Wiki Wednesday #6 - Voicethread 4 Education

My experience with using Voicethread is very limited.  In fact I have not had the pleasure of using the software at all, although I have heard a lot of wonderful things about it.  While looking around some Wiki's, I came across Voicethread 4 Education.  It greatly improved my knowledge about what Voicethread is and how it works.

What I like about this wiki is its organization.  Very often you will find Wikis (since it is visitor submissions) that are scattered and hard to follow.  This Wiki is well maintained and has an easy to follow set up without many distractions.  First thing of interest is the Classroom Partner option.  A chart with other educators using Voicethread so that you can learn from each other.  A Voicethread PLN.

Want to include your own Voicethread, the creator Colette Cassinelli (Who is available to follow on Twitter) has done a great job of explaining the process for adding Voicethreads.  Another way to help keep the Wiki organized.  Another great organized feature is the sidebar.  You can find samples and resources organized by grade level.  Within the pages are both links to Voicethreads as well as embeded Voicethreads.  There are also sections related to Administration, college, library, Special Education, ESL/ELL/EFL.

A very important page to visit will be Best Practices.  A great way to learn about how to use Voicethread.  This is the page that I visited first.  Lesson ideas and a presentation with ways to use Voicethread in the classroom.  Voicethread is free and educator accounts are encouraged if going to use the software.  You can get more information about Ed.Voicethread on the Resources Page.

Let this Wiki be your home page for Voicethread information.

Flixtime

I know we are all fans of Animoto and many of us use PhotoPeach, well now there is another option.  Flixtime allows you to upload photos, video, and add text, then choose a tune and you are ready to share your film.  It claims 3 quick steps and 3 minutes.  You can create 60 second videos for free.  It appears that it also takes care of all the transitions for you as well.  I did not see an option for education, so if it is going to compete with Animoto for Education, they are going to have to provide an option.  For more information I suggest that you watch the Demo video on the front page.  Sign up is easy and no email verification is required.

Once you create an account and start creating a new video, you can Add a Cover, Insert a Title, Description, and choose the resolution.  You can upload your own photos, or even choose some from their database (a feature other sites do not have).  Text is limited on each photo and will only go between photos, not directly on them.  You get a Main Title and a Sub Title.  It is fairly easy to organize your film.  A Negative is that in the time it took me to write this paragraph, a photo never loaded...so it seems kind of slow.  Could be the firewall at my school though.

Try it out for yourself.

Twitter Tuesday #7 - A Collection of Tweets

Let me start off today's post by saying that there was a lot of great education chat today via #edchat on Twitter.  If you are available at 7pm EST tonight, I suggest that you join in on the fun.  Topic focuses on the changes in 21st Century Education and 20th Century Education.  While sick I saved a collection of Tweets with valuable resources and information.  I use Instapaper to save Tweets.  It is also available on the iPhone.

1.) I am really interetsed in getting students to use Wiki's at my school...still waiting on a policy for them, but when that time comes, here is a great collection of resources for using Wiki's in the classroom.

2.) Comics in the Classroom - 100 Tips, Tools, and Resources!  I am really big on Comics and the kids love them.  Highly recommend checking this site out.

3.) From the Teacher Reboot Camp - 12 Word Cloud Resources...Something other than Wordle.  She beat me to the punch.  Planned on this for a Friday post, but why reinvent the wheel!

4.) A Huge selection of Web 2.0 resources and blog posts about each one.  Farr-Out Links to Learning.

5.) Posterize Anything - Blockposters is a site to turn anything into a wall poster for free!

6.) Want to increase fiber optic cables in your community or city?  Nomiate your community and see if Google chooses you!

7.) Here is a great social network for art teachers who are wondering how to implement Web 2.0 in their classrooms.

8.) Great list of Web 2.0 resources with screen shots of each webpage.  Addictive Tech Crisps for Education

9.) Colabopad - Interesting new Collaborative Writing Pad - Worth playing around on.

10.) Summer Workation - A place for teachers to find work during the summer.  I know I could always use some extra money.

And just for Fun...Learn Something Every Day.

Must See Monday #7 - Technology Integration...One School at a Time

Let me tell you about what is going on at my school.  I feel that the changes related to technology that we are implementing are a Must See...well, a Must Read.  I am currently working as a Technology Integration Specialist in the first year of a two year grant program to help increase and integrate the use of technology by both teachers and students.  My school is in currently in a Trimester schedule.  Each trimester I will be working with a different subject (English, Math, Social Studies, Science, and the final two trimesters are still in the works) to assist teachers with the development of lesson plans integrating technology and using technology equipment in their classroom.  Until this year, technology was rather limited in our school.  We have plenty of computer labs, but outside of teacher computer stations, teachers had very little of anything else.

The equipment includes:

1.) FLIP Camera

2.) AverMedia Document Camera

3.) SMART Airliner/ Slate

4.) Digital Camera

5.) Digital Video Camera

6.) Projector

7.) Laptop

8.) Turning Point Clicker System.

We are also using a multitude of Web 2.0 software that I have showcased through this blog.  Teachers have thoroughly enjoyed using Wordle, The Hero Factory, Glogster, Wallwisher, and some have used Prezi.  I have also worked at introducing teachers to RSS and Blogging, as well as encouraging creating a PLN on Twitter.  We have had several teachers who have really enjoyed and completely integrated Turning Point into their classroom as well.  Several have replaced paper quizzes with the software.  

Students have also been active in using Glogster as part of technology projects.  Another major project completed by students has been the creation of Webpages.  Students in English classrooms completed Book Reviews, and students in Math classrooms have completed websites explaining math concepts and math in the real world.  Students have also created cartoons and comics in their classrooms.  Comics were really successful in the math classrooms as well.  When I work with Social Studies I am hoping to implement Timeline websites.

As part of the grant, each department receives money to purchase technology equipment as long as they met the guidelines for the Grant.  Recently the English and Math teachers were able to choose some equipment they would like to have in their classroom.  The English teachers requested and have received 5 FLIP Cameras, 2 Projectors, and 5 Document Cameras.  In the math department we were able to get every teacher a projector.  We also were able to provide 3 Document Cameras and an Airliner to math teachers as well.  I have spent much of the past two weeks during the school day installing and setting up the technology equipment as well as training teachers on how to use the equipment.  It is important to note that we have more than tripled the amount of technology in our school this year alone.  

I was provided a cart with the same equipment, and I realized that trying to get teachers to schedule its use was not nearly as successful as just placing the cart in their classroom and giving them the opportunity to see how they would use it.  I realized it was difficult for teachers to plan a lesson including the technology.  They were much more successful when I provided the equipment, and they just took the lessons they had already developed for those days and integrated the technology into what they were already doing.  I had one teacher who realized she would use a Document Camera in every class!  Now I just need to get them to see the extra features of the camera that would make their teaching so much easier.

In several instances we were able to use the SMART Airliner to take an individual assignment a student would work on and make it into a classroom assignment.  In English, we placed a worksheet under the Document Camera and then passed around the Airliner for students to digitally write the answers to the questions.  It was thoroughly enjoyed by students.  It completely changed the impact of the lesson and the teachers were really pleased with the reactions of the students to using the technology.

I have been thoroughly impressed with what many teachers in my school have done with technology in their classrooms, considering it was really an afterthought to their lessons prior to this year.  Several teachers have completely bought into the program.  Several are still working to integrate technology on a regular basis, and are improving as they get adjusted to the idea.

I am sure there are other schools out there who are implementing similar programs.  What are your schools doing?  I know many teachers use technology, but what about your school, outside your classroom?  Be interesting to see what else is going on out there.

Think Twice Thursday #6 - How do you Reflect?

In a continuation of my Tuesday Post about my experiences with #edchat, I thought a lot about what people said, and also what I said myself.  In my new position, I don't get to necessarily teach students anymore.  The previous years as a teacher I would often reflect on my day when I went home and talked to my wife who is also a teacher.  I realize now that I never wrote any of those reflections down.  I can't go back and grow from those discussions with my wife, because I can't remember them to this day.

One of the suggestions that I made was that teachers should blog as a method of reflection.  It would be an easy way for administrators to open up a dialogue with their teachers about what is going on in their classroom.  It is difficult for administrators to get to a teachers classroom more than maybe once a month.  So, for any administrators reading this blog, I suggest that you THINK TWICE about asking/suggesting/requiring your teachers to create a reflection blog.  They could even attach documents and lesson information which could alleviate the portfolios or assessment notebooks they are already doing.  This would be a good way for you to assess the effectiveness of teachers in your building, because they are assessing their own effectiveness.

I always thought about writing a book about all the funny things that students say and do when I retire.  A blog would have been a good way for me to remember those.  Teachers could use a blog to write about classroom experiences, student humor, lesson successes and failures, and ask questions that readers of the blog could answer.  Readers could offer support and suggestions about an issue that the teacher might be struggling with that they discuss on their blog.  Self-assessment is probably the best kind of assessment that one could do.  A blog would be an excellent way to reflect.  So to teachers that read my blog, I suggest that you THINK TWICE about how you reflect, and start reflecting by creating a blog.  Within this blog assess the effectiveness of your teaching, lessons, assessment, activities, and relationship with your students.

This blog has been a great way for me to organize and share much of the ideas, thoughts, and resources that I find useful and that I have shared with the teachers in my building.  With my new job there are plenty of instances that offer chances for reflection.  Tuesday's #edchat got me thinking about reflecting about my own experiences.  So it is a double standard for me to sit here and suggest to my readers that you all should blog, if I myself do not do it.  So I am going to THINK TWICE about how I reflect and assess my effectiveness by creating a reflection blog about my experiences as a Technology Integration Specialist.  If you maintain a blog and are out of the classroom, you too should THINK TWICE about keeping a reflection blog to assess your effectiveness.

I will be starting one shortly and will share once I get it off the ground.  I am thinking of titling it "Reflection = Happiness???"

Another point/suggestion made during #edchat to get teachers encouraged to blog at my school was for me to offer to watch one of their classes one day for creating and maintaining a blog.  While subbing in their classroom I would do a lesson with technology.  I think I will look into this.  I will let you know how it goes if I decide to tackle such an interesting concept.  Must thank ElephantsGerald for the suggestion.

Create a blog, and THINK TWICE about assessing your effectiveness.