Tools to Facilitate a Paperless Classroom

We discussed the possibility of making a classroom entirely paperless... In doing so, we can utilize a variety of resources to make the process as seamless as possible. The students will most likely not have a problem. However, we -- the old school educators -- might feel somewhat uncomfortable; for, our initial use of the web was simply one way communication and not the collaborative, social tool that it is today. In short, the kids are comfortable and we are not...

The planning stages of a project are extremely important... I feel that one should take as much time planning, as they do creating and synthesizing their final product. We often hear that the means is as important as the end... this is very true.

Here are a few resources to help with the planning and implementation of the project.

bubbl.us  (planning and mindmapping) - This is a must see.  Not only is it great for mapping; but, it allows you to save your map as a jpg file.

fillanypdf.com (productivity) - Upload pdf.'s to the site instead of printing them, filling them out, and scanning or faxing.  In the classroom, fillanypdf can be used for project proposals, tests, quizzes, and a multitude of other purposes.

zamzar.com (file conversion) - In addition to converting files, zamzar can be used to download YouTube videos and other online files.  The videos can be saved in a variety of formats and embedded into presentations and other files that can be used in the classroom.

pbWorks.com (wiki) - This site, which allows you to create a wiki without the need for email addresses is a great resource for online collaboration.  Students can plan a project or field trip, collaborate on a presentation, or create a classroom study guide for an assessment.  Two of the most powerful features of the wiki are the user and time identifiers... you know who contributed what and when.

Possible planning workflow: Bubbl.us to brainstorm, Fillanypdf to create a project proposal, and then back to Bubbl.us and pbWorks to plan the project... off they go...

How about class earlier in the day for the remaining sessions?

Take the poll.  Let "us" know if you would like to move class earlier in the day... If we can get the okay from our hosts at TWHS.

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Creating a Collage with Picasa

Click here to see how to create a collage with Picasa.  Below is a collage of Blake that was created in about a minute, since I already had the pictures imported.  You can use Picasa in your classroom to organize photos, to introduce photo editing or to create timelines, websites, collages, or videos (scrapbook style).  Further, Picasa allows you to instantly add photos to your blog, creating a efficient workflow from importing to editing to sharing.

Adding photos from Picasa to Blogger

Click here to see how to send photos from Picasa to your blog.

Talk about the technology...

Hop on, take a look, and see if you can figure out how to add your two cents.
http://voicethread.com/share/1190961/

They could text you the answer...

Would you use Wordle in your classroom?  Click here to vote via the web (or by clicking in the chart below), or you can text the corresponding code to 22333.

Yes: 56773

No: 56776

Maybe: 56777

Make a live audience poll at Poll Everywhere

"See" what you want to learn

Using the comments that were shared, you can see what you want to learn.

The bigger the word, the more times it is included in your posts; thus, the more important it is to you.  Conversely, the smaller the word, the less frequently it is included.

Kind of a visual KWL chart.  Created at Wordle.net

EDU 505... What do you want to know?

In my quest to obtain knowledge to foster both my growth as a person and educator, I am sometimes frustrated by the shackles that are placed upon me by the professors who are in charge of furthering my education.  Most often, it is not their choice; but, that they are required to cover specific requirements and, thus, do not have time to venture far from such objectives.

In EDU 505, we must cover a variety of topics... IDEA, section 508, UDL, to name a few.  But, we also have the opportunity to learn about things that you want and "need" to know.  For example... 

• creating, editing, and delivering video in your classrooms
  
• making a presentation that isn't boring
• creating a digital book
• citing sources (loads of fun... but so easy)
• claymation with a purpose
• manipulating graphics
• creating a wiki (and why)
• blogging
• moodling (huh)
• wordling

If you want to learn it... and none of us know it... we will "figure it out together."  Our goal is to enhance the education that you provide... By teaching you, we will teach the world.

With that... what do you want to know?

NETS

The NETS standards and performance indicators... a little redundant I know, are linked below and on the PBWorks site.

These standards exist to ensure that the children with whom we interact, learn the skills that will propel them into the future. If you look closely, however, many of the skills are equally important in everyday non-techno life as they are when working with technology. In fact, not one of standards implies that someone must work in isolation or at a distance in order for a skill to be attained or mastered.

As we dive into NETS, 21st Century Skills, and STEM... we must remember that learning to interact in a social setting (face to face), chewing with your mouth closed, not interrupting, understanding the body language of others, and quite simply, being respectful are all skills that can never be replaced by any form of technology. As educators, we must continue to model and provide time to practice and hone these skills; thus, allowing the children with whom we interact to become confident, respectful, and responsible communicators regardless of their means of communication.

• NETS-T (Teachers)
• NETS-S (Students)

Did you know... Powerful Video

Just watch and think. The world is a rapidly changing place... different technologies are leading to the necessity of new skill sets unlike any we have seen before. How will we prepare children for their future? That is our job... to prepare children to do things that they don't know about and to solve problems that don't yet exist.

Preparing for 21st Century Skills

The challenges that will inhibit the development of 21st century literacies are numerous. The most impactful, however, are the acceptance of educators throughout a building... which would help to foster consistency and ensuring that the students are safe while working online.

Most buildings, I would guess, have a great number of teachers advising against using sites like Wikipedia and other collaborative networks for research; while others in the building see the power of making children responsible for finding (or bringing) information, choosing what is trustworthy, and citing their sources. This lack of consistency is due to the ignorance of some educators; for, they simply have not taken the time to experiment and see the power and necessity of the web.

The safety issue would also contribute to some educators staying away from the web. Safety should be a concern; and it is for this reason that it is important to teach today's students (and teachers) how to use the tools at their disposal effectively and not to abstain while at school... only to use them loosely while at home. Children need to know how to choose appropriate content, how to set up security options that protect their identity, and what "not" to put online (such as inappropriate pictures and video... and oftentimes their full names, where they live, and "what they are doing on Friday" for example).

The new literacies are of extreme importance. It is said that we are currently (at the middle school level) responsible for preparing children with the skills for jobs that don't yet exist. Seventy percent of the jobs that our students may be employed in don't exist today. So we must teach children to communicate, collaborate, and most importantly... to identify and solve problems. In order to do these things, we as educators, must use all of the tools at our disposal. We cannot limit ourselves to books, with copyright dates that are two years old... or even articles from magazines that were produced months earlier. We must teach them to use all of the information at their disposal.

Books, magazines, the web, blogs, forums, video conferencing, skype, etc. These are the tools of the future, all of which will be necessary for one to make contributions to the world that is coming our way... and more importantly, the world that our students will face in the coming years. We must adapt, otherwise we will be doing a grave disservice to the children with whom we work.

Podcasting... Audio and Video

The possibilities of podcasting are endless, as are the connections to all types of curriculum. Children enjoy both creating and listening to podcasts... and just think how cool it would be if they learned something too!

Incorporating video (or pictures) into the podcasts adds a whole new dimension to the learning and collaboration that occurs on the web. While I was "hunting" for interesting content, I was much more interested in the podcasts that were accompanied by visual information.

In my classroom, I use podcasts (not really podcasts... we'll talk in class) to allow the children to "deconstruct" on what they do each day as they work on a project. This deconstruction is simply documentation of progress, allowing a sense of responsibility to be realized. Additionally, by adding the podcasts to their blogs, they can be tracked daily to see where they are, where they have been, and how close they are to realizing their ultimate goal.

Podcasting, as a means of communicating progress fits into a number of NETS standards, including the students' standards below.

2. Communication and Collaboration

• b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

• a. understand and use technology systems.

• b. select and use applications effectively and productively.

Classroom Activity... Awesome

This is an example of an activity that we can do in the classroom. It will connect any subject with digital imaging. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase... a picture tells a thousand words.

Photo sharing sites are amazing. Whatever is needed can be found, and their are photos and artwork created by artists from around the globe.

Flickr is a great resource for research or for simply getting ideas, like the photo-biography on the right.

This activity meets (or could meet) several NETS standards. The most important, however, are:

1. Creativity and Innovation

• a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
• b. create original works as a means of personal of group expression.

This could be a great introductory activity, that could be posted for curriculum/parent night.  A class set, printed off poster size (or anything bigger than 8.5 x 11) would be amazing... walking down the hallway (or in the room) and learning a little about each of the children.

Obviously, historical figures would also make sense for such an activity.  Children would truly be drawn to the posters and could not help but learn something from the imbedded text.

Blake's first Bikeride

This was Blake's first bike ride. He was pretty excited to wear his yellow helmet. We went about five miles and got up to a little over 20 mph.

I created the collage in Photoshop... During the summer, I try to send Sonya (my wife) a picture of Blake everyday while she is at work.

Blogs can simply be a way to share... Students sometimes need a reminder that we are human.

Social Bookmarking

We all value our own opinions; however, when someone else can substantiate something that we think is valuable... well, that makes our opinions even better. When I look through my "bookmarks," I place a great value on those that others have similarly tagged. Not only is this important for me; but, it is invaluable for the students with whom I work. They may find a source that they think is great... If others agree by also tagging it with the same words, then they can feel a little more confident that the information is "useful." At the same time, if they are using a source that no one else uses... or that others have tagged in a negative way (in respect to the legitimacy of the information), then they may conclude that the source is not so great.

Students must be able to make decisions as to the value of their resources. They can not always rely on a teacher or parent (we may not know either). On the other hand, if they can get the "opinions" of thousands of others, they may be able to come to a conclusion on the source's credibility.

Teaching students to use social bookmarking for research, or simply for pleasure, meets a variety of the NETS standards (the majority of Standards 2 and 3); however, we cannot overlook the fact that adding these tools to their repertoires, we are helping them to apply techniques that they already use in new ways (Standard 6-d), helping them to grasp new technology systems (Standard 6-a), and truly assisting in their transitions to becoming lifelong learners (Standard 5-c).