Techy Things to Try in the New Year!

Check out Richard Byrne's publication on Issuu. Tutorials on:
How to Create a Blog on Blogger
Create a Website on Google Sites
Build a Wiki on Wikispaces
Customize Google Maps and more!

http://issuu.com/richardbyrne/docs/how_to_do_11_techy_things/1

Love Wordle? Try Tagul!

Tagul http://tagul.com/
Tagul offers a kicked up version of Wordle...word clouds with links!

Representing information visually

Free tools for creating visual "info" graphics

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/awesome-free-tools-infographics/

100 Top Tools for Learning

From Jane Hart's website:

100 Tools for Learning 

100 Top YouTube Videos for Teachers

http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2010/10/20/100-incredibly-useful-youtube-channels-for-teachers/

Pixton! Comics across the curriculum

I've just discovered PIXTON,an easy to use,terrific tool for creating comics. And what fun it is... for free.(Clive Goodinson, it's creator will be presenting at the CUEBC conference on Oct 22,2010 which will be held at Cambie Sec in Richmond)

Here's an example of what you can do with Pixton: Click on the comic strip to enlarge it.

Tips on Making a Good Documentary film

Here's a short film with some good tips to keep in mind when making your own docs.

5. Documentary Filmmaking from 4-H Filmmaking on Vimeo.

Tell us what you think.. add your own ideas to the mix and share!

Sixth Sense Technology

While not directly connected to curriculum issues,this clip from a Ted Talks lecture shows emerging technologies that are just mind boggling! The pedagogical implication is that we need to actively foster creative thinking skills as well as dispositions such as perseverance, tolerance for ambiguity and a willingness to look for multiple solutions to problems.

Flash? or No Flash? What will it be?

Who's side are you on? The Flash war is heating up! Today, APPLE CEO Steve Jobs posted some very candid thoughts about the application, FLASH that is not supported by Apple on their products, notably the new ipad.

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

Adobe, Flash's home turf would not be outdone by Jobs. Adobe CEO Shantaru Narayen was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal's Alan Murray and rebutted Job's accusations.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/04/29/live-blogging-the-journals-interview-with-adobe-ceo/

What do you think about all this fuss? Is Apple holding out because Flash is unreliable, filled with bugs and written in sloppy code? Or is it really about the blessed buck and Apple wanting to grab market share of all those new re-written apps?

Newsmap: News Headlines

Do you know about Newsmap? It's a terrific bulletin board type of site that features world, national, local and other headlines. Check it out!

http://newsmap.jp/#/b,e,m,n,s,t,w/us/view/

Digital Storytelling: What Makes a Good Story?

With the creation of stories using digital media becoming increasingly popular, we should begin to ask ourselves "what makes a good story?" This is a collection of links to short documentary and animated films from the New York Times Videos site. Watch these and decide for yourself, "What makes a good story?" Let's build this list together. Please post your comments.

Films about Art
A studio, Animated
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/03/25/movies/1247467449026/a-studio-animated.html

Haiti's Enduring Creativity
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/03/04/world/americas/1247467248066/haitis-enduring-creativity.html

Forbidden Art in China
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/05/arts/1247465005209/forbidden-art-in-china.html

A Film about the Environment
Saving Sea Turtles, One Nest at a Time
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/11/13/science/earth/1247465671443/saving-sea-turtles-one-nest-at-a-time.html

Short Biography clip on Brad Pitt
New York Times Shorts: The First Ones
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2007/02/08/magazine/1194818820142/brad-pitt.html

Here's a trailer for a film produced by the NFB (National Film Board of Canada)
http://www.nfb.ca/film/and_music_trailer
What are the features of a catchy trailer?

Autobiographical Short Titled: "Away"
http://www.nfb.ca/film/Away

Semi- biographical: "Blossom"
http://www.nfb.ca/film/blossom

On the Importance of Recording our Personal Stories from "Caputring Reality: The Art of the Documentary
http://www.nfb.ca/film/capturing_reality_alanis_obomsawin/

There's nothing like a good old fashioned story! A Canadian classic, The Sweater by: Sheldon Cohen http://www.nfb.ca/film/sweater/

Assessment: Beyond "can" and "can't"

Have a look at this section in the B.C. Mathematics 2007 IRP
Achievement Indicators offer language with which to describe student performances in math.





(This graphic was created on Wordle. Visit http://www.wordle.net/ to create one yourself!)

A Day in the Life of a Timberwolf

Hands help you learn on PhotoPeach



(This slideshow was created on PhotoPeach. http://photopeach.com/ Simple, simple! Why not try a classbook? Just upload kids' artwork, compose the captions as a class et voila, instant digital book.

Interested in Podcasting?

What is a podcast?

It is a series of episodes (both audio and video) on a particular topic

Why podcast? 

•to publish a body of work

•to broaden your audience base

•to offer students real world contexts in which to share their ideas

For all your podcasting needs, visit...Podbean

Top Online Collaborations Tools

Interested in Online collaboration tools? Check out this site!

Top Online Collaboration Tools

5 Ways to use a Wiki

Thinking of collaboration tools and the different ways that these can be used in today's e-classrooms: 5 ways to use a Wiki:
• to edit student writing
• to share responses to books read
• to brainstorm ideas
• to share personal reflections after a lesson or series of lessons
• to post questions about a topic

Editing student writing:
Writer's Workshop is an excellent format for support students development in writing. However, peer editing is often difficult, especially at the elementary level because students' handwriting isn't always legible, especially after several editing sessions.
Posting the drafts on a wiki produces legible copy and when editors offer their feedback using colors assigned to each editor, feedback from individuals can be easily tracked.


Group Reading Response Log:
When readers' responses about books currently being read by a class are posted on a wiki, everyone can easily share in the conversation. Students may inspire each other to read new titles or authors while at the same time learn to write in this persuasive genre.

Brainstorming:
2,3,4,5 heads are better than when and when brainstorming, too many cooks don't always spoil the broth. Handwritten brainstorming charts are often buried after the initial activity, but a wiki can preserve these more efficiently. Try using different colors to post ideas at different times during the project. Track the growth ( quantity and quality) of ideas during the course of the unit.

Reflections:
While some reflections may be personal, at times sharing what students have learned as individual can offer models for others to frame and express their thinking. Some sentence starters include: Today I (describe the lesson). I didn't know that.. something surprising was... I enjoyed... I think.... I am still confused about... I wish.. Next time... I wonder...

Questions:
Like brainstorming, sharing questions at the beginning of a unit of study can keep track of students' growth. And as in most collaborative endeavors, the opportunities to share thinking, ideas, wonderings deepens the experience for all involved. A student who poses a "fat" question *  invites peers to piggyback on his/her ideas.

*"fat questions are questions that are not easily answered by listing facts or giving short answers. They require elaboration and often are open ended and neither "right nor wrong".