tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32083095389816674872024-02-19T02:13:26.181-05:00Take 5 for Techsharing a love for technology with other educators! Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-1905678455090517332020-05-26T17:25:00.001-04:002020-05-26T17:25:50.727-04:00Flipping the Classroom - Now More than Ever?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri";">Now more than ever before, the Flipped </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Classroom is becoming an integral part of the new
normal in </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Distance Learning.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri";">Originally coined in 2006 by two Colorado
High School Science teachers--<a href="https://g.co/kgs/AJMZQR" target="_blank">Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams</a>--</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">(& later made more popular with Khan Academy), the idea was to
pre-record lectures for student viewing so the in-person learning could be
deeper. And so the movement produced
tools and </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">resources
that grew into a worldwide blended learning environment in the classroom.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We saw those resources and ideology put to the hard test this year when teachers all over the world were thrust into using them. Technology companies responded by fine tuning their products as teachers gave in-the-field feedback. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And as teachers always do, they responded with fixes, work-arounds, and ways to use products that companies never thought of for their products. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The model we are using in our school is that a video lesson is posted on Google Classroom for students to view. The following day, teacher and students meet live on Zoom or Google Meet to review the material and Q&A. This model is done 3-5 times per week for major subjects. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Recording is done either by a screencast (with voice-over) or with the teacher filming the lesson where it is demonstrated on a white board or with manipulatives. I have found the comfort level of the teacher determines which way they prefer to Flip the lesson. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Today there are so many tools available to accommodate the different technology skill levels of educators. I try to work with my teachers according to what they are comfortable with using. Hopefully, we build on it until they can try new things or dive deeper into a tool.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And don't forget Classroom Expectations -- just as it's done in the brick and mortar building -- there is a set of rules for attendance that may include using correct name, muting on entry, no inappropriate virtual backgrounds. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">What tools are you using or looking to learn more about as we finish the school year or start the next one? Check
out these resources for ways to “Flip” your </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">classroom…
</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><a href="https://wke.lt/w/s/B32Buo">Screencastify</a></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><a href="https://wke.lt/w/s/B32Buo">, Zoom, G-Meet</a></span></div>
<br />Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-32667082801598595002020-05-26T14:33:00.000-04:002020-05-26T14:33:45.316-04:00ISTE2019 - Day 2The excitement in the Expo Hall was palpable.<br />
My mission today was to visit the people whose products I already use to say thank you, as well as check out new products that colleagues in the tech field were talking about with enthusiasm.<br />
I was not disappointed.<br />
The theme this year was STEM and all it was all around us: robotics, drones, electronics, circuits, and LEGOs -- Oh, My!!<br />
I played with LEGO Mindstorm robots (I co-coach a FLL LEGO League team) and <a href="https://littlebits.com/" target="_blank">Little Bits</a> circuits before stopping at the <a href="https://www.mackin.com/hq/mackinmaker/" target="_blank">MackinMaker</a> booth to see Dena O (@MissTechQueen) present on<br />
STEAM in the classroom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Bits circuits</td></tr>
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After checking out new toys, I took advantage of the mini sessions at various Booths. First up was a game of Kahoot - a game based online platform for quizzes. We actually played a combination of online & paper version on general knowledge -- great fun for us and I'm sure the kids will love it for interactive reviews.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KAHOOT game</td></tr>
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Next up was the FlipGrid booth where I took advantage of the flexible seating (an inflatable unicorn) to watch a #FLIPHUNT presentation by Kathi Kersznowski (@KathiKerz). <a href="https://flipgrid.com/" target="_blank">FlipGrid</a> is a website platform where teachers create "grids" that pose questions to students who respond in video form. A <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Fliphunt</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> is "a digital scavenger hunt that takes place on Flipgrid. You create the Tasks to engage your students and challenge them to show what they know with video Responses."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">So many possibilities for the classroom!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flipgrid booth</td></tr>
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<br />Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-62044748745013856342019-06-24T22:01:00.000-04:002019-06-26T09:14:16.901-04:00ISTE2019 - Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is absolutely my most favorite time -- ISTE! It is a time when I can be with my Tribe, those kindred spirits who speak my language, and relish in the most incredible sharing of ideas. It is also held in my hometown of Philadelphia - and I love going home. It is my nirvana.<br />
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First up today was a session on Merge Cubes. When I first saw these items about a year ago, I thought they were cool stress balls in a cube form. They are so much more. Using an app, the cube transforms into a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-T5Nv2rj7E" target="_blank">3D virtual object</a> spanning topics on solar systems, body systems, ecosystems, and even some games. There is even an app (Merge Object Viewer) that allows you to inspect your very own 3D design files before printing them! They are definitely being added to my STEM toolkit this year!<br />
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Learn more about the Merge company <a href="https://mergevr.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I took a little time before my next session to visit the Poster Sessions. This morning the theme was Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) and it was exciting to see what educators are doing in their classrooms with it. I love the Poster Sessions at ISTE because it shows real world classroom applications for a lot of the things happening in EdTech. (Some of the sessions have students showcasing their work!!)<br />
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The most exciting of the poster presenters was Kaitlyn Stenson, aka KinderNuggets, and her work with the littles using VR/AR, robots, and coding in her kinder classroom. She was so enthusiastic, and easily explained how she used the various tools -- a great display, too!<br />
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I followed this up with a session with one of my favorite EdTech leaders, Kasey Bell of Shake Up Learning. I love Kasey for her extensive resources in Google as well as her E-Books and new podcast with Matt Miller. She is generous and positive with her knowledge.<br />
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Today was about Learning Menus (Choice Boards). I love the idea of this resource and wanted to know more about implementing them in the classroom (as well as sharing with my colleagues). I wasn't disappointed! You can see what they are all about <a href="https://shakeuplearning.com/blog/the-teachers-guide-to-digital-choice-boards-suls008/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Monday will be about checking out the Expo Hall, Posters & a few more Sessions-- always a good time.<br />
Til tomorrow...Safe Surfing!<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Suzanne</span></i><br />
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<br />Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-62950933105746616222019-06-21T22:19:00.000-04:002019-06-21T22:19:04.899-04:00Summer Professional Development (in the comfort of your home...or beach...or poolside)<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reading (or Listening) for PD.</span></h3>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-e00af57f-7fff-c339-cc0c-472cb1a4daf0"><div dir="ltr" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">While you're building your reading list for the summer, whether at the beach, by the pool, or in a comfy chair, slip a few </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">books in that stretch your professional development. There are so many available for whatever topic you are interested in, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">so here are a few of my picks. Some allow you to practice a new skill and some are laced with humor -- all are good reads. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Try something new or share your picks in the comments. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I’ve curated a PDF list on my <a href="https://www.wakelet.com/" target="_blank">Wakelet</a> - See the list </span><a href="https://wke.lt/w/s/m0sI1f" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">HERE</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. I found it easy to curate from Amazon, but you can get the </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">books anywhere. (I do not receive compensation from Amazon). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Maybe reading is more than you want to do, so why not check out a Podcast? There is quite a resurgence of </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Educational Podcasters available these days. Most of my favorite bloggers (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://wke.lt/w/s/CWBJFn" target="_blank">see sidebar or click here</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">) are now using </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the medium and </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">it is great! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">The podcasts vary from short and sweet ideas to almost hour long themed casts with resources. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I use Podcast Republic for my Podcasts, but there are probably dozens of Apps based on your platform or preferences. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Some podcasts to check out: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Google Teacher Tribe by Matt Miller and Kasey Bell</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Ten-Minute Teacher Podcast by Vicki Davis</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Creative Classroom by John Spencer</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Truth for Teachers by Angela Watson</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The House of #EdTech by Christopher Nesi</span></span><br />
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PD in Your Flip Flops.</b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a plethora of workshops available online that let you pick and choose according to your schedule; some are live and others are archived for viewing at any time. Check out some of these free webinars: </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/twtcon-2019-teach-with-tech-online-conference-tickets-59165340125" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Teach with Tech Conference</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (TWTcon) July 22-24</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love this multi-day online conference -- it offers workshops on a variety of topics every hour for several days. It's pop-in/pop-out depending on your interests. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="font-family: "roboto" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TWTCON 2019 Teach With Tech Online Conference dates: July 22-24, 2019. Teachers participate in a wide range of sessions online that focus on classroom teaching strategies with technology. Come and see the new innovations in online learning technologies. Both free and paid tickets are available.”</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://simplek12.lpages.co/basicmembership-v1/?cc=btf_300_250" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simple K12</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - PD in your Bunny Slippers (all year)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Offers free basic membership, live and on-demand webinars, resources and community.</span></div>
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<a href="https://edu.google.com/teacher/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google for Educators</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - looking to hone your Google for Education skills, explore this site (all year)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are you doing for PD this summer? Share in the comments below...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Safe Surfing,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Suzanne</i></span></div>
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Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-560003639230095372019-05-13T22:17:00.002-04:002022-05-11T18:23:29.097-04:00🎶These are a Few of my Favorite (Organizational) Things<h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Throughout my career as an EdTech Teacher and Coach, I have sampled enough new “hot” and</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“latest/greatest” </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">products to realize that it is overwhelming to expect teachers to use everything that </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">rolls down the pike. That sense of </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">so much to choose from is often the barrier to using anything </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">at all. </span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-9be4d233-7fff-4c49-5a57-2d26546d12ae" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Over the years, I have come to rely on the tried and true tools that truly help me get things done, </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">be organized -- both </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">efficiently and easily. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep it Simple</span></span></h3>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">As part of my job (and really, my natural curiosity) I read blogs, scan social media, attend workshops </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and talk </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">to colleagues in my field to stay up on what’s new in technology in the classroom and how </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">teachers are using it. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">I try to keep my personal tool kit simple so I can get the most out of it. One </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre;">of my multi-purpose go-to products is Google Suite. </span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Besides using it personally, our school decided to become a Google school several years ago. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It has made the management </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">of my classroom so much easier. While I admit Office Suite products are </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">more robust in features, the Google package </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">has made seamless work of assignments, </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">communication, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">collaboration, and work anywhere worth the sacrifice. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">With the Education version, </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">we also have unlimited </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">storage for Google Drive. Plus, it has eliminated the “dog ate </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">my homework” </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">and “it just deleted” excuses </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">from students. And for the most part, the Google team listens to </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">feedback. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Reading Blogs in One Place</span></h3>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I look to others in my field to help keep me current. I rely on those Bloggers who seem to have </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">endless </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">energy and </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">resources to keep me up-to-date on how they are using various tools. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">As my collection of </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">bloggers started to increase, I </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">wanted </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>one place </i></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to read them all. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">These are the people who regularly </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">post wonderful ideas, resources, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">and most </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">importantly, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">are generously ready to share when I have questions. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I use <a href="https://feedly.com/" target="_blank">Feedly</a> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">to subscribe to my favorite experts’ blogs. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It is cross platform (website & device app) </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">and I catch up </span></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">on all my reading in one place. (<i>See my list of fav bloggers on the sidebar</i>.) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">For all the websites I visit to keep up on online resources, finding a place to keep them all -- whether </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">for me, colleagues, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">or my students, I absolutely love </span><a href="https://www.symbaloo.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre;" target="_blank">Symbaloo</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">. Symbaloo is a website-based </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">tool that </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">lets you create tiles that link to websites. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">Tiles can be organized through “webmix” tabs, </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">can be color coded, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">and shared. Visually, I love it and have my webmixes </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">curated by </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">subject and color. I have been using the free version for many, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">many years and last year </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">started using </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Teacher premium. I can share out a Webmix to my students for a particular project or to my colleagues for some Classroom Tools.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9INcJ-1lgGNlpYi6WhutyVieQ4p5ZHOvmnPFj03lsIfuU3CdSiHnijQldScDUfnav_9yjP9BHyVLAocBwJeqxQAUNY6M90gqNTv-pzqdN5Vw7LigLVG8J9aZ8PifVX_2lh7bpL7lRRSo/s1600/symbalooshot.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="487" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9INcJ-1lgGNlpYi6WhutyVieQ4p5ZHOvmnPFj03lsIfuU3CdSiHnijQldScDUfnav_9yjP9BHyVLAocBwJeqxQAUNY6M90gqNTv-pzqdN5Vw7LigLVG8J9aZ8PifVX_2lh7bpL7lRRSo/s400/symbalooshot.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I have also recently started using <a href="https://wakelet.com/" target="_blank">Wakelet</a>, another website based curation product, for my lesson </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">plan ideas. This website </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">allows me to use an add-on in Chrome to save things as I find them online. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I can add any </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">number of items, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">from images, websites, videos, and more. So far, it has been a nice addition to my toolkit. (and it’s free)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Classroom Discussions and More</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Another tool that I use quite often in my classroom is <a href="https://padlet.com/" target="_blank">Padlet</a> (formerly Wallwisher). The app is </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">similar to a bulletin board </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">where you can post/display various items -- like images, links, notes,</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">and videos. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">While originally free for unlimited use, last year a cap was put on the free plan </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">limiting it at three. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8441HyZBfU6zmGBS1gzVSTyTo-ZMGLZRbnHnrLrO39EpFCIgslwG7P5R9LGo3FD_2iMzRXctAQdvGMqJ0Pbfc9Ih3Nzb6uNIyx_Novzh7mhWEuctPWRhqOwZTvCv4YyC7eOwp1zslMw/s1600/padlet1.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="1000" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8441HyZBfU6zmGBS1gzVSTyTo-ZMGLZRbnHnrLrO39EpFCIgslwG7P5R9LGo3FD_2iMzRXctAQdvGMqJ0Pbfc9Ih3Nzb6uNIyx_Novzh7mhWEuctPWRhqOwZTvCv4YyC7eOwp1zslMw/s320/padlet1.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XMO6HmjWlf-gyEck45zGCD4q3PEvLvYHzY9-T1Ap9EHmmcu_YuIPeX6jElh1fGTk7nt2T54A9eAlO92GtrcB1qObH6ZShsIMIvMO164QKgciY8fJJPmlSQnlhNUUh3R_94OiN22ZIGc/s1600/padlet2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="811" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XMO6HmjWlf-gyEck45zGCD4q3PEvLvYHzY9-T1Ap9EHmmcu_YuIPeX6jElh1fGTk7nt2T54A9eAlO92GtrcB1qObH6ZShsIMIvMO164QKgciY8fJJPmlSQnlhNUUh3R_94OiN22ZIGc/s320/padlet2.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I love using it as a discussion tool for my classes as well as way to display mixed media projects. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It almost always plays </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">into a lesson for feedback and idea sharing with my students. I post a </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">question or comment and students can reflect on it, </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">adding </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">videos or images, even links to other resources. There is a comment feature </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">which allows my students to exchange </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">ideas with each other. This is especially great for those </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">students who would </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">rather not speak up in class, </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">but have incredible thoughts to add to the discussion. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Workshop & PD Notes</span></b></h3>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The final tool that I use quite often (and for many years now) is <a href="https://evernote.com/" target="_blank">Evernote</a>. This cross platform app </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">has seen me through </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">every workshop I have ever attended. It allows me to take notes, add links </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">and photos, and organize it all in a “note” by </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">date. I use it exclusively at workshops as it easily </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">allows me to organize with titles, locations, tags, and notebooks. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large; white-space: pre;">This is free with an upgrade option. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">These are a few of my favorite things that keep me organized. What keeps you in check? </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Tell me what are your favorite things.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><i style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links on this page - I make no profit from recommendations</span></i></span></div>
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Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-82760222342273765152019-05-13T12:14:00.000-04:002019-05-14T17:52:15.970-04:0010+ Tech Projects for ILA<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">One of the things I love to do with my teachers is find an </span></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">add-on project that is technology-based </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">for their lessons. And when </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">it comes to Integrated Language Arts, there are a plethora of ways for students to express their understanding of a topic. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here are just 10 of my favorites (and a bonus +1)</span></b></i></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy_MTaXOlZYcnAV1TMtwLWgcYbL6bOKshr2j476UReSAjzL9DeFTKwMHfyi3NYQpgwXQ1UdeDu37JB2v3tZOQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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1. Movie Trailers</b> - I generally have students pick their favorite book and make a movie trailer for it. When they finish </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">the trailer, they make a sign with the book jacket and a QR Code that is hung outside the library. (iMovie, Animoto, </span><a href="https://spark.adobe.com/" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Adobe Spark</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Video, PhotoStory, </span><a href="https://www.wevideo.com/education" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">WeVideo</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>2. Comic Strip</b> - students choose a scene from a book and create a comic strip (6-panel). (</span><a href="https://www.powtoon.com/edu-home/" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Powtoon</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Google Slide, </span><a href="https://www.storyboardthat.com/" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">StoryboardThat</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>3. Infographic</b> - a poster that highlights one or more characters: features quotes, character traits; ideas are endless. (</span><a href="https://www.storyboardthat.com/" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Canva</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Adobe Spark, </span><a href="https://edu.glogster.com/" style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Glogster</a><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4p8QQDzG2fv86kn6BEo4zL9DmHekEiXIdLJnC1-AJlkjQRbLnRV8pmQ1zNfoWNB4kh3Vzcq9qaq8pAaJ8ztaQ78FSfUtkF2we3pxbUj7qrzVrBPgNeaYTbgFKYoih3SC-S37Y476P7Y/s1600/QRCodepaper.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="664" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4p8QQDzG2fv86kn6BEo4zL9DmHekEiXIdLJnC1-AJlkjQRbLnRV8pmQ1zNfoWNB4kh3Vzcq9qaq8pAaJ8ztaQ78FSfUtkF2we3pxbUj7qrzVrBPgNeaYTbgFKYoih3SC-S37Y476P7Y/s200/QRCodepaper.PNG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">QR Code for Book Trailer</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Reader Theater</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - scene/summary of a book or my favorite: assigning parts and having the students act them out and create sound effects. (Audacity, Garage Band)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Podcast</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> - interview a character from a book (Audacity, GarageBand)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Brochure</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - character/place as a tourist tri-fold (Google Slides, Power Point, Publisher)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>7. Fake Social Media</b> - conversations using fake social media templates, this can be done digitally or on paper (</span><a href="https://www.classtools.net/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">ClassTools</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Twitter, Fakebook templates)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Wanted Poster</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - create posters for the antagonist or other characters (Canva, Adobe Spark Page, Slides)</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-5lrFhAYz4BTIm2GSulxoyW-B8v8z2r1NxhtiYcBBcsKdWM8nX9Aoc0a0eh8H7eGRBvSobohQvTWssMcUkGNFED2zRGmX7_xTEweB75MPllCkkAbQ08RIbcIaTy2fV-k6J9_HvfhPDw/s1600/wonder+comic.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="734" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-5lrFhAYz4BTIm2GSulxoyW-B8v8z2r1NxhtiYcBBcsKdWM8nX9Aoc0a0eh8H7eGRBvSobohQvTWssMcUkGNFED2zRGmX7_xTEweB75MPllCkkAbQ08RIbcIaTy2fV-k6J9_HvfhPDw/s320/wonder+comic.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Google Slides Comic Strip Panel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. Webpage</b><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - showcase understanding of characters, plot, theme (Adobe Spark website, Google Sites)</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>10. Stop Animation</b> - recreate a scene from novel study using stop motion. My favorite so far has been from the book <u>Wonder</u>. (Lego Animation iOS app, Google Slides, </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://heronanimation.brunolefevre.net/" style="white-space: pre;">HeronAnimation</a> ) </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /><span style="white-space: pre;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><i><br /></i></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><i>BONUS</i></u></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i>:</i> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://bighugelabs.com/" target="_blank">BigHugeLabs</a> -- create Trading Cards, Movie Posters, Magazine Covers, </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cubes </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to showcase </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">characters, theme, and summaries</span> </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What are your favorite resources or tools for integrating technology into your lessons?</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: There are no affiliate links on this page - I make no profit from recommendations</span></i></span></div>
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Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-73184243336619774592018-04-22T23:39:00.001-04:002018-04-24T19:30:50.578-04:00Integrating Tech Really Does Pay Off<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Trying new things is scary, especially in technology. And with all the new tools that come out every year it can be</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">downright daunting. Where to begin? It is overwhelming when you already have a full plate just keeping up with</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">day to day responsibilities. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">As a Tech coordinator in my school, I try to share out cool and engaging resources as I come across them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">I research tools so I can see how they play out in the classroom and then recommend them to teachers who might </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">like to try them. I think it’s important to keep the teacher in mind when I try new things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">Of course, my true guinea pigs are my students. If I like something, I will try it in class first, incorporating it into a </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">lesson. My classes will give me feedback on the new tool so I can judge if it’s lesson-worthy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">Over the years I have refined my go-to tools and use them regularly--the others I use for specific projects as they </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">fit. I will say as a caveat -- I do not use technology for the sake of it -- and do not recommend it for that reason </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">either. It must serve a purpose to furthering the learning process and it must make the teacher’s job easier. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">With that said, I also think it’s important for lessons to be looked at and refreshed from time to time. After 17 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">years, I readily admit that even I get bored with some lessons. I often survey students afterward to see what </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">worked and what didn’t. I adjust the lesson delivery or abandon it altogether. I find something new to make </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the topic more interesting. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So with all that’s available, how do you know what’s right for you? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reach out! Talk to your edtech person (if you have one), talk to your colleagues, get on social media!! There</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">is a plethora of resources online. There is one thing that I know and yet am always surprised by and that’s the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">generosity of teachers. People are using and creating curriculum resources every day. Why reinvent the wheel? </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">Over the years I have found some tried and true sites that offer fantastic ideas. There are also innovative </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">leaders in education who are on social media and sharing their stuff all the time (blogs, twitter, Facebook). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre;">Check my links on the sidebar and at the end of this article for some of these people.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">To avoid the “try it all and use nothing” syndrome -- PICK 1 THING. Pick one thing to try in a lesson and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">use it until you’re comfortable with it. Once it becomes part of your teaching toolbox, try something else. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But, give it a chance. Try it with your kids and reflect on its effectiveness. Soon your arsenal will grow </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and become refined. If you have trouble, get help first. If after you’ve tried it and it doesn’t work or </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">infuse something into your lessons--move on. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Trying new things is scary, but sometimes the payoff is how the student remembered the information </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">because of the way it’s presented or how they were engaged in it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Last night I ran into a former student. This was a kid who I worried about. He didn’t always get his </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">work done--but when he did, it was inspired. He told me how well he was doing, an A student now. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He made a point of saying how well I had prepared him. He had even shown his teacher some </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">things he had learned with me. (I beamed inside). Sometimes you don’t get the affirmation you want </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">at the time, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t made an impact where it counts. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Take a look at your lessons. Find one that has some dust on it. Blow the dust off and infuse some </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">new life into it. Your students might actually thank you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Some of my favorite</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> <a href="https://bit.ly/2Fhr1YA" target="_blank">Teacher Tweeters</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Pinterest</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> is a great resource for whatever you’re looking for - personal or professional</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Teachers Pay Teachers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (TPT) - free and paid lesson plans</span></span></div>
<br />Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-39491681150532113922018-04-12T22:12:00.003-04:002018-04-23T21:19:07.116-04:00Going Google Suite <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66oZl2fmq1uN_0VRpML4NOrn7HX9uW8ijBlOrJIr79eIRfT40wjpQe2uA_JdR7DkH27ZptH3snJMcX1ASG0ZRObqhlaMnFBEiSDG6Q0tVq04FgoFPisKzcmNoozafIFpXRS9-y_7PmUM/s1600/gsuite_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="660" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66oZl2fmq1uN_0VRpML4NOrn7HX9uW8ijBlOrJIr79eIRfT40wjpQe2uA_JdR7DkH27ZptH3snJMcX1ASG0ZRObqhlaMnFBEiSDG6Q0tVq04FgoFPisKzcmNoozafIFpXRS9-y_7PmUM/s320/gsuite_logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Our school went Google 2 years ago and some days I wonder how I went without it for so long.<br />
The training was very important in order to make for a smooth roll out. Since our goal was to have the middle school at 1:1 in the classroom, we started the full suite there. Two teachers took the Google Certified Educator training so they could be additional point people in the building. Every teacher on campus started with the basics of gmail/calendar as well as Sites for their class webpages.<br />
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I have slowly worked my way down to the fourth grade and will continue building skills with them for the rest of the year. My goal is to add the third grade next. While it's great to work with the kids in the computer lab, the success lies in the teachers using it in the classroom.<br />
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Classroom has changed the way I deliver instruction in my classes. I can put a whole lesson together in one place (including resources, weblinks, reflections, and assessments). The best part of all is that regardless of the hardware platform being used (Apple, Windows, etc), every student can access the work. The Forms App allows me to ask questions, quiz, survey, or use Exit tickets with my students (and fellow teachers).<br />
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The Share feature within the Apps (docs, slides, sheets) has the students creating and collaborating on work in a way they couldn't before. The G-Suite is working great with our Chromebooks and the Admin Console allows us to control the permissions for what students can (and can't) do.<br />
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I have been able to access my work wherever I am, reply to student questions or comments easily, and update or edit things on the fly. I wholly recommend G-Suite if you are thinking of taking your class or school in that direction. Be prepared for some bumps, but in the long run, it's well worth it.<br />
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<br />Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-45335962590388023032018-04-03T20:57:00.003-04:002018-04-04T21:08:18.824-04:00Back in the Saddle Again<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I have to explain the big gap in posts here -- I know it is not the way to keep an audience, but I hope you will </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">stay</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">along for the ride. I promise some really exciting Ed-Tech tips and applications and maybe a guest </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">post or two. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Over the last 2 years, we rolled out Google for Education, (originally GAFE) now renamed Google Suite, in our </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">K-8 school. If you have done this you know that it involves multi-level training that includes teachers, students, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">staff and parents -- and a lot of planning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In addition, we have added close to 100 chromebooks in our middle school. All along the way, new ideas for </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">professional development and apps took a priority. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I hope to bring my experiences with the roll out to you and offer something that might be helpful. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">To add some fun to my days, I also added robots to the mix. Initially, I introduced my students to Ozobots--they </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">clamored for them. And this year, we started a team and joined the First Lego League using the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">EVO Mindstorm. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It’s been a busy time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So forgive the lapse and I hope you stick around to see what’s new and helpful! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">And remember to Take 5 for Tech...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Thank you,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "lobster"; font-size: 14pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Suzanne</i></span></div>
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Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-38640565850472473782015-05-19T17:17:00.000-04:002015-05-19T17:29:54.099-04:00Digital Storytelling with Story Jumper <br />
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<img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0s0nFV6BDIUey6_C1Ua_1Sy2hQijM0JToDUummqg1LNajsvcRYVaH6qbRu_mZcaze06Pusahw3AOdDcYsv03HfdRAM1Hd7l17R4vzhjTgiGW0F2mOoMyZZ8NZlQResXNzNYyR8RNwQE/s320/storyJumper.png" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the most interesting parts of my job is trying out new technology and resources for my teachers. I love experimenting with different tools and finding ways to use them in lessons. I also enjoy watching my students use a new resource and make it their own. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the surprise hit picks this year was </span><a href="https://www.storyjumper.com/main/help" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">StoryJumper</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. StoryJumper is a digital storytelling website that allows you to write, illustrate and create a digital book. The site provides prompts and illustrations or allows you to create your own from scratch. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">According to the website: "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>StoryJumper is a site that gives teachers, students, parents, and authors a fun set of intuitive tools for writing and illustrating stories. Our goal is to inspire anyone that's ever wanted to write an illustrated story to get started!</i>"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In our cross-curricular project with ILA, Art, Media Center & Technology, 6th grade students created a retelling of the classic fairy tales. They rewrote a chosen fairy tale and illustrated each page, then scanned each illustration as a .JPG file so they could upload the pictures into StoryJumper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Once completed, StoryJumper compiles the text and pictures into a story book, which can then be viewed or shared digitally as well as ordered in various options of paperback, hardcover or digital versions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">The kids did a fantastic job with the project - and their final books were awesome. They learned that writing and editing went hand in hand - even if it was hard work - it was well worth the end result. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Our school ordered a copy of each book for our library and we had a book signing with the students when they were delivered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm sure there are a multitude of ideas and uses for this website - our students were truly engaged for this. Teachers can sign up and use it for free. </span><br />
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Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-75959366340664894632014-08-07T22:14:00.001-04:002014-08-07T22:14:15.501-04:00EDMODOCON 2014Yesterday I spent the entire day in the most awesome PD -- 9 hours of amazing presentations that have me invigorated for the new school year. I encourage you to try <a href="http://www.edmodo.com/" target="_blank">Edmodo</a> -- not just with your students but for yourself and the community of sharing it offers. I have come to find that teachers are the most generous group of people on the planet -- they embrace sharing: ideas, resources, and time. There is a community group for everything in education and then some.<br />
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In a few days the archives of the presentations will be up and I highly recommend checking them out -- totally worth it! From assessment ideas to connecting with students on a new level--but most importantly, bringing the passion for your students' stories and making them the star of the show. As the dynamic Steve Dembo of Discovery Education said in his Keynote closing, "Make your classroom activities a story worth reading, not a bullet point!"<br />
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<br />Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-14767582669415030182014-08-05T00:29:00.002-04:002014-08-05T00:29:20.599-04:00Time Away and Time Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been away from my blog for some time. It has been a time of personal and professional reflection and growth. Sometimes we have to step back and get a view of the big picture, it really does help with focus. I feel reinvigorated and ready to share again (not to mention prepare for the upcoming school year).<br />
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My time off has not been without learning. We implemented an iPad mini cart program for our school as well as getting the teachers on board with iPads in their classrooms. It has been a learning process for me as well as everyone involved. Some really great projects have come out of it already, though! (I'd love to hear how you are using devices in your classes).<br />
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One of my favorite projects this year was using <i>StopMotion</i> on the minis with my 5th grade class. They were asked to chose a scene from the book <u>Wonder</u> and create a stop animation movie using whatever they wanted for the characters. Such creativity -- we had everything from Legos, goldfish crackers, a mix of action figures, to drawings! The kids were great and their imagination was boundless.<br />
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Sadly, because we used the free version, I have yet to figure out how to share these videos beyond our school. But, these are the things that come with new endeavors and technology integration. Some of my teachers are also finding cool uses for the minis as they do research and instant assessment with their students. It seems the possibilities are endless.<br />
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I just finished some certifications and have some ideas I want to flesh out for the new year. The #Edtech chats on Twitter are always food for thought. There are a few learning adventures (PD conferences) coming up -- maybe I'll see some of you at TeachMeetNJ or online at EdmodoCon -- possibly even at the DiscoveryEducation VirtCon.<br />
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Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsdkrebs/6400358699/in/photolist-aKzvE4-efoWfy-4XaZuB-t1UBo-6rtuia-5zAruA-dZE3LC-8qq2tS-Ry1qd-dqBXrD-dV2F84-8KvuR-7aaDP9-7bGfVq-dGFJ4M-7vUb5p-4v572g-7JoDj-4Xb2r1-o1eK7M-4DWxXR-8mqTuM-7ENXBZ-7aeJwV-9pNWFZ-arQ9ML-4Xo8u9-4PEpKr-7aeocB-555QaA-4DiqyU-65ibzb-bLHrwi-bJDCZK-mAhFYW-96xajV-eiRYcK-7af57R-asGg7J-4CRSyD-nK7kRW-aX6FZk-4qKB2b-eWf2hQ-5Wfzsv-hE6tMa-iswbBn-9yJX7H-8yG5X4-4XaZun/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-64051123532814162102013-04-22T12:09:00.001-04:002013-04-22T12:09:53.800-04:00Our Very Hungry CaterpillarsI love using <a href="http://www.animoto.com/" target="_blank">Animoto</a> with my younger students. They create wonderful pictures on a theme that we are studying and through this cool website, their work becomes an award-winning movie (well in our minds anyway)! <br />
Animoto allows you to select a theme, upload pictures, add text, choose music--and in a flash a video is produced. My kids all think it's magic and you know, in a way it is! <br />
Check out my 2nd grade's latest creation - a take on Eric Carle's <u>Very Hungry Caterpillar:</u><br />
<a href="http://animoto.com/play/gusP0vbGc2T4BX8wdTF1ww">Our Very Hungry Caterpillars</a>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-50764287126427151892012-06-23T16:27:00.001-04:002012-06-23T16:27:42.882-04:00EDMODO - Not Just a Great Place to Network...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I discovered <a href="http://www.edmodo.com/" target="_blank">Edmodo</a> about a year ago through a workshop I attended. It has been a fantastic addition to my Professional Learning Network (PLN) and a great source for ideas and solutions. According to Edmodo, they "provide teachers and students a secure place to connect and collaborate," reaching over 7 million educators and students globally. But it is just so much more. <br />
I have used it to connect with communities I am interested in as well as join groups that are formed for more fine-tuned specialties. You can create groups (public or private) and share resources via a library, create polls, quizzes, assignments, notes, alerts, and more. <br />
It is a great way to teach with Social Media for your students: facilitating discussions, feedback through polls, or using assignments and grading on the go. Edmodo is web based and offers mobile apps so everyone can access the site. A plus for students! My colleagues test drove it in our middle school classes this year and the response was positive--and the kids loved it! <br />
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Following that success, we decided to change our school PLN to the site to facilitate more sharing among our teachers. We used the last part of our faculty meeting to get everyone into the computer lab to sign up and into our Group. So far it has been a place where idea and resource sharing is building! <br />
Safe Surfing!<br />
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<br />Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-38588018510079956972012-04-18T18:48:00.002-04:002012-04-18T18:48:44.416-04:00Social Learning Summit!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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April 21, 2012 -- Join the partnership this year between Discovery Education and Classroom 2.0 as they present a day of learning -- The Social Learning Summit -- a worldwide one-day free virtual conference! The theme this year is the use of Social Media and Web 2.0 in teaching and learning. Come join the fun (and learning)! The conference URL is <a href="http://www.sociallearningsummit.com/">http://www.SocialLearningSummit.com</a>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-40957021006619622422011-12-20T10:29:00.000-05:002011-12-20T10:29:48.677-05:00Looking like a Movie Producer was never easier!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-nIK2QQSgPLiRneaBQ_m0g_PbWZlxoU1fxXs-Eox8naVkBFJ2ZUJWezBb9YkzrtzeG37mq5o3hSbPTAVIId26cCPQ68sD1t5NNwAw9gDWDZOlMc7VXbglj81zTlTrFOICQ2nmfOetqs/s1600/Animoto+press-logo_c6d889b13aa1aa4a4b8283c7d6f8f545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-nIK2QQSgPLiRneaBQ_m0g_PbWZlxoU1fxXs-Eox8naVkBFJ2ZUJWezBb9YkzrtzeG37mq5o3hSbPTAVIId26cCPQ68sD1t5NNwAw9gDWDZOlMc7VXbglj81zTlTrFOICQ2nmfOetqs/s1600/Animoto+press-logo_c6d889b13aa1aa4a4b8283c7d6f8f545.jpg" /></a></div>I have been using a digital storytelling website in my classroom for the last year that I absolutely <em>ADORE</em>! It's fast and easy and makes me (and my students) look like a movie-making genius (ok so the secret is out). The site, <a href="http://animoto.com/education">http://Animoto.com/education</a>, is fantastic for creating all types of wonderful videos with a plethora of themes. It's as simple as uploading pictures/images & sorting them, choosing a theme, choosing music, and pushing a button! Animoto takes care of the rest. Within a few minutes, the video is finished and ready to download or share. <br />
Last month, I had my 2nd grade illustrate the parts of the <a href="http://animoto.com/play/84PvFOXMDth8jyraFBFlug" target="_blank">Lifecycle of a Butterfly</a> in MS Paint. I saved the drawings as jpg files and uploaded them to Animoto. We picked a theme (sky and clouds) and a song "Elusive Butterfly" by Geoff Byrd - and let Animoto do its magic. The students, teachers, and parents were thrilled. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyOZuZp6GgudYfRzzf6g9w3_79bHxBrDW801m7bmVmb1s66S589r6EppIv7kRC1eKjh21fUi5JYsfPZop8i7A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Recently, I did the same as they drew different scenes from the Nativity story (music by Steven Curtis Chapman -- O Little Town Of Bethelehem). It was beautiful. Check it out.<strong> </strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Animoto offers several pricing plans from Lite (free/limited) to professional, but educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus account for use in the classroom. It's worth it whatever plan you choose !</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-28784955859466308762011-10-22T17:10:00.000-04:002011-10-22T17:10:03.229-04:00SYMBALOO - a great visual website bookmarking & sharing site<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZutvur4vr6lfT0N3CY2IG-bG2X3wmkQOt0-79PUf4NcWQnMLRw_gRvglUPIGCBNgJ7w2a391WI0O36lvYtFN1TJOXTPe6AgFbsIOJhUbHNR6KHoWgdOVYI8-9fBSjUuROVuS8pGSra8/s1600/Symbaloo_EDU_Avatar_normal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZutvur4vr6lfT0N3CY2IG-bG2X3wmkQOt0-79PUf4NcWQnMLRw_gRvglUPIGCBNgJ7w2a391WI0O36lvYtFN1TJOXTPe6AgFbsIOJhUbHNR6KHoWgdOVYI8-9fBSjUuROVuS8pGSra8/s1600/Symbaloo_EDU_Avatar_normal.png" /></a></div>I love sharing websites finds with my colleagues! Most of the online resources that I have used for sharing or bookmarking my favorite websites have been linear tools that I can put into a category--not always user friendly for the people I share with regularly. Recently at a workshop (NJAET) I was introduced to a visual bookmarking and sharing site called Symbaloo. It is wonderful - as I am a visual person - I can organize my sites by color tiles all at a glance. <div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The best part is that I can also share my "webmixes" with others through a simple link. I even used a "webmix" for a recent Professional Development workshop on literacy and technology. (Click here to check it out: <a href="http://edu.symbaloo.com/mix/pdworkshops"><span style="color: #0066bb;">Casey PD</span></a>) </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">My tiles are tabbed and include educational technology websites, classroom links, and professional resources. And again, they're all in one place -- easily editable and organizable! You can also access from any computer -- simply log in on any device with internet access. <br />
<a href="http://www.symbaloo.com/" iecleanurl="http://www.symbaloo.com"><span style="color: #0066bb;">SYMBALOO</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHzoIFyt4g0QMWp3gKxeLN55PXoMck-BszbMOxIwnIUycFc5oZp2nnOyklYX0ZzQtKTe6z2K1TJ5bJRBUHV9c9jm7KjEATWgr3FMMItSzQcQSnCuyts-PiSpIkUp2DOiVh6pWcUygO0c/s1600/Symbaloo+screen+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHzoIFyt4g0QMWp3gKxeLN55PXoMck-BszbMOxIwnIUycFc5oZp2nnOyklYX0ZzQtKTe6z2K1TJ5bJRBUHV9c9jm7KjEATWgr3FMMItSzQcQSnCuyts-PiSpIkUp2DOiVh6pWcUygO0c/s320/Symbaloo+screen+shot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Like any of the new Web 2.0 tools, there seems to be several levels that offer different accessibility. The SymbalooEdu site has a free version, as well as various subscription options -- obviously with added features as the price goes up. So far I have been fine with the free version. </div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br />
</div>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-24479882559488173262011-07-04T13:17:00.001-04:002011-07-04T13:19:53.963-04:00ISTE 2011 - Final Day !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPvG5YxLU2plaXtP7oabhbctLrlAAx2LSBjGrlj7mfefXLAhAsgK-S0no0mte6560baC0CcfYpXh_IyPATNT-W5NLX1YhL88bIl_-f8hYMRKPyG5taFcL-a3Bv0h8dA6pbCbqUgDSKz8/s1600/DSCN1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPvG5YxLU2plaXtP7oabhbctLrlAAx2LSBjGrlj7mfefXLAhAsgK-S0no0mte6560baC0CcfYpXh_IyPATNT-W5NLX1YhL88bIl_-f8hYMRKPyG5taFcL-a3Bv0h8dA6pbCbqUgDSKz8/s200/DSCN1965.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"> <o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> </v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas><v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 139.8pt; margin-left: -24pt; margin-top: -13.8pt; position: absolute; width: 104.8pt; z-index: -2;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-35 0 -35 21574 21600 21574 21600 0 -35 0"> <v:imagedata o:title="DSCN1965" src="file:///C:\Users\Suzanne\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"> <w:wrap type="tight"> </w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>Now it’s time to say goodbye…</o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></o:lock></v:path></v:stroke><br />
<br />
Well, the conference is finally over – I am tired and my brain is full! What a great way to start my summer break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city> was showcasing all that is good about it this week. We learned so much, took in some local sites, sounds, and food, and made some new friends… I am the eternal student!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><v:shape id="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 107.6pt; margin-left: 294.2pt; margin-top: 70.2pt; position: absolute; width: 143.25pt; z-index: -1;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-35 0 -35 21554 21600 21554 21600 0 -35 0"> <v:imagedata o:title="Pirates in the cybercafe" src="file:///C:\Users\Suzanne\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image003.jpg"> <w:wrap type="tight"> </w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>Today we started early with a workshop on <u>Copyright Clarity-Using Copyrighted Material for Digital Learners</u> with Renee Hobbs (founder <a href="http://mediaeducationlab.com/"><span style="color: blue;">of Media Education Lab</span></a> at <st1:place><st1:placetype>Temple</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype></st1:place>). I admit, this was most interesting for me since I am hyper aware of what I am teaching the kids on how to use digital media. I felt so free after this session--there is so much mis-information out there about use of digital media, not only in the classroom, but in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">After absorbing all we could about Copyright law, Marcie and I headed over to a Promethean session on <u>Partner Created Resources</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the sites we visited was <a href="http://www.myvocabulary.com/"><span style="color: blue;">MyVocabulary</span></a> – a great interactive site dedicated to building vocabulary skills, as well as <a href="http://www.spellingcity.com/"><span style="color: blue;">VocabularyCity</span></a>—both free resource sites that work really well with interactive boards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also visited the <a href="http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/education/teachers/"><span style="color: blue;">Georgia Aquarium</span></a>—there’s so much out there! </div>We took a few minutes to tool around the Exhibit Hall to visit with some of our favorite vendors and...<o:p> </o:p><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNNYJFDuZjCWPJC4pyzQm7o1A7ynYfDxuXZfpPx4JKh1AnYkAzOUkl9yyrPWqP2Gk3jhpeGEctIhwv7YH_Pufp0BtvgsvR_xZn6vkUePPwTygcpd72F4-fDShkqvaAi_9FhOHEIwHaTE/s1600/Pirates+in+the+cybercafe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNNYJFDuZjCWPJC4pyzQm7o1A7ynYfDxuXZfpPx4JKh1AnYkAzOUkl9yyrPWqP2Gk3jhpeGEctIhwv7YH_Pufp0BtvgsvR_xZn6vkUePPwTygcpd72F4-fDShkqvaAi_9FhOHEIwHaTE/s200/Pirates+in+the+cybercafe.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Back to work…next up was a very <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">interesting</i> and enlightening session: “Yeah, But…Answering Top 10 Arguments Against Change.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The presenters were authors of a book called <u><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Personal-Learning-Networks-Connections-Transform/dp/193554327X"><span style="color: blue;">Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education</span></a></span></u>, Will Richardson and Rob Mancabelli. </div><br />
The session focused on the changes we face moving into the 21<sup>st</sup> Century classroom and the reasons why people are resistant to those changes—and more importantly how to overcome the “yeah, but” response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The audience used <a href="http://fluidsurveys.com/"><span style="color: blue;">FluidSurveys</span></a> (an online instant feedback response site) to report the major reasons that people give for why —Time (lack of it), Tradition (we’ve always done it this way), and Fear (teachers don’t want to their students to know what they don’t know) were leaders n the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This was an eye opening session! I hope to bring the strategy back to my colleagues (and maybe use it as a possible tool for planning some personal goals) when we meet again. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">We also forgot to mention another workshop—<u><a href="http://web.mac.com/ihor12/iste11/"><span style="color: blue;">Math 2.0: Scenes from a Dynamic math Classroom</span></a></u>. Ihor Charischak, the moderator, said that math must be engaging to be successful. “It must be a ‘Wanna Do curriculum, instead of Hafta Do,’ where teachers create a dynamic <v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas> <v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"> <o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"> </o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 107.6pt; margin-left: 342pt; margin-top: 9pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; position: absolute; width: 143.25pt; z-index: -1;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-35 0 -35 21554 21600 21554 21600 0 -35 0"> <v:imagedata o:title="Traffic Jedi" src="file:///C:\Users\Suzanne\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"> <w:wrap type="tight"> </w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He noted that in order for that to happen, teachers must move from drill and practice to a Math 2.0 model. Once again, we heard the theme for multimedia textbooks and the use of Cloud resources – creating a collaborative environment that is based on the standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the resources he demonstrated were Geogbra, GoogleDocs, Sketchpad (for drawing shapes and measuring angles, and Greenglobs (for x,y coordinates and graphing equations). <o:p> </o:p></div><br />
He focused on interactive projects that connect math with tech integration and collaboration (another big buzz word). A shout out to Marcie as the Stock Exchange game was one of the tools mentioned—also a Traveler Activity (used on the audience) and a Shopping Spree activity which used spread sheets. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">All in all, the conference seemed to have a connecting thread—interactivity, global awareness and connection for our students. And more than once we heard the importance of FUN being part of the successful learning environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Well, it's time to rest, and to disseminate all the great information now that we’ve said goodbye to ISTE2011! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope you will check out some of the links provided and offer some feedback.</span>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-54447724260634629362011-06-29T23:12:00.000-04:002011-06-29T23:12:52.438-04:00ISTE2011 - Another Great Day !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibD1gkbuScvSIA1gGPxhfpPnjzqlLOInI4laj_OaSbgQ-MFFNxw59ScThTyx1Gaq5AT53TYFVnCwM-veXaO3svDHpPAKiJIfcDZcg4aX7JarCma5Fu397SKoiEVyBBjX7BYVOpSqdaG3M/s1600/DSCN1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibD1gkbuScvSIA1gGPxhfpPnjzqlLOInI4laj_OaSbgQ-MFFNxw59ScThTyx1Gaq5AT53TYFVnCwM-veXaO3svDHpPAKiJIfcDZcg4aX7JarCma5Fu397SKoiEVyBBjX7BYVOpSqdaG3M/s200/DSCN1965.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><span style="color: green;"><strong>Greetings All! </strong></span> <span style="color: green; font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Day 3</strong></span><br />
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<div style="direction: ltr;"><span style="color: green;"><strong>Marcie has summed it up pretty well so I thought I'd let her take the lead (since I am very very tired right now & my brain is full). I will add comments along the way.../suzanne</strong></span><br />
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Well another great day at the ISTE convention..it's a little bit overwhelming...actually a lot overwhelming but so useful.<br />
Biggest thing I think we realized today is that we need to get rid of our textbooks (eventually anyway... ok maybe not math) but SS and Science are completely moving online now and they are soooo interactive! and no these aren't just the kind of textbooks you just read online, they are completely interactive so you are appealing to all your VARK (visual, auditory, read and write, kinesthetic) learners, (how's that for differentiation!) <span style="color: green;"><strong>(I totally agree-these new interactive "tech books" encompass an exciting way to bring plain old text to life./smc) </strong></span>This was a funny video that hit home with Suzanne and me! <span style="color: green;"><strong><em>(very funny/smc)</em></strong></span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkhpmEZWuRQ">Joe's Non-Notebook</a> <br />
Our kids today need interactivity to learn, they need multimedia textbooks that they can interact with to learn. ..oh yeah and we need more laptops to do it...but that's another issue! LOL <span style="color: green;"><strong>(maybe netbooks, too/smc)</strong></span><br />
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Anyway we attended a seminar today that explained the brain and how engaged learners (today's digital native kids) learn more when they are having fun. It is proven research. If we create lessons that are fun, collaborative, and appealing, they learn more...that's all there is to it. <span style="color: green;"><strong>(we also were given statistics on the attention span of varying age groups in relation to lectures...a hint: not very long- so kids & adults are checking out much faster than we know/smc)</strong></span><br />
This video is a good case in point. So funny! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7IvegYtyDw">Fun Theory</a> <br />
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We also learned about the importance of global connectivity! There were several schools on a panel for a seminar that we attended who are not only connecting (via skype) with schools from other countries to discuss topics, but they are sharing blogs and doing projects together. It is awesome. One of the panelists was a principal who assigns countries to each of her grades and they search for teachers and schools to skype with...(i.e. 1st grade Germany, 2nd Grade Australia, etc) There was another panelist, Kathy Cassidy, who is a first grade teacher (hear that lower grades, we know some of you were wondering about this) and has a blog for each of her students. You can find it at <a href="http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337">KathyCassidyBlog</a> . The kids post pictures they've drawn and other kids from all around the world in fact comment on them. The blogs are so cute because the kids still use their creative spelling. <span style="color: green;"><strong>(This was my favorite and most energizing workshop for ideas of the day/smc)</strong></span><br />
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They all said the best way to work with parents is to communicate right up front early in the school year that this is what you intend to do and most of them will get on board. She avoids last names and putting names with pictures, but other than that she uses everything, photos, video, etc! But to be honest...all the talk at the convention lately is that we all worry too much about internet safety and that it is getting in the way of real student learning! One of the speakers told us to review the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) which can be found here. <a href="https://olgc1.olgcnj.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=f447bf6243bb4c75a1995d5a24358c5b&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.fcc.gov%2fguides%2fchildrens-internet-protection-act" target="_blank">http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act</a> <span style="color: green;"><strong>(There is also a great article in the Learning & Leading magazine this month regarding the debate over using real names over pseudonyms so children learn to take responsibility for what they write...hmmm, interesting. /smc)</strong></span><br />
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Great day!!!!! Tomorrow it's all over!<br />
Marcie and <span style="color: green;"><strong>Suzanne</strong></span></div>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-9632737890320430762011-06-26T16:23:00.003-04:002011-06-26T16:35:21.367-04:00Day 1 - DEN Pre-ISTE 2011 Conference<span style="font-family: tahoma;">I hope you are enjoying your summer break and getting recharged (you all need and deserve it). I'm going to prolong my fun a little longer with a major conference.</span><br />
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: tahoma;">Today started one of the biggest 4-day ed-tech conferences in the world--ISTE, the International Society for Technology Education, all hosted in my hometown-Philadelphia. And the city is electric with all the energy that the educators and presenters are bringing! </span></div><br />
<div dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIBXsakQWcacBZz01Ln6F1J_gOe_J8zm1L-HrWXFsudtB1vRhGCHAWwfy2NB-9O8WqD3Rsr728SUTFaBJkWq8uS5kpl6-HJLNgA3O06d28RYRXjbJgAVc0zIPZpnObrGqw3redX6RwZo/s1600/DSCN1957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIBXsakQWcacBZz01Ln6F1J_gOe_J8zm1L-HrWXFsudtB1vRhGCHAWwfy2NB-9O8WqD3Rsr728SUTFaBJkWq8uS5kpl6-HJLNgA3O06d28RYRXjbJgAVc0zIPZpnObrGqw3redX6RwZo/s200/DSCN1957.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: tahoma;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DEN, the </span><a href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Discovery Education Network</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, hosted its 6th birthday bash as a pre-conference event at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia this Saturday. The network of educators started 6 years ago right there in Philadelphia and has grown exponentially over the years. Wow - what a packed day of resources, learning, sharing, new friends, (and cupcakes).</span> </div><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma;">I spent Saturday with the leaders from Discovery Education and fellow teachers (from all over the country)--it was fantastic ! D</span><span style="font-family: tahoma;">E will be kicking off a brand new look and feel to its website and features for Teachers and Students this fall. You can see the preview by clicking on the bar at the top of the screen at DiscoveryEducation.com. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: tahoma;">The adventure of learning included iPad magic, Teaching STEM, Teaching with Mobile phones, Lit trips with Google and Animoto, Digital Storytelling using green screens with videos -- all of which was great fun! We were even treated to cupcakes from Discovery's new TV show, DC Cupcakes-delicious! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: tahoma;">While I was at the Discovery event, TEDx Talks EducationPA was also going on -- I will post the video archive from the live event. </span><br />
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: tahoma;">Today, was the kickoff of the conference at the Philly Convention Center... here is a link to the opening video (very cool & done in Philly): <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqDigEggJkw">ISTE2011Kick Off</a> video. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marcie and I will be attending the rest of the week together -- it is my intention to summarize the day with a daily diary with the hope of sharing the enthusiasm, new ideas, and a spark to light a fire for the upcoming school year.</span> </span><br />
<em><strong>And a special shout out to my new besties, Kerin, Rick, and Elizabeth!</strong></em>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-24071224546161660022011-06-24T23:46:00.000-04:002011-06-24T23:46:16.938-04:00COUNTDOWN TO ISTE2011 - Philadelphia<a href="http://www.isteconference.org/2011/">ISTE Conference 2011 Philadelphia</a><br />
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I am so excited to be attending the ISTE Conference in Philadelphia this year! The workshops, sessions, comraderie, it's really a dream and the best part is that it's right in my backyard. I hope to tweet/blog all the great things I'm seeing and learning from all the wonderful tech-ed people descending upon my lovely city! <br />
I will keep you posted...Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-7121432543062006512011-03-27T22:41:00.000-04:002011-03-27T22:41:01.451-04:00Cartoon Generators and Fun Feedback!As I venture deeper into the blogging world with the Teacher Challenge, I am finding more and more web tools and resources to share with my students -- and they are eating it up with a voracious appetite! I think any project that takes them away from the traditional book report is met with great excitement! And of course, I am loving the fact that they are free resources!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hDmcjRyXBTh6PkMSOY6BngOowTeLHwIOLqe6AllqCmJ-QinRjgomtEpX5S8K1Wh_b7GbrXy0oUcVScfCPPQhPdxxUvELhf7JEbjSplOF53Yua_8JmJn196Fnn8AhjboJ5HriS3EJl98/s1600/DogateMyHomework+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hDmcjRyXBTh6PkMSOY6BngOowTeLHwIOLqe6AllqCmJ-QinRjgomtEpX5S8K1Wh_b7GbrXy0oUcVScfCPPQhPdxxUvELhf7JEbjSplOF53Yua_8JmJn196Fnn8AhjboJ5HriS3EJl98/s320/DogateMyHomework+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>One tool that I am having a blast with myself is the cartoon/comic strip generator, <a href="http://www.toondoo.com/">ToonDoo</a>! With a tag line of "World's fastest way to create cartoons", ToonDoo allowed me to create a strip in no time at all! Ease of use and minimal time are the things I look for in giving new assignments to my different grade levels.<br />
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As always, my mind is racing with the possibilities that this resource offers...story points for ILA, historic moments in Social Studies, discovery in Science...hmmm, maybe the kids will have better ideas?<br />
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A great feedback tool that helps me stay on top of what the kids are enjoying in technology is <a href="http://www.wallwisher.com/">WallWisher</a>.<br />
I have used it to ask students what their favorite programs, websites, or hardware is as well as poll my teachers on their favorite tech integration uses in their classrooms. It's as easy as sticking a note on a bulletin board -- all posts can be pre-approved by the moderator before posting -- and it's a lot of fun to boot! On a downside, though, it seems a fairly new app and is sometimes glitchy trying to access your board. I have found it a great tool for getting thoughts on a specific subject! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdD8zkTm3jP6X7l5Ry78qhHK9IlzHER6IZCxLjzwhqzvRm2ebKBV-10FAG4QaScpQpSKMIlW9JUJI6EoOaSlK_Md32emEoIAV5EtqlDd-69p0n_R1HFbFYPwpo0qPBY_u66Yvy2_tdiaE/s1600/wallwisher+screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdD8zkTm3jP6X7l5Ry78qhHK9IlzHER6IZCxLjzwhqzvRm2ebKBV-10FAG4QaScpQpSKMIlW9JUJI6EoOaSlK_Md32emEoIAV5EtqlDd-69p0n_R1HFbFYPwpo0qPBY_u66Yvy2_tdiaE/s400/wallwisher+screenshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Class WallWisher page-- feedback on fav technology uses</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-18002665062911836182011-01-27T21:15:00.000-05:002011-01-27T21:22:04.311-05:00Avatars (not exactly Oscar material -- or is it?)It's a constant battle to stay on top of online safety for our students. There are some hard and fast rules that we teach them like not giving out personal information or posting photos. But, we also want them to have fun while being safe. One of the things that establishes our online identity is our avatar. Similar to the James Cameron movie idea, avatars are images that we set up to represent our online identities. But it turns our that it's not just for kids! <br />
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As part of the <a href="http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/01/20/kick-start-activity-4-%e2%80%93-advanced-introducing-the-brain-of-the-blog/">Teacher's Challenge</a> , we were asked to establish an avatar for our blogs, and other online presences. Years ago when I started my movie blog, I used a filmstrip avatar; for my online PLC, a gold surfer on a mouseboard. These images seemed to be an accurate representation of my interests, of what I wanted to show people who read my blogs. (I was never really fond of having my photograph taken or shared for that matter. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnemybTR9KOH1CRr2rxk0PwL7ND9R9-t84rvC_-oH4sOKaVDBY-f-WdNtb3aiJgUEFvmPZXeyb94ldA71LCgeJIBB2XBzCju5IRd9FN8REz_JuK2r3ueX1kn_Ev7ExTqqRWnDb1hhXrbA/s1600/MrsC+Picassod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnemybTR9KOH1CRr2rxk0PwL7ND9R9-t84rvC_-oH4sOKaVDBY-f-WdNtb3aiJgUEFvmPZXeyb94ldA71LCgeJIBB2XBzCju5IRd9FN8REz_JuK2r3ueX1kn_Ev7ExTqqRWnDb1hhXrbA/s1600/MrsC+Picassod.jpg" /></a></div>In doing some research through the challenge, I came upon a great blog by <a href="http://brittgow.globalteacher.org.au/">Brit Gow</a> that listed some really cool avatar sites. Her blog, "<a href="http://brittgow.globalteacher.org.au/2011/01/20/ten-different-ways-to-create-an-avatar/">How Many Different Ways to Create an Avatar</a>," about different sites that allow artsy, fun, even cartoonish images, was an invitation for me to play. To the left is my "Picasso" self - who knew I was so artisitc?<br />
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I also tried out several other avatar creators, like <a href="http://www.reasonablyclever.com/mini-mizers/classic-kid-safe-mini-mizer/">ReasonablyClever</a>, which is a LEGO avatar creator, or the creatur-istic <a href="http://www.buildyourwildself.com/">Build a Wild Me</a>! <br />
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Another fun tool is the <a href="http://www.voki.com/">VOKI</a> website -- a VOKI is a personalized speaking avatar. I've added mine to the sidebar on my blog -- probably as close a rep of myself as it gets. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I can't wait to try these cool tools with my students -- another engaging way to reach out to the Digital Natives, while offering safe ways to play online. </div><a name='more'></a><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TrcvuVDJfiALs5BJwrplf_Z0LJSXMYTWAYlbeCijZJBVPeZ2DGmMDgs5O0zhx86jhitUNMbjooZfu3XQBZOltuOBDZvHWV7ADzhlE3aIK54TXWLQVxp6n4Q9BVus5gyWV-12PvU3Egk/s1600/LEGO+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TrcvuVDJfiALs5BJwrplf_Z0LJSXMYTWAYlbeCijZJBVPeZ2DGmMDgs5O0zhx86jhitUNMbjooZfu3XQBZOltuOBDZvHWV7ADzhlE3aIK54TXWLQVxp6n4Q9BVus5gyWV-12PvU3Egk/s200/LEGO+me.jpg" width="118" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reasonably Clever</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwq46wGHNptDVq8oJ84nWgJjbHn_vXJWsGrB_5xRyVW5Znl4ZmKpUZKtfqEPzB063MSxeVXCWYJ6jQMFgO19IEOh84dO5IZHbYuJn4xvpwCziRfTfH2IWWH8iGFAV16Cpo_BVqSjC_JA/s1600/WildMe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwq46wGHNptDVq8oJ84nWgJjbHn_vXJWsGrB_5xRyVW5Znl4ZmKpUZKtfqEPzB063MSxeVXCWYJ6jQMFgO19IEOh84dO5IZHbYuJn4xvpwCziRfTfH2IWWH8iGFAV16Cpo_BVqSjC_JA/s200/WildMe2.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Build a Wild Me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-29202371062251834732011-01-27T12:20:00.000-05:002011-01-27T12:20:08.853-05:00Using Social Media In ClassroomThe teachers at my school are starting to jump into the Blogging world and are searching for ways to use Social Media in their classrooms. My fellow techie and 5th grade teacher, Marcie, just held a workshop for those just starting out -- she sent me this fabulous link to offer ideas on just that. <br />
OnlineUniversities.com has a great list for K-12 teachers as well as the college set, with <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2epcrhf">100 Ways to Use Social Media in the Classroom</a>.<br />
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It's a great jumping point if you're looking for some new ideas!Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3208309538981667487.post-73139328898099605592011-01-25T20:23:00.000-05:002011-01-27T17:45:34.809-05:00Teacher Challenge and so much FUN!I am really enjoying the <a href="http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/01/10/kick-start-activity-1-%E2%80%93-beginner-%E2%80%93-setting-up-your-blog/">Edublogs Teacher Challenge</a> ! I am meeting so many other teachers and tech ed specialists that I feel like my world is just opening up. It is so exciting to see the wonderful things that are being done in classrooms around the world with technology education integration. Ideas abound ! <br />
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I also hope to hone my blogging skills -- not only for myself, but for those I want to share my ideas with and those who I have found that are wonderful gems in the tech-ed field!<br />
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One of my challenges was to note what makes a blog effective...to that end I decided to use a new found tool - <a href="http://www.wordle.net/">Wordle</a>! This free web-based applet takes a list of words and creates a graphic out of them. I had so much fun with it that I asked each grade of my students to write down words that describe our computer class. I entered the words into Wordle and printed them out for the classes to enjoy and compare.<br />
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After visiting various blogs that truly demonstrate effective communication, I did the same for my blog. My experience has left me feeling like I am sitting at a birthday party table full of presents... <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaBRo0RcOaRxRDL13mYva7S2h13Z6jF6kFWTR6Eo8xejfBtMMns9Gg9sMo-gvWKG_pnZifzULwsLDA68Q-wON1fTUDqLyMTNtmYX-PIcZVSZx70LGt0Y6pkm0nqFW0VgqcazV9htKcqU/s1600/Effective+Blog+wordle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 208px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 514px;"><img border="0" height="179" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaBRo0RcOaRxRDL13mYva7S2h13Z6jF6kFWTR6Eo8xejfBtMMns9Gg9sMo-gvWKG_pnZifzULwsLDA68Q-wON1fTUDqLyMTNtmYX-PIcZVSZx70LGt0Y6pkm0nqFW0VgqcazV9htKcqU/s320/Effective+Blog+wordle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Take 5 for Techhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15808981358751787145noreply@blogger.com1