Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Videolicious

Videolicious is a super easy app to use with your ipod or smart phone ... make neat videos in 3 easy steps ... great little projects for students when away on class trips, sports outings, or on family vacations. Check it out - click the title or picture and go to the site and download the app ... FREE! Thanks Jordan.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

PSA: Toronto Police Force ... Teaching Kids about 9-1-1

This link is from the Toronto Police ... we encourage schools to encourage parents to watch the video link and teach their children how to call 9-1-1. This is part of a current awareness campaign of not only how to use 9-1-1, but also proper use of the system. Please, encourage all to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP8zM-EW7qY&feature=share

Saturday, March 10, 2012

PreDio - Lake St. George (TRCA/TCDSB)

Press Play and watch ... you click on Play again to Pause and click again to Play.

This is an example of a PreDio.

For those Parents coming to view info on Lake St. George, you can view this one or the presentation later on (further into the Blog). Additional information is available on the blog entry further in.


Thursday, March 8, 2012

Lake St. George Parent Information Nite

Parents, here is a brief presentation that was delivered to all parents for Parent Information Night.  If you missed it, no problem.  You can view it here at your convenience.


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Storybird - Artful storytelling

Storybirds are short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read, and print. Read them like books, play them like games, and send them like greeting cards. They're curiously fun. You can embed them in a blog or wiki ... you can even make them into books (you pay for this feature). All in all, the website gives you tutorials on how to sign-up, setup your class, use the program, and produce good looking stories.

This is a nice and easy site to use, as Toni says, "For all students from Grade 1 to 8." Check it out.

Thanks Toni for the link ... another wonderful link for teachers. For more information, visit http://storybird.com/

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Child Safety Coloring Sheets & Coloring Book Pages

This is a very nice website for parents and teachers ... it has plenty of information and downloadable/copiable handouts and booklets broaching the topic of child safety and abuse prevention programs.

Easy to read and discuss with a child. Easy for all caregivers to use. Thank you for the wonderful information Anna!

http://www.keepyourchildsafe.org/safety-coloring-sheet.asp

Top 10 Sites for Educational Resources

by David Kapuler
There are many resources for educators and students all over the web, but it would take an eternity to decipher what's good and what's junk. So, David has created a list of his picks for best educational resources. You should also visit his blog (noted at the end) for more top websites and tools that are worthy!

Thinkfinity - One of the most popular educational resource sites on the web. Created by Verizon Foundation with 1000s of lesson plans, interactive tools, etc.
Teachers.net - A wonderful site with lesson plans created by teachers for teachers. A ton of classroom projects in all subjects and grade levels can be found here too.
Edhelper - A great collection of educational resources on all subject areas. This is a paid service for a low cost which can be purchased in teacher packs of five as well.
Shmoop - One of my favorite sites for education. A very fun and friendly site with a variety of resources such as links, lesson plans, guides, etc.
teAchnology - 1000s of lesson plans can be found here as well as other resources on holidays, events, etc.
Super Teacher Worksheets - A massive list of free printable worksheets for teachers on a number of subject areas.
Educational World - A great site with lesson plans and other materials for teachers.
TeachAde - A social network designed for educators with lots of free educational materials and a beautiful user interface.
Cybraryman - An excellent site with multiple links and resources for educators and students.
FREE - Free Resources for Educational Excellence. This site has it all -- lessons, videos, documents and more.
David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment. For more information about his work, contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com

The 50 Best Websites of 2011 - TIME

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2087815,00.html

Time Magazine's Top Lists ...and also from 2010, 2009

Dear Photograph

http://dearphotograph.com/

What a great and simple activity to do ... nostalgic, fun, making
connections, writing, posting on blogs, family can get involved, and best of
all, FREE and EASY TO DO!

realshow presenter

RealShow Presenter:

 

http://www.freewarefiles.com/RealShow_program_63190.html

 

RealShow provides a simple technique to integrate popular PowerPoint slides, freehand drawings, text typing, web pages, and direct teacher’s video view in one single window. It allows teachers create video and flash content using several translation techniques, including facial expressions, natural gestures, and sign language, which help convey messages.

RealShow encourages teachers in developing nations to produce video content using a cost-effective solution and share their content via RealShow website and electronic or mobile media, which can be used to bridge many gaps.

 

 

280 slides

280 Slides:

 

http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/02/webware/280slides-create-and-share-presentations-online-for-free.html

 

Wow!That was the reaction I had as soon as I opened the 280slides online PPT editor. Having seen and reviewed some of the best free software, it is not usual for me to gasp like this. But 280Slides really left me amazed. It is hard to believe that 280Slides is a web application. It seems like a software that you have installed on your desktop. The website has been designed beautifully, and using this website is really amazing. Absolutely love it!

280Slides is a free website to create presentations online. It is completely free, and it comes with amazing features. First thing that will thoroughly impress you is the nice interface. Everything is so obvious to use in the interface. Creating a presentation online with 280Slides is a really easy process.

 

 

powerbullet presenter

PowerBullet Presenter:

 

http://wareseeker.com/download/powerbullet-presenter-1.44.rar/332339

 

Powerbullet Presenter is small, simple to use and of course free. Use it to create presentations in the Flash™ format. You don't need any experience to create slick, animated presentations, and it has loads of functionality to get you up and running quickly. Simply type, click and drag. Entirely free, no ads, no catch.

 

Powerbullet is a small, simple program for creating presentations in the Flash format. You should have minimal startup time in getting your first presentation together if you're familiar with using a basic word processor.

 

Most commonly-used operations are available with a button click or two, and there are handy keyboard shortcuts for most operations. For instance, using the up and down arrow keys - in conjunction with the Control and Shift key - dynamically increases or decreases the font size, giving you instant feedback.

 

Powerbullet Presenter is specifically designed for creating multi-page presentations that are commonly used in electronic sales brochures and catalogues, splash screens, tutorials, slide-shows and student projects.

 

You can also create a self-running show, specifying delays on each page, or you can link the timing to the sound attached to each page.

 

Your presentations can be exported as an HTML page with an embedded Flash for playback on any platform that supports a web browser and Flash. You can also create an independent Windows executable file.

 

Create standard presentations easily or customize You can easily create presentations using drag and drop, or you can hand tune the HTML data which describes the Powerbullet Pages and create your own animation sequences.

Unusual fonts

Your text is converted to Flash format, so unusual fonts can be displayed on any machine.

Online or Offline Presentations

Your presentation will be exported both as Flash (embedded in HTML) and as an executable file (.exe), so you can use it for the web or run it as a Microsoft Powerpoint-like presentation on any Windows PC (without requiring any special software to be installed).

Presentations for every purpose

Powerbullet Presenter is specifically designed for creating multi-page presentations that are commonly used in electronic sales brochures and catalogues, splash screens, slideshows and educational projects for both teachers and students.

 

 

zoho

Zoho:

 

https://show.zoho.com/login.do

 

Introducing Zoho Show 2.0: The online tool for making powerful presentations.Whether you are a professional, a teacher, a student, a businessman, a salesman or anyone looking to put together a cool presentation, you have come to the right place. Zoho Show's pre-built themes, clipart and shapes coupled with features like drag-and-drop makes it an easy application to use.

 

 

 

PreZentit:

 

http://prezentit.com/

 

With PreZentit

◦Create presentations in a few clicks, wherever you are.

◦You only need a web browser.

◦Work with your team in the same presentation at the same time.

◦Your presentations can be private or public. And each one has its own web address.

◦Download your presentations and show them even without an Internet connection.

◦There is no limit in the number or length of the presentations and you have 250MB to store your images.

◦The presentations are web pages (HTML) so you could even edit them manually (if you want it)..

 

 

KIZOA

Kizoa:

Create a Free Photo Slideshow with Music, Text and Special Effects.
Making slideshow’s with Kizoa is free, fun and easy! Get started by clicking on the button above and create your account. Once you have created your Kizoa account, you'll be able to create truly amazing slideshows in seconds.

With Kizoa's unique text, music, animation and other special effects, there are unlimited possibilities to customize your slideshow!

                            

Get started today! There's no software to download, and it's free!

10 Great iPad Apps for Autistic Children

Below are 5 basic skills which autistic children learn by playing games and puzzles on their iPad:

  1. Social skills
  2. Fine motor skills
  3. Language and communication skills
  4. Sensory skills
  5. Stress reduction
Education experts are raving over the Apple iPad, but not for its ability to help kids with their homework or influence secondary language fluency; in the spotlight today is the way Apple’s new iPad touchscreen device is revolutionizing the way we teach children with autism.

http://www.b12patch.com/blog/autism/10-great-ipad-apps-for-autistic-children/

EduGAINS ... Ontario Curriculum Docs

http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/index.html

Great site for teachers to get information about Ontario curriculum.  Great site for what docs are new and

EduGAINS ... Building individual and collective capacities to improve teaching and learning in Ontario ... The Pulse of the Province

Here's an example:
Paying Attention to Literacy K-12
Paying Attention to Literacy K-12 compiles key learning from an extensive body of current field experience and research-based knowledge in literacy, and provides a framework for conversations about processes and strategies that will help improve literacy learning and teaching in Ontario schools. Click on < Leading Change > in the left menu on the LiteracyGAINS home page.

Google+ Hangouts: Six Practical Uses for Online Education

Google+ Hangouts: Six Practical Uses for Online Education 
by Jeremy Vest : Learning Solutions Magazine

What is a Google+ Hangout? A Hangout is a video group chat in Google+ for up to 10 people. If you click “Hangouts with extras” when you start a Hangout, you will see that it has a whole lot more power then just a Web chat feature. (Figure 1) In fact, it’s very close to the power of the best online meeting websites. For very small classes, this might be a good alternative to expensive online meeting Websites

If seeing, hearing, or sharing with your online students could help the learning process, then Google+ Hangouts could be a great, engaging venue for your students. Considering that many students use Social Media as one of the primary ways to communicate, this might be a way to better engage younger generations.

Interested? Click the link below:
http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/772/google-hangouts-six-practic
al-uses-for-online-education






Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds


This is a very easy website to use.  Great for teachers and students of all ages.
Click on CREATE and you are on your way!

http://www.wordle.net/

Glogster ... Online Multimedia Posters

Glogster is the leading global education platform for the creative expression of knowledge and skills in the classroom and beyond.  GLOGS are online multimedia posters - with text, photos, videos, graphics, sounds, drawings, data attachments and more.  
THIS IS NOT FREE TO CREATE, BUT YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR A FREE TRIAL 
ALSO FREE IS THE ABILITY TO SEE THE MANY ALREADY MADE GLOGS.  

For Educators:
-A creative, collaborative, dynamic, and innovative digital outlet that makes teaching and learning more fun.
-A private and safe platform, monitored directly by teachers.
-A valuable teaching tool that integrates diverse core subjects including math, science, history, art, photography, music and more.

For Learners:
-A fun, imaginative, and powerful learning experience that fosters independent and creative self expression, positive teacher-student relationships, and teamwork on class projects.
- A vibrant, multi-sensory learning experience that integrates student knowledge and skills with traditionally text-oriented subjects, and inspires intellectual curiosity.

www.edu.glogster.com

To see already posted GLOGS, go to:    http://edu.glogster.com/glogpedia/

Spies in the Shadows ... How Real Can it Get?

http://www.spiesintheshadows.com/

Study espionage in the classroom ... An historical study of the role of espionage in Canada. WHY SPY? What is espionage and why do governments, companies, and people spend major resources on it? Perhaps this question was best answered by the hero of the Napoleonic Wars, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, who was “guessing what was at the other side of the hill.” The goal of espionage, intelligence, or spying, is usually to find information, especially regarding knowledge (what do you know that we don’t) or intentions (what do you plan to do, and why?).

Intelligence is about understanding an adversary, whether military, business or personal. Governments gather intelligence to become informed about what other countries are planning to do, whether to improve their own negotiating position, or to anticipate what repercussions intended or unintended actions might create. In the private sector, companies seek information about their competitors and their products. Stealing technology is often cheaper and faster than paying for independent research. Investors also perform “due diligence” investigations on companies that want to borrow their money.

In countries like Canada, most intelligence comes from open source intelligence: sources like newspapers, television, or the internet. In fact, most intelligence in the western world derives from publicly available sources. However, sometimes “what was at the other side of the hill,” or in an enemy’s filing cabinet, or tactics being transmitted to soldiers, all represent secret, highly sensitive information. For this, the goal of espionage – agencies, tools and tactics— is to learn what others try to keep secret.  Learning couldn't get any easier and more real ... Check out this site ... no, better still, have your students check it out!


Link to Learning ... A Good Place for Intermediate and High School Teachers


Link to Learning ... http://www.linktolearning.com/

Linking you to websites supporting the Ontario curriculum ... Grade 7 to 12.

You'll find Web-Based Student Learning Activities and this site is just for teachers.  You'll see:

-Ontario Curriculum Expectations by Grade
-Lesson Plans and Teaching Ideas
-Assessment and Evaluation

Want to learn more ... visit:  http://www.linktolearning.com/

Put a Prezi in Your PowerPoint


http://www.slidedynamic.com/slidedynamic-addin/download-trial
Here's how you can put a Prezi in your powerpoint ...


Use “slidedynamic” (amazing little add-on) to embed a powerpoint in a prezi ... easy and no cost to you. You’ll need to download something called an add-on for your PowerPoint ... This particular add-on is called “Slidedynamic”
[A] PowerPoint add-on to embed a Prezi in your PowerPoint Presentation (2007 and 2010):
1. Download and Install “Slidedynamic” add-on for PowerPoint (see url below)
http://www.slidedynamic.com/slidedynamic-addin/download-trial
Go to the bottom of the page where it says “download” and click it ...
2. Save it to your desktop ... it saves a zipped folder to your desktop
3. Unzip the folder (right clicking on it and choosing “extract all”) ... it will put another folder onto your desktop (called Slidedynamic_lite).
4. You can leave it here or cut/paste onto your C: drive (Up to you)
5. Go into the folder and click on SETUP ... this will begin to install the add-on for PowerPoint (follow the directions ... it’s a no-brainer to do)
4. Once installed, it will open PowerPoint for you and automatically place another tab in your PowerPoint toolbar area called “Slidedynamic”
You are ready for the next step
[B] PowerPoint:
1. Start your PowerPoint and add whatever slides you want
2. Go to the slide where you want the Prezi embedded
3. Save your PowerPoint Presentation in a folder somewhere ... make sure you remember where you saved it – this is the hardest thing of all we’re doing here.
We’ll come back to this ...
[C] Download your ready-made Prezi from the website
1. Download and save your Prezi from the Prezi.com website
2. Unzip Prezi zipped folder that you downloaded (This is called your “offline Prezi”)
3. Find your unzipped prezi and you’ll see 3 things in the folder
4. Copy the 2 folders (called “data” and “prezi.app”and paste these both into the same folder you saved your already started powerpoint document (Step [B] above).
5. Great ... you’re done here. Now, go back to your PowerPoint
[D] In the PowerPoint presentation ... the one you already started from above
1. Go to the slide where you want the prezi embedded
2. Click the tab “Slidedynamic”
3. Click “insert offline prezi”
4. Your prezi will be there ... it’s the rectangle with an “x” through it ... don’t worry, it’s there!
5. You can resize if you want.
6. Click “slideshow” to watch your Powerpoint ... and in this case, your prezi. Control the prezi as you would any prezi.
You’re all done! That read and looked harder than it actually was. It’s really not as hard as the instructions look ... once you do one, you’ll see how easy it is to do. I hope this has helped you.
For more help (and visual assistance), check out my favourite place to learn how to do stuff...
YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKpeHMC6h6s

Enjoy!

How to Make a PreDio (Prezi-Video)

Do you have a cool Prezi with pictures, video clips, and neat animation and motion? Do you want it on your blog, but it's not online (with html embedding code)...Oh, you have it saved as an offline Prezi. You're okay with the computer, but all this embedding stuff, downloading, using online software and converting drives you crazy and worst of all - it's time consuming. You just want the presentation you worked so hard to do on the blog as fast as possible!! Well, here's a simple solution for you. Make a PreDio - you got it - a Prezi-Video.
The way you make a PreDio is ...
1. Make a Prezi
2. Have screen capture software available (screencast-o-matic)
3. Load screen capture and ready
4. Start Prezi to play (home)
5. Start screen capture
6. Start Prezi at a rate easy for all to follow ... play all of it
7. As Prezi is playing, you are recording it.
8. When done, stop Prezi back at home and stop screen capture
9. Save file as .avi or .wmv or whatever format it allows
10. Now, you've got a PreDio (Prezi-Video) to embed on your blog
That was Easy!