Friday, May 21, 2010
New Links and Ideas For You
Now that you have been using your Document Cameras daily, you probably are looking for new ideas for using your Document Camera in your classroom. Find many lesson ideas here:
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/view/323/37/
Start planning for next year to participate in the 2011 Jordan District Film Festival. Students and Techers submitted great films and the award winning films can be found at:
http://web.me.com/bonniemmuir/filmfestival/Home.html
If you have any great student projects to share with us, please leave a comment and share!
Continue learning technology by checking out the resources at UEN and the T4 Professional Development page:
http://profdev.uen.org/register/view_course_by_month
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/section/6/35/
Be sure to check out the T4 front webpage in June to find great summer learning ideas for you and your students.
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/
Have fun in the sun! Thank you for continuing to move technology forward for you and your students.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Safe Images for the Classroom
Monday, May 3, 2010
Soundzabound-Another great tool from UEN
Monday, April 26, 2010
OpenOffice - a free alternative to Microsoft Office
OpenOffice includes powerful applications for making text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, diagrams, databases, and much more. Given that the full suite is free, this is one of the best deals you'll find in all of computing.
OpenOffice has six full-blown applications; 1-Writer (a word processor very similar to Word), 2-Calc (a spreadsheet program similar to Excel), 3-Impress (a presentation program similar to PowerPoint) 4-Base database (similar to Access), 5-Math equation editor, and 6-Draw graphics program.
Let's open OpenOffice and see how it looks:
The OpenOffice interface is looks a lot like the MS Office interface, and even advanced Office users will find nearly everything they're used to in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Let's take a look at a few screen shots from three of the applications in OpenOffice:
Most of your questions about OpenOffice can be answered at their website, but let's go through a few frequently asked questions here:
FAQ's
Can I open my Office documents in OpenOffice?
Yes. Writer opens Word documents, Calc opens Excel documents, Impress opens PowerPoints.
How do I get OpenOffice?
Download it at http://www.openoffice.org.
Is it available for Mac, Windows, and Linux?
Yes. It is available on several platforms, all free downloads.
It starts out free, but will it always be free?
Yes, OpenOffice is an open source software. It will always be free.
How do I update OpenOffice?
In the OpenOffice Help menu, choose "Check for Updates"
Where can I get training on how to use it?
http://www.tutorialsforopenoffice.org
YouTube.com has a plethora of very good OpenOffice tutorials.
Is Jordan District switching from Office to OpenOffice?
No. There is no current plan to move teachers from Office to OpenOffice.
Can I use Office and OpenOffice on the same computer?
Yes, you may have both programs installed on your computer and choose which program you wish to use.
Do I have to switch to OpenOffice?
No. The program is available for anybody to download and use as they wish.
Is OpenOffice better than Office?
The best thing to do is to try it for yourself and make that determination. Over 500 million people have downloaded OpenOffice. It is available in many different languages.
Is support available for my questions about OpenOffice?
Yes. http://support.openoffice.org
What is the coolest thing about OpenOffice?
In my opinion, Portability. A revolutionary feature of OpenOffice is that you can download a portable version, write it to a flash drive and keep it in your pocket to use on any computer you meet on your way. Can you imagine doing so with Microsoft Office?
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Virtual Field Trips
Virtual field trips can offer students more opportunities because you can take them to places they wouldn't normally be able to go to otherwise. In addition, virtual field trips may even boost students' reading comprehension skills and will expose them to different cultures and environments.
Below are a variety of links for virtual field trips. Try ending your school year by taking an exciting virtual field trip with your students. Have students experience different field trips and then create a multimedia presentation of their field trip to share with other students.
Please comment and share new virtual field trips that you have used.
Virtual Field Trip Collections
This organization hosts electronic field trips with four main parts: the Trip Journal, the Virtual Visit (a streaming video), an Ask the Expert tool, and a hosted Web chat.
http://www.efieldtrips.org
Ball State Electronic Field Trips
http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/search.php?institution=Ball%20State%20University%20Electronic%20Field%20Trips
Blackwell’s Virtual Field Trip Lists
http://www.vickiblackwell.com/vft.html
eThemes
http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000995.shtml
Gail Lovely provides a hot-linked list organized into live journeys, "interactive environments," travelogues, e-museums, building and place tours, map-based visits, and read-along visits.
http://www.gaillovely.com/VirtualFieldTrips.htm
Lists of Virtual Field Trips
http://www.techtrekers.com/virtualft.htm
Scholastic Internet Field Trips
http://teacher.scholastic.com/fieldtrp/science.htm
Simple K12 Virtual Field Trips
http://www.simplek12.com/virtualfieldtrips
The Teacher’s Guide Virtual Field Trips
http://www.theteachersguide.com/virtualtours.html
UEN Virtual Field Trips
http://www.uen.org/tours/fieldtrips2.shtml
Virtual Webams (teachers should search and check these sites first)
http://www.virtualfreesites.com/cams.html
Museum Virtual Field Trips
1000’s of Museums Online
http://www.museumstuff.com/
National Air and Space Museum
http://www.nasm.si.edu/education/online_fieldtrips.cfm
Examples of Virtual Field Trips
http://www.thwt.org/virtualtours.htm
Historical Virtual Field Trips
Henry “Box” Brown Underground Field Trip
http://housedivided.dickinson.edu/fieldtrips/brown.html
Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trip
http://www.history.org/trips/
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate
http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/index.cfm
Online Field Trips from Think Classroom
http://www.thinkport.org/Classroom/trips.tp
The National WWII Museum
http://www.nationalww2museum.org
Smithsonian’s History Explorer
http://historyexplorer.americanhistory.si.edu/
Utah and National Parks
Glacier National Park
http://sd5.k12.mt.us/glaciereft/
National Parks Electronic Field Trip
http://www.nationalparks.org/npf-at-work/electronic-field-trip/
Windows into Yellowstone Wonderland
http://www.windowsintowonderland.org/
Utah National Parks
http://www.uen.org/utahnationalparks/
Science Virtual Field Trips
Exploritorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu/
Adventures in Medicine & Science (AIMS) Program of Saint Louis University http://aims.slu.edu
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
http://www.cmnh.org
Monterey Bay Aquarium
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/cam_menu.aspx
This site lists a collection of mainly science and health-related VFTs and online labs.
http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/virtual.php
Mote Marine Laboratory
http://www.mote.org
NASA Digital Learning Network (Kennedy Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, and Goddard Space Flight Center)
http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/catalog
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
http://www.omsi.edu
Additional Distance Learning Field Trips
Center for Puppetry Arts
http://www.puppet.org
Monday, April 12, 2010
"eMedia" A Resource Wonder
I am so impressed with the resources provided to teachers and students through UEN (Utah Educational Network). I have to confess that when I was teaching in another state I discovered many of the lesson plans and materials that are provided.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Earth to Jordan Teachers---literally :-)
(if the movie doesn't play, click here)
Do you want a fun, 'earthy' way to send a greeting to a friend? Then go to GeoGreetings:
Be prepared to spend a lot of time when you go there. You will be hooked and you will want to send GeoGreetings to all your family and friends.
It's fun to spell words using buildings that are shaped like alphabet letters. These building have been found on Google Earth by avid searchers. The letter A is found in Bangkok, B is located in the Canary Islands, C is in Germany. D is a lake in Moscow, and so on. Utah gives us the letter K --found in Salt Lake City.
Student will love this site. They might even enjoy seeing their spelling list written in GeoGreetings. Maybe they can find letters or symbols elsewhere on Google Earth.
Just for fun: Take a look at this heart-shaped island found in Croatia!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Printing large posters on regular sized paper
Here is an example from PosteRazor. First you start with any picture file, like this one.
Then using PosteRazor you break it up into a bunch of smaller images, like this.
When you are done, instead of printing the image on one page, it will print out on multiple pages and when you put the pages together the image will be much bigger. Don't worry about the pink colored lines, they are only shown above to represent the multiple pages that you will use when you print it. If you put it together correctly you will never see them.
In order for PosteRazor to work the item that you want to make bigger needs to be a picture file (a .jpg, a .png or some other picture format). The way that I accomplish this is by creating the document using a tool like Word or Pages and then take a screenshot. The screen shot is saved as a picture file on your computer.
Once the image has been saved on your computer you can use PosteRazor to make it larger. PosteRazor talks about DIN A4 paper size. DIN A4 is the same as a 8.5in by 11in piece of paper. Click here for the PosteRazor website. Click here to download PosteRazor. Click here for PosteRazor screenshots.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Digital Pedometers
My favorite was the iPod Nano, it is a little tiny iPod that has a pedometer when it comes out of the box. I have been getting up and putting it in a pocket, that is it. At the end of the day I have a count of all my steps, distance and calories burned. All the data stores in a calendar history and syncs to my computer. Not bad for something so small and hold 8 GB, FM radio, video camera, and a voice recorder.
There are several free apps for the iPod Touch and iPhone, i am checking out three .99 ones. (Go Pedometer, iSteps, and Footsteps)
Here are some other fun sites: Log It is from PE Central and allows you to record students steps online and enter competitions and track progress. Nintendo is coming out with a new game where you take the "Pokewalker" out and earn extra with physical activity that then you sent to the game control with an infrared beam.
There is more, so take some time to look and then step away from the computer and go for a walk.....
Monday, March 15, 2010
New Ways and Ideas to Create Word Clouds
Remember how Wordle creates Word Clouds.
http://www.wordle.net/
Remember that Word Clouds are collections of words from a document or documents that show the frequency of word use by their size, and are often designed in a unique manner.
Here are some resources to continue to use Word Clouds in your Curriculum.
Forty-five Interesting Ways to use Wordle in the Classroom
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_157dpbsg9c5
19 Word Cloud Resources, Tips and Tools
http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2010/02/14/12-word-cloud-resources-tips-tools/
Other Examples of Word Cloud Sites
Tech Tools and Words Clouds
http://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/2010/02/10/tech-tools-pedagogy-ii-word-clouds/
Comparison of Word Cloud Sites
http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2010/02/wordle-closed-alternatives.html
More Examples of Classroom use of Word Clouds
http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/i-can-back-off-my-blogging-turn-down-my-tweeting-and-even-wrap-up-my-wiki-but-i-can%E2%80%99t-wane-my-wordling/
Sunday, March 7, 2010
UEN Resources for Science
As teachers we are always trying to find engaging content that relates to the core subjects that we are assigned to teach. Just as important as the lessons being engaging they should also be tied to the Utah State Standards. Margo Shirley just introduced me to a number of resources that are provided for Utah educators by UEN. I was not aware of most of the resources that Margo showed me, so I thought that I would pass on some of that knowledge to you.
The tools that I will show you are UEN Resources for K-12 Education-Science. There are 8 broad topic areas that link you to a wealth of information for those topics. To access the general resource area click here. And to access the Science specific area click here. I know that you will find great resources to use in this UEN site. Give it a try.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Online Photo Editors
- Upload most common file format used in digital cameras
- Edit your photos in a few simple clicks
- Fine-tune your results
- Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
- Use special effects, from artsy to fun
- Access many artsy fonts
- Save photo right to your computer
- Platform independent
- No download required, nothing to install
- All photos are private by default
Here are a few more sites you might like to try:
Have fun fixing and remixing photos! Send us any examples you would like us to post.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Engaged Classroom Student Work
I am sure by this time in the school year you have completed some great learning projects with your students. To share these great projects we will need to update the internet address of your Engaged Classroom website where we can view your student’s electronic projects.
I have created a new web page where we can share your web page to view your student projects. Please send your updated website address to your Curriculum Technology Specialist and we will make sure it is linked.
Publishing and sharing student projects is very motivating and exciting to highlight how technology is impacting student learning in Jordan School District.
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/view/319/38/
I would like to begin by sharing the student work of Heather Reich’s class at Majestic Elementary.
http://msreich.wikispaces.com/Student+Work
Remember, you can always call us, your Curriculum Technology Specialists, to support you and your students where needed to continue to create student projects.
http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/view/17/33/
Thank you for sharing.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Language Arts and Thinkfinity.org
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Blooms Revised Taxonomy
As an Engaged Classroom Teacher, I hope you are remembering to use technology tools and higher learning activities in your student learning activities. The following website shares Bloom’s Technology Resources that use the Web 2.0 tools and technologies for processes and products.
http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy
I really found the Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Quick Sheets in pdf form a valuable resource for new learning ideas that use Web 2.0 tools and technologies.
My best wishes to you for a great 2010 year with continued higher level learning for you and your students.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Outstanding Technology Educator Awards at UCET
Each year at UCET one teacher, leader and network administrator are honored with a plaque and a check for $500.
Do you know a deserving teacher or administrator who you want to nominate? The deadline for these nominations is Feb. 10, 2010.
2010 UCET Nominations for Outstanding Technology Educator
Do you have a teacher that you would like to recommend for Outstanding Technology Teacher of the Year? Someone who’s made a big difference in how successful your school has been integrating technology into education. Here’s your chance! Please take a moment and nominate your technology educator of the year! Click here.
2010 UCET Nominations for Outstanding Technology Leader
OK, the person you wish to nominate is not a teacher, but an administrator, director, or school leader? No problem! Please nominate your choice of Outstanding Technology Leader of the Year by clicking here.
2010 UCET Nominations for the Jack Erickson Excellence in Technology Services Award
Do you have a school or district technology person who regularly performs above and beyond the call of duty? One who tirelessly solves problems, trains teachers, and keeps things running flawlessly? This form is to be used to nominate a network technician, administrator, engineer, or systems operations specialist whose primary duties may include: network maintenance, monitoring, troubleshooting, and network reconfiguration as needed. Click here.
We look forward to seeing you at UCET. Great classes, free wi-fi, teacher grants for technology equipment, and super breakfasts and lunch! Murrary High School, Feb 26, 27th. Sign up at www.ucet.org