Wednesday, December 23, 2009

No! I Won't Learn Technology!

I was sent this blog article on how to reach the 'unreachable' if not downright defiant teacher who does not want to learn how to integrate technology his or her curriculum. When I read the message, I continued to get a flashback of my own experience. I am going to explain that I was that educator! Really. I am old! I was defiant and those of you that know me are aware that I am opionated and not easily swayed once I make up my mind. However, the author of this article points out that it is not about the educator...but about the students. That is what turned me around.
I am a teacher. I love kids!
I will share my experience and maybe it will sway some of you fence riders...
Over 15 years ago, my principal brought a computer into my 5th grade classroom. I now know it was an IBM 286 but at the time, I did not care. I simply crossed my arms in front of my chest and said, "No! GIve it to another teacher that will want it."
Now..as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story...
The principal stood her ground and placed the computer in my classroom. I had absolutely no idea how to use it. I sat down to type up my newsletter (I was a LoTi level 0!) and asked a one of my more tech-savy students, Sam, to come and show me how to get started. Sam was patient and demonstrated how to navigate through the confusing world of binary code. He would show me something and I remember saying, "No, go slower." and "Show me again."
I would ask another student to show me something else on the computer. I was pleasantly surprised at how many of my students were quite knowledgeable and I could not have asked for better instructors.
I began to see how motivated my students were by any type of technology, from Oregon Trail (anyone remember the game?) to looking up the information on the internet- even using an old dial up connection. How can an educator resist encouraging students in using technology? Even a defiant educator has to see the value of motivation in a classroom.
As educators it is a great thing for us to humbly have to learn new strategies and content to put us in the role of learner. It reminds us of the learning process and when things do not come easily how we have to struggle to retain the information and learn the concepts. When we add the element of our students being the 'experts' and we are learning from them, it empowers our students to show their leadership abilities.
So, the next time you would like to try out a new technology in your classroom, ask the experts- your students!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009





  • As I view this slide share of the Top 100 Tools for Learning of 2009 from Jane Hart, I am excited about the variety of these tools and all the uses in the classroom. I am also ready to dive in and learn about the ones which I am not familar with. Consider it a challenge to explore the ones which are new to you! If you explored one a day and then applied it to your instruction, you would find yourself a learner and your students will enjoy learning right along with you!


    tags: web2.0, Top100, learning, education, technology, slideshare, 2009, tools JaneHart Jane Hart


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Live Binder


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers - Classroom 2.0

  • When someone takes the time to organize and annotate sites it certainly saves us time! Here is a great list of 100 top YouTube videos for educators. Check out this comprehensive list. The nice thing about YouTube videos is that if they are blocked in your district, you can easily embed them into your blog or wiki. Just find the embed code to the right of the video, highlight it and then go to your wiki or blog and select your widget and paste the code in. Frequently they will have a YouTube widget since it is such a popular medium.

    tags: Top100, YouTube, videos, education, teachers, technology


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

reMap: A Visual Wall of Websites


  • If you haven't experienced a visual wall as a graphical way to navigate the internet, then you will need to take a look at this website. Begin by scrolling at the bottom to the right through the tags (they are arranged alphabetically) from the year 1999 to Yahoo! Watch how responsive and dynamic this content is! Click on one of the tags and you will see the graphics change in the visual wall. Then you can browse through the images. If you want to explore one further, you can 'pop it out' by clicking in the very upper right corner of the image- an arrow appears. This allows you to read a brief annotation of the image and will provide the URL and you can view the website in a new page or tab. Play and enjoy.


    tags: remap, visual, images, browser, visualization, visualisation


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Friday, December 11, 2009

I Need My Teachers to Learn



Kevin Honeycutt is one of the most inspirational Techno-educators I have ever met. He energizes a group of teachers by walking in the room.

He has a mulitude of talents and he has posted a song he wrote on YouTube. I had to share it on my blog and I hope you will spend the time watching this wonderful music video. Ask your students to watch it and if they feel this way!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Glogster - Poster Yourself

  • Here is an innovative and creative way to have students create musical and interactive posters to represent their research! Think about posting images of how a volcano erupts and then including a video to show a real volcano lava flow! The ideas are endless and inspiring! Encourage kids to experiment.

    tags: poster, design, Glogster, music, blog, web2.0


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Zac Browser | Zone for Autistic Children

  • Have you seen how the internet can be too overwhelming for children that are differently-abled? Here is a new solution to this problem. Zac Browser is a great interface specially designed for Autistic students or children with other similar disorders. You download the browser and then it limits the student to the games, TV, and music. The child is kept within the comfortable browser window rather than experiencing all the choices and trying to filter the advertisements and websites. I am very grateful we have software engineers that care about kids!

    tags: autism, autistic, browser, technology


Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Christmas Countdown with Technology Wiki



Here is a unique wiki that Mary Frazier, an Integration Specialist from Buhler, Kansas has created! (That is right, Kansas deserves accolades again! We are just rockin' here in the midwest with technology!) The site provides you with a technology tip each day of the Christmas countdown! Mary walks you through step-by-step on how to create bookmarks, Wordles, making an avatar and more to come! She also provide classroom connection ideas.
Kudos,Mary Frazier for an innovative way to Countdown to Christmas with our students. We anxiously await your next lesson!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

iTouch and iPhone Apps

Tammy Worcester is someone I truly idolize. I am not sure if she knows this or not. It is not a secret! It is simply not something I walk up to Tammy and say, "I idolize you and want to be you when I grow up!" However, she is a wonderfully talented, inspiring and insightful technology educator. I subscribe to her TechTips via email. Her latest TechTip is an interactive list of iTouch and iPhone apps you can add to. I am adding her link here. Feel free to add your favorite application to the list and then don't forget to subscribe to Tammy's TechTips! You will become a fan as well! If you meet Tammy (or already have the pleasure of knowing her) be sure and tell her I said Hello!! Velma

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Animoto

Animoto

Animoto.com is an eye-catching slide show which students can create with their own images and even videos and then add music. They are super simple to create and free!
Start by creating an account at Animoto.com and then go through the steps listed along the side 1, 2 and 3. Really it is that simple!




My example from my trip to the Galapagos is below!