C-SPAN Classroom

Hey, social studies teachers!  Did you know that C-SPAN offers many primary resources for you to use in your classrooms?  Check it out here:  C-SPAN Classroom.

New York Times

Did you know that The New York Times can be a great resource for educators? The Learning Network: Teaching and Learning with The New YorkTimes provides many resources and lesson plans for teachers.

I especially like the information about Infographs--graphics that provide information. That may sound too simple, so it's best if you read the information yourself.

Infographs are an excellent way to reach the visual learners. Students can even create their own.

You'll find many other excellent resources there, too.

Beyond PowerPoint

I have a lot of ideas to post because I have been gathering them in my mind--which has plenty of space for new ideas.

I'm starting with this one because I was in a computer lab last year where students were working on a PowerPoint project. I probably was there to fix a computer since teachers call on me for that more than for technology integration, but I decided to talk to some of the students about their project.
I asked them what they thought of doing projects using PowerPoint, and they said that they were really bored with it because they've been doing it since grade school. One student told me that he had FOUR PowerPoint projects due at that particular time. FOUR. How exciting is that?

Another student shared that he was really bored with teacher use of PowerPoint for instruction. He said he could understand how PowerPoint could be a good tool, but he was bored with teachers who read what's on each slide.

Basically, these kids need to be engaged, and PowerPoint wasn't doing it for them.

One alternative is Glogster. I've mentioned it before, and many teachers use it. This blog post explains it much better than I have (and why rewrite what's already been written, anyway?): Glogster and Glogster.edu as an Alternative to Powerpoint.
While you're there, make sure you also read the author's instructions on using Glogster, just in case you've never done it before.

I've used Glogster with my online student, and not only do the students really like it, but their work is so much more enjoyable to grade than a PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint is just too "old school."

The same blog--"Trending Education"--offers other alternatives in this post: 6 Traditional and Non-Traditional Alternatives to PowerPoint for student presentations.
I hope that you will consider these alternatives as we seek to engage our students in authentic learning.

What?? No Movie Maker?

So . . . the school system is moving to Windows 7, and guess what? No Movie Maker!

I'm not sure why Microsoft decided to eliminate that program, but I know a lot of people at LHS use it, so I researched and found a cool alternative.

Jaycut is a free online video editing site. I was amazed at the advanced options available. I used it with my online English 12 students this summer, and they created movies with no help from me at all.

Students can share their movies in a variety of ways, although most of them are blocked on the school network, but they can still share from home.

If you're using laptops or desktops with Windows 7, and you need a movie editor, try Jaycut.

Here's a really, really simple video I made just to try it before I introduced it to my students:

Standardized Testing

Well, I've been gone for quite awhile, mostly because I've been held captive by SOL testing. In Virginia, it means "Standards of Learning," but I think the definition I learned as a kid is much more appropriate.

Since all the tests in Virginia Beach are online, my job is to prep our numerous laptops (over 600) to be prepared for testing. That means updating the testing software and removing viruses, which is a losing battle at this point. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE MACS?

During testing, I have to be on call, with radio attached, to fix the problems that arise from testing in a big high school in a big school district with students using wireless laptops.

Once testing is finished for the day, I have to lock all the laptop carts on the second floor of the school. I see a wide range of activities in the classrooms when I go in to lock the carts. Many are just watching movies, with many in the "audience" asleep. Others are doing worksheets (the unengaging kind). Some are still teaching in a meaningful manner. Those are the teachers for whom I have great respect.

The problem with the SOL testing is that once the tests are over for the year (tomorrow is the last day) many teachers and most students think class is over for the year--hence the movies and worthless worksheets. Busy work. A way to kill time because there's "nothing left to teach." We've already taken all the SOL tests.

I'm really against almost all standardized testing, and this is just another example of how it ruins instruction. I could go on and on about that, but I'll leave it with just that comment.

Got the Facebook Blues?

So we begin the day in our school system with the announcement that students and staff will no longer have access to Facebook at school.

I know that some of you have already set up pages for your classes on Facebook, so this comes as a tough restriction. Facebook is especially appealing to our students because they already use it, so it fits into their world, and that's what we strive to attain with our education system.

Of course, you may choose to continue updating your Facebook page from home, where students can also access it.

However, if you would like an alternative that is available at school, you may want to create a Ning network, which I have explained previously on this blog. It is very much like Facebook. The good thing about Ning, is that you can make your network private, so you don't have to worry about security issues for your students. I have used it with two online classes, and the students like it. We have used it here with a few classes, and those students also really like it, and so do the teachers.

If you need help with a Ning, let me know.

Creating Videos Online

Check out this blog post at Free Technology for Teachers. (And add that blog to your RSS reader if you haven't already--lots of great free ideas for teachers.)

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/11/six-easy-ways-for-students-to-create.html

This post explains six ways for students to create videos online. I have already told you about a couple of them, but Mr. Byrne has more.

Creating online is so much easier than using a program such as Windows Movie Maker or Photostory because we don't have to be concerned about where the files will be saved, or if the students save all the files in the same folder, and so on and so on.

Especially now that we have the issues with student rights and jump drives, online work is just a lot more sensible.

Weebly Offers Educator Accounts (FREE!!)

Weebly is a place where you can create a website for free. I saw it a long time ago, but didn't consider it much different from many other sites I've suggested.

However, I have now learned from another CRS (http://edtechtipster.blogspot.com/) and probably also from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ because he has EVERYTHING on his blog, that it now offers an educators' section.

At weebly for education (http://education.weebly.com), you can create your own site and even have students submit assignments there. I know we have Sharepoint, but this is just another option. Since the site is private, it's secure. You can also create a blog--what a great way to communicate with students and parents!

But even better, you can get free accounts for your students (and they don't need email addresses!!), and those accounts are also private. Students can create their own website--something we REALLY need to be teaching them--and they can use it for an electronic portfolio. The good thing about the portfolio is that once they are finished with your class, weebly will convert their account from a student account to a regular weebly account, so they will have access to their work forever. After all, that's what the portfolios are for--so they can take them with them when they leave.

I created a sample one in very little time, in spite of the fact that Internet Explorer kept freezing and crashing, and I had to restart my computer. (Oh what a surprise.) It's very simple, but you are welcome to look at it as a sample of what you and your students can do. http://beachgirl78.weebly.com

Encyclopedia of Life

I learned about this site in an email from Kim Komando. You should click on her name and visit her site. She offers a ton of computer help and information, and she has a Cool Site every day. Sometimes they are educational, which is the case with Encyclopedia of Life.

The goal of this site is to create a database of all 1.8 million species on Earth, definitely a lofty goal. Here is the explanation from the site itself:

The Encyclopedia will be an online reference and database on all 1.8 million species currently known to science and will stay current by capturing information on newly discovered and formally described species. The Encyclopedia of Life will help all of us better understand life on our planet.

The coolest part is that the site wants people to contribute. What a cool research project for high school kids!
Check it out.

Timeliner XE and Research Tools

We have a new version of Timeliner in Virginia Beach Schools this year.  If you've used Timeliner previously, or just looked at it and decided you didn't like it, look again.  This version ROCKS.
To convince you of that, I invite you to look at the tutorials by clicking here.
Even the tutorial page looks cool.

Please don't think that Timeliner is limited to social studies courses.  I believe it can be used in every course.  This version involves a lot more multimedia, and students can even research on the web from within the program itself.

And speaking of research, here are two sites that are great for research projects.
First is Evernote, which allows collaborative notetaking--great for a group project.
Next is Notestar, where you can set up a free account for your classes and give students access to taking notes and keeping track of sources online. 
NO MORE PAPER AND INDEX CARDS!  Yay!!!

Math and Science Tools

Whenever I go to a technology conference, I've been trying to concentrate on attending sessions about teaching math and science with Web 2.0 tools and other technologies (beyond a calculator).

At the Computer Resource Specialist Conference this past August, I attended two sessions that gave us more information than the presenters could demonstrate in the time allotted.

The first is Interactive Excel Spreadsheets. When you go to the site, you will find a treasure chest of activities. The coolest aspect of this site is that it connects math and science. The presenters explained that when the science teacher used one of these activities, the students were able to comprehend math better.

The second is a wiki for the Hampton Roads Modeling and Simulation Initiative. On this wiki, you will find math and science lessons that use modeling and simulation to help the students learn. It's more like a real world lesson than just reading or talking about it.

Of course, our students love the web, so they will find these activities engaging. It will be fun to them. Imagine that.

Glogster

I have so many resources that I have learned recently, but the opening of school, from the time I returned at the beginning of August, has been so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to add any posts lately.

However, now that I am stuck at home for two weeks, I have finally found the time to share at least one resource.

I was introduced to this last year, but didn't do much with it.  Then Val in the social studies department reminded me of it this year and shared her Glog with me.  She suggested that Glogster is much better than the old school (my words) white poster board projects.

On Glogster, one can create a virtual poster, or Glog, using graphics, text, audio, video, and photos.  It's basically a mash-up.

The best part is that Glogster has a free education section, and you can register for up to 200 student accounts.  Students will not be able to access the other part of Glogster, so they will not be exposed to anything unsavory.

Not only will students be much more interested in working on this site than on poster board, but it also saves paper and space.  (Where do you put all those poster boards?)

To register, go to http://edu.glogster.com, and click on Register a Class.  Here's one that I created.  I don't feel free to share Val's since it's not mine.