10-Rep Learning ~ Teague's Tech Treks

Learning Technology & Tech Observations by Dr. Helen Teague

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On the Occasion of Outages: LEAP!

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Alvin Toffler

Glitches Happen
Bugs Happen
Outages Happen
Chocolate Happens
Jeans Shrink

…but I digress

Yesterday’s Edublog outage was Read More

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Assessment Data Article Snags Cover

HTeague crcnewsletter.jpgcrcnewsletter.jpg crcnewsletter.jpgcrcnewsletter.jpgcrcnewsletter.jpgcrcnewsletter.jpgUsing Assessment Data to Enhance Your Reading Program,” an article I wrote whose title is almost longer than the article itself, is the cover story for the March, 2008 edition of Connected Newsletter, a delightfully innovative print and electronic magazine under the editorship and nurturing of Paige Meredith. Click Here to read the article.

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Tech BFF: Where Words ExtEnd

BFF is an acronym for “Best Friend Forever.” These websites and tips are so good that they will become your technology BFFs!

Where Words ExtEnd  

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away. ~Eudora Welty, author

Visuals communicate concepts where words end. Words invite students to express a concept, topic, word, or phrase through pictures opens a door to another form of expression. Students also gain ownership when their photos become an online gallery.

Cataloging and managing the photos that students submit, can be daunting unless you access help online.

Explore two free sites that will help: Kodak Gallery  and   Flickr
Note: 2012: Kodak Gallery has now merged with Shutterfly.

If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine, photographer

Use both sites or either site (depending on your objective and your school’s filter) to set up a class account for students to upload their pictures. Within your main account, each student (or student teams) may create their own “album” (at Kodak) or “set” (at Flick’r). You can monitor their uploads before making them “public.” (Note: Please keep privacy and your school’s AUP guidelines in mind when using student photos.)

Here is an example from Kodak and an example from Flickr

Kodak also has a store to transform photos into objects for gifts, fundraisers, or mementos. Kodak has a great new embedded slideshow tool that lets you create an online slideshow with all sorts of cool tools.

Here is a show I made in about 3 minutes http://teague.tumblr.com/

All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. ~John Berger, storyteller and artist

We have great ideas for integrated pictorials across all curriculum topics.
Click here for more information or send me an email.

Quote Sources:
http://www.quotegarden.com/photography.html
http://www.photoquotes.com/

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Staff Development Works!

Great news! See this article from EdWeek.

 

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TCEA Teachers Soar as Squids!

“Squid” is the affectionate name for authors of Squidoo pages and that is just what Linda, Pam, Jennifer, Stephanie, Angie, Melissa, Ruth, Pam, Liu, and Barbara became in our “Squidoo for You” session at TCEA. See their great work and leave them an encouraging comment in the Guestbook: http://www.squidoo.com/tcea

😉

P.S. Kicking yourself for missing out on the TCEA session? See 2-7-08’s post below and/and this link: http://www.squidoo.com/building-squidoo

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Tech BFF: Squidoo for You? YES!

BFF is an acronym for “Best Friend Forever.” These websites and tips are so good that they will become your technology BFFs!

The The 5 W’s of Squidoo:

What is Squidoo? an interactive web-editor portal interface with lots of cool modules!

Where can you Squidoo? anywhere on any computer connected to the Internet

Who can Squidoo? You, me, another can become a “Squid.”

When can you Squidoo? Anytime and Anyplace because the Internet doesn’t close!

Why Squidoo? Because it reflects the interactivity and dynamic interplay with content that meets students cyberly where they like to learn best…and…it’s fun!

More on Why Squidoo???

Blogs are fun, but

May be blocked by school filters

Squidoos are fun and

Often not blocked
More interactive features
More options for cool add-ins

Check out these sample Squidoo’s:

Fall Leaves Squidoo (Example of a Virtual Field Trip): http://www.squidoo.com/leaves
Teaching Squidoo (Example of an Occupational Squidoo): http://www.squidoo.com/teacher
Reading (Example of a Course of Subject Squidoo): http://www.squidoo.com/reader
Summer Resources Squidoo (Example of an Extra-Curricular Squidoo): http://www.squidoo.com/summer
Mid-Summer Night’s Dream Squidoo (Example of a Unit Topic Squidoo): http://www.squidoo.com/msnd
Travel Squidoo (Example of a Hobby Squidoo): http://www.squidoo.com/helenteague

The Main Squidoo Page: http://www.squidoo.com/

What are some learning scenarios to consider? How can we use this in the classroom? With our students?

Here is the link to the powerpoint from our session. Great work, today!  🙂
http://www.oops.bizland.com/tceasquidoo.ppt

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Welcome Techies to TCEA! Glad you are here!

Glad you made it to beautiful Austin for either the “Kudos, Techies…” session or the “Squidoo” session. Please feel free to click around, investigate, try some of the tips and tricks listed here, leave comments, and return often!

We at OOPS: Our Overnight Planning System appreciate your willingness to serve in our classrooms!

Happy Teaching!

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Voice Thread Tips and Tricks

Disclaimer: We all have our special tips and tricks. These are submitted in my humble opinion.

Voice Thread http://voicethread.com/#home enables users to create online presentations using their own images. It also allows you to add audio or written text to images you upload and it gives access so others can interact by leaving audio or text comments on the presentation.

Here are some classroom applications:

  • Upload two images and ask students to record a compare/contrast or alike/different between the two images.

  • Invite students, working alone, in pairs, or small groups to create and produce a digital story using digital cameras or found images on the web (or send a picture to you to upload). NOTE: if using web images, be sure to have students cite their source.

  • Upload an image, and as a Warm-up, ask students to add a caption, highlighting a particular part of speech, current vocabulary word, predicting what might happen next, or (humorous gasp!) free write.

  • Upload images of one or two people and ask students to add a dialogue text bubble, either in present-day speech or in the language of medieval times, Shakespearean times, Dr. Seuss’ language, etc… This is a great exercise for a foreign language class or ELL students too.

  • Using the theme, “I Am An American” students can upload a picture (or send a picture for you to upload) of a family member and tell about the heritage and history of their family member.

  • Ask students to survey class members at lunch or recess about a topic of your classes’ choice. Students record the tally results in Excel (or you can record the results in Excel if yours is the only computer in the classroom.) Take a PrtSrn of the spreadsheet, upload the image, and see if students can interpret the result. Alternatively, upload your own data graphs and statistics and see if students can interpret these as well. (***TEKS)

  • Upload some images with incorrect descriptions and/or grammar/spelling errors and see if students can proofread and correct the errors. (***TEKS)

Here is a sample: http://voicethread.com/share/53266/

Here is a tutorial to help from Nic Peachy http://www.technogogy.org.uk/voicethread.html

Be sure to return and let us know how you used Voice Thread in your classroom!

Happy Teaching!

 

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10 Tech Tricks You Are Already Doing: Part 2

# 6 You are utilizing a “Plan B” when technology goes down. “Plan B” means: archiving websites, saving online movies to your hard drive or other storage device, and having lesson options available in offline format.

# 7 You are keeping up with computer maintenance through player plug-in updates, virus software updates, weekly virus software scans, avoiding extra toolbars, screensaver, widget downloads, and performing monthly defrags.

# 8  You are using MS Office and/or Star Office modules as a lesson warm-up,  as an application of content exercise, and as a method for students to create digital products.

# 9 You are finding what you need in internet searches, application files, and when teaching students to research by using:  the Edit Menu/Find feature.

#10 You have downloaded these Great Freebies while they are still free: MS PhotoStory,  Microsoft Reader, and Google Earth.

Link to the online game containing these tech tricks: http://www.oops.bizland.com/10tech.swf

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10 Tech Tricks You Are Already Doing: Part 1

1. You invite students to demonstrate concept mastery through creating a Digital Deliverable such as a: digital product. Need new ideas for products? Click here: http://www.oops.bizland.com/oopsproductpage.htm

2. For computer classroom or lab management, you assign students to specific computers, you begin each lesson with  a Warmup activity which gives you time to troubleshoot tech challenges, and you use Learning Centers when you do not have 1:1 connectivity. Need new ideas for Warm-ups? Click here: http://www.oops.bizland.com/100days.htm. Need more iformation on Learning Centers? Click here: http://www.oops.bizland.com/May07_LearningCenter.pdf and here: http://www.oops.bizland.com/centers.htm

3. For lessons, you are teaching students to use the Insert/Comment feature in Word for checking, revising, grading, peer editing. you are showing students how to hack down URL’s for 404 sites, and teaching students to save their original file and draft revisions with their initials and “draft 1” “draft 2” etc…

4. In case of internet outage you are saving internet content in offline form for easy retrieval and archiving.

5. You are applying authentic assessment through Rubrics. Need some nifty websites to create online rubrics? Try David Warlick’s Landmark Project: http://landmark-project.com/  and Teach-nology: http://www.teach-nology.com/

Next Post: Tech Tricks #6-10

Happy Teaching!

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