Hampson how-to

CoolTool

2007-03-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Letterpop! Newsletters, online.

What a neat concept! Create and host newsletters online, in a visually appealing and creative way.

Features:

Free option with advertisements, or a nominal yearly fee (Business option also available)
Can post up to ten free letters a year
Ability to incorporate photos and text
Use photos hosted on Flickr
Ability to import contacts from Outlook
A variety of templates
A 'user profile page' featuring a description of who you are, along with your previous newsletters
A print feature that, allowing readers to print the newsletter
Comments! Readers are able to leave comments
RSS (syndication or feed) - Parents using RSS feeds (or administrators, or other teachers, or students.... I think you get the picture) could be kept up to date without having to visit the site

I think this could be a great tool for a school or classroom, to communicate with the world outside the classroom in a dynamic and interesting way. There is a limit to how many letters you can post a year with the free option, however, the pricing options for a Pro Plan (the intermediate plan between FREE and Business) are quite reasonable, at approximately $25/year, American funds, I am guessing. :)

An example of how this tool is being used can be seen here, put to use by the Learn English Online network for a neat 'Word of the Month' feature.

I feel that the strength of this tool lies in its flexibility and some of the integration they have pursued. You choose your template, add photos, import contacts, in the paid versions, have the opportunity to send e-vites (I know I have a problem, perhaps even an addiction, but I love e-vites!) and so forth. What I do not like is the need to create another user name, another profile, another password... etc. With so many accounts for different tools, it can get a bit unwieldly. These days, I find myself thinking before I sign!

Looks like a neat tool, and could be useful. Of course, I would not use it to post pictures of students, but I could post students work...

VoiceThread - Your images and commentary

2007-03-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

Voice Thread

This is a website that essential allows you to post images with audio commentary. I am going to let them explain what it is... it is a little bit different, that's for sure. And below I have included a link to Francois Guite's discussion of this tool on his Relief blog.

Despite the first glance impression, VoiceThreads are not slideshows, and neither are we a photo-hosting site. What we are is a place to talk, capture and then save the voices that surround our images, a new kind of web forum.

What I like is that not only can the owner of the picture record a commentary, but other users seem to be able to record notes as well.

A VoiceThread allows every child in a class to record audio commentary about the ideas and experiences that are important to them. Whether an event, a project, or a milestone, children can tell their story in their own voice, and then share it with the world. For teachers, VoiceThreads offer a single vessel to capture and then share all the diverse personalities of an entire class.

Sounds pretty cool so far... I love the thought of being able to host 'voices'! And they seem to be big on use of the tool in the classroom. I found an 'Educator' section on their site and here is a bit of what they had to say...

VoiceThreads are free for educators!
Creating VoiceThreads will always be free for educators and the students that fill their classrooms. This includes publishing them on the web, and sharing them with the child's friends and family. It's really important to us that there are no barriers; no cost to fully participate, no software to buy or download, and no contracts to manage.

Check out the information on the Education section of the site.

Just to keep you guessing, and explanation of why VoiceThreads is like an elephant. Really. (Make sure to mouse over descriptions to get the full effect!) Finally, if you just want to know more about the tool, check out the VoiceThread FAQs.

Francois Guite also mentions the tool on his blog, and there is a brief discussion en francais.
VoiceThread: albums audio (12 mars 2007)

How to Blog post - from 2002!

2007-03-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

I thought this was an interesting explanation of how and why to blog, from 2002. Still relevant!

From the ASTD website (American Society for Training and Development)
http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/apr2002/ttools.html

fd's Flickr Toys Bookmarklet

2007-03-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

If you have ever (or even never) used Flickr Toys, now there is a handy new way to reach their site. I love this site, for it lets you play around with your photos online, and gives you lots of choices to boot. Anything from framing photos to creating trading cards, it's all covered here. It makes the process simple enough that you could incorporate the tool into the classroom (as long as you have internet access at some point, some where) quite seamlessly.

Flickr (a photo hosting site with aspects of social networking) is not even necessary to use the 'toys' -- you can upload photos and save them to your computer. All for free!

From the site:

Now you can access the Flickr Toys from anywhere. Drag the bookmarklet below up to your bookmarks toolbar or add it to your favorites. Then when viewing any image on Flickr (or anywhere else), just click it to begin creating something fun with any of the toys available here.

More for me, but...

2007-02-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

This site has some templates (sorely lacking for Blogger....), which are now being ported to the new Blogger platform. I might try them out, and see how they work.

I like the green one ;)

http://www.geckoandfly.com/blogspot-templates/blogger-templates/

Ah yes... time for an update!

2007-01-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some French/English blogs that should probably be added to the reading list - I keep on rediscovering them every so often, and they provide a local (for me)/French (for everyone) discussion of a variety of tools, techniques and issues. Though the discussion happens to be predominantly in French, the topic is not solely related to the French milieu. For lively discussion of a timely and thought-provoking nature, these are some great starting points. Nice to have a counterpoint to my predominantly English reading repetoire.

Mario Tout de Go
http://carnets.opossum.ca/mario/index.html
Mario Asselin, Coach Scolaire et Catalyseur de communautes d'apprentissage (Quebec, Canada)

Relief
http://www.opossum.ca/guitef/
Francois Guite, edublogger (Quebec, Canada)

Which brings me to the English links!

Dangerously Irrelevant
http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/
Scott Mcleod, "Ruminations on technology, leadership, and the future of our schools" (Quote from Gwynne Dwyer) (US)

The Fisch Bowl
http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/
Karl Fisch, "A staff development blog... teachers exploring Constructivism and 21st Century learning skills." (US)

LEARN Quebec

2006-12-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

... has launched their new site! The 'Leading English Education and Resource Network' is a varied resource, full of information for teachers, administrators, parents and students. Check out the introduction video to get a better idea of what they do.

LEARN Video: http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/about/

Ed Web2.0 - A (Canadian) classroom

2006-10-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

There's something different (in a good way!) happening in Mr. Fisher's classroom, in how he is using tech with his students. I stumbled across his blog and thought his classes sounded pretty interesting. Let's start at the beginning though, with some proper introductions...

A classroom blog, in action
http://mr-fisher.edublogs.org/

This is Mr. Fisher's http://mr-fisher.edublogs.org/

The post was for students, and it was about choosing blogs to track as part of their Personal Learning Network.

Are you still looking for blogs that are important to you? Blogs that are well
written, that are interesting, that are written by people that you can work
with? Remember that we will be soon sitting down together and I will be asking
you about your network. Who is in it? Why did you choose those blogs? Have you
been writing and commenting on the blogs in your network?

What a great idea! It's not just an assignment to get students to use a tool to learn it, but it asks them to go that step further and reflect on WHY they are using it, and what they are contributing. They are required to engage in a reflective process about the tool, and use higher-order thinking.

And some discussion about this type of learning
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2006/10/small_pieces_ve.html

A sample of the conversation going on about this style of working in a connected classroom.

The kids need to remember URLs, passwords, and how to navigate through
different interfaces. They need to remember how to run WordPress, make a
photostream in Flickr, add blogs to their aggregator, and format a wiki.

Hmmm. Good point. Cool tools, neat ideas, but - there is the factor of the time needed to learn how to use all of these tools. Meaningful engagement with tools that effectively promote learning is not automatic. I guess that this is a good reminder, when planning to integrate a tool into the lesson, to ensure that you have budgeted enough time to allow students to become familiar with the tool. We also need to consider how we will teach students to be organised in managing and tracking their accounts across various applications, and the work that they produce. I think it is also important for students to learn that due to the evolutions in the way that we use the internet, it is becoming more common to be able to find free and open source tools online. Beyond that, there are also greater numbers of organisations that are allowing users a peak at their structure, so that users may tweak it and adapt it to their needs. I digress...

Mr. Fisher voices his concerns

What does our ed blogger have to say about this?

I worry about the number of pieces. My blogroll on my class blog has had to
evolve towards being a portal for kids to be connected to all of these pieces. I
have lists of classes and sites they can use and connect with, trying to make
things easier for them. I have consciously not worked with a single piece of
software such as Moodle because I wanted kids to see the power of collecting
resources across the web into a single environment.

So you have access to tools, a lot of them free or hosted or opensource tools, and you now need to find a way to manage all of them.

But we do pay, having to access different accounts across the web.

So there does seem to be a price, in terms of time spent learning a new interface, new shortcuts, new passwords, new places to go.

While this is what we all do as adults, I want to ensure that their focus
remains on the learning that is possible using these tools, not the frustration
of forgetting how to accomplish a specific task.
I worry about the number of small pieces we have joined together.....

Some issues surrounding learning, Web 2.0 style

I can completely empathise. And I think that this teacher is on the right track, being concerned about the learning that can sometimes be overshadowed by the mechanical aspects of the doing. This blogger raises a great point - within the education community, we need to think of how we are going to teach our students (and ourselves!) how to

Manage and store our 'knowledge products' efficiently, so that we have timely access to them
Manage accounts, user names, passwords and online identities responsibly, keeping in mind the archival aspect of the internet (think before you post!)
Identify, adapt or create tools that are appropriate to the task at hand
Ensure that you have planned time not only for the task, but for the tool (How familiar are you with the program you are using to get the job done?)
Be aware of and actively use the support resources available - formal and informal (Help menus, online user forums, FAQ's and so forth)

Links

http://mr-fisher.edublogs.org/

http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2006/08/planning_for_ne.html

http ://mr-fisher.edublogs.org/2006/09/26/personal-learning-networks/

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=joseph%20h%20kerr%20school

International conference for educators, online

2006-09-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

From the conference website:

www.k12onlineconference.org

Announcing the first annual “K12 Online 2006″ convention for teachers, administrators and educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice. This year’s conference is scheduled to be held over two weeks, Oct. 23-27 and Oct. 30- Nov. 3 with the theme “Unleashing the Potential.” The K12 Online 2006 blog has just gone live.

On the conference blog you will also find the web form we will be using for the submission of proposals. Everyone is encouraged to submit a proposal. More details are on the conference blog: www.k12onlineconference.org. The blog will be updated regularly with everything you need to know about the conference.

Technorati Tags: k12online, k12online06, professionaldevelopment, skills, conference, education

Site Redesign --> Some inspiration!

2006-09-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

As I am in the process of trying to design tools to use for educators and administrators for refining their process of school success planning and implementation, I am obsessed by the design of web resources. I would like to gather some of the tools that are already available on line and make them available to users in a more logical and coherent manner. I have already collected the tools and links for my own work; I would now like to make those tools available for the people that I am working with, but in a meaningful and useful way!
This site inspired me to plan a little bit more before I completely implement my design. I think I still have a ways to go before I come up with something that is truly useful. In the mean time, I will use this site as an example of effective design, in order to help me better understand what that means.

From an instructional design perspective, this is a great site. Clear, concise, and easy to understand, the site conveys the information that it needs to without too much extraneous information.

DIBELS is a system for reading comprehension testing. The page has a clear title, followed by a simple graphic situating the reader. The graphic highlights the grade levels and time of year that is being addressed in this area of the site. The reader immediately sees suggested dates for testing, and that testing is expected to take place over a range of two years.
This information is conveyed very effectively through use of a simple table and a single colour to make it stand out from the rest of the page. Easy and effective, visually engaging - the reader can understand what is being communicated wihtout
much effort.

DIBELS page sample 1. Calendar illustrates implementation period.

This is followed by a button in a contrasting colour. The button links to a video demonstration of the principles in action. Before any explanations are given, before the authors delve into terminology, the reader has a chance to situate themselves in process and gain a better understanding of what is being discussed. This gives them a framework in which to situate the rest of the content they will encounter.
The reader is then given guidelines for administration of the test, and they are provided with a link to help them further refine their understanding. This prevents extraneous information from cluttering the page, and allows the reader to clarify their understanding of what is being said.
DIBELS page sample 2. Administration periods and technical info.
A brief desciption of the technical aspects of that particular test follows. I like the inline references to clarify for the reader why and how this test is effective. It provides a starting point for the reader to further research claims about the tool's efficacy.
Finally, at the bottom of the page, is some simple iconography, consistent throughout the site. This adds some colour without being too distracting, and draws attention to the further resources that are available to users. I like the fact that the colours are consistent and unified.

DIBELS page sample 3. Graphics remain consistent throughout the site.
Overall, a great site in terms of design. Simple, logical and coordinated, and relatively straightforward. Lots of ideas for me to take into consideration as I continue to design my site.

Ten minute tech sessions - or, how to integrate ICT learning into the work place

2006-06-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Global Learning Initiative

Is it just me, or are most technology conferences getting boring?

This brief article has provided me with a little bit of a spark... an idea for how to structure mini-sessions to introduce really cool technical tools that I am passionate about. These are tools that are intended to make my life easier, and really do, but it can be overwhelming to present them all at once to people. So what about 10 minute tech sessions? Say, for example...

What is delicious and why would I want to use it?

How do I find *good* blogs? :)

What is Furl and what could I use it for?

Writely?

Using Google alerts to review information...

Just some thoughts...

Technorati Tags: technology, teaching, professionaldevelopment, skills

Technorati Tags: technology, teaching, professionaldevelopment, skills

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: Blogs and Wikis: Environments for On-line Collaboration

2006-06-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Bob Godwin-Jones
Virginia Commonwealth University

Language professionals have embraced the world of collaborative opportunities the Internet has introduced. Many tools -- e-mail, discussion forums, chat -- are by now familiar to many language teachers. Recent innovations -- blogs, wikis and RSS feeds -- may be less familiar but offer powerful opportunities for
online collaboration for both language professionals and learners. The
underlying technology of the new tools is XML ("extensible markup language") which separates content from formatting, encourages use of meta-data, and enables machine processing of Internet documents. The latter is key in the ability to link automatically disparate documents of interest to individuals or groups. The new collaborative opportunities this enables have led some to consider the growing importance of XML as the signal of the arrival of the second-generation Web."

Ok... I have to admit, I do sort of forget why I blogged this quote. I tacked it on quickly, as a post, however, I promptly forget why it was interesting. I am guessing that I probably noted this because it is an entry point to some of the evolutions in the internet that we have seen in recent years, and have resulted in what some refer to as the second generation web, Web 2.0 (Brought to you by O'Reilly -- my cheque is on the way), or, what the internet was really meant to be.

The internet is in flux, and it is hard to keep up with how quickly things move. There are so many tools that are available in an accessible form, that could have so many potential uses in the educational setting. Time and willingness to try something new or different in attempting to integrate technology meaningfully could be obstacles in some settings. A lack of understanding and diversity of opinions on what it actually means to engage learners meaningfully certainly doesn't make it any easier!

The above quote inspires me now because of its references to collaboration. In education, it is so easy to feel as though you are alone - you shut your classroom door, and its just you and your kids. The internet, and some of the new ways of using technology provide a fascinating way to open up the classroom to the world. Of course, this is reality, and not everyone is piloting a 1-1 laptop initiative with massive funding and support. Nor does everyone need to be in order to make technology meaningful for your students. It takes a great deal of creativity, planning and patience to deal with a computer with a dial-up connection and Windows 95, or pre dual-processer Macs....

So how do you deal with limited lab access or a lack of computers compared to the number of students you face? You get innovative. Narrow your goals, and decide what you really want your students to get out of the experience. Plan, plan, and plan some more. Make sure that you have practiced what you want your students to be able to do, and know what could go wrong. Ensure that students are fully prepared before they hit the computers. And most of all, take a deep breath when it seems like everything is going wrong.

As teachers, administrators, members of the education community, there is an opportunity to reach continue the process of life-long learning that is promoted to students. We can engage ourselves in learning, and equally as important - constructing knowledge. If blogs, wikis and RSS feeds are foreign to you, look them up! These are tools that allow you to connect, reach out, and monitor. They are tools that allow you to engage in the evolving conversation, and let your voice be heard.

Links:

O'Reilly article - What is Web 2.0 http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

Blog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Blog Search - Google http://blogsearch.google.com/

Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

RSS feed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)

Weblogs in Higher Education: Teachers hindering progress and learning?

2006-06-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Weblogs in Higher Education, Tuesday May 31, 2005

teachers, as a class of experts, may be a substantial threat to Web 2.0,
even if we are all the while hoping to extend it. Teachers need,
instead, to pass these tools over to students and to members of our
community, to stop speaking only to other teachers, to stop behaving as
an expert class, and to find a way to have a stake in the interests and
knowledge of the community.

A fascinating entry on some reading that the poster is currently doing, and commentary on the teacher's relation to new Read/Write web tools - and how they might be hindering their effective use and implementation.

Getting Serious about Blogs in Schools: from weblogg-ed

2006-06-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

From:

Getting Serious about Blogs in Schools

This article provides an interesting discussion of how OTHER schools are implementing innovative web practices into their classroom. Also has links to a great post.

"If you want to find an area of the country that is getting really
serious about the Read/Write Web in the classroom, look no further that
Western New York. If nothing else, the last two days here speaking to
and with the superintendents from about 50 districts and the staff
developers from the Erie BOCES made it clear that these people either
get it or want to get it and will do whatever it takes to move the
schools in a new direction. It’s been really gratifying to be involved
in some very provocative, challenging, and imaginative discussions,
ones that I think bode really well for the students and teachers of the
region.

For the last few months, the BOCES has been planning a series of
blog, wiki and podcasting in services that will start up in September
throughout the region. They’ve invested in servers and training, and
it’s an attempt at least at the kind of support that’s needed to make
their efforts successful."

Google Alerts in the classroom

2006-05-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

Google Alerts
From the Google Alerts website:
"Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

monitoring a developing news story
keeping current on a competitor or industry
getting the latest on a celebrity or event
keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams"

This tool could be used with students to monitor an issue over a period of time. As a teacher, you may wish to have the alerts sent to a clasroom e-mail address. With older students, they could use the tool more independently. It could be particularly interesting for monitoring a news story.

This could be an interesting tool for teachers to follow certain areas, related to a particular interest. An interesting way to keep abreast of current issues and target your reading, I think this tool would best be used in small doses. Tools should help you perform a job better, not make it harder.

In this case, Google Alerts offers the opportunity to provide the user with timely updates on self-selected issues. Whether it be current affairs in general, or a particular subject area, this tool could be of help. I have signed up for alerts on educational technology and community schools to be received once a week. I have time set aside every thursday at lunch to do my reading online. If I don't set aside time, it can become unwieldly and overwhelming.

I will report back in a few weeks with regards to how Google Alerts is working for me - I've already made a note of it in my calendar!

FD's Flickr toys

2006-05-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Aisha and Bill, I hope the links below will answer your questions! These are some pretty neat toys that do what you were asking about earlier.

I will add more information here when I have a chance to try out more of the toys! Very exciting, as I think there is a lot of pedagogical potential here. What I especially like about these tools is that they are simple to use - either by an instructor or a student - and they are quick to produce something. There is no long waiting period to see your results! For those of you that are storing your photos online, I also like that you don't need to go through the additional (aggravating) step of having to download your photo first - you can enter the link and the program will take it from there.

*When you are using a hosted image, make sure that you are using the proper url. Otherwise it may not fetch the image.

Motivator
Allows you to make motivational posters from your images. You are able to select landscape or portrait, background colour and border and font colours. There is a space for your slogan or theme, and the message of explanation or encouragement that typically follows beneath in smaller font. Saving options allow you to save to your Flickr account, or to disk.

Magazine cover
CD Cover maker
Mosaic Maker
Calendar
Trading Card maker
Framer
Movie poster
Comic book captioner
Billboard
Slideshow

Trading card maker - AWESOME. No, really. It's fun and simple!

2006-05-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Trading Card Maker is an application by FD’s Flickr Toys. First, if you are not aware of it, Flickr is a free online photo hosting service which allows you to tag photos with information that describes them, and many other features, which are better described here.

For a step by step tutorial on how to create your trading card, go to http://misshampson.googlepages.com/tradingcard.

Trading Card Maker allows you to create the face of a trading card, and they provide an image with a Flickr logo for the back of the card. Choose an image, select a background, add some text and icons and there you have it. You do NOT need to be using an online photo hosting service, as you can upload photos to the site.

You may decide - especially if you are doing this as a class project that you want to design a back that reflects your project. You can create an image and scan it, or create an image with the computer. I would recommend printing the face of the card on photo paper and the back on heavier stock. Glue the back on the photo paper, and hey presto! Trading cards! You could also print both sides on heavy card and laminate them.

Whatever you end up doing, have fun with it! This is a great tool for a wide variety of age groups, and provides a possibility for learners to engage in the content in an innovative way, at the same time as acquiring and using ICT skills.

I like this concept because it is a tool that you can adapt to your needs, and to a wide variety of abilities and age levels. I think it is a really great idea, because it can help learners put knowledge to use in very fun and hands-on ways, and allows you to create something that is very personal and unique.

If you want to play around and try it out yourself, FIRST make sure you have located the images you want to use. Then click on the link. Really. It will save you some time and frustration!

Trading Card Maker site

Tutorial

Free tools online - Mindmapping

2005-12-03T07:07:00.001-08:00

Create a free mindmap, save it and it becomes searchable. Map your mind - Mayomi. I love discovering free and open source tools. Though not always perfect, they provide hope for the kind of teacher that I am:

limited access to the computer lab
too new to have software purchasing suggestions taken seriously!

I love mindmapping/brainstorming as a tool for generating ideas. It allows me to cull the best ones, and tease them out a little more. I know that my students often procrastinate - not beginning work on major projects and assignments until the night before. As a teacher, I try as much as possible to make them accountable for all of there work, demarcating specific steps that I want to see completed, for example, brainstorming. They are then asked to reflect on the work that they have completed, and to consider what needs to be done.

By asking students to stop and reflect on their journey, I am hoping for a bit of introspection from my students. I think it is essential to pause and consider what it is, exactly, that we are doing. I think that my students put off their work for the same reasons I do - they feel overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Mindmapping is one way to make an insurmountable task seem more manageable.

Caveat: There are no privacy options on this website, so whatever you create remains public. Anyone will be able to see your mindmap, so do not post sensitive information that you would not want someone else to find. The site has been created as part of a larger research project that you can read about on the website.

http://www.mayomi.com/

Technology in the classroom

2005-11-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

When I graduated from universitysix years ago, the idea of incorporating technology was pushed as a means of appealing to my students various intelligences. What I did NOT get in my fabulously expensive education was:

detailed instruction in how I should integrate various technologies
which technologies were particularly relevant to me as a second language teacher
once in the field, when I was going to find time to figure it all out
how to ensure that the school I chose had appropriate resources so that I could try to be innovative in using new technologies with my students

These were just some of the questions I was left with as I began my journey into teaching. These are also the questions I still ask myself in my teaching practice. As an area of great interest to me, I have made time to delve further into educating myself in various educational technology-related topics. Through listening to what works for others, and ongoing experimentation, I am constantly adding new tools to my toolbox, and setting aside those that don't meet my needs at the time.

I have had he opportunity to work in different types of school settings over the last few years, however, the level of access to various computer-related technologies has not been what I hoped it might be. Lack of functioning resources, adequate numbers of resources, access to up to date software, and a computer technician have all been barriers to greater innovation. It can be difficult to engage the greater school community in a vision that might be hard to share with others - many people still do not see the potential that even basic computer-related technologies can bring to the classroom. In an ideal world, I would be able to finish a project with my students, getting timely computer lab access to enrich their skills. As a new teacher, when you are working towards a tenured position, you are not necessarily in a position to make too many demands!

This has not changed my view on the potential benefits of information technology and computer use with a class. I feel that there are a number of resources out there that can save time, increase interest, and provide unique learning experiences for my students. As I become more proficient with the technology tools that I am using, I can pass on this information to my students. The limitations placed on me only serve to remind me of the students out there whose access is even more impeded than my own.

So for all those teachers out there who want to innovate, and are limited, excited, unsure or expert - dive in. Try it out for yourself, and keep moving forward! Your students will appreciate your efforts (it may just take a while for them to realise it)!

The articles I have listed below deal with technology use in the school in some way, and I hope they can be of use if you are wondering why and how you can integrate different types of technology into your teaching.

Making the Case for Educational Technology to Teachers

An article from the International Society for Technology Education.

How to get buy-in from teacher leaders, new and veteran teachers alike. Why each group can benefit from the use of technology.
Why teachers should use computers in their learning environments - the various reasons why computer technology should be integrated. Reasons include the prevalence of technologies in the workplace today, providing different means of communicating with parents, possibilities for collaboration, and the ability to appeal to a wider variety of learning styles.
Tips and tricks for integrating technology. Links to a variety of resources including tutorials, success stories, opportunities for collaboration between students and teachers.
A discussion of students today, and how computer and technology exposure is changing the way that they learn.

The ISTE website has a number of useful tools and links. They are quite organised and thorough. The society publishes the Journal for Research in Technology Education and the magazine Leading and Learning with Technology.

ISTE website: http://www.iste.org
JRTE:http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/JRTE/About_JRTE/About_JRTE.htm
L&L:http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/About_LandL/General_Information/General_Information.htm

This is a blog for you

2005-11-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

This blog is intended as a resource for teachers. It will hopefully help to answer the question 'but how do I do that?'

For any further information about setting up a blog or choosing an appropriate tool, I recommend checking out my delicious site. Delicious is great for people like me - I see lots of great and interesting sites, but, I don't always remember what they are. You can search, english or french, for information on just about any term related to teaching!

For those of you that asked, sorry about the re-vamp.... it is going to take me a couple more days to 're-file' things. I have a system of labelling and organising my links that seems to be working well to make sure that I can find the information I need more quickly.

So - why is everything missing (sorry M & J -- give me 2 days!!) - because I am going back and attaching MORE info. Details and links, all for you! In the mean time, get started with the delicious links!

The Garage Band Scary Story/Radio play projects I did with the Sec ones are going to be turned into a podcast for downloading. The instructions and the steps we took are included, and I am looking at Audacity to see if the instructions would be similar, in case you are not a Mac user.

Stay tuned!! At the latest, come back Sunday! (but, everything should be up by Thursday, pre-conference).

h.
Feel free to post comments or send me an e-mail.

* In order to view the student blogs, click on my picture, or 'View complete profile'.

Thanks!