Integrating Technology to Support Differentiated Instruction

Reinvention of the school textbook

2012-01-24T11:39:00.007-05:00

I am listening to"The Digital Future Of Textbooks". The revolution brewing in your child’s backpack. One little computer tablet may soon replace all those big old textbooks. This in conjunction with Apple's announcement this week with what it call the reinvention of the school textbook. A digital initiative involving its popular iPad devices, a new version of its iBooks ebook reader app that's optimized for iBooks textbooks, and a new iTunes U app that provides educators and students with everything they need to teach and take entire courses, respectively, using, of course, Apple's devices, here are the company's press releases (here and here). It's interesting watching this transformation start to unfold. I am planning on attending the New England 1:1 Summit at Burlington High School with Patrick Larkin on Saturday, March 10th 2012. I am also encouraging members of my high school to attend the session to learn from Burlington's pilot program as they address the BYOD model. To sign up for the Summer go to http://1to1summit.wordpress.com/ and to reserve tickets. I have already updated my phone with the new iTunes U app and plan on spending time this month exploring using some of the new tools, one being Inkling textbooks for iPad that include interactive features.

iBooks 2. The latest version of Apple's iBooks app for iPad (and iPhone and iPod touch) features iBooks textbooks, which Apple describes as "an entirely new kind of textbook that's dynamic, engaging and truly interactive." Compared to regular paper books, iBooks are interactive, colorful, can include videos, and can be updated again and again. They don't weigh down a backpack as do heavy, normal books.

Leading educational publishers including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson have pledged to deliver textbooks and other educational titles to the iBookstore, with most costing $14.99 or less. This, too, is an improvement over traditional textbooks, as any student or parent of a student can tell you: There's a huge market for used textbooks specifically for this reason.

The new iBooks 2 app is free and available today from the iTunes App Store.

iBooks Author video Apple is additionally offering a free Mac application, from its Mac App Store, called iBooks Author. This allows you to create your own iBooks "textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more," according to Apple, and then publish them to the iBookstore. It's unclear at this time whether this will entail the same overly-strict and non-transparent policies as does the App Store, however. And I'm not yet sure how this is better/worse than similar self-publishing services from companies like Amazon.com.

iTunes U app. For the past few years, I've been talking up and recommending Apple's unique iTunes U service on the Windows Weekly podcast. There's simply nothing like it on rival devices, and if you're interested in essentially taking college classes for free--yes, really--you need to check it out. But now all of this content is available through a new iTunes U app--for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch--which is interesting. Looking at iTunes, i can see that the iTunes U content is still available normally--similarly to the way it provides podcasts--but I wonder if this is the first step in "locking" the iTunes content to iDevices. (Today, you can download an iTunes U audio or video class from iTunes but play it back on an Android or Windows Phone device if you want.)

According to Apple, the new app "lets teachers create and manage courses including essential components such as lectures, assignments, books, quizzes and syllabuses," assuming of course all their students have iOS devices. Students, meanwhile, can "access new books right from within the app, and any notes taken in iBooks are consolidated for easy reviewing. In addition to reading books, viewing presentations, lectures and assignment lists, students can receive push notifications so they always have the latest class information."

So, given this information, I would have to assume that the iTunes U app is for students actually taking the class, whereas the iTunes U service, through iTunes, is for anyone outside the school who wishes to enjoy the class separately. It will be interesting watching my own school district move forward with a BYOD model next fall. I am hoping the textbook model is incorporated into the planning.

Professional Development options

2011-12-01T19:23:00.005-05:00

I had the opportunity to present at the 2011 Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference this week. I enjoyed attending the conference and following many of the great links and resources. I plan to spend time this week and review all the great resources. I am also planning on following the 2011 K12 Online Conference this week. There are somany great presentations. If you busy checkout many of the great teasers.

I came across an interesting article on Digital Learning Enrollment Triples: U.S. Department of Education.

Learning about the following this month:
Shell Center/MARS, University of Nottingham & UC Berkeley (math)

Common Core Curriculum and Massachusetts
Teacherdomain with Common Core
My Group Genius

Common Core APP in itunes

Why present at a conference?

2011-11-15T15:11:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year again when I find myself preparing to present at the 2011 Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference at the end of the month. I am fortunate to present with my good friend and colleague, Nicole Tomaselli, we have been co-presenting since 2005 at this conference. As I worked on my presentation, a few teachers mentioned to me they would love to present but it's so much work and asked me why I continued to present,

The answer, this is my professional development. A time to reflect on the impact I had on teachers and students over the past year to plan several of my next projects.

As I updated my Web 2.0 Social Media Glogster poster from last year I added my blog post for my Skype Project World Read Aloud Day that I did with Nicole's studentes. I also connected one of my special education classes with another group of students in a near by distict. I found this project on twitter with a post from Angela Maiers.

I also plan on presenting on Classroom Collaboration Using Googles Apps for Education, based several projects that I did with teachers and students last year.

I am hoping that participants at this years conference not only attend the sessions but walk away and put into practice many of the great ways they can engage students in the classroom with Web 2.0 technologies and social media tools.

Maybe some of the partcipants from last year will share a classroom success story based on inspiration from the previous year.

Pearson and Google Jump Into Learning Management With a New, Free System

2011-10-18T08:09:00.003-04:00

Pearson and Google Jump Into Learning Management With a New, Free System
October 13, 2011, 10:25 am
By Josh Fischman
One of the world’s biggest education publishers has joined with one of the most dominant and iconic software companies on the planet to bring colleges a new—and free—learning-management system with the hopes of upending services that affect just about every instructor, student, and college in the country.
Today Pearson, the publishing and learning technology group, has teamed up with the software giant Google to launch OpenClass, a free LMS that combines standard course-management tools with advanced social networking and community-building, and an open architecture that allows instructors to import whatever material they want, from e-books to YouTube videos. The program will launch through Google Apps for Education, a very popular e-mail, calendar, and document-sharing service that has more than 1,000 higher-education customers, and it will be hosted by Pearson with the intent of freeing institutions from the burden of providing resources to run it. It enters a market that has been dominated by costly institution-anchored services like Blackboard, and open-source but labor-intensive systems like Moodle.

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Generation Wired

2011-10-13T09:57:00.002-04:00

An interesting article in this weeks Boston Globe - Parade Section
Generation Wired Article Oct 7, 2011
They text (and text and text). They have hundreds of “friends” they’ve never actually met. They game for hours. How to keep your kids safe and healthy in a hyper-connected world.

How Exactly Is All This Affecting Young Brains?

A 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that students 8 to 18 spend more than 7.5 hours a day engaged with computers, cell phones, TV, music, or video games. Forty percent of kids in middle school and high school say that when they’re on the computer, most of the time they’re also plugged into other media. The effects this multitasking has on still-forming brains can be positive and negative. “The prefrontal cortex, which is essential for social behavior, planning, reasoning, and impulse control, is not fully developed until the early 20s,” says Jordan Grafman of the Kessler Foundation Research Center. “Its development is largely dependent on what activities you do.”

Studies have shown that multitasking can lead to faster response time, improved peripheral vision, and a greater ability to sift through information quickly. But it also results in a diminished ability to focus on one thing for long. “You get better at the physical and visual motor parameters of what you’re doing, but not the deeper, thoughtful aspects,” Grafman says.

How will the generation coming of age now—less accustomed to sustained concentration—be affected? No one’s sure. Dr. O’Keeffe recently spoke to a group of college students. “They said they feel really bombarded, they’re not sure they’re learning effectively, and they’re not sure how to turn it all off. We need to learn from what they’re saying and help our current teenagers as well as younger kids learn to disconnect.” For parents, that might entail modeling a bit of self-discipline, like refraining from making calls while you drive or sneaking off during family gatherings to check your email. But the payoff—real conversations in real time—just may surprise you, and your kids. Who knows? They may even like it. Of course, you may need to check their Facebook page to find out.

Using Google with Chromebook or ipad and Web 2.0 tools

2011-08-17T16:17:00.006-04:00

Checking out Google's Samsung Chromebook / Google on the ipad / Google Blog with new features
Google Educast http://edreach.us/google-educast

Tagxedo
Microsoft Silverlight (needs to be installed)

Showing Google Blogger to class and Audioboo recording

2011-08-16T10:26:00.008-04:00

Welcome !

This morning we are showing Google Blogger in class. Tutorial

AudioBoo - Recording Audio on the Web
Audioboo in Education (mp3)

Learn more here http://audioboo.fm/boos/216618-audioboo-in-education

My first Audio Boo
Audioboo test (mp3)

iphone app download and recording
Mmtestiphonr (mp3)
Appears to be only 5 minutes??
iphone app and info link

Quabbin PD - Day 2 and 3

2011-08-02T09:31:00.002-04:00

Good Morning -

I hope everyone had a chance to create a blog and post.

Remeber you can also upload images and link to other locations on the web, such as Quabbin.

Topics for Day 2 and 3 ---- Listed below are a few examples

Google +
Google Sites
Wordle.net http://wordle.net/ or Tagxedo http://www.tagxedo.com/ (note silverlight install needed)
Animoto/Education http://animoto.com/education (Apply as a teacher/get student accounts and video)
Glogster http://www.glogster.com/education
Skype download (webcam and mic) http://www.skype.com/

Other Options

Storybirds http://storybird.com/ or Littlebirdtales http://littlebirdtales.com/ (your images)
Edmodo http://www.edmodo.com/ (Grades 7-12 Facebook type interface for the classroom)
Blabberize http://blabberize.com/
Xtranornal - Make animated movies http://www.xtranormal.com/

Quabbin PD

2011-08-01T09:27:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Professional Development at Quabbin.

We will be covering the following topics today

Google Accounts (igoogle)
Blog
Word Cloud

Web 2.0 Class (Part II)

2011-07-25T11:12:00.002-04:00

Welcome back!

Some of the topics we will cover this morning:
- Blogging
- Word clouds (with images) using http://www.tagxedo.com/ or http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/

- Little Bird Tales (or StoryBird)

Registration for FSU - Forms due Tuesday.

Exploring Google +

2011-07-14T11:19:00.011-04:00

What is Google + more info http://www.google.com/+/learnmore

An interesting article on Google Plus and Schools
To use Google+, you need a Google Profile, a feature not yet available with Google Apps for Education. However, a Google spokesperson assures me that that's coming soon and that "we're working to bring features in the Google+ project to Google Apps users in the future." Indeed, Google Enterprise's Dave Girouard posted enthusiastically on Google+ that "Can't wait to get Google+ out to some of our Apps for EDU schools!"

Along with a video overview of Google +

Link

Some great Diigo Bookmarks from Patrick Larkin
Interesting Ways*

19 Interesting Ways* to (possibly) use Google+ to Support Learning
24 Interesting Way to Get to Know Your New Class
Google+ Gets a Leg Up on Facebook -article http://nyti.ms/qUmgMi

This all looks very interesting and I plan to integrate into my next class and test out the features.

Teaching this summer and my own learning

2011-07-13T14:53:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful week teaching on the Cape earlier this month. I had the opportunity to meet many new teachers and administrators and managed to fit time into my schedule to visit the beach and many fine restaurants.

It's always so exciting to introduce new digital tools to improve teaching. The first few days of the class everyone is taking in so much information and I am sure everyone feels overwhelmed. By the time we hit the middle of the week it's great to see everyone applying many of the tools directly to their curriculum. I had a great time with the first group of students and I am looking forward to the second group of students at the end of the month.

I plan on reading a few books this summer for my book club, spend more time learning more about Google + (The Google+ Project: A quick look overview) along with learning more on using my ipad II in the classroom. In addtion, I will be with preparing to teach a few more classes summer.

I am looking forward to my vacation on the Cape and time with my family this summer.

Getting Started with Blogging - Session 1 (Cape Group One)

2011-06-27T12:43:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Blogging. I am excited to introduce you to several Web 2.0 tools to hopefully, engage students with 21st Century learning. I hope you enjoy this learning adventure this week.

Please post a comment and tell me a little about yourself.

Today's Agenda
1. Create a Google Account
2. Create a Blog
3. Use Twitter
4. Explore Web 2.0 Tools

Wrapping up the school year

2011-06-24T14:41:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe another school year has come to an end. I am sad my principal is leaving to work in another school district. When you work for an exceptional leader for a number of years the anticipation of a new principal can be unsettling. Our district has decided to go with an interim principal and re-post the position in the fall. I am remaining optimistic.

I am now shifting gears by getting ready for my summer professional development classes. I am looking forward to teaching on the Cape next week. I was fortunate to teach there last summer and excited that so many of the teachers in my class spread the word to their colleagues. I found it so rewarding to hear from students throughout the year. I will be teaching at a number of school this summer and back at Northeastern University in July. Follow along in the blog and learn with us.

I am also feeling sad I will be missing the #ISTE11 Conference this year, especially now that everyone is tweeting about it. I am thrilled that two of my graduate students will be attending for the first time.
If your not attending the annual ISTE Conference like me, you can still experience and participate by joining the ISTE Unplugged sessions. These sessions are organized by Steve Hargadon, ISTE Unplugged is a series of presentations that happen at ISTE and are streamed live through Elluminate. You can watch and participate through the Elluminate stream for free. I attended these sessions during the last two ISTE conferences and found them to be very valuable.

So let the summer begin!

Presentation and slideshow tools

2011-05-19T14:47:00.002-04:00

Our classes are experimenting with a few new presentation tools this month.

Animoto for Education - Turns photos, video clips and music into stunning video slideshows which can bring your lessons to life. See a sample of our senior tribute this week.
Drop Mocks works with your Google account anda very simple tool to use. All you do is just drag your image file on to the web browser screen and that's it! Drop Mocks only works in the latest versions of Google Chrome or Firefox 4. Also, you can only use common image file formats such as jpg, png, gif, and tiff. Each drop mock generates a URL for easy sharing, but no embed codes at this time, see a sample from my desktop images http://www.dropmocks.com/mVZdI
Moving Beyond Slides with Prezi .
This Prezi, created by Adam Somlai-Fischer, is both a great prezi example that explains how Prezi’s are different than traditional slideshows. Overall, Prezi allows you to break a way from bulleted text and sequential viewing of your slides. You can still use images (and bulleted text) and you can even embed video. If you work best brainstorming and organizing with mind maps, then Prezi may feel very fluid and natural to you.

On the horizon to try ...

VuVox lets you do a lot, without needing a lot of high-tech know-how. Students and teachers can generate impressive multimedia collages and panoramas of their work. VuVox can easily import RSS feeds, and your photo collections
myBrainShark is the individual, free version, of the Brainshark product suite. Brainshark allows you to upload PowerPoints, MS Word documents, and pictures that you can then narrate and share with friend, co-workers, students, etc (you get the point). The site also provides a podcast and video recording option too. And, you can add your Prezi into Brainshark too. Brainshark is a great option if you are looking to personalize and add audio to your work, but do not require responses or audio feedback from your viewers. This is an excellent tool for students to generate presentations in as well. Presenters can even record audio by calling in on their phones. The downside: to use the free version you must leave your content viewable to the public.
VoiceThread is an “audio/visual discussion board.” Voicethreads are a great tool to facilitate discussion about a topic. This is a favorite site for educators desiring a way to create more engagement, interaction, and feedback on academic work. This is also an excellent tool for students to present their own content and solicit feedback.

Survey

2011-05-17T17:47:00.002-04:00

Please take the class survey before leaving.

Agenda - May 17th 2011 Session 4

2011-05-17T14:09:00.004-04:00

Review:
1. Blogger (posting)
2. Twitter
3. Google Sites posting and updates

New
4. Google Log into your tiger mail https://mail.google.com/a/maynard.k12.ma.us
and enter the following Enter start.maynard.k12.ma.us (Customizing the page)
See handout with add stuff
5. Google Form/Survey
6. Edmodo (currently down 5/17)
7. Presentation Tools (Prezi or Google Docs/Presentation)

Community Learning and Web 2.0

2011-05-10T13:40:00.010-04:00

There are many tools that you can use to collaborate and share information.

Over the last few weeks you have been exposed to a variety of tools to use with students:

Blogs
Twitter
Google Sites
Google Apps/Presentations

We will continue to use the tools each week, in order to become comfortable with the process and more importantly connect to your content areas.

Prezi along with examples
examples that I made on Bullying, 21st Century Learning
and other examples more using "Community people"

21st Century Learning on Prezi

Addtionally, we will review some addtional tools:

Edmodo
Animoto
Nings (join content area groups, english companion ning)

Please post a comment with any feedback. I will work with each of you to customize your lessons and needs over the next few weeks.

Are you interested in summer session on using Web 2.0 or Google Apps?

Session Two

2011-05-03T16:31:00.001-04:00

Today's class will review
- Twitter (#EDCHAT - Tuesday Topic @7:00 PM)
- Blogger (comment moderation)
- Google Site (Presentation)

A few tips for blogging,Twitter and Google Sites

2011-05-02T12:57:00.008-04:00

I hope everyone has been posting to their blog this week and following twitter.
Just a reminder, when you setup your blog you should moderate your comments. Here is a link to help you set this up. You can find the comment moderation setting on the Settings Comments tab, along with all of the other comment settings: Selecting "Always" will automatically enable comment moderation for all incoming comments on your blog. If you enter your email, all posts will go to your email account. You can then determine if you would like to publish the comments.

Remember to update your page on the class Google Site with your blog link and twitter name. You will then have the opportunity to comment on your colleagues posts. To learn more about Google Site click here.

I have emailed everyone in the class with a reminder about class tomorrow and to post to your blogs.
Feel free to click on the "Post a Comment" link below to share what you have learned this week.

Session 2 - May 3rd 2011
Review

Blogger - Class Postings and Class Blog
- Moderate - Comments
Twitter Review #maynard and #edchat
Google Site Add link to Page
Introduce Google Presentation Site/Wiki for collaboration

Blogging and Social Networking - Getting Started

2011-04-25T16:07:00.001-04:00

This week I will be working with a group of teachers to introduce an overview of Web 2.0 and Social Networking tools for the classroom and for personal learning. For more details and dates, click on the Social Media tab above.

Here are some tutorials to Blogger to help you set up your blog and get started blogging. You will post two topics to your blog each week and incorporate some of the Web 2.0 tools into the Google Site and/or blog. Each person will create a blog and post two topics per week. We will comment on each other blogs. Adddtionally, we will follow bloggers in our content area and use Twitter (a microblogging tool) to connect with other teachers and content areas.

Below is an image with a collection of Web 2.0 tools organized into an interactive pyramid of the Bloom's taxonomy levels of Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating. I am familiar with some of the tools covered in the pyramid. I found it to be a good visual reminder of both the Bloom's levels and Web 2.0 tools. We have been exploring several Web 2.0 tools as part of this class.

In the 1990s, one of Bloom’s students, Lorin Anderson, revised the original taxonomy. In the amended version of Bloom’s Taxonomy, the names of the major cognitive process categories were changed to indicate action because thinking implies active engagements. Instead of listing knowledge as a part of the taxonomy, the category is divided into different types of knowledge: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. This newer taxonomy also moves the evaluation stage down a level and the highest element becomes “creating.”

Bloom’s Taxonomy can be used across grade levels and content areas. By using Bloom’s Taxonomy in the classroom, teachers can assess students on multiple learning outcomes that are aligned to local, state, and national standards and objectives. Within each level of the taxonomy, there are various tasks that move students through the thought process. This interactive activity demonstrates how all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy can be achieved with one image.

In order for teachers to develop lesson plans that integrate Bloom’s Taxonomy, they write their lessons in the language that focuses on each level. The United States Geological Survey provides a list of verbs for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy for teachers to use when developing lesson plans. (Although the list is designed for environmental science teachers, the examples will work for any discipline.) I thought the review of the pyramid along with the Web 2.0 tools covered in class would be helpful in planning your activities.

Enjoy exploring!

Santorini Greece

2011-04-18T12:20:00.001-04:00

We spent the last two day in Athens. The weather has been cool and rainy. We visited the Plaka then toured climbed the hill to visit the Acropolis. The rain held out until the afternoon. The kids are having a great time.

This morning we took a five hour ferry to Santorini. The island is beautiful and the hotel has a great view. We are off to dinner this evening and plan to spend the day touring the island tomorrow and off to Mykonos on Wenesday.

To see more about the school trip go to http://nrhsgreece.blogspot.com/

Greece April 2011

2011-04-12T07:58:00.008-04:00

Our school trip to Greece sponsored by Teach by Travel departs this Friday.

Here is a link to our travel blog

We will be visting Athens, Santorini and Myknos.
Athens: Hotel Stanley
Santorini: Hotel Majestic
Mykonos: Myconian K Hotel travel info

Poetry and Video

2011-04-05T15:35:00.006-04:00

Class, April 5th - Showcase Glogster Posters
- Google Site (link posters to Google Sites)
- Poetry Project for April
- Prezi Overview
- Other Video editing, converting and posting options

Reminder of upcoming class
Social Networking and Web 2.0 in the Classroom
April 26th, May 3rd, 10th, and 17^th
3PM - 6PM Maynard High School - MHS

Poetry, ipad and Oprah (April in National Poetry Month)

2011-04-02T14:02:00.009-04:00

Each year sophomores in our high school prepare multimedia and movies on their favorite poems. I downloaded the Oprah app for the ipad and the April app is filled with tools to help you express yourself with words, like the "Poetry in Motion" page, where you can create your own poems. Plus, see video clips from guest editor Maria Shriver's interview with poet Mary Oliver. The app also features 16 entries from Oprah's personal journals—11 of them are exclusive to the iPad! I think I will share the app with students next week as they select their favorite poems.

Poetry and the ipad (April National Poetry Month)

More from O

I enjoyed the multimedia interaction while reading and watching Maria Schriver interview Mary Oliver, an American poet who had won National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Influenced by both Whitman and Thoreau, she is known for her clear and poignant observances of the natural world. Her creativity is stirred by nature, and Oliver, an avid walker, often pursues inspiration on foot. Her poems are filled with imagery from her daily walks near her home in nearby Provincetown. Oliver has also been compared to Emily Dickinson, with whom she shares an affinity for solitude and interior monologues. Her poetry combines dark introspection with joyous release. Although she has been criticized for writing poetry that assumes a dangerously close relationship of women with nature, she finds the self is only strengthened through an immersion with nature.

I hope the class enjoys this edition of Oprah's Poetry on the ipad. It has also inspired me to think about some alternative assignments next week. There are 71 sample poems to watch on the site and you can submit your own poem.

April is National Poetry Month

2011-03-31T20:30:00.012-04:00

What is National Poetry Month?
Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

30 Poets, 30 Days: Throughout each day during National Poetry Month, a selected poet will have 24 hours to tweet his or her daily insights before passing the baton. Poem Flow/App

	What is National Poetry Month?: Frequently asked questions about NPM.
	30 Ways to Celebrate: A month's worth of poetry activities that any community can take part in.
	Celebration Highlights: Reminisce about Academy events and promotions of Aprils past.

THIS YEAR'S PROGRAMS
Poem In Your Pocket Day: Join thousands of individuals across the U.S. by carrying a poem in your pocket on April 14, 2011.
Poetry & the Creative Mind: Each April, The Academy of American Poets presents a star-studded celebration of American poetry.
30 Poets, 30 Days: Throughout each day during National Poetry Month, a selected poet will have 24 hours to tweet his or her daily insights before passing the baton.
Poem-A-Day: Great poems from new books emailed each day of National Poetry Month. Sign up for your daily dose of new poems from new spring poetry titles.
Spring Book List: Check out the new books of poetry available each spring.
Poem Flow for iPhones: Available through the iTunes store, this innovative mobile app features daily poems presented as both fixed and animated text.
National Poetry Map: Find out what is happening in your state by visiting our redesigned and updated National Poetry Map. Massachusetts http://www.poets.org/state.php/varState/MA

Use Technology, Collaboration, and Creativity to Inspire Students for Poetry Month

Poetry Lessons, Ideas and Resources from Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/technology-collaboration-poetry-month-gail-desler

If you have been looking for lessons, new ideas and resources, and maybe a little inspiration to ignite your celebration of National Poetry Month
Read/Write/Think – I’ve been a long-time fan of this NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) site and have come to expect outstanding teacher-tested, research based resources like the ones posted for National Poetry Month. I recommend checking out the “interactives,” such as Diamonte Poems or What’s an Acrostic Poem? and then move on to sample some lessons, such as Poetry Portfolios for your primary students, Composing Cinquain Poems with Basic Parts of Speech for elementary students, or Is a Sentence a Poem? mini-lesson for secondary students. In addition to hosting the Read/Write/Think site, NCTE also posts a National Poetry Day page with podcasts from last year’s entries. More links

Prom - Choose your Adventure Video

2011-03-31T13:30:00.011-04:00

Earlier this month I wrote a blog post about learning from others on twitter. Pat Larkin @bhsprincipal at Burlington High School, and Greg Kulowiec @gregkulowiec from Plymouth tweeted about creating 'Choose Your Own Adventure' using YouTube/Spotlight, to learn more about the technique go to "How to Make an Interactive Lesson Using Youtube" On the site is an example of a "GMAT Choose Your Own Adventure".

Two students in my graduate class (Amanda and Craig) created Adventure videos for math.

A student in my high school, Courtney created an Adventure Video on Prom Choices. Although this video was not part of the contest, it was an alternative assignment, allowing students to further explore the choices and consequences of drinking and driving. The assignment was motivated by the Dance Don't Chance video contest that is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), in partnership with the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Public Health that aims to make the prom/graduation season safer for teens on Massachusetts' roads.

The Adventure Video allowed Courtney to create and link several videos together to show students have choices to make around drinking and driving. Her message, drinking and driving is illegal and stupid. I would have to agree.

It was great to take an idea that Greg tweeted and blogged about and apply directly to the classroom.
I believe the class plans to incorporate more Adventure videos into their assignments.

ipad

2011-03-31T13:29:00.004-04:00

Watch Apple unveil iPad 2 at a special event on March 2, 2011, in San Francisco. iPad 2 is thinner, lighter, and faster with two cameras for FaceTime video calls and HD video recording.
I have started a new page on this blog http://techdi.blogspot.com/p/ipad.html

Learning Goals

2011-03-25T13:43:00.003-04:00

Today I am attending a Professional Development day in my district. Tom Daccord is presenting on Assessment 2.0
http://edtechteacher.org/assessment.pdf. Follow along with me on twitter!

ipad Apps for Special Education, Adventure Videos and more

2011-03-23T09:55:00.010-04:00

In a graduate class over the weekend Bob Tucker showed the ipad and several Apps for Special Education. MEPSA will be offering Spring Classes on the ipad2 for Special Education, Administrators and Teachers.

I was impressed with an app called Proloquo2Go. It is an application which provides adaptive communication for non-verbal individuals. I have a particular student in my school that I believe will benefit from using this technology on the ipad. I plan on connecting with her speech therapist and teacher. Note: I believe the cost is under $200.00. Some of the other Apps we reviewed Life Skills Sampler, Bob's Books and Mathination. There is a Special Education Section in the itunes Store that I plan hope to explore with teachers. I am hoping I can figure out how to get the ipad/iphone to work with the SMARTboard and plan to checkout LogMeIn Ignition.

In addtion, I was able to view many of the great projects students created. Some students were inspired by a Social Studies teacher Adventure Videos in Tube, check out Greg's Social Studies blog post modeled after The Knewton Edtech Blog which has a great walk through and example on how to make these videos.

I enjoyed the YouTube Advenure video by two math teachers in my class this month Parallelograms with Sheil and Benware. I have a few high school students workin on adventure videos and hope to post soon,

Reading on the ipad

2011-03-21T11:32:00.004-04:00

I belong to a neighborhood book club. We normally share books. My neighbor had a gift certificate for the Barnes and Noble so she downloaded the Nook App for her ipad. This month's selection, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night -Time . She was kind enought to let me borrow her ipad yesterday in order to read. The book was only 120 pages and I was able to breeze through reading the book on the ipad. It was interesting to see firsthand how I could change the font size, highlight, take notes and hyperlink within the novel.
Learn more about iBooks – A novel way to buy and read books. You’ll be even more well read once you get your hands on iBooks. Download the iBooks app from the App Store. Load up on books from the iBookstore. Take them to more places than you’d ever take a regular book. And right when you pull one out on your iPad, you’ll be pulled right in.

Learn more by watching

Happy St. Patricks Day - Design for Global Learning Conference

2011-03-16T22:00:00.002-04:00

MassCUE and METAA’s 6th Annual Technology Leadership Symposium 2011 - March 17th, 2011 - College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
Design for Global Learning - AGENDA - Follow on Twitter #TLS2011

Morning Panel Discussion

2011 National Education Technology Plan

21st Century Traits and 10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning

2011-03-13T21:50:00.004-04:00

I was following Twitter this evening and came across a post from Derek Keenan on the Developing Education blog. Derek lists 5 traits that are essential for teachers who are working with changing students and practices.

5 Traits of the 21st Century Teacher

Driven to Learn - Educators absolutely must be driven to learn in order to teach effectively in the 21st Century. It is no longer acceptable to teach only from a textbook, to rely on the same worksheets an methods year after year without at least questioning them and researching why they are the best resource available. There is simply too much new information, too many new strategies, and new learning available to us to ignore the implications it may have for students in our classes.
A Media Creation Expert - Whether posted online or simply used in the classroom, our materials must be highly engaging and effective. Powerpoint and Word are becoming antiquated as newer and more powerful presentation and editing suites become available to teachers. It is our responsibility to compete (where necessary) with the quality of video games and media construction in order to hook students into great learning. As media conscious teachers, we can win student attention by working with them, not against them, for their learning.
A Digital Navigator – Not many teachers would consider themselves digital natives, but we must understand enough about digital content and how it is used to effectively operate in our student’s world. This means having social media accounts and understanding how they are used, even if you don’t use them specifically for learning. We must be familiar enough with the new digital landscape that we can help students navigate their journey online, even if we don’t (or can’t) join them.
An Empathetic Mentor – Gone are the days when teachers dole out assignments and send students on their merry way. A modern educator realizes the plethora of factors impacting students in our current world, and strives to tailor learning where possible toward individualized needs and interests. This student-centered focus also creates learning opportunities for the teacher to learn with students, developing their teaching and collaborative skills.
A Technology Harmonizer – As teachers of our time, we must realize the implications of pervasive technologies such as smart phones and highly mobile tablets/computers. In addition, we must find ways to ‘make it work’ with technology, which may include enlisting students to help or (as in trait 1) learn more about the technologies we are using. One of the keys here is that we work at making the technology work (in the best way we can) so the lesson becomes about the learning instead of the management of machines

I was thinking about the number of PD and graduate classes I have taught over the last few years and I've been impressed with the way teachers are driven to learn, especially after being introduced to twitter and social media tools.

Another new source to review
What are the 10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning ?
The Digital Learning Council has just released the “10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning” which recommends major changes to state education policy that include eliminating seat-time requirements, making a move to competency based learning and assessment, reconsidering funding and tools we provide students for example, funding and providing infrastructure for the real tools of the 21st century for those without access i.e. netbooks rather than textbooks, internet for all, and harnessing the power of tools students already own such as cell phones.

Upcoming Live Webinar -

Harnessing the 10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning for Your School District
Wednesday, March 30, 1 p.m. EDT
Also available "on demand" any time 24 hours after the event.
Free registration is now open.

Edchat Topics this week

2011-03-13T21:35:00.001-04:00

Voting is now open for #edchat on Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM in Twitter.
Item five is leading with votes this evening and links directly to information covered in our class.
Link here to vote.

What role does homework play in your curriculum? Is it part of the summative assessment, assigned a grade, or a percentage of a grade?
Does collective bargaining have a positive or negative effect on education?
What things can a teacher best utilize for a single connected computer in a classroom to develop students' needed skills? )
Is the economy creating a climate of antagonism toward teachers that is impacting what and how teachers teach today?
What are some specific ways educators can incorporate social media as a tool for learning into a content-driven curriculum?

Using Word Clouds

2011-03-13T20:29:00.009-04:00

101 Ways to use Tagxedo (presentation). To learn more, go to http://www.tagxedo.com/ and enter the address of your blog. You can then pick a shape to best suuport you theme. You can move over the words on the image below and they will expand. There may also be a delay with the image loading, be patient. Note: Microsoft Silverlight must be installed to view in the interactive mode.

Click here to learn how to embed in your blog.
http://blog.tagxedo.com/how-to-embed-tagxedo-in-your-blog
Enjoy!

World Read Aloud Day - Skype Project

2011-03-09T13:01:00.028-05:00

Today is World Read Aloud Day, where classrooms around the world will be using this amazing technology to connect, share stories, and celebrate the power of our words and voices with Skype. (Learn more about Skype in the classroom). So what are you waiting for? Grab your favorite class read aloud and find a classroom here to share it! Thanks to a tweet and some inspiration from Angela Maiers @angelamaiers that's exactly what we did today.

Nashoba and Hollis, NH (1st Grade)

Our school librarian, @tracylandry, coordinated with students to participate in two sessions today. The first connection this morning was with a 1st Grade Class in NH @nicoletomaselli. We read "The Puriri Tree" (online format) It was great!

See a segment of the Video Additionally, other students in our high school took a trip to an elementary school in our district and read to the students.

Nashoba and Maynard, MA (Special Education)

In the second session we connected two Special Education classes. The students read "Alaska's Big Race" by alternating reading paragraphs. The students were so excited to see their friends from Maynard. Now that the teachers have used skype they plan to continue to connect their classrooms in the future.

Upon reflection of this process both Ms. Landry and I felt so proud that we had connected these classes and would encourage other teachers to use skype for classroom collaboration in all content areas.

I am so grateful that @angelamaiers tweeted about this project and we were able to part of World Read Aloud Day experience using skype.

The motivation for this project was found on Twitter #edchat Tuesday's @7:00 PM. Connect and get inspired!

Another day of learning

2011-03-06T11:53:00.011-05:00

Yesterday was our second session at #MESPA in Marlborough, the class, Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking in the Classroom. I started the day by direct messaging Pat Larkin on twitter (@bhsprincipal Burlington High School Principal, blog) to connect with our class for a discussion on Professional Development and building a Personal Learning Network/PLN. Little did I know, Pat was presenting in New Jersey and had a ustream session setup. We connected with Pat's session via ustream http://bit.ly/fT1biq joined the discussion and the chat in google docs. Later in the day, Pat skyped with us while on his train ride back home. While skyping with us, Pat continued to tweet late into the evening. I hope everyone enjoyed the opportunity to connect with Pat and the conference.

On another note, I enjoyed all the presentations by everyone yesterday and look forward to our next class on 3/19. I will keep you posted on my "adventure video" thanks to a tweet and some inspiration from Burlington's #ntcamp last week with @bhsprincipal and @gregkulowiec . Greg's Social Studies blog post about his class adventure and how to setup the process.

Reminder - World Read Aloud Day Skype Project | Angela Maiers Educational Services, Inc. http://bit.ly/f3d6QX Wednesday, March 9th @angelamaiers Sign-up and read!

#edchat Topics @tomwhitby
Okay, time to select a Topic for this week's #Edchat. Plz vote now! http://bit.ly/eEcRxu
What do you want to talk about during this week's (3/8) - Vote now for Tuesday.

2011 National Education Technology Plan

2011-03-03T12:57:00.021-05:00

The 2011 National Education Technology Plan - Learning: Engage & Empower

Goal: All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and out of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.

To prepare students to learn throughout their lives and in settings far beyond classrooms, we must change what and how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, and where and when they learn and change our perception of who needs to learn. We must bring 21st-century technology into learning in meaningful ways to engage, motivate, and inspire learners of all ages to achieve.

What People Need to Learn - Education experts have proposed answers to this question, and although they differ in the details all recognize that what we need to know goes beyond the traditional three Rs of Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic. Whether the domain is English language arts, mathematics, sciences, social studies, history, art, or music, 21st-century competencies and expertise such as critical thinking, complex problem solving, collaboration, and multimedia communication should be woven into all content areas. We are still evolving our understanding of what it means to be a 21st-century learner. For example, what does it mean to be digitally literate in an age of constantly evolving technologies and resources, and how we can teach learners to use new technology in ways that are productive, creative, and responsible. One response to these essential questions is offered by the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE), which has published the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS–S).

Teaching Prepare and Connect The best way to prepare teachers for connected teaching is to have them experience it. All institutions involved in preparing educators should provide technology-supported learning experiences that promote and enable the use of technology to improve learning, assessment, and instructional practices.

The plan under section 3.2 highlights the importance of leveraging social networking technologies and platforms to create communities of practice that provide career-long personal learning opportunities for educators within and across schools, preservice preparation and in-service educational institutions, and professional organizations. Social networks can be used to provide educators with career-long personal learning tools and resources that make professional learning timely and relevant as well as an ongoing activity that continually improves practice and evolves their skills over time. Online communities should enable educators to take online courses, tap into experts and best practices for just-in-time problem solving, and provide platforms and tools for educators to design and develop resources with and for their colleagues.

As educators it is imporant that we review the National Educational Technology Plan, ISTE Standards along with our states adoption of the 21st Century Overview: Readiness in Massachusetts.

In this Video David Rose the Director and Chief Scientist at CAST (the Center for Applied Special Technology) and a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His talk touches on everything from how technology can help schools overcome their “print disability,” to how technology can individualize learning and help kids become “expert learners,” to how it helps with tasks that humans aren’t good at so teachers can embrace their creativity and spontaneity. For a few more information you can check out some tweets from the Teacher Talk.

A few questions to think about:
Does the technology in your school support the goals in the National Technology Plan?
How does the material covered in our class meet the needs of all students?

Learning from Twitter and inspired by others

2011-03-02T12:44:00.007-05:00

I was online Sunday using twitter and found two tweets that sparked my interest.

1. Pat Larkin @bhsprincipal at Burlington High School, hosted a day of learning #ntcamp along with @gregkulowiec from Plymouth. Yes, learning on the weekend. The topic 'Choose Your Own Adventure' using YouTube/Spotlight. Here is an Intro video to the ntcamp. The topic - "How to Make an Interactive Lesson Using Youtube" On the site is an example of a "GMAT Choose Your Own Adventure" In your Youtube account (you need to create the account), and then take some time to check out the Spotlight tool. Here is a tutorial that walks you through the process of using the tool. Greg Kulowiec @gregkulowiec particpated in the camp and blogged about his class social studies class implementing 'Choose Your Own Adventure'. Greg was featured on WBUR's (90.0, Boston NPR Station) "Here and Now" program on February 18th. This type of activity and learning connects to 21st Century Learning and Creativity as discussed with Sir Ken Robinson in this interview (Time 17:40 or on TED)
I tweeted the link out to a few of my teachers and today met with students to explain the concept. The students are going to review the blog, video and tutorials and come up with their own Adventure and present it to me this week.

2. The second tweet that caught my interest was a project that incorporated Skype with the "World Read Aloud Day" which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9th. For details http://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday. Angela Maiers send out a tweet looking for people to sign up. I am looking to recruit teachers in my school and my graduate program to take part in this event.

I continue to be amazed at all the learning and 24x7 PD that I can access on twitter.

Please share something you found on twitter that inspired your teaching and classroom.

MESPA Group - Daily updates Diigo Group Classroom 2.0 - Topic Evernote

2011-02-28T08:00:00.004-05:00

I have a Diigo Account and subscribe to a few groups, today I received an update from Classroom 2.0 http://groups.diigo.com/group/classroom20. If you have signed up for the account I would suggest you subscribe to this group.

Today's topic/post was from the blog Stump The Teacher: Evernote 101 . Please watch the video tutorial on using Evernote (digital binder mobile device for notetaking, more on the education series). You can link twitter to Evernote as well. Link to move video tutorials from Stump the Teacher.

Enjoy!

Social Learning Handbook

2011-02-27T20:46:00.008-05:00

I just read the Social Learning Handbook by Jane Hart. The book was a great review of many of the sites we use in our Professional Development and graduate class. Jane does a great job connecting the "tools" with the role and desire to learn. A quote from the book regarding social media
"This is an essential and defining point about social media; It has turned the concept of "learning" on its head. It's no longer about waiting to be taught or trained, but about individuals having the power in their own hands to deal with the learning problems much more quickly and efficiently than before."
The book looks at both theory and practice. In the first part of the book there is a focus on the worplace and learning the difference beween training and social learning. The second part looks at many of the key social technologies and how they can be used to work smarter. (More on the contents )
Below is a presentation to support the book and links to the the site http://c4lpt.co.uk/

A new approach to workplace learning

View more presentations from Jane Hart

Webiste http://c4lpt.co.uk/ and Top Tools

Jane on Twitter: @C4LPT her pick of the day http://janeknight.typepad.com/

Quabbin Day 2

2011-02-22T11:09:00.001-05:00

Having a great day wtih teachers from the Quabbin School District

More links to come... Glogster link
Wordle.net

Quabbin 2.0 Class

2011-02-21T09:52:00.003-05:00

Welcome

- Registration (FSU Form)

- Google Accounts

Demonstrating Blogger and Google Docs to class.

Creativity and 21st Century Learning
Sir Ken Robinson - Video ASCD - http://bcove.me/yvs3hoob Time 17:40
More on TED http://www.ted.com/speakers/sir_ken_robinson.html

CoSN Releases Guide to Help School District Leaders Rethink Internet Use Policies

2011-02-20T16:21:00.002-05:00

CoSN releases Guide to Help School District Leaders Rethink Internet Use Policies

Please take the time to review and comment on the your schools districts policies around Web 2.0, Social Media and mobile devices. We can further discuss and compare our districts in class.

Acceptable Use Policies in Web 2.0 & Mobile Era

The growing emergence of Web 2.0 and mobile devices has rapidly increased Internet use in schools across the country. Consequently, this has added to schools’ responsibility for dealing with safety and access issues,” said Dr. James Bosco, Principal Investigator for CoSN’s Participatory Learning in Schools: Leadership & Policy initiative. “This trend has also increased the need for district-level leadership to set policies that prevent potentially harmful and inappropriate Internet use, while also striking a balance with allowing access to these technologies to promote innovation in teaching and learning.”

More on Social Media Guidelines

http://socialmediaguidelines.pbworks.com/

I look forward to discussing with you in class.

Nashoba wins the ACFTL Video Podcast!

2011-02-16T14:10:00.003-05:00

Nashoba's French III students are the winners of the ACTFL Video Podcast Contest.
They won the popular vote and judges vote. Newspaper Article on Nashoba
The year's theme for the Video Contest - Why I am a 21st Century Learner"

Or click here to see the video.
Thanks to all my twitter friends that supported Nashoba students!

Edchat

2011-02-15T20:50:00.012-05:00

MESPA Weekly Chat topic on #edchat.
Watch the Animoto for more details about #edchat (Tuesday's @7:00 PM)
Did you participate in twitter #edchat discussion this evening?
Much of the conversation this evening focused around textbooks and e-readers.
I always enjoy videos produced by (Dr. Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University). Here is another interesting video that connects to the #edchat discussion this evening.

Enjoy the video and learning between our weekends.

By the way, I was in Best Buy yesterday and noticed there were QR codes on most of the products and flyers with directions to use with your phone. Here is a video I found online showcasing Best Buy and QR Codes.

Post a comment and share what you are exploring this week.

Mary

Happy Valentine's Day - Using Word Clouds from your blog

2011-02-14T09:08:00.029-05:00

Word Cloud using Tagxedo

Word clouds can be used for a variety of activities, including advance organizers, summaries, and text analysis. If you click on the image it will bring you to the website and show the words from the blog. Tagxedo is a word cloud site but in order to use you may need to download Silverlight to create clouds. I entered my blog address, picked a shape and created the heart for Valentine's Day.

And one more...

Reminder

#EdChat for Tuesday's twitter conversation.
What is #edchat hashtag on Twitter? Who are the moderators?
What are the details? How do I join? Watch the Animoto and more details.

#edchat on Twitter

Have a great day!

Blogging with MESPA (and Bloom's Taxonomy with Web 2.0)

2011-02-12T13:01:00.008-05:00

Showing Google's Blogger to my MESPA Class and 21st Century vocabulary using wordle.

Here are some tutorials to Blogger to help you set up your blog and get started blogging. You will post two topics to your blog each week and incorporate some of the Web 2.0 tools into the Google Site and/or blog.

Below is an image with a collection of Web 2.0 tools organized into an interactive pyramid of the Bloom's taxonomy levels of Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating. I am familiar with some of the tools covered in the pyramid. I found it to be a good visual reminder of both the Bloom's levels and Web 2.0 tools. We have been exploring several Web 2.0 tools as part of this class.

Twitter as a Learning Tool

2011-02-10T13:27:00.003-05:00

Recently, I have been trying to explain why twitter matters as a tool for teaching and our own professional development to a group of administrators.

Follow Jane Hart's blog, pick of the day http://janeknight.typepad.com/ and came across a post "Twitter as a Learning Tool for surgeons" she has a link to the episode of Grey’s Anatomy that showed the use of Twitter as a learning tool for surgeons, here are some clips on YouTube.
Doctor Bailey introduces Twitter as a learning tool to broadcast surgeries over the internet. The chief on the other hand, is not very happy about the idea. At least not at first.

Enjoy!

2011-01-31T16:55:00.003-05:00

If you use Google Apps for Domains or Google Apps for Enterprise, you can now add Aviary to your apps account (for all users) effective immediately.

Learn more http://www.aviary.com/

test mm record.egg on Aviary.

More http://www.aviary.com/tools/Myna

Facebook for Learning

2011-01-23T11:19:00.000-05:00

An interesting blog post from Jeff Utecht's "The Thinking Stick" about Facebook referencing Devin Schoening and his school . At BLC he passed along how his school is using Facebook in 1st Grade to create a community. See the (district Policy and presentation in prezi ).

21st Century Skills and reflection

2011-01-16T22:24:00.010-05:00

21st Century Skills Presentation - created with Prezi

This presentation was created to provide

teachers in my school with an overview of 21st Centruy Skills as outlined in the Paternships for 21st Century Skills. P21 Framework presents a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes (a blending of specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies) with innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century. I have included information oon the National Educational Technolgy Statndards (NETS) for teachers along videos supporting 21st Century Skills in education.

This was my first attempt at creating a prezi and I hope to present during an upcoming staff or professional development sessions in the near future.

21st Century Learning on Prezi

Snow Day

2011-01-12T10:43:00.003-05:00

It's great to have a snow day in the middle of the week! I plan to get caught up on some reading and preparing for an upcoming graduate class. I have experiment with Prezi and LiveBinders in the past but never actually incoporated into one of my classes. Hopefully, by the end of the day I will have a few created. I also plan to spend sometime on twitter in order to incorporate current content into my class.

Document camera - IPEVO Point 2 View

2011-01-07T11:25:00.003-05:00

Last summer I delivered a SMARTboard class and a few of the teachers wanted a low cost document camera. I recommended the IPEVO Point 2 View a (low-cost) and easy to travel with document carmera. I have a few teachers testing out ipads and math apps on the iphone and it setups and works nicely. It easily connects to a USBport on a computer and along with a projector you can deliver to a large audience. A document camera can be used with student work, to markup papers, display images from a book, photographs and of course you can project anything 3-dimensional. So far, I am inpressed with the camera and for the price ($65.00) I find it a useful tool for the classroom. I plan on testing out with a class using Glogster (the webcam grab feature) later this week instead of a webcam.

Start the year off right resolutions from Edutopia

2011-01-06T16:51:00.001-05:00

Start the year off right resolutions from Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/files/existing/edutopianews_010511.html

Apply for Travel Grants
Educators can enrich their profession with globe-trotting experience -- and get funding to do it.
Use Twitter to Expand Your Network
Find out why educators are buzzing about Twitter chats, and how to get started.
Try a New Project If you haven't already experienced the power of project-based learning, get ten tips for how to start this year
High School Projects

TEDxSaskatoon Alec_Couros Networks, Openness, and the Future of Education

2011-01-02T21:30:00.003-05:00

TEDxSaskatoon Alec_Couros Networks, Openness, and the Future of Education link

Travel

2011-01-02T17:25:00.001-05:00

I have enjoyed the holiday break. My daughter is heading off to Italy next week and created a blog http://lauren-marotta.blogspot.com/ in order to update our family on her travel plans.
In April I will be going to Greece with a group from my high school (Greece - Land and Sea) Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. http://www.teachbytravel.com/itineraries/las.html

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T09:34:00.007-05:00

As we close out another year, enjoy the inspirational video about teaching and self reflection for the new year.

Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xuFnP5N2uA&feature=player_embedded

From http://teachinghighschoolpsychology.blogspot.com/
The Value of Self-Reflection - Any Time Of Year, It's Important To Self-Reflect
Examining What Worked And What Failed In The Past Can Lead To Future Triumphs
By Beth Lewis, About.com Guide

In a profession as challenging as teaching, honest self-reflection is key. That means that we must regularly examine what has worked and what hasn't in the classroom, despite how painful it can sometimes be to look in the mirror. Then take your answers and turn them into positive, resolute statements that give you concrete goals on which to focus immediately. Be honest, work hard, and watch your teaching transform for the better!

Ask Yourself These Tough Questions - And Be Honest!
Where did I fail as a teacher in the past? Where did I succeed?
What is my top teaching goal for the coming year?
What can I do to make my teaching more fun while adding to my students' learning and enjoyment?
What can I do to be more proactive in my professional development?
What resentments do I need to resolve in order to move forward more optimistically and with a fresh mind?
What types of students do I tend to ignore or do I need to spend more time serving?
Which lessons or units am I only continuing to perform out of habit or laziness?
Am I being a cooperative member of my grade level team?
Are there any aspects of the profession that I am ignoring out of fear of change or lack of knowledge? (i.e. technology)
How can I increase valuable parental involvement?
Have I done enough to foster a productive relationship with my administrator?
Do I still enjoy teaching? If not, what can I do to increase my enjoyment in my chosen profession?
Do I bring additional stress upon myself? If so, how can I decrease or eliminate it.
How have my beliefs about learning and pedagogy changed over the years?
What minor and/or major changes can I make to my academic program in order to directly increase my students' learning?

What Happens If You Refuse To Self-Reflect
Put earnest effort and pure intention into your self-reflection. You don't want to be one of those stagnant teachers that drably presents the same ineffective and outdated lessons year after year. The unexamined teaching career can lead to becoming just a glorified babysitter, stuck in a rut and no longer enjoying your job! Times change, perspectives change, and you must change in order to adapt and remain relevant in the ever-changing world of education.

Nashoba's ACTFL Video Podcast Contest 2011

2010-12-22T14:46:00.003-05:00

ACTFL Video Podcast Contest 2011
Nashoba's French Class submission
Mrs. McHale's French Class December 2010

Going Around the World In The 21st Century from nashobanews on Vimeo.

Picasa slideshow

2010-12-22T11:46:00.002-05:00

Using Slideshows on Blogs

2010-12-22T08:33:00.002-05:00

Flickr Slideshow

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmarotta/sets/72157625526192165

Super Book of Web Tools for Educators

2010-12-16T08:54:00.008-05:00

A preview of “Super Book of Web Tools for Educators”
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/12/super-book-of-web-tools-for-educators.html
Technology in Schools: An Administrators View

More Read full post (290 words, 1 image, estimated 1:10 mins reading time)

Super book of web tools for educators

View more documents from Lee Kolbert.

K12 Online Conference 2010 and Assessment

2010-10-04T08:24:00.001-04:00

K12 Online Conference 2010 - Preconference Keynote Oct 11th, regular presentations October 18th-25th 2010 K12 Online Conference 2010 - PRESENTERS and NING

Web 2.0 Rubrics from Discovery Education
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

Demonstration of Picasa Web Album

2010-08-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

Podcast - Best Practices in the Classroom

2010-08-22T12:22:00.004-04:00

Below is a podcast that I created with Microsoft PowerPoint and Community Clips for a graduate class, featuring Best Practices.

Find more videos like this on Nashoba

To see more of the Best Practices link to the Google Site/Wiki

SmartBoard Class this week!

2010-08-17T17:21:00.001-04:00

Teaching a SMARTBoard Class this week using SMART NoteBook!
Posts on 8/13 and 8/16 for start of class
Class Blog http://smartinteractiveclassroom.blogspot.com/

Topics for class one
SMART Notebook software 10 Getting Started
A summary of what’s new in SMART Notebook 10. SMART Notebook software 10 Getting Started
A summary of what’s new in SMART Notebook 10.
View each tutorial individually, or Watch the entire 30-minute overview. http://www.smarttech.com/us/Resources/Training/Training+Search
SMART Notebook software 10 - Getting Started
Tutorial 1: Activation
Tutorial 2: Finding What You Need
Tutorial 3: The Ink Layer
Tutorial 4: Managing Pages
Tutorial 5: The Properties Tab
Tutorial 6: The Lesson Activity Toolkit
Tutorial 7: New Tools in SMART Notebook 10

Projector BrightLink 450Wi Interactive Projector

2010-08-06T10:59:00.003-04:00

BrightLink 450Wi Interactive Projector

Allows any surface to work as an interactive whiteboard

SMARTboard with projector attached

Connecting Books with you class

2010-08-06T10:50:00.002-04:00

The Word Eater

The Author's site http://www.maryamato.com/

VoiceThread Reflection

2010-08-06T08:46:00.004-04:00

Take 4 - Link to VoiceThread http://voicethread.com/share/1266126

Addtional links and information from class

2010-08-05T10:03:00.010-04:00

Afternoon
Google Sites - Classroom Example
http://sites.google.com/a/googleclassrooms.org/mrs-richau/Home

AM - Session
Upcoming Conferences

MassCUE http://masscue.org/Conference/index.html
Christa http://www.nhcmtc.org/

Here is a talking sunflower using Blabberize
You can also try xtranomal

Day Two the learning continues

2010-08-03T09:31:00.010-04:00

Day Two
1. Skype with Maria Knee (blog)
- Kathy Cassidy blog and website http://kathycassidy.yolasite.com/

2. Please take the following survey
3. Here is a link to the class googel site / wiki
4. Wallwisher - join our class conversation
19 Ways to use Wallwisher in the classroom (Tom Barrett)
5. edu Glogster Mulimedia posters
6. Animoto for education (slideshows)
7. Wordle http://www.wordle.net/

Welcome Mashpee Teachers - Day One Web 2.0

2010-08-02T07:51:00.003-04:00

Mashpee - Day 1 - Notes and links from class (backchannel http://todaysmeet.com/mashpee
Take the survey "Getting to Know You"

A group of teachers are gathered today to learn about Web 2.0. We are learning about blogging and twitter.

Registration and logistics
FSC registration form (Course Number: PDMT 6332 Schedule Number (CRN): 50871 Graduate Credits at $255 TItle Integrating Web 2.0 Tools into the Classroom
The Machine is Us/ing Us (Final Version)
A few Blogs to read -
Will Richardon http://weblogg-ed.com/ (twitter)
David Warlick http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ (twitter)
Eric Langhorst http://speakingofhistory.blogspot.com/ *social studies (twitter)
Darren Kuropatwa http://adifference.blogspot.com/ *math (twitter)
Maria Knee The KindersBlog Maria Knee
Create or use your Google Account
iGoogle (mini tour video)
Micro blogs with Twitter (Twitter in Plain English)
Create your Twitter Account (learn more)
- Follow on Twitter (follow me http://twitter.com/mmarotta )
- Above bloggers (twitter links) and a few more....
- BHS Principal https://twitter.com/bhsprincipal
- Free Technology for Teachers http://twitter.com/rmbyrne
Getting Started with Blogger (Tutorial)
Create a blog (add a post)
Post a comment (moderate)
Lunch
Add items to Blogger (Video, Slideshare, etc)
Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XMa91uf-so

Post a response/comment at the end of the day. What do you think about blogging?

Vacation

2010-07-31T23:24:00.003-04:00

Vacation Week -What a beautiful week on the Cape.

I was able to spend time in Harwich, Chatham and Mashpee last week.

Shark sightings in Chatham caued quite a a buzz this week. Five great white sharks were spotted near Chatham’s South Beach, some spotted as close as 100 yards from the shore. It prompted the harbormaster to close the beach to swimming and prompted the state to take action.

It was great to kick back and relax!

Summer Course

2010-07-18T20:35:00.004-04:00

Week of Monday - July 19th -23rd

Using Social Networking and Web 2.0 Technologies in the Classroom - ITC6513
NEU Class blog http://neuweb2.blogspot.com/
Looking forward to another Web 2.0/Social Networking class this week.

Vacation Week - July 25th - August 1st!!

Are you interested in taking future PD sessions?

2010-07-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

I you are interested in future PD classes on a PART II of this class, please comment below.
Thanks!
Mary

Web 2.0 in the Classroom

2010-07-16T10:46:00.005-04:00

Day 5
Topics
RSS and iGoogle / Google Reader
Google Lit Trips
Poll Anywhere

Voicethread for reflection
Link http://voicethread.com/share/1247869/ (to view larger size)

Examples of Voicethread (look under browse)
or http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/

Poll Everywhere
1. Example text
http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/MTMxMzAwMzgzMg
Text 33396 and your message to 22333

Are you having a good day?

Web 2.0 Presentations tools and multimedia

2010-07-15T10:36:00.002-04:00

Welcome back. Today we will review the following:

Presentations using Google/Presentation and SlideShare

Here is an example of a Google Presentation for this class.

SlideShare on Web 2.0

You Too Can Use Web 2.0

View more presentations from valeriev.

Blended Learning - Day 3

2010-07-13T15:10:00.010-04:00

Wednesday's Activities

1. Join the back channel http://todaysmeet.com/nmpd (give me a few
    updates during the morning)
2. Twitter - send out a few tweets and follow a few people #NMPD
     7 Things to know about twitter
3. Skype (download) if possible with a colleague
4. Use one or two tools (Word Cloud Wordle, Tagxedo, Ning, Blogger, Google Site,Glogster, VoiceThread, other) or a new tool (Wallwisher, xtranormal, animoto , pixton comics, itunes/podcast or suggest one in the comment section below)
5. Add infomation images, etc to the Google Site "Your Page"   http://sites.google.com/site/nmpd2010/
6. Post a reflection at the end of the day in the comment section below http://techdi.blogspot.com/

Explore and have some fun!!

When you return on Thursday you can share your findings with the class.

Optional/Additional Assignment:
Assessment in a Web 2.0 World (listen) to this podcast and/or in iTunes
Eudcause podcast: Assessment in a Web 2.0 World (19 mins)
http://www-cdn.educause.edu/sites/default/files/eli09-assessment.mp3
More Educause links on web 2.0

The learning continues

2010-07-13T13:33:00.004-04:00

Day 2 -
Skyp (with Pat and Nicole)
Twitter/Tweetdeck #NMPD or BackChannel with Today's Meet
Vocabulary using Wordle http://www.wordle.net/ (top ten ways to use)
Google Form/Survey (assessment...)
Google Site http://sites.google.com/site/nmpd2010/ Add your page, image and video

Filter in School? Download a YouTube Video using Zamzar http://zamzar.com/
Review expectations for online session.

Other options - Do you have itunes? Download a podcast related to Web 2.0.

Enjoy the rest of your day, see you online tomorrow!

Learning about Web 2.0

2010-07-12T11:28:00.009-04:00

Day 1 - Notes and links from class (backchannel http://todaysmeet.com/nmpd )
Take the SURVEY "Getting to Know You"

A group of teachers are gathered today to learn about Web 2.0. We are learning about blogging and twitter.

Registration and logistics
The Machine is Us/ing Us (Final Version)
A few Blogs to read -
Will Richardon http://weblogg-ed.com/ (twitter)
David Warlick http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ (twitter)
Eric Langhorst http://speakingofhistory.blogspot.com/ *social studies (twitter)
Darren Kuropatwa http://adifference.blogspot.com/ *math (twitter)
Create or use your Google Account
iGoogle (mini tour video)
Micro blogs with Twitter (Twitter in Plain English)
Create your Twitter Account (learn more)
- Follow on Twitter (follow me http://twitter.com/mmarotta )
- Above bloggers (twitter links) and a few more....
- BHS Principal https://twitter.com/bhsprincipal
- Free Technology for Teachers http://twitter.com/rmbyrne
Getting Started with Blogger (Tutorial)
Create a blog (add a post)
Post a comment (moderate)
Lunch
Add items to Blogger (Video, Slideshare, etc)
Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XMa91uf-so

MTA Social Media (Nashoba featured)

2010-07-07T07:35:00.006-04:00

Last month I was contacted by the MTA do discuss how I was using social media with teachers and students. Here is a link to this month's issue [pdf] Page 23

This year, Nings have taken root all over Nashoba Regional High School, where several educators are using the closed online networks. Last summer, Mary Marotta, integration technology specialist at Nashoba, joined a Ning set up forparticipants of a technology conference. She was impressed, and she started to learn about and share other educational networks she found with others on the Nashoba staff, starting with

the English Companion Ning. “I like to refer to it as Facebook for English

teachers,” she said. “It’s a place where teachers go to help other teachers.”

“Journalism in the 21st Century,” a senior elective taught by Nashoba English teacher Adrianne Locke, was a natural fit for Ning. “The current tech tools aligned with the journalism,” Marotta noted.“With Ning, we’ve been able to create a virtualnewsroom for the journalism courses,” Locke said. “It was a forum for students to continue class discussion outside of the physical classroom and a

legitimate place to publish student work.”

Collegiality among students is also a theme over at Laura Pagington’s AP Government Ning. “Students use the Ning to discuss current events outside of class,” Pagington said. The online forum saves class time needed for instruction, she explained, and good online conversations also find their way back into class discussion.

Marotta and her Nashoba colleagues point out that an important feature of Ning sites is a set of administrative controls that enable teachers to close a site to outsiders and create an approval process for posting that is appropriate for their classes. (It is worth noting here that Ning is discontinuing its free

educator accounts in July. As MTA Today went to press, its Web site said the company was hoping to

secure a sponsor for educational accounts.)

Andrew Garcia, who is featured on the cover article on social media in education, offers tips for fellow educators on the MTA YouTube Channel.

You can follow the MTA on twitter @massteacher

ISTE Denver today!

2010-06-28T10:30:00.002-04:00

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!

NING and Pearson

2010-06-27T17:46:00.002-04:00

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!

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

2010-06-21T08:45:00.010-04:00

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.

ISTE Conference 2010 - Denver June 27th - 30th

2010-06-17T21:32:00.003-04:00

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.

Journalism, Assessment and Rubrics

2010-06-16T12:41:00.007-04:00

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.

Creating quizzes in Moodle

2010-06-14T16:53:00.001-04:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Creating quizzes in Moodle

View more presentations from eaglestone.

Assessment

2010-06-14T16:19:00.007-04:00

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

2010-06-14T11:55:00.002-04:00

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

Social Media in the Classroom

2010-06-08T21:15:00.007-04:00

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

Record Screencast Videos with Microsoft Office Community Clips

2010-05-25T12:49:00.002-04:00

I have been using a new product by Microsoft called Office Community Clips, the screencasting software for Windows (link) can capture all your desktop activity including the keystrokes and audio. You can quickly and easily create videos or screencasts so student can access and review the lesson at a later time,. This is a great way to differentiate your instruction.
When using with PowerPoint you can synchronize your slides and voice when preparing online lessons. If you are using a tablet PC you can record math lessons and post online, allowing students the opportunity to review a lessons. It's quick and easy to learn!
When you install Community Clips, it adds a small record button to the Quick Access Toolbars of Word, Excel and PowerPoint that allows one-click recording of the application.
Office Community Clips Download Link Office Screencast VideosUpdate: Since Community Clips can record audio, you may also use it for recording videos of your PowerPoint slides with the narrations.
Also see: Record PowerPoint Presentations as Video Files

Wrapping it up - IGD Course

2010-05-07T17:15:00.005-04:00

Wrapping thing up -- Session Five Presentation and Assignment
Please upload your reflection, see below in presentation, in order to recieve your grades.
Group A - Post by 5/4 - Group B - Post by 5/11

1. Go to the Class PD Sandbox Reflection page
http://sites.google.com/a/lunenburgonline.com/pdsandbox/reflection-final
2. Create and Upload a document, outlining the following:
- What you have learned in the class
- What you have created
- What you have used with students
- What you plan to do with Google Docs/Site
Name the file your lastname_reflection and upload to Group A or B
3. Please take the Course Evaluation Survey
4. Review each other google sites!

I hope to see all of you in another course next year! I enjoyed working with you and implementing Google Docs in your district!

Mary

Internet Safety Video and Digital Students

2010-05-07T17:00:00.005-04:00

I wanted to share with you an excellent video presentation by Ann Collier. The link to the video is below. It is long but worth it. It is an excellent resource helps to understand how our students are using Web 2.0 tools and why it is important for us to understand their perspective before we can begin to help them use these tools safely and ethically. (link)

Ann Collier Bio: Anne currently serves as co-chair (with Hemanshu Nigam of News Corp.) of the Obama administration's Online Safety & Technology Working Group and on the advisory boards of the London- and Washington-based Family Online Safety Institute, the National Crime Prevention Council's Circle of Respect Initiative, and GetNetWise.org, a project of the Washington-based Internet Education Foundation. In 2008, she served on the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, formed by 49 state attorneys general and Fox Interactive/MySpace and based at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. She also works in close association with London-based Childnet International.

Harness Your Students Digital Smarts
Direct link: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis-video

Google Apps Users Will Get All Google Services Later This Year

2010-05-07T12:47:00.000-04:00

Google knows that those using their Google Apps suite on their own servers are hungry to catch up with all the services open to plain old Google accounts—use Google Reader, blog with Blogger, track company mentions in Google News, and the like. Good news, then—Google's said they will "dramatically accelerate customer access to innovation," moving all Apps customers over to a new framework that should lessen the number of account switches needed. Until that happens, peep at Gina's work-arounds and explanations for Google Apps' shortcomings. [Google Enterprise Blog via ReadWriteWeb] more

Group B - Session Five

2010-05-04T10:31:00.002-04:00

Group B will meet for our last session tomorrow evening.
Please see Session Five Presentation below for agenda and final assignments.
I hope you have a great professional development showcase this afternoon.

Session Five

2010-04-28T15:46:00.006-04:00

Session Five Presentations
Please upload your reflection, see below in presentation, in order to recieve your grades.
Group A - Post by 5/4 - Group B - Post by 5/11 - thank you!
Please take the Course Evaluation Survey

Practice using Aviary (audio file share in google docs)

Beethoven.egg on Aviary.
link http://aviary.com/launch/Myna?fguid=4afe3564-a874-102d-a9f3-0030488e168c

Best Practices .. A reflection

2010-04-20T21:04:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone -
I hope you are enjoying your week off. I wanted to share with you a presentation that I created for a graduate class that I am taking a Northeastern. Originally, I was asked to present the material in a meeting and it was later decided that we would meet online using BlackBoard and Wimba. I needed to provide a presentation, voice over and examples of best practices. See the presentation below.

Find more videos like this on Nashoba

I wanted to use Google Presentation but as discovered in class I was not able to incorporate audio. I used PowerPoint 2007 with Community Clips, and then linked to a google site. Feel free to view the presentation and visit the Google Site http://sites.google.com/site/bestpracticesforneu/.

I thought this might be a good example of a teacher portfolio as discussed in class last week.

Enjoy!
Mary

Session Four - Sites and Portfolios

2010-04-11T21:28:00.008-04:00

Summary of session four

Google Sites (e-portfolios and google sites)

Sample High School Portfolio link
High School Guidance Department Ashland link

Other - Use a Webcam to watch wildlife
MCAS video YouTube MCAS
Lunenburg - Pam Site

Hamlet video
Videos for math and science

Google Apps Lesson from the Classroom - Post a comment

2010-03-25T22:55:00.002-04:00

As you continue to explore all the features of Google Apps, below is a link to Webinar with various examples of a school using Google Apps in the Classroom. Now know many of the pieces of google I hope you find the webinar helpful.

Post a comment/update on the lessons you located or any new lessons you have tried with students.

Webinar - Google Apps Lessons from the Classroom
Posted: 25 Mar 2010 03:59 PM PDT Yesterday, Google Certified Teacher Henry Thiele conducted a webinar in which he shared examples of how his school district uses Google Apps for Education. The webinar includes examples of project based learning using online tools. You can watch the webinar in the video embedded below. The slides from the webinar are available here. The Q&A transcript can be found here.

National Education Technology Plan 2010

2010-03-23T13:51:00.003-04:00

“By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.”

A link to the draft of the National Education Technology Plan.
You are encouraged to post a discussion groups with various stakeholders and share your comments, ideas, and links to appropriate videos, stories and research.

Commenting is available at the bottom of each page, enabling you to provide comments within the context of the plan and we will make this feature available for the next sixty days. Thank you. Video of Secretary Duncan. Read more ...