Archive for March, 2008|Monthly archive page
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Leave a CommentUsing Digital Simulations to Engage Kids
Leave a CommentMACE 2008 by Glenn Wiebe
Gaming
- 3D online virtual environments are going to be huge — THUS — will need programmers, story writer, artists to create these environments
- Military — one of bigest users of video games in world
- Game developers listen to brain researchers and apply what they are finding while education mostly ignofre this research
Brain research
- Brain demands more challenges; wants to learn and solve more problems
- Discrete datat doesn’t make sense — it has to be in context in patterns that make sense
- Emotional chemicals increase cognitivie activity
- Brains like to work with other brains
Gaming in relation to brain research
- Games provide structured patterns
- Games create emotional connections
- Games encourage collaborative learning
- Randomness is built into games — games cannot easily be mastered
“You don’t learn because ou are engaged. You are engaged because you are learning.” Nick deKanter of Muzzy Lane Software
Resources:
- Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad Is Good for You.
- Beck, John C. and Mitchell Wade. Got Game.
- Prensky, Marc. Don’t Bother Me, Mom — I’m Learning.
- del.icio.us/glennw98/games
Utilizing Free Web2.0 Tools
Mace 2008 by Linda Loder
Tips for controlling your web presence
- Use one ID (not necessarily real name)
- Use throw away e-mail address
- Always use same name, e-mail and password
- Keep your private information private
- Learn about 21st century skills including copyright and fair use
Fun, Fantastic Free Tools (compiled using Google Notebook)
- Cross platform
Using Podcasts in the Classroom
Mace 2008
Resources on iTunes Store — Click on iTunesU
Beyond Campus (iTunesU and Mobile Learning: Beyond Campus) – Look in lower right corner
- PBS Quest
- Primarily science videos (ex: Physics of Baseball)
- Includes educator’s guide
- Free downloadable
- WETA
- Meet the Author – interviews of young adult authors
- WGBH
- Primarily related to science
iTunes University (iTunesU information) -
- University of South Florida — Lit2Go – Free audio books
- MIT — Open courseware
Apple Learning Interchange
- Social network for teachers
- Simple lesson plans to in-depth curriculum
- Free accounts
Usiing iTunes
- Apple iTunes Podcasting information and tutorials
- iTunes 6 tutorials on Atomic Learning (for PC)
Keeping Head above Water
MACE 2008 – by Tammy Worcester
- Organize your resources
- Use del.icio.us
- Use linked rolls (feed del.icio.us right into web page)
- E-mail — learn how to use searching features / filtering options
- E-mail — use tags
- Explore new strategies for teaching and learning
- Cheating tips readily available to students on Internet — if in doubt search YouTube for “how to cheat”
- Create assignments that reduce ability of students to cheat
- Create assignments that allow students to be creative
- Join an online community (or two)
- Include non-educational sites
- Bring information to you
- Use RSS reader (google reader, etc.)
- Set up personalized iGoogle page
- Find and use new tools
- Stumble
- Skitch (MAC only) — take screen shots and add to them
- Jing — Windows program similar to Skitch
- Use tech to save time
- Learn to use smart keywords in browsers (favorites / properties / keywords)
- Learn to use networking features of tagging sites (del.icio.us)
Web Tools for Teachers
MACE 2008 presentation by Amber Rowland
Tools on 4teachers.org
- RubiStar -
- template based FREE tool to create rubrics to grade projects
- contains wide variety of templates
- can print rubric or can save it online (for free)
- Can search shared rubrics
- Equity
- Searchable database locating resources and tools to help teach child with special needs
- Rubrics designed to meet different needs
- TrackStar
- lists of websites helpful on a topic (such as ADHD)
- Has rubrics and trackstars for alternative assesements
- Allows for creating interactive lessons online
- Teacher comments, questions associated with specific web sites
- Designed to help teachers organize URLs for student usage (way to direct students to specific web site)
- Sample track: Election 2008
- Searchable by keyword, grade, author
Academic Skill Builders (http://trackstar.4teachers.org – track #313127)
- Internet4Classrooms — See Assessment piece (www.internet4classrooms.com)
- Lists all national standards with corresponding websites, lesson plans and activities
- Organized by elementary, middle school or high school
- Renwick USD Site (www2.usd267.com/) — pull down teaching and learnning tab
- List of resources for assessment prep
- Organized by grade level and subject area
- Look under both Teacher and Student resource links
- Salina USD Site (www.usd305.com/rlms/teachers/Gregg/Index.htm)
- Lists of resources – mostly elementary level
- Some subject specific resources for secondary
- Arcademic Skill builders (arcdemicskillbuilders.com)
- Free games to assist with assessment prep
- Includes multi-player games
- Getting ready to release “back end” so teacher can track student progress
- Only work on Firefox or IE
- Mr. Nussbaum (www.mrnussbaum.com)
- Reviewing basic assessment skills
- Requires some searching to find most appropriate games
- Math Playground (www.mathplayground.com/games.html)
- Games to review basic skills
- requires some searching to find appropriate games
- Has a “World Cup Math” soccer game
Time Saving Tools
- MailBigFile (www.mailbigfile.com)
- Sending large movie, powerpoint or picture files
- Sends a link so they can download the file
- ZamZar (http://zamzar.com)
- Convert YouTube (TeacherTube) movie into QuickTime or mpeg file
- Copy URL into website
- Select file type (use .wmv [Windows Movie Player], .mov [QuickTime] or .mp4)
- Receive e-mail with link to file to allow download
- File only available for 24 hrs with free account
- URLcut (urlcut.com) or SnipURL (snipurl.com) or TinyURL
- insert ridiculously long URL in a blank
- Generates a small URL — so you can use the short URL with students (or other teachers)
- Avoids time wasted or typing wrong addresses
- May be blocked by filters (ask to see if teacher can be unblocked)
