Woodsville High School: Integrating Technology

Yad Vashem Auschwitz Album

2009-06-05T12:28:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time, I taught English, and I spent an entire semester teaching the Holocaust through literature and research to my students. The project began as a simple reading of text, and over nine years developed into a semester long project that encompassed everything from books to art. It became a powerful way for me to connect current events with the history of the past. I learned so much from becoming a Fellow of both the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Kenne State College and the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities to have extensively studied the events of the Holocaust through these two incredible organizations, and I would highly recommend studying with the Cohen Center , (if you are local to Northern New England) or a reputable local organization if you are invested in teaching the Holocaust. Becoming an Alfred Lerner Fellow to the JFR is an honor that is given after attending and being recommended by a connected Holocaust learning center.

Thank you to Tom White, Coordinator of Educational Outreach for the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Kenne State College in Keene, NH for this link to the Yad Vashem's Auschwitz Album, which is a powerful photo documentary of sorts that takes witness to the atrocities to the events leading up to extermination at Auschwitz. It is simple, yet quite powerful with the combination of photos and narrative.

Worth using in the classroom, and completely appropriate to use with all ages.

Why am I limited to 160 characters?!

2009-05-04T12:57:00.004-04:00

As an avid texter, I have always wondered why on Earth I was limited to only 160 characters before I had to hit send. I can be a rambler when I want to be. I want to say what I need to say, and I don't want to be limited by some random number. Well, this article explains that indeed the number 160 is not random. Well, if you count sitting at a typewriter and pounding out random sentences "not random."

It's an interesting article if ever you are curious; otherwise, don't bother. Just accept the fact that the number came about based on the number of characters that exist within a typed line or two. And when the number was created, no one anticipated how the phenomenon of texting would explode, especially amongst teens. Truly, I fall into the category of someone who would rather text than talk, but then, I also have massive conversations texting. It's a warped irony, I know, but I honestly think my conversations are more succinct because I am limited by that character number. Now, as educators? If we could transfer the succinct conversations that happen in texting to the papers our students write....

Holy Twitter App, Batman!

2009-04-08T12:38:00.003-04:00

If you're a Twitter junkie and have time on your hands for this, get ready, because there are a load of apps you can download from this wiki! I'm not sure what some of them even mean, do, or should do, but I'm just impressed with the sheer volume of different apps available for Twitter.

I fall into the category of "Like what I have, can't take on more". Perhaps some of these apps are worth downloading, and I'd love for someone to tell me what I should be using other than my Tweetdeck. So go ahead... try them, use them, love them, and I'll trust your word and try myself. But, in the meantime, I'm good. Safe. Just my Tweetdeck and me.

Online Resources

2009-04-08T09:36:00.004-04:00

This whole blog focuses on the concept of giving teachers resources to use to help integrate technology into their classrooms. This is an interesting article with some tips about how to search sources and which ones are the best to use. It's worth the read.

Here are a few tips from Ed Week & their article Hunting the Internet for Quality Content:

"Tips
1. Find social networks that allow you to consult with colleagues in your district, state, and across the country.
2. Search portals specifically geared to teachers that include links to curriculum materials and downloadable lessons, worksheets, and multimedia resources."

To read more, go to the article.

5 Best Mind Mapping Tools

2009-03-29T14:56:00.002-04:00

It's a proven fact that mind mapping tools and graphic organizers help students work through processing skills better. They help organize, are visual, and in a computer setting, they can become interactive, to help the learner grow further skills. However, there are so many from which to choose. I am a fan of Inspiration, which my district graciously supplies to the teachers. However, if you are in position to look for other tools, some of which are free online tools and others that are fee based, check out this article from lifehacker titled Hive Five: Five Best Mind Mapping Applications. The online ones look quite useful, and when you put them up against programs that cost several hundred dollars per license, it seems likely you will be able to operate around whatever you're missing with the fee based license. Check them out, and see which works best for your needs.

Easy Photo Editing

2009-03-27T08:36:00.004-04:00

Let's face it, Photoshop is a high end tool, no matter how you look at it. Not a Photoshop expert, but need to edit some photos? Here are a few online photo editing tools that might help you. Picnik is one of the easier tools I've seen online. It's fast, easy, and for something basic, it will do the job you need. Fotoflexer seems to work in a very similar fashion.

If you want something slightly more advanced, then I might recommend phixr or splashup. I have not used phixr, but I have used splashup, and there are some glitches, like my students and I were unable to save an image to our desktop. We were only able to do a screen capture to have the image for ourselves. It looks like it saves to a URL or you can immediately post to certain sites, but this wasn't our goal.

I found this article titled 20 Great Online Image Editors on Mashable, which is an interesting place to get tips and learn more about social media.

Check out the online photo editing tools and see which one works best for you.

Looking for that font?

2009-03-27T08:24:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, we need to create that document or file that has to have that certain type of font because the suggested/given fonts just don't work for the context of the document. You've seen the font in use and can't find it. Enter WhatTheFont! You can insert the picture, or you can give the URL and WhatTheFont! will tell you what the font is. You can also search fonts to find that specific font. Have fun - it's one of those sites where you could get lost playing!

Second Life in the Classroom?

2009-03-20T13:04:00.003-04:00

I'm always open to new ideas. I have to be in my line of work. But I have to admit here, this wanders in to territory that even I need to continually rethink. I'd like to try it, but am still, admittedly, pretty unsure. What am I talking about? Second Life.

Second Life is an online community where you can create your own avatar and live a literal second life online. Some people have abused this idea, and this is where online communities get their unfortunate bad name, but I'm hopeful when I read articles like this one, which talk about universities/colleges like Elon in NC who are now using Second Life as a regular and required part of their curriculum. When I read the article, I was beyond impressed with what the students could do, and it is candid about what the downsides are to using an application like Second Life (giving up a week of class time to allow students to learn the application). However, when you see the final products, you perhaps can see that these couldn't have been created in a real life environment, which is the ultimate online capability, giving students the chance to create something that couldn't otherwise be created in real life. This is where I need to think outside the box, and challenge myself to rethink my curriculum and allow my classes to explore a genuinely life-like virtual world.

Research tools

2009-03-20T12:55:00.002-04:00

All of us have questions about how to when it comes to online research and the presentation of the materials. The folks at St. Andrews Episcopal School in Austin, TX have made the task of online research a little easier with their Upper School Research Tools link. There are some solid tips on everything from Research Assistance to Copyright Guidelines. It looks like and invaluable tool to help your students get their next research project up and going, and making sure they produce the best quality work possible. Give a good look! And thanks to the folks at St. Andrews for their work on this! It will be a great tool to have in your toolbox!

Public Domain e-Books

2009-03-20T12:31:00.003-04:00

Budget issues have forced many of us to explore how to use online features and open source materials to help reduce costs. This link came across Twitter a few days ago about Public Domain e-Books. Normally, some of these are hard to come by as free e-Books, but if you're in the market for online books, check out this source to see if you can find what you need!

Google Docs in the classroom

2009-03-20T12:07:00.002-04:00

Google Docs works quite similarly to the Microsoft applications, without some of the glam. Can you do everything Word, Powerpoint, and Excel can? No. But if you're looking for an easy way to get collaboration into your classroom, Google Docs may be just what you're looking for.

Having worked with the collaborative features before, I can say you and your students will perhaps find it slightly frustrating the first go out, since even though the documents are meant to be collaborative, if more than one person is trying to edit at any given time, then it could kick someone else's edit off. However, this is true of most collaborative applications. In other words, if you chose to explore this, know ahead of time that students should give each other some lag time between posts. The more people who are editing any given document, the slower it will go, too.

If you're looking to add technological collaboration to your classroom, check out this Google presentation on interesting ways to use Google Docs in the classroom.

Fun Science link

2009-03-19T13:19:00.003-04:00

Looking for a cool link for Science? Looks like this might be a site geared for younger kids, but I haven't totally explored it. It might be well used to teach some of the basics. The articles seem thorough and detailed, and the experiments are goofy but fun. Check it out!

General Resource Site

2009-03-19T13:02:00.004-04:00

Having a little help making something simple (or better, something complex) is always a good thing in my book. I find little shame in using something that isn't an original. I say this because I know there are those of you out there who want to recreate the wheel every time. And, hey, that's fine with me. I just don't have the time, and I know I'm not alone in that boat. So anything that can cut my time is a good thing, indeed. And with everything else that is dumped on our teacher laps, I need all the handy, helpful shortcuts I can get to create a quality end. Quality is the key.

Having said that, here is a helpful resource aptly named Make It & Take It. It has everything from rubric & puzzle creators to interactive sites for all ages. Whether you have the time to spend or are in a pinch and need a quick fix, you should be able to find something here. And guess what? Learned about it from one of my Twitter connections!

Flip Videos Cameras

2009-03-18T15:34:00.007-04:00

If you haven't gotten on the Flip bandwagon to get video into your classroom easily, then it's time to join the new wave of video. Check out the site, and see how sleek and simple it is.

If you're wondering why you might want to use the Flip in your classroom, check out this article from Escobedo MS Tech Talk. It will help you realize how this piece of technology can enhance your classroom.

Here is a Jing tutorial created by some of my students to show how easy it is to use the video camera.

Music anyone?

2009-03-17T12:48:00.002-04:00

Noteflight came across Twitter this afternoon, and what you'll see is a Jing tutorial showing you how to use Noteflight. If you need students to create an original score for something, or if you teach music, this may be something you want to check out. Looks simple enough to use and share. Give it a look, and let me know what you think. Again, if you think there is no application to this in your classroom, I would encourage you to think outside your comfort zone and see how something like this might fit into your curriculum.

Building Your Own Website? Need CSS layout code?

2009-03-16T17:44:00.003-04:00

This certainly isn't for all of you, but for those who are more technologically adept, and you're looking for some free ways to lay out your site, here is a place that has multiple CSS downloads for you to use to format your page(s). This seems like a great place, and the time saved... My question is, does this code work in a place like Weebly? Might be worth a look with your students.

Gaming in the Classroom?

2009-03-16T15:06:00.002-04:00

Now, this is a hot topic in many circles - should gaming be allowed in schools, and is there educational value to it? I'll let you decide which side of the coin you sit on. There are also theories, for those who feel it does have value, about constructionism vs. instructionism (the idea you will learn more when creating a game vs. just playing a game). It's a deep argument on either side: value or not, and construct vs. instruct. As I always suggest, try thinking outside the box here.

Either way, this looks like a great resource with regards to the topic. Sylvia has put together a plethora of information for anyone who is willing to explore the topic. Thanks to her!

Is this quality content? I'm curious to know...

2009-03-16T13:20:00.004-04:00

Below is some of my students' first try at podcasting. Now, mind you, we have had long conversations about quality content, but they begged me to allow them to post this podcast. We had the conversation that if you begin posting silly content, then people may not take you seriously and likely won't follow you. This conversation proceeded the talk about one of the main ideas of Web 2.0 is to share content. I think you get my gist - that I tried to work with the students to get them to understand the whole concept of quality content. I previewed, and rejected, several drafts of the lyrics before we settled on this version.

But, then, I'm amused at the end of the day about silly content on places like YouTube. So my question here is, does content matter when students post original work to the Web? Am I the one being too serious here? I'd love your feedback.

OmniDazzle

2009-03-13T22:00:00.011-04:00

Yet another great great tip that came across Twitter. OmniDazzle... Looks like a way to spice up presentations, and now it's a free download. Reasons from the website for why to try OmniDazzle:
"1. You've got a presentation this week, and you want to hear both "oohs" AND "ahhs" from the audience.
2. Your documentation could use some really great screen shots.
3. You want to point out something on your screen, without actually pointing."
Looks like it's definitely worth exploring to add pizzaz to presentations.

Here is a student generated Jing exploring the use of Omnidazzle. Remember, this is from a student's perspective, and they couldn't understand the value of some of the features or just didn't like others, but I think you'll get the gist of how the program works based on their presentation of the tool:

Student Led Podcasting Integration Presentation

2009-03-13T21:30:00.004-04:00

Our Student Council here at WHS took on the challenge of looking at the Student Handbook this semester, and one of the things they wanted to look at was the use of iPods/MP3 players in school. Understanding they wanted to get the access during the school day for their music, one of the students on the Council who is in my 21st Century Digital Communications Class came to me and asked what we could do as a class to help change this policy. Podcasting was my 1st thought, and so, as a class, we set forth creating the following wiki presentation about the concept of the use of iPods/MP3 players in schools both for personal and academic purposes. Check it out, and hopefully, the information is useful.

Myths & Legends Story Creator

2009-03-13T17:42:00.009-04:00

While at first glance this seems like a tool geared for younger kids, and it probably is, there is never harm in having a little fun during creative writing or in an upper level class. Myths & Legends Story Creator is an online application that allows you to plug in visual pieces, and it looks like it has an audio function. Have your students recreate a story line as a children's book. Even though this is geared towards kids, try it out with your older students and see what happens. As always, think outside the box.

Can't Stop Twittering

2009-03-13T09:23:00.012-04:00

When I first heard of Twitter I thought, like many sometimes do, 'Yep, it's just another thing to do.' Then I started to hear more and more about it, and I finally joined and starting building my network. It only took me a short while to build my network, and I'm completely addicted now. It's fast, you can leave the Tweetdeck open all day, and you get updates from your network. Since I joined, I have learned so much about so many ideas, simply based on the fact that I built my network around people who share similar professional interests as me. Having said that, this article came across Twitter this AM. It's about how this social networking tool is now being used by police to help keep the public informed. This article talks about how Twitter was used to cover a high profile murder case in Memphis.

I guess my point is this - Twitter and other social networking tools are more than just a toy, more than just a phase. They have become integrated into daily life as a viable means to stay informed. If you're not there... it's time to get on board.

Weebly/Freewebs

2009-03-13T08:56:00.005-04:00

After a fellow colleague (huge shout out to Scott Nichols -he loves to integrate technology into his classroom!) sent me some student work to be posted on our school website, I asked him about the application he used to have the students create their websites: Weebly. He said the students told him about it, and in their opinion, it was better than Freewebs. I've never heard of either, and certainly haven't explored either, but I love the work his students created using Weebly. If you're in need a a quick website for a student project, it looks like either Weebly or Freewebs is worth checking out. See Scott's students' work on WWI below:

WWI Timeline
WWI Facts
WWI
The Great War
WWI: The Great War

Rubric World

2009-03-12T08:47:00.004-04:00

As we all continue to hear the buzz on why rubrics are good and enhance our teaching and our students' ability to produce quality work, some teachers need more information on how to create a good rubric, need a site to do this, and need quality examples to follow. This tidbit came across Twitter when I threw out a tweet asking for a quality rubric for a PPT for another colleague. Check out iRubric.

After briefly checking this site out, it looks like it has a rubric creator, and then you can store your rubric online and share with the global community of teachers. You can search for a rubric by subject, grade level, or type, and there are thousands from which to choose. While there are several other sites for rubric making and sharing, I haven't seen one with this many options in a while. Give a look, try it out, and tell me what you think!

Managing Twitter as a Teacher

2009-03-11T19:19:00.005-04:00

Are you a teacher who tweets but finds it hard to keep up with it all? This article might help you by giving you some helpful tips. Hope you find it useful!

Social Media is here to stay

2009-03-09T15:06:00.002-04:00

An interesting article on social media, and how it's not going away and what we should/can do with it.

Blip.fm

2009-03-09T14:42:00.006-04:00

Now, for teachers, you might not see the immediate value in this, but think outside the box. Blip.fm is an online source where you can become your own DJ, and if you are linked into Twitter, your Blips are immediately posted for your followers. The students love this site for some obvious reasons, but if you're a teacher, how can this benefit you? Well, what if you have a blog/wiki or some other forum, and you want to share a song(s) that is relative to a lesson you've created. You can embed the Blip into the forum, and the students can access the song anywhere they can access the Internet.

One of my students asked if we can try to set up an online radio station for WHS... hmmm, if we're worried about what is school appropriate, this seems like a great online forum that our students can access where we ALL have access to what content is good. We're working on it. Keep you posted.

Glogster

2009-03-09T09:21:00.006-04:00

If you're not on Twitter yet, you must get there and create your network! Wondering how you can build your network? Go to twitter4teachers, create an account, find your subject area, and start adding people to follow on your network. Trust me, they will also follow you, and your network will begin to quickly fill. My point in this is, I'm learning SO much from being on Twitter.

Ever heard of Glogster? Well, me neither, until today. Know how we all have done or still do posters for projects? And then, you have this massive pile of posters just setting in your class... well, Glogster is an online poster creator. Haven't been there to check it out, but the examples in this article (scroll down some on article) look incredible! Check it out. I'll have my class attempt examples this week and post the links here!

Check out some examples my students created for Mrs. Thurlow's Freshman "Pieces of Myself" & "Teen Troubles" units.

Animoto

2009-03-04T11:28:00.006-05:00

Check out Animoto for a new way to do presentations. The sample below is what you can do with the free version (you're limited with time & number of pictures), but the upgrade to do unlimited timed presentations is small. Check it out - there's an educational component. The presentation I did below was created by one of my students and me to offer an example to Mrs. Tyler for her Animal Farm propaganda project. See what you think and how you can use this in your classroom! It's VERY, VERY simple to use! Also, check out Alex's slideshow after he studied the Vietnam War.

An iMovie tutorial using Jing

2009-01-15T15:33:00.013-05:00

As part of their final for my Computer Applications class, several students chose Jing as their application of choice. Here the students created a tutorial to show the steps involved in making an iMovie using the screen/audio capture online application. Jing is a free download.

Are you a Twit?

2008-12-03T10:00:00.004-05:00

I'm back at the Chritsa McAuliffe Technology Conference in Nashua, NH. One of the 1st sessions I attended was David Warlick's 'The Art & Technique of Wikis', and he couldn't stop talking about Twitter.

If you use Twitter, you're a Twit (this, I take some issue with), and if you're twittering (what you're doing when you're on Twitter), then you're Tweeting. It's a concept much like blogging, but you're limited to 140 characters; thus, it has been dubbed micro-blogging. Jeff Whipple , my new techno pal, says it has taken over his blogging. He now tweets more than he blogs; although I believe he does a nice job maintaing his blog. Twitter operates much like a chat room would, which may make some of you raise your eyebrows, but have faith. It seems to be a marvelous way to reach a global audience, and it works in real time. As David was teaching us about wikis, he had his Twitter account open, and he would ask questions to his networked group of professional & personal friends who were Tweeting, getting near immediate responses to the questions he was asking.

In his next session, 'Cultivating a Personal Learning Network', he addressed Twitter again as a means to grow as an educator, to literally build your personal and professional network to learn and, well, yes, grow. You can follow people, and then follow people that other people follow to build your network. If I were to try this, I'd follow David & Jeff, since I now know them to be professionals with whom I want to stay in contact. David made the good point that since you're limited to the number of characters you can enter per post, you must be economical with your words; thus, certain 'big' terms are probably worth checking out, if many people are using this term/idea. People send out new sites or ideas they've discovered or are interested in to anyone who is Tweeting at the time, and presto, you can have a new idea to check out and try.

There is also a feature that allows you to visualize data in various forms, and as David pointed out in his Keynote address on Tuesday morning, data visualization is becoming a medium. Tweeting may sound time consuming, or just another thing to do, but if you're already online with some kind of social networking tool, this may be the latest and greatest way to stay in touch & learn. Give it a try!

Literary Links

2008-10-14T08:56:00.005-04:00

I'm always thrilled when someone finds something regarding technology they think is interesting and exciting, and they are using it in their class with success. KUDOS to Jasmine Tyler for finding and using this resource in her English 12 classes:

http://www.literaryworlds.org

It's a virtual world based on various books. College students have created these worlds based on various literary pieces and users can interact with/live within the settings, plots, & characters of each respective novel - she says her students love it! Jasmine noted some of the novels require you to request permission to enter the world, but she's been corresponding with the creators of these worlds, and they're more than happy to accommodate her requests, needs, and conversation!

Try it out - it looks like a great resource to try in your classes! Enjoy! Thanks Jasmine!

Need a Rubric?

2008-04-09T09:54:00.005-04:00

Here are some great free resources for creating rubrics online. Many have set templates, or you can over ride several of them to add your own wording. If you're in a bind and need a quick fix, many of the templates are great, often created by sets of teachers in school districts throughout the country. Enjoy perusing them to find one that works for you. Hey, it's not often we get something for free that's useful!

4teachers
Rubistar
(This is the one I most often use)
Landmark Rubric Builder
teach-nolgy
Kathy Schrock
Chicago Public Schools Click on the Rubric Bank. Peruse the site to get ideas for creating rubrics as well.
Teacher Vision

Article on Podcasting Integration

2008-01-16T21:27:00.002-05:00

As I find interesting ideas about technology, I'll post them to this blog.

I'll be moving down another Web 2.0 avenue in this entry...Podcasting. More and more faculty seem interested in learning how to or to use podcasts in the class, so I'll be looking for some articles, resources, and posting some 'how to' entries soon.

I found this article on integrating podcasting into curriculum. As I truncated the URL to www.joevans.pbwiki.com to learn if this was a credible source of info, I discovered John Evans is not only the Principal, but also a Technology Teacher at St. Francois Xavier Community School... I'll take his information as valid.

He offers: reasoning for why podcasting is a valid activity, curriculum applications of podcasts, and objectives. Then he breaks down all the ways you can incorporate podcasts into your classes, and offers examples from schools who are using podcasting in these ways. It looks to be a pretty great resource! Peruse and enjoy!

Good Article on Setting Ground Rules for Classroom Blogging

2008-01-14T15:33:00.002-05:00

Check out this article about setting standards and goals within your class surrounding the use of blogs. It might offer you some good information.

Website Credibility

2008-01-14T13:17:00.003-05:00

For those of you who want to check the credibility of a website for research purposes, check out this site:

easyWhois

All you need to do is enter the URL in the box and hit enter. It will tell you to whom the domain is registered. I suggest this to you for the following reason: Most of us recognize .org sites to be non-profit organizations. Well, as with all things, this may be generally true, but there are always exceptions to any rule. Such is the case with the following site www.martinlutherking.org (I believe this is currently blocked on our site - thankfully). One might look at the .org and think this was a non-profit organization offering information about Dr. King. Well, if you need to look beyond the first page of the site to know this is a hoax and a white supremist site, you can run the URL through easyWhois, and it will show that STORMFRONT.org sponsors the site. If you need to question the authorship further, go to STORMFRONT's site, and viola'... you will quickly know about the sponsor of the www.martinlutherking.org site. It takes little time to trace the authorship of a site, and is well worth it if you're questioning credibility.

Adding Video to a Blog - Converting Video to Run Off Your Computer

2008-01-13T18:41:00.002-05:00

This is the humorous Web 2.0/Blogging video I showed at the in-service. Now, as long as YouTube is unblocked or you are reading this away from school, the above video should play. However, as we all know, the filter is alive and working quite well, and we've had some technical issues with the server, as well. Having said all that, I want to show you how to embed a video in your blog at home so it can be played independent of the server. Believe it or not, YouTube does have some good material worth using.

If YouTube was unblocked, then all you would need to do is copy the 'embed' code from the upper right side of the YouTube screen and place that in the post like I did above, and the video would play in your blog. Don't alter any of the code, just cut and paste. However, since the the video runs off YouTube when you embed the code, if YouTube is blocked on the server, the video won't play. Follow me?

So here's a great alternative to this problem. I shared several video conversion sites with Adam, and we experienced problems with several of them. He did a bit of research, and kindly showed me this:

vixy.net

All you do is paste the URL address from the YouTube video in the box at the top of the screen and choose MOV for Mac (MPEG + MP3) (I've only done this on a Mac) and click Start. As long as there are no server issues, the movie will convert to a format that can be run directly off your computer and not YouTube. Then, click on the video icon on the post board (the top right icon), click Choose (to browse your computer for the file), enter the title, agree to the terms, and presto... the video will be uploaded to your blog and is not dependent on YouTube. As well, you can simply run that video from your computer in class (if you're not posting to a blog).

There are multiple benefits of this. The most obvious is that you don't have to worry about the filter. The next is that it allows students access ONLY to that movie and not all the peripheral ads and potentially inappropriate videos that can be displayed on any given YouTube page.

The downside? Well, you'll have to do this when the filter is off or at home.

If you use vixy, I suggest you do it at home with broadband or high speed. The server here doesn't seem to like vixy that much. But when I tried this at home, it happened quite quickly until my Internet died - go figure.

I like vixy. It has it's quirks, like all technology does. When I initally tried it, I got an error message saying the server was too busy. After about 5 tries - 1 a minute - I got the video converted. Before my Internet died at home (we live on top of a hill and the Internet is subject to the quirks of the weather), the conversion was happening quickly. In short, video conversion can be quick. It is simple. I like that! :)

"It's just one more thing to do!"

2008-01-11T23:44:00.002-05:00

Coming out of the in-service, someone came to me and said they were excited about the idea of blogging, but indeed, it was just one more thing to do. And that person is right. It is another thing to do. It does take time. BUT, it can change the way we work with our students, and this is a good thing. Change for the sake of change isn't necessarily good, but when the change is most likely going to engage our students and help them rethink writing and thinking in general - well, that's good change to, at least to me.

She was also concerned about not knowing how to truly 'do' technology, how to keep up with the blog, how to grade it (should it be graded?), and what to put in it. We talked about ePals and hooking up with another school to help edit work and having standards set before the blog started.

I will address each of these concerns below:
"I don't really know how to 'do' technology":
Trust me, I know that giving up control of even the smallest aspects of our classrooms makes the best of us a little leery; however, our students won't let us down, as long as we set the right standards. You don't need to be an expert with technology. Trust that there are a few students who know how to do what you want to do, and have them show you. I've learned a lot from my students this year with regards to how to do something, because there is no way on green Earth I can know everything there is about every technology I use. I know a lot, but I also don't have the time to play with technology the way they do. And I have to trust that they can teach me as they explore, and they absolutely have. I guess my point is this - Set clear, concise standards students must follow with regards to the use of a blog in the classroom, and they will respond.

How to Keep up with & Grade a Blog:
The easiest way to keep up with a blog in the classroom is to engage the students. Allow class time each day or a few days a week and have the students moderate the blog. Have students rotate moderating. Again, you will have to set clear, concise standards and model how to moderate, but if there is a grade affixed, this is decent motivation for students to promote active and appropriate conversation. The standard in my classes for my Master's, and it seems for most classes as I discovered through some Internet research, is:
1) An initial post by the teacher and/or weekly moderator each week
2) Each student must respond to the initial posting, and to TWO other students in the class

**The teacher affixs the points for each post.
**The teacher deems what is a worthwhile post. i.e. Each response must be between 3-5 sentences and further the discussion through outside examples or direct reference to the text

Obviously, this will work better for discussion based classes, but it can be incorporated into all classes with whatever standards & grades you affix. The reality as I know it is teachers who have started blogs have found that once the students get hooked, they will keep the discussion going, grade or not. You can throw out extra credit options... As with the types of blogs that are out there - you're only limited to your own imagination.

What Do I Put in My Class Blog?
Well, if you go back to the blogging presentation, I list multiple things you can do in any given class setting. Remember, the idea is to inform and/or engage. If you want to run or further a discussion, a blog is a great way to incorporate technology into your curriculum, and you can showcase what the students are doing/thinking to the parents. This might actually be a positive motivator for a student who might be slacking in class...If he/she knows his/her parents might look at his/her words online...

If you want to offer extra credit challenges that pertain to ideas presented in class, a blog would be a good way to do this. Offer multiple challenges each week, and have the challenges set to a 'first come first served' idea. Set the standards so that the students have to offer their rationale to their answer. Offer points for students who challenge another students' answer.

Set up your blog to engage various classes within the building. What if the seniors worked with the freshman to edit their writing? What if your CP & Honors class are reading the same text? What if students who took the class 1st semester could engage with students who read a book in the 2nd semester? What if extra help was offered in Algebra from students in Calculus (I'm getting into unfamiliar territory here - I don't actually know if that could happen, that's how dense in Math I am). What if there were activities that crossed over from one science to the next, and the classes could be connected and engaged in a blog forum? These are all just ideas. You have to make them reality. I can help you with both the ideas and the reality, but you have to want to make it happen and come see me :)

ePals
This is a great site. Under the search button, click on whatever topic you want - I chose 'high school writing.' epals will list all the schools in the country and around the world which are looking for other schools with whom to partner. It gives contact info, project description, best means of communication, etc. Many say email. Why not contact the teacher and suggest setting up a blog with that teacher's class. I haven't gone down the "Join Now" path, but if you have a project that could benefit from engagement from another class in another part of the country or world... well, join! See what bites you get.

In short, there are endless possibilities to what can be done with a blog in the class. There are endless ways to set it up, grade it, and engage the students. Like I said, you just need to want to do it, and be willing to maintain it. Yes, from the onset, it seems like just another thing, but when you incorporate it and make it a part of the class culture (like homework), then students will do it. Perhaps just for the grade at first, but over time, it will seem less burdensome to all. It needn't be a burden to anyone if the work is put in on the forefront (standards & grading rubric, student moderation, etc).

How does a blog work? The super-basic

2008-01-11T22:49:00.002-05:00

As I stated in my presentation on Thursday, blogs usually go in reverse chronological order - the latest post is the first you'll read. My first post happened at the conference I attended, and if you care to read it, just click on the 2007 (November) archive to the right, and it will take you to that post. It's a quick comment on why I haven't created a blog until now - yes, now you know my deep, dark secret. I can sell a product I, myself, haven't used :) Yes, I believe in a lot of technology that much. I know from research & experience that most of these technological advances have enhanced my teaching and classroom in some way, form, or fashion. My point in my first entry is that blogging takes a bit of time. Yes, doing a class blog or any blog (or any Web 2.0 concept) takes time, and we can come up with a million reasons why we don't have the time to do it; however, once it becomes routine, then it will become part of your planning, your class culture, and perhaps your grading. As well, it's a little addictive, to be perfectly honest! Again, this is somewhat of a longer conversation. Just trust that if blogging is the route you want to go, then it can enhance your classes.

You can search for entries or ideas within the blog using the concept of 'tags', which we talked about at the in-service. These are listed at the right under 'labels' - this is another term for tags. You can also search the blog using the title of an entry; this is also listed on the right under Blog Archive (by month). The titles will get archived by the month, and the labels remain showing.

If you'd like to respond to a comment or ask a question, I have set this blog so that anyone with a Blogger account (free & fast set up) can comment. Just click on the comment button to the bottom right of any post. Comments are set to be moderated, so no comment will be posted until the author (me) approves it. As a teacher, this can give you control over what shows up on the screen. It will hopefully give you some security in your classroom. There are a variety of security settings, and we'll talk about them in more depth later.

Posts usually get archived each month to save space - these are all features you can set when you create your blog. You can set up who can post, who can comment, etc. This will all be part of the 'Blogging 401' I mentioned at the end of the presentation. That session will go into what we all need to worry about (copyright, publishing students' work, etc.) and be geared toward your 1-1 'how-to' needs. I'd like to have each of you walk out of that session feeling empowered to use your new blog in a classroom setting. If you're interested in that session, which I'm hoping happens sooner than later (so we can get these blogs rolling with the beginning of the new semester), see Bob ASAP.

Blogging 101 - In-Service 1/10/08 & How to Embed a PowerPoint Presentation

2008-01-11T21:28:00.002-05:00

You learn something new every day...

I was surprised that you can quickly load photos & video onto a blog, but Powerpoint presentations aren't as simple, it seems. As Adam would say, "PowerPoints are such a Web 1.0 thing. Blogs are 2.0." I ask, "What about the teacher who uses PowerPoint and wants to share it with his/her students via a blog?" He merely repeats, "Web 1.0 in Web 2.0" I sigh, and we both laugh.

It took me a while to search how to do this, but after a few search options, I finally got the information I needed. As I tell my Research & Presentation students, if you can't find what you need through one search, try re-wording. I obtained my information by searching "embed powerpoint in a blog," only after I had searched 3 other ideas for 45 minutes. Don't know why I didn't start there in the first place; at least you can't say I'm not persistent. I offer this information to you because if you start a class blog, you may want to include some of your PowerPoint presentations, and I can save you the hassle of trying to find the info.

Bob & Ron asked me if I would be willing to share some of the ideas I learned from the conference with the faculty after my technology conference- well of course! After one of the last faculty meetings where ideas were shared by department, many people noted they were interested in learning more about the concept of blogging. Below is the slide show I gave; each slide should be fairly self explanatory.

This first method was done by loading each slide of the PPT presentation as an image onto Flickr. Sounds tedious, but it was actually easy. There is a tricky step when it comes to finding & embedding the code in the blog because HTML code is so blessed sensitive, but once you find what you're looking for, it goes quickly. However, it's an easy enough process if you follow the steps listed in the beginning of this article on how to embed a PowerPoint presentation in your blog. You have to understand some basic computer ideas, so if you genuinely feel nervous about technology, go to the process below. It's definitely easier. The above process moves the slides quickly, and it loaded the presentation backwards. Go figure.

Another Way to Embed a PPT:

Click on Blogging Slideshow and it will take you to the same presentation, which was loaded onto Slideshare. All I had to do was click upload, browse for the file on my desktop, and Slideshow uploaded the presentation and gave me a URL address which I linked on the blog. It loaded the correct way, and the user gets to control each slide. Seems much easier. Both work well enough.

I offer all this to you to help you learn new ways to keep your blog going and exciting! If you need help loading a PowerPoint slide show onto your blog - JUST ASK! The first time is admittedly a bit confusing, but it will go quickly once you see how it's done. Promise!

Inspiration

2007-11-28T19:57:00.000-05:00

The American Heritage Dictionary defines inspiration as:
1a. Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.

As well, The American Heritage Dictionary defines action as:
1. The state or process of acting or doing.

How do inspiration and action correlate? Through time. And turning inspiration into action requires time. And for someone like me, I need to have a fire lit under me to truly explode that inspiration into action. Creating this blog has been on my mind for years. However, being a mom & wife, getting a Master's Degree, having a full time teaching job, and just plain attempting to have a real life with my family have all taken up, well, a lot of time. So, short story made long, this - the idea of an actual blog for any of the classes I teach - got set on the back burner. Like many, I came up with a million reasons why doing something like this could get done tomorrow.

I attended the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference this week, and it was the inspiration that forced me into action. I took a hands on conference that required me to create a blog. The presenter, Sharon Betts, who by the way rocks out loud in my opinion, wouldn't let us go without creating a blog. I interally growled at this at first, but thank her for lighting that fire under me. I needed it. So, here begins the journey...stay tuned!