Rivalry

This is too cool not to share. First, besides the fact that this is in good fun and about a football rivalry, the key here is to recognize that a group of students designed, wrote, filmed and edited this piece. The quality is what is most impressive and this proves yet again what students are capable of if we just let them try. Enjoy!

Minecraft

This is a tricky one. I have students currently using the program on a current project and I've had one other use it for a previous project. My hesitation comes from how easy it is to get distracted while exploring the world. It can certainly be used to create something very cool, but I've also seen first hand how distracting it can be for students.

In any case, the verdict is still out for me, but for those who are interested this is a great program that allows students to literally build entire worlds. Given, they are very pixelated worlds, but the freedom to create and destroy lends itself to social studies and language arts projects.

Give it a look see and decide for yourself! http://www.minecraft.net/

Create-A-Game

This may not be at the top of the educational 'needs' pile, but I can see this program being used to engage students and shepherd them into some very nice synthesis of their learning.

I'm new to this program, but it appears to have some very nifty features: Thinking Worlds.

The site has a free version, and of course a pay version. The free version is enough to create simple simulations and games though. I can see this being used to create games that reflect the learning of a student in almost any subject area. If someone who sees this decides to try it out, please let me know what you think and how it came together for you and your students. In the meantime, I'll introduce it to some of my project-based learning students to see what they can do with it.

Happy educational gaming!

Simply Awesome - ScreenCast!

If you're a teacher, you know how miserable it can be to get your PowerPoints and information online for students viewing. There are a ton of programs, that's hyperbole folks, out there to use, but I've recently become most impressed with ScreenCast. Check out the site for yourself!

It essentially allows you 'Jing' your lessons easily and puts them in one nice location for your students access whenever they'd like. It's easy to use and honestly doesn't take much time to master. Very worth your time if you want to prepare for possibly missing any class days or of course for your students who might miss class.

You get to two gigs of space free. After that, they have pricing plans; still, two gigs actually does a long way on this site as .swf files don't take up much space at all.

Happy casting!

Where My Science Teachers At?!

Today's entry is dedicated to my chemistry and science friends. This is a site I've known about for a while, but I share it now as it is a great resource for chemistry students, teachers, and other sciences.

It's called the Molecular Workbench. Check it out here.

It contains demonstrations and interactive models to SHOW how science works at the molecular level. Very cool stuff.

Enjoy!

Alex, I'll Take Super Cool Review Tools for $500...

Okay, this post is really directed towards teachers; HOWEVER, if a student sees this fitting into a project or task then all the better.

Ladies and gents, I present to you Jeopardy Labs, an easy to use and easy to access editable Jeopardy game board! Check it out here: JeopardyLabs

Pretty great huh?! No more creating one of these bad boys from scratch.

Creative Commons

Copyright is a big issue that is often times avoided in a traditional high school or even middle school setting. We don't talk about it because it's really a non-issue until students get to college. Well as the world has become 'flat' as Mr. Thomas Friedman likes to put it, it is becoming an issue worth discussing with the all students involved in the digital world. The truth is students don't realize taking any ol' image from Google images has some serious legal ramifications. Thankfully there are websites like creative commons.org who are fighting the good fight and making it easier to find images, music, and movies that are part of public domain and only has partial rights reserved. Use this in the future as a way to guide yourself through the legal jungle of copyright materials that are online. Cheers!

Direct Link to CC Search

Figurative Language: Language through the Exploits of Will Ferrel

The following video is a fairly entertaining look at defining figurative language with a little help from Will Ferrell. I need to thank Colette Armstrong for finding this and sending it my way. Cheers!

Da-Bears meets Dafonts (.com that is)

I realize my attempts to be witty sometimes are bit reaching, but I'm a classic SNL fan so I couldn't help my title selection.

This is a quick post to encourage you to check out www.dafont.com. Great site to get literally thousands of free fonts for your word processor of choice. There are many sites like this one, but this one gets me number one vote because it is clean, has very few ads, and is easy to navigate.

The Media Player of All Media Players!

Okay, so as an educator one of the biggest thorns in my side can technology. Let me clarity--it's a  thorn in my side when the technology doesn't work! There have been many times when I am trying to show something to my students or my students are trying to present a video or image only to be shot down because a media player doesn't want to play the file type. The crying and gnashing of teeth ensues. (Well, not quite so dramatically, but it is a big pain for everyone involved.) That all being said, there is a solution! V. L. C.

Unfortunately, due to restrictions set forth by the higher powers, you cannot usually download the VLC program on a school computer. I do have it on my mine, however. I also suggest anyone with a home PC or Mac that runs into a similar issue all the time to download the program. The best part? It's free! (They do have a place on the webpage where you can donate to the group who designed the program, but there is no obligation to do so.)

If you're interested, click here: VLC Media Player. Then just follow the steps to download.

Happy media viewing!

Mmm, Bitesize

 This morning I was directed to a great resource from the BBC. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but when I started to navigate the language arts portion of the site, I have to admit I was impressed. Many times with educational sites they may have great information, but there isn't much to hold your attention. (Any of my ADD peeps out there?) All kidding aside, what I really love about this site are the easy explanations and especially the videos. If you get the chance, check out a video under English literature and the go to drama, pick a play and watch! I am impressed with the quality and humor in most of the videos.(Really any video under any of the works are fantastic.)

Take a moment and check it out for yourself: Bitesize

PS - There is actually great stuff about almost every subject, but I'm a bit biased towards English considering my background!

Name that Book!

While playing around with Animoto, I borrowed this idea of creating a short 'slide show' video of hints of a book title. Below is the result. Feel free to comment if you think you know the answer!

Vodcast#1: SumoPaint

As an added bonus to this blog, you'll get to see and hear a vodcast from me from time to time. Most of the casts will focus on digital tools, tips and tricks, or about a good book to read. Enjoy!

BLABBERIZE (See, reading can be fun!)

This is my little, fun attempt at making a 'living' reading promotion poster. What do you think? I was going for funny, but as I've gotten older I've realized I laugh at myself a lot more than others do. (Well, at least when I'm trying to be funny.) Enjoy!

www.blabberize.com

Dinosaur! -or- Word Clouds

How cool is this?!

As a youngin', when people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I usually responded with "A Tyrannosaurs Rex!" (That probably continued into my early teens if truth be told...) Well, life takes us in directions we can't always predict so instead of a dinosaur I've become a educator. (Insert joke here.)

All kidding aside, what I love about my job is I get cool opportunities to use some of the very cool tools that people have taken the time to build and put online for free. The sweet image above was made using Tagxedo. A more commonly known word cloud creator is Wordle. Both are just interesting web tools. Their value truly belongs to the beholder. What I behold is a tool that gives words a visceral shape. I love books, but even I get tired of reading words in from left to right in a linear line. When you give words shape, you find a way to give them even more power.

Think about it! We are all drawn in by colors and shapes. When we multiply words with those two elements, you create something eye-catching and memorable.

Students, how awesome would it be to use a word cloud to create t-shirts, a homepage to a website, or a gift for a friend?!

Parents, how great would be to create word cloud images that can be blown up and be turned in wall art, or impress a boss by designing a unique word cloud for a company picnic logo?

Teachers, how cool would it be to use a word cloud to identify yourself to your students, or create 'name tags' for them based on their interest and self-descriptions?

Oh, the possibilities! (*catching breath*)

Happy word clouding!

Who Wants to Collaborate?!

Ah, the Internet... what a grand ever-expanding universe you are.

Because the net is expanding rapidly and changing just as quickly, the term Web2.0 is thrown around a lot. The idea of Web2.0 is simply about online collaboration anywhere, at any time, as long as there is net access. The key here is collaboration.

We see it in the workplace, the classroom, boardrooms, construction, and of course the net--collaboration is almost as essential to us now as a society as water is for our bodies to thrive. It is an essential 21st Century Skill for all of us, student, teacher, and parent alike, to compete in a global economy and to be marketable employees to a world that feels as though has changed overnight. The reality is this change has been a long time coming and we are just slow to adapt. (I cite our current economy as my evidence.)

On a lighter note, however, there are some really awesome, FREE tools that allow for collaboration to happen for everyone anywhere. Below I've listed and linked some great tools, some of which I just found out about myself!

-Popplet - collaboration tool for visual graphic organizers. 

 

-Stixy - online, collaborative bulletin board!

 

-Twiddla - Online collaborative playground. Great place to meet online and discuss projects when your at school or at home.

 

-Mindomo - Similar to popplet.

 

-Dabbleboard - works like an online whiteboard where you can collaborate your ideas. 

 

...and there is Google Docs! If you've never used GDocs, it is time to convert!

I think this all also reveals that there are issues with the digital divide. Access and education is important to making collaboration worth it for our children and students. The 'divide' is an overused word for sure, but it does exist, and there needs to be serious discussions in all schools, districts and households about how to close this gap!

Happy collaborating!

 

 

Blogs, Twitter, and Google, Oh My!

Technology can be scary.

It changes rapidly, it never asks if its okay to change, and invites itself over for dinner all the time. Okay, fine maybe not so much the last part, but I'm sure many of us have felt that technology can be awfully rude as it changes with no regard of who can keep up.

In the world of public education (probably education in general), technology is still seen as a buzz word--it's a nice idea, but what teacher has the time?! Well, like anything worth doing in this world, it takes a bit of hard work up front and desire,  but even more so educators need to understand what technology really is--a tool.

Technology can be used in the everyday classroom, even if you don't have state-of-the-art equipment. (Although, that helps tremendously!) The key is to recognize what your students need and what they want to learn. How do you figure this out? ASK them! Allow your students to be a part of the learning process; they'll appreciate it; I promise.

Blogs are a great place to start with reaching out to your students, their parents, and your community. Twitter, believe it or not, is a great source of finding out what is the newest and greatest in classroom tech and Web 2.0, and I am an unashamedly huge fan of Google and its many FREE products that allow you to interact. The next time your in your Gmail take the time to actually look at all those extras you never click on. Think Twitter is highly narcissistic like me? Well get over it and look around; you'll find there are actually a ton of great tweeters out there with real knowledge and expertise. Blogs freak you out? Understandable, but there is much they can offer you and your students: collaboration, debate, sharing, and expression to name a few.

Are you a student reading this? Then check this stuff out for yourself! There is a good chance these elements will be a big part of your future and you'll be using it in school, college and beyond.

Happy exploration!