Friday, November 6, 2009

SAVE THE WORDS

This is one of the greatest sites I saw this year- called "Save the Words". It lets individuals or your class select a word that is about to become extinct in English, "adopt" it, and pledge to use it more often so it doesn't become extinct.
Give it a try! The little words even yell "pick me! pick me!" when you hold your mouse over them.
http://savethewords.org/

Picks from the Apps Store-ipod touch and iphone apps by Tony Vincent

Do so much with an i-pod touch: http://learninginhand.com/ipod/touch.html
http://learninginhand.com/ipod/touch/applications.html - ipod touch applications and iphone apps
Notes for this session at GaETC:

http://www.learninginhand.com/notes/gaetc/

Handhelds like the ipod touch and the iphone are great collaboration tools. Portable, multi-media, ultra-cool, good battery life, etc.
Apps are what make ipod touch awesome.
30 games, 100 apps per day are added.
Education apps are 5th largest category.
6,607 education apps available right now.
Average price 2.78 per app.

Apps selected by Tony Vincent:

  1. Name Tag Generator
  2. Whiteboard
  3. Quickword
  4. Dictionary.com
  5. Free Word Warp
  6. Inflation
  7. Comic Touch
  8. Strip Designer
  9. Ali's Jigsaw Puzzle
  10. Oregon Trail
  11. Math Drills
  12. Make Num Lite
  13. Lemonade Stand
  14. Number Line
  15. Fling (free)
  16. Flipbook
    1. Fish Example
    2. Food Chain Example
    3. Flipbook.tv
  17. HandDBase
  18. Random Activity Generator
  19. Babelshot
Notes: Whiteboard- draw right onto the screen, interact with someone else and draw at the same time.

Resources

  1. Learning in Hand: iPod touch
  2. Palm OS App Growth vs. iPhone OS App Growth
  3. App Store Statistics
  4. Podcast by Email with Posterous
  5. Headphone mics & cases cheap at Monoprice.com
  6. iTunes Account Without a Credit Card
  7. Vote on Education Apps: tr.im/appvote
  8. JeopardyLabs works on iPod touch! Try the iPod trivia board at tr.im/jgame
  9. iPod touch Tips and Tricks
  10. Tony's Delicious bookmarks tagged ipodtouch
  11. Learning in Hand: iPods Podcast
  12. twitter.com/tonyvincent
  13. Email: tony@learninginhand.com

Online Quizzes- Tony Vincent

Create Online Quizzes

  • ProProfs - Create a scored quiz or personality test.
  • MyStudiyo - Make quizzes to put on your website or blog.
  • Yacapaca - Online quiz making service for teachers and students.
  • Mobile Study - Create quizzes for mobile devices.
  • Class Marker - Quiz site designed for giving graded tests.
  • Quiz Star - More advanced quizzing site with full statistics.

Host Game Shows in your classroom- Tony Vincent

Jeopardy Labs Game Board from our really hard game show.

Who Wants to Be a Winner in the classroom

Who Want to Be a Winner is even more fun when the lights are out and the disco ball is on.

You can find PowerPoint templates for popular game shows online, like Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Jeopardy, Hollywood Squares, and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Many of these templates even come with music and sound effects or you can add your own. Download free templates from the PowerPoint Games and Classroom Game Templates pages. If you don't have PowerPoint, there's JeopardyLabs, where you input your questions and play online in your web browser.

Winner Logo

Classroom game shows are bound to engage students. They are great when teachers do the hosting, but students could certainly prepare the show and host it. The most time-consuming part is coming up with questions when you are using pre-made templates. Often, students learn the most when they are the ones writing the questions.

Want music? Find great stuff at FreePlay Music. Also, there's Soundsnap.com.

Free Technology For Teachers (Tony Vincent)

FREE TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHERS

A REVIEW OF FREE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES AND HOW TEACHERS CAN USE THEM. IDEAS FOR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN EDUCATION.

freetech4teachers.com

Co-Create Rubrics with your students (Tony Vincent)

Co-create Rubrics for Projects

I've been in classrooms where students were working on projects and did not know what was expected to be in the final product. It's no wonder these students aren't as engaged in their work because they don't have well-defined standards for what they are creating. Sometimes the evaluation guidelines are a surprise to students--the first time they see a project's scoring guide is when the teacher hands back a rubric with their final grade. I'm not proposing that teachers spell out every little detail of a student's final product; room for variation and originality is a must. Good rubrics can spell out clear product standards while leaving flexibility for creativity and personalization.

I like to do two things before students begin working on a project. First, as a class we evaluate example final products. The Internet is full of examples and I can probably find products similar to the one I'm about to assign. I prefer to use examples from the web so that we can be critical of the product without knowing the person who created it. There are times when I used products from previous classes I taught, but it isn't very nice for the class to be very critical of someone-you-might-know's project. I've also been known to make my own example products. Sometimes I make exceptionally good examples. Other times I create examples that need improvement.

Rubric

After examining products similar to what I'm assigning, it's time to create a rubric that contains clear standards. My students and I develop the rubric together. I open a template on my computer and throw it on a projector in front of the class. I have a pretty good idea of what the rubric should contain, and I add student suggestions. I especially use student input when deciding how much importance to give each standard. When students help design how they are going to be evaluated, they feel more ownership of the process. They also more clearly understand the the goals of the product since they were a part of creating them.

Once the rubric is finalized, I print it so each student has a copy. I ask students to get out their copies each time we have work time on the project to remind them of the standards we agreed upon. I've also found it useful for students to score their product and a buddy's product a few days before the final product is due. This way they can spot specific areas to improve before I do my final grading using the same rubric.

Here are some websites to help in rubric development:

How to Create Talking Cartoons

From Tony Vincent:

There are lots of places online where visitors can sync their voices to an image with a moving mouth. It might seem kind of silly at first, but talking pictures can be a great way for students to share what they've learned.

Insert a talking picture on a wiki:

  1. Copy the embed code.
  2. Click Edit on the wiki page.
  3. Put your cursor where you want the video.
  4. Click Insert Plugin and then HTML/Gadgets. Then choose HTML/Javascript.
  5. Paste the code.
  6. Click the button to allow Javascript.
  7. Click Preview.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Click Save.

Tony Vincent (vincent@mac.com): 21 ways to reach 21st century learners

Web 2.0-
short clips are more effective than an entire video.
How to cheat on a test- online videos
How to make your school paper longer
householdhacker.com

CHEAT= Children Hate Everything About Tests
  1. Bring YouTube into the classroom
  2. Contribute virtual sticky notes
  3. Use wikis
  4. Collect data using a shared spreadsheet
  5. Bookmark, organize, and annotate webpages
  6. Engage students with the coolest sites the web has to offer
  7. Collaborate on a document
  8. Connect to the world through Skype
  9. Host game shows
  10. Create online quizzes
  11. Record podcasts
  12. Make comic strips
  13. Co-create rubrics
  14. Design an online poster
  15. Create zooming presentations
  16. Assign roving reporters
  17. Have Pecha Kucha presentations
  18. Have fun with images
  19. Create talking cartoons
  20. Create hip slide shows
  21. Give choice of end products



1. Bring You Tube into the Classroom- download the video. Google search "how to download you tube" kickyoutube.com (add kick to beginning of you tube video- you select format, download, save, put on cd, dvd, ipod, etc.). Working on the Work- Schlechty: Qualities that affect engagement. 8 qualities - tied in to web 2.0 sites.
  • Affiliation- Products are made that are useful to others.
2. Contribute Virtual Sticky Notes: wallwisher.com/wall/cartoon ; wallwisher.com/wall/favtech
3. Use Wikis- engagethem.pbworks.com all 21 ways to engage students!
4. Collect Data using a Google Spreadsheet
5.

Tips and Tricks for Tech- Connie Whiteside, Lakeview Academy

Most watched video on you tube- the evolution dance.
Voice thread- storytelling, research, voicethread4education. free for k-12 schools. subscription is 1 dollar per student.
living biography exhibit- great way to showcase this.
summer reading lists on voicethread, book reviews.
Moodle- set up for teachers to post items
Glogster- online poster web site
Jing- new teacher orientations, repeated topics, 5 minute limit. pro version 14.95
www.teachweb2 Teach 2 Web- strengths, weaknesses, pooprtunities, threats are all listed for each site.
cwhitetech1- there are things a teacher will use on you tube- Zamzar, Media Converter, You Tube EDU for tachers (or teacher tube). Quiet Tube- plug in (free) to only show the video from you tube- not junk on sides of screen. http://quietube.com/
COmmon Sense Media- great place for reviews for parents and faculty. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Rock You http://www.rockyou.com/
Tech Tumbler
DyKnow
Wordle
Photostory
Movie MAker
Ning- totally private social networking site
Quizlet
Planet Festo

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Leslie Fisher- Gadgets and web 2.0

This session discusses interesting hardware and software gadgets which make life easier and more fun.
  1. www.tripit.com - makes one web page with all your travel iteneraries - send email to plans@tripit.com from your signed up email address. Can sahre info with others- grant people access to your account and can print master itenerary. iphone app available also.
  2. ww.yelp.com - online reviews of the top business all over the country. type in your address and it will search for food closest to you.
  3. www.twitter.com- microblogging- up to 140 characters. tweetscan.com lets you search the entire twitterverse. www.tweetdeck.com- organize who you are following in logical groups. (free) Eventbox- (Mac only)- twitter/RSS/Face Book, etc into single display - 15.00- www.thecosmicmachine.com
  4. twittervision- a real time timeline of tweets
  5. twitpic- upload photos to twitter
  6. www.audioboo.fm (iphone only for now)- record and post an audio file complete w/ GPS and Photo-- (like blabberize)
  7. www.momentile- limited to one photo per day - invite only unless you purchase app 4.99
  8. www.jott.com - call toll free number and it sends a text to you of your voicemail- 4.00 for 10 minutes
  9. rememberthemilk.com- online to-do list
  10. Evernote-- grab anything-- www.evernote.com- web app, pc app, blackberry app, etc.- scan in notes, phone camera, etc.- searchable and readable online
  11. www.ustream.tv- set up free account and post videos live as they happen. record presentation at conferences, sick students, plays, sporting events, lessons, etc. - kitty cam, puppy cam
  12. Mac people-- http://www.orbicule.com/undercover- will yell "STOLEN" on stolen computer, transmit IP and router info secretly, dims screen.
  13. Affordable clip art- Nova Development www.novadevelopment.com- 199.00
  14. www.clipart.com- royalty free clip art- by week, month, or year
  15. www.istockphotos.com (great illustrations) , www.dreamstime.com- photos are a dollar each
  16. Powershot SD990 IS- needs image stabilization- 14.7 Megapixel 6Xoptical, Image stabil, 640x480, scene and program modes, intelligent auto, $399.00, smile detection
  17. San Disc Extreme III- or Extreme I- best photo card you can use- Never hook camera directly to computer- use card reader- Lexar and SanDisk are leaders
  18. www.smugmug.com- favorite photo service
  19. HD TV- from computer-- http://www.pinnaclesys.com (iTV for mac)- 129.99
  20. www.harman-multimedia.com Soundsticks II for mAc and XP
  21. Sling Box- put in home theater- iphone app lets you watch shows on iphone $199.00- lets you watch your own TV from any remote location
  22. switch to Zinc-- http://zeevee.com/zinc - computer becomes portal for video streaming services- National Geographic for Kids streaming video, etc.
  23. Netflix Roku- can get all of the netflix watch nows on your TV- 99.00 for Roku

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

IGNITE! LEARNING- appealing to 21st century learners

contact info Michael Whalen- to get folder with handouts, flip chart, lesson plans, etc.
mwhalen@ignitelearning.com
512-697-7012
What interests students?
  • Digital interactive media
  • Project-Based learning
  • Collaboration and social interaction

Ideas for using Activ Expressions

Software available for activ Expressions was shown-- some game show type formats, racing game for answering questions, etc. Engaging items. Need to find out if any of it is free....
Robert Powell Publications, UK. http://www.robertpowellpublications.com/home.html

Keynote Session GA ETC 2009 Micheal Horn: Disrupting Class- How Disruptive Innovation will Change the Way the World Learns

Friday, September 11, 2009

BEYOND THE STREAM - DISCOVERY EDUCATION

Beyond the Stream....
justin_karkow@discovery.com
blog.discoveryeducation.com/justin_karkow

Build interest with SHORT video segments....
GPB Site- Search for topic-- teacher created materials come up also. Narrow down search on the left side filter. Editable allows you to change the video. Most important thing is to DOWNLOAD and save videos to network, not stream. (too many things could go worng when you stream).
Power Point or Movie Maker- choose Media Player as format type
Mac- choose Quick Time as format for download
Citations-- are already available for each movie. Just pop into notes on flip chart, etc.- cover yourself.
Insert videos into Power Point- Insert> movie> find file. Play automatically or when clicked. Make the slide show play, click it, it plays. Make sure volume is on. Images, Sound Effects, etc. are all available on Discovery ed.

United Streaming Notes part 2-

Hall Davidson- Discovery Educator [part 2]
  • Jott.com- for a small fee- it will send you transcripts of all your phone calls! call jott, can get transcripts of twitter messages, anything! 12.95 per month.
  • http://www.edmodo.com/- micro blogs- lets you organize
  • Polleverywhere.com
  • phone.io
  • G Cast (90 per year) You get an 800 number, if you call it your voice is automatically on the web. Can give to students- have them interview people, etc.- all posted online
  • VoiceThread.com Post any picture-- let kids post comments about anything online

United Streaming Discovery Ed Notes...

These are my general notes-- I will edit later!
GPB Site- http://www.gpb.org/
Web 2.0 Info will be on the site- come and go! Always changing
Wordle .net- go to a site with text on it and make a picture of most commonly used words
http://DiscoveryEd/SpeakersBureau.com has handouts
Social Media- some blocked/ some unblocked. Skype unblocked….?
Tools
Publishing
Sign up for GPB E-Newsletter
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ sdennis3, hceadmin
Google Translate- view web in Spanish
www.google.com/voice can route all your numbers to your cell phone.
Twitter sdennis2@rockdale.k12.ga.us
Google Images- Cool iris (firefox add-on) http://images.google.com/images?q=Images
Ustream.tv
Cool Iris http://www.cooliris.com/

Discoveryed.com click on hall’s face, handouts- whole presentation is online.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Friday, February 6, 2009

I-Google

If you haven't set up your own I-Google page- It is time....!
I use mine to work from home- it is great to be able to find all of my work-related links easily no matter what computer I use. It also has my to-do list, birthday lists, and a dozen other interesting and useful gadgets.

General Info: About iGoogle

Google offers the ability to create a personalized iGoogle page that gives you at-a-glance access to information from Google and across the web. On this self-designed page, you can choose and organize content such as the following:
Your latest Gmail messages
Headlines from Google News and other top news sources
Weather forecasts, stock quotes, and movie showtimes
Bookmarks for quick access to your favorite sites from any computer
Your own section with content you find from across the web
Learn how to create your own iGoogle page.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

New Google Earth Features!

This week, we are thrilled to unveil three exciting new features in Google Earth 5.0! With touring in Google Earth, your students can record and play back their own tours, complete with voiceovers! In addition, new historical imagery allows you to use a time slider to explore local and global changes over the past few decades. Finally, you can now dive to the deepest part of the sea with oceans in Google Earth! Our newest release allows you to fly beneath the surface to explore underwater canyons, see shipwrecks in 3D, and watch YouTube videos submitted by oceanographers and aquatic experts. Check it out at earth.google.com!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Internet Tourbus- FREE Faxing, Calling, Word Processing, Clip Art, Stock Photos Antivirus, People Searching, HDTV,

Visit the Internet Tour Bus Site for this issue- which has links to all things FREE for your classroom or personal use....
http://www.internettourbus.com/
Get the scoop on computer viruses, search engines, spam, cookies, urban legends and the most useful sites on the Web. Internet gurus Bob Rankin and Patrick Crispen (aka the "Click & Clack" of the online world) explain Internet technology in plain English with a dash of humor.


Free Internet Faxing


Need to send a fax? Use a free online service instead of heading to Kinko's. No software, no credit card, and no fax machine required...
FREE FAXING

Free Calls With Skype


Skype is a software package that lets you make free calls to almost anyone, almost anywhere in the world. Get the scoop on Skype...
FREE PHONE CALLS

Free Anti-Virus Programs


There are plenty of excellent, free anti-virus programs that can keep your computer safe going forward. Here's my list of the best free anti-virus packages...
FREE ANTI-VIRUS

Free HD TV on Your PC


Even if you don't have cable or a fancy new HD television, you can still get free HDTV programming on your PC. Here's how...
FREE HD TV

Free People Search Tools


Are you searching for someone? Free online people search tools can help you find classmates, relatives, even dig up interesting facts about friends or foes...
FREE PEOPLE SEARCH

Free Online Word Processors


There are several free web-based word processors that can create, edit, publish and share files online -- without having to purchase or install any software...
FREE WORD PROCESSING

Free Clip Art and Stock Photos


You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on a good clip art and stock photo package. Here are some good sources for free artwork and photos...
FREE CLIP ART

Some other great Tourbus issues:
The Digital Music edition: http://www.internettourbus.com/arch/The_Digital_Music_Issue-A011409.html