The Purple 'Puter Lady

Understanding SOPA and PIPPA Before It's Too Late

2012-01-19T17:25:00.001-05:00

There are a few days left to stop this abomination. Bombard your representatives. Already some have withdrawn their support of these bills...keep calling, emailing and if possible, visiting your representatives!

SOPA/PIPPA Time is Running Out to Stop This Epic Fail!

2012-01-18T09:06:00.000-05:00

The vote is on the 24th...that's mere days away! If you don't know about this you should take a few minutes (you don't have much more time than that to act! ) to inform yourself. This is the first step down the proverbial "slippery slope". You can Google or start with these links below but please don't just sit there!

http://wordpress.org/news/2012/01/help-stop-sopa-pipa/

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120109/03402117340/libraries-are-best-counter-to-piracy-so-course-publishers-are-trying-to-limit-them.shtml

http://americancensorship.org/

http://projects.propublica.org/sopa/

Doodle 4 Google 2012 Theme: If I Could Travel in Time, I'd Visit...

2012-01-18T08:19:00.003-05:00

It's Doodle 4 Google time! Again this year parents, teachers, or after-school programs may enter a K-12 student. There's no cap on the number of students an adult may enter but there is a limit of one submission per student.

The National winner's submission will be the Doodle of the Day in May and be awarded a $30,000 college scholarship, a trip to New York, a Google Chromebook, Wacom digital design tablet and a t-shirt with their Doodle. Their school will also receive a $50,000 technology grant. Other prizes are listed here.

Get started here and get to doodling! Good luck!

Learn to Code

2012-01-13T13:01:00.004-05:00

I just came across this. Codeacademy is a place for you to learn to program in JavaScript, Ruby, and Python without having to download editor software (that can come later if you really get hooked!). I would have loved to have had it when I was in the computer lab. What a great way to introduce students to coding! Oh well, perhaps some of you will enjoy it. For me, I am on lesson five of the JavaScript tutorial already. Fun, fun, fun! Enjoy!

Themeefy - How Can You Use It?

2012-01-13T12:01:00.000-05:00

The Themeefy graphic above says it all. This looks like an extraordinary tool for all of us but I can imagine some uses for it in the classroom. How about you? If you are having problems coming up with ideas, not to worry, just click on the tutorial button, the "ideas" button or the examples button.

;-) Enjoy!

If you are one of those who does not read comments, here's more information from Themeefy:

http://themeefy.com/blog/?p=259 and http://themeefy.com/blog/?p=273

We look forward to seeing your Themeefy Mags soon! Do share them with us on Twitter (@Themeefy) or Facebook

(http://www.facebook.com/Themeefy)

Revisiting Nat Geo's Map Page

2012-01-13T11:54:00.000-05:00

Another gem from National Geographic. They have always been the go-to place for maps but perhaps now is a good time to re-visit their site.

The National Geographic Map page contains all sorts of maps and the "Editor's Picks" is as good a place to start as any. You will find atlas jigsaw puzzles to play, "Earth Pulse" which maps population and economic trends, and more. There is also a plethora of thematic maps that document things like ecological zones, human exploration and more. Don't miss the "Atlas Explorer" which looks like a good tool for students working on country reports. For my fellow Virginians, there is an interactive map of the Chesapeake Bay that focuses on how climate change may undo many of our conservation efforts. Fascinating.

Enjoy. ;-)

Free Dictionary (and more) Download

2011-12-22T15:52:00.000-05:00

The Sage English Dictionary and Thesaurus is a free software application that, through a multi-tool interface, integrates a complete dictionary and a multifaceted thesaurus of the English language together into a unique language reference system. Yes, you can always use the Internet for definitions but I expect that some of you who have limited connection might find this useful. For Win XP and Win 7.
Enjoy! ;-)

It's That Time of the Year Again! NORAD Tracks Santa

2011-12-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

I have been a fan of this site for years. Some of us never grow up! ;-)

Check every day for "surprises in the Kids' Countdown Village and of course, track Santa's flight on the big night. You may also download an app for your Android or iPhone.

Enjoy! ;-)

iTune Sesame Street Freebies

2011-12-16T12:28:00.000-05:00

If you have young kids, you'll appreciate these freebies. iTunes has 17 full-length episodes of the TV show "Learn Along with Sesame" absolutely free. You can view them on your PC or an iPad, iPhone, etc. Great for getting started with those holiday electronics or keeping the young ones entertained on those long trips over the river and through the woods.

Enjoy. ;-)

DIY Window Hydroponics

2011-12-15T09:16:00.006-05:00

We have been growing hydroponic tomatoes and herbs in our home for about six years now. This is the first year that we did not get around to setting the tomatoes up in the basement. You can imagine how excited I was when our son sent us this link (click on the post title).

I think we will try this after Christmas. If we do, I'll come back here and post our photos. Until then, here's one from the site.

Lelia's Links

2011-12-04T14:49:00.006-05:00

Lelia's Links has moved again. I moved it from the now defunct www.framedbylouie.com and put it into it's own page on this blog (see tabs above post). I have not "prettied" it up. Perhaps that will come later. ;-) I'm still feeling like this is a closed chapter for me but I could not bring myself to just delete it, as there are some interesting sites on the list. Enjoy.

Retire, Withdraw, Discontinue, Stop, Cease, Give Up, Quit, Lay Off

2011-10-04T11:00:00.003-04:00

Regardless of what you call it, I'm doing it. I don't know at this point if it will be permanent or temporary. Lelia's Links will also be coming down in the next month or two as we will be discontinuing that website as well. The blog, being free, will remain online for an undetermined time. If you have found it useful and wish to be notified of it's resurrection, if any, I suppose the simplest way will be to subscribe via email. If I make a new post, you will get an email, if I don't, you won't.

Best wishes and happy teaching.

Online Money Lessons and Games

2011-09-25T18:58:00.003-04:00

Miss Evan's wonderful class sent me this resource to share with you. It's called Online Money Lessons and Games. You can find over 20 lessons and games to teach topics like adding and subtracting money, budgeting, kids and cash, money math and lots more! Thanks guys! Enjoy! ;-)

2011-09-22T16:10:00.001-04:00

Another quickie. ;-) YouTube Teachers.

Collaborative Tools For Teachers

2011-09-22T09:11:00.003-04:00

A quickie for you today...The Best Free Collaborative Tools.

Enjoy. ;-)

Learning With Portal and Portal is Free Until September 20, 2011

2011-09-17T16:20:00.004-04:00

Between now and September 20, 2011 you may download Portal for free from Steam. Portal is apparently regarded by many people to be one of the best games ever. It was awarded a 9.0 by Gamespot and was called "quirky, clever, polished, and presented with a spark of a subtly evil humor" by IGN. I have to admit I have not played it yet but it's downloading as I write. It was not only the IGN review but the recommendation by cnet's Rick Broida that captured my interest. To get it you will have to sign up for a free Steam account.

As I was looking around the site prior to downloading, I came across the Learn With Portals page. On this page they state, " Using interactive tools like the Portal series to draw them in makes physics, math, logic, spatial reasoning, probability, and problem-solving interesting, cool and fun which gets us one step closer to our goal - engaged, thoughtful kids." Sounds interesting, now I'm off to play the game! ;-)

New Media Resource From PBS

2011-09-15T15:15:00.001-04:00

PBS Learning Media is a new media-on-demand service that aims to provide teachers with easy access to 14,000+ digital resources that are targeted for your curriculum....and it's free! Material is available for Pre-K to high-school and beyond. They have gathered together what they deem to be the best of public media produced for teachers from PBS, WGBH and over 55 other media partners.

Subjects include:
Art
English Language Art
Health and PE
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Professional Development

Media types include document, video, still image, interactive, and audio and languages available include English, Spanish, Arabic, French and Navajo.

Enjoy! ;-)

2011-09-09T12:19:00.005-04:00

Install Prey and forget it until your phone or computer goes missing. Then you just wake it up via a message from the Internet or SMS message. Prey will allow you to gather information about the device's location, network status and possibly even get a picture of the thief with the device's webcam. Compatable with Windows 2000 and newer, Linux and Mac OS X 10.4 and newer. Now if they'd only add a command to electrify the device....shocking! ;-p

Prey Project introduction from Carlos Yaconi on Vimeo.

70 Years of Educational Comics

2011-09-09T12:10:00.001-04:00

A collection of educational comics created by various different government agencies and other organizations from the past seventy years provide a glimpse of the way issues were addressed in words and pictures. Hosted by the University of Nebraska Libraries.

9-11 Lesson Plan Links

2011-09-08T09:55:00.003-04:00

Can it be 10 years already? I remember the moment that I understood that the first aircraft's crash was not an accident...it's as fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday...

New links added 9-8-11.

These Marines were still in school when 9/11 happened. Listen to them speak about it from Afghanistan.

3rd Battalion, 4th Marines in Afghanistan talk about 9/11

Resources for teaching about 9-11 - Lots of links here.

Teaching 9/11911 Interactive Timeline

Digital History 9/11

World's Front Pages from the Newseum for Sept. 12, 2001

Remember the 9/11 Spirit of Service

History.com - 9/11 Ten Years Later

9/11 Words to Remember Activity Using Tagxedo

THC Study Guides

HP Teacher's Exchange Ten Years After 9/11 - Ideas for your Classroom - and Sept. 11 - Focusing on the Positive

Teaching 9/11: Using Task Rotation for Analyzing Artifacts and Primary Sources by Addie Albano

Storybird Can Encourage Literacy Like No Other Free Tool I've Seen!

2011-09-07T12:46:00.002-04:00

I have just found my new favorite tool! It's one of those sites that makes me wish I were back in the computer lab...but I'll just have to be satisfied to share it here. ;-)

Well, perhaps that's a bit of hyperbole but I really wanted to grab your attention so you won't miss this! The site that has me so excited this morning is Storybird and I found it purely by accident. Storybirds are art-inspired short stories that kids will love to make individually or collaboratively. They provide a deliciously easy and fun incentive for kids to write their own short stories. There are three types of StoryBird accounts: Regular, Teacher/Class, and Kids Under 13. They are all three and are a passport to art, writing, storytelling and just plain fun!

Teacher accounts offer functionality to make a teacher's life simple. Storybird does not have personal profiles or chat rooms and public books and comments are moderated, providing a save environment for your students. While I would strongly recommend this for classroom use, it's also great for the computer lab teacher because they allow a teacher to create and manage as many classes as they like from a dashboard interface. Teachers may set privacy settings, decide whether or not students have access to spell-check, create assignments and issue a due date for the assignment. Teachers may create libraries from their student's stories and share them with parents and other schools (collaborate across the miles anyone?). I think Storybird will be a wonderful tool for K up.

Here's an example from their library:

First Day of School on Storybird

What are you waiting for? Check it out!

Here's One For Science Teachers

2011-09-03T11:52:00.001-04:00

"Lab Out Loud is a podcast and blog that discusses science news and science education with leading scientists, researchers, science writers and other important figures in the field." In their fourth year, the podcasts may be listened to online or subscribed to via email, iTunes and several other methods. You'll see the "Subscribe" button on the right of the page. Archived podcasts are available on the site.

Best Practices for Teaching Contemporary History

2011-09-01T15:45:00.003-04:00

Earlier in August, the National Museum of American History, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Pentagon Memorial Fund and Flight 93 National Memorial offered a free online conference entitled September 11: Teaching Contemporary History. The conference was for K-12 teachers and aimed to provide teachers with ideas for addressing this topic. If you missed it, never fear, the sessions are all online and available free of charge.
Free recordings
Free Resources

Additionally, teachers and students are invited to join in an online conversation about 9/11. September 11 Rememberance and Reflections. Copied from the website:

In conjunction with the National Museum of American History's 10th anniversary display of artifacts and the Smithsonian Channel documentary "9/11: Stories in Fragments," we invite you to participate in a more meaningful online conversation about September 11.
Why?
The Web can be a powerful tool for bringing people together to discuss common concerns and explore issues from varying perspectives. But many conversations on the Web are anonymous and lack accountability, with people simply talking past each other. "September 11: Conversations" is designed to be more like the give and take of real in-person conversations. This online dialogue makes candor more comfortable, exchanges more intimate, and disagreements more civil.
What?
Each conversation group will contain a limited number of participants (around 20 per group) from different areas of the country who agree to participate for two weeks. We'll suggest topics, but each group's dialogue is determined by your personal experiences and interests. All conversations can be read by the public, but only the members of the group can initiate new topics of conversation or respond to others. Teachers need to sign up if they'd like for their group to participate.

There are more 9/11 links in an earlier post.

List of Back-to-School Goodies from CNET

2011-08-31T12:15:00.001-04:00

Free apps for your electronic tools! ;-)

Another Back-to-School Idea - Painting, Posting and Mapping

2011-08-30T16:17:00.005-04:00

Another beginning of the year activity the students and I enjoyed was doing self-portraits in Pixie. Of course any paint program would work but I simply love Pixie. During the early days, we merely printed the portraits and hung them in the classroom. These days there's a whole lot more we can do! One idea was a project I called, Where We Came From. No, it was not an introductory sex ed class, but a way for my students to see where their classmates were born. ;o)

Here's how to do it. The week before you want to do the project send home a form outlining the project and asking that the form be returned with the students place of birth and perhaps the parent's signature. When you start the project, explain to the kids that they will be creating their self-portrait in the paint program and they should put only their first name and last initial on the portrait. If needed, show them how easy it is to use shapes and stamps in addition to the paint brush and other tools to draw their image. When the image is complete they should save it as a .jpg. In Pixie this is done using the "Export" button, other programs will allow you to "Save As". There are also programs online that you may use for file conversion ( Zamzar is one ) if your paint program does not allow for .jpg conversion. At this juncture you should have a discussion about why it's not safe for kids to mark identifiable photos with locations and perhaps share why kids should not post photos online in any venue without the oversight of an adult. I'm just sayin'... When you are comfortable that the students understand the safety issues, they may upload their image to the class *Picasa account (you did set up a class or lab Google account didn't you?) into an album that you have already created. After upload, they will connect their image to the place they were born using the map feature.

After uploading, click on the "Actions" tab and select "Album Map". Click on the "Edit Map" button on the left. Then you may zoom in and out and pan to specific locations. Each student should drag their image to the spot on the map that corresponds to their birthplace. Depending on the ages and your equipment, this may be done one at a time at the whiteboard or at a computer connected to a projector or individually from their computers. Once everyone has uploaded and "mapped" their image, you can link to the map in your class blog or email the link to parents. You may also create a KML file for viewing in Google Earth by clicking on the button. It's great fun to spin the globe and let the kids see their images placed on their birth-city.
Here's a link to an example.

I have not really talked about security for this project. Every school will have it's own rules. In general, keep reminding kids never to put their full names on their work that will be displayed online, and take a look at the security settings for your album. Do you want it to be public or by link only? Google will give you some choices with this. I believe if I were in the classroom now, I would have kids create a username at the beginning of the year that they would use all year long for projects of this type and not even use their first names. A "key" to user names could be shared with parents. However, ~~I had not reached this conclusion when I taught this lesson so the images in the example will have the student's first name on them.~~ I went back the day after this post and redacted the student's names. I beleive it's much better to be too security concious than not enough. ;-) I used Picnic to make the changes. The free version is part of Picasa and I used the rectangle shape to do the redacting. There are lots of other cute stamps and other tools for doing a quick touch-up of your images. There is also a paid version with many more goodies and you are not limited to using it within Picasa. You can check it out here.

Tie-ins to this activity would naturally include a fairly in-depth discussion on what information is OK to share online and what should stay private and you may also want to talk about the difference between posting a self-portrait and a photo online. You may have an exceptionally gifted student but by and large, people won't recognize your students from their self-portraits like they would a photo...point this out to them. ;-)

I'll be back in a day or so with more ideas.

*Haven't used Picasa before? Here's the help file. Enjoy!

Make Google Your Friend

2011-08-29T16:00:00.007-04:00

I set up a Google account for my computer lab. This comes in handy any number of ways and would work just as well for a regular classroom. NOTE: Since you want all of the kids to have access to the Google account, you will have to give them all the login and password. This means that you must be vigilant for unwanted changes. I have to say, however, in the three years that I used this I never had a student tamper with the iGoogle page or make inappropriate changes to any of the online documents. I was always quite clear...if you break the rules you will use paper and pencil while the others are using computers. In 18 years I only had to enforce that twice! ;-) At any rate, here are a few ways you can use your Google Computer Lab (or Classroom) Account.

1. I set up an iGoogle page for the computer lab. I customized it to provide activities for my classes. You may view a screenshot here for ideas. This was an easy way to share a list of bookmarks and direct students to particular pages. I created tabs for particular topics, you can see most of them on the screenshot, not shown were the Geography Games and Just For Fun tabs. This way, I could accomodate students who finished a class activity early in a meaningful way, not just sending them off to play a game. I also sent the login information home so that parents and students both could use it.

2. You can use the Google account to create a class blog for showcasing your student's work.

3. Use Picasa Web Albums for photo storage.

4. Google Docs - we set up Google Docs accounts for the older students but the lab Google Docs was good for creating collaborative documents with the older elementary students.

5. YouTube is part of your Google account too. TeacherTube is an another option but I have to say that TeacherTube lost all of my videos my last year teaching...so I think I'd go with YouTube. Here are a few of my earlier YouTube related posts:
http://purple-puter-lady.blogspot.com/2011/02/free-website-allows-for-safe-student.html
http://purple-puter-lady.blogspot.com/2010/10/youtube-as-art_25.html
http://purple-puter-lady.blogspot.com/2010/10/free-digital-timeline-website.html

That's all I have for you today. Soon I'll add some more ideas for you. ;-) Enjoy!

HP...Printers and 'Puters and Free Resources, Oh My!

2011-08-29T14:16:00.000-04:00

When you think of HP, what do you think of? Printers, computers, tablets? How about free, online classes? The HP Learning Center offers many free resources. There's quite a few classes for the digital photographer, lots of classes for the home office, you can learn about networking, safely using wi-fi, backing up your data, keeping your kids safe online, Tweeting and "Facebooking" and more. Best of all, it's free and you can complete each class at your own pace. I didn't use it when I was teaching but I think it's a great resource that could easily supplement your technology curriculum. As a matter of fact, I'm heading to that page now to see what I want to learn today! ;-)

Teaching Cyber Security to Your Students

2011-08-26T13:11:00.001-04:00

I can never recommend the Carnegie Cyber Academy enough. It's a great site for teaching kids about Cyber-safety and it's free! I used it for several years before I retired and the kids never tired of it. They have games, a library of very useful articles and even teacher resources. When I was teaching, they even created a "Cadet Gallery" on their website where they showcased my student's work until I took it down when I retired. Now they've got a cool game you can use to assess your student's cyber-savvy. Like them on Facebook too!

;-) Enjoy!

Another Back-to-school Tip - Creating a Personal Password Algorithm

2011-08-26T11:58:00.003-04:00

I've done this for years, but it was not until I saw variations on the above title that I realized that was what I was doing and had been suggesting to my older students who had the need for various passwords. I had called it "coming up with your own formula for devising passwords". "Creating a personal password algorithm" sounds ever so much cleverer. ;-)

I thought of this now because the beginning of the school year is the time when students and teachers are setting up new accounts and need passwords. We all know the types of passwords to avoid. If you need a refresher, here's a short article from Lifehacker.

When I was in the classroom at password generation time, I would first talk about what makes a horrible password choice and then suggest that students devise a personal formula of their own to create a different password for each account.

If a student is creating a Google account they could make up a nonsense sentence about something that Google makes them think of.

For example, "When I Google I gag until dawn." It seems like we can remember sentences easier than a random selection of numbers and letters.

Then from that sentence the following password could be generated: W97Igud! Do you see what I did?

Most secure passwords require a minimum number of characters so eight characters is a good place to start. They also usually require a minimum number of upper case letters and numbers. Requirements vary so my password above would not work everywhere but this should give you an idea of how to start.

My password W97Igud!, starts off with:

W, the same as the sentence.

The nine represents the "i" as "i" is the ninth letter of the alphabet

7=g (for the same reason)

I=the I in the sentence

g=gag

u=until

d=dawn

! provides me with one character.

This password might not be up to DOD standards but should suffice to keep a student's password safe. Of course, the kids cannot share their "algorithm" with fellow students but you should look over their method and resulting password and make a record of their password for yourself. I guarantee their will be a couple who will never remember their passwords, no matter that they generated them themselves. :o)

Hopefully, this will give you ideas to share with your students for password creation. You can also Google (which does not make me gag, by the way) to look up other methods for creating password algorithms.

Have fun. ;-)

I Love Using the Wii In the Classroom

2011-08-24T19:51:00.000-04:00

OK, not really but only because as a retired old Purple 'Puter Lady I am no longer in the classroom but I love the idea of using this relatively inexpensive resource and I've had some fun lately using my Wii to stream media to my much larger TV in the living room (Tversity)...and I've become intrigued by the possibility of extending it into the classroom. Then there's the whole Homebrew thing (including a Mandelbrot generator and a Whiiteboard)...Lifehacker offers instructions on how to hack your Wii for Homebrew in five minutes.

Anyway, here's a list of a few sites that might give you ideas for using this inexpensive yet powerful box in your classroom and perhaps encourage you to come up with some of your own:

History Tech
Wii Maths
12 Interesting Ways to Use a Nintendo Wii in the Classroom
Tom Barrett's Wii Blog
Wii Classroom

There's even a Facebook page called Learning in the Classroom With Wii

Enjoy! ;-)

Tools to Help Students Collaborate - Edutopia Article

2011-08-23T17:51:00.000-04:00

Here's an excellent article from Edutopia that focuses on using technology to encourage learning through collaboration. It also gives links to some very good examples of what you can do in your classroom. ;-)

Class Project to Teach Compassion and Sharing

2011-08-23T17:30:00.003-04:00

This is a charity especially close to my heart. SPCAI does much to help animals, including Operation Baghdad Pups. They are in a financial crisis, as are many in this economy. However if you are looking for a worthy cause that will appeal to the best in children's natures, this may be a good choice for you. I ask that you at least read some of the stories if you are looking for something that your students can support as a class. Here's an email that I just received from them:

What would happen to animals like Nahla if we didn't exist? You probably remember Nahla. She never gave up. Children in Iraq crushed her rear legs with concrete blocks when she was just a puppy. They crippled her. Although her body was broken, her heart and courage were strong. She dragged herself around the village and found enough food and water to stay alive - barely. American soldiers were so inspired by Nahla that they asked us to come rescue her. Nahla's now happy and healthy, living in the U.S. Her rescue was expensive work, but the life we saved is priceless.

Animals like Nahla are why we do what we do. And friends like you are why Nahla is still alive. It's your support that fuels our work.

And now our work is in real jeopardy. We are still tens-of-thousands of dollars behind our fundraising needs this summer. I am asking you to give - to donate so that we can save another Nahla who will die without us.

We must raise $45,000 by August 26th. If not, I fear the worst - We will not have the funds to help our soldiers' companion animals this fall OR to award shelter grants for the deserving organizations that save lonely, sick, abandoned animals and nurture them back to health and home.

So many innocent lives depend on us. When I think about Nahla's courage, I refuse to give up. I know we have to persevere, just like she did. With your help - your donation --we WILL raise the money we need and we WILL save more suffering animals. This is why we need you now!

In continued desperation,

JD Winston

Executive Director

SPCA International

Study Jams - Math and Science Teachers Take Note

2011-08-23T17:19:00.001-04:00

Study Jams are another great Scholastic resource. They consist of over 200 videos, slide shows and explanations for the areas of math and science. There are also vocabulary and tests to help your students understanding of each topic. To give you an idea of what to expect, the most popular topics listed on the website when I visited it today are:

Volcanoes
Photosynthesis
Combinations
The Universe
Creating Equations from Word Problems

These will be great to use with an entire class, as a center activity or even as a "filler" for those students who finish other assignments early. It reminds me a bit of BrainPop except that all of these videos are free. ;-)

Google Scribe is Now Part of Blogger in Draft

2011-08-20T10:56:00.005-04:00

I'm actually trying this feature in this post for the very first time. It just replaced three or four words in the previous sentence for me. I'm still not sure if I would make this my default, but it's worth checking out for a bit. In order to have Scribe make suggestions, you have to use Blogger in Draft mode. You will not see the blue pencil icon in Blogger. I'd suggest that you do research on Blogger in Draft before you mark the checkbox to make it your default. Have fun investigating this feature. ;-)

The Scribe icon is circled in blue and the blue arrow points to the grayed out suggestion made by Scribe.
Click the image above to see a larger version.

Technology Integration Ideas for the Beginning of School - Using Removable Storage - Descriptive and Creative Writing and More!

2011-08-20T09:44:00.001-04:00

Another activity I used during the early part of the year with older elementary and middle school students was designed to introduce them to the use of removable storage, in our case, flash drives. The activity also helped with the getting-acquainted process and introduction or practice using word-processing software to create a descriptive document.

After a brief introduction to the basic word-processor functions I expected them to use (these varied by the level of the class) I told the kids that they needed to create a short "who-am-I?" document in Word (or Open Office) and save it to both their personal folder and the flash drive that I would provide them with. Again, the complexity of the document was tailored to the level of each class and the students should not put their name anywhere in the document. We would briefly discuss how to save a document in two different places and also what removable storage is, why it is useful, and how to safely remove it from the computer when they were finished with it. I would also provide them with a handout containing this information. Again, a different handout for each level.

Next, we would also talk about what can happen to the flash stick and the data on it if it's not properly ejected (or unmounted) before it's removed from the USB slot and what sort of removable storage media may be removed without "ejecting" it first. A flash drive can last for some time, being just yanked out of the USB slot, but sooner or later one or more files or the entire contents of the drive is likely to end up corrupted if the drive is not "ejected" prior to removal. In light of that, I like to accustom the students to always "eject" the USB drive prior to actually pulling it from the USB slot. If you need to brush up on your knowledge of this, How-to-Geek has a good article on all types of removable storage.

After a couple of questions to make sure that the kids "got it", I would pass out the flash drives that I had already discreetly numbered to correspond to the numbering on each computer station and have the students begin their document. I would have them begin along with me, opening the program, creating and naming their file. Remember, you will show them (if necessary) how to save the file in both places. I would tell the students the name they needed to use, usually something like, "who_am_I". Each class will have a different file name that you will keep track of, but each student in the same class will use the same file name. Have I lost you yet? Hope not, you will see why I want them all named the same in a minute.

Depending on how much time you have to spend with each class, you may want to give them until the end of the class before they must save, eject and turn in their flash drive. With older students, you may be able to give them 10-15 minutes to create the document and save it. With younger students, you may wish to use the rest of the activity at the beginning of their next class.

When you have all of the flash drives, mix them up and pass them out again, making sure that each student has a document created by another student. Because they did not put their name in the document and they all saved the file with the same name, the students should have to guess the identity of the person that matches the clues in the document. Give them a few minutes, you will judge how long based on your knowledge of the class, to open the file, read the clues and key in their guess about who the person is. This time, students do enter their name after their guess and then save the file to the disk. Repeat the exercise at least one or two more times, more if you have the time. At the end, return the disk to the original student (remember you have discreetly numbered the disks to match the computers), have them open the file and then take turns reading their clues to the class along with the guesses that have been added. Hilarity usually ensues. :-)

Kids always seemed to enjoy this activity and they were able to see that the more descriptive their riddle was, the better their classmates were at successfully identifying them. Good plug here for descriptive writing. They also get more practice with the word-processing software, file naming conventions and using removable media.

With older students I would often follow up with a build-a-story activity. Each student would start a story (either an assigned topic or topic of their choice - remember to establish guidelines first!), have 10 minutes to write, save and swap with their neighbor until each USB drive had made it all the way around the room. Each addition to the story should be identified by the contributors initials in parentheses at the end of their portion.

Later more word-processing techniques may be introduced by having students take their original file and format the text, insert *clip art, use drawing shapes to emphasize the title, etc.

* In addition to using clip art provided by the software you could tie this in with digital photography by showing the students how to take their own photos for the story or creating their own art with a drawing program and then saving these for import into their story.

With a little thought and creativity, you can get a lot of mileage out of one document. I would always allow particularly tech-minded students who finished early to help slower students...after I had checked and approved their work! ;-)

New Feature in Google Maps...Weather!

2011-08-19T15:48:00.003-04:00

Just in case this one made it under your radar...you and your students can now check the weather anywhere on earth with Google Maps. Just click on the drop down menu of layers at the top right of the screen and select the "weather" layer.

In addition to this Google tidbit, here's a link to Google for Educators page and I've also just added a video to my "How-To" page that demonstrates how to implement SafeSearch features in your Google Image search. ;-)

Track New Books - Very Cool Tool

2011-08-19T12:20:00.000-04:00

The name says it all. I just came across this fab resource. I'm using it for myself but I think that teachers might enjoy introducing their middle school and older students to it as well. Sign-up is quick and easy, it's in four languages and you may choose from any or all of seven formats. You may choose to have them track new books for you by author, subject, keyword or Seedbook. Seedbook lets you pick a book as a "seed and then you will receive notification of new books that are similar to your "seed".
Too cool! ;-)

Classroom Motivational Poster

2011-08-19T12:03:00.005-04:00

I pulled the words from my friend Bets' (who is an outstanding educator) FB status and combined it with a photo I took during my spring travels. Feel free to download it or use the idea to create your own poster. I used PaintShop Pro to create the image but Big Huge Labs has cool, free tools including one to make motivational posters. Don't forget that you can use Block Posters to turn your image into very large posters too. I only ask that you let me know if you use it...feedback is always nice. ;-)

Testing...Does the Six Degrees of Separation Theory Hold Water?

2011-08-18T17:44:00.001-04:00

It's not a new idea. In 1929 Frigyes Karinthy published a short story called, depending on your translation, "Chains" or "Chain-Links". In this story, he suggested that the world was "shrinking" because of technological advances in communications. Almost 40 years later sociologist Stanley Milgrim did an experiment to see how many of 300 letters sent to randomly selected people would make it back to a pre-selected target individual. They were instructed to forward the letter to a person of their acquaintance that they thought would be closer to the target person than they were. 64 of these letters reached the target. This and other experiments by Milgram led to the publication of an article about the "Small World Problem". Later the term "Six Degrees of Separation", taken from the play and later film of the same name by playwright John Guare, was given to this theory. For decades sociologists have tried to prove or disprove or disprove this theory but it remains unresolved. Now Yahoo! and Facebook have joined up to test this hypothesis. Now the idea can be give a "proper scientific test". It looks like an interesting experiment. If you are not comfortable allowing apps access to your FB account, this is not the project for you as you will have to install the "Small World Experiment Application" through Facebook. But it's an interesting idea nonetheless. I'm still thinking about it. ;-)

Six Degrees of Separation paperback
Six Degrees of Separation DVD
Six Degrees of Separation Amazon Instant Video

Another Great Free Teacher Resource From Edutopia - Classroom Managment

2011-08-17T18:32:00.001-04:00

Just in time for the start of school, another great, free, download from the nice folks at Edutopia. Inside this document:

Build Community

Design a Safe, Friendly, and Well-Managed Classroom Environment

Include Students in Creating Rules, Norms, Routines, and Consequences

Create a Variety of Communication Channels

Always Be Calm, Fair, and Consistent

Know the Students You Teach

Address Conflict Quickly and Wisely

Integrate Positive Classroom Rituals

Keep It Real

Partner with Parents and Guardians

Hop on over and check it out. There are also links on their page to great free guides and downloads.
While you are at it, you'd probably enjoy taking their Tech Savvy Teaching Quiz ;-)

Another Way to Use Twitter @ School

2011-08-16T15:23:00.004-04:00

Twitter is a tool that is perhaps under-used in schools. Now there's a free tool that just might encourage teachers and students to use Twitter to study history. Many kids consider history to be boring but TwHistory sets out to change that. On their site, TwHistory says it's "about helping students experience a slice of time through the eyes of another person". Students and teachers may participate in reenactments of historical events for even create their own reenactments. They research their event, create tweets based on their research and then the tweets are broadcast on a set schedule. This looks like an awesome way to bring history to life for your kids! ;-) Other posts about Twitter: Twitter? Check Out Twiducate ~ The Purple 'Puter Lady : Tools to Make Twitter More Useful

Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for Real Learning

Web 2.0: How-To for Educators

Technology Integration Ideas for the Beginning of School - Voki

2011-08-16T14:40:00.002-04:00

Voki is a cool, fun application that students will love using. Voki even has a Voki Classroom page with information about teacher accounts. Click the play button on my Voki below to hear how you might use it as an ice breaker at the beginning of the year. ;-) Visit the Lesson Plan page for more ideas and you'll probably want to check them out on Facebook as well.

Technology Lesson Ideas for the Beginning of School - Guess Who's Who

2011-08-15T08:32:00.001-04:00

This is an old idea, but perhaps with a new implementation. This activity can be used with elementary and middle school or even Kinder students if you they have older buddies to help. It assumes that you have your computer hooked up to a projector, very large monitor or that you have an interactive whiteboard. I would use it for the second or third class, after you have covered rules and other "housekeeping" issues.

When the students come in, give them a handout that you have already prepared (example). Feel free to use my examples and edit as you like. ;-) Ask the students to put their name on the top and then fill in the blanks. You may want to add one or two questions more than are on my example, but don't make it too complicated, you will be transcribing their answers. Give older kids about 5-10 minutes to work on this and remind them to keep their attention on their own cards and not to peek at their neighbors. ;-) For younger classes you will want to display the handout on your screen or whiteboard and read it to the class, giving them time and assistance to fill in the blanks. When they finish, have them bring their card to you and then give them something else to do until you have your presentation ready. Scholastic has an interactive site that I like or you could send them to Free Rice or have them explore a program of your choice on their computers. If you do send them online, be sure that they understand that there should be no wandering off the site you have asked them to use.

As soon as you get each student's set of clues, enter them into text boxes in your presentation (example) or word-processing program. Group each student's clues onto one page. When you have everyone's clues inserted, instruct the class to turn off their monitors (you have already shown them how to do this, right?) and give their attention to where you will be displaying the clues. Read the clues to them or ask for volunteers to read and then ask that they raise their hands if they think they know who the person is. Of course, they may not identify themselves! ;-) Do this until the identity of each student has been guessed. You might even want to sneak in a page of clues about yourself and see if they catch it! Have fun! ;-)

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

 &amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

 &amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

A New Year in the Computer Lab - First Day With K

2011-08-14T09:19:00.011-04:00

Always so exciting, that first week of school! Teaching in a computer lab as I did, it took the full week to meet with each class. Over the next couple of days I'd like to share some ideas for starting off the new year in the computer lab. If your school does not have a lab, these ideas may easily be adapted to the classroom. Please note, there is a comments section at the bottom that may be used for sharing your ideas too! ;-)

I think the first class is for getting to know each other, the territory, and for setting the ground rules. So I'll relate how I did this with my K through middle school classes. Today, I'll start with kindergarten. Perhaps my example will give you some inspiration.

When Kindergarten classes came to the lab for the first time, I would begin by sitting on the floor with them (cushions or quilts are so comfortable). I would position myself so that my computer was at my back and I could move up to my chair without disrupting the circle. First I would introduce myself then go around the circle and let the children tell me their name and whether or not they use a computer at home. If the answer was yes, then I would ask them their favorite thing to do on the computer.

After all the students had a chance to speak, I would move to my chair and point out the various parts of my computer and ask, "Who knows what this is?" After all the parts have been named (a couple of times) I would introduce the "Big One". That's the rule at my former school which is "Respect Yourself, Others and the Environment" (feel free to use it, it's a good rule).

Next, I would hold up my poster listing rules of the computer lab (see link at bottom of this page for a good poster). At this point you could give each student a handout you have prepared ahead of time (example) to use as a companion to the poster. Next, go over each rule, calling on students to explain how the rules on the poster fit under the umbrella of "The Big One". If you have provided them with the handout then the children could put a check or color the shape by each rule to indicate that they understand it. This document may then serve as your AUP (Acceptable Use Policy).

Finally I would send the students to their computers, one-by-one. I numbered the computers in my lab and made stickers with the number to label them. Hopefully you have a little class time left and you can have a simple drawing program like KidPix, Crayola Studio, Pixie or TuxPaint open to let them explore for a few minutes. If there is not enough time for this you can skip sending them to their computers until the second class.

Before they leave, I reminded the kids that next computer class they would just come in and make a circle on the floor just like they did today. I continued starting each class in the circle to introduce the lesson for several weeks until the children were comfortable and competent to come in and go straight to their computers.

Who Knew You Could Learn (and Teach) So Much With Angry Birds?

2011-08-02T13:58:00.001-04:00

Kelly Tenkely ended her blog post with almost the same sentence I used as the title for this post. If you know Angry Birds fans (and who does not?) then you'll enjoy taking a look at some of her ideas. ;-)

Prezi Revisited

2011-08-02T09:15:00.000-04:00

I shared Prezi with you almost a year ago but it's worth reminding you about it I think. ;-) Shortly after I wrote about it, Prezi kindly started to allow teachers and students to make private Prezis free. So, Prezi EDUEnjoy is free and Prezi EDUPro comes with a special educational discount.

Quick! Time Sensitive - Encourage Families to Take an Active Part in Literacy Education and Apply for a Grant Too!

2011-08-01T10:48:00.001-04:00

Wonderopolis is a fascinating site that was created to provide free content designed to nurture children's natural curiosity and extend it to a life-long love of learning. Now the National Center for Family Literacy is partnering with Better World Books to provide mini-grants of $500 to encourage schools to use Wonderoplis with their students and families. Applicants must describe how they will use the mini-grant to embed Wonderoplis into their programs. Deadline is August 19, 2011 and the application may be found here.

More Googlelicious Ideas for Using Google

2011-07-31T09:48:00.001-04:00

GUESS-THE-GOOGLE is a fairly engaging game, based on Google's image search, that could be used a couple of ways in the classroom or computer lab.

The creator, Grant Robinson, says, "It turns the mental activity of searching into a fun, visual and engaging game where people can enjoy the challenge of being the fastest and most efficient at making that connection between search terms and their results."

As a classroom tool, it can be used to help students understand and get used to using search terms. I would use it that way after doing a unit on searches. Also, with the use of keyboard covers or monitoring by the instructor, it should serve as good keyboarding practice as a speed and accuracy incentive. I would suggest introducing it (in a computer lab setting) and then giving the class 10-15 minutes of play time. Thereafter, it could be used for a beginning or ending activity for computer class or for those students who always finish early. If used this way, opportunities should be made to give the slower students access to it as well. If you have fewer computers than students, then you would have to incorporate it as a sort of "center" activity.

It's fun and bottom line is that to get a good score you have to understand search terms, be quick and accurate at your keyboard and know how to spell! All good things for kids (and adults) to practice.

Grant Robinson has several other projects that you might also find interesting. ;-)

Streaming Media on the "Cheep'

2011-07-25T14:02:00.002-04:00

OK, we have established a long time ago that I am a "cheep-skate". Part of this is because I'm poor (especially since I retired early) but I like to think that I was just blessed with a thrifty nature. For some time now, I've been wishing for a new stereo that I can play my iRiver Clix2 through. Yes, they did make stereos before the advent of mp3 and that's the gem I've got.

I've had a little bookshelf system in my shopping cart @ Amazon for awhile now but just have not felt comfortable spending the $. The other day I put some of my music on CDs to play in the old stereo-dinosaur but that did not work well either. I've got a relatively descent desktop running Windows 7 and I have a Wii that connects my TV to the Internet, so I went on a search for some software that would allow me to stream my music from the 'puter through the TV which has an OK-sounding soundbar. I found TVersity and have already downloaded it and started to enjoy my music in the living-room. Now, TVersity is not new software but since I just found it, I assume that some of you may have missed it too, so here we go.

According to Wikipedia, "TVersity Media Server is a software package that allows a personal computer to stream content to UPnP devices, such as the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, regardless of the limitations of the device.". According to the TVersity site, their free version is better than all other paid options. ;-)

Why am I including it on my teachers's links blog? Well, I think it's a great free piece of software that can be useful for schools.

"Not many users are aware of it, but the free TVersity version can serve up to 30 concurrent streams and more and can do multiple transcodes simultaneously (depending on the CPU+memory available to it). Moreover it can serve the same transcode to multiple recipients and it proxies Internet content, serving one incoming stream to as many recipients as needed and caching it for future use. This means that your school Internet connection is not getting clogged with many different attempts to access essentially the same media."

-TVersity website

Rather than saying any more myself, let me refer you to this blog by Dan Gross where he explains how to set up TVersity using a Wii for use in school. Share it with your favorite technology coordinator. ;-)

Big Huge Labs Has Added A Few New Goodies

2011-07-24T14:45:00.001-04:00

Big Huge Labs is Flicker's "playground". It's a free, interactive site that lets you have fun with your photos, turning them into movie posters, magazine covers, puzzles, pop art posters and more. Before I retired I used it extensively in the computer lab. It's good with almost any age that uses the computer lab. Younger students will need the help of an older buddy. I visited it again, just now and noticed that they have added a couple of new features since I last visited, so I thought I'd share it again.
;-)

There is an ad-free option for educators.

I Know What You Are Doing...

2011-07-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

You are getting ready for the next school year! You might not be doing it in your room yet, but I'll bet you are doing it in your head! Don't forget that Block Poster will enable you to turn any image into a wall poster for free. Using any image from your computer, up to 1 MB in size, you can generate a poster up to 10 pages wide. The image is split and re-sized and available to you in a .pdf file format. Just download it, print it, trim the borders and tape it, glue to foam board, etc. You will be able to personalize your classroom like never before.

In the past I have used this to create backdrops for middle school students to pose in front of in character as a person from a time and place they are studying, to create backdrops for videos and of course, for classroom posters. Fun, personalized and free!

Readability Revisited

2011-07-22T09:32:00.000-04:00

I've shared Readability with my former students and co-workers before but I re-visited it again today and found a pleasant surprise.

To re-cap, Readability is an app that renders web-pages into an infinitely more readable format. There's a free and paid version. Just open the Readability page in your favorite browser and install the plugin. There are also mobile versions of this app for smartphones and tablets. For me the most exciting new (it might not really be new, just new-to-me) feature is the ability to send a page to my Kindle for later reading. Every Kindle is "named" by the owner when they first set it up. Amazon has a for-pay rendering service (very reasonably priced) but they also provide an address for you to email items to your Kindle at no cost. The address for the free email is:
the_name_of_your_Kindle@free.kindle.com

The "Send to Kindle" option will append the @free.kindle.com portion, all you have to do is remember the name of your Kindle. Sweet.

Tech Trivia

2011-07-21T07:33:00.001-04:00

Boot up or booting is the process that loads a computer's operating system from the hard disk into the computer's memory. The term booting or bootstrapping may be inspired by the Baron Münchhausen. Münchhausen was an 18th century German nobleman who told tall tales about himself, including the ability to pull himself out of the sea by his bootstraps. The Baron also has two psychiatric syndroms named for him:
Münchausen syndrome and Münchausen syndrome by proxy.

Teachers Have the Summer Off.....Right!

2011-07-20T08:39:00.028-04:00

I know that you are spending your summer getting ready for next year. ;-) Here's a reminder that our old friend Scholastic, continues to add to their collection of interactive, online activities for Pre-K to 12. These activities could be used in the computer lab, classroom and even as a center activity for the one computer classroom...are there any of those left out there? There are also activities for the whiteboard for those of you lucky enough to have one. ;-)

Other old friends worth checking out are:

PBS Teachers - this page starts out with a refresher on digital fair use and has links to resources for Pre-K-12.

For a nice non-US perspective, BBC History has a nice selection of interactive pages with a wide range of activities. The BBC site is a treasure trove of other information as well. Just spend some time poking around, I guarantee you'll find treasure.

News...for That Kid Who Doodles Constantly

2011-07-20T07:58:00.001-04:00

DoodleBuzz is as much a tool for exploration and brainstorming as it is a news aggregation. Play with it and share it with your kids! ;-)

News Tool for the Graphically Minded

2011-07-20T07:41:00.002-04:00

10 x 10 is best understood by actually using it. They do have a nice explanation of how it works and ways to use it here. This is a potentially useful tool for the classroom. ;-)

100 Great Android Apps

2011-07-13T14:32:00.000-04:00

Here's a nice list of Android apps from our friends @ makeuseof.com

Social Networking for Kids

2011-06-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting page from Commonsense Media with 10 social media sites for kids, all of which are new to me. The final site may be of interest to teachers and parents who are interested in teaching their kids social responsibility. :-)

Free Summer Resource From Edutopia

2011-05-30T11:41:00.002-04:00

Here's another great free resource from the folks @ Edutopia. This is a free .pdf download entitled, "Summer Rejuvination Guide" that includes:

Grow Your Network
Party with the Stars
Do-It-Yourself Professional Development
Tell the Story of Your Life
Try Something New
Curate Classroom Artifacts
Give a Little, Get a Lot
Get Moving
Crack the Books
Plan Ahead for Next Summer

From PBS for Grade 3-5 - EcoInvestigators

2011-05-11T01:38:00.000-04:00

Partners PBS and International Paper Foundation will help you take a new approach to teaching environmental issues. Working collaboratively your students will sharpen their investigative skills and increase their environmental knowledge while identifying, researching, and offering solutions to environmental problems in their communities.

Visit the website for free lesson plans, project ideas, media assets and assessments, as well as a free "Life of the Forest" classroom poster set. The first 100 teachers to share EcoInvestigator ideas will win 10 reams of Hammermill copy paper.

Popplet For Mind-mapping, Note-taking, Presentations & More!

2011-04-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

It had become a habit of mine to use Kidspiration at the final staff meeting of the year when the entire staff brainstormed the theme for the next year. I chose to use Kidspiration initially because we had just purchased it for the computer lab and I wanted everyone to see how easy it was to use. I continued to use it out of habit. ;-) This will be the first year that I won't be participating in that end-of-school ritual. If I had not retired, I expect that I would use Popplet instead of Kidspiration this year. Popplet looks like a very useful and versatile tool. To give you an idea of what you can do with it, I've embedded an excellent tutorial from Engaging Educator's Blog (a good blog to subscribe to) below.

You'll want to check out Popplet to see how you and your students may be able to use this cool tool.

Free Word Processor Worth a Look!

2011-04-19T07:45:00.001-04:00

I came across this via Kim Komando's email newsletter. This word-processor will be added to my collection of portable apps. Be sure to check out the other two programs and also his games. Love open source software! ;-)

From their website:
FocusWriter is a fullscreen, distraction-free word processor designed to immerse you as much as possible in your work. The program autosaves your progress, and reloads the last files you had open to make it easy to jump back in during your next writing session, and has many other features that make it such that only one thing matters: your writing.

How to Use Dropbox as a Killer Collaborative Work Tool

2011-04-18T12:20:00.000-04:00

Another goody from Lifehacker. ;-)

For the Non-Squeamish - Vermicomposting Great Eco-project for Classrooms

2011-04-16T10:12:00.001-04:00

This is a great classroom project. Kids love critters, even worms! With these instructions from HGTV, How to Compost With Worms, you can build a fairly inexpensive worm farm to teach children the science and benefits of composting. If you can't get he red wigglers locally you can buy them on Amazon. ;-)

I just came across another source for the "squigglies" that will make your composter work....http://eca.sh/worms

Online Literacy Service For K-8 Literacy Operates Like Netflix

2011-04-15T13:53:00.000-04:00

myOn Reader is a literacy service for K-8. Students take an interest inventory and then titles are suggested for them, much like Netflix suggests movies based on customer interest. Students rate what they have read which allows the service to further fine-tune their suggestions. The books contain an audio file that may be turned on and off at will. Students are able to access the digital library of over 1,000 titles anytime, anywhere. The service uses the Lexile Framework for Reading and books suggested to students are 50 Lexiles below to 100 Lexiles above students’ reading levels. This is not a free service but it looks like and interesting one! ;-)

A Cool Way to Get Kids Excited About Engineering!

2011-04-14T11:49:00.000-04:00

http://pbskids.org/designsquad/

New Interactive Music Site From PBS Kids

2011-04-14T11:37:00.000-04:00

Hosted on the PBS Kids website, Chuck Vanderchuck’s “Something Something” Explosion is a new online program accompanied by games and lesson plans that aims to teach basic musical concepts, music composition, and performance skills to kids. You may explore new musical styles including salsa, reggae, jazz, rock, and country. Also learn about different instruments used in each musical style. Kid's will enjoying playing games to identify instruments, write lyrics, compose melodies, create costumes, and play in a virtual concert with Chuck and his pal Ramona.

Free Resources and Tools for Replicating Project-Based Learning | Edutopia

2011-04-13T19:10:00.001-04:00

Free Resources and Tools for Replicating Project-Based Learning
from Edutopia. ;-)

Commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the Start of the Civil War

2011-04-13T18:58:00.000-04:00

The National Park Service has developed an engaging site to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. My favorite is the daily dispatch from a fictional war correspondent named Beglan O'Brien. Students and history buffs may read the dispatches on the website or follow him on Twitter.

National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said, "From politics to eyewitness accounts, O'Brien's nose for news delivers fascinating updates, reporting on the people and events of the times. We hope this 'real-time' reporting will give modern day Americans a unique insight into the war as O'Brien follows the story wherever it takes him, from assignments embedded with Union and Confederate soldiers, to covering President Lincoln at Gettysburg."

There is more to explore on this site, check it out! ;-)

How to Recognize Phishing Scams

2011-04-13T09:49:00.002-04:00

Here's another article from the How-To-Geek that is good information, not only for your students, but everyone. In it the Geek gives good advice and shows you just what to look for when evaluating a message that just might be a phishing scam. The How-To-Geek is another free newsletter that I highly recommend.

Internet Literacy

2011-04-13T09:23:00.004-04:00

Learning to recognize fake websites is an important skill. Every couple of years, I had middle school students do research on the new environmental danger that had just been discovered, DHMO. Not once did the kids call me out on it, always being surprised when I revealed that DHMO is just water. It was a fun and funny learning experience for us all.

Today I was reminded of this topic when I checked my inbox and saw a new Surfing the Net With Kids newsletter. Several more sites have been spotted since I used DHMO with my students. Here are sites suggested by Barbra Feldman creator of Surfing the Net With Kids. For ideas and Barbara's comments on these sites, click here. I recommend a subscription to her Surf the Net With Kids newsletter. She has a free and premium version. I've enjoyed her newsletters over the years

DHMO.org - this is the site I used. ;-)

All About Explorers

Petite Lap Giraffes (featured in "Epic Win" commercial)

Help Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

Shards 'O Glass

Have fun and teach your kids! ;-)

Sprout Robot

2011-04-13T08:17:00.001-04:00

No matter if you are planning a school garden or your home garden, SproutRobot is a nifty little tool. Sign up for a free account, give them your zip code and they will send you emails letting you know the appropriate time to sow your seeds. There is a paid account, called SproutRobot Plus. After you tell them what you would like to grow, the Plus account offers you three options: Patio Garden ($19.99 per year), Small Garden ($39.99 per year), or Family Garden ($59.99 per year). Not only will they tell you the best date to sow your seeds, but they will send you certified organic heirloom seeds to plant in your garden. ;-)

First Robotics

2011-04-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

First Robotics states it's vision is:

"To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders."

Dean Kamen, Founder

About their mission:

Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Free Conflict Resolution Curriculum for Grades 2-4

2011-04-01T11:52:00.001-04:00

Out on a Limb: a guide to getting along (teachers guide). Teaches kids how to "handle difficult situations and how to get along with others who see things differently. It may be viewed in English, Spanish or Arabic. ;-)

Like H.P Lovecraft? Free e-book

2011-03-25T11:27:00.000-04:00

Free Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft for Nook & Kindle.

20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have

2011-03-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have is a useful read for all teachers! ;-)

How to Remove Vocals From Music Tracks Using Audacity

2011-03-19T15:45:00.000-04:00

Audacity is a free cross-platform sound editor. Along with the LAME encoder (also free) you can record, edit and convert audio files to mp3 format.

Now for even more fun, the How-To Geek brings you:
How to Remove Vocals From Music Tracks Using Audacity

We used Audacity in the computer lab for several years (podcasts as well as other recordings) and now I'm using it at home to digitize my LP collection. Love this program and now I can use it for karaoke! My family may soon be hoping that I will "un-retire"!
;-)

Classroom Guide: Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning

2011-03-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

Free from Edutopia:

Classroom Guide: Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning

CSI Web Adventures: Interactive Adventures to Learn About Forensic Science

2011-03-16T17:59:00.003-04:00

In partnership with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Rice University Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning, as well as CBS and supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation; CSI Web Adventures may be just the thing to hook your students on forensic science. This series of three interactive cases feature the characters from the CBS TV show and allow players to start out with "Rookie Training". Registration is free but you may play as a guest without creating an account if you want to check it out first. You may not save the game until you have an account.

In addition to the three main adventures, there are teacher and family resources as well as additional games designed to hone your forensic skills. ;-)

The simulation may be played in English, Spanish or German.

GeoGames

2011-03-16T07:33:00.003-04:00

GeoGames, created by Reach the World with the support of the National Geographic Society Education Foundation, is an interactive resource that helps teach geography, mapping skills and focuses on cognitive concepts such as spatial relationships. Here's a link to the Teacher's Tools page and to the game page. This tool is "whiteboard friendly" but you do not need a whiteboard to use it. ;-)

Geocaching for the Younger Set

2011-03-16T07:19:00.000-04:00

Today I'd like to direct your attention to another resource from PBS that is intended for fans of the PBS program, Dinosaur Train. In addition to the games, videos, "Field Guides" and parent-teacher information, there is a page dedicated to Dinosaur Geocaching.

Click here to view an earlier listing of resources for Geocaching in the classroom.

The Story Behind the Song

2011-03-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

The Story Behind the Song is another goodie from Art's Edge. ;-)

From their page:
Sometimes history can come across as a bunch of boring dates or a list of dead guys. That’s too bad. Because history is packed with surprising stories of people doing amazing, brave, as well pretty silly things—in other words, people just like people today!

History is also full of music. Songs from the past are like recordings from long ago. They give us a sense of what our parents, grandparents, and extra-old ancestors feared, hoped for, and celebrated.

Every song has a story behind why it was written. The ones here touch on important moments in U.S. history. But there are dozens of others worth exploring. Can’t find your favorite? What better reason do you need to start your own research?

As you read about these songs from the past, keep a couple questions in the back of your mind: What songs being created today will tell your story to your kids and grandkids? And what story will your songs tell?

Khan Academy - Goal: To Educate the World

2011-03-11T15:51:00.000-05:00

A short vid by Bill Gates about the Kahn Academy. I'll be spending some time on this site! ;-)

Geocaching @ School

2011-03-11T09:49:00.001-05:00

Spring is near and that means it's a great time to introduce your students to GPS technology with Geocaching. It's a great outdoor activity that can be tied into many lesson plans and it's great fun! Here are a few links to get you started.

Free Introduction to Geocaching PowerPoint from Groundspeak

Geocaching in Education forum from Groundspeak

Can You Dig It? Geocaching in the Classroom - School Library Journal

Using GPS Devices with Google Earth

3 Gs in Education - GPS - Geocaching - Google Earth

Juicy Geography: Teaching Ideas for GPS

Hit Google and you'll find lots more!

More On Google Apps in Education

2011-03-09T15:02:00.002-05:00

There are new features in Google Apps for Education. Learn how to effectively and creatively use Google Apps in Education. It's free and there are even weekly webinars to improve your skills. Archives of previous webinars are also available. Find out about it here.

You will also want to check out the Google Apps in Education Marketplace as well. Lots of goodies. ;-)

Pre-K - 2 Activities from PBS

2011-03-03T12:44:00.002-05:00

I miss Mr. Rogers. Fortunately, he and his wonderful neighborhood are still alive and well @ PBS. Here's a cute idea for a Pre-K - 2 activity that kids will love to do while practicing their communication skills.

In this Pre-K - 2 activity, kids get to help DW make healthy food choices in the grocery store.

In yet another neat activity, kids get "mousing practice" and learn new words while helping make a pizza.

Tired of winter, ready for a warm tropical location? Exploring Miami, FL with gopher brothers Wilson and Ditch might be a good place to start .

Teacher's page Parent's page

There's lots more on the PBS site...enjoy exploring! ;-)

Very Cool Progressive Story Project for K and Up

2011-03-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

Way back in the old days, when we had one 486 (Windows 3.0) computer that was connected to the Internet, I came across a collaborative story-writing contest. My memory is vague but I do know that at least two of my classes participated and when it was over, I printed out the resulting story on our black and white dot-matrix printer. Wonder where it is now...

At any rate, now you can have your students participate in Write on...Our Progressive Story Project. This project is aimed at improving students’ 21st century skills, such as technology use, digital literacy, critical thinking, problem solving and social skills. You must register by March 11th, so run on over there and check it out...right now! ;-)

More For Middle School - Mass Institute of Technology & the Smithsonian Bring You...Vanished

2011-03-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

In a first-of-it's-kind experience, MIT and the Smithsonian Institution have banded together to bring you Vanished, an "an 8-week online/offline environmental disaster mystery game for middle-school children, meant to inspire engagement and problem solving through science." It is scheduled to begin on April 4, 2011 and you may enter your email on the main page to be notified, " before the next full moon.".

Click here to read more about this great learning opportunity as well as MIT's Education Arcade.

Middle School Teachers With Struggling Readers...Take Note

2011-03-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

Brought to you by Boston's WGBH Educational Foundation, Teacher's Domain is a wealth of multi-media science and social studies curricula along with literacy lessons for grade 5-8 students who are struggling with reading. Lessons are online and self-paced and incorporate video, reading, writing, note-taking and interactives.

Another Free Resource For Teaching Digital Citizenship

2011-03-01T15:17:00.001-05:00

Here is another resource for teaching about digital rights, DP's Lair is the newest contribution from Digital Protector (aka MC Double Def DP) who first appeard in the 1992 video Don't Copy That Floppy.

We are a bit beyond the floppy and some of your students may not even know what one is. With this update the site promises driving beats and edgy lyrics to educate K-12 students about the ethical and legal use of copyrighted material. The Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has released the Don’t Copy That 2 – School Version of the video. They also developed classroom resources, support material for the video, and lesson plans for middle and high school teachers, as well as a glossary and other materials to prepare educators teach these complex and important concepts.

For Soldiers and Their Families - Learning About PTSD the Web 2.0 Way

2011-02-28T17:40:00.001-05:00

As the war-time years wear on, more and more teachers will need to learn about PTSD in order to help their students cope with having a loved one changed by PTSD.

PTSD is a natural reaction by the human brain to

traumatic events and is not well understood by many people.

This space, located on a virtual island in Second Life, has been

developed to educate families and warfighters about PTSD.

Tech-savvy teachers may already be acquainted with Second Life but perhaps not for this application. Hopefully this site will educate people about the cause and effects of PTSD and will increase understanding, both of the disorder and those who suffer from it.

Within the military there is still a huge (perceived or real I cannot say) stigma attached to seeking treatment for PTSD or even acknowledging that you might suffer from it. The T2 Virtual PTSD World may help break that barrier. You move through the island using an avatar and you may remain totally anonymous. Being able to explore this world and experience the sorts of incidents that may trigger PTSD is a tool that may help service members explore and learn, almost self-diagnose themselves (there is a self-assessment area) and give them the push they need to seek medical evaluation in the real world. While some therapies are being developed that use an immersive, multi-media environment to treat PTSD, this site is meant for education only. It is not a therapeutic space nor is it intended to treat PTSD. The researchers say that they hope that this island in Second Life will help service members get their first lives back by giving them a tool to understand what is happening to them and where they may go to seek help. I think it may also be a great tool in helping families understand and support their warfighter as he or she makes the sometimes difficult transition back home.

Here's an article from the DOD about the site and from the site itself, the following introduction:

The T2 Virtual PTSD Experience, based in Second Life, is an immersive, interactive learning experience designed to educate visitors about combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It includes a simulation demonstrating how PTSD may be acquired during a combat-related traumatic event, including an explanation of the connections between danger cues and triggers, the role of avoidance in the development of PTSD, and how PTSD is a normal human response to traumatic events. Additionally, this environment includes simulations of PTSD symptoms, helping the visitor learn through interactive activities how PTSD symptoms may show up in a person's life. Finally, the environment includes information to help visitors determine whether they or a loved one is in need of care, and how to access that care whether a DoD or VA beneficiary.

More Musical Fun Online

2011-02-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

Many large orchestras have great websites for kids. Here are a few:

New York Philharmonic Kidzone

Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures

San Francisco Symphony for Kids

Other sites of musical interest:

Theta Music Trainer has musical games designed for real musicians. They hope to help you learn to improvise and play music by ear, improve your musical sense and understand musical patterns.

Play Music looks like a fun, interactive site and purports to have lots of information about musical instruments and arrangements. Kids enter by clicking on one of the graphics to learn about insturments, orchestras and composers. This site may be most useful for the basic knowledge it give to beginners.

Classics For Kids is a starting point for acquainting kids with the classics. They have both a radio show and a podcast, as well as musical games like
Compose Your Own Music and Be a Rockin' Rhythm Master. There are also a few lesson plans.

As in so many other areas, the BBC offers an excellent musical website. The BBC Orchestra and Singers site is a resource for teaching students what an orchestra is all about. There is even a Maestro virtual orchestra game where you are the conductor. You may even trace the history of choral music with the Choral Timeline.

Another Reason to Make Sure You Don't Post Your Face Everywhere!

2011-02-28T10:44:00.001-05:00

I'd suggest that you take a few minutes to read this blog...perhaps to your students as well. Remember, Google is not the only one that is working in this area.

We know that kids love to take photos and it seems very natural to kids today to post them on their Facebook page, we adults like to do that as well. A false sense of safety is created when you set an account as "private" but remember, nothing is totally safe online. Even Facebook's founder had his page hacked recently.

I know that I'm a dinosaur, but I don't think that we should relinquish all of our privacy. Once that bell is rung, it will be nigh impossible to un-ring it.

Google publishes facial recognition patent, could use social network photos

Help When You Need to Make a Purchase Decision

2011-02-28T10:24:00.000-05:00

CNET has been a long-time favorite of mine when I want reviews of both hardware and software.

Now, there's another resource that looks very promising. It's called Retrevo and it aims to provide you with lots of product information to help you to avoid buyers remorse. There's nothing worse than purchasing a new phone, camera or tablet, only to find it's outdated only a couple of months later. The site aggregates specs, ratings and reviews from several sites so that you can easily use this as your jumping off point when deciding what and when your next electronics purchase should be. They work at keeping up to date with current industry standards and emerging trends. Check it out, it just may make your purchase decisions less agonizing. ;-)

Free Website Allows for Safe Student Viewing of YouTube Videos

2011-02-27T16:52:00.001-05:00

VuSafe, is a free site that allows teachers to search for relevant video content from YouTube and other video sources. Then they may add video clips from these sources to their online library and share these clips with their students, minus the inappropriate ads, comments, or outside links. They have a cute, short, informative little video on their main page that you will want to check out. ;-)

Updated Version of Free Digital Citizenship Curriculum from Common Sense Media

2011-02-27T16:17:00.001-05:00

Available now is Common Sense Media's new version of its free digital citizenship curriculum for fourth and fifth graders, Digital Literacy and Citizenship in a Connected Culture. The new version adds student, teacher, and parent resources, including lessons on cyber bullying. On the same page, you will find a link to their Parent's Media Education Program.

Skype in the Classroom

2011-02-27T10:14:00.001-05:00

Skype has been around for awhile, but now they are officially entering the realm of education with their online directory of resources (still in beta) for teachers who wish to use it as a wonderful (free) classroom tool!

What does Skype offer?

~ A new way to introduce your students to other cultures by providing another tool for exchange of languages, lifestyles and viewpoints...all within the confines of your classroom or computer lab.

~ Language skills definitely become more relevant when used in real life converstations with students in other countries.

~ The first step to getting along is getting acquainted. The opportunity to meet people from other countries and share information face-to-face in real time is the best, first step we can give our students to prepare them for a (hopefully) better global future.

The Skype in the Classroom website creates a space where information is easily available to teachers from the international community who want to expand their classrooms by using Skype. As a registered teacher, you may create a profile outlining your interests and location. You may then browse through the profiles of others until you find someone with whom you may want to partner on a class project. Once such a person has been located you may add them as a Skype contact to share your ideas and projects.

My personal experience with Skype in the classroom was brief, right before I retired, and was prearranged by a teacher friend who used it to allow her students to communicate with a person in the middle east. The kids were thrilled and it was a much more memorable experience for them (and me) because they were able to speak, in real-time, with a real person. ;-)

2011-02-25T15:05:00.003-05:00

Ujam

Feedback Requested ;o)

2011-02-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

You Are What You Read

2011-02-01T17:07:00.001-05:00

You Are What You Read is a social networking site for adults, brought to you by Scholastic. You are encouraged to share the five books that have had the biggest impact on your life. Notable among contributors are Bill Gates, Malcome Gladwell, and former President G.H.W. Bush, among others.

There is also a Share What You Read for Younger Readers where you will find student activities and teacher resources. This is a special area just for students, where they are also invited to share the five books that have shaped who they are. They are able, "Share these great reads with fellow book lovers, discover new titles, and access a live feed of comments, reviews, and the latest book news". There is also a sample letter for you to send home to parents to get them involved with ideas for supporting the project @ home.