eSchool News is at it again!  They’re accepting nominations right now for the 2012-2013 Ed-Tech Readers’ Choice Awards.  So I was thinking…  wouldn’t it be nice if Discovery Education got a shiny new badge for our website?  You can help make that dream of mine a reality!  I’d do it myself, but “nominations must come from school or district personal only.  no nominations by vendors, please.”  I was going to do it anyway, but they did say please.

Here’s how you can help.  Head over to their nomination page and fill out the form there.  It’ll take just a few minutes to do it and we would certainly appreciate it.  After all, you wouldn’t be reading this post if you weren’t a fan, would you?  You ARE reading this, right?  Bueller?

If you’re stumped for what to nominate us for, think about your own favorite DE services.  Streaming, TechBook, Assessment… you could even nominate us for Puzzlemaker if you’re so inclined!

Thanks, hope to see you on the red carpet!

From Steve Dembo’s sessions:

50 ways to spin a digital story   http://50ways.wikispaces.com/

Storytelling for the YouTube Generation     http://prezi.com/sefzj_jpnupp/storytelling-for-the-youtube-generation/

iThink iNeed iPads in the Classroom  http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1922908/iPads-TCEA.ppsx

General TCEA 2012 Handouts site:    http://www.tcea2012.org/2012/public/Content.aspx?sortMenu=102015&ID=1353

If you’ve got other links from TCEA (like others from Steve or those Hall Davidson presented)  please add in a comment!

Here is a slideshare by Glenn Wiebe that explains copyright vs fair use.

One place to start when using images with students is Discovery Education because the images if cited can be used in student projects. In an upcoming post, I will share how I do searches with my students using Google.

In addition to screening clips from the film, there will be a discussion between Susan Tuggle Burnore, the great-granddaughter of a plantation owner who practiced forced labor, and Tonya Groomes, a descendant of Green Cottenham, a young man who was forced into labor.  The discussion will be moderated by ‘Slavery by Another Name’ author Douglas A. Blackmon.

There is no charge to attend this workshop – but space is limited and registration is required.  Click here to register.  For more information, contact felicia@2mpowermedia.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter:  @Colorado DEN

In addition, we will be well represented at the Colorado Conversations Conference.   This is an opportunity for educators to get together and talk mainly about technology in the classroom.  You can attend the conference in person or virtually.  For more information and to register please visit  http://colearning.wikispaces.com/Home+2012

There are 29 results using the search term Van Gogh that include video, images, and encyclopedia articles. There is also a series called One Minute in a  Museum for grades 3-5 with 58 different pieces of art analyzed by three animated characters- Rafael, Mona, and Nabi. Their witty banter gives students background on the art as well as a child’s perspective.

The series Discovering the Arts consists of eight full videos for grades 6 – 12 on arts topics such as Impressionism and Beyond, Careers in Film, Masters of Color (Matisse and Picasso), Careers in Song and Dance, and more. There is also the Discovering Fine Arts series for 9-12, the Art Start series for grades 3-5 where students discover techniques for working with a variety of artistic media, and the Painting Pictures series of videos for K-2  which encourage students’ creativity and imagination with unique profiles of famous paintings by including children’s insights on  well-known works of art.

The results of a Guggenheim study released in 2010 showed the students in the Learning through Arts program scored higher in flexibility (the ability to revise or rethink one’s plans when faced with challenges), connection of ends and aims (the ability to reflect on whether one’s final work of art met the intended goals), and resource recognition (the ability to identify additional materials that could be applied to the completion of the project). According to Kim Kanatani of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, “By asking students to think like artists, we are imparting 21st-century skills in encouraging them to approach problems with creativity and analytic thought rather than just recitation of facts.”

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a 21st Century Skills Map for the Arts. Check it out here. “Starry Nights” may lead to starry tomorrows for our 21st century learners.

Other sites to check out:
Smithsonian’s Everything Art, Famous Paintings – Art Appreciation Lessons for Kids, Artcyclopedia

The morning started with casual sharing while enjoying coffee and rolls provided by the DEN. The Apple staff took time to explain many details and features of the iPad while showcasing some of the top apps available.

Our Leadership Council added to the app sharing, showcasing the Discovery Education access app and different ways it can be integrated with other apps.
Time flies when you’re learning about iPads! Although we were afforded some time to discuss the some of our favorite apps, we made sure our DEN Colleagues understood the value of pursuing DEN STAR Status and its benefits.

Participants were eager to learn more about Apps we love to use in our classrooms, so we familiarized them with all the great recent posts on our WI DEN Blog, the National DEN Blog and encouraged them to join us for our iPad Share Conference, where we will have more active learning and experimenting with quality apps, empowering our colleagues to return to their classrooms prepared to successfully integrate ipads with their students.

We hope to have a BIG turn out for our  iPad Share Event! Please share our post and encourage other DEN Members to Join us in Verona, just outside Madison, WI on March 24th!

Flying solo, DEN STAR Brandon Lutz #60in6012

Last year’s P.A.E.C.T. Advocate of the Year, this year’s P.A.E.C.T. Southeast Regional Director, and always a DEN (super) STAR, Brandon Lutz is a legend at PETE&C any year. His name is synonymous with 60 in 60, a presentation that packs an overflowing full house eager to cheer him as he achieves the superman impossible: 60 tools in 60 minutes. Hard to find a faster hour, unless it’s his App Attack: 60 Apps in 60 Minutes. Brandon challenges any blogger to keep up with his pace, so his generosity in sharing his work ahead of time makes him one of my favorite perennial presenters. Here’s his Prezi. You can find additional 60 in 60 resources here. His Scribd Cheat Sheet appears at the end of this post.

The countdown begins...

Brandon began his presentation by noting he has added 50 new since last year because he is always trying to keep his work fresh, timely, and relevant. Billed by Brandon as a wine tasting of web tools, he recognized that there are different times for different tools. Always keeping his audience in mind, he supplied contact information and directed participants to his cheat sheet: the list of 60, linked, open space for note taking. Thoughtful touch. Brandon’s goal: 10 sites you want to check out and share with your community. Following a Wiggins and McTighe precept, knowing the end before you begin, Brandon did it again, beating the clock while making learning meaningful. Each tool is linked after the number. The countdown begins.

1. Prezi: Keynote or PowerPoint is Prezi, a whole new concept in presentation media. Brandon’s presentations (past and present) are done in it. Yon don’t need software;  just a quick download, then create.
2. 

   You would appear on the right, replacing the stick figure.

   PresentMe: allows you to put yourself next to a PowerPoint presentation so you can talk about it in a split frame screen; a good presentation vehicle when you cannot appear in person. Use the webcam and microphone on your computer to record yourself giving a PowerPoint presentation. Very cool tool.

3. Much Enough: an interesting concept and the way education is moving; create a class for free. Can be a tutoring session or an adjunct to your class; set times and book sessions for free open time or office hours online.
4. Edmodo: a Facebook type interface within a safe environment, Edmodo requires a code for students to join a class group established by a teacher; can attach almost anything; students submit via Edmoda so a paperless classroom; can send graded work back to students. Excellent for sharing in a closed secure environment.
5. 

   Goodbye, Diigo. Hello, Pearltrees.

   Pearltrees: (mentioned in App Attack) creates a visual environment for bookmarks, resembling pearls on a tree. This tool enables a drill-down scaffolding of items bookmarked. Must try it; a visual delight. Good-bye Diigo.

6. Flubaroo: script that works with Google Forms; set up a form and the top line is the answer key; Flubaroo scores you for it. Brandon noted it is complicated but has great site explanations.
7. Gooru Learning: a content grasper; math/science based;  click on link and you get interactives based on one topic. This tool gives you a plethora of resources (almost more than you need); you can set up a collection for your students. An overabundant resource.
8. Study Ladder: portal for grades 3-8; differentiates instruction based on needs; has interactives with an open whiteboard version.
9. 

   The Internet for Kids: safe, secure, with parent feedback

   Kid Zui: kid-friendly web browser known as “the internet for kids”; allows a free safe filtered environment. Kid Zui makes Facebook “safe” because of its Facebook integration; you can see your children’s visits and have them reported via email. Best of all, especially if you’re a Firefox user, you can download the add-on, integrated into your browser.

10. Reading Bear: reading website for K-3; has a wide variety of interactive flashcards; great for lower primary students; teaches reading.
11. Star Fall: also lower primary; an alphabet learner and an early reading tool with books that you can read to your children/students or they can be read to from Star Fall; K-3 level.
12. HippoCampus: brings the content to you, based on math and science; click topic and it delivers interactives to you without searching. Very cool tool!
13. Learn Zillion: math lessons; click topic and connect to common core standards by lesson and practice. Taught by teachers in video format; great for LS reinforcement; a cleaner approach than Khan Academy.
14. Math Train: students make math videos and podcast to the world; similar to the Khan Academy but with a Common Craft approach–simple but excellent.
15. Side Vibe: offers turbocharged web questing, placing the student in online discussion and activities in a direct context; 50 students for free with a charge at 51+. Lets the website and discussions view in a split screen, side by side, answering questions while watching videos in a confined environment, keeping students focused.
16. 

    2/2 60 in 60 (2nd presentation of 2 on day 2)

    School Notes: simplified way to communicate with your classes; a very simplified version of Edmodo.

17. Yacapaca: creates quizzes and surveys and modifies content and assessments; shared with fellow users, if you choose and has a popularity rating to help you make decisions on others’ sharings.
18. Simple Meet: creates a safe, non-login chat room for students; you get an email of all your students discuss; also good for staff development.
19. BlockSite: a Firefox addon that lets you filter any website you want to access that exists in a blocked environment.
20. Class Dojo (mentioned App Attack); assigns + or – behaviors to students in a class. Brandon’s favorite app/web tool but, as in the App Attack presentation, he cautions against displaying negative behaviors on a white board.
21. Gnowledge: test and quiz generation site with images, text; easy to create and share with students.
22. DropBox: file collector; especially good for dropping large files into it; flashdrive free w/24/7 access. You get 2 MG free, but if you go through the tutorial, your free gift is additional space.
23. dushare: send large files without a login with ease; up to 100 mgs; an alternative to DropBox.
24. 

    An interactive book creator for MACs

    iBooks Author: in Apple Lion, a free download lets you create your own virtual interactive textbook with ease of use; better than ePub and had 3D interactive images.

25. Remind 101: safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents; SMS or email students/staff; students have to come to you to request to join.
26. Oh Life: journal site with sent emails; if you respond, the site collects the information and then in a week sends it back to you; a gentler way to engage in journaling with reminders.
27. Boom Writer: grades 4 and up; engages students in reading, writing, creating, and competing; stories can be selected as part of the larger theme selected for writing; does not identify students’ names.
28. 

    A good way to do RA online

    Scrible: an easy to share online annotation site with iPad app; highlight text and send link to students; they can continue the highlighting. An interesting way to go digital with reading apprenticeship techniques.

29. Paper Rater: helps grade papers with a plagerism checker plus other writing tool correctors; a good proofreading tool for students before submitting work for assessment.
30. NBC Learn: brought their educational content into this site and are charging, but some parts of the site are free (science).
31. YouTube Teachers: creates a safe channel for your students for asynchronous learning; easier to unblock at schools than the more ubiquitous YouTube.
32. Capzles: creates a whole new dimension of learning and sharing. Enjoy this explanatory video made by DEN STAR Jennifer Brinson. If you missed her groundbreaking PETE&C session, Moving Our World One Project at a Time,  presented by 3 of her senior economics students, you can read about it by clicking this link.   
33. Docs Teach: looks at National Archives and combines interactives with archives; shared by teachers, making a bank of materials available without reinventing the wheel.
34. UsefulCharts: charge for printed copy but free for whiteboard use; very comprehensive and can be screenshot for other use, but it’s a chart without links.
35. 

    QR code at work

    Desktop QR Code Reader: download and have for your desktop.

36. QR Notes: lets you select an image, give it a title, image, and note.
37. QR Voice: scan QR code and it will read it back to your on your phone; a text-audio renderer.
38. ptable: interactive periodic table.
39. Screenr: free screencasting program web-based; select what you want to record and record it; Brandon used screenr to record the periodic table shown in his presentation.
40. 1001 Free Fonts: different fonts for graphic style; very cool fonts for posters, handouts, but not typing documents. If you love fonts, this is your new cool tool.
41. Jeopardy Labs: online jeopardy game with assessments; the easiest way to build a Jeopardy quiz; great for reviewing; can be downloaded and kept for future use.
42. 

    Study Blue: free mobile apps, too!

    Study Blue: flashcard site (mentioned in App Attack); tests students, web-based.

43. Cacoo: diagram site for step-by-step organizing; a good graphic organizer.
44. spaaze: an infinite virtual cork board; accepts videos, images, text, sites; great brainstorming tool; similar to Wall Wisher but with infinitely more flexibility.
45. Free Sound: all kinds of sounds; over 45,000 and copyright free; great for podcasting; Brandon cautions: there are inappropriate sounds, though, so be careful if you let your students use it.
46. Vocaroo: simple recording site; it just doesn’t get any easier. I love this site because it gives you options for a link and embeddable code. I used to use this site to create lesson plans for students, then posted to Moodle. This is a great EASY tool to use for differentiated instruction. Love it.
47. 

    You have to try this one (http://ifttt.com/)!

    ifttt (if this then that): saves visiting several social networking sites; check this one out; lets sites talk to one another by following the simple if this…then that. Just visit the site. Very cool tool.

48. Blabbarize: an oldie but goodie; lets non-talking things talk (remember the talking alpaca).
49. fotababble: lets you tell your stories with talking photos and slideshows.
50. Jelly Cam: Mark Perlman at his best, doing a demo; has apps for a smart phone; a download with Adobe Air; good for stop motion using a computer.
51. VoiceThread: 3 accounts free for teachers and then a paid site; text, audio, video, and drawing responses. An excellent collaborative tool.
52. Producteev: a task list website; has an app; lets you create a task group with one other person; emails you pre/post task reminders; interfaces with Google.
53. Paper.li: a newspaper-type aggregator. Jennifer Brinson’s students decide what content goes into their paper.li daily, Moving Our World.
54. Tweet Chat: can create a chat room with a hash tag or can search by hash tag for academic public content; a filter for Twitter for people who do not want to use Twitter directly.
55. 

    Super Simple, Fast, and Fun!

    pen.io: allows you to create a website without a login; is password protected for editing; has all the usual frills and you get a quick and easy site (not elaborate but can be done in a non-block class frame).

56. Sumdog: login and play games with other students; builds math skills; a robust site that continues to add content.
57. Pattern Cooler: graphic design and web design lets you customize patterns and download as a .png file. This site is really worth investigating; like what it lets you do with customization of a stock image.
58. Pinterest: aggregates urls by image but can add text; you can allow people to add content. My favorite new site; has a mobile app, and has made the Top 10 Social Networking sites.
59. Mentimeter: quick and easy way to poll students, staff; super simple poll site; can answer with laptop or mobile device; gives you QR code to answer codes.
60. Google Forms: an oldie but goodie; Brandon added a QR code for his own survey, which takes GF into the present and ends Brandon’s presentation.

Another amazing presentation, the second of two 60in60 presentations in one day!

PETEC201260in60CheatSheet

Related articles

• APP ATTACK! 60 Apps in 60 Minutes with Brandon Lutz & Scott Snyder (discoveryeducation.com)
• Join Discovery Education at ASTE 2012! (discoveryeducation.com)