Monday, May 24, 2010

BP14_2010053_Week 3 OMM #2 SOURCE ANALYSER


WEEK THREE ONE MINUTE MESSAGE
SOURCE ANALYER


Sunday, May 23, 2010

BP13_2010053_Comment on Lindsey's Blog #2 Story Jumper



To read my comment to Lindsey"s Blog click the Link here.

BP12_2010053 Comments on Melinda's Blog




To view my comments on Melinda"s Blog click Link here!

BP11_2010053_Web 2.0 Tool for the week



Source Analyser my Web 2.0 tool of the week by Classtools.net is a free tool that helps students too measure and judge how valuable an information source is by encouraging the student to consider the quantity of information, how well that content is focused and then determine how reliable that information is. This is called “provenance focus”: the origin and source or ownership history of that information.

The template page is well laid out, easy to use and features functions such as a template box to summaries the source topic. The main page template feature provides question boxes that ask; how useful is the information provided in the source, how much information is provided in the source and how reliable is the source. The Source Analyser template allows the teacher to provide easy to use, “hints” in text boxes for the student, asking questions such as; what it dose, what it does not, ways it is and ways it is not are examples of those textboxes.

An example for using the Source Analyser as a lesson plan template, the teacher could lead a discussion using the “Hint” provided in the template to assess the usefulness of a source. Then the class reads through the key source being analyzed. The class is asked to make notes on how much the source informs them on the subject and then how reliable the source is. Each student is then asked to provide a written answer to the question; how useful is this source, using the “hints” provided in the template.

The Source Analyer application can be used on your own websites and Blogs, free of charge. A downloaded template is permanent. The Source Analyser is available for anyone to see, however the templates are “live” and a requirement for an Internet connection.

Source Analyser is a wonderful tool for helping students become more “media literate” in today’s computer and Internet classrooms.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

BP10_2010053_Comment on Melinda's Blog #2

Link here to see my coment.

Melinda,
DimDim looks great, a One Minute Video dose not do the application justice as with Jessica video One True Video. Thanks for the lead. Video is well produced, exciting and captivating. I want to know more!

BP9_2010053_Comment on Jessica's Blog #1



To see my coment click Link.

Jessica,
Exciting, action packed, fast paced, One Minute Message. I had to go to Web 2.0 tools to check it out myself. One True Video has been added to my teacher tool box! I hope to play with the application in more depth as time permits. Great find!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Friday, May 14, 2010

BP7_2010052_Melinda's blog



Melinda, the JayCut in Web 2.0 applications sounds like a, would love-to-love but not yet issue. Thanks for the heads up on this one. With all of the wonderful applications in Web 2.0, I will send my time researching other products. Your review is very well written, good and thorough.

View Malinda's Link here.

BP6_2010052_Lindsey blog



Lindsey, I am happy to hear that you feel Glogster has potential. Your example poster is a wonderful way to show the potential of Glogster to those that follow your blog. The different applications such as audio and movement that can be added to the on line poster is great. I hope to use this Web 2.0 in my social studies classroom.


Here is my LINK to Lindsey's blog.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

BP5_2010052_Web 2.0 #2 EDISCO


Welcome to Ediscio, My web 2.0 tool of choice for this weeks blog. Ediscio is a collaborative flashcard tool for students that use Images, videos and group discussions in the classroom to highly customize flashcards for the desired class. When teachers use Ediscio in the classroom, the application helps your students create their learning material cooperatively. Students have the opportunity to help and correct each other. The learning system in Ediscio will help student find out their own personal learning focus for the subjects desired by establishing different order of the flashback cards such as, “least played first for order”, “most difficult for you”, “only not-known cards”, “arbitrary order” and “most selected first”. The “learning by schedule” tool built in to the application determines this card selection if desired by the student or teacher.

For a teacher, the “automatic logging” feature helps them supervise, correct, and give advice, to the student if needed, through analysis of the learning process using graphical imagery such as pie charts and graphs. This application also gives teachers the students learning statistics for the subject being studied.

Ediscio Mobile has a user interface, which is optimized for mobile devices with touch screens. It is especially suitable for: iPhone, Blackberry and other mobile devises used by students everyday, inside and out of the classroom.

Through my exploration of the Edisco, I have determined that this application is highly suited for learning foreign languages. I do feel that this application would be suitable for any subject that would require rote memory.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

BP4_2010051_Web 2.0 Tool #1 Google Earth


The application that I researched in Wed 2.0, Google Earth will play an integral part in many of the lesson plans that I intend to produce in the feature. I feel the ability of Google Earth has unlimited potential to make every lesson plan interactive and only limited by my time and imagination. The Google Earth Program allows the teacher or student to take the participant out of the classroom, bringing the outside world in to that learning experience making any project or lesson plan a personal occurrence.

Students and teachers alike, utilizing the Google Earth application, can view satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D images that put the world's geographic information at the students or teachers instant access. Students can see the world from a different point of view, which makes learning interactive. The tool bar provided in the Google Earth easily facilitates recording tours and playing them back to students during the lesson plan. The application utilizes tools that are the same familiar tools that are used in other Google applications, helping to make the program user friendly and the application is free.

The application feature in Google Earth that I feel will be valuable in preparing interactive lesson plans in a social studies class, the ability to record lesson specific customized tours of historic places which the instructor and students can share with the class. A tour or lesson plan can be created as a movie with recorded audio, produced by the teacher or the student.

BP3_2010051_RSS Feeds


http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/Education.xml New York Times Education feed allows you to view education from all over the United State and the world.

http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/base/standardfeeds/most_popular?client=ytapi-youtube-browse&alt=rss&time=today helps you to find out what is happening in schools and university all over the world using images and video.

http://www.topix.com/rss/education Education News is a different source than the New York Times it is always good to have more than one source for important issues such as education!

http://www.slate.com/rss viewed by over 37,000 people, the site The Crisis in Teaching History is very informative for social studies teachers.

http://www.routledgehistory.com/rssfeedus.asp Teaching History Online is a valuable source for those considering a job in Online Teaching.

BP2_2010051_Educational/Professional Uses for Blogs


An important tool that could be incorporated in to the classroom lesson plan and education is blogging between teachers and between teachers and students. Students could share their thoughts with other students or teachers using tools that they already use in their lives outside the classroom. Blogging might help shy or embarrassed students to ask questions of other students or their teachers. This would allow those students to ask a question or give an answer outside the classroom. You can only tell students so many times that there are no bad questions, just bad answers. Perhaps students and teachers, relating with each other in this new way could use this new perspective as a way to continue their conversations.

By utilizing blogs, teachers could also share ideas or lesson plans with each other. Finding out what works in a lesson plan quickly and what relevant questions students are asking could also help teachers to better direct the lesson plan and better facilitate cooperative learning between students. Blogs might also help teachers to better reflect on their own teaching as reflection helps make change in the classroom and the world possible.

While I do feel that blogging can be a useful tool in the classroom and the implementation of the lesson plan, I am a not certain administrators, principals or school boards would accept that blogging is an appropriate tool. Disadvantages might include those in charge not having absolute control over given circumstances as inappropriate content material that is not language or age appropriate is easily obtained and finding a way around Internet screens and filters set up in the schools is possible. Blogging and the Internet have come of age in today’s society but perhaps not in the K -12 classrooms, yet!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

BP9_20103_ Web2.0Tool3



Timelines help students to understand history they also assist in giving the student the knowledge of what happened and how much time passed by between events. Timelines are an important aspect of any social studies lesson plan. Putting information into context so the students will have a better understanding of the sequence of events and how those events affect the present and future outcomes of se events. Helping to give students a larger picture of events in history in relationship to other events which took place during that time period and the possible outcomes and effects on the event.

I start every new semester and class by creating a timeline in the classroom that will then hang in the classroom for students to see, (The students themselves will create the time line.) A useful tool created by the students. A group project using a role of butcher-block paper, and color marks. The time lines starts with a line running down the center length of the paper. The students with different colors will add different eventsin relationship to the centerline.

Application such as Xtime lines helps the student to create interactive timelines that to help students explore and create free time lines, which are produced on the computer. Those time lines can then be shared between students and the teacher. I would intend that students using the computer generated line would gain pre-knowledge of the events that are to be studies and then as a group project the students would then create the time line that in the classroom. The students creating their own time lines that are then compared and collaborated on with other students before the art project would help to eliminate the direct teacher learning in the project allowing students to take more responsibility and ownership of the project.

The Xtime line application is easy to use and navigate in, allowing for the free tool to be used by teachers and students alike.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

BP5_2010032_Webtool l2.0_Google Earth



The Google Earth Program allows the teacher or student to take the participant out of the classroom, bringing the outside world in to that learning experience making any project or lesson plan a personal occurrence.

Utilizing the Google Earth application, students and educators can view satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D images that put the world's geographic information at the students or teachers instant access. Students can see the world from a different point of view, which makes learning interactive and interesting.

A feature of Google Earth that I feel will be extremely valuable in preparing interactive lesson plans in a social studies class, the ability to record lesson specific customized tours of historic places and maps which the instructor and students can share with the class, the teacher or others. A tour or lesson plan can be created as a movie with recorded audio, produced by the teacher or the student. In the guided tours in the production, the spectator can view the terrain plus content and maneuver in the environment of the lesson plan thereby making the specific lesson personally interactive. As an example, concerning current events a viewer could go from their present location to earth quake ravaged Chile or Haiti, see a 3D view of the location before and after the event to have a better understanding through first hand experience of the impact the earth quake had in the region.

For students and teachers, the tool bar provided in the Google Earth application easily facilitates recording tours and playing them. The application utilizes tools that are the same familiar tools that are used throughout other Google applications, helping to make the program user friendly for the participants.

The Google Earth application research in the Web 2.0 tools will play an integral part in many of the lesson plans that I intend to produce in the feature. I feel the ability of Google Earth application has unlimited potential to make every lesson plan as interactive only limited by time and imagination.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Monday, March 8, 2010

BP3_2010031_2.0Tool_FillAnyPDF



I chose a number of different tools that I felt would have practical applications  in my classroom. I will discuss,  www.fillanypdf.com. An application which allows the teacher to use any Printable Downloadable File (PDF) and convert it to an interactive form that can also be signed electronically by the parent or guardian of the student. Taking the student out of the loop. For example permission slips for field trips and questionable content media presentations. Email this form to a parent or guardian in order to bypass the students. Taking away the dependability of the student, whom has taken no responsibility, in turn could jeopardize valuable class learning periods and lesson plans. I have find hard to believe, that some students do not want to go on field trips or see content related media which the student knows they will be assessed on. Some students would rather send the time, under their own control or what they anticipate will be their own control. The problem dose remain that not all parents or guardians have access to email, hard to believe but true in rural Vermont.

In addition this form application has the potential for creating all types of homework assignments where you could read the students answers to specific questions. You could use this site for many different applications within a classroom or school. I do believe that with the proper academic research using this form application for tests, quizzes, essay and short answer question could have direct academic implication for using computer based PDF documents.

Included in this Blog is a screen shot of the PDF application that might be used as a template for creating electronically signed PDF files.