Testing is upon us and that means summer is around the corner!

I hope everyone is getting a good night's sleep and is eating good nutrition because the testing season is upon us.  I know all our students will do their best!

Thinking about testing causes me to think about the end of the school year and summer!  Apparently that is also on the minds of others as I've begun to see some e-mails and information about what students (and adults) can do over the summer to keep their minds sharp!  This year I had the opportunity to hear Rushton Hurley at a technology conference.  Hurley was a fantastic speaker!  He has taught at the high school and college level, been a principal, and has even organized and run an online school.  Hurley established "Next Vista for Learning" which includes all sorts of good information, but I want to focus on two particular items, one of which can be found on the Web site and the other which came as a link in Next Vista's e-mail newsletter.


If you click on the above link for Next Vista, you will land on the home page.  Go to the Light Bulbs section - it's in green on the left on the home page or on the menu bar going across the top of the page.  Light Bulbs are quick videos made by students to introduce or teach something.  There are ten (10) categories and each category has a number of short videos associated with it.  Just click on any of them and take a quick look!  All the videos are 2 minutes or less in length.


A friend of Hurley's, Adam Welcome, shared a Google Docs presentation that includes all sorts of information and links for students, and even adults, to utilize over the summer months.  Just to name a few - Google Books, Open Culture, iPad Resources, Math Playground, White House 101, Alder Planetarium, PowerTyping, The International Children's Digital Library, Physics Central, and even ChessKid!  There are a total of 28 different slides, many with more than one link on them, so check them all out - don't even wait until summer, try some now!


Have a great week (and try to stay dry - we need the rain, but gee, enough is enough)!

What It All Means

What It All Means . . . that's the title of the last chapter in the book by Will Richardson entitled Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  I thank Mr. Richardson for a very insightful book with lots and lots of solid information about the use of technology in the classroom.  I've learned a lot and hope that many of you readers have done the same over the past months.


Richardson states that pages and pages are being added every day to the Internet, which includes new sites and also items like books.  Add to it all the music and streaming videos and it's almost more than we can comprehend.  Plus, the Web is becoming more collaborative.


Here are some "big shifts" to consider . . .
1.  It used to be schools and teachers 'owned' the content they taught and used in their classrooms; today, information is as far away as a Google search or Wikipedia; teachers and students have begun writing their own content
2.  As our access to content increases, so does our access to other teachers - those outside our buildings; teachers and students can tap into primary sources and connect with authors and historians and researchers across the world; learning has become 24/7
3.  In the past, students have worked independently or produced work for a limited audience (perhaps the teacher who graded their work and their classmates); students can now work in collaborative ways for large audiences; the work can now have real purpose and real meaning
4.  Students are learning their voices matter now that they can publish content to a wide audience; people do listen/read and respond
5.  It's no longer essential to know what the answer is as it is to know where to find it; today, factual answers are just a click away; we just need to know where to find sources that are worthy of our attention
6.  The Web is a printing press for the masses, so readers must learn to be critical consumers of the information; readers must also become good writers as they engage in debate and discussion across the Web
7.  Educators are now seeing the value of electronic learner portfolios that can be easily shared
8.  Writing is no longer limited to text; we can now include audio, video, photography, and much more
9.  Mastery used to be shown by 'passing the test'; now students can display mastery in countless ways that involve the creation of digital content
10.  Instead of simply handing in countless assignments to teachers to be read, graded, handed back, and most likely thrown away, we can now offer our students a totally new way at looking at the work they do; it's not meant for the teacher or the class or even the school, it's meant for the world, literally


Obviously these changes create all sorts of challenges for educators.  According to Richardson, teachers must start to see themselves as connectors, not only of content, but of people.  Teachers must become content creators as well.  Teachers also need to become true collaborators.  And teachers need to think of themselves more as coaches who model skills that students need to be successful.  Finally, teachers must be change agents.  We need to find ways to use these tools in the classroom and beyond.


When our students leave high school, Richardson says odds are pretty good they will be asked to work with others from around the globe, utilizing the Internet in some way to create content for diverse and wide-ranging audiences.  Due to that fact, students need to know how to be editors as well as readers.  We must teach our students to become more active consumers of the information instead of just passively accepting it as legitimate.  We must teach and model the ways in which ideas and products can be brought online.  We need to teach the ability to work closely with others in virtual environments.  And we need to teach students how to manage the information they consume.  These are all skills that will support students who can flourish in the networked personal learning spaces they will inhabit the rest of their lives.  Richardson states if we graduate students who are not able to create, sustain and participate in these networks in safe, ethical, and effective ways, we've done them a disservice.




Again, thanks to Will Richardson and his wonderful book!  I truly hope you have found something within these Blog pages that has helped you in some way with your students and with your classroom.  I also hope you may have found something you could use in your own life at home.  I know I did!  Have a wonderful week . . .

Screencasting - A Step Above Podcasting

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had an enjoyable spring break.  I know I did!


This week I'd like to finish the information from the chapter on podcasts and screencasts from the book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson.  Screencasts are very simply, podcasts with video.  One tool that is free and easy to use that is described by Richardson as his favorite is Jing.  On their Website, click on the link for Free Version and you can read a lot more about the program and how it works.  Whenever you are ready, just click the Download link.  Jing has a free version for both Mac and Windows operating systems. 


While you are downloading the Jing program, you can sign up for their newsletter or watch a tutorial.  Once the program is downloaded and running, you will see a "sun" in the upper-right corner of your screen.  To use Jing, it's simple - move your mouse over the "sun" and three rays of sunlight will appear.  One ray is the Capture tool, one ray is the History tool, and the other ray is the More tool (where you can set your preferences, etc.). 


The Capture tool is what you use to make a recording of your screen and your voice (or other audio like background music).  Simply click on the ray with the plus sign icon.  Using the crosshairs provided, click and drag across the portion of your screen that you want captured, or recorded.  Once that is done, click the video icon at the bottom left.  The first time you use Jing, you might see a pop-up window asking about your microphone.  Make your selection as to what type of microphone you have.  Once you continue, you will see a countdown - 3...2...1... - and then you can start recording.  Jing will record both your screen and your audio.  Beware that Jing does limit the screencast to five minutes.  When you are done, simply click the Finish Recording button.  Jing will then show you a screen that you can playback.  If you like what you've done, click Save.  Otherwise, you can click Cancel and start over if you wish.  That's all there is to it!  Once you have something you believe is useful for others, you can even share your file!


So how can this be used in a classroom?  What if you let students record small instructional videos for other students and staff?  What if you let students type a short poem and then go through the poem using Jing to capture the "picture" of the poem, along with the student reading it?  What if you utilized PowerPoint and pictures of your school and allowed students to record their voice, guiding users through the "tour" of their school?  There is no limit to the creativity of how this could be used, both inside and outside the classroom. 


Next week I plan to finish the information from the book.  I certainly hope you have found something along the way that you could use in your classroom either for your personal use or for your students to use.  Using this blog has been a great way to share information from a wonderful book and I've enjoyed it!  We'll wrap things up with the book next week and then finish out the school year with some other quick Web sites and some tips and tricks of using technology.  Have a great week!

Podcasting and Education

This week I want to expand on the information given last week about podcasting.  Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, has been such an enlightening read with all sorts of good ideas for using the Internet for educational purposes.


Here's one way to utilize podcasting in a classroom - if you and your students are interesting in doing a radio broadcast but can't afford all the necessary equipment, you can utilize podcasting as a way to have a "radio" type program on the Internet.  Here is a link for an elementary school in Omaha, Nebraska that has "podcasts for kids by kids".  Just click on any of the podcast links to hear one of their productions. 


Here's another link to a school in Murrieta, California that regularly posts podcasts.  And here is one more  link for a middle school in Marietta, Georgia where you can learn about their film festival and other interesting events and subjects.  With this last example, you not only get audio, but video, too!


Now that you've had an idea of what has been done by a few sample schools around the country, start thinking about how you can utilize podcasting.  For example, language teachers could use podcasts for their students to listen to a particular language lesson.  Social studies teachers could use podcasts as a way to record oral histories or interviews.  Music teachers could record their classes singing or playing instruments.  Technology classes can create weekly or even daily news programs for their school or perhaps with the use of video, a virtual tour of their school building.


Don't forget that Apple also has many ideas for using the iPod and the iPhone in schools.  Check out some of the things that can be done with those handheld devices!


Next week, we will be on spring break, so I probably won't have an entry in this blog.  Well, that is, unless I see or learn about something that I just can't wait to share!  Have a wonderful week!

Podcasting and more . . .

The last chapter of "instruction" given by Will Richardson in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms is on podcasting, video and screen casting and live streaming.  Richardson notes that multimedia publishing on the Web is only going to continue and more of what we are consuming online is self-produced, homemade entertainment.  Richardson acknowledges the incredible growth of YouTube and how the expansion into multimedia has come about quickly with broadband connectivity and cheap memory.  He adds that it no longer takes hours to download a full length feature film and the computers of today have all the tools necessary to be able to store and play such files.  It's become much easier to create and consume multimedia today. 


PODCASTING


In 2005, a 13-year old starting podcasting from his home and thus, became one of the first to create and distribute amateur radio across the Web.  Many podcasts are by basically normal, every day people.  Others are more serious and focused in content.  Podcasting has become all the rage and one of the reasons is that you do not need a lot of technical expertise to make it work.


According to Richardson, the best place to start your podcasting indoctrination is to take some time listening to a few shows.  Remember, most podcasters are just average people from all different walks of life with all sorts of interests.  Apple has incorporated podcasts into iTunes.  (iTunes is available for download from the Apple site, free for both Macs and PCs.)  To find some interesting podcasts, just go to the iTunes store homepage and click on the podcasts link in the top left section.  Once you open it, you can watch a tutorial or start broadcasting podcasts in the iTunes store.  You can even subscribe to certain podcasts and when a new episode is available, it will automatically download it for you.  


One of the available podcasts featured today in iTunes was "Laughing Historically".  It is available for a free subscription.  Episode 01 was How Edgar Allan Poe was Expelled.  It's about a 5 minute "show" about Poe's problems in life, especially at West Point, and how they affected his outlook and his future writing.  As you are searching for podcasts to listen to, take a look at the Podcast Quick Links on the right-hand side of the iTunes podcast screen.  There are links for Audio, Video, New Releases, Staff Favorites, etc.


Another idea - visit the Education Podcast Network which includes information on what a podcast is, how to find a particular podcast or subscribe to a podcast, and other information about podcasts.  You can find particular subjects and even student and class podcast projects.  Some of these podcast require QuickTime or other media player and some are no longer available, so be aware you may not be able to access all of them.  


Check out a few podcasts this week and next week, I'll expand on how podcasts can be used in schools and classrooms. 

A little extra for this week . . .

In reading one of the educational technology magazines I receive, I found five other sites that might be of interest to teachers . . . check these out sometime this week!


Teachers.net


Teachnology


Super Teacher Worksheets


Teachade


CybraryMan

3 Great Online Tools that will Inspire and Engage Your Students

This was the title of a short webinar I watched last week with a trainer, Russell Stannard, from the UK.  He mentioned three specific Web tools that he uses with his students and even though I have mentioned one or more of these before, it was a good reminder of how they can be beneficial. 


Todaysmeet -
• Works like a "live" feed
• Allows instant feedback, reflection and sharing with a class
• Everything that is written by anyone who is signed in can be seen by all
• When done, you can click "Transcript" and save the information
• You can also copy and paste the information if desired
• One caution - there is little control - anyone who knows the URL can join the conversation
• Simple to use - name your "room"; tell the site when to delete the room; add a twitter hashtag (if desired); click Create Your Room; send/give anyone the URL for your room; all they have to do is input their name and click Join; the "conversation" will show on the left-hand side


Vocaroo -
• A simple audio tool
• Record and share easily by email or embedding the URL online in a blog, etc.
• Use for lectures
• Ask students to record reading, language practice, conduct an interview, etc.
• Play the best examples in class and give feedback
• Simple to use - click "Click to Record"; click "Allow"; once your recording is done, you can Listen to it; if you need to, you can Record Again; once you are satisfied with the recording, simply choose whether to "Send to a friend" or "Post on the Internet" (Send to a friend will send an email; post on the Internet gives you HTML Code and a link to use)


Jing -
• A screen capture tool
• Records the screen of your computer as if a camera was facing it and recording
• If you have a microphone on your computer, it will record sound, too
• Simply mark the screen and click Record
• When you are done, a link is made available that you can share with others
• Idea - have a student type and send you an essay in Word(r); you can then highlight errors and record your voice guiding them through what they need to address or you can simply give them verbal feedback as you "move" through the essay onscreen; when done, make the recording available to the student
• Another idea - have a student type a timeline of their lives and then record their voice talking about their life as they move through their timeline
• One more idea - have a student type a timeline of a point in history and then record their voice talking about the various points on their timeline
• Just one more! - have a student type a math problem and then record their voice as well as their typing (drawing) as to how they solved the problem
• There is a free version which will work fine for classroom use, but there is a paid version if you wish to do more with Jing; Jing is available for Windows or Mac OS; simply download and install the version you wish to use;  Jing also has a newsletter and training videos available


If you are ever looking for quick ways to learn how to do something with technology or incorporate technology into a lesson, go to Russell Stannard's Web site - http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com.  The site has a monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to, but if you don't want to do so, just click the X or the "No Thanks" button.  Once you are on Stannard's site, you can find all sorts of links to short training videos on a variety of technology subjects.  And it's all free!  Look at the site this week and see what you can learn in a few minutes time.  And then, see where and how  you can apply this to your classroom. 


Have a wonderful week!

Some ideas for using Flickr in the classroom

Last week I introduced Flickr and this week I want to focus on what you can do with Flickr in your classroom.  Here are some ideas:


Use Flickr . . .
1.  anywhere visual images are required, such as a presentation
2.  for single image analysis - a good way to encourage discussion in an art class
3.  as a single image writing prompt - let someone post an image and then have a student start a story as a comment, with the story continuing by other students adding to it through comments
4.  for multiple digital storytelling projects
5.  for creating slideshows
6.  for virtual field trips
7.  for the creation of visual arguments
8.  for illustrating poetry
9.  for visual documentation of school events
10.  for visual documentation of student artwork


Thanks to David Jakes, an educational technology coordinator in Illinois for these suggestions.


One of the most useful tools in Flickr is the annotation feature.  You can add notes to parts of an image simply by dragging a box across an area and type test into a form.  When you move your mouse across that area of the image, the boxes and annotations will pop up.  Click here for an example of how this could be used.  (This example of Jane Goodall's camp was created by a 3rd grader!)


Organizing photos in Flickr is easy because you can create separate albums for different sets of pictures.  So, students can create their own personalized collections of photos and images, complete with annotations and comments.  This way it can become a reflective online portfolio.  What if a student took pictures of all his/her artwork throughout school, put them on Filckr, and then used that as a way to share the work with potential scholarship donors or university art departments.


Or, just look for a good random photo on Flickr, display it for your class and ask them to play "Flicktion".  Let them write a fictional story about the photo.  A simple photo can often bring out creativity in students!


Hopefully you will begin to see the possibilities of using Flickr in your classroom.  Even if you don't add your own images to Flickr, you can utilize the thousands of images that are already there.  Have fun exploring!

Another week and a new month has arrived!

It seems like time is going faster and faster!  March is upon us and before you know it, the school year's end will be here!


Today's entry is taken from Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, and discusses creating, publishing, and using images online.  If teachers and students are looking for a way to begin experimenting with creating and publishing content other than text, then digital photography is a great way to start!  Digital cameras have come down in price over the years and most of us now have cameras on our cell phones.  Software to edit and resize photos is available for free on the Internet, so it is easy for classrooms to include digital images to their sites, their blogs, etc.


Disclaimer - some photo editing Web sites are not available to schools due to image-blocking that has to take place because of CIPA, so consider this when utilizing them.


So, why would you want to post images in the first place?  From a classroom view, it would be wonderful to share daily events or highlights with parents/guardians and the community at large.  Pictures of field trips, guest speakers, art projects, concerts, sporting events - all are great ideas of what to share online. 


One place to start is Flickr.  Flickr is free as long as you meet their guidelines for publishing.  It is simple to sign up for a Flickr account.  Once you get an account, they suggest three steps - 1, personalize your profile; 2, upload your first photos; and 3, find your friends on Flickr.  Once your profile is complete, you can begin uploading photos and videos.  (Videos are limited to 90 seconds in length and 150 MB in file size.) 


As you begin uploading, be aware the limit is 300 MB of photos and 2 videos for the free account.  Also note that you can mark your photos/videos as Private or Public.  Once you upload a photo, you can put a title on it, add a description, etc.  The last part, finding friends, is just as easy as importing email contacts or using a Facebook account to add friends.  If you have friends attached to your account, you can then mark your photos as Private and only allow your "friends" to see them.


Try Flickr and see how easy it is to use.  Next week, I'll share some ideas of how you can use Flickr in the classroom. 

Not a typical Monday . . . then again, maybe it is!

This was supposed to be a holiday and a day off for most of us, but due to the snowy weather we've had this year, Presidents Day is being used as a make-up day in our district.  I sincerely hope the winter blues were chased away by the primary school's "Hootie Hoo" (or Hoodie Hoo as it is in some circles) celebration on Friday and that the snowy period for our end of Kentucky is over for 2011.  This morning several of my colleagues found that they could no longer print within Infinite Campus, but after some investigation, I found that updating to the latest Java version seems to be the solution.  Hopefully those of you who were having that issue have been able to update your Java and correct the problem.


For several weeks now, I've been sharing information from a terrific book that I own, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson.  Today's blog entry concerns "The Social Web", as Richardson puts it.  I must admit that I was not one of the first to try many of the social Internet sites and resisted them for a long time.  However, my daughter pointed out some of the positive aspects of Facebook and a co-worker got me into Twitter, following our state's tech help desk which puts out feeds about the status of the network.  Sometimes I am able to learn about an e-mail outage, for example, quite early so when colleagues call me because their e-mail isn't working, then I know what information to share with them.


As far as social networks like Facebook, I must tell a short story about a good friend of mine.  My husband is a veteran of the United States Army and for six years, we lived in Germany.  While there I met a wonderful woman whose husband was also in the army.  After we both returned stateside, we kept up with each other with phone calls now and then and written letters sent through the U.S. Postal Service.  As most long-distance friendships go, our contact finally dwindled down to the annual Christmas card and the last few years we lost contact completely.  Once I signed up for Facebook, I was so excited one day to be contacted by my friend!  We were able to re-connect and that very month, she and her husband were coming through Kentucky as a part of their summer vacation.  (They still have relatives here in Kentucky.)  My husband and I were able to meet them for a delightful dinner and long conversation to catch up on our lives.  None of this would have happened had it not been for Facebook!  (And yes, we still keep up with each other.)


So what does Richardson have to say about "The Social Web"?  He thinks the most sweeping change in our relationship with the Internet lies with the ability to share and connect and create with many, many others of like minds and interests.  Richardson notes there are well over 1 billion people online and the ways in which we are connecting and creating together is exploding.  The first social media he covers is Twitter.


Twitter is a "micro-blogging" tool that was introduced in 2006.  Originally Twitter was supposed to be a way to send quick updates to anyone who "follows" the person posting the update.  Twitter limits the user to 140 characters per tweet.  According to Richardson, what's evolved is something much more interesting.  People are asking questions and getting answers.  Users are posting links to resources.  Still others are posting information about natural disasters across the world and giving hints and tips about technical support issues.  It has become a blend of personal and professional.


So what are some ways that Twitter can be used in education?  One teacher is using it to share ideas and experiences with his classes.  Another is using the cell phone feature of Twitter to get instant feedback to an assessment type question from the students.  Still another used Twitter as a way to get students' opinions while they were on a field trip.  Using cell phones, the students used Twitter to send "journal" updates to their accounts and their teacher followed their tweets.  Also, students who did not make the trip could stay updated by following the tweets of their classmates.


There are all sorts of social sites out there and what you use or don't use is a personal decision, especially when it comes to using these sites with students.  Many school districts block the use of these sites while using school computers, but that doesn't block the use of these sites at home.  Our district has taken the stance that many have - be mindful when interacting with students using social Internet sites.  Always remember that you are the professional and the adult!


I will be in and out of the office this week, mainly due to trainings for Thinkfinity and SchoolLoop.  By the end of the week, the instructors at the Area Technology Center and the teachers at the primary school should be working on their own Web pages, so I'm excited about that!  It's also the last week to be able to post a 470, which is a request for service through the e-rate program, so that will be taking up some of my time in the office.  As always, I can be reached through e-mail no matter where I am.  I hope all of you have a wonderful week!

A Writing Contest Has Been Announced!

http://blog.stenhouse.com/archives/2011/02/11/contest-take-us-on-an-adventure/ 


David Somoza, an elementary school teacher, and Peter Lourie, adventure travel book writer, have teamed up to write a new book titled Writing to Explore: Discovering Adventure in the Research Paper, 3-8.  In the book, the authors show teachers how to guide students to write interesting, adventurous, well-researched papers that are rooted in real places, supported by facts, and developed with detailed descriptions of images from real locations.


With that in mind, they are challenging students to send their best writing about a state or place they have lived in, visited, or daydreamed about and any form of storytelling is acceptable.  The entries will be judged by the authors and the top five submissions will be featured on the Stenhouse Blog.  One winner will receive a library of Stenhouse books (a $150 value) of your choice and other books by Peter Lourie (a $180 value) to start your own classroom adventure library.


The deadline for the contest is May 1st, 2011.  Stores can be submitted by e-mail or on CD or USB drive by postal mail to Stenhouse Publishers.  For the address and more information, click the link at the top of this entry.  For more information about Stenhouse, click the link in the above paragraph. 

Welcome back to school!

After a very snowy week, the sun is shining and all the ice and snow is melting away.  Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! 


Will Richardson, in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, notes how difficult it is to keep up with all the Web sites that change, sometimes daily and sometimes hourly!  For example, Richardson says if you're a political science teacher and you've found twenty or thirty sites that are consistently publishing interesting and relevant information for you and your students, finding time to click  through all the sites to keep up with the new information is nearly impossible.  So, what if you could go to one place and read all the new content?  That's exactly what an RSS feed allows.


RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication.  In simple terms, Internet sites generate a behind-the-scenes code in a language similar to HTML called XML.  This code, usually referred to as a "feed" makes it possible for readers to subscribe to the content that is being created without having to visit the site to get it.  What you use is a piece of software called an "aggregator" or feed collector.  The aggregator checks the feeds you subscribe to, usually every hour, and it collects the new content.  When you're ready, you open up your aggregator to read the individual feeds, and decide whether to read the stories, file them to check later, or delete them.  Basically, you are checking one site instead of twenty or thirty to keep up with all the content. 


Richardson says there is a better reason to use RSS.  Not only can students have the news and ideas of the day come directly to them, but they can also use RSS to let them know when someone has published something with certain keywords that they might be interested in.  For example, using RSS, the student creates a feed for "global warming" that will bring new results as they are published right to their mailbox.  Students can be immediately updated when new information about a particular research topic is published. 


Richardson's advice to using RSS is to go slowly.  To explore a list of aggregators you can choose from, go to http://newsonfeeds.com/faq/aggregators.  Richardson, though, suggests the use of Google Reader because it's free and easy.  If you already have a Google account, you can go to http://www.google.com/reader/ to access your reader account.  If you click on Home, you can click on the link for the "getting started guide" to learn more about the use of Google Reader.  If you know exactly what you are looking for, you can click on the "Add a subscription" link at the top left of the page and search for particular keywords.  Once you get some subscriptions set up, all you have to do to keep up with the new content is to login to Google Reader and check your subscriptions on the left-hand side of the home page - if a name is bold with a number after it, that means there is new content available.  To organize your feeds better, you can even create folders, i.e. "Education", "Technology", "World News", etc. 


I hope you take a little time this week to look at Google Reader or one of the other available aggregators and set up an RSS feed.  Enjoy exploring!

Wiki Tools for Schools

Snow?  Again?  Looks like this week is going to be a snowy one again, but maybe it will stay off the roads enough that we can still get out and about - just keep a watch on the weather, know your surroundings and be careful!


Creating a wiki is easy.  Wikispaces offers free wikis for educators.  It's simple to create one by going to http://www.wikispaces.com and clicking on the "Wikis for Individuals and Groups" area.  (If you want to find out a little more about Wikispaces before you start one yourself, just take a look at this initial screen.)  The basic plan is free to educators and includes a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, 2GB of file storage, built-in discussion forums, support, etc.  You can join by entering a username, a password and your e-mail address.  But before doing that, you might want to click on the link to the right of the page that says "Learn more and create your own classroom wiki today."  Wikispaces original goal was to give away 100,000 free wikis to educators and according to this site, 415,000 have already been established!  That should tell you something about how wikis are being used with classes in K-12 education. 


Once you sign up for a free wiki, you will notice 3 tabs across the top - Dashboard, Mail and Settings.  The Dashboard contains several sections which are fairly self-explanatory.  The Mail section works much like any e-mail system.  The Settings portion is where you can upload a profile picture, a profile page, change your username and password, etc.  If you decide in the future you do not want your Wikispace any longer, you can also delete your account on this page. 


To create a wiki, go back to the Dashboard and click on the "+ Create a New Wiki" button at the top of the page.  You need to give your wiki a name and select what permissions you want for the space.  Be aware that the Private setting is only free for the first 30 days.  The Public and Protected settings are free.  The Wiki Type you select should be K-12 Education (Primary and Secondary) if you are going to use the space for your classroom.  Once you have made your selections and given your wiki a name, simply click the Create button.


The next page you see will tell you all about "Your New Wiki".  Simply look through the instructions on how to set up your wiki, invite members to your wiki, and even establish accounts for your students.  Once your wiki is started you can always go to the My Wikis link at the top of the page to work on your wiki. 


According to Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, here are some ways you can utilize your wiki with your classes:


1.  Create a separate page for your students to collaborate on a class essay
2.  Use the discussion portion of your wiki and start a thread about something you are doing in class and have students respond to it
3.  Put a math problem on the wiki and have students post their answers
4.  Include a daily social studies entry, such as "This Day in History" and have students respond in some way
5.  Enter assignments so students and parents/guardians know what is expected each day/week; students can post questions they might have for you about the assignments
6.  Include important links to appropriate Web sites for students to explore and then allow them to respond about what they learned


There are all sorts of ways to utilize your wiki with your students.  I'm sure you can think of many more!

More about George Washington

I received an e-mail promoting a lesson plan so that students can learn more about George Washington and other United States Presidents.  The lesson is applicable to both elementary and secondary classrooms and everything you need to teach the lesson is included. Go to this site:


http://blog.teachtci.com/by-george-its-a-presidents-day-lesson


and scroll through the lesson to see if it's something you might use.  I have downloaded the pdf file, so if you want it, please e-mail me at melissa.earnest@caldwell.kyschools.us and I will be glad to send it to you!

More ideas on how Wikis can be used in classrooms . . .

For those of you who looked on Monday for my usual start of the week post, I apologize.  I was out of the district at an Infinite Campus user group meeting/training in Paducah.  It was very informative!  There are some changes coming to the gradebook that I think teachers will really like.  They have listened to suggestions and are making it more user-friendly.  There will be more to come on this subject as the process moves forward.  Changes are supposed to take affect as of June 30th.


Now . . . back to Wikis!  I am still using the reference, "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms" by Will Richardson.  First of all, Richardson lists some of the concerns one more have about using Wikis in education.  Of course, it is mentioned that someone could anonymously go into the class Wiki and erase content or add something inappropriate.  Richardson says as must as we'd like to trust students to do the right thing, "we all know that it would only take one parent to open the Wiki and find something inappropriate to derail the project".  There is a solution because most Wiki sites feature a password-protect or login system to prevent things like this from happening.  Also, some teachers may feel that the open collaboration feel of a Wiki can be hard to manage, but just keep in mind that a Wiki can be used as a collaborative tool between teachers and districts rather than with students, so that might be a good way to begin using one.  However, here are some ideas of how you can utilize a Wiki with a class:


1.  Create an online text for your curriculum
2.  Have students create their own Wiki with entries for a particular class (for example, in physics, have students post and edit entries that deal with the structure of the atom or in language arts, have students post and edit entries about a particular piece of literature they have read)
3.  Use the Wiki as a space to post links to relevant Web sites and then have students respond to those sites with entries of their own
4.  Establish a math Wiki so that students can add tips and tricks for math problems and computation
5.  Use a Wiki as a new way to write the usual "What I did this summer" essay - students can add their own paragraph to the "class essay"
6.  Let a student each day enter the notes for the class on a Wiki - this is an excellent way to reinforce what was taught and serves as a reminder for those who need it, plus students who are absent can check it to see what went on that day


The possibilities are truly endless.  I'm sure you are thinking of ways you can use a Wiki right now!  In subsequent posts, I will guide you through establishing a Wikispace of your own.  This week, take a few moments to google "Wiki" and a particular subject matter of your choosing and see what you find.  There may be some Wikis out there in cyberspace that you can utilize in your classroom without having to establish one on your own at this point.  Explore and see what you find!

February is Black History Month

Thinkfinity has all sorts of resources and lesson plans available for Black History Month.  If you click on the link and go to the Black History Month page, you will find a link for the NAACP Interactive Timeline, some Martin Luther King teaching resources, and information on the Brown v. Board of Education court case.  For those of you who are music teachers, there is a link to "Blues Journey" that takes you to the ArtsEdge audio series on the development of the blues.  Another interesting link is one that takes you to a spotlight on African American scientists.  Enjoy going to each of these links and find something you can use in your classroom with your students!

This is so neat!

I don't know how many of you have ever heard of NBC Learn, but I had not.  That is, until the latest edition of Technology & Learning was issued.  I took a quick look around the site and I encourage you to do so, too, especially if you teach in the middle school or high school. 


One thing I found particularly interesting, especially since it's still considered football season by most of us (yes, I know my Auburn Tigers have won the collegiate championship, but the Super Bowl has yet to be played).  If you go to the site and click on the "Original Video" tab, you will see four areas - "Chemistry Now", "Finishing the Dream", "Science of the NFL", and "Science of the Winter Olympic Games".  I selected "Science of the NFL" and once I clicked "Watch VIdeos", it brought me to a screen that had several videos from which to choose.  I clicked on the very first one, "Newton's First Law of Motion".  It was a quick cue card style video of less than 4 minutes but I learned a lot!  I also found that you can click "Transcript" on the side of the video to actually see the words on the screen which makes it great for the hearing-impaired student.  I also noticed that if you click the arrow at the top of the video screen, the "back" of the cue card will show.  You can open and see the general information about the video, the description of the video, the keywords mentioned in the video, some extra links of interest, and even how to cite the source correctly if you use it in research.  (And this includes MLA, APA and the Chicago Manual of Style citations.)  In this case, the first video lesson that I chose to view had a Lesson Plan associated with it from Lessonopoly.  How terrific this would be to use with a classroom of middle schoolers who might have an interest in football and teach them something about Newton's First Law of Motion at the same time! 


Be sure to take a few moments this week and check this out!  You won't be disappointed!

Back to a normal schedule? Almost!

The weather just hasn't been cooperating with us and today we were on a one-hour delay, but that means I can still conduct the SchoolLoop training for our middle school teachers after school today (Monday, January 24th).  I'm excited about getting everyone on board and fixing, at the very least, an initial Web page.  I think the teachers will be pleasantly surprised to find out how user-friendly SchoolLoop is!


My schedule the rest of this week is fairly full as well since I have more SchoolLoop trainings - one at the high school on Wednesday afternoon and one at the elementary school on Thursday afternoon.  I will be out of the office on Tuesday due to some dental work being performed (No, I'm not looking forward to that, but it has to be done!) and on Friday due to the monthly regional TIS meeting in Christian County.  Hopefully the week will go off without a hitch - no more illnesses and no more winter weather, please!


This week I want to return to the book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson.  In some of my past blogs, I discussed what a blog is and how to set up one.  Now I want to give you some information on what Richardson says a Wiki is.


Richardson begins by mentioning Wikipedia, which most of us are familiar with as a place to go online to find information.  Everyday new entries are being added and others are being updated and most people understand that the "pedia" part of the name refers to the term "encyclopedia".  What Richardson says is that most people do not know what the "wiki" part means.  The word wiki is a short form of the Hawaiian term wiki-wiki which means "quick".  The first wiki was created in 1995 by Ward Cunningham.  He "was looking to design an easy authoring tool that might spur people to publish."  It is important to note that "a wiki is a Website where anyone can edit anything anytime they want."


With that in mind, you should  be aware that makes all of us editors of a sort.  A question that is often asked is about the trustworthiness of such a site.  If anyone can edit the information at anytime, then how can we trust what is on there?  Richardson says that the idea is "There are vastly more editors that want to make it right than those who want to make it wrong."  So, how can something like Wikipedia be used in a school setting?


According to Richardson, "whether or not we like the concept of Wikipedia,"  . . .  "we need to teach Wikipedia to our students".  His reasoning is that whether we like it or not, students are turning to Wikipedia as a resource, most often first when they are researching something.  Richardson notes that wikis are being used by corporations and by project teams as a way to share information and collaborate.  Colleges and universities are beginning to use wikis with their students to manage documents, share resources and experiences, etc.  Today, there are tens of thousands of wikis out there for just about everything imaginable.  Even though Wikipedia may not be an acceptable source of information due to its origins, it does give students a place to start their research and may get them thinking about ideas they would have otherwise missed. 


Richardson then asks "So, how exactly do wikis work?"  He notes that every page in a wiki has some type of link to "edit".  When you click on the link, you see either the code behind the page or the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for the page.  All you have to do is make changes and save.  Also, the pages should have a page history section where you can see when changes were made, by whom, and what was changed.  The first thing Richardson suggests for teachers to do is to spend some time checking Wikipedia's accuracy for any subject that their students might be researching.  Also, make sure you teach students that Wikipedia is, in fact, "a collaboratively written research report".  Another thing to consider is whether or not your students should contribute to a Wikipedia entry.  As Richardson comments, "If your student produces a great research paper on global warming, why shouldn't she add what she found to the global warming entry at Wikipedia?"  Richardson notes that it might be considered another opportunity for our students to contribute what they learn to a larger audience. 


Check back later for more information on this blog about wikis and other ways they can be used in schools and classrooms. 

Once again weather alters plans . . .

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".

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 . . .