0 Activate:The Journal of Technology Rich Learning

The Journal of Technology Rich Learning

This is a great web-based learning module site. According to the site, "These web-based resources are intended for students, parents, teachers, administrators, library media specialists, and technology coordinators.

Each new article contains the volume, number, and date for the purpose of citation. The articles were designed for use as conference sessions or professional development workshops.

Check it out!!!

0 The Networked Teacher

Recently, I presented at the TCEA Areas 10/11 Technology Conference and showed this great short video called, The Networked Teacher. This video is a wonderful "visual representation of the modern teacher, showing how educators today are more “interconnected” with resources than a teacher not even ten years ago could imagine." http://magazine.edublogs.org/2008/02/02/visualizing-the-networked-teacher/

Also, consider signing up with Edublogs Magazine at http://magazine.edublogs.org/. This is an online magazine dedicated to everything and anything education technology related, with an edubloggy slant. They feature articles and posts by edubloggers from around the world and aim to provide news, views, information, ideas, help and stimulation for all those working with or studying education and technology.

Happy Blogging!

0 How About Social Studies Point to Point Video Conference Ideas?

• Where in the United States: Each classroom creates a presentation about its city or town. The other classrooms, using maps, the Internet, textbooks, and other resources, will try to 'guess' where all classrooms are located.
• Create Travel Advertisements or brochures of a place in your community. Share these with a partner class. During the videoconference, share a virtual visit of some of the places by using photos or a video.
• Back In Time: 5th Grade classrooms present a newscast for the other groups which describe a specific event in history. The other classes take notes and guess the event.
• Civil War Debates: Two classes take different sides to a Civil War issue. Students research the issues and develop speeches to support their side. Students can take a figure of the time and give the debate acting and dressed up as that person.
• When Was That?: Each classroom will put together a presentation on a given decade. The presentations will include information on: History/Politics, Religion, Science/Technology, Fine Arts, and Leisure. The other classrooms would try to guess the decade the presentation represents.
• Where in the United States: Each classroom creates a presentation about its city or town. The other classrooms, using maps, the Internet, textbooks, and other resources, will try to 'guess' where all classrooms are located.
  
  
  

0 Need Reading and Language Arts Point to Point Videoconference Ideas?

• Have each class select a place of interest to the class. Students can draw pictures, make a brochure, maps, models, etc., to show their place. Have them write clues about this “Secret Site!” Share with your partner class to discover the secret place!
• Create a multimedia presentation (a whole class one) about a topic. Exchange these with the other class. Have them view the presentation. Write questions about the presentation to ask during the videoconference. Make a handout or art project as a follow-up!
• Have older students find a younger class with whom they could be mentors. Have older students write a play about a character trait and present it during the videoconference. OR…act out a Folk Tale. Have students write questions to ask younger students. Send a student-created worksheet, project, etc. to the teacher of the younger students ahead of time. Let those students do the activity as a follow-up!
• Read a book and videoconference with its actual author!
• Write persuasive articles and exchange. Write why you agree or disagree with the paper. Set up a debate with the partner class.
• Create a poetry booklet that includes poems written by partner classes.
  Write a continuing novel which is completed by the partner class! Make it into a book to be “published!”
• Partner with a class to write and edit papers. This will give a real audience and purpose for writing!
• Pair students. Have them share journal writing using the same prompt in both classes. Have students respond to what they read!
• Read a book. Have students write a sequel, opinion, solutions to problems, different outcomes, evaluations, or interpretations of the book. Share with partner class.
• Write a short story with other classes. Have one class create the characters, plot, another the theme, the setting, the conclusion, etc. Divide students into groups to write short stories using the above creations. Share during the conference!
  
  

0 Need Math and Science Point to Point Videoconference ideas?

• Create science/math questions to exchange with another class in the areas being studied.
• Create a jeopardy game to be played at the videoconference using CPS! Use TAKS questions if you’d like!
• Do a science experiment. Share your experiment and results with another class. Take video pictures, either still, moving, or morphed!
• Do a science lesson on a topic being studied. Share questions and answers with another class. Have an “expert” come to one of the schools to be interviewed during the videoconference!
• Have students write questions to ask younger students. Send a student-created worksheet, project, etc. to the teacher of the younger students ahead of time. Let those students do the activity as a follow-up!
• Write and share word problems. Make it a contest who can answer the most correctly in a class.
• Measure perimeters of the main areas of the school: buildings, playground, sidewalks, etc. Write descriptions using geometric terms of how to put the various shapes together. Send measurements and descriptions to your partner school and have them use these to draw a diagram of the school. Share drawings on the day of conference and compare with actual mapped pictures or photos of the real school areas.
• Find geometric shapes inside and outside of the school. Take photos of these. Send photos to the partner class and have students identify and classify the shapes!
  

0 The Multimedia Project Can Be a Pleasant Experience...Really!

Grrrrrr….Uggg!…..It’s common knowledge that some may regard the multimedia projects as a dreadful, heinous experience - but through detailed preplanning and limited student choices, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

This post will present ideas in an effort to provide a more pleasurable computer lab experience for all….really!

Preplanning

• Create timelines, rubrics and a checklist - share prior to the beginning of the project, so students are fully aware of your expectations.
• Assign group projects instead of individual projects - presenting 4 - 5 projects instead of 18 - 22 individual projects is far less time consuming.
• Incorporate a critical thinking question for one of the cards, by utilizing a higher level question strategy (i.e. If you could.., In your opinion, what is the relationship between…and…, Prepare a list of criteria you would use to judge…etc).
• Introduce/teach a lesson on citing sources and note taking.
• Discuss plagiarism/cut and paste plagiarism.
• Provide student examples of a well-designed project.
• Create a template and/or use a storyboard.
  
  

Student Planning - KISS – Keep It Super Simple!

• Students need to direct their focus from the really cool things the program can do - and direct on the content of the project itself.
• Everything should have a purpose and point to the content…Remind them that Content Rules!
• All drawings/graphics/animations/colors should support the content not upstage it.

Storyboard or template
Templates:

• Your students are early stage users.
• Younger students of 2nd grade or below.
• You are working within a limited time frame
  
  

Storyboard:

• Require students to use a storyboard on Manila paper, divided into sections.
• Require each group, or student, to complete a detailed storyboard prior to beginning work in the computer lab.
• Text should be saved in a word document if there is considerable information. Have students cut/paste word document into slides.
• All pictures should be, both, sketched and colored in detail.Include background and text color.
• Include placement of title/font/color of button(s).
• Students or groups with incomplete storyboards have the most trouble in the computer lab.

Limit Student Choices

• Offer a choice of 2 to 3 fonts to choose from (i.e. Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana).
• Use the same background for all slides.
• In PowerPoint, limit slide transition, object effects, Word Art style/color and sound, to only 2 - 3 choices.
• These limits will prevent the student from wasting valuable time checking out the different fonts and transitions.

Students in Lab

• Make sure students have everything they need (storyboard(s), notes, source information, etc).
• Request assistance from the specialist. The students and you are their number one priority—UTILIZE them!
• Present multimedia projects via videoconferencing. Presentation provides purpose and relevance to the multimedia project.