This morning we were supposed to receive several inches of snow and even though that hasn't happened (yet), it has necessitated the re-scheduling of several things, including the Thinkfinity makeup/refresher session I had scheduled for the primary school. So, I wil be re-scheduling that session as soon as we get back to our normal school routine.
In the meantime, I had a little time this morning to return to some of my notes from the Tennessee Educational Technology Conference. One Web site that I want to share is "We Are Teachers". This is a wonderful resource site, especially if you are looking for answers to a particular question you might have about your students or your classroom. There is so much information contained within this site, but if I was you, I would start by clicking on the Ideas link. You can enter a keyword and then search for ideas that are shared by real teachers. Or, right below the search area, you can go to the new ideas section and look at all the entries for various categories like Math & Science or Specialized Instruction. Another good place to look for inspiration is the Community link. Today when I checked that page, there were 9 replies to a question about art projects for kindergarteners. Some of the replies gave ideas you could immediately use, while others gave links to Web sites where you can find all sorts of activities and projects.
So . . . when you need an answer to a question or ideas or just want to be inspired, take a look at "We Are Teachers".
20 January 2011
18 January 2011
What a start to this week!
It's been an interesting morning here at the central office. After being gone for a couple of days at the end of last week due to illness (I'm glad that's over) and being gone on Monday due to the holiday, I came into work this morning with the issue of Infinite Campus not working due to a state server problem. I am happy to say that has been resolved.
In looking at the remaining days of January, I am going to be a busy little bee! Here's my tentative schedule for the next few weeks:
• 18th - TRT Meeting @ CCPS @ 1530
• 20th - Thinkfinity Training (makeup/refresher session) @ CCPS @ 1500
• 21st - SchoolLoop Training @ CCPS all day
• 24th - SchoolLoop Training @ CCMS @ 1500
• 26th - SchoolLoop Training @ CCHS @ 1500
• 27th - SchoolLoop Training @ CCES @ 1500
• 28th - Regional TIS Meeting in Christian County @ 0900-1400
• 31st - Infinite Campus User Group Meeting in Paducah @ 0900-1500
I have also gone ahead and posted the two entries about blogging that I meant to post last Thursday and last Friday. Hopefully you won't be too overwhelmed reading all of these entries today! Have a great week . . .
In looking at the remaining days of January, I am going to be a busy little bee! Here's my tentative schedule for the next few weeks:
• 18th - TRT Meeting @ CCPS @ 1530
• 20th - Thinkfinity Training (makeup/refresher session) @ CCPS @ 1500
• 21st - SchoolLoop Training @ CCPS all day
• 24th - SchoolLoop Training @ CCMS @ 1500
• 26th - SchoolLoop Training @ CCHS @ 1500
• 27th - SchoolLoop Training @ CCES @ 1500
• 28th - Regional TIS Meeting in Christian County @ 0900-1400
• 31st - Infinite Campus User Group Meeting in Paducah @ 0900-1500
I have also gone ahead and posted the two entries about blogging that I meant to post last Thursday and last Friday. Hopefully you won't be too overwhelmed reading all of these entries today! Have a great week . . .
Time to get started!
All last week I posted information about blogging and now it's time to get started on your own blog. Here are some basic steps to go through to establish your blog:
• Go to Blogger (http://www.blogger.com)
• If you already have a Google account, you can go ahead and sign in; if you don't have a Google account, click the link that says "Get Started" (you will have to enter an e-mail address, choose a password and a display name, enter your birthday [for security and identification reasons], enter a word verification [to make sure you are human and not a computer] and agree to the terms of service; once all that is done, the second step will have you name your blog and the third step will have you select your template)
• Once you are signed in, your Blogger Dashboard will appear
• To begin, click the Create a Blog link
• Enter a title for your Blog
• Enter an address for your Blog (be prepared to come up with more than one option since blog addresses are unique and you have to find one that no one else has already chosen)
• Enter the word verification and click Continue
• Next, choose a starter template (this is just to get you started - you can always change it later)
• That's it! You can click the link that says "start posting now" or the button that says "START BLOGGING" and start blogging! (You can also click "customize how your blog looks" to start making changes to your Blog's appearance)
It is very simple to enter your first blog entry . . .
• Enter a title for the entry
• In the large white box, type your thoughts (blog)
• The options across the top are pretty self-explanatory -
• The two arrows are the undo and redo buttons
• The fancy "F" button is where you can select from limited fonts
• The two Ts button is where you select the size of your font
• The B, I, and U are the normal bold, italicize and underline options
• The ABC with the line through it is the strikethrough option
• The "A" is where you can select your font colors
• The highlighter icon is where you can select to highlight a particular word or words
• The underlined "Link" is where you can insert a hyperlink (or an URL or a Web address - whatever you'd like to call it) so that your readers can access another Web page quickly from your Blog
• The picture icon is where you click to enter an image
• The movie box icon is where you click to enter a video
• The broken page icon is where you can insert a jump break in your blog
• The alignment icon is where you can select either left alignment, center alignment, right alignment or fully justified
• The numbers and "dots" are both available to make numbered or bulleted lists
• From what I can tell, the quote is used like a "tab" key
• The underlined T with the x on it is in case you decide you don't like anything you've done and want to remove the formatting altogether
• The ABC checkmark, of course, is the spelling checker feature
Of course, the default method of entering a blog entry is the "Compose" feature which is basically a WYSIWYG editor (pronounced "wizzy wig" - What You See Is What You Get). If you are into HTML coding, you can always click on the "Edit HTML" tab and complete entries that way, but most of us are comfortable with the other method. (It is kind of neat, though, to look at the HTML coding of a blog entry if you are interested to see what the actual coding is.)
Once you are done, you can click the Preview button to see a sample of how your blog will appear. (It opens in another window or on another tab, so just close it when you are done.) You will notice a Save Now/Saved button at the bottom of the screen, too. Here is where you can periodically save your work as you need (by clicking the Save Now) or see that the draft has been saved (which is done periodically anyway).
When you think you are ready to publish the blog entry, just click Publish Post. You can then share the Web address (URL) of your blog with others.
There's many more options and features and don't be afraid to check out the different tabs at the top of the posting screen (the initial blog entry screen). There are options for Comments, Settings, Design, Monetize, and Stats. Explore and see what you find that enables you to fine-tune your blog. There's also a Post Options link below each blog entry screen, so don't forget to click there and see what you can utilize.
Have fun blogging! And don't forget to e-mail me the address of your blog once you get it up and running - I'm very interested in seeing what you can do and how you are using it!
• Go to Blogger (http://www.blogger.com)
• If you already have a Google account, you can go ahead and sign in; if you don't have a Google account, click the link that says "Get Started" (you will have to enter an e-mail address, choose a password and a display name, enter your birthday [for security and identification reasons], enter a word verification [to make sure you are human and not a computer] and agree to the terms of service; once all that is done, the second step will have you name your blog and the third step will have you select your template)
• Once you are signed in, your Blogger Dashboard will appear
• To begin, click the Create a Blog link
• Enter a title for your Blog
• Enter an address for your Blog (be prepared to come up with more than one option since blog addresses are unique and you have to find one that no one else has already chosen)
• Enter the word verification and click Continue
• Next, choose a starter template (this is just to get you started - you can always change it later)
• That's it! You can click the link that says "start posting now" or the button that says "START BLOGGING" and start blogging! (You can also click "customize how your blog looks" to start making changes to your Blog's appearance)
It is very simple to enter your first blog entry . . .
• Enter a title for the entry
• In the large white box, type your thoughts (blog)
• The options across the top are pretty self-explanatory -
• The two arrows are the undo and redo buttons
• The fancy "F" button is where you can select from limited fonts
• The two Ts button is where you select the size of your font
• The B, I, and U are the normal bold, italicize and underline options
• The ABC with the line through it is the strikethrough option
• The "A" is where you can select your font colors
• The highlighter icon is where you can select to highlight a particular word or words
• The underlined "Link" is where you can insert a hyperlink (or an URL or a Web address - whatever you'd like to call it) so that your readers can access another Web page quickly from your Blog
• The picture icon is where you click to enter an image
• The movie box icon is where you click to enter a video
• The broken page icon is where you can insert a jump break in your blog
• The alignment icon is where you can select either left alignment, center alignment, right alignment or fully justified
• The numbers and "dots" are both available to make numbered or bulleted lists
• From what I can tell, the quote is used like a "tab" key
• The underlined T with the x on it is in case you decide you don't like anything you've done and want to remove the formatting altogether
• The ABC checkmark, of course, is the spelling checker feature
Of course, the default method of entering a blog entry is the "Compose" feature which is basically a WYSIWYG editor (pronounced "wizzy wig" - What You See Is What You Get). If you are into HTML coding, you can always click on the "Edit HTML" tab and complete entries that way, but most of us are comfortable with the other method. (It is kind of neat, though, to look at the HTML coding of a blog entry if you are interested to see what the actual coding is.)
Once you are done, you can click the Preview button to see a sample of how your blog will appear. (It opens in another window or on another tab, so just close it when you are done.) You will notice a Save Now/Saved button at the bottom of the screen, too. Here is where you can periodically save your work as you need (by clicking the Save Now) or see that the draft has been saved (which is done periodically anyway).
When you think you are ready to publish the blog entry, just click Publish Post. You can then share the Web address (URL) of your blog with others.
There's many more options and features and don't be afraid to check out the different tabs at the top of the posting screen (the initial blog entry screen). There are options for Comments, Settings, Design, Monetize, and Stats. Explore and see what you find that enables you to fine-tune your blog. There's also a Post Options link below each blog entry screen, so don't forget to click there and see what you can utilize.
Have fun blogging! And don't forget to e-mail me the address of your blog once you get it up and running - I'm very interested in seeing what you can do and how you are using it!
I've read enough and looked at blog examples . . . I'm ready to do my own!
I'm hoping that the title for this entry is what you are saying now! If you have read my previous postings and looked at some of the sample blogs, you are definitely ready to start blogging yourself.
According to Richardson, "The true potential of blogs in schools comes when students and teachers use them as publishing tools." "Middlebury College professor Barbara Ganley, who uses Weblogs extensively in her courses, asks, 'How can a teacher erxpect her students to blog (or to use any other tool, strategy, or technique) if she doesn't use it herself, exploring the impact it has on her thinking, writing, research and creativity?" Richardson states that teachers should blog to show students that it is something of value and to model appropriate ways of doing it. Here's one more place that is suggested as a way to find award-winning blogs - http://edublogawards.com/. Look for the 2010 award winners in various categories. Some of them are quite good!
So, whenever you are ready to start your own blog, the suggestion is to start small. Create a link to something interesting on the Internet and say a little something about it. Create an entry that tells a little bit about yourself, your background in education, and what you hope to accomplish with the blog. Think about posting an assignment on your blog and then sharing that screen using your classroom computer/projector since some of your students may not have access to the Internet at home. Don't worry about collaborations or conversations at the beginning. Get used to how the blog works and what you will post and how often. Then get your students to read your entries and use your blog in the classroom. Then you can spread out to the home by letting parents/guardians know where to find your blog online.
Regardless of how you start using blogs with students, make sure that everyone is clear about your reasons for using it and the expectations you have for it. This includes making sure your administration knows what you are doing. Teach students from the very beginning how to be responsible online. Celebrate good use of blogs by your students.
The final entry this week will help you take steps to start your own blog using Blogger, although there are many other free sites that allow a blog (like Weebly). Richardson recommends Blogger because it is easy to use, is owned by Google,and you can have as many blogs through one account as you wish. Hopefuly you will take advantage of this free blogging service!
According to Richardson, "The true potential of blogs in schools comes when students and teachers use them as publishing tools." "Middlebury College professor Barbara Ganley, who uses Weblogs extensively in her courses, asks, 'How can a teacher erxpect her students to blog (or to use any other tool, strategy, or technique) if she doesn't use it herself, exploring the impact it has on her thinking, writing, research and creativity?" Richardson states that teachers should blog to show students that it is something of value and to model appropriate ways of doing it. Here's one more place that is suggested as a way to find award-winning blogs - http://edublogawards.com/. Look for the 2010 award winners in various categories. Some of them are quite good!
So, whenever you are ready to start your own blog, the suggestion is to start small. Create a link to something interesting on the Internet and say a little something about it. Create an entry that tells a little bit about yourself, your background in education, and what you hope to accomplish with the blog. Think about posting an assignment on your blog and then sharing that screen using your classroom computer/projector since some of your students may not have access to the Internet at home. Don't worry about collaborations or conversations at the beginning. Get used to how the blog works and what you will post and how often. Then get your students to read your entries and use your blog in the classroom. Then you can spread out to the home by letting parents/guardians know where to find your blog online.
Regardless of how you start using blogs with students, make sure that everyone is clear about your reasons for using it and the expectations you have for it. This includes making sure your administration knows what you are doing. Teach students from the very beginning how to be responsible online. Celebrate good use of blogs by your students.
The final entry this week will help you take steps to start your own blog using Blogger, although there are many other free sites that allow a blog (like Weebly). Richardson recommends Blogger because it is easy to use, is owned by Google,and you can have as many blogs through one account as you wish. Hopefuly you will take advantage of this free blogging service!
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