Looking to a New Year

Happy New Year all! Technically, it isn't a new year yet in the Central Time Zone, but it is close enough to create this post. For me, 2008 brought relief from back pain, an Alaskan adventure, not one, but TWO visits with my best friend Kirsti, lots of renovations to my home, the beginning of a transition in my job role, the college graduation of my daughter, and new and continued friendships which I value greatly!
I look for more great experiences in 2009. I know that 2008 hasn't quite yet ended, but as a teacher, I tend to plan ahead. Today's sites are devoted to those planners, or at least calendar watchers.

Read*Write*Think Calendar
This is an interactive lesson idea calendar produced by the esteemed Read*Write*Think, a site created by International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Simply view a month and click an event to view an interactive lesson about the topic. Great lessons for grades K-12 related to national standards and completely free.

EDSITEment Calendar
This calendar is brought to you by the National Endowment for the Humanities on their EDSITEment site. This calendar also shows topics by date which are linked to site features or lesson plans for grades K-12. All lessons are standards based and free as well.

TeacherVision Calendar
This calendar has linked topics, similar to those above, but as a subscription site, each day's topic provides multiple links to related web sites, lesson plans for grades K-12 and printables. The site allows for three free previews, then you must sign up for the free 7-day trial. Subscriptions run $39.95 a year. I couldn't find standards information, but maybe it is provided with a subscription. This site is part of the Family Education Network from Pearson Education.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I can't believe it is here already. This year, I did most of my shopping online so I don't have to get out today, on Christmas Eve, and fight the crowds. I plan to mail some packages...I know they will be late, but I also know I will be forgiven for that...take some Christmas treats over to my friend Marlon, bake a cake for my hubby to take to work tomorrow (firefighters have to work on Christmas-bah!), and then go to my mother-in-law's for our family celebration. What a great day!
May each of you find the joy of the Christmas spirit enter your home this holiday season!

Grammar Grater
Grammar Grater is a weekly podcast produced by Luke Taylor and the Grammatis Personae Players from Minnesota Public Radio. The podcasts are fresh and lively, focusing on interesting topics related to grammar. The coolest thing about the applying them in the classroom is that the script is posted on the website for students to read along while listening. This allows lower ability readers to have that audio-visual connection. Thanks to Twitter friend skipz for the tweet about this great site!

Cooperating Through Twitter

This morning I was reading a few posts on Twitter and saw a couple of opportunities to help Twitter friends. This is not an uncommon occurrence. Often I will read Twitter posts that are requests on how to do a particular task in an application, what the best brand of (dvr, mini pc, wireless router, etc) is, or to shout out a hello to new Twitter users. It is great to have such a diverse community of friends to help with these types of questions.
Twitter can help with another type of request as well. This type allows for collaboration. This is the type of request I responded to this morning, and will always respond to if I have the opportunity, because it is such a valuable contribution.
One of the requests was made by cscribner, a Twitter friend and fellow Maize technology integration consultant. He and several students from his school are working on a VoiceThread about Christmas traditions around the world. His request was to add comments to the VoiceThread about how Christmas is celebrated in the poster's country. What a wonderful way to complete a global project in a short time. In the past, students (or the teacher) would have to write letters or emails. These two methods require efforts that are unnecessary today.
The other request was from mrmayo, another educator I follow on Twitter. His students created podcasts for book reports. He was asking for people to visit his blog, listen to the podcasts and comment. What an easy thing to do! Each podcast was under two minutes long, and picking a few of them I got the gist of the assignment. I listened and posted in under 10 minutes. Back when I was fifth grade teacher, I would have loved having my students receive feedback from people around the world. Unfortunately, back then I could only go down and bribe my coworkers with a day free of recess duty to respond.
So while I joined Twitter to learn new ideas and be a "requester of information" I am pleasantly surprised to see how I can contribute!

Mathway
Mathway is a site that shows step-by-step how to solve a math problem. The problem types range from basic to calculus. Students (and their parents helping with homework) can see the steps of the problem if they forgot how to do it once at home. Teachers can use the site to reinforce the steps of a problem or to show student an alternate way to solve. Graphs can even be created from the equations. Finally a glossary of terms is available for refreshing your memory of math vocabulary.

Buying on a Budget

With the economy in the dumps, tightening of the purse strings is uber-important. This holiday season, I have been checking my favorite "deal" sites daily to buy Christmas gifts for just a little less. I have shopped Graveyard Mall, Woot, Shirt Woot, Deep Discount, and Amazon's Gold Box recently to save a few bucks on gifts for some of my favorite people. The best deal I got was from Deep Discount...2 bars of soap, one says "butt" and the other says "face" for $2.98 with free shipping. This for a $5 gift exchange that my 15 year old son will participate in. A $2.00 savings!
What about when schools need to purchase new technology? How can districts, especially small ones, save money? It isn't as simple as shopping at a deal of the day site. First, most sites only allow you to buy three of an item. Also, who is going to get that requisition approved TODAY because the deal ends at midnight? Finally who wants all of those different brands and models floating around because each laptop was purchased from a different discount site. There has to be some way of cutting costs while obtaining quality products.
Today I noticed an add at Deal News for a Dell M109S Ultraportable LED DLP Projector. The price was right: $499. Plug in the coupon code and it brought the price down to $399.20 with free shipping. Sounds great, huh? But what about quality? Can a district afford to cut the price of projectors by 1/2 or more if they will have to replace them twice as often? Should a district compromise picture quality for budget savings? On the other hand, should a district continue to buy projectors that need bulbs replaced often at exorbitant costs?

My request today is responses to the following questions:

-How does your district approach finding quality technology at affordable prices?
-Have you used the Dell M109S projector? If so, what is your opinion?
-Do you have any favorite "deal sites"? Share and I will post them!

Rule of Three

In our district it seems that we often follow a "rule of three". We usually use a three year implementation plan for new programs, it takes three years for a new teacher to become tenured, some of our technology has a three year warranty and a three year rotation. Less apparent is that it usually takes three years to "get it". What I mean by that is that when teachers are introduced to a new technology, it seems to take three years before they are fully integrating that technology.
Example: Three years ago, we transformed from an elementary school to a middle school. With the new middle school curriculum came a class on broadcasting. The brave teacher that took on this new class had really no experience with it. The first year there were many foibles on his part and on the part of the students. The next year, it ran smoother, but there were no extensions of the program. This year, the daily broadcasts are full and rich and enjoyable to watch. Students have incorporated video, audio, mobile reporting, and a variety of other strategies to produce a fun and informative program each day.
This is just one example of technology use that take about three years to integrate or internalize, but there are many others. Today's featured site was emailed to the entire staff by one of the special education teachers. This is the first time she has sent out a site and her third year in our school. Coincidence?

NCES Kids' Zone
The NCES Kids' Zone is hosted by the National Council of Educational Statistics. The Kids' Zone provides information to help you learn about schools; decide on a college; find a public library; engage in several games, quizzes and skill building about math, probability, graphing, and mathematicians; and to learn many interesting facts about education. Resources include a search tool for schools, libraries, and colleges; a graph creation tool; "Dare to Compare", a fun quiz to see how your knowledge of different subject areas compares to students nationally and globally; a grab bag of games, quizzes, data, and videos; and an interactive probability activity. All resources are free.

Training for Blogging

Today the other Technology Integration Consultants and I from our district are meeting to discuss implementing blogging in our district. Our idea is to have administrators model Web 2.0 for the staff by utilizing Web 2.0 tools for district communication. We think that if administrators begin simply by blogging their newsletters, we can grow the usage over time. We have to begin by growing ourselves.
Only three of the TICs currently have a blog. This morning, we are showing the others how to set up their own blog. The discussion has been lively and it is fun to watch comprehension and "ahas" wash over their faces. Once each TIC has set up their own blog, we will practice with them before we devise a plan for administrators. Any ideas for administrative or teacher blogs out there? I really would appreciate hearing how other districts have approached blogging by administration and teachers. What guidelines did you use? What blog host? Any information will be helpful!

Cutest Blog on the Block
This site was shared this morning by a TIC in one of our elementary buildings. The Cutest Blog on the Block is a site that offers backgrounds, animated .gifs, and blog tips to jazz up your Blogger blog. You can also get a face lift for your blog or create photo cards for a fee.

I Feel Loved!

Yesterday Johanna, a colleague, emailed me to ask me why I hadn't written a new post in a week. The fact is, I have just been too busy. At least that is what I tell myself. However, it takes only one little email to spur me into action. Funny how knowing that just ONE person might be interested in what I have to say makes me feel loved!
It's really human nature, isn't it? As teachers, friends, family members, and human beings, we need to remember that all people want to feel appreciated. Taking time to remind a student of one of their good points, telling a relative you love them, complimenting a friend on their outfit - hairdo - cooking, etc, or even stepping outside your door when the mailman is filling the mailboxes and offering him a smile and a thanks, isn't really hard to do. And the gestures mean so much to the recipient. Just like a little message in my inbox. Thanks, Johanna. I feel loved!

Learning to Give
Learning to Give is the curriculum division of The LEAGUE, an organization to promote community service by students in the school setting. To quote from the site:

Students are often recognized for their achievements on the field and in the
classroom, but how often are they recognized for giving back? The LEAGUE is a
school-based system that combines state standards-based lesson plans with
community service events that teach students the value of giving and recognizes
them for their efforts.

The Learning to Give site has resources for teachers, students, parents, youth workers, faith groups and independent schools. Lesson plans are tied to state standards and designed for grades K-12 to teach students about philanthropy and the value of donating time to a worthy cause. There are games to play to increase understanding of community service, as well as many other resources.

Of 1:1 and Podcasting

Today I am at a 1:1 Laptop Summit hosted by Holton Public Schools in northeast Kansas. Our district is looking implement a 1:1 program and are still in the research phase. In the library at Holton High School about 50 people are gathered from across the state. Some are from districts that already have a 1:1 program like Holton; others are like my school district, here to gather information.
I was very interested in coming to listen in because I was concerned that we might not be thinking of EVERYTHING we need to as we plan. So far, it looks as if we are doing OK. I am also relieved to know that the issues we are facing are being faced by those already involved, or planning an implementation of their own.
Some solutions have been offered. On our drive back home, I am sure we will discuss these in detail. One such solution is to create a "white list" of acceptable sites for use at school, as opposed to a "black list" of unacceptable sites. I am curious about how this works. Anyone out there using a "white list"? If so, I would love your feedback about how it works in your district.
Even with the ideas shared here, I know our district can not afford to rush into a program as big as this without thinking it through thoroughly.

Gcast
Gcast is a website that allows you to create a podcast by dialing a toll-free number from any phone anywhere. Alan Beam, principal of Holton High and presider of the 1:1 laptop summit, explained how he uses it for school announcements. Check out more information about how to use Gcast at November Learning. I am excited to use this free service and share it with my teachers!

Bringing Them Along

Part of my job is to review websites and web applications for their potential use in the classroom. Historically, I have done this and then shared relevant content with my teachers via an email link with some explanatory notes. Often, I don't have a clue as to whether the teachers use the sites I send them, don't use them for whatever reason, or have a filter set up in Outlook to automatically delete any and all emails that come from me.

This year, I decided to promote the use of Web 2.0 tools by delivering resources through this blog. Now, the funny thing is, I notified the teachers of the existence of this blog by emailing them. However, I still have the same problem...not knowing if anyone is really reading it, or at least looking at the resources I blog about. I added a stat counter and a cluster map, but both of those record every visit that I make to the blog as well. Which means that if you look at my stat counter, divide that number in half and then again by 7, that is probably the actual number of visits by other people besides myself!

I decided to try a new tack. Recently, when I blog about a resource, I send the blog link to the teachers I think might be interested in the resource. Yes, I know I am being redundant, but sometimes you have to to bring people along. The payoff is wonderful when you have someone stop you in the hall and tell you they tried out the site with their students or when you receive emails like this:

Did this yesterday with the kids after we did Typing Pals for a
bit....THEY LOVED IT!! Some were more interested in the chatting, but at
least they were typing!

That from Lindsey, a 6th grade teacher, whom I had sent the blog post What You End Up With to through email. She was referring to TypeRacer, a keyboarding game that allows for private competition through the generation of a unique url. Thanks to Lindsey, I will continue to blog about websites and resources and hopefully next time I will hear back from at least two teachers!

All My Faves
This cool site is touted as a "top sites" search engine and is arranged in categories by icon. Ideal for visual people who remember a logo but maybe not a site name. You can sort alphabetically or by most popular. There is a tab for Weekly Faves to stay on top of what is "in" at the moment!

Boy Do I Feel Sheepish

I am not usually a sucker. I pride myself on that. However, yesterday I had a giant red "S" on my forehead when I decided to find out my Twitterank. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Turns out all of Twitterland is abuzz about how anyone who made the same decision I did are now exposed to phishing scams, stolen identities, going home to find their house had been stolen, etc. OK, maybe not THAT bad, but still.
Last night I spent over an hour changing my password for all the sites that shared the same password as Twitter. Maybe I didn't actually need to change all the passwords, but still.
Luckily, the particular password that I used for Twitter wasn't one that was tied to any site that has really personal or financial information. In this day and age, who knows what a person can find out about you from a simple password connected to a seemingly innocuous web application? Who knows if there is anything they can't find out?
In the end, it is a good lesson for us all to change our passwords often. I had been using that particular password for several years. It might be an inconvenience for awhile to force my fingers to move to different characters on my keyboard until I get used to typing the new password, but each time I have to do it, I will remember the near-miss of Twitterank.
If you looked in the mirror yesterday or today to find a big red "S" staring back at you, read more on Adam Ostrow's blog post, or the post by Oliver Mark.

Strong Passwords & Password Security
After my near-miss yesterday, it got me to thinking about password storage and security. I did some searching on the web and found this article from Microsoft on creating strong passwords. About halfway down the article is a link to click to see if your password is considered "strong". There are good tips here for keeping your passwords secure as well.

What You End Up With

I ran across a cool keyboarding game the other day while was searching the Internet. The game is a multiplayer game in which you can invite your friends by creating a unique url and compete against them in a private setting. I liked the privacy of it, so I began my quest to find other multiplayer games that were educational in nature, yet had a closed-environment. I came across one such other site that had math games. Both are highlighted below. I was disappointed that I could find no other sites that allow students to play without registering or to play against classmates in a closed-environment.
What I did find was a cool site that provides customizable flash templates for teachers and students that can be embedded into wikis, blogs, class websites, etc. Funny what you end up with when embarking on a web search!
If anyone knows of any educational games like those mentioned above, please send them my way and I will share them on this blog.

Arcademic Skill Builders
Arcademic Skill Builders is an educational game site that has a variety of math and language arts skills games (as well as one game on state capitals) in a flash format. Four math games are multiplayer games in which students can invite select individuals by providing them with a unique url. The games seem appropriate for students in grades 3-5, but older kids might have fun with them as well.http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

Type Racer
This keyboarding game is in beta, but seems to run very smooth. You can register or play as a guest and invite friends by providing them with a code or a private url. The text comes from books or movies. I played my daughter yesterday and we had to type text from the movie Juno. She beat me every time! Players can chat with one another while playing, but most will be concentrating on typing to beat their opponents!

Classtools
Classtools.net is an awesome site that allows you to create FREE interactive Flash diagrams for learning and revising material. Templates are easy to customize and include Venn, fishbone, and jigsaw diagrams, post-its, lights out, a count-down timer, and more. The templates can be embedded into wikis, blogs, and websites for easy access by teachers and students.

Click here for full screen version

image used in this tool originated from http://www.indiana.edu/~oso/animations/An12.html

Cool Google Tools

Today I attended a college class on Google Tools. Google is my encyclopedia, dictionary, thesaurus, phone book, atlas, cookbook, calculator, photo album, travel agent and more all rolled into one. I have Google set as my home page and have it customized with iGoogle (see video below). I frequently use Google as a verb rather than a noun....oh probably 25 times a day!

As I tweeted this morning before going to class, "there is always more to learn". So, I signed up for the class to see what I cool things I could learn. And learn, I did! Many thanks to my instructor, Cammy, for being a part of my PLN and helping me learn about some great Google features! Below are some highlights:

Google Searching
Google can be used as a calculator. Simply type in the equation and click search. The equation and answer will be displayed. This works for many types of equations. For a list of types, click here.
Google can be searched for a certain file type so that the results only display those matching a particular file extension. To do this, type in your search terms then type filetype: (file ext. here)
ex. water cycle filetype: .ppt will return results of PowerPoint presentations about or relating to the water cycle.
Google can search for synonyms of search terms that you enter. I am often searching for tutorials or guides for software that teachers use. Sometimes I spend lots of time just changing the search term to include words like "guide, tutorial, or directions". Using the synonym search, I can tell google to look for all of the above by only doing one search. To do this, in the search field, type: keyword ~tutorial (or whichever word you want it to search synonyms for).

Picasa
I downloaded Picasa a couple years ago and found it completely annoying, so I uninstalled it. It is much improved since I last looked at it. One of the features that I looked at and seems pretty cool is the picture collage. It is very easy to create one of four different styles of collages. Here are a bunch of tutorials (guides? directions?) from Learning Electric. I have decided that the improvements in Picasa make it worth another try.

Google Earth
Google Earth is another program I once had installed, but got rid of because of slowness of my network. Since then, my network has improved, and so has Google Earth! The feature I like most is the layers feature. This allows you to find information about a place as provided by many partners with Google. Layers can show tourist attractions, video clips, GPS tracks, National Geographic images, articles and movies, and more.

Is That "i before e?"

When I was teaching in the classroom, I would have been thrilled to have access to a site that would allow me to plug in spelling words and then have the kids do practice activities online. Back then, I could never seem to find a site that would let me upload my own spelling words.
My principal ran across such a site and sent it to me. I think it is great and am definitely sharing with the language arts teachers in the building.

Spelling City
Spelling City is a wonderful website for children to practice spelling. The site is designed for school or home practice. Teachers, parents, or students can upload unique spelling lists, or use one of the many lists on the site. There are fun ways to practice spelling skills, including hearing the word pronounced in a real human voice, playing many different games, or even taking a spelling test online. Teachers can store spelling lists by completing a free registration. Check out the short tutorial by Tammy Worcester here, or just go straight to the site to get started.

Physics from a Mom's Perspective

First Law of Physics: A ball that is thrown in my living room will continue through the air until it hits my favorite (insert your favorite photo, vase, television screen, etc. here) and smashes it into 347 tiny pieces.

Second Law of Physics: When one child in the living room tackles another child in front of (insert your favorite photo, vase, television screen, etc. here) the second child will be propelled into the object and smash it into 347 tiny pieces.

Third Law of Physics: For every time a sister pushes her brother in the living room, he will push back knocking his sister into (insert your favorite photo, vase, television screen, etc. here) and therefore smashing it into 347 tiny pieces.

Fantastic Contraptions
This website has several games related to physics. A fun and educational way for students to gain a better understanding of the concepts of physics.



Crayon Physics
Crayon Physics is a fun little game that helps students employ their knowledge about physics to win. This is a free download that can be quite addictive!

Yo, Banana Boy!

Happy birthday to me! Today I am 44 years old. Like the title of this post, this year I am a palindrome. For 365 days, I get to experience the special feeling that I can share with 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, and 101-year olds! Don't be a "party boobytrap", have fun with the palindrome sites below, they are "too hot to hoot!

Bob - by Weird Al Yankovic

Palindromes
Check out the palindrome riddles and lists of palindromes at this site.
Once Upon a Palindrome
This site has a cute story divided into chapters. Readers are to fill in the blanks with a palindrome.
Palindrome Puzzle
The Palindrome Puzzle is a grid puzzle in which the player needs to move pieces to the grid to complete the palindromes.
Radar Bills
Check out this Figure This! challenge from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

It's No Mystery

Good teaching takes time. If a teacher wants to have a lesson go well, he/she has to do homework. If using a prepared lesson plan, the teacher must read through it to determine what pieces of the lesson she wants to emphasize, and what can be left out. She must also prepare materials in advance. To meet the needs of all learners, the teacher might need find a variety of resources, utilize various strategies, or plan several activities. All of this takes time.
It's no mystery. The real puzzle is, "where do they find the time?" My hats off all the teachers out there who have solved the time conundrum.

FFFBI
Fin, Fur, and Feather Bureau of Investigation is brought to you by National Geographic and WBGH. It offers mysteries to solve while teaching kids about world cultures. This humorous site integrates math, science, music and history.

ReadWriteThink
This popular sites has a couple of activities for students. The first one is called Make a Mystery Puzzle. This activity, which can be used for book clubs, has children and teens explore this popular type of writing in more detail by making a puzzle. It also encourages them to invent and write their own mysteries.
The second activity, Mystery Cube, is an interactive that helps students identify the elements of this genre.

Mystery! The Disappearance of Polleyanne Fishenchips
This fun interactive comes from PBS. Students follow the clues and use careful reading and inferences to solve the crime.

Trick or Treat

I love Halloween! Besides Christmas, it is my favorite holiday. When my kids were young, I would always make their costumes. I wasn't going to have them go through the embarrassment of wearing a cheaply made store-bought costume like those I always had to wear as a kid. The best costume I made was for my daughter when she was about 4 years old. It was a jack-o-lantern made from a big orange sweatshirt and some black and green felt. I will always remember how cute she looked in it!
I think I used to get just as excited as my kids about going trick-or-treating. Our Halloween tradition has always been that I cook chili for the first time of the season for supper. Then, back in the day, I would take the kids out in search of the best treats while Dave, my husband, stayed home and passed out candy. Once home, all the candy went into a big bowl for all to share. I loved walking around with the kids and a few neighbors. I miss those days now that my kids are big.

History of Halloween
Check out everything Halloween at http://www.history.com/. This site has the history of the holiday, videos to watch, games to play, information about Halloween around the world, and more. The site also highlights other holidays as well.

Hands-on Halloween Science
Check out Steve Spangler's site for some fun Halloween related science activities.

Countess Blood's Spooky Midis, Wavs and Mp3's
Cool site for students to visit to jazz up a spooky podcast or movie. Audio files in midi, wav, and mp3 format.

I Font to Hold Your Hand

As a teacher, I like creating visuals to aid in teaching. Things like presentations, handouts, posters, worksheets, etc. As a teacher with an elementary background, I sometimes like to "cutesy" them up. That's why I love perusing free font sites. Way back in the day, Comic Sans Serif, Kristen, and Jokerman had it goin' on!!!! If I handed out a worksheet to my class that was printed with Jokerman font, the lesson turned into a fiesta, complete with a Mariachi band. Oh, the good times.

These days, I am no longer creating worksheets, but am still having a love-affair with fonts. There are some great sites out there for those of us with the need to have juvenile fonts for elementary, and those of us with more grownup tastes.



Dafont
Dafont has lots of cool fonts



UrbanFonts
UrbanFonts is another site for perusing a large number of fonts.

FontStruct
FontStruct is a fun little site for those with a creative side. At the site, you can follow the "fontstructions" to build your own font using the "fontstuctor" Keep the font for your own use, or choose to share it with others. There is a gallery of fonts to download or edit too. Fun project for art class, web design class, or anyone! Thanks to edorigami.edublogs.org for sharing this site.

What the Font
What the Font is a service that allows you to upload an image of a specific font, and they search for possible matches for that font. Cool.

Facebook - Connecting Near and Far

My daughter created a profile for me on Facebook last year when she was preparing to leave for a study abroad in Costa Rica. She wanted me to use Facebook so I would have a means to look at all the pictures she posted of her beautiful temporary home. She hooked me up with some of my nieces and nephews so that I would have some friends right away. Immediately, one of the teen aged nieces became suspicious of my reasons for wanting to be her friend. She was afraid that I was going to tell her mom (my sister) things I read on her wall, etc. Little does she know that my sister and I learned a long time ago to not tell on anyone. This goes way back to when we were kids. If we would have started telling our parents on each other, we would still be grounded today.

Soon my list of friends grew from 4 to 7, then 15 and now, as of five minutes ago, 23! Some of my friends work down the hall from me. Some used to be my students, and some my former classmates. My newest friend is my most long-distance friend, Gao Fan, from China. Fan was a visiting teacher in our district for three semesters. Even with all the communication tools we have today, it is not too easy to keep in touch with the time difference. I love that I can now peek into my friend's life from so far away whenever I want to! (Well, except when I am at work. My district blocks Facebook : ( )

Doodle
Doodle is a polling site that is very easy to use. You can quickly create an event-scheduling poll, or an options poll. When you create the poll, a URL is issued so you can notify pollees of the poll. If you sign up for a free account, you can have the poll results sent to your email, and save polls. My favorite part is that there is now an iGoogle widget!
Try my poll now
http://www.doodle.com/9edeudwp66i353td

Oldies...with a Twist!

When I really started getting into technology about 12 years ago, I learned about a program that I thought was the coolest thing going! It was a presentation software that would really help me illustrate important points in my lectures. Yep, I am talking about PowerPoint. Wow, I was in love with creating presentations with bulleted lists, varied transitions, and even that cool typewriter text animation. My students were awed and amazed.
Time passed and I found out that my 5th graders were coming to school knowing more about PowerPoint than I did. Then came the point that students would groan if I showed a .ppt or asked them to create one. I thought that the program had finally run it's course. Seemed a shame, especially since I had a gazillion presentations already created.
I think there is still a chance for PowerPoint. With the integration capabilities with other software like Promethean and eInstruction, just to name a couple, (and don't forget Google Docs!) teachers can dust off those old presentations and breathe new life into them.

Pete's PowerPoint Station
This site has hundreds of presentations organized by subject area for grades 2-8. Many of the presentations can be downloaded, but some are view-only. Why start at square one?

School District PowerPoint Archives
I am sharing two district sites that have a good listing of education PowerPoints. First is NEBO school district in Springville, Utah. Check out their archives here.
(The other site is not responding. I will edit post when the site is working.)

PowerPoint Palooza
Over 200 presentations related to American History, World History, Global Studies and others.

Blog Action Day: Poverty - I Don't Know You

Today I am participating in Blog Action Day 08 - Poverty. I feel at a loss at what to write, though I feel compelled to write. I chose my title because I have never known poverty. I don't know many people who have. Last spring, I had surgery and couldn't eat for a day. I was starving! Starvation - I don't know you.
When my husband and I were first married, I was still in college and we had a baby. We ate lots of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese because we were so poor. Poverty - I don't know you.
When I was 10 years old, my parents were divorced. I lived with my mom and brother and sister in rent-controlled housing and qualified for reduced lunches at my elementary school. Desperation - I don't know you.
I have taught the poor, desperate and hungry. Their lives are not easy, yet they don't give up. They come to school, watch out for their siblings while their parents look for work, handouts or drugs. They find room in their hearts to give their teacher a smile, a hug, a dirty stuffed animal for Christmas.
Poverty - I don't know you, but I want to help. Please go to Blog Action Day 08 and see what you can do too.

Integration

We often refer to "technology integration" as if it is a task in itself. My job title even has the phrase in it. However, the quest shouldn't be to integrate technology into the curriculum, but to use technology to integrate the curriculum.
If schools were to take this approach, it might not seem so daunting to teachers. Maybe it would even free up some time for teachers to learn new technology skills and search for resources if they were integrating subjects. Just how to integrate is the tough part though. In an elementary setting, teachers are concerned about teaching students the basics; as well they should be. In the middle and high school settings, teachers are concerned about teaching the standards for their specific curricular area so that the schools make AYP. When does one have time to integrate, and why should a teacher do another teacher's job for them?
Teaching the whole child should be the job of every teacher. Just like doing crunches alone won't get rid of that spare tire, doing math facts alone won't make an accountant. Letting go of the fear of falling test scores if you take time to teach about careers in your math class is tough for teachers. However, doesn't it make more sense to take a class period to talk about a career in math so that students see the connections between what they are doing today and where it can take them in the future, than to have the counselor come in at any random time to talk about many different careers in a 30 minute lesson? Doesn't seem like rocket science to me. But then hey, I teach P.E. so I don't have to worry about it!

Math Mastery
Math Mastery is an online math curriculum that utilizes videos to teach students in grades 2-8 math skills. The videos are engaging and interactive. The curriculum does have a cost. The cool thing I found at this site is the Daily Brains Library which is free. The library has hundreds of word problems that are categorized by subject area. The problems are relatively short and make for an easy way for math teachers to integrate science, history, geography, health, and language arts into their lessons.

Google Lit Trips
This site utilizes Google Earth to combine literature, geography, and history for a wonderful cross curricular experience for students.

Like an Email Joke, Only Better

I am teaching a graduate class called Collaborative Tools for Enrichment. The class is really about web 2.0 tools. Last night after our first class, one of the participants, and fellow Twitterer pmcanulty, sent me the video below. I followed the link and found it took me to Jeff Utecht's blog, The Thinking Stick. I watched the exceptional video and immediately wanted to post about it. Unfortunately, I didn't right away, but later discovered that two other people had emailed it to me AND I noticed a fellow Twitterer, ddraper, posted it just a little bit ago.
While I was watching the video, I noticed a cool app running that allows viewers' comments to be posted throughout the video. I decided to explore it, and before I could write this post, another fellow Twitterer, AngelaMaiers, posted about the app (see below)!
So, how many of you have gotten the email about "Pumpkins Who Drink Too Much" this week, and how many times? At least the video clip and the app are worthwhile.

Schools We Need
This video clip should be watched by EVERYONE. By Chris Lehmann, it covers 21st Century Skills, school reform, and what is truly best for kids.


Viddler
Turns out the app I was referring to is actually a video hosting service. With Viddler's free service, you can Upload as many videos as you want—you get nearly unlimited space. You can also record videos directly to the site using your webcam, post comments and tags at specific points in the video, and share your videos with RSS and iTunes. Best part: FREE!

Links to Learning

Yesterday I learned many new things in a way I never thought I would. I learned by clicking links. I started out by reading a post in my BeTwittered window that caught my eye. The post was by smhamilton who wrote about looking for sites for a web 2.0 class she is teaching. I am also teaching a web 2.0 class beginning today. smhamilton had two links in her post, so I checked them out. The first one was for http://www.sitemark.com/, where I learned about organizing and sharing my bookmarks(see below), and the second was for http://gettingtrickywithwikis.wikispaces.com/. This wiki, by Levna Shearing, has many ideas for ways to spice up your wiki.
I was intrigued by a link for another post by the author called Cogs for Blogs. I clicked that link and learned, among other things, how to add an "Email Me" link to my blog. Check it out to the right! I also clicked another link and found out how to make cool new videos. Read all about it below.
Thanks to a Twitter friend and a few link-clicks, I have learned some cool new things. Oh, and by the way, thanks to many Twitter friends, I learn stuff this way all the time! Now, click the links below to learn something too!

Sitemark
http://www.sitemark.com/ is a social bookmarking website that allows you to save, organize and share your bookmarks. Cool to me because bookmarks are in a thumbnail format. Great for visual people such as myself.

Viddix
http://www.viddix.com/ is a new video platform that allows users to add all kinds of webcontent to their video timeline. Check out the tour for more information.

Research and the Web

I could write an incredibly long post on using the Internet to do research. I am just too busy to do so today! I have run across a couple of tools that can help students capture specific information on the Web along with the link and organize that information in a neat and concise way.

Google Notebook
Google Notebook is a free service offered by Google that provides a simple way to save and organize clips of information when conducting research online. This personal browser tool permits a user to write notes, and to clip text, images, and links from pages during browsing. These are saved to an online "notebook" with sharing and collaboration features. Notes can be added to each clip for ease of organization. If you have the Google toolbar version 5, it allows for a mini window to place your notes in.


Clipmarks
Clipmarks is similar to Google Notebook in that you can save specific information from a web page. The Clipmarks plugin lets you clip specific pieces of web pages, then share what you clip with your friends on Facebook, MySpace or anywhere else. Unlike bookmarks that let you share a link to an entire page, our free clip button lets you capture and share the highlights from the page. Clips can also be saved privately, emailed or printed.

So I Don't Know Everything

It's true! I should feel happy that my bosses (yes, I have more than one of 'em) mostly feel like I do know everything, but I don't. Take today for example. Our district offers free college credits for graduate classes that we offer in our district through a college. This is a wonderful form of staff development for our staff because we get to push topics that we want them to learn by offering them as courses, and our teachers get a free college credit while learning right along with their colleagues.
The problem? I am not in the least prepared to teach a class that I am supposed to teach beginning this Thursday! The class is on utilizing a Promethean board in the classroom. I was planning on teaching it with another tech consultant, but the enrollment isn't high enough to warrant two instructors. I was relying heavily on his expertise. Yikes!
Therefore, I am cramming tonight, and will be for the next two nights on Promethean skills!
Calling all readers: I will HAPPILY accept any and all links to resources for ActivStudio!
Note: This post contains an unusually large number of exclamation points! I thought about editing some out, but then you wouldn't feel my desperation!

Promethean Planet Widget
I found this nifty widget to post on my iGoogle page that shows the latest flipcharts posted on Promethean Planet.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

We completed our fall parent/teacher conferences this evening. I heard a few teachers say that there seemed to be a decrease in attendance. They were speculating that the web access to grades was probably the reason. Could it be that conferences will one day a thing of the past? This school year, we plan to email report cards. Seems sad to me that the student doesn't get the opportunity to rip open that envelope to see those grades. And what about all the community activities tied to bringing in a report card to get free video rentals, ice cream cones, etc? Times, they are a changin'!

Scriblink
I had fun this evening playing with Scriblink in between visiting with parents about that online grade access. Scriblink is an online whiteboard that allows many to interact. There is a built in equation editor, a chat feature, and the ability to print, save, or send files. Very straight forward and easy to use. Excellent for online or IDL classes.

I Have to Blog Today

I have to blog today! It was my goal at the beginning of the year to blog five days a week. I have missed two days in a row! I don't like it when I don't meet self-imposed goals. I need to get a better system so that I can blog even when the waves of work come crashing down on me as soon as I enter the school building!

Today's sites are online photo editors. Some fun, free stuff!

Dumpr

Upload a photo, choose cool effects at dumpr, including rubik's cube, photo-to-sketch, photos-inside-a-photo, or reflection, then save, print, email, blog or add to your social media account. A few of the effects are available for only for pro accounts.

FlauntR
Create photo frames, borders, digital scrapbooks, ecards, greeting cards, or invitations using photo filters, lighting, overlays and textures. FlauntR also has web storage for your photos. Upload all of your photos at once using Picasa, or one at a time. Options for photo printing available. Integrates with Facebook and others.

LunaPic

My son and I had tons of fun the other night with LunaPic. LunaPic lets you spice up your photos with their online photo editing tools in the form of a toolbar. Add cool animations like color change, reflections, or transitions to your images. The best thing is you can add an unlimited number of animations. Sign up for an account and get to share your artwork with friends or save it on your computer and start a collection.

What I Have Learned So Far

Wow! I didn't think that my wallflower post would get ANY comments, and I got five. Who'da thunk? I didn't write it for the responses, but I am so grateful for them. I got valuable advice from each one, and such encouragement that validates what I am doing. Now I am just craving more advice and tidbits!
Two years ago I attended the Laptop Institute held at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis. The keynote speaker was David Warlick. It was so awesome to hear him speak in his keynote address, and even more thrilling that he led a couple of smaller sessions. That summer was really my induction to the blogging world...the world of web 2.0, really.
From that conference, I have gained confidence in trying out new tools and sharing them with others. It took a couple years, but I finally figured out that I could use the tools to share them! Since that first experience at the Laptop Institute, I have sought out great bloggers. I learn new things every day from the many posts I read. Thank you all for helping me learn!

More blogs I read:
WNY Education Associates Blog
I have been following Angela Stockman for a few months on Twitter. She is the director of WNY Education Associates, a group that specializes in literacy coaching, writer's studios, and professional development.

ITLC
Integrating Technology in Teaching and Learning is a blog by Skip Zalneraitis, an English teacher from New Hampshire. He found me or I found him on Twitter a few months ago. I love his wake up tweet every morning, but love more the practical ideas and resources he shares in his blog.

The Connected Classroom
This blog is intended to capture the thoughts of an emerging edu-blogger committed to creating constructivist learning experiences for students. Authored by Kristin Hokanson, a "Teachnology" teacher and Classrooms for the Future Coach in PA.

Can You Ever Go Back?

Or do you even want to? I am on the planning committee for my 25-year class reunion. It is coming up in 5 weeks. It will be fun to see old (emphasis on the OLD) friends and hear about what is going on in their lives. I attended Wichita High School South in Wichita, KS. While many classmates still live in Wichita, in a class of 500+ students, lots have moved elsewhere to more exotic places. Well, that is how I perceive it.
Still, I am looking forward to visiting with these friends who live in far-away places. I will enjoy every minute of my weekend of catching-up and reminiscing. I loved high school! However, I doubt I would really like to relive those days. I wish I didn't have to say that it has been 25 years already, (where did the time go?) but I am glad that I am at the place I am now, and not facing college all over again!

Taking You Back
What a great little resource, and sometimes a life-saver! The Internet Archive is a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. It provides free access to everyone, just as a public library does. My favorite resource on this site is the Wayback Machine. This cool tool allows you to retrieve a web page that no longer exists. As long as you know the URL, you can go wayback to find that page that you thought was lost forever! I typed in our district's site URL and it is funny to see how lame our district page was several years ago! Try it today and bookmark it for future reference.

Are you a blog wallflower?

I am a blog wallflower. There, I've said it! It is hard to admit that nobody out there loves you. I have been blogging for a few weeks now, and I have had one...ONE!...comment back. I am just a raving lunaTIC looking for link love. How does a girl find it?

Well, it might be easier if I would actually tell people about my blog. However, I am a timid soul. That seems like an oxymoron coming from a person whose job it is to teach. However, I have been taking my blogging cues from such greats as CoolCatTeacher and Angela Maiers. I feel like I need YEARS of practice before stepping away from the bleachers and into the bright lights of the streamer and balloon decorated gym so that others can actually see that I am here.

I am going to start by taking the plunge and sending my blog link to the teachers in my school. Hey, might as well start out by having everyone laugh at you as you walk down the hall, right? If I can survive that, or if at least one person says that they read something worthwhile, then I will trudge forward, continue linking and hope for the dreamy guy to finally ask me to dance so I will no longer feel dangerously irrelevant.



Color in Motion

Color in Motion is an animated and interactive experience of color communication and color symbolism. Set as a casting stage, the colors of the color wheel are introduced and each color's personality is described. Great for an introduction to color!



Light in Color

Light in Color is an interactive lesson that teaches about mixing colors, colors and shadows, and the color spectrum. Brought to you by The Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Project

Cats and Dogs

This is the worst rain I have seen in years! The meteorologis on our local news station called it a "curtain" of rain. It has been one mighty curtain for sure! They have already cancelled afternoon kindergarten in my district. We are all hoping they will dismiss school early as well. Since our district is in a small suburb of Wichita, KS, most of our children are bused in from Wichita. Many road closings due to flooding will probably force the district to let out early to get all students home in a timely manner.

I dread driving home because I have my daughter's little Tercel today. I am not sure I would make it through a bit of high water. In honor of the rain, today's sites deal with the water cycle.
Note: It took me eight hours to write today's entry. Got interrupted at 10:30 by a call from the nurse at my son's school that he was sick. Went to get him, and on the way home, my hubby called and told me to pick up a sump pump! After scooping water for a couple hours, got the new sump pump installed. School did let out early; I would rather have been there!



Thirstin's Water Cycle
Thirstin's water cycle is a nice flash animation showing the water cycle.

NSTA Interactive
Water Cycle Pathways is an interactive that allows the user to explore the various paths a single water molecule can take as it travels through the water cycle.

H2O University
All things water-related at the H2O University. Information and interactives for grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-12. From the Southern Nevada Water Authority

I teach evening classes for Maize Recreation Commission. Last night I was teaching a basic MS Word class. I was covering spellcheck, readability statistics and the thesaurus. I told the group of women that were in my class that a fun way to help students increase their vocabulary is to have them type a paragraph or two in Word and then look at the readability statistics to see their grade level as rated by the Flesch-Kincaid Readability scale. Next, students use the thesaurus to try to up their Flesch-Kincaid grade level.

For some reason, this task is irresistible to most people. The group spent a good 15 minutes trying to "graduate" from high school with their paragraphs. In the classroom, it is important to not only have the kids try out the new words in their paragraphs, but to delve deeper into the words they choose to help them understand if the chosen word is the best word for the sentence. Combining a thesaurus and a dictionary often does the trick!



Visuwords

Visuwords is an online graphical dictionary and thesaurus. The words and their meanings are presented in a mind-map fashion so the user can easily see associations between them. The sourcecode can be downloaded for free.



Visual Thesaurus

Thinkmap touts Visual Thesaurus as a "3D interactive reference tool". Another graphical dictionary and thesaurus, but with a lot more meat to the website. With featured word lists, Word of the Day, contests, lesson plans, articles, and much more, this website packs a punch. It comes at a price, but well worth the money. A CD version is also available.



RhymeZone

This site isn't as pretty and certainly less graphical than the above, but I think students would get a kick out of it. At RhymeZone type in a word, and choose to see its definition, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, rhyming words, quotations containing the word, and much more. Very straight forward and easy to use. Bookmark this one today!

Keeping Up

Some days it is just hard to keep up! I would absolutely die without my Outlook calendar. It keeps me straight, if not on time, for all of my appointments with teachers, meetings, etc. Because we use Microsoft Exchange, I had to find a gadget to view/add appointments to my calendar when not on campus. There are lots out there, but I chose Google Calendar, a gadget to put on my iGoogle page. It syncs with my Outlook calendar whether I am on campus or not. I can also add appointments when I am away from work. And, of course, I can view it from any Internet connection. Now my whole life is straight! I just gotta be on time...



Google Calendar in the Classroom

http://monarchlibrary.wikispaces.com/LibraryCalendar This library media specialist added Google calendar to her wiki. She uses it to keep track of library classes and lesson plans. A teacher could do this and make it the student's homepage. The teacher sets the option to make the calendar read-only or collaborative. Students need not have a gmail account to collaborate. They get to see assignments and upcoming projects or add items themselves. This could also be set up for staff members to collaborate for PLC's, committees, staffings, etc. What a great idea!
More information here and here on how to set up your Google calendar and ways to use it.

Happy Birthday September

I am posting Monday's contribution early, because I don't want you to miss out on the beginning of the event, which is on Sunday, September 7.

If you are looking for a charity to donate to as part of a class project, check out charity: water http://www.charitywater.org/. In it's second year, this organization raises funds to provide clean water sources to third world countries. Founded by Scott Harris on his 32nd birthday, this charity should prove to become bigger and bigger to help those in desperate need.

Scott's 33rd birthday is this Sunday, September 7. On the same day, charity: water workers will begin drilling at Abenea Elementary School in Northern Ethiopia. They will post daily progress videos so you can watch the progress.



The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It is a rainy Friday. Great for the grass this time of year, but we have had a LOT of rain! The forecast holds more rain for the near future. I am not excited about that because tomorrow night we are supposed to attend a fundraiser at our local zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo. If it rains, it will be a washout!

Bembo's Zoo
http://www.bemboszoo.com/Bembo.swf is a fascinating alphabet created by artist de Vicq de Cumptich. Each letter of the alphabet is represented by an animal, and each animal is created by the letters in the animal's name. An interesting way to learn the alphabet for younger students, and of interest as artwork for older students.

When the Honeymoon is Over

Our district is in its 6th or 7th year of doing state testing online. We also utilize the MAPs tests from NWEA in the fall. Our students seem to perform pretty well when completing a test online. Over the past years, I have attributed it to the "honeymoon phase" where the idea of testing using a computer was so new and appealing to students, they performed better. However, going on about 7 years now, I am wondering when the honeymoon will be over. What new device will we have to use to attract students to perform soon...an XBOX 360? Cell phone? How about a Dance Dance Revolution mat?

Quia
http://www.quia.com/ is a website that allows teachers to create or search for activities in game format or tests. It is a subscription site, but many of the games can be accessed for free. If you purchase a subscription, your students' subscription is free. You can create customized tests for students to take online, create or use games that others have created, and build a web page to share your links with your class.

ProProfs
http://www.proprofs.com/ is a website of free tools and knowledge exchange. Tools include a quiz maker, flashcard generator, and blog hosting. The knowledge resources include online training in CISCO, Microsoft Certification, SAT testing practice, to name a few. Tools can be integrated into your website, facebook, and other social sites. Worth a look!

Blogging and Exercise

I have determined that blogging is like exercise. If you skip a couple days, it's hard to get back into it. My goal is to post M-F when we have school. Last Friday, my computer was in the hospital all day, so I was truly out of sorts. Then yesterday, I was playing catch-up with emails all day, as well as tending to schoolwide testing.
Excuses, excuses! Today, I feel a renewed energy to type and to sweat! I have my websites to share as well as my workout clothes in my car waiting for the bell to ring at the end of the day so I can head to the YMCA!
By the way, my hubby is a city firefighter and is participating in a plane crash disaster drill. Today's websites are disaster-related.

Masters of Disaster
The American Red Cross has put together several lesson plans for grades K-8 that deal with natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. There are lessons for Science, Math, Language Arts, and Social Studies, and all are matched to national standards. Check them out at
http://www.redcross.org/disaster/masters/educatorsmodule/ed-cd-main-menu-1.html

Facing Fear
Also from the Red Cross is a set of downloadable lesson plans covering a range of topics related to disasters or other crises including personal feelings, stress, preparedness and the media's role. http://www.redcross.org/disaster/masters/facingfear/. You have to fill out a form to go to the download page.

Missing: Summer

I miss summer! You are thinking, "Who doesn't?", I know. I miss summer for all the obvious reasons...sleeping later, lots of time to work out, curling up in a lawn chair with a good book, spur-of-the-moment trips to places like KC on say, oh, a Tuesday. Anyone else miss things like that?
I also miss summer because now that I am back to work, I can't seem to keep up. I don't mean with housework because I can't keep up with that in the summer either. There has to be a direct correlation with disliking something and not keeping up. What I can't keep up with is all of the cool sites and tools my Twitter friends share. During the summer, I could spend hours perusing all of the web 2.0 tools that others twitted about. Now, I have to actually do WORK between the hours of 7:00 and 3:00. Ugh!
Luckily, I have a couple of places I can go to check out new tools.

Pollen count for Wichita from http://www.pollen.com/: 9.5 Med/HI

Go2Web2.0
http://www.go2web20.net/ is a directory of Web 2.0 tools. I like it because the links are logos so I can more easily remember if I have seen the tool before just by looking at the logo. You can search by name, tag, or date.

Listio
http://www.listio.com/ is a community based Web 2.0 directory. It is unique in that you can vote for your favorite apps and services, as well as leave comments for others about the applications and services. Free registration required to comment.

Allergy Forecast

For those of us that suffer seasonal allergies, the forecast is not good. I am sniffling, sneezing, itching and wheezing, and today's forecast is only medium. How am I going to feel this weekend when the forecast is stratospheric?
This year, I am swearing off prescription allergy medication. I am tired (literally) of taking it. It turns me into an 80 year old, wrinkly insomniac. I have opted to try a homeopathic remedy this year...honey. I have heard that taking as little as a teaspoon a day of locally-harvested honey provides enough pollens to build up an immunity. We will see. It is truly a sweet test!
Because I promised science sites yesterday, and they were more well-rounded, today I am offering up one of the best science sites that I discovered last year.

Teacher's Domain
http://www.teachersdomain.org/ offers public television content in the form of video, audio, interactives and images for the classroom. Free registration required to access the high quality content.

Weird Science

What a great 80's movie. How funny Gary and Wyatt, those geeky teenagers, were. And the hairstyles of the girls in the movie...I worked hard to get my hair to look just like that! I still have to sit and watch it any time I see it when I am flipping through the channels on my television!
Today's sites are science related sites.

LearnAlberta
LearnAlberta.ca is a not-for-profit learning object repository that is maintained by Learning Technologies Branch of Alberta Education, the Government of Alberta's department of education. It provides access to licensed and unlicensed digital resources designed for the grades K-12. Guest access is available. Videos, interactives, worksheets available for all subject areas. Very comprehensive!

Wisc-Online
http://www.wisc-online.com/ Wisconsin Online Resource Center is a consortium of 19 technical colleges in Wisconsin. The site features learning objects created by college students. Most of the objects are science related; however, other topics are available. Many of the objects are at the college level, but enough of them could be used in middle or high school classrooms that the site is worth a look. Registration is free.

Creature of Habit

I am a creature of habit. I have a favorite dish at each of the restaurants we frequent, and I always order it. I leave all the ingredients on the counter while I am cooking and don't put them away until after I am finished, even though my husband insists it is more efficient to put away as I go, and I still fold my bath towels the way my mother taught me some 30-odd years ago.
When surfing the Web, I have always used Internet Explorer since it was introduced to me after a short time with Netscape. It is truly out of habit. My daughter installed Firefox on my computer this summer and tried her best to get me to use it. She feels it is highly superior with all of its add-ons, themes and plug-ins. It could be. However, as a creature of habit, I find myself continuing to click my IE icon every time I get on the Web. Just because I use IE all the time, I don't LOVE it. My biggest peeve is that it is text-based. I am such a visual person, that I remember pictures much easier than mere words. I would love to see Microsoft change their Favorites from links to thumbnails. With the number of websites I visit each day, and then bookmark, it is sometimes hard to go back and remember a "name" of a site as it is listed in Favorites. One of these days, I might venture out into the world of Firefox to see how it can make my life easier. For now, there's this

SearchMe
SearchMe http://www.searchme.com/ is a visual search engine that displays search results in a rolodex of images. Search sites, video or images. There is a downloadable toolbar to install, if you desire. The beta version is impressive so far!

The Price of Gas

I heard on the news this morning that Snickers and m&m's prices are going up. The story cited spiraling costs as the reason, based on the rising cost of gas. It seems as if every day I hear a news report blaming the price of gas for rising prices.
Thank goodness that the Internet doesn't use gas! I would have to take out a second mortgage on my house if it did. It's funny how quickly the Internet became integrated technology, in that in the business world, it is expected, just as telephones are. While there are still many homes that don't have service, there are many places a person can go to get connected for free.

Wordle
Wordle is a fun little Java applet that allows you to make a "word cloud" out of text that you input. The website calls it a toy, but I feel the possibilities for teachers and students make it much more than a toy. I used it to make a design for my class reunion. Its fun...check it out!

Hello, My Name is Marcia

and I am a Tweetaholic. There! I have finally taken the first step in admitting it! I know exactly when my downfall with Twitter began. It was a sunny day and I was just sitting on a bar stool visiting http://www.twitter.com/. Nevermind that the barstool was at my breakfast bar in my kitchen. One of the tweets mentioned a gadget called BeTwittered that could be added to my homepage. I cannot blame anyone but myself! I should have never gone in search of that gadget, never should have tasted it's sweetness. But I did, and fell HARD!
I am not bitter. I am happily woozy on getting my daily twitter fix in the privacy of my igoogle page. I am not a loud or obnoxious twitterer; most of the time, I am content with sitting back and following the conversations of some of my best tweets!
Speaking of best tweets (a best tweet is like a best friend, twitter-style!) there are two that I adore, even tho they have no idea who I am! I visit their sites regularly to get great ideas to share with staff. The blogs are The Cool Cat Teacher Blog and Angela Maiers. Another best tweet is skipz. He brings interesting sites and articles to BeTwittered, and I enjoy his trademark "Good morning, Twitterati" with the current weather report in VT.
I really appreciate all of my best tweets and all my other Twitter friends for providing me with sites to share with my staff. Twitterers are the best!!
Oh, by the way, my Twitter name is MarciaHersh. Maybe we can become best tweets too!

Mathtrain.com with Mr. Marcos
A sixth grade teacher put together a wonderful site of math lessons, called Mathtrain.TV, presented by his 6th grade students. There are links to other teachers' sites, as well as a few games. I have had trouble going straight to Mathtrain.TV, but you can access Mr. Marcos' site at http://www.mathtrain.com/.

Brain's a'Poppin!

We got a school wide subscription to BrainPop http://www.brainpop.com/ this year. Yesterday was the first chance I have had to deal with it, and found it to be one of the easiest subscriptions that we have to implement. What a pleasant surprise to find out that EVERYONE in the school has the same login. No need for me to upload student and teachers. Sweet!
The teachers here are very excited to use the resources available at BrainPop, as many have signed up for the free trial in the past. Anyone out there have classroom implementation ideas to share with my middle school staff?