Archive for September, 2007
Holy Cow, Cubs Win!!!
Posted: September 28, 2007 in Baseball, Just For Fun, MLBTags: Baseball, Cubs, MLB
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Mobile Phones, Mobile Minds
Posted: September 28, 2007 in Acceptable Use, Digital Citizenship, Education, Educational Technology, Ethics, Instructional Technology, Learning, Networking, School, School 2.0, Tech Tools, Technology, Technology IntegrationTags: cell phones, hand held computers, mobile phones
I was reading Julie Lindsay’s E-Learning Blog and watched the following video she shares on mobile computing. This is a very interesting and enlightening presentation. Enjoy!
Tara: One of Many Great Teachers!!!
Posted: September 27, 2007 in Adult Education, Collaboration, Education, Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Human Resource Development, Instructional Technology, Learning, Learning Communities, Levels of Use, Networking, School, School 2.0, SMART Board, Tech Tools, Technology, Technology IntegrationTags: Education, Instructional Technology, Learning, Learning Communities, SMART Boards, Technology
Today I offered a mini-class on SMART Boards and invited a teacher who I have heard high praises on to assist in showcasing the basics of using the board in instruction. Tara is one of many great teachers in my new school district, and I am just in awe of the dedication and willingness to share, learn, and grow here. So many educators are pushing the frontiers of technology in education and even more are taking the steps necessary to take a leap into the innovative approaches that are making their way into classrooms across the globe. I have to admit I have had my doubts the past few years as to whether or not this whole education thing was going to turn around and make some gains in real, meaningful, engaging, and relevant learning for our youth. It is happening here. It is by no means easy, and the challenges that we face as educators at times is disconcerting, but there is hope, initiative, bravery, and desire. These things add up to the beginnings of a network of learners, and as we learn about and use the tools that can continue to link us together we become a learning community that can do, teach, and change anything. I see all of this more and more each day, and I am glad to be a small part of it.
iPod Basic Training
Posted: September 25, 2007 in Collaboration, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Interdisciplinary, iPod, Learning, Learning Communities, School, School 2.0, Tech Tools, Technology, Technology IntegrationTags: iPod
Today we had an iPod basic training! The information presented is for the beginner; and yes, there are beginners when it comes to using iPods or any mp3 player. The following are links to various resources we used in the mini class:
A Podcast (w/Mary Derby)!!!
Identification
Different types of iPods (Which iPod are you!?!)
How to videos
Downloading Music & Video to Your iPod
Playing Music & Video on Your iPod
Beyond the Basics
Troubleshooting
iPod shuffle
Integration
iPod in Education
iQuiz Maker
iQuiz
Handbook
iPod Getting Started Guide
Support
“Cardiac Cowboys Best Bobcats, 34-33”
Posted: September 22, 2007 in Football, Just For Fun, WyomingTags: Wyoming football Cowboys
ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — “Devin Moore rushed for 198 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Karsten Sween passed for two more as Wyoming rallied to beat Ohio 34-33 Saturday.
Sween was intercepted four times but connected with Michael Ford on a 5-yarder with 2:02 to play to give Wyoming (3-1) its first lead since Sween’s 4-yard TD throw to David Leonard four minutes into the first quarter.
Mic Braunstein kicked field goals of 42, 27, 27 and 30 yards for Ohio (2-2). Brad Bower was 14-of-28 for 227 yards, including a 68-yard TD pass to Andrew Mooney for the Bobcats’ only offensive score.
The rest of Ohio’s scoring came on a 94-yard kickoff return by Chris Garrett, and a 30-yard interception return by Jameson Hartke.
Ohio’s biggest lead was at 23-6 after Braunstein’s third field goal, early in the third quarter. But then Moore scored twice in a little over six minutes.”
GO POKES!!!
“Journey of Mankind”
Posted: September 22, 2007 in Critical Thinking, Education, Educational Technology, Humanities, Instructional Technology, Interdisciplinary, Learning, School, School 2.0, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Technology IntegrationTags: Instructional Technology, interactive technology, Interdisciplinary, Social Studies
The Bradshaw Foundation has an interesting interactive online presentation called “Journey of Mankind: The Peopling of the World.” Their site states:
“The Bradshaw Foundation, in association with Stephen Oppenheimer, presents a virtual global journey of modern man over the last 160,000 years. The map will show for the first time the interaction of migration and climate over this period. We are the descendants of a few small groups of tropical Africans who united in the face of adversity, not only to the point of survival but to the development of a sophisticated social interaction and culture expressed through many forms. Based on a synthesis of the mtDNA and Y chromosome evidence with archaeology, climatology and fossil study, Stephen Oppenheimer has tracked the routes and timing of migration, placing it in context with ancient rock art around the world.”
Enjoy!
Smart Tools for Smart Kids
Posted: September 21, 2007 in Collaboration, Education, Educational Technology, Elementary School, Human Resource Development, Instructional Technology, Interdisciplinary, Learning, Learning Communities, School, School 2.0, SMART Board, Tech Tools, Technology, Technology IntegrationTags: Education, SMART Board, Technology
Today I had the opportunity to be part of a SMART Board training with two of the elementary schools in my district. I am continually uplifted by the dedication and willingness to learn and share that the teachers and administrators exhibit.
After I went over some basics of using the SMART Board we split into five groups and spent a lot of time gaining hands on experience. Each school had their experts that really know their stuff, and the SMART resources that were shared are great tools. I also shared several online activities that I have collected over time that work well with interactive SMART Boards (See my wikis!!!).
The following are links to some of the resources we tapped into today:
SMART Board 2 Minute Video Tutorials
Today we had a blog class!!!
Posted: September 20, 2007 in blog, Blogs, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, RSS, School, School 2.0, Technology, Technology Integration, Web 2.0, WikiSeveral educators are sitting in front of me right now watching me type this into my blog!!!
Updated info to this post!!!
Click Here for a Mini Class Video Review (at TeacherTube)
Links to web resources shown in the mini class:
I finally got around to trying Jing today. I know it shouldn’t have taken me so long, but I really needed it today in a pinch and I was off to the races. I wasn’t off to the races literally, 😉 but I was in business after using this screen capture tool. It is free to use for Windows or Mac, but I’m not sure what the plans are for the software in the future. Regardless, you can give it a whirl right now and I know you will be quite impressed with its capabilities and ease of use.
Read/Write Web: “Fear of Web 2.0”
Posted: September 18, 2007 in Blogs, Technology, Technology Integration, Web 2.0Read/Write Web has an interesting article written by Richard MacManus titled “Fear of Web 2.0.” I include their great image from the article here too! 🙂 Enjoy!
Revisiting Sir Ken Robinson…
Posted: September 17, 2007 in Acceptable Use, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Education, Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Elementary School, Ethics, High School, Human Resource Development, Instructional Technology, Learning, Learning Communities, Middle School, Networking, School, School 2.0, Technology, Technology Integration, Web 2.0I keep coming back to Sir Ken Robinson‘s speech “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” I watched it again and share it here:
Links to FREE and Open Source Software
Posted: September 17, 2007 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Open Source, Technology, Technology IntegrationI’m really liking this blog…
Posted: September 14, 2007 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, Learning Communities, Networking, School, School 2.0, Technology, Technology Integration, Web 2.0Check out this blog: Global Learner!!! A blog of educational blogs, a learning community, a community of practice in action!
More FREE software!!!
Posted: September 13, 2007 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, Open Source, School, Technology, Technology IntegrationAlways looking to cut costs and save $!!! Here are a few programs I have come across recently:
“The free space simulation that lets you explore our universe in three dimensions. Celestia runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.”
“Commonly referred to as GRASS, this is a Geographic Information System (GIS) used for geospatial data management and analysis, image processing, graphics/maps production, spatial modeling, and visualization. GRASS is currently used in academic and commercial settings around the world, as well as by many governmental agencies and environmental consulting companies.”
“The Mars Orbiter Laser Alitimeter experiment carried on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft produced a topographic map of the entire surface of Mars. The data for this map is available on the Internet. The Mars MOLA Viewer will download this data for you and render it as a 3-D landscape which you can “fly” through in real-time.”
GIMP (I have shared this before, but it’s so good I’ll share it again!!!)
“GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.”
This final item is Shareware ($), but from what I can gather and comparing it to similar specialized software it seems quite reasonable. The demo should give one a good trial run to see what it can do.
SAILS Speech Assessment and Interactive Learning System
“SAILS promotes learning by focusing the child’s attention on those aspects of speech sounds that are the basis for distinguishing the various speech sound categories.”
Online Interactive Mapping – Panoramic Maps Collection
Posted: September 12, 2007 in Critical Thinking, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Interdisciplinary, Maps, School, School 2.0, Social Studies, Technology, Technology IntegrationThe Panoramic Maps collection at the U.S. Library of Congress is an online resource that can be used to compare and contrast present day maps and landscapes with those of the past. A “collection connections” page gives ideas on how to use these maps in the study of U.S. History, the arts and humanities, and how to challenge critical thinking skills. This is a great social studies resource but has many possibilities in an interdisciplinary setting. Enjoy!
