Friday, March 05, 2004
Hi Ladies,
Yesterday was Contribute day. That software is the greatest thing since sliced bread (whole wheat as Janine observed). Let's all stand up and give Marilyn a standing ovation for finding and providing it for us.
Last week many of you got a 5 minute quick tour. This week I sat down with a few of you and guided you through posting some material you had ready. Here's what went up yesterday.
Janine posted a great teacher page (more about that in a minute)
Brook posted her journal, picture, and bio (more about that in a minute)
Melissa posted her picture and bio
Jennifer's picture and bio is posted
Janine and Brook took off!
Janine designed her student page using Word. When we went to import it into Contribute, it was much too big. We tried two other options to see if we could get it to size automatically, but were unsuccessful. I had to go help Brook with her pages, so Janine hit the online help files. 5 minutes later, one of her students arrived in Brooks room to let me know that she had succeeded. I immediately knew that we had hit an important mile stone. After finishing with Brook, I went to get a lesson from my student!
I worked with Brook to get her material posted. The process went something like this.
Art: "Go up to ..."
Brook: "Don't tell me." (Brook completes the task.)
Art: "OK, now...."
Brook: "Don't tell me." (Brook completes the task.)
,,, and so it went until all the material was posted, but it doesn't end there. Brook's and Lisa's St. Patrick's day writing prompt/hunt activities were sending mail top them and I had to fix it when I got home. I logged in to find that Brook had added pictures to two of her pages and made another entry into her journal!
So Brook and Janine are the local contribute experts. You'll have to rely on the to get you up and running. Brook and Janine, even with the ASK4's there's a lot of time between now and the 17th when Phil is scheduled to come and give a Contribute lesson. If you work with the other ladies and feel that they are up to speed, let Marilyn know so that we can either cancel or get in touch with Phil to give us some advanced training.
I won't be in MLK next week, but I will be in A.C. so if you have a specific need, let me know and I can stop over for a few minutes.
I believe the following week is also testing for you and if that is the case, you probably won't see me then.
The week after than, there may be a problem and we'll have to play that by ear. I've been called for jury duty. The way that works is that you call in the night before and they tell you whether you have to come in. So, I won't know until the evening of Mar 24 whether I'll be in on the 25th.
With my possible absence for three weeks, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Journal writing is an important part of what you have to do for the grant, you can do it directly in Contribute or with any word processor which we can later copy and paste into contribute. What they are looking for in the journals is commentary about growth in you and your students and a snapshot of what's happening in your class.
Student work is an important part of the web site. The work your students are saving in their KidPix folders can easily be exported as pictures and placed online. I think next steps with KidPix is to get student to create slide shows. It's a shot hope from writing slide shows to creating books with KidPix, which is a short step from creating interactive multimedia books using Hyperstudio or making web sites based on research with 3DWriter, both of which are on tap for May and summer workshops.
Marilyn would also like you to think about putting together a PowerPoint presentation for the June board meeting. It can feature pictures from your classroom, student work, and screen shots from the web site. Which reminds me, a very powerful tool is capturing images from your screen. It's really simple to do. Remind me to show you all the next time I'm in.
Take care,
Art
Yesterday was Contribute day. That software is the greatest thing since sliced bread (whole wheat as Janine observed). Let's all stand up and give Marilyn a standing ovation for finding and providing it for us.
Last week many of you got a 5 minute quick tour. This week I sat down with a few of you and guided you through posting some material you had ready. Here's what went up yesterday.
Janine posted a great teacher page (more about that in a minute)
Brook posted her journal, picture, and bio (more about that in a minute)
Melissa posted her picture and bio
Jennifer's picture and bio is posted
Janine and Brook took off!
Janine designed her student page using Word. When we went to import it into Contribute, it was much too big. We tried two other options to see if we could get it to size automatically, but were unsuccessful. I had to go help Brook with her pages, so Janine hit the online help files. 5 minutes later, one of her students arrived in Brooks room to let me know that she had succeeded. I immediately knew that we had hit an important mile stone. After finishing with Brook, I went to get a lesson from my student!
I worked with Brook to get her material posted. The process went something like this.
Art: "Go up to ..."
Brook: "Don't tell me." (Brook completes the task.)
Art: "OK, now...."
Brook: "Don't tell me." (Brook completes the task.)
,,, and so it went until all the material was posted, but it doesn't end there. Brook's and Lisa's St. Patrick's day writing prompt/hunt activities were sending mail top them and I had to fix it when I got home. I logged in to find that Brook had added pictures to two of her pages and made another entry into her journal!
So Brook and Janine are the local contribute experts. You'll have to rely on the to get you up and running. Brook and Janine, even with the ASK4's there's a lot of time between now and the 17th when Phil is scheduled to come and give a Contribute lesson. If you work with the other ladies and feel that they are up to speed, let Marilyn know so that we can either cancel or get in touch with Phil to give us some advanced training.
I won't be in MLK next week, but I will be in A.C. so if you have a specific need, let me know and I can stop over for a few minutes.
I believe the following week is also testing for you and if that is the case, you probably won't see me then.
The week after than, there may be a problem and we'll have to play that by ear. I've been called for jury duty. The way that works is that you call in the night before and they tell you whether you have to come in. So, I won't know until the evening of Mar 24 whether I'll be in on the 25th.
With my possible absence for three weeks, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Journal writing is an important part of what you have to do for the grant, you can do it directly in Contribute or with any word processor which we can later copy and paste into contribute. What they are looking for in the journals is commentary about growth in you and your students and a snapshot of what's happening in your class.
Student work is an important part of the web site. The work your students are saving in their KidPix folders can easily be exported as pictures and placed online. I think next steps with KidPix is to get student to create slide shows. It's a shot hope from writing slide shows to creating books with KidPix, which is a short step from creating interactive multimedia books using Hyperstudio or making web sites based on research with 3DWriter, both of which are on tap for May and summer workshops.
Marilyn would also like you to think about putting together a PowerPoint presentation for the June board meeting. It can feature pictures from your classroom, student work, and screen shots from the web site. Which reminds me, a very powerful tool is capturing images from your screen. It's really simple to do. Remind me to show you all the next time I'm in.
Take care,
Art
Sunday, February 29, 2004
I've developed some ideas for 80 hours of summer training designed to help teachers and students achieve ISTE standards. The standards and these courses will also serve as the raw material from which to develop the year two Star-W Goals, Objectives. and Activities.
Summer Training that meets ISTE Standards
Big6 Problem Solving - (6 hr)
The Big6 (http://www.big6.com) is the most widely used research and problem solving method in the K-12 world. It provides a process-based approach to problem solving that can be used at any grade level and in any subject area. Art is one of only nineteen people certified by Big6 creators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, to provide training
Big6 and Technology - (6 hr)
This Big6 follow up course puts the focus on technology. It provides resources and activities to make ties between technology and the Big6. Hand-on problem solving computer-based activities designed to meet ISTE standard cover topics such as effective online communication, safe responsible use, effective electronic presentation, information evaluation, and effective searching.
Working the Web for Education: From Hotlists to WebQuests (18 hr)
This workshop developed by Tom March, one of the world's top experts on web-based learning, will provide teachers with an understanding of how to take advantage of the unique aspects of the web, through the creation of five different kinds of web-based activities that meet different curricular needs form factual acquisition to transformational student centered learning.
3DWriting: Hypertext Narrative Writing for the 21st Century (3 hr)
An already accepted writing genre in the college and professional the writing field, hypertext narrative writing has not made serious inroads to the K-12 classroom primarily because of technical obstacles. After working with the U.S. Department of Education’s Expert Technology Panel, Art has developed 3DWriter (http://www.3dwriting.com) specifically to remove those obstacles and allow teachers and students to improve writing across the curriculum through the creation of hypertext documents. While the tool was specifically designed to promote writing across the curriculum, it is also quickly becoming recognized as one of the world’s simplest WYSIWYG web editors.
Planning for the Technology Enhanced Classroom (6 hr)
Teachers will work collaboratively to examine curricular needs, determine how technology can best help them meet those needs. They will develop and action plan and activities to carry out the plan.
Technology Based ASK4 Preparation (18 hr)
Teachers will utilized all of their past training and experience to develop activities that are linked to curriculum and standards that will will help students prepare for the ASK4 test throughout the year.
Using Primary Sources and Real-Time Data (3 hr)
Teachers will explore a variety of primary source web sites real-time data sites while learning about how to incorporated them into authentic activities that will develop reading and writing skills.
Safe and Responsible Internet Use - Developing Exemplary Netizens (3 hr)
This course will cover online safety, safe and responsible use, netiquette and effective online communication. The real power of the Internet lies in the networking a human connections you and your students can make. It's critical that they understand the dangers, responsibility, and consequences of real-time and asynchronous communication.
Searching and Search Engines (3 hr)
This course will cover material not traditionally covered in basic Internet Searching. There will be a review of basic search skills based on participant need, but the focus will be on what's new in searching. It will cover advanced and power search aspects of search tools often overlooked and well as new search tools that are emerging and will shape the world of searching in the future. This course is based on a workshop presented to the Texas Computer Education Assoc. Library Media SIG and has been adapted for use by classroom teachers.
Effective Presentations - Avoiding PowerPoint Poisoning (3 hr)
Jamie McKenzie talks about PowerPointlessness and there is a quote that says, "PowerPoint turns mediocre presenters into terrible presenters. This happens because students often spend most of their time dealing and playing with the bells and whistles of the program with little or now knowledge of what constitutes a quality presentation, either from the stand point of content or presentation appearance. This course will equip the teacher with the skills they need to make their students effective presenters.
??? Brain Based Learning (12 hr)
Teachers will attend a two-day workshop presented by David Sousa, the world's leading expert on brain based learning.
Summer Training that meets ISTE Standards
Big6 Problem Solving - (6 hr)
The Big6 (http://www.big6.com) is the most widely used research and problem solving method in the K-12 world. It provides a process-based approach to problem solving that can be used at any grade level and in any subject area. Art is one of only nineteen people certified by Big6 creators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, to provide training
Big6 and Technology - (6 hr)
This Big6 follow up course puts the focus on technology. It provides resources and activities to make ties between technology and the Big6. Hand-on problem solving computer-based activities designed to meet ISTE standard cover topics such as effective online communication, safe responsible use, effective electronic presentation, information evaluation, and effective searching.
Working the Web for Education: From Hotlists to WebQuests (18 hr)
This workshop developed by Tom March, one of the world's top experts on web-based learning, will provide teachers with an understanding of how to take advantage of the unique aspects of the web, through the creation of five different kinds of web-based activities that meet different curricular needs form factual acquisition to transformational student centered learning.
3DWriting: Hypertext Narrative Writing for the 21st Century (3 hr)
An already accepted writing genre in the college and professional the writing field, hypertext narrative writing has not made serious inroads to the K-12 classroom primarily because of technical obstacles. After working with the U.S. Department of Education’s Expert Technology Panel, Art has developed 3DWriter (http://www.3dwriting.com) specifically to remove those obstacles and allow teachers and students to improve writing across the curriculum through the creation of hypertext documents. While the tool was specifically designed to promote writing across the curriculum, it is also quickly becoming recognized as one of the world’s simplest WYSIWYG web editors.
Planning for the Technology Enhanced Classroom (6 hr)
Teachers will work collaboratively to examine curricular needs, determine how technology can best help them meet those needs. They will develop and action plan and activities to carry out the plan.
Technology Based ASK4 Preparation (18 hr)
Teachers will utilized all of their past training and experience to develop activities that are linked to curriculum and standards that will will help students prepare for the ASK4 test throughout the year.
Using Primary Sources and Real-Time Data (3 hr)
Teachers will explore a variety of primary source web sites real-time data sites while learning about how to incorporated them into authentic activities that will develop reading and writing skills.
Safe and Responsible Internet Use - Developing Exemplary Netizens (3 hr)
This course will cover online safety, safe and responsible use, netiquette and effective online communication. The real power of the Internet lies in the networking a human connections you and your students can make. It's critical that they understand the dangers, responsibility, and consequences of real-time and asynchronous communication.
Searching and Search Engines (3 hr)
This course will cover material not traditionally covered in basic Internet Searching. There will be a review of basic search skills based on participant need, but the focus will be on what's new in searching. It will cover advanced and power search aspects of search tools often overlooked and well as new search tools that are emerging and will shape the world of searching in the future. This course is based on a workshop presented to the Texas Computer Education Assoc. Library Media SIG and has been adapted for use by classroom teachers.
Effective Presentations - Avoiding PowerPoint Poisoning (3 hr)
Jamie McKenzie talks about PowerPointlessness and there is a quote that says, "PowerPoint turns mediocre presenters into terrible presenters. This happens because students often spend most of their time dealing and playing with the bells and whistles of the program with little or now knowledge of what constitutes a quality presentation, either from the stand point of content or presentation appearance. This course will equip the teacher with the skills they need to make their students effective presenters.
??? Brain Based Learning (12 hr)
Teachers will attend a two-day workshop presented by David Sousa, the world's leading expert on brain based learning.
Hi Folks,
Marilyn and I attended the Star-W meeting yesterday where they talked about was as expected by the end of year one and what will be required in year two. We are right on track or ahead of schedule on most things except for the two areas we already knew we would have to beef up, namely your journal writing and to a lesser extent, student work in the form of a project.
As far as the journals go, they are an important part of what the evaluators will be looking at. They want to see you reflecting on what you and your students are learning. As we discussed last week, you can begin keeping those journals in Word and we can just import them into the new web site with Contribute. That can be one of the activities we will do when Phil comes on the 17th to give the Contribute lesson, or we can get them up together between now and then. I plan on rolling over to the new site on Thursday. Once that is done, I can begin working with it individually any time you like.
If you haven't already started, I would start by reflecting on where you were in the beginning of the summer and then hit some of the highlights along the way until you reach where you are today. There is no correct way of doing this. It's a very personal way of reflecting on what you are doing and should be in whatever style fits you best.
You are also supposed to be keeping a multimedia portfolio of your work. The web site serves admirably for that purpose and the journal is part of that portfolio. We're in good shape there.
The grant also specifies that each teacher will do multimedia or online project with the students and then expand on that project in year two. Technically, the hunts you've created could stand as project, but personally, I would like to see something more substantial. Those of you who are using the discussion area are doing just that. For those of you who are not yet using the discussion forums, there's plenty of time after the ASK4 to get a project underway. In fact, I think it would be to our advantage to each come up with a student multimedia projects that we can all begin after the ASK4, while still running the discussion forums and doing hunts, etc.
The project can be anything you like, but I might suggest something along the lines of book writing and peer review and editing. The peer review could be inter-class, intra-class, or inter-school in collaboration with another Star-W school (or any other school for that matter). We might do something in which middle school or high school students from Southern Regional act as reviewers. I'm sure I could arrange that.
If we do books now using Kidspiration for planning and KidPix for the book creation, next year we can step things up by having students do HyperStudio, choose your own path web page books, and/or iMovie projects. It's something to think about and something we can discuss between now and then.
Marilyn had placed the order for the additional Contribute licenses. When I come up on Thurs. I can load the software on your computers. You'll have to decide what computer you would like to work from. If you want to use your laptop, please have it handy.
If you have your bio and picture and if we have time, we can use Contribute to post it on the site. If you do it with me by your site, by the time Phil comes we'll really be able to fly.
See you Thursday.
Art
Marilyn and I attended the Star-W meeting yesterday where they talked about was as expected by the end of year one and what will be required in year two. We are right on track or ahead of schedule on most things except for the two areas we already knew we would have to beef up, namely your journal writing and to a lesser extent, student work in the form of a project.
As far as the journals go, they are an important part of what the evaluators will be looking at. They want to see you reflecting on what you and your students are learning. As we discussed last week, you can begin keeping those journals in Word and we can just import them into the new web site with Contribute. That can be one of the activities we will do when Phil comes on the 17th to give the Contribute lesson, or we can get them up together between now and then. I plan on rolling over to the new site on Thursday. Once that is done, I can begin working with it individually any time you like.
If you haven't already started, I would start by reflecting on where you were in the beginning of the summer and then hit some of the highlights along the way until you reach where you are today. There is no correct way of doing this. It's a very personal way of reflecting on what you are doing and should be in whatever style fits you best.
You are also supposed to be keeping a multimedia portfolio of your work. The web site serves admirably for that purpose and the journal is part of that portfolio. We're in good shape there.
The grant also specifies that each teacher will do multimedia or online project with the students and then expand on that project in year two. Technically, the hunts you've created could stand as project, but personally, I would like to see something more substantial. Those of you who are using the discussion area are doing just that. For those of you who are not yet using the discussion forums, there's plenty of time after the ASK4 to get a project underway. In fact, I think it would be to our advantage to each come up with a student multimedia projects that we can all begin after the ASK4, while still running the discussion forums and doing hunts, etc.
The project can be anything you like, but I might suggest something along the lines of book writing and peer review and editing. The peer review could be inter-class, intra-class, or inter-school in collaboration with another Star-W school (or any other school for that matter). We might do something in which middle school or high school students from Southern Regional act as reviewers. I'm sure I could arrange that.
If we do books now using Kidspiration for planning and KidPix for the book creation, next year we can step things up by having students do HyperStudio, choose your own path web page books, and/or iMovie projects. It's something to think about and something we can discuss between now and then.
Marilyn had placed the order for the additional Contribute licenses. When I come up on Thurs. I can load the software on your computers. You'll have to decide what computer you would like to work from. If you want to use your laptop, please have it handy.
If you have your bio and picture and if we have time, we can use Contribute to post it on the site. If you do it with me by your site, by the time Phil comes we'll really be able to fly.
See you Thursday.
Art
Hi gang,
I know you are all buried under a ton of ASK4 prep material, but file this in the back of your mind. PBS has some wonderful lesson for writing. If I have a chance, I will review some of them and point you to specifics I think can help you in developing some critical thinking that will fit into your ASK4 preparation. Here's the link to the Arts & Literature page. http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/arts_lit.htm
Here's an example of one activity I think you can do right now that the kids will love and will develop some analytical thinking skills. Doing a search by grade level will bring up a set of lesson plans, one of which is called Buried in Ash. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/2117_ash.html Students are broken into groups and given a handout of a bunch of animal tracks that might have been found in an archeological dig of a forest. They must interpret what happened.
Note: You could help the students by talking discussing with them what kind of tracks they see and then let them interpret and write or you can provide them with this link that will help them identify all of the tracks except for the bird, but hey, a bird is a bird is a bird. http://www.geocities.com./Yosemite/9152/wildlife.html
Once again, I'll point to technology use being needs driven. Sometimes it's a simple small thing. In this case, it did nothing more and nothing less than provide a quality lesson that might have just as well be done with pencil and paper, but chances are you would not have through about doing it and gathering all of the resources would have been much more time consuming. The handout itself is gold. No great transformational activity here, just a big time saver!
Art
I know you are all buried under a ton of ASK4 prep material, but file this in the back of your mind. PBS has some wonderful lesson for writing. If I have a chance, I will review some of them and point you to specifics I think can help you in developing some critical thinking that will fit into your ASK4 preparation. Here's the link to the Arts & Literature page. http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/arts_lit.htm
Here's an example of one activity I think you can do right now that the kids will love and will develop some analytical thinking skills. Doing a search by grade level will bring up a set of lesson plans, one of which is called Buried in Ash. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/2117_ash.html Students are broken into groups and given a handout of a bunch of animal tracks that might have been found in an archeological dig of a forest. They must interpret what happened.
Note: You could help the students by talking discussing with them what kind of tracks they see and then let them interpret and write or you can provide them with this link that will help them identify all of the tracks except for the bird, but hey, a bird is a bird is a bird. http://www.geocities.com./Yosemite/9152/wildlife.html
Once again, I'll point to technology use being needs driven. Sometimes it's a simple small thing. In this case, it did nothing more and nothing less than provide a quality lesson that might have just as well be done with pencil and paper, but chances are you would not have through about doing it and gathering all of the resources would have been much more time consuming. The handout itself is gold. No great transformational activity here, just a big time saver!
Art
