TipLine - Gates' Computer Tips

Sixth graders using Diigo

2009-11-25T08:49:00.000-05:00

This story was shared in the educators group in Diigo and the summary of the group posts just arrived in my inbox. This sixth grade teacher has set up a class in Diigo for her sixth graders to use as they locate and read blog entries (Yes, they can read blogs, too!) that deal with some of the scientific ideas that they are studying. When they read a blog post that they find ot be especially relevant to what they're studying, they use the Diigo Highlighting tool to highlight important parts of the posts. But, they go the important step further and they comment to each other about those parts. Imagine! Sixth graders reading the blogs of geologists and highlighting and comment to each other about what they're reading. What's not to LOVE about that?

Here is the part of this story that was highlighted by the person in the educator group.

"But I have to tell you that despite all the pain in my neck this has been, I'm LOVING Diigo. We are annotating the blogs as we read them and then dissecting what they mean. Now imagine my little kids (6th graders you know) trying to understand that the geochemistry of this sediment can tell scientist about the cycling of sea levels...and this cycling is important to the coastal cities survival throughout the world. We're just at the most basic places, but they are digging through...asking me questions and pulling out info they think is relevant.

I have them write summaries and email those summaries from Diigo to me each weekend. OK...not all are great. But most of these kids "get it" and are pretty interested in the science being conducted. I think they are also grooving on the conversation we get from highlighting important things from the blogs and then chatting (via the annotation commenting feature) about why it's important and what are the next things we should look for."

Now, there are some logistical concerns with Diigo that I think warrant some thought before you dig into something like this. Those students are 6th graders. They are likely in a middle school where they will have two more years where they might be using Diigo. The problem is (possibly) that their accounts were set up by their 6th grade teacher who won't want to be receiving those emails from them for the next two years. They belong to the sixth grade group and their accounts were made by that teacher. Following me?

I've talked with Maggie Tsai (from Diigo) and other bloggers and Digo users about this. I tried to get a group to talk about it at last year's NECC, but we never reached this level of discussion about the tool. Here's my position. I think that the librarian, or computer teacher, maybe?, should upload all the students in a given grade. Then, as teachers wish to have students pulled into a group, that librarian would create the groups and put the students into them.

Why? Because, if I create the student accounts, they're not visible to other teachers. So, each teacher would have to upload their own list of students, causing them to have multiple accounts and causing their bookmarks to be scattered across those multiple accounts. A student should have the same account the entire time they're in that building, beit middle or high school.

Having one person in charge of setting up the accounts is a lot of work for that person. But, I can't think of a better way to do it. Can you? Maybe I'm missing something in Diigo that would better facilitate these accounts and groups, etc. If I am, please comment below to inform us all.

Bottom line - the sixth graders in this article are using a tool that is blocked in other schools. These sixth graders are using a tool that they can use for a VERY long time to help them gather and manage and share their online resources, and to enrich their understanding of those resources, and to discuss them with their classmates. If your school blocks Diigo, then someone at your school has decided that your students should not see and use it for those purposes. What do they use instead? ARGH! Don't get me started. :-)

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2009-11-21T19:32:00.001-05:00

VisualBlooms - home
Nice chart linking various web tools to the levels in Bloom's Taxonomy
tags: bloomstaxonomy
VocabSushi: The better way to build your vocabulary | Contextual Examples From the Daily News
Appears to be a great site to learn vocabulary.
tags: vocabulary
WatchKnow - Videos for kids to learn from. Organized.
Videos for kids.
tags: videos
vanBasco Software: MIDI and Karaoke Software for Windows
a karaoke player
tags: Music, karaoke
6 Thinking Hats - Bono de, Edward
The Six hats activity described
tags: HOTS
BloomPolygon.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Nice chart showing (old) Bloom's scale with verbs and activities
tags: bloomstaxonomy
BLOOM'S TAXONOMY'S MODEL QUESTIONS AND KEY WORDS
Another chart for examining Bloom's (old blooms)
tags: bloomstaxonomy
Aim High!
A nice chart for seeing Verbs and project ideas
tags: bloomstaxonomy
Welcome to verifiable.com
Another good tool to help create interesting and revealing charts around your data.
tags: data, visualization, graphs
Tasty Data Goodies - Swivel
A large number of data sets to download or just explore on the site. Use these to add data to your social studies or Sociology or History classes. Also good for math and Business classes as they study Excel and making charts
tags: data, visualization, graphs

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

A funny example of comment spam

2009-11-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

It's SO disappointing to receive an email that someone has commented on a blog post, only to discover that it was spam. But, at least this one made me laugh.

"Your words sometimes echo in my mind and during my leisure time, i read your write ups again and again. For (removed) Tours booking , packages & information you can visit our website"

ROFL!!

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2009-11-14T19:32:00.001-05:00

MEPC - TeachMideast - Educational Resources on the Middle East and Islam - TeachMideast
Interesting site dedicated to helping teachers teach about the Middle East
tags: visualization, middleeast
The Jobless Rate for People Like You - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
Shared today by David Warlick on Twitter. OUTSTANDING visualization about unemployment figures.
tags: visualization
Google wave Extension List - Google Docs
Got a google wave account? Then you may want to try out some of these extensions. FUN stuff! (Shared on Twitter today)
tags: wave, google
25 Places to Watch Free Movies Online | Open Culture
"Where to watch free movies on the web? Here’s a list that will get you started. We’ve listed 25 sites that feature a wide range of films. Classics, international, film noir, documentaries, indies — they’re all here, waiting to be watched"
tags: video

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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2009-11-07T19:32:00.001-05:00

The Complete Guide to Google Wave: How to Use Google Wave
Will hold on to this one as the Wave gets better and better
tags: GoogleWave, google
YouTube - Piano stairs - TheFunTheory.com - Rolighetsteorin.se
Now THIS is the way to get folks to exercise.
tags: youtube, piano, stairs
ACLU lawsuit: Palm Beach County's woeful graduation rates show failure of Florida's education policies
This could be a very important case. What are YOUR graduation rates?
tags: aclu, lawsuit
- About a quarter of Palm Beach County seniors do not earn a diploma or GED after four years, according to the school district's own calculations. That number creeps up to 40 percent among black students. And the lawsuit alleges that the district is being generous with its math.
thematic mapping blog: Using KML for Thematic Mapping - Research Paper Now Available
"The purpose of this paper is to examine how KML, Keyhole Markup Language, can be used for thematic mapping. A thematic map displays the spatial pattern of a social or physical phenomenon, such as population density, life expectancy or climate change. "
tags: googleearth, mapping
DIALOGUE DRAFT -- "My Brother, My Keeper"
This is the part of the dialog thati's important. Down the, "Then we got a problem."
tags: change
- Dr. Townshend: What the hell's this all about?
  
  Dr. Kelso: Nothing! I was, uh, just looking over your files and, um...well...your osteoporotic patients aren't on Bisphosphonate; your diabetics aren't on ACE inhibitors. Doug, a lot of your treatments are pretty out of date.
  
  Dr. Townshend: Come on, Bob, I'm--guys like us, we're set in our ways.
  
  Dr. Kelso: Well, this is not an age thing, Doug. Hell, these days if you've been out of med school five years, half of what you learned is obsolete. Why do you think I spend every other weekend at a seminar in some two-star hotel ballroom that still stinks of last night's prom vomit? I do it because I have to keep up.
  
  Dr. Townshend: Also, it gives you two days away from the missus, right? [laughs] Once again, I am sorry I was the one who introduced you in the first place!
  
  Dr. Kelso's expressions remains serious.
  
  Dr. Townshend: Look, Bob, I just...I don't have the energy for all that stuff.
  
  Dr. Kelso: Well...then we got a problem.
kidblogs - home
A great list (in progress) of student blogs in all age groups.
tags: blog
Dual Maps: Google Maps, Street View and Virtual Earth in an embeddable control - Mashed World
Sometimes something is just so geeky that I just LOVE the concept. This is one of those. Dual Maps shows side-by-side maps of Google maps and Microsoft maps.
tags: Google, maps, Microsoft
Google Wave Extension List
A very nice list of Robots and Gadgets for the Google Wave.
tags: Google, wave

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

An amazing vision

2009-11-02T23:15:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while you hear of a man or woman who is doing incredible work in a particular area. Do you remember the Michael Pritchard's water purification system? In this case, it's Josh Silver. In this Ted video he demonstrates his invention - eyeglasses that you create yourself. They currently cost about $19.00, but, he says, that's too much when you're talking about a billion people who live on less than a dollar a day. Watch this video and see if you don't find yourself shaking your head in wonder and the amazing talents of some people.

Will one of YOUR students be the next person to invent something that will have such an impact on the world?

Cool Tools Don't Make the Grade

2009-11-01T20:55:00.008-05:00

I'm as guilty as the next person. Perhaps more so. I was caught up in the "Cool sites"wave a couple of years ago, and I even spread the message of those tools on many an occasion. Now, however, I find myself sorry that I ever mentioned them.

Someone (I don't recall who) said that some high school teachers never leave the mindset of middle school in terms of the assignments they give. I'm beginning to see that now, especially with all the talk about "cool web 2.0 tools."

It's important to distinguish between "cool" and "good", or between "fun" and "appropriate." I can think of several that come to mind. For one, Xtranormal. You type out your script, choose your avatar(s), and make the move. The program makes the avatar read the script to you. Fun, probably. Cool, maybe. But, appropriate for senior high students, doubtful. Yes, you might use it to introduce a lesson, but why bother? What does it add that doesn't disappear within a few seconds after it's finished playing? How does that get the student thinking about the topic? And, if we're thinking that having the students create one is an activity that reaches the Create level in the new Bloom's Taxonomy, we're sadly mistaken. It's no more a match than is "creating" a PowerPoint. Any 2nd grader with typing skills can make an Xtranormal skit, so asking a 17 yr old student to make one is an insult to that student's intelligence, I believe.

I've written before about SecondLife, and questioned its use in the classroom. Not only is it a bandwidth hog and totally unfilterable, but it doesn't add anything to the discussion of my content. Yes, there are museums in SecondLife (SL), and some colleges hold classes there. But, so what? Even if you did have our class meet in SL you will still be grading them not on how well they are able to move their avatars, but on what they have to say. You can do that face to face. The technology doesn't let you do anything that you can't do without it - except fly. Yes, there are some children who have a hard time with face-to-face discussions and for whom SL may help. But, the occasional exception doesn't prove the rule. Just because you can make an avatar move - even fly - doesn't mean learning is taking place.

Another is Blabberize. Maybe it's fine for elementary students, but surely our 13 yr old and older students are capable of so much more. (Remember Tim Tyson's students a couple years ago at NECC?) If his middle school students are capable of those kinds of projects, then our 18 yr olds are capable of much more. MUCH more than making a President's picture talk.

I remember when we used to teach Hypercard and we first learned to scan something into a stack. Now THAT was REALLY cool stuff, at the time. Windows didn't exist yet, so we were the only ones with mice and the ability to put images and sounds together on a computer. We could even control a cdrom drive to play music. But, even with music playing and with scanned images (grey scale only), what mattered was the content and whether or not it appeared that the student did any thinking. Remember this discussion? “All you needed to do to get an A was to make something move.” I'm having deja-vu all over again :) when I hear people talking about Blabberize or Second Life or some of the other virtual reality environments.

I suppose that this is a natural evolution of things. You first become enamored with a web app (cuz we're geeks, after all) and you have to get over that before you can focus on the learning. But, from now on, when I mention a "cool tool" I'm going to be certain to talk about which NETS-S it matches, and where its use falls on the new Bloom's scale. If the tools doesn't make students think in a different or deeper way, then I'll be certain to reevaluate before showing it to anyone. Where does a talking carrot fall on the new Bloom's scale?

Update: 10-3-09
Please see the comments section

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2009-10-31T20:31:00.001-04:00

Google co-founder Sergey Brin wants more computers in schools | Technology | Los Angeles Times
Very interesting description of Google Founder Sergey Brin's thoughts on his education
tags: Google, education
- After he left the Montessori school, Brin felt he was stuck in a 19th-century curriculum, and he ultimately quit high school after his junior year.
How I create and publish podcasts » Moving at the Speed of Creativity
Wow. If he missed any part of podcasting in this article, I don't know what it would be. Very thorough. (Shared by Vicki Davis on the Educator list today)
tags: podcasting
100+ Google Tricks That Will Save You Time in School | Online Colleges
Number 3 is why some schools block Google. To me, that's an AUP violation, not an issue for CIPA.
tags: Google
tweentribune.com | News for tweens, kids and students
Just learned about this. News for kids
tags: news
Pew Internet & American Life Project
This is where to find statistics about online use, etc
tags: research, statistics, web3d
ProfilerPRO - Login
This site has been around for years, but it's very nice. A great way to take a survey and then be able to compare your results with the results of the whole. Compare by question, as well.
tags: survey

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Help with Google Earth Images, too

2009-10-27T19:55:00.004-04:00

ARGH!! MOST frustrating!

You are SUPPOSED to be able to create a placemark in Google Earth and use the img src tag to link to images in the placemark. And you can. But, once again, when you save the placemark, the image doesn't get zipped in with the kmz file - and it's SUPPOSED TO!

Anyone have an answer to that?

UPDATE 8:27 PM

MANY thanks to Shawn Canady, for helping resolve this issue. It turns out that I had too much of a file path included in the img src tag. I had something like "file:///Users/jamesgates/desktop/gepic.jpg" Removing the file:// did it. Sheesh!!!

Help with Google Earth tours

2009-10-26T09:13:00.006-04:00

I've searched everywhere I can think of, and I've tweeted about it, and I've even been able to communicate with Frank over at the gearthblog (I point folks there frequently) but I have not been able to find the answer to this question about tours in Google Earth. Maybe a reader can help.

You've seen the Google Earth tours, I'm sure, where you're flown to various places around the world and when you arrive there, the balloon opens then closes when you move on. All the while, the narrator's voice can be heard talking us through the tour.

I want to make one of those - and I can - but I can't share it.

I can set up a folder of locations with each location having a balloon for information about that place. I can click the Tour folder icon and it will do as it's supposed to do, flying me to each location. I've set the preferences up so that the balloons will show, as well. I can even click the record button and record audio with it. And, I can play back the tour on my machine and it's wonderful! But, I'm not able to share it.

When I right-click to save the file I am able to save the tour. But, if I send that file to someone else, the audio isn't there, And, frequently, the balloons don't display. Yet, it works fine on my own computer.

I REALLY want to resolve this issue, so if anyone can offer a suggestion as to what I must do to ensure that the audio gets compressed into the kmz file and the balloons show, I would LOVE to hear from you.

Update 10-27-09

With the help of Mickey Mellon, one of the authors on the gearthblog, I was able to make SOME progress. Mickey suggested that I change the .kmz file extension to .zip and open it. It opened into a folder that contained a .kml file as well as another folder that contained the audio file. That audio file had a .aac extension, supposedly a supported file type for Google Earth. I then did the same thing for one tour that did work correctly, and that file had a .mp3 extension. Hmmmmm...

So, I renamed the .aac audio to .mp3. I then opened the .kml file in a text editor and changed the reference to point to the newly named audio file. I saved the changes, then opened the file in Google Earth. It played PERFECTLY!

This means that it just doesn't like that .aac file type when it comes from someone else, because it likes it just fine on your own machine. I'm thinking that we're (I'm including you and Mickey in on this) getting close.

Can anyone help now?

Prezi - I don't get it

2009-10-25T11:47:00.002-04:00

I've talked about this on Twitter, but maybe a reader can help me come to terms with Prezi. I don't get it.

I recently saw another person who used Prezi for the presentation, and again I thought, "This is everything that we complained about with Powerpoint. Needless, distracting animations. The only thing missing were sound effects, and I could imagine them containing whooshing sounds and spinner sounds and ratchet sounds to fit the nauseating motions.

Seriously, if Microsoft ever decided to steal .. sorry.. build similar visual effects, wouldn't we immediately begin to complain about them?

Or am I missing something? Am I allowing my stomach queasiness when I watch the zooming and spinning, etc, to cloud my judgment?

Congratulations to LTMS600 class

2009-10-25T10:40:00.003-04:00

I had such a great day yesterday. I got the chance to hear all about the projects that the teachers in the LTMS600 class did with their students so far this fall. Yesterday was the final day for the course, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

From 3rd graders using a Wallwisher board as a KWL chart, to backchanneling with 8th grade Spanish students, to a Facebook-like project in Mythology that ended up in Issuu, to students making Jing screencasts for the library - and great uses for Google Docs, and student blogs and Google Earth tours.. and more. What fun it was to see and hear about the changes in their classrooms.

I wish now that I had thought to jot down all the comments that students had as they worked on the projects. The teachers told of how they didn't want to stop the activity when the period ended, and how they went above and beyond the requirements of the assignent because they enjoyed it so much, etc.

Comments from the teachers included: "My objectives were certainly met if not exceeded.", "Students would come to class and ask, 'Can we work on our wiki pages today?'", "The students and I loved it - every student participated." Or, "The students thought it would be cool to use this tool when they discussion other issues that they thought were important." This comment that I posted about the other day sticks with me, too: " Seeing the students rise to occasion was fantastic. The students becamse the teachers, and I becamse the learner." And this comment I thought was especially good, "This was one of the most successful projects I’ve ever taught. Not only because it was engaging for the students, but because they learned valuable skills: group discussion skills, research skills, supporting points with specific, accurate details and writing skills. These are skills that transcend the Communication Arts classroom; these are skills students will need to be successful in whatever career path they decide to pursue. " (I wish I could share her entire project description with you - it was excellent.)

It was a VERY good day, yesterday. And to Vicki, Scott, Lisa B, Lisa K, Nicole, Emma, David, Diane, Karen, Emily, Rich, Heather, and Amy - Congratulations. I'm so proud of your work. And I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to wrok with each of you.

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2009-10-24T20:32:00.001-04:00

State's graduation exam passes latest test
Ready or not, here it comes.
tags: testing, graduation
Trulia Hindsight - Maps of Properties Through Time
Wonderful visualization tool. Excellent!
tags: tools, visualization
The Metiri Group
range of use chart and sample activity to help teachers focus on "taking it to the next level"
tags: blooms, bloomstaxonomy
Blooms_Taxonomy_Model_Questions_and_Key_Words.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Nice printable handout for discussing Bloom's
tags: blooms, bloomstaxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy
Download a printable version of the Wheel
tags: blooms, bloomstaxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains
another way of viewing the taxonomy
tags: blooms, bloomstaxonomy
Assessment Cyberguide for Learning Goals and Outcomes
Nice pie chart of questions and activities for each area
tags: bloomstaxonomy, blooms
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
types of questions for each category
tags: bloomstaxonomy, blooms
Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally, Andrew Churches
Nice examples of types of activities for each category, too
tags: bloomstaxonomy, blooms
Applying Bloom's Taxonomy
tags: Taxonomy, Bloom's, bloom, mhs, Bloom's Taxonomy
Developing Questions for Critical Thinking
tags: criticalthinking, Bloom's Taxonomy, critical, blooms_taxonomy, developing
Developing Questions for Critical Thinking
tags: Bloom's Taxonomy, critical_thinking, thinking, bloomstaxonomy, pedagogy
Bloom's Taxonomy - Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching and Technology
tags: blooms_taxonomy, blooms, taxonomy, bloom, education
The Differentiator
tags: differentiation, tools, bloom's taxonomy, objectives, differentiator
Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally, Andrew Churches
Nice article about Bloom's - good list of skills associated at each level, as well
tags: taxonomy, digital, bloom's taxonomy, blooms, bloomstaxonomy
Penn Points Online
I've been saying for YEARS that school newspapers should be online, and here's a great, local example.
tags: newspaper
WritingFix: interactive prompts, lessons, and resources for writing classrooms
Be sure to check out the writing prompt generators on the left
tags: writing, prompts
TubeChop - Chop YouTube Videos
See if this is unblocked at your school
tags: youtube, tools
10 Sites to Learn Something New in 10 Minutes a Day
Not all of these sites will be open to you at school, but I thought it was an interesting collection of sites where you can quickly learn something new each day. Granted, it may not always be something you WANT to learn, but there y' have it. :)
tags: learning

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

A word about images

2009-10-23T17:24:00.005-04:00

This has to be one of the toughest ideas to fully comprehend - the matter of image sizes and 'weight.' And, unless you're aware that it IS an issue, you're destined to continue along doing what you're now doing, never to know what it is you're doing wrong.

And Microsoft (PowerPoint AND word) doesn't help matters. What happens when you insert an image into Word or PowerPoint? It displays at pretty much the size you're looking for, doesn't it? The picture fits very nicely on that PowerPoint slide. But, it lies. The picture is NOT that size. The picture is still the 3072 x 2304 size; it's just scaled smaller. And it's still 2.5mb heavy. That might even be acceptable (I would argue it's not, but I'll agree now that it is) if you're just making the PowerPoint for your computer and it won't be shared with anyone or, worse, uploaded online. But, when you're uploading those huge images online, they load needlessly slowly, and they're costing money in terms of a needless drain on bandwidth. I've even seen websites for computer companies that contain such images. ARGH!

Now, when you're at school and you're viewing the webpage containing that image, it will load a LITTLE slowly, but not enough, in your mind, to be concerned. But, multiply that page load requirements by 30 (the number of students in your class) and suddenly the images DO slow down to a frustratingly slow speed, and the bandwidth requirements has increased a great deal.

PowerPoint makes it easy - if you know the tool is there - to fix this issue. When you save the PowerPoint you can tell it to compress all images. Have you seen that option? No? I didn't think so. It's not as obvious as I think it should be, and it seems to be in a different place with every version. I don't see that option in Word, but you can let me know if it's there. Regardless, however, I think it should be very obvious how to have the image resized when you save the file. I just added a single image to a Word document with NO text, and the file was 4.5mb large. The image fit nicely on the page, however.

This is part of Digital Literacy, isn't it? An much overlooked part, too. I firmly believe that students should be taught about this notion and how to manage many files that will be used in a presentation.

When I was putting lots of files online in websites, I used a nifty, free program called, Irfanview. It's a windows only app, but it did a great job batch processing files. I could point it to a folder of images and tell it to resize them, rename them according to my pattern, and save them in another folder. I think there was even an icon that installed on the desktop and I could drop images onto it and it would automatically resize and save to my specifications. Then I'd use those images for the web.

There are many great programs out there that are free and can help you resize images. But, one thing's for sure, we really need to become aware of those file sizes.

Business as Usual?

2009-10-22T14:38:00.004-04:00

I've not been able to get this out of my mind. Recently I had the opportunity to talk with a Business Education student teacher. I was told that in the classroom to which he's been assigned, the current teacher teaches Office all day - from a textbook. And, under the pretense of "Differentiated Instruction" allows the students to work their way through the book at their own pace. Meanwhile, the teacher sits at her desk and .. who knows what she does.

The student teacher asked her if he could use the Office Live site and was told no, because she can't make the students create a site that requires an email address. Fine. The student teacher asked for two other options and was told no. So, this poor person must continue to preserve the outrageous "instruction" that is currently going on there.

When I think of the amount of money that teacher makes, and how little teaching is actually being done, I get sick to my stomach. When I think of all that COULD be done and ISN'T, I get sick to my stomach.

THROW AWAY THOSE !@#$%^& TEXTBOOKS!!! Get your curiosity back and start investigating the many changes that have taken place online, and start teaching the students with and about those tools. SOMETHING other than teaching Powerpoint from a textbook, for crying out loud.

Can you hear me screaming?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/james_lumb/ / CC BY 2.0

Teacher found herself when she gave up some control

2009-10-20T07:39:00.003-04:00

This is terrific. Here are some comments from a teacher who has been working to enhance her lessons with more technology. Specifically, using tools that give her students more creative power. Read what she has to say about her experience. Have you been there? Would you say that this teacher has been transformed?
---
"First thought that pops into my mind is: Becoming a facilitator and not a teacher was difficult to overcome. I had to give the reigns to the students. In the beginning, I felt I was not teaching and therefore useless. Afterwards, my thoughts changed completely. Seeing the students rise to occasion was fantastic. The students became the teachers and I became the learner. Does that sound corny?

This has become my highlight of each marking period, or now semester. I look forward to watching students come up with good interview questions, struggling with Audacity and finally hearing their final scripts in Podbean. The look of accomplishment on their faces makes my year….The Assistant Superintendent came to observe me once, during the final recording of the Podcast. He left me a note saying that “I used good Web 2.0 tools” He seemed to be impressed. That note made my day. I laminated it and stuck it under my see through thing on my desk as a reminder."
---
Oh, and do you also see how powerful an "attagirl" can be? Something that easy, yet something so often left unsaid, can make a REAL difference. With students, too. Try this: the next time you see some good work from a struggling student, or from ANY student who appears to have put forth real effort on your assignment, get "in the moment" with that student and say, "Nicole, I REALLY like what you did here. This is very good."

Nicole, I REALLY like what you did here. This is very good!

Another great Skype lesson

2009-10-20T07:18:00.002-04:00

This was just shared in the Classroom 2.0 Diigo group today. http://www.mrmayo.org/?p=272

Here are some 7th grade students talking about copyright with the man himself, Larry Lessig, of Creative Commons fame. If you're reading this I'm sure I don't need to say more about who Larry Lessig is. And, for those of you who are not permitted to use Skype, send that link to your Principal and again urge him/her to reconsider. It's FAR too good a tool to remain locked up.

Another Google Wave video to see

2009-10-18T20:55:00.002-04:00

I had two questions about Waves. One: How can you tell which are the latest edits to a wave. Two: Is it possible to know if any of your contacts are online and in the Wave application? I think I have the answer to my first question (A vertical green bar appears on the left edge of the wave entry), but I don't yet know the answer to the second question.

However, I did find another good video to suggest. It showcases 15 features of a wave, in rapid fire succession. Here it is:

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2009-10-17T20:33:00.001-04:00

TEDTalks as of 10.13.09
Ted talks in a spreadsheet
tags: ted
The Stupidest Thing You've Ever Heard Of
See if you find anything of casual interest. :-)
tags: twitter, prezi
educational-origami - home
Very nice wiki as a resource for Digital Bloom's, 21st C teaching, and much more. Nominated for best wiki in 2008
tags: web2.0, bloomstaxonomy
Create Great-Looking Interactive Quizzes (in minutes) - embed in any website / blog!
Create embeddable quizzes
tags: quiz, tools
Google Fast Flip
very interesting. Flip through papers from around the world, arranged by topics
tags: google, fastflip
Learning Is Messy - Blog » Blog Archive » Process The Learning
Interesting article for elementary teachers.
tags: learning
Smoking, Sexting and the Cyber General - The Institute for Responsible Online and CellPhone Communication
This looks very interesting.
tags: sexting
Web Meeting, Document Sharing | ShowDocument
Share documents, whiteboards, browser. Looks like a great tool for synchronous collaborative work.
tags: collaboration, tools

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

50 out of 70 were blocked

2009-10-17T20:26:00.002-04:00

I just can't stop thinking about someone who recently queried a large group to ask about their filters at school. She said she's at her wit's end. Her science teacher had gathered a collection of seventy science sites, but when he got to school only twenty were accessible.

Are she and I the only ones who find something terribly wrong with that picture?

Copyrighted? But I NEED that video!

2009-10-17T15:13:00.002-04:00

During a recent discussion with two other teachers, the subject of YouTube videos came up. One person commented that she was upset that she couldn't show some of them to her classes, as they are PERFECT for what she's trying to get across. The conversation went something like this.

Woman: "I link to them and even embed them, but the kids cant see them at school, and some don't have computers at home. It's tough"

Man: "I download them all and upload them into my Moodle."

Woman: "Well, you know that's against the YouTube acceptable use policy and a violation of Copyright."

Man: "Hey, I need them to teach with, so I do what I have to do. I'll use them as long as I am teaching that subject."

And all of that could be avoided if the teachers were given a different filtering policy from students and access to youtube. Instead, the teachers are turning into copyright criminals. The man had ZERO guilt associated with taking those videos.

This could ALL be avoided!

Check out this WallWisher by 3rd graders

2009-10-16T22:26:00.004-04:00

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/FVRocks2

Isn't that a fun site? This was put together by some third graders who were studying rocks (of course). What a fun way to post what you know or WANT to know and have others comment on it. Non-threatening, easy to use, and fun. A nice way to get the third graders eased into computer work, don't you think?

Oh BOY! My google Wave account just arrived!

2009-10-14T21:53:00.003-04:00

Yes, I'm a geek, and I'm a lucky man. I COULD have been a geek in the 1950's when computers were just 1's and 0's. Today, however, I can play with cool stuff like the Google Wave.

A while back I had pointed you to a video about the Google Wave that was an hour and 20 minutes long. Here, though, is a video that does a great job of explaining it in only ten minutes.

Oh, and sorry, I've given out all eight of my available invitations to the Wave.
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Post weekly (weekly)

2009-10-10T20:31:00.001-04:00

Storybird - Collaborative storytelling
This one is for the elementary teachers. Looks like fun.
tags: writing, storytelling
Google Squared
This is what Google thinks will challenge WOlfram Alpha. What do you think?
tags: google, search
Google Apps Training
Nice tutorials for every Google App. Bookmark this one.
tags: google, tutorials, googleapps
Accredited Online Universities » 100 Best Open Source Apps for Educators
We have created a list of what we think are the best available apps out there and have categorized them into the following: Science, Language, Math, Administrative & Content Management, Interactive & Online Classrooms, Study Aids, Video & Imaging, Music, Multimedia, Geography & History, and Mapping Tools.
tags: opensource
50 Useful Blogging Tools for Teachers | Teaching Tips
"Blogging is becoming more and more popular in the classroom. Teachers can blog to stay in touch with parents and students or they can incorporate blogs from all of the students as a learning tool. The beauty of the student blog is that children from Kindergarten to high school can blog. No matter how you use blogs in your classroom, these tools will help you get started, enhance your experience, or bring the students into the fun."
tags: blogging, tools
Copyright Alliance Education Foundation
"The issues surrounding copyright have never been more visible. But the classroom presents its own copyright-related challenges, for students and teachers alike. How is an educator to know what the rules are? How do those rules apply in the classroom? And how can we make sure that students know the rules as well?"
tags: copyright
- Educators' Workshop
  
  The material in this guide will help librarians and media specialists in their efforts to inform other educators about copyright. It includes a quiz, tips on designing a workshop, and a chart of available classroom materials.
  Educators' Guide
  
  This comprehensive 13-page guide is designed for teachers of all grades and subject areas and includes: an overview of copyright, FAQ section, glossary and standards charts for all the classroom curricula available on this web site.
A Plethora of Technology: 42
I don't think they do
tags: Writing
- In many elementary schools, student work is hung in the classroom or on a wall? Do people read them?
Vocaroo | Record and send voice emails
The fastest way to create an audio. No special effects or editing allowed, but for instant recordings, this is a good option.
tags: audio, recorder, podcast
Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day
The Homework Day website.
tags: wolfram
Wolfram|Alpha Blog : Save the Date for Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day: October 21, 2009
"Join us on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at noon CDT, for the start of Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day, a groundbreaking marathon live interactive web event that brings together students, parents, and educators from across the United States to solve their toughest assignments and explore the power of using Wolfram|Alpha for school, college, and beyond."
tags: wolfram
- During Homework Day, scholars, experts, and members of the Wolfram|Alpha team will explore a wide variety of subjects relevant for K–12 to college students. Segments throughout the day will be tailored for specific age groups and show how students and teachers are already using Wolfram|Alpha in the classroom
AWNM09Smith2 - home
Notice that she gave each student the navigation requirements (left side of screens) and they could choose what they wanted to put inside each section. Some added audio files, others made screencasts, and others added games, etcc.
tags: wiki, wikified
Learning and Laptops: Wikified Research Paper- Year 2
"A WRP, or wikified research paper, is made on wikispaces.com and allows students to link to resources within their papers, along with embedding various images and videos within their papers."
tags: wikified
- A WRP, or wikified research paper, is made on wikispaces.com and allows students to link to resources within their papers, along with embedding various images and videos within their papers
- This knowledge of worldwide access to their papers has seemingly inspired students to give extra time and care to their papers, because they understand how many people could be reading them in the future. -Hannah L

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Punishment leads man to career in teaching?

2009-10-05T21:43:00.005-04:00

This is too funny. I wish I had said it, but I didn't. He just granted me permission to use his name, so I can tell you it was @JonBecker.

He tweeted out a message about a man who was found guilty of an Internet-based crime and who was then ordered to stay OFF the Internet. JB's comment: "Guess he'll have to become a teacher." ROFL!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoonabar/ / CC BY 2.0