TitanPad ... Digital Collaboration (Google Docs made Easy)

Welcome to a post that will inform you of an amazing collaboration tool for your 21st century classroom. This tool promises ease of use, no student log in, and limited teacher set up, allowing for just in time use. You will soon see that TitanPad is really just a rather simplistic Google Doc… without the fuss! All that is needed to use TitanPad is a visit to http://titanpad.com/… and a press of a button called Create Public Pad. After this quick process, a new public pad is created for the user in TitanPad. The user then shares the URL of the created pad with others. Whatever is typed from wherever, is displayed on the page in real time. Yes… I did say “real time”! There is even a chat window! This is a great tool for those that need to bring up a quick collaboration tool on the fly.

*Another tool (and information) borrowed from Michael Gorman's blog. Great site to visit!

TodaysMeet ... Digital Collaboration

Introducing… a Web 2.0 site entitled TodaysMeet. TodaysMeet gives you and your students a somewhat isolated room where you can see only what you need to see. Plus, your audience doesn’t need to learn any new tools like hash tags, log-ins, nor do they need to create accounts. It really is quite easy to use. Once you enter the TodaysMeet site you are asked to submit a room name and the length of time you wish the room to stay active. This can vary between 2 hours and 1 year. It is best to give the room name a code that is not easily remembered. It is quite simple, but you may wish to read these facts from the site. Once the room is open you are given a unique web address which is usually http://www.todaysmeet.com/ followed by the room name you submitted. You then give the room name out to individuals (your students) and have them enter the room. Upon entering it will ask for a name. Remember that students should never give their full names or enter any personal or other revealing information in the chat room.
Excerpts from the blog of Michael Gorman . Thank you for this wonderful collaboration tool.

New and Improved

Now, you can share these posts, comment on what you see, and navigate more easily throughout the blog. Use the search tool in the top-left corner to find things you need.

If there's a worthy piece of information, website, program, tool or anything (that has to do with Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century) you want to share, send it to jamash07.21stcentury@blogger.com ... Please note your name for proper credit and if it's worthy (and appropriate) it will be on the blog.
Thanks,
Johan

They Don't Really Care About Us ... The Michael Jackson Experience

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWJYZqlL2UE&feature=related

This stuff is brilliant ... the technology is freaky neat and worthy of being mentioned. Click the title and watch the CGI wii (xbox or kinect, etc.) dancing game - awesome to teach dance! Click the picture.

Then, watch this version ... unbelieveable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKtdTJP_GUI

Philippines: "Dancing Inmates" from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison, were treated to a visit by Michael Jacksons long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid to learn performances from THIS IS IT.

So, now watch the original video Michael made ...

Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97nAvTVeR6o&feature=related

Now, the discussion can begin. You'll see that the discussion may begin, but it won't end in your class. This is learning about media and the world around you. Have an opinion ... Have a voice.

You don't always have to be right and you can learn a lot from being wrong.

Americanarama by Hollerado

Check out this video ... Americanarama

This is the "Human 8-bit Video". We wanted to make something cheap and awesome. It was directed by our buddy/chief mad scientist Greg Jardin. It was all shot in one take. It took lots and lots and lots of practice to get it right. A guy in one of the cells also played the serial killer on season 5 of "the wire". Please pass this link around to all your friends.....
http://www.hollerado.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hollerado

Michael Jackson - The Experience

Great videos ... use for a video dance party, DPA, phys. ed. The kids love MJ and they are very active. Another fun way to stay active.
You'll see The Earth Song ... after that choose from soooo many other MJ songs on the right hand column. Join the Holy Spirit Video Dance Party craze ... fun, wow!

Thanks for this great idea, Jordan - even though you don't even know you gave me the idea!

You Tube ... Movies and TV Shows

Go to this playlist on YouTube and listen to themes from various movies and shows. Can you name the movie or tv show? Great fun and using Any Video Converter you can have these for your pleasure and use (if you don't have a network link) as a wmv, mp3, or whatever type of file you want.

Television Tunes ... the Originals!

Revisited because we can ... Now you can enjoy the television tunes you know so well ... from today and from when your grandparents were wee little tykes. FREE for you to download too. Check out the latest additions or browse through the alphabetical listings ... There are over 20,000 television tunes to choose from! Wonderful quality too. Enjoy ... use as a party game with friends too.

TV Time-Warp ... Midi Files 4 U

You can download TV midi files and more ... FREE! They sound good.

DPA ... Just Dance Wii GamePlay

On those cold or rainy days that you can't go outside, just dance!You've got to love these ... easy for teachers to use in the classroom and the kids all know the songs. All that's left is for both teachers and students to learn the moves. If I could learn these, so can you. Can you say FUN? Remember you and your students should do DPA, not DPN (Doin' Practically Nothin').

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBmwe7iBGTA&playnext=1&list=PL59F401A419A95D7B

DPA ... Just Dance 2

This is another link provided by Anna ... she's a phys. ed. teacher who wants the classroom teacher to get those kids moving. What can be easier? Easy moves, cool songs, good demo videos - it's all there folks. Now, do your Daily Physical Activities in the comfort of your own classroom. Click the picture to go there!

DPA ... Just Dance 1

Here is another link to many more dance videos you can use for DPA ... again, easy for teachers and kids alike. Best of all, they're fun. Remember, whether you're young or old(er) and active mind is always a good sign of a growing person. Enjoy and have fun.

Thanks Anna for the link to these videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMJZE_F63cc&playnext=1&list=PLC313921CF3E008E1

Tutorial: Create a Stop-Motion Animation Movie using Digital Camera & MovieMaker

This guy, Amit, provides an easy-to-follow step-by-step way to make a simple stop-motion animation ... and the good part is that he uses a plain digital camera (Canadian Tire special) and MovieMaker. This is fun for all grades ... the young ones love seeing their stuffed toys move (they even get excited when paper clips movie on film). The older ones get their creative juices flowing and go well beyond your expectations. This is not hard to do nor is it taxing - best of all, it's educationally FUN ... check out this site.
Also, while you're on his site, you may want to check out Amit's neat and rather interesting "How-to Guides" (http://www.labnol.org/tag/guide/)

Atomic Learning: Training and Projects Tutorials

Need a helping hand to use a particular program? Check this site out for more online video tutorials ... learn how to use Moodle, PowerPoint, Photoshop Elements, PhotoStory, Acrobat, Blackboard, Delicious, SmartBoard, etc. These are FREE for you to access and utilize. If you sign in you get access to even more videos.

Windows Movie Maker 2 Training

Here is a sample of what this site (Atomic Learning) provides ... In this case, FREE online video tutorial training on how to use Windows Movie Maker ... great for the first time user, but also a wonderful refresher for old hacks. I found the tutorials to move at a good pace and easy to follow. Windows Movie Maker lets you create, edit, and share your movies right on your PC. It's easy to use, yet it allows you to create original movies or mash-up existing videos into new cool movies. Great for students and teachers alike - try it and you'll see that you'll enjoy making movies for you to share with your friends!

Stop Motion Animation with Video StoryBoard Pro

Atomic Learning's FREE "Video StoryBoard Pro" is designed to give teachers, students, and home movie makers a tool to plan ahead when creating video projects. It features the ability to:

Enter shot titles and descriptions, complete with planned lengths and edited order.
Indicate shot types: video, still, audio, music, or titles.
Enter film tips for your camera person when videotaping the shot and editing tips to be used when editing in iMovie, Movie Maker 2, Final Cut Pro, Premeire, or any other editor of your choice.
Import existing video clips, still pictures, and sounds to better illustrate each shot.
Create, save, and import templates for video projects.
Print copies of your storyboard for use while filming or editing.
Print blank storyboard worksheets for brainstorming new ideas.
NEW: Shot tips that link to online Atomic Learning Library sample video clips.

Stop Motion Animator Program

Do you want to start doing some stop motion animation? This is a pretty good site to get you started. It's not technically challenging and it's relatively easy to start using - start small using paper clips or lego and once you get the hang of it, go big. Intermediate students love this stuff ... Add a little MovieMaker or Photostory and the possibilities are boundless. Enjoy and have fun!

Creating Flash Videos ... Free, Easy, and Fun

VECTORIAN GIOTTO

This is a wonderful site to download a flash program whereby you can create flash animation - FREE download, EASY to use, FUN to watch your creation.

Edgeducation ... A Classroom Wiki

I came across this wiki from a colleague and friend - who knew? She was and remains today a fantastic teacher. Here's something that she does that makes her special.

Eva's classroom wiki ... well organized and worthwhile for kids and parents. Good example of professional growth and a wonderful way to model and live 21st edgeducation. Well done, EDG! Also a good idea as part of a professional portfolio.

StoryNory ... Free Audio Books

What a wonderful collection of stories ... mp3 files available for downloading. You can get original stories as well as old-time favourites (i.e., Brothers Grimm). Good stuff.

http://storynory.com/

Validation

Thanks Mario for this link ... a wonderful video for all to see.

Click on the title or this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao&feature=feedwll&list=WL

Literacy ... Not Just about Words

This is a very powerful video ... the discussion that arises from this is incredible - subtle, but very effective. A picture can be worth a thousand words. Watch the video and you'll see why it is such a good piece of art and literacy.

ReadWriteThink

The International Reading Association (IRA) offers new approaches to teaching literacy, easy ways to stay up to date on the latest research, and opportunities to connect with literacies.

The mission of the International Reading Association (IRA) is to promote reading by continuously advancing the quality of literacy instruction and research worldwide. The Association provides outstanding professional development and supports excellent teaching, critical research, and promotion of the lifetime reading habit.

Learning Games For Kids

Educational games are a great tool for building foundation math and language skills that today's elementary school curriculum requires. These online learning games and songs for kids are fun, teach important skills for preschool and elementary school kids, and most tantalizing for teachers is ... they're FREE. Want educational games that help build skills in math, language, science, social studies, and more? You've come to the right place!

FunSchool .. Fun and Educational Games and Activities

Do you see a common thread with many of our links on this blog? That's right, FUN!

Funschool offers free online educational elementary games for kids (K-8) as well as printable activities, coloring and crafts that will help kids learn and get connected. A worthy site full on interesting things to do and always changing.

Kids Games ... Playing to Educate

Play Kids Games provides free online kids games that are both fun and educational. Aimed at ages pre-K through middle school, Play Kids Games offers kids a safe environment to discover their abilities and learn new skills with interactive and fun computer games. The games build skills in math, logic, memory, vocabulary, alphabet, spelling, geography, computer skills, color identification, shape identification and other various problem solving.
This website's commitment to parents, teachers, and kids, is to connect learning and skill building with a sense of challenge, fun, and self esteem. From the fun of "Alphabet Whack-a-Mole" to the skill building "Math Fact Practice", the hope is that PlayKidsGames.com will be a part of our future generation's ongoing experience and development.

Now teachers can create their own class page and game content for our games! Create vocabulary lists and math problems for pinball or word lists for word search. Your vocabulary lists will automatically show in Word Find as well. It is easy! Just create a login, add your class page detail, and create lists! Your lists will automatically show up in the games!

FunBrain ... Revisited because it is still Fun for your Brain

This is truly a fun place to visit ... from Gr. 2 up to Gr.8, children love this site because it offers a variety of things to do and relevant activities ... they might seem irrelevant to an adult, but to a child, they strike a cord. Encourage your students to visit and enjoy.

Teacher Vision

TeacherVision® is dedicated to helping teachers save time. Find 20,000 pages of classroom-ready lesson plans, printables, and resources.

Rethinking Literacy ... A Blog to Visit

This is a nicely laid-out blog for teachers to visit and get ideas.

21st Century Language Instruction

Educational Origami is a blog , and a wiki, about 21st Century Learning and 21st Century Teaching. This is not just about the integration of technology into the classroom, though this is certainly a critical area. It is about shifting the entire paradigm of education. The world is not as simple as saying teachers are digital immigrants and students digital natives. We have to change how we teach, how we assess, what we teach, when we teach it, where we are teaching it, who we are teaching and with what. Its a tall order, but these are exciting times ... This site will give you a heads-up and support to do what needs to be done in order to prepare our students for opportunities that we don't even know exist yet and develop the skills that we're not quite sure about. - but we have to try to arm the leaders of tomorrow with the skills and tools of tomorrow. This site is fundamentally sound with its pedagogical, cognitive, ICT, methodology, and implementation of good teaching preactices. Go to this site - you won't regret it. Undeniably, one of the best sites on my blog!!

Visit: www.edorigami.wikispaces.com/home

Cando's Language Arts Resources

Student and Teacher Resources for JK - 6 ... Good fundamentals and basics on this site. Former teacher willing to give extra help to students and fellow teachers.

Revisiting Starfall ... Still Worth It!

Interactive reading practice - with sound.

The Literacy Centre ... Early Childhood Stuff

A collection of early reading games (interactive/web based) for early literacy development (K-1).

Very easy to use and have fun ... for JK/SK students.

Between the Lions ... Hey, it's PBS ... Educational

Collection of activities, interactive web based learning. A must review for K-1 teachers! Some activities and stories are applicable for Grade 2 and 3 classrooms.

BBC ... Educational Sites

Many interactive games and online activities to keep you going for a long, long time. The site is broken up in sections Ages 4-11, Ages 11-16, 16+, Teachers, Parents. It hooks up well with TV programs too.

A site worth checking out again and again.

Into the Book ... Blooming Good Stuff

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers. It focusses on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing (Bloom's Taxonomy).

Try the online interactive activities, or click below to find out how to get the engaging 15-minute video programs.

Behind the Lesson provides information and teaching resources for each strategy. Watch the 10-minute professional development videos and explore the Web site for lesson plans, video and audio clips, downloads, and more. A great site for administrators, teachers, and students alike.

Literactive ... Learning to Read Can Be Fun

This is a wonderful site for JK/SK and even Gr. 1 teachers to use as a resource for online reading, writing and playing language-based games. Fun for the whole family. You need to register, but everything is FREE ... that's right, FREE. Enjoy

Learn Dolch Words using Online Reading Games

Wow ... this is fun. This site has soooo many games connected to good fundamental language skills that you'll have so much fun playing, you'll forget that it's actually work. The child can play all these activities online and without any frustrating lags or waiting for something to happen.

Student Edition of SMART Notebook

Another beauty brought to you by Mario A. He's a good man with plenty to offer ... visit his blog too and get even more. I keep borrowing from him, but I can't help it, his stuff is worthy of being posted here too.

French Teacher Resource Site

Brought to you by my colleague and friend, Mario A. He's always cutting edge and here's another site for teachers.

Leadership in Language Instruction in Bloom

Principal's need to be instructional leaders ... go to this site and begin to learn. If you don't know the way, how can you show the way?

A great site for teachers who want to learn about 21st Century instruction in language ... reading and writing using Bloom's Taxonomy in a Technological World. Undeniably a wonderful site ... read, learn, download, use!

Robert Munsch Stories (Revisited)

What a good site for kids to visit. Sit back, relax, find the Robert Munsch book of your choice in your class (or not), and listen to Robert Munsch read/tell his favourite stories. You can even download the stories as an mp3 file.

Fun Stuff ... Check it out!

Here's a nice website to stimulate your senses ... check out the pictures, games, and tests. Keep in mind that you will LOSE most often, but it is very addictive and you'll keep exploring for more. And that's what it is all about - teasing you to think outside the box! Enjoy.

Claymation, Digital Storytelling, and a lot more!

Frames 4

Frames is educational software for stop-motion animation, claymation, and digital storytelling. Creating illustrated animations, movies, and digital stories engages students in the curriculum, encourages problem solving, promotes creativity, and helps students develop 21st century skills. Students can use Frames to create movies, animated GIF files, and Flash animations to share with the world. This software tool is available to all TCDSB teachers ... all you need to do is ask AICT and voila!

Watch this video and learn more about the power of Frames 4.


Digital StorytellingDigital storytelling is an effective way to engage students in their learning. Creating digital stories with Frames develops students’ ability to interpret events beyond their immediate experience and builds planning, organizational, and time management skills

Cel AnimationCommunicating visually is an essential 21st-century skill. With Frames integrated drawing tools, students can illustrate their own animated diagrams, graphs, procedures, and more, helping them understand concepts that are difficult to explain using text alone.

Clay AnimationNothing engages students more than creating clay animation! Use Frames to transform your classroom into an active learning environment and begin having your student develop exciting cross-curricular group projects that incorporate writing and technology skills

Shwup's Up

Create Audio Slideshows With Shwup

Shwup is a new service similar to Animoto and Stupeflix for creating videos based on your images and audio files. At its most basic Shwup is a place for creating collaborative private photo albums. As the creator of an album you can select the best images and create a video for the group. You can choose to share your videos privately so that only those you invite can see them or you can share your videos on Facebook, Twitter, or embed them into your blog.

Here, watch this video ...



Applications for Education
Shwup could be a good way to share photos from your class with your students' parents. If you take your class on a field trip and have parents take pictures while they chaperon they could contribute to a private album you've created on Shwup.

Getting Boys to Read

Guys Read

Getting boys to read is one of biggest challenges facing elementary teachers. Guys Read is a website designed to promote reading among boys in all grades. Guys Read has book lists, short stories, and free classroom visuals to promote reading among boys. The website has a graphic design that appeals to male students. Believe me, I liked it a lot ... and I'm a guy!

Application for Educators
Guys Read provides free classroom visuals for teachers. The website provides recommendations that students can read to help them find a book that will meet their interests. The Guys Read Anthology is a nice collection of stories that will appeal to a male audience.

Books Should Be Free ... and here they are!

Books Should Be Free

Here's an absolute gem of a site. You can get hundreds of books to listen to ... Believe it or not, you can download the mp3 or iPod file and have it on your laptop for use. You hold up the book and listen to the story ... or have the kids animate a story to what they hear.

Children's Storybooks Online

Children's Storybooks

Here are more ebooks and online reading ... More books, more fun, more learning (shhh, don't say this too loud). Some books you just read by yourself while others have accompanying audio. Fabulous for primary kids and the young at heart.

Child Bible Story Online

Child Bible Story Online

What a simple site to use. Look and listen as you can select from Old Testament and New Testament stories. They are a different way to do an old thing!

Children's Stories in Audio Format ... Listen!

Childrens' Stories

Follow along as you listen to these online stories ... Lots to choose from and you can do one story every day of the school year and still you will not exhaust the collection. Great stuff!

EText and Audio Books ... Sit Back and Enjoy!

LoudLit.org
Choose a book and enjoy. Free to use.

Listen as We Read - Great for All Ages

Storyline Online

What a great site to go to ... Listen to popular books read to you by famous people. Have James Earl Jones read to you and tell you a bit about himself. This site is well put together and full of little add-ons like questions to ask kids for higher-level thinking.