Our Top Posts Of 2011

What a wonderful year its been! While we are looking forward to continued learning we also take time to reflect back and look at a sampling of our top posts and content for the year.

Five Simple Ways To Use Edmodo Everyday-We rolled out Edmodo district wide this year and its been just plain awesome. Teachers all over are making global connections and carrying learning conversations outside of the classroom. This post give 5 really simple ways to start using Edmodo today.

Technology Advice For Administrators- There are some easy technology-related tools that school leaders can do to make the job easier, and more effective.

A Window To The World With Webcams- No reason a IWB or monitor has to sit idle in the classroom. Why not use it as a window to a new or exotic place? 

Interactive Social Studies, PreK-5- There are some great interactive sites, games and activities to use on the IWB in a Pre-K-5 Classroom.

Google Earth Timeline- Did you know you can go back in time in Google Earth? This post will show you how.

So there they are. There are loads more great posts. Check out the tags on the side and if there is a topic we haven't covered let us know by leaving a comment here.

Happy New Year!

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Express Poll in ActivInspire

Let's talk about Ad Hoc questions in ActivInspire using ActivExpressions. First of all, Ad Hoc is more like asking a question spontaneously. In order to do this, there is a button on the toolbar in ActivInspire. this button has a question mark in the middle of it and the tag is Express Poll. Once it has been clicked, a button will be placed into the flipchart. Hover over that button to see the different types of questions that can be asked. Some of the question types are: likert scale, multiple choice, text, number, sort in order, yes/no, and true/false.

If a teacher is using the text response, both letters and numbers can be used to answer a question. If they use the number response, only the numbers are used to answer a question.


With an Ad Hoc question, the correct answer is not shown until after all the voting has stopped. The teacher can then go into the upper right corner where there is an image of AB and a check mark and choose the correct answer. This changes the correct answer to green (bar chart or pie chart) so that the teacher can quickly see if they need to re-teach that goal, or did the students really understand it. 


Another tip that I learned is that once you start an Express Poll, if a student is putting in incorrect answers or silly answers, you can turn that voting device off at the board. That way the teacher doesn't waste time by talking to that particular student. I thought that was a very clever idea.

Image: 'Questions' http://www.flickr.com/photos/42788859@N00/318947873

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Making Connections

Take a look at this short video.



It really spoke to me. Connections are so important. Watch the video again and look at the different emotions on the faces of the folks. Some think it's a joke. Some are just happy-go-lucky. Others genuinely needed the connection and were glad to make it.

Now take the idea of connecting and turn it virtual. Social media has made it so much easier to connect with others. Many people can attest to the life-long friendships formed because of connections made through social media (be it Twitter, Facebook, Nings, etc). What is so unique and fascinating is that many times, these people don't meet in real-life for an extended period of time. Take my good friends Shelly Terrell and Tom Whitby for example, I didn't meet until almost a year after we found a friendship through our creation of #edchat. There are countless others I have had the honor of meeting like Kyle Pace or Nick Provenzano or Bill Ferriter or Kelly Tenkley, so many to name.

The point is social networking is less about networking and more about social. I encourage educators (and others) all the time to use Twitter. Many people know my thoughts on that. There are so many great resources out there waiting to be found and you can get them any time you want to.The people that you "meet" and the relationships you form can be life-changing. But the only way that happens is to move from lurking to to participating, contributing, reflecting and conversing.

Twitter isn't the only way that happens. Other places like the EDU PLN or Classroom 2.0 where asynchronous conversations take place. Or in live, on-line learning environments like the Reform Symposium where people gather from all over the world to learn and grow with each other.

The point is, we can't go through our professional careers alone. Well, we can, but what fun is that? And how fresh is the content in our classroom that we are teaching students? And how are we learning and growing to be better? The connections that we make help stretch our thinking, open doors to learning and so much more. But it's hard to do if we don't jump in or we just stand in the crowd.

So take a risk like the folks in the video.

Go out and hug the bear.

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Read ... Write ... Think ...

My daughter is in Kindergarten. She amazes me each day with the words that she says (and uses correctly). I know that her verbal vocabulary is much greater than the words she can read and write. She also has a very active imagination (hmmm ... wonder where that comes from?).

After talking with her teacher, it is clear that she has a good understanding of letter knowledge. She can the identify letters and tell you what sound that letter makes individually. It is when you put the letters together to make words that is causing a bit of trouble right now. We need to work on her ability to put those sounds together. She also really enjoys the way words are spelled. She will "read" a string of letters to me to find out what word they spell.

So I have been looking for some ways to work with her. Since my job is in Instructional Technology, it would make sense for me to look for some technology options (I also have a background in Reading Education).

The other day I came across some information on Thinkfinity about Puzzle Me Words from ReadWriteThink:

Puzzle Me Words is an exciting new interactive from ReadWriteThink.  Students in grades K-1 learn about language by combining letters to form words based on the pictures that they see.  A talking school bus named Scootie reads the words aloud and further reinforces letter sounds for young learners. With each new round that is completed, students earn a new puzzle piece toward their prize puzzle: a coloring sheet they can print, color and display proudly at home or in school.  Try it with students today!

Although I thought that description was interesting, the way that I saw and heard my daughter interact with this activity made it so much better. I think it would be great to use with students in a classroom.

ReadWriteThink is more than just a website; it's a community of educators working to improve literacy learning for every student. ReadWriteThink is sponsored by IRA (International Reading Association) and NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English).

I wonder how Puzzle Me Word and many other resources from ReadWriteThink would be on an Interactive White Board (IWB) in a classroom for a small group of students as a center activity?

image source

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ActivExpressions Are Cool!

The other day I was learning about how to register ActivExpressions. Here is what I learned:

To register ActivExpressions, you need to have your voting browser open. Click on View, and then click on Browsers. The Voting Browser is the last browser in your list and has a picture of a voting device on it. Once you have opened the browser, click on the image of the clipboard (which is Device Registration). Click on Expressions and click Register. From here, the easiest thing to do is to follow the on-screen instructions. Usually you only have to register your voting devices once a year. You can register all of your voting devices, or just register the number of students in your class using your voting devices. If a student leaves your classroom or you get a new student, it is very easy to add or delete one voting device. 

A good rule to follow is to add a name of some sort to your voting devices. For instance, you might want to put your name in front of the number of the device. One of the reasons for doing this, is that if your voting device develops legs and walks out of the room, you can turn the device on and see who it belongs to. To name your devices all at once, go to the Device Registration (see above) and click Rename. Once again, follow the on-screen instructions. You have up to 14 characters that you can use. Make sure to put a space at the end of your prefix, it just looks nicer. One thing that you may notice is that ActivInspire renames your voting devices and starts with 0. You can easily change this by clicking on that device, click rename, and change it to the last number in your sequence. Make sure to click on Done.

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Embedding HTML into ActivInspire

Recently Promethean's ActivInspire program has had a fairly significant update to the software to provide a lot more versatility to its users.  The latest version of the software is 1.6.46087 and if you aren't sure what one you have you can click on Help in the Main Toolbar and then Click About to see which you are running.  If you are not running the latest version you are missing out on a lot of new improvements to the software.  So how do you update the software you might be asking?  Well it is really simple.  First you just go right back to the same Help button and then click Check for updates.  A window will pop up and say that there is a new update available and will ask you to Run, Save or Cancel.  The best thing to do is to Save it to your computer and then Run it after it downloads.

Now that is out of the way let me talk about one of the, at least I think so, Best New features of the latest update.  It's the ability to Embed HTML code directly into a flipchart page.  What a great concept to be able to embed content directly into the flipchart page so that you do not have to open up web browsers or office documents or even additional pdfs.  So how do you do this?  It's really easy as long as you have the update.  Click on Insert then Link and then Embed HTML.

After you do this you will see an panel box open and all you have to do is paste in the embed code and click OK.

So... you might be thinking, what would be the benefit of having this feature.  Well think of working on Fractions in Math with your 5th graders and need to show them a short video explaining the process that is on Schooltube or Teachertube.  Normally you would have to minimize ActivInspire and then open up your favorite browser and go to the video to see it.  All the while your students are getting restless due to the down time.  If in your prep work you go to the site and grab the embed code and Insert it into the flipchart page there is no down time because when you go to the page the video is there and all you have to do is click the Play button. 

Now the embedding is not just limited to video sources you can also embed documents and pdf's directly into your flipchart as well.  You can use an outside webstie called Embedit.in to store the files and then just copy and paste the embed code into the flipchart.  Then you will have a nice clean viewer for the document on the page and have the ability to both download and print from the presentation if needed. 

What else can you do, why not embed a map into your flipchart.  Yes I know there are maps already in the Resource Browser of ActivInspire but sometimes the map is not as detailed as you want it to be.  So just open up Google Maps and click on the Chain Link button to see the embed code to copy and paste into your flipchart.

Do you create Animoto videos or use Voicethread with your students in class?  You can take the student created work and embed it into your flipchart pages as well with the embed codes that are generated directly on the respective sites.

Wow there are so many choices of how you can use the Embed HTML feature in the new ActivInspire it can almost seem overwhelming.  My philosophy is to just start slow and do something easy like just adding a Google Map to your flipchart page.  Watch this following video to see how easy it really is.

Now that you see how easy it is I hope that you have fun embedding everything directly into your flipchart pages so that you can keep your students on task and focused with no downtime in the classroom.  If you are having any difficulties or need some additional assistance or maybe even some ideas there's a lot of resources and feedback in the Community Forum Section of Promethean Planet website where you can ask and gets answers to your questions.

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Meeting Standards Using Online Resources

As part of my instructional technology responsibilities, I try to help teachers use whatever resources they have available in their lessons. Teachers have access to computers, the Internet, some interactive whiteboards and numerous applications so they can create new activities and assessments and/or use SMART or ActivInspire lessons that coorelate with the desired standard.

I have really enjoyed finding resources and helping the teachers learn where to look for different types of activities to compliment the standard they are teaching. The Learning Village resource has been our one-stop shopping experience for finding everything from a grade-level pacing guide, instructional tool such as Thinkfinity, links to subject-area wikis, technology integration activities, and much more. Learn 360 and netTrekker are two resources that correlate the videos, images, etc. to a specific standard. This makes it very easy to develop an activity or assessment. Some of my favorite reading/language arts activities come from ReadWriteThink and Wonderopolis.

Our elementary group has pulled together many of the Elementary Resources into Livebinders by grade level. They are on our DIT wiki and available to the teachers. We update the binders and wiki pages as we find resources for the core subject areas.

If you need an idea for an activity or are looking for a website to reinforce an objective you've taught, why not check out one of the above online resources. I highly recommend any (really all) of them to help make learning fun.

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The Edublog Awards

All of us in the Instructional Technology Department are always on the look out for something new to share or exciting to read. Most of us have our Google Reader set up to follow many blogs and try to keep up with the ever changing field of Technology In Education.

One of the best ways to find new folks, ideas, and resources is the Edublogs Awards. In a nutshell, these awards highlight the best in not just the Edublogosphere but on Twitter and other places as well. In late November folks from all over the world nominate blogs, Twitter folks, hashtags, wikis, podcasts and apps for the awards. And these are not just US based blogs, wikis, etc. They come from all over the globe, so it's truly an international competition.

The nominations are narrowed down and for 7 days the voting is on. This year there were over 30,000 votes from over 100 countries, the most ever. 

There are categories like Best Overall Blog, Best Teacher Blog, Best Student Blog, Twitterer Of The Year and A Lifetime Achievement Award. It really is a great way to discover new and exciting "stuff." 

Here is the Google Doc of the winners from this year in each category. I really encourage you to check out all of the folks on this list. 

And yes, I did win Twitterer Of The Year. This isn't the first year I was recognized with that honor. I won the very first Twitterer Of The Year in 2009. It really is a humbling honor for me. I am so lucky that I get to share wonderful content with wonderful people from all over the world.

So check out the blogs, wikis, podcast and people on the list. They are some of the very best in the world!

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North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) Help Center

The North Carolina Virtual Public School has a help center to support students taking NCVPS courses with technical issues. The main issue that comes to mind is students who have forgotten their Blackboard password. The Distance Learning Advisors of the schools and the District Distance Learning Coordinator can look up the students password only if they have not changed it from the original password given to them by NCVPS. If the student has changed their password, the change is not reflected in the student information. They would need to contact the NCVPS Help Center. The hours of operation for the Help Center are 8am-4pm, Mondays - Fridays except for state holidays. There are two ways to contact the Help Desk. The first method, and their preferred method is to submit an online ticket. Their address is http://www.help.ncvps.org/. Students will need a valid email address as the solution will be emailed to them. The second method is to call them at 919-480-8770 and leave a voice message. They will get back to the student via email in 1 business day. Return phone calls won’t happen unless there is a time sensitive need to acquire further information to solve the student's problem.


The NCVPS Help Center services all people involved with The North Carolina Virtual Public School. Their services are not just limited to the students. The Distance Learning Advisors of the schools, The NCVPS Instructors, the Peer Tutors and the District Distance Learning Coordinators (LEA’s) can contact the Help Desk for technical issues.

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Holiday Themes

It's holiday time again! Many schools are looking at how other countries are celebrating the holidays. I gathered some resources and wanted to share them. Below are web sites that have information for students to learn about different countries and their holiday traditions. I hope you enjoy them!

The Gift of Holiday Traditions

What is Ramadan 

What is Rosh Hashanah
How do People Celebrate the Winter Holidays in Different Ways? 

NCWiseOwl websites

German Holidays
Christmas Around the World
Christmas Traditions Around the World
Christmas Around the World
How is Christmas Celebrated Around the World
Christmas Celebrations
Christmas Around the World Lesson

For those schools that have Interactive White Boards, there are plenty of holiday themed lessons in SMART Exchange and Promethean Planet.  I also have been re-tweeting some holiday activities that would show up great on IWB's. Here are some of those games: 

Santa Run

Christmas Activities
Create Your Own Snowflake 
Create Your Own Wrapping Paper using Patterns

Want to create snowflakes and learn about symmetry? Try this lesson plan on The Symmetry of Snowflakes. 

If your class is going to read "The Polar Express", click on this link The Polar Express. You are your students can explore different parts of the book. For example, the boy's house, a tunnel, etc.

Image: 'mr frosty' http://www.flickr.com/photos/17149966@N00/3258065532

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Google Earth Timeline

During a Planning meeting last week with one of my schools we were looking over some of the layers available on Google Earth and the information that you can get from them and we noticed something that was new to us.  It may not be new to anyone else but we thought it was very interesting. 

What we noticed was that there was a date in the bottom left side of the window when we were viewing our location in Google Earth.  When we clicked on the date (1993) in the upper left side of the viewing area appeared the Historical Time Slider.  It was very interesting to be able to go to a location on the map and then go back in time to see what the area looked like years before.  We were able to look at the school location that we were at and see what the area looked like before the school was even built.  There were even some photos showing the process of the school being built which the teachers thought was very neat and felt there students would enjoy it as well.

It was very interesting to show it to the students when they came back into the classroom.  They were wide eyed and happy to see that they could walk up to the ActivBoard in the classroom and move the earth to the area they wanted to see and then zoom into it or type in the location they wanted to visit and have the program pull back and then zoom back in to their destination.  They were able to then use the time line to go back in time to see what the area looked like in the past.  Now so far the limit for the time line is back to 1993 but in some cases that is enough to see what an area looked like 10 years earlier or before the students were born.

Again I might be behind the time in seeing this feature but we were all having a great deal of fun using it with the students in the classroom.

images taken using ActivInspire Camera Tool of Google Earth Time Line Tool

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Communicating with Space ...

Think about all the ways you have communicated with people today?

Have you talked on the phone?
Have you sent an email?
Have you written a letter?
Have you video chatted with someone?

What ways do you think you could communicate with the International Space Station?

Think about what it would be like to be a NASA astronaut.
What kinds of things would you see?
What do you think you would experience?

That could be a great idea for brainstorming, writing a journal, or creating a blog post.

I remember the Challenger Space Shuttle.

Do you have any NASA-related memories?
Will our students have any memories of space exploration and discovery?

I came across a neat thing the other day related to NASA Astronauts.

According to the NASA site, you and your students can send greetings to the crew of the International Space Stations!

• You can click on a postcard and then add a typed message.
• You could also send a Holiday "tweet" on twitter the to NASA Astronauts ( @NASA_Astronauts )

Here is a Wonder of the Day from Wonderopolis that goes along with the Space topic too:

• How Will Future Astronauts Travel to Outer Space?

image source

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A Window To The World With Webcams

If you have visited our new offices you may have noticed in the Instructional Technology area we have no windows. (We don't let it get us down too much though.) But we do have an Interactive Whiteboard. Normally we use it to post a question of the day. Such as:

If you could have any superhero power what would it be?
What is your best childhood memory?
Turkey or ham at Thanksgiving?

We use it as a way for all of us in the office to have a little fun and learn lots about each other. (It was an idea we picked up from the Promethean Offices in Georgia.) Having a question like this on your board when the kids come in in the morning could be a great way to activate their prior knowledge about a subject or to just get to know your kids.

But something new we started doing was video. It began with a webcam to watch the effects of a hurricane on the NC coast. But has turned into visiting various webcams around the world for periods of time. It's our little window that connects us to the outside and our board doesn't sit idle.

So think about this in the classroom. You have your IWB (or monitor or projector) that just hangs there. And frankly you might not be using it all the time. No problem! Find a webcam and just leave it up for a while. Travel the world through your "window."

There are loads of great webcam sites out there. Here are just a few we use:

Earthcam- This is the motherload of Webcams. Ever wanted to see what was going on with the Bull on Wall Street, Times Square or Tokyo? They have 100's of cams to view.

Surfchex- This is the site we use to view the beaches of NC

Vail Webcams- This is a great one this time of year to watch snow fall and folks having fun on the slopes.

Amazing Animal Webcams- One of the Livebinders Top 10 Binders, there are loads of great sites for watching animals in zoo's and preserves.

This is just a small list. Normally I will just ask where we want to visit and do a search in that area for webcams.

And these cams are more than just windows; they are teaching tools as well. Studying about South America? Find a webcam and leave it up during the study. Help the kids feel like they are there. (Marlo also wrote a great post about using images on the IWB that you will want to check out as well.)

Oh and if you think you have to have an IWB to do these, you don't. Your monitor or projector will work just as well.

So open up your window to the world and explore.




Photo Under CC License From IronRodArt

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The Technology Integration Answer (Well Almost...)

Earlier this year our group adopted the TPACK model of technology integration. Basically, it takes the approach that planning for technology integration shouldn't be an event. It should be something that adds to what we are already doing. Through the use of Activity Types, teachers can take the activities they are already doing and match them up with appropiate technologies that may or may not work, depending on the context of learning.

You can view this presentation to learn more.

According to the feedback we have gotten from the folks who have embraced it has been overwhelmingly positive. Being able to take the content (which is king by the way) and the activities we always use or want to use with our kids and matching them up easily with the technology has made it much simpler to plan. And the Activity Types Sheets are great to keep in the plan book so they are always there.

Recently I came across something that you can also use to make technology integration easier for you and your staff. The Technology Integration Matrix uses examples for subject area and grade level to attempt to show how technology integration can work in any type of environment.

There are actually 2 that you can take a look at.

The first is the original from The Florida Center For Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida.

The other is an adaption from Northern Arizona University.

(You will want to visit each of the sites where these live because both matrices are interactive.)

Down the left hand side of each is the learning environment. Active, collaborative, goal centered are just a few. Across the top are the levels of integration, moving from entry to transformational, left to right. So you match up where you feel you are. Maybe you are a newbie. Maybe you have kids using technology (rather than passively engaging with it) and you are at the entry level. Go to that box, find your grade level and subject area to get examples of technology integration. Remember these are just examples to show you how it would work. Adaption is always recommended.

As you progress you move up the integration level and as your learning environment changes the types of integration change as well.

You will notice that this is just for lessons where kids are actively engaged with using technology. There is nothing here for the teacher presenting material or using technology singularly. Technology integration is about getting kids out of their seats and working hands-on with the technology to create products.

So between using the TPACK model of planning and the Technology Integration Matrix, using technology in the classroom doesn't have to be a mystery. It can be something that is pretty easy to plan for and do.

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A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

This photo was taken on December 7, 2006 at Pearl Harbor,

December 7th is a day that stands out in US History. Do you know why? Do your students know?

I did simple searches on two resource sites (netTrekker and Thinkfinity) to see what classroom resources were available to help explain and understand that day in US History. I was able to find a range of things covering many grade levels and including audio, videos, images, activities, personal accounts, time lines, and activities.

netTrekker

• From PBS: Freedom: A History of US: Pearl Harbor is part of the excellent PBS site based on Joy Hakim's A History of US, this focuses on the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the ramifications of the attack.  You can access primary sources and photographs to bring this part of American history come alive.
• From The War Times Journal: Pearl Harbor Animated Maps presents animated Pearl Harbor maps that provide an overview of the areas that were attacked and the actual action that took place.
•  From Scholastic: Relive the Experience Pearl Harbor includes an eyewitness account, timeline, glossary, related web links, and even a teacher's guide.
• From ThinkQuest: The Pearl Harbor Story shares a very detailed description of the events leading up to the war, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the outcome. Be sure to check the interactive map and the survivor and eye witness accounts. The site also provides great animated photos.
• From Calisphere: Pearl Harbor includes a broad selection of images featuring Japanese-Americans during World War II can be found on this site by Calisphere. By clicking on individual images you'll find high quality photographs and image information. 
• From Scholastic: Our America: World War II is a way to learn about World War II and the American home front through diaries, interviews with those lived through these times, and writing about what you've learned.

Thinkfinity

• From EDSITEment: Turning the Tide in the Pacific 1941-1943 includes activity sheets, student resources, and media, (This from the We The People program: We the People is an NEH program designed to encourage and enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history, culture, and democratic principles. ) Grades 9-12
• From National Geographic Education: A Date That Will Live in Infamy includes the article and vocabulary. There are also links for further exploration (audio, video, interactives, websites) Grades 5-12
• From National Geographic Society: Remembering Pearl Harbor ~ Multimedia Map and Time Line includes articles, images, audio, and places for more information. Grade 6-12
• From National Geographic Expeditions: The Legacy of Pearl Harbor includes lesson plan and related links.  Grades 3-5
• From ReadWriteThink: Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese in 1941 includes event description, classroom activity/questions, websites, and related resources. This activity really caught my attention: 
• On December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy" in the words of President Franklin Roosevelt, many Americans were called upon to act as heroes. Countless Americans gave their lives in defense of our country and its citizens in Pearl Harbor. Similarly, the surprise attacks on America on September 11, 2001, called for heroic acts of selflessness from ordinary citizens, as well as firemen, police, military personnel, and other government workers. Ask students to compare these two events using the interactive Venn Diagram. How are they alike? How are they different?
  
  How did each event change American citizens' perspectives on war and the need for war? How did the two different Presidents of the United States react? What was different about the media coverage?  

image source

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You Always Wanted To Know The History Of Searching The Interwebs, Didn't You?

I dunno about you but I might do about a billion searches a day. From everything to how to unbrick a phone to a recipe for a holiday party to how to spell words, search is a natural part of how I browse the web. Sometimes its easier to just search for a site, even when I already know the address. (I think that might be on the verge of lazy, but hey, I own it)

Kids do a lot of searching too. Pictures, music, games and even research for class, they spend a lot of time searching the web for content and information too. But if you asked how many of them know how search works or even the pretty interesting history of search.

Digital literacy is important. 

Well...

Yesterday Google posted on their blog a great video about the history of search and how it has evolved and adapted as folks changed their patterns of how they look for information.Understanding this can lead to better and more accurate results faster.



There is also another video from about a year ago that tells exactly how Google search works. In terms of digital literacy and understanding where information comes from, this video should be standard viewing for kids. They need to understand how pages are ranked and that just because information is at the top doesn't always mean it's the best.



Don't forget, there are some great lessons that Google has put together that help kids at all levels do better searches and understand where their information comes from.

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Hop on the Bus with Rosa Parks!

Do you know why we celebrate Rosa Parks on December 1? Do your students?

Rosa Parks was not born on December 1, but she did something on December 1 for which she is remembered.

If you need any ideas for things to use in the classroom, check out the available resources from these instructional sites:

• Scholastic.com shares information: Rosa Parks: How I fought for Civil Rights.
• The Library of Congress shares an American Memory of Dec. 1, 1955: Today in History: Dec. 1.
• The My Hero Project has information on a Freedom Hero: Rosa Parks.

Here are some resources I found from searching in Thinkfinity:

• On the calendar of information on EDSITEment, December 1 features information, lessons, and resources to learn about Rosa Parks.
• Rosa Parks is also featured in the Eyes on the Prize series by PBS.
• Wonder-of-the-Day #241 on Wonderopolis: "What does it mean to stand for something?" highlights Rosa Parks.

Here are some videos from Learn360:

• Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement (2004, Mazzzarella Media)
• Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement (2000, Sunburst Visual Media)
• Famous Americans: Rosa Parks (Mother of Civil Rights) (2008, Worldwide Academics)
• Stand Up For Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement in America (2008, Mazzarella Media)
• Daily Almanac: December 1 (2009, Slim Goodbody)

Here are some resources I found from searching in netTrekker:

• Rosa Parks: The Woman Who Changed a Nation (provides biographical information on civil rights activitist, Rosa Parks, along with updates of services that she continued to perform until her death in 2005)
• Spartacus Educational: Rosa Parks (provides biographical information on the story of Rosa Parks as well as an interview from 1977 in which Ms. Parks remembers the bus incident)
• Henry Ford Musuem: Rosa Parks Bus (an absolutely fascinating tale of the actual bus that Rosa Parks was riding in that sparked the Civil Rights Movement) 

Image Source

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Lumens DC 190 Part II

In looking at the software for the new Lumens DC 190 document camera (doc cam), you do not see any changes to the 3 by 3 or 4 by 4 grid.  The software itself has been updated to v.1.0.9 for Ladibug and there have been a few updates and improvements to it for use with your computer.  Again the software is available on both PC and Mac, however I did not see on the website the availability for Linux for this new version as of yet.  All of the buttons here work just like they have in the past with one new item.  If you click the Light bulb Icon you are able to toggle back and forth between the regular lamp and the LED light on the head unit.  If both lamps are off the sequence is as follows as you click the icon; lamp, lamp and LED, LED, off.  Again the addition of the LED lamp is a nice feature because it gives you just enough light and is not as overpowering at the lamp. 

Before I go in any further I have to add in that one of the best new features that I have seen is that if you press the Menu button on the Remote Control you are able to see it in the viewing area after you have clicked the Display live images button.  And it is fully functional so there is no need to have the doc cam hooked up as a pass-through device were you are forced to toggle the source back and forth so you can make Menu changes for the doc cam hardware.

Nothing has changed in the button options when you click the Advance button.  The Capture still images, Record video and Time Lapse capture have not changed.  The Camera Settings button has changed slightly in the way that it looks for users.

I mentioned it in my first post but there are a new feature button changes, one is the PIP button which allows you to see the static images that are stored in the doc cam base along with the live image in the bottom left hand corner of the view screen.  Now a bonus is that you can use the arrow keys on the remote to move the live image around on the screen if it is needed.  Press one time to get in and select the static image and to get out you have to press it again and then the Menu button to get back to the full screen live image.  Another new button is Pan which is just a name change from the old Book button.  Nice thing is that it is a one click in and a one click out.  The Capture and Record buttons here will store the media in the built in hard drive in the base of the doc cam and not on the computer like the buttons do on the 4 by 4 grid. 

Now for what I think is the best new upgrade is that the Arrow and Menu buttons on the right side of the panel are now fully functional.  This is a big leap over previous versions where they seemed to be just ornamental and were waiting for technology and coding to catch up with them so they would work properly.

And now you that have my thoughts on the new DC 190 you can take a look for yourself to find what you think the best features are that work in your classroom situation.  If you find anything else that you like or think can add to my general overview please share your comments through the blog.

images provided by Lumens Ladibug software.

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What's Wrong If Google Tells Me Everything?

The topic of Critical Thinking and Google Searches seems to poke it's head out via various discussions and conversations every now and then. Even a recent #edchat topic centered around moving kids away from thinking Google has all the answers to thinking critically.

First let me clarify. I use the term Google Searches loosely. That has come to mean all searches but there are obviously other search engines out there (Like Bing and Yahoo) that are still relevant and used in schools. But by far, Google is the most popular search engine around.

So my question is, what's wrong with the fact that Google is able to tell me everything I need to know?

I am having trouble remembering what I did before search online. I imagine it involved a trip to my local library (which I still enjoy doing) and spending hours and hours of research to find the simplest of facts or answers. I still remember using a card catalog, pulling out the long drawer of dusty and musty 3x5 cards, in an attempt to find the population of New Zealand in 1975.

So what would have taken 5 (or 65) minutes of searching, now takes seconds. Granted, it doesn't seem like all that much but still, when doing massive amounts of research, spending time in search engine land is a life saver, travel saver, money saver, etc. I use search everyday for all sorts of things. And Google searches especially because of the shortcuts that are available.

So I ask whats wrong with Google (or any other search engine) telling me the answers I seek?

The argument seems to be, in the classroom, that if a question is asked that Google can answer, then there is something wrong with the question. I'm not so sure about that. Yes, I want students to be at the top of Blooms Taxonomy and be evaluators and creators. But having some factual knowledge is important too.

I don't think there is anything wrong with asking questions search engines can answer. After all that is what they are there for. What is wrong is when the question is the end of the lesson. And often times it is. Lessons will end with the facts when really that is just a beginning. If we are asking questions of kids that search engines can answer and not asking them to think about the quality of the information or where that information comes from then why bother?

Any Joe on the street can type some words into a search box and get results. But, we are headed down a road where we are graduating groups of students who don't think critically about the information they receive (and who think The Onion has real news.)

Sure we need to spend time teaching kids on how to do quality searches, using key terms and wildcards. But that is a lesson over a day or two. What needs to be woven into our curriculum is what Howard Rheingold calls Crap Detection. The premise is that even adults have a very difficult time filtering out the junk of what is online. So if adults are having a hard time how can we be teaching critical thinking to kids? It's ok for kids to get their information online and from search engines but if we are not having longer conversations about the evaluation of the resources we are using then we are just reinforcing what people already believe; that is we simply cramming facts into the brains of our students.

Need an example of fact checking? Check out this website about Explorers.The first time I saw it, I will admit, I was fooled. I thought it was a great site for information about Explorers. I sent it to a teacher without looking at the entire site and comparing the information found there to other sources. Only later did I find out that it was set up to teach kids (and people like me) about fact checking and critical thinking on the web.

So if we are asking questions that Google or any other search engine can answer, that's cool with me. But, if we aren't taking the next steps and having kids explain the choices of the sources of our information then we aren't moving up Blooms, which is what we should be doing. Check out a wiki Howard set up about Critical Thinking that is full of great information how to teach it, understand it and use it. And you can use this guide from Microsoft that aims to help kids improve their search skills and gives some lessons to use in the classroom.

What do you think? Is it wrong for Google to be able to tell us everything? How do you teach critical thinking about web resources in your classroom. Leave some ideas below.

Image from Ari on Flickr CC

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Organization Is Not A Nasty Word

Last week I wrote about my favorite go-to web sites in my blog post "Where Do I Go?". This week I am going to talk about how I organize my resources in order to share them.

The first thing that I do when I find a resource is save to my Diigo account. Diigo is a social bookmarking site that allows me to access my web resources wherever I go and whatever computer I am on. Steven Anderson wrote about "Why Diigo rocks" several weeks ago. After saving to my Diigo account, I then start thinking about how I want to organize my web resources. I think about who I plan to share them with, and the best way to share the resources.

Two of the places I like to go to organize my resources is Symbaloo and LiveBinders.

1. Symbaloo:  Another way to bookmark web resources and access from any internet enabled computer. This link takes you to the education site. Their bookmarks are called webmixes. You create tiles within a web mix. Each web resources becomes a tile. For instance, I have created a Digital Storytelling webmix and an IWB webmix. Symbaloo is free to use and you can add other people's webmixes to yours. Someone had created a webmix for Blooms, and I was able to add it to my list. You can also make the webmix be your homepage.
   
   How can it be used in the classroom? If you were studying Holiday's Around the World or Animals and their Habitats (or something like that), you could create a webmix that would include only those resources. Then you could embed (using an embed code from Symbaloo) the webmix onto your web page for your students to use. This would be a safe way for them to search web sites and not go out all over the web.
   
2. LiveBinders: A way to organize your resources in an online 3-ring binder. It actually looks like a notebook with tabs and sub tabs "inside" of the notebook. You can add images, videos, web pages, and pdf files (Adobe Acrobat files). You can embed the LiveBinders into your web page. LiveBinders is free and you can make them public or private. You can search LiveBinders by author, Education Category, etc. I have created LiveBinders as a place to store resources and share with the elementary school teachers in my district. I can embed one LiveBinder, or I can embed my entire shelf. Here is a sample of where I have embedded my entire shelf under Elementary Resources.
   
   How can it be used in the classroom? The exact same way that I used in the example above. Whatever you are going to be studying in your classroom, you can create a LiveBinder with all the resources you want your students to use. Then, you can embed the LiveBinder on your web page so that students can just click on it to open it up. That way, students are not traveling all over the internet, but only the web pages you researched.

I hope you enjoy these organizational resources. Why not create one?

Creative Commons Image: 'Gotta get organized' http://www.flickr.com/photos/19517696@N00/2005932

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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

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Lumens DC 190 Document Camera

Finally I have recently gotten to really sit down and take a look at the new (well almost new) Lumens DC 190 document camera(doc cam) that has recently replaced the DC 166 that hit is EOL cycle.We have been using the DC 166 model for a couple of years in our school district and will now be transitioning over to the newer design model.

At first glance you do not see anything different in the look and design of the doc cam, it is their termed "Ladibug" design series.  Upon further inspection there are two noticeable items that are different in this design over earlier versions.  One is that there is a USB plug-in  instead of the SanDisk port of the earlier 166 model.  The other difference is that there is a microphone built in the front of the base now so that you can include sound with your video recordings in the camera only(presenter) mode.

Another big change in the DC 190 over its predecessors is the redesign of the remote control.  Now you still have the standard buttons on the base of the doc cam; Capture, Playback, Zoom +/-, Power and Menu.  However there is a new look to the remote.  They have gone back to the basic black color design, which is great for those who are color blind (like me) because it makes the buttons and names stand out.  There are a couple of changes on the remote control that need to be mentioned so that you know where to look now versus earlier models.  The Source button is now located below the Power button, a big departure from having it in the top left which is now the Freeze button.  The Menu button flips over to the opposite side of its current row.  The Book button has now been replaced by Pan, which is a more appropriate name to describe the action that is associated with the buttons actions.  It still works the same way, you press it once to get into the Pan mode and then again to exit.  A huge step ahead of it previous version is what use to be the PBP button which is now PIP.  Yes it should sound familiar because it is Picture in Picture.  You have the live image in the background and then the static image in the bottom corner that you can choose from by using the selector (arrow) buttons to view the available images.  There is a new edition to the remote and that is the Mask button which similar to how you placed a piece of paper over your old overheads.  About 3/4 of the screen is darkened out on the first click, the second then puts a veil over the whole page except for a square in the middle of the screen.  You can then use the arrow keys to move the square around on the screen similar to a spotlight feature or move to reveal.

Another nice feature of the DC 190 is that there is now an LED light that is under the Head unit.  Now depending on the ambient room light you only had the option to either have the light source on or off.  Now you can select the LED light so that you still have an additional light source that is not as bright as the normal lamp light that has been on the Ladibug design for years.  The LED light source is just below the lens unit when you raise the head up at straight.  You can toggle between the modes using the Lamp option button in the Ladibug software.


Expect lots of new fun things to do with the new DC 190's in your classroom and don't forget that you can always find out more about how to use your document camera from my LiveBinder.

Document Cameras

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