California DEN

I teach elementary school (there, I said it. Please don’t judge me ) In my classroom, I like to use quiet music in the background when students are working. I know a lot of teachers find the value in a peaceful work environment and students working quietly to the sound of Enya (or something else we would never listen to while driving in our car or sitting in our own living room). The “Old School” way to play your music would be to put on a CD and go.

The new school way is to rip all your CD’s on to your hard drive and play the music from your computer. On a Mac, iTunes will do this for you, on a PC, Windows Media Player will do this for you (both free). Once your music is on your computer you can just load up several albums/artists at a time.

The part that makes you really feel like a tech superstar is creating playlists and then making shortcuts to those playlists. I created a playlist for my classroom music (use the “help” button on the player if you don’t know how). Usually I add some albums more than once because I want the music to play for longer than my school day. Then I right click on the file for my playlist and create a custom shortcut for that playlist (on a PC this can be done by clicking on “Properties”). So, now when I want to start my classroom music I can just hold down CTRL+Alt+m (I chose “m” for music) and my music will play all day long!

I keep the music running in the background all day and just have my students turn up or down the volume depending on whether I am teaching or they are working.

Baroque music works great, as does simple piano music, rainforest music, Native American chants, Enya or anything thematic. Things with words can be distracting though.  I also make playlists that are more “pop” feeling for when we are doing art projects or other more active classroom projects.

If your students say they are distracted anyway, you likely have the volume up too loud. Happy listening!

Dave Kootman

It’s there… we all see it… we all wonder how to use it…. Well, I have heard some very interesting and creative things this past week…

TX Field Manager Chris Marshall shared that one of his educators uses it as Differentiated Instruction.  On the board is a sheet with tiny strips of Assignment Builder urls that match the current theme.  Students simply tear off a strip and log on. Viola!

A Poway Teacher uses it as extra credit.  Her class is learning about the life cycles of pumpkins so she created a url and sent it home with her students. Every day she receives a few emails letting her know that students have completed watching the video!

I LOVE sharing integration strategies!  Feel free to post a few here.

Check out the Turkey Talk Webinars we have planned during November to cover topics such as Assignment Builder.  Join us!

Download november_turkey_talk_webinars_pst.pdf

Podcasting with Audacity and Garageband are probably the 2 most requested Webinars and Workshops for me to host.  And one of the number 1 questions is… is this recorded somewhere?!?!

Well, I just received word that Atomic Learning has free video tutorials until Sept 15th.  So hurry up and check this one out! Might even be a good idea to let some of your students follow along.  Let us know what you think!

http://www.atomiclearning.com/podcasting

Personally, I feel bad for the little guy…. orbiting like a good planet and BAM!  No longer a planet!  Interesting writing assignment for next week…. Write students write as if they were Pluto.  How does he feel about all these changes? You might be amazed by how much  more students write when they take on a different perspective.  In fact you may want to use our brand new WRITING PROMPT BUILDER and find a great IMAGE of Pluto (just looked for images of Pluto and to my disappoint realized that we do not have any up yet.. however when I searched by "planet" I found the one posted on this blog).  But before you do that, make sure you watch a little VIDEO SEGMENT about the planet… I mean un-planet…. on unitedstreaming to help familarize your students with their new character.  Did you know we also have a song about Planets in the AUDIO section? When I clicked in the EVENTS category I learned that Pluto was 1st discovered in 1930 and pictures first made available in 1996 (maybe we should grab some of those) Feel free to forward me any work samples… I’d love to post them for the world to see

Thank you Betsy for a great post on the national blog about all our former mnemonic devices that will no longer work. What are these scientists trying to do to us!  Seriously, they may have too much time on their hands!  So if we can’t use this one anymore…

M

y Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine ____________.

What should we use?  Brad Fountain posted this on his blog as a suggestion, ake Vera Eat More Jam Said Uncle Ned

M

Let’s hear your thoughts on the issue and brain storm some others!

We had a terrific webinar today… but the best part about it was not what I was sharing… but what YOU were sharing.  The topic of our 30 minute tutorial was the free download Photostory.  I shared how to use the program and then we spent some time discussing how we could use it in the classroom. Here’s what some feedback some of our attendees shared via email after the call. It’s long but worth the read!  After, post a comment and let us know your thoughts on the educational applications of Photostory.

Mary Murphy: "Today we discussed different uses for Photostory in our webinar. One participant shared the idea of taking pictures of each student each month. Students create a summary of learnings by month. There was a discussion of having students choose clipart or photos to use and then adding text and narration. I shared that the narration feature is an excellent application for students with limited language skills such as ELL students or full inclusion students. Lastly, you shared that you can also scan in student work/artwork. We also discussed the importance of having parents fill out release forms giving permission for these projects."

Jutti Marsh: “Have students bring photos of themselves and their family, preferably showing their development from babyhood to the present. Scan photos and have the students create a autobiography using the photos, captions, and narration. An alternative would be to have them draw a series of pictures of important events in their lives, and photograph or scan in the drawings to use in their autobiography. Another activity students like: "I used to ___________, but now I ____________; comparing what they used to be like when they were younger and how they are different now that they are older. I can also see using Photostory to document processes such as science experiments. Social studies: download a series of photos or documents from a site such as the Library of Congress and create mini historical documentary. URL for Library of Congress:  www.loc.gov/teachers  An alternative would be to have students create their own "documents" and illustrations to use.”

Anne Higuchi: "As a teacher who has used unitedstreaming but has not been too active in DEN, I charged right in today and logged on to two chats. It was really as simple as all of Jannita’s letters have stated. Photostory was great. For those of us who have a Mac at school and the clone at home Photostory is terrific. It is a step simpler than iMovie but it is free. For my classroom , I am already planning how to use this with my EL students. Because of varied levels one can make a series of photos into a movie and have the different students each make their own narration. They can be responsible for the writing as well as the speaking at the level of their personal competency without having to always share amongst a group in the class. There was a lot of learning on this webinar as the group heard ideas from more than one teacher as well as varied grade levels. It certainly made a pleasant way of sharing."

Genny Kahlweiss: "The Photostory 3 webinar hosted by Jannita Demian on August 21 taught us about the "FREE" Microsoft downloaded software which can help you make projects with students in minutes. Yes, I said minutes, pull out that digital camera take pictures of your students the first day of school and have each student learn each others names by creating a Photostory by recess. Have each student say their names into the computer. Yes, you do need a microphone (purchase a USB mic at Walmart $10)(helpful hint). Then use this video at Back -to-School Night to Wow! the parents. Other ideas: Have students create quick Idiom stories or returning from a field trip have the students pick the pictures and tell what they saw on the trip and share with another class. Another teacher at the Webinar shared that she will make monthly theme memory shows. Thanks to everyone at the Webinar it was fun and that was great information in a short period of time. "

Susan Muller: “Some of the useful ideas I heard from our Photostory webinar and got a chance to write down are: 1) how easy it is for kids to use 2) using Photostory to create pieces for idioms, poetry, (auto)biography, interviews during teacher workshops or get to know you back to school presentations, and having students create a photo diary for their year in school. Great ideas! 3) Import shows into Moviemaker to enhance even further 4) purchase Quicktime Pro to change file format for upload to web.”

Here’s another tip for using the New Unitedstreaming Version 3, but in a more personalized way. Ever wanted to make a really good and useful webpage better by putting your own personal touch to it? Well now you can. The New unitedstreaming is here to accommodate your own taste and cut down even more on your search time - by allowing the resources to come to you.

Today’s feature will give you that feeling of comfort right at your own fingertips. In this new version, you can select choice options of resources and place them right in front of you each time you login. You can place such options on your page such as the week’s top videos, new videos, even featured videos - all related to your subject area. You can even choose teaching tips which will allow you to quick reference learning opportunities with just a click of the mouse. Download this PowerPoint tutorial to learn how.

Download My_Homepage.ppt

With over 1,000 added images to the new unitedstreaming… now is a good time to check out Photostory 3… It’s so simple even your students can create their own movies. Here’s a great website with some helpful tips and tricks. ( http://www.windowsphotostory.com/ )

Special thanks to Steve Dembo for letting us know about David Jakes collection of Photostory 3 Tutorials that can be found at http://www.jakesonline.org/photostory.htm Go and check it out!  Create your own photostory and post it to our DEN website.

The New unitedstreaming is here and each day the rest of this week we’ll be presenting a new feature here on the blog.  So be sure to tune in each day to find out about something new.

So listen up for today’s feature.  Have you ever wished you had cool sound effects when editing your digital story or the sound of wildlife in the background of your PowerPoint about the rain forest?  Well, the NEW unitedstreaming has added over 3,000 audio file These files can be streamed or downloaded just like the videos and it’s just as easy to do.  Download this PowerPoint tutorial to learn how.   

Download using_audio_files.ppt . 

The new unitedstreaming will include innovative teacher tools, such as the Assignment Builder and Quiz Center, allowing educators to select content for student access.  The new Writing Prompt Generator tool will work with any image on unitedstreaming allowing you to create your own writing prompts.

Teacher-Managed Student Access

Students will be able to access and explore teacher-selected assignments, quizzes and media published to the Student Center and accessable from anyplace.  Student usernames and logins will allow easier tracking of student activity.

Professional Development Enhancements

The Video Library of Best Practices will include topics such as differentiated instruction, technology integration, classroom management, and parental involvement.  In addition, new Live curriculum-based Web Seminars on science, language arts, social studies and literacy will be led by visionaries in education technology.  The technology integration demonstrations will provide weekly teaching tips and “classroom quick start” ideas as well as “how-to’s” on using leading educational software including: Inspiration, iMovie, Adobe Premiere Elements, Microsoft Office and PowerPoint.

New Upgrades to Administration Tools

The new Server Manager and Network Manager will allow for easier management of server storage space, content downloads and auto-updating of software application to give greater content control.

Take the lead and share what you have learned thus far about the new unitedstreaming.  To learn more, go to http://www5.unitedstreaming.com/comingsoon/

Where would the next generation of Discovery Education unitedstreaming be without next generation Professional Development tools? We understand that state-of-the art Professional Development that offers differentiated instructional approaches, practical classroom application, staff development credit and on-demand access is critical as the world of digital media evolves. With the next generation of Discovery Education unitedstreaming, we’ve got you and your staff covered.

Beginning June 5, you and your team will have FREE access to a myriad of exciting professional development opportunities including:

Teaching Tips — Quick practical suggestions for a classroom boost or link to instructional animations on the use of digital media.

Best Practices – Short video segments profile model teachers as they demonstrate sound teaching strategies to enhance student learning

Webinars and Digital Connections — Customized WebEx workshops combine online facilitation by a DE certified instructor with onsite hands-on project creation. (Click the links to view the a Webinar Overview and the June calendar)

unitedstreaming in Action– Downloadable PDF’s with easy "how-to" steps on using unitedstreaming. See samples on Embedding, Digital Storytelling.

Project Demonstrations — Curriculum-based lesson plans demonstrate integration of unitedstreaming with a variety of popular software applications. 

Interactive Training — Self-directed, web-based lessons on Differentiated Instruction, Integration Strategies, and Teacher Training offer downloadable certificates for CEU credit. 

Courses for Credit — Distance learning courses focus on effective instructional strategies using unitedstreaming. Graduate credit offered by higher education partners. Professional Development

To prepare your staff for the next generation of unitedstreaming, visit http://www.unitedstreaming.com/comingsoon/ to download and distribute brand new training resources such as a QuickStart card, a PowerPoint which previews the new features launching this summer, an overview of Professional Development options, and much more!