What is the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest and who can enter?
The PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest is a national-local contest designed to promote the advancement of children’s reading skills through hands-on, active learning. The Contest encourages children in grades K-3 in communities across the country to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original pieces.
When does it start and how do I sign up?
The Contest starts in January 2012. To download an entry form click here. To find out where to send your entry, choose your station here.
Can I see stories from other Contest years to get ideas?
Yes! You can see all stories from previous years, going back to 2001, by visiting Story Central. Take a look at the national winners and think about your own favorite stories. What do they have in common? What do you like most about them? We also created a Writers Guide to help, you can find that here.
Free books can be found everywhere–if you know where to look. Below you’ll find 50 places offering free books online, including fiction and nonfiction ebooks, audio books, poetry, reference books and even free textbooks.
http://education-portal.com/articles/Free_Books_-_50_Places_to_Find_Free_Books_Online.html
I have had a bunch of folks ask me about this very topic and low & behold, my friend, Wesley Fryer, has a great tutorial on how to set up your calendar and make it work with Google calendar too.
Unlike the previous version of MobileMe, Apple’s new iCloud service does not appear to provide a direct way to share a “read-only” webpage or embeddable version of a calendar. In this post, I’ll share how to use the free web service 30boxes to publish a combined iCloud Calendar and Google Calendar. This can be handy if you want to publicly or privately share your calendars from iCloud and Google Calendar with other folks on a webpage.
“Today is Digital Learning Day, a national promotional effort by the Alliance for Excellence in Education to call attention to using technology in schools. More than 10,000 teachers and 1.5 million students have signed up in support to “celebrate innovative teachers and highlight instructional practices that strengthen teaching and personalize learning for all students,” according to the AEE. To that end, a repost of Adam S. Bellow’s Golden Rules of Technology in Schools, as he stated them at the ISTE 2011 conference.
Read the original story, CLICK HERE”
Mind|Shift is always a thoughtful blog, but today’s post is exception.
First, don’t trap technology in a room. Yup, I Agree! I am in schools all over the nation and that is the case way to many places!! Let’s change that!! Technology needs to be seamless and a part of our curriculum, not something that is only scheduled or added on or “special” down the hall locked up.
Second is that technology is worthless without professional development. So true, there is even research to support the fact that Professional development makes a difference.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IN THE LEARNING PROFESSION: A Status Report on Teacher Development in the United States and Abroad© February 2009 National Staff Development Council. (NSDC) ndsc report Feb 2009.
Third, mobile technology like the iPad is really anywhere, anytime learning. Should learning stop when a kid walks out of the school building? I think not! I was in Texas recently doing professional development in a school district that is purchasing 24,000 iPads, yes, I really said 24,000 iPads. They will be using iPads K-12 and kids, all kids, get to have the iPads 24/7 and 365 days a year. They even get to take them home over the summer. The philosophy is that learning doesn’t stop when the school year ends. Wow, what a concept!! 
I believe more and more that the 3 month break in the summer is not a good thing. I always find fall semester much more difficult that spring semester. Hmmm…..
Fourth, the new F word is fear. Boy you can say that again. Brad Flickinger has a post on his blog, actually it is a series of posts and I agree with his thoughts today……..
“Some times when I am speaking at a conference about iPads in education teachers will share a concern that they have about every student getting an iPad. They are worried than the students will just work in isolation and our society will become even more fractured and self-centered with students never learning to work together.
They imagine a room full of kids with headphones on just plugged into their iPads like a room full of zombies. I had this same concern when I started to design my lessons that used iPads. I made sure that most of the lessons involved team work and collaboration (a 21st century skill).”
Fifth, tech tools are a FAD. Are ya’ kidding me, just try taking my iPad away from me or anyone for that matter!! Every school board member, school administrator, teacher, parent, etc, etc, really needs to get on board. Technology is not going away, just moving faster and many educators are being left in the dust. What a dis-service this is to our youth!! We all know the standardized test is not going to solve anything with our schools. In fact I think we need to take those politician and make them teach in a real classroom for about a week and then let’s talk about education!!
Sixth, money, schools constantly use the EXCUSE that money is the problem for lack of or limited technology. That is just BS!! There is a ton of free stuff on the Web that any teacher can take advantage of every day. I realize there must be hardware purchases, but today this hardware can replace expensive textbooks, and if you take it a step further and go nearly paperless, think of the savings there. With creative thinking and budgeting, it can be accomplished. Just a little thinking outside the box can do the trick!!
Seventh, stakeholders, everybody has to be part of the conversations. A school nearby, Inman, KS has an extremely successful iPad 1:1 going. It is successful because all the stakeholders were involved in the planning and implementation. That is rare. Usually, the Administration makes a decision, mandates teachers do it and then it fails. Not the case in Inman, everyone was involved and the administration actually has set the example for usage. In other words, practice what you preach!! http://www.usd448.com/groups/ipadsinman/ and check out thier NING site http://iteachwithipads.ning.com/.
Right now I have great access to carts of MacBook Pros, and I am not complaining, and over 50% of my students have their own Macs, so all is good. But I do worry that I am not exposing these future teachers to the technology of their futures, iPads. A small percentage of students have iPads, but at this point not enough. Really need to find a solution!!
11 ways to use Evernote in your classroom,
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST
12PM – 1:00 PM, central time
FREE Webinar Registration
New to Evernote? Looking for tips and tricks to get started? Learn 11 easy to follow ways to get started using Evernote in your classroom.
Wesley Fryer, Moving at the Speed of Creativity is proud to announce the worldwide publication and release today of Rachel Fryer’s first eBook, “Snowflake Gets Lost.” I’m the proud papa of Rachel (age eight) who worked from August 2011 through January 2012 during “writing workshop” time in her 2nd grade class in Oklahoma City Public Schools to author this book. Rachel’s classmate, Madison Bertsch, illustrated the text. The book is available for download in both an enhanced/multimedia version (with embedded audio clips of Rachel reading each part) and a standard eBook version for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other eReaders. I created the website MeetSnowflake.com for Rachel and Madison to distribute their free eBook.
Side by Side is a multiple-window reader/browser with offline reading and note taking capabilities. It turns the iPad into multiple resizable reading devices working in parallel.
You can browse webpages, download files, read documents, or take notes on each split screen.
When reading something on the iPad, e.g. a webpage or a PDF document, you might often need some handy tools on the side, e.g. a dictionary, a notepad, your email inbox, your facebook updates, an IM tool to chat with your friends, or a youtube video with your favorite background music. This app provides you plenty of possible ways to organize your beautiful iPad screen.
There are a lot more you can do with Side by Side. You can open a web-based game side by side and play together with your friend. You can also open two similar documents side by side to read and compare.
The start page in the bookmark list provides links to lots of interesting websites (e.g. games, tools) that nicely fit the split touch screen. It is frequently updated.
When you want to focus on one side, you still can cover the full iPad screen with one of the panels.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/side-by-side-dropbox-support/id386528623?mt=8
Take a quick look at iBooks Author, the new tool from Apple that lets you create textbooks for the iPad. You can design and layout pages like in iWork Pages. You can also add special elements like photo galleries, quizzes, 3D objects and interactive images.
http://macmost.com/ibooks-author-overview.html
http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/
Available free on the Mac App store, iBooks Author is an amazing new app that allows anyone to create beautiful Multi-Touch textbooks — and just about any other kind of book — for iPad. With galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, and more, these books bring content to life in ways the printed page never could.
http://gear.lv/wRPJCW – iBooks Author is an amazing new app that allows anyone to create beautiful Multi-Touch textbooks — and just about any other kind of book — for iPad. With galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D objects, and more, these books bring content to life in ways the printed page never could.
iBooks Author makes it simple to flow in text, graphics, movies, and more, so your book looks exactly the way you want. Drag and drop a Pages or Microsoft Word document to the Book navigator to add it as a new section. Then, when you drag and drop in images, your type automatically flows around them.
iBooks Author has everything you need to create a great-looking book. Add text, shapes, charts, tables, and Multi-Touch widgets anywhere on the page with a single click. Mask images, use alignment guides — even add reflections and shadows. It’s as easy as using a word processor, but powerful enough to design more advanced layouts.
Be sure to catch more of our videos by subscribing, or checking us out at http://video.gearlive.com.
Rover is a free education app and the only education browser for your iPad designed for teachers and students of all ages. Rover is targeted towards enhancing the K-12 education experience, bringing the best online learning content to your iPad- including access to content ordinarily available on the Apple tablet (e.g. Flash content).
We have partnered with major education brands, including Discovery Education, to make sure you have access to leading educational content on the iPad. Rover can also be paired with SMART board interactive whiteboards to transform your classroom into a fun, easy to use, and exciting learning lab!
Rover is powered by the iSwifter platform (the world’s first cloud-based Flash streaming platform for mobile devices). We have specifically designed Rover based on feedback from teachers, IT directors and administrators from schools across the country.
Features include:
* Content-filtering in the cloud ensures students are protected from inappropriate content
* No personal data about users is tracked or saved
* Firewall-friendly solution works with existing IT standards and systems in schools
* Easy-to-use and intuitive for teachers as well as students
Cost is Biggest Barrier, Pointing to Need for Free Digital Classroom Resources
http://www.pbslearningmedia.org
ORLANDO, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PBS LearningMedia announced today findings from a national survey of teachers grades pre-K-12 that sheds light on the rising role of technology in America’s classrooms, as well as barriers teachers face to accessing the “right” digital resources. Ninety-one percent of teachers surveyed reported having access to computers in their classrooms, but only one-in-five (22 percent) said they have the right level of technology. PBS released the survey results at the 2012 Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC), where educators from across the country have gathered to share best practices about the use of technology in the classroom.
“Over the past decade, we’ve seen broadening adoption and deeper integration of digital media in classrooms for all age groups, with teachers enthusiastic about the power of new technologies to foster learning”
Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of teachers cited budget as the biggest barrier to accessing tech in the classroom. In low-income communities, this is an even greater challenge as 70 percent of teachers reported it as the greatest obstacle. Teachers in affluent communities also have greater parental and school board support for tech in the classroom compared to those teaching in low-income communities. Thirty-eight percent vs. 14 percent cited high levels of parental support and 38 percent vs. 21 percent for school board support.
While the vast majority of teachers have access to computers, less than two-thirds (59 percent) have access to an interactive whiteboard, a newer technology that can be used more broadly for classroom lessons. Teachers in affluent districts are also twice as likely to have access to tablets as teachers in middle and lower income districts. Still, teachers’ opinion about the ability of tech to enhance learning is universal; 93 percent believe that interactive whiteboards enrich classroom education and 81 percent feel the same way about tablets. This attitude towards technology transcends grade level, the income levels of the student population and the types of communities where they teach.
According to the survey, tech resources used most often in the classroom include: websites (56 percent), online images (44 percent) and online games or activities (43 percent). Increasing student motivation (77 percent), reinforcing and expanding on content being taught (76 percent) and responding to a variety of learning styles (76 percent) are the top three reasons teachers use technology in the classroom.
PBS, a leading provider of free teacher resources and digital content for use in the classroom, has regularly surveyed educators on their use of digital media and technology since 2002.
“Over the past decade, we’ve seen broadening adoption and deeper integration of digital media in classrooms for all age groups, with teachers enthusiastic about the power of new technologies to foster learning,” said Rob Lippincott, Senior Vice President, PBS Education. “It’s clear most teachers are embracing technology and need more resources, and PBS is committed to offering innovative tools and resources to support learning in classrooms across America.”
PBS, together with WGBH and local member stations, recently launched PBS LearningMedia (www.pbslearningmedia.org/), which features a robust library with tens of thousands of digital assets, including lesson plans, background essays, and discussion questions for pre-K-12 educators that align with Common Core State Standards. This free media-on-demand service features content from NASA, National Archives and PBS programs such as NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, and SID THE SCIENCE KID all in one place.
“By offering exceptional, high-quality content free to educators everywhere, we’re meeting not just current needs of under-resourced communities, but also future needs,” said Michele Korf, Senior Executive for Educational Media at WGBH. “PBS LearningMedia has been designed with teachers for teachers. And it will continue to grow and adapt to meet classroom challenges.”
Teachers using PBS LearningMedia can create custom class pages and lesson plans while implementing state standards correlations as well as accessing student management tools, analytics, online professional development, staff training, and a curriculum gap analyzer tool.
Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted by VeraQuest Research and sampled 500 teachers within the United States between December 14 and December 20, 2011. Respondents for this survey were randomly selected from an online panel to be representative of teachers in the U.S. The estimated sampling error for the 500 respondents is +/- 4.4 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
Graphics are available here on About PBS.
PBS LearningMedia is © 2011 PBS & WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.
About PBS
PBS, with its nearly 360 member stations, offers all Americans — from every walk of life — the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches 124 million people through television and 20 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBSPressroom on Twitter.
Wolfram has long been a trusted name in education—as the makers of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, we’ve created some of the most dynamic teaching and learning tools available. We are pleased to offer the best of all of our technologies to you here in the Wolfram Education Portal, organized by course. In the portal you’ll find a dynamic textbook, lesson plans, widgets, interactive Demonstrations, and more built by Wolfram education experts. You can take a look at the types of materials we offer below, but to get full access to all materials, you need to sign up for a free account.
by Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day blog.
(Usually, I just post a weekly version of this regular feature. However, sometimes I post an extra “Special Edition” when I have more good links than usual)
I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab a few and list them here with a minimal description. It forces me to look through these older links, and help me organize them for my own use. I hope others will find them helpful, too. These are resources that I didn’t include in my “Best Tweets” feature because I had planned to post about them, or because I didn’t even get around to sending a tweet sharing them.
Check out the Special Edition of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”:
What’s waiting for you in the cloud? Just about everything.
Apple’s first cloud service, iTools, was introduced in 2000 and was available for free. Then came MobileMe, which added powerful features like data syncing and online storage, so Apple bumped the price to $99 a year. But now Apple has reverted a bit, delivering MobileMe’s most useful services at no charge and rebranding it all as iCloud. And that’s not all—this new service links all of your devices with Apple’s North Carolina data centers to keep both your vital files and your iTunes Store purchases at your fingertips whenever you want them.
Getting Started, CLICK HERE
More than 860 papers you can download and print for free. We’ve got graph paper, lined paper, financial paper, music paper, and more. (Or get them all on CD-ROM for $39.) Printable Paper has been featured by LifeHacker, Kim Komando, Woman’s World magazine, and elsewhere.
Categories include:
- New Additions
- Graph Paper
- Lined Paper
- Logarithmic Graph Paper
- Polar Graph Paper
- Isometric Graph Paper
- Hexagon Graph Paper
- Octagon Graph Paper
- Pentagon Graph Paper
- Music Paper
- Columnar Pad Paper
- Dot Paper
- Penmanship Paper
- Note Paper
- Perspective Grid
- Calligraphy Paper
- Specialty Paper
- Knitting Graph
- Cartesian Graph Paper
- Printable List
- Printable Calendars
- Printable Teacher Resources
- Printable Games
- Printable Budgets
- Printable Templates
- Score Sheets
- Storyboard Template
- Letter Paper
- Legal Paper
- Ledger Paper
- A4 Paper
- Postcards
If you have an interactive whiteboard, then you need to check out The TESiboard collection. It is a purpose built library of visual, dynamic, interactive resources.
TESiboard resources are primarily open-ended tools that enable teachers to engage their pupils in a learning dialogue around the resource. The resources are designed for use by the teacher on their interactive whiteboard but many are also suitable for pupil use, usually responding to a task or challenge set by the teacher. The TESiboard materials were acquired by TSL Education Limited at the end of November 2009 and as a result of TSL’s current and planned future investment, all these popular resources are available for free.
The comprehensive virtual tour allows the visitor to take a virtual, self-guided, room-by-room walking tour of the whole museum. The visitor can navigate from room to room either by using a floor map or by following blue arrow links connecting the rooms. Camera icons indicate hotspots where the visitor can get a close-up on a particular object or exhibit panel.
This presentation of individual panoramas provides the visitor a list of links to panoramic images of the individual rooms within the museum. These rooms are the same ones available in the comprehensive virtual tour.
A daily look at an important event in history.
Check it out at:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/slideshow/day-history-world-news-diane-sawyer-15041341?page=10
We are living in a world which encourages a culture of proprietary software. Most of us have always used only proprietary software on our computers. Our children are being taught to use it, too, but they are partially or completely unaware of free software and the benefits it provides.
Educating students signifies a major revenue source for some of the proprietary software vendors. In addition, it is a huge opportunity for these vendors to acquaint future adults with their product and keep their dominance forever. They spend huge amounts of money on marketing to acquire the support of educational departments. As an open source enthusiast, I believe proprietary software is incompatible with education because users are just inert consumers and are legally restricted from examining its source code. Education using computers should be free. It should not be an opportunity for corporations to ensure their software monopoly.
