Blogs in the Classroom

One of the first Web 2.0 tools to hit the classroom is Blogs.  If you are reading this, you are reading a blog! Blogs allow communication and sharing of ideas on the web.  Teachers have picked up on the creative use of this Internet technology and put the blog to work in the classroom. The education blog can be a powerful and effective technology tool for students and teachers alike. There are many great sites that host free blogs, but I think my favorite is Blogger (www.blogger.com) a tool from Google.  Blogger has grown and changed over the years.  One new feature allows pages to be added to a blog.  The other change from Blogger is the ability to not only reply to a post, but to respond to someone else's reply.  Being a Google tool Blogger also has many "Gadgets" that can be added to the blog.  These are found in the "Layout". Since many younger students do not have Google Accounts, I often set up my blog to allow comments from Anonymous and then the students puts their name in the post.  This is in the "Comments and Posts" setting. What is a blog? A blog (sometimes referred to as a weblog) is a Web publishing tool that allows authors to quickly and easily self-publish text, artwork, links to other blogs or Web sites, and a whole array of other content. Blogs are set-up like conventional Web sites, with navigation links, and other standard Web site features. Blogs have one standard characteristic, however: the posting. Blog postings are text, pictures, links and other entries, similar to a diary or journal, which include a posting date and may include comments by people other than the author, photos, links, or other digital media. User-Friendly Technology Fortunately for teachers, blogs are surprisingly easy to use. They require minimum technical knowledge and are quickly and easily created and maintained. Unlike many traditional Web sites, they are flexible in design and can be changed relatively easily. Best of all, students will find them convenient and accessible via home or library computers. Educational Benefits of Blogs In addition to providing teachers with an excellent tool for communicating with students, there are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are: Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms. Excellent opportunities for students to read and write. Effective forums for collaboration and discussion. Powerful tools to enable scaffolded learning or mentoring to occur. Using the Blog in the Classroom As an educational tool, blogs may be integrated in a multi-faceted manner to accommodate all learners. Blogs can serve at least four basic functions. Resources Video Tutorial on Blog 5 Reasons You Should Consider Blogging the the Classroom 15 Awesome ways to Use Blogs in the Classroom Blog about Class Uses

Finding Internet Resources --QUICKLY!

Where do you go to find an Internet resource for a content standard you are about to teach? It can be overwhelming to search through all the links to find one that is appropriate to use in the classroom with student level information. Below are 3 websites that are Internet Resource Databases that are created specifically for teachers and students. These make finding resources quick and easy....PLUS the sites you find are often linked to Common Core or other standards.  

If you get into the habit of putting links to Internet resource that you use in your classroom onto a class wiki or website then you

eThemes: created for eMINTS teachers but anyone can use. It is great for interactive or informational websites for students to use. http://ethemes.missouri.edu/

Thinkfinity: This site has great lesson plans with links and worksheets embedded. Once you search look at each entry to see if it is a website, interactive or lesson plan. http://thinkfinity.org/welcome

Thinkfinity partners with these popular companies:

Teachers First: Great for lesson plans, website, interactives http://teachersfirst.org/classroom_resources.cfm

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr day is January 14, 2013 and his birthday is January 15, 2013.  January is a great month to embed Civics, Constitution and Civil Rights into reading, writing and history lessons.  Below are links to information to help you incorporate this important event in history into your lessons.

• Center for Civics in Education:  (grades 6-12)Lesson plans for middle school and high school.  **Note:  This link from that website under "Resources" are lesson plans on other Civic Units.
• National Civil Rights Museum:  Before the Boycott-Ride the Bus:  (grades 4-12)When you get to this site you will need to click on  "Launch the eLearning".  Students will put in their name and then they will be walked through a decision making process and given facts about segregation.  Very Cool! 
• The King Center:  One of two official sites for MLK.  This link is to the Digital Archive to view thousands of primary resources written by Dr. King. 
• Teachers First: (grades 2-5) Martin Luther King - An Integrated Lesson Unit for Primary Classrooms.  Lesson plans...listen to the I Have a Dream speech. 
• Kodaks Powerful Days in Black and White:  Powerful images.  When you click on a word it takes you to a site with a picture, be sure to use the "next" arrow on the page to view all the pictures in that group.  After viewing the pictures make a Wordle word cloud about the images.
• Civil Rights:  List of many websites on Civil Rights from eThemes. 
• Life of MLK:  2 minute video on MLK Jr.  Great intro for writing and research projects.  Also, a good demonstration of a PhotoStory project.
• eThemes:  List of Civil Rights links.

Screencasting--Access to Lectures 24/7

Screencasting may be a new term to some, but it is likely what teachers have wanted for many years....student access to lectures 24/7.

OERI Resources:
Screencast-o-Matic Intro 
Wordle Book Report
Go Pro Info


What is it? As screencast is a video and audio recording of your computer screen.  I make many screencast videos of my screen when I create tutorials showing the steps of how to use various websites.  Free screencasting software does limit the amount of videos or the length of videos.  Once you start creating screencasts then you may find that it is worth the money to purchase the software!

What does it mean for teachers?  Often teachers wish they could capture a lecture, put it in a video and make it accessable to students to view again.  That is what a screencast is.  Picture this:  A teacher uses screencasting software (which many are free), they pull up a PowerPoint presentation, push record on the screencast and lecture as they move through the presentation.  At the end, they push stop and they are prompted to save the video.  Then the teacher uploads the video to their website, notify their students and voila......Lecture 24/7. 

What do you need?  If your computer does not have a built in microphone then you will need a microphone head set.  You will need to download some screencasting software. (products are listed below)  Other than that, just some time and great ideas will allow you to provide some great learning opportunities for your students. 

Screencasting:

• Jing:  This is my favorite and the one I use most.  It only allows you to make a 5 minute video.  So far that has worked for me.  If I need more than 5 minutes, I break my "lecture" into topics and make more than one video.  Jing also allows you capture a still image off your screen.  You can also edit your images text and images to your video. I have a YouTube account and upload my videos directly into YouTube, mark them as unlisted and post the link on my website.  If you pay for Jing then you can make longer videos.
• Screencast-o-matic;  Free version and purchase version.  The free version does give you 15 minutes of video.   Pro is $15 a year....not bad!  You can upload straight to YouTube.  You don't have to create an account, but I suggest you do so you can store your videos. I haven't used this, but I think I will download it and give it a shot.  If you try it, let me know what you think by commenting below.
• Camtasia:  This is probably the best and most popular, but it is a paid software.  You can get a free trial.  It has a one time cost of $299. 

Class Uses:

• If you have a document camera connected to your computer, you can capture your computer screen showing the images from your document camera.
• If you have a webcam you can capture yourself talking as a small square in the bottom of the screen as you go through your presentation.
• Play a YouTube video and capture the screen, pause the video while you lecture, resume the video.
• This would work great in connection with a whiteboard application like Educreations.

Resources:

• Jing:  YouTube video on how to use Jing (this is a Screencast!)
• Screencast-o-matic:  Youtube video on how to use (notice he has a webcam shot of himself in the corner)
• Missouri S & T--information paper on Screencasting

Timeline Generators

Students can learn so much through developing a timeline.  There are some great tools out there for creating timelines.  Students can embed pictures, audio and add text.  These websites go from very basic to multimedia presentations.  Each of these sites are free at the time that I posted this.  When you visit each site that may have changed.

Class Uses:

• Students make a timeline of an event in their life as a prewrite to a personal narrative.
• Timeline a fiction book as a form of book report.
• Instead of timeline, create steps of an process.
• Timeline a story map as a pre-write.
• Teachers make timelines as a way to introduce a historical event.

Top Timeline Creators

1. Tiki-Toki - Wow.....this is fantastic, but not much available for a free account.  However, if you create several detailed timelines with your students it would be worth the cost of $100 a year.  If students use this to its full potential then they will have a beautiful presentation.  You can choose an image to be the background of the timeline (e.g. put an image of the March on Washington on a Civil Rights Timeline) Since this timeline is a little more complicated, I suggest introducing it in 3 parts.  To begin with teachers could create a timeline as a way to present information to students.  Then in the next unit a timeline can be created as a class...after each lesson add 1-2 events to the timeline.  Finally, students can create their own timeline.  Students will need to create accounts that allows them to save their work.  This allows allows students to "share" rights so they can collaborate with group members.
2. Xtimeline:  This has been around for a long time and has been one of my favorites.  Students login and save their work.  It my not be as pretty as Tiki-Toki, but is a nice timeline with images.  Students may collaborate and work on the same timeline.  There are also hundreds of timelines to view that were created by others.  This website is sometimes very slow, so check it out before you assign it to your class
3. Dipity -- Dipity has a free version that allows you to create 3 timelines with 150 events.  Students create an account
4. Timeglider:  Free version allows each user to create 3 timelines with 16 images per timeline.  This is a web tool that lets you create, collaborate on, and publish zooming/planning interactive timelines for free.It is like Google Maps but for time.  Students must create a login.  Tutorial
5. Timeline Maker --very basic timeline generator.  Final product is a horizontal timeline with date and short event discriptor.  Great for when you just need something quick.  No login, so work can not be saved.  Students must create and print timeline in one sitting.  **Note:  if students have information written on paper, grades 3-5 can do about 5 events in 30 minutes.
6. Read Write and Think - This timeline generator is nice because it allows you to add by date, time of day, or event.  It is very easy to use starting at grade 3.  You move to a new page each time you put in a new entry, and I could not find a way to go back.  You do not need to login, so project must be finished in one sitting.

5 Tools for Making Timelines from Edudemic

Apps for the Primary Grades

There are some good FREE apps for education to be used on an iPad.  These apps are stand-alone, meaning that the app is a game-like activity that the student can do independently.  Many apps that are free also have a paid version.  So some of these apps only allow certain parts free.
Do you have any additional free or paid apps that you think are good for Primary students?

This teacher/blogger groups apps into categories and tells how her and her students use the apps
Learning and Sharing

This teachers tells how she implemented iPads into a 1st Grade Class. 
Strategies for Using iPads

Search term for App Store	Read about the app in iTunes	Notes
Tic Tac Toe Phonics	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/phonics-tic-tac-toe-interactive/id465184366?mt=8	Free-- Good phonic activities
Grade 1 Math	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/1st-grade-math-splash-math/id463469532?mt=8	Free
Phonics Vowels	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/phonics-vowels-short-vowels/id453633094?mt=8	Free Good phonic activities
Letter Quiz	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letter-quiz-free-learn-abcs/id331573236?mt=8	There is a free version and a paid version.  Free version only goes to E.
First Grade Learning Games	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-grade-learning-games/id530703273?mt=8	One 3 games are free:  Patterns, Ordering, Word Bingo.
Blobble Write	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blobblewritehd/id415656729?mt=8	Free Practice writing letters.
Word Dominoes	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-domino-free-letters-game/id445940455?mt=8	Free
Math Zombies	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aaah!-math-zombies-hd-free/id425387065?mt=8	Free There are several Zombie Apps.  There is a lite (free) and paid for all the Zombie apps
Counting 123	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/counting-123-learn-to-count/id443158370?mt=8	Free
10 Frame Fill	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/10-frame-fill/id418083871?mt=8	Free
ABC Mouse	http://www.abcmouse.com/apps	There are a lot of ABC Mouse Free apps.  The Zoo Set  1 – Zoo set 3 are all great.
ABC magnetic letters	https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-magnetic-alphabet-lite/id389132393?mt=8	This is the free/lite version.  The paid version is $1.99

iPad Tips and Tricks

I teach classes on iPads quite often to adults.  I am constantly searching for tips and tricks for iPads because we know that there is ALWAYS something new out there.  These tips and tricks may not all be new, but I find they are things that make using an iPad easier and a novice iPad user may not be aware of them.  Here are my top 10 must know tricks:

1. Setting:  Go to your settings and search through everything there.  You will be surprised what is there that you can control on your iPad. 
2. To rearrage app icons: touch and hold until they wiggle.  Then you can move the icons.  If you want to move the icon to a different screen, move the icon as far to the right as you can and hold until the screen to the right appears.  When you are finished click on the home button to stop the icons from wiggling.
3. Docked Apps:  The bottom row of icons are "docked"...they don't move.  You can put any icons there that you want.  You can put up to 7 when your iPad is in landscape.
4. To delete app icons: touch and hold an icon until they all wiggle.  Notice an "x" in the right corner of all apps.  Touch the "x" and you will be asked if you want to delete.
5. Group or Folders for apps:  Touch and hold an icon until it wiggles.  Move the icon on top of another app that you would like to group.  You will notice a new box around the two apps.  Your iPad will create a heading for this group, but you may change it.  You may move more apps into this group. 
6. Running Apps:  Unlike a computer you don't close applications, so they are always running in the background.  To see the running apps, click your home button quickly 2 times.  The running apps are along the bottom.  Touch and hold one app until they all jiggle and close the ones you don't want.  This does not delete them, just closes them.
7. Switch between applications:  To move from one application to another you can click home button quickly twice (as described in #6) and touch the app you want to move to.  The apps are in order you opened them from left to right.  Or, you can use 4-5 fingers and swipe left or right to move to that application.
8. Edit Typing:  When you are typing anything (document, notes, web address, etc) and you need to edit you can touch where your typing is and a circle magnifier appears.  That magnifier shows you where your curser is.  Move your finger around until you get your curser where you want.
9. Cut, Copy and Paste:  In iPads you can touch text and hold to get a message that says "Select" or "Select All".  Select will highlight just that word, but you can drag on of the corners to select more text.  Select all will highlight all the text.  After text is highlighted you will get a "Cut" or "Copy" choice.  After you choose cut or copy, move to where you want the text pasted.  Touch and hold and you will get a "Paste" option.
10. Frozen iPad:  When your iPad seems frozen then hold down the Power Button until you see "Slide to Power Off".  Power off your iPad.  After a few seconds hold the button again until your iPad comes back on.  That often fixs the issue.

One of the best sites I found for cool tips and tricks
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/ipad-tips-and-tricks.htm

Tony Vincent iOS resources 
http://learninginhand.com/ios/