tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48770625782980118602024-02-07T01:33:43.455-08:00UrEnglishTeacher's Tech BlogUr English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-45933920280752539752010-03-13T13:08:00.000-08:002010-03-13T13:15:03.141-08:00This blog has MOVED (Doing all we can to help the housing market)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://friedtechnology.blogspot.com"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcbAhnpnou5K6M2nRk8P8eeS8pQR17jIGHMrhQAXzcUcMooQqN7N4UAvIs5INCKwRyEU5dk_DD0DDcKD6wiWtR1BGwGkhJwXCp9W0ftJUvmvL25zaHYX_Hvn-ijzXVXBeL6G4t71peQg/s320/Fried+Technology+Logo+White+Bkg.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448229854155260402" border="0" /></a>Please check out UrEnglishTeacher's blog over at its new address:<br /><br /><a href="http://friedtechnology.blogspot.com/">http://friedtechnology.blogspot.com</a><br /><br /><br />And if you haven't already, FOLLOW, FRIEND, and for land sakes, send a housewarming present!Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-72535089965449556392009-12-03T08:02:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.541-08:00Everything Old is New Again: Photo Editing Online<div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Hi, have we met? I'm Amy, and I love FREE stuff, especially if it's digital and therefore does not have to be stored in one of my overstuffed built in 1960 closets. Lately I've been noticing an amazing number of online photo editing tools that are quite special, no $ and no skills required.<br /><br />My first love is <a href="http://fotoflexer.com/">http://fotoflexer.com/</a>. With this cool tool, you can make not that great photos look like works of art . . . see?<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicp389Sz6mRlQ5LuF5V5TrQXZq4Xmr50wQZz_iqkyI-8yf3cMRzO0OieN6YLOgkC0aKuYH9qmvZWfwsAd2oqKZJBWcK1c0iog_g0EhFmWnMvGdOJ1TevRaWpssQldNsewj2rdi3VaeGsMx/s1600-h/Amy+and+Rich+Thanksgiving+2009+sm.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411048525353912434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicp389Sz6mRlQ5LuF5V5TrQXZq4Xmr50wQZz_iqkyI-8yf3cMRzO0OieN6YLOgkC0aKuYH9qmvZWfwsAd2oqKZJBWcK1c0iog_g0EhFmWnMvGdOJ1TevRaWpssQldNsewj2rdi3VaeGsMx/s320/Amy+and+Rich+Thanksgiving+2009+sm.jpg" /></a>You'll have to trust me that the original wasn't nearly that great because I'm not publishing it. Period. <a href="http://fotoflexer.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">FotoFlexor</span></a> also lets you add sparkly text, stickers, and try out hundreds (thousands?, millions?) of different frames and effect combos.<br /><br />Personally, I have a love for all things vintage that rivals my love of all things free. That is what led me to <a href="http://www.rollip.com/">http://www.rollip.com/</a>. <a href="http://www.rollip.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Rollip</span></a> respectfully requests <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">mula</span> for high quality images, but frankly my dear, the ones they show me on the screen are just fine. Check out this cool effect . . .<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOias-9WXZaNei7Vv4XszHW9r6UHHMqSGA7GUO8fERh6Gnrl2DrUp5MSxJ6JOQvGrsy9TjdcW10t6sYEQkX2WCzmsxTNY2cHcihxCp2vxv8GafOKF9njNFt-_x5TcJoHn09kCPX-sSlONS/s1600-h/12-3-2009+10-39-19+AM.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 223px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411050520652443746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOias-9WXZaNei7Vv4XszHW9r6UHHMqSGA7GUO8fERh6Gnrl2DrUp5MSxJ6JOQvGrsy9TjdcW10t6sYEQkX2WCzmsxTNY2cHcihxCp2vxv8GafOKF9njNFt-_x5TcJoHn09kCPX-sSlONS/s320/12-3-2009+10-39-19+AM.png" /></a>It looks like it could have been taken way back when I was little, but these are my own kids, and this was taken last week. Here's a comparison:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBD-PLQ4Tly8aVYx7sgMxJTXt1IpRPufjV0na_KZOaqtHgdzAFpIMkgzSPEacsMGeoI42gaLNnfandyaEMkBM7rnP3X_BvguKMiHLJdBm8yATvYBZUt591UIFRKl1HcEzIScPfhyphenhyphenZl1eiH/s1600-h/new+versus+old.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 115px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411051605748011170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBD-PLQ4Tly8aVYx7sgMxJTXt1IpRPufjV0na_KZOaqtHgdzAFpIMkgzSPEacsMGeoI42gaLNnfandyaEMkBM7rnP3X_BvguKMiHLJdBm8yATvYBZUt591UIFRKl1HcEzIScPfhyphenhyphenZl1eiH/s320/new+versus+old.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>And these are not the only two sites available, of course there a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">bajillion</span> more. Here are some of the best I know of. If you're using one YOU adore, please comment with the web address.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.picnik.com/">http://www.picnik.com/</a><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85h0Wp0uovd5oz7iaXDrEIh5sPwObHCq4PzvGrW7SR5X41pKMXNgKqWaYa58cucCaUO2sXM73no0Bn2UIlyK6v0IucfnJyuasfQnEX9iOQBhSScR3vOcevKdIj-ZYv_icbvj73hiaMh4g/s1600-h/picnik.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 190px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411055317781952082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85h0Wp0uovd5oz7iaXDrEIh5sPwObHCq4PzvGrW7SR5X41pKMXNgKqWaYa58cucCaUO2sXM73no0Bn2UIlyK6v0IucfnJyuasfQnEX9iOQBhSScR3vOcevKdIj-ZYv_icbvj73hiaMh4g/s320/picnik.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a><a href="http://pixlr.com/">http://pixlr.com/</a> (Check out the Filter section)<br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4MCHi3Xz7Sd_Dcog2iaOEhfN2HyhmWsVqmYsQnFwqbYguNUZzwoeerZhbPkob3dlubEKILjnbZf-ePHu6P9_Gi9Ml67p3KTkYkFI8PAP4BrWrzUfpWgm-omhyqnbQtdy2kGzxScIEbvQ/s1600-h/Pixlr.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 162px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411054342715172738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4MCHi3Xz7Sd_Dcog2iaOEhfN2HyhmWsVqmYsQnFwqbYguNUZzwoeerZhbPkob3dlubEKILjnbZf-ePHu6P9_Gi9Ml67p3KTkYkFI8PAP4BrWrzUfpWgm-omhyqnbQtdy2kGzxScIEbvQ/s320/Pixlr.jpg" /></a>For completely free AND high quality effects, try the <a href="http://www.poladroid.net/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Poladroid</span> Project</a>. You drag and drop your photo onto the landing pad (that camera below is floating on my desktop), then watch your old time Polaroid develop. That's pretty SWEET! Neat little sound effects AND you get the nifty white edge (with texture). <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Coolio</span>.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 157px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411059123865514658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jBvQtbfxVgGNT9k_fLWDVoTt1V-yYv90Lq1L3erTyrZ8R-2TECMjbtW_lEWDNyWzrCXYWBmDqVi68sY5m9J6ORxU2qrzhyphenhyphenhvbHkHyBH8lp4whG2MX5uW6336V0OD8skHBgs1HDrnR6TI/s320/poladroid+1.png" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 263px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411059254002927250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT0NO7i8ar8avH3eSVBnydd8V9i1pG19d0QAdJUsPLj8yV_ypxPT0LPGuD2yZ9g8ixLFDCH7ZSmQlC9zimcstvPsfS9iglhJ8zjDnNbxVC7QvWcvkPKZpGIP9kKkNoTpl6yxLX83DBDrF/s320/from+iPhone+122-pola.jpg" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://www.poladroid.net/">http://www.poladroid.net/</a><br />Ohh, it's just too cool. Watch this!<br /><br /><object width="515" height="550"><param name="movie" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/jingh264player.swf"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="flashVars" value="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=660&containerheight=618&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/Poladroid.mp4"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="scale" value="showall"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="base" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/"><br /><br /> <embed src="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/jingh264player.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=660&containerheight=618&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/Poladroid.mp4" allowfullscreen="true" base="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/b30e64da-951a-46aa-9647-4e042accbbe0/" scale="showall" height="550" width="515"></embed> </object></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="left">I'm adding an after the fact addition to this list that should NOT be ignored due to the new features they've recently added. Drumroll please . . . it's good old <a href="http://www.befunky.com/">BEFUNKY.com</a>. With hundreds of easy to apply effects and a not very obtrusive logo in the corner as the only drawback to the free account, Be Funky is an easy and versatile way to go. Multiple applications of each effect and settings within those. Cool!</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 202px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413988333306839298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8T8_2TbB0_VUHxoi9yRfBesDw1LLGTP9_AMporyNZbySVdpaPsJ6I9oQoIKjD1QT9lYrbBl2AOpuOQY21xHeH_Hqyj0db3Mp-Agh6VN2_vU0Dds2DhWt3SfgON5Lby5vXw4CgJG90tJvQ/s320/12-11-2009+8-34-30+AM.jpg" /> BeFunky also provides the <a href="http://apps.bebo.com/uvatar">Uvatar</a> maker you see on other sites. So far, I can't see a way to get to it independent of another service (ex, Facebook), but the <a href="http://www.bebo.com/">Bebo</a> site looks like the easiest/least obtrusive to access, and if you want to make cool pictures like this, you'll sign up for an account.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 270px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413998253443945650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu1Ts2I_PxPJKDZnHC68ItjPL-DiL5OWNHya5OgaCHoVTM2skHQWTY01214oLOuXMmX2VzAmKaS7VKLPs0lDu1rZDXvy5JkBff7-zLchKp75BDp-htUH0oVjT6Y_1LiQbfgZ3wwtvDnP-/s320/12-11-2009+9-05-39+AM.jpg" /> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align="left"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left">Next time there's a not so great photo taken of you or yours (Christmas dinner?), remember these cool, free sites and make yourself look as lovely as you are on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">INside</span>.<br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left">Merry Christmas Everyone! BE FREE!!!</div>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-44624111306126180552009-09-08T19:15:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.555-08:00The Latest, Greatest Web 2.0 Tool For Anyone With a Room<img style="width: 179px; height: auto;" src="http://docs.google.com/a/conroeisd.net/File?id=df2ntbv6_251c2ndkmd3_b" /><br />The latest and greatest Web 2.0 tool, in my humble opinion, is probably not what you'd expect, but please . . . at least read the first paragraph before you dedide this tool will not help you teach school this year!<br /><br />It's <a href="http://www.floorplanner.com/">Floorplanner.com</a>. And no, that's not the end of the first paragraph. Keep reading. <a href="http://www.floorplanner.com/">Floorplanner</a> (as was pointed out to me by a Mrs. Hutchins---thanks Vickie) is FAR more than just a really REALLY nifty eat-your-weekend tool for planning your decorating or remodeling project (which it is, BTW), it's a fantastic way to learn just about any math concept. The lesson plan Vickie shared with me included students creating a house with a given number of square feet (say 2000) that would get four people separate bedrooms and included certain amenities like bathrooms, a kitchen, a family room, a place to eat, etc. The house also had to have certain characteristics, say a circular entryway. (Pies are squared anyone?--Yes, that's a joke. Don't email me about it.)<br /><br />If you're a language arts teacher, you probably have already stopped reading, but just in case you still are, here's the language arts aspect: Create a house, then advertise and sell it. You'll obviously need to do screen shots so people can see the looks of this incredible creation! There are SO MANY more things you can do with this. In my classroom, I enjoyed what I called the "Practical Research Project." This is where instead of writing about an academic topic, students actually researched how to do something, then wrote a research paper with the review of research that also included pictures and descriptions of a real project. Actual projects included retiling a kitchen, redecorating a bedroom, building a kit car and, one of my favorites though a little scary, building and finding the best propellant for a potato gun. (True story. Wayne Fishback wrote it like a CIA document including "Eyes Only" notifications. He's in the military now!)<br /><br />So back to the topic. Floorplanner.com is an incredible tool. My own experience with it goes as follows: I wanted to redecorate the front rooms of our house, which due to poor design and decor were rarely used. I THOUGHT (silly me, lived here 6 years) that I knew the rough dimensions of said rooms, so I logged right in to Floorplanner and proceeded drawing some rectangualr boxes. See below:<br /><br /><p style="text-align: left;" align="center"><img style="width: 400px; height: auto;" src="http://docs.google.com/a/conroeisd.net/File?id=df2ntbv6_252c7956pc3_b" /></p><p style="text-align: left;" align="center">However, I noticed that something was amiss. There was indeed not as much room on this wall or that as my drawing showed. What was up? I took out my handy tape measure and started measuring walls and openings. Low and behold (yes, I feel stupid), my rooms actually look like this:<br /><img style="width: 500px; height: auto;" src="http://docs.google.com/a/conroeisd.net/File?id=df2ntbv6_254ddftk6d2_b" /></p>After many, many hours of planning my IKEA shopping foray, placing furniture, checking the website for the EXACT measurements of EVERYTHING (I'm not a very "exact measurement" type normally, but this tool inspired me), I finally developed a design that looked like this:<br /><br /><div id="w5to" style="text-align: left;"><img style="width: 500px; height: auto;" src="http://docs.google.com/a/conroeisd.net/File?id=df2ntbv6_255fkx4zwdw_b" /></div><br />(Many furniture stores give exact measurements of furniture on their sites, OR, you can just use the built in furniture pieces in the software, which are fairly average sized.) And then, maybe the coolest thing of all happend. I clicked the 3D button in the top right, and got a really TRULY amazing view from all angles and THROUGH MY OWN WINDOWS. OH MY GOSH! If I could have found anyone who cared, I would have called them to tell them about it!!! Look how COOL!<br /><center><object id="stVE9cQ0RIR1xdRFtdWV1dUFRX" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.screentoaster.com/swf/STPlayer.swf" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,115,0" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.screentoaster.com/swf/STPlayer.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="flashvars" value="video=stVE9cQ0RIR1xdRFtdWV1dUFRX"></object><div style="width: 425px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.screentoaster.com/"></a></div></center><a href="http://www.screentoaster.com/">Free online screencasting tool</a><br />So, just in case you are not able to drive by my actual house and get the REAL view, BUT you still really care and want to know how it turned out, here is the (I think) astonishingly accurate result of my many hours of learning about measurements using Floorplanner.com:<br /><center><embed pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Furenglishteacher%2Falbumid%2F5376677578415687073%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCPjEv6vq5--VeA%26hl%3Den_US" height="192" width="288"></embed></center>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-92026183371708711892009-06-30T20:49:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.565-08:00Prezi: Completely Amazing Non-Linear Presentation Tool<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Here's my <a href="http://prezi.com/119313/">first foray</a> into <a href="http://prezi.com/">Prezi</a>. I don't see an embed code option on the site, and I'd like to. Perhaps soon! But never mind that, there's so much there to be happy about, I hardly noticed.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Once again, my colleague Jill Malpass showed me this free Web 2.0 tool that is KILLER for education. It MIGHT be the most amazing thing I've seen this year. Jill made the comment that it was not easy to learn to use, and I agree in part. There are no text-based on-screen directions, though there appears to be a lot of tutorial info, which I ignored. I like to learn by doing, so I <a href="http://prezi.com/">dove right in</a>. Once I let go of the expectation that words were going to pop up and tell me what to do, I found the controls to be intuitive and even smart. I think students (Digital Natives) will have a MUCH easier time learning to use this tool than Digital Immigrants. Here's a screencast showing the basics of how to use it as well as what it does for the rest of us:<br /></span><center style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><object width="582" height="576"> <param name="movie" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/jingh264player.swf"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"> <param name="flashVars" value="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=582&containerheight=576&showbranding=false&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/2009-06-30_2247.mp4"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="base" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/"> <embed src="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/jingh264player.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/FirstFrame.jpg&containerwidth=582&containerheight=576&showbranding=false&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/2009-06-30_2247.mp4" allowfullscreen="true" base="http://content.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/46c86253-9165-44d3-86f8-3fb3b3416bc6/" scale="showall" width="582" height="576"></embed> </object></span></center><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br />I'm guessing I don't need to tell you how this is educationally relevant, but just in case you want to hear it anyway, here are some things I'm thinking of . . .<br /><br />1. Organizing thoughts on any topic. History? Not all events fit into a timeline, but even if they do, you can show that using this tool. What about connected events? Music from the time period? Put it in. Make it logical. Show how it "goes." Literature? How do two authors/works relate to each other? You can make two or more areas in your infinitely large presentation space, then show connections among elements both by how you connect the elements, how you place them, and how you use the arrows/connectors. AMAZING possibilities for making thoughts visible. <span style="font-size:85%;">(<span style="font-style: italic;">Apocalypse Now</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Heart of Darkess</span> anyone?)</span><br /><br />2. Use this tool instead of a linear presentation tool <span style="font-size:85%;">(like PowerPoint--please, NOT PowerPoint! At <span style="font-style: italic;">least</span> use <a href="http://docs.google.com/">Google Presentations</a> or <a href="http://download.openoffice.org/">OpenOffice 3</a> if you just need some download & installation action in your life)</span>, to connect different subject areas. For example, if you're a science teacher studying the water cycle, students should make connections between that topic and the current <a href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-149803013.html">drought</a> we're experiencing <span style="font-size:85%;">(at least in my neck 'o the woods)</span>, and how does the water cycle relate to a <a href="http://urenglishteacher.glogster.com/Hurricane-Ike/">hurricane</a>? We've had a couple of those lately! Check that link up yonder to see what it looked like around my abode after Ike.<br /><br />3. </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >I bet you've seen <a href="http://www.visualthesaurus.com/">Visual Thesaurus</a> <span style="font-size:85%;">(lots of $)</span> and <a href="http://www.visuwords.com/?word=nice">Visuwords</a> (free, but use my link or make your own, don't use the default or you may get a not so <span style="font-style: italic;">nice</span> word). What if students made their own vocabulary maps like the ones found on those sites but with personal connections? They could even insert their own links, drawings, and music. They could show how their words relate to each other. What if I were trying to learn the word "obnoxious" or "noxious"? I could define them in my own words, but then I could also put in that I think Bart Simpson is "obnoxious," and that my Grandma's perfume smells "noxious" (no offense Grandma; it doesn't). In addition, I could add pictures that connect my own personal ideas. It might take Digital Immigrants 3 hours to do one word, but give your 3rd graders a shot. They'll pick it up MUCH faster than you or me and be adding each word in minutes.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >I have about a million more ideas, but I'm guessing you're not still reading this. By now, you're probably playing with <a href="http://prezi.com/">Prezi</a>. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /></span></span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-23836210940052668502009-06-29T13:12:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.609-08:00Are you a Digital Native or a Digital Immigrant? A 20th or a 21st Century Learner?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After reading some of </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.marcprensky.com/">Marc Prensky's</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">controversial and thought-provoking work, I created the quiz below for a staff development session. The questions are there twice, yet the statements are reversed to show how shift happens and so that it can be used as a discussion tool.<br /><br />Enjoy finding out if you are a Digital Native, a Digital Immigrant, . . . or somewhere in between!</span> (I also heard the term "Digital Refugee" last week. It feels useful, though perhaps is a tad demeaning, especially if used to the face of such a one.)<br /><br /><center><iframe src="http://docs.google.com/EmbedSlideshow?id=df2ntbv6_201g72tc6gn" width="410" frameborder="0" height="342"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89LLbmrDTocMuT-Xnre9jXWD0A7GlPu2SBrE_hrt1ydrWi_ghcrHSK3I8FVZtnkyzAhrjdsQo25AcgObgWHLVVHtCUhQ7YKWvd9Y-nawokEIQDQxxdlDLEgjEmhr0t8qM-1Wadai8FKU/s1600-h/mini-file-cabinet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 110px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89LLbmrDTocMuT-Xnre9jXWD0A7GlPu2SBrE_hrt1ydrWi_ghcrHSK3I8FVZtnkyzAhrjdsQo25AcgObgWHLVVHtCUhQ7YKWvd9Y-nawokEIQDQxxdlDLEgjEmhr0t8qM-1Wadai8FKU/s400/mini-file-cabinet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352850159675727618" border="0" /></a>This quiz is not to make you "feel bad" about your 'hometown' (as some persons doggedly insist), but it is important for us to remember that kids these days may not be from our locale. It's something to think about while you're filing those emails you've been printing, if, that is, you're able to do more than one thing at a time.<br /><br /><br /></div></center>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-21456888845985092692009-06-07T06:23:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.620-08:00Make Stuff Online for the Dad(s) in Your Life for Father's Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-SBAf31QlabBvg7ufk1hS8KbxUAr8rN8rN6enMDRlDU7wYzhFs4E75o9iWHUFj-2ilQgada-GOoY9kgI7NR8XRo776AOJxp0F-FBUbkickVYWS06RISMUhm5qrMJ02t6LDZqERKv1So_/s1600-h/My_Dadsm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-SBAf31QlabBvg7ufk1hS8KbxUAr8rN8rN6enMDRlDU7wYzhFs4E75o9iWHUFj-2ilQgada-GOoY9kgI7NR8XRo776AOJxp0F-FBUbkickVYWS06RISMUhm5qrMJ02t6LDZqERKv1So_/s400/My_Dadsm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344603129298456082" border="0" /></a><br />I can't take credit for this idea, teacher Amina Bradford told me about it right after Mother's Day this year, and one of her colleagues thought of it: Use <a href="http://wordle.net/create">Wordle</a> to create (or have your kids create) a "Beautiful Word Cloud". . . this time, about Dad. (<a href="http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/922227/My_Unique_Dad%3A_For_Father%27s_Day">Example for my Dad</a>.) Put the word "Dad" in twice to make it the biggest. Download the image, then send it in to a <a href="http://digital-photo-printing-review.toptenreviews.com/">photo printing service</a> to have it professionally printed, pop it in a frame, and there you go! Unforgettable father's day present! Amina's friend did this for Mother's day and her students came up with words like "loud, squishy, and hungry." How awesome is that?<br /><br />Use a tool like <a href="http://www.glogster.com/edu">Glogster</a> or <a href="http://www.scrapblog.com/builder/">Scrapblog</a> to make a photo collage/book of you and your Dad. Fun! When you finish, download the image, or if you can't get it like you want it, blow it up so that you can see the whole thing on your computer screen, then hit the print screen (prt sc, maybe fn><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">prt</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">sc</span> on a laptop), then open your photo editing program (I like <a href="http://download.cnet.com/PhotoFiltre/3000-2192_4-10354493.html?tag=mncol"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">PhotoFiltre</span></a>--free and amazing), and hit Edit Paste. Size/edit your image for sending off for professional printing or print on your color printer.<br /><br />If you're REALLY getting into this idea, you could make a cartoon of your Dad using <a href="http://www.toondoo.com/createToon.do?param=openFullWindow"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ToonDoo</span></a>. How about showing an important event you remember or creating a little cartoon you with your little cartoon Dad and let your character say all those gushy things you might not say in person?<br /><br />If you're doing this project with kids who can't write yet, try <a href="http://www.sumopaint.com/web/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">SumoPaint</span></a> to let even the littlest ones draw Dad, or if you have a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">bona</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">fide</span> artist in the house, see what they can do with the amazing advanced tools <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">SumoPaint</span> offers. If you want to keep it simple, photograph your kids' drawings with your digital camera, then add them to your Dad Book or get them framed. You can use <a href="http://download.cnet.com/PhotoFiltre/3000-2192_4-10354493.html?tag=mncol"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">PhotoFiltre</span></a> (again, it's free) to crop and intensify the color saturation to make them really pop.<br /><br />You can make a whole book for your dad yourself or use a service like <a href="http://www.lulu.com/publish/photo_books/?cid=publish_portal">Lulu.com</a> (start today) to have your book professionally printed.<br /><br />Of course, Dad would love some text thrown in there too. Find some great quotes about amazing Dads. Add some of the lyrics of his favorite song in that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Scrapblog</span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Glogster</span>, or if you're going to turn all this great stuff into a video using <a href="http://www.animoto.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Animoto</span></a>, put that song in the background. And here's the English teacher coming out: Have your kids (or yourself) write a formula poem. They are surprisingly moving. Just make up a rule, then follow it, for example, every line starts with<br /><br />Dad, Did you know that . . . ? and the poem will be called "Dad, Did you know?" Trust me, people will cry, probably including you when you write it or read it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv290uXlFZx5M-uu9PcVTIlP5KZ0y_dFZsMrmMDSNTWTqwjUsrqdSsGp26zUG9M1qqDpQHUTpVik9c7Uxro685V9EPzlcR99TBI2sf3MvGki_umI2P4_TWPQdwkfEB_5k9HCWjX2dRLgZb/s1600-h/tiny+altoids+toolbox.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv290uXlFZx5M-uu9PcVTIlP5KZ0y_dFZsMrmMDSNTWTqwjUsrqdSsGp26zUG9M1qqDpQHUTpVik9c7Uxro685V9EPzlcR99TBI2sf3MvGki_umI2P4_TWPQdwkfEB_5k9HCWjX2dRLgZb/s320/tiny+altoids+toolbox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344605184349038226" border="0" /></a>If you feel the need to give your Dad something more traditionally "Dad like" for father's day, how about making "<a href="http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/05/surprise_dad_with_the_smallest.php">The World's Smallest Toolbox</a>" for him? I don't really know if a Dad would like this, but I WANT ONE!Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-74229535183733706502009-05-12T12:07:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.629-08:00$100 Document Camera<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We call ours <a href="http://eyecamd.blogspot.com/">eyeCamD</a>; you can call yours BETTER and CHEAPER! Stop paying $400, $500 or more for document cameras right now. Using a few supplies from your local hardware store, you can use a high quality webcam as a document camera with TONS more functionality. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-QuickCam-Pro-9000-Black/dp/B000RZQZM0">Logitech 9000 webcam </a>(8 mega pixels, the Avervision CP150 is 3.2 mega pixels)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-PVC pipe (we used 1/2")</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-PVC elbow</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-3 layers of 1/2" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fiberboard">MDF</a> (Medium Density Fiberboard-kind of like particleboard but heavier) glued together to form a heavy base</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-You can use velcro to affix the camera to the camera arm if needed or you can cut a slot for the bottom "leg" of the camera to go through.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-If you're into appearances, you can use black plastic paint to paint the PVC parts.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-If you're going to paint the base, coat it with a glue/water mixture first to <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4698442_seal-mdf-edges-painting.html">seal the MDF</a> or else you will use a whole can of paint on one base. No kidding. We did it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In our district, shop students are making bases for our campuses. It's a great lesson for them and we're getting a really superior document camera as well as saving $16,500 for EACH of three new campuses that would have had Avervision document cameras!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To see more, visit </span><a href="http://eyecamd.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://eyecamd.blogspot.com<br /></span></a>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-86839219948140763392009-04-26T16:04:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.639-08:00You're going to LOVE eyeCamD!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://eyecamd.blogspot.com"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItXENsolIVhm8FmvWHYtgA7Hox28Ib6qeFwEXoToyaUl6Dg-hukDXHDULwB2TaZzNxjLFf8HXymBMmfoCY0VVjsxlDzgxIP4PF33PdT_f8Mce6yzAnzOfcFcGYyOc0BWOpZ08_v_AnsP-/s400/eyecamd+header+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329142429052304386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I needed to conduct an iPhone training a month or so ago, and I could NOT get my Avervision 150 document camera to display on the computer so that I could show the phone to the audience. I finally gave up and as a last resort, hung my Logitech 9000 web cam over the arm of the $400+ document camera and connected to the web cam.<br /><br />EUREKA!<br /><br /><a href="http://eyecamd.blogspot.com/">eyeCamD</a> was born. I asked my husband to use his significant woodworking skills to create the perfect stand for the camera, and 10 prototypes or so later, we had the <a href="http://eyecamd.blogspot.com/">eyeCamD</a>. We're hoping to start selling the stand soon. Just think what we can do with it:<br /><br />-Use Skype/ooVoo to video conference with experts, teachers, students, and fun folks from all over the world.<br />-Record lessons for absent students.<br />-Record your lessons so that when YOU'RE absent, your students can watch you do the explaining. All the substitute teacher will have to do is press "play."<br />-Show beautiful full-screen images at 8 mega pixels using your LCD projector while you read books or do science experiments. (If you buy it, I'll show you how ;-)<br />-Do everything you usually do with your document camera and a whole lot more for a fraction of the cost.<br /><br />The only similar thing I can find so far is the Hue, but since it's only 1.3 mega pixels, don't waste the money to buy it. You won't be able to see the image clearly enough to use it in the classroom. Maybe Hue will make an 8 mega pixel model. I hope they do, but in the meantime, we'll be busy making <a href="http://eyecamd.blogspot.com/">eyeCamD</a>!<br /></span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-43012731557128373322009-03-15T16:34:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.659-08:00Differentiate using VoiceThread and Inspire Kids Who Need Inspiration<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Below you'll see an embedded VoiceThread (made by an educator named Michelle) that shows some educational uses of the tool. Look at some of the slides by clicking the arrow on the bottom right. Michell talks on the first one and shows other ways to comment on some of the other pages. (Find out how to get VoiceThread for FREE at the end of this post. No scrolling ahead!)</span> </span><center style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMzcxNjAyMTQ*ODMmcHQ9MTIzNzE2MDIyMzkxNyZwPTIwNjQyMSZkPWIzMzUyJmc9MiZ*PSZvPTRkYjVlNDQ4ZTYyZTQ*MTI5MmQ*MTI*ODJkYWIwYjZk.gif" width="0" border="0" height="0" /><br /><object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=3352"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><br /><embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=3352" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="360"></embed></object></span></div></center><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm pretty sure you've been hearing as much as I have about differentiating instruction and evaluation as I have. We </span><em style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">should</em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> be hearing about it . . . we should have been doing it all along, so it's certainly high time to talk about it. However, what I see is that most eval</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">uation is done the same old way, through fairly (if not completely) typical testing techniques</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. Many a </span></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" >scantron</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (or relative thereof) is still used and many a blank filled in. But, if we're as serious about differentiation as we SAY we are, then we've got to do more than just try to teach in ways that reach more students, we've also got to evaluate in ways that allow more students to show us what they've learned. If you wonder if this is important, find most any nearby 7 year old (or 17 year old) and ask them to write a paragraph for you about a topic they've been learning about in school and are at least somewhat interested in. Next, ask them to talk to you about that topic. Be prepared to stay a while. The paragraph will be done in a flash and will likely not inspire you, but what you will hear when they speak will be an entirely different experience. My own 12 year old 7</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="font-size:100%;">th</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> grader got fired up telling me how barbed wire changed the West the other night until I <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNKkAJt-DC1qisYIE8VU0i-X4OsTMnXWN5psOlRNGG_b6IkWd1hGQHSEPGKkXcUxOxzIcOf_LTYgaAouixtgCYdzp8ZqvfCRKXX03-5Kve_YLyzEZ_jv7yAZjWkKxt34Sd1TfYvvz7n4/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNKkAJt-DC1qisYIE8VU0i-X4OsTMnXWN5psOlRNGG_b6IkWd1hGQHSEPGKkXcUxOxzIcOf_LTYgaAouixtgCYdzp8ZqvfCRKXX03-5Kve_YLyzEZ_jv7yAZjWkKxt34Sd1TfYvvz7n4/s400/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313573000147110738" border="0" /></a>thought we were going to have to muzzle her. So, the reason </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="font-size:100%;">VoiceThread</span> could inspire ESPECIALLY kids who need it the most is that kids who are traditionally not the schoolgirl/schoolboy type are usually better (profoundly better) at expressing themselves with their voices than they are at writing. Won't it be great to give them a chance to show what they've learned using their own voice? And anyway, if you're not testing for the purpose of developing traditional test-taking skills (and please PLEASE tell me you're not), wouldn't it be a perfectly fine way to show you've learned to talk about a topic, show pictures about it, and annotate it? Sure! Why not? I challenge you to offer Voice Thread <span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >as a product next time you ask your students to display their learning. I guarantee you that 98% of your students will choose Voice Thread over an essay or traditional test, and that you will have a lot more fun <em>hearing</em> about barbed wire than <em>reading</em> essay numbers 1-99. So will you give it a try and let me know how it goes?<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_yqakAT5A5GSte3YKzm0gtyLvXi-EFq7ep-ck_tYU4lWEsOrUt8Br4kPh6XyPZAs1QYl_gLaJ62kjghtCfM6okVQvCfiOsTuPC0dFJZ89aHb2WV-h6aPa6kLjMzCqwXSWCdJyZcG3bs/s1600-h/voicethread2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_yqakAT5A5GSte3YKzm0gtyLvXi-EFq7ep-ck_tYU4lWEsOrUt8Br4kPh6XyPZAs1QYl_gLaJ62kjghtCfM6okVQvCfiOsTuPC0dFJZ89aHb2WV-h6aPa6kLjMzCqwXSWCdJyZcG3bs/s400/voicethread2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313578809193909826" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >VoiceThread is free for anyone, though if you have extra money just lying around, you can pay to get more features (I can't tell why though---the free version is amazing!). If you teach young children or are worried about Internet safety, simply make their threads private. Learn more about VoiceThread <a href="http://voicethread.com/about/">here</a>. </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >To register for a VoiceThread account, click this <a href="http://voicethread.com/pricing/k12/">link</a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></a></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >, then click "Apply" at the bottom of the "Free Educator" column.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-54481260670154053172009-03-11T18:31:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.579-08:00Why Wordle Matters, Educationally Speaking<center><a title="Wordle: A Wordle about Wordle" href="http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/641283/A_Wordle_about_Wordle"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 4px;" alt="Wordle: A Wordle about Wordle" src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/641283/A_Wordle_about_Wordle" /></span></a></center><center><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wordle about </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wordle</span></strong></center><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">At first glance, </span><a href="http://www.wordle.net/create"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wordle</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> feels cute. It IS cute and a little game-like, but months ago, Assistant Princiapal Angela Griffith showed me why it is a powerful educational tool. Since then, I've seen so many knowledgeable teachers use it in so many effective ways that I feel the need to share the glories of Wordle.<br /><br />When you "Wordle" your text, the more times a word is used, the bigger it appears in the final product, so the largest words have the highest frequency. If you want to know what your résumé really says about you, Wordle it. You may </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">find out you've said you "coordinate" when what you really want is to "lead." If you want your students to see what their writing is <em>really</em> about, have them do the same. Jessica Powell, 7th grade language arts teacher, had her students Wordle their non-fiction essays about the AIDS epidemic in Africa with similarly revealing results.<br /><br />First grade teacher Jean Curran tells me Wordle leads to "more writing." She says, "My students want to write more words when we use Wordle s</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">o that they can see them appear." If you haven't done much observing 7 year olds write, this might not seem significant, but ask a teacher of this age group how much it matters, and they'll tell you just getting kids to write is of utmost importance. It's the practice of forming words and making sentences that leads to fluency in writing. By the way, that remains true of any age group.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today, second grade teacher Peggy Gusler introduced me to yet another use of Wordle. Her students watched a science video and while they viewed the film, they typed the key words into Wordle. The creative spelling of 2nd graders is very cute, but the products also show the kids were paying attention and noticing which words were important; again, an important skill at any age.<br /><br />Finally, Wordle turns student writing into a sort of </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">shape poem. I know this is very English-teachery of me, but I can't help waxing a little teary-eyed at this story from my colleage Jessica Powell. She is a huge </span><a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=p,com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&defl=en&q=define:Moodle&ei=ZXa4SaPtI6a-MrKCqeMK&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Moodle</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> fan, and she often has her students embed their Wordles into discussion forums on Moodle. Not long ago right after she lost her grandpa, she was reading along and noticed a Wordle that was posted privately, just for "Coach P.," as her students call her. One of her students had created a Wordle about her mother's recent death. She cou</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ld see that Coach P. had been grieving, and she wanted to share the feelings of loss she was also experiencing. Jessica said she cried viewing the student's work because it was such a heart-rending poem, unsolicited, unexpected, totally personal, and completely touching.<br /><br />Wordle Options to Try:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-Change the maximum words of longer pieces to, say 25, and see what is REALLY important. Only the top 25 most important words will show. (Layout>Maximum Words)<br />-Turn off the default option under "Language" to ignore the most common words (the, and, a, etc.) and see if you've used the word "their," for example, more than any other.<br />-Choose a custom color palette that reflects the theme of your topic. Students can show that they understand how the mood of their work can be reflected by color choices.<br />-Keep words or names together by inserting this ch</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">aracter instead of a space: ~ , for example Google~Docs, Thomas~Jefferson. Thanks for the tip Ms. Goodney! Though I can't believe you kept it from me all this time! Check it:<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-7Tqxs9rl2XTMgrVEcAvAqQ-IyOJvIHKn8Ajdqyb_7aEMAhLdADwMDB8ulS-0rTLMOVcolveRrxkUnRpIU4Gsf_pbPkESWPp0KMdjovlms6xuPUFGTNjrMlVMgi9H7gbjjqvZbOBp1_D/s1600-h/wordle+with+words+connected.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 71px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-7Tqxs9rl2XTMgrVEcAvAqQ-IyOJvIHKn8Ajdqyb_7aEMAhLdADwMDB8ulS-0rTLMOVcolveRrxkUnRpIU4Gsf_pbPkESWPp0KMdjovlms6xuPUFGTNjrMlVMgi9H7gbjjqvZbOBp1_D/s320/wordle+with+words+connected.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352970018660448530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">- Instead of pasting in or typing your own words, paste the URL of a web site (with a feed, like this one) about the topic of study. This box is right below the "Create" area </span><a href="http://www.wordle.net/create"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">here</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. Create the Wordle, then see if it summarizes the topic accurately. If not, were your perceptions off about the topic or is the site not that great?<br />-Use the option under "Language" to show word counts and see just how many times you really did use each of those words. </span></div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If you've found more ways to use Wordle educationally (and I know you have!), please post a comment below and tell us!</span></p><center><a title="Wordle: Wordle about Wordle with Common Words" href="http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/641293/Wordle_about_Wordle_with_Common_Words"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 4px;" alt="Wordle: Wordle about Wordle with Common Words" src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/641293/Wordle_about_Wordle_with_Common_Words" /></span></a></center><center><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wordle about Wordle Without Common Words Removed</span></strong><br /></center>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-38441687402630426752009-03-10T19:43:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.650-08:00Never Kill Another Poster Board Tree: Glogster.com ROCKS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNp5alAwmYAMKZwP076nmEH2yrRDQnyXqx-Y40arF6gpTazZmSFxg5MqbcVAwFG8VaCU2oG5tO-J0rZvUck3Fd24ApOEKWCXsvjwAfDh9HyuNeCiwt_MwEAlu-blQiLDv-VGqTt8ZRHQ0/s1600-h/glogster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301287157515444898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 176px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNp5alAwmYAMKZwP076nmEH2yrRDQnyXqx-Y40arF6gpTazZmSFxg5MqbcVAwFG8VaCU2oG5tO-J0rZvUck3Fd24ApOEKWCXsvjwAfDh9HyuNeCiwt_MwEAlu-blQiLDv-VGqTt8ZRHQ0/s200/glogster.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">UPDATE: A Real Glog made by a REAL CISD student is embedded below. The features are really amazing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.glogster.com/edu">Glogster</a> allows your students to create free, protected digital posters.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This tool blows my mind! I know, I know, I always say that, but I've looked for a Web 2.0 desktop publishing tool since I knew what Web 2.0 was, and this one ROCKS. It's extremely easy to use, and also very versatile.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Check out </span><a style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="http://katikaticollegecreations.wikispaces.com/Itzak+Stern">this sample</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (a Glog embedded in a Wiki). Click the play button in the top right. Hover over the Gloster.com link in the top right and View Full Size. WOW!<br /><br />Thanks Kelly McNamee, The Woodlands High School for this find.<br /><br />Check out a real Glog below . . . . Right click <a href="http://sivi19.glogster.com/EAPbookproject">here</a> to get the full effect and see the video play.<br /><br /></span></span><center><img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyMzY3NDAwNTY5MzcmcHQ9MTIzNjc*MDA4MDc4MSZwPTIyMTYzMSZkPSZnPTImdD*mbz*zZjYxZWNhNzM1YWI*NDE5ODVkODQxMWI4N2Y2MTVkNQ==.gif" width="0" border="0" /><embed src="http://www.glogster.com/flash/flash_loader.swf?ver=" width="380" height="514" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="sl=http://www.glogster.com/flash/glog.swf?ver=1236354166&gi=1638426&ui=402284&li=3&fu=http://www.glogster.com/flash/&su=http://www.glogster.com/connector/&fn=http://www.glogster.com/fonty/&embed=true&pu=http://www.glogster.com/blog-thumbs/1/1/63/84/1638426_2.jpg&si=x&gw=3,8,0&gh=5,1,4" wmode="window" allowscriptacces="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></center>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-41381978595630797352009-03-08T13:15:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.684-08:00How much is a trillion?<span style="font-weight: bold;"><center><iframe src="http://docs.google.com/EmbedSlideshow?docid=df2ntbv6_466c5kwfhgw" width="410" frameborder="0" height="342"></iframe><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRmyhT7av9xbEG4QWamOTdC5dYq7WGbjJVzAkRqdo03vLGRLLXKIO1QLA8eits6LD8RkCPc55ZnZpWe8RgUftEe81p9oV_gSDVZnnWUbiDqsq0hd_RZuJvQ1ig-wYw8GytQPjdEHLfaw/s1600-h/see+larger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 365px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRmyhT7av9xbEG4QWamOTdC5dYq7WGbjJVzAkRqdo03vLGRLLXKIO1QLA8eits6LD8RkCPc55ZnZpWe8RgUftEe81p9oV_gSDVZnnWUbiDqsq0hd_RZuJvQ1ig-wYw8GytQPjdEHLfaw/s400/see+larger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310920097814968754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqAV5rCePcUWs01wAyq2kulWwXt2Rmto8_ntAnlAcroE0nKHItWGCwtq-y_yBEv_zsqcq6MZJdO4aYd5R86-m5vl_Xdb0VZLSgoMCASvTXv-bOj00kiH1sLaV3LqkLyQGzzo4dh4locA/s1600-h/3-8-2009+3-16-25+PM.jpg"><br /></a></center></span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-47193657208616402222009-03-06T08:55:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.675-08:00In Defense of Technology for the Sake of Education not AS Education<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Many well-meaning educators have a long-held belief that we must "teach technology" (learn to use Excel by following this 9 week course outline) as opposed to integrating technology (work with your team to create a Wiki about the causes of the Civil War). To understand the difference, let us unearth an old argument with our beloved high-school English teachers. . . .</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Mrs. Grammar says, "Students, you must be able to identify the parts of speech and diagram sentences before you can understand the English language and write an essay! We will concentrate on these skills, and eventually, you will be able to write a good and correct essay." Imagine Mrs. Grammar's students are in 11<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> grade, <em>the</em> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">TAKS</span>* test is looming, they wonder,<br /><br />"If I stick with my diagramming in Mrs. Grammar's class, will I be able to make a 2 on the essay, pass the test, and graduate from high school?" Mrs. Grammar is insistent. Diagram! Noun, adjective, verb! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Nine grueling weeks later, students are minimally competent at identifying basic parts of speech and diagramming very simple sentences. Her administrative evaluator suggests, kindly, that perhaps she should have the students try to actually write an essay. She acquiesces and has them write. It's terrible. She sees "he don't like . . .," "her and me are . . ," and even the dreaded preposition ending a sentence error is in nearly every example. Did the students learn nothing?</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Actually, the answer is "yes," they learned nothing . . . about writing an essay because the two activities (parts of speech and diagramming & essay composition) do not relate to each other. Mounds of research prove this, but Mrs. Grammar will probably never be convinced, even if 30 years of experience should have proved it 30 times. After all, she believes, this is how SHE learned it. Whether you agree with her or with me, as a practical-minded and open-minded educator yourself, you probably know that what makes essays better is writing lots of essays of all kinds and reading other people's essays, and then writing more essays yourself.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Along the same line of thought, well-meaning educators everywhere insist that discrete, program-related technology skills must be taught if students are to gain competence. "Students must know how to use Excel," the voices insist. How can they function in a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">business</span> world that uses Excel without experience using Excel?<br /><br />The answer is similar to the one we offer Mrs. Grammar. If 17 year old 11<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> grade students cannot identify a noun, yet they speak their native language (English) and write in a way all can understand (though perhaps incorrectly), the practical-minded teacher realizes she, at this juncture, must work with what she's got. <em>Students who can write essays have just got to get writing right away.</em></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em><br /></em><br />When we meet students who use their skills as digital natives and operate computers in ways their teachers perhaps cannot understand, we must not hold them back from doing the equivalent of diving in to write that proverbial essay. Our students are not just essayists in the realm of technology, <strong>we have 8 year old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tolstoys</span> . . . full-fledged novelists of the digital world.</strong> If they are not already, given the merest opportunity, they will soon be. To ask our tiny Tolstoy tots, our digital natives, to learn to click the mouse this way then that "all together now!" or learn to use this specific program or that, is even more tragic and less useful than asking our 17 year old essayists to spend their junior year in English learning to identify nouns, verbs, and adjectives.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Please help your fellow educators understand that </span>. . .<br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>We must not keep students from reaching their potential as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native">digital natives</a> because we do not speak their language.</strong> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">What's a "Digital Native"? Find out </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native">here</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:78%;" >*Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, Texas's state standardized test<br /></span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-78376027492461985122009-03-03T15:11:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.668-08:00Why do adults and kids have such different ideas about learning?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipwLxbiTRXzG3cyOLp6Xlxo7PvFow1pNhMGzJIb5PVN9Wt08Mlj39GvZpbAeCjXiU6KbJZHyuYXmUe2Q4pV-FwaozBCwD3qPm66wWjz1Nj3NbwGXn9h7CfV6fx5l2fkWJ4avWfeAWXMk/s1600-h/3-8-2009+4-11-25+PM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipwLxbiTRXzG3cyOLp6Xlxo7PvFow1pNhMGzJIb5PVN9Wt08Mlj39GvZpbAeCjXiU6KbJZHyuYXmUe2Q4pV-FwaozBCwD3qPm66wWjz1Nj3NbwGXn9h7CfV6fx5l2fkWJ4avWfeAWXMk/s400/3-8-2009+4-11-25+PM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310928104176728034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">From Apple's Digital Kids </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.apple.com/au/education/digitalkids/">site</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /></div>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-17717200530509854342009-02-21T22:38:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.695-08:00<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQVCatHK8yRANqEuIfvOzWkNYb4VCVIxNw-_MjG8pwtMCqGOqXgeiMiIpk0__Rj5s7LVPcYjXDz_Nx7eLIKjWdHz5__-b463VCMTNJaJhZjb_lgsvaH0WN8W2_E-P7Ktd4-AkEW2c7tw/s1600-h/photo2-0002-0003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305508107263358290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQVCatHK8yRANqEuIfvOzWkNYb4VCVIxNw-_MjG8pwtMCqGOqXgeiMiIpk0__Rj5s7LVPcYjXDz_Nx7eLIKjWdHz5__-b463VCMTNJaJhZjb_lgsvaH0WN8W2_E-P7Ktd4-AkEW2c7tw/s400/photo2-0002-0003.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Students have a BLAST practicing Math Facts at</span> </span><a href="http://www.worldmathday.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.worldmathday.com</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">(From urenglishteacher who never enjoyed math much . . . )</span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><div><br /><em>See them on the EDGES of their seats?</em> </span></div><a href="http://wow.conroeisd.net/0DE706E4-00870B2F.1/photo5-0000-0001.jpg" target="FCIMGWIN"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8-82COOTHpDoq76680CxZ6rLS7RkyO6OHw5m0lmbX4D4b_dAaAZtyjUCfuc7w0Dc1yLwyPFePTSeRYoLWbFRURup88EySiLTZTkpbLl0yeW5cPVMxKuryHphSanvxwjiCDv5H_1wSI07/s1600-h/photo5-0000-0001.jpg"></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><em>This student is waiting to see which country her next competitor will be from. </em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKletWHJ5jC1s8YoLDzRXu3rUXUE0P_xwMC3ydJbXbCkeYpcWd2ZBtf5CNunu5l3eA-ON3dwb-EQQkq8YqKQKjE2HE7E_a5wXgycKgO2JB84n5VCFHQo14NueOQCtdk-J6Wn2R-br-28/s1600-h/photo3-0003-0004.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305508550461614754" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 149px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKletWHJ5jC1s8YoLDzRXu3rUXUE0P_xwMC3ydJbXbCkeYpcWd2ZBtf5CNunu5l3eA-ON3dwb-EQQkq8YqKQKjE2HE7E_a5wXgycKgO2JB84n5VCFHQo14NueOQCtdk-J6Wn2R-br-28/s400/photo3-0003-0004.jpg" border="0" /></em></a></span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><a href="http://wow.conroeisd.net/0DE706E4-00870B2F.3/photo3-0003-0004.jpg" target="FCIMGWIN"></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFocW3PsV-YV2sm1OI0FEl86LXGLD9y2xgaFKqusNnlzhjwdZCZ-Ee-nYrpiG8zub2WXu8ZSVY0r0GVFMLgNZuTq1-1sdpRbJN0h275bO_N5xLVFJeNRSI-OrvYJwnq1LSQwmAHcJblzU/s1600-h/photo-0001-0002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305507678098989986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFocW3PsV-YV2sm1OI0FEl86LXGLD9y2xgaFKqusNnlzhjwdZCZ-Ee-nYrpiG8zub2WXu8ZSVY0r0GVFMLgNZuTq1-1sdpRbJN0h275bO_N5xLVFJeNRSI-OrvYJwnq1LSQwmAHcJblzU/s400/photo-0001-0002.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Today we had the privilege of visiting Mary Ellen Bryant's 4th grade class at Bush Elementary; however, her students were so enthralled by what they were doing, they didn't even notice we were there. Was it geography? Was it social studies? Was it math? Was it a game? It was ALL of the above! World Math Day allows students to compete with other classes/schools/kids all over the world. Mary Ellen said it was EXTREMELY easy to set up and it is completely free. She anticipated the students would play for 30 minutes and then be ready to move on, but over an hour later, their excitement was still spilling over. The contest is appropriate for students aged 5-18. I saw some students doing difficult multiplication and some doing addition.<br />From the site:<br />"The students play against each other in mental arithmetic games. Students are captivated by the fact that they are playing in real time. Each game lasts for 60 seconds, students can play as many games as they wish. The questions are appropriately leveled for different ages and abilities. . . ."</span> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305507764058817266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQyz0x_FTcn-VhkwtViTabYFRT6y_sf86lRahgGD28to-ai_B1ckvgChLonbbd2PgoxO_BjH2SMnH9i2OSTSOAYiSrSBmJeyAiRwGxqzGXfk9t19cIJdANJxBA2su6ZX_cIy5jAwPQ7Y/s400/math+day.png" border="0" />Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-56712065844058959692009-02-09T20:59:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.707-08:00Check out the "Newseum"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDUTaXMcvCbDLPEaKfCWze3dxKRrs_jtzZYP3RspnpU0dFMJyhfVnJ3nsoPB_5KtSXr87F8BLp2kM0ss89SJLCeEX5CnYl_7KGrJDp-GyI2eqn6KIvE9RiFKu78sKwfW9eOy_koHLFc8/s1600-h/newseum.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301029797104960578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 104px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDUTaXMcvCbDLPEaKfCWze3dxKRrs_jtzZYP3RspnpU0dFMJyhfVnJ3nsoPB_5KtSXr87F8BLp2kM0ss89SJLCeEX5CnYl_7KGrJDp-GyI2eqn6KIvE9RiFKu78sKwfW9eOy_koHLFc8/s200/newseum.png" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/default.asp"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Newseum</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">: Today's Front Pages </span><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thanks Mr. Tooke from Wilkerson Intermediate for sharing this great find: An<br />interactive map with the front pages of newspapers from around the world. See how it works here: </span><a href="http://screencast.com/t/aMBc446Q"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://screencast.com/t/aMBc446Q</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> It's a fast and interactive way to get a cultural view on what makes news where.</span><br /><p></p></div></div>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-37829555290035895432009-02-09T19:53:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.718-08:00Cooliris is REALLY Cool . . .<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BXDOER0My0a93Usl-vTHcIXh1abRypCcRnodqvD_jMdyXN7WdmJQtQNAbGpYjtjQxQTeyWt-3fI1NzIvWW9pQImP3DXIGOkn_hXur6ku50PewKzxgvdEMFNkjeP29aKoFJr1eGoTbuQ/s1600-h/2-9-2009+11-03-59+PM.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301030186229744450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 189px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BXDOER0My0a93Usl-vTHcIXh1abRypCcRnodqvD_jMdyXN7WdmJQtQNAbGpYjtjQxQTeyWt-3fI1NzIvWW9pQImP3DXIGOkn_hXur6ku50PewKzxgvdEMFNkjeP29aKoFJr1eGoTbuQ/s200/2-9-2009+11-03-59+PM.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Credit for this find must go to Dustin Hornsby who told me about this MONTHS<br />ago. I looked at it and thought "yeah, that is cool," but it wasn't until today when I<br />used it on the big screen with a </span><a href="http://www.mimio.com/products/mimio_interactive/index.asp"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mimio</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">* that I FULLY appreciated exactly how COOL<br />Cooliris is. Check out the search engine that "Transforms your browser into a lightning<br />fast, cinematic way to discover the Web."<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">See a preview of it and/or download it here: </span><a href="http://www.cooliris.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.cooliris.com/</span></a><br /><div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">*What's a Mimio? It's a device that turns any surface into an interactive area when used with a computer and LCD projector. It eliminates the need for bulky, expensive interactive boards like Smart, Numonics, or Promethean (all great products, but who has the $ or space?)</span></p></div>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-26940810365991474732009-02-07T09:50:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.728-08:00How to use Photo Story on Vista<span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I've spent a lot of time trying to find a program/web 2.0 tool like Photo Story that will work on my Vista OS computer. There are hundreds of <a href="http://wow.conroeisd.net/bookmarks/FOV1-000E0E5A/FOV1-000E766E/">great web 2.0 slideshow tools</a> out there, but none of them I've found so far have ALL the elements I love so much about Photo Story 3 for some purposes. So, <a href="http://www.screencast.com/users/urenglishteacher/folders/Jing/media/993b6785-c2b0-4493-8b73-91ca38833ad9">here's how you can make it work</a>. Enjoy!</span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-88823926488012346092008-11-02T08:50:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:57:33.736-08:00The Web Ate my Weekend<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Check out this Web 2.0 tool: </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Capzles</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> (</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.capzles.com/e76a31c5-1c28-42f1-907d-b847a30c175d">Personal Example</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">). Great educational potential. Reminds me of </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://voicethread.com/#home"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">VoiceThread</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> but with that cool look of </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.searchme.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">SearchMe</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> (and the </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ipod</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Touch, of course).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Remember to check out </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://wow.conroeisd.net/bookmarks/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">CISD's</span> Best of the Web</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> to learn about all the best new websites and tools. LOTS of new sites added this weekend!.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">For example, check out these new sites and areas:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.scrapblog.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Scrapblog</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">: (LOVE this Web 2.0--pure fun, no artistic skill required-Looks GREAT! Makes me feel like I spent the weekend "scrapbooking" but really only took about 10 minutes) </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.scrapblog.com/00BFC6B1-9754/0A9CAF45-D68A">Personal Example</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://drop.io/">Drop.<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">io</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> Simple Private Sharing: Solves that "I don't have enough space for this" problem. Actually easy, very slick, clean interface.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://wow.conroeisd.net/bookmarks/FOV1-0010169D/">Early Childhood Games and Videos</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> I'd love you to email more Early Childhood sites to me. It's hard to find sites that are easily navigable for early readers.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.picapp.com/PublicSite/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">PicApp</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> - Free photos for use on your websites, blogs, etc.</span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-65811503944741481032008-10-18T11:38:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.747-08:00Technology WOW!<script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/46928cc51133af17/48fa2d0aea9e53e6/46928cc5788deb29/36980011/widget.js"></script>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-38037764063107771232008-07-09T13:56:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.758-08:00One to One Computing is Already Passé<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://technology.conroeisd.net/images/computing_devices.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 553px; height: 69px;" src="http://technology.conroeisd.net/images/computing_devices.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ubiquitous access to the Internet is the way of the future NOT <a href="http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/november-december-2006/one-to-one-computing.html">"one-to-one" computing</a>. We do not believe in the "on-to-one" theory. We believe in access via the Internet to one's files and programs regardless of the device used. One-to-one computing focuses on the computer as the most important component of technological innovation and growth in education, but we believe that the innovation is in all the time, anywhere access regardless of the device used. It is not important to provide a laptop for a child in order to have innovative technological advances; it is important to provide children the opportunity to access the network and learn to navigate it to find the tools they need.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"One-to-one" thinking is already passé.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Instead of picturing a student with his or her "own laptop" that he or she lugs from classroom to classroom then home, picture children using any computer available to do the same tasks, picking up their documents where they left off in their <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dpzk77n_111fzdc7ggw&hl=en">Web 2.0 tools</a>, accessing the same document or file on the computer at the public library after school then again in the evening at home. He or she might use a <a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/pscmisc/vac/us/en/sm/thinclients/WF04a/12454-12454-321959-338927-3641157.html?jumpid=ex_r2910_performics/k15318/hp%206720t&tafcjnef=fy08&ppc=CC%5B%2AKeywordID%5D">Thin Client</a>, then a desktop PC, then a notebook, and so on. The device and its ownership is irrelevant; "the network is everything" (Dr. Scott Barrett).<br /><br /></span>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-27054248705804361502008-07-04T06:02:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.774-08:00Jing changes Everything<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVAke4ZExH9Dmhf8CaojJWYc7WF1Sf41ne-_qNE8q69UoCbhwuf86aL5tsouqea3Z3KEayL_3r0ytyvkWCOm428tqknk__2gQ36LWySRHk2sqYPhoIh4bnUClt80e-sGOJ-cqybyEufA/s1600-h/jing.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219145285001930914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="92" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVAke4ZExH9Dmhf8CaojJWYc7WF1Sf41ne-_qNE8q69UoCbhwuf86aL5tsouqea3Z3KEayL_3r0ytyvkWCOm428tqknk__2gQ36LWySRHk2sqYPhoIh4bnUClt80e-sGOJ-cqybyEufA/s320/jing.jpg" width="132" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Jing Project by TechSmith (one of my favorite software creators, makers of <a href="http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp">SnagIt</a>, which I don't have any desire to live without), is utterly amazing. Until I found, viewed, and understood it yesterday, it took a long time, a lot of effort, and a significant amount of frustration and disk space to display a short "how-to" video of a process which I might need to "show" users how to do.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">NOT ANYMORE.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">This is how it works: Go to <a href="http://www.jingproject.com/">Jing</a> and download the program (about 5 MBs). Install it and notice the icon that appears in your system tray. Right click that little baby and choose "Capture," drag a box around the area you want to capture--generally, the size of the largest window that you need people to see. To record a video (which is the most amazing thing), just click "Video" and start clicking (and talking if you have a microphone). When you finish, hit the stop button, then choose the "embed" option. After you sign in and wait a few s<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEqntI4E3UkmVFsoIOoH5lkSc27HFB-Mh9pPWedl8KwtBt3Q_8W9xkVp9Fu_c_esg23x5-rLUxko9tp9-D2fg5RT8W86qRA_xMEmsqWjnv0DsB2yoD-r8q5f7zqma8ClWM_LYosiLsrw/s1600-h/jing+embed.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219148549178222274" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEqntI4E3UkmVFsoIOoH5lkSc27HFB-Mh9pPWedl8KwtBt3Q_8W9xkVp9Fu_c_esg23x5-rLUxko9tp9-D2fg5RT8W86qRA_xMEmsqWjnv0DsB2yoD-r8q5f7zqma8ClWM_LYosiLsrw/s200/jing+embed.jpg" border="0" /></a>econds, the embed code will be sent to your computer's clipboard. All you have to do then is paste the html code into your web page. Don't worry a bit if you know nothing about code. It doesn't matter! It will work anyway! Check out this tiny example and imagine the POWER of this tool!</span></div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">To Jing, in the words of the immortal Shakespeare: <em>"Thanks and Thanks and Ever Thanks."</em></span><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="275" height="365"> <param name="movie" value="http://content.screencast.com/bootstrap.swf"></param> <param name="quality" value="high"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"></param> <param name="flashVars" value="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/media/e48d4ca8-b824-40fd-847f-ad227e4a21df_042d1e20-4f2b-4957-bf87-d5eed05170bf_static_0_0_Thumbnail.gif&content=http://content.screencast.com/media/fe57054a-ee6c-4b69-bb2f-914cbec99ef7_042d1e20-4f2b-4957-bf87-d5eed05170bf_static_0_0_2008-07-04_0818.swf&width=275&height=365"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="scale" value="showall"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://content.screencast.com/bootstrap.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="275" height="365" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" flashVars="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/media/e48d4ca8-b824-40fd-847f-ad227e4a21df_042d1e20-4f2b-4957-bf87-d5eed05170bf_static_0_0_Thumbnail.gif&content=http://content.screencast.com/media/fe57054a-ee6c-4b69-bb2f-914cbec99ef7_042d1e20-4f2b-4957-bf87-d5eed05170bf_static_0_0_2008-07-04_0818.swf&width=275&height=365" allowFullScreen="true" scale="showall"></embed> </object>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-1803749546936416832008-06-24T12:04:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.832-08:00Life Changing Information for Presentation Creators (and Viewers)<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If you are ever going to create a presentation again (and COME ON, you know you will!), you must read at least this article. Wow. My life will never be the same!<br /></span><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><a href="http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2005/11/the_zen_estheti.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2005/11/the_zen_estheti.html</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here are some more quotes and reflections from several different articles on the same topic:</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#ffffff;">*</span></div><div></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>Ideas about how to "Slick Up" or Modernize Presentations:</strong> </span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Use visuals on slides only as visual assists to viewers, very little text. Talk conversationally not about the text on the slide but let the content on the slide serve as a visual reinforcement to what you are saying.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#ffffff;">*</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This:</span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div><br /></div></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfL6WWWNLJu34AYN9JJ6JLIRvHjCnl9gYYDNq2_l4HBPxiJEcIuuQX7CYHYYrnX75ox0dSeBi9TMhMmRb3xBwRItBWi2SdrHizwRArTrYewSIjtqJQ0gct2-nEBB-p_7RtQh_5CQ7BTbk/s1600-h/jobs_intel_1.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215528847545433858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfL6WWWNLJu34AYN9JJ6JLIRvHjCnl9gYYDNq2_l4HBPxiJEcIuuQX7CYHYYrnX75ox0dSeBi9TMhMmRb3xBwRItBWi2SdrHizwRArTrYewSIjtqJQ0gct2-nEBB-p_7RtQh_5CQ7BTbk/s320/jobs_intel_1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><br /><a href="http://presentationzen.blogs.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/jobs_intel_1.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></a><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#ffffff;">*<br /></div></span><a href="http://presentationzen.blogs.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/jobs_intel_1.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></a><div align="center"><span style="color:#ffffff;">*</span><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Instead of this: </span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div><br /></div></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nX1Lvrb0Gn-QIRODsAlAhaZ8_BZT0n7ONCClAmwZ3Sv2oUsMpYbwk2TDf8Vfj2oA1tXA03L4GvkoYhZDRbjWnwU8RS-cPmyiqRgpwDHKRZ1aCg-xndhXNpZpvPGus_prPWeydO9UKvM/s1600-h/gates_bullets.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215529022230717570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nX1Lvrb0Gn-QIRODsAlAhaZ8_BZT0n7ONCClAmwZ3Sv2oUsMpYbwk2TDf8Vfj2oA1tXA03L4GvkoYhZDRbjWnwU8RS-cPmyiqRgpwDHKRZ1aCg-xndhXNpZpvPGus_prPWeydO9UKvM/s320/gates_bullets.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><br /><a href="http://presentationzen.blogs.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/gates_bullets.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></a><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">*</span> <div><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div></div><div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#ffffff;">*</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ultimately, we'd end up with the slide on the bottom right: </div></span><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215530765187928642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOTFKL-d958rbUXKEVGxi4nbdTFin37A3ddYG_u3mLbXzRnuMiM2Q0PrKruULfO6fjCUt8YE_txhxsJkSJ8fDKey1JWh667DvAf1Y6xKWqw1jFGuxXns1He3RgVvkDLpYURhA6hpo0kg/s320/6242008_14042_0.gif" border="0" /></span></p><div><a href="http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/sample1.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/sample1.html</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;">*</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Below quotes are from </span><a href="http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#ffffff;">*</span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"The best slides may have no text at all. This may sound insane given the dependency of text slides today, but the best PowerPoint slides will be virtually meaningless with out the narration (that is you). Remember, the slides are meant to support the narration of the speaker, not make the speaker superfluous."</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"You know how Stephen Colbert does “</span><a href="http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/videos/the_word/index.jhtml"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Wørd</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">?” He directly addresses the audience while “slides” appear next to his head acting as a kind of Greek chorus. He not only doesn’t acknowledge the slides — they often contradict exactly what he is saying. (This is what makes this — as we say in the business — “funny”)<br />I’m not suggesting your slides should undermine you, but consider sometimes showing images and text that make an orthogonal point to what you’re saying aloud to the audience at that moment. Let them discover the point (or the joke) without you leaning on it."</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Let the slide serve your message, rather than letting you (and your personality and timing) be governed by the slide. That’s ‘death,’ and that’s “The Wørd.” </span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Many people often say something like this: "Sorry I missed your presentation. I hear it was great. Can you just send me your PowerPoint slides?" But if they are good slides, they will be of little use without you. Instead of a copy of your PowerPoint slides, it is far better to prepare a written document which highlights your content from the presentation and expands on that content. Audiences are much better served receiving a detailed, written handout as a takeaway from the presentation, rather than a mere copy of your PowerPoint slides. If you have a detailed handout or publication for the audience to be passed out after your talk, you need not feel compelled to fill your PowerPoint slides with a great deal of text."<br /></span><a href="http://wow.conroeisd.net/teachers/amayer/0BF5BAF7-00870B2F.2/6242008_14042_0.gif?src=.PNG" target="FCIMGWIN"></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Use high quality professionally edited graphics like the thumbnail slides below: </span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5215529743048334194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 335px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="152" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwMcuAZ9J_7FFkYG5tQZ7OgpppjvjswcHB4PilS-SUxQaKXlefrEm62GhigYa8f1anQTGZ3Mh_DGbagKt-_3NGmoUIkvxAlX-Rn26XkRc12p0duaiKQ9ME7Y-jf8HJdKlueV3hK4IJ0s/s320/6242008_14345_2.gif" width="369" border="0" />Sample Presentation: </span><a href="http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/sample1.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/sample1.html</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Below quotes from : </span><a href="http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html</span></a></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Interesting perspective on how to organize and what to present. It's obviously meant for business but fits well with many presentations.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Problem<br />2. Your solution<br />3. Business model<br />4. Underlying magic/technology<br />5. Marketing and sales<br />6. Competition<br />7. Team<br />8. Projections and milestones<br />9. Status and timeline<br />10. Summary and call to action </span></p><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Finally a reason to buy a Mac? We could use Keynote: </span><a href="http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Looks pretty cool.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What presentation skills can we learn from Stephen Colbert?: </span><a href="http://www.43folders.com/2007/08/23/better-presentations" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">http://www.43folders.com/2007/08/23/better-presentations</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span></p><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"You know how <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/index.jhtml">Stephen Colbert</a> does “The Wørd?” He directly addresses the audience while “slides” appear next to his head acting as a kind of Greek chorus. He not only doesn’t acknowledge the slides — they often contradict exactly what he is saying. (This is what makes this — as we say in the business — “funny”)<br />I’m not suggesting your slides should undermine you, but consider sometimes showing images and text that make an orthogonal point to what you’re saying aloud to the audience at that moment. Let them discover the point (or the joke) without you leaning on it."</span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Let the slide serve your message, rather than letting you (and your personality and timing) be governed by the slide."</span></p></div>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-1799005297939218822008-06-15T07:59:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.871-08:00Free Online Slideshow Tools<ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://zentation.com/index.php">Zentation.com<br /></a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.webshots.com/">Webshots </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://voicethread.com/">VoiceThread (Group conversations around images, docs and video) </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.viewbook.com/overview/">Viewbook </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.spresent.com/v2/">Spresent.com </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/">Slide </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.shwup.com/">shwup </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://rockyou.com/">Rock You </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?hl=en_US&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Flh%2Flogin%3Fcontinue%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fpicasaweb.google.com%252F&service=lh2&passive=true">Picasa Web Albums </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.photoshow.com/home">PhotoShow </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.kaltura.com/index.php/corp/userzone">Kaltura </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://photobucket.com/">Photobucket </a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://animoto.com/">A N I M O T O</a> </span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://280slides.com/">280 Slides</a></span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Reviews:<br /></span><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/080228niles/">Which is the best free slide show creator?</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://freetech4teachers.blogspot.com/2008/05/animoto-vs-photostory-3-side-by-side.html">Animoto vs. Photostory 3 - Side by Side</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://freetech4teachers.blogspot.com/2008/05/free-technology-for-teachers-photoshow.html">Phtotoshow Review and EXAMPLE</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://urenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2008/06/kaltura-is-nice-replacement-for.html"><span style="">Kaltura Review</span></a></span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Find more? Please comment and let me know!</span><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://280slides.com/"> </a>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4877062578298011860.post-22662414712597834292008-06-14T09:50:00.000-07:002010-03-13T12:57:33.897-08:00And don't forget Animoto! Very cool Slideshow tool<div>Compare Animoto and Kaltura</div><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://cs6d.clearspring.com/o/46928cc51133af17/4853f6c15f803a1e/46928cc5788deb29/3d4ebcfa/widget.js"></script>Ur English Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633891693802267995noreply@blogger.com0