Share and Tell

Which tool are you using today? How are you and/or your students using this tool?

Which tool will you revisit for future integration into your classroom? Why?


Blogger
PBWorks
Teacher Tube
You Tube
Discovery Education
Slideshare
Slide
Google Docs
Twitter
Animoto
Voice Thread
Flipshare

Our last two meetings will be on Wednesday, April 7th and 24th.

Please comment below....

Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling @ The University of Houston

We will be exploring VoiceThread and Animoto as 2 tools that you and/or your students can use to create a digital story. A digital story allows students to explore and research a topic, portray someones life, present an important event in history in the form of a STORY.

A digital story may include any or some of the following:

Text
Images
Audio
Motion
Video
Music

7 Elements of Digital Storytelling Resource

How do you or your students begin?

Sample Digital Story Rubric

Alignment to Standards

Storyboard Template
Examples of Digital Stories:

Animoto: Technology Engineering at DSMS



VoiceThread: View this link and comment MLK Voices Digital Story.

Embed:


Language Arts-To Kill a Mockingbird

Social Studies-The Gettysburg Address

Math and Architecture

Reflections-The Computer and I

What is your story?

What story can your students create and share?

Your PLN: Personal Learning Network=Spirograph

Article: The PLN Spirograph

Posted using ShareThis

February 6, 2010 Google, Pictures & Twitter

This week we will revisit uploading and downloading Word, Powerpoint and Excel Documents on the web using Google Docs.

We will also explore how to share photos of classroom projects, plays or field trips on our web page. See links at the left side bar for Slide, Flickr and Picasa.

What is all the Twit about Twitter? We will investigate how Twitter can be used by you as a teacher to collaborate and social network with fellow educators and organizations. We will also discuss how this social networking tool can be used in your classroom.

As always, whatever we discover will be posted to your class wiki or blog.

January 13, Google & Beyond!

Continue your online collaboration with one of the most popular tools with Google.

1. Visit some helpful Google resources available for teachers.

2. Google tools for your classroom.

3. Work and save offline with your Google Doc applications by downloading for free, Google Gears for Windows or Macs.

January 6, 2010~SlideShare

With this very user-friendly tool, you will be able to showcase students presentations online at either your blog or wiki or both! Slideshare also provides the convenience of making your presentations web based and public for your students viewing beyond your classroom.

Log into Slideshare here.

Computer Literacy and Diabetes

View more presentations from DSMSComputerLiteracy.

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

View more presentations from Carmine Gallo.

December 5 Check In

Continued exploration in the following areas:

1. Flipshare-create, save, add to your blog and wiki

2. You Tube-locate, embed vs. link

DSNAS Folder to save videos

3. Teacher Tube-locate, embed vs. link

4. Discovery Ed-username: doversherborn password: middleschool

5. Brain Pop-same username as above; add a link to your blog and wiki

6. Animoto-add a link http://www.animoto.com AND create your own account

7. Next Class: Slideshare and Google Docs

*Should you have any questions for our online discussion, please post them here.

WWW & Video

Welcome to the WWW Wonderful World of Wikis!


Now that you and your students feel comfortable with using and navigating your classroom blogs, we will now focus our attention on navigating, planning and organizing your class Wiki.

-Wiki and Tell
-Folders and Pages
-Settings
-Security Default vs. Custom: Student Access-Login, Pages, Upload/Share Documents
-Wiki Plugins: Calendar, PPt. Slidshow, Google Gadgets, Page Information
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Vamp Up with Videos


Tools: (Embed/Link)
-Teacher Tube
-You Tube
-Discovery Education
-Flipshare
-Animoto

BrainPop and Google Discussions

It looks like everyone is getting the hang of blogging. Hopefully you have had the opportunity to use it in your classroom over these last few weeks.

We have explored how blogs can act as a convenient place to share or post information and pictures as well as a bank to store resources and have safe online discussions.

We will continue to enhance your blog as we move onto understanding the difference between Wikis AND Blogs as we add content to both.

To Do:

Username: doversherborn Password: middleschool

1. Let's add BrainPop to your blog using the picture gadget and link for students to connect free for the month of Novmeber from school and home.

2. Take a look into other online discussion platforms such as Google Groups

#4 Blog and Tell 10/21/09

Our goal for this week is to develop your confidence and understanding on how to navigate and add content to your individual blogs while getting a better sense of how you can use your blog learning space in your classroom on a regular basis.

Keep in mind, soon we will be adding videos, powerpoint presentations, photo slideshows and more to your blog space.
__________________________________________________________________

A. We will use this space to connect about our peers blogs:

1. Please comment on 1-2 teachers individual blogs

*Format to locate a teachers blog is:

http://www.DSMSLastNameOfTeacher.Blogspot.com Middle School Teachers

http://www.DSHSLastNameOfTeacher.Blogspot.com High School Teachers

2. Please include the name of the teacher(2) you reviewed and the subject he/she teaches

3. Please comment on something you liked on the blog (For example: a link, a picture, post, gadget, etc.)

4. Please share a positive recommendation or suggestion for him or her

B. Please reply to at least one comment in our discussion

# 3 "To-Do" 10/14/09:

Congratulations Bloggers!

You are all doing a fabulous job with staying connected online. Over the last few weeks we have been able to use this platform for sharing ideas and resources without email. We have also been trying to utilize and understand the difference of face-to-face support vs. online.

It also appears that we are turning the corner to thinking beyond our course and how we can begin using this new concept with our students. BRAVO!

Over the next week or so, we will kick your class blog "up-a-notch" to make it personally reflect your subject area as well as your teaching style.
_____________________________________________________________________
To Do Checklist:

1. Under the Customize or Layout tab of your blog, add 1 "Link List" gadget. You will need to provide a heading for the link list. Include in this link list at least 3 links your students can use as a resource to your classroom/curriculum.

2. Under the Customize or Layout tab of your blog, add 2 "Picture" gadgets that will make the overall presence of your blog reflect your subject or teaching style. These can be pictures that you have personally taken from your classroom or related projects. They can also be taken from any additional picture source online such as Google or PicSearch for example.

3. Under the Customize or Layout tab of your blog, you can now rearrange the order of these gadgets at anytime. Please practice by dragging and placing your gadgets in the order as you will want them to appear on your blog. (These are the rectangular boxes under "Add a Gadget")

4. Please note while adding a few gadgets, there are 20 Basic Gadgets, there are 11 Featured Gadgets, there are 6 Most Popular Gadgets and 465 More Gadgets....we will be taking a look at these other gadgets later in this course. However, feel free to experiment with them at anytime. I recommend the Poll Gadget as well as the Daily Calendar Gadget under More...

5. Add a new post to your blog that connects to what you are currently working on in class with your students. After you title this post, use the above toolbar to bold and italicize text. If there is an additional source or link you can embed in this post, please use the "insert link" tool as well. Another helpful tool to use as a final check is the built-in spell checker.

Once you have completed entering your text in this post, use the "add image" icon/tool to upload an appropriate photo or two within the post. Practicing aligning 1 photo to the left and align a 2nd photo to the right.

If you want comments to this post, be sure to select directly under the post "Post Options-Allow". If you do not want comments, select "Don't Allow, show existing."
______________________________________


*This post will be open for comments, questions and reflections, however they are not required. Over the next few weeks, spend some time working and personalizing your blog for you and your students.

Blogs Vs. Wikis

Blogs in Plain English:



What is a Wiki?

A wiki is a collection of online pages with content that can be organized and shared by users to work and learn collaboratively. Users can equally update, edit, delete, or modify to organize a topic or subject matter online. Wikis can be used to not only share documents, powerpoints or spreadsheets, but they can also be used to share resources such as links, videos, or even photos. Why use email, when you can use a Wiki?




Wikis in Plain English:

#2 Blog Reflection 9/30/09:

Why should we consider blogging for our students?


Please read the Edutopia article on "Taking Your Class to the Internet".

1. For this week's post, briefly explain how you may be interestd in using your blog with your students. What do you think the primary use of your classroom blog may be? For you, your students and/or your parents?

2. Please comment on at least one of your classmates posts prior to our next meeting.

21st Century Learners...Who Are They?

Call them multitaskers, iKids, students that have grown up with computers and video games, children that don't want to be bored, students that want to explore and share with their peers, kids that learn differently than we did, students that use smartboards instead of chalkboards, students that want to learn by doing, students that have grown up with cell phones, text messaging, email, You Tube and blogs.

They want to find information, problem solve, collaborate, network, present, and communicate.

We want our student's to be technology literate and to be prepared for the skills they need for their future. Technology has been a part of their world, therefore we want to develop these skills not only for our student's, but also for ourselves.

#1 Blog Reflection 9/23/09: Individual Technology Biography

Each week we will share brief reflections highlighting your discoveries of the week. Each participant will be expected to comment every week in designated posts prior to our next meeting so that we continue to collaborate, share and learn from one another by socially networking using our course blog.

Your comment posts may range anywhere from 30 words to 300.

*Feel free to also use weekly post sections to ask questions if you are having any trouble at home with finding or creating with our digital tools.

Please be sure to continue to follow the directions for each weeks reflection.

9/23/09 Individual Technology Biography Directions:

1. Please comment and share with your peers your background in technology and what you currently use computers for to support your teaching. Feel free to highlight some everyday technology tools you may use.

2. Comment on how you use technology to help your students learn.

3. Include the subject and grade(s) you teach in Dover-Sherborn.

4. From the 4 videos below this post, please comment which one had the most impact on you and why.

5. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates. Should you receive a response, please feel free to comment in return.

6. Please be sure to post your comment by 9/29/09.

(To begin posting your comment, please select the work "comments" directly below this post. We will review this in class week 1.)

I am looking forward to staying connected during the week. Happy Blogging!

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Learning To Change-Change to Learn

What is 21st Century Literacy?

Did U Know? by Karl Fisch

Course Dates:

Face-to-Face Wednesdays will meet on the following dates in MS computer lab from 2:30-3:30:

• September 23, 2009
• September 30
• October 14
• October 21
• November 4
• January 6
• January 13, 2010
• February 24
• March 3
• March 24
• April 7
• April 28

Weekends MS computer lab from 9:00 am - 1:00 am:

• November 21, 2009
• December 5, 2009
• February 6, 2010

Online-Homework, reading, sharing and reflections

Please remember to turn in the PD Education Improvement Approval and Reimbursement Form. See registration forms attached here that you can submit to me via interschool mail.

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, September 23rd.