Here is the presentation that I am presenting at TeachMeet today in Nashville about using Web 2.0 tools to supplement your lecture. It also offers way to take Web 2.0 tools and have your students do your lecture for you.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Twitter Tuesday - March Final Edition
Hard to believe that we are already at the end of March. Considering I started this blog and started using Twitter in December, I wonder what I would have known had I started in August, or even last school year. I am doing a Professional Development on Twitter and Blogging and hope to transmit how Twitter and Blogging have transformed my passion about education, teaching, and students. So much is lost these days with legislation and budget cuts that we are forgetting who is affected the most. Students.
But enough rambling, time for the great Twitter Tweecap from the past week.
1.) As a History teacher, a Ning like this would be really beneficial. The Teaching History with Web 2.0 Tools is great for social studies teachers to join and share how they are using Web 2.0 in the Social Studies Classrooms. By the way, when I shared this Ning on Twitter last week, it went from 6 members to 31. And the Ning was created as part of a PD. You can see the creators blog here
2.) The 23 Things Project is designed to help introduce you to tools that can help transform your classroom, school, and teachign style. Thanks to @Web20Classroom for such a great project and idea. Also another great link from his Blog is "Why a PLN?" A great voicethread!
3.) Want to learn more about Web 2.0? Well take a class! This is a self paced experience to help you learn about Web 2.0 and create an online protfolio. Great to share with new teachers and teachers interested in using Web 2.0.
4.) 25 Essential Free iPhone Apps for e-Learners
5.) TubeChop - Allows you to easily chop sections of YouTube videos and save for later.
6.) Dreams of Education - A new blog by @ktenkely that discusses all things that many of us wish education would be and focus on. Looking forward to it as an addition to the Blogging Alliance :)
7.) My school system uses Turning Point because of its easy integration with Power Point. Here is a list of 10 Ways to use Turning Point to make your classroom interactive.
8.) Share with your students the 15 Essential Web Tools for Students. Gerat stuff!!!
9.) From @RusselTarr - A great way to edit pictures online using Cut My Pic. Also a great Countdown Timer...that lets you choose music and upload your own!!
10.) Want to build a website? Try one of these 45 Web Builders. Really? That Many?
11.) A MUST READ!!! 10 Gaps in Education that don't get enough Press
12.) Interested in starting a Blog using Blogger? Check out these Blogger Video Tutorials.
13.) Lit 2 Go - A great way to put literature on your students iPods. Especially if you have an iPod Touch Prorgam.
14.) Want to share files online? Here are the 5 Best Sites for Online File Storage and Sharing.
15.) Fresh Brain - A place for students to create Facebook Applications, Video Games, and Videos.
16.) Math teachers are always looking for movies to show in class. Well, this website has a TON of clips. Way to go Harvard!
17.) Constitution Facts - Great for government classrooms. I was always looking for a great way to teach the Constitution.
18.) A Wallwisher Wall trying to findout what your favorite Web 2.0 Tools are. Share your favorites.
But enough rambling, time for the great Twitter Tweecap from the past week.
1.) As a History teacher, a Ning like this would be really beneficial. The Teaching History with Web 2.0 Tools is great for social studies teachers to join and share how they are using Web 2.0 in the Social Studies Classrooms. By the way, when I shared this Ning on Twitter last week, it went from 6 members to 31. And the Ning was created as part of a PD. You can see the creators blog here
2.) The 23 Things Project is designed to help introduce you to tools that can help transform your classroom, school, and teachign style. Thanks to @Web20Classroom for such a great project and idea. Also another great link from his Blog is "Why a PLN?" A great voicethread!
3.) Want to learn more about Web 2.0? Well take a class! This is a self paced experience to help you learn about Web 2.0 and create an online protfolio. Great to share with new teachers and teachers interested in using Web 2.0.
4.) 25 Essential Free iPhone Apps for e-Learners
5.) TubeChop - Allows you to easily chop sections of YouTube videos and save for later.
6.) Dreams of Education - A new blog by @ktenkely that discusses all things that many of us wish education would be and focus on. Looking forward to it as an addition to the Blogging Alliance :)
7.) My school system uses Turning Point because of its easy integration with Power Point. Here is a list of 10 Ways to use Turning Point to make your classroom interactive.
8.) Share with your students the 15 Essential Web Tools for Students. Gerat stuff!!!
9.) From @RusselTarr - A great way to edit pictures online using Cut My Pic. Also a great Countdown Timer...that lets you choose music and upload your own!!
10.) Want to build a website? Try one of these 45 Web Builders. Really? That Many?
11.) A MUST READ!!! 10 Gaps in Education that don't get enough Press
12.) Interested in starting a Blog using Blogger? Check out these Blogger Video Tutorials.
13.) Lit 2 Go - A great way to put literature on your students iPods. Especially if you have an iPod Touch Prorgam.
14.) Want to share files online? Here are the 5 Best Sites for Online File Storage and Sharing.
15.) Fresh Brain - A place for students to create Facebook Applications, Video Games, and Videos.
16.) Math teachers are always looking for movies to show in class. Well, this website has a TON of clips. Way to go Harvard!
17.) Constitution Facts - Great for government classrooms. I was always looking for a great way to teach the Constitution.
18.) A Wallwisher Wall trying to findout what your favorite Web 2.0 Tools are. Share your favorites.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Must See Monday #12 - Digital Story Telling
Digital Story Telling is the idea of taking pictures and videos to tell a story. There are a lot of sites and software out there that allow you to complete such a task. A lot of educators have favorited Animoto because they have an education account that allows students to get complete use of their website. Another option is Photo Peach, which is great for teachers because it allows you to instantly create a quiz from your Digital Story. The newest one on the scene is Flixtime. Then of course, their is the original Photo Story from Microsoft. These are not the only options though. I have discovered three new ones that I think are of interest in sharing here. One True Media, Masher, and Stupeflix are sites that could be used as Digital Story Telling websites.
QuickTime (.mov)
Audio Video Interleave (.avi)
Windows Media Video (.wmv)
3G Mobile Phone Video (.3gp, .3g2)
JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg)
The editing tools allow you to add text slides as well as captions. There is also the option of editing the photo after it has been uploaded. The feature so far that I have not seen elsewhere is the ability to add styles, which is basically creating background and inclusive effects for your project. There is also the feature of adding music to the presentation, with the ability to upload your own. If students really like their creation there is also the option to purchase a DVD version of a Digital Story.
First and immediate thought about Masher, Email Verification. Makes it pretty hard to use in the classroom since most schools ban outside email account use by students. Same as the others though. It allows for the uploading of photos, videos and the slection of music. A feature I had not seen on others that Masher has is special effects that happen over the photo. The sample I watched had "fireworks" appear. Not sure I like that for educational purposes because it could be a distraction from the purpose of the Digital Story. What also stinks about Email Verification is in the time it took me to type this post, I have yet to receive my email to be verified so that I can use their website. Slow turn around will make me go elsewhere. Makes it hard to tell you about the site when I can't get access to it. I double checked my email as well.
Stupeflix (Why do I feel like I am saying Stupid Flix) does not require email verification, but does require the usual information to sign up. First thing I notice that is different is the choice of a theme. You have four options, which I think all can be adapted to a student project. You can add the usual photos and videos from your computer or other media sites such as Facebook, Picasa, and Flickr. You are able to watch the progress as the pictures are uploaded. What I do like, is adding text gives you the option of as either captions or before the images. The music option only allows uploading from your computer; they do not have music on the site to choose from. Organizing of Photos is very simplistic as well. A very simple user interface.
One thing I noticed with these sites is that my Firewall and Proxy settings inteferred with the uploading of my photos. Might be best to upload to Picasa or Flickr and then use them.
If looking for music for Digital Stories, I suggest Royalty Free Music as a good place to start.
One True Media requires email and password set up, but there is no email verification required. Immediately I noticed that it informs you how long it will take to upload files over a certain size and the type of files that it will accept. Upon uploading you can monitor progress making it easy to know where you are at when uploading mulitple files. The following are supported file types:
MPEG (.mpeg, .mpg, .mp4) QuickTime (.mov)
Audio Video Interleave (.avi)
Windows Media Video (.wmv)
3G Mobile Phone Video (.3gp, .3g2)
JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg)
The editing tools allow you to add text slides as well as captions. There is also the option of editing the photo after it has been uploaded. The feature so far that I have not seen elsewhere is the ability to add styles, which is basically creating background and inclusive effects for your project. There is also the feature of adding music to the presentation, with the ability to upload your own. If students really like their creation there is also the option to purchase a DVD version of a Digital Story.
First and immediate thought about Masher, Email Verification. Makes it pretty hard to use in the classroom since most schools ban outside email account use by students. Same as the others though. It allows for the uploading of photos, videos and the slection of music. A feature I had not seen on others that Masher has is special effects that happen over the photo. The sample I watched had "fireworks" appear. Not sure I like that for educational purposes because it could be a distraction from the purpose of the Digital Story. What also stinks about Email Verification is in the time it took me to type this post, I have yet to receive my email to be verified so that I can use their website. Slow turn around will make me go elsewhere. Makes it hard to tell you about the site when I can't get access to it. I double checked my email as well.
Stupeflix (Why do I feel like I am saying Stupid Flix) does not require email verification, but does require the usual information to sign up. First thing I notice that is different is the choice of a theme. You have four options, which I think all can be adapted to a student project. You can add the usual photos and videos from your computer or other media sites such as Facebook, Picasa, and Flickr. You are able to watch the progress as the pictures are uploaded. What I do like, is adding text gives you the option of as either captions or before the images. The music option only allows uploading from your computer; they do not have music on the site to choose from. Organizing of Photos is very simplistic as well. A very simple user interface.
One thing I noticed with these sites is that my Firewall and Proxy settings inteferred with the uploading of my photos. Might be best to upload to Picasa or Flickr and then use them.
If looking for music for Digital Stories, I suggest Royalty Free Music as a good place to start.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday Focus - Social Signature For Me
Recently, as in this week, a fellow educator and tech savvy Twitter colleague decided to pursue the creation of his very own Web 2.0 website. Jason Bedell, who not only was creating this site, but also organizing TeechMeet in Nashville, posted on his blog a beta version of a Social Signature Creator that people could create for their blogs or websites. This signature creator would contain the icons of social media sites that you would like visitors to your blog to see so that they could follow you in other places on the web.
The beta version was a great concept, and within a few days, this beta version with a few social media sites had grown into a Social Signature Creator with around 20 Social Media sites and its ver own URL and Domain. Social Sig For Me is a great concept considering the growth of Social Media. Also consider that other options out there are not as extensive or as easily customizable. Social Sig For Me is still a work in progress, and suggestions for other Social Signatures would be greatly appreciated so that the site can grow.
You can see a sample of the signature at the top of my blog.
I encourage you to use, share and help support the creation of this Web 2.0 website by a fellow educator.
The beta version was a great concept, and within a few days, this beta version with a few social media sites had grown into a Social Signature Creator with around 20 Social Media sites and its ver own URL and Domain. Social Sig For Me is a great concept considering the growth of Social Media. Also consider that other options out there are not as extensive or as easily customizable. Social Sig For Me is still a work in progress, and suggestions for other Social Signatures would be greatly appreciated so that the site can grow.
You can see a sample of the signature at the top of my blog.
I encourage you to use, share and help support the creation of this Web 2.0 website by a fellow educator.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wiki Wednesday #9 - THREE!!
Normally I try and stick to just one Wiki for my Wednesday post, but I have come across three really good ones that I thought I should share, and the great thing about them is that they all center around Web 2.0. Each of these will offer lessons, links, resources, etc. I am really impressed with all these.
Here is a Wiki dedicated to Digital Story Telling. There are links to free images and audio and information about copyright. There are also links to Story Starters, Lesson Plans, and Projects using Digital Story Telling Tools. I realized visiting this site that there are a lot more options out there than Photo Peach, Animoto, Flixtime, and Photo Story. There is also a section that offers links to examples of Digital Stories. Looking for articles discussing the use of Digital Stories? There are tons of those as well. Take some time to visit this site, especially if planning on creating a Digital Story. It is a great starting point and a great resource for teachers hesitant about creating a Digital Story.
A combination of Web 2.0 tools and 21st Century education. The front page of the wiki has all the resources linked by category in alphabetical order. There are direct links to tons of Web 2.0 tools and software as well as links to reviews that people have done on their blogs. A great idea to organize and promote your blog.. The author of the Wiki has also authored six volumes of digital books that contain information about the Web 2.0 tools and 21st Century Education. Definitely worth checking out and sharing with colleagues.
Another great Web 2.0 Wiki. What I like about this Wiki is the organization and images on the front page that organize Web 2.0 tools to Cognitive Level, Learning Style, Stage of Inquiry, and Categories. Resources are also organized by what you are wanting to do and then it links to possible resources. The contributors to this Wiki have done an excellent job. It has a lot of wonderful aspects of a Wiki. There is even a quiz and crossword puzzle to test your knowledge on using Web 2.0 Tools that could be very useful for teachers. In the end all of the resources are broken down by category. And the homepage is a Glog!
Take a minute to visit and contribute your own thoughts and resources. This is the greatest aspect of a Wiki. With the growth of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools, a Wiki is going to be the main way to obtain and organize information.
And don't forget to add ways that you have used Facebook in Education to the following Wiki
Here is a Wiki dedicated to Digital Story Telling. There are links to free images and audio and information about copyright. There are also links to Story Starters, Lesson Plans, and Projects using Digital Story Telling Tools. I realized visiting this site that there are a lot more options out there than Photo Peach, Animoto, Flixtime, and Photo Story. There is also a section that offers links to examples of Digital Stories. Looking for articles discussing the use of Digital Stories? There are tons of those as well. Take some time to visit this site, especially if planning on creating a Digital Story. It is a great starting point and a great resource for teachers hesitant about creating a Digital Story.
A combination of Web 2.0 tools and 21st Century education. The front page of the wiki has all the resources linked by category in alphabetical order. There are direct links to tons of Web 2.0 tools and software as well as links to reviews that people have done on their blogs. A great idea to organize and promote your blog.. The author of the Wiki has also authored six volumes of digital books that contain information about the Web 2.0 tools and 21st Century Education. Definitely worth checking out and sharing with colleagues.
Another great Web 2.0 Wiki. What I like about this Wiki is the organization and images on the front page that organize Web 2.0 tools to Cognitive Level, Learning Style, Stage of Inquiry, and Categories. Resources are also organized by what you are wanting to do and then it links to possible resources. The contributors to this Wiki have done an excellent job. It has a lot of wonderful aspects of a Wiki. There is even a quiz and crossword puzzle to test your knowledge on using Web 2.0 Tools that could be very useful for teachers. In the end all of the resources are broken down by category. And the homepage is a Glog!
Take a minute to visit and contribute your own thoughts and resources. This is the greatest aspect of a Wiki. With the growth of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools, a Wiki is going to be the main way to obtain and organize information.
And don't forget to add ways that you have used Facebook in Education to the following Wiki
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