Preparing Rising 6 & 9th Graders with Multimedia

As a 6 and 9th grade teacher you prepare every year to get a brand new crop of wide eyed students that have no idea of what they are in for as they move into Middle and High School.  Most of these students will not get much information in the way of what to expect as they move from one school to the next.  This is a big step for either grade level.  So what can we do to prepare them?

Most of these students will not know what to expect until the first day of school.  It can be overwhelming to some perplexing to others and even frightful to a few.  So how do we help prepare our students for the next level of our education?  Well let's see if we can reach them on their level and make it fun and make it fun at the same time.  Why not create a real world scenario using Problem-Based Learning to have your current students design a video for incoming students to help ease their minds and answer some of their questions.

It makes a good argument for teachers to build off the Research Writing that falls into the fourth quarter curriculum.  As well it can bring in needed Information Technology Essential Standards that may not normally be seen in the classroom on a regular basis.

The Scenario:

You are a rising 6/9th grade student and you do not know what to expect from the school that you are getting ready to start in the fall.  What information would you want to know about ahead of time so that you are prepared on the first day of school?

From this your students should be able to:

research information about the school

create a list of possible questions 

produce a video outlining what a rising student would need to know.

So then it comes down to what do you need to know to be a 6/9th grader?  Have your students collaborate to come up with ideas on what the most important things are that they should share about the school.  Let them be as creative as they want to be, the sky is the limit.  Some of your students will more than likely surprise you with what they come up with.  

It is a great focusing activity for the end of the year as well for your students that might be starting to tune out due to the impending summer vacation.  Most will not even realize that they are doing something curriculum based or part of a lesson because they will be entrenched in creating a video project.  

Who knows you might have a up and coming screenwriter, director or actor in your class and this will become the launching pad for their career.  

photo credit: MACSD via photopin cc

Watch, Know, Learn

A few weeks ago You Tube announced their commitment to education by moving a lot of their educational content to a separate domain, http://youtube.com/education. This allows schools and districts to, depending on their filtering, unblock the videos found there for use in the classroom. Here it has been open for a while and reaction has been positive.

However, one of the complaints is the variety of the content found there. Much of it is for secondary and higher ed, leaving the elementary folks with out a solution.

Until now.

I have known about WatchKnowLearn for a while now. While it looks like your typical video site, it isn't. It's a powerful tool for you to use in your classroom.

When you first visit the site you will see several things:

• The Featured Videos Section-This is an ever changing list of the best content found on the site
• The Most Recently Posted Section
• The Highest Rated Section
• The Most Viewed Section

While all of those are great places to start, most folks are going to want to drill down to their subject area. There is a place to do that on the left. 

You can see that in many of the content areas there are over 1000 videos and in the major core areas the numbers top 4000. And just look at the variety of content there! When you go into and area you get topics and sub topics and in some cases sub sub subtopics. 

Sure, you can drill down. Sure you can search. But maybe you just want to search by the age of your students. You can do that too. 

Take the slider from either side until you have the desired age range. Put in your topic and off you go. Wanna search more than just WatchKnowLearn? Use the drop down to search School Tube or Teacher Tube also. 

All of the videos are reviewed by teachers and the folks at the site for their quality and applicability to the content area and age level. The comments are also a great place to learn how other educators are using the videos in the classroom. 

WatchKnowLearn is a wonderful addition to your arsenal of video sites. You can get lost in all the great content. So head over there and definitely check it out!

What is the matter?

Here are some ideas I had for using videos and activities to help students identify properties of the three forms of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) and use movement to demonstrate the distinct properties of each state of matter (movement of molecules):

Brainstorm Introduction: Open class by asking questions and have students record responses on something like WallWisher, Bubbl.us, or chart paper ( for the beginning of a KWL Chart):

• What do we know about a Solid? a Liquid? a Gas?
• Can we think of some examples?
• Can we hold a Solid? a Liquid? a Gas?
• Can we touch a Solid? a Liquid? a Gas?
• Can we feel a Solid? a Liquid? a Gas?
• Can we see a Solid? a Liquid? a Gas?
• Can we taste a Solid? a Liquid? a Gas?
• Do we have any ideas about how these are made?

Video Introduction

• Direct students to look for examples of Solids, Liquids, Gases that we can add to the chart
• States of Matter Video
• Ask students about things they noticed in the video and think should be added to the Primary Wall chart (examples, qualities, interesting facts ….). Save the Primary Wall chart for later use. Students can also add questions they have about the states of matter to the Primary Wall chart.

Video/Song/Movement

• Ask students what they remember about solids, liquids, and gases. Show the chart to help refresh memories.
• Today we are going to look at some other ways these three states of matter are different.
• Tell students: “Everybody stand up. When I count to 3, I want you to move and shake while still at your desk.” Have students move around
• Questions: Did we all move the same way? Did we all move at the same speed? Do you think the molecules in solids, liquids, and gases move the same way and at the same speed?
• Direct students to look and listen for things about states of matter that can be added to the Primary Wall chart, especially things about the way the molecules move
• View What is Matter Video
• Discuss movement of molecules in 3 states of matter and have students demonstrate how they differ  (highlight the vocabulary words throughout the discussions)
• Whole Class Movement Activity: students move faster or slower depending on which state of matter you call out (liquid, solid, gas)
• Discuss what causes the change from one state of matter to the other
• Whole Class Movement Activity: students are molecules and then speed up or slow down related to evaporation or condensation
• Listen to Song : http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/studyjams/matter_states/
• Show words while song is playing (possibly have printouts)
• Play song again and encourage students to sing along
• Have students add a few of the things learned to the chart created at the beginning of the unit. Students can also add questions they have about the states of matter to the chart, as well as look at the the questions added previously to see if any have been answered.

During these activities, students will be encouraged to discover information about the specific topic rather than just being told the information by the teacher. This will be done by involving students in the watching, listening, and discussing the videos, songs, and activities. Instead of the teacher providing notes for the students to copy, the students will be involved in creating the class notes by brainstorming things to add to the chart all along the way. The focus of the lessons in this unit is on the content that is being learned and not on the technology that is being used (videos and primary wall). The visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learning styles of students are each addressed in the activities in this unit.

The videos and technology tools used in this unit were chosen based on the way they could be used to address the content. I am not sure that using three videos is necessarily the best way to integrate technology to meet all student needs to cover one standard. I chose to break apart the videos into three distinct times/days with activities and/or questions to go along with each video. Just showing videos to students is no guarantee of learning.

image source

Everyday Should Be Science Friday!

Today as I was looking for resources for some middle school Science teachers, I came across some great sites that intrigued me. I admit, Science was never my strongest subject in school. However, if I had a website like Science Friday to peak my interest, perhaps I'd be more prone to do some of my own exploring.

Science Friday is a weekly Science talk show on NPR each week. Each week the show focuses on Science topics that are being discussed in the news. Their goal is to "bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand." The Science Friday website has engaging videos and tutorials that will have your students talking about Science. One of my favorite videos is "Where's the Octopus?" Can you find the octopus?


For more videos, check out the Science Friday video library.

Explaining Technology, In Plain English

One of the things that many of us who train teachers struggle with is finding explanations or the whys of certain  types of tech. Twitter, blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasting, etc, all can be very complex for those just starting out and learning how they can integrate these into their classroom.

Fortunately, all of us have Common Craft.

Simply, their product is their explanation. They create wonderfully animated videos called "In Plain English" that do just that. These videos really break down technology so that anyone can get it. I use this videos for just about every workshop or training I do. Why? Because, just like they say, their product is their explanation.

Here are some of my favorites:

Twitter in Plain English

Blogs in Plain English

Google Docs in Plain English

There are tons more:
Augmented Reality In Plain English

Podcasting

RSS

Wikipedia (This one is brand new and does a great job of explaining exactly how Wikipedia works and how we can better use it as a resource.)

Protecting Online Reputations (This is also another one I use a lot with kids and parents.)

And that is still not all of their technology line.

Oh, technology not your thing? No problem. there are videos for how to prepare an emergency plan, how a U.S. President is elected, everything you wanted to know about borrowing money and how CFL lightbulbs work. Oh and in case you were wondering, Zombies In Plain English.

So if you are a person just starting out in the world of technology, a trainer or just someone who wants to know more about how the world works, head over to Common Craft and check out their videos.

Using Digital Video to Engage Students

Digital media are buzz words you often hear in education today. Thankfully, research is showing us that using digital media to create digital videos is paying off in the classroom. I recently read an article in the Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) journal about three beginning English Language Arts (ELA) teachers and how they used digital videos to engage their students.

The teachers wanted to find a way to get students to look beyond the literal meaning of a piece of text and believed digital video was the right strategy for helping students to achieve this objective. Students were to explore a piece of literature, poem, etc. and capture the human experience from it in a digital video. The teachers were thrilled with the profound ways the students were able to share their opinions, thoughts, and feelings through images, sound, and minimal print text. All three teachers shared a common opinion; a traditional teaching tool (writing a paper) would not have produced the same creative result.

What was the result? By having students create digital videos, their literacy skills (storytelling, plot development, personal voice, etc.) and writing skills (researching, storyboarding, drafting, revising, and adding/deleting content) had improved. Students were challenged because they really had to think about what they saw before they could start the project. Considering most students engage regularly with a variety of digital media outside of school, we should build on that exposure in the classroom. Giving students the right tools for creative expression will engage students and promote higher thinking skills.

Image from: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659

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.

Need Videos for Your Curriculum?

It seems that most of the time when we think about using a video to go along with our lesson, YouTube pops into our minds. I know it is probably the most popular website for videos, but it really causes concern for teachers and school districts because of the inappropriate content available to anyone and everyone. WS/FCS blocks YouTube in our district like so many other school districts.

WS/FCS has two fantastic, educational paid solutions, Learn360 and netTrekker, for teachers to find video. They are correlated with the NCSCOS and many examples have already been linked inside the lessons in Learning Village. The videos within both applications have been checked out by educators and are approved by our District because they follow CIPA guidelines.  Along with these two wonderful resources, maybe you would like to check out a few additions and/or alternatives that have been approved by our Software Clearinghouse:

 
Great educational site with videos, images, and other Teacher Resources

        Wonderful site where you can browse categories, find Educator Resources, watch and upload videos, and much more.


Kid's video site, filtered and has two rules - be kind, positive, and encouraging with comments and NO profanity



Although there are many choices out on the web, why not try using one of these to compliment your next lesson?

Creating Video with Sound on the Lumens DC 166 Document Camera

It’s relatively simple to create a video file using the Lumens DC 166 document camera. It’s not as easy to create a video file that includes sound. So here is the way I did it. The first step is to click the video record button in the Ladibug software. You have to click the advanced button to see the video button. I do it this way so that I can choose where to save the file. I don’t want to save the video file on the hard drive of the video camera. The video is saved as an avi file. The next step is to open the video in a minimized window. This will open in Windows Media Player. I moved it the bottom half of my computer screen. I plugged in my headset (microphone/headphone combination) and double clicked the sound icon in the system tray to make sure my speaker and microphone was not muted. I opened Audacity. I played the video from the document camera and narrated the video while I recorded my voice in Audacity. Audacity has many options to edit the sound recording so it’s ok if you make a mistake. When I was happy with my sound recording, I exported it as a wav file. Then I opened Windows Movie Maker. I’m only going this option because Movie Maker is free. It wouldn’t be my number one choice, but that’s ok. Import your video file and your audio file into Movie Maker. Make sure you switch to the timeline mode of Movie Maker. Drag your video file to the video area of the timeline and the audio file to the audio/music area of the timeline. Save the project. You don’t have very many video editing options in Movie Maker. You can only cut part of the beginning or the end but keep in mind it is a free program. You would have a lot more options if you used Adobe Premiere Elements but that would run you about $50.00. The last thing you need to do in Movie Maker is to save the file so that it can be played on any computer. The file is saved as a wmv file and can be played in Windows Media Player. If you are going to record your lessons and place them on your website be sure to break up the video files so that they are not so memory intensive.

How To Add Audio To Your Video Recordings Using The Lumens Document Camera DC 166

If you have used the document camera in your classroom you know what an invaluable piece of equipment it is. It offers you the capability to zoom in on flat or 3 dimensional objects so that someone in Kansas could see what you are talking about. The document camera can even be turned up to show the students in the class. Of course you are going to have to rotate the image so that they are not hanging from the ceiling. You also have the ability to freeze images and capture them for current and subsequent viewing purposes. However, what I'm going to tell you in this blog deals with recording video with the document camera and in particular recording the audio with it. All you need is a mini plug to mini plug cord. Radio Shack and other places sell this cord 6 feet in length for $4.00. Of course you probably only need a 3 foot length. The mini plug is the same end as the head phone cord you plug into your ipod or mp3 player. You just need to have the mini plug on both ends. Plug one end into the RS232 port which is the audio port of the document camera. Plug the other end into the ALD out of the Lightspeed 850iR Audio System component (which is #5 in the diagram) and turn the volume all the way up (also shown in the diagram). It's not going to be easy to get to the back of the Lightspeed Control box. It might be easier to unscrew the back of the classroom cart for easier access. Now when you record your video using the document camera you can use the wireless mic to record your voice as well. Remember if you are in the document camera mode, you must insert a SD card and save to it. However, if you are in the computer mode, you can save the video to a place of your choosing such as a thumb drive. Now you have the capability of recording your lessons with amazing visual and audio clarity. Enjoy the technology and remember to involve your students in your lessons.

Did U Know: Doc Cam combined with CPU Software

It has been a while since I have written about the uses of Document Cameras in your classrooms but I need to remind you again of some of the features that you can do that you may not have thought about.

Whether or not you have a Lumens, AverMedia, Dukane or Elmo you can software that may already be on your computer to interact with it. I call it the Combined Mode of Doc Cam use.

Now we have multiple applications in our school system that will allow you to go beyond the normal use of your Doc Cam. Some things that you may not have even thought about, some you have, some I may not have even thought about and you can Comment about those uses for my and the other readers benefit.

Remember back a number of months ago I told you about how the Doc Cam software allowed you to create a video, well you can then take that video ( in .avi format ) and upload it to Windows Move Maker, or iMovie and edit, change or modify it as you see fit so that it can then be rebroadcast for those students that were not in class on the day of that classroom assignment. Yes, for those students that are absent they can get caught up by watching the videos you make using the Doc Cam. Now in our school system we have the ability to load these videos to our School Websites and if you are reading this in another School System you may have the same ability as well.

If you have an IWB solution in your school system you have the ability to open up your Doc Cam software and display it on your board, monitor, screen, wall or other display medium and then you can annotate over the image using the available IWB software, ActivInspire, SMARTBoard, eInstruction, etc.. and then save the information to review again or to share with students that are out of the classroom.

The capabilities of use with combining both your document camera software with the computer software is limited by your imagination. I have just supplied two different ways, of the multitude available, to use them together but hope that you will take this information and figure out some others to share.

"Best of" Edition: Great Examples of Animoto

Animoto is not new. It's been available for educators to use for years, and Evan wrote a blog post on Animoto back in 2008. So although I'll mention Animoto and how fantastic it is, and how it has so many uses in your classroom, I want this blog post to be about showcasing some fabulous teachers and how they've used Animoto. In this post I'm giving a little pat on the back to some folks who deserve it, and perhaps provide a little inspiration to anyone out there considering using Animoto.

I've been working with several elementary schools this year, and at many of the schools we've covered Animoto as one of our professional development sessions. These are just a few of the really impressive Animoto videos created by teachers at some of the schools I work with.

• Observing Ocean Life by Ms. Johnson - what a great way to showcase student work.
• Fifth Grade Field Trip by Mr. Plane - field trip video embedded in his blog is a unique way for students to reflect on the trip they just took or to prep the next group of students (check out the student comments on the blog).
• Super Snowpeople by Ms. Larson - what better way to excite a kindergarten class studying snowmen than to show a quick video.
• Winter Party 2009 by Ms. Edwards - this video is a great way to share and preserve the experience with parents and community.
• 2009-2010 Speas Artwork by Ms. Laney- another great way to showcase student artwork for all to see.
• Eshlemania at Sciworks by Ms. Eshleman - What student wouldn't be excited about going to Sciworks after seeing this video clip?

It's great to see some of the fantastic ways teachers use technology to support learning and the ways Animoto can be used in the classroom.

Cable: A Classroom Connection

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

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

Adding Video or Audio to CPS Questions

We always create questions in the assessments we give to our students to test their knowledge of the content we hope they have learned and understand. What if we could add audio or video files to those questions to give them a deeper understanding of the content we are asking them about? You can add a video or an audio file to the questions in CPS. Here is how that is accomplished. Open CPS, (version 5.6) and click on the prepare tab. For this example, I’m going to go with the fact that you already have typed your questions. Click on the lesson (test) name you want to edit the questions in. The questions in that test will be listed on the right side of the window. Double click the question you want to add the audio or video file to. In the options area choose “notes and media” from the question drop down. Click on the audio/video tab in the question note window. Click browse and navigate to your audio or video file and double click it. Click “ok’ in the CPS – fine details window. Then click “save & close”. Click save and close (two separate buttons this time).

Now you are ready to give the test. Click on the engage tab. Put a check next to the name of your lesson (test). Click the engage button. The test will have to be teacher lead since the students will have to either hear the audio or watch the video. Click on the notes button and select your video (or audio). The video will play and your students will then answer the question.

Adding Video or Audio to CPS Questions

always create questions in the assessments we give to our students to test their knowledge of the content we hope they have learned and understand. What if we could add audio or video files to those questions to give them a deeper understanding of the content we are asking them about? You can add a video or an audio file to the questions in CPS. Here is how that is accomplished. Open CPS, (version 5.6) and click on the prepare tab. For this example, I’m going to go with the fact that you already have typed your questions. Click on the lesson (test) name you want to edit the questions in. The questions in that test will be listed on the right side of the window. Double click the question you want to add the audio or video file to. In the options area choose “notes and media” from the question drop down. Click on the audio/video tab in the question note window. Click browse and navigate to your audio or video file and double click it. Click “ok’ in the CPS – fine details window. Then click “save & close”. Click save and close (two separate buttons this time).

Now you are ready to give the test. Click on the engage tab. Put a check next to the name of your lesson (test). Click the engage button. The test will have to be teacher lead since the students will have to either hear the audio or watch the video. Click on the notes button and select your video (or audio). The video will play and your students will then answer the question.

Getting Ready for College

Are you getting ready for college, or are you still deciding? Trying to figure out where to go and what it will be like can be a daunting task.

Would it be a better thing if you could get a sample of what life is like prior to actually showing up on move in day? I know some of you are saying "..but I went to orientation." What about those who were not able to go to orientation or have just now decided on which school to attend.

Do not worry you can now go to YouTube EDU to check out what campus life is like. The site contains a lot of free video clips from colleges and university's that have been pulled from their regular YouTube channel. You can easily search for your college by using the Directory or you can check out the Most Viewed or Most Subscribed tabs. They have more than just interviews with students there are also information about classes as well as recently added materials like commencement speeches and clips from Oprah Winfrey.

image provided by YouTube.com

Problems Converting Video?

Are you still having problems finding a program that will allow you to convert videos into multiple formats other than your original format?

Try Any Video Converter, a program that allows you to convert video into multiple formats. A freeware program that offers you the ease of use of a three step process to convert your video files into new formats.

Now you do have to download the program and install it onto your computer. It does not take much time at all. It is a fairly small download and a short install that puts Any Video Converter onto your computer.

It is very easy to get started, just open the program. Select from the Profile drop down menu the output video format. ex: .flv, .wmv, .mpg, .avi and others. After you choose the output format then click on the Add Video button and browse to the location on the computer where the video is. After you select the video click the Convert button and the process begins. If the programs asks you to upgrade to the pro version just click No Thanks. The new file is placed in the Any Video Converter located in your My Documents folder.

And that is it, that quick and your are off to the next thing. You also have the ability to watch the video in the program to see if there are any issues after the conversion.

One last thing is that you can convert files from YouTube, Google Video, MetaCafe and NicoVideo. They do not have a link yet that would allow you to download from TeacherTube but it should be coming soon. Just click on the You Tube button.

Give it a try and see if this program relieves a little bit of stress that you have built up over time with trying to find programs and free trials to convert your video files.

images provided by Any Video Converter

Lights! Camera! Action!

Every student in your class can be a film producer. Yes, every student. Questions you may ask yourself…

Why would I want them to produce a film?

What good would it do?

How would that even fit into my curriculum?

Which types of equipment, tools and resources would I need to make it happen?

When would I have time to add this type of project into my curriculum?

All very good questions! Here are some answers!

• Choose a unit, (goal/objective) based within the NC Standard Course of Study
  
• Gather digital cameras or Flip Cameras from your Media Center and/or teachers at your school
  
• Teach the lesson as you normally would...
• At the end of the lesson, have the students use the camera to shoot footage depicting their perspective of the lesson - showing you (visually) what they have learned!
  
• Allow them class time for making/producing the video. Be sure to find out which students have access to cameras at home!
• Have the students upload the video footage into Windows Movie Maker (or video-editing software of your choice) to make any necessary edits, add text, music, narration, etc.
  
• Decide on a red-carpet “Premiere” Day and showcase each of the students' documentaries!
  
• Check out these resources to help your students along the way... Roadmaps and Characteristics. These informational links are courtesy of Digital Documentaries.

Want a specific example?

• Eighth Grade: Social Studies
• Competency Goal 1 – Objective 1.01: Assess the impact of geography on the settlement and developing economy of the Carolina colony

What footage could your students shoot that would provide distinct visuals for Objective 1.01 of the NC Standard Course of Study within Social Studies?

What happened with this lesson? Simple! Your curriculum didn’t change, but you added 21st Century Learning Skills into the mix. Did the students seem to enjoy learning? My guess is a resounding yes!

Don’t teach Social Studies? This idea of allowing video/camera footage to tell a story works across the curriculum!

Don’t stop with documentaries! Try PSAs, commercials or even movie trailers! Movie trailer video footage or posters are a great way to showcase a required historical reading/text.

Not sure how to use a Flip Camera or Windows Movie Maker? Contact us! We'll be happy to show you how!

Micro-blogging

What is micro-blogging, well before we delve into that one let's look at what blogging is as a whole.

A blog or weblog is a site in which a user posts their own commentary regarding things they are doing, events in their lives, or just their personal views on different subject material. To learn more about blogs you can watch the following video to get a better understanding.

Now that you have learned a little bit about what a blog is let's talk about micro-blogging. In a nut shell micro-blogging allows users to send short text descriptions about what they are doing, what is going on or things happening around them etc. Users key in a sentence or so description that then posts immediately. Why go with micro-blogging? Some may think it is easier than keeping up with a blog website. Others may think that this could be their in route to the whole blog universe. Me, I am on the fence as to its use. I regularly post blog entries but tend to not use the micro-blogging options available to me.
Micro-blogging seems to taking off like a rocket in recent months. Or at least it has come to the forefront with all of the media attention that it has been getting lately. So, where do you go to micro-blog? Well some may not even realize that they are doing it while others are reading this and saying that I am crazy because they have been doing it for a long time.
If you have a Facebook, MySpace or Bebo account you already have an avenue for micro-blogging by telling people what you are doing or how you are feeling right then. Probably the most notable micro-blogging site is Twitter which advertises that you can let people now what you are doing in 140 characters or less. Twitter has thousands of users on the web and even some very famous user like Oprah Winfrey, Clark Howard, as well as news and sports shows. There are other micro-blogging sites out there in the world wide web that you can use as well. Here is a list of some of the available sites as offered up by many different search results I have looked at.
Twitter
Jaiku
Pownce
Tumblr
Moodmill
IRateMyDay
Yappd
Hictu

There are many others out on the web but these are a good starting place for you to get your feet wet. So go out there and jump in the water and start micro-blogging.

video provided by Commoncraft

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.