March 2009 Blog Posts (259)

Observation/Evaluation

This morning I had my observation from our superintendant. I was able to showcase the new Mimio Interactive Whiteboard device I recently received. She was thrilled to say the least!! It was a great learning experience for me as I have been using it as a side tool to play with from time to time. This lesson made me step it up a notch and use it on a higher level.

I created a presentation that reviewed several math concepts with the kids and then went in to a lesson on telling time. It… Continue

Added by Tim on March 11, 2009 at 3:04pm — No Comments

Innovation and Creation: Some Thoughts

As I talk to people, friends and colleagues of mine, sometimes I hear a frustration and weariness in their voice. If the person is a teacher, I automatically think that maybe they are suffering from the "Burnout" syndrome. You may know teachers experiencing this. Often times it manifests itself via complaining about administration, the students, fellow teachers, the school district office... anyone involved in the school - maybe even themselves, though not normally.

However, it is… Continue

Added by Jeff Williams on March 11, 2009 at 11:14am — No Comments

How To Convert PowerPoint To SCORM Compliant Course

Overview of SCORM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is SCORM?

Wikipedia: SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based e-learning. It defines:

-- How to create Web-based learning content that can be delivered and tracked by… Continue

Added by SunnyY on March 11, 2009 at 4:46am — No Comments

Part II of Depossessing Your Possessions 소유물 소유하지 않기, 제2부

Last week we reminded ourselves that we cannot actually possess anything. We can grasp objects with our hands, we can store things in a cupboard, we can lock things in a vault, we can use human made laws to attempt to prove ownership of property, but ultimately no thing belongs to us. We cannot take anything with us when we go. The belief in possession is what keeps us trapped in subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) forms of insecurity. The fear of loss or damage drains our ability to relax and… Continue

Added by James Edward Charles Webber on March 11, 2009 at 2:39am — No Comments

Join us for IATEFL Cardiff online - 'one of the biggest global teacher

Join us for IATEFL Cardiff Online - 'one of the biggest global teacher

development events ever'

The Cardiff Online website is now live at:

http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2009

The 'Cardiff Online' project is British Council / IATEFL partnership

which will provide online conference coverage of this year's Cardiff

IATEFL Conference.

If you can't attend the Cardiff conference, follow the event online!

Cardiff Online will… Continue

Added by Graham Stanley on March 11, 2009 at 2:25am — No Comments

Open Source Goodies

So I read about a teacher who is taking care of all of her administrative needs with her computer. Her grade book talks to her report card maker. Her email is automated to notify parents if their child is tardy or absent more than four times in a row. Students can blog, take surveys, quizzes and test online. Students who are absent can quickly view the homework they need to make up. It's wired, it's effective, it's exactly where I want to be. Which begs the question...how do I get there, and if… Continue

Added by Jason Kornoely on March 10, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Kidspiration Mind Map

The Kidspiration project came easy to me once I figured out the basic functions of the program. I can see why this program is designed for kids, it is very simple to use, yet allows nearly limitless creative freedom. Since you are able to import your own pictures, any project you work on can have your own personal touch.

I enjoyed representing this aspect of my life via Kidspiration. This was much more enjoyable than writing a paper describing my friends and family. With… Continue

Added by Kristin McCloud on March 10, 2009 at 3:37pm — 1 Comment

Kidspiration

I really enjoyed making this. I liked picking out the pictures for everyone and also creating the characteristics. The prayers were a little difficult, but they really made me think. I liked that part of the assignment. I was forced to really think about something specifically to pray about that I could sum up in a few sentences.

It was hard for me to decide who I should and shouldn't include. There were so many people I could have put. I think it would be kind of cool to make some sort of… Continue

Added by Casey Boyd on March 10, 2009 at 2:48pm — 1 Comment

Is online education really an improvement over face to face ?

I've been visiting a variety of sites throughout the ed-tech blogosphere that tout the benefits of online classes and the necessity for students to experience asynchronous learning environments before they leave high school...and I get it...educators need to push the use of online and collaborative environments for students.

But I often wonder, are these experiences any more enriching than traditional face to face classes or are we all simply caught up in the novelty of using the… Continue

Added by Jovan D. Miles on March 10, 2009 at 2:40pm — 4 Comments

Where to put the X

I get asked, every now and then, what I do. It is a legitimate question that had no easy or short answer until now. I am the guy that knows where to put the X.

OK, what does that mean? It actually is the punch line to a short story about an engineer. He worked for a large company helping to develop a complex matrix of computers. In our troubled times he was forced to take an early retirement and let the company under less than agreeable circumstances. Financially he was solid and looked… Continue

Added by Bob.Snyder on March 10, 2009 at 1:35pm — 2 Comments

Teach Green Blog

Hello-

I wanted to share with everyone a new feature that was added to GM Education for teachers looking to incorporate lessons on technology, sustainability and the environment : http://www.gm.com/experience/education/blog/

We will be looking for future blog writers on the site, so if you are a green educator and… Continue

Added by Eden on March 10, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Kidspiration

I loved this activity. It was really fun to write about my friends and family. There really wasn't anything hard about this assement. There are many ways you can use this in a lesson. You could have kids use it, similar to how we did, and they can describe themselves and the different part of their lives so the teacher can get to know them. You can also use this program any time you wanted to make a web about whatever it is that your studying at that time.

Added by Tammy McGuirk on March 10, 2009 at 1:03pm — 1 Comment

Kidspiration

So I really liked using kidspiration. It was easy to use and was fun. I really think that it would be great to use in the classroom when teaching. Its a fun and easy way for a child to do an assignment. I personally liked using it for this assignment because when writing about my friends and family it made me realize what I have in my life. I knew how great all of the people on my web were, I mean obviously becacuse I chose them, but I never have really sat down and thought about how great they… Continue

Added by Erin Freese on March 10, 2009 at 12:55pm — 1 Comment

Kidspiration Mind Map

I really, really enjoyed using Kidspiration on the computer! For our class assignment we had to make a web mapping out our friends and family, using pictures and writing a little prayer for each person. This assignment did not take long but it was really great to actually use it, because I could realy grasp how useful it would be in the classroom.

This program is great for kids becuase it is not difficult to get the hang of and is easy to use. It is also great because you could use it with… Continue

Added by Kristen on March 10, 2009 at 12:38pm — 1 Comment

Inspiration kidspiration

This week we looked at a lot of different types of software that could be used in the classroom. One of them that we looked at in particular was called Kidspiration. Kidspiration is very useful for making mind maps, activities involving writing, or a variety of other things. What makes kidspiration great for classroom use is the fact that it will talk you through everything and explain what each icon means or what each picture is. It engages… Continue

Added by Julia Counts on March 10, 2009 at 8:40am — 1 Comment

Twitter Tip #6

Note to self:

Nothing says stop following like selling your products on Twitter. Stop selling and engage members in real tweets!

6. DON’T just talk about products & services

Again, think of the real world. A person who speaks about one thing, and one thing only, is either incredibly dull or clinically insane. If you are passionate about your business, industry, products then share your passion. I was recently working on…

Continue

Added by John Costilla on March 10, 2009 at 7:12am — No Comments

Creating Historical Timelines with Glogster (Part I)

Right now my students are working through a chunk of Canadian History, examining a series of events that lead up to Confederation. In order to have them understand this flow of events, and how they lead from one to another to the final creation of our country, I have asked students to create a timeline. Last year, on a similar chunk of history, I had students use xTimeline, but in the end I wasn't that pleased with the products the students… Continue

Added by Neil Stephenson on March 9, 2009 at 8:00pm — 3 Comments

blog #5

Blog 5

As a teacher, what range of Web 2.0 applications do you need to integrate into your web presence? What are your goals? What are your students’ needs? How best to facilitate communications with your students and their parents? What about your principal’s expectations and/or concerns?

The answers to these and other questions are to inform the discussion topic of a next blog entry.

Just recently, I just conducted our state of the schools address. One of the… Continue

Added by SHELDON SMITH on March 9, 2009 at 2:29pm — No Comments

"The Five Minds for the Future"

The new Bloom's taxonomy lists "creating," as the top level; consequently, I am quite interesed in developing lessons that encourage the creative mind. More importantly, I see the value of the "synthesizing" mind, perhaps because of the synthesis essay my students are required to write on the AP exam. I find this a particularly difficult skill for most of my students, however, I can clearly see now, especially after watching the video "The Networked Student," how becoming a "networker" teacher… Continue

Added by Donna Keeton on March 9, 2009 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment

"The Networked Student"

After viewing "The Networked Student" again, I have to admit that I have scruples about my students being the self-starters they need to be in order to be successful as a networked student. I have so many students, even today, who will sit and wait for me to lead them through the searching process because they "don't know what to do." It is frustrating, to say the least, when I give specific instructions and then have to go and lead the students by the hand through a project to get any… Continue

Added by Tracy Montgomery on March 9, 2009 at 1:09pm — 2 Comments