As I continue to think about how we can present things in class I went to www.TED.com and began searching for technology topics of interest. As a board member for the OSTA I am privileged to receive a wide variety of both resources and information. Bernie Carlson is one of the best resources for everything science oriented and seems to love TED TV. Not that I blame him based on all the ideas and amazing people I have watched on this resource. Today's search led me to a video in which a man essentially gives a speech using his ipad on storytelling and it's founding father.
Take a second and watch...
This presentation got me to thinking that our students could really bring their speeches to life through the use of the ipad and a projector. Why couldn't our students choose a topic and make it more interactive while presenting to their peers? This is no different than when my college professor advised us to tape notes on the back of our props when giving a speech. I remember giving a speech on spelunking and had all my gear on the table with small note cards on the back with key words. I places each item on the table in order of my presentation topics and went to town. I can see that in this situation the ipad becomes the props...no need for the real thing anymore...let me show you the real thing and how it works. This could also be done with science inquiries...couldn't a student prepare the write up as a script, add in visuals such as video, still shots, audio, etc...? Although it could all be made into an imovie there is still potential for these presentations to go beyond the simple powerpoints that most kids do. I have substituted enough in high school classrooms and watched students create these in my mind worthless and simplistic powerpoints...I often find myself thinking what a waste of valuable educational time these assignments are. Students just cut and paste for the most part and have very little interest in their topic. Watch and learn students... the power is in the presentation capabilities...not so much the content...but there is so much potential to meet multiple content standards in something like this example I am inspired. What would it take for a student to compile and present something like this? Wouldn't this be a powerful presentation if we could use this for our final presentation. A student discussing how the ipad has changed their learning? I love this idea and may pursue it myself. It is funny...I will admit I really didn't see the power and advantage of an ipad in the classroom verses a laptop (although I won't bail on this resource for many reasons), BUT I can see the advantages. I just may have to get an ipad after all just to begin experimenting with all this myself in the future and for my own classroom! I can't wait to get back in a classroom full time and share what I am learning with the world and take my students on a technology ride into the future!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tony Vincent
Ok, I want to be like this guy! He is using technology so well in his classroom it is discussing. After watching part one of this Project Based Learning Part 1 I found that there might be some more apps we could peruse..story roar is a free app for digital story telling while his video example talks about more. It really goes to fast to catch all of them...but I can watch it again and catch a few more.
Part 2 goes into more details on how to use iPads and itouches to plan, Research, and present their projects. Ideaskete is a mind mapping tool (free) that can be used to brainstorm while having the ability to toggle between outline view and picture view when working. Poppet is another tool that can be used for brainstorming and connecting topics. When researching we can use an app called side by side to open up to four web pages at a time to view, read, and take notes. Great for comparing data. (I wonder how these notes are the exported?). Finally, he talks about using keynote and an adapter to present (like a PowerPoint). Other alternatives include: Sonic pix apps which puts narration over Images. Places like public domain and Creative commons provide other legal means to get appropriate images. In the google search under safaris you can do an advanced search. In the settings change it to say, "labeled for reuse with modifications". tap and hold an image...save image and it goes to the photos on iPad. Use doodlebuddy, Comictouch, and photoshop Mobile to edit pictures and once again they are saved in the photos on iPad. Strip designer is a comic strip image editing app we could use to add speech bubbles. Flip book is an animation app. Students can draw on use multiply images to create animation.
Part 2 goes into more details on how to use iPads and itouches to plan, Research, and present their projects. Ideaskete is a mind mapping tool (free) that can be used to brainstorm while having the ability to toggle between outline view and picture view when working. Poppet is another tool that can be used for brainstorming and connecting topics. When researching we can use an app called side by side to open up to four web pages at a time to view, read, and take notes. Great for comparing data. (I wonder how these notes are the exported?). Finally, he talks about using keynote and an adapter to present (like a PowerPoint). Other alternatives include: Sonic pix apps which puts narration over Images. Places like public domain and Creative commons provide other legal means to get appropriate images. In the google search under safaris you can do an advanced search. In the settings change it to say, "labeled for reuse with modifications". tap and hold an image...save image and it goes to the photos on iPad. Use doodlebuddy, Comictouch, and photoshop Mobile to edit pictures and once again they are saved in the photos on iPad. Strip designer is a comic strip image editing app we could use to add speech bubbles. Flip book is an animation app. Students can draw on use multiply images to create animation.
Future textbooks
Thinking about technology a lot lately as I am preparing to complete my holiday shopping. I really want to get my kids iPads or itouches but having a hard justifying it to my husband when they will probably end up as another gaming device. It seems like if they were allowed to use them in the classroom they would be a lot more educational. I am beginning to see where education can go but think the key piece to this is allowing students to take this technology home with them. The more I read the more powerful this tool is. I wonder what these schools do to ensure that they are taken care of and how they deal with this situation. What about if they don't have Internet access at home? How do the schools compensate for that? Things are really starting to change around here....I am not sure I really believed it while studying for my masters, but after being involved in this project I can now. I ran across this TED video and can see the potential here for textbooks I the future. And the use of the iPad!
Student response systems
Since then this instantaneous response system has evolved to web-based response systems and iPad compatible apps. Using these sites and apps gives every student a voice in responding to questions and provides teachers real time feedback based directly on student understanding. Imagine how this can transform our face to face time with students?
Consider a few uses: students complete a lecture or video then navigate to a Google form and answer five questions based off the content. The teacher can pull up the spreadsheet of responses and see immediately what conceptions students are forming and can scaffold instruction accordingly.
Or perhaps students are directed to the teachers poll everywhere site at the beginning of class for a 5 question warm up based off of the previous day's content. In real time responses are aggregate on the screen giving the teacher data and understanding of what their students are understanding, from here teachers can regroup their class to spend more time with those who need it and allow those who don't need reinforcing the opportunity to work ahead independently.
There are many great ways to collect student artifacts and use them to drive your instructional time Survey Monkey, Question Press, Poll Daddy, and thatquiz are all web-site based tools that offer some sort of free or educational plan. As well there are iPad/iPod apps that provide similar experiences and student data. Try using one of the above sites or find a great app and see what it tells you about your students understanding. Or, even better, show the class results to your students (in a safe way) to allow them to see what they are and are not understanding. Let their conceptions drive your instruction and their learning.
Consider a few uses: students complete a lecture or video then navigate to a Google form and answer five questions based off the content. The teacher can pull up the spreadsheet of responses and see immediately what conceptions students are forming and can scaffold instruction accordingly.
Or perhaps students are directed to the teachers poll everywhere site at the beginning of class for a 5 question warm up based off of the previous day's content. In real time responses are aggregate on the screen giving the teacher data and understanding of what their students are understanding, from here teachers can regroup their class to spend more time with those who need it and allow those who don't need reinforcing the opportunity to work ahead independently.
There are many great ways to collect student artifacts and use them to drive your instructional time Survey Monkey, Question Press, Poll Daddy, and thatquiz are all web-site based tools that offer some sort of free or educational plan. As well there are iPad/iPod apps that provide similar experiences and student data. Try using one of the above sites or find a great app and see what it tells you about your students understanding. Or, even better, show the class results to your students (in a safe way) to allow them to see what they are and are not understanding. Let their conceptions drive your instruction and their learning.
Wordle ideas
I have been trying to follow several blogs...showme and edmodo are my focus. I am impressed with each of these sites and trying to gather as much knowledge as I can. I found the idea of using Wordle like a poll tool or one in which to identify key vocabulary either in a story or writing passage very interesting. The poll idea is great since the word that is the largest was the most popular. This could be very effective with smaller kids...but they also need to learn how to make and read graphs. Here is the link for more ideas: http://www.edgalaxy.com/storage/Use%20Wordle%20to%20Improve%20Spelling.pdf.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Using technology to differentiate learning
Ideas for Using Technology to Differentiate According to Student Interests:
Keep student interests in mind when searching for videos to use with students. If you know that many of your students like sports, try to find sports videos that go along with math concepts you're teaching. If many of your students enjoy watching movies, try to find movie clips where math is being used.
Create a classroom blog, website, and/or Social Network (ex. Ning, Social Go). These days Social Media is everywhere. Today's students are used to being part of a social community. Creating classroom blogs or websites is another way to help build and extend the community you create with students in the classroom. Blogs and websites also allow you to involve parents in your classroom activities. If you're worried about what students will post, most blogging and Social Network platforms give you the ability to monitor content.
When having students create a product to demonstrate learning, allow them to choose a format for creating the product. For example, students could create a GlogPrezi (zooming presentation editor), make a video about the concept, write a song about the topic, create a Voice Thread about the topic. This list could go on for a while. There are so many new Web Applications that allow students to create amazing products. The idea here is to allow students to choose which type of the product they'd like to create based on their particular interest.
Create a Live Binder based on the math topic you're teaching. Fill the binder with websites, videos, images, and documents that students can use to learn about and practice the math concept. You could require that some resources be used by all students, but then allow students to choose other resources which are helpful to them. For example, some students may want to watch a video of someone demonstrating how to work out a problem, some students may want to play a game to practice their skill at solving problems, or some students may want to use virtual manipulatives to help them understand the math concept. The added benefit to creating a Live Binder like this, is that students can access it from home!
Keep student interests in mind when searching for videos to use with students. If you know that many of your students like sports, try to find sports videos that go along with math concepts you're teaching. If many of your students enjoy watching movies, try to find movie clips where math is being used.
Create a classroom blog, website, and/or Social Network (ex. Ning, Social Go). These days Social Media is everywhere. Today's students are used to being part of a social community. Creating classroom blogs or websites is another way to help build and extend the community you create with students in the classroom. Blogs and websites also allow you to involve parents in your classroom activities. If you're worried about what students will post, most blogging and Social Network platforms give you the ability to monitor content.
When having students create a product to demonstrate learning, allow them to choose a format for creating the product. For example, students could create a GlogPrezi (zooming presentation editor), make a video about the concept, write a song about the topic, create a Voice Thread about the topic. This list could go on for a while. There are so many new Web Applications that allow students to create amazing products. The idea here is to allow students to choose which type of the product they'd like to create based on their particular interest.
Create a Live Binder based on the math topic you're teaching. Fill the binder with websites, videos, images, and documents that students can use to learn about and practice the math concept. You could require that some resources be used by all students, but then allow students to choose other resources which are helpful to them. For example, some students may want to watch a video of someone demonstrating how to work out a problem, some students may want to play a game to practice their skill at solving problems, or some students may want to use virtual manipulatives to help them understand the math concept. The added benefit to creating a Live Binder like this, is that students can access it from home!
Three web 2.0 tools for you!
Today's Web 2.0 Tools
1. Knovio --- http://l.aunch.it/7pmw
Knovio is new and is still in Beta testing. Sign up for their Beta trial and be among the first to try it. Knovio allows you to turn ordinary Power Point presentations into video presentations. You only need a webcam and microphone to transform any Power Point presentation. If you have students create Power Points, they can now add their voice to the presentation.
2. Socrative --- http://www.socrative.com/
Socrative is a student response system that allows students to use laptops, smartphones, or tablets. If you're looking to increase student engagement, receive and give imediate feedback to students, go paperless, or just to try something new, Socrative can add a new dimension to your classroom. If you're always waiting for your turn to use the Clickers, Socrative is definitely worth a try. Best of all, it's Free!
3. PageFlip-Flap --- http://www.pageflip-flap.com/
Turn your documents, PDFs, images, or videos into an interactive Flipbook. It's Free.
I send out a periodic newsletter titled Web 2.0 Resources for Teachers. In a recent edition of this newsletter, I shared information about PageFlip-Flap. PageFlip-Flap allows you to turn documents, images, and videos into an interactive flipbook. Soon after the newsletter was sent, a reader emailed and asked me if I knew other applications that did the same thing without ads. With PageFlip-Flap, your flipbook has ads along the side. I recommended that he try FlipSnak, a similar application.
Recently, I found out about AdOut.org. This is an application that takes the ads off websites. You get a link that you can share with others. With AdOut.org, you can share sites with your students that you may not have used before because of unwanted ads.
1. Knovio --- http://l.aunch.it/7pmw
Knovio is new and is still in Beta testing. Sign up for their Beta trial and be among the first to try it. Knovio allows you to turn ordinary Power Point presentations into video presentations. You only need a webcam and microphone to transform any Power Point presentation. If you have students create Power Points, they can now add their voice to the presentation.
2. Socrative --- http://www.socrative.com/
Socrative is a student response system that allows students to use laptops, smartphones, or tablets. If you're looking to increase student engagement, receive and give imediate feedback to students, go paperless, or just to try something new, Socrative can add a new dimension to your classroom. If you're always waiting for your turn to use the Clickers, Socrative is definitely worth a try. Best of all, it's Free!
3. PageFlip-Flap --- http://www.pageflip-flap.com/
Turn your documents, PDFs, images, or videos into an interactive Flipbook. It's Free.
I send out a periodic newsletter titled Web 2.0 Resources for Teachers. In a recent edition of this newsletter, I shared information about PageFlip-Flap. PageFlip-Flap allows you to turn documents, images, and videos into an interactive flipbook. Soon after the newsletter was sent, a reader emailed and asked me if I knew other applications that did the same thing without ads. With PageFlip-Flap, your flipbook has ads along the side. I recommended that he try FlipSnak, a similar application.
Recently, I found out about AdOut.org. This is an application that takes the ads off websites. You get a link that you can share with others. With AdOut.org, you can share sites with your students that you may not have used before because of unwanted ads.
Here are some more math tech tools I would like to explore...
There are many excellent technology tools available today, but a lot of them are not really applicable to the math classroom. That's why I started The Best Technology Tools for Teaching Math on Scoop.it. This site is dedicated to the best technology resources for math teachers and students.
Click on tags to see a list of topics. When you choose a tag, you'll see everything related to that topic. Some topics that will be included are:
YouTube --- sites that help teachers incorporate YouTube videos in the classroom
Multimedia
Reflection Tools --- applications that help students reflect on their learning
Student Engagement --- applications that help students become engaged in the learning process
Video Editing --- applications that make video editing quick and easy
If you know of resources that should be added to this list, please feel free to use the Suggest tab at the top of the page to make your recommendation. Or, leave a comment on this page with your recommendation.
I'll also keep a list of these sites on this blog, but you'll find more detailed information about the applications and their possible uses on the Scoop.it site. Here's a list of what's on The Best Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning so far:
Glogster --- make interactive posters
Voice Thread --- create conversations around multimedia
Spliced --- this site allows you to get clips of YouTube videos
Hofli Online Charts Builder --- site for creating different types of graphs
Math Dictionary --- this glossary of math terms hosted by Alberta Learning uses visuals and interactive applets to explain/demonstrate math vocabulary
Poll Everywhere --- free student response system...create multiple choice or free response questions for your students and see resultants in real time
This is a new list so it's not very big right now. I'll continue to add things regularly and it will continue to grow.
If you use any of these tools, let us know how they work for you.
You may also want to follow my other Scoop.it topics:
IGNITE Student Engagement in Math!
Powerful Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning
Stay tuned! I'll be creating and sharing more math related Scoop.it topics soon.
There are many excellent technology tools available today, but a lot of them are not really applicable to the math classroom. That's why I started The Best Technology Tools for Teaching Math on Scoop.it. This site is dedicated to the best technology resources for math teachers and students.
Click on tags to see a list of topics. When you choose a tag, you'll see everything related to that topic. Some topics that will be included are:
YouTube --- sites that help teachers incorporate YouTube videos in the classroom
Multimedia
Reflection Tools --- applications that help students reflect on their learning
Student Engagement --- applications that help students become engaged in the learning process
Video Editing --- applications that make video editing quick and easy
If you know of resources that should be added to this list, please feel free to use the Suggest tab at the top of the page to make your recommendation. Or, leave a comment on this page with your recommendation.
I'll also keep a list of these sites on this blog, but you'll find more detailed information about the applications and their possible uses on the Scoop.it site. Here's a list of what's on The Best Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning so far:
Glogster --- make interactive posters
Voice Thread --- create conversations around multimedia
Spliced --- this site allows you to get clips of YouTube videos
Hofli Online Charts Builder --- site for creating different types of graphs
Math Dictionary --- this glossary of math terms hosted by Alberta Learning uses visuals and interactive applets to explain/demonstrate math vocabulary
Poll Everywhere --- free student response system...create multiple choice or free response questions for your students and see resultants in real time
This is a new list so it's not very big right now. I'll continue to add things regularly and it will continue to grow.
If you use any of these tools, let us know how they work for you.
You may also want to follow my other Scoop.it topics:
IGNITE Student Engagement in Math!
Powerful Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning
Stay tuned! I'll be creating and sharing more math related Scoop.it topics soon.
No clickers... No problem
Want to create class surveys and get instant student feedback about math problems, but you don't have access to clickers? No clickers, no problem! Poll Everywhere allows you to create multiple choice and free response questions for your students. You'll get instant results that can be shared with the class.
Poll Everywhere is committed to education and has many features that make it ideal for classroom use. Below is a list of some of these features:
Create as many surveys as you want with a Free teacher account...With a free K-12 account, you can have up to 40 students respond to each poll. Just create a new poll or If you have a single class with more than 40 students, you can email them and they will adjust your plan.
Polls are quick and easy to create...You literally could have a poll created and ready to use in a couple of minutes.
Multiple ways for students to vote...Students can text their responses in or they can vote online if they have access to an iPad or computer.
As responses come in, they automatically appear on the results chart...You don't have to refresh in order to see newest results.
Results charts can be embedded into blogs, websites, Power Points, etc...This is a nice feature which would allow for comments about the poll or survey. You could also use this as means to address student misconceptions if they were responding to a math problem.
No spam or advertisements!
The features listed above are all available with the Free teacher account. If you'd like to be able to get reports, moderate responses, and create response segmentation for contests or comparisons, you can get an individual teacher plan for $50 per year. School and district plans also make these extra features available.
In a future post, I'll give some specific suggestions/ideas for using Poll Everywhere in the math classroom.
I've added Poll Everywhere to The Best Technology Tools for Teaching Math list.
(this was taken from this blog http://loledservices.blogspot.com/ )
Poll Everywhere is committed to education and has many features that make it ideal for classroom use. Below is a list of some of these features:
Create as many surveys as you want with a Free teacher account...With a free K-12 account, you can have up to 40 students respond to each poll. Just create a new poll or If you have a single class with more than 40 students, you can email them and they will adjust your plan.
Polls are quick and easy to create...You literally could have a poll created and ready to use in a couple of minutes.
Multiple ways for students to vote...Students can text their responses in or they can vote online if they have access to an iPad or computer.
As responses come in, they automatically appear on the results chart...You don't have to refresh in order to see newest results.
Results charts can be embedded into blogs, websites, Power Points, etc...This is a nice feature which would allow for comments about the poll or survey. You could also use this as means to address student misconceptions if they were responding to a math problem.
No spam or advertisements!
The features listed above are all available with the Free teacher account. If you'd like to be able to get reports, moderate responses, and create response segmentation for contests or comparisons, you can get an individual teacher plan for $50 per year. School and district plans also make these extra features available.
In a future post, I'll give some specific suggestions/ideas for using Poll Everywhere in the math classroom.
I've added Poll Everywhere to The Best Technology Tools for Teaching Math list.
(this was taken from this blog http://loledservices.blogspot.com/ )
Show me ideas
As I read through the Show Me blog here are some ideas that I think could be used in the classroom:
Formal assessment
Science
1. KE and PE. Have students take picture and add drawings over the top along with audio to explain how gravitational, PE, and KE work within the scene. Example...show a skateboard half pipe and add drawings of a skateboarder. Perhaps students are asked to go outside and find and example of how energy changes form. Other possibilities might include playing on the playground slides, swings, climbing, shooting hoops, etc.... http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=40940
2. You can do inquiry worksample presentations. http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=58624. Check out this example for a way to use both audio, pictures, and drawings to explain their experiment. I think it would be important to have students write their script as well as slides. This looks a lot like a PowerPoint presentation with the enhanced audio.
Other uses in the classroom...
1. Some teachers are creating their lessons ahead of time for kids to watch. Interesting idea since students can view, pause, and replay as needed. Other teachers are creating demos on how to do something like a certain type of math problem or even how to do a lab. Others are finding that by recording their "lecture" they are able to walk around the room and monitor understanding and behavior. Kids are able to learn at their own pace and the teacher is free to work with students. Not to mention you could use this as practice for the next day and send to absent kids. I love this short example on prepositional phrases. http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=16085. I can't believe how effective this was for me. Have teachers looked through these to see if there are lessons they can use and not recreate? Go to
Showme.com and click on "learn any topic" to find lessons and/or ideas for lessons.
Show Me and your blog. How do you get these on student blogs or edmodo?
Create your ShowMe! Add images, interesting antecdotes and relevant information. Make it awesome!
Save your ShowMe, title it, and add important tags so it can be categorized on the site. The upload it
Navigate to your ShowMes page and click on “embed” in the top right corner of the video player. Copy this text.
Open the blog post you are writing. There will be a tab in the top right of the text boxt that says HTML. Click that
Paste the link you copied earlier where you want it to appear in your writing.
You’re done!
Formal assessment
Science
1. KE and PE. Have students take picture and add drawings over the top along with audio to explain how gravitational, PE, and KE work within the scene. Example...show a skateboard half pipe and add drawings of a skateboarder. Perhaps students are asked to go outside and find and example of how energy changes form. Other possibilities might include playing on the playground slides, swings, climbing, shooting hoops, etc.... http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=40940
2. You can do inquiry worksample presentations. http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=58624. Check out this example for a way to use both audio, pictures, and drawings to explain their experiment. I think it would be important to have students write their script as well as slides. This looks a lot like a PowerPoint presentation with the enhanced audio.
Other uses in the classroom...
1. Some teachers are creating their lessons ahead of time for kids to watch. Interesting idea since students can view, pause, and replay as needed. Other teachers are creating demos on how to do something like a certain type of math problem or even how to do a lab. Others are finding that by recording their "lecture" they are able to walk around the room and monitor understanding and behavior. Kids are able to learn at their own pace and the teacher is free to work with students. Not to mention you could use this as practice for the next day and send to absent kids. I love this short example on prepositional phrases. http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=16085. I can't believe how effective this was for me. Have teachers looked through these to see if there are lessons they can use and not recreate? Go to
Showme.com and click on "learn any topic" to find lessons and/or ideas for lessons.
Show Me and your blog. How do you get these on student blogs or edmodo?
Create your ShowMe! Add images, interesting antecdotes and relevant information. Make it awesome!
Save your ShowMe, title it, and add important tags so it can be categorized on the site. The upload it
Navigate to your ShowMes page and click on “embed” in the top right corner of the video player. Copy this text.
Open the blog post you are writing. There will be a tab in the top right of the text boxt that says HTML. Click that
Paste the link you copied earlier where you want it to appear in your writing.
You’re done!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Worked it out...
It is funny how when you haven't done something for a week or two--you forget some of the details. Today was one of those days, but once I got going it all came back to me like riding a bike and away we went. I felt like I got most things done that we needed to, except Terrie's iSO 5 update and syncing. We (Terrie and I) are scheduled to get together on Friday, Nov. 11th to work on this. It amazes me how long it takes to do this update and the fact that we have to do them one at a time is baffling. It is like technology has come so far, but still there is that need for the human touch--quite literally. Once I got going I really enjoyed plugging away at my work. Little differences would crop up but I was able to work my way through them one problem at a time! I think that my fears of exploring technology without a lot of step-by-step guidance is improving. I am gradually realizing that I can always go back and that sitting and thinking about what I am actually doing is helping in this problem solving process. I love that Gail just ignores my thinking out louds;) Occasionally she looks up and asks if I was talking to her...and if not goes on with her own business. I can see a lot of growth in each of the teachers as they are becoming much more independent and problem solving on their own. Facetime has come in very handy in the sense that they can call me and show me what they are doing and the actual screens. The key though is holding the ipad still when showing other screens--makes them much easier to read--hee hee. Another side outcome of my position as TOSA is that I have become very inspired to share all the great things I am learning! PR is now looking to write a grant for some itouches and macs! What a wonderful opportunity for my own children.
Other than that, I need to update the inventory and continue working on little side projects. Lots of ideas floating around...just need to reel some of them in!
Other than that, I need to update the inventory and continue working on little side projects. Lots of ideas floating around...just need to reel some of them in!
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