconline.org/missionpress.
To learn more about the video library that they offer visit their on-line video listing, visit, http://www.ciconline.org/video.
Who pays for this? According to their website this service is provide free by your local cable company. For information on how to get this service; visit http://www.ciconline.org/monthlycalendar
To view resources designed for teachers, visit http://www.ciconline.org/teachers
For information about usage procedure visit: http://www.ciconline.org/copyright
A fun resource for students include a link to games: http://www.ciconline.org/broadband
For ideas on how to use cable in the classroom visit: http://www.ciconline.org/learningwithcable

Prior to usage you may want to check with your media coordinator to ensure that you may use these videos in your classroom.

ED: Blended Learning Helps Boost Achievement

How is online instruction transforming education today? There are online learning programs that provide credit recovery, enrichment opportunities and core curriculum classes for students. Online learning also provides an alternative for students who do not like the traditional school environment.

A study conducted by SRI International found that online learning at the post-secondary level was more effective than face-to-face classes. Researchers also found that “blended learning needs to be more effective than conventional face-to-face instruction to justify the additional time and costs it entails.” The researchers also found that when students were given control of their interaction with the online environment and when students were prompted to reflect on what they learned, this did enhance the online learning outcomes.


Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning states, “the advantage of online or blended learning over face-to-face instruction alone ‘is the combination of rich student-teacher-peer communication and interactions that are both asynchronous and synchronous, better utilizing the precious resource of time during, and outside, the school day to maximize learning--and personalize it in a way never before possible.’”

Why does this blended model work best? Tthe blended model possesses the factors that exemplify good teaching because of the, “increased interactions between students and teachers, increased depth of rigor and exploration into content, customized learning to meet the students exactly where they are in learning the lessons, better use of data to inform instruction, and providing additional student support to help personalize instruction by the teacher” according to Patrick.

To learn more about blended learning visit the International Association for K-12 Online Learning at http://www.inacol.org/research/promisingpractices/NACOL_PP-BlendedLearning-lr.pdf.


To read the entire ED: Blended Learning Helps Boost Achievement article please go to: http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/online-learning-1/online-learning-articles/index.cfm?rc=1&i=59695