Techie Teacher Report

Photostories!

2009-12-15T19:05:00.001-08:00

Here is a Photostory that one of my students made about Thanksgiving. They are relatively easy to make and the kids just love telling stories.

[local /files/2009/12/PhotoStory1.wmv]

We used the free software called Photostory 3 for Windows to make it all happen. My school district downloaded it onto every computer, so we all have access to it. I encourage teachers to try it. You will find even the struggling writers love to tell stories!

Digital Blooms

2009-08-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Remembering - Recognising, listing, describing, identifying, retrieving, naming, locating, finding
Understanding - Interpreting, Summarising, inferring, paraphrasing, classifying, comparing, explaining, exemplifying
Applying - Implementing, carrying out, using, executing
Analysing - Comparing, organising, deconstructing, Attributing, outlining, finding, structuring, integrating
Evaluating - Checking, hypothesising, critiquing, Experimenting, judging, testing, Detecting, Monitoring
Creating - designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing, devising, making

Blooms Taxonomy has been around since the 50's. Here is a new take on this list. As we begin designing lessons for the upcoming year, be sure to check out this list to provide our students with 21st century skills they will need to function in the digital age.

Blooms Revised

Jason

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

2009-06-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite video about how students in the 21st century learn. It's worth your time to watch this cleverly designed video montage.

This project was created to inspire teachers to use technology in engaging ways to help students develop higher level thinking skills. Equally important, it serves to motivate district level leaders to provide teachers with the tools and training to do so.

A Vision of Students Today

2009-06-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

I thought this video was thought provoking enough to be worth your time. It's not very long, but you have to be a pretty fast reader to get all of the info.

This is a short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.

Digital World: Teachers Today

2009-06-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

If found this video about what great edtech teachers do in today's society. This is a short commentary about how teachers are changing the culture of education in the 21st century through the use of technology and web 2.0 created at animoto.com

Blog-integrated Space Exploration Unit

2009-05-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to select a Web 2.0 tool to use in my classroom for quite sometime. There are so many new products available for educational endeavors it's a bit overwhelming. I think I have hit on a near-perfect all-in-one web tool that is easy to manage (once set up), allows for creative expression and critical thinking, and supports social interaction...educational blogging!

In an attempt to integrate educational blogging into my classroom instruction, I have created a science unit which combines blogs and other Internet technologies with curricular science content related to space studies. I designed this unit to provide students with opportunities to create a product to show their understanding of the unit goals and to dramatically influence their excitement and retention of material. In this unit, students collect facts and information through a series of lessons relating to space exploration, specifically relating to Mars. Students demonstrate what they have learned by working in teams to construct a future colony on Mars using Legos™. Since students have diverse needs, students who do not always do well on paper/pencil assessments have an opportunity to use their hands to construct a model of the colony. Each team writes a description of its colony and defends its construction strategies in front of an audience of its peers. Students use a computer to create a model, write a description of their colony, and collect facts and information about space exploration. This unit meets NETS-T standard 2, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. This unit utilizes a backward design model and also addresses Technology Leadership Substandards A-F. Throughout the design of this unit, I have grown in my ability to construct units of instruction using the backwards design model and identify essential questions and learning objectives. I have also discovered new technology resources for this unit that effectively meet unit goals.

I identified two Alaska Science GLEs and two Technology GLEs standards that I intended to cover in my unit. I developed a set of essential questions to investigate throughout our study. I know that my students have diverse needs, therefore I created both performance assessments and paper/pencil assessments addressing multiple learning styles. These assessments were also designed to meet Alaska GLEs across multiple content areas. A rubric was also created to assess overall student performance in the unit.

Next, I researched websites for background information and teaching resources. This was the most time consuming component of the planning stage. There are many excellent resources on space exploration available on the Internet. It's often challenging to find age appropriate sites with good readability for the lower elementary level. In my search, I located student research sites, creative arts sites, an online Lego construction site, and educational sites that included videos about space exploration.

Digital natives are drawn to websites rich in color and contrast. In the words of Marc Prensky, “Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite. They prefer random access (like hypertext). They function best when networked. They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards. They prefer games to 'serious' work” (2001). For this reason, I chose sites composed mostly of images, links, and video, and fewer sites with text and little or no graphics.

Finally, I divided the content into teachable lessons that scaffolded the learning to build on previously taught knowledge and skills. For instance, students learn that Mars is farther away from the Sun than Earth. In the next learning sequence, they learn that Mars has a longer year than Earth because of its distance from the Sun. Much of the learning during this unit takes place in heterogeneous groups. Students were given jobs within each group to increase on task behavior and understanding of the content. Science lends itself to collaborative and constructive investigations. Since space exploration is a vast and complex topic it was necessary to reduce teacher lecture time and focus more time on self guided hands-on activities. Each activity focused on answering an essential question and included assessments to check for understanding.

In order to give students multiple experiences using technology, I needed to be efficient using the four computers in my room. While teams were working on their final projects (model of a Mars Colony), I assigned one computer per team to use as a work station. Teams would share the tasks of researching websites, writing journal entries, and creating designs for their Mars Colonies. In this manner, all students received maximum utilization of the technology in my classroom.

In addition to using school resources, I allowed students to bring in their own Lego™ kits with special pieces that would add a unique touch to their colony. As students used their own pieces to help construct their model, the pride and craftsmanship in their work was very evident.

The final projects went on display in the school commons. When children know their work will be on display in front of an audience, no matter who the audience may be, there is an intrinsic motivation to work a little harder. The purpose of this was not only to motivate and challenge students to give their personal best, but to provide relevance to their work. As I reflect on the creation of this unit, I think Berger would approve, as he states:

"…the first step in encouraging high-quality student work is to have assignments that inspire and challenge students. There’s only so much care and creativity that a student can put into filling in the blanks on a commercially produced worksheet (Berger, 2003, p. 65)."

Feel free to look at the Google Docs page, containing the Space Exploration Unit that I designed, which utilizes the educational blog as a reflection and critical thinking tool.

Also feel free to look at the educational blog space I designed with student blogs linked to the main page. Mr. Daniels Class Blog

References:

Berger, R. (2003). An ethic of excellence: Building a culture of craftsmanship with students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives digital immigrants. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from http://www.marcprensky.com/

DanielsJ_Unitd8 Blog Edition

2009-04-26T14:37:00.001-07:00

Unit Design Template

Project Title

Mars Colony

Project Designers

Jason Daniels

Grade Level/Content Areas

4th Grade, integrating Alaska Content Standards, specifically in the areas of Science and Technology

Project Synopsis/Description

In this unit, students will collect facts and information through a series of lessons relating to space exploration, specifically relating to Mars. Students will demonstrate what they have learned by applying this knowledge in teams to construct a future colony on Mars using Legos™. Students will also reflect on their experiences using a Web 2.0 technology. Students create a blog, using the school district's blog server, and make a Mars Journal blog page for reflections on each lesson as the unit progresses. The Class Blog is found here. Units of excellence emphasize a standards-based approach. Each team will write a description of their colony and defend their construction strategies in front of an audience of their peers. Students will use technology to create a model and write a description of their colony, and collect facts and information about space exploration.

Stage 1: Desired Results

AK Standards

Science

A. Science as Inquiry and Process

2) develop an understanding that the processes of science require integrity, logical reasoning, skepticism, openness, communication, and peer review;

G. History and Nature of Science

4) develop an understanding that advancements in science depend on curiosity, creativity, imagination, and a broad knowledge base;

Technology

A. A student should be able to operate technology-based tools.

2) use technological tools for learning, communications, and productivity

D. A student should be able to use technology to express ideas and exchange information.

1) convey ideas to a variety of audiences using publishing, multi-media, and

communications tools.

There are MANY other standards in science and technology this unit integrates. Due to this large volume of standards, I will focus on the four standards listed above.

Enduring Understanding

Exploring space requires individuality and an ability to work as a team.

Essential Questions

Why do people explore new places?

What can we learn by exploring?

What do humans need to survive?

Essential Unit Questions

What is Mars like?

How does Mars compare to Earth and the Moon?

How do we get to Mars?

How do we survive on Mars?

What will we do when we get to Mars?

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Culminating Performance Task

Students have been chosen as part of an elite group of space scientist assigned to colonize Mars. Students will design and construct a model of a colony on Mars in teams of 5-6. They will create a mission patch which will include the purpose of the mission and students’ names. Each student will be responsible for constructing one item and help on the construction of other items within the colony. As an extension, teams have the option to apply knowledge of how to get to Mars, how to survive on Mars, and what will be done while stationed on Mars by addressing the aforementioned questions in a Public Information Brochure.

Type(s) of understanding this performance emphasizes:

Explanation Interpretation Application Perspective

Empathy Self Knowledge

Dipstick Assessments (formative)

Students will write a Mars Journal in which they collect and sort information about Mars and space exploration as the unit progresses. This Journal will serve as a reference when the construction phase of the culminating task takes place and as a check for understanding at the end of the unit.
“Turn to your neighbor” assessments will be used to share something they’ve learned throughout the unit.
Students will create a game and play it to learn about ground-based observations of, stories about, and missions to Mars.
Students will design a travel brochure to a special place on Mars.
Students will build a multi-stage balloon rocket.
Students will demonstrate the orbital paths of Earth and Mars using classroom materials.
Students will build their own model of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft to learn about the different instruments of the spacecraft.
Students will create a “rough draft” of their colony online at Mars Funzone.

Students complete a reflective writing paper which engages students in a role playing perspective by writing to “fans” back home on Earth. This writing also allows the teacher to assess students comprehend the facets of Mars Exploration and to think creatively in their role as a Mars colonist.

Student Self-Assessment:

Part of the reflection writing asks students to think about difficulties and successes during the culminating task. Students also receive a scoring guide (see below) with performance indicators at each level of achievement. Reviewing this document throughout the unit provides an opportunity for students to self-assess.

Scoring guide

	Mars Journal	Public Information Brochure (optional)	Teamwork	Colony Presentation	Colony Construction		Reflection
Mission Complete! [5 points]	* Journal writing is clear and easy to read. * Journal clearly answers 3 essential questions * Student refers to Journal during construction phase.	* Brochure clearly answers key questions within the content of the brochure. * The writing and illustrations are thought provoking, interesting, and organized.	* Student works well with teammates, sharing the responsibility among team members to complete tasks toward constructing the Mars Colony.	* Student adds new ideas to the team’s colony presentation and adds a creative response to each question. * Student has eye contact and speaks clearly to audience.	* Colony builds all structures needed to support life on Mars. * Colony is logically planned using information from Mars Journal to support decisions.		* Student thoughtfully reflects on their work throughout the project.
You will survive! [3 points]	* Journal writing is fairly clear, but a little difficult to read. * Journal clearly answers 2 essential questions. * Student refers to Journal during construction phase	* Brochure answers essential questions within the content of the brochure. * The writing and illustrations are present and somewhat interesting.	* Student works with teammates, sharing the responsibility among team members to complete tasks toward constructing the Mars Colony.	* Student adds ideas to the team’s colony presentation and adds a response to each question. * Student has eye contact and speaks to audience.	* Colony builds most or all structures needed to support life on Mars. * Colony is planned using information from Mars Journal to support decisions.		* Student reflects on most of their work throughout the project, but may omit details.
You better stay home! [1 point]	* Journal writing is not clear and not easy to read. * Journal answers 1 essential question * Student may not refer to Journal during construction phase.	* Brochure does not answer key questions within the content of the brochure. * The writing and illustrations are short with no detail, and little editing.	* Student does not work well with teammates, does most or little of the work to complete tasks toward constructing the Mars Colony.	* Student adds no new ideas to the team’s colony presentation and does not add a response to questions. * Student has little eye contact and speaks quietly to audience.		* Colony does not build all structures needed to support life on Mars. * Colony is not logically planned without using information from Mars Journal to support decisions.	* Student is not able to thoroughly reflect on their work throughout the project.
Points

A = 26 - 30 points B = 21 - 25 points C = 16 - 20 points D = 11-15 points

Stage 3: Learning Plan

Knowledge and skills students need in order to reach unit goals and complete culminating task successfully?

Students need to know…

How humans travel to Mars

Surface features of Mars

Basic needs for survival on another planet

Expectations for the culminating tasks How to categorize information

How to use legos to build objects

How to speak in front of an audience

How to navigate and utilize various Types of online content

Students need to be able to…

(*Star skills that require practice):

Speak in front of an audience*

Write a reflection response about the colony project

Build structures using Legos™ to support colony mission on Mars*

Use teamwork to complete mission

Create a Mars Journal to record data

Create a Public Information Brochure

Create a “rough draft” of their colony model*

Collect data using a Mars Rover*

Resources

Teacher resources:

Extra computer lab time

Computer projector cart

Balloons, straws, tape, paper, string, scissors, glue, ruler, meter stick

Globe

Same websites as student resources

Mars Colony Rubric

Brochure samples

Legos™ Kit

Books:

Mars Rovers

Robots

4th Grade Science Text

Student resources:

Brochure samples

Legos™ Kit

Mars Colony Rubric

Space-explorers.com

Internet websites:

Starchild

Exploring Mars History

Exploring Mars Missions

Find your weight on Mars at:

Spacekids

Clickable Map of Mars

Mars Map

Images of channels on Mars:

Books:

Mars Rovers, Scholastic Publishers

Robots, Reading A-Z book

4^th Grade Science Text

Accommodations

Groups will be mixed to allow for cooperative learning. There will be five to six students per group. Groups will be mixed by variety of technology skills, learning styles, and also socially (who works well together and who does not). Special education needs will be coordinating with the special education staff as needed. There will be 4 groups per class to accommodate the limited amount of classroom space.

Students with disabilities will be accommodated accordingly. Students needing additional assistance, special education students, and students with learning or behavior issues will be paired with other students.

Planning Learning Experiences and Instruction

Sequence of Teaching and Learning Experiences

Many of these experiences come from www.space-explorers.com

Timeline

Overview: This lesson introduces students to the planet Mars. Students will learn general information about Mars and compare the Red planet to Earth in order to answer the question: “What do you know about Mars?” Students will create their Mars Journal Page in their school blog and record and reflect on learning throughout the unit.

Technology: Mars Funzone/LCD projector/Internet

http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level1/planets.html

2 class periods

[1 class period = 45 minutes]

Overview: This lesson introduces students to the history of Mars exploration. Students will create a game and play it to learn about ground-based observations of, stories about, and missions to Mars. At the end of the game students will post what they learned about the history of Mars on their Mars blog.

Technology: Mars Funzone/LCD projector/Internet

http://www.exploringmars.com/history/

http://www.exploringmars.com/missions/

1-2 class periods

Overview: Mars is often called the Red Planet. This lesson instructs students to look at images online to explore what Mars looks like. The lesson also explains why much of the planet’s surface is red. Students will explain why Mars is red on their Mars Journal blog page.

Technology: Internet access per student

http://www.seds.org/~spider/spider/Mars/Pics/sm97.jpg

http://www.seds.org/~spider/spider/Mars/Pics/9927a.jpg

http://www.seds.org/~spider/spider/Mars/Pics/mars0609.jpg

http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/parker/highres-stereo.html

1 computer lab period

Overview: This lesson gives students a closer look at the surface of Mars. Students will learn that the gravitational pull on Mars is weaker than on Earth. They will study an online, clickable map and design a travel brochure to a special place on Mars. These activities will help answer the question: "What is the surface of Mars like?" on their Mars Journal blog page.

Technology: Internet access per student

Find your weight on Mars at:

http://www.spacekids.com/playanddo/ppounds/index.htm

Clickable Map of Mars

http://www.space-explorers.com/internal/mss/lessons/module2/marsmap/

1 computer lab period and 1 class period

Overview: Students will do an activity that shows how flowing water can form channels on the surface of a planet. They will learn about some typical features that flowing water creates and use their knowledge to consider whether water once flowed on the surface

of Mars. Students will reflect on their experience in their Mars Journal blog page.

Technology: Mars Funzone/LCD projector/Internet

Images of channels on Mars:

http://barsoom.msss.com/http/ps/channels/channels.html

1 class period

Overview: This lesson introduces students to rockets. Students will learn the stages of a rocket launch as well as the physical science concepts behind how rockets work. Students will explain how rockets fly in their Mars Journal blog page.

http://www.spaceexplorers.com/internal/mss/lessons/module2/launch.mov

http://www.spaceexplorers.com/internal/mss/teachers/lessons/module2/balloon_staging.pdf

1-2 class periods

Overview: Students know that Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and that it is far away from Earth. In this lesson students will demonstrate the orbital paths of Earth and Mars using classroom materials. They will understand that NASA teams must know these orbital paths before launching spacecraft to Mars. Students will also see the trajectory of Mars Odyssey.

http://www.space-explorers.com/internal/mss/lessons/module2/year.html

http://www.spaceexplorers.com/internal/mss/lessons/module2/mgstraj.html

1 class period

Overview: This lesson introduces students to the Mars Odyssey mission. Students will visit an online diagram of Odyssey and then build their own model to learn about the different instruments of the spacecraft. This will help them determine the goals of the mission. Students will explain what the purpose of the Odyssey mission were in their Mars Journal blog page.

Technology: Internet access per student

http://www.space-explorers.com/internal/mss/lessons/module2/odyssey_parts.html

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/pdfs/M01_AeroBoxColor.pdf

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/pdfs/M01_AeroBox.pdf

1 class period

Culminating task: Students will now work in teams to design and create a computer draft, and a scale model of a working colony on Mars. Each colony must include: A food storage building, equipment building, greenhouse, first aid building, sleeping quarters, laboratory, nuclear reactor, control room, and exercise room.

Technology: Mars Funzone/LCD projector/Internet

http://www.brainpop.com/science/space/mars/

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/

4-5 class periods

These are the labels which correspond to the required structures in the colony


Control Room	First Aid	Greenhouse

Food Storage	Sleeping room	Nuclear Reactor

Lab	Equipment Room	Exercise Room

Author Reflections

Why is this a good unit?

Units that provide students with opportunities to construct or create a product to show understanding of the unit goals can dramatically influence student excitement and retention of the learning goals. This unit asks students to reflect on their experiences in a Web 2.0 technology. Students create a blog, using the school district's blog server, and make a Mars Journal blog page for reflections on each lesson as the unit progresses. Units of excellence emphasize a standards-based approach. Units incorporating lessons which support a culminating task are effective. Units supported by prior learning, whose lessons follow a logical framework answering unit questions throughout the learning are successful. I believe this unit of learning about Mars exploration and colonization is one of those units. It will be fun, engaging, and memorable for all who participate.

Project Based Learning Morse/Fagan Page 9 of 9

Second Life-Breathing New Life to Education?

2009-03-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

This week's discussion centered around Second Life and it's effectiveness in education. Second Life is a free virtual environment where users can interact with others users in virtual 3D worlds. Anyone can use basic functions, like attending classes, viewing rooms, chatting with other members. Additionally, users can create their own environments and customize them for personal interests. Second Life Website states, "Second Life is a free online virtual world imagined and created by its Residents. From the moment you enter Second Life, you'll discover a fast-growing digital world filled with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity."

As I visited several environments, I came to the quick realization that this is not for my elementary students. While a teacher may be able to control the environment students visit, from my experience, it would be very difficult to manage who students interact with, and what they are actually chatting about.

Ahh, this is the Web 2.0 conundrum...

At some point must we let go of these restrictions and let students explore and think for themselves? Let them make decisions about right and wrong, and let them succeed without an adult standing over their shoulder to make each decision for them? Maybe, however, I for one have a hard time doing this. Every nurturing bone in my body wants to protect my students from the negativity of the outside world. Given the way we've pushed the boundaries on social media and social interaction, I may be part of the problem! Here are some other thoughts from members of the class:

The ISTE International Society for Technology in Education has an island. On this island, I was I greeted by someone who gave me all of the information I needed to navigate the island. I found a board with all of the sessions offered, including the time.

Second Life is really engaging, and I agree that the younger kids don't have the media literacy skills they need to make this a safe place for them.

Once I discovered how to search properly and teleport, Second Life showed its potential and I had a lot of fun.

I spent most of my time in SL on NASA’s Island. I explored the planets and learned bits and pieces about some of the space shuttle explorations.

Whether we like it or not, it looks like Second Life is here to stay. Only the future know whether Second Life will be better suited for professional development or student learning or both as the Web 2.0 clock turns.

Click here for more information on Second Life!

You may want to see a video introduction of Second Life like the one below.

Educational Gaming - Friend or Foe?

2009-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

It doesn't take long to find games with an Internet search. There are a multitude of results, from arcade style gaming to, what some may consider, educational games. The discussion this week centered around technology gaming in schools, friend or foe?
Whether you are in support of them or not, there is no question kids love them.

Some educators believe there are negative implications of gaming in the classroom.

"While there are concerns like violence in games, simply being aware of different games canreduce the chances of students using these types of games."

"Some even have the flashing "you've just won ____" and my kids really think they've won that free laptop or million dollars! I guess I can look at it as an opportunity to educate, but it really is annoying."

" I would not want to see students/children become so involved with technology, that they no longer understand how to interact face to face with other individuals. "

However, many educators made substantive arguments for gaming in the classroom:

"I agree with your thoughts that even kids with attention problems can play video games for hours on end. I would love to be able to motivate these kids to learn as much as they are motivated to play games. "

"In the same way, the game might also be a hook to get students interested in the topic to begin with. I see a big cross over between the fantasy games kids are playing and their interest in medieval history. "

"The nice thing about technology, is that it has allowed the learning to deepen with morecomplex ideas and increased exploration into a particular subject. "

I like how Jenn sums up this discussion for the week,

"The most important thing, is that no matter how the games are delivered, that if they can support classroom lessons, students will be encouraged to subconsciously to understand and learn more deeply about subject matter. Games do indeed make learning more fun."

I would tend to agree with this stance on the subject. As long as the classroom technology games can support the curriculum/standards of learning in a meaningful way, games should become a new tool in the scaffolding of student learning.

For sites with educational games, try these links:
Simple online Java applet for fractions
Visual Fractions: A tutorial that models fractions with number lines or circles.
Quia. This is a pay site, but there are some free resources and games available for trial.
Fun Brain and Fact Monster
The game, Lure of the Labyrinth, is a product of a US DOE grant, LG2G, Learning Games to Go.

Social Networking

2009-03-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

I found this week's conversations full of resources. There was a conversation about blogging that I was particularly interested in because I have just started using them in my own classroom. I am not going to give out my blog address for security reasons, but I will give you my email in case there is a class that would like to "network" with my class using our blog site.

jdaniels@kpbsd.k12.ak.us

My students each have their own blog. I have started to give students assignments to post in their blog. This is similar to what Jason Ohler has asked his students to do for his ED632 course. I sometimes ask for a reflection about a topic we have discussed in class. I have also asked students to write a story and post it on their blog. In any case, it has become a valuable part of our classroom culture. Student like to use it. They are naturals at using their blogs, and have found innumerable ways to use it's functions to communicate ideas and preferences.

I found the the conversation this week was positive toward blogs, and I believe that blogs are the easiest of the Web 2.0 tools to implement in the classroom. Among other Web 2.0 tools, social networking tools include:

MySpace
Facebook
Wikis
Blogs
Voicethreads

Here is a video from my favorite source for Internet tools "in plain English", The Common Craft Show. This video comes in an unbranded "presentation quality" version that can be licensed for use in the workplace at http://www.commoncraft.com/store-item/video-social-networking

I will continue to improve upon my skill at using blogs in the classroom. I believe there is a great deal of untapped potential here.

The next step in technology?

2009-03-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting video about what the next generation of computer might look like. I'm not sure about this. It looks innovative and powerful at first. What if you spill your soda on it? See what you think... :)

Wiki Fever!

2009-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

Many teachers vigorously defend the use of Wikis in education. They say wikis are collaborative, safe, and promote an ongoing pursuit of learning. This may be true, but through a full week of discussion, I am still not convinced that wikis are the most effective online collaborative tool for elementary classrooms. They recommended 3 wiki Websites for use in the classroom:

This video explains what wikis are in plain English

In my opinion, and in the opinion of other teachers on the Ed 632 blog this week, There are risks and obstacles in using wikis.

Dallas writes, "As for risks, by giving my students user names to use the private educational wiki at Wikispaces.com, they also gained access to creating their own wiki. I don't have total control on these particular accounts. I'm sure that the Wikispaces business profits by the exponential number of members they get by offering teachers free private wikis."

Lindsey writes, "Some of the risks with wikis are that information that is published may not be correct." She also stated, "The one frustration that we had was that they all wanted to edit the page at the same time and they couldn't if someone else was editing the page. "

Trevor states, "My largest concern is the "blind leading the blind," grammatically speaking. Students may make suggestions that don't improve a paper, and the author may not be sharp enough to realize it."

Sarah reflected on a previous attempt as she states, "I have tried to establish a class wiki, but about half of my parents were not ready to let their children have email accounts. "

There were an assortment of positive student projects as well. My alternative for the "wiki phenomenon" is the use of Google Docs. Google Docs can do the same thing and has other features that make it more user friendly. Features like speadsheet, powerpoint, and document sharing and editing all in one place. In Google Docs students could have their own account where they can upload, share, customize, and edit their projects. Distant students can be invited to edit and share as well. Since Google is a well established and multimedia rich suite of applications, there are many ways to collaborate and integrate other features of the Google suite. Additionally, Google Docs has a "Windows" look to it's navigation scheme. Since my students are working on Windows machines, this makes Google Docs all the more enticing.

Podcasting 101

2009-02-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

Podcasts
Podcasting can be a great way to reach a larger audience and expose your students to new media in their learning experiences. Simply put, podcasting is audio, text, video or any mixture of the three that is created and broadcast via the Web. Generally if a person is going to podcast, they are saying, "here is something I think you should know...so subscribe to me, because I'm going to post more in the future." Here is a video that explains this visually from the Common Craft Show.

Blogs
This week, I learned that podcasting can also be text-centric. An example of this would be a blog. A blog to me means a broadcast log. It's a place to "podcast" ideas that you think others may be interested in.

Uses
There are many classroom uses for podcasting. I have seen podcasts from classrooms around the world. Some examples of uses include:

book reviews
news reports
special event reporting
analyzing text
movie reviews
reflections
journal entries
storytelling

The list could continue as far as the imagination could take it. It's really up to the creativity of the user. Podcasting has opened up a new arena for creative expression. I know what you are thinking, "So what would it look like in my classroom?"

Here are a couple of links to schools that are using podcasts successfully.

Mrs. Thornton's 6th grade Podcasts
http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/wdmontm/Thornton/pod.asp
Allanah's Appleby Showcase (I embedded their podcast on the sidebar)
http://allanah.podomatic.com/

Jing Screencast of Voicethread.com

2009-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Students have a voice!
Voicethread.com is a great site for educational purposes. According to the Website,

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or phone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too.
Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded on web sites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs as archival movies.
With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. All with no software to install (Voicethread, 2009).

Classroom uses
As you view this screencast, think of ways you could use this Web tool in your classroom. One teacher featured in this voicethread has used it in her Isreali classroom to communicate with a sixth grader in the U.S.

Another teacher used Voicethread.com to display her kindergarten artwork. Her students recorded a poem to go with each piece of art using the audio microphone recording feature.

What are you waiting for?
So set up an account today and begin using this powerful educational tool. It's free, it's easy, and it's happening right now! Click the fullscreen button on the bottom right corner to view in fullscreen mode.

VoiceThreads are still here!

2009-02-05T23:47:00.000-08:00

Don't forget that VoiceThreads are still an effective way to share classroom projects and ideas via the Web. There are many great example of classrooms using this Web 2.0 tool if you visit the site. Here is an example of how a kindergarten class used their FREE Voicethreads account to share pictures.

Free software - Week 3 reflections

2009-02-01T02:49:00.000-08:00

This week we had a great discussion on how the availability of free software is changing how we teach and learn.

I was surprised at the varied and vast resources teachers are already using. I've picked up a couple of new sites by reading teachers' posts. There are several I am going to put in my tool belt.

FREE!

zamzar.com - free file conversion up to 100mb. It will convert dang near anything to anything!
http://school.nettrekker.com - what a great seach engine for teachers. search by grade level, subject, format, media. Every search item has been review and appears to be a quality product.
Photostory 3 - this has to be my all time favorite software for slideshow production for the elementary level. I comes with basic photo editing, transitions, narration, text captions, and you get to create your own music! It automatically puts in a Ken Burns effect as it renders. The default file format is WMV.
sourceforge.net - this is your one stop shop for free software online.

I also realize that this is just the beginning of free software availability. I predict that most or all software will someday be free, at least there will be a free version of it for download. Just as a few years ago only those with programming know how could create a website, and now there is software to do it for you, there will be software available to create new software or interactive programs. We will see Joe the Plumber creating interactive videos and content on how to fix the kitchen sink! We are not far from this idea now. It's just going to take a little more time.

Web 2.0 Reflections

2009-01-25T17:11:00.001-08:00

There were many great posts this week about Web 2.0 and new Internet trends. Here are my thoughts about the week's exchange.

Each teacher or Internet user seems to have his/her own ideas as to what the most important technology trends are these days. Althought Web 2.0 is significant, the connect world we live in is larger than just read/write connectivity. Innovations such as:

Webcasts
Skype,
IP phones,
Other communication tools that use the Internet

These tools have made an important contribution to the way we communicate and who we communicate to as we share ideas electronically. Undoubtedly, our ideas of the most significant trends of the Internet will continue to evolve as the technology evolves. One important question teachers will ask is, "How are these advancements going to effect my teaching and student learning in the future?"

What is Web2.0?

2009-01-22T00:53:00.000-08:00

This is a compendium of early posts on my blog. I am re-posting them because it's one of my better posts. It has lots of helpful information for anyone wanting to know more about the "READ/WRITE" WEB.

Web 2.0 Privacy Issues
Web 2.0 promises to give consumers the next generation of internet utility. However, there are pitfalls that come with such fast-paced change-privacy being one of them.

Web 2.0 applications such as Flickr, MySpace, and Digg, are just a few of a growing number of Web-based companies who are mining for information about you. Bit-Tech writer Will Harris sites some examples, "Digg knows what stories you've submitted, what demographic you're in, how other people in your demographic react to what you post. MySpace can break its users down by almost any statistic imaginable" He also states, "Flickr is perhaps one of the most interesting ones. Search for 'cat', and Flickr will record the most popular photo clicked. By associating the colour and picture data within photos with keywords used to search, Yahoo is slowly building a database of human identification (Harris, 2006)."

After hearing this, I get a little more uneasy about using these sites. I wonder what Facebook knows about me...hmmm! It kind of makes me think I should unsubscribe to all Web 2.0 applications altogether.

I guess it comes down to the tolerances of the end user. Do you mind if Yahoo, Google, and MySpace know everything about you? Who knows, maybe by knowing consumers' likes and dislikes, companies will be able to meet our needs and desires better and more efficiently. It's still too early to tell how positive or negative these changes will be.

In The Classroom
Gmail, blogs, and wikis. My school district has recently given all students 4th grade and up access to their own email and google apps accounts. Already I am seeing students abusing these priveleges. For instance one of my students was caught emailing someone he doesn't even know. You can imagine the dangers this could present.

Another big issue I've found in the elementary classroom are students being tricked by "the pop-up phenomenon" and students logging on to membership sites to play games. Regarding the later these "gaming" membership sites are off limits during school hours. Sometimes students will try to log on in spite of this school rule. Teachers must be constantly vigilant in the supervision of students while they are online. I've seen advertising Websites with a gaming section. When a child does a search for games, the gaming page of these Websites turn up in the results and children are lured in. A little snooping around in the site and we find pages that ask for personal information. Teachers, be sure you approve and inspect all sites your students will be visiting during school hours. A good idea would be to go to one of these sites in the beginning of the year and show students the personal information trap.

My personal philosophy about giving personal information is as follows. If it's a membership I care about I give the minimum required by the site. If it's a site I'm just curious about, I never give factual information. In my years of surfing and signing up, this philosophy has served me well.

In closing, I'd like you to watch a 5 minute video from YouTube.com about privacy in the digital age called Privacy and the Network of You. There are some very important points discussed which relate to how businesses think about privacy issues (YouTube, 2007).

Web Privacy Links:
Help Safeguard Your Privacy on the Web
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/using/howto/privacy/config.mspx

JUNKBUSTERS Alert on Web Privacy
http://www.junkbusters.com/cgi-bin/privacy

Privacy and Profiling on the Web
http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-Web-privacy

Google search results for "internet privacy"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=internet+privacy"web privacy"

References
Harris, Will. Why Web 2.0 will end your privacy
http://www.bit-tech.net/columns/2006/06/03/web_2_privacy/1

YouTube.com. Privacy and the Network of You/Sun Microsystems.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-vfXv5I_N-o
Posted by jdaniels at 12:52 AM 0 comments
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Web 2.0 Ethics
There are many ethical battle raging online about "user rights" when using Web 2.0 applications. Pramit Singh of mediavidea found a quote from a commenter on Slashdot who writes, "This is not about 'your rights online'. LiveJournal is a private company, not a govenrment agency.

Their web site is private property, and it is not a monopoly.

To speak of 'rights' on their web site is sort of speaking about rights at K-Mart. You don't have any. If you don't like what K-Mart does, you leave and go to their competitor." (mediavidea, 2008)

Copyright material is another complicated issue which falls under the umbrella of ethics. Online content is streaming into our lives at such a high rate speed, it's hard to know what is, what isn't, protected. Luckily there are resources out there that will help to clear the air about educational fair use agreements. Here is a link to a guide for teachers on fair use. http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/isu/library/copyright.html (jeffco, 2008)

Creative Commons is adding a new dimension for sharing content for free. Here is a YouTube video which explains Creative commons link between copyrighted and public domain.

The bottom line for classroom teachers is having conversations with your students. When students are aware of ethical issues, they are more informed to make correct choices when using online content. Following is a link to a lesson plan for elementary students as students consider possible ways to copy others' works using the Internet and learn that many forms of copying are illegal or unethical.
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/68_09.asp

References
mediavidea, Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://mediavidea.blogspot.com/2007/08/whose-rights-online-20.html
Jeffco County Schools copyright guidlines, Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/isu/library/copyright.html
Posted by jdaniels at 8:12 PM 0 comments
Web 2.0 Security Issues
In the next 3 posts, I will discuss Web 2.0 issues regarding security, ethics, and privacy. We tend to think of these Web 2.0 utilities as safe and harmless, but as this new technology leaks it's way into our schools and educational institutions, parents and the educational community grow more concerned about online safety and security.

I'll start with security.

When using Web 2.0 utilities, the number one security concern may be the staff itself. Staff training is necessary for effectivve implementation of any technology. If teachers sign up for membership without regard to privacy, ethics, or security, districts are at risk and have a daunting task of keeping the district network infrastructure secure. Teachers need to know the liabilities and risks associated with using software and online resources in the classroom. Many of the Web 2.0 applications require each end user to give personal information in order to use them. Parents also need to be aware of the information exchange happening at school as well.

It's important to review pertinent sections of your organization's technology plan. My school district does not have a specific security plan written into its tech plan, but it does have an internet user agreement opt-out form that is offered each school year. If parents don't sign, the assumption is that they grant schools permission to allow their child to use the internet for educational purposes. When teachers conduct internet projects with their students, it's a good idea to send a note home explaining the project and to inform parents of educational purpose of such projects. Additionally, at the beginning of the year, it's a good idea to discuss any security issues the district software may have. Throughout the course of the year, if new software is introduced, a similar conversation should take place.

A second security concern using Web 2.0 applications is the ability for hackers to break into these web applications and using them to infiltrate your computer. For example,"the newer forms of attacks take advantage of Web sites with rich content and
features: AJAX-enabled applications, embedded JavaScript and so on. These aren't really new technologies, but they're more pervasive now^' says Fciul Ferguson, network architect at Trend Micro. "And with [components like] Google Maps, where the processing is done on the PC instead of on the Web page, criminals are exploiting that avenue of content delivery The ability for Web 2.0 applications to deliver
that content is a Catch-22, because it also can allow you to be exploited." (networkworld, 2007)

Another example comes from Pfizer's network security breach using P2P file sharing software. Peer 2 Peer file sharing software allows users to share files on their hard drive via the internet. In the case of Pfizer, an employee mistakenly allowed hackers access to 17,000 of the employee's social security numbers. P2P software is prone to security breaches. For example if a music file is placed into a folder with sensitive documents, the software will scan PCs and recommend folders with media files for download (Computer World, 2007).

Web 2.0 is a wonderful and powerful resource for the business and education communities. However, proper employee and student training and awareness of the security risks will be necessary to ensure these mistakes don't happen in the future.

Web 2.0 security links:

Top 10 Web 2.0 Attack Vectors
http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=949

Web 2.0 Security
http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=1108

The security risk in Web 2.0
http://news.cnet.com/The-security-risk-in-Web-2.0/2100-1002_3-6099228.html

ED 632 Internet Integration

2009-01-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

This photo came from Nick J Adams on Flickr

Get ready for some more info on integrating the Internet into your classroom. My goal is to give you information you can actually use and would be helpful in the classroom. I will try to filter the best parts for you so this blog will be a useful resource for all comers. So go ahead and subscribe, don't be shy!

2008-11-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is a great Media Literacy Guide from Common Sense Media. A teacher's best friend for teaching media literacy.

Media Literacy 101 - Get more College Essays

Check out my media literacy YouTube post!

2008-10-31T02:29:00.000-07:00

This is a podcast about Media Literacy in schools. It focuses on elementary level, but could be used at any level. The objectives of the podcast include defining media literacy, how media literacy affects children, and resources for teachers.

I am looking for feedback on its effectiveness. Please take a moment to answer a couple of questions.

1. How has this video added to your knowledge about Media Literacy?

2. Were the resources helpful in learning more about Media Literacy?

3. Any additional comments?

Thanks for taking the time to watch!

Jason

New Posts

2008-09-14T15:44:00.001-07:00

It's been some time since I have posted any new updates. For my regular viewers, don't despair! I will be posting new info and analysis this week for you to read. I am taking a new class online and YOU get to be the beneficiaries of my research. That's right, you don't have to do any of the work, just read my findings.

Until then, check out this video about teaching with technology, and...

C You soon!

Jason :)

Safe Kids Vodcast

2008-07-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a cleverly written vodcast on keeping kids safe created by Barbara Santora. Enjoy!

http://www.mydeo.com/videorequest.asp?XID=2412&CID=206989

Utilize the Web 2.0 Benefits

2008-07-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Now that we have discussed concerns of privacy, security, and ethics in using Web resources, the following are several ways to utilize the benefits of the web while maintaining some degree of safety from hackers of information.

1. Cookies - go into your internet browser options and turn up the security level to only accept known cookies. You may also block downloads of unsigned Active X controls as well.

2. Subscribe to an antivirus software. McAfee is a good one.

3. Subscribe to an email spam filter. Your ISP should have this available to you for a nominal fee. Some internet subscriptions come with one as part of the package.

4. Your internet browser has an option to enter sites into a registry that you know are bad, so it will never allow you browse them. Conversely, there is a registry of "trusted sites" you may enter as well.

5. Keep your browsing software updated. New registries are constantly being added to new versions of your browsing software. Additionaly, keep you Operating System updated for the same reason.

6. Lastly, go to this Website (http://www.getnetwise.org/) to find tools and more information about staying safe online. They also have great how to video tutorials like this one to help keep kids safe online. This video is about changing preferences in Google to "Kid Safe" mode.

http://syn.getnetwise.org/flash/google-search-swf.swf

Web 2.0 Privacy Issues

2008-07-28T00:52:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 promises to give consumers the next generation of internet utility. However, there are pitfalls that come with such fast-paced change-privacy being one of them.

Web 2.0 applications such as Flickr, MySpace, and Digg, are just a few of a growing number of Web-based companies who are mining for information about you. Bit-Tech writer Will Harris sites some examples, "Digg knows what stories you've submitted, what demographic you're in, how other people in your demographic react to what you post. MySpace can break its users down by almost any statistic imaginable" He also states, "Flickr is perhaps one of the most interesting ones. Search for 'cat', and Flickr will record the most popular photo clicked. By associating the colour and picture data within photos with keywords used to search, Yahoo is slowly building a database of human identification (Harris, 2006)."

After hearing this, I get a little more uneasy about using these sites. I wonder what Facebook knows about me...hmmm! It kind of makes me think I should unsubscribe to all Web 2.0 applications altogether.

I guess it comes down to the tolerances of the end user. Do you mind if Yahoo, Google, and MySpace know everything about you? Who knows, maybe by knowing consumers' likes and dislikes, companies will be able to meet our needs and desires better and more efficiently. It's still too early to tell how positive or negative these changes will be.

In The Classroom
The biggest issues I've found in the elementary classroom are students being tricked by "the pop-up phenomenon" and students logging on to membership sites to play games. Regarding the later these "gaming" membership sites are off limits during school hours. Sometimes students will try to log on in spite of this school rule. Teachers must be constantly vigilant in the supervision of students while they are online. I've seen advertising Websites with a gaming section. When a child does a search for games, the gaming page of these Websites turn up in the results and children are lured in. A little snooping around in the site and we find pages that ask for personal information. Teachers, be sure you approve and inspect all sites your students will be visiting during school hours. A good idea would be to go to one of these sites in the beginning of the year and show students the personal information trap.

My personal philosophy about giving personal information is as follows. If it's a membership I care about I give the minimum required by the site. If it's a site I'm just curious about, I never give factual information. In my years of surfing and signing up, this philosophy has served me well.

In closing, I'd like you to watch a 5 minute video from YouTube.com about privacy in the digital age called Privacy and the Network of You. There are some very important points discussed which relate to how businesses think about privacy issues (YouTube, 2007).

Web Privacy Links:
Help Safeguard Your Privacy on the Web
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/using/howto/privacy/config.mspx

JUNKBUSTERS Alert on Web Privacy
http://www.junkbusters.com/cgi-bin/privacy

Privacy and Profiling on the Web
http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-Web-privacy

Google search results for "internet privacy"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=internet+privacy"web privacy"

References
Harris, Will. Why Web 2.0 will end your privacy
http://www.bit-tech.net/columns/2006/06/03/web_2_privacy/1

YouTube.com. Privacy and the Network of You/Sun Microsystems.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-vfXv5I_N-o

Web 2.0 Ethics

2008-07-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

There are many ethical battle raging online about "user rights" when using Web 2.0 applications. Pramit Singh of mediavidea found a quote from a commenter on Slashdot who writes, "This is not about 'your rights online'. LiveJournal is a private company, not a govenrment agency.

Their web site is private property, and it is not a monopoly.

To speak of 'rights' on their web site is sort of speaking about rights at K-Mart. You don't have any. If you don't like what K-Mart does, you leave and go to their competitor." (mediavidea, 2008)

Copyright material is another complicated issue which falls under the umbrella of ethics. Online content is streaming into our lives at such a high rate speed, it's hard to know what is, what isn't, protected. Luckily there are resources out there that will help to clear the air about educational fair use agreements. Here is a link to a guide for teachers on fair use. http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/isu/library/copyright.html (jeffco, 2008)

Creative Commons is adding a new dimension for sharing content for free. Here is a YouTube video which explains Creative commons link between copyrighted and public domain.

The bottom line for classroom teachers is having conversations with your students. When students are aware of ethical issues, they are more informed to make correct choices when using online content. Following is a link to a lesson plan for elementary students as students consider possible ways to copy others' works using the Internet and learn that many forms of copying are illegal or unethical.
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/lesson_plans/68_09.asp

References
mediavidea, Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://mediavidea.blogspot.com/2007/08/whose-rights-online-20.html
Jeffco County Schools copyright guidlines, Retrieved on July 27, 2008 from http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/isu/library/copyright.html

Web 2.0 Security Issues

2008-07-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

In the next 3 posts, I will discuss Web 2.0 issues regarding security, ethics, and privacy. We tend to think of these Web 2.0 utilities as safe and harmless, but as this new technology leaks it's way into our schools and educational institutions, parents and the educational community grow more concerned about online safety and security.

I'll start with security.

When using Web 2.0 utilities, the number one security concern may be the staff itself. Staff training is necessary for effectivve implementation of any technology. If teachers sign up for membership without regard to privacy, ethics, or security, districts are at risk and have a daunting task of keeping the district network infrastructure secure. Teachers need to know the liabilities and risks associated with using software and online resources in the classroom. Many of the Web 2.0 applications require each end user to give personal information in order to use them. Parents also need to be aware of the information exchange happening at school as well.

It's important to review pertinent sections of your organization's technology plan. My school district does not have a specific security plan written into its tech plan, but it does have an internet user agreement opt-out form that is offered each school year. If parents don't sign, the assumption is that they grant schools permission to allow their child to use the internet for educational purposes. When teachers conduct internet projects with their students, it's a good idea to send a note home explaining the project and to inform parents of educational purpose of such projects. Additionally, at the beginning of the year, it's a good idea to discuss any security issues the district software may have. Throughout the course of the year, if new software is introduced, a similar conversation should take place.

A second security concern using Web 2.0 applications is the ability for hackers to break into these web applications and using them to infiltrate your computer. For example,"the newer forms of attacks take advantage of Web sites with rich content and
features: AJAX-enabled applications, embedded JavaScript and so on. These aren't really new technologies, but they're more pervasive now^' says Fciul Ferguson, network architect at Trend Micro. "And with [components like] Google Maps, where the processing is done on the PC instead of on the Web page, criminals are exploiting that avenue of content delivery The ability for Web 2.0 applications to deliver
that content is a Catch-22, because it also can allow you to be exploited." (networkworld, 2007)

Another example comes from Pfizer's network security breach using P2P file sharing software. Peer 2 Peer file sharing software allows users to share files on their hard drive via the internet. In the case of Pfizer, an employee mistakenly allowed hackers access to 17,000 of the employee's social security numbers. P2P software is prone to security breaches. For example if a music file is placed into a folder with sensitive documents, the software will scan PCs and recommend folders with media files for download (Computer World, 2007).

Web 2.0 is a wonderful and powerful resource for the business and education communities. However, proper employee and student training and awareness of the security risks will be necessary to ensure these mistakes don't happen in the future.

Web 2.0 security links:

Top 10 Web 2.0 Attack Vectors
http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=949

Web 2.0 Security
http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=1108

The security risk in Web 2.0
http://news.cnet.com/The-security-risk-in-Web-2.0/2100-1002_3-6099228.html

Web App Integration

2008-07-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

After scanning the internet for cool Web Apps to use in the classroom, I came across several that have potential. Struggling with time factors in our daily schedule I decided to try just one and see how it goes. I chose to experiment with X Timelines, an extensive timeline builder with a wide array of timeline building tools (http://www.xtimeline.com/). Once a member you can explore, create and edit timelines. You can even invite other editors to edit your timelines. Within each timeline you can add video, photos, and text, as well as add embedded content for greater interactivity from the viewer. The builder interface is very easy to use and highly intuitive. I had no problem with slow connections or crashes. There are many pre-made timelines from which to view. I can create groups of timelines which act as folders to organize multiple timelines. The timelines themselves have an attractive layout and are simple to use...no overcrowded, button-laiden interfaces!

􀂃 How will you use this resource? I plan to use this resource for enhancing and reinforcing the use of timelines to show events in history and as a way to graphically record major events in the lives of famous people.

♦ Please discuss how you will integrate this software for your teaching or how your students could use it.􀂃 I plan to demonstrate the software by first, showing students a finished version. Then, I will demonstrate how to build a timeline using the online tools. I will show them options to make the timelines more interactive for viewers as well. I will model how to navigate the site and the timelines so students can efficiently utilize the site.

Please describe your pedagogy for the integration of the resource.
􀂃 In what manner will you use this resource actively engage your students?♦
My pedagogy for this activity will be to demonstrate, model, and provide guided practice, along with independent learning time. I will present this assignment early in the year, so students will have this tool in the "belt" for the rest of the year as an option to extend their learning in other areas. I will use the classroom LCD projector to demonstrate and model. I will take students to the computer lab to provide structured guided practice, then later, I will provide station time to finish the assignment. Toward the end of the assignment we will have a "show day". This is where students will showcase their timeline projects using the LCD projector. Students can assess each students performance using the assignment rubric. Students may also self assess their own performance using the same rubric. Students will write a self reflection piece to compliment the learning unit.

Since most districts limit access to web sites, downloading and installing software, I want students to prepare documentation to present your case to your principal or individuals in charge of allowing access to technologies not part of the school programs. I understand that each district handles these requests differently. Please describe what you may need to complete in order to have access to this resource in the fall.

Since XTimeline is web-based, it does not require a download. All projects are saved on XTimeline servers. A letter to the IT staff would not be required for downloading purposes. However, HIPPA privacy issues may arise because each student would need his/her own username and password in order to create timelines:

Dear Sir:

I have recently been introduced to a new online software called XTimeline (http://www.xtimeline.com/). It is a timeline creator using Web 2.0 technologies. This software would greatly enhance my biographies unit. Since our district goal is to build 21st century learners, I am hoping I will have your permission to create user accounts for my students in order to use this website. My plan is to integrate technology with conventional learning to open up new horizons to accomplish existing goals for our students. If you have any quesions about my teaching unit, my technology integration plan, or XTimeline.com, please feel free to email me. Thank you for your consideration.
Jason Daniels

􀂃 Will you have any IT administration issues to work through? none
􀂃 What kind of documentation is required if any? I will provide the students with a rubric for completion of the biography timeline. One the rubric will be sections for quality, multimedia use, completeness, and grammar and spelling.

mashups

2008-07-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

I recently investigated a few mashups to determine whether they will be helpful in my daily life or professional life. In technology, a mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool; an example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source (Wikipedia, 2008).

Following are the results from my investigation.

Foxytunes (http://www.foxytunes.com/)
FoxyTunes Planet is a personalized music aggregator. The website aggregates music videos, photos, news, bios and much more from the best music sites all over the Web into one convenient place. This site didn't require membership. I typed in a favorite rock band and it came up with a page with videos, internet search, songs, lyrics, and other info about the band, all on one page. This is very nice if you are looking for more info about a band. If you are looking to purchase a song from the band I would not recommend this site...too much information. Itunes is a better choice for purchases. I will not use this site in the future because I have no use for this kind of information both in the personal life and my professional life.

Spicypipes (http://www.spicypipes.com/)
The vision behind SpicyPipes is to create innovative and creative mashups that will be useful for your daily life. SpicyPipes would allow its users to create online mashups in seconds, where they can use the created mashups for personal use and share it with others through tagging. SpicyPipes seems to be created by non-English speaking programs. The grammar used on the pages was frequently incorrect. Membership is required and it was not intuitive to get to the register screen. Navigation on their site was not logical. The FAQ page had an error message and was not helpful at all. The idea behind the site is to give users the capability to create photo slideshows, search for travel destinations, and share an unlimited about of media. It will fetch photos from several photo sharing sites. Given the poor quality of this Website, I would not use it at all. There are other sites more suited for these purposes like Openkapow and Roxer.

Roadtriphelper (http://www.roadtriphelper.com/)
This is mainly a hotel finder for your next travel destination. Map. Compare. Book. The site is laid out well and is easy to navigate. After typing in a destination, the site was a little slow in retrieving hotel information, presumably due to the large amount of data it crunches. I received a map of the area, including street and satellite images, and a list of possible hotels in the area. This may be something I would use in my next travel vacation. It states that it uses data from the major travel booking Websites, but I didn't find impressive results in my searches.

Reference
Wikipedia, Retreived on July 25, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(web_application_hybrid)

Adobe AIR application

2008-07-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I downloaded and test drove the Adobe AIR Program (http://www.adobe.com/). In order to use this program fully, additional "add ons" must be dowloaded and installed on your computer. For my test drive, I chose two add ons, Quakeshake and The Kid Jukebox. Following are the results of my investigation.

Quakeshake
Easy install instructions? The instructions are not only easy to understand, but presented in an appealing format.
Intuitive usage-easy to use? Very easy to use. The Adobe Air environment is simple and intuitive, a sort of widget-like appearance.
Meaningful and purposeful for either your practice or personal interests? I chose add ons that were applicable to my teaching. Quakeshake tracks current earthquake data from all over the globe and displays the results on several maps. There is additional features included in the add on relating to earthquake data. I will use this to help support my earthquake unit at school.
Privacy and Security features? Although I have no idea how secure the features are, Adobe is a reputable company and I feel secure using their software.
Integration options to your practice? I would like to introduce my students to the Adobe AIR environment and download add ons that pertain to my units of instruction. The Quakeshake add on will be a hit in my classroom. This will enable my students to use currect scientific data with which to learn about earthquakes.

The Kid Jukebox
Easy install instructions? The instructions were very easy and intuitive.
Intuitive usage-easy to use? Very easy to use. The Jukebox operates with a series of slide down menus. There are 8 different stories and nursery rhymes. 3 steps to operate.
Meaningful and purposeful for either your practice or personal interests? I would have liked more songs, rhymes, and stories. It was a long download for what you get.
Privacy and Security features? No concerns about privacy or security. The content is public domain.
Integration options to your practice? I probably won't use this in my classroom. I need a more dynamic tool for searching and retrieving additional content which this program cannot do.

Web Apps

2008-07-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Recently I have investigated several web apps to determine what they are, how they can help, and ease of use. I found all of my web apps from the Webware 100 Awards Website (http://www.webware.com/html/ww/100/2008/winners.html). Following is an analysis of my investigation.

Netflix (netflix.com)
Netflix is a DVD rental service that's run entirely on the Internet. Each user gets his or her own queue for movies to rent, and the service will ship out as many as four at a time via postal mail. The service doubles as a review network, as each user also can review movies they've seen and view other community members' takes too. Users also can give movies a thumbs up or thumbs down to receive suggestions for future rentals, based on what other users have rented.

Netflix has achieved its popularity for its low-priced rentals and lack of late fees. It's also well known for its WatchItNow service, which lets users stream entire movies on their computers.

How it can help
This is a wonderful way to avoid lines at the video store. No late fees, a huge collection, and a queueing system make Netflix easy to use and a must for movie watchers.

What criteria did you use to select your programs? Big company, ease of use.
􀂃 Did you have any issues installing the software? None
􀂃 Was the interface intuitive? Very
􀂃 Did the program perform as stated? Yes
􀂃 In what way was it purposeful in meeting your profession and personal interests? see above
􀂃 Will you continue using this software in the future? Why or why not? Yes, Neflix is continually growing and becoming a more user friendly company.

Voicethread (ed.voicethread.com)
VoiceThread is a photo- and video-sharing tool. It lets users upload photos , videos and documents from their hard drive or other online services, and add voice, text, and video annotations to each slide. These 'VoiceBooks' can be embedded in blogs, Web sites, or social networking profiles. Other users can comment on each slide, draw doodles, or leave voice messages of their own.

In addition to the standard methods of adding voice comments to a photo, one thing that makes VoiceThread especially cool is the telephone integration, which lets you record messages using a standard landline or mobile phone.

How it can help
I already use this site with my students. It has great potential for peer to peer collaboration and critical thinking. There is a limitless array of possibilities for use in the classroom.

What criteria did you use to select your programs? Something that students can use to interact with one another. Student friendly interface.
􀂃 Did you have any issues installing the software? no
􀂃 Was the interface intuitive? yes
􀂃 Did the program perform as stated? Yes
􀂃 In what way was it purposeful in meeting your profession and personal interests? I had a couple of students test it and they were able to use it without my help. It made them think critically about their subject matter. I love it.
􀂃 Will you continue using this software in the future? Why or why not? Definitely.

Facebook (facebook.com)
Facebook is a popular social networking service. Originally offered to college students, it later opened up its doors to anyone with an e-mail address. Facebook gives users a place to make and explore personal profiles and interact with friends. While offerings were initially limited to a comment board called "The Wall" and a personal picture, the site now has several in-house services like user chat, photo hosting, interest groups, status messages, link sharing, and the news feed.

Facebook's biggest move, however, was introducing a development platform that lets developers make their own "application" for Facebook. These applications can run the gamut, from single-use widgets to full-blown Web sites that can be accessed and integrated into a Facebook user's data. Users can add as many applications as they want, then integrate and rearrange them on their profile page.

How it can help
This is a cool way to keep in touch with friends and to start groups based on interests. I must admit, I don't like giving information to the site, so I don't participate in the full extent of the program. I get emails when someone writes somethings on my personal page, but that's about it. Ease of use gets about an 8 out of 10. There are so many web apps that can be applied, if you are not using Facebook often, it can be overwhelming.

What criteria did you use to select your programs? big company, ease of use
􀂃 Did you have any issues installing the software? Yes, I didn't want to install software that can see my information.
􀂃 Was the interface intuitive? somewhat, it has a steep learning curve if you don't use it much.
􀂃 Did the program perform as stated? yes
􀂃 In what way was it purposeful in meeting your profession and personal interests? I stay in touch with my friends much more since joining.
􀂃 Will you continue using this software in the future? Why or why not? yes.

fixmymovie (fixmymovie.com)
FixMyMovie is a service that takes your pixilated digital video clips and does its best to make them look better. The technology stems from MotionDSP's processing technology, which is similar to what's used in government intelligence operations to improve those dark and grainy security films--like you see in movies.

Most recently, FixMyMovie added the ability to create a single high-resolution 1,280x1,024 JPEG image from a 320x240 video. The company also is contemplating use of the technology to stitch together smaller frames into a wide panorama, to improve image tones to retrieve detail in bright highlights and murky shadows.

How it can help
This will definitely help get the common user of movie editing software to the next level of quality. Drawback...it takes a long time to upload and download movies, so you better have a fast computer with a fast connection.

What criteria did you use to select your programs? new video editing gadgets
􀂃 Did you have any issues installing the software? no
􀂃 Was the interface intuitive? yes
􀂃 Did the program perform as stated? Yes, but it takes a while to use due to bandwidth constraints.
􀂃 In what way was it purposeful in meeting your profession and personal interests? If a person doesn't have editing software of their own, this is an alternative.
􀂃 Will you continue using this software in the future? Why or why not? no I have my own software.

Picasa Web Albums (picasaweb.google.com)
Picasa Web Albums is Google's Web photo hosting service. Users get 1GB of free hosting, and images can be uploaded and manipulated using Picasa, Google's free desktop photo management application. Users who want additional storage can shell out up to $500 a year to bump up the hosted space to 400 times the size of the free hosting service.

We really like the integration between the desktop and Web application. Like .Mac and iPhoto, Picasa makes it really simple to take photos from your desktop and publish them online for others to see. We're also fans of the built-in geotagging that lets you set where photos were taken either by single photo, or by entire albums. It's a great way to browse photos if you feel like exploring.

How it can help
One thing I really love about this site is the Geotagging feature...Wow! I am going to use this to research new places to visit. I am contemplating using this in my classroom as a social studies activity.

What criteria did you use to select your programs? something innovative, easy to share.
􀂃 Did you have any issues installing the software? no
􀂃 Was the interface intuitive? Yes
􀂃 Did the program perform as stated? Yes
􀂃 In what way was it purposeful in meeting your profession and personal interests? It's easy to share photos. The geotagging feature is cool! I can use this with my students.
􀂃 Will you continue using this software in the future? Why or why not? Yes as a social studies activity.

Itunes (apple.com/itunes)
iTunes is Apple's software jukebox. It started out as a Mac-only app before making its way to Windows users in late 2003. The software will let you manage photos, videos, and music files on your computer, then sync them up with Apple's array of portable media players.

People have mixed opinions of iTunes since it's only been open to Apple branded devices like the iPod and iPhone instead of being open to many competing devices as a platform. Despite this, it was one of the first mainstream programs to offer Internet radio and CD-ripping free of charge in a time while other jukebox software providers were not.

One of the reasons it's free is the inclusion of the iTunes Store, which lets users buy music, TV shows, audio books and movies, as well as subscribe and browse podcasts. This year, Apple unveiled the iTunes rental store, which forgoes the usual $10 purchase fees for films and lets users rent them for a limited period of time for about a third of the cost.

How it can help
Itunes is definitely the best RSS and music software I've seen. Recently I've discovered the Itunes U feature. I can't believe top universities are opening up their knowledge base to the public free of charge! I will be spending more time investigating this feature. Ease of use gets a 9 out of 10.

What criteria did you use to select your programs? needed something to received RSS feeds, download music, and talk to my Ipod.
􀂃 Did you have any issues installing the software? It's a big program. Long to download and long to load.
􀂃 Was the interface intuitive? Yes
􀂃 Did the program perform as stated? Yes
􀂃 In what way was it purposeful in meeting your profession and personal interests? See above
􀂃 Will you continue using this software in the future? Why or why not? yes, I use it for the above reasons.

ED 693 Podcast

2008-07-24T17:45:00.001-07:00

Widgets

2008-07-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

I searched Yahoo Widgets [http://widgets.yahoo.com/] and found a vast array of widgets to add fun and functionality to my desktop and blog. All of my widgets came from Yahoo Widgets. Yahoo Widgets is a searchable database of both Yahoo-created and private-entity created widgets. I searched the top-rated widget downloads for interesting widgets, along with the newest widget creations. I found 7 widgets that may be beneficial to my daily life and my profession. These widgets automatically downloaded onto my desktop in a navbar on the side of my screen. With each new widget I download, comes a new icon on my widget navbar. None of these widgets were so important that they have permanently placed themselves on my 'do no remove' list.

10 Minute Lesson of the Day
This simple Widget gives a list of audio files on a separate page that tell stories of interesting events in history. Students enjoy hearing facts about history. It's a great way to get their attention before a lesson.

Calvin and Hobbes Fetcher
This fetches the famous comic series, one for each day of the year. It's just a pick-me-up at the beginning of a day.

History Slideshow
This widget is a skinny movable bar that is a slideshow timeline of major historical events, selectable from the 20th century BC to the 20th century AD. Again this is trivial knowledge that can be added to any lesson to spice it up.

Math Kards
These are flashcards for elementary basic facts in +,X,/,-. They are selectable by level and amount and time. I may used a widget like this and download it to each of my classroom computers as a quick review for students who have finished their work early.

Sun Clock
This is a world map in projection view that shows how the sun travels across the land. I may want to use this when I discuss the Earth, Sun, Moon relationship.

Today in History
The name says it all. It what you find in newspapers near the comics. It gives you a searchable database of historical events based on the current day. Kids would love to look up historical events and deliver them to the class in the morning.

Werewolf Monitor
No like it sounds. This tracks the movement of the moon around the Earth. This will be a great addition to the Earth, Sun, Moon unit.

Additionally, I found 3 gadgets that could increase productivity. I placed these gadgets on my iGoogle page. The gadgets include a large clock with date and time, local weather, and a Google Maps search window. It's nice to have a large and easy to read clock handy. I'm always interested in how the weather is so I can prepare for the conditions. Google maps is amazing. I'm looking for real estate at the moment, so this comes in handy when I don't know the road the property is on.

Widgets and gadgets have potential for being helpful in my personal and professional life. Right now I can live without them. I haven't found any that I can't live without. Maybe some day there will be one.

Social Networking

2008-07-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

I joined three social networking sites, Classroom 2.0, a network of teachers and resources for the classroom, eastofanchorage.net, a forum for outdoor enthusiasts and those who love to climb, kayak, and kite, and Facebook, a social network designed for use outside of a work-related environment.

At first glance, Classroom 2.0 has an overwhelming amount of resources for members. It is built on top of Ning software. The main page of CR 2.0 has many features on the top menu. These include adding friends, photos, video, start a discussion, and edit your profile. Additionally, CR 2.0 has navigation links to wiki resources, My Page, members, news, forums, groups, and FAQ, videos, and photos.

It's important not to look too closely at the big picture when you first get started or you'll get overwhelmed. Take one feature at a time, check it out, and decide if it's something valuable. Personal settings are found at the top right when you log in. You can add or drop items from your personal page. Disussion are easy by way of a discussion box at the bottom of nearly every page in CR 2.0. There is a nice video tour given by the creator, Steve Hargadon, using Elluminate.

eastanchorage.net was created as more of an online journal by T. Kelsey. He prefers this format over the traditional blogs. The site encourages outdoor trip reports for all to read, but most of the posts are from T. Kelsey himself. eastanchorage.net functions much like our blackboard discussion forum. Most of the features on the UAS blackboard can be found on eastanchorage.net. I can post text and photos of my trips and view other posts from other members. To become a member, you must send the creator an email and he must approve your request.

Facebook.com is a fast growing network of social groups. I joined this one because I belong to an organization whose members get together and communication through Facebook. It's a very easy site to use and has many user friendly features, like viewing member photo galleries, using new web apps, joining new social groups, posting video, photos, and text. One of the most impressive qualities of Facebook is its' intuitive nature. Facebook recommends friends, notifies you of important information, and has an expansive cross-referencing database of friends. All of these features work in unison to create a highly interactive social experience.

Google Reader - RSS

2008-07-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

My Google Feed Reader is a handy creation for teachers. After spending the weekend preparing for next week's activities, and teaching all day, there is little time to pour through the endless research, lesson ideas, and innovations in education to keep me up to date and informed. With Google Reader, I can select from a wide variety articles across the educational spectrum and subscribe to their RSS feed. I have several feature at my fingertips; starred items, tips and tricks, manage subscriptions, friend's shared items, new trends, and quick access to all of the features in the Google family.

Now, at the end of a long day, my feed reader has filtered the articles that are important to me and condensed them into bite-sized chunks. I plan to continue using my feed reader next year. As we teachers know, every minute saved feels like an hour of prep.

Personal Web App Picks

2008-07-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

ClusterMap.com

This is a clustermap. It will show me where users who visit my site live.

Neave.com

The interactive designer Paul Neave, has quite a interesting site. This is both an interesting site personally, and could be used instructionally. In particular his FlashEarth and Planetarium pages have great educational value in the geosciences.

2008-07-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

I am testing an embedded story book from lookybook.com. Click on the book and it will come alive!

There are hundreds of children's books available for viewing before you buy. You could even send your students there to read a story and then respond to the text. Students could also recommend books to one another. This may also stimulate the reluctant readers to get involved. The Website will suggest 3 stores from which you may buy the books. The website is seachable by author and illustrator, and with a free registration, you can save books on a virtual bookshelf.

Elluminte Evaluation

2008-06-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed visiting with Patti and my classmates online using the syncronous tool Elluminate. Elluminate is easy to use. The navigation bar is user friendly and the environment is clean and not cluttered with buttons and lists. To realize the full benefit of Elluminate one needs a high speed connection, preferrably a LAN or cable modem.

I can see how this tool could be a valuable resource for the classroom. Conducting a webmeeting with an expert would work well. The Alaska Sealife Center in Seward has marine biology experts and an outreach program. This may be a way for the Center to connect with classrooms around the world as well as next door.

Professionally, Elluminate would be a good way to get a quick tutorial on how to use educational software. Teachers are inundated with new software each year. It can be overwhelming learn how to effectively use new software in time to successfully apply it in the classroom. Local or national trainers can use this presentation tool to demonstate applications of new software for teachers.

A disadvantage to this software is the very thing that makes this software powerful, it's syncronous nature. Viewers must be at the right place at the right time or they miss the immediate feedback from questions posed during the presentation. On the flipside, the advantage of Elluminate is that viewers get realtime help and answers to questions about the presentation topic.

Journal Entry

2008-06-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so far I've joined and have customized a page for each of the following sites:

Classroom 2.0 I created a page, added a song, created a profile, added friends, and explored the site a little. This site will be cool for networking with other teachers with similiar interests.

del.icio.us I create a page added 10-15 links, linked this page to my blog page, and explored the site a little. This site will allow me to locate, organize, and navigate my internet links with ease from any computer. I love the tags feature to give searchability to my links and other links which are connected to my tags on the internet.

Blogger I created a blog page, added a widget to Wired Magazine Online, added weather in Kenai, posted many times, added links to friends' blogs, added resources with RSS feeds, added a pictures, created a profile, added a link back to my Classroom 2.0 page, added my Google Reader (syndication aggregator), added a video bar, added an EdTech News sidebar, added a survey, added a blog archive, made a comment to a post, and just done some general housecleaning of the page.

wetpaint.com I have joined this wiki database add added a wiki called 21st century learning to my wiki profile. I will continue to search for more wikis as time goes on. I have created a class wiki. I have some ideas of how to use this wiki...perhaps as a way to show off research papers, get feedback on stories, or just for kids to share ideas and get ideas for projects in class. This could also be a penpal 2.0 tool as well. I'm not sure of the legal remifications however. Children under 13 fall under the COPPA act. Read here to find out more about privacy issues with younger internet users http://wikisineducation.wetpaint.com/page/Wetpaint+%26+Students+Under+13

It took quite sometime to get it all up and running. It took even more time to wrap my mind around all of it and its relevance to my teaching.

Things to consider when using Web 2.0 utilities:

*you need to update regularly
*you need to read a lot of material online
*you need to be able to filter what you read quickly to save time
*have a specific need in mind when online to save time. If you have something specific you are looking for, you won't be going in circles by getting distracted at all of the links and tags you come across.
*Set up some RSS feeds so the information you what comes to YOU instead of trying search for IT.

I see benefits of using Web 2.0 utilities in connecting with other teachers and cutting down of search times. The key here is YOU HAVE TO USE IT REGULARLY.

connecting sites together

2008-06-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am trying to connect my delicious account with my blogger.com account. What is the best way to do this? I have found a way to connect my subscription aggregator to my blog. You'll notice it on the right side nav bar.

EdTech Resources

2008-06-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

I have recently signed up for a delicious account. Then I immediately set about the task of filling my account with relevant bookmarks to sites relating to EdTech...sites that I would like to return to later. Some of the sites that caught my attention are

Wired Education
Steve Hargadon
About EdTechtalk EdTechTalk
Home - 21st Century Learning
Course: ED 693 - Emerging Technologies
» Us.ef.ul (beelerspace)
PattiWiki : ED 693 S 2008 browse
PBS Teachers — Resources For The Classroom
Ed Tech Review
Skype official website – free download and free calls and internet calls

New SpringWidget

2008-06-12T12:35:00.001-07:00

Get this widget!

Journal Entry

2008-06-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

today I signed up for a delicious account. Now I can do some social bookmarking and keep them organized. I also signed up for Classroom 2.0 This is a syndicate aggregator. I have already noticed some of the other classmates from ED693 have joined this site. It seems pretty user friendly. It isn't clouded with extra "junk" that makes it hard to see new updates. So far I feel like I have a handle on things. The lines between social bookmarking, blogs, and aggregators are a little blurry still, however.

Wiki Review

2008-06-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

I reviewed a unique and informative Wiki today.

I looked at a wiki called 21st Century Learning (http://21stcenturylearning.wetpaint.com/). This site is a community of educators embarking on a collaborative journey into the future of education, educational technologies and new curriculums in order to prepare our students to function in a competitive and rapidly changing global world. It’s also based on the newly phrased “21st Century Skills”. These skils are:

Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes
Communication & Collaboration
Creativity & Innovation ICT Literacy

This video is on their homepage. It attempts to describe the urgency of teaching in a new world and a new age. It adds interesting facts to shock the viewer.
http://www.youtube.com/v/vC928e629iM&hl=en

There is also an interesting article about digital native and immigrants:
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
By Marc Prensky From On the Horizon (NCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001) © 2001 Marc Prensky http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

I edited the pedagogy page. I added a review of an article about embedding instead of intergrating technology into education. If you look under top contributors, I am the one in the yellow kayak. I like this wiki and I will continue to check back as our class rolls along.

You can find my post here, http://21stcenturylearning.wetpaint.com/page/Pedagogy
I have also copied it here:

From "The Thinking Stick"
I don’t want to integrate it, I want to embed it!
September 24th, 2007 by Jeff Utecht As I quickly scan my blog alerts - this recent addition jumps into the discussion of pedagogy...I just read the article and Jeff has a good point about state of school districts still stuck in the "integration of technology" mode, as opposed to beginning to think about "embedding" the technology within the curriculum itself. I recommmend not only reading Jeff's thoughts, but the insightful comments that follow.

Blog Review

2008-06-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

In my ongoing review of blog sites for quality educational technology news and ideas, I have found 4 that are worth sharing. EdTechReview.net, EdTechTalk.com, Learningonlineinfo.org, and Stevehargadon.com

Why did you choose these blog sites? I chose these blog site for their relevant content, their easy navigation, and the amount of updates they contained. Many of the blogs I previewed had not been updated in a year or more. Imagine what has happened in technology even in the last year!
􀂙 What did they offer you for your profession development? EdTechReview.net shared an article about Adobe Photoshop. Apparently Adobe is giving photoshop to teachers and students for free! https://www.photoshop.com/express/landing.html

EdTechTalk.com shared a year in review - Teachers Teaching Teachers #107 - What have we learned this year with VoiceThread? 06.04.08
This is an interesting podcast of the new video/audio blogging tool can be used in the classroom.

Learningonlineinfo.org shared a new project to keep kids motivated and attentive. This article is found at How to Keep Students Motivated and Attentive.

Stevehargadon.com shares quite an incredible article in TechLearning blog about what Web 2.0 is doing for schools and for the world at large in his article here.

Or your personal interests? I am personally interested in this topic and I will continue to seek out new and innovative uses of technology for the classroom. I believe technology is the media by which the next generation of students will learn and teachers will teach.
􀂙 Do you plan to continue visiting these blogs? Why or why not?
ese blogs? Why or why not?

Tech Tips for the Classroom

2008-06-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

If you have any Do's and Don'ts for the classroom, especially the Elementary Classroom, please enlighten us with your wisdom. Many hands make light work, right?