@EdTechSandyK posted a great link to a blog article offering a strategy for helping students reading "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Awesome stuff!
The teacher in the article had her students participate in a lottery similar to the one in Jackson's short story. The student with the black dot by his or her name was "stoned" with crumpled up papers. She then had her students write a brief reflection on their experience during this lesson. She posted their responses and they are very thoughtful.
Not necessarily a tech lesson, but a creative way to get kids thinking about a story from a personal point of view!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Students can now email external addresses through ToolboxPro's Message Center
New Feature hot off the press
Students can now email external addresses through the message center.
The Message center is a way for teachers to message a class or an individual student, class or student to teacher, and student to student if the teacher turns this feature on for class work. Now it is possible for teachers to have students send email to an outside email address without using a 3rd party program like Gaggle.
For complete direction click here
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Outlook Web Access Distribution Lists
Have you ever made a Distribution List in Outlook Web Access? It can save you time because you can quickly send an email to a group of people that you email all the time without having to enter their individual email addresses.
This handout will help you create, edit and use a Distribution List.
If you have any questions, please let me know!
This handout will help you create, edit and use a Distribution List.
If you have any questions, please let me know!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Images and Copyright
Over the years, I have seen many teachers ask their students to search Google for images and that makes me nervous, because even the most mundane search can turn up pictures that are inappropriate. Even though there is a filter on our Internet access, it is not capable of blocking all inappropriate images and websites. It does a good job, but sometimes things get through that shouldn't. It also is interesting to see how many students think Google is the source of the images they find, when in reality, Google is actually searching the web for images posted on other websites.
It is good to know a handful of websites with images across the curriculum for students (and you) to use for projects. *Remember when using images to follow the 'terms of use' of the website. Even though a site might say its images are "royalty-free" or "public domain," you might still be required to cite your source, or they might have other restrictions.
Often, we are in such a rush as educators that we don't think of copyright rules and apply them to our own work, but we should. It is so important to model the behavior of citing sources in our own work that we display for students. If we are models of the behavior we expect from our students, I think it helps them see the importance. Copying text and images from the web is so quick and easy, but it isn't right to take that information without letting people know the source.
---------------------
Clipart & Photo Sites:
Clker.com
(royalty free clipart and vector images in the public domain)
Discovery Education Clipart Gallery
(here are their terms of use)
EduPic.net
(free images for teachers and students to use in their work without permission; images across the curriculum)
Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs Reading Room
(no known restrictions on using these pictures, just cite the source)
Microsoft Office Clipart Online
(download images and save them to your computer so you can insert them into ActivInspire, Word, PowerPoint.....)
Public Domain Clipart
(this site allows you to use the images without citing your source)
Pics4Learning.com
(permission has been granted for teachers and students to use all of the images donated to the Pics4Learning collection)
Do you have a favorite copyright-friendly website you use to search for images? Share it with us!
--------------------
If you still choose to have your students (even middle and high school students) use Google to search the web for images, please consider having them use the Advanced Image Search feature where they can increase the SafeSearch Filter. They can also search for images Labeled for Reuse:
(click for larger image)
This isn't a perfect solution, but it can reduce the possibility of finding inappropriate images and increase the chances that they will find images that are copyright-friendly. Again, I would advise against having students use Google Image Search (or any other search engine), but if you do, this can help.
------------------------
Instead of having students search for images, you could save images the students will need for their project in a folder and give students access to it on a shared network drive (i.e., the M drive). Or you could save shortcuts to web resources with images students can use for their work on a shared network drive. Then you can make sure that the images are copyright-friendly.
------------------------
Not sure how to know if something is copyright-friendly? Learn more about Copyright and Fair Use Laws. If you aren't sure about something associated with copyright, ask your Library-Media Specialist. They're very knowledgeable about that stuff!
------------------------
When students have worked hard to create their own unique work that they post online (i.e., a podcast, image, etc.), let them copyright it. They can do that by using the resources in Creative Commons. It's a great way to help students see the value in copyright. Use the wizard to walk through the process of copyrighting work with students. It's very easy to use!
It is good to know a handful of websites with images across the curriculum for students (and you) to use for projects. *Remember when using images to follow the 'terms of use' of the website. Even though a site might say its images are "royalty-free" or "public domain," you might still be required to cite your source, or they might have other restrictions.
Often, we are in such a rush as educators that we don't think of copyright rules and apply them to our own work, but we should. It is so important to model the behavior of citing sources in our own work that we display for students. If we are models of the behavior we expect from our students, I think it helps them see the importance. Copying text and images from the web is so quick and easy, but it isn't right to take that information without letting people know the source.
---------------------
Clipart & Photo Sites:
Clker.com
(royalty free clipart and vector images in the public domain)
Discovery Education Clipart Gallery
(here are their terms of use)
EduPic.net
(free images for teachers and students to use in their work without permission; images across the curriculum)
Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs Reading Room
(no known restrictions on using these pictures, just cite the source)
Microsoft Office Clipart Online
(download images and save them to your computer so you can insert them into ActivInspire, Word, PowerPoint.....)
Public Domain Clipart
(this site allows you to use the images without citing your source)
Pics4Learning.com
(permission has been granted for teachers and students to use all of the images donated to the Pics4Learning collection)
Do you have a favorite copyright-friendly website you use to search for images? Share it with us!
--------------------
If you still choose to have your students (even middle and high school students) use Google to search the web for images, please consider having them use the Advanced Image Search feature where they can increase the SafeSearch Filter. They can also search for images Labeled for Reuse:
(click for larger image)
This isn't a perfect solution, but it can reduce the possibility of finding inappropriate images and increase the chances that they will find images that are copyright-friendly. Again, I would advise against having students use Google Image Search (or any other search engine), but if you do, this can help.
------------------------
Instead of having students search for images, you could save images the students will need for their project in a folder and give students access to it on a shared network drive (i.e., the M drive). Or you could save shortcuts to web resources with images students can use for their work on a shared network drive. Then you can make sure that the images are copyright-friendly.
------------------------
Not sure how to know if something is copyright-friendly? Learn more about Copyright and Fair Use Laws. If you aren't sure about something associated with copyright, ask your Library-Media Specialist. They're very knowledgeable about that stuff!
------------------------
When students have worked hard to create their own unique work that they post online (i.e., a podcast, image, etc.), let them copyright it. They can do that by using the resources in Creative Commons. It's a great way to help students see the value in copyright. Use the wizard to walk through the process of copyrighting work with students. It's very easy to use!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
YouTube to ActivInspire
There are many educational videos on YouTube, but the comments, advertisements and sometimes inappropriate 'related videos' make it something I notice many teachers avoid in the classroom. That's a shame, because there is a lot of worthwhile material there and you should take advantage of the wealth of knowledge there.
I have created a handout for downloading a video from YouTube and then inserting it onto a flipchart page.
Keep in mind that copyright rules apply! Make sure your use of the videos is within copyright law or fair use rules.
Another thing to consider: when you download video, it is taking up space on your computer, or wherever you store it on the network. Video files are HUGE, so keep this in mind as you download videos.
If you'd rather not download videos, but you want to view them online without all of the comments, ads, etc., use SafeShare.tv. This website really makes cropping the video and linking to it a breeze. Some YouTube videos do not allow embedding, though, so test out the link it gives you before you copy it and paste it into a document, flipchart, website or another program.
An advantage of downloading is that you'll have the video you need whether or not the internet is available for your lesson. And an advantage of SafeShare.tv is that it is quicker than downloading and uses only a hyperlink to the web.
If you want help with these tools, let me know! I'm happy to help :-)
I have created a handout for downloading a video from YouTube and then inserting it onto a flipchart page.
Keep in mind that copyright rules apply! Make sure your use of the videos is within copyright law or fair use rules.
Another thing to consider: when you download video, it is taking up space on your computer, or wherever you store it on the network. Video files are HUGE, so keep this in mind as you download videos.
If you'd rather not download videos, but you want to view them online without all of the comments, ads, etc., use SafeShare.tv. This website really makes cropping the video and linking to it a breeze. Some YouTube videos do not allow embedding, though, so test out the link it gives you before you copy it and paste it into a document, flipchart, website or another program.
An advantage of downloading is that you'll have the video you need whether or not the internet is available for your lesson. And an advantage of SafeShare.tv is that it is quicker than downloading and uses only a hyperlink to the web.
If you want help with these tools, let me know! I'm happy to help :-)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Support Writing in the Classroom
A year or two ago I found a series of presentations that offer suggestions for ways to support student learning. @tombarrett, an educator from the UK has worked collaboratively with people around the world to develop these presentations for educators.
Today I came across one of these presentations and thought I'd share it with you. It is called 52 Interesting Ways to Support Writing in the Classroom. If you are looking for new and interesting ways to engage your students in the writing process, please check out the suggestions in this presentation.
Do you have an interesting strategy that you use to engage students in writing?
If you'd like to see the other Interesting Ways presentations, visit Tom Barrett's blog.
If you need help using any of the technology tools suggested in the presentations, let me know!
Today I came across one of these presentations and thought I'd share it with you. It is called 52 Interesting Ways to Support Writing in the Classroom. If you are looking for new and interesting ways to engage your students in the writing process, please check out the suggestions in this presentation.
Do you have an interesting strategy that you use to engage students in writing?
If you'd like to see the other Interesting Ways presentations, visit Tom Barrett's blog.
If you need help using any of the technology tools suggested in the presentations, let me know!
Monday, February 14, 2011
BrainPoP Quizzes and Printables
At a staff meeting last week, an Intermediate School teacher asked where to find the printable activities in BrainPoP. On this 2-page handout, you'll find directions for locating a quiz in BrainPoP and the printable activities associated with it.
Look for other resources in BrainPoP for Educators. It's free to sign up and you don't need a BrainPoP account to access it.
How do you use BrainPoP in your classroom? Another teacher recently said BrainPoP helped an ELL student in her classroom learn to divide using the Spanish language version of the videos. I used it with my 6th graders ages ago to introduce or review concepts.
Look for other resources in BrainPoP for Educators. It's free to sign up and you don't need a BrainPoP account to access it.
How do you use BrainPoP in your classroom? Another teacher recently said BrainPoP helped an ELL student in her classroom learn to divide using the Spanish language version of the videos. I used it with my 6th graders ages ago to introduce or review concepts.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
About this blog...
This blog is for educators who want to learn more about using and integrating instructional technologies into the curriculum.
If you would like to know more about a specific technology or how it might fit with your curriculum, please email me and I will answer your questions in my blog posts:
c t i c e @ g s t b o c e s . o r g
For example, a teacher recently asked me how to use the camera tool in ActivInspire and I made this video for her:
She thought other teachers might like a place to go where this type of information would be handy, so I am offering it to you in this blog.
I will be updating this as often as possible and I will keep posts brief. Use the LABELS tool on the right side of this blog to quickly search topics by keyword. Please leave feedback and let me know what you think as we go along.
I hope you'll find this to be helpful :-)
If you would like to know more about a specific technology or how it might fit with your curriculum, please email me and I will answer your questions in my blog posts:
c t i c e @ g s t b o c e s . o r g
For example, a teacher recently asked me how to use the camera tool in ActivInspire and I made this video for her:
She thought other teachers might like a place to go where this type of information would be handy, so I am offering it to you in this blog.
I will be updating this as often as possible and I will keep posts brief. Use the LABELS tool on the right side of this blog to quickly search topics by keyword. Please leave feedback and let me know what you think as we go along.
I hope you'll find this to be helpful :-)
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