A New Look at Wordle

I ran across this and thought I would share.   Using Wordle to create posters and original pieces had never occurred to me!  She also links to other sites and ideas at the end of the presentation as well as includes how she created some of the slides.  It is worth checking out!

Wordle Ideas

View more presentations from Jenuinetech.com.

Skype in Education

I recently polled my staff on various technology training topics.   Surprisingly the most requested training was on Skype and webcams.  What is the hook with Skype and how can it be used in education?

I started putting together a wikipage on the ins and outs of Skype and uses.  I can see how this can make a difference.  Today I was researching through my PLN on twitter and ran across a presentation by Robert Marzano who was emphasizng the need for feedback and how interactive whiteboards and clickers helped provide that for students.  This got me thinking about how vital videoconferencing could be on doing the same thing.

Student could connect with others, explain learning, and perform a band piece to an expert and get immediate real-world feedback on their learning.   No longer are they doing the work for the teacher to see, but for a real person that they can see and talk to.  I am getting more excited about Skype.

Google Earth: Adding Placemarks

Using Google Earth in classrooms sometimes mean making your own trips to guide students through valuable resources and avoiding the distractions.  It can also mean that the students create the tours and learn the process of designing a trip for their classmates.  Our 7th Grade students are going to teach the class about the Texas Revolution by presenting their research through placemarks in Google Earth.  The teacher is going to use the placemarks to teach the class about the different events in the Texas Revolution. 

Student and teacher need to know the basics of placemark creation to get started in this process. 

Here are some basic instructions to get you started:

Placemarkers in Google Earth

FormattingPlaceMarkers

Video Tutorial:

Flip Cameras - Basics and YouTube

I've been working with the Flip Cameras recently and have created a few videos to show how easy it is to work with the movie files the camera creates.

Taking Flip Video straight to YouTube:

What MovieMaker can do for your Flip Video:

For step by step directions on editing Flip Videos in MovieMaker download this handout: Flip Cameras and Movie Maker

Google Forms: Self-Graded Quizzes

Google forms can be used to create a quiz that can be graded automatically in the spreadsheet using formulas.  To save you time, these instructions are for a 20 question (or less) quiz using the template with the formulas already entered. 

Self Graded Quizzes in Google

1. Open up the following spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AuuREHWQtmebdHo1UjVINzRCaVIwVGhJb2c2YV9nNHc&hl=en


2. Save a copy of the spreadsheet into your own Google account.


3. Make a copy of the spreadsheet for a new quiz. Important so any changes on this quiz will not affect future quizzes! Open the spreadsheet and go to File – “Make a Copy.” Give the spreadsheet a new name


4. In the new spreadsheet go to Form – Edit Form


5. Do not remove the name or class period fields, as that will affect the formulas to grade the quizzes. You may edit the class periods field to represent just the classes you teach.


6. Add your question items to the form. Remember spelling will count against the results, so choose wisely when making your question types.


7. Make any changed to the theme


8. Save your form.


9. Open up your quiz and answer the questions correctly to create the answer key. Suggestion is to use Answer and Key as the first and last name fields.


10. Submit your answers.


11. Open the spreadsheet.


12. On the “Answers” worksheet, select and copy row 2.


13. Go to the “Test Answers” worksheet and paste the copied row into that worksheet’s Row 2.


14. Fill in the number of questions the quiz contains into cell B8.


15. Go to worksheet “Results.” If your quiz contains less than 20 questions, delete the extra question columns.


16. Make sure everything is saved.


17. Share the quiz link by directly linking to the quiz, or by embedding it into another webpage.
    
    
    
    • TeacherWeb - Enhanced Text page in the html view
    
    
    • Wiki - an html widget box
    
    
    • Blog – into a post with the html view
    
    
    
    

To get grades:

1. After students have taken the quiz, open your spreadsheet.


2. Go to the “Results” worksheet. If needed, fill the formulas from Row 2 all the way down the worksheet.


3. The averages should be displayed in column D. Check a few responses to make sure the formulas copied correctly.

To create a new quiz be sure to start from the original spreadsheet and not from a used quiz.

Download the directions here with screenshots:  Google Forms - Self Graded Quizzes

Survey in Google Forms

These instructions are geared for creating a simple one question survey where you want the results published online. This is great for voting on a favorite item. (Remember that people can vote as often as they want.)

Create a one question survey using Google Forms.

Directions to create a form: Google Forms

Share that survey to gather data. This can be done by linking directly to the survey or by embedding it into another webpage.

 

Share the Results:

1. Open the spreadsheet for your survey. http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tTCzY6mXhDU8SsuRXWa895A&single=true&gid=0&output=html


2. The answers to the survey are shown in column B.


3. In Column D type in the possible answer choices starting with cell D2.


4. In Column E type in the formula to count the number of responses to each color.
   
   
   
   • Ex. =Countif(B2:B100, "Red")
   
   
   • =CountIf – formula to count by certain criteria
   
   
   • B2:B100 – the range of cells where the formula is going to count from. If you expect more than 100 results, then increase the last number to represent the amount of responses expected.
   
   
   • "Red” – type in the exact text the formula should look for in counting.
   
   
   
   


5. After you type in each formula, the spreadsheet will calculate the results and return a number in place of the formula.
   
   
   
   • You can see the formula again by double clicking in the cell.
   
   
   • If you see “#Name” or “#ERROR!” instead of a number – recheck your formula.
   
   
   
   

 To create a graph of the results:

• Highlight the cells you just completed in rows D and E.


• Select Insert – Chart from the menu bar.


• Choose the type of chart you want to use and set the labels, axis and other settings.


• Click “Save chart”


• A chart will appear on the spreadsheet.

To Share the Chart –

1. Click on the “Share” Tab on the spreadsheet.


2. Select “Publish as a webpage.”


3. Make sure the option “Automatically republish when changes are made” is checked.


4. Click Close.


5. Click on “Chart” in the graph window.


6. Choose “Publish Chart.”


7. A window will appear with the HTML code to paste into your website.


8. Paste the code into:
   
   
   
   • TeacherWeb - Enhanced Text page in the html view
   
   
   • Wiki - an html widget box
   
   
   • Blog – into a post with the html view or in a sidebar widget
   
   
   
   


9. Note:  Graphs changes will be updated every 5 minutes.

The graph below will update the results of the survey every 5 minutes or so.  You need to refresh the page to see the changes.



Download Directions Here - Google Forms - Simple Survey

Flip Camera - Uses in the Classroom

So now that you know how to use the camera, the question is what can I do with this in my classroom?

Here is a presentation that outlines Forty Interesting Ways to Use Your Pocket Video Camera in Your Classroom.

http://docs.google.com/present/view?pli=1&id=dhn2vcv5_6tv55j7g9

Some of the ideas include:

1. How-to video


2. Record Science Experiments


3. Take on Field Trips


4. Record something that the students will then have to explain what they are seeing.


5. Interview fellow classmates


6. Film Sports or PE - watch in slow motion to break down skills


7. Record information/celebrations for parents to see via website.


8. Record key parts of your lesson.


9. Attach camera to objects to get different Points of View.


10. Have students video what they are doing to show at Parent Nights, etc.

...and 30 more ideas.  Check it out and let me know if you think of any other uses!

 

Another resource I have found lists multiple web pages that deal with flip cameras and education:

http://marynabadenhorst.globalteacher.org.au/flips/ - Flip and Digital Camera Resources

I am looking forward to seeing what cool things the teachers and students can do with this cool new tool!

Flip Cameras 101

So what exactly is a Flip Video Camera and how do you use it?  Here are a few videos from YouTube to help get you started:

Step by Step on the very basics of getting started, including putting in the batteries, turning on the camera, and video tips.

 

Step by Step Guide on the Getting the video from the camera into Moviemaker.



 Computer World's Review of the Flip Camera, which includes tips for using the camera.

Goal Setting

I have just completed my 15th year in education and as I begin the second half of my teaching career I have become more reflective on my teaching style and what I can bring to my educational role as an Instructional Technology Specialist.   Each year as a teacher I come into the new year with a goal in mind.  In the early years it was discipline and how to manage the classroom without going home defeated every day.  As the years went by I focused more on content delivery and how can I hook my students into wanting to learn about people, places and events of the past.  Not an easy task when working with middle school students!  As I moved into Instructional Technology my goals have been focused on learning as much as I can in order to share that info with the teachers.

I have a new goal this year - help my teachers set goals focused on technology.  How can I help them gain confidence, try something new, or challenge those more tech savy than others?   We also have the new challenge of testing our students to make sure they are getting the technology info they need.

I have given the teachers copies of the  TA TEKS, SBEC standards,  Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, and the Levels of Technology Integration to get them thinking.   As they begin to come back to campus I am looking forward to seeing what goals are set and the challenge of trying to meet the individual needs of my staff.  I am also looking for different ways to deliver staff development to the campus.   This blog will be one of those ways.

I am looking forward to the journey.

Google Earth: Layers

There is something powerful about having first hand knowledge.  My daughter and I were reading an animal book recently that asks you to match up the pictures with different features, like feet, fur, colors, etc.  Usually we struggle through this book and she can't quite seem to see all the connections.  This time however she got all the matches right off.  What was different?  We had recently gone to the zoo.  Now all those pictures represented real things and she was more in tune with what they were asking since she had her own experiences to pull from!

This started me thinking about the power of field trips and what it really means to have a student that has never left the town they live in.  Then I thought of all the powerul tools we have to give students "virtual" field trips.  Google Earth is a great venue to make this happen.  With the ability to turn on different layers you can take the basic sattelite images and explore anywhere you want to go, includign the ocean.  Turn on 3D building layer and see the skyline of major cities, or of historic sites like the Alamo.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to use layers in Google Earth.

Google Earth: Ruler Tool

Google Earth is a great resource for engaging students in learning by using real world places and great visuals.  This is the first in a series of tutorial videos in using Google Earth in the classroom.

The ruler tool allows teachers/students to measure distances of real world objects without leaving their classroom.  You can measure the distance around an object, between point A to Point B or find diameter and radius.

You could also use this in Social Studies when discussing where things happened and how far things are from each other.  What did it mean to cross the Atlantic Ocean as a pilgrim?  How far did Santa Anna travel from Mexico City to San Jacinto?

Teacher Comedy - Can You Relate?

I think if you have taught for any amount of time you can relate to these clips.  Happy Friday all!

Math Resources - Making Videos

After posting the update about web cams, I started looking for other new ideas out there for math videos.  Here are a few resources I found:

Infomercial:

Why do we need to know this?  I'll never use this in the real world.  The answer to these questions can be found in this math infomercial.  As you watch think about how the kids could create their own infomercial about your subject and discover for themselves how it really can be used in the real world!

Math Video Resources

If you want to get started in making math videos, or just learn more about what is possible, check out this wiki:    http://k12wiki.wikispaces.com/Effective+Math+Videos

This site contains math videos organized by category and are created and sent in by students: http://www.mathplayground.com/howto_gcflcm.html

This is a YouTube Channel dedicated to gathering math instructional videos - http://www.youtube.com/group/MathTutor

This wiki is created by a math teacher and contains "collaboratively-constructed, student-designed review materials for building math skills!" - http://lovettmathcasts.wikispaces.com/

Just for fun.

You gotta love a music video produced by Mu Alpha Theta:



I've shared this before, but it is worth seeing again:

Google Forms

This form was made in Google Docs. Can you imagine having students gather info from at home, or anywhere and then be able to compile that data by opening a spreadsheet in class and talking about the results?

Check out this link to a lesson on Walmart and the products country of origin.

Click here to see the answers - Google Spreadsheet.

What kind of data can you see collecting from students? Could they take a quiz online this way? (The link to the spreadsheet does NOT have to be visible, the answers the questions can remain private.) More ideas to come...

Awareness Test - Just for Fun

So how good are your powers of observation?



Sometimes we only see what we are looking for and miss out on so much more.  Take time to step back and take it all in!

Pic-Lits

Recently this web site was sent out through my PLN (personal learning network).  It was given as a suggestion for using technology to teach poetry.

http://www.piclits.com/

Basically the website has photos and users can drag and drop words from their gallery onto the picture, or they can write free style.  Here is my first attempt:



See the full PicLit at PicLits.com

I then started digging around and found it also offer lessons plans on how teachers can use this site to teach grammar, figurative language and poetry.  Those resources caught my eye and made me want to share this sight with the teachers on campus.

• Lesson Plan Links


• Example of Lesson Plan: Poetry

Other ideas? I asked around and got some responses from our Literacy Coach and started this list:

• poetry


• Bernabei's Truisms


• character traits


• motivation resources


• Anything!

Here are some recent blogs written about using Pic-Lits in the classroom:

• http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=1958


• Instructify


• School Library Journal

So how could you use this resource in your classroom?  Please share anything you create or have your kids create so we can learn together!

Webcams - An Update

Back in the fall I spent the morning with the 7th grade math teachers on campus.  The focus of our training was how to use webcams in the math classrooms.  Mainly with the idea that a webcam costs under $100 and a document camera costs well over $700.  Our tech ed teacher built stands for the cameras and the teachers were sent back to their rooms to see what they could do with them. (See Original post: http://www.robinstechtips.com/?tag=webcam)

So what ever happened with those web cams?  The teachers are using them as  document cameras to show how to work problems and as a clear way to model the use of manipulatives.  They have also taken advantage of the video capabilities.  Natalie Ortega has led the way with establishing her own YouTube channel to organize the videos for quick reference:

http://www.youtube.com/user/nsvolley28

Here is one of the latest videos to be posted:

These videos are being created as she teaches the class.  What a great resource for those who are absent, or need to see it again once they get home!  Parents who are trying to help their students can see how they were taught to tackle the problems.

Blogs - A Campus Update

I watch the news and they refer to their blogs and read reader's comments on the air.  I listen to the radio and hear about the blogs available there and what listeners have to say about the goings on with the music.  The Entertainment industry is full of blogs, I was tracking down past American Idol participants and found many have blogs now to keep their fans informed.   Blogs have infiltrated our everyday lives, but still research suggests many people still don't understand what blogs are.

So how are we reaching our students to get them informed?  I started thinking about all the teachers who are introducing blogging this year (or have been blogging for several years) on campus now.  I wanted to share those examples so maybe other people will get ideas on how blogs can be used in their classrooms.

Blogs at Ridgeview:

1. Mrs. Hazen, 6th grade math, is using a blog as a web page to communicate with parents and students about class happenings as well as providing reteaching and more information about class topics.  http://ridgeviewms.org/hazen/


2. Mrs. McLinden, TAG Math has been using blogs for several years to get her students talking about math.  She has 3 blogs, one for each subject.  At the end of the year she asks students to leave advice for the incoming group.  This is a great example of building relationships with students:
   
   
   
   • http://geometry8th.blogspot.com/
   
   
   • http://algebra7th.blogspot.com/
   
   
   • http://tagmath6th.blogspot.com/
   
   
   
   


3. 7th Grade Science teachers, Mrs. Dausses, Mrs. Stegall, Mrs. Mayen and Mrs. Prescott are using blogs to ask students to think about the science topics they are learning about in class as well as to give more information to extend learning.
   
   
   
   • http://sciencethoughts.edublogs.org/
   
   
   • http://mrsdausses.edublogs.org/
   
   
   • http://mrsstegall.edublogs.org/
   
   
   • http://mrsprescott.edublogs.org/
   
   
   
   

What do the students get out of this?  They are learning how to interact in our ever changing world.  They are learning how to respond appropraitely on blogs and how to stay safe online by not sharing too much about themselves.  They are learning how to become part of the global conversation.

Want to learn more about blogging?

Check out these previous posts:

• What is a Blog?


• Students Who blog


• Blogging in History

Blogs in Plain English:

Cartoons - Make Your Own

I ran across http://www.befunky.com/ through my PLN (Personal Learning Network) and have been playing with the possibilities.   It requires no fees and no sign in or account to be created.  Of course the first place I start when playing with photos is my kids.

The process of uploading pictures is very simple:

1. Navigate to the picture and upload it.


2. Crop or rotate the image as needed.


3. Choose the effect you want (effects can be changed and modified with the onscreen menu).


4. Save the new image to your computer.

But then I started thinking what else could be done?  How about cartoons?

Cartoons and Cartoon Strips

The students could take pictures of themselves in various expressions, poses, run the picture through the web page and turn the digital photo into a cartoon version.  Those pictures could then be inserted into a PowerPoint and captions added to make your own cartoon strips.  This would be a great activity to summarize an event being studies, or a book they are reading.  Maybe give them the pictures and have them write in their own captions.  Students could also take historical images and make them "cartoonized" to tell the story of the event.

When Printing - Choose to print the handout page with 6 slides per page.


(Sorry the text is very small in this image- but the story line is lacking a bit.  :) )

Cartoon Movies

I then took it another step by pulling the images into Photo Story 3.  Instead of a paper cartoon, why not a video?  Students would process their pictures and then bring them into PhotoStory 3 where they can add text, narration and music.  The images could be zoomed in or out in the movie and the still photographs have come to life.



Any other ideas for using http://www.befunky.com/ in the classroom?

And Now for Something Completely Different...

This Youtube Video was sent around a few weeks ago and just made me smile.  I thought I would pass it on for all of those who need a good ending for a long week:



The power of random acts of kindness.

Getting started with Audacity

I had a request from the 6th grade science teachers to create a video tutorial on Audacity so kids who choose to make a podcast in an upcoming webquest, could do so if they so chose.  I thought I would share the video here as well.



Here is the handout that goes with it.  Audacity Basics

Interactive Excel - Conditional Formating

One thing I learned at TCEA was how to use conditional formatting in Excel.  This is probably something everyone else knows how to do, but I had always wondered how this was done, but had never asked.  Since this is new to me, I thought I would share.

Conditional Formatting:

I always wondered how people made excel sheets that seemed interactive.  It comes down to formatting.

If you type in a question:  What is the capital of Texas?

In the cell you want an answer for, you tell it  - "If the text types in = Austin, turn the cell green.  If the text typed in does not = Austin then turn the cell red."

Here is a short tutorial video on how to do this in Excel 2003:

Excel - Conditional Formatting in 2003

Here is a short tutorial video for Excel 2007:

So how would you use this?

Random Things I Learned at TCEA

There were no BIG ah-ha moments for me at TCEA this year, but I did find  myself collecting tidbits of info and ideas I liked.  I thought I would share two of those ideas in this post.

1.  Heads or Tails - Tammy Worcester -

She played Heads or Tails with the workshop attendees to give away free items.  To play (this works with large crowds as well as normal size classrooms):

• Materials needed: Projector and Computer - OR Computer connected to a TV.


• Find a virtual coin flip site - http://www.flip-coin.com/


• Have the participants stand up and choose "Heads" by placing their hands on their heads, or "Tails" by placing their hands on their backsides (or for the more modest the hips will do.)


• Flip the coin.


• Those who guessed right remain standing and those who guessed wrong have a seat.


• Statistically you will eliminate about half each time.


• Keep going until you have a winner.

2.  Review Games using Connect 4 -

• Materials needed: projector and computer - review questions.


• Divide the class into 2 groups.


• Ask group 1 a question - when they get a question right they can place a token on the game board.


• SUGGESTION: Because the game will not allow you to skip a turn a suggestion might be to ask an individual a question, and if they cannot answer it goes on to the next person in that group.  The person who answers it right gets to choose where to drop the token without any help from team mates.


• The team that connects 4 tokens first wins that round.  You can tabulate the most rounds won to determine the team that won.


• Reward Suggestions:  I like free!  I have offered that team gets to leave first and the other team has to wait.  A few points towards a homework assignment, or a free one day late pass on an assignment.

This same idea could be applied to any online game.  Does this spark any other ideas?  Any quick tips wor websites you want to share?

Encourage Reading - Share your book shelf!

Want to promote literacy but are not a Language Arts teacher or librarian? Don't have time to do book talks in the middle of math class? Want to share a good book with those around you? Would you like to prove to your students you do do more than grade papers and think of ways to torture them with homework and projects?

I have known about Shelfari for a while now, but hadn't really thought of it as a way to show students what I am reading. While reading another blog, I was struck by the idea that you can actually add this to a TeacherWeb page and share good books with students. It would look like the one I have below.

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

How do you do this?
Step 1: go to http://www.shelfari.com/ and sign up for an account.
Step 2: Add books to your shelf and divide them into "I've Read," "reading Now" and "I Plan to Read"
Step 3: On your home page - Go to the "More" tab and choose "My Widgets"
Step 4: Create a Widget by clicking on the link.
Step 5: Choose a JavaScript Widget (TeacherWeb will support it.)
Step 6: Select a list to be displayed on your shelf and click "Customize your Widget."
Step 7: Select the design and size you want. I recommend setting the width to 100% as this will make the widget resize itself based on the space available. Click on "Save and Continue."
Step 8: Copy the widget code provided.
Step 9: Open the teacherweb page in Edit Mode and paste in the widget code. Save the changes.
Step 10: check out your own virtual bookshelf! http://teacherweb.com/TX/RidgeviewMS/MrsYoung/h1.stm

Anytime you update your book list on Shelfari, it will update the shelf on your TeacherWeb page. This same method works for most any type of web page.

So what are you reading?

New Year's Resolutions: PowerPoint

With the New Year I thought I would focus on a few New Year's Technology Resolutions.  The first one is: "I will learn to avoid the commons PowerPoint mistakes."

PowerPoint is a great tool for getting information presented to a group of people, but too often we try to make PowerPoint do too much for us.

Here is a humorous look at the ways we go wrong with PowerPoint:



(If the video is not visible - you can also see it here: How NOT to use PowerPoint!)

Here are some guidelines to go by when making OR assigning powerpoints:

1. Keep it Simple!

• No more than 6 lines of text per slide and each line should have no more than 6 words.


• No paragraphs! (This is a presentation tool and not a research paper)


• Limit graphics, animations and Wordart


• Sound effects should enhance the presentation and should only be used sparingly.  Remember sound can slow things down and get old very quickly.


• Your presentation should not be more entertaining than you are.  It is the background not the main attraction.

2. Make it Readable!

• Font size should be at least 28 pt.


• Backgrounds should be subtle colors and be consistent.


• Font colors should stand out on the page.

3. Proof Your Presentation:

• Spell check is your friend!


• Stand back about 6 feet from the screen and make sure the slides and easy to read and that the colors work together.  Also check any charts or graphs to make sure they are legible.


• Check for animation and sound errors.  If you get tired of waiting for the animations to run, chances are your audience will too.

Anything else you can add on making a good PowerPoint?