Bitstrips and Power4Bones

–Home school connection--

As teachers we need to create lessons that keep students interested. In September, I registered my class for 2 programs called Power4Bones and Bitstrips.

Power4Bones is a free program that teaches grade 5 children about bone health. This program uses a variety of activities. There are Web-based challenges, educational comics, coded secret messages, classroom announcements, and a public service announcement activity.

This program is not independent from classroom lesson. It does involve some directed teaching prior to launching each activity challenge that is online. Ideally this activity takes approximately 8 weeks to complete. Which is about 45 minutes in class lesson per week and the web challenges are complete at home. The students told me that they had a blast…..

Bitstrips is a site where students make and create comics. As many of you will know, you assign specific tasks for students to complete and then you allow them the independence to create their own comics.

They really enjoy creating their comics. I found that students who usually do not enjoy “homework” are actually writing and creating with Bitstrips.

Both sites are safe, educational but most importantly fun.

Toni

Online Learning and Professional Growth.

As I read through the last article regarding Web 2.0 and common terminology, I realized that as more software becomes available to the general public and teachers alike, some words just don’t seem too common to me just yet! I stumbled upon the word MOODLE and I decided to figure out what it was and how I could use this software. It turns out that it is probably the interface I was looking for to create my course page! The terminology for everything associated with MOODLE is still quite new to me; however, what I realize is that many online courses offered through universities and high schools are delivering their program content with the aide of such interfaces (which allow for images, videos, chats, forums, etc to be combined all on one page). Interesting enough, all in the same day, I received notice of acceptance to an online course using D2L (Desire 2 Learn) interface which I also read about while researching MOODLE. I hope to learn something about how this interface works while trying to survive an online course for the first time in my life. Technology is great, but for those of us who are accustom to attending class in person, these online courses seem terrifying! As I reflect on our last class creating our blogs, I realize that somehow, once I manage to decode all this terminology and adapt it to my everyday lesson planning, all this temporary techno chaos of terminology and software will translate into a priceless, professional growth experience for me as a teacher.

ellevee

Home-School Connection

For this assignment I have been preparing a blog for one of the courses I teach.

The idea is to create a “semi” interactive course profile for the student to access from home, or, as with many high school students, as they are away from school on long school trips, functions or take two months off to visit with family.

I have created a Professional Blog for the Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology course, entitled HSP. For now this is the only internet based program I can manage as I am new to blogs and wikis. My aim, after last class working with Mario Adessa is to learn to use an interface such Moodle, or D2L or somehow find a way to create a page with space for multimedia posts created by my students and accessible to them on Learn 360.

My idea is to create a page containing each of the 4 units for this course. I have created a Photo Story presentation for the introduction of the course which is posted for my students to view. I have also listed the course units on the left hand side.

I would like to post at least the major assignments under each unit for my students and if there are any multimedia assignments, or podcasts created by the students per unit, my goal would be to post them under each unit with a follow up activity for the students. Currently there is only an embedded Youtube Video in the Sociology section that dealt with youth attitudes to their view of what society will be like in their future.

At the moment, I have been able to create a seminar outline and topic schedule in PDF format for the sociology multimedia seminar presentations my students are creating this year. (I did not know how to switch my word documents to PDF as of 2 days ago, and now I learned how to change the format using free software (Adobe and docstoc) to create a URL for the PDF document to attach or embed in my blog!) Somehow I will try to find a way to post their seminars without using too much space on the blog.

Hopefully there will be a nicer and neater way to create such a site. The link to my blog is http://www.hsp2010.blogspot.com/ . I am not excited about seeing so much writing with every post and link; however, I guess that is the format of the blog.

ellevee

How Flat is Your Classroom?

William Ferriter's article "How Flat is Your Classroom?" documents the journey of two high-school teachers joining together to build relationships with their students who happen to live on different continents. Vicki Davis, a high-school teacher in Georgia and Julie Lindsay, a high-school teacher in Bangladesh, teamed up together using digital technology to form an online learning environment that fostered international collaboration. As the article points out very succinctly, it was their goal that "their students would not just walk away with a better understanding of tomorrow's workplace – they'd walk away with a better understanding of one another." This proved to be a very powerful experience for both sets of students. It enabled the students to meet (through digital video) and interact with (through online discussion boards, video conferences, instant messages and e-mails) students from across the world. This under normal circumstances would definitely not have occurred. Both sets of students had the opportunity to learn about their peers in the opposite country and form opinions based on information they gathered instead of simply resorting to information they might have been able to gather via various media outlets. As you can imagine, the project was a great success and has expanded to help other classroom teachers create global exchanges that benefit students in similar ways.

One of the learning environments that the article suggests visiting is ePals. I took a brief look at this website and was very intrigued. It offers learners and teachers in 200 countries the opportunity to interact with one another. Not only would such an experience teach students to connect and communicate with students of other cultures, it provides students and teachers alike with a safe learning environment as well as the opportunity to engage and learn from individuals that may be as close as a neighboring city or as far as on another continent. I definitely plan to look more into ePals in the future. It seems like a very worthwhile opportunity for teachers and students and I look forward to one day implementing it within a classroom of my own.

Melissa

How Technology is Changing School

Curtis Bonk's article "How Technology is Changing School" offers readers concrete proof that the digital age is upon us. Throughout the article, Bonk explains that technology related to school program delivery once reserved to deal with catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina, or health emergencies such as SARS or the H1N1 virus are being used to service students all over the globe. As time passes, more and more students and teachers alike are choosing to take their courses online in order complete their required course work. This allows students who live in rural areas who may have limited access to programs of their choice to pursue their interests and graduate with a degree that only a few years earlier probably would not have been made available to them.

I am a strong proponent of the online learning forum. Throughout my university career I worked full-time and found it increasing difficult to manage work and school. Unfortunately online learning was not an option for me at the time, so therefore I was forced to juggle work and school. Upon the completion of my teaching degree I decided to try online learning for the first time. I took an online AQ course through the Faculty of Education at Queen's University and I was hooked. I was able to study at my own pace, meet my colleagues for online discussions of course materials, and submit assignments without ever having to leave the comfort of my home. For the first time in my life I didn't have to worry about juggling full-time employment commitments and in-class commitments. Since this time I have had the opportunity to take many more online courses which I have really enjoyed.

I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to learn online and definitely feel that more programs to facilitate this in the elementary and secondary spectrum should be made readily available to students. Online learning forums are not only for musicians, dancers and professional athletes; they are for those interested in learning and growing intellectually in a flexible environment that suits their learning needs.

Melissa

TCDSB AICT “Tech” In-service

The in-service that I attended for this component of the course was on the topic of differentiated instruction through the use of technology. I found it to be a great wrap up and review of many of the topics (i.e. Smart Board, Premier, digital storytelling, etc) we have studied throughout our course. Many of the tools discussed are fairly simple to use and already available to us through the TCDSB. The only things missing involve supportive administration as well as a teacher who is open-minded and willing to learn how to incorporate new technology into his/her teaching. All of the tools and teaching strategies discussed are relevant to the needs of students in today's classrooms. The aspect of the presentation that I enjoyed the most was the discussion of various differentiated instruction tools. These included virtual field trip websites; project based learning, simulations, online pen pals and web quests. Having discussed most of these in our course, we had the chance to interact with them within a classroom setting, and the value of each tool became all the more evident. I was particularly interested in the online pen pal program and had the opportunity to research it and get more feedback from colleagues that had used something similar in the past. I would highly recommend this in-service to other teachers interested in learning more about integrating technology into their classrooms. Although the amount of information presented throughout the day is a lot, it is just the tip of the iceberg. That being said those topics that are of interest can be further researched and later hopefully implemented into one's classroom teaching.

Melissa

21st Century Learning!

Teachers, pay attention.

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

Great website to use with kids ... Fun and educational!

Shhhhh!!! Don't tell them they're learning.

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

Posted by: Johan

Response to AICT conference

I enjoyed the AICT conference and thought that the keynote speaker had a lot of neat ideas and links to show off. Yet, as I sat there, I was struck by how technology, which was supposed to be the great leveller in education, making the ‘whole virtual world’ available to all students, has in fact only driven a greater wedge between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’.

Access to technology and its various tools comes down to the will of the principal to spend money on it; the parent community who will vocally as well as financially support its use in the school, and the teacher who is willing to try it out. Absent of one of these three conditions, and students don’t have as much of a chance. Why is it that in some of our schools student laptop use in a wireless setting is the norm, while other students, particularly those in portables, are stuck with a stand alone computer with no network connection that hasn’t been updated in who knows how long? Is this fair?

As we finish the monthly focus on the virtue of Justice, maybe we ought to look at our own school system and ask where matters of justice are not being met.

Lou.

I couldn't agree with you more, Lou. From where I'm now sitting, I see the injustice and the inequities that exist. Our students have neither justice nor equity and it's a shame! Your points are soooo true! Maybe time will fix this, but I'm not so sure.

-Johan

Conference - TCDSB AICT

Supporting the digital Citizen 2010 Conference

Recently I attended the technology conference: "Supporting the Digital Citizen". This is my second year in attendance. I do agree that today technology offers a wealth of opportunity for learning. Everyone is drawn to the digital world in one form or another; no one is immune. It is important that educators reflect on ways to enhance their curriculum through the use of technology because it is unavoidable so it is “better to join the party than to ignore it.”

The Keynote speaker Dr. Tim Tyson spoke of his experiences with technology. Although what he spoke about was not new to me, I viewed him as a motivational speaker; I was encouraged that what I am doing in the classroom is good and not useless. That the ways I am using cameras, computers and video cameras in my classroom are technologies that in some shape or form, are maximizing interest and achievement. His speech reinforced my resolve to continue what I am doing and to continue to empower my students to choose to learn. Using some form of technology as an alternative to handwritten assignments would be considered, “differentiated instruction”.

The students that I teach go forward with tools and skills that they did not have prior to entering my class. Yet, I always felt that I could do more but did not know how to realize what I wished to do. But once I attended the break out session at the conference, I got an idea to further help students create in an environment other than my classroom. I attended “Creating a Digital Diary”. At this session I learned about the role of a Tech Crew. Simply put, they are a group of students that are given the ability to show interest in some aspect of technology and to also be mentors to other students. Learning new software, filming and editing are some examples of what these students would be responsible for. Most importantly, they would assist me with setting up equipment when other teachers require it.

Will I want to undertake such a project? Yes. I wish to be a small factor in helping to prepare students for the future demands of the workforce. This small group of students would definitely be able to mentor students within their own classrooms and such a system would cascade knowledge to more than a small group of students within a few classrooms. The school community would benefit.

Toni

Smart Board Workshop

I find technology interesting: A reflection on a Smart Board WorkshopJ

In the last several years I have attended various workshops to lean how to use certain programs, technology or gain new ideas in order to apply them in the classroom. I certainly found the many ideas and websites I gained from attending these workshops very beneficial; I certainly do apply them in my class. These ideas have evolved and become lessons I created and I am proud of them. One thing that I have certainly learned, however, is that you can attend as many workshops as humanly possible but if you don’t actively apply or practice what you have learned, can be useless.

I ponder this because I recently organized, hosted and assisted a Smart Board workshop for other teachers. It was interesting assisting other adults on learning how to use the Smart Board. Adults are definitely not as adventurous as children. Children will, as one would say, jump into the fire, and try. At this workshop, the adults, but most specifically teachers, were treading very carefully probably fearing that the Smart Board would probably combust. Many questions and theories were brought forth just before each touch of the board occurred. “What if…? What if…?” But they were all good questions. I held my breath each time…..I smiled and spurred them on with gentleness. Who said that only children need encouragement, so do adults. Some hesitated, not convinced that something positive will happen, up until they realized that the Board won’t break. As a matter of fact, their confidence level increased with every swipe of the Board. I no longer had to hold onto the Board for fear that it would tip over because they were practically punching the Board to make it write! Yeah, but it got better. So the workshop continued throughout the day in such a manner and I was proud of them. Not because they attended the workshop but because this group of teachers are all innovative and are willing to learn something that was not in their comfort zone. I found that after the workshop, although I am positive they felt overwhelmed; they were left with a feeling of contentment. It was satisfaction because the teachers learned something and felt empowered that their next lesson would be amazing! I hope this is the case.

I am convinced that the teachers will have left with a knowledge they did not initially have. They were given the tools to begin using the Smart Board, however, as I mentioned above, you must practice and apply what is learned otherwise there will always be a hesitation in using technology in the classroom.

Toni

Youtube downloader

Youtube downloader is a free software that everyone can download. It allows one to convert videos videos for Ipod, Iphone, PSP, Cell Phone, Windows Media, XVid and MP3

http://download.cnet.com/YouTube-Downloader/3000-2071_4-10647340.html

This site has a publisher’s description of software and comments and ratings from people who have used this software in order to give prospective downloaders a chance to feel at ease about using software.

I found this site as a link from BienneSoft (http://youtubedownload.altervista.org/). This site guarantees the Youtube downloader is free of malware, spyware, viruses, Trojans and backdoors.

Toni

Grade 11 Students Shine!

St. Basil's Night to Shine

Lights! Camera! Action! That was the atmosphere at the third annual presentation of Digital 2010; a showcase of student short films produced by the Communication Technology students from St. Basil's the Great College School and shown at the Yorkdale Cinemas.

The audience was treated to a fusion of works. Not only did the students shoot commercials to promote certain products, but they also used the documentary format as a vehicle to engage themselves into exploring ideas and producing an insightful series of storytelling.

Adolescence is at times difficult. Among all the changes happening to them, teenagers often have a difficult time expressing themselves and communicating to others. Filming short docs such as the ones presented, empowers the students and gives them the means to express their ideas and to take a project from beginning to end. Filming, also builds on their creativity and analytical skills while developing social skills. In other words, filmmaking involves a myriad of abilities from initial idea to final product.

Creating short docs is something that can be used across the curriculum and something that can accommodate any learning style. If started early enough perhaps in elementary school, by the time they reach high school, students may discover some hidden talent in writing, directing, editing, filming or producing.

In all, it was an enjoyable evening and something I would share and try to accomplish with my own classes. The pride shown by the students in their work and dedication was evidenced by the applause and cheers. It was their night to shine.

Kudos to Mr. Anthony Perotta and his crew at St. Basil’s.

Tina D.

Academic ICT Conference 2010

I found the TCDSB AICT Conference to be a very insightful look into how we as teachers can engage our students in the classroom using today's ever changing technological advances. Anyone who attended the conference will no doubt agree that using technology in the classroom will assist our students using an avenue that they are accustomed to. During Ann Perron's opening remarks she mentioned that about 90% of TCDSB students have access to the internet at home. I have to say that I was very surprised by this figure, and imagined that it would be much less. Students are exposed to technology in the home and as a result, school communities need to keep up with this technology not only to engage their students, but to help prepare them to meet the demands of the workforce they will one day occupy. Dr. Tim Tyson's keynote address made it sound rather simple to do this. His practical examples of integrating technology into the classroom were definitely not at all far fetched. All they require is an open-minded teacher who is willing to try something new, and a few IPods or cell phones. It will definitely be interesting to see whether or not this type of teaching is something that will become more prevalent within the TCDSB. I know from my own teaching experience, time is something that I definitely never seem to have enough of. Teaching the vast amount of curriculum would definitely be made easier if teachers could deliver their lessons via podcasts, especially in the senior grades. I am a little skeptical about how this idea would go over in primary classes, but think it is definitely worth exploring further. I know in my own class at the moment I have a number of students who show up late or have been away for extended periods of time. Having my lessons available as a podcast would mean that I could direct my students as well as their parents to my lessons very easily and continue delivering my daily classroom lessons. Instead of repeating important information to those students who missed the lesson I would then free up more time to answer student questions and offer more individual help to those who need it which is what teaching is all about.

I also found the second portion of AICT Conference I attended (Making Meaning of Digital Texts) to be very informative. Heather Mullins did a great job of presenting a wealth of information on the topic in a very short period of time. She really emphasized the importance of teaching our students how to be "digitally literate" and gave a number of useful strategies to use in the classroom in order to assist our students with skill. One activity that I particularly liked and plan to use in my own classroom involves having students put together a computer screen with all the various components (i.e. task bar). Not only does this help students learn to navigate their way around what they say when they use the internet, it assists teachers in deciphering who knows what and guides them as to where their next steps should be. After all, if we want our students to be "digitally literate" we must not assume that they are going to arrive in our classrooms with these skills. We must teach them!

The Digital Citizen

Interesting presentation and still running in my mind as if I have just finished watching

A Midsummer Night's Dream. Two different worlds; the real world vs. digital world of iFairies,

but no longer a dichotomy. Oberon from fairyland anoints teachers' eyelids with magic iPotion, and makes

them believe in love at first sight.

Since majority of students already function in their digital reality and develop their reading and writing skills on the internet, teachers indeed should follow and open their minds to blogging and podcasting as an alternative to pen and paper.

However, ridding of marks, rubrics, essay formats and replacing them unanimously with unspecified assessment on line seems quite farfetched when most of the teachers live in the trenches struggling to meet curriculum and fulfill parents' high expectations for final marks.

Media projects have already become an inseparable part of Ontario curriculum and combined with evaluation based on four categories can be both entertaining and educating.

I have started my adventure on line by asking Grade 9 students to create just one comic strip for each unit . Plot development for a short story read and discussed in class, scene adaptation in eight panels based on Shakespeare's comedy, Tom Finder character review in three panels; just one step at a time. Senior classes have just submitted The Kite Runner project created in movie maker program, but next semester they will be podcasting!

All you need is a little iMagic.

MK

LunaPic Online Photo Editor

You must go to this website ... have your pictures ready and play
with them on this site. Can you say "FUN" - wow!

Web 2.0 Exploration

Go here and as Michele likes to say, "muck around" ... great sites to explore and get hooked on.

Reversing the title gives me a new Blog ... Cool

Do you know this lady? What a good Blog ... lots of interesting stuff.
Have you seen her blog? http://teaching21c.blogspot.com/
I actually ended up at her blog before yours because I reversed the words in your title.

L.

Cyber Safety.....

I was reading this article; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/education/09cyberkids.html?partner=rss&emc=rss from the New York Times and they made reference to a teacher using a website put out by Common Sense Media, http://www.commonsensemedia.org/rules-road-kids to teach his students about using the internet. What I liked best about it is that it doesn't just talk out the 'dark underworld' of the internet out there, it also mentions kids' use of social network sites and how what they put out there could come back to haunt them. The video is straightforward and to the point and might be a real eye-opener for some kids in the junior grades.
Lou

Proactiv Commercial with Lindsay Lohan

Here's a product that uses "famous people" to market for them.

Pantene Ads

Pantne Brand Profile: Get the inside scoop on media advertising!

Science ... Having Fun & Learning a Bit!

Many science activities to choose from ... Use your Smart Board to make it interactive! Simple Machines, Compound Machines, Design a cell phone ... and a few virtual simulations (like doing brain surgery). Enjoy this site ... very cool!

Podcast ... Oh, The Places You'll Go (2009 Replay)

This is a group effort to wish a beloved teacher a fond farewell as she marries and moves off to Colorado ... Wonderfully read and nicely done!

Podcast ...A Story Read by Shamary

Listen to Shamary read a story called "Spiders" ... click on the title or the picture to get to the podomatic site. Enjoy!

Podcast ... A Story Read by Christopher

Hi everyone, here's a new podcast entry ... check it out! Click on the title or the picture of the book and hear Christopher read the story to you.

Enjoy!

Using Games to Enhance Student Achievement

Robert Marzano's article "Using Games to Enhance Student Achievement" presents a number of valid points in favor of using games to enhance student interest and achievement. In my own experience I know that I always learned more in classes where teachers made learning fun and got students involved. Incorporating educational games into classroom teaching not only allows students to learn necessary content, it allows teachers to engage their students while providing an opportunity to gage student understanding. In his article, Marzano points out that one of the few places students regularly don't play games is in the classroom. To some this might seem natural, but in today's technologically advanced world I feel that we are really doing a disservice to our students if we refrain from using technology to enrich the learning opportunities of our students. That being said, I know that with increasing budget cuts and lack of funding schools often find it difficult to keep up with the latest technological advances. Many teachers have games pre-loaded educational games on classroom computers, yet due to the many curriculum demands would prefer students to learn the required content through the completion of paper and pencil tasks. Also, many teachers are uncomfortable with the technology themselves and thus refrain from using it in the classroom. This is understandable, but I feel that more has to be done in this area in order to encourage teachers to use more games (and technology in general) in their classrooms.

Marzano points out that students thrive in classrooms that use games that include: stakes that are not too high, target important academic content, and allow for student/teacher discussion of more difficult questions. I agree 100% with Marzano's closing comments where he points out that games are a useful tool in addressing even the most difficult content in a lighthearted and engaging way. An example of this in my own teaching involves a game that I developed to assist my students in preparing for their most recent Social Studies test on Canada's Pioneers. I devised a Jeopardy style game board (on my blackboard) that included titles such as Family Responsibilities, Aboriginal Peoples and Clearing the Land. Under each category I wrote a number of questions that dealt with each topic and assigned a point value to each correct answer given. When we actually played the game I divided the class into two teams and had students work as a team to answer the game questions. Both teams had a lot of fun and I could easily see what topics they had mastered and what areas I needed to review prior to actual test. What I would like to do in the future with the help of technology (i.e. a Smart board) is have the game transferred onto the computer and allow my students to play the game using that format.

Melissa

Windows MovieMaker

The last class on Windows Movie Maker Live was enjoyable, fascinating and informative. The version with Windows 7 seemed very easy to work with and manipulate. In fact, I was so inspired I convinced myself that I could make a fabulous movie with material I currently have on my computer.

I have since sat down twice to work with the XP version, and even though the format is different the idea is the same. I have to admit that it is more difficult and frustrating to use once you actually sit down. Patience is actually required for those of us with no experience and a lot of dreams of becoming an "overnight" award winning movie producer!

Overall, with some time, this will be a fun tool to work with!

Letizia

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Live connected with Messenger on your phone Learn more.

The Alligator

Here is Shamary's Alligator Photostory Project

Joywina's Weasel

This is a Photostory Project on the weasel.

Wolf Project

This is a Photostory done by Praneeth (Grade 2) on the Wolf.

Professional Website Review

After exploring the suggested websites a few issues came to my mind in terms of children's literacy practices out-of-school, and the implications of these practices for teachers. The first is that the majority of these sites offer students and parents a safe environment to focus on building literacy skills at home. As the years go by, students are becoming computer savvy earlier and earlier. Many of these sites will not only allow students to use the computer independently, they will also build upon the skills taught in school by teachers ultimately helping students become better readers and writers.

As a teacher, I especially enjoyed the Toronto Public Library link. In my teaching experiences thus far many parents simply do not or are unable to devote enough time to read with their children. Many of my students past and present hardly see their parents during the week due to employment demands and family commitments. This can definitely have a detrimental impact on the academic standing of a child, especially in terms of literacy skills. Kid-friendly websites such as that of the Toronto Public Library allow students to build their skills, by hearing, reading and writing stories. This type of extracurricular activity can only benefit a child, especially one that is struggling to learn the basics of reading and writing. The extra practice at home will not only build skills, it will work to increase a child's confidence and abilities, therefore making him/her more likely to respond favorably to his/her teacher's efforts in school.

Although using tools such as the suggested websites offer a number of positive advantages, I myself would definitely be wary of letting my students use websites that have the potential for online chatting. Depending on the age of the child I would definitely encourage all of my parents to supervise their child's time on the computer, and monitor who they may be chatting with. On the whole I do see a lot of value in using this type of technology to promote literacy skills and plan to bookmark a number of the suggested websites for future reference and use.

Melissa

Podcast Stories

Go to http://www.podomatic.com/ and learn to use this website to post your audio stories. Easy to sign-up and begin podcasting in your class. Stay tuned for some podcasts of stories read to you by Grade 2 students.

project based learning

In today's world of the "net generation" sometimes it is best to accept the idea of students and teens attached to their computers and use it to a teacher's advantage. The idea of project based learning (new to me)using such sites as Webquest can actually awaken a student's interest in many subject areas that were deemed boring and obsolete by recent pressure on students to focus only on the math , business and science subject areas. Using web-based projects for the mandatory Independent Study Unit in History would surely eliminate all the excuses for not wanting to take history, and perhaps even breathe new life into the course itself. It's not difficult for a teen to sit in front of a computer for hours on end, at this point, it's time for teacher's to start using the computer as a mandatory learning tool and not see it as the enemy.

Attached is a website that has the image of the front page of many newspapers from around the world. Updated daily, it can be used in the classroom for world issues, geography, literacy and even cultural studies. (it came to mind when www.360cities.net was mentioned in class.....also another great tool to use when teaching history and you need a 3D visual for the students)
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

Letizia

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Not using Hotmail on your phone? Why not? Get it now.

That Quiz!!

Wonderful resource site ... no need to sign in ... just click and use. Content in vocabulary (a few languages), social studies (geography), science, and especially Math. Kids can be shown how to use it and go for it all by themselves. Easy to use!!

http://www.thatquiz.org/

Privacy Playground, Cyber Sense, and Nonsense and the Net Generation

I found the instructions and interactive games from the web awareness links, “The Net Generation” and “Cyber Pigs”, respectively, to be innovative and informative and they should be used as lessons for media awareness for all, regardless of age. The format that these two sites bring to both students and teachers is very interesting and refreshing. “The Net Generation”, entitled The Growing with the Net: A developmental approach to children’s Internet Use (Ages 4-12), takes on the form of a workshop series and Cyber Pigs adventures called, “Privacy Playground: The First Adventure of The Three Pigs and Cyber Sense and Nonsense: The Second Adventure of The Three Cyber Pigs takes the form of an interactive game reminiscent of the fairy tale story, The Three Little Pigs.

I notice that sometimes teachers usually feel the need to teach technology as a processing tool, but we forget that a computer is more than programs on the OS. With a stroke of a finger, we can access the world through the internet. Therefore, it’s not enough to just teach technology, it is important to remember to instill critical thinking skills in order to use the internet wisely, to authenticate online information and to know what is and isn’t acceptable. Knowing the purpose of a site of whether it is there to inform, to sell or to persuade is an important skill to have.

The above sites teach children the skills to bring critical thinking and problem solving to any text that they read and the lessons are brought to them in an interactive format that would keep them interested. I know that the majority of my students are on the internet for various purposes, and it is important that they are taught the skills on being safe and wise internet surfers. Empowering a student to be safe while having fun is important and “Cyber safety adventures 1 and 2” do just this; students’ and teachers’ interest will definitely be captured with Cyber Pigs’ interactive game.

Although “The Net Generation” is information based, it is very informative. As you read, you will come across in this presentation a webography which is a useful tool for teachers and parents that are looking for some web resources to help them stay informed.

Linking into the sites under the Cyber Safety web page is definitely worthwhile.

Toni

Animated Shakespeare ... A few Plays

Animated Shakespeare …

Midsummer Night's Dream
Pt. 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCZndWMALOo

Pt. 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqGEQ-832rI

Pt. 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOYAfq_7Xjg

Macbeth
Pt.1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC9G_CZVAL8

Pt.2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQOyiHDptU

Pt.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8riYRDFp7A

Project-Based Learning

In project based learning, students work in teams to explore real-world problems and create presentations to share what they have learned. Some of the benefits for students are a deeper knowledge of subject matter, increased self-direction and motivation and improved research and problem-solving skills. Check out www.edutopia.org and other similar sites for ideas and topics to explore! Have a look at "Building a Canoe" on the right side of this blog.

Virtual Field Trips

Can't afford to go there ... let me take you there!
Check out www.360cities.net
Go to cities of the world and take a tour ... be a tourist without the tacky clothes and not worrying about parking costs, food, being pick-pocketed.
Look at the Pantheon on this blog ... Wow! Imagine if you hooked this up to a SMART Board.

Cyber Safety Review

Cyberbullying, Cybersense and Nonsense

Two very interesting and informative sites on internet safety and awareness are “Cyber Bullying” and “Cyber Pigs” (the second adventure of the Cyber Pigs). I’ve explored both and even though these sites were designed with 9-12 year olds in mind, I found that the information and instruction included in these works should be viewed and offered to all ages, especially high school students who chat and use the internet often and are vulnerable to the dangers lurking on the internet.

Both sites deal with internet safety and awareness on the internet, however, “Cybersense and Nonsense: the second adventure of the Cyber Pigs”, is more interactive. In game format, it lends itself to a much more intriguing way to learn about a very serious topic. “Cyber bullying” on the other hand is structured as a slide show presentation. I found myself flipping through the slides quickly and not paying very much attention to the content as there were many slides and a lot of information to cover.

Games capture a student’s attention and therefore the student is more likely to absorb and retain the information presented. Who doesn’t like to play games? If students can learn to protect their personal privacy online and recognize certain internet marketing ploys through play, then the game format is probably one of the best educational resources a teacher or parent has.

I also believe that games of this type empower young people to make wise decisions on internet ethics and responsibility. In addition, interacting with the program, builds on their critical thinking and problem solving skills. The game not only points out the dangers of revealing personal information and chat room on line, it also addresses issues such as online hate, stereotyping, authenticity of online information and rules of proper internet use.

With so many young people using the internet today, texting each other, chatting online etc., it should be imperative that part of any subject taught in school should include at least one instalment on cyber safety.

Tina D.

Internet Safety

Internet Safety
For this post I chose to take a look at the "Safe Passage" Web Awareness link. I found the presentation to be very informative and think that the information presented can be very helpful for both teachers and parents alike in their quest to keep their children safe online. The presentation deals with a lot of numerical data involving almost 5300 Canadian students in grades 4-11. I have to admit that some of the information I did find quite surprising, such as the percentage of students in survey who give their real name and address in an instant messaging profile (29%) or pretend to be someone they are not (59%). Although this number may not seem high to some, I personally would like to see much lower numbers.

I am very much aware that students use technology much more now than they did when I was in elementary/secondary school. Many children become comfortable using the computer at a very young age and thus once they hit their elementary and secondary years they often know a great deal more than their teachers. That being said, I also think that one too many students have way too nonchalant an attitude about the time they spend on the computer and the problems they may potentially encounter (i.e. cyber bullying, child predators, etc.) On the whole I found this presentation very effective in discussing such issues and offering adults information on how to understand the computer needs and wants of the children in their lives. Our ultimate goal is definitely to keep our children safe and out of harms way, but in the world of cyberspace this is definitely not an easy task.

An excellent point brought up in this presentation is for adults to use the same internet environments as their children to see how they work. I definitely agree that the more familiar you are with the sites your child visits, the more informed you will be and if your child becomes involved in inappropriate online activities you will be that much more prepared to help them. This process will probably be much easier with younger students who will be more willing to share information with you, than with your teenage student/son/daughter who may not be so willing to divulge the sites they visit, or social networking sites they frequent. The bottom line for me after viewing this presentation definitely is that internet safety should be taught to children starting with the first time they log onto the internet. Whether it be in school or at home, we as adults share the responsibility of educating our children how to be safe online, teaching them what is acceptable and what isn't, as well as offering warnings of potential dangers.

Melissa

AQ Jan. 2010: Reality Check

Reality Check

This should be a compulsory assignment for my junior and senior high school students before they start working on their first formal essays. It's a good and effective way to raise everybody's awareness; both for students' and teachers'. The independent study is well organized and very informative.

Among other tips, every student should know how to apply "triangle method" and before

accepting any information as truth find three credible sources with similar info.

Web Site Assessment Rubrics for W5 are self explanatory and should be included in students' research assignments on permanent basis. Great tool for teachers when looking for reliable web sites. Honestly, before I studied "reality check" I had had no clue how to tell a credible source from less credible, unless they were vividly detrimental. I had difficult time figuring out the validity of some sites and having as little experience as I have had so far with research on-line I would have rather used the expertise of our school librarians in creating assignments on Of Mice and Men , Frankenstein and many others. Well, it's highest time I started taking ownership.

Margaret Komza

SMART Board

SMART Board

With the end of term 2 rapidly approaching, I have just recently had a chance to review the information presented to us in class on the Smart Board. I also just had the opportunity to download the Smart software. I must say that I am truly amazed with this program and really look forward to becoming more familiar with all it can do. Prior to our two classes focusing on this technology I must admit that I had no clue what a Smart Board was.

I had heard some of my teacher friends talk of using one in their own classes, but to be honest I am not very computer savvy and figured it would be beyond me. John's presentation of the technology in class made me realize that this is far from the truth. It is easy to use and requires little preparation on the part of the teacher. Although my opportunities for using a Smart Board right now are quite limited (as I am in a portable), the Smart Tech software definitely has the potential to make my life much easier. I have spent the last hour on the Smart Tech website checking out the curriculum links. I am truly amazed with all this technology is capable of and can't wait to start using some of these activities with my students. I know they are going to love it.

I am off to start downloading some activities! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Melissa

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Teacher Tools: SMART Notebook Activity Toolkit

Make your own activity pages ...

Here are some OFFICIAL and AMAZING online tutorials on how to use the Smart Notebook Activity Toolkit ... Honestly, it's that easy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/SMARTClassrooms#p/c/7E6606816C6F05EA/19/6J6W4AXHN9c

http://www.youtube.com/user/SMARTClassrooms#p/c/7E6606816C6F05EA/20/Be_qKHWSvVE

http://www.youtube.com/user/SMARTClassrooms#p/c/7E6606816C6F05EA/21/0C7MZhz_p94

http://www.youtube.com/user/SMARTClassrooms#p/c/7E6606816C6F05EA/22/Bs5VevaxHfA

Look for more videos ... They are very educational for one to learn how to use SMART software! Check out ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R72c1o16Sms and watch to your heart's content!

Teacher Tools: Free Stuff

Free Software and resources for teachers


http://freebies.about.com/od/teacherfreebies/Teacher_Freebies.htm


Courtesy of Mario

Teacher Tools: FREE ... Comics

Free Comics for teachers ... HBC

http://canadianfreestuff.com/free-comic-books-for-teachers/#axzz0ddC6FIbL

Get over there and order ... FREE and Canadian!!!

Animated Shakespeare on YouTube

Alas, poor shlep, I barely knew him ....
If you want to support your visual and auditory learners with Shakespeare proceed to YouTube and type in animated Shakespeare. The BBC has created an entire series of plays and they are on YouTube. The plays are also captioned so that the students can follow along.

Here is one example:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqGEQ-832rI

CBS@YU

Teacher Tools: Google Translate

Google Translate: Translate Text, Webpages, Documents in over 50 languages

Teacher Tools: TumbleBooks & TumbleReadables

Tumble Towards Reading

Children love to use the computers. Teachers want kids to read more.

Why not use the computer to read?

Click the icon to take you there ...

Teacher Tools: Starfall.com

A great website ... started in 2002 as a free public service to motivate children to read using phonics (and phonemic awareness). This site is perfect for pre-school, JK, SK, grades 1, 2, and even English language development (ESL, ELL). It's easy enough for teachers to get on the sige and start to use it right away. Your students will like it too. Shhh!! Don't tell them they're reading.

Teacher Tools: Flickr

If you want a website where you can download cc (Creative Commons) photos, use flickr.com for and you won't be let down! It's a great site. In the search (main page), click on the "search" button without typing anything in the box. Then, click on "advanced search" link. Then, scroll down until you get to "CREATIVE COMMONS" information. Now, click in the box beside "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content". Now, go back up to the top of the page and in the "Search for" box type in your subject topic (i.e., "Canada" - if you want pictures of Canada).

Now, all the pictures you get are CC (Essentially no copyright - go to CC website for specific details - but, essentially as long as you don't charge for pictures you're using you can use the pictures). The website is flickr.com ... have fun!

Teacher Tools: Freeplaymusic

If you want to use copyright free music for your non-commercial use ... go to this website and download cc music ... CC is creative commons licensed.

Freeplaymusic is FREE for home, private, personal, and non-commercial use.

Click on the title or picture on the side ... Check it out!

Former Minister of Education - May 2009

Ministry of Education ... Issues in Ontario
The minister talks about technology and education ... some issues for Ontario teachers to be aware of and be prepared to discuss. An excellent interview with Kathleen Wynne.

Teacher Tools: Game Classroom Website

Check out this site ... useful, fun, and educational!

Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense

Sixth Sense on TED.com

You've got to watch this ... it's futuristic, but not that far ... maybe next month! Affordable and worthwhile ... how useful is that?

Teacher Tools: Wordle

Here's a neat and fun way to brainstorm ... Wordle's the way to go. Click on the icon to go to the website ... www.wordle.net Learn more about this easy activity!

Boys' Literacy I

Boys Just Wanna Have FUN Too!

Remember, learning can be fun ... much of what we know and learn happens when we're fully engaged and enjoying things ... in short, when we're having fun, we tend to learn. Go figure!

The Magic of Bitstripsforschools

BITSTRIPSFORSCHOOLS

It's amazing how easy it is to do.
It's incredible how much fun it is to do.

Teachers, don't ruin it!
There's no spell-check!
It's not perfect!

But it is learning ... and it starts with fun.

The adventure is learning ... The magic is understanding!

Cyber Safety

Cyber Safety

I decided to do this week's assignment for Cyber Safety on "Fact or Folly". The reason I chose this was many high school students are given their ISU topics to research in the upcoming weeks. Many students do all their research from google or wikipedia. Unfortunately many also cut and paste from the second site.
To avoid this, teachers are asking students for research from more than one site; however, it is impossible from a teachers perspective to know all the websites for all the chosen topics and warn the students if they are on an incorrect or hoax site.
While reading this document, I became aware that an exercise in validating the authenticity of a website can be time consuming when under strict timelines to conduct research. However; this document prepared by the Media Awareness Network is a teacher ready document. It provides the teacher with all the necessary documents and sources needed to teach this material to their students.
The document is a backgrounder with additional links for more info on the topic for anyone interested in conducting a workshop on website validation. The fact or folly document also comes with a prepared power point presentation for any teacher to use with their students, plus hand outs and on line activities. It is a lot of information to absorb, but it is not difficult.
I really enjoyed the analysis of the website created on the topic of the Holocaust. By analysing it using the steps provided by the Fact or Folly document, it is revealed that the site was created by a holocaust denier.
Many teachers and not just students need to be more vigilant and take the extra time to determine the sources of the websites and their authenticity.
I hope to have time to begin this 45 min introduction workshop with my students before they begin their ISU assignments.
Today during our PD session in the department, we all agreed that in such instances, it is best to spend adequate time in class on website validation and citation for research purposes. We hope to perfect our skills in this area within 2 years and incorporate website citation and validation at the begining of the year. The aim is to begin to read and mark actual academic research papers and enjoy the work our students put together, rathar than spend endless amounts of frustrating time figuring out why everything seems incorrect and plagerised to say the least!
By: Letizia

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Lee Ann's Mice

Cyber Bullying

Cyber Safety:
The reason I picked this site is because before any child, or even adult, uses the computer, specifically, internet sites, one should know what to keep an eye out for. One major area is safety; safety in regards to bullying. This idea of bullying on-line seemed to not be taken serious before, because no one was really getting physically hurt, but more and more recently, there have been many other ways of "hurting" and "bullying" another person. After going through the power point presentation, I saw the many forms of bullying and the stats that show just how many people have access to the internet these days. To be a cyber bully, one does not need to be a big, strong and mean person, rather it can be anyone. That is the scary thing about technology, you cannot see the other person, and therefore you feel like you have more power over others. With the students today going on these chat sites like MSN, explaining safety to them becomes even more prominent. Anyone can make up an identity and pretend to be someone or something they're not. This then becomes an easy way to bully and try and control someone else. Bullying now turns into an emotional state of hurting someone, as opposed to physical. People can use words instead of their fists. Technology is a great thing today, and can do many wonderful things, but can also be used for the wrong reasons, like cyber bullying. I would certainly use this presentation in my class.

Matthew

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