Digital Educators Try VoiceThread

In the Web 2.0 world some tools just stand out more than others.
For me VoiceThread is one of those. Come on, you know that you just want to make one just to try it out!!!!

An example of voice thread used in a learning environment. (Scroll down to the VoiceThread for 7.5 Habits of Effective Lifelong Learning).

Extensive information on VoiceThread with handouts and learning ideas.
Make your own for a lesson.

The New Learning Environment Exposed!

Web 2.0 is here. Yea! This is where our students live! And so do educators!
So as digital teachers we need to get a firm grasp on the concept of Web 2.0 or the Read/Write Web. This will challenge our thinking of how we "did" and "do" classroom learning activities.

Begin here with an excellent lead in to what this is all about. (Do the Introduction and Discovery Exercises)
Be sure to watch the videos. Challenge your current classroom learning practices...
Some great reading to stimulate thinking...
1."A Day in the Life of Web 2.0" by David Warlick.
2. Read this blog post: "Web 2.0 is the Future of Education" by Steve Hargadon
3. Web 2.0: A Guide For Educators" by Susan McLester (make sure you click the Continue link at the bottom of the article).

Consider the ways in which Web 2.0 tools might change (or have already changed) your professional practice. How might you be able to use these new tools to to engage today's "digital learners?" Why would you want to?

Create a blog post to discuss your ideas...

Do Digital Educators Twitter? Why?

Will your digital landscape include Twitter? Some of us wonder why we would ever use this tool as teachers to update the world about our life.
Well the Twitter service is super easy to use. Sign up for an account. Follow me with my professional network at D88PLN or my efriendlylearning twittering as ctomasino.

Read about Twitter4Teachers
More classroom ideas for using Twitter. (If it is not blocked by filtering)
Blog post about using Twitter in the classroom
A high school classroom with Twitter
Students weigh in on Twitter use for learning

How might you use Twitter as you grow as a digital educator?
... for professional development, sharing with your department, as an artifact on how you are differentiating instruction, as a study buddy for students, etc.
Post your ideas as a comment!! Thanks for sharing...

Push Technology with RSS

Digital Educators are verrry busy! Since buying more time is not available at eBay or on the commercial web, teachers look for ways to have information PUSHED to them! What better way, than with RSS feeds. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based.

What is a news aggregator?
Some popular aggregators for online use: Google Reader and Bloglines.
Read some more about Google Reader. A nice web-based tutorial for Google Reader.
Slideshare showing how to use Bloglines. (For optimal viewing change to Full Screen)

What is RSS? How does it work?
RSS Plain and Simple
Web 2.0 Ideas (Lots about RSS)

Digital Educators Use Tiny URL

The URL is toooooo long and complicated to give to your audience. It is not feasible to email the URL to the audience members. What the heck do you do?

Take for instance this URL...it would take forever for anyone to type this in...

http://itls.saisd.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=
view&id=116&Itemid=299

Try TinyURL, it of course!!

Now the URL is
http://tinyurl.com/nbgvhg
or customized by me to
http://tinyurl.com/ggldocs

Teachers Need Social Bookmarking

All those bookmarks or favorite URLs should NEVER be left on your personal computer. Teachers SHARE with others and what better way than with a social bookmarking tool!

Two of the top tools are delicious and Diigo. Both are similar, you pick....but make sure you start today! And don't forget to install the easy toolbars to your favorite web browser so sharing with the world your great ideas is just a click away!

My delicious links...
My Diigo links...

Need some help getting started with Delicious? The Help page from Delicious.
The Diigo Help Center makes it easy to use this service.

Web 2.0 Tools for Digital Teaching

Teachers keep hearing about Web 2.0 tools and how they will transform the classroom and learning. Most teachers say to this "show me" or "prove it to me".
My answer to that is "nah".
I would prefer teachers to engage in conversation about what learning looks like in their classrooms and ask some probing questions.
Am I meeting the learning needs of all students?
How can I communicate with students beyond the "physical" time and space?
Have I received feedback from all students today on their understanding?
How have I helped the struggling learner?
How have I created relevant student learning activities?
How have students communicated with me about content they are learning?
Where is there more material beyond the textbook?
Do I use an inquiry approach to the content?
Are students "uncovering" the content understanding and making connections to what they know?

Asking questions like these will lead educators to exploring new Web 2.0 tools that can provide new opportunities because the digital tools are now available. Learning can be different if you want it to be!!! Just be sure to stay focused on the learning target!! But be sure it is a relevant target!!!!

A list of Web 2.0 tools to explore.

You can also check out a couple of my favorites for getting students to talk.
TinyChat a non-login chat
EtherPad a shared online writing space
Twiddla shared virtual space
Skrbl on a whiteboard free
Private discussions without others having to sign up using Phuser
Show Document lets users share without a login. Just create the space and distribute the URL.

Finding Digital Text Sources for Your Learning Topics

As digital tools become more a part of the learning environment, educators need access to electronic text. While some schools have purchased electronic versions of the textbook, there is so much more available for teachers as they design student learning activities to build comprehension about content and concepts.

Some ideas for finding alternate text sources...

Be an "advanced" searcher with Google
Other Google tools for finding text:

Google News-Use the advanced search feature to go beyond the headlines.

Google Scholar

Google Blog Search

Google Books

Other digital text sources at Diigo links

Classrooms That Work with Words

Do you create student learning activities for helping students understand new vocabulary in your content area? Are they making their own connections as they work with words, rather just "renting" your definition or synonym?

Check out some tools that educators could use to develop richer vocabulary activities for student learning.

Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com

Wordle

Visual Thesaurus

Visuwords

Google Sets

Tag Crowd

VozMe

Creating Visuals for Learning Topics

Teaching with digital tools provides virtually unlimited access to visual elements to help students process content to build understanding. Educators can use video and pictures to create visually rich learning activities. Remember, you own your own copyright issues.

Video Sources
Teacher Tube
You Tube
School Tube
Google Video
Downloading Videos with KickTube

Picture Sources
Google Images
LIFE Photo Archive hosted by Google
Flickr
Google Similar Images Search

Free Image Sources
Diigo links for Visuals in Learning
Diigo links for Graphics

Have fun with image editing and more!
Animoto
Glogster
Create an avatar with Voki
28 Photo Editors online

Screencasting Tools
Wink software to download
Jing by TechSmith

Getting Teacher-Friendly With Google Tools

What does Google have available to help teachers organize, collaborate and communicate in the learning environment.
Create your own Google Account.
Begin to explore the possibilities with...

iGoogle-customize your own Google homepage
Google iQuotes-compare quotes from leaders in the news
Google News Timeline-see the current news in linear format
Google's US Government Search-a customized search engine
Google Alerts-be alerted by email for your customized keywords
Google Docs-collaborate/share spreadsheets, word processing docs and presentations
Google Groups-create a space for groups to share ideas

Digital Tools for Teachers: Poll Everywhere

Get students talking about content in your classroom!
You can set up your own free account to use Poll Everywhere with students. Be sure to register for the free account, unless of course, you want more...
Get started making your own polls now! Need more info on setting up your free polls, check out the Poll Everywhere FAQs.

Please respond to the course poll.
We will discuss our results.

Another solution for gaining audience feedback and thinking is Text the Mob. You select which service fits your needs!

New Links Added to efriendlylearning!

I just wanted to note an update to my website efriendlylearning.com.

Since I have been working with 1:1 tablet PC projects I haven't been keeping current with my Free Applications for Handhelds recently. I am doing a few presentations at the Midwest Education Technology Conference and I have just added some new additions to my Free Apps for Handhelds site. Check out these great tools! And METC, too!

Lots of new favorites or bookmarks have been added to my FURL archive too! I use this online social bookmarking tool as an extension of my sessions with educators. The links that I review can be found here. For instance, if you heard me talk about alternate text to use with digital tools in your classroom, check out my FURL archive and filter the topics by Digital Text Sources.
Find more text sources...add a comment to this post with the link! I will add them to my archive. I am constantly adding to this archive so point your browser here or subscribe to my archive. Get yourself an account here.

A valuable link for teachers this time of year looking for practice for those high-stakes tests is an earlier blog, It's Testing Time Again, highlighting released test items from national and state tests.

What has Christine been doing to help educators embed technology in learning? Lots of 1:1 Digital Tool projects! And I am loving working with teachers and students in this rich environment! Keep track of me...

Just when you think you caught up...

I read two very interesting articles today, that impact my thinking about communicating and learning. What do you think about Death of Email and The Future of Reading?
Share your thoughts...

Reasons for 21st Century Skills in Learning

I have used this video with teachers and administrators as we work with one-to-one digital tool initiatives in learning.

Here is a video link for Did You Know created by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod.

Watch this video and engage in discussion about 21st century skills in learning and the role that technology might play in the learning environment.

The authors have also created a Wiki Space, Shift Happens to support the "virtual" discussion. There are other versions of Did You Know on this site just in case your district has blocked YouTube with its proxy. One of my favorites is the SlideShare version by Jeff Brenman.

Share your comments after viewing! What data would you add to strengthen the discussion?

A New Add to an Old Fav, Google Earth

It is funny how your after hours web-surfing actually connect to something that happened earlier in the day....

One of my favorite tools, Google Earth was part of the observations I was doing in classrooms today. One class was using the toolGE to measure distances part of developing a "map" of the school neighborhood in a geography unit.

Another teacher was helping students read a chapter by doing a "text walk" and modeling a "think aloud". The topic was the ability to see the landforms of the earth. At that time in the observation a document camera was used to show a picture taken from space. The students read an excerpt from a book by astronaut, Michael Collins, describing the view of the world from space.

Ah...I wish she had Google Earth on each student laptop so that students could manipulate a take different views from outer space...

And now here I am finding that Google Earth now has a "sky" view. Download the latest version of Google Earth and check out what the sky has to view!!! There is a great video by astronaut, Sally Ride, which demonstrates the Sky View.

Virtual Spaces for Classroom Collaboration and Management

As a part of my consulting for efriendlylearning.com I have been working with schools in one-to-one digital tool initiatives in learning. I have found many teachers involved in these one-to-one technology initiatives looking for e-solutions which support student collaborating about learning, a place to manage their classroom content, the ability to publish student products, access to share ideas with other educators and communicate with the learning community what is going on in the classroom.

Oh...and please can it be free!!!! Hey, we are talking about education here, right?!

Well, that usually rules out the biggies like BlackBoard, Elluminate, and the other $$$$ tools. Open Source solutions like Moodle and Sakai are free, but usually need more expertise than the average teacher might have, or need resources beyond the teacher's "reach", so they are generally ruled out as options. But...what about the emerging 2.0 solutions??

Here is a list of solutions that I am investigating.
Chalksite, Elgg, Nuuvo , haiku LMS and Digication.

Of course the "free" is always for limited use but sometimes the features are just enough without going to the premium "pay" accounts. I want to guide teachers to a simple solution for those who have little support outside of the classroom.

I will be look for other solutions...post any you find!

Learning Forward - Day Two August 9, 2007

After taking a “Gallerywalk” viewing student work whether with students, teachers, parents or community members, find ways for them to reflect on what they saw and what they learned.

For our blogging purposes, think of this lab experience as reflective practice using student work to learn forward. Act AS IF you were a group of teachers who have gathered to review these lab samples of student work in your school.

Please comment on both aspects AND leave specific examples when possible:

1. What did you see in other products or learn from comments in the gallery walk worth considering?
2. What advice you would give yourselves to help coach even better student work NEXT time?

Greening Up Student Tasks - Ongoing Ideas for Transforming Learning for Kids

Now that your brains, creativity and collaborative thinking has warmed up, share your BEFORE (a G00d task assignment) and AFTER (a now GREENER and Greater task assignment) ideas increasing the quality of student work both in content as well as craftsmanship.

Play the good to great game by describing the task prior to the workshop experiences and the ideas you have now generated for GREENING it UP! Wherever your ideas start - no problem just join the challenge of greening IT up even more by using the template providing a compare and contrast approach to sharing. Feel free to consider this creative space an ongoing BEFORE/AFTER task even after our time together. This will enable us to continue learning from each other.

Begin with your team names.Now describe the BEFORE and AFTER using the following template - that way we can celebrate what IT looked like before and how it morphed into an even greener (ta da!) GREAT!

BEFORE-Good !
Student Task-
Type of Communication -
Rank Bloom’s Taxonomy-
Mode of Communication-
Category of Tech/Learning Use (L-A-T)-


AFTER – GREAT
Student Task Idea-
Type of Communication-
Rank Bloom’s Taxonomy-
Mode of Communication-
Category of Tech/Learning Use-

Teachers Explore Social Networking

Social networking is an exploding trend for online communication. Just ask any teenager about My Space or Facebook and they will be talking about their "friends" or messages left on their "wall". I know that many adults are afraid of these social networks... but sometimes it is just because we don't understand the tool and the communication systems and therefore cannot envision the value these tools have for learning.

What is Ning? Are you LinkedIn? Have you found out what's GoingOn? How can I learn more about KickApps? Isn't it all about me.com? And then ofcourse, what the heck is a CrowdVine?

Teachers, explore these sites, test a few by starting your own social network. Think about how you can get your student/parent/teaching community talking about learning on your customized social network!!

Here is a blog post that does a nice job of sharing details about some of the social networks.

Isn't Technology Competition(Lust) Great!!??

First the Apple iPhone and now....

Check this out running on a Windows Mobile device.
Want to know how it is done? While I don't own a Windows Mobile device, you can make yours "iPhone like" with a skin running on Windows Mobile 5.

It is all about computing in the palm of our hands!!

Creating Original Music for Podcast Tracks

As I was noodling for some new tools to "freshen up" my podcasting resources I found this neat little tool by a cereal company! Students can create some of the background sounds for their podcasts using and audio mixer called CTC Music Mixer.



First the user selects one of the eight sample mixes and clicks Start Mixing. Each mix brings up a different audio mixer with acoustic, bass and electric guitar tracks, organ chords, all kinds of drums, crazy keys, and so much more. The user moves audio segments around on the track, controls tracks that play, volume for the segements to create a unique sound.



Sound mixes can be saved as mp3 files when you sign up for a DJ account! Here is a little beat I put together!!!