Mr Bass Online

Sites referenced:

Google Docs
Etherpad
Mind Meister
Bubbl.us

 

METC (Midwest Education Technology Conference) is held in St. Charles every spring to bring together educators from around the region to learn from each other. For the past two years, METC has offered up a virtual conference where they stream featured speakers live online during the conference. This year they’re also offering archived versions of these talks for the rest of the school year. Think of it as free, online professional development that is available to you whenever and whereever you want it. The topics vary and the speakers are nationally recognized as thinkers and innovators in technology integration.

Speakers include:

• Rushton Hurley – Foreign language teacher, Google Ceritified Teacher and founder of NextVista.org (a non-profit organization promoting student created videos)
• Renee Hobbs – From Temple University, Hobbs is one of the leading authorities on media literacy education in the US. Author of Copyright Clarity.
• Kevin Honeycutt – Former art teacher, TIS at ESSDACK in Kansas and advocate for at-risk students.
• Lee Crockett – Director of Media for the InfoSavvy Group and author of numerous books including Understanding the Digital Generation and Living on the Future Edge.

Each of these presenters offers great experiences and insights into the future of education and how technology plays a role in it today. Each of these is 50 minutes long so if you only have time for a few, I highly recommend viewing the following sessions:

• The Kids Need Us – and – Technology by Rushton Hurley
• Living on the Future Edge by Lee Crockett
• Student Publishing and Remixing: Keeping it Safe and Legal – Panel discussion

METC is a great conference right in the St. Louis area. I highly recommend it for your own professional development and these virtual offerings bring some of the best sessions of the conference from speakers that you may never have the opportunity to see, right to your computer. Remember, these aren’t up there forever so take some time to see what’s going on in the world of educational technology at the METC Virtual Conference.

 

Yesterday my 7 year old son asked, “Can we go to www.nickjr.com?”, after seeing that come up while he was watching one of his shows. Playing along, I asked him what he meant by “go to”. He told me to turn on the computer and type it in and the computer would take me there. Now, he’s 7, but it’s also just part of his world. He, like many of our students, have never lived in a house without a computer or without cell phones that could connect to the internet. At some point, I’m going to teach him about how all that works, but I also realize, he probably won’t care. It doesn’t matter to him how it works, just as long as it does. I’m going to teach him anyway though so that he will be able to decipher the information and understand how the web works. He, like all our students, will be accessing the internet more and more to get their information. So as you talk to your students, it’s important to help them become more web literate so they are better able to think critically about online information and validate that information for accuracy. What follows is a breakdown of the basic structure of a web address.

Everytime you type a web address into a browser you are actually connecting to a server where that houses the website file and all the images and content on that page. The server actually has a similar set up to your own desktop or laptop computer in that there are folders (called directories) where those files are held. So think about your My Documents folder and the files and folders in there. Websites work basically the same way and your browser gives you access to those files. But, there’s a lot more to a web address than just connecting to a website. So let’s take a look at what makes up a web address.

A web address is also called a URL (Universal Resource Locator). When you type in that web address, your browser goes out to the internet and connects you to the server that houses the files that make up that website. The browser then translates those files into a useable format so that you can see the information as the creator intended. A URL is actually made up of a few parts.

The first piece is the protocol. This tells your computer and browser what to do with the files that you are about to get. The most common protocol you probably see is http://. Http stands for “hypertext transfer protocol” and that tells your computer that you are about to look at a website.

Here are some other protocols you may have seen before:

• FTP – file transfer protocol – allows you to upload and download files to a server.
• POP3 – post office protocol version 3 – an email protocol that allows you to download email to a program or device
• SSL – secure socket layer – a security protocol that keeps you safe when putting in passwords and account numbers

The second part of a URL is called the domain. The domain is what you probably remember best when you go to a website. If you wanted to go to the National Geographic website, you’d type in nationalgeographic.com. That’s the domain for that website. However, the domain is made up of two parts, the word “nationalgeographic“, and the extension “.com“. There are obviously tons of domains out there and there are lots of extensions including .edu, .net and .org.

Many times, that’s all you need to get to a website’s homepage. However, some times there’s additional information on these pages. For example, the website for the Instructional Technology Department is http://www.parkwayschools.net/tis. The “tis” called a subdirectory. This is a folder that’s on the server that holds other files that can then be displayed. Just like on your computer, there may be a number of subdirectories in in your URL.

The final portion of the URL is the actual file that is being displayed. This might end in .html, .pdf, .jpeg, etc. These are the actual file names that are on the server. In the url http://www.parkwayschools.net/tis/filmfestival/index.cfm, the very last part “index.cfm” is the file name that is displayed. Below is an entire URL broken down into it’s basic parts.

When your students do a search and get a website with a long url, it’s important to teach them what these pieces are so that they can determine the validity of the information. So many times students will cite the first 1 or 2 results in a search as the authority. By teaching them to look at the URL and break it down, that’s one more tool they have to think critically about the information they’re finding. For more information on web literacy, Alan November has written a book entitled, Web Literacy for Educators that has this information and more. It’s important for our students to be critical consumers of information.  This is just one of many methods to help them reach that goal.

 

I, like many of you, became a teacher because of a teacher that I had when I was in school. During my senior year, my College Prep Writing instructor was that teacher. Part of it was his style, part of it was the size of my class, but most of it was what he got out of me. Before his class, I didn’t really like English. I enjoyed reading and I felt like I was an OK writer, but during that semester I learned more from him than I felt like I had in any other class I had taken. I know that’s not entirely true, but that’s what it felt like as a 17 year-old. I wrote and wrote and wrote for Mr. Graziano always trying to improve, not for the grade, but for his approval, my sense of accomplishment and for the sake of the writing. It was fun and madening all at the same time. Looking back at that time, he’s truly the reason I became an English major and ultimately got into education.

One of the things that he did masterfully was give me feedback on my writing. He didn’t make corrections for me, he pointed things out and allowed me to work through them. I wanted the grade, but that wasn’t my motivation. In his research Robert Marzano has identified feedback as “the most powerful single modification that enhances achievement”. In his book, Classroom Instruction that Works – Research based strategies for increasing student achievement, (Marzano, Pickering, Pollock, 2001), Marzano cites four generalizations to help us guide feedback.

Feedback should be:

1. “Corrective” in nature.
2. Timely
3. Specific to criterion
4. Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback

There are lots of ways to provide this feedback and technology and the web can greatly enhance the ease of providing and access to this feedback. The document below is a list of different tech tools that will allow for a variety of feedback types.

If you’re interested in trying any of these with your students, email me and we’ll set up a time to work on how to integrate this into your lesson.

Cross posted to Tech4Practice.

Today as I was looking through my reader, I noticed an old headline on the Presentation Zen feed that I continued putting off looking at because I wanted to be able to spend some time reading and thinking about it.  Today I finally clicked on the title “The Animated Sir Ken Robinson” and am so glad that I did.  I’ve been a fan of Sir Ken Robinson for quite awhile and was interested to see how Garr was going to write about presentations and Robinson’s work.  I was not disappointed.  The video below is one created by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) that takes one of Robinson’s talks and basically animates it.  Take a look, I find it fascinating to watch the artist work.

As far as the talk goes, I like the overall message and agree with it.  However, the reason I keep thinking about it is because of the combination of the talk itself and the visuals that were created.  It’s stuck in my mind for hours now and I can’t seem to shake it.  That’s a powerful presentation.  Here are a few things that I think are simply outstanding.

1. When Robinson is talking about the the current reality of schools the artist has placed the students on a conveyor belt.
2. Robinson says that we shouldn’t be boring our students and putting them to sleep, but rather waking them up.  I remember the teacher who “woke me up”.
3. I find his idea that education right now is about conformity rather than about learning interesting.

There are many other pieces of this talk that I liked and agree with but, for me, it was the combination of the two.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  I’m looking forward to looking at the RSA Animate video on 21st Century Enlightenment.

* The animation for this video is done by Cognitive Media and is also worth a look.

A version of this post is cross-posted to Tech4Practice as well as the Northeast Middle School Friday Flyer.

Nonlinguistic representation through Technology

Recently Ben Dueker (Communication Arts teacher at Northeast Middle School) and I had some conversations around vocabulary instruction and how to use technology as a way to enhance the study of words in the context of a curricular area.  In this way, students can “Acquire” the knowledge of the definition, “Make Meaning” of the word based on class discussions and their own personal experiences and then “Transfer” that knowledge as they use the word to create their own synonyms and graphics.  Below Ben has written up his process.

When introducing new vocabulary terms I put a picture of the key term on the Smartboard and have a student read their definition aloud. Then, as a class, students come up to the board and write synonyms or examples of the key term. I often choose pictures that require students to think about the picture in relation to the word and come up with a connection.  For example, when we are discussing the word “acquire”, I have a picture of a gymnast associated with that word. Through class discussion, students work to create a connection between the picture and the word.  In this case a gymnast must practice every day to “acquire” the skills necessary to compete. When we finish with the discussion, the student has a paper copy where they have written the definition, drawn their own picture, and recorded synonyms and examples as a class.

This approach to vocabulary instruction is supported by Robert Marzano in his research on nonlinguistic representation.  In his book, Classroom Instruction that Works – Research based strategies for increasing student achievement, (Marzano, Pickering, Pollock, 2001) Marzano cites some findings that support this approach to word study:

“The more we use both systems of representation – linguistic and nonlinguistic – the better we are able to think about and recall knowledge. This is particularly relevant in the classroom, because studies have consistently shown that the primary way we (teachers) present new knowledge to students is linguistic. We either talk to them about the new content or have them read about the new content.”

By introducing vocabulary with an image, we are adding an additional representation that will help students connect to their understanding of that word in the context of a curricular area.  Additionally, one of Marzano’s nine instructional strategies is that of Nonlinguistic representation which, when implemented, results in an average 27 percentile gain in student achievement and has shown that it can enhance student’s ability to construct knowledge around a concept. Using the SMARTboard, as Ben does, for vocabulary instruction can have a dramatic impact on how students create and retain knowledge.

This is a fairly simple technique that can have lasting effects on the understanding and recall of key concepts for students. Since digital content is readily available to use and display in the classroom, using nonlinguistic representations of concepts can be a powerful learning tool in the classroom.

Below are some other examples of nonlinguistic representation as well as some online or software resources:

• Using graphic organizers
  1. Inspiration
  2. Webspiration http://www.mywebspiration.com/
  3. Bubbl.us https://bubbl.us/beta/
  4. Mind Meister http://www.mindmeister.com/
• Generating mental pictures
  1. Photostory
  2. Animoto http://www.animoto.com
  3. Windows Movie Maker
  4. Presentation Programs
     • Prezi http://www.prezi.com
     • Google Presentations http://docs.google.com
     • SlideRocket http://www.sliderocket.com
• Drawing Pictures and Pictographs
  1. Draw.to http://www.draw.to
  2. Dabble Board http://dabbleboard.com/
  3. Gliffy http://www.gliffy.com/
  4. Mug Tug http://mugtug.com/sketchpad/
  5. Drawing tools in Microsoft Paint
• Engaging in kinesthetic activities and Making physical models – Video – record students using Flip cameras
  1. Windows Movie Maker
  2. Jaycut http://jaycut.com/ – online video editor
  3. Manipulatives in SMART Notebook

Cross-posted on Tech4Practice and Northeast Middle Friday Flyer

Google has given educators a number of tools for use in the classroom, but their main purpose is still to find information through their search engine. They can find information for us in seconds, but so many times that information is spread across so many different sites that deciphering it becomes the real challenge. Google Squared (http://squared.google.com) is an attempt to make those search results a little more usable. When doing a search in Google Squared, the search term pulls specific information that it sees as relevant and puts it into a grid with categories to organize the information. Here is an example of one I did on British poets.

If you visit the site, you’ll see that the search has pulled the name, picture, description, date of birth, etc. into a grid allowing students to compare the poets in a meaningful way without have to visit site after site. They can then use their critical thinking skills to decide what information is important and what is not. They can even change the categories, share their “squares” or export them to a separate spreadsheet program. Finally, these “squares” can be saved as a webpage, exported to a spreadsheet program or simply save it for future use. It uses Google’s searching techniques, but organizes the information differently. We still need to help students learn how to search for relevant information, but the layout of Google Squared lets students sort that information in a different, and possibly more meaningful, way.

Google Squared
British Poets Save Square
Filmmakers Square

Cross posted on Northeast Middle School Friday Flyer

I made this VoiceThread how-to to help teachers in my buildings get started using VoiceThread.com.  Feel free to use as you see fit.

Using VoiceThread (pdf)

Web 2.0 has been a buzzword for the last few years and none of the tools that I’m about to tell you about are necessarily new, however, sometimes it’s good to create a list for teacher use. While there are 10 tools here, I don’t mean to make this a top 10 list. Think of it more like a cross section of some of the tools that are out there. So, here, in no particular order are 10 Web 2.0 tools to engage students and make your life easier.

1. Wallwisher – Basically, this is like an online bulletin board that doesn’t require a login for students or teachers to leave a comment, message, image, music or links.

Possible uses:

• Use it as a parking lot for collaborative groups or professional development
• Post assignments
• Student reflection of an activity or daily learning
• Question forum
• Parent sign up as field trip chaperones, sign up to bring things to a party, etc.
• Interest inventory or assessment of prior knowledge

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2. Etherpad – Etherpad was a startup company that was purchased by Google last year. Google decided that they would release the code used to create Etherpad as an open source project for anyone to use. So, Etherpad.com is no longer in existence. But, there are a number of people who have taken the open source project and created their own, free Etherpad sites for public use. Two that are readily available are ietherpad.com and typewith.me. Basically, etherpad is a free online collaborative writing space which requires no login for students and is immediately updated on everyone’s screens. Just send or post the link to your webpage and anyone will be able to join and etherpad gives all users their own text color.

Possible uses:

• Brainstorming
• Schedules
• Group writing
• Group reflections
• Peer editing

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3. Weblist.me – Weblist is a bookmarking portal where a user can create smart lists from URLs, photos, music, videos, documents and files that can then be shared. The smart list is then displayed in thumbnail view for browsing, sharing, and organization.

Possible uses:

• Resource portal for assignment or lectures
• Presentation url list
• Bookmarks
• Organizing research
• Sharing images and video

Sample Smart list

• Copyright Friendly Image Search
• Math Sites for K-2

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4. Delicious – A social bookmarking site that allows you to tag and keep bookmarks like you would in a browser, but allows access on any computer with an internet connection. Each time the user bookmarks a site there is the option to categorize the site using tags that you generate that can then be sorted and searched. Each tag and bookmark list also creates an RSS feed for subscriptions.

Possible uses:

• Resource list
• Research
• Annotations
• Sharing sites with classmates

Delicious Examples:

• All My Bookmarks
• My bookmarks tagged “Google”

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5. Skype - Skype is a great instant messaging/VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) allowing you to use your computer as a phone of sorts. Using Skype you can make voice and video calls to another computer as well as communicate with any of your Skype contacts through text as an instant messaging client. When making a voice call, you can even share your screen with whomever you’ve called to show them a document or how to do something on the computer. The Instructional Technology department uses it every single day to communicate across the district.

Possible uses:

• Virtual office hours
• Remote assistance
• Video conferencing with experts
• Homework help
• Video conferencing with students who are absent (long term illness)

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6. Mailcatch – Mailcatch is a service that provides disposable email addresses so students that don’t have email addresses can sign up for services like Google Docs or Voicethread. So many services require valid email address in order to create an account and then they send a link to that email account to verify that whoever is trying to sign up for their service is actually a person and not a automated computer. I have not been comfortable having students create email addresses without their parents’ permission, yet I still want them to have access to the tools we are using. Enter mailcatch. Students can sign up with a mailcatch.com email address, but they can’t actually send email from it, they can only receive email, click the verification link and then they can sign in to the web service with an account, but no email. To see an example of how this might work, I’ve created a video that walks you through the steps to sign up for Voicethread.

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7. Glogster – Glogster is a tool that allows users to create virtual, multi-media posters that can include text, images, and video. Teachers can create glogs for their students to use and students can make glogs as class projects. Here are some examples categorized by content area.

Possible uses:

• Webquest
• Projects
• Anything that you’d normally create a print poster could be made into a glog

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8. Google Squared – Google has given educators a ton of tools for use in the classroom, but their main purpose is still a search engine. Google can find information for us in seconds, but so many times that information is spread across so many different sites that deciphering it becomes the real challenge. Google Squared is an attempt to make those search results a little more usable. When doing a search in Google Squared, the search term pulls what it sees as the relevant information and puts it into a grid with categories to organize the information. Here is an example of one I did on film makers. If you visit the site, you’ll see that the search has pulled the name, picture, description, date of birth, etc. into a grid allowing students to compare the film makers in a meaningful way without have to visit site after site. They can then use their critical thinking skills to decide what information is important and what is not. They can even change the categories, share their “squares” or export them to a separate spreadsheet program. It uses Google’s searching techniques, but organizes the information differently.

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9. Bubbl.us – Mind mapping software is not anything new, we’ve been using Inspiration in the district for years, but Bubbl.us is an online version that seems to work really well. What’s nice about this version is that it’s sharable and since it’s online, no software is required on your computer, everything is online. That means that when you (or your students) need to work on a project on different computers, there is no need to try to transfer via a flash drive or save it to server space, Bubbl.us stores it online. Just login and all your mind maps are right there. Below is an example of part of a mind map that I made as a part of a presentation that I did on writing in the 21st century. The audience gave me suggestions and we plugged them in as we went.

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10. Dropbox - Do you use more than one computer? I do. Actually, I use lots of them. Dropbox allows me to share my files across computers by syncing anything that I place in a specific folder to their webservers. The client can be installed on any number of computers and all files that are synced to the Dropbox servers are then synced across any computer (regardless of operating system) with the client installed. Additionally, all files can then be access from any computer with an internet connection as well as many mobile devices. You can also share your Dropbox folder with other people so if you’re collaborating on a project, sharing files is a snap. All files are backed up to the Dropbox service included as a part of the basic service.

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This is not an exhaustive list of Web 2.0 tools by any means but it does give you a starting point for some that are less well known. Good luck and enjoy your online journey.

This post was written in response to a request made at a technology meeting by teachers looking for some new tools to use with their students.

I’ve been thinking a lot about authentic audiences for the past few weeks and decided that it might help me to talk through some of my thoughts on the film festival that I run and the reasons that I think it’s so important.  If you listen, hopefully you’ll be able to learn from me and, in turn, I would like to learn from you.  Below you will find the two videos that I reference in the podcast as well as a link to the gallery of all films that were created for the film festival.  Leave me a comment or drop me an email with your thoughts about whatever comes up for you.  Thanks for stopping by.

Life of Bus One

Outsider Jeans

2010 Parkway Digital Film Festival Gallery

Authentic Audience – MP3 file