Monday, June 28, 2010

ISTE Denver today!

I am attending the ISTE conference in Denver this week. If you would like to follow the conference on Twitter use #ISTE10 or follow me @mmarotta on Twitter. I plan on presenting a session on Differentiated Instruction using Technology at 4:00 pm today. Here is a link to my presentation using a variety of tools!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

NING and Pearson

Do you want to keep your class ning? Then do the following!

http://blog.ning.com/2010/06/pearson-to-provide-ning-mini-for-free-to-educators.html

Ning Networks have become a valuable complement to many schools and other educational institutions by helping teachers, parents and students supplement class curriculums; allowing educators and administrators to share best practices; and by helping all these groups bring the vitality and vibrancy of their institutions online.

Today, we’re excited to let you know about the work we’ve been doing with Pearson, a global leader in online and offline education for pre-K through college, to develop a program that will help educators keep their Ning Networks running for free. We’re proud to announce that Pearson will sponsor Ning Mini plans for free for all K-12 and Higher Education networks in North America. We think Ning Mini is a great solution for education-based networks, with an ability to include up to 150 members and a whole set of online collaboration tools such as blogs, photos and forums.

The Pearson sponsorship is an “opt-in” program. Here’s how to join:
1. Visit the Pearson sign-up page and complete the registration form.
2. Ning and Pearson will review your Ning Network and confirm your participation in the program.
3. After Ning Mini launches on July 20, 2010, your network will automatically transition to a Pearson-sponsored Ning Mini plan.*

Educators can apply at their leisure, but there’s no reason to wait until Ning Mini launches on July 20th. If you’re already running a North American Ning Network for education purposes, or are in the process of creating a new Ning Network, submit your application now!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Summer starts now.. What are you doing this summer?

What are you doing this summer?


Later this week I will be attending the ISTE conference in Denver. I am starting my first day of summer by connecting with my network on twitter. I am also planning on teaching a few professional development classes this summer as well as continuing to take graduate classes. I guess this makes me a lifelong learner.


This morning I came across a new
book by Jeff Utech (Reach - Building Communities and Networks for Professional Development) on Lulu. I cover most of these topics in my class and teachers are always looking for a good book. I think this may compliment the class.


I also belong to a neighborhood book club and will be recommending a book for August. I am thinking about reading "Winter's Bone" and then watching the movie! 

I am experimenting with new blog draft templates and pages/ tabs this week.




Thursday, June 17, 2010

ISTE Conference 2010 - Denver June 27th - 30th

There are many great resources you can check out for the upcoming ITSE conference
Planning agenda for ISTE Conference 2010
Check out the ISTE ning and follow on Twitter!

The conference formerly known as NECC is now ISTE. You can still checkout last year's NECC09 links and videos.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Journalism, Assessment and Rubrics

Using Technology for Student Journalism Portfolio's using Google Sites.

Journalism Student Portfolio
http://sites.google.com/site/nrhsjournalismportfoliolocke/home
Journalism rubric (Note: test assessment option)
Journalism Class Ning

Class Evaluations using Google Docs/Forms
English Evaluation on twitter @MsALocke

Oral History Project using Google sites (coming soon)

History Course Evaluation using Google Docs/Forms
Twitter
@lpagington Used Google Forms 4 end of year course evaluations. Saved paper & time & student feedback of process was positive Thx @mmarotta for help.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Creating quizzes in Moodle

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Assessment

Assessment

Online Assessment Part One SlideShare

Feedback on students’ assessment performance is a vital element in their learning. Its purpose is to justify to students how their mark or grade was derived, as well as to identify and reward specific qualities in their work, to recommend aspects needing improvement, and to guide students on what steps to take ... more

Giving Assessment Feedback
Giving Feedback On Student Writing
Focus On Effectiveness - Providing Feedback
Teacher Vision - Motivating Student

Motivating Students
Guidelines On Giving Feedback To Students

Rubric multimedia

Assessing Web 2.0 Tools Proprofs Web 2.0

Assessment in a Web 2.0 World
Eudcause podcast: Assessment in a Web 2.0 World (19 mins)

http://www-cdn.educause.edu/sites/default/files/eli09-assessment.mp3

Google Forms for Assessment, Evaluation, and Reflection


Edutopia - 10 Tips to Help you Relax, Reflect and Recharge

10 Tips to Help You Relax, Reflect, and Recharge for the Coming School Year
From edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-summer-guide.pdf

TIP LIST
#1 Grow Your Network
#2 Party with the Stars
#3 Do-It-Yourself Professional Development
#4 Tell the Story of Your Life
#5 Try Something New
#6 Curate Classroom Artifacts
#7 Give a Little, Get a Lot
#8 Get Moving
#9 Crack the Books
#10Plan Ahead for Next Summer

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Social Media in the Classroom

Many teachers are using social media. It's easier to publish information and share online, build collaborative classrooms instead of saving to internal networks that are only visable in school. Here is new guide "The Ultimate Teacher’s Guide To Social Media" covering many of the tools covered in our class. Learn more

Check out the guide published with issuu!

Nings to checkout

· Classroom 2.0 (over 34,000 members!)

· K-12 Open Source Community – free, open source software for teachers

· Conversations.net – live interviews on the impact of social media on society & culture

· Worldbuilder - A Social Media Education Community

· New Media Literacies Community Site – discussing how to equip young people w/social skills & cultural competencies in the 21st century