Cool Tech Tricks

Book Report Alternatives, Take II

2012-01-05T15:07:00.000-06:00

Continuing with the book report alternatives series, this blog post will focus once again on a small change you can make with your current literature strategies. In guided reading, reflection journals have been a very effective tool to build comprehension, make text connections, and respond personally to text. Adding technology to the reflection journal in the form of student blogs can greatly enhance student understanding.

It works exactly like reflection journals, only students will record their journaling in the form of a blog. This adds "wow" factor to the individual student and provides a wider audience for students, therefore, typically resulting in better quality work. Additionally, it allows other students in the class to comment on the reflection, add their own perspective, ask questions, or further discuss events.

It is important to remember that student comments are a critical piece to the enhancement of the learning. If students add new information or ask questions in their comments, the learning cycle continues. If students become critical editors or cheerleaders to a job well done, the learning stops. This article from eSchool News explains it best.

Blogmeister is a favorite blog site of mine. It allows teachers to not only create their own blog page, but one for each of their students. Student email accounts are not needed for this site, but if your school is not registered, you will need to obtain a school passcode from the site administrator. (Joplin teachers, see Klista Lawyer-Reynolds for this code) All student articles and comments can be set up so that the teacher monitors whatever is published.

Using blogs as reflective journals is meeting both the "Communicating" and "Collaborating" of the 4C's. It is assumed that critical thinking will also be utilized, therefore, meeting three of the four C's. What a great way to encourage reflection and technology in literacy!

Technology Integrated Vocabulary

2012-01-03T11:31:00.000-06:00

How do you teach vocabulary with technology? That's a question frequently posed by teachers. First, we need to look at how vocabulary should be taught in the 21st century. Gone are the days when teachers handed a list of vocabulary terms and a dictionary to their students. Vocabulary in the 21st century focuses on making meaning rather than memorizing.

However you might be developing vocabulary in your classroom, whether teaching specific terms related to content specific curriculum or recognizing and expanding on vocabulary in literature, Marzano suggests including non-linguistic representations as well as defining the word in the students' own words. One way to both utilize these suggested strategies with content area vocabulary and incorporate technology is to use a graphics program, like Inspiration or Kidspiration. Students can use both written text and visual images from the image bank to create a graphic representation of the word. Finished products can be exported as .jpg files and inserted into a website, wiki, or blog so that all students have access to the definitions and their pictorial representation. For an example, see what these third graders have created using Kidspiration and a wiki.

In addition to this strategy, there are many websites that can enhance vocabulary development. Visual Thesaurus is a great site that creates a web of color coded synonyms and antonyms that can be collapsed and expanded for teaching purposes.

Tagxedo and Wordle are two sites that work similarly. They are word clouds students can use to collect and display chosen words from literature. The sites randomize typed words and enlarge those that are used more frequently. To include the visual representation that Marzano suggests, colors and fonts can be changed to represent the meaning of the words, and in Tagxedo, various shapes of the clouds can be chosen for deeper meaning. In addition, both sites can be used in writing practices to identify overused words.

These small changes made to your existing practices to incorporate 21st Century Skills and 21st Century Literacy can make a big difference in the retention and comprehension of your students.

Book Report Alternatives, Take I

2011-12-29T14:40:00.000-06:00

Critical thinking skills and creativity are two key elements of a 21st Century learning environment as outlined by The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Also defined as a key element is Information, Media, and Technology Skills. This blog series is dedicated to taking the traditional reading assignments, such as book reports, group discussions, and demonstrating comprehension to the 21st century.
Book Report Alternatives Take I:
Of the sites and ideas highlighted in this series, Shelfari is probably the most similar to the traditional book report. On this site, students can create a virtual bookshelf that displays all the books they are reading, have read, or would like to read. They can rate books, summarize them, create tags, and leave a personal message about the book. A student's profile is considered complete when they add facts to their books and join discussion groups. In the discussion groups, students can ask questions about their book or other classmates' books, respond to prompts, summarize their story, or even give their own feelings and perspectives.

When considering Grappling's Technology Spectrum, this site could be utilized for lessons at the adapting or transforming level. Adapting lessons simply allow students to do what they've always done with pencil and paper using technology instead. Transforming lessons, on the other hand, utilize critical thinking skills, expand the learning throughout multiple disciplines, and can even take the learning outside of the classroom walls.

If students collaborate with other classrooms in Shelfari, using groups created and monitored by the teacher, the possibilities are endless. Other students from a range of geographical regions can add input and perspective to literature studies, making connections for the collaborating class. This is something that cannot be done without the technology.

Shelfari takes a little bit of preparation in the beginning. Accounts are free, but email addresses are needed for the students. Free email accounts can be created using sites like Gaggle or ePals. Both sites also offer collaborative features, so students can not only obtain an email address for Shelfari, but can collaborate with other students and classes using the built in features of the email services.

The 4 C's, identified by The Partnership for 21st Century Learning, includes critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. By participating in authentic discussions such as those described and collaborating with other students and classrooms, students are engaged in all aspects of a 21st Century Learning environment.

Make Your Presentations Move!

2011-10-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

So maybe you're studying photosynthesis and you'd like the students to create something that demonstrates the growth of plants under the perfect conditions of water, sunlight, and temperature.

Maybe you're a primary teacher and your students are working on a transportation unit. As the kids put the finishing touches on their projects, here's a few tips to really make their presentations both interactive and exciting.

Check the video tutorial below to find out how:

Fun SMART Notebook Trick

2011-05-04T11:11:00.021-05:00

Here's a video tutorial of a fun SMART Notebook trick to try in your class using a spotlight to find text hidden from view.

This trick takes the place of the "screen shade" in SMART Notebook. It's always good to mix things up to keep engagement at the highest levels. This is just another tool for the toolbelt!

Lots of fun ways this could be used in the classroom! What ways can you think of?

Using Technology for Guided Reading

2011-04-16T11:47:00.000-05:00

In Guided Reading activities, students are involved in a variety of reading strategies while the teacher provides support to small groups. There are many engaging ways technology can be used in these lessons to stretch and enhance student thinking.

Student Led Discussions
Skype
Students can discuss topics and ask questions with other classrooms using Skype, a free application that allows users to call others. Students can see each other through the web cam and communicate in real time, asking questions and discussing readings.

Chat
Using various chat features, students can discuss and question readings. Try Typewith.me to chat and create writing and Gaggle chat so students can meet in virtual rooms to discuss teacher given prompts and topics.

Reflections
When students use journals to reflect, they are putting their ideas, questions, and thoughts in a paper form of a response log. Blogs are the electronic version of this same idea. By allowing students to reflect in the form of a blog, they will not only verbalize their ideas, but publish them for the world to see, which typically increases effort. Additionally, by publishing public reflections, other students reading the same book can comment with their own ideas, which can develop into a discussion, mimicking the dialogue students would have if they were meeting face to face.
Blogmeister is a good site that is free and safe for kids. Teachers can set up an account and provide kids with their very own page, which can demonstrate growth over time.

Questioning and Notes
As students read, comprehension can be increased by writing notes and questions on post-its or stickies. These are then saved until students have the opportunity to either discuss their reading in small group format or make the connections themselves through further reading. The same practice can be carried out virtually by using either a wiki or virtual sticky notes. By storing the notes and questions in a public forum, students benefit not only themselves, but also the other students in the class. Other students can answer the questions and make comments on the notes; therefore, accelerating the timeliness of feedback and the ability to make connections.

There are many good wikis that are free for teachers, including PBWorks and Wikispaces. The same is true for virtual sticky notes. Check here for several links to free, virtual stickies.

Post Its, Anyone?

2011-04-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

Save the environment and your school's budget by using these sites in lieu of sticky notes:

Wallwisher

Postica

Spaaze

Lino

These are great resources to use for brainstorming, collaborating, questioning, and note-taking.

Finding Chapter Excerpts

2011-04-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

You'll be surprised how many chapter excerpts you can find online! Check out these resources for a variety of reading levels and well-known reading material.

Freckle Juice

The Wanderer

Walk Two Moons

Young Adult Books Central (EXCELLENT collection!)

One Day on the Prairie by Jean Craighead George

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

A Series of Unfortunate Events #10 by Lemony Snicket

The Great Ping Pong Ball Experiment by Phil Shapiro

Ellen the Eagle Needs Glasses by Phil Shapiro

Champion by Phil Shapiro

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

There's an Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George

Excerpts by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Animal Adventures by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs

Beardance by Will Hobbs

Excerpts by Lois Lowry

These excerpts can be used in reading classes to hook a student on a book during read alouds, to study common writing elements and styles of authors, or to spread the resources in large classrooms. What other ways can you use these excerpts?

Making Your SMARTBoard Brilliant - Part I

2011-03-08T15:18:00.000-06:00

What makes the SMART Board "smart?" Google's definition of smart includes the following:

showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
chic: elegant and stylish; "chic elegance"; "a smart new dress"; "a suit of voguish cut"
bright: characterized by quickness and ease in learning

For this piece of the Cool Tech Tricks SMART Board series, we're going to focus on the "chic" aspect.

Dr. Jamie McKenzie has done a great deal of research in how images can assist in learning and how a picture really can be worth a thousand words. Check here for an article he wrote regarding choosing images.

Fortunately, in the SMART Board gallery, we have a wealth of images, backgrounds, multimedia tools, and interactive activities that are sure to not only engage students, but lend themselves to students physically being at the SMART Board interacting with it themselves.

Searching through the gallery is simple enough, but there are so many resources there that it can be overwhelming. Have an idea in mind of what you need, then use the search tool.

In the above search for matter, you can see there are over 400 items that would fit this category. Although pictures to dress up the SMART slide are nice, let me play the devil's advocate. What are the kids going to do with that image? In a core classroom, if it's just there for aesthetics, find something else that would engage the students in learning. This could include labeling, matching, finding hidden items with the images, classifying, or brainstorming.

In the above example, you'll find there are 200 pictures, but 43 interactive lessons dealing with matter. Although you can make the pictures interactive, the work is already done for you if you choose from the 43 interactive lessons. To search through these activities, click the triangle in front of the description to open the multitude of examples. Browse through and double click on the ones you want to use in your lesson. They will then be inserted into the slide. If they are items you use on a regular basis, save yourself some time and drag the item up to the area titled "My Content." This is the equivalent of bookmarking them so you can easily find them later.

The same idea can be applied to images you've inserted to SMART Notebook from another source, like your Pictures folder or the Internet. Simply drag them into the My Content area so that you can use them regularly.

These handy tips can help to better engage your students and can make your life a little easier.

Make your Presentations Pop (and Zoom and Spin) with Prezi

2011-01-02T14:13:00.002-06:00

Looking for an exciting way to present information to your students this year? Something more than just listing text for them to copy down? A great way to spice up your presentations is to use Prezi. Prezi is an easy to use, engaging tool. It is known as "the zooming presentation editor." In Prezi, you can zoom in on phrases, insert pictures, YouTube videos, flip, spin, and move around the presentation however you like. Click here for an example.

Although Prezi looks difficult to create, it's simply a matter of double clicking to add text and inserting images to let the pictures do the talking. Check this tutorial to see how to create your presentation.

From using Prezi, I've learned a few tips that have been helpful to me:

1. Before creating a Prezi, it is best to plan out your presentation first. Draw and map out your ideas on a sheet of plain paper first.

2. If you'd like to use a picture as a background, it's easier to insert the picture as your first step. You can move it backward by clicking on the "x" of the Zebra editor later, but it can save time if you do this first. Because the presentation will zoom in very close, you'll need to use a large picture to ensure it doesn't become pixelated. Stock Xchange is a great place to get large, royalty free images.

3. Add to the excitement of your presentation by placing text vertically rather than horizontally. This will make the screen flip and turn. Do this by clicking on the outside rim of the Zebra editor.

4. When you plan out the presentation, think about the key ideas that are most important to your lesson. Zoom in on those ideas, or better yet, place them right below another word, zooming in as you present.

5. Look for creative ways to share your ideas. Have a big point to make? Zoom in and type that right next to the period of another sentence. Have an idea that is a smaller piece of another point? Look for a letter "o" in the first point, zoom inside of the "o" and type your next point there.

Using Prezi allows you to create an engaging presentation that is easy to edit and fun. No more boring slideshows in 2011!

Using the SMART Recorder in SMART Notebook

2010-12-03T14:29:00.000-06:00

Today's the day- you're going to teach that complicated, multi-step lesson. You're prepared - you have created a great lesson using the SMART Board and will have the students up at the board working out solutions. There's just one problem. You have absent students today, and if you go ahead and begin now, you're just going to have to do it all over again tomorrow.

We've all been there. We can't just stop our classes because of absent students, but we also know we want all of our students to be successful. By using the SMART Recorder, we can solve this problem. The SMART Recorder can be found in the SMART Board Tools. To access, go to SMART Board Tools, Open, then choose Recorder, as displayed.

You can also customize your Floating Tools by clicking on the wheel at the bottom. Then drag and drop the Recorder to your Floating Tools.

The SMART Recorder will open after you've selected it. To begin recording, simply click on the red "record" button.

It is recommended to keep videos at a length of 5 minutes or less. It will take a great deal of time to convert videos longer than that. As you finish up your recording, click on the blue stop button. Your video will be named and you can choose where to save it.

Here's an example of how the SMART Recorder can benefit your classes:

(or click here for a larger version of the above movie)

This can get you and your students moving forward. Be sure to comment with additional ways you could use the SMART Recorder!

Spicing up Your Presentations

2010-10-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

We've all been there - we're watching someone give a presentation and feel like Charlie Brown's teacher is talking. "Mwa mwa mwa..." I bet our students feel the same way.

There are many times we need to provide information to our students and use presentation programs, like PowerPoint or Keynote. The rules for using text in these presentations has always been 7x7 - no more than 7 lines of text with 7 words in each line.

So maybe you're happy with your presentations. Maybe you realize that the students just aren't "getting it," and you're ready to spice them up a little. Here's an idea:

1. Let the pictures do the talking. What are people doing if you throw text at them while you talk to them? That's right - they're reading the text. Try finding images that could convey your information. As students participate in the lesson, they might not take notes. However, they will actually have to analyze the picture rather than just write down the words from your presentation. Which of the two will leave a lasting impact on your students?

This also provides a great opportunity for questioning. Take the following slide for an example of thematic lesson or unit on Veteran's Day:

The questions listed on the slide might or might not be necessary. A teacher could just display the picture and ask the students to respond with questions. Regardless, the questions listed should spark discussion among students. This image means many different things for different people. It's one of those situations that definitely causes the students to "feel" something rather than copy down someone else's words.

By teaching with images rather than words, students with reading or writing difficulties can participate fully. The focus is away from reading someone else's ideas and instead, the students generate their own. This can assist to differentiate a classroom for ESL students, visual learners, and even auditory learners due to the discussions that could ensue.

A great site to get great quality, royalty free images is Stock Xchange.

Try it out! The next time you need to develop a presentation for your students, try using visuals to enhance their thinking and spark questioning. The students will notice a difference, too!

Funding for Your Classroom

2010-09-17T12:54:00.000-05:00

If you could dream, what supplies would you provide for your classroom?

There are many different options to get materials, supplies, and even technology for your classroom. Below is a list of some you might like to try:

Pepsi Refresh Project: This site allows you to create a project, list your needs/wants/dreams, and others vote on what project should be funded. Pepsi has $1,300,000 available for donations and finalists will be chosen on October 1st.

DonorsChoose: This is an ongoing site for teachers to list project ideas and the supplies necessary to complete it. You can request technology or school supplies with this site by registering for an account and explaining your project.

Limeades for Learning: Limeades for Learning is a partnership that Sonic has with DonorsChoose. Again, just register for an account, list project ideas and needs, then share your ideas with others so they can vote on it. So far, Sonic has given over $255,000 this month. Voting closes on September 30, so hurry!

Digital Wish: Whereas the above listed sites can fund anything from technology to crayons, Digital Wish is only for technology projects. It's a great way to get a Flip camera, digital camera, or even a wireless slate. Just get an account, list your project ideas, and wait to get funded.

I hope to see lots of our teachers trying this out! Contact me for assistance in the type of technology to request.

Find it Fast!

2010-09-13T09:25:00.001-05:00

Ever been searching a long document for a key piece of information? What about when you can't find that keyword on the website you're looking at? Mac has a solution for that. You can use the 'command f' key combination to find whatever you need in virtually any application. For example, by using this key combination on a webpage, I searched 'emints.'

By clicking the "Next" button shown above, the word eMINTS is highlighted individually. If it is preferred, by clicking "Highlight all," I can see how many times the word is used in a single webpage.

This can be a handy feature when looking for information or for students to use as they determine if words are overused in their writing. Remember that all applications might look a little different when using this feature. To close the search, look for a button that is either red or has an "x" near the search field.

Making Your Life Easier on a Mac, Part II

2010-08-27T11:55:00.001-05:00

Last week, I posted 5 Mac shortcuts designed to help users save a little time and be a little more productive. As mentioned last week, the list of Mac shortcuts is phenomenal. I've chosen a few more shortcuts and tricks this week that might assist you.

1. Take a picture! So many times we find reasons to share pictures of our screen, but there's no "Print Screen" key on a Mac. Use the combo Command, Shift, 3 to take a screen shot or Command, Shift, 4 to select your picture area. The picture will be downloaded to your desktop as Picture 1, Picture 2, and so on.

2. Make your calculator fit your needs. The calculator application on a Mac is opened first as a standard calculator. It can be changed to a scientific or programming calculator by going to View, then choosing your preference.

3. One thing that is heard from many former PC users when they move to Mac is, "I want my right click!" A right click on a mouse usually opens up many shortcuts and additional options. On a Mac, the right click is a control click. Simply hold the control button down and click on the track pad if you're using a laptop. All your options will then become available!

4. Rainbow Wheel, i.e. Spinning wheel of death: How many times have we suffered from this? It can happen for many reasons, but there is a way to get rid of it. Alt, Command, Esc is equivalent to Ctrl Alt Delete on a PC. Try that key combo to Force Quit the application that is not responding.

5. Close a window or quit a program: Sometimes when using multiple applications, many, many windows are open. The windows you are done with can be closed quickly by using the key combo Command W. Quit the entire program by using the key combo Command Q.

Try these tips this week and soon they'll become habit. Hopefully, you won't have any reason to use Tip #4!

Making Your Life Easier on a Mac

2010-08-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

One of the best things about using a Macintosh computer is the shortcuts! I counted them - there are 191. If you'd like to see the complete list, click here.

There are about five shortcuts that I think are the best for productivity. This can assist you in the classroom and make your life a little easier. They are listed below with examples of how to use them:

1. Command Tab: Hold on the Command key and hit Tab. This will show all the applications you have open. Continue to hit Tab until the white box is around the application you want to use, then let go of both keys. The chosen application will be moved so you can easily access it.

2. Expose: This is different for different computer models, but can be changed. Using either the F9 or F3 key, you can see every document, application, and window that is open and running on your computer. If neither of those keys work, use the Expose and Spaces area in System Preferences to set it up. Choose the key you prefer where it says "All Windows."

3. Show Desktop: Use the function and F11 key at the same time. Again, if your settings do not allow this function, just change it in System Preferences where it says "Show Desktop."

4. Increase screen size: Command +. This will make your screen size larger so you can zoom in on one area. Decrease by using Command -.

5. Quick View: At some time, you'll get to the point where you have so many documents that you're not sure which one is which. Using the Finder menu, you can easily view documents before they're open. Click on the document you'd like to preview, then click the spacebar. A temporary window appears. (See below)

You can preview the document, then click on the spacebar again to close out.

Habits are formed through repetition. Throughout this week, try these shortcuts regularly until that habit is established, then venture to the Apple Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts linked above or look for continued posts to this blog for more ideas.

The Reality of the 21st Century Learner

2010-06-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: This is not a cool tech trick. This is me on my soapbox. If you want a tech trick, please refer to the archives. There's lots of great stuff there!

Day 1: So there I sat, in a conference, learning lots of new stuff. I was constantly texting, tweeting, sending emails, and taking notes in my wiki, which I use for PD. I have to admit, I was out of my element with this conference. The presenters talked about things I had never heard of before. So what did I do? I Googled it. No way I was going to raise my hand in the middle of a conference and ask the presenter what each term meant. There were lots of techie-looking people in that conference room that would laugh at me for being the "stupid one!" Luckily, I didn't have to risk that because Wikipedia answered my question everytime. I did all five of the above listed activities (gasp!) at the same time. I left that day feeling so much more confident in my abilities as a technology specialist. I've always been strong on the curriculum side, but this conference gave me the background from the tech side. I couldn't wait for the next day.

Day 2: That was when it happened. The battery on my laptop died. I had a new battery and was still calibrating it, so I couldn't charge my laptop in my hotel room when I first noticed. No problem - I could charge it during the conference. Well, I thought it wouldn't be a problem, anyway...
When I arrived at my first session, I looked around the edges of the room. There were no, none, zilch power outlets around the room! Still, I'm a problem solver, so I got out the iPhone.

You know how there are commercials on television depicting two unnamed cell phone companies battling for the best 3G network? I'd never had a problem, and thought the commercials were silly until that day. I was apparently in a 3G dead zone. Sending and receiving texts was one thing, but using Twitter, my browser, and even Facebook was not happening. I tried and tried, unfortunately to the point that I killed that battery, too. I only had one option left. The thought of having to take notes on traditional paper (with no table in front of me) was repulsive. I did it, but sure wasn't happy about it. At least I learned a lesson that day to always charge my laptop the night before.

This story might be something for you to chuckle at, or maybe even roll your eyes at. Regardless, this is the story of our students today. There are two kinds of people in the world today - digital natives and digital immigrants. I've said before I'm definitely a digital immigrant, not necessarily because of my age, but because of the small town that I grew up in. Imagine what it's like for our kids, who are definitely digital natives. Imagine what it must be like for them to sit through a lecture, to sit in a hard chair to read a story, to be so disengaged that they're thinking about anything and everything else. That's the "Power down" effect: when kids participate in critical thinking, problem solving, and engaging activities at home with video games or various computer software, then come to school and experience something that involves none of these skills.

Today's generation needs more. They can handle more. Their attention span only lasts about twenty minutes, and that's dependent upon their age. They are multi-taskers, regardless of whether we think they are or not. They want to create, explore, and figure things out. If we want our kids to learn, we have to meet them there.

Let's look at our options. Sometimes you have to lecture (sometimes). Sometimes you have to ask students to read (more often than lecturing). Why not use technology while students are involved in these activities? Need to lecture? Have the kids tweet the main points as they're listening. Have them keep notes in a collaborative document to share out with the rest of the class. They have to read. Instead of answering the questions at the back of the book, have them blog about their reading and reflect on what it means to them. They can comment each other's work and see how the same reading piece meant something else to another student. Need to teach a math process? After teaching the steps, make it real life. Connect it to buying video games, designing a room, playhouse, etc. I know it's not the way we learned, but did the way we learn prepare us for the 21st Century? Think about it - our primary education was geared toward agrarian societies of students that were going to grow up and work in factories. The really smart ones (or the ones whose parents made them) went to college. Did we ever really learn to think? To value ideas? Or were we just doing what the teacher asked so we didn't get in trouble?

I warned you, that was me on my soapbox. I could go on, but I'd just be repeating myself over and over. I have just one thought to leave with you as we consider the shift with technology and society - when I was a child, an abacus was a toy for preschoolers. Now I know several preschoolers who have iPods. How's that for progression?

Wallwishing

2010-02-17T15:32:00.000-06:00

Isn't student engagement what we all wish for? Students can get tired of the same old thing, which can lead to disengagement. Wallwisher is an easy online tool that can be used in many different ways. It is so easy, in fact, you don't even have to create an account to use it!

To access a "wall," go to http://wallwisher.com/ and follow these steps:

1. Click "Build a Wall" in the top right hand corner.

2. You will be asked to provide your name and email address.

3. Give your wall a name that will be listed in the URL. It can be anything! Just type in the field after the given URL. Choose your privacy settings listed below.

4. Choose a picture for your wall and Give it a title.

Wallwisher will then email you a message with the link to your wall. To add to it, just double click anywhere on the wall. Refresh your page as people add to it.

How can you use this in your classroom? Here are a few ideas:
1. Reflection
2. Brainstorming
3. Student created scoring guides
4. Collaborative writing
5. Feedback
6. Questioning

What are some ideas you have? Feel free to add to my wall:
http://wallwisher.com/wall/classideas

Wordle-A Teacher's Tool

2010-02-17T10:45:00.001-06:00

In high school, I applied for many scholarships. It was very competitive between my classmates. Many of these scholarships asked for a 500 word essay on various topics, sometimes just on the idea of "why I deserve this scholarship more than someone else." My mother typically proofread these essays for me. I remember the unfailing feedback I grew to expect: "You used (insert word here) too frequently. Go find some synonyms for it."
Those words have haunted me for over fifteen years. When writing papers for my undergrad degree, I would even count how many times I used the big idea in a paper so I could find synonyms as I went instead of rewriting afterward. By the time I finished my graduate degree, it was no longer an issue. I had spent over fifteen years developing the habit of not using the same word too many times. Now, how was I supposed to pass that gift on to my students without giving them haunting memories of their teacher standing over them, arms crossed, wearing a scowl? In addition to sparing them that nightmare, I'd also like them to identify with good word choice at an earlier age than I did. And so my search for a way to teach this skill continued until a teacher friend introduced me to Wordle.

Wordle is a "word cloud" generator. In simpler terms, it gathers all the words you've used in a piece of writing and randomly arranges them in something that looks like a cloud. Words that have been used more frequently than others are larger than the remaining words. Here's an example of what this blog's word cloud looks like thus far:

It seems as if I might need to look for a synonym for "word" judging by the size of this display.

Wordle is simple to use. Simply access the website at http://www.wordle.net. From the home page, you can browse saved word clouds from other users or create your own by clicking on the "Create" link. There are three options here - copy and paste in the text, enter the URL of any site that uses an RSS feed, or add in a Del.icio.us user's name to see his or her most common tags. For most classroom uses, choose the copy and paste option. After pasting in the text, click "Go." You will be redirected to a page with your word cloud. From here, you can change fonts, layouts, and colors. If necessary, this page can be printed or the cloud can be saved so that it can be accessed later.

Another use of word clouds includes comparing two articles. Want to find the most common theme in a meeting or even a speech? Take notes directly in Wordle and then generate a cloud. Here is an example of two Wikipedia articles. One is about FDR's New Deal and the other is about the government bank bailout of 2008.

By showing these two word clouds to students, you could generate a discussion about how these two events are connected, or, not connected.

Wordle is so diverse that it could be used in many different disciplines, as an engagement tool, and for a variety of activities to elicit higher order thinking. Options are endless!

Technology and Your PLN

2010-01-30T10:40:00.000-06:00

First things first - what's a PLN? PLN stands for personal learning networks. Among teachers, this acronym is very popular in our time. Gone are the days of subscribing to a professional journal to learn new ideas for your classroom or sitting in face to face late night classes towards a degree (or maybe to just learn something new). Teachers now have lifelong learning at their fingertips - it's called the Internet.

I remember when the idea of the Internet started surfacing. I lived in a small town (I think they just got online last year). It took so long for us to hear about the Internet many people had even graduated from car phones in bags to real cell phones! At that time, my Internet use was limited to researching vacation spots. I planned my entire wedding and honeymoon online (it's really not that impressive - I got married in Vegas). But there was no way I was going to book it online. Nope. The only way to handle transactions like that was to go see a travel agent and say, "Here's where I want to go. How much?"

So, what does this have to do with a PLN? Let me help you make the connection. Picture back in the day how new ideas were researched and implemented in classrooms. There were (and still are) lots of resources out there. Regional Professional Development Centers offer face to face workshops. If you were really serious, you actually enrolled in a grad class (or any night class). From my location, this meant you might have to drive an hour or more to get to the nearest university. And let's face it - professional journal articles are just not easy to read. We were much more likely to skim through those magazines that relied on blackline masters and cutesy ideas that were summed up in a paragraph just to add a little spice to our classes. And that's what we did. I can say that I have participated in all of the above.

Enter the Internet. Now I can Google anything! Need a lesson idea? Google can help you find the answer. I can download lessons, search for new ideas, and gather resources much faster than before. But that's still not a PLN.

Type define: network in your Google search engine and here's what you get:
an interconnected system of things or people
a system of intersecting lines or channels
communicate with and within a group

See a common idea? Interconnected. That's a PLN. My very own way to find information, ideas, to learn from a group(s) of educators with similar interests. Now, let's picture this B.I. (before Internet). Party line, anyone? Faculty lounge? All the teachers sitting around the lunch table actually discussing new ways to teach, ideas to try, ways to handle that "one kid?" Maybe. That might even happen in your school right now. If so, you are very blessed to work with such a great group of educators. But then the bell will ring and you'll have to go to recess duty. Maybe you can talk later.

Here's how you can develop your professional learning in a way that will enrich your teaching (and your students' learning) whenever you have time. Maybe it's after you put the kids to bed and you're in your pajamas. Maybe you go to school early to do a little work before everyone else gets there. Maybe you have 5 minutes at lunch or, if you have one of those new, fandangled "smartphones" you are waiting at the DMV to renew your tags (that is, unless you start doing that online, too).

Step 1: Get a Twitter account. I know you've heard about it because even the news stations use it now. In doing so, consider your purpose. You want to learn, right? List your information in your bio so that people understand that. Think about if you need to protect your tweets or not. If not, make sure you monitor your followers daily. (You'll get an email that says when someone is following you).

Who will you follow? Again, use the almighty Google. In searching "educators on Twitter" I received 3,310,000 results. Of course, I'm sure they're not all relevant. But that's a lot! The top hit was a blog linking to a wiki that had educators using Twitter, their purpose in using Twitter, and their username. Second hit - same thing, different wiki. Excellent resource!

Look at your followers closely. If the information they're giving you isn't what you need, see if someone else does provide that information. That's the reason we're doing this.

Reap the benefits of a lifelong learner while implementing new ideas in your classroom. Your kids will do great things!

Step 2: Do you use Facebook? Lots of teachers do, and they do this for their PLN. However, I do need a disconnect between my professional and personal life. Therefore, Facebook is personal, but Twitter and Classroom2.0 are professional. Classroom2.0 is a lot like Facebook and Myspace meshed together. Take a look - it's all teachers. You can follow people if you like, but the benefit of Classroom2.0 in my opinion is the groups. Search the groups that are there and see where common interests lie. You can blog, post to groups for ideas, and even sync it with your Twitter account. Benefit of Classroom2.0 over Twitter? More characters. Developing curriculum with people states (or even countries) away.

Step 3: Make a Del.icio.us account. I have three computers and an iPhone. I can't remember where I save things. I tried using folders for bookmarks, but if I was using another device, I couldn't do anything. If people I worked for asked for a link, I had to search for it and email them. Now, I just say, "It's in my Del.icio.us account. The tag is ____(fill in the blank here)." Now my bookmarks are held online. No worries when the computer crashes or when groups want to work together. We can search each other's resources easily.

These three collaboration tools will greatly benefit your PLN and your students' learning. The best part-they're quick, easy, and continuous. Never the same information. Always the latest news. Just remember - it's a network. Learning from others also means contributing. We're all in this together, right?

Video Conversions

2009-09-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

You Tube. Fun website. It has great material that can be used for classrooms. Many times when kids just don't "get it," you can find a clip that makes the lightbulb go off.

Two problems - it can't be accessed from school (for good reason) and it can't be trusted when we want to keep our kids safe.

Don't fret just yet - with a little planning, you'll still be able to access those YouTube videos that will assist in your instruction. This is where the video converters come into the picture, and there are several options out there. Depending on what works for you, you can use Video Converter, Media Convert, or Zamzar. I've tried them all, and the one I find that works the most consistently is Zamzar. With Zamzar, you can convert not only YouTube videos, but any file on your computer to almost any file type. Watch this for the easy steps: Using Zamzar to Save Videos.

Creating Podcasts

2009-07-08T15:48:00.001-05:00

It seems like everyone is podcasting something these days. I really like to listen to Ed Tech Talk and SMARTBoard Lessons Podcast. But what really makes a podcast? It's not simply sharing video or audio files on the web. By uploading that information to a website, people still have to be told to go find that file and download it. A true podcast sends the file straight to you without you looking for it.
At the top of most blogs, there should be an RSS feed link with the universal orange-curved-line icon. By subscribing to a podcast, blog, etc. with an RSS feed, the beauty of the Internet does the rest of the work for you. This blog can be subscribed to by scrolling to the bottom. Click on the button and choose how you'd like to subscribe. It will send the new file or post straight to you. You didn't have time to go search for information, anyway, right?
So, with this example, we see how great a podcast can be for our professional careers. But what about our students? We want to provide the same benefit to them and even their parents, too, right? That's where podcasting comes in handy.
To start, you need to open your website folder and create a new page as an .xml file.

I like the directions given from "Make RSS Feeds." They are very easy to follow and given in step by step form. You can simply begin a post (the file that you plan to podcast), and then copy and paste after that.
Watch this video for a step by step visual.

Once you've done this, you're almost ready to go. You need a "host" site that will syndicate everything you add to your website, including the xml file. I like Feedburner. It's very easy to use. First step - create an account. It's basically follow the bouncing ball after that. The video at the bottom of this post will walk you through it.

At this point, if you're going to hand out your web address to people and encourage them to subscribe, you're done. However, as we discussed earlier, it's all about easy these days. Here's how to submit your podcast to iTunes so people can search for it themselves and subscribe. This will also help you achieve a larger audience.

Blogging for Beginners

2009-07-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

What is your purpose in incorporating blogs in your classroom? Will students collaborate with each other or with the teacher? Describe how this will enhance learning.

Making the Most of Your Blogs

2009-04-11T13:56:00.001-05:00

Now that you've decided to incorporate blogs into your classroom, it's time to decide how you want to utilize this tool. This blog will include helpful tips and some ideas to make your blogs be more than just words on a website. Here's the top ten ideas to make the most out of your blogs.

1. First, determine your purpose. How will your students use this? Will it serve as a general comment to a blog you begin or their own blog page so others can comment them? Find a site that provides what you’re looking for. Make sure the site you choose isn’t blocked in your district.

2. Plan how you will assess. Thoughtful conversations will be taking place on your blog. This might be the best way to determine if your students really “get it” or not. What do you want to assess? Detailed explanations? Thinking skills? Problem and solution? Grammar? Find the most important areas to assess and allow your students to create the scoring guide. This allows them to carry the tools and purpose personally. Copy the scoring guide so every student has one available to check when writing their blog. Model to your students how to use the program and provide some practice time with it. Younger students will need some experience before they’re ready for assessment. Fifth grade and up might only need one practice session

3. Find another teacher to collaborate with and discuss your expectations with them. This could be someone in your own district or from farther away. Assign each student a “blog buddy” based on ability or interests. This will allow for consistent comments instead of one student receiving an onslaught of comments while someone else doesn’t receive any.

Need some help finding teachers?

Use the collaborator tool on Blogmeister
Join Classroom2.0 to network with other teachers

4. Make students aware of their audience. When they realize the entire world is reading their classwork, they’re more motivated and thoughtful.

5. Use multimedia. Pictures, slideshows, and movies within your blog will engage students and provide visual literacy skills to reach higher order thinking. Slide.com or Picasa Web Albums are great tools to store your pictures online. Simply copy and paste the html code into the bottom of your post and your picture will appear upon publishing.

Keep in mind, though, multimedia should be used to enhance learning. Parents and community members love to see class pictures, however, your main job is to enrich the learning experience.

6. The purpose of comments are to make both the reader and the writer think. Meris Stansbury explained it well in the linked article. Students will learn more from adding information, providing challenges or asking questions. Cheerleading, or general praise from students regarding the initial post, only serve purpose to more cheerleading.

7. Include more types of collaboration than just the blog. If you have the capabilities, hold a virtual field trip to study with your collaborating class. Students can write their own questions and then quiz the participating class. Skype is a great way to communicate with others either via chat or through a live call. If a webcam or digital camcorder is available, use it to provide a visual for students.

8. Reflection is an important part of the learning experience so that students can learn from mistakes, look at what they've done well, and plan for future experiences. In order to encourage student reflection, provide prompts. In the prompt, list what needs to be included in the blog. Ask students to use details, examples, and evidence to back up their ideas and thoughts.

9. As stated in Stansbury's article, questioning and challenging provide the most opportunity for student growth. When commenting, pull up an example blog and model how to question for understanding, clarification, or even to challenge the writer with different ideas. At the beginning of a lesson, provide an essential question for the students. Often, questioning an essential question is a great way to get students motivated, engaged, and thinking critically about the lesson.

10. Use the tools frequently and consistently. After using the blogs on a regular basis, students will treat it like a discussion. They will form bonds with their partners and provide a great learning experience for them.

Wiki Wiki

2009-04-11T13:55:00.002-05:00

In my last post, I gave the ins and outs of different blog sites and the benefits of utilizing blogs in your classroom. There are, however, many more tools than just blogs that can be used to motivate and encourage student learning.

One tool that is actually quite popular is the wiki. More than likely, we are all familiar with Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that provides up to date information regarding just about any topic imaginable. Just like Wikipedia, classroom wikis require users to have an account or user key that is provided by the teacher. Once the students have the account, they are free to edit the webpage as desired. Watch this video for a basic overview of wikis:

Like the video suggests, wikis are a perfect avenue for collaboration, or group work. I remember when I was in school and the teacher assigned a group project. This usually meant getting together in the evening or on the weekends, and working around busy schedules could be difficult to manage. With a wiki, the group could work together at their own convenience.

I have found wikis to be a great brainstorming tool. Furthermore, they provide the perfect structure to incorporate cooperative learning strategies. Vocabulary and test review are a few of the ways my students have used the wiki in our class. Take a look at the following examples:

Test Review: In this example, students created most of the review questions. Students logged into the wiki using the invite key, and then answered the question to the best of their ability. After a given time, they rotated to another station where a different question was waiting to be answered. The process continued until all questions were answered multiple times. Students were asked to not delete information, but either add to previous answers or state reasons for disagreement.

Vocabulary: I have a great speech teacher who always asks for new vocabulary words to assist with students in pull-out situations. In the past, I looked up vocabulary words and their definitions and emailed them to her. With the use of the wiki, this is no longer necessary. I simply add the vocabulary words to the wiki, and students use a jigsaw activity to add definitions. As in the previous example, if definitions are already given from another class, the students add to their definition. Because it's best to provide definitions with kid-language, all of the definitions differ to some degree. Pictures can even be scanned in and added. With this feature, I no longer have to make the vocabulary list. Not only is it now student led, but the information is available to all students and teachers anytime they need it.

Editing: Ever seen writing workshop in action? If so, you're familiar with students reading, editing, and revising classmates' writing. Following a given number of edits, the teacher conferences with the student and reviews the writing along with the student individually. With this example, students and even the teacher can edit and revise the work right on the computer. This can also simplify the process of teaching a mini-lesson for the teacher. There would be no need to make transparencies or scans of student work. The writing is held right on the Internet and ready to go.

I like the classroom applications Wetpaint suggests for wikis:

Group projects
Collaborative writing, such as newspapers
Resource storage
Communication for students/parents
Assignment information and details
Peer Review
Frequently Asked Questions

Wikis are also an easy alternative to a class website if the software isn't available to you. In addition, they're free! Take a look at pbwiki, wikispaces, or wetpaint to find a format you like.

Thinking About Blogging?

2009-04-11T13:55:00.001-05:00

I've spent the day working on all sorts of Web 2.0 tools, but my favorite is the blog. One reason I like it so much is because it is so versatile. It can be used to journal thoughts, ask questions, reflect upon lessons, or respond to videos, photos, or a given prompt.

There are lots of blogs students and teachers can use in their classrooms. At my district, there are four that can be accessed through the filters of our secure system. These are Blogmeister, Gaggle, 21 Classes, and Edublogs. I have a basic overview of the ins and outs of each site on my website. I've used more than one site to host blogs. I started out with Blogmeister, switched to Gaggle, and then back to Blogmeister because it is user-friendly for elementary students.

Blogging is beneficial for students in many ways. In an action research project, I found that students using blogs were more motivated and engaged. Students using blogs to both write, question, reflect, and comment others showed greater gains over a period of time and became deeper thinkers than students who were not blogging. One unexpected occurrence was peer teaching. After students began blogging, those that commented confirmed their ideas, strengthened hypotheses, corrected misconceptions, and even broadened understandings of various vocabulary terms. My favorite was when my class ran out of time while gathering background knowledge and vocabulary. I thought I'd have to use the next day's class time for that until I saw that our partner class had finished their activity and actually taught it to my students through their blogs. Way to reinforce our learning!

In addition, blogs are a way that the school day can be lengthened. In the above example, I could have easily assigned the homework of reading their partner's blogs and commenting them. If a student is absent, they can still participate in class as long as they have access to the Internet. Although we all teach students who fall in Title I status, a computer with Internet access in the home is almost as commonplace as a family vehicle. Libraries also offer free access.

In every classroom, there is "that one student," not the one that gets in trouble, but the one who is so painfully shy that you don't know if they truly understand or not. They'd never tell you. They don't want to speak up and risk the embarrassment. Blogs are a great way to get all students involved in discussions. They can also hamper the enthusiasm of the kid that never stops talking long enough for anyone else to put in their two cents. Because blogs can be posted instantly, you can immediately know if your students understand the lesson simply by checking your email.

So if you've been tossing around the idea of integrating some technology into your classroom, blogging is a great place to start. It's free, simple, and meaningful. You can even set up your account so all blog articles and comments go straight to your email for approval. Take a look at the above mentioned tools and see what you like. Happy blogging!

Welcome to My Blog!

2009-04-11T13:54:00.001-05:00

Welcome!

This blog site was created to share tech tricks and tips as I learn them. One can only send so many emails before they realize they've got to be annoying people by shoving ideas in their faces constantly.

I hope you enjoy the information you find and can put it to use in your classroom.