links for 2010-03-19
by Langwitches ~ March 19th, 2010-
# Spotlight
# Dashboard & Widgets
# Browsing files
# Exposé
# System Preferences
# Installing applications
# Mac OS X Introduction
# The Dock
Latest Thoughts, Reflections// Tips & Links
links for 2010-03-18
by Langwitches ~ March 18th, 2010-
I’ve been working with my grade 6 class on using Prezi. They love it! The first class we played with features, inserting pictures, and just getting used to the controls.
Then I had them plan out stories making webs of characters, settings, and plot details -
Earlier this month, MTS Somali Middle School students had the opportunity to have a virtual discussion with a group of students from across the country. Jewish students from Marin J. Gottlieb Day School in Jacksonville, Florida and Muslim students from MTS Banaadir Academy exchanged information about their religions, their practices, and their lives – all over a video chat via Skype. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, a representative from Gotlieb sent out a call for a school with Muslim students on an educator network on Twitter. MTS High School teacher Trey Wodele connected with her, handed the tip off to Banaadir Language Arts teacher Danielle Dittrich, and the project became a reality. Tolisano is in the middle of a 6 month long project with the goal of reaching out to 80 different classrooms across the globe.
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A fictional Englishman's quest to circle the globe in 80 days inspired technology integration facilitator Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano to take her students on a similar adventure, without physically traveling to different countries.
links for 2010-03-16
by Langwitches ~ March 16th, 2010-
A Vizibility™ PreSearch™ instantly returns the search results you want others to see first. Easily add your SearchMe™ link to your LinkedIn, Facebook and other online profiles. Get notified when your search results change. Receive alerts when you are Googled.
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Advice on teaching commenting skills (regardless of the age of your students).
links for 2010-03-15
by Langwitches ~ March 15th, 2010-
# 87 projects.
# 10 further resources.
# 52 applications.
# 94 contributors.
# The benefits of using Web 2.0 applications.
# The challenges of using Web 2.0 applications.
# How the folk who ran these projects handled the issues…
# … And what they recommend you do if you run them.
# What were the learning outcomes?
# And did I mention that this is free?! -
Ideas, links, resources on how to use Wordle in the classroom.
Teacher2Teacher Conference
by Langwitches ~ March 14th, 2010I am ready to head out this week to present at the Teacher 2 Teacher conference in Bow Island, Alberta. I am especially excited since it will be my first time visiting Canada.
Some of the other presenters at the conference include:
- James Hollis
- Anna Adam & Helen Mowers
- Doug Peterson
- Harvey Almarode
- Richard Byrne
- Danny Nicholson
- Bill Belsey
I have been tweaking my presentations for the last few weeks and am very happy with the results. I can’t wait to share them with educators in Canada on Thursday (March 18) & Friday (March 19):
70 Tools in 70 Minutes
Digital Storytelling for Educators
Blogging in the Classroom
Around the World with Skype
Geography is All Around Us
Empower Student to Be Lifelong Learners NOT Dependent Learners
by Langwitches ~ March 12th, 2010Through a Tweet from @HeidiHayesJacob, I found the Ning of the Curriculum 21 book, I recently recommended.
One video uploaded by Heidi of Alan November, a contributor to the book, immediately caught my eye.
He says:
We have to stop spoon feeding kids curriculum tests and homework. They need to be self directed. They need to be life long learners., which means they need to be empowered to manage more and more and more of their own learning. [...]
It is not about adding technology… because we add a lot of technology that improves teaching, but it does not improve learning.[...]
The biggest barrier is not technology, the tools or money. The biggest barrier is a culture of the shift of control from the teacher managing learning (creating dependent learners by the way) to a culture of students being inter-dependent while they are globally connected and contributing content, tutorials, to the whole classroom.
From reading the Curriculum21 book , listening in on streamed conference presentations to video clips like the one from Alan November below, I am witnessing the shift towards globally connected students at my school right in front of my eyes. IT IS a shift of culture. IT IS a shift of what a “classroom” means. IT IS about empowering students AND teachers by exposing them to all the possibilities that are within reach through available tools.
I especially am in agreement with Alan about the role tutorials can play. Our Middle School students are continuing to work on on their Math Wiki, which is filled with tutorials, 5th graders are about to create SmartBoard Notebook files for first graders with tutorials and practice lessons about contractions (I + am= I’m/ will +not= won’t, etc). I can’t wait to continue observing the shift taking place in our school as a result of it.
links for 2010-03-12
by Langwitches ~ March 12th, 2010-
"I see a huge value in incorporating them in your classrooms. I would bet that if you mentioned the idea of a blog in your classroom to your students, they would be HYPED. Why? It’s quite simple really – they like the idea of having something “published” that they’ve personally written and that their classmates/teachers/parents can read. I’ve come up with a list (they are my favorite) of how you can engage your students with a classroom blog"
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"If Skype is free for use, what school district would choose to NOT allow teachers to use it in their classrooms with students?"
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Troy Hicks' The Digital Writing Workshop, an engaging book about revamping the writing workshop with digital tools.
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- Free online speed reading application
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TinEye is a reverse image search engine. You can submit an image to TinEye to find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or to find higher resolution versions. TinEye is the first image search engine on the web to use image identification technology rather than keywords, metadata or watermarks.
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# Create a timeline for almost anything
# Add multiple layers to keep events organized
# Keep your timelines private or share them with others
# Preceden is completely web-based and 100% free
links for 2010-03-11
by Langwitches ~ March 11th, 2010-
Did you ever feel like accepting appointments from your clients on Google Calendar
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'Growing up Global' offers fascinating ideas
for giving young people opportunities to become truly global citizens. Learning about the customs and culture of others around the globe enriches
our lives so much and can only lead to better understanding and cooperation for generations
to come." -
"Failure has a place in my classroom. It is hard, it is painful sometimes and it is hugely humbling (particularly when I'm the one who has a super bad crash on the bleeding edge) however, it creates the richness of learning that makes a good technology centered classroom world-class."
links for 2010-03-10
by Langwitches ~ March 10th, 2010-
We used VoiceThread as digital portfolios for our student-led conferences. This is a student’s digital portfolio (permission to share it received). As an educator, I was looking for a more interactive record of learning for my students to show their parents. I was also looking for a way that parents could communicate their thoughts back to their child in a cohesive way that would benefit students. And, as we’re an international school, I was looking for a seamless way that relatives in other countries (Grandparents, parents away working etc) could view, comment, give feedback on the digital portfolio.
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“From isolated workshops to a semester-long journey”
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Live Text Document Collaboration!
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LINO Online Stickies Tool add pictures,movies, etc & see from any computer
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Sahre and review documents online. Invite anyone to collaborate on PDFs, Word Docs and PowerPoint Slides
Sowing the Seeds for a More Creative Society
by Langwitches ~ March 9th, 2010I am thrilled to be publishing a guest post by Andrea Hernandez, cross posted from EdTechWorkshop Blog on Langwitches.
http://www.edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/
In an earlier post, The Science of Play, I shared my ideas about the importance of playful learning, the type of learning observed in very young children. In my personal experience as a teacher, I have seen that as children mature they often lose some or all of their natural comfort with learning through spontaneous and playful exploration.
Think of a toddler with a big pile of blocks. Does the toddler ask an adult, “What should I do with these blocks?” or does a toddler start with a “product” like a big tower in mind and ask, “How do I stack these blocks to make a tower?” No, the toddler jumps right in and begins to explore, trying whatever he or she wants to try. Does the toddler feel upset and frustrated when the tower of blocks topples over? Doubtful. It is more likely that he or she is delighted by this and may knock it over and rebuild it again and again.
MIT recognizes the importance of the creative exploration of early childhood to the extent that they have created an entity called The Lifelong Kindergarten group.
In the Lifelong Kindergarten group, we’re trying to change that. We believe that it is critically important for all children, from all backgrounds, to grow up knowing how to design, create, and express themselves. We are inspired by the ways children learn in kindergarten: when they create pictures with finger paint, they learn how colors mix together; when they create castles with wooden blocks, they learn about structures and stability. We want to extend this kindergarten style of learning, so that learners of all ages continue to learn through a process of designing, creating, experimenting, and exploring.
As part of their mission to “sow the seeds for a more creative society,” the MIT media lab has developed a free program called Scratch that encourages the kind of open-ended exploration and creative problem solving that is not on the test, but that promotes the trial and error learning that is the heart of math, science and technological innovation. The beauty of Scratch and similar applications is that while the processes they engage are complex, most children are naturally drawn to them and find them fun. Kids ask to “play Scratch.”
In my STEM classes and, to a lesser extent, my weekly lab classes I attempt to provide students with the time and space to engage in this kind of exploration using freely available resources. In my role as the teacher I model possible approaches, support students in their attempts, validate and encourage them as they proceed, and open the door by introducing them to what’s out there. When appropriate, I push students to go a little deeper. Some students are more inclined than others to enjoy the open-ended, for those who require more structure I can help by defining a problem or assignment for them. I can also help them to reflect on their learning styles so that they grow in an understanding of their own abilities. Some students can’t wait to get to the computer and play, others prefer a tutorial (there are many tutorials online for most applications. It can be great practice and reflection to have students who are more advanced create tutorials for others), some students are more comfortable watching first before trying. Any and all approaches to learning are valid as long as students understand the process and challenge themselves.
In addition to Scratch, here are some other recommended resources for open-ended, creative exploration:
Whizzball -from Discovery Education, whizzball is a puzzle creator. Students can design puzzles, submit their puzzles for others to solve and solve puzzles created by others. I have found this to be challenging and fun for grades 1-5.
Fantastic Contraption- physics challenge. Use the materials provided to create a contraption that solves the challenge of getting something from point A to point B. There are multiple challenges and endless solutions. I am using this with a first grade STEM enrichment class, and they LOVE it. I could see it being popular with older students as well, although I haven’t introduced to other grades yet.
Lego Digital Designer – design tool using virtual legos.
PHUN – 2D physics sandbox. This one is more advanced. I recommend viewing at least one tutorial before jumping in to play. I used this with 5th grade, and it was fun (phun) at first, but many of them became frustrated quickly.
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