Hour of Code 2016

Well its been almost a year since the last time it and its almost time again for Hour of Code.  Yes, that's right you did not miss it and there is still plenty of time to get yourself, classroom and students ready to participate.

What do you need to get started?  A room with a bunch of eager to learn students... maybe even a bunch of eager to learn teachers as well.  An internet enabled device and that is pretty much it.  Everything else is "icing on the cake" so to speak.

Do you need some help with getting started?  Here are some resources from Common Sense Media that they have put together to get you started.  

Get Started with Coding in your Classroom





Here are just a few of the resources that you and your students can use and participate this year.  There are many more that are out there available on the web please add them in the comments section below.

So have some fun, get involved and get inspired by Hour of Code 2016

Coding in the Classroom: My List of Resources

Its the start of school and now is best time to get your students motivated to learn about coding.  Whether you have a computer, tablet, cell phone or nothing at all you can help your kids to really get interested in and wanting to learn more about coding.

Here is my list of websites and apps that you and your students can use in or out of your classroom to learn about coding.  Who knows one of your students could end up being the next great app inventor or program writer.  

Now this list by all means is not complete and you may have your own sites or apps that you use and I would encourage you to add them in the comments so that I can keep updated this list for future use.

Coding Websites:

Code.org	I guess I had to start somewhere and that is at Code.org which seems to be the one you hear about the most. The site offers Hour of Code resources as well as links to other coding resources & sites.
Codecademy	The site allows you to learn to code for free. You can choose your what you want to learn and how far you want to go. My reccomendation is for use with Middle School Students
Scratch	From the Media Lab at MIT a great block/object code creator for students in a kid friendly format
Code Combat	Learn to code by playing a game, you can setup classes as a teacher for your students to learn or let them just play and learn as they go
Codemoji	A great way to learn to code using what is familiar for your students "EMOJI's"
Hackety Hack	Learn how to code in the Ruby programming language. Has a downloadable installer for your computer. Site offers many resources to get you and your students started.
Code Avengers	Learn at your own pace what you want and go as far as you can with this site. Whether you want to create a website, a game or an app you can learn how in this site.
Trinket:Hour of Python	Another graphical learning tool that gives you blocks of code that allow you to learn the basics of the Python coding language
Khan Academy	Yes thats right, the site that brings you all those other great learning tools for math and science also helps you learn how to code too.
Alice	Take your coding skills to even higher levels with this downloadable software that provides you with a 3 dimensional environment

Coding Apps

Daisy the Dinosaur	Great tool for younger learners allows them to drag and drop blocks to make the character move around. iOS only
Hopscotch	Be as creative as you want with this coding app available iOS devices. does have in-app purchases
Cargo Bot	Learn how to code with this game that has you moving items around on the screen. For iOS devices
The Foos Coding 5+	Fun learning to code for younger students with this character based and graphical block environment to get your students excited about learning to code. Available for iOS, Android and Kindle also Web
Scratch Jr	Similar to Scratch from the above list but made into an app for iOS and Android
Tickle	Learn to program all of those fun interactive Toys on the market directly from your mobile device. iOS and Android
Codeable Crafts	Be Creative with this app that allows you to create your avatars and then use them as you learn to code. So its coding with a twist to bring your designs to life.

So even though I have listed out a few websites and apps that you can to help your students learn to code there is always a chance that you do not have access to a computer or mobile device.  Let me tell you this, that is perfectly OK.  There is nothing out there that says you have to have technology to teach coding to your students.   You can teach students to code using verbal and/or written prompts to help them to understand the concepts behind how coding works.  Conditional statements can be used, If you do something Then another thing will occur.  Movement patterns can be created using pieces of paper with one student talking another student through the pattern, and so on.

All in all its the perfect time of the year to introduce coding to your students and hopefully some of these suggested resources can help you out.

Learning to Code Emoji Style

If you are still looking for a way that your students can learn to code in a fun way why not try something different.  If you could teach your students to code in their language would it help?  Now I know that you have heard me talk about the benefits of Codeacademy, Code.org and Scratch over the years but why not try something a little out of the ordinary that may be able to reach your student on a different level.

Codemoji

What is it, you ask?  Well it is a fun interactive way to learn to code using emoji characters.  Yes, I said emoji characters.  With this unique style of learning basic coding your students can master the concepts and the functions of coding without having to learn the actual language right off the start.  The coding "language" can be as different and daunting to students as much as learning a foreign language, which in fact could be considered a foreign language in and of itself.  Codemoji offers adaptable lessons for student learning at their own pace.  You can just go to their website and click on the Go Learn button and move through their tutorials.  If you create an account within the site you can keep track of your progress and pick up where you left off in a prior session.  This allows your students to progress at their own pace and move back and forth within the lessons.  If you have students that are ready for a challenge you can have them click on the Go Play button which allows them to create their own webpage content and test it out to see what it looks like.

Go Learn

In this tutorial you are using a Playground testing area with the emoji's on the right side of the screen.  As students progress through the tutorials they will be required to drag and drop the emoji's onto the coding area of the screen.  When they feel they have completed the skill they can click Run Code and test out the code to see if it correct.  If they have not completed the skill correctly the system will identify the problem and will give the student the opportunity to correct the code and test it again before they move on to the next skill.  In the code window the student also has the opportunity to click a tab that will switch from the emoji code to the actual HTML coding.  This will give them an opportunity to see the actual code as they learn each new skill.

All in all the website seems to be yet another very quick and easy opportunity for students to get their feet wet with learning to code.  The adaptability of the site to change the learning outcome for the students based on their progression through the tutorials is very good and will help student to better understand what they are learning.  I would recommend that this is a definite add to your list of sites/apps that you can use with your students to help them learn coding.

video provided by: Codemoji via YouTube

Stop Motion Animation on a Budget in your Classroom.

We all love a good story, getting hooked as it keeps you on the edge of your seat as you wait impatiently in suspense for what comes next.  Have you ever wondered to yourself if that story could be changed ever so slightly so that it could literally come to life.  Now I know some of you just raised your hand, your eyebrow or smirked a little thinking hey Evan isn't that what movie studios are for?  Well in some way that's correct but how many of us have 1000's of dollars to put a movie together.  I know that I do not have that kind of money just like many other teachers as well.

You could try things out using Stop Motion Animation as an activity to extend the learning in your classroom.  How many stories have you read to or had your students read where you thought you could extend the learning by having them create a product, maybe an animated movie?  How about those social studies facts that could translate into an individual or class project?  Maybe some of those science experiments which yielded ground breaking discoveries.  Why not try it out and see what could happen.

Now I have looked through numerous websites and other resources to learn about how to create Stop Motion Animation videos and by far I am no expert on the subject based on what I have read.  I am just someone that can share a little information that could possibly offer up some fun and creativity for your students in your classroom.

The big question now is how do you start and how much is this going to cost?  Let me address the cost issues right now.  I am one of those big proponents for anything free or at such a low cost that it is ridiculous, because I am always looking for it due to working in education.  So let's take a look a a few things that you may have around you right now.

What you need: besides a location to create your stop motion movie which just needs to be a clear space.  A camera - that is the easiest one.  You probably have a few items that you can use that you did not even think about.

• Laptop
• Document Camera
• Digital Camera
• Tablet device
• Cell Phone

Supplies: there are a myriad of things that you can use and of course some of them can be free since you may already have access to them right now in your own home or there are students that have brought them into the classroom.  You can even, and I have done this, ask around to see who has some of these items that they no longer want.

• A light source
• Clay
• Play Doh
• legos
• Action Figures
• Dolls
• Paper
• Construction Paper

Now the most important thing you need to get started is the idea.  You want to make sure that you keep it to something that can be done fairly quickly where your students will succeed at it.  Once you have your idea set then have your students begin creating their story boards of the project.  You can provide students with a rubric that outlines your expectations, you can use Rubistar to create one if you want otherwise MS Excel or Google Sheets are good choices.  Have then write a script that can either be be done as a voice over or could be done as panels in the video.  Let them choose their supplies to create the video and then let them have some fun.  Let them be as creative as they want to be.

Now if you need to or want to use an App there are more than a few out there that you can use, but just to remind you of the title of my blog post.  We want to keep things on a budget, so here are a few FREE apps out there you could use.

• iMovie - iOS
• Stop Motion Studio - iOS
• PicPac Stop Motion & timelapse - Andriod
• Stop Motion Animator - Chromebook

This is just a few and by all means please share apps that you use in the comments below.

Quick and Easy Green-screening for School News

Have you ever wondered how they do all those neat effects in the movies or how they do the weather broadcasts on your favorite news show?  Its called green-screening, and it is a whole lot of fun and really easy to do.  Yes I said easy to do.

Recently a school in the district that I work for asked me about kicking their news show up a notch by doing something with green-screening and they did not know where to start.  

So, where do you really start?  I have worked with many schools to help them add green screening into their news shows and there is a different process to go through for each school( that is another blog post coming soon ).  So here is the good and the bad of what I have found for this school.

I have researched many different methods of green-screening and have found one that I like more than others for the school that wants to just get started and needs something that is really quick and easy to get started with that has a small learning curve.

The Good:
I like Green Screen by Do Ink, which is an iPad app, it is very easy to use and setups in seconds.  From launching the app to recording your first video takes less than a minute as long as you have your environment set.  But why listen to me ramble on here about Do Ink when you can hear about it from them.  

Since Do Ink is an iPad app, you will have to make sure that all of your resources are loaded onto iPad ahead of time.  Then it is just a quick three steps and you are off to the races with your green screen video. Once you have recorded your video you can save it to the camera roll and that's it, that's all.

• Step 1: Click the Plus Sign to create a new project
• Step 2: Add your background image/video and/or live video
• Step 3: Click the Record button

Well, there is something else you will need and that is the Green background.  So what do you do?  Do you have to buy an expensive green screen in order to do this.  That answer is no.  All you need is something that is green, or blue, either will work with this app.  Now I have been working in schools for over 12 years and every time I am in one there is always a bulletin board with a paper background on it.  Yep, I said it.  You can use that same craft paper that you use for your bulletin boards.  

The Bad:
With all of the good things that Do Ink has going for it, the only thing I found that could be considered as bad is the $2.99 price tag for the app itself.  Hey and if that is the only thing, I could really just leave it out of the blog post.

All in all it is a great app that is very easy to use and for both teachers and students in the classroom.  It offers up some wonderful opportunities to extend learning both in and outside of the classroom for students, at least the ones I have worked with, because they are excited to use the the app and to create something with it.  Oh and the possibilities are limitless for what they can do with it.  Give it a try and see for yourself how Green Screen by Do Ink can make learning fun in your classroom.

Video provided by Do Ink via Vimeo/Youtube

Image provided by Evan Herreid in association w/MeadowlarkES

Adjust your Reading Habits with Google Search Tools

Recently I was working with a group of fourth grade teachers on North Carolina Lighthouses and the comment came up from one of the teachers.  "Doing a Google search is difficult for some of our students because they are not able to understand some of what they are reading.  I wish there was an easier way for them to research material that is more aligned to how they read."  I let them know that Google has a built in feature that would allow them to filter their search results by reading level.  The looks I received from the group were more along the lines of how Mr. Spock raised and inquisitive eyebrow to Captain Kirk.  Of course the next thing I knew we were hip deep going step by step through the process of figuring out what to do.  I had not seen a group of teachers this engaged in a while and with a tool that I thought everyone knew about.  Boy was I wrong.  

If you have not used the Google Reading Level filter here is a quick three step tutorial on how to get things setup and working.

• Enter your Search material into the Google Search box.
• Click on the Search tools button after Google displays your search results.
• Click on the All results drop down menu and select Reading level

The search results will then be reorganized according to the reading level and displayed by Google in a table similar to the one below.  Google identifies the reading levels as Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.

One additional option with the table above is that it is functional, so you could click on Intermediate and it will reorder your search results one step further.

I have to say that I had a great time working with this group of teachers and they were very appreciative of the information that I had shared with and showed them how to use in a classroom setting with students.  Most told me later that they used the Google Reading level filter on their next research topic with their students.  

It seems, to me, to be a tool that does not get enough credit for what it could do for students.  So give it a try, and see for yourself, the next time you are working with students on a research topic to see if things make more sense.  

School News: Teachable Moments Can Be Awesome

There’s a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in education and in life called the Teachable Moment. 

Now this can be characterized by some sort of learning that is happening between students and teachers or between parents and children.  It can be planned out as part of an activity or it can be spontaneous.  Which is better? 

It would depend on who you ask as to the response you receive.  That in itself could be considered a teachable moment. 

Me I like, or prefer, the unplanned spontaneous kind.

That being said, I witnessed a teachable moment today while I was at a school and for me it was an eye opening experience.  While working with a school today on their first news broadcast you could say that everything that could go wrong went wrong.

•       The sound did not work
•       A computer did not power up
•       The teleprompter did not work
•       The camera kept shutting off
•       The crew was late

Hey it happens so we drop back and punt and prepare for the next day.

In the mist of the chaos, the students took it upon themselves to figure out what the problems were, how to fix them and how to help each other to ensure a successful broadcast the next day.

I became a bystander as I watched these students diagnose and work through the problems that had happened during the morning broadcast. 

As one student determined what the problem was they would gather the rest of the news crew around and showed them how to fix the issue. 

This was something that I had not seen in some of the other schools that I have worked with in the past.  Usually students would just accept that there was a problem and then leave and go on with their day, maybe hoping that the problems would fix themselves. 

I expressed to their faculty mentor that this was something that I had not witnessed in other schools and it was incredible to see coming from middle school students.

Yes it was a teachable moment for the students to fix the issues and work with each other but I think that it may have been more of a teachable moment for me in that it was something that I had not expected and impressed me greatly.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks via photopin cc

School News: Making A Difference

Well it is hard to believe that it is the end of the school year and I have not written my third installment of School News.  I have been working hard with a number of schools in the area to help them develop their news program from the ground up or to improve existing shows to make them more informative and interactive.   The teachers and students have expressed how much fun it has been to have a news show at their schools and that they want to keep it going each year.

When it comes to having a school news program within a school, I have heard a lot of the negatives.  From this is taking away from instructional time to why would students want to do this?  There are just as many pros as there are cons to having a news program at a school.  For those where negatives outweigh the positives I can only offer some testimonials from schools where it has made a difference, whether in the classroom or to an individual student.  

I asked some of the teachers that I have been involved with over the year to share their thoughts on the school news program and how, if any, it has effected their students, classrooms and schools.

What Educators have said:

• "Doing TV announcements was so motivational for my students. The hands-on guys took right to the technical aspect of setting up the equipment. Some of those guys were disengaged until we started videotaping."
• "Many of my students have also become leaders among their peers and much more confident overall."
• "The greatest benefit that I have seen from our school news is that the students are gaining a different understanding of responsibility and team work."
• "They have taken ownership of the show and have been faced with many real-world situations and have had to come up with creative solutions to solve problems that have arose."
• "The school news is the students' time to shine. Not only are they excited to be seen by the whole school, they really work hard to read carefully and speak clearly because they know that everyone is listening and needs the information they are presenting"
• "I have noticed that my students have become much more confident in their speaking abilities"

One of the quotes I appreciated the most was this one from one of our High School Journalism teachers.  "Two of my students plan to take the video broadcasting course during the North Carolina Scholastic Media Institute in June."  I know that she is very happy for her students that have taken it upon themselves to continue their learning through attending this summer institute.  

I along with my colleagues attempt to strive to help teachers to spark curiosity in our students to help make their goals attainable and to motivate them to succeed.  For the schools that I have worked with this seems to have rung true.  The teachers have sparked curiosity in their students to learn the process involved in creating a news program. Also, whether or not they admit to it, I think those educators have gotten the spark to continue to strive and learn as well.

photo credit: ASU_Cronkite via photopin cc

Preparing Rising 6 & 9th Graders with Multimedia

As a 6 and 9th grade teacher you prepare every year to get a brand new crop of wide eyed students that have no idea of what they are in for as they move into Middle and High School.  Most of these students will not get much information in the way of what to expect as they move from one school to the next.  This is a big step for either grade level.  So what can we do to prepare them?

Most of these students will not know what to expect until the first day of school.  It can be overwhelming to some perplexing to others and even frightful to a few.  So how do we help prepare our students for the next level of our education?  Well let's see if we can reach them on their level and make it fun and make it fun at the same time.  Why not create a real world scenario using Problem-Based Learning to have your current students design a video for incoming students to help ease their minds and answer some of their questions.

It makes a good argument for teachers to build off the Research Writing that falls into the fourth quarter curriculum.  As well it can bring in needed Information Technology Essential Standards that may not normally be seen in the classroom on a regular basis.

The Scenario:

You are a rising 6/9th grade student and you do not know what to expect from the school that you are getting ready to start in the fall.  What information would you want to know about ahead of time so that you are prepared on the first day of school?

From this your students should be able to:

research information about the school

create a list of possible questions 

produce a video outlining what a rising student would need to know.

So then it comes down to what do you need to know to be a 6/9th grader?  Have your students collaborate to come up with ideas on what the most important things are that they should share about the school.  Let them be as creative as they want to be, the sky is the limit.  Some of your students will more than likely surprise you with what they come up with.  

It is a great focusing activity for the end of the year as well for your students that might be starting to tune out due to the impending summer vacation.  Most will not even realize that they are doing something curriculum based or part of a lesson because they will be entrenched in creating a video project.  

Who knows you might have a up and coming screenwriter, director or actor in your class and this will become the launching pad for their career.  

photo credit: MACSD via photopin cc

What's In A House, What Can You Live Without?

So I recently decided to put my home on the market to see if I could take advantage of the recent uptrend in home sales in my area.  

When I decided to do this I panicked a little bit, not because I would have to keep my home clean - that is easy, because I would have to pack up all the gizmos, gadgets and other technology items that I use every single day!

The first week I was frazzled because I was trying to figure out what I could actually do without while my home is on the market.  

I sat down and looked at what I have and how I used it.  

The work technology vs. the home technology was an easy compromise because I figured I would not worry about the work tech except for my work phone.  

When it came down to figuring out my personal technology, that was the hardest part.  

What to do with all the actual gizmos, gadgets and computer equipment I own.  This is when the panic really set in.  

I never realized, even being a Digital Immigrant, how much I rely on technology in every part of my life.  With a lot of effort I paired down to what I thought I actually needed to keep.  

So here is what I did as my personal technology purge:  

• I need to have access to email but do I really need a computer or laptop for this?  
• I need to pay my bills, can I go old school and write checks?  
• Now the mobile devices, how many does one person really need to have at the ready?  

I also looked at my "massive" video collection I had amassed over the years and the video equipment that goes along with it.  I never knew there were places locally that would buy used movies and I was able to sell the box I had put together.   

So in a nutshell I reduced all of my tech down to one single computer that I do everything from.  I still have both my work and personal cell phones but outside of that nothing else.  

I was surprised that everything that I thought I needed I really didn't.  

As the weeks have gone by now I have come to a realization that maybe I really didn't need to have all of the electronic stuff around after all.  

I even noticed a change, however small, in my electric bill too and that was nice to see.  So maybe I really do not need to have all of that electronic stuff around me all of the time.  

Or maybe I just need to move more often.... Nah.  

photo credit: mystuart via photopin cc

What's In A Web Page - Things You Should Be Sharing. Part II

Reviewing and getting your students ready for testing always seems to be a daunting task but think of making things easier because as you prepare your students in the classroom for what they will need to know for the testing why not remind them and their parents from your teacher website. It would be great to add information onto your website that will help students beyond the classroom.  

Even if that page starts out with a reminder to the parents that testing is coming up and that their children should be ready for test day by getting plenty of sleep the night before and eat something on the morning of the test.  

A great web page to create would also be one that has the same information abbreviated that you are going over in class on the web with web links they can go to for further information.  

If you are a teacher that will not be changing grade levels or subject areas this page is now available ongoing for your students and parents as a reminder of what is coming up in the fourth quarter.  

Talking with other teachers can help you if you change grade levels or subject areas because you could share your information with them and visa versa so your web site stays up to date.  

With the summer months coming up you also want to have information on your site again that promotes yourself, your class and your school so if there are any potentially new students coming in they will be able to make an informed decision to attend that school.  

Other types of easy quick web pages that you could add to your site:

• A summer reading list for both incoming and outgoing students.  
• A list of local summer locations and activities that offer a learning environment in which students are interactive and a part of the learning process.  
• A page that talks about what students can expect as they enter the new school year in your classroom.  

What other types of pages could you create on your website that would offer the most information?  How about an individual page per Quarter that outlines what you are doing if you are an Elementary teacher.  If you are a subject area teacher you can put that class syllabus on the site.  How about those always great self-promoting pages that outline a great lesson, an incredible learning activity or field trip.  You can create a homework page that lets your students know when assignments are due.  

If you are a Magnet school you can have a page dedicated to outline your school classroom for the time of the year when Parents are looking to enroll their child(ren) into these schools.  Or as a Kindergarten teacher you can have a page that talks about all of the wonderful learning that is going on in your classroom for Parents during Kindergarten registration.  

With all things being said if you do some upfront work on your web page it will pay off in the long run with continued views from students, parents and community members.  It will ensure that the information you are sharing is up to date because all you will have to do ongoing is make small changes to keep things current.  And it will guarantee that you sell sell sell what you are doing in your classroom to get the buy in from whomever is looking at your website.

photo credit: w4nd3rl0st (InspiredinDesMoines) via photopin cc

Geddit And Don't Forget It

So I found an interesting new site today that I thought I would share with you.  for some this might be old hat for others its brand new and you will really like it.

Let me start with some questions:
How many times does a student come up to you after the class to say that they really do not understand the material?
How often in class do you ask a question where you get the blank stairs or no one raises their hands?

In your mind you may be thinking that the students did not do their work, or just don't care.  But what if there was a student that really does not understand the material but is just afraid to ask questions.  Geddit allows you as the teacher to know how your students are doing at anytime during the class.  It gives a voice to the student that is afraid to ask the question.  As the teacher you can do some Formative Assessment by asking them a question on the fly by sending it to them silently.  The student can tell the teacher silently through the App or site by clicking on the bar graph and sending it to the teacher.  A student can even get the teachers attention by raising their virtual hand.  The one thing that I see is that it help with differentiated instruction by allowing the teacher to see students strengths and weaknesses an then be able to react to them quickly.  Maybe by grouping students that understand the concepts with those who do not for some peer assistance and collaboration.

Above is a quick video about Geddit, what it is and how it works.  The product is platform independent so as long as you have a Wifi enabled device and/or computer connected to the web you can use Geddit.  In the iPad App store you can search for Geddit and download it, or you can open any browser and go to letsgeddit.com to use the product.  When you get to the site there are just two options, Sign in as a Teacher or Sign in as a Student.  As a teacher you will create your account setup your class and give your students a code to join your class.  It is completely protected from outside influence since you need a code to join.  According to the website creators there is no requirements, or limitations, when it comes to age.  The site is very easy to use and set up, within minutes I had my account created, class setup, app downloaded, website up and created a generic student log in and was testing everything out.

Tune in next week for some ideas on how this can be used in the classroom. 

What's In A Web Page - Things You Should Be Sharing. Part I

Let me start by asking you this question… 

What do you do when you open a web page to a site that you think has information about spring and Summer clothing and it is still talking about the upcoming fall collection?  

You would open up another web page with the information on it that you are looking for....right?  

That is the same thing that happens if a parent, community member or even your students do when they go to your web site and there is no information available that they are looking for.  They go somewhere else, and that is not good.  

I see this every day in what I do both in and outside of the school system.  I admit that I may not have the best patience when it comes to outdated web pages but just think about this scenario:

• I am a parent, living out of state, who is moving to the area this summer and I need to figure out what school I want my child to go to in the fall.  
• I start looking into the schools that are close to my new home and when I check the teachers’ websites many of them still say "Welcome to the new school year" or "Have a Wonderful Holiday Break."  

That would not be a great way for a prospective parent to start their search of a new school for their child.  This may even cause that parent to reconsider attending a school in the area based on their first impressions of what they see on a teacher’s web page.  

Think of it this way, your web site is selling a product.  Whether that product is something that is tangible that you can hold in your hand or an idea of what there is to offer.  If the web site is not current or full of non-relevant information you will lose the sale, and in a game of numbers could mean the difference between an extra classroom of students and a teacher or combining classrooms of students and losing a teacher.  

What if you are applying for and/or are receiving a grant and part of the requirements are that you keep a current account of activities on your website.  You may lose the grant because of an out of date web page or site.

This scenario may seem extreme and some of you may be saying: 

• "No way, that's not me." 
• "I keep my web page up to date."
• "My students won't go to my webpage so why bother."
• Some may be saying "It doesn't matter because a parent will see the school web page before mine and that is all they need to see."  

But let me tell you more often than not those first impressions are the ones that stick regardless of how good you or your school is.  

So let’s get away from the negative and look towards some positives.  Just some simple things that can enhance your websites to keep them informative and current for anyone that may be looking at them.

Let’s start with today, we are in the final week of March and we all know what will be starting up at the beginning of April.  Yes, its review and testing time.  Raise your hands if you agree that you will spend the bulk of the quarter reviewing for a week of testing, then retesting.  Caught you, some of you actually raised your hands and that's OK.  

Join me next week to keep in the loop as I talk more about ways to keep your web site up to date. 

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Sports Broadcasting 101

I have been working very hard the past couple of months with a number of different schools both in and out of my district to help guide and build their School News broadcasts. Now I get to delve into another medium that is just a little aside from where I have been going along for a while now.  It is time to get into Sports Broadcasting.   This is something that really has my interest peaked, and I am ready for a new challenge.

I never really thought about separating the sports news from the regular school newscast, I had always just thought it would be a part of the norm.  But a couple of weeks ago I was approached by a colleague regarding the ability within our system to deliver live broadcasts of sporting events including student commentary.  That got me thinking, some of the people I work directly with would say its dangerous, about all of the schools that are already recording their sporting events and the ones that have school newscasts.  This would provide some versatility to the students at the school to be able to go to certain sporting events and record their thoughts on the games as well get some live footage. 

In some of the middle and high schools that I have worked with the hook for some students to get involved was to make sure that there was a sports report as part of the broadcast.  With this possibly becoming an independent broadcast the amount of interest, I think, will grow to the point that it may become a part of the curriculum.

Stay tuned for more information and how the journey begins.



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First Look: Lumens DC-125 Document Camera

Let's take a look at the new DC-125 Document Camera from Lumens.  I recently got the opportunity to take a look at this little wonder.  Yes this device is smaller than its other family members from Lumens, close to one half the size of the others in the line.

Now just like the rest of the model lines from Lumens over the years the DC-125 also has a flexible armature, commonly known as a "Flex Arm" design, that allows for ease of movement so that you can really get up close and personal with the objects that you viewing.

When I unpacked the DC-125 the first thing I noticed is that there was no Infra-Red eye on the front of the base.  So no remote control is needed in order to run this model.  That's great, one less thing for me and probably some other to lose.  I know in talking with some educators they are always concerned about keeping up with remote controls.  Also the base is simplified with only four buttons.  You will see Lamp, Freeze, Capture and Auto Tune buttons but one button that you may be familiar with.  Figured it out yet... yep no power button.  That's because you do not need to have one to use this model document camera.  One other main factor that you will notice on the base is only one connection point.  A simple USB connector to the computer.  This model does not even have a power cord with it, everything is run through the USB cable.  All power, video and sound, yes I said sound.  This model has a built in microphone and an audio driver that allows the computer to utilize the document camera as an external microphone.  I will talk more about that later.

The lens is another change from the norm, you will notice that there are no moving mechanical parts.  This model only has a digital zoom lens on it which makes for easier focusing of the lens on the objects which are being looked at.  You will also notice that there is a simple LED light with no additional light arm as seen in other models from Lumens.  On the back, or top, of the lens is where you will find the built in microphone.  You will also noticed that there are a couple of notches next to the lens that will allow you to place an connector on the lens so you can use the device with a microscope.

So the Good on this little gem is that what you see is what you get.  Even though there does not seem to be a lot to the DC-125 it packs a punch.  You still have all of the features that its larger family members have with less you have to deal with.  In this case simpler is better, even using the Ladibug 2.0 software is easier and more straight forward to use.  It all seems to be put together with the teacher in mind, just plug in the USB cable and turn on the software that's it nothing else.

Another positive for the DC-125 is its ease of integration with other computer software.  I was able to successfully use the device with different whiteboard software loaded on my computer.  I quickly was able to use the device with web-based sites that both allows for audio and video integration.  Even with Skype, which has been an issue since Skype upgraded beyond version 4.2.  With the DC-125 I plugged it in turned on Skype and not only did I get the video but also the audio.

One Bad thing I noticed on the DC-125 is that the built in microphone is located on the top of the head unit. The placement may not be the best if you are going to use the camera recording feature because the microphone will be pointing away from the person talking if you have the lens turned upward.  A small design change would put the mic in the base for easier accessibility.  All in all the DC-125 is a well rounded document camera that is very easy to use with not a lot that can go wrong.

Games in the Classroom

How many times have you asked a student to put away their cell phone because when you asked them what they were doing they said playing a game.  How often do you take your students into the computer lab to do an assignment or project and you catch them playing games on the computers.  Why is it that we are so adamant about keeping games out of the classroom?  Or is it that we don't want students attentions drawn towards things other than ourselves.

I have seen, heard, tried and attempted to play a lot of the games that are out there on the market over the years and have come to the realization that I've always considered them just games.  I never looked at them as Educational tools.  At one point I even thought the idea of putting a student in front of a computer or video game console amusing.  

What changed my mind?... Timing.  That's what did it.  What do I mean by timing, well its just that growing up I was a part of the generation who saw game development and design progress from Pong to Sonic the Hedge Hog to Skyrim, Diablo III and Call of Duty.  Whether or not it was a computer or console based game you have to admit even over the past 10 years they have evolved exponentially through graphics, story-line and online capabilities.  Should we put students in front of these games?  We did, how many of you remember playing "Oregon Trail" growing up in school?  This game has spanned almost two generations since its original release date in 1971 with 10 additional re-releases through to 2011.  What did it teach you?  I remember never to drink the water you would always get some sort of disease.  How many history teachers would have brought "Age of Empires" or "Caesar" into the classroom to help teach concepts of roman civilization and progression through time.  What about "Call of Duty" or "Company of Heroes" to help discuss the second world war.  Not necessarily the best examples I know but there is someone out there who has made a case to bring these games into the classroom to use as part of the curriculum somewhere along the way.  Hey you could even argue that "Assassin's Creed III" is an excellent way to help students understand the beginnings of the Revolutionary War.

But why should we do this, why should we include games as part of the curriculum.  Now I am not talking about bringing your console in and hooking it up the classroom for a co-op mission on "Call of Duty" no way.  But rather saying how can we be smarter and use to our advantage what students are already doing outside of schools right now.

How about putting the shoe on the other foot and letting students create their own games to play in class.  Programs like Minecraft, Quest Atlantis, Scratch and Alice are helping to break down the barriers to educational gaming because it makes the subject material fun for students.  They seem to be motivated to learn and are driven to want to learn more through the games.  The funny thing is that most of the time the students do not realize that they are actually learning skills through gaming.  Higher order thinking skills, sequencing, problem solving and the biggest thing is that in some cases they are learning to write code.  Scratch and Alice allow students to move blocks around and connect then on a palate in order to see an action in the view screen.  Games like Minecraft and Quest Atlantis are helping to reinforce concepts in class which make the learning process fun for students.

Why not try it out to see if you like it.  Join in the Week of Code and spend a little time writing, whoops I mean playing to see if you like it.  Then let your students join in your fun.  Try out Code.org to see what its all about and who knows you or one of your students may turn out to write the next best selling game on the market.  

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School News: Drum Up Some Business

Let’s see, equipment… check, location… check, now that you have these things setup what’s next?  Hmm… oh yeah I need some backing to make sure that the School News is a success.

Me, I’m always one to get permission first rather than ask for forgiveness later.  So I would first talk to your school Principal about this new opportunity at the school to help students with literacy, vocabulary, reading, digital-citizenship, self-confidence and presentation skills.  How do throwing out these words help?  That is exactly what having a school news show will do for the students that are a part of the program!  Even for students that already seem to have a good grasp on vocabulary and reading can be challenged because of the presentation component. 

It’s a challenge for you as well being the teacher that has decided to take on this role, as the “Trailblazer” at your school.  If you get the ok from the Principal it is now time to get the ok from the other teachers.  Here is when having a ready to go sample broadcast where you are in front of the camera to show comes in handy.  They will get to see how you react in front of the camera, consider their student reactions and then make a decision.  You could even show the sample broadcast school-wide to students to get their reactions and interest level.  In the schools that I have seen this done the students excited about the prospect of being on the school news cast. 

With that being said now you have to figure out the process to get your students working with you on the news.  I have a few steps that seem to have worked in the past and will share them here.  By all means this is not the end all be all and you may have additional steps or comments about the process, I encourage you to leave me comments at the bottom of the article.

Step 1:  Setting up your Broadcast Team

You want to create the roles/jobs that the students will be doing as a part of the broadcast team.  Anchors, Writers, Production to name a few.  And you want to set a limit on the number of students you will have as a part of the Broadcast Team.  You want to have at least enough so that if someone is out or late there is someone to fill in.

Step 2:  Application Process

Yes I said application.  You want to have an application that students will fill out just as they would for a job.  This will give them some real world experience for life after school.  How you create the application is up to you but some things to consider including as well as the job description is a discipline policy that covers actions in and out of the classroom.  This would also outline dismissal from the broadcast team for student

infractions.  A photo release that needs to be signed by a parent or guardian. You will also want to make sure that you have writing samples from each student and notify them that they will have to complete an on camera live audition using their own material.  During this process it seems that as students want to get involved others that were on the fence come out of the wood work to apply and you tend to have far more than you could ever use.  But the great thing for this is that you will have a steady stream of backups should something happen.  If you have enough interest you could set up a rotation with multiple groups of students.

Once you have all of your applications in and have selected your team now it is time to get the magic started!

Step 3:  Putting the Pieces together

Now that you have identified the students who will be a part of the broadcast team it’s time to get things started. 

Production Team Training: Even though you have assigned everyone to their positions it would probably be best to train everyone on how to use the equipment just in case someone is not there.  The reason for this is that at some point you want this to become self-sufficient where the student have total control of the news show.

Writers:  You want to give your writers a standard script that they need to follow but that they can update and change daily.  That also have to be turned in ahead of time for review and rewrite if necessary.  Here are some standard items you can put in the script.

Daily Announcements, Birthdays, Lunch menu, Weather, Upcoming Events and Recognitions (students & teachers).  Many of these things can be done a couple of days ahead especially things like birthdays, menu and weather.  This can make things easier for students to turn in.  Also you can allow the students to research other things to put in the script.  Items like a word, joke or quote of the day, an interesting fact, something that happened in history on this date.

Anchors: The face of your newscast that can make or break the success of the broadcast.  Something that your anchors need to understand is that they need to be dressed appropriately each and every day that they are on the air.  They are representing the entire school whether or not they are on the air or not.  There are more Do’s and Don’ts for this group than the others because of being in front of the camera.  Practice is also a key component, ask them to go over the script in front of you.  Encourage them to practice at home, in front of a mirror or with others on the broadcast team.  This will help them to get over some of the jitters of being in front of the camera and help steady their speech and nervous tendencies. 

Just having these few things setup prior to jumping into the deep end will prevent a lot of problems down the road and make your School News a success. 

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