To close Infographics Week here on The Learning Network, I invited a classroom teacher (and self-described “fanatic” about the use of infographics in education) to detail a project I first heard her talk about on a National Writing Project-affiliated podcast called “Teachers Teaching Teachers.”
CLICK HERE to read the full story and access all the resources.
Wordia.com is a high-quality online dictionary: a professional authoritative textual dictionary but with one big difference… Like a traditional dictionary, Wordia allows users to search for the spelling, meaning and etymology of a word but what makes Wordia unique is the ability for users to explore the personal connotation of word through video.
Video brings words to life!
In professional, semantic terms, Wordia takes the denotation (the textual definition of a word) and encourages members of the public to explore the connotation (the personal meaning) through the familiar medium of video. We’ve found that video helps a user to learn or recollect the meaning of a word much more easily then just a textual definition. Video gives the dictionary a new dimension and new contextual richness.
Your words, your video!
Wordia is a collaborative resource: anyone can explore the meaning of a word and more than one person can explore the meaning of same word. Where we have more than one video definition for the same word, we rank them, so the community can vote on their relevance. You can bring words to life and explore the personal connotations of a word in anyway you chose. Filming styles such as rap or comedy, poetry or performance are a cool way to express yourself.
We love an expert!
The Wordia team also creates professional knowledge-based video with experts, authors, sports-stars etc. These ‘Orators’ (as we refer to them) bring a unique insight and expert authority to the words they explore on video.
We’ve recently launched Wordia Schools: a private learning resource that groups curriculum subject vocabulary – the subject key words that educators teach on a daily basis.
Last year one of the best ads released during the SuperBowl was this simple ad by Google. Shortly after the release of this video, Google asked you to make your own search stories. Simply go to http://www.youtube.com/searchstories and start creating your story. This could be a great way to teach students search skills. Give students a start and end point. For Example, Jeff Utecht, of The Thinking Stick blog has many great ideas. For example, rocks for the start and volcanoes for the end. Then the student does the research and brings the two together.
BY KEVIN JARRETT, ON AUGUST 10TH, 2010
What does exemplary technology infused Math instruction look like? (Middle & High School) http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=5850
What does exemplary technology infused Language Arts instruction look like? (Middle & High School) http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=5839
WordWorld
http://pbskids.org/wordworld/characters/game_bsa.html
This interactive site from PBSKids offers fun and educational spelling games for students. With friendly characters and an exciting world of words, there are plenty of entertaining ways to practice spelling. You can skateboard your way through words with a bear or spell some of the most popular foods found in your very own kitchen with a pig! These animals and easy navigation will guide your students through a world of words and fun!
iBoard
http://www.tes.iboard.co.uk/player/index.htm
There is no short list of activities here. With 106 literacy activities and topics like numeracy, science, history and geography, students can find something of interest. These fun and interactive games can be played on the computer but are also perfect for using on an interactive whiteboard.
Alien Scavenger Hunt
http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/games/alien/ash.html
Fun themes are always a great way to disguise an educational lesson! In this alien themed game, students will hear a word and then must catch the letters to spell out that word. With fun sounds and graphics and a simple object, this game will have students spelling up a storm.
Spin and Spell
http://www.spinandspell.com/game.swf
Another fun game for students to spell with is Spin and Spell. Choose from a variety of words and pictures. You can then dial the letters on the wheel as you spell a word. You can also listen as the word is said and spell along with it. This is a fun way to spell your way around a wheel of fun.
PhotoMunchrs
http://imagine-it.org/flickr/PhotoMunchrs.html
This game, brought to you by pictures in the Flickr database, uses vocabulary and pictures to practice learning terms. As a word is presented, you must use the arrows on your keyboard to move to the pictures describing it. You “munch” down on the words with your space bar until you have found all the pictures describing that word. Once you find them all, you will move on to the next level!
By Maya T. Prabhu, Assistant Editor
Students should have an opportunity to write for a real audience and collaborate on writing projects, experts say—and the internet can help
While there are still many obstacles facing teachers in implementing technology, teachers play a critical role in driving the use of technology to teach writing, says a recent report by the National Writing Project (NWP) and the College Board.
In the report, “Writing, Learning, and Leading in the Digital Age,” nine teachers—selected for their commitment to excellence and for a diverse set of disciplines, locations, kinds of schools, and student populations they represent—were observed by a writer for one day and then interviewed.
To read the full story, CLICK HERE
OK, OK—I know I have a readers that right now are saying, what the heck is back channeling?
According to Wikipedia: A back-channel (also reverse channel or return channel) is typically a low-speed, or less-than-optimal, transmission channel in the opposite direction to the main channel.
I have been involved in using a couple different back channel sites/tools. In my summer class I tried to use Chatzy, I have more students than it allows, so, on the spot, I put in my credit card, paid the $10 and it still would not let the rest of my students in, GRRRRRRRRR Scrapped it for that class. Very frustrating, especially since I had Kevin Honeycutt Skyping into my class that day.
This evening while I was catching up on email and RSS feeds, Richard Bryne has a post called Two Examples of Backchannels in Elementary School. Richard refers to Silvia Tolisano using back channels in the fifth grade as well as, a blog post from a first grade teacher using back channeling.
Ok, that did it, 1st grade! She used a back channel site I had never heard of TodaysMeet. If she can do it with first graders, I can certainly do it with my pre-service teachers. Guess I will be giving TodaysMeet a try with the semester begins.
Talk. Listen.
TodaysMeet helps you embrace the backchannel and connect with your audience in realtime.
Encourage the room to use the live stream to make comments, ask questions, and use that feedback to tailor your presentation, sharpen your points, and address audience needs.
Speakaboos
http://www.speakaboos.com/
Speakaboos is a site that brings classic children’s stories to life! Stories with characters like Chicken Little and Goldilocks come to life through celebrity performances. Famous performers like Kevin Bacon and Nick Cannon are just some of the few celebrities that lend their voices. With beautiful illustrations and original music, children can develop literacy skills while learning about technology in a safe and fun environment.
Literactive
http://www.literactive.com
This site is the leading provider of reading material for pre-school, kindergarten and 1st grade students. Not only are there stories, but there are activities and supplemental reading material, as well. An ESL version allows users to translate stories into another language. There is even a section of interactive poetry which includes some of the most famous poems ever written! All you have to do is sign up for free and you can download these stories and more!
Between the Lions
http://pbskids.org/lions/
This site, from PBS Kids, is aimed at getting kids “wild” about reading. With stories, games, video clips and more, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be excited to explore! The stories vary in format. Some are read by a narrator, some are interactive and some are prerecorded readings from a children’s book. Whatever you choose to do with this site, there is sure to be something educational and entertaining for your little ones.
StoryPlace
http://www.storyplace.org
Storyplace is the ultimate digital library for students. This interactive site offers preschool and elementary stories and activities. The site aims to give children the experience of going to a library, without actually leaving the computer! With themes like “Dinos Rock” and “The Three Country Critters,” kids will be reading and having fun in no time!
Big Universe
http://www.biguniverse.com
BigUniverse.com is an award-winning web 2.0 learning platform where PK-8 students read, create, research, and collaborate using online books and interactive tools. This web community uses vividly illustrated books, a fun writing tool and a safe book sharing network to instill the love of reading, writing and learning, while providing an anywhere-anytime, standards-based, education resource for students, educators, and parents.
- Big Universe Reader™ – Read hundreds of fiction and nonfiction children’s books from today’s best publishers and take optional quizzes to assess comprehension.
- Big Universe Author™ – Create, print & publish animated e-books using an easy-to-use writing tool and 7000+ images.
- Big Universe Community™ – Safely share your bookshelf, recommendations and published books with your peers only or thousands of other members.
StoryNory
http://storynory.com/
Storynory is an online treasure trove of audio stories. Here you will find a mixture of new stories, fairy tales, and specially adapted myths and histories. We also have a sprinkling of verse. We have published an audio story every week since November 2005. Storynory has grown and grown in popularity, and now around a quarter of a million mp3 files are downloaded every month from our servers.
Our stories are read by Natasha Gostwick and her clear story-telling voice has won a place in the hearts of children and adults all over the world. The founders of Storynory are Matthew Lynn and Hugh Fraser – the co-owners of a Blog Relations , an online consultancy that can help you build your reputation via online media. Storynory is a prime example of how its done. Matthew is a ghost writer for a number one best selling series of books by a well known personality. Hugh is a former BBC radio journalist.
Game-based learning, mobile devices, and cloud computing will find a place in schools nationwide
eSchoolNews: The New Media Consortium that says that cloud computing, collaborative learning, game-based learning, and mobile devices are set to “take hold” within the K-12 environment within the next couple of years.
Cloud computing and collaborative learning environments are set to take hold in K-12 schools in the very near future, with mobile devices, game-based learning, and other education technologies to follow suit in the next few years, according to the 2010 Horizon Report’s K-12 Edition, released by the New Media Consortium (NMC).
NMC researchers examined 100 different technologies and whittled them down to the six most prominent technologies that are on the verge of classroom adoption in the next five years. Those six technologies were placed into three categories according to how close schools are to implementing them on wide scale.
To Read the FULL story, CLICK HERE
Cloud Computing & Flash drives
During an ISTE 2010 Denver session by Google Certified Teacher Chris Atkinson, the video below was shared to illustrate the benefits of cloud computing, particularly the use of Google Docs. Chris shared this clip from the CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, and explained that he tells people that they can avoid the problem of forgetting a flash drive by using Google Docs. This is the best way to explain Cloud computing I have seen.
Educational Change Challenge
Do we know what we are doing? Does society know what it wants? Are we still working towards reform… Ask yourself…
Who seriously believes that locking 25 students in a small room with one adult for
several hours each day is the best way for them to be “educated”?
Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.
– George Evans
Why do we think every 6 year old is going to be at the same place in math, english and all the other subjects so we clump them together.
We already live in a time of disconnect, where the classroom has stopped reflecting the world outside its walls. The classroom is born of an industrial mode of thinking.
Greatest hurdle in ed reform is that society doesn’t have a clear vision of what school is for
“If you put a doctor of 100 years ago in today’s operating room, she would be lost, yet if you placed a teacher of 100 years ago into one of today’s classrooms she wouldn’t skip a beat. ”
Molebash 1999
Moving from the one-room schoolhouse to the one-world schoolhouse is now a reality.”
Cisco Systems
“If we don’t focus on the experience dimension of learning, we run the risk of mistaking the publishing of information for learning and training”
Elliott Masie
In education the Use it or lose it rule may mean If you don’t use tech for learning , you may lose relevance. An educator must be relevant.
Teachers need to exist in the spaces the students exist, understand their culture. You have no credibility if you are not where they are.
“Because the generation of students that I am teaching is an instant pudding, drive-through, microwave, download-it-from-the-Internet, media-driven generation, I know that I must be innovative to keep their interest and to inspire in them a creative curiosity.”
Doug Martin
Do I create lifelong learners.
Am I preparing students for my age or theirs?
Social Media Revolution
Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad?
Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? This video details out social media facts and figures that are hard to ignore. This video is produced by the author of Socialnomics.
Taylor Mali – “What Teachers Make”
From Def Poetry. Visit www.taylormali.com or look him up here on youtube.
‘The Class’ DU innovation Class
For fans of the TV show the Office….. Warning, if you don’t watch the Office regularly, you might not get the point of this one. But for those of you who are Office fans, you will love it and hopefully you there are no classrooms like this at your school.
A growing chorus of voices argue that the internet is making us dumber. Web-connected laptops, smartphones and videogame consoles have all been cast as distracting brain mushers. But there’s reason to believe some of the newest devices might not erode our minds. In fact, some scientists think they could even make us smarter.
Could the cleaner and more modern interfaces that we see on iPads, iPhones and Android smartphones better suit the way our minds were meant to work?
Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/07/ipad-interface-studies/#ixzz0tJHIE88n
Examples of Student Innovation
As educators focusing on 21st Century Learning, it is important that we are able to share examples of powerful student work that we can share with educators around the world. It is important that we have this opportunity to not only talk about how we can empower students, but as examples of how this has ALREADY affected student learning.
This wiki was inspired (as many things are) by a student that did a phenomenal job on discussing her PLN that was shared numerous times on Twitter
WHERE ARE YOU IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM?
Are tech tools improving your teaching or just a distraction? The quiz below will rank you on our technology integration scale and provide you with smart tips to extend your tech comfort zone. Get started! – Take the 10 question Quiz and see where you rank! It takes about 3 minutes to take.
Ok, I just took it and I am an All-Star Advanced, Yippy Skippy!!!!!!!!!!!
All-Star (Advanced)
You are a wired wonder, comfortable adding a technological dimension to your teaching, learning, and life. The challenge is now to keep up with the pace of innovation and your student’s accelerated mastery of digital tools. Plus, how do you bring your school colleagues along with you? How do you bring like-minded folks into your school community? Click these links and get pro-active:
- Share your wisdom and help spread the word in one of Edutopia’s groups:
Multimedia Literacy
Online Learning
Technology Integration (Elementary)
Technology Integration (High School) - Explore how technology integration can give students a more personalized learning experience.
- Try using screen-capture software to explain a difficult concept and post the video on YouTube so your students can review at their own speed.
(See this example math video.) - Check in with other Twitter-savvy teachers for new ideas. And tune into the weekly #edchats, held every Tuesday at 12 p.m. EST/5 p.m. GMT and 7 p.m. EST/12 p.m. GMT.
- Don’t let the budget stop you. Learn how to find and write grants so you can get the funding to support important technology initiatives at your school.
- Help students make constructive use of social networking.
- Go the way of the wiki and build online creativity and cooperation in your classroom.
- Use online simulations and games as teaching tools:
- Explore the world of Wii
- Find real-world games on environmental sustainability
- Save the world with games that tackle social issues like solving world peace
- Discover how avatars teach teens about self-image
- Get some inspiring lesson plan and new media ideas from other Edutopia students and teachers.
- Join a professional organization, such as the International Society for Technology in Education, that guides and supports what you’re trying to accomplish with technology in the classroom.
One Illinois school district will have teachers and students using iPod Touch devices in classrooms this fall. District staff received 15 hours of training on using the devices for individualizing lessons and helping students improve reading fluency by listening to their recorded voices reading aloud. “This is the way students are wired to learn, and we are looking at every method to make learning more engaging and stimulating for our students and teaching more exciting for our staff,” the district’s superintendent said. Daily Herald (Chicago)
There are many online games sites and most look like clones of each other all featuring the same boring games, at Word Games we only pick the most fun to play and cool to watch every time! Each week our editors pick the best word games to feature, we hope our top picks will become your top picks! We are always looking for ways to improve and make Word Games the best online game site for all viewers. Please contact us with suggestions and comments as we would love to hear from you! Explore the site and find out for yourself why our fans have made this the most popular Word Game site online!
Gaming helps students prepare for N.C. state tests
Two North Carolina school districts are using Web-based video-game software to help students in grades 2-12 master state benchmarks in a variety of subject areas. Archipelago Learning’s Study Island software allows students to test their knowledge and improvement in subjects by playing games or taking traditional practice tests. “It teaches students in a more intuitive manner, plus the rewards-and-reinforcement approach really helps students to advance through the rigorous content,” one district official said. T.H.E. Journal (6/22) CLICK HERE to read the full story.
Jerry Blumengarten or Cybraryman1 has created a an amazing website dedicated to new teachers. Check it out here. But, for any teacher, new or experienced who is ready to begin learning about how to harness technology as a teaching and learning tool should also check out his new e-book, The Beginner’s Guide to 21st Century Teaching and Learning.
“The Beginner’s Guide to 21st Century Teaching and Learning, designed for the digital immigrant, will answer these and many more of your questions, hesitations and fears surrounding integrating the internet and technology into your curriculum. It serves as a technology handbook for teachers ready to harness technology as a teaching and learning tool.
Web-based instructional activities have an enormous potential to enhance and entice learning. However, integrating the internet into your curriculum in a way that has a positive impact on students’ learning can seem like a daunting process. This e-book is meant to serve as a starting point for 21st century teaching and learning. It, like 21st century teaching and learning, will continue to evolve. Check back regularly for updates and new volumes.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsOEfMiPndA&feature=player_embedded
K-2: Your Buzz & Woody: What toy is your absolute favorite? Write down 3 words (or sentences) that describe why you like it.
3-5: If You Were a Toy: Pretend that you get to be the voice for a Toy Story 3 toy. What toy would you be? Why would that toy be the perfect fit for your voice?
6-8: Toys Trashed?: When you outgrow your toys, what do you do with them? Do you think its best to keep them, give them to a younger family member or to charity, or to throw them away? Why?
9-12: The Gender of Play: Ken gets teased for being a girls’ toy. Do you think that children gravitating toward traditional toys for their gender is a natural tendency of children or a result of how little boys and girls are treated differently?
YouTube Block? Try this site
Thanks to TeacherHUb for this resource.
Stories and Books
Every week Storynory publishes a new audio story read by Natasha whose lovely voice will charm and beguile you. You can read her tips here.
We draw on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson.
We seek out unusual stories from around the world.
We have the entire audio book of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
And Storynory brings you original children’s stories including Prince Bertie the Frog, The Ordinary Witch, and Theo the Monkey
Stories in Flight
Just copy and paste or type a little text and it will search for the pictures that go with the work or text in Flickr and turn the text into images. Wham, an instant digital story.
Warning: be careful using this software though. Michael Zimmer of the blog Pursuit of Technology Integration Happiness said that he put in the title of a blog, and happiness showed a picture of Guinness Beer. I tried my tag line from my website “Technology is Opening Minds with a New Set of Keys,” and keys, got strange stuff, I had to keep clicking Show Story!! I think Michael is correct in assuming that images are chosen based on the tags that people give them. So, it might take a little digging to get just the right set of images.
Click the “show story” button till you find pictures that you like.
It is kinda like Spell with Flickr , type a word then tell it to SPELL and it finds pictures of letters and spells your word. Again you click on the letter to you find one you like and there are literally thousands of possibilities.
This could be used for short poems, sections of a speech or historical document. Would be a great way to turn famous quotes into pictures as well. There is a big kick in vocabulary, this would be a great way to create images to correlate to vocabulary that students are using in the classroom, especially for a certain unit of study. I really like this tool for turning words into pictures.
