ASHS Technology Connection

Spirit Week 2009

2009-10-13T12:22:00.000-04:00

Podcasts in the Classroom

2009-09-02T14:48:00.003-04:00

Many people don't realize that podcasts offer a wealth of information on the go in audio and video. Using your free version of iTunes (www.apple.com/itunes), you can search for a Podcast and download it to use in your classroom. There's entire news shows, lectures on all sorts of subjects and lessons, and so on, and most Podcasts are free. What's great about podcasts is that you can subscribe using iTunes, so when the next podcast is released, you get it automatically. I used this in my Spanish class to show a news show from Spain. While I didn't do it everyday, the days that I did use it, I had the latest news because it had downloaded automatically. Even if you don't have an iPod, you can still use iTunes, and simply play your podcasts from your computer. You can also have your students subscribe to a podcast to get extra help in whatever subject you're teaching.
Check out this site for more info on subscribing to podcasts: http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_do_i_subscribe_to_podcasts_with_itunes.html

Google Earth - Take Field Trips

2009-09-02T14:30:00.002-04:00

There's nothing that makes a place come alive more than being there. Unfortunately, we can't take our classes to concentration camps, the Holy Land, or on a journey down Rt. 66. However, we can show it to them. Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) is a free program that you need to download, and you can just put in a place and go look at it. There's all sorts of options to view, including some buildings which are in 3-D. So, next time you mention a place, take them there with Google Earth.

Skype

2009-09-02T14:19:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Voice Over IP (VOIP), Skype (www.skype.com) allows you to call anywhere around the world for free, as long as you're calling another computer using Skype. Skype even offers video chatting and conference calling. Think about the endless possibilities: foreign language languages can converse with other students around the world, teachers can let their class converse with experts in any field who can't make it to their classroom. And best of all, it's free. You can download it and set up your account for free at www.skype.com, and if you have a webcam, you can even try it out.

Wikis - a very simple explanation

2009-09-01T13:53:00.002-04:00

Check out this very good explanation of what a Wiki is and how it works. Remember, you can set up Wikis using your SharePoint website.

RSS Feeds - an awesome video explanation

2009-09-01T13:51:00.002-04:00

Check out this video explanation of RSS feeds and how to use them. Note, Microsoft Outlook acts as a Reader as well, so you don't need to subscribe to a reader like Google Reader.

VoiceThread - Neat Collaboration Tools

2009-09-01T11:47:00.005-04:00

Voicethread (Voicethread.com) is a free web 2.0 application that allows for some pretty neat collaborative projects. It combines picture, audio recording, and even live editing marks and creates a video for people to see. Some useful applications of this might include the following - Foreign Language: divide class up into groups and give each group a picture of a hispanic family, each person assumes one of the characters, and records themself as if they were that particular person. Science: give a class an enviornmental problem to solve along with a picture of the problem, each person will then record themselves as they talk about how they will solve that problem. Art: divide class into pairs or groups, have them post a picture or picture of artist, and each person can talk about that picture or artist. In the end, you have a video of the main object that you're talking about, along with a recording of each collaborator.

My Webspiration/Inspiration

2009-09-01T09:42:00.004-04:00

Organization goes hand and hand with writing and research. Many students have trouble organizing their ideas and so their projects and papers are disheveled with poor flow. Help them organize their ideas using the Inspiration software installed on student laptops. Or, you can use the free web based program called mywebspiration (http://www.mywebspiration.com/). It allows students to graphically draw their ideas, and when they're done, they can put it in outline form.

Read Write Think - Great Lesson Plans for English Teachers

2009-09-01T09:36:00.003-04:00

English Teachers, take a look at Readwritethink.org. It has a wealth of lesson plans to get students... well... reading, writing, and thinking. It includes detailed lesson plans on a variety of themes, including links to resources, assessment tools, and follow-ups.

Quizlet - Awesome Free Vocab Site

2009-09-01T09:29:00.004-04:00

Whether it's vocabulary for Science, English, Foreign Language, or SAT prep, Quizlet (http://www.quizlet.com/) has it all... for free. You can search a number of pre-made vocab lists, and chances are you'll find what you're looking for. Or, you can import your own list. Students can print out vocab lists, play interactive games with the vocab, do flashcards, and they can even post them to their Facebook walls.

Quia

2009-09-01T09:19:00.005-04:00

With a subscription to Quia (http://www.quia.com/), teachers get their own personal website and access to a number of activities. Quia allows teachers to import vocabulary so students can play a number of interactive games such as flashcards, hangman, etc. Teachers can also import other activities already made by other teachers. One of the most useful features are self-graded online assessments that teachers can set up. There's a 30 day free trial. After that, it costs $50 for a year.

Learn 360 - Streaming Video

2009-09-01T09:11:00.005-04:00

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has set us up with Learn 360 (http://www.learn360.com/) - streaming video for the classroom. Consider using this to enhance your class lesson. With videos on topics spanning all subjects, you may find this service extremely useful. Check your email for the registration number so you can login.

Find PowerPoint/SMART Board lessons

2009-09-01T08:50:00.002-04:00

In our survey last week, the majority of teachers found that using PowerPoint improved students' note-taking and attention. However, instead of making powerpoints and smartboard lessons from scratch, consider using some that other teachers have posted online. You can do this by searching in google. Be specific as to what you're looking for (example: Pythagorean theorem Powerpoint). You'll instantly find some hits. You can usually download these powerpoints, edit them, and even post them on your SharePoint sites. However, be sure to get permission from the teacher if you are planning to post these to your site. Also, check with the bundle of stuff that comes with your class' textbook. Many times they include a website or powerpoint/smartboard lessons that goes right along with what you're teaching.

Turnitin - Don't let students get away with plaigerism

2009-08-31T12:40:00.002-04:00

A Rutgers University study reports that more than 40% of the 18,000 college students it surveyed across 23 campuses plaigerize from the internet. The growing ease of research in the information age has increased the temptation to be lazy and steal. Turnitin.com offers a revolutionary research service to hold students accountable for their papers. Using search tools, Turnitin finds probable and exact matched across the web and alerts teachers to possible plaigerism. Archbishop Spalding has a subscription to Turnitin.com, which costs the school over $2000/year. Each teacher has their own account. So, no matter what subject you're teaching, if you're assigning a paper or research paper, use Turnitin.com. It's easy to use and offers comprehensive video tutorials to help you navigate through.

Jeopardy Powerpoint

2009-08-31T12:28:00.002-04:00

For those wishing to play a fun, interactive review game, consider PowerPoint Jeopardy. Click here to download a version of PowerPoint Jeopardy (Jeeparty).

Remember Your Passwords!!!

2009-08-31T12:05:00.002-04:00

Do you have a million passwords and are always forgetting? Consider downloading a free program such as KeePass (http://keepass.info/). This is an open source software that keeps all your passwords, so you'll only need to remember one password. There are a number of other software available as well and some very cool ones, which cost money.

Poll Everywhere - Instant Feedback

2009-08-31T06:17:00.005-04:00

Poll Everywhere (www.polleverywhere.com) is a great tool to use for instant classroom feedback via cell phone texts and computers. In just a minute or less, you can set up a poll (multiple choice and free response) and see instant results in the view of a graph. You can use the poll web based or you can export it into a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. Poll Everywhere is free to use as long as your polls are 30 people or less. If you want to poll more than that, then you have to buy a subscription. Consider using asking the students to bring their cell phones to class, then have already set questions that you can ask using Poll Everwhere.

Gap Minder - No More Boring Data

2009-08-31T05:52:00.004-04:00

Gap Minder (gapminder.org) is one of the best websites for analyzing data across the world on a huge spectrum. A web based program (web 2.0), it allows users to watch inputted data come to life in a video. You can search for already imported data or you can input your own and see data in a useful way. What an awesome site to use in classes that study sociology, economics, or any other class that takes data and analyzes it over a period of time. Use the data video to ask questions like, "what happened in the 1940s to cause the Japanese to have such a low life expectancy or why was the U.K. the leader in average household income throughout the early 1800s?" Check out this video done by Hans Rosling.

L.A.R.S. Laptop Cart Scheduler Tutorial

2009-08-17T16:39:00.006-04:00

Here's a video tutorial on L.A.R.S. - Laptop Cart Scheduler program (www.labandresourcescheduler.com). Be sure to reserve the Laptop carts before 7:30 AM of the morning you wish to use the cart.

White Laptop Cart Tutorial

2009-08-17T11:01:00.007-04:00

Here's how to work the white laptop cart (located on the 2nd and 3rd floors). Remember to reserve it using Lars - Labandresourcescheduler.com, and to take the cart to the next reserved classroom.

Black Cart Tutorial

2009-08-13T01:38:00.005-04:00

Here's how to work the Black Laptop Cart (located on the 1st floor). Remember to reserve it using LARS - www.labandresourcescheduler.com, and to take the cart to the next reserved classroom.

Download and Keep YouTube Videos

2009-08-06T15:00:00.006-04:00

There's a growing number of free programs and websites that allow you to download and save YouTube videos. In the past, I used keepvid.com, which allowed me to save the video in a flash (.flv) format. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do with that format besides watch it using vlc media player. Recently I came across two new sites that allow you to upload the video into different formats. Vixy.net gives you a few options like various .flv sizes and an MP4, which can play on a video iPod. Filsh.net gives you a ton of video and audio options - very comprehensive. The site is all in German or Dutch or something, but it's pretty easy to figure your way through it. Fortunately .avi translates to .avi no matter what the country.

VLC media Player - Play Everything

2009-08-06T14:43:00.006-04:00

VLC Media Player, an open source video player, has been out for a while, but I just thought I'd put it on here because it plays everything! If you're frustrated with Windows Media Player because of how selective it is, get VLC media player and watch just about every type of file format. http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Access a Live Internet Page in your Powerpoint Presentation

2009-08-06T14:39:00.003-04:00

LiveWeb is a free tool/plugin that allows you to insert a webpage right into powerpoint and then navigate like you're using a browser but not having to close your presentation. http://skp.mvps.org/liveweb.htm

From the New Education Technology Specialist

2009-08-06T14:34:00.006-04:00

As way of introduction, I am Justin Hibbard the new Education Technology Specialist … taking over for Don Stemmler I look forward to working with you all in utilizing technology in the classroom, as well as troubleshooting issues that arise. For the past 4 years, I taught Spanish at Annapolis Area Christian School. Although I did enjoy teaching, I loved learning how to use technology to reach the kids of the new millennium and seeing all of the myriads of possibilities for fantastic classroom experiences.

One of my goals for this year is to share with you the endless possibilities for your classroom (and also to learn from you and your experiences and expertise) and to make your life easier by using technology that will simplify things... not make things more difficult. Whether you're looking for online lesson plan ideas, the latest software or web applications to enhance your classes, wikis, blogs, and podcasts, etc. etc., I'm here to work with you to make it happen.

One thing I would like to know is what would you like to see in your classroom that would make your life easier and your classroom more effective? Do you have suggestions, questions, ideas? Let me know, and I will work with you to make it happen.

How to use YouTube for education

2009-06-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

Below is a useful tutorial on using YouTube for education. YouTube is a bit problematic because it has so much useful content, but it is mixed in with junk, much of it is offensive. You can take measures to limit access to the bad stuff, but not completely. This tutorial will help.
Recently, the Iranians protesting the election results have made YouTube a major outlet of dramatic and timely video to attract global attention.

There are a couple of other video sites, TeacherTube and SchoolTube, that have a much better control over the offensive and silly videos. This tutorial is applicable to these sites as well.

Feedback

2009-06-08T09:21:00.000-04:00

You may comment on the posts in this blog by clicking on the "comment" link at the bottom of the post.

Ben's Web Site Is Very Useful

2009-06-05T09:46:00.000-04:00

This may be a good time to remind everyone about Ben's Web site. He has posted some very useful technology related documents that will help you. Open the "How to..." folder and you will see some excellent aricles that could be helpful at home this summer and here.
Ben's Web Site

A Technology Blog for Spalding

2009-05-18T22:02:00.000-04:00

June 2, 2009

Have a good summer!

That is the end of another school year. Nice job, teachers! I hope you can grab some well-deserved ralaxation before starting on your summer chores.

So, you decided to read this Blog. That makes two of us. This is a replacement for my technology newsletter. I should have used this medium a long time ago. The newsletter was so unpoplular the the US government contacted me to see if they could store their TOP SECRET documents there because no would ever find them.

I cannot express my feelings about leaving all of you without using a bunch of cliches, but I will miss all of you.

You are going to like Justin Hibbard. I know that he will have your best interests at heart and is very willing to help.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful Kindle. I really wanted to have one. Also I thank you for working with me for the last 11 years. Do you remember way back when replacing paper in our ink-jet printers was a major technology feat and the electronic grade book was merely a teacher’s option?

The Technology still has us frustrated, but we are frustrated at a much higher level than before. Look at all the progress.

Here is something that I have wanted to tell all of you for a long time:
After the students, teachers, are the most important people in the building. And the most important activity here is the special interaction that occurs in your classroom between you and your students, even more important than the BIG GAME or the BIG DANCE. Remember too, that everyone else working in the building is here to support you, the students, and that special interaction. The IT department, the administration, the custodial personnel, finance, everyone, is here to support you, the kids, and the teaching/learning process.

Most times, that interaction between you and your students can be enhanced by technology. The computers, the LCD projectors, the Smartboards, the streaming video, and most of all, the Internet with all of its features are wonderful aids in meeting your instructional objectives.

These digital instructional aids have changed our job more than anything else in the history of formal education. No longer do we always need to seek knowledge; we now need to teach kids what to do with knowledge. They now need to analyze, compare, contrast, evaluate, research further, share, track down the source, reject, accept, present, and organize the the knowledge. The computer and related technology makes this possible.

Now, with Web 2.0 resources available, we need to meet the students where they play, work, and socialize. Students that were not noticeably creative in the traditional sense, can now express themselves with digital art, photography, audio, and video.

Here is a short video to help illustrate the role of educational technology.

What about the older generation of teachers and all of this electronic stuff? Well, using ed tech does not mean turning your back on traditional teaching. Old and new, these are all tools to help you meet your educational goals. Pick and choose the tools that best suit your needs at any particular time.

Good bye, all of you wonderful educators.

Teach good. If you cannot teach good, teach loud.