I recently read a blog post from Elizabeth Peterson called Face Your Fears of Art Integration. In that post, she listed 4 common fears about art integration that she hears from teachers and her suggestions for overcoming or dealing with those fears. I wrote a blog post previously saying that I felt like many of these same "fears" also applied to technology integration. (Part of me thinks of these "fears" as excuses or reasons for not even trying.)
Fear #1 – I’m not an artist.
Fear #2 – The TEST is what I need to focus on.
Fear #3 – My administration/colleagues will think what I’m doing is foolish.
Fear #4 – I will make mistakes.
Right now I am going to focus on Fear #1 – I’m not an artist. I can't count how many times teachers have looked at me and basically said "Technology is not my thing." I can relate to that statement because technology was not really "my thing" in the past either. In fact my husband who is an engineer thinks it is pretty funny that I am so involved with educational technology. Hint: It is the EDUCATIONAL part that makes sense to me. Technology may not be my thing but teaching and doing anything possible to encourage student learning is ...
Although I can relate to the above comment, I don't really understand it. Start small with technology. Come up with an idea or think of a lesson that you want to try in a new way and then just try. You don't suddenly have to flip a switch and go to using "technology" all the time. When I started using technology in my class, I began by making powerpoints to go along with my writing lessons (very teacher-focused, but it was a way to start for me). A few years later my students began responding to blog posts centered around Problem-based Learning. We (the students and me) got to where we felt pretty good about the blog posts and comments we were writing, so we decided to work together and try out some other technology tools. I remember showing my students how to leave typed comments on a VoiceThread project. I was planning to wait a little while before introducing the audio comment feature.
My students did not know or follow my plan. They saw something that was possible and went for it. I did not want to try that at first since I wasn't exactly sure how to do it. My students and I learned together. They were proud of our creations and showed them off. A few students even showed their parents how to leave comments on those projects.
At one time I was the teacher who wanted to be in control of everything that happened in my classroom. I wanted to know things were going to work before I tried them. I came to realize that I learned more from the things that did not go exactly perfect in my classroom that the things that did (I think students did too). I guess those could be called "teachable moments" or "learning experiences" for the students and the teacher!
There were times in my classroom when I chose to use technology and times when I chose not to use technology depending on what I thought would best support student learning. For me that is what teaching is all about ... doing whatever is needed to help students learn ... even if that means using some technology.
I like putting pictures on my blog. Whether it is a picture of something I have created or from my camera; I think it gives the blog character and adds a bit of interest. I think all of my blogs have a picture of something on it.
I have heard of Creative Commons for a while now, but haven't done a lot with it. I am really glad that this challenge is covering Creative Commons and the proper way to add and attribute images into blogs.
We are always teaching teachers and students about copyright and where to find images they can use legally. The sites that were posted will really help in giving teachers and students other places to visit for "free" images. I could not get one of the sites to change the creative commons only, so I just used the FlickrCC site.
All of the other sites I added to my Diigo list. I think I might create a webmix in Symbaloo on image sites using Creative Commons.
I went to FlickrCC site, and then I searched for images that relate to blogs. There were a lot of images that came up, but my two favorites are the two that I have used here.
I then saved the images to my computer, made sure that I copied the attributes and will paste them at the end of this blog. By clicking on the edit, on site button above the image, I could have saved the attributes as a part of the image. I really liked that about FlickrCC.
The next thing that I did was to upload one of my photos that I took when I was in San Diego a few weeks ago. We went to the zoo (loved it!) and saw the pandas. I took my picture of the panda and uploaded it to befunky. Befunky allows you to add effects to your photos.
I applied the cartoon effect to my panda and then resized it to better fit within this blog. The home page said that I could upload my photos from Picasa, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. I did it the old fashioned way, went to my album on Picasa, downloaded the image to my computer and then uploaded it to befunky. If anyone knows of how I can upload it direct from Picasa, please let me know.
Original Image: 'Two Bloggers, after Norman Rockwell' by: Mike Licht
Have you seen the netTrekker eBook Series on things like web safety, 21st century learning, and using netTrekker? I have seen some of these books before, but now they are all together!
While most of these eBooks are related to the use of netTrekker, there are ideas in all of them that are applicable to student learning. People who are new to netTrekker can find information. People who have used netTrekker for years can find information. People who have never used netTrekker before can find information. Do you fall into any of those categories?
These eBooks provide tips, tricks, and best practices for the classroom:
I just wanted to share a few pieces of information about the Mobi. First of all if you need a battery for the Mobi pen, you can buy it at Radio Shack for $5.99. Their catalog number is 55027736. It's a GP (Gold Peak) 1.2 volt battery. To get to the battery, locate the square little button on the back of the pen just above the 2 silver rings. Use a key or something to press the button in a little. Slide the pen apart and you will see the battery. I have also found that if your pen is not working and you have definitely charged it, you might just need to take this battery out and use a pencil eraser to clean the contacts. When you are charging the Mobi and the pen, be sure you see the little pen charging icon. This is a little square with a line at an angle through the top. If you do not see the little square constantly filling and emptying, then the pen is not being charged. It is very possible to charge the Mobi and not charge the pen. You may just have to push the pen down all the way into the pen slot of the Mobi. You also may just have to turn the pen around a bit in the slot. In any case, be sure you see that the pen charging icon is displayed. I have also noticed that leaving the Mobi in your car (in the cold) the day before you want to use it is not a good idea. I did this the day before I went to a school to do a training and the fully charged Mobi and pen did not work the next day. I hope this helps.
I am a firm believer in the ways student learning relates to Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. In my mind: All students can learn ... that learning takes place in different ways and is expressed in different ways. When in the classroom, I tried to create lessons to go along with the ideas of Multiple Intelligences. I now work each day to help teachers find ways to utilize technology for student instruction and learning. I have recently started thinking about the ways those two things (Multiple Intelligences and Technology in the Classroom) can go together.
I have started gathering articles and websites about connecting technology and Multiple Intelligence. I have not yet decided on the best ways for me to connect these area, but here are some of the resources I have found (the first few are articles and/or research papers that can be difficult to read through ... sorry ... I like those):
Technology and Multiple Intelligences from TeacherTap (There is a list of intelligences and technology tools that support classroom activities from TeacherTap Pages)
"Technology can be used to facilitate learning in each intelligence area.There is no "right way" to integrate intelligences or technology into the classroom. The key is to provide the most effective learning environment for students, remembering that we all learn in different ways." from MI & Technology
If you have other resources and/or ideas on this topic, I would love for you to share them with me. Maybe we can work together to figure out ways these areas can work together.
Having discovered Kelly Tenkely's blog iLearnTechnology was like finding a gold-filled treasure chest. Getting to know Kelly through her blog and on twitter (@ktenkely) has been even better. Steven Anderson and I both attended a webinar she did last week about thinking and teaching creatively at the Knowledge Learning Place. Resources and sites she shared were posted to a LiveBinder called Thinking Creatively with Kelly Tenkely. The recording of that session will also be added to that LiveBinder when it is ready.
One thing that really stood out to me from that webinar was Kelly's Digital Bloom's Taxonomy LiveBinder. I am a big fan of Kelly's creations that go along with Bloom's Taxonomy (peacock, umbrella, tree ...). In the webinar, she said that she created one and then students suggested the ideas for the other Bloom's images. I think the one that I like the most right now is the Bloomin' Digital Peacock!
In Kelly's Digital Bloom's Taxonomy LiveBinder, she shares digital tools that can be used with students to help them Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. Both that LiveBinder and her Blog provide lots of great resources for you to check out!
Do you know who is considered the most corrupt Colonial or State Governor? What about where Pepsi was created? You know the dogwood is the state flower but is it also the state tree?
Recently I came across an awesome primary source called NCPedia. As the name implies it is an encyclopedia all about North Carolina. And there is something here for every subject area and every grade level, so while you might not teach 4th or 8th grade you can still relate what you teach back to NC and help make connections between what kids are learning and the state they live in.
All the typical resources are here. The section about the history of the Ol' North State is chock full of facts, figures and events, some I had no idea had such a huge impact on the making of our state. Did you ever wonder why High Point is the center of the furniture universe? There is a great section on how furniture has been a part of our states history even before we became a state! How awesome is that?
Other sections include the history of education in NC, including how many of the states public and private universities were founded, a great section on what it means to be a North Carolinian including the food we eat, the songs we sing and the stories we tell, and one of my favorite sections, symbols.
If you are feeling particularly adventurous you can take the NC Quiz to test your knowledge about everything that is obscure in our state. (I got an 80%. Pretty proud of myself!)
This could be a great resource for kids learning about our state or topics that can relate back. One of the best features about this entire site is at the bottom of every page there is a button that says "cite." Click it and the site will give you the citation in just about any format out there. Very handy for teaching kids about citing sources.
So head over to NCPedia and learn something new and interesting about the Tar Heel State.
The IRC has a wide range of materials that deal with Bullies and Bullying and conflict resolution.
These materials include teaching and lesson plan resources, background "theory" resources, websites, nonfiction books at various reading levels, fiction books with Bullying themes, blackline masters, and a few videos.
These materials are the center of a special display through the month of February (along with our traditional display of winter seasonal resources!).
You can see more details about these resources by accessing the IRC's Destiny online catalog. Click on "Catalog" tab and then click Resources List on the left to see a "list" of available titles. You may also search the catalog using keyword or subject searches.
In order to reserve/request these items, you need to log into your school's Destiny catalog, and search in "All District Media Center" (which is the IRC's catalog). For videos only, check "IRC Media Manager."
If you have questions about your login number and password (F in front of yourcommonpayrollnumber), please see your school's media coordinator. If you do not have a media coordinator, please call the IRC staff ( YOUR media staff ready to assist you!).
Better yet, come in person to see our "new" spacious IRC in the Education Building and use our Teacher Workroom (die cuts, laminator, poster maker, etc.). We are open every day from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (we close at 4:30 on Fridays). Any one of us will be glad to assist you!
Jackie Pierson Program Manager for Library Media Services
Elisha Burgess Shirley Bodirnea CL Marshall
Instructional Resources Center Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools 336-727-2373 extension 5 or 34208
I was very fortunate to have to the opportunity to attend some of the presentations and discussions at the 2011 Reform Symposium (#rscon11 on twitter). What is even better is that the sessions were recorded, so I will be able to listen to the sessions I did not get to attend as well as listen again to the ones I attended. As a participant in the 2010 Reform Symposium (search for Reform Symposium on my blog to find posts about it), I knew there would be lots of great things shared, but it was information overload ... in a good way.
This was/is free professional development shared by people all around the world that you can experience at home in your pajamas! I have a hard time thinking of better PD ...
Here are a few of the comments that stood out to me:
it is important to surround yourself with positive influences
developing a PLN on twitter will prove so beneficial
feel passion in what you do
help develop the passions of others
make connects and build relationships with all those around those (students, teachers, coworkers ...)
what we do is all about sharing
teach from the heart ... students will know if you really care
you have to reach students before you can teach them
failure is OK as long as you learn from it
I shared a few of the things that stood out to me, and I would encourage you to go listen to the archive of this session (will be posted Jan.15th) to see what stands out for you.
Since things from this session stuck in my mind, I decided to ask a question on twitter (I am @mwedwards): "What is something you have learned that you think new teachers should know?"
I will share a few of the responses I got:
"That parents are partners... that you're stronger together and to use rubrics and save evidence of work 4 interviews"
"New Teachers should know how to handle parent/teacher conferences. Listen to parents voice concerns,then solve problems together"
"Wish teachers taught relaxation training on a regular basis!"
"I have learned too many things to mention in a tweet!"
What are some things you have learned to make you a better teacher? What are some things you have learned that you think new teachers should know?
In SMART Notebook in the Lesson Activity Toolkit there are many activities that you can use to make your lesson more interactive with students. Here is one that you can create yourself. I call it the Magic Top Hat. With the Magic Top Hat, I can pull out sentence starters, student names, math problems, or anything else that will fit "in" the hat.
To create the Magic Top Hat, first open SMART Notebook. Click on the Gallery tab and type "hat" in the search box. Scroll down the pictures until you see the "Hat - Top Hat" icon and drag it onto your notebook page. Click on the hat object and then click on the green circle at the top of the object and rotate the hat until it is upside down. Make the hat as big as you want it to be by dragging the re-size handle. Next, type in student names, vocabulary words, sentence starters, or whatever you want to put "in" the hat. After typing in the words or numbers you plan on using, you will need to make the font color the same as the hat color.
To change the color of the font to the exact color of the hat, you will need to use the eye dropper in the edit text box. Double click on your text to open the edit text box. Highlight your text, click on the black square (font color), click on the eye dropper, and then click in the area of the hat that you want the font to match. Make sure the size of your font is not bigger than the size of the hat (so that all of the text fits "into" the hat).
Lock the hat in place so that it doesn't move when you pull text out of the hat. Move all the text "into" the hat (actually they are sitting on top of the hat, but since the font is the same color as the hat, the words disappear on the hat). You can now click on the hat and magically pull the text out of the hat!
Video created using my computer, SMART Notebook and Jing.
It seems like people are always looking for a way to edit their photos. There are a number of places you can use or go to but here is another one for you to check out. It’s online so there is nothing for you to download. It works on a Mac, Windows or Linux. The free version gives you the ability to do a wide variety of things. Some of the options are not available in the free version. They require a fee of $24.95/year.
After you create an account or log in, you will see the button to upload a photo. Once this is done you will be on the edit tab. In the edit tab you have the options to auto-fix the image, rotate, crop, resize, sharpen, adjust the exposure or the colors and remove red-eye. The other tabs along the top are library, create, save & share. The library tab gives you the option to upload more images from your computer, create a show, view photos you have uploaded in the past, enter a URL to upload the image, choose images from your Picasa Web Albums, open and save images from Flikr and a number of other places. The create tab gives you the option to apply a number of effects. Most of them are available although a few require the premium version. There are featured effects available, the option to add text to the image, touch up options, several frames available, some advanced features are available in the free version and some seasonal option as well. The last tab along the top is the save & share tab. This tab gives you the option to save the edited image to your computer, email your image, print your photos from Qoop or from your printer or share it in a number of other places. So as you can see there are a multitude of editing options. Check it out.
Did you know you can now find the Instructional Technology workshop resources linked on the Resources page?
Did you know you can find DPI released test items on the Middle School and High School pages?
Did you know there are content writing prompts in 7th and 8th grade?
Did you know there is Thinkfinity Standards Search link on each page (Thinkfinity will soon have the NC Standards)?
Did you know you can find CPS and Mobi Handouts on the Resource page?
Did you know there is a Prezi Jeopardy Template now on the Resource page?
Are there some resources or instructional websites that you regularly use that are not in Learning Village?
If you have some resources, lessons, or even project ideas that you think other teachers would benefit from, please send them my way or post them in a comment here.
Assessment is not a new trending topic in education. As teachers, we use various methods of assessment tools to try to figure out what our students know/learned or how well we taught a particular objective. Multiple choice, true/false, and other paper and pencil testing methods are prevalent in schools. However, in schools that believe in Problem-Based Learning or Project-Based Learning, teachers have to be more creative and flexible in how they assess their students.
This morning, our district Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services (Dr. Meg Sheehan), shared a resource for rubrics that was more extensive than I have seen in a while. The website was developed by and for the University of Wisconsin-Stout for their online professional development. They offer quality rubrics on using web 2.0 tools with students, collaboration evaluation, writing, multimedia, webpages, gaming, and much much more. I recommend that you check it out!
One of my favorite quotes of all time is: "We must become the change we want to see in the world." Mohandas Gandhi
At this time of the year, conversations revolve around New Year's resolutions and making change in our lives. And although I have been in education over fifteen years, I don't think I have ever been a part of a school or district that takes this time to refocus/discuss/rewrite their mission for change. It seems sort of natural, a "doh!" moment (to quote Homer Simpson). Educators continually talk about change and what needs to be done, but rarely do we do temperature checks along the way. It usually takes a report being due for us to look at what we said we would do and re-evaluate.
I recently wrote on my personal blog about Defining 2011. Taking inspiration from Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project, I developed my own 12 Personal Commandments. What if every classroom, grade level/department, school, district developed their collective commandments? What would that look like? Would there be consistency from the ground up? Do we know what our mission for change is? Does every member of the team know and believe?
The Instructional Technology Division will be developing our own list of commandments and we will share them next week on the blog. Be on the look out! But in the meantime, how are you going to become the change you want to see in your school(s)? What commandments will you follow to get there? Please share with us!
Seems like it's the cool thing this time of year to look back at the previous year, where we have been and to look forward, to where we are going. I want to be hip. So here is my reflections on 2010 and my predictions for 2011.
I wrote a post on December 28, 2009 where I talked about tools that I thought would have a break out year.
How did I do?
Voicethread- I still don't think this wonderful program gets the attention it deserves. There was a lot of buzz about it every now and then on Twitter but I still don't see it's widespread adoption as a great storytelling tool and feedback tool. If you aren't familiar, Voicethread is a program where you drop in some images and then can record text, audio or video around the image. The best part is that others can do the same. Think about it in a lower elementary classroom. Kids draw images representing what their year will be like. Then the other kids in the class record their thoughts around the image. Very easy and lots of potential. Here is an example I use a lot where I asked people to give me their thoughts on what a PLN (Personal Learning Network) means to them.
I still believe this is a great and easy tool for anyone to use. Need ideas? Check out the Voicethread In Education wiki for some.
Skype- I do think I got this one right. Skype took off and more and more teachers are using it in the classroom. Even Skype itself got in the game late in the year and created a place for teachers to sign-up to connected with other classrooms. I have noticed there are less people talking about it being blocked, which is a positive. They have rolled out 10 way video calling but you only get it for 30 days unless you pay. Bummer. They are moving more and more into the mobile market and now you can do video calls on the iPhone. I see more great things this year for the program. If you need ideas, check out one of my favorite ways to use it, Around The World With 80 Schools.
Ning- What can we say about Ning? They decided to go to a paid service. So many educators ditched the service all together since the free options for educators doesn't really have all that they need. Many people looked at free options like the Buddypress add in for a Wordpress blog. That seems to work well, if you know what you are doing. I think the bigger story here is the fact that social networking in the classroom really took off. Through the use of Twitter, Facebook and other sites, educators are starting to see the power of social media to extend learning beyond the classroom. So if Ning is gone where can you turn to introduce social networking to your students? Here is a great list created right after Ning went paid.
Diigo-I am gonna say that I got this one mostly right. Diigo did have a break out year. More and more people started using the great education features. It wasn't until the end of December that they really started to grow with the mostly correct announcement that Delicious (another social bookmarking service) was being shut down or sold off by Yahoo. More and more people jumped ship and imported their bookmarks into Diigo. I think more and more people will begin to use the service and more and more educators will see the power that those features have in the classroom. Look for great things from Diigo this year.
So what do I see for this year? Well I learned my lesson last year so I will try to be less tool specific but I think there are somethings to keep an eye on for this year.
QR Codes-If you have been keeping up with my blog I have written a lot (here and here) about QR Codes. (I even have a Livebinder full of resources.) I see these popping up in more and more places and I think this could be the year that they really break out into the mainstream both out of the classroom and in. Education author and all around awesome guy, Jeff Utecht, wrote that this is the year of the QR code. Check out his thoughts.
More Social Networking- I believe that more and more educators will see the benefits of having a place where their students can meet online to share information, gather or just chat, outside the classroom. Some are already using spaces where kids are like Facebook but I believe services like Edmodo (one of my favorites) will continue to grow and gain in popularity.
Tablets- The iPad is wicked cool. While there are some imitators out there, I haven't really seen good competition. (The Samsung Galaxy is about the closest.) Expect that to change in a few weeks at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This is the chance for us to see what will be hot in electronics this year and I expect it to be tablets. Once the price is right I think these will replace netbooks and laptops in 1:1 programs in schools. That is, as long as the apps keep up. And that is key. Apps are what make the iPad so great. So education related companies are going to have to be innovative in the apps they create for these devices.
I do have a wildcard piece of tech this year to keep an eye on. The Xbox Kinect. This is basically a camera system that you connect to your Xbox and play games without an controller. Cool stuff. The use in physical education is obvious. But I am thinking about the use in Special Ed and physical therapy. Lots of potential there and I bet we will see at least one education company develop learning games for the Kinect. And it acts as a webcam so it could fit easily into the classroom.
So there it is. My reflections on 2010, and my thoughts on 2011. What do you think? What did I miss? What did I not consider? What do you think will be the "big thing" in Edtech this year. Leave some comments below.
One thing that I have heard from Elementary teachers, while I have been training on Interactive Whiteboards, is that there are not a lot of activities out there for Social Studies that will utilize the IWB to its abilities. They are looking for quick activities that they can use to either start or reinforce a lesson with.
PBS offers a lot of online interactive activities to aid teachers in getting their students engaged in learning.
Here is a sampling for PreK-2 Teachers 1. Build a Neighborhood - Allows students to create their own neighborhood 2. Coast to Coast - Test students knowledge of Geography in the US 3. Connect the States - A matching game that helps students learn flags, animals, foods and other facts about states. 4. Connect the World - A matching game that helps students learn flags, animals, foods and other facts about other countries. 5. On the Job - A matching game where you pick the best tool that goes with the worker.
This is just a sampling of some of the Interactive Activities that PBS offers that you could use on your Interactive Whiteboard. Check out PBS Teachers for more information and activities.
Did you know that there are a number of combination keys in ActivInspire that offer you easy access to features that you may not be aware of. The one thing that makes ActivInspire more user friendly than before is its ease of use. The software has a lot of multi-use buttons and quick access options built in to make the tools easier to find.
Take for instance if you want to see the ActivInspire Dashboard and it is no longer showing on the screen because you closed it out. Well you could go to the View Menu because that is what you want to do, "View" the Dashboard or you could press the F11 Key. It is what I would call built in redundancy, the software offers you many different paths to get to the same end result. How about this example, for some reason in the middle of a Lesson the board seems to not want to respond to your stylus touch and you need to go to the next flipchart page. Since your board is not responding to you what do you do? Well you would go to your computer keyboard and press the Page Down Button that will advance the flipchart one page. Or maybe in the same situation you want to Copy and Paste an item from one flipchart page to another. You would be at your keyboard to press the CTRL + C (to copy) Page Down (to advance a page) then CTRL + V (to paste).
So in order to help out with some of the keyboard commands in ActivInspire, I have created a cheat sheet list of all the Control, Special and Function Key commands that you can print off to have close at hand when you are working, whether you are connected to a board or not, on your Flipcharts. If you click the image it will take you to our Wiki page where you can download the ActivInspire Special Keys pdf as well as take a look at the other information we have to offer.
