Brainstorming with Bubbl.us

So lately my posts have been more along the lines of a true "web log" chronicling what I've been doing and the thoughts I've had. So with this post, I'm back to using the blog to highlight what I think is a cool web-based tool for brainstorming.

Bubbl.us is a site used to create mindmaps. Creating an account is free and allows you access to all the features, and you can even try it out without signing up. It's nice because once you have created a map, you can share your maps or brainstorm with others, and there is no download or software to install. When the brainstorming is done you can export as an image or print it out. It is easy to use and the final product looks pretty sleek. Check out an example I created below:

Yes We Can!

Yes We Can. Three small words that have been branded by President Obama as words of hope, empowerment and change. Yes we can applies to so many things – even in education.

Yes we can engage our students as we strive to embrace 21st century learning techniques. Yes we can provide an environment creative enough to inspire new heights and excellence from each of our students. Yes we can empower our students to be open-minded and accept technology for all of its positive and beneficial uses inside the class. Yes we can, as administrators, empower all teachers to accept the changing times and trends of this new day and age. Yes we can provide the tools and resources so tightly intertwined with technology to make a true difference. One lesson at a time. One project at a time. One student at a time. We can.

What exactly does President Obama believe our schools/classrooms should encompass, highlight and focus upon? Here are the highlights within the K-12 educational sector…

· Reform No Child Left Behind
· Support High-Quality Schools and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools
· Make Math and Science Education a National Priority
· Address the Dropout Crisis
· Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities
· Support College Outreach Programs
· Support College Credit Initiatives
· Support English Language Learners
· Recruit Teachers
· Prepare Teachers
· Retain Teachers
· Reward Teachers

Want to know the full details of President Obama’s education agenda? Visit the official website for the White House/President Obama. Check out the education agenda in its entirety.

Be sure to also take a look at his agenda for technology!

"Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America."

-- Barack Obama, Springfield, Illinois - February 10, 2007

Yes we can make a difference within our entire school system, on a local level within each school and within each and every classroom – each and every day. We can.

Web redesign 101

Conversations abound regarding website development and design. What is good, what is appropriate, what is functional? Some say you can never have too much, others have a minimalist approach. Do you put the fancy animated logo that rotates and flashes or a plain static logo that gets the point across?

My personal philosophy... "Less is more." I struggle sometimes when searching for information on the web because sites are too busy, or there is too much going on that it distracts from what you're looking for. I have also seen sites that are great and have specific content I am looking for but take’s me five to ten minutes to locate it because it is buried under multiple layers.

I recently read the article "Build it Better" which outlines a number of educational institutions that have recently undergone a total redesign of their school web page sites. This short, to the point article provides additional viewpoints on what a good website has to offer the public.

4 main topics are covered in the article, "Pepper the site with links," "Many Moving Parts," "A Look of Continuity" and "Colors Matter." Each topic provides some insight and background testimonials from school districts that have recently undergone a redesign of their web site. The information in this article can provide insight to anyone who is thinking of creating or redesigning their personal or professional website.

Edutopia: The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Yes, the George Lucas of Star Wars fame is interested in education. Edutopia focuses on what is working in public education. Content is organized around six core concepts:
Comprehensive Assessment , Integrated Studies ,
Project Learning , Social & Emotional Learning ,
Technology Integration and Teacher Development

As you might expect, a video library is one tool available for browsing through information about successful programs around the country. Spend some time exploring how other educators are using the power of technology to provide an enhanced learning experience for their students. You'll find some projects very similar to ideas that have been explored in our school system and some new strategies as well.

You can also respond to The Poll to voice your opinion and request a free copy of Edutopia magazine.

Make time to dream. Then work to make your dreams come true.

To Moodle or Not To Moodle?

Since I am learning about Moodle and building a Moodle site for our school district I thought I would explore Moodle sites this week. Moodle was developed as free open-source e-learning software that helps people create online courses for students and adults. So how are other people using Moodle outside of public school or college education?

Here is a short list of some of the interesting sites I found in the United States at: http://moodle.org/sites

• Learn to Speak the French Language Online for Free: http://learnfrench.elanguageschool.net/ This site listed 10 languages that people could learn for free online. So how’s your Dutch?
• Adoption Education Classes: http://www.adoptioneducationclasses.com/classroom/ This site was created for those interested in adoption.
• After Hours Electrical CEUs: http://course.electceu.com/ This site requires payment but think of the advantages to earning a certification and a better paying job while still working.
• Adult Caregiver Training: http://caregivermanagerceus.com/moodle/login/index.php This site is for people who care for others and need training.
• Free Online Games: http://ahshornets.moodle.com/ Hadn’t thought about hosting online games through the Moodle software.
• Pharmacy Training: http://pharmacylessons.com/ Pharmacy technical training and continuing education.
• Aircraft Technical Computerized Service Professionals: http://www.atcspro.com/index.html This is a new site that opened January 2009 for Boeing aircraft training.

And last but not least I couldn't resist including this site:

• After School Hackers: https://www.ashprogram.com/ – OK, I know what you’re thinking and so did I at first, but this is actually a site for school-aged children to learn computer programming. This site is for a specific school district so I wasn’t able to log in as a guest but what a great idea – fun learning for students after school.

There are over 10,000 registered Moodle sites just in the United States so this is just a small sampling of the various ways that people are using Moodle. Realize that most of these sites require a person to log in which means creating a Moodle account. Just because you already have a Moodle account for a course or school district doesn’t mean you can automatically log into another site. But you can continue to use the same username, email address and password for each Moodle account you create.

We should all be lifelong learners and the Internet along with Moodle is creating many online learning opportunities for people.

Using Nimbuzz to Communicate with Your Friends Who Have Any Type of Communication Account

Have you heard of nimbuzz.com? Nimbuzz is a way to communicate with your friends via call, chat, message, send photographs, music or video for free over the web. But Nimbuzz is not limited to people who have Nimbuzz accounts. You can communicate with friends who have accounts in Skype, Windows Live Messenger (MSN), Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, GaduGadu, Jabber and Twitter and social networks including Facebook and My Space (but be careful there) using your mobile phone, PC or the web. Now you don’t have to sign up for all the different accounts that your friends have. Nimbuzz will take care of that for you. You won’t be charged by Nimbuzz. Just remember that your provider may charge you for the internet use on your mobile phone. You can save money by using Nimbuzz to make calls anywhere in the world. If you register your VoIP account, you will be able to make calls to people on their landlines or their mobile phones. You can also share your location and retrieve your friend’s location on a mobile map. If your friends are offline and you want to get in touch with them, you can click “buzz” and it will start Nimbuzz mobile on their cell phone. If you add your contacts in your phonebook, they will be backed-up online so if you ever loose your phone you will be able to retrieve your contacts. You will be able to connect anytime anywhere for free because Nimbuzz supports EDGE, GPRS, 3G and Wifi. Go to http://www.nimbuzz.com/ and check it out!

Stop and Go with PBSkids

Stop and Go with PBSkids, http://pbskids.org/stopandgo, visit the stop and go website to find out more information about how students can help to write online books. Students are able to watch somewhat of a mini-movie and then they may help to complete their version of the story.

Play Music by Ear

I've always marvelled at anyone who could play a musical instrument, especially those who play without sheet music. My youngest neice can hear a piece of music and then play it on the piano or her clarinet. Amazing. I used to have one of those electric organs that you could punch in a number and it would play the song or you could program some background tones and then you play the song. I did finally learn how to play several songs but it was only because the keys were numbered/lettered to match the songbook. Sad, I know.

I read an article by Nick Yingling about how to improve your musical knowledge at TrainEar.com. This is the web home for a Free Online Ear Training program. Numerous resources are made available to help you learn how to play music by ear - starting out at a beginner level with simple melodies. The program teaches intervals and the basic concept is learning the distance between notes. Watching the beginning tutorial on how to use the program is a must to learn how to use it. Then with practice, it became easier and made sense.

The Pictorial Guide is very helpful; explaining how to move through the 12 intervals. Some of the options are:

1. Limiting the number of questions.
2. Playing the notes in a different order
3. Creating your own songs

There is an option to use keystrokes for those who feel a bit slowed-down by the mouse and you can use game controller software to connect the keys to a gamepad or joystick.

Music teachers and their students would enjoy this program. It would be another way for them to practice and learn music when not in class. For more options, check out the 10+ sites and programs listed on their site for more online ear training.

The Challenge of Sustainable Staff Development

Lately, I've been in discussions with schools throughout the district on how to best support the technology training we've already had this year, rather than adding new workshops. And I've been out to schools to do follow-up sessions on blogs, smart and activboards and schoolcenter teacherpages workshops done earlier this year. The format has been group meetings that are focused more on reviewing and asking questions rather than delivering new information.

There are several schools I serve that understand that many teachers need more than a one hour "sit and get" if they are going to really use the technology in their instruction. Many teachers have follow-up questions and need time to reflect and brainstorm when they acquire a new tool, and I commend those willing to do this because the "carrot" of tech credit is gone for these sessions. These are teachers who are showing up because they want to better understand how to use the technology.

Yesterday at Jefferson Elementary three teachers came in after school to the lab for a help session on their teacher webpages. We answered group questions and reviewed some steps, but much of the time was spent working on their pages with Joan (their tech facilitator) and I assisting them. We started around 2:45 and finished around 4:10, and at the end of the day I thought each of them made real strides with their pages.

Too often I think staff development workshops (technology or otherwise) plant a seed but don't do enough to nurture its growth early on. Follow-up is key if we want teachers to use the skills and resources we are sharing.

Learning to Spell Words Correctly Makes Our Students Look Smart!

Spelling is a very important aspect of our students’ education. Spelling is not a measure of intelligence, but if a person misspells words consistently, it makes them look bad. Not that I am speaking from experience. Spellingcity.com is a fantastic place to help students improve their spelling skills. Whether you are a parent, teacher or a student in elementary, middle or high school, this website is a great resource. You can start by typing your spelling words each on a separate line or separating the words by commas in one window. Then click "test me", "teach me" or "play a game". When you click test me a window appears with an area to type the word. To the right of that are the buttons “say it” and “sentence”. As you might guess, the computer says the word when you click “say it” or says the word in a sentence when you click “sentence”. When you are finished typing your words click “check me” to see your results. At this point you can click “retest me on my incorrect answers” or “take the entire test again”. You can also enter the speller’s name and print out a report or a certificate. When you click “teach me” the program says each letter in the word for you and uses it in a sentence. If you click “play a game” you can use your words to play in a variety of games. You can choose between match it, alphabetize, hang mouse, word search, unscramble, audio word match, which word, missing letter, sentence unscramble and crossword. At the top of the page, clicking “find a list” will take you to links to spelling lists already created that you can use. There are also links to other spelling websites that contain spelling worksheets, lesson plans, games, phonics worksheets and spelling bees. All of this is free and can be done without even logging in. If you do register, which is also free, you can enter your school and manage your spelling and vocabulary word lists. Did I spell all my words correctly? Check it out, (the website, not my spelling)!

Is it your footprint, or just a shadow?

Retrace your steps. Follow in my footsteps. These boots are made for walking. Follow my lead.

These are all common sayings for where your footsteps can take you. But, what about online? Did you know that you create “digital footprints” every time you visit the world wide web? You also have something called a digital shadow that follows you!

What exactly are digital footprints? In a nutshell… your online trail.

According to a company called Pew/Internet, there are two main types of digital footprints.

Passive Footprints - These types of footprints are involuntarily left from your internet browser cookies and cache, etc.

Active Footprints - These footprints are when you voluntarily give out personal information, like your home address and telephone number when making an online purchase.

So, what have you done recently to leave a digital footprint?

-Posted to a blog?
-Made online purchases?
-Created a profile on a social networking site?
-Posted an online vita (resume)?
-Uploaded your photo?
-Created website accounts/registrations for various reasons?
-Sent an email?
-Used a search engine?
-Used VOIP to make a phone call?

So, now we know what footprints are. But what are shadows? Quite similar to your footprints, shadows exist from things like electronic ticket purchases (concert, airline, sports events, theater performances, etc.), medical records, credit card purchases, surveillance camera footage, hotel stays, telephone records, attending professional conferences, etc. Shadows are just a part of everyday life. Whether electronically managed or not. But, more and more, our business transactions and daily interactions ARE electronically handled or stored.

How can you follow your own footprints and shadow?

-Google yourself often!
-Check out http://www.wink.com/ to see where your name/profile show up online
-Set up Google Alerts to receive an email every time your name appears in the news, etc.

This is an eye-opener and an absolute must for everyone… check out your potential digital footprints over the course of one ordinary day…. Very informative and only takes about 5 minutes. You will be amazed...

Want more information? Check out this site to look at the amazing statistics that our digital footprints in the 21st Century have created. Be sure you have some free time on your hand, it is 50 pages in length!

What is the best way to get a handle on your own footprint? Be smart. Post and contribute intelligently. Join professional sites. Create and/or join only positive networks online. Only upload appropriate photos. Step Carefully!

Also... it is extremely important that you educate and teach your students to watch where they walk!

Low Tech Meets High Tech

Stop motion animation is a process where someone creates an armatured, poseable puppet that is brought to life in a movie by slowly moving the puppet in small increments and filming one frame of film per increment. Sound’s hard doesn’t it and a little boring.

But there are several excellent films that have been created by using armatured, poseable puppets. Two films were produced by Tim Burton, Nightmare Before Christmas in 1993 and Corpse Bride in 2005. Recently Coraline was released as a new 3-D stop motion animation movie based on a Neil Gaiman novella.

So why use stop motion animation? It takes years to produce a movie, lots of building miniature sets, and lots of puppet parts. For Jack Skellington’s face there were at least 25 different heads each with a different facial expression. The small scene sets have to be created in detail and filmed from every angle. Some of you may wonder why people would work for several years just to produce one movie. People like Tim Burton do this type of work because they have a passion for animation and ways to bring animation to life. Every child has had a doll, animal or toy that they brought to life in their mind everyday when they played. Disney has brought many animated characters to life in movies for children and adults to enjoy.

Today the low tech aspect of creating poseable puppets or spending hours drawing animated characters has blended with high tech computer graphics and digital medias to produce visually entertaining 3-D movies like Coraline and Shrek.

So what does all this mean for students today? In North Carolina there are two good film schools for students. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington has a film studies program that prepares students for careers in film production. This program is the third largest film production center in the United States, which is also a part of EUE/Screen Gems Studios, the largest film studio outside of Hollywood. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts also has a School of Filmmaking which prepares students for careers in traditional film production and digital medias.

For students in Forsyth County, Reynolds High School will be offering a new “Arts for Academics” program this fall that will teach animation. The three courses are:

1. Animation – to introduce students to the many types and techniques of animation
2. Introduction to Art / Foundations (Art One) – to provide an overview and emphasis on the elements and principles of art and design.
3. Electronic Media – to show students how the computer may be used as an art making tool through programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash.

Any student can learn about stop motion animation through websites like

Clay Animator that teaches about clay animation and stop motion animation. Students can learn about the art and science of creating, animating, and editing clay and stop motion animation projects. The website also demonstrates the stop motion animation techniques by using interactive tutorials, lessons, pictures and videos and the site offers a list of suggested animation software. Check it out the dancing figure at http://www.clayanimator.com/english/character_motion.html.

Images found at http://www.clayanimator.com

Providing Feedback

Research indicates that feedback should explain what corrections are needed, be delivered without delay and focus on performance related to specific skills or content. A few words of encouragement are always welcome and help keep students motivated and moving toward their goal. Let's not forget that students need to learn to self-access their progress as well.

Interactive sites provide instant feedback for students as they practice new skills. Microsoft Office Word features include readability scores to help students check the complexity of their writing. Classroom response systems offer instant feedback for students and teachers as well as multiple report options to track progress and target areas that need improvement. Carefully designed rubrics can facilitate self-evaluation as well as peer review. Blog and wiki posts also provide options for monitoring progress and providing feedback.

How have you used technology to provide feedback? What new tools could be used?

Let's rethink the possibilities.

Based on content found in:
Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement written by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock and Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works written by Howard Pilter, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, Matt Kuhn and Kim Malenoski

Learning by doing... is it better?

I have always been a hands on learner. If I can do it as I am learning it is beneficial to my learning curve. There are many others out there in the world that learn the same way. Do you think that our students learn the same way? In today's "plugged in" world I think that it is true.

What about your Science students grades 4-6? What if there was a resource that allows them to get hands on learning... and lets you give them a Certificate when they complete each lesson.

Take a look at Siemens Science Day. This website gives students in grades 4-6 Science classes the ability to get some hands on learning. You have videos, hands-on activities and other information that will help them learn Life, Earth and Physical Science.

What do you do to get started? You do have to create an account, I know not another password to remember. Once you create an account just choose one of the subject area topics, have the students watch the video, then pass out the printable worksheets for the activity and let them start working. The subject topic gives you a difficulty level associated with it, a summary of the topic and is also aligned with national science curriculum.

Have fun and take a look at this with your students and give them the opportunity to learn Science in a fun and inviting way.

Oh yeah.. one last thing to look at while you are on the site. You could also win the Ultimate Cool School Science Day Sweepstakes. The contest runs through March 2, 2009. So enter often and soon so that you have a chance to with the prize. What do you get? Here is an explanation of what you get "The winning teacher will win a spellbinding assembly for his/her school that is not only fun and interactive, but also underscores the importance of science literacy and the need for science resources among schools. Discovery Networks will lead the assembly, which will consist of videos, mind benders and interactive demonstrations."

News from website - Ten by Ten

What: Ten by ten
About:
According to their website, http://www.tenbyten.org/about.html “10x10™ ('ten by ten') is an interactive exploration of the words and pictures that define the time. The result is an often moving, sometimes shocking, occasionally frivolous, but always fitting snapshot of our world. Every hour,”

How do they do it?
According to their website, “Every hour, 10x10 scans the RSS feeds of several leading international news sources”

Where do they get the news they report?
According to their website, the following websites are a part of their source for news and pictures:
Reuters World News
BBC World Edition
New York Times International News

Wireless Reading

While looking at one of my favorite sites to buy books, I found an advertisement for Amazon's Wireless Reading Device. Curiosity got the best of me and I clicked on the link to take a tour of their new device called the Kindle 2.

It is about the size of a small paperback book but thin as a credit card and only weighs in at 10.2 ounces. Most of the books I read are a lot heavier than that. Unfortunately for my pocketbook, the cost is just over $35 per ounce. All the controls to turn the pages, go Home or Back, or pull up menus are easily accessible. The full keyboard and 3G wireless access makes it a breeze to order more books, magazines, newspapers or visit blogs. It will hold up to 1500 titles.

Downloads are $9.99 or less and can be done in 60 seconds or less. This is much cheaper than most of the books I buy. One of my favorite authors is Stephen King and most of his books are hundreds of pages long and several inches thick. He has written a book just for Kindle called UR. If you turn the wireless off, the battery could last up to two weeks. Its text-to-speech feature is a big selling point for me because I check out a lot of books on tape from the library so I can "read" while I drive. The Kindle will let you switch back and forth from it "reading to you" or you sitting somewhere and reading from its display with 16 shades of grey and adjustable text size. For those of us that are getting older and may not carry our glasses all the time, this is a great feature. Now most cars don't have a cassette player in them and it's not that easy to find all the books on CD.

Connect the Kindle to your computer and you can download MP3 files to it so you can listen to your favorite music while reading. Since it has wireless, you can even email Word or PDF files. Amazon tries to have every book title available on their site and they have over 230,000 titles available for the Kindle. Whether you like to read books, magazines, newspapers, or blogs, the Kindle will be an asset. I just hope the price for this new and exciting technology comes down soon.

NCTIES 2009

I'm starting to get excited about attending the NCTIES (formerly NCAECT) Technology Conference next month in Raleigh. I've been fortunate to attend the conference many times, and last year I got to present there. Every year the sessions offer something new, and the nationally known speakers bring their knowledge and interesting perspectives in instructional technology.

This year I get the benefit of being part of what should be a great preconference session at the N.C. Museum of History. I was in Raleigh Monday for a planning meeting with copresenters Marlo Gaddis and Matt Barfield and really look forward to seeing how the whole day will come together with teachers from around the state. The session, sponsored by CSI, should be a good blend of technology and social studies and will be a subject for future blogging.

What Do You Want To Do This Weekend? I Don't Know, Let's Look On Eventful.com!

Do you have any plans this weekend? Do you want to know what’s happening in your area? Check out http://eventful.com/ . Just click “join now”. No worries, it’s free. Go through the steps. When you enter your location and choose what kind of events you are interested in, you can see what’s happening in your area. It’s also a free application for the iphone and the ipod touch. You can also promote, share and create events. You can track your favorite artists, receive free email alerts for shows coming to your area or find sports, singles or performing arts events. There are numerous local events categories. Here are a few: concerts, conferences, festivals, food, fundraisers, galleries, health, kids, learning, literary, movies, museums, neighborhood, nightlife, on campus, organizations, outdoors, pets, politics, sales, science, spirituality, sports, technology, theatre, business and other categories. There is a section to find upcoming events around the world. There is also a section to demand events in your city.

What Can You Convert?

File Conversion. Today, most saved files need to be used, viewed and accessed by many different users. Guaranteed – those users are not all using the same software applications. So, what do you do? You convert your file into another format. What are some options? There are plenty.

ZAMZAR
http://www.zamzar.com/
-Free online service
-Convert images, songs, videos, and documents
-Files you convert can be on your hard drive, or even from other websites
-The converted file is then emailed to you
-Examples of conversion file formats: .mp3, .wmv, .ppt, .doc, .avi, .zip, .jpg, etc.

PRIMOPDF
http://www.primopdf.com/
-Free application you must download
-Convert files to pdf (portable document format)
-Once downloaded, primopdf installs itself into every program you have installed on your hard drive – which is great! You can then choose the “print” option and rather than printing to your printer, print to a primo .pdf file

SWITCH
http://www.nch.com.au/switch/
-Free application you must download
-Convert audio/sound files
-Application is very easy to use once installed. Simply “add” a file into the Switch program window and choose the output (conversion format). Switch then converts the file and saves the new format to your hard drive
-Example file formats: .wav, .mp3, .wmv, etc.

MOVAVI
http://online.movavi.com/
-Free online service
-Convert videos
-Upload video to convert
-Receive email notification when file has been converted and is ready for you to download
-Example file formats: .mp4, iPod video, PSP video, .3gp (cell phone video), .flv (flash video), .avi, .mp3, .wma, etc.

IMAGE CONVERTER
http://www.online-utility.org/image_converter.jsp
-Free online service
-Converts images
-Choose desired file conversion
-Upload image to be converted
-Download newly converted file format
-Example file formats: .eps, .jpg, .tif, .svg, .pict, .psd, .png, etc.

Want to get technical?

Curious about the sizes of your files before and after the format conversions? Check out http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate/ to figure out file sizes. Visit their site to get specific size conversions for files you use or need to email!

Remember – Copyright Matters! Be sure you own or have followed copyright guidelines for any files you convert!

C-SPAN Classroom

The C-SPAN Civics Bus is visting the Triad area this week. Several local schools are enjoying the opportunity to learn more about all branches of our government and explore the collection of resources offered in the C-SPAN Classroom. If the bus doesn't make at stop at your school, simply visit the cspan.org website to create a free login and begin digging through the offerings.

The C-SPAN Websites button provides quick access to over 20 types of resources including: American Presidents, American Writers, C-SPAN Classroom, C-SPAN Video Library, The Capitol, Capitol Spotlight, Presidential Libraries, StudentCam and The White House. The extensive video library includes archives of all congressional speeches. These clips can be edited and saved as links for classroom use.

Discussion questions accompany the Clip of the Week and lesson plans created by current classroom teachers are posted for a wide variety of topics.

Sign-up today and begin bringing government to life in your classroom.

Finger Drum Mousepad

Did you ever want to grow up and be a drummer in a rock band?

Well this geek moment is brought to you from a guy who played the drums growing up and cannot sit still for more than five minutes without tapping on my desk or tapping my foot like it is on the bass peddle.

Hammacher Schlemmer sells this drum mouse pad for around $40. It does need 4 AAA batteries to keep the beat alive.

There are eight different sound choices for your enjoyment from bass to high hat cymbals. There is also a set of six presets and you can even lay down your own beats on a track. So if you still want to keep the dream alive then go out and purchase the Finger Drum Mouse pad.

Read! Read! Read!

"Read! Read! Read! Read!" That is the impression that I get when viewing the website for Reading is Fundamental Inc. As a part of their website they offer resources for teachers, parents and students. This is a website that most people will find to be full of valuable resources, therefore for more information on the resources they have to offer visit their website at http://www.rif.org/. In addition, that is what my mother would say, "Read! Read! Read! Read!"

Technology Is Everywhere, Including Disney World

Technology is all around us. You use it the moment you wake up unless you have an internal alarm clock, but that wouldn’t be me. You use it to wash, eat your breakfast, and get to work not to mention create that magical morning liquid called coffee. But that’s not what I am going to blog about today. I recently took a trip to Disney World, the land of imagination, and I want to talk about the technology I saw there. You leave your Disney Resort and hop on the tram. This is a very modern looking train that runs on electricity. Then you enter the front gate. You slide your Disney Resort card in the scanner and place your index finger on a biometric scanner. This is to make sure you are the only person using your pass.
Now we know how much kids like their video games. We went on a Toy Story ride where you are placed inside the video game. Two people ride together and shoot at targets that vary in point value as you are moved through the numerous rooms. I had a blast, even though my 4 year old daughter more than tripled my score. She didn’t sit with me again on the next ride. After that we went to The Seas with Nemo and Friends to engage in Turtle Talk with Crush. The children sat on the floor in front of a large movie screen while the parents sat further back on benches. When the curtain opened, Crush appeared and asked questions of the children and answered them using his “hippie” manner as he flipped around in his ocean world. Dory made her appearance too but forgot why she was there. It was amazing how Crush’s mouth moved in perfect sync with the person hidden from our view. Another similar show was the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor Comedy Club. Mike Wazowski is the Monster of Ceremonies. He introduces his monster friends/comedians while all the time Roz is keeping a close eye on him. The monster comedians interact with the public and even heckled some poor sap who sat too close to the movie screen.
The fireworks shows at Disney World are in a class all their own! The Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a blend of a Broadway show, laser lights on a fan of water or fog, fire, cannon blasts, water fountain displays, fireworks and the Disney characters combined into an amazing display of technology and entertainment. Epcot’s Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is a live pyrotechnic show that brings together Earth’s past, present and future. The fireworks explode to a musical track while the fire barges turn the lake into a bed of fire and blasts. At the same time a video is displayed on the continents of a 350,000 pound globe that floats around the lake on a barge.
Each character and float in the Magic Kingdom’s night parade, which is absolutely spectacular, is lit up with hundreds to thousands of lights and I didn’t see any electrical cords plugged into a receptacle anywhere.
The point is, technology is all around us. It’s a part of our student’s being. We as teachers need to incorporate technology in our lessons to spark the interest and creativity in each student. Albert Einstein said "imagination is more important than knowledge". It may not have been a part of our education, but it’s not about us. It’s about them and preparing them for a future that we can’t possibly imagine. When I was young, the future was thought to be 50 years away. Today the future is 5 years away or less. Our students will be competing for jobs in a much more global economy than we had when we entered the work force. They need to possess 21st Century skills that will make them more marketable. Those skills are creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and oral and written communication skills. They also need to have a good work ethic, integrity, adaptability, accountability, self-direction, personal responsibility, and people skills. Who knows, if we can cultivate these skills in our students, maybe we will be watching a Disney show created by one of our previous students in the near future! As Crush would say, “give me fin dude”.

BlackBerry for Kids?

Leap Frog announces a BlackBerry for kids. That's right, I said a BlackBerry for children.

Kids can be just like mom and dad now with their own BlackBerry or "Text & Learn" as dubbed by Leap Frog.

The device offers a full Qwerty keyboard, allows them to send their own text messages. It has a mock online browser and because it is from Leap Frog it has learning activities for kids ages 3 and up. Children can learn about the keyboard, letter matching and a calendar feature to help teach kids about the months of the year, shapes and how to follow the directions. When does it hit the shelves you ask? It looks like it will be a summer release.

The price you ask, 19.99 in British pounds or approx. 25-29 US Dollars, not very much at all compared to the cost of the current Blackberry on the market.

Image provided by: cnet news

Activexpressions Make an Impression

Today I visited Forest Park Elementary to assist in setting up their Activexpressions. Activexpressions are learner response systems for the Promethean Activboards. And although they are similar to the Activotes, which preceded them and Senteos, which is the Smarttech version, expressions are awesome because these devices allow the user to text answers in the same way a cell phone is used.

So along with the kinds of "True or False" and multiple choice quizzes you're used to with activotes, with CPS units or senteos you can set up questions that allow for short answer texting with the expression.

Although the expressions currently require an additional software install, I was impressed with how easy it was to set them up and get started. I'm anxious to see how the teachers and students at Forest Park will respond to this technology.
Although these are currently being updated on our district technology price list, the price tag might be a deterrent.

However, Promethean is currently running a contest where they are giving sets away to lucky classrooms. Check out the contest.

Additional thanks to April, who is now exploring a "hand modeling" career.

Black History Month

February is Black History Month and many teachers incorporate lessons and activities about Black History Month into their curriculums. So I thought this week I would provide a list of sites for teachers, students and parents. Some sites may be familiar and some sites may be new to you so enjoy browsing through the list.

.

1. Design a Postage Stamp
   http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/lesson43.html
2. Underground Railroad – National Geographic – interactive
   http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/
3. LearnNC
   http://www.learnnc.org/search?area=&phrase=black+history+month
4. NC WiseOwl
   http://www.ncwiseowl.org/
5. SAS in Schools – Curriculum Pathways
   http://www.sascurriculumpathways.com/ProductEntrance/Login/login.jsp
6. A to Z Teacher Stuff
   http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Black_History/index.shtml
7. The Teacher’s Corner
   http://www.theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/black-history-month/index.htm

1. Time Magazine for Kids
   http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/bhm/
2. History Channel
   http://www.history.com/minisites/blackhistory/
3. Hot Chalk’s Lesson Plan page
   http://www.lessonplanspage.com/BlackHistoryMonth.htm
4. Education World
   http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson221.shtml
5. Yahoo Kids!
   http://kids.yahoo.com/directory/Around-the-World/Countries/United-States/Cultures-and-Traditions/African-American/History
6. Scholastic Teacher Resources
   http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/search?query=black+history+month
7. Teacher Planet
   http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/blackhistory.php

1. Discovery Education Classroom Resources
   http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://school.discovery.com/clipart/clip/mlk.html
2. CNNiN – Interactive
   http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/black_history/index.html
3. Sue LeBeau
   http://www.suelebeau.com/blackhistory.htm
4. Biography.com
   http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/
5. NBC News - iCue.com
   http://www.icue.com/portal/site/iCue/welcomepage
6. PBS Teachers
   http://www.pbs.org/teachers/search/results.html?q=slavery&num=100

Images for this blog were found at:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j4/cnrward/Ethnic/BlackHistoryCollage.jpg
http://www.isoe-online.com/blackHistoryCollage.gif
http://www.hull.ac.uk/wise/Activities/outreach/black_history_month/black_history_month_stamps.jpg

DTV Public Service Announcement

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established one of the biggest media promotions seen this century. This is what I believe based on what I have seen on TV. They have an awareness campaign to provide the American public with information about the transition to digital television (DTV). By now you may have seen their commercials or you may have even heard about the transition on the radio. Although most people are aware of the coupons available for the converter boxes, there is a lot more information provided by the FCC through various websites and public service announcements about this transition. Also, note that they have provided various service announcements that are press ready. Based on the information provided on their website, http://www.fcc.gov/eb/dtv/ ,the transition to all digital television is mandated by congress.

http://www.dtvtransition.org/
Source: www.dtv.gov/DTV_booklet.pdf

Note: Picture is a part of FCC public awareness and is linked to their website.

What is on your virtual bookshelf?

Reading. The gateway to knowledge. Magazines. Newspapers. Journals. Books. All common sources for finding the information and wisdom you hope to gain. All of those options are now literally at your fingertips.

Check out these sites offering free (complete text) ebooks...

http://www.free-ebooks.net/

http://pdfbooks.co.za/

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

ebooks – Just for kids…

http://www.magickeys.com/books/

http://storynory.com/

Robert Munsch

Children’s Classics

Want to listen instead? Try these sites for free audio books!

http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/home

http://librivox.org/

Need books for your PDA or Mobile Phone? Take a look at these.

http://www.feedbooks.com/

http://manybooks.net/

Interested in ONLY computer books? Here are some sites to get you started.

http://freecomputerbooks.com/

http://www.freetechbooks.com/

Don’t have time to search site after site for a certain book topic? Try http://www.pdfgeni.com/. It is a search engine for pdf books and all types of publications! Simply type in the subject of the book you need and then choose from the long, long list that is returned. Now, be sure you check out the originating source and stay in compliance with ALL copyrights issued on your finds.

Remember, copyright matters, regardless of the ebook source!

Happy Reading. You now have a virtual bookshelf. Library card optional.

Bridging the Gap: English

As an English teacher do you find it difficult to integrate technology into your instructional day?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a reference guide or road map to help with curriculum/technology integration?

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills(P21) and the National Council of Teachers of English(NCTE) have teamed up to offer a new Free resource which can aid in integrating 21st century skills into the curriculum.

The 21st Century Skills Map for English provides English teachers with examples of how some of the 21st century skills can be incorporated into classroom instruction. This document provides ideas for adapting and molding collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking and other skills students need into their curriculum .

The road map provides sample lesson plans and various ways of bridging the gap between the current text-based methdology and its web 2.0 integrated counterpart. Resources and information are available for use with grades 4, 8 and 12 to help foster student achievement.

"What I Wish for the World"

Do your students like to draw? Do they sit and doodle on their papers, books and desks? Well have them put those skills to good use and have them enter Doodle 4 Google.

Google is starting up their Doodle 4 Google campaign again. This allows students K-12 the opportunity to enter their design ideas, or doodles, for the Google Logo. The theme this year is "What I Wish for the World."

Registration is open through March 17, 2009 and the deadline for entries is March 31, 2009. Teachers can register their students while on the website as well as get the full details on the breakdown of the regions and prizes.

So if you have a student that loves to draw have them sign up and enter their design and maybe it will be the next homepage logo for Google.

Google Going Green

Everywhere you turn now there is a mention of "being green," or "going green." Green is the color for everything - clothes, food, lightbulbs, air we breathe and even technology. Google is now in the midst of it.

The top stories and articles in The Sunday Times of London, The Washington Post and The Australian all mention the physicist, Alex Wissner-Gross, and he posits that a single Google search generates 7g of CO2 versus 15g for a tea kettle. He calls it a "definite environmental impact." Other studies show books, cheeseburgers, and definitely cars emitting more than 350-500 times more CO2. Looks like Google is definitely on the low end of emissions; but with more than 200 million Google internet searches done daily, we should have a concern regarding the massive amounts of electrical energy required to power a user's computer and then send the request to multiple servers. Some articles feature Google as the bad guy with secrets and everytime anyone does a search they are contributing to the problem.

According to Google's response to both the Times and The Australian, a single search is actually only 0.2 g of CO2. A Google Australian spokesman stated, "They are trying to be in the forefront of green computing. We've committed to being carbon-neutral worldwide - that is, zero net emissions - for 2007 and beyond, by creating what we believe to be the most energy-efficient data centers in the world, using renewable energy sources and investing in high-quality carbon offset projects." This will be a tough job since everyone wants their search results faster and each search goes through more than one server. There are servers in the US, Europe, Japan, and China; each emitting CO2.

I agree with Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch.com that Google may actually be helping our environment in one way. Getting information through searches (takes just a few seconds) creates much less CO2 for the planet than getting in my car and driving somewhere, especially when I have to go to a second or third location to complete the task.

Even though we have the need for speed and want our information brought to us faster and faster, let's hope Google will continue to work on keeping the CO2 levels down to a minimum and stand behind their claim of being among the most efficient internet search providers. Please join me in making our world greener by "searching responsibly."

A Trainload of Resources

Here's a site for novice PowerPoint users and elementary school teachers looking for some new ideas. Pete's PowerPoint Station
offers three stops on your resources exploration adventure.

Pete's Presentations houses links to premade PowerPoint presentations for teacher and student use on a wide variety of topics. A collection of free clipart is also available.

Greta's Games organizes links to interactive and instructional resources by topic/subject. so you may find some current favorites in the list. Resources include a variety of formats including PowerPoint and pdf files in addition to the flash player based interactive sites.

Hanna's Help provides resources for improving research skills and utilizing search engines. PowerPoint templates for student projects are also available at this stop along with tutorials for improving your PowerPoint skills.

Many sites leave the Pete's PowerPoint Station site to increase the offerings. Watch for the related links to Google powered ads and search results if you feel adventurous.

Retooling Schools to Meet 21st Century Education

In September a report was published about Retooling Instruction or US schools will fail. The report basically stated that for the US to be globally competitive, attract industries and create jobs, schools in the US needed to recognize that 21st century skills were critical to the workplace. Unfortunately while the global economy has been changing schools have been focusing on closing the achievement gap and not on the demand for advanced skills from students.

The 21st century skills needed is critical thinking and judgment, complex problem solving, creative thinking, collaboration and communication skills. With these skills students will be able to see a problem and find ways to solve problems, handle responsibility and contribute to productivity and innovation. Students K-12 need 21st century skills. To do this schools need to move beyond assessing science, reading, and math to including 21st century skills to better prepare citizens to work and compete in a 21st century economy.

How do schools ensure that students graduate with all of these skills? I looked to the Partnership for 21stCentury Skills for information. They have created a framework for 21st Century learning that outline the skills, knowledge and expertise that students should master to succeed at work and in life.

What some educators may not know is that in 2005 the governor of North Carolina launched the nation’s first Center for 21st Century Skills to improve North Carolina’s education system. Through North Carolina Virtual Public Schools students across the state can take online courses for high school credit. But what can teachers do in their classrooms today to better prepare students with 21st Century Skills to meet the needs and demands of a competitive global economy?

First teachers can learn more about what their district and state are doing to increase the use of technology in the schools and teachers can read through the Framework for 21st Century Learning developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

The essential 21st century skills are:

• Accountability and Adaptability – set and expect students to meet high standards in the classroom and teach students to set standards and goals for themselves.
• Communication Skills – students need to be able to read, write and understand multimedia communication in a variety of forms.
• Creativity and Intellectual Curiosity – help students develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others, being open and responsive to other perspectives.
• Critical Thinking and Systems Thinking – exercise sound reasoning and understanding with your students to make complex choices, and help students understand the interconnections among systems.
• Information and Media Literacy Skills – help students to analyze, access, manage, integrate, evaluate and create information in a variety of forms and media.
• Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills – help students develop teamwork and leadership skills, helping them adapt to various roles and responsibilities. Students need to learn how to work productively with others, respecting diverse perspectives.
• Problem Identification, Formulation and Solution – teach students how to frame, analyze and solve problems.
• Self-Direction – help students learn how to monitor their understanding and learning needs, locating resources, and transferring learning from one domain to another.
• Social Responsibility – help students to act responsibly keeping in mind the community at large, to demonstrate ethical behavior in personal and school contexts.
  
  How many of these skills could be targeted in your classroom? Students learn more and retain better what they have learned when they are actively engaged in the learning process. We need to work together to find ways to incorporate these 21st century skills in our classes.