Student Research

Before winter break, my students began a huge research project. Each student was assigned a science topic and they were to provide me with 100 notecards of information. Although I considered my background with technology, I decided to complete this project the old fashion way. I know it is shocking, but there are some valuable lessons to be learned from creating notecards instead of just copying and pasting text.

So, after teaching copyright and plagiarism and evaluating website skills, my students were ready to complete their notecards. There is tons of information out on the web if you are planning to teach these skills with your students, but I used Oregon School Library for an overview of research skills, Cyberbee and my own knowledge for copyright, and Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators for evaluating websites.

Now, I didn't just throw my students out onto the Internet and expect them to "google it." I gave students some direction and it started with our local library. Currently, my school does not have access to any online databases. And I know, my school is not the only one. So, I sent my kids to our local library site where, with a library card number, they had access to dozens of online databases including Facts on File and FirstSearch. Most students found articles, videos, and pictures related to their topic and were thrilled at how easy it was. I explained to my students that tax dollars and grant money pay for these resources and we should use them!

If students needed more information about their topic, I sent them to Kidspace at the Internet Public Library. Many of them found credible information on the site.

By putting an hour of work up front, I had bookmarked a dozen sites for my students to use to find information. It made the research process less stressful and safer for them. Sometimes, students had a hard time finding information, so if all else failed, I admit, we googled it, but we did it safely using a google safe search.

In the end, I think that many of my students will be returning to their local library website to locate information in the future. It is a great free resources that we need to be promoting in our classrooms!

Fun Learning for All

Happy Holidays!

There are so many fun games out there, but I can think of two that your students will love. I find that friends and family enjoy these games as well. After showing my mom, she constantly gives me updates on her latest scores. My grandmother, mother, and I sat around the computer after dinner and played for hours.

Free Rice is my favorite. Not only because I am an English teacher, but because the site donates rice to developing nations. For every vocabulary word you can define correctly, the site donates rice. I was skeptical at first, so I looked into the site further and couldn't find any complaints.

Another great site to test your geography knowledge is from TravelPod.com. Travelpod hosts travel blogs, but it is also the home of a great geography test. You can test your traveler IQ by seeing how close and how fast you can locate national locations on a map. Visit the Traveler IQ Challenger to test your knowledge of our world. There are also picture challenges and USA location challengers.

My Favorite Things...

I figure if Oprah can have a "favorite things" list then so can I. And just like Oprah, I am going to give all my favorite things away for free to my loyal audience. Now, I don't want to stall the excitement, so here are my favorite things (on the web)...

1. Thinkquest.org (Sign a team up to compete in this worldwide competition. Students build a website and have a chance to win great prizes!)

2. Portaportal.com (Compile a list of your favorite websites to view on any computer. Share your portal with friends, students, and teachers)

3. Teacher's Domain (A new gem brought to us by PBS. Free videos, lesson plans, and professional development for science teachers)

4. Google for Educators (Who doesn't google? Now, google has created a great site with free posters, lesson plans, and tools to make your life easier as a teacher)

5. Read Write Think (The student resources has easy and fun to use interactive activities. Just check to make sure shockware is installed on the computers. Also, site has lessons and web resources)

6. Einstein Chalkboard (Add your own text to Einstein's chalkboard. Have fun and print them! While you are there, try the magic 8 ball and newscaster chick)

7. FCIT (Tons of educator friendly things including clip art, 3D images, LIT2Go, Holocaust resources, and more)

8. Way Back Machine (Find information that may no longer be available on a site. Check out your teacher homepage and see how far you have come)

9. Teachertube.com (Find teachers doing crazy things and a few educational videos too!)

10. eschool news (Get a weekly recap on everything great with educational technology)

So on a lazy afternoon this holiday break, slip into your warmest PJs, make a cup of coffee, curl up with your computer and explore these fantastic websites.

Enjoy!

Technology in Your Pocket

Teachers are always complaining that "there is no money for technology." However, our schools are full of technology that we aren't utilizing! Cell phones and MP3 players should be allowed in the classroom for educational use. I know what you are thinking, remember I am a teacher too, but lets teach our kids 21st century etiquette. When is it appropriate to use your cell phone or MP3 player? When it is not safe to use your cell phone or MP3 player? If we teach students to use the technology responsibly, then we will be teaching them for than material on a test.

I first gave into cell phones when I was dying to create a digital story with my students. Of course, my school does not have any digital cameras for my students to use. In order to create their own stories, students need to take pictures with their cell phones and transfer them to the computer using a bluetooth dongle (cheaper than a digital camera). Before you attempt this, make sure the student's cell phone has blue tooth capabilities.

Read "What Can You Learn From a Cell Phone? Almost Anything!" by Marc Prensky for more inspiration!

I know you can't miss the white earbuds hanging out of your student's ears, so why not let students use them for educational purposes? Have students record their notes, spelling words, or vocabulary words using Audacity (free open source software) or using their cell phones at Gcast.com (podcast using your cell phone). Then, let them hook up their iPod and listen away.

Are you worried students are going to listen to music instead of their vocabulary words? When a student hooks up their iPod on a different computer, it will erase whatever is on their iPod. So, make sure to warn students that if they want to listen to their iPods to study, they will lose all their music until they hook their iPod up to their computer at home again.

As teachers, we are resourceful, so lets use the resources our students already know to empower them to create and learn!

Graphic Organizers

A classroom staple, graphic organizers have probably been around as long as teaching itself. So, how do we bring these graphic organizers into the 21st century? Well, software such as Inspiration allows teachers and students to create their own graphic organizers complete with links, voices, and video. You can make them as simple or complex as you want, but Inspiration creates graphic organizers galore!

What if your district doesn't own licenses to Inspiration? Don't worry, CMAP empowers users to create concept maps for free. Choose "educational use " and download this dual platform software.


Once you have a graphic organizer program the possibilities are endless. In Language Arts, create storyboards, brainstorm writing topics, compare and contrast characters, or create plot maps. In History, create time lines or create concept maps of historical people and events. In Science, complete classification tables, create lab reports, and reflect on scientific laws. In math , create solution charts, master probability tables, or formulate flow charts .

By getting kids to create this own graphic organizers, you are allowing them to think critically about the organization, content, and connects within a content area.

Teacher Collaboration

As a Master Digital Educator with the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, I have had the unique opportunity to collaborate with a group of tech savvy teachers from across the state of Florida. After spending the weekend sharing, laughing, and learning, I am returning home inspired and motivated to integrate technology into my classroom.

In addition to sharing with my technical buddies, I spent the last three years collaborating with veteran teachers at Cobb Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida. During NCTE 2007, we showcased our collaborative efforts in a presentation titled "A GPS for Veteran Teachers: You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks." More on this presentation will be coming.

I am a true believer in working together as professionals to make our very difficult jobs a little bit easier and a whole lot more fun! By creating this blog, I hope to share the different ways teachers can collaborate with each other regardless of if you are across the hall, across the United States, or across continents!

Feel free to join me by posting your comments.