Above you will find a VoiceThread that I just created. I’ll let the creators of VoiceThread explain what one is… “A VoiceThread is an online media album that can hold essentially any type of media (images, documents and videos) and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and share them with anyone they wish. A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world.”

A Learning Lunchthis SOON will focus on VoiceThreads. You will have the opportunity to make a VoiceThread yourself and even set up “identities” for your students.

How would you use a VoiceThread in your classroom?

Capture comments from a field trip.

Have parents comment on their ethnic backgrounds at the Diversity Extravaganza.

Have students comment on their own artwork.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Capture the different comments of each of your students for one picture.

Maps, science diagrams, math problems - you record the question, have your students record the answer and how they figured it out.

This is as user friendly as it gets. Come to Learning Lunch to find out more!!

Here are two examples of what a history or science page could look like!

Below are a list of my favorite aspects of google- or at least the ones I use the most frequently.  You don’t want to miss out on what the rest of the world is experiencing, and that is a google-filled life :)

Things to do with Google:

o       Create a gmail account

o       Make an igoogle homepage

o       Make a calendar and share with family

o       You can even add a public calendar!

o       Upload documents and share with others with Google Docs

o       With Google Maps, check traffic and zoom in with satellite view

o       Google Reader keeps all of your rss feeds in one location

o       Google Books allows you to preview books page by page!

From the ustream team themselves, ” Ustream.TV is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size. ”

We connected a webcam to a computer that could be designated just for the chicks, logged into ustream.tv with an account I had made, and set up a show. It was too easy. Five days later, we had 3,020 5,763 views, and at certain points in the day yesterday had 82 viewers watching at the same time. And those viewers weren’t just inside the district. The included students in districts throughout Pennsylvania, as well as people who stumbled upon the video all the way in California. This from CA: “thank you SO much for making this the happiest chick-watching for me and my co-worker. we were OBSESSED! and we’re still watching them!!”

Thanks to ustream we were able to expand the viewing of the miracle of life to so many more than those inside the classroom yesterday. Real life happening in real time, shared with so many.

jared-rotating-egjared-rotating-egg.avig.avi

Enfield:  Thursday, March 6th  Tech Lab 11:15-1:15

Erdenheim:  Friday, March 7th Floss’s office 11:15-1:45

Please RSVP to me if you plan on coming!

I want to reiterate that I don’t believe in using technology just for the sake of using technology. I believe that good teaching is good teaching is good teaching. Doing what works to make connections with students, to open their minds to new ideas, to make them think or find answers in a new way, to make them recognize that the way they think is different from the student who sits next to them, to encourage creativity and critical thinking, to communicate with students in new ways. These products are a result of good teaching. Can technology help get there? Yes. I believe it can. But the technology itself is not what makes a lesson strong. It can however bridge gaps for students who think differently or open pathways to information galore.

My point in saying all of this, is that I don’t want there to be this checklist feeling… this idea that everyone needs to be signing out equipment and then checking it off their list. The use of the technology available, hopefully, will become part of the daily routine. If you know that using something like the CPS gives students who are more likely to check out of group discussion or who is nervous about raising their hand to give an answer, I hope you can incorporate its use into a lesson. If creating a class blog as a forum for ideas with your students would create a more intense environment for learning with your students, then I encourage you to do so. If using the Elmo allows more students to watch a real time writing revision take place then sign it out! I know a lot of you have used the Smartboard software and the wireless mouse to give opportunity for students to do some teaching and explaining in your lessons. This is such a great tool.

So again, the list below includes some of the things that teachers have been doing recently. I hope this encourages you to ask your colleagues how tech is helping them connect with their students.

Liz Lewis ~ elmo and COW. Ask her about an awesome lesson her students are working on involving a trip they are all taking to Atlanta!!
Dana Fragale ~ elmo
Kim Wert & Tiffany Cannon ~ have learned a lot about technology and camcorders while working on their National Board Certification. They both also have blogs!
Liz Podraza ~ elmo
Frith ~ elmo and a new blog!
Becky Rogers ~ knows all about the smartboard software and using the wireless mouse with lessons.
R 2nd-4th teachers ~ will have had the elmo in their rooms for MAP testing. Do you foresee signing it out for other activities in your classroom? Kudos to Liz Lewis and Nancy Lunney who signed it out immediately for their rooms!

Erin McCann ~ elmo
Sandy Salmon ~ Smartboard software with wireless mouse
Peg McCuen ~ CPS
Dan Gallagher ~ CPS & elmo. Ask Dan questions about how to use the Jeopardy file.
Kelly Yoder ~ Smartboard software & Dan’s Jeopardy game                                                 Jeff Glazer ~ COW                                                                                                                    Tracy Lorenzini ~ video cam with skype! ask about her skype video conference she had with a class in Harrisburg this week :)

Blog: web log

“Blogs provide commentary on news or a particular subject; others function as a more personal online diary.” ~ Wikipedia

Blogs contain: text, images, links to other blogs and webpages, other media sources

Most important part of blogs: ability for readers to leave comments on a blog as a way of interacting with the bloggers thoughts and ideas

How many blogs are there you may ask? In Dec. 2007 there was an estimated 112 million blogs.

There is no denying it.  Blogs are everywhere!  I personally am quite the blog follower, and am totally hooked on a few.  And why? Because the writers of these blogs are sharing ideas that matter to me, that grasp my attention, and that provide inspiration and insight.  And what is even better, is that they aren’t unreachable super human superstars.  They are individuals who want to be collaborating with their readers, read our comments, and even comment back!

Here are some sites you can check out in answer to the question, why use blogs in the classroom.

http://mborden.edublogs.org/2007/10/22/should-students-blog-too/

http://www.assortedstuff.com/stuff/?p=70#more-70

http://mhetherington.net/blogs/?p=9

http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your-edublog-to-teach/

Some class and school examples:

http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=41233

http://hetherington0607.learnerblogs.org/

http://lewiselementary.org/

Check out some of the classroom blogs that are already happening in and around Springfield under Classroom blogs on the left!

Blogs of all kinds…

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/

http://3191.visualblogging.com/

http://www.ohjoy.blogs.com/

Check the list of blogs in the blog roll on the left hand side of the screen entitled, Blogs to check out.