(Click the comics below for a bigger image.)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Humor for the Week
It is the day before Thanksgiving vacation and I have nothing truly inspiring to feed your minds. So, enjoy a little technology humor.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Website Wednesdays
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An assortment of fun classroom timers. Project them up on the whiteboard or screen for timer activities. Kids love the countdown!
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Our Documents - 100 Milestone Documents
View 100 Primary sources chronicling United States history from 1776 to 1965. You can view the original document, a transcript of the document, a print-friendly version of the document and additional information about the document.
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Google in Education Lesson Plans
Oodles of lesson plans centered around the various Google tools. You can search by the Google tool, subject and age range.
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This site has lesson plans and resources geared toward the Common Core Standards and the newspaper. You do not need a copy of the newspaper for most of these lessons and activities.
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Educational computer games and activities for students grade K-5. Includes math, keyboarding, reading, holiday activities and more. No subscription needed.
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Take a look at what students are capable of creating and the direction education is heading. It is a whole new way of processing information. Note also the photos he emphasizes. That would make for a great class discussion - what are the most significant or important events in our history?
- Some good food for thought here. Great for class discussion centering around the images that are emphasized and what are the most significant events in our history. - post by Gwen Lehman
- It is a different world from when older generations used linear editing systems.
- non-linear editing is the standard of today.
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This site provides free lesson plans, video writing prompts, printables and more for the classroom teacher. Resources are avaialble for all grades and the core content areas.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Increasing Student Participation
I came across the following article the other day and as I read through the ideas, I found that some of them were perfect for integrating technology in the classroom.
For example, one of the solutions is to have a question box for the students. You could have the traditional paper/pencil approach or you could use lino, an electronic bulletin board where collaborators can add sticky notes to the board. You could create a board for the class or a specific topic and have students attach a sticky with their questions. You could also use this for quick response answers from your students.
Another idea that came to my mind related to the KWL chart. This year through Google Docs, we have access to Lucid Chart. This online tool allows you to create mind maps, flow charts, venn diagrams and more. You can then share the chart so others can write on the same chart. As a teacher, I could create a KWL chart for a new topic, share it with the students and have them fill in their responses. I could then project the chart so we could quickly see everyone's responses and discuss the common ground we all share and the questions we want need answered or clarified.
One final idea, relates to the idea of group work and the students presenting information to each other. Traditionally, the students would have created a slideshow of some sort to present their information to the class. This was a good start, but usually one student did all the work on creating the presentation because they could all work on the same document at the same time. With the introduction of collaborative tools, students can now share the work load. Google Docs offers a presentation tool that would allow students to work on their slideshow all at the same time. Gone are the days of one student typing in all the information. Now everyone in the group can add their contributions at the same time.
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| http://www.teachhub.com/top-12-ways-increase-student-participation |
For example, one of the solutions is to have a question box for the students. You could have the traditional paper/pencil approach or you could use lino, an electronic bulletin board where collaborators can add sticky notes to the board. You could create a board for the class or a specific topic and have students attach a sticky with their questions. You could also use this for quick response answers from your students.
Another idea that came to my mind related to the KWL chart. This year through Google Docs, we have access to Lucid Chart. This online tool allows you to create mind maps, flow charts, venn diagrams and more. You can then share the chart so others can write on the same chart. As a teacher, I could create a KWL chart for a new topic, share it with the students and have them fill in their responses. I could then project the chart so we could quickly see everyone's responses and discuss the common ground we all share and the questions we want need answered or clarified.
One final idea, relates to the idea of group work and the students presenting information to each other. Traditionally, the students would have created a slideshow of some sort to present their information to the class. This was a good start, but usually one student did all the work on creating the presentation because they could all work on the same document at the same time. With the introduction of collaborative tools, students can now share the work load. Google Docs offers a presentation tool that would allow students to work on their slideshow all at the same time. Gone are the days of one student typing in all the information. Now everyone in the group can add their contributions at the same time.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Website Wednesdays
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This is the National History Clearinghouse which offers lessons, teaching resources and more for all grade level teachers. User-friendly website making browsing easy. Also provides some resources on reading different types of text, like primary sources.
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Twenty Tidbits for New Teachers | Edutopia
From social media tools to articles and blogs, both new and experienced teachers can gain ideas for staying revitalized in their passion for teaching.
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Great web tool for creating interactive graphic launchers. Great for introducing a topic or having students share their research.
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This is for the elementary crowd, but a new song to use with your Llama Llama books.
Monday, September 10, 2012
ThingLink
What is ThingLink?
ThingLink is an interactive graphic media launch. So what does that mean? It means you take a single image and create hotspot links to other resources or text. For example, in the sample ab I have links to websites, videos and images related to the Titanic. If I found online audio recordings, I could add hotspot links to those sites as well.
Getting Started
Go to the website - http://www.thinglink.com/
Sign-up -- It's free!
Watch the video below from Richard Byrne, Free Technology for Teachers author, for more instruction.
Using ThingLink in the Classroom
1. 35+ Interesting Ways to Use ThingLink in the Classroom
2. ThingLink can even be used when working with ELL students or teaching a foreign language class. Here is an example of an image used in such a capacity:
You could create the image yourself or have students create their own ThingLink images.
3. Here is an example of an interactive mind map created with Thing Link:
For more resources on ThingLink, check out this image:
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
495 Tech Resources
With the school year underway, I wanted to remind you of some technology tools available at your finger tips.
Keys to Tech
Use the Keys to Tech ring and it's companion website to learn about the applications on your computer, the tools available with our Google Apps for Education accounts, top pick Web 2.0 Tools and subscriptions purchased by the school district.
Tech Troubleshooting
This site provides tips and solutions for some of your basic technology problems. There is even a section on Getting to Know Your Mac - a helpful resource for PC users switching over to a Mac.
Tech Training Resources
This site provides all the presentations and resources used for past district technology training.
12 for 2012 Challenge
Learn how to use 12 web tools. You are given basic instructions on how to use the tool and a mini challenge allowing you the opportunity to try the tool. Ideas for classroom integration are also provided at the end of each challenge.
Apps 4 Learning Wiki
The site provides resources for learning how to use the iPod & iPad as well as recommendations for classroom use. You will also find listings of recommended apps for the various content areas.
Atomic Learning Tutorials
Video tutorials on various applications available on the Mac and PC. There are also tutorials on numberous Web 2.0 tools like Glogster, Diigo, netvibes, Pintrest and more.
Technology Support - This site provides tutorials, manuals and references for your basic technology needs. You must sign in to the district website to access this page.
Use the Keys to Tech ring and it's companion website to learn about the applications on your computer, the tools available with our Google Apps for Education accounts, top pick Web 2.0 Tools and subscriptions purchased by the school district.
This site provides tips and solutions for some of your basic technology problems. There is even a section on Getting to Know Your Mac - a helpful resource for PC users switching over to a Mac.
This site provides all the presentations and resources used for past district technology training.
Learn how to use 12 web tools. You are given basic instructions on how to use the tool and a mini challenge allowing you the opportunity to try the tool. Ideas for classroom integration are also provided at the end of each challenge.
The site provides resources for learning how to use the iPod & iPad as well as recommendations for classroom use. You will also find listings of recommended apps for the various content areas.
Video tutorials on various applications available on the Mac and PC. There are also tutorials on numberous Web 2.0 tools like Glogster, Diigo, netvibes, Pintrest and more.
Technology Support - This site provides tutorials, manuals and references for your basic technology needs. You must sign in to the district website to access this page.
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