How many people clean their entire house in one day? Read a complete novel in one sitting? Build a house without a break? Teach the Civil War in one lesson? Most of these ideas are unreasonable; however, one could read an entire novel in a sitting, if their eyes didn't get too blurry. Each project is more plausible if broken down into parts, such as cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms one day, and dusting, vacuuming and mopping the next. When broken down, each project becomes more manageable and meaningful.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to help a teacher find video clips to enhance a lesson she is going to teach to her American History class on Progressivism. This teacher takes care and time to write beautiful lesson plans. Beautiful, in that they are specific, detailed, and meet state standards. Beautiful in that direct instruction and activities are well thought-out so that the content becomes meaningful for the students. Beautiful because they are developed from the heart.
Back in the day, if such a teacher wanted to enhance a lesson with video, she would go into the school library and select a film off the shelf and set aside a class period to show that film. Picture the scene as the film is playing: Teacher sitting in the back of the classroom grading papers by flashlight. Some students appearing to watch the grainy, out-date-film with glazed over eyes, but most day dreaming or asleep with their heads resting on their unopened American History books, while the film rolls endlessly on.
OK, maybe it isn't that bad, but technology has helped cure us of the "60 for 2" syndrome. Although I am not sure if that syndrome actually exists, I am referring to watching 60 minutes of video for 2 minutes of pertinent information. Even if all 60 minutes of film have valuable information in them, chances are, that information that students need to learn will be spread out over several lessons. How many students will remember that particular part of the film two weeks later when the information is finally presented in a lesson. Much better to use video clips than an full length film.
So, back to my colleague who wanted to enhance her history lesson with video clips. We started searching for specific topics such as "the Grange" and the "Populists" and our search efforts returned a wealth of information resources. While there are many subscription sites out there that are wonderful, (our district subscribes to Discovery Education Streaming), one site stood out as a leader for free video clips.
How Stuff Works Videos
How Stuff Works has been around for quite awhile. So long, in fact, that I neglect to visit it much. In preparation for helping my teacher friend yesterday, I came across the videos section of the site and was pleasantly surprised at the size and variety of the collection. We quickly were able to find short, meaningful clips to enhance her objectives for both the Grange and the Populists. She was thrilled to have videos to fit in her lessons that wouldn't require her to spend an extra day to show them. I was thrilled to find a "tried and true" site providing extended content!
How Stuff Works videos is definitely worth checking out. The categories include Adventure, Animals, Auto, Computer, Electronics, Entertainment, Food, Geography, Health, History, Home & Garden, Money, People, and Science. Each category has a few to many subtopics. Searching is easy, and the videos are relevant for middle and high school. One tip: Math and English related videos can be found in the People category under the sub-topics of Education and Learning.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
May 01, 2009
January 13, 2009
On the Road for Learning
I have to write this quick so I can get to bed early tonight. Tomorrow I have to get up at 3:45 to head to NE Kansas for an instructional coaching training. This year the other Tech Consultants and I are spending the year learning about coaching. Although technology is ever-changing, many of our teachers are able to use it in their classrooms without day-to-day help from us. As we strive for "true integration" by our teachers, whatever that means, it is time for us to expand our bag of tricks and help teachers in another way.
Instead of continually trying to show them how to incorporate technology into their existing curriculum, perhaps it is time to help them change the way they teach so that technology use occurs in a less contrived way. It is a learning curve for us all. My focus for the past several years has been technology alone. Now I need to spruce up on curriculum, strategies and all of the other buzzwords that come along with coaching. I look forward to stretching my mind for the next two days and then spreading the enthusiasm on to my coworkers!
Museum Box
This is an incredible site that has been all the buzz on Twitter lately. If you haven't already read about it on another blog, check it out here. Students can use the tools to create a virtual box of items, audio, images, video and text to support an argument, illustrate an event, add depth to a character - historical, fictional, or living, to name a few ideas. A school can register so that students can identify their boxes with it. Registration is free. One of the coolest integration sites I have seen in awhile!
Clips
Like Museum Box, Clips is a another tool from E2BN, a National Education Network (UK) provider. Clips is a video publishing host for students who want to put their videos on the Internet. Teachers can rest assured that when students visit Clips, they won't come across any videos that are questionable in nature because the site is moderated.
Instead of continually trying to show them how to incorporate technology into their existing curriculum, perhaps it is time to help them change the way they teach so that technology use occurs in a less contrived way. It is a learning curve for us all. My focus for the past several years has been technology alone. Now I need to spruce up on curriculum, strategies and all of the other buzzwords that come along with coaching. I look forward to stretching my mind for the next two days and then spreading the enthusiasm on to my coworkers!
Museum Box
This is an incredible site that has been all the buzz on Twitter lately. If you haven't already read about it on another blog, check it out here. Students can use the tools to create a virtual box of items, audio, images, video and text to support an argument, illustrate an event, add depth to a character - historical, fictional, or living, to name a few ideas. A school can register so that students can identify their boxes with it. Registration is free. One of the coolest integration sites I have seen in awhile!
Clips
Like Museum Box, Clips is a another tool from E2BN, a National Education Network (UK) provider. Clips is a video publishing host for students who want to put their videos on the Internet. Teachers can rest assured that when students visit Clips, they won't come across any videos that are questionable in nature because the site is moderated.
October 07, 2008
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!
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!
October 05, 2008
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.
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.
August 27, 2008
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.
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.
August 26, 2008
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.
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.
August 20, 2008
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?
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?
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