Jan 31

Posted from Diigo. The rest of APS ITCs group favorite links are here.

Jan 30

These are my links for January 28th through January 30th:

Jan 30


Phelan Corrimal presented on the conference that is upcoming for educators using virtual worlds. http://www.vwbpe.org
posted by Riptide Furse on Supporte using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Jan 29

Posted from Diigo. The rest of APS ITCs group favorite links are here.

Jan 28


What’s coming this year for the DEN. Tonight at 5PM SLT http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%20II/71/62/25
posted by Riptide Furse on Eduisland II using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Jan 28


What is coming with the Discovery Educator Network in 2009.
posted by Riptide Furse on Eduisland II using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Jan 28


Stop by the gymnasium and get your Linden Bear and Faire Fish! sledfair09
posted by Riptide Furse on Supporte using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Jan 27

Posted from Diigo. The rest of APS ITCs group favorite links are here.

Jan 26

These are my links for January 26th:

  • Open Source Schools - The website provides information and articles about open source software, advice on getting started, case studies of its adoption in schools, a directory for exploring what is available, and a glossary.
  • click! Photography Changes Everything - Organized by the Smithsonian Photography Initiative (SPI) as a series of integrated programs, click! photography changes everything invites the public to consider ways in which photography enables us to see, experience, and interact with the world.
  • Visual Fractions - A Fraction Tutorial - FRACTIONITIS frak’sheni’tis An increase in anxiety caused by the appearance of a numeral in fraction form.
    Symptoms: A blank stare, avoidance of math courses and math teachers.
    Cure: Associate fractions with a pleasant object, such as 1/4 of a pizza.
Jan 26

Fox Trot

In the Sunday comics today was the following strip by Bill Amend.


http://www.gocomics.com/features/66/feature_items/407134

I know I’m making a grand leap to using this as an example but stay with me. If you asked a student if they thought teachers knew what students did outside of school, what do you think the answer would be? Right! A resounding HECK NO. Quite a few teachers don’t stay in tune with what kids are interested in outside of the walls of school. What is the most popular TV show your students watch? What books fly off the shelves in the library? How many students have video game consoles or ipods?When I was growing up home life looked very similar in most of the households in the area including our classroom teachers. We had 3 TV channels. So everyone watched almost the same shows. Music, movies, shopping and more was almost the same for everyone in the school based on the community it was located. So having those shared and common experiences allowed students and teachers a line of communication that facilitated learning.

Currently in my building I would put money on the fact that I have some teachers who have never read a Harry Potter book or a graphic novel or even heard of The 39 Clues. Yet these are the books that let children discover the joy and fun in reading. When teachers don’t read the boks that students flock to, they are losing the ability to make connections between student experiences and learning new content.

Another example, I had a conversation with a teacher who was talking about how some of the boys just couldn’t do the math. I decided to try something. I new the kids had been playing a certain video game in their free time. It was a game like the old, old, really old game called Galaga. I asked them to show the teacher and myself how to play the game. They had a great time telling us their secret moves and which kind of enemies were worth more points than the others. At one point I asked them to pause their games. I asked each one how many spaceships or lives they had left. I then asked them how many points they needed for an extra life. Each one was able to tell me just based on their total score. Next question: Would they have enough points if they killed the enemies that were on their screen now? Varying answers of yes and no were received. Here is the kicker though,  each one was able to tell me how much value was assigned and add those up in their head to justify their answers.

One teacher converted to keeping in touch, so many more yet to go.

So how do you keep connected with your students? Is it a conscious decision?

Jan 25

These are my links for January 22nd through January 25th:

  • DonorsChoose.org: How It Works - At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.
  • Visual Understanding Environment - VUE provides a flexible visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digital information. Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fvue.tufts.edu
  • Kids’ Vid: Scripting Your Movie - Scripting

    This is the process of writing down on paper what the video is about. Is your piece a comedy? A Drama? Are you interviewing someone? Are you documenting an event? These questions and more are answered during the scripting process.

  • Online ID Badge maker - low cost and professional - Our state of the art online application is quick and easy to use and gives you full control in designing process.
    Create your ID badge from the scratch or use one of our most popular ID BADGE TEMPLATES.

    :: Save your ID card in your account. Duplicate your badge for each employee or member by simply replacing your photos and editing text lines on your saved template. Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.easyidcard.com%2Fid-badge-home.asp

  • Classwish - ClassWish, a nonprofit, makes it easy for teachers and schools to create Wish Lists of the supplies they need for students to excel. Parents and others in the community see exactly what is needed and contribute online. Together, we can make a powerful difference in our children’s lives
  • ImageCodr.org - HTML code that includes the creative commons attribution.
  • RSS Suggestions Based on Similarity - SuggestRSS - SuggestRSS will analyze your OPML and suggest new feeds for you.

    from cliotech

Jan 25


PBS Teachers are having a great time at the Alamo. http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island%204/225/177/30
posted by Riptide Furse on ISTE Island 4 using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Jan 25

Posted from Diigo. The rest of APS ITCs group favorite links are here.

Jan 25

Posted from Diigo. The rest of Discovery Educator Network group favorite links are here.

Jan 22

Posted from Diigo. The rest of APS ITCs group favorite links are here.

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