Building Your PLN-A Primer For Anyone

At ASCD2011 I sat down with the good folks over at Follett and talked about a wide variety of topics surrounding technology, leadership and more.

Here is the first part of the interview on Building A PLN.



What do you think? What are some other important aspects of PLN building or just network building in general. What works for you?

Seeking Some Advice?

Now that the 2010-2011 academic year is coming to a close, I started thinking back to my first year as a classroom teacher. Even though my colleagues taught me a lot, sometimes its the experience itself that teaches you the most. Looking back I wondered how differently certain situations could have played out "if only I had known" certain things.

My first year was one of the hardest. I remember wondering what the teachers around me were doing to meet the high demands of the job. Perhaps they had something special in their bag of tricks that I didn't? What method did they have for keeping things simple and less overwhelming? If they had answers, I wanted to hear them! I didn't want "textbook" or cookie cutter advice...I wanted some REAL advice from REAL people in the profession. With that said, I decided to reach out to my professional learning network in hopes they could answer a question for me, "What advice do you wish someone had given you as a first year teacher?" A big thank you to everyone who responded. Check out the SlideRocket presentation below to see the top 10 tips given by teachers or click on the Google form to read the responses.

What is a Teacher Lock?

Did you know that in ActivInspire you can lock down your flipchart page? No, well guess what... you have the option to do that. If we have it how do we use it. Very easily, from the main toolbar at the top of the window select Tools then More Tools... and once you are there you will select Teacher Lock which the second to last option on the menu list. You can also access the Teacher Lock from the ActivInspire Toolbox by first clicking on the Menu button then select Tools --> More Tools... and Teacher Lock.

Now that you know how to turn Teacher Lock on, what is it? Basically the lock allows you to make it so that you cannot leave the ActivInspire software to go to another desktop application or to save a modified flipchart. It will disengage many of the quick key features and tools that you normally have access to.

Now you have to ask So What? Why would I turn this on. Well think of it this way, if you have created this wonderful flipchart that has your students interacting with it and collaborating with other students. Do you want the student to accidentally overwrite the original version of the flipchart? You would hope that you have an original copy but sometimes you do not, things happen. Lets also say that you have your students using ActivInspire on the Promethean Board as a station during class time. Would you want the students to have the opportunity to go and see your email, personal documents, or go to websites that you did not preset for them. The Teacher Lock gives you the security that things like what I have just talked about do not happen when your students are working with ActivInspire as a station or individually.

Lastly I do have to mention that there is a password that you have set so that when you want to go and use your computer again regularly you can. When you click the option you get a password box that pops up in the middle of the screen. Just pick a simple password that you can remember. So go on and try it out see if you like and if it is something that you can incorporate into your daily instruction.

Tickertape: What is it?

Now that you are using ActivInspire in your ActivClassroom have you explored some of the other Tools that are available to you? Let's take a look at one of the right now called Tickertape. You can access this tool by one of a couple of ways. The most common way to access is to click on Tools and More Tools... on the top toolbar. You can also Click the Menu Button from the Toolbox, then choose Tools --> More Tools... and Tickertape. Another way to access it on the fly is to use the Quick Key combination of Ctrl+Shift+T or set up and apply and action option to an object using the Action Browser in ActivInspire.

So now that the Tickertape Tool is open how do you use it? You enter your message to be displayed in the provided text box. You have the ability to edit how the text is displayed on the screen by changing the font style, colors, shading, background and position on the screen. You can also Create, Save and Load Tickertapes so you can have more than one to choose from. The save in location defaults to the My Tickertapes folder that is stored in your My Resources folder of the Resource Browser. You can also choose a different Save In location if you want to share your created Tickertapes with others.

Well now that you know what to do, it's time to figure out Why should you use it? There are numerous ways that you can use the Tickertape. It is great for identifying your Essential Questions, Vocabulary/Spelling words, Science/Math terms, Current Events from the News. Also you can use it to display a Question of the Day, Instructions/Directions for students, Math problem of the day. This day in History facts, you could even use it for the Wonder of the Day (Wonderopolis). Even just using it for general announcements and reminders.

Give the Tickertape a try and see how your students react to the information. Who knows they might get more out of it than you think and maybe you could have the students provide feedback on what to show.

This Month from netTrekker!

Since you may be looking for some information/activities either for the end of the year or in early preparation for next year, I thought I would share some information I received from netTrekker about some featured services.

As a WSFCS teacher, you have access to netTrekker. You can find a link to netTrekker on WSFCS Learning Village dashboard. Each school has a school code that will allow you to connect to the school's account and create your own username and password. Once you log in, there is a code to change from a student to a teacher, since more resources are availble for teachers. (I will be glad to help with this information if needed mwedwards@wsfcs.k12.nc.us)

• Science Buddies
  We have added over 600 resources from Science Buddies to netTrekker. Science Buddies is an award-winning non-profit organization focused on creating free project ideas in the areas of physical science, engineering, life science, social science, earth science, and computer science. These project ideas can be used by students for science fair experiments, or can be customized by teachers to create project-based activities and lessons. Science Buddies also provides great overviews of over 100 science careers and offers other reference materials to help students create safe, well-designed science experiments.
  These resources can be found in the elementary (230 resources), middle (400 resources), and high school (250 resources) sections in the US, UK, and Canadian netTrekker products by searching for the keyword, "Science Buddies." Users may refine this set of search results by using the subject refinement menu. This will display the relationship between Science Buddies content and specific science disciplines.


• ELL Resources: Inspired Testimonials from NT101 Participants
  Te netTrekker 101 online course facilitator ust wrapped up a session on using netTrekker with English Language Learners. The course participants filled the discussion forums with very thoughtful content which may be helpful to those of you who are writing IEP and 504 plans. On the netTrekker blog, you can find several of the participants' comments from the discussion board about the Dictionary Hot Key, Read Aloud, Readability, and other refinement features in netTrekker. Enjoy these testimonials from passionate educators.
  Click here to read more.


• AP and Honors Resources
  The resources for the High tab in netTrekker are pulled from rich academic resources such as: Dirksen Congressional Center, Library of Congress, Smithsonian, Federal Reserve Bank, PBS, NASA, museums across the world, and secondary educational institutions. These resources, when used in conjunction with 21st century skills and authentic learning situations, can be applied to any academic group, such as gifted and AP students.The netTrekker content editors have pulled together a collection of special topic areas and sites that would appeal to high school honor students.
  Click here to read more.


• Fairy Tales and the English Learners Channel
  Are you familiar with the variety of resources in netTrekker's English Learners Channel? Read how Kylene Lichucki, Instructional Technology Facilitator from Jonesboro Public School District, AR, uses fairy tales, interactive media, and more to explore cultures, teach standards, and meet the needs of diverse learners.
  Click here to read the blog post!
  


• Save Time with netTrekker!
  Do you ever think that you don't have time for netTrekker? Did you know that netTrekker can actually save you time?
  netTrekker allows you to narrow in on the right resources for you and your students more quickly and efficiently! Suzy Deller, a netTrekker Account Manager, has pulled together a few tips to help you maximize your time while using netTrekker.
  Click here for a FREE eBook featuring her suggestions!

Here are some previous blog posts about netTrekker in case you are interested!

Where in the World Is ...

... Trekking the Planet expedition?

I found a great post on Twitter this morning from @TrekkingPlanet. Darren and Sandy are talking about their upcoming 400 day world journey and their expedition is named "Trekking the Planet". This trip will start in January and they are asking teachers and students to follow them on their journey. They are going to be hiking and using ground transportation as much as possible in order to really learn the culture and geography.

This would be great for geography teachers to plan lessons around next year. If you are a teacher you can subscribe to their expedition here. You and your class will be able to follow Darren and Sandy and receive free education modules. Here is a sample for you to look at. They are asking for your help. What types of videos and/or images do you want to see for your students? What would be the most meaningful for you and your students to learn about their travels? Here is a copy that you can download of their Trekking The Planet Overview. The May 2011 newsletter is out; you can read about preparations for the expedition.

This sounds like an amazing opportunity for geography and social studies teachers and students to hear first hand accounts of cultures, geography, and people. All of the education materials are free.  Visit Trekking the Planet and sign up for the updates and follow Darren and Sandy on their expedition. It looks to be a very interesting learning opportunity!

Original image: 'untitled' http://www.flickr.com/photos/61725061@N00/42087468 by: Francesca Palazzi

A Book Treasure Chest

I grew up with a love of reading. I saw my parents reading. I saw books in our house (my dad's office is overflowing with books with folded corners and notes written on pages ... hmmm I just realized that may help explain why most of my books have folded corners and notes written in them). I remember stories being read to me, for some reason I really remember hearing Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst (one of my mom's favorite authors). I enjoy reading and learning about reading and books. I enjoyed teaching reading and writing when I taught 4th grade. I especially enjoyed connected reading and writing as well as helping students make those connections.

Even though I now work in Instructional Technology, I still love learning about reading and finding great children's books (I also have a 5 year daughter who I hope will enjoy reading too). I was delighted on day to find Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac. Each day on her site, a book is presented along with some background of the story and/or the author. Anita Silvey has a nice way of telling just enough to get you interested but not giving away the whole story.

Daily children’s book recommendations and events from Anita Silvey.

Discover the stories behind the children’s book classics . . .

The new books on their way to becoming classics . . .

And events from the world of children’s books—and the world at large.

But there is more to look at that just one story each day! There is always an image of the book/story she is going to focus on the next day. You can also search the book archives by age group, book type, subject, date the book was showcased and more. I decided to look at the book searches and see what I could find!

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo was one of my favorite books to read and study with my 4th grade students (here are a few of the projects they did with this book). In that book, one can find some many opportunities to introduce, practice, assess, and reinforce so many reading and writing skills. (Not only did I enjoy reading it with students, I just enjoy the book too!). You can find this book discussed on Anita Silvey's site by looking for fiction books. You could also find it in the elementary school category.

As someone who likes to say that I try to learn something new each day, I am so glad to have found Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac. Not only does she introduce a book each day, but a reader can find a box on the side with information about other events that happened on that day in history related to books and reading.

Since I wanted to remember to check her site each day since I was sure I would find lots of great information. I wrote to Anita Silvey and got her permission to place the Children's Book-A-Day Almanac's logo on the sidebar of my blog. (I added a picture gadget and then linked it to her site). I am glad she agreed because I love looking at the book treasure chest she is creating ...

Camp Inspire ...

Summer is coming, school will be out and you are sending your children to camps. Why not attend a camp set up and designed with the teacher in mind?

Come and join the fun at Camp Inspire on July 19 & 20 from 9am to 3pm at Sherwood Forest Elementary School in the heart of Beautiful Winston-Salem. What are we going to be doing during these two days? Funny you should ask. You, as a teacher, will be able to select from a menu list of sessions to attend that will help you better understand the workings of Prometheans ActivInspire software. But wait that's not all that will be going on. Teachers, you will be able to take what you have learned on day 1 and collaborate with teachers from around the district to create fabulous flipcharts during the working sessions on day 2. Now we are not going to leave you out in the cold so we have assembled a great team to help guide you through both days' events. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and to reflect on the days activities.

So the final question you might be having is who can attend this workshop? The answer to this question is any teacher that has a Promethean ActivClassroom Solution. What defines a Classroom Solution you might be asking? Well it would consist of the Promethean Board, teacher cart, document camera, ActivSlate and either Expressions or Votes. You can read more about the classroom solutions on my blog post "You Have a Classroom Solution: Now What?"

Make sure to mark you calenders for July 19 and 20, 2011 so that you can be a part of this great event. In order to attend Camp Inspire, there is no charge to attend, you have to register online through the Staff Development Website. The workshop will be available soon BUT is not there yet so keep checking daily to sign up. We hope to see all of you there for a fun filled two days of learning and collaboration.

Using Google Earth In The Science Classroom

Seems like a no brainer right? Earth, science, they just go together. But Google Earth is way more than a glorified stand alone Google Map. There are so many cool and easy things to explore.

In Google Earth there are layers. Each of these layers are interesting facts, locations or events plotted on the globe. There are some pretty standard ones; roads, buildings, terrain. But there are some interesting ones that can support what you are doing in the science classroom. Here are just a few:

Weather-Yep, a weather layer. With a simple click of the mouse you can investigate cloud cover over Antarctica or Thunderstorms over China. Zoom in to your favorite location and you can see the local forecast for that area. You can download weather animations and load them in and watch how it changes all over the globe. There is also good information on how the weather is gathered and the sources they use.

Cousteau Ocean World-These are points all over the globe that provide information about different marine life in their natural environment. Discover the manatees off the coast of Florida, an octopus off the coast of France, or swimming elephants in Malaysia. (Ok, those aren't marine animals but still pretty cool. Each location has a short video and links to read more about it.

Animal Tracking- I have to be honest. I had so much fun with these I almost could not turn it off. A project called "Global Tagging Pelagic Tagging" has made available marine animal tracking data to the public so we all can learn about the patterns of animals. In this layer you find a tagged animal. For me it was the Northern Bluefin Tuna #5105032. Once I found him (or her. The gender was unknown) I learned so much! There are some cool facts about the tuna and I can see where their habitat is on the globe. I can also learn about the tag that they use to record the data. But the best part...I can follow the tuna along in Google Earth to see where it has been. So cool! There are tons of other animals like the blue whale, humpback whale, and some sharks.

State Of The Ocean-This is a very cool layer that has lots of sub layers to examine. One of the important things science teachers have to stress is why need to protect our oceans. Within this layer you can get almost up to the minute ocean observations from buoys all over the world, monitor ocean surface temperature, look at dead zones in the ocean and tons more. This layer is a great way to get kids talking about ocean protection and global climate change.

There are tons of other layers to explore. You can even turn off all the layers and just explore the ocean floor and examine continental divides, climb to the top of Mt. Everest or look at the rain forests in Brazil. If you are feeling really adventurous you can turn on the Flight Simulator and talk about the principals of flight. Oh and when you get really good, you can take the flight simulator underwater, across the ocean floor. (You can learn more about Flight Simulator here.)

Google Earth is a great program with really endless possibility for any classroom. Check out these layers and tours. And be sure to head over to Richard Byrne's blog Free Tech 4 Teachers to pick up his awesome Google Earth Guide.

How do you use Google Earth with your kids? Done something awesome? Share it in the comments!

Free Math Games for IWB's

I was trying to think of something to write about and I was looking through my Twitter feed and came across a blog posted by @JamesHollis. His latest blog post "SMARTBoard Users - Mangahigh is Now Free" caught my eye. According to the web site: "Mangahigh.com is one of the world’s first games-based-learning sites, where students learn Mathematics via purpose-built casual games that balance fun and learning." The games are tied to core standards in the US. The resources page has user guides and lesson plans tied to the different games.

According to James Hollis: "Mangahigh creates exceptionally high-quality, game-based learning resources to help Primary and Secondary students reinforce their Mathematics skills in a way that is both fun and engaging. In addition to all the great resources, the service includes assessment and analytical tools that enable teachers to monitor the progress of individual students." So, I decided to look at the website. This site will work great on any interactive whiteboards.

First, you type in your school name and then click Register to create your free account. Fill out the registration information, make sure to use your school email address. Then you can add students by sending a class list to the Mangahigh staff, or quickly generate a student list. Then you can print out your student list for students to log into the site. As the teacher, you can set challenges for your students and then analyze the performance of your class.

To start looking at a challenge, click on View Activities. You can select the grade level (starts at Grade 2 - 12), and then look for a challenge to assign to your class. Once you find one, you can play it, or click on Challenges to assign. The image below is what you see after clicking on Challenges.

When playing the above game, students must quickly type in answers to addition and subtraction problems to blow up robots. This can be done as a whole class, a center where a couple of students are at the IWB collaborating on the answers, or in a computer lab situation. Students could even access this site from home for extra help.

Teachers can sort by grade level, course level, or topic level (after choosing a particular course). The courses to choose from are: Number, Algebra, Shape and Data. After each of these courses, are the number of games related to that course. If a teacher chooses one of the courses; for instance Data, a list of topics opens for the teacher to choose from. A couple of the Topics under Data are: Probability, Measuring and Comparing Data, Averages and Range, and several other topics.

I played a couple of other games and this looks like it would interest students and be a fun way to reinforce your math lesson. Why not check it out for your school? Remember, it is free!

Want more math resources? Here is a link to my blog listing some math resources and links to my Math Diigo library.

Computer Training In Pictures

I love my job, but sometimes it can be frustrating trying to meet the needs of all the teachers and staff members in my district. I constantly look for ways to give teachers instruction that they can do on their own or in groups, together. These are not meant to replace the face-to-face training that I do or the other resources I create. They are merely there to provide that additional information some teachers/staff need.

In the past I have blogged about TechEase. This is a great training resource out of the University of South Florida that provides some really basic information for teachers on how to do everything from burning CD's to using email to hardware/software troubleshooting. While I love this site I needed something else to help give teachers a leg up on specific software they use in their classroom and I needed it to be easy to follow and understand.

In Pictures does exactly that. According to their website the In Pictures project was created as a research project for the U.S. Department of Education, with the ultimate goal of providing easy to use computer tutorials to students and adults with learning disabilities. The site contains tutorials for all major Microsoft Office Products like Word, Excel, Publisher, Power Point and Access, both the 2003 version and the 2007 version. There are also tutorials for Open Office programs, creating basic webpages, MySQL, Perl, and PHP basics.

What makes this site stand apart from all the others is their approach. Quoting from their website:

Where's the Snazzy Stuff? So where are the color screenshots? The cartoon characters? The video animations? We don't use these things, because our research showed us that:

• The simpler, the better.
  Tutorials should be as simple as possible. Multimedia animations may look nifty, but they can be hard to follow. That's why these tutorials use static screenshots.
• Black-and-white is better than color.
  Color screenshots can create a "kaleidoscope" effect that makes it difficult to focus. Black-and-white doesn't. That's why these tutorials use black-and-white screenshots.

I have already had several of my teachers tell me that they learned more going through the tutorials on this site then in any previous workshops they had. They were able to move at their pace and work side-by-side in the program and the tutorial. The screenshots they use are easy to see and the wording is very easy to follow. Overall, this is a site that I will be sending teachers to for those refreshers they sometimes need, and hey, why not use it with students? Head on over to In Pictures and learn something new today!

In Pictures-Computer Tutorials In Pictures, Not Words

What is a Graphic Novel?

Graphic novels are expressed through many frames of pictures and words. They are similar to comic books in appearance but have the depth of novels. Graphic novels are important to introduce students to for many reasons. Students are given opportunities to analyze many forms of literature. Some of these are poetry, fiction, and non fiction. Students who may not respond well to some literature might love graphic novels.

On a blog post concerning Graphic Novels on the Big Universe Blog, this comment was made providing another possible resource:

I am a creator of an online webcomic/graphic novel that is published on the web and available to read for free. It is an adventure story about ancient Egypt, and is appropriate for readers of all ages, but is probably best for middle-grade readers. I want to encourage all teachers and librarians to check it out! It’s an ongoing story, and is updated once a week.

Please visit http://www.rocketrobinson.com and check it out!

Thanks,

Sean O’Neill

Added Later:

I sent out a message on twitter (a tweet) about this blog post and the link here. Adrian Bruce (@adrianbruce) on twitter sent me a link to a Macbeth Graphic Novel. When I looked at his twitter profile, I saw a link to his website where I found some free educational resources including resources for reading and math as well as motivational posters and much more.

Keeping Your Students Motivated in the End!

Today I came across a useful blog post by Laura Candler, a National Board Certified Teacher who wrote about different ways teachers can keep their students motivated at the end of the year. This time of year is a struggle for various reasons, especially for those of you in the classroom. As spring fever sets in, schedules are switched to accommodate testing and your students are zoning out. As they become more chatty and restless perhaps you are thinking, "Now what?"

Laura suggests funneling that energy into something constructive. On her blog she shares 12 effective strategies for harnessing that energy and turning it into instructional success. Whether you need a new activity or simply a resource to create something of your own, her blog is a great place to look! I created a Popplet (my latest favorite tool for collaborating and creating concept maps) to highlight some of the strategies in her blog.

Working with Layers and ActivInspire

Lately I have been learning a lot about ActivInspire software for Promethean boards. I must say that I have really been enjoying seeing what the software could do. I am not finished looking at all the possibilities; I still have a lot to look into and learn.

The latest thing that I have been learning about is layers. The flipchart (which is what ActivInspire calls its documents) has several different layers. There are: Background layer, Bottom layer, Middle layer, and the Top layer. ActivInspire places certain items by default on certain layers.

The Background layer is what you think it is; where you would put a background. A background could be a snow scene, a seascape scene, a scene from a book, etc. The background can also be just a color or border. You cannot edit anything once it is on the Background layer. When you look in the shared resources browser, and select a background, by default it is automatically loaded into the Background layer.

The Bottom layer does not have any type of object automatically placed. You can move things to the bottom layer; for example, connectors.

The Middle layer has the most default objects placed on it. Shapes, text, images, etc. are all placed on the Middle layer. 

The Top layer is where you can use the pen (to annotate) or highlighter.

However, you can move any of the objects around from layer to layer, depending on how you are going to use the software. For instance, if I was making a page using the Magic Reveal tool, I would move a lot of my images and text to the Top layer. That is how some of the "special effects" work in ActivInspire. To move objects from one layer to the next, you only have to open the Object Browser find the objects to move, then click and drag to the appropriate layer.

I am creating a flipchart on how to create a Magic Reveal tool and hope to teach it at the Camp Inspire Workshop we will be having this summer. Hope to see you there!

More Than Bookmarking with Diigo

There are so many resources available to us now through the internet that I am having a hard time keeping up with all of them or remembering where to find the information. Sure, I can use the Favorites menu to mark a site, blog, wiki or whatever catches my eye; but I've noticed my list and folders going completely out of control and it takes me longer to find what I was looking for than necessary.

Others have mentioned using Diigo as their social bookmarking choice and I wanted to share how I've been taking advantage of its features. Some of my favorites are

• building my Library of favorites,
• organizing by tags, lists and groups,
• networking with other users with the same interests.

When I need to pull information together, I can go to Diigo.com, login and type in a tag name that will instantly bring up all my bookmarks for that search. I didn't have to remember where they all were on the web. Albert Einstein said it the best when a reporter asked him (during an interview) why he had to look up his own phone number. "Einstein replies, “Why should I memorize something when I know where to find it?”

While I'm "bookmarking" sites or articles I want to go back to later, Diigo gives me the ability to annotate a link, highlight a portion of the page, take a snapshot of the page, create lists, and even generate reports. This video from Diigo talks about each of these features.

Diigo V4: Research ~ annotate, archive, organize from diigobuzz on Vimeo.

Since I was able to import my Delicious bookmarks, I'm still working on organizing everything into a complete Archive and Lists. I love being able to access my bookmarks from anywhere that has internet access. Having my own personal database to reference and share with others are great benefits. Adding others to my network is as easy as searching for their name, choosing Follow and adding them to a Friend's List. So many resources, so much to share!

The regular Diigo account is free and being an educator, our account has some special priviledges that will allow us to create and manage student accounts and class groups. I see more collaboration in the making. My next task is to work with a teacher and her class on a collaboration project. Want to be in my network or part of a project?

Maybe you would like to try social bookmarking as a way to keep in touch and share information and resources. Give it a chance by setting up your Diigo account and adding my Diigo profile to your network by following me as a friend.

Do Some Learning...In Your Slippers

There are some really good, free webinars coming up from Simple K12. The best part? They are free, and with many of them you get some great books to take back to your classroom.

Wish there were more hours in the day?  Need new ways to improve student work ethic?  Looking for FREE web tools to improve your lesson plans? We at SimpleK12 have found some amazing free web tools, tools that will not only save you time, but inspire your students too.  And the best part is - we're sharing all of these web tools with you at this  webinar!  Plus we're giving you a free copy of SimpleK12's most popular eBook, "Hidden Webtools for 2011". This webinar and eBook (Hidden Webtools for 2011) were designed
specifically for Teacher Learning Community members but we’re opening them to the public for FREE.

Presented By: SimpleK12

Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Time: 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern Time, USA

Participants will briefly explore the history of online learning from its roots in distance learning to the explosion of the past decade in online offerings. Special attention will be given to comparisons between the traditional and virtual learning environments. *This is webinar 1 of a 7 part webinar series: 21st Century Teaching: Virtual Classrooms brought to you by SimpleK12 and Florida Virtual School

Presented By: Florida Virtual School - Steve George

Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern Time, USA

Discover how Google Forms can help you generate quick quizzes, surveys, and detailed spreadsheets with charts. This free tool helps make grading and collecting information from students a breeze. You will learn how to create a Google Form for a quiz, access the charts to evaluate data from multiple choice questions, and how to share the quiz/form with students. *Part of the webinar series: "The Wonderful World of Web Tools" -- a showcase of free, online classroom tools.

Presented By: Kim Munoz

Date: Thursday, May 19, 2011

Time: 5:00-5:20 PM Eastern Time, USA

Learn how to edit photos using Picnik, a free online photo editing service that’s a lot of fun and easy to use. It can be used to create cover pages for projects, diagrams for science, and other cool photos that can be used in a variety of projects. Examples of how it can be used in the classroom will be discussed, including how it can be used to help students understand the concept of "tone” and how it is conveyed.

*Part of the webinar series: "The Wonderful World of Web Tools" -- a showcase of free, online classroom tools.

Presented By: Kim Munoz

Date: Thursday, June 2, 2011

Time: 5:00-5:20 PM Eastern Time, USA

From new products to new features, it’s hard to keep up with everything going on at Google. Why not let the SimpleK12 Team do the work for you? We at SimpleK12 have selected our favorite Google Tips and Tools - from searching shortcuts you don’t know exist, to apps your students will die for – and during this webinar, we’re sharing them all with you! PLUS we’re giving all attendees a FREE copy of SimpleK12’s Workbook, “Searching with Google”, with real-life examples of how to use Google in the classroom. This webinar and Workbook were designed specifically for Teacher Learning Community members but we’re opening them to the public for FREE.

Presented By: SimpleK12

Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Time: 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern Time, USA

Discover how to create engaging presentations using Prezi, an online, zooming presentation tool that allows the viewer to see the “big picture” as well as the small details in a presentation. Change your traditional PowerPoint slides into something amazing and engaging. In this session, you will learn how to create an account, how to make your first prezi, and examples of how to use Prezi in the classroom.

*Part of the webinar series: "The Wonderful World of Web Tools" -- a showcase of free, online classroom tools.

Presented By: Kim Munoz

Date: Thursday, June 16, 2011

Time: 1:00-1:20 PM Eastern Time, USA

Twitter has been described as a raging river of information. You can either jump in and ride the rapids or just dip in your toe. Either way, you are potentially going to be overwhelmed with information. So, how do you keep up with it all? Join Steven Anderson as he discusses just how he does it. Learn about the tools, tips, and tricks he uses to stay on top of the Twitter stream.

Presented By: Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom)

Date: Thursday, July 7, 2011

Time: 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Eastern Time, USA

There are tons more webinars over the summer and if you become a member of the Teacher Learning Community you can take part in even more. Check out the webinar website for details on how to join the sessions and dates, times, and topics of other sessions.

So learn something new...in your bunny slippers!

So you want to be a better writer ....

On Monday nights on Twitter, a group of 4th grade teachers meet, talk, and share resources using the hashtag #4thchat. I found this chat by accident a few weeks ago and wrote a blog post about the night they shared Math resources. Last night's chat was about Social Media in the Classroom. The 4th grade chat has a wiki where they post the resources shared during the chat, the chat archives, and many of resources relevant to 4th grade. They even have their own logo for the #4thchat! :)

When I was a 4th grade teacher, I primarily taught Narrative Writing (for two years, I taught 3 writing classes each day). I decided to look through the archives to see if I could find anything about writing since I really like that type of resource. I found an archive of a whole chat devoted to just that topic. I picked a few resources to share but would strongly encourage you to go look at the whole archive since you never know what you might find (even if you don't teach 4th grade).

• Steven W. Anderson and I do a weekly podcast on Instructional Technology, so the mention of a narrative writing podcast caught my attention. That blog post from Maureen Devlin (@lookforsun) outlines the steps involved in the process, share the numerous benefits, and even provides some examples. Maybe I need to find a 4th grade class to try this with next year ....
• Another resource called 30 Ideas for Teaching Writing was also shared:The ideas shared in this resources are great as standalone strategies and also work well when paired together:

The National Writing Project's 30 Ideas for Teaching Writing offers successful strategies contributed by experienced writing project teachers. Since NWP does not promote a single approach to teaching writing, readers will benefit from a variety of eclectic, classroom-tested techniques.

• Finding the presentation called "Writing for Real" from Angela Maiers was a definite plus. Angela Maiers is an independent consultant from Des Moines, IA. She shares so many great ideas both on her website and in her presentation (I have been lucky to attend one of her presentations before).

Writing For Real Reading Recovery Conference

View more presentations from Angela Maiers

ActivExpression Update?

Do you have ActivExpressions in your school? Do you know if they are up to date and current with the version of Firmware that is on them? Do you even know what I am talking about?

If not, then keep reading so that you can make sure that your ActivExpressions are up to date so they can work with the newest version of ActivInspire and the features that are available in the Question Editing system.

So how do you know what version of firmware is on your ActivExpression. Well if you can turn on the device you can pretty much know what version you have. If you look at the bottom of the screen when you turn on the device the firmware version number shows up briefly and then disappears. Now don't worry there is another way to see the information without having to keep turning the device on and off to catch a glimpse. When the Expression is on you will need to press the Menu button. After you do that in the display area you will see three options press the "Dot" next to the word Diagnostic. The second line down in the list is the Firmware version that the Expression is running. You should have 9.02.39 which is the current version. The 9.02 is the software and 39 is the Build number which is also shown as B39. If you did not completely understand the above directions I have a short video that demos the steps to see the version number.

So what do you do next if you need to update your ActivExpressions? There are a number of steps that are involved to make sure that each unit in your bag is updated properly. The best way to accomplish this is to sit down and update all of them at the same time instead of trying to do some here and there. That is unless you keep up with the ones that you have updated each time you start another group of units. The easiest for me that I have found is to do them all at once. It leaves no room for marginal error and you can determine any problems that occur right then.

Below is the full video of how to check and update your ActivExpressions.

Get Your Classroom Popping with BrainPOP Educators!

As a classroom teacher BrainPOP Educators was one of the resources I loved using. Even if your school has not purchased a subscription, BrainPop Educators is a FREE resource they offer to all teachers. One of my favorite resources is their graphic organizers. With 55 graphic organizers and counting, they’ve become a valuable resource in my bag of tricks. Whether you are showing a BrainPOP or studying current events, you can find a useful graphic organizer no matter what content you teach. One day you might be teaching your students how to take proper notes through the use of outlines (a yearly battle I fought as a middle school teacher) and the next day you could be tapping into your student’s artistic side by having them create a comic strip through the use of a storyboard. BrainPOP Educators makes changing things up easy and saves you time by not having to reinvent the wheel.

Another valuable tool is their jazzed up flashcard templates (in the shape of Tim, BrainPOP’s main character). Teaching my students how to study was often a struggle. As part of their review and/or homework, I would print off flashcard templates (shrinking two pages into one on the copier to save paper) and assign it as their wrap up activity for the day. Perception is key, so I knew having them create three simple flashcards 2-3 nights a week was going to be more successful instead of assuming they would make note cards on their own to study with.

Last but certainly not least, there are lesson plans (K-12) and free webinars teachers can access through BrainPOP Educators. I’ve seen some great real life math lessons like “Good Advice on Credit Cards” that examines the advantages and disadvantages of using credit cards. Then there is “We’re Banking on It” which helps students understand the basic purpose banks serve in our economy and why/how they lend money. With over 850+ free resources, lesson ideas, graphic organizers, posters, etc., it’s definitely worth a look. Check it out!

Work Your Way Up the Studyladder

As I was scrolling through Twitter this morning, I came across a tweet from @teachersharetp (Toby Price). He created a Livebinder on using Special Needs SMART Notebook Lessons. I am always on the lookout for something that can be used with Interactive White Boards (IWB). When I went to Mr. Price's resources web page, I found a link to something called Studyladder. (I also noticed that he has a Studyladder Livebinder on his resource page.) Anyway, I decided to go and check out the instructional resources in Studyladder.

I first went and previewed some activities, and the next thing I looked at was pricing. As educators, we are always curious to find out how much something costs! Imagine my surprise when I saw that as a teacher, you can register and get a free account with Studyladder. Here is a video clip about Studyladder:

After creating my own account, I went in and started looking at some of the Literacy resources. I opened the one for Kindergarten and Concentration game. When I got to that page, I noticed in the upper right corner a link to "Open Whiteboard version". Score!!!

 

Studyladder also has activities for Math, Science, Music, and Art. Each interactivity has a whiteboard version so that you could use these on your Interactive White Board. Why not go and check out this resource for your class?

Next Vista For Learning

Last week I talked a little bit about Common Craft and the In Plain English video series. (If you missed it, check it out here.) So it seems I am hung up on videos because I have another great site that has tons of great videos to help you learn new concepts, present information in ways that might not be quite conventional and some that are just plain awesome.

I consider Rushton Hurley one of the most forward thinking educators around. He has been a Keynote speaker all across the country this year at several state technology conferences and other places. I had the honor of hearing him at my state conference, NCTIES, a few months ago. Just a brilliant mind. I also got to talk to him for a few moments and I can just tell he really cares about kids and improving learning.

Now, I had heard of this website, Next Vista, before but it wasn't until several months ago that I made the connection to Rushton. See, Next Vista, is one of Rushton's projects. And I am so glad it is!

Alright, so what is Next Vista? According to the website:

"Next Vista works to make learning more engaging, with a focus on helping students start strong with any topic they study. Its central project is a free, online library of teacher- and student-made short videos for learners everywhere. Next Vista believes a strong four-minute video could save students days or weeks of frustration by providing a variety of presentations on the topics that give them trouble."

Videos are made by adults, but mostly by kids. They are also reviewed for content so you can trust what you get here. And you know, they are really good. 

There are three collections.

First is the Light Bulb Collection. These are videos to introduce topics to students. They also can serve to show a different way of thinking about particular topics. This collection is organized by subject area and topic. There are your standard math, language arts, history, etc. But there is also videos related to careers, technology, world languages and visual arts.

Here is a video I found on FOIL in math.



Just an example of the type of video you will find. Short, fun and engaging.

Another collection is Global Views. As the site says, reading about another place or community can help to make a connection but when there is a video it is a bit more easier to make that connection. These are videos, organized by continent, created by kids that share what life is like in their corner of the world.

Here is a video about what life is like in Lagos, Nigeria.



The last collection is all about Seeing Service. These are videos all about good deeds and kids doing for others. It's a small but powerful collection from around the world.

Here is one on efforts to eliminate poverty in South America.



All the videos are downloadable and embeddable so you can use them in class or kids can use them in projects.

Perhaps you have an idea for a video. Go ahead and submit one and add to the collective knowledge. Or better yet, maybe your kids could create some videos.

So add Next Vista to the ol' bookmark bar or save it to your favorites and the next time you are needing a new or different way to introduce or reinforce the content in your classroom head over to Next Vista and see what they have.

Can Podcasting Be Used More In The Classroom?

Podcasting is one of those things I feel is underutilized in the classroom. It is a fun and effective way for students and teachers to produce creative projects or broadcast information. There are so many reasons teachers can use it with their students or as part of their instruction. I created a “Podcasting Using Audacity” course in Moodle that teachers take. Teachers from many different grade levels and subjects have taken the class and continue to do so. I enjoy reading their posts in the forums. Here are some of their comments about using Audacity in their class. I hope to see it used even more in the classroom.

Audacity is free and an awesome digital audio editing tool.

“There are so many great ways podcasts could be used. I worry about the availability of headsets, but I'm sure there is a way around that. Student projects could be greatly improved. Students could narrate their power point presentations. It would be particularly good for students who are shy in front of the class. I once had a student dissolve into tears as she attempted a recitation from Macbeth. I wish I had had access to this when she was here.”

“I also think students could use this to liven up presentations of their own writing or recitations from literature. It could lead to a really interesting discussion of tone. Using their musical selection to help set up the discussion.”

“Thanks for opening this door!”

“I could post a podcast on my website to explain assignments or give a broad overview of a unit or even the course.”

“I think it could be useful for students to use for projects. Particularly when we do plays, students could create their own podcasts of scenes from plays.”

“It would also be useful when I am absent. I could create a podcast for the substitute to play which would give me more control when I am out of the classroom.”

“I could put podcasts explaining typical homework issues or short lessons. Students could then access my voice, using the teaching methods and vocabulary that they are used to, at home if they have questions about concepts.”

“I could also have students create podcasts that explain concepts. We could use this as a review before the EOC--divide them into groups and have them become experts on one particular standard/goal. That way, each review would be posted on the webpage and students could access information on each when working practice problems and studying for exams.”

“Because creating a podcast requires practice and several takes I think it's also a way to expose students to public speaking without the fear of a live audience. As they become comfortable with podcasts they can build the confidence needed to speak in front a group.”

“I think podcasting is an excellent way for students to demonstrate knowledge of a topic.”

“I can see using Audacity several ways. From an instructional standpoint I could create podcasts or with instructions for self-paced lessons or post podcasts on my website for students to use when working on assignments or projects at home.”

“From a learning standpoint, I could have my students use audacity to create their own podcasts to use for peer teaching or as an addition to class blogs. Currently I'm having my students create short videos and they could use Audacity to create a track for voice-overs as part of their projects.”

“In high school math, I can use audacity to have explanations on my website. I can also have students work in pairs to do mini-radio broadcasts explaining how to solve different kinds of problems. The idea of leaving directions for a substitute is a great one, too.”

“In parent communication, I like using audacity to create messages for parents and to have engaging audio (in comparison to the Alert Now messages) on various topics.”

“This training has taught me a lot and has given me different ways to communicate with my students.”

“I can't wait to use Audacity with my class.”

“I think that students will be more engaged and will work harder to produce quality work knowing that anyone can listen to their voice.”

“I think it would be great to have explanations of how to solve different problems. I also think that students could create explanations in a student tutorial space.”

“I also saw the Donors Choose idea of getting headsets for my class. Great Ideas!!!”

“I would use audacity to help me explain lessons that I teach repeatedly. It would save my voice. Students would also be more receptive to hearing my directions with music. This would be a great tool to create instructions that I could leave for substitute teachers. The directions would be easy to follow.”

A Question A Day

So we have now had a new multi-touch mobile SMARTBoard with the extreme short throw projector in our office for a little over a month now and I have to weigh in on it.

First off the multi-touch capability for me has to be one of the best features of the board. The ability to have two people working on the board at the same time is a great feature. As well the ability to size images similarly to what an iPad/iPod, SMARTTable or Microsoft Surface can do with the multi-point drag feature. Most of the rest of the board features are the same as they were before but with a couple of tweaks here and there for upgrades and add-ons.

So what have we been doing with it for the past month? We have been asking questions. I know you may be thinking, why or what? We wanted to see how people reacted to the board as they were coming into and through the office. The questions are more of a prompt than anything else in that we want people to touch and interact with the board. Some people have come in and asked us what it is, while others know what it is and just keep going. We have had some takers with the questions that we have been asking. Things like, what is your favorite cereal, to thought provoking ones about your favorite quotes. The main thing is that people are touching the board and asking questions about it.

So as a teacher, I have to ask you how do you use your interactive white board (IWB)? Whether it is a Promethean ActiveBoard or a SMARTBoard. Do you just look at it in the room? Is it just a fixture on the wall, or stand? Or is it a tool that you use within your classroom? The best thing that you can do with your IWB is use it, and if you do not understand something just ask. I am pretty sure that there is someone in your building that can answer or is willing to help you to get the answers to your questions. Remember that you have an on-site technology facilitator as well as a District Instructional Technologist that are here to help you to better understand the tool so that you can make it an effective, integrated and productive part of your instructional day.

Workspace Memory Errors

I’m writing this blog because a few teachers have come across this error message when using Interwrite Workspace. It’s a memory error and it looks like this: “disk full while accessing user\Interwrite Workspace\IW Autosave.GWB”. The reason the teacher is receiving this message is because their H drive is full. By default Workspace auto saves the workbook every 5 minutes. If the teacher’s H drive is full, the program has no place to save the file. There are a couple of things you can do. First of all, I would ask the teacher to clean out their H drive. That should probably be done anyway. The second thing is to open the Workspace program, click on the small triangle in the top of the main toolbox to bring down the menu and choose preferences. In the options tab, you will see the auto save section near the bottom of the preferences window. The default is to auto save every 5 minutes. However, you can disable it and solve your memory error. Of course you would need to save the workbook to a location of your choice. The 3^rd option is to create a folder on your C drive and set that folder as the “GWB Folder”. Workspace will auto save there and you won’t have the memory errors anymore. Create the folder on your C drive first. Open preferences and the “options tab”. Be sure the “default GWB folder” is selected. Click browse, navigate to the folder you created on the C drive to save the Workspace files and select it. Then click ok to close the preferences window.

What Does a 21st Century Learner Look Like?

So often we hear the phrase “21st Century Learner,” but what does that actually mean? This exact question was asked of me by one of my professors awhile back and I admit, it caught me off guard. Not only was I put on the spot, but I too pondered the same question for quite some time. The only truthful way I knew to go about answering this question was to draw on my own experience and intuition. I sat and pictured my students in my classroom and visualized what I wanted to see them doing...

- Communicating
- Collaborating
- Problem Solving
- Evaluating
- Innovating

To be fair, I asked the same question in regards to teachers. ”What does a 21st Century Teacher look like?” If we are supposed to prepare these students for the future, how does that change our role as teachers? Teaching literacy, no longer means teaching someone to read and write with paper and pencil. Today, literacy is digital literacy. We need to facilitate and inspire creativity amongst ourselves and our students! As 21st Century Teachers we need to continue to...

- Design authentic and relevant lessons that engage students
- Model digital citizenship
- Communicate ideas effectively
- Collaborate using digital media/formats
- Be a life long learner!

Moving forward in 2011, we must prepare ourselves for what issues lie ahead as we strive to prepare our students for the 21st century. In order to create 21 century learners, teachers and administrators need support! Teachers need time to develop/redevelop their lessons to include the use of digital technologies. Teachers need to be comfortable with the technology they are using and not be afraid to update their methods. Teachers need strong leadership that values technology and understands how it can enhance the curriculum. Instead of pushing for high test scores, we need to teach students to think critically and decide whether or not a piece of information is credible. One must know how to identify a problem, think through solutions and explore new options if their solutions don't work. If students can do that then high test scores should follow because students can actually be problem solvers and informed decision makers. Now is the time to not just think outside the box, but think through them, be a risk takers and be creative!