Twitter Tuesday - October 18th

Next year the new Technology Application TEKS go into effect.  In reading through them I have begun to pick out areas I think my campus needs help in getting ready for the new TEKS.   One of these strands is:

Communication and collaboration. The student collaborates and communicates both locally and globally to reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to:

6th grade	7th Grade	8th Grade
(A) participate in personal learning networks to collaborate with peers, experts, or others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging technologies;	(A) create personal learning networks to collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging technologies;	(A) create and manage personal learning networks to collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging technologies;

With this in mind I have put together this week's Twitter Tuesday list to include resources to remind us why these tools are important:

10 Reasons Students Should Blog:
JamiciaCroskery: RT @edutopia: Worth a read: RT @pernilleripp: Why Students Should Blog - My Top 10 #edtech
http://mrspripp.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-students-should-blog-my-top-10.html

Why Wikis Still Matter
RT @Kerry_EasyBib: Why Wikis Still Matter http://soc.li/e3AU2FT via @AudreyWatters #edchat #edtech #edducation #elearning
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/wiki-classroom-audrey-watters

Twitter in the Classroom:
TeachHub: 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom #edchat #teachertuesday
http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom

Math Channel on YouTube Worth Checking Out
TLC_edu: Top Math YouTube Channels For All Ages - #edchat #mathchat
http://blog.simplek12.com/education/top-math-youtube-channels-for-all-ages/

 

Twitter Tuesdays - September 13th

Resources and Ideas:  Contains many useful websites and tips for educators using technology.  Recent posts include google docs tips, September 11^th resources, and 3-D tours of the solar system. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

@IanBurley31  - Wow, what a great tech resource, of tech resources!! http://www.freetech4teachers.com/ #edtech #educhat #soudhs

Library of Congress –This is a list of 10 fun things you can do at their website including virtual tours, trivia games, podcasts, webcasts, photos , science mysteries,  and catch online e3xhibits.  http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-fun-learning-library-congress-online/

@sheconsulting  10 Things U Can Do 4 Fun & Learning On The Library Of Congress Online http://zite.to/p1pPnM via @Zite RT @nmhs_principal #edu #edtech

StudyJams – these contain Math and Science concepts that students can explore with video, explanation slides and check for understanding opportunities.  These are from scholastic and are well done!   Some may be too basic, but many are appropriate for middle school.  http://studyjams.scholastic.com

@MsThomas79 Fractions: Here is the video from Scholastic’s Study Jams we viewed in class today and some inte... http://bit.ly/orieuN #edchat #edtech

Storybird – students can publish their writings or create books to explain a concept with Storybird.  This blog post explores ways two teachers have incorporated this tools into their teaching.  http://teachingwithsoul.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/new-teacher-boot-camp-fall-re-bootweek-3-using-storybird-ntchat/

@gret New Teacher Boot Camp Fall Re-Boot:Week 3 Using Storybird #ntchat by @teachingwthsoul http://j.mp/o9phbS #edchat

YouTube – “Last month, 16 teachers from across the country got together at Google’s Seattle office for the YouTube Teachers Studio — a sort of bootcamp to learn how to best use YouTube in the classroom.”  Contains 5 great videos that show what YouTube has to offer and why these types of videos are worth using.  http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/09/five-reasons-why-youtube-rocks-the-classroom/

@stem_high  5 reasons to use YouTube in the classroom 5 reasons to use YouTube in the classroom - http://sbne.ws/r/8Usy #edtech #edchat

Wikispaces – New tool – set up projects in your wiki – worth taking a second look at wikispaces for use with students!  http://blog.wikispaces.com/2011/08/projects-a-better-way-to-work-in-classroom-groups.html

@geraldaungst I discovered Projects in my wiki today and am psyched! http://bit.ly/pvvm01 Brilliant! Thank you @wikispaces!

Collaboration Beyond the School Walls

I was reading a friend's blog recently, explaining how to make good use of your summer.  One of the ideas was to explore projects with other schools in other areas.  That started me thinking - telecollaboration has been around for a while, but not until recently has it been made so easy.  Connecting with other schools is easy with the aide of wikis, blogs, email, skype, etc.  Our students are already linking with all sorts of people around the globe through facebook, myspace, gaming sites, etc.  Some of this is good and some not so good.  But the idea of linking and working with other groups is an irristeable hook  for our already connected students.

So how do you do it and where do you begin?  Start with asking yourself a few questions:

• What do you hope to gain through the project? 


• What learning is going to take place? 


• Is approaching the subject matter this way going to add to what students need to learn or just distract from it?


• Do you have the time, support, and equipment needed to make it happen?

Here are a few good links to get you started. 

• About Telecollaborative Projects -  a basic overview of telecollaboration


• Telecollaborate! -step by step details on how to plan, create and implement a project


• Links to Current Projects - lists various running projects.  Some are closed for the year, but a good place when looking for ideas.


• 2Learn - Requires a registration to gain access to project resources and tools.


• ePals- Emailing another classroom through epals is a good starting point

Do you have any ideas?  Anything holding you back?

Marzano and Web 2.0 - What more could a girl ask for?

I have been a fan of Robert Marzano's work since I read Classroom Instruction that Works  several years ago.  He broke down what teachers could do into doable "chunks" with research to prove that it works.  I have designed staff development around this model for years and incorporated my CRISS trainings to include this research.  So image my excitement when I discovered this wiki : Web 2.0 That Works!

According to Marzano's research there are 9 Key areas for Classroom Instruction to focus on:

• Identifying Similarities and Differences


• Cooperative Learning


• Summarizing and Note-Taking


• Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition


• Homework and Practice


• Non-linguistic Representation


• Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback


• Generating and Testing Hypotheses


• Questions, Cues and Advance Organizers

The wiki gives the basic info about each area, lists tools that address that area and gives examples of these tools being used by teachers and students.  The difference between this and a regular web page is that a web page is static for the most part with one "expert" author, this allows any of us to add in new tools and to share our examples with other educators.  This is also a great place to check out some web 2.0 tools that you have not heard about before.

So what categories does blogging fit in?  Identifying Similarities and Differences, Cooperative Learning, Summarizing and Note-Taking, Homework and Practice, Generating and Testing Hypotheses, Questions, Cues and Advance Organizers

What other topics in education could you see wikis being used to help collaboration?  Do you see a benefit of having multiple authors on resource?  Do you trust the information?

Edited to add in this resource: http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008/ - "Many teachers are asking how technology can be integrated with these strategies to improve student learning.  Click on the links (each bar of the graph below) to review those strategies and see examples and templates to support technology integration."

Wikis -The Basics

What is a Wiki?  And What does Wiki Mean? 

Wiki wiki is hawaiian for "quick" so a wiki is a quick method of web publication that requires no web coding skills.  It is also an excellent way to collaborate online with people not all in the same room.  Watch the video below for a great visual explanation.

Why use wikis?

They are easy and free!  Wikis are great for quick publication, collaboration, peer feedback, editing/refinement and organizing.

How are teachers using them?  We covered some of them in the post of "It's a Wiki Wiki World Update".  Here are a few more ideas:

Story Starters - round robin writing

Book Creation

Choose Your Own Adventure

Collaborative Projects

Micropedias

Ant Farms - people/characters - whose paths cross at certain points and the reader can then click over to the new person

Branching Stories

Elaboration

Class Notes

Class/Teacher Web site

WebQuest Host page

Ready to Begin?

Here is a quick start guide for the most common tasks in wikis:  Wikis-The Basics

So to get started I recommend http://wikispaces.com- They offer free ad-free spaces for educational wikis. 

• Link to create free wikis for educators: http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers100K


• Help Guide for Teachers on Wiki Spaces: http://www.wikispaces.com/help+Teachers

Just want a place to play around? We have a sandbox wiki that you can change any page, add your own content or just look around.  http://sandbx.wikispaces.com/ - Just be warned that anything you do can be changed by someone else.   

Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

It's a Wiki Wiki World - Update

I was reading a colleagues blog recently and her post was about focusing on just one thing and learning it.  This made me reflect on my "one thing" this year - the incorporation of wikis into the school.  During the October 8th Staff Development day I introduced wikis to campus.  The basic idea was to have an easy way to create web pages whether it be webquests, teacher collaboration pages, trainings, etc.  So did wikisbecome part of the way we do things?  Withthe year coming to a close I decided to share what some people on campus have done with their new found wiki knowledge.

The Beginning:

http://teachwiki.wikispaces.com/ - I started using wikis in order to keep track of the info I was learning about web 2.0.  I needed a way to keep track of my notes and be able to access them wherever I was.  A nice bonus of using a wiki for this is that others are able to add their own knowledge about topics.  The site has grown to be my home page of staff development notes and a place to collaborate with others to plan trainings and set campus goals. 

WebQuests:

Why use wikis for webquests?  These webquests were designed by a team of teachers who needed to be able to add in resources and details from various locations.  It also allows teachers to add in new resources as they go along and clarify instructions as the lesson is implemented in class.

•  Texas Energy - http://texasenergy.wikispaces.com/ - This is a 6th grade science project to have students research different types of energy to be used in the regions of Texas.  Students were to create a presentation of their choice to make a recommendation.


• Bill of Rights Webquest - http://rightswebquest.wikispaces.com/ - 8th Grade US History - Tying into the novel "The Giver," students were to explain to the citizens of the book why their amendment was vital to civilization.  Students then put that info on a wiki page.  After each group had completed the research they then used their classmates wiki pages to learn about the other amendments.  Here are some  random class examples:
  
  
  
  • Ms. Sphar's First Period Class
  
  
  • Mrs. Holmes Second Period Class
  
  
  • More can be found by going to the webquest home page and clicking on the Teacher names on the left.
  
  
  
  


• Go Green - http://rmsgogreen.wikispaces.com/ - 8th Grade Science - The students job is work in groups and to persuade the government to use that alternative energy source in place of oil. Students have a choice of products to use in your presentation to the government.


• Welcome to the World - http://welcometotheworld.wikispaces.com/ - 6th Grade World Cultures - Students researched a country to help create their own mini, online encyclopedia through use of another wiki page.


• Republic of Texas  - http://republicoftexas.wikispaces.com/ - 7th Grade Texas History - Students were to represent one of the many points of view that existed in Texas after the war for independence.  They were then to try to persuade the people of Texas on the issue of Annexation.

Student Projects:

•  Research for Spanish Speaking Countries - http://spanish-speaking-countries.wikispaces.com/ - home base for a Spanish project


• To Kill a Mocking Bird - http://hollander.wikispaces.com/Research+for+TKAM - Houses the 8th grade research project for the novel.

Staff Pages:

• Ridgeview Library - https://ridgeviewlibrary.wikispaces.com/ - where the students can write book reviews and the library can announce all upcoming events.  This page is a joint effort between the students of RMS and Mrs. Kay.


• Ridgeview Writing - http://ridgeviewwriting.wikispaces.com/space/changes - in order to accomplish the 10 hours of writing workshop required for the LA teachers this year, Victoria and Mona set up an online learning experience for the teachers.


• Mrs. Porter's Class Wikis - http://porterperiod2.wikispaces.com/ - This is just one of the wikis Jenny is using in classes to promote writing. 


• PPOW - Service Learning - http://ridgeviewmsservicelearning.wikispaces.com/ - Is a work in progress from Ms. Witkin to collect all the resources used in the afterschool service learning group.

Are there others?  Please let me know if I left anyone off the list!

Ideas for the futures:

Remember that wikis can be made private and not open to viewing for non-members!

• Online Staff Collaboration - Examples:
  
  
  
  • Potluck on May 7th- Sign-up for food could be online instead of the traditional work room refrigerator.
  
  
  • Chair Massage Time Slots
  
  
  • School Supply Lists- Why not collaborate on next year's supply list through a wiki?  Everyone can see each grade level and know who has requested what.  Easier than tracking emails!
  
  
  • Plans for grade level field trips- a great way to keep everyone updated on who is going where and when (not who - that info needs to be a little more inhouse.)
  
  
  
  


• Online Staff Development- take the model of the LA department - could more training be offered at flexible times by going online?

 Need to know what a wiki is or how to get started?  A post will be coming soon to help fill you in!

Creating Online Content - Videos

This week my husband and I were watching American Idol and were wondering who orginally sung the song being preformed.  So I got online and googled the song.  Within seconds we were watching the original artists preform the song on YouTube.  We were also linked to other artists who had sung the song and were able to find the version and artist that we knew best.  No digging out old albums or cassette tapes, it's all at your fingertips.

Finding video content online is a not difficult anymore.  With the advent of UnitedStreaming, YouTube,  and other streaming media you can find video of almost anything you want any time you want and are incorporating that into your teaching.  But what if you can't find what you are looking for?  What if you have footage of something cool that you want to share with the world?  Maybe you want to get your students attention by posting the instructions in a way that is accessible to them anytime and anywhere.   

This week's tech tip focuses on creating the video files, where to host the files online and how to make them easily accessible to your students.   To create the video I suggest PhotoStory if you are going to narrate pictures or a PowerPoint.  For video MovieMaker is easy to edit footage, add titles and add music.

Webcams now include software to turn yourself in to an avatar (think cartoon character) and you can record you voice and facial expressions to give directions to your students.  (See the example below.)   Something different to catch those middle school minds!

Once videos are created they can be embedded into a wiki, blog, or linked from your TeacherWeb page.  The advantage of being able to embed the video is the students never leave the page to view the content.

Here is a sample of a teaching video. 

 

(The shark in the video was created with a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000.  Only certain Logitech Webcams will create the cartoon images of the narrator.  Check the back of the box if you are looking for this feature.  We have purchased one of these and it is available for use.)

Some Ideas for Teaching Videos:

• Science labs - capture the process for students to refer back to or for students who were absent


• Introduce a unit for your students that they can refer back to


• Explain hard to get concepts or problem solving skills step by step 


• Create a video to provide background info for a unit 

How can you see using this in your classroom?  Leave your ideas in the comments section.  Also leave your guesses as to who the voice of the shark is in the video. 

Get Students in on the Act:
Creating the videos can also be a task for the students.  When students create multimedia presentation they use their writing skills.  The key to a good presentation is writing a good script and storyboarding. Organization of ideas is essential because if the ideas are not organized, the presentation will also not be organized.  

What Multi Media Presentations Do Well:

• Gives voice to student work


• Creates visual interest in a subject


• Can be turned into a vodcast (more on this in future posts).

Ways MultiMedia Presentations are being Used in Education:

• Newscast about historical events


• Advertisements


• Reports about countries


• Teach a subject to another class


• Book reports

Free Software to create multi-media presentations:

• Movie Maker - edits video and add transitions, titles, etc.


• PhotoStory 3 - makes a slide show out of your pictures. - Add narration and pan and zoom effects. Good for student made documentaries, presentations.  

Once you have your video created, you need a place to keep that video that students, parents, etc can access easily.  I suggest www.teachertube.com. Why use TeacherTube to host your videos?  It's free!  The storage space is unlimited.  It's free.  The purpose of the site is to host and share educational videos.  Links to other videos should not be inappropriate for your students. Did I mention it's free with unlimited space?  YouTube and Google Video contain videos clips that may nto be appropriate for our kiddos to see.  So please don't tempt them by hosting your video there!  So choose wisely!

For the step by step how to's on uploading to teacherTube and embedding videos into wikis and blogs - got to TeachWiki.

If you have an idea of what you might want to do, but need help getting there, let me know and we can make it happen!