Conversations abound regarding website development and design. What is good, what is appropriate, what is functional? Some say you can never have too much, others have a minimalist approach. Do you put the fancy animated logo that rotates and flashes or a plain static logo that gets the point across?
My personal philosophy... "less is more." I struggle sometimes when searching for information on the web because sites are too busy, or there is too much going on that it distracts from what you're looking for. I have also seen sites that are great and have specific content I am looking for but takes me five to ten minutes to locate it because it is buried under multiple layers.
I recently read the article "Build it Better" which outlines a number of educational institutions that have recently undergone a total redesign of their school web page sites. This short, to the point article provides additional viewpoints on what a good website has to offer the public.
4 main topics are covered in the article, "Pepper the site with links," "Many Moving Parts," "A Look of Continuity" and "Colors Matter." Each topic provides some insight and background testimonials from school districts that have recently undergone a redesign of their web site. The information in this article can provide insight to anyone who is thinking of creating or redesigning their personal or professional website.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Learning by doing... is it better?
I have always been a hands on learner. If I can do it as I am learning it is beneficial to my learning curve. There are many others out there in the world that learn the same way. Do you think that our students learn the same way? In today's "plugged in" world I think that it is true.
What about your Science students grades 4-6? What if there was a resource that allows them to get hands on learning... and lets you give them a Certificate when they complete each lesson.
Take a look at Siemens Science Day. This website gives students in grades 4-6 Science classes the ability to get some hands on learning. You have videos, hands-on activities and other information that will help them learn Life, Earth and Physical Science.
What do you do to get started? You do have to create an account, I know not another password to remember. Once you create an account just choose one of the subject area topics, have the students watch the video, then pass out the printable worksheets for the activity and let them start working. The subject topic gives you a difficulty level associated with it, a summary of the topic and is also aligned with national science curriculum.
Have fun and take a look at this with your students and give them the opportunity to learn Science in a fun and inviting way.
Oh yeah.. one last thing to look at while you are on the site. You could also win the Ultimate Cool School Science Day Sweepstakes. The contest runs through March 2, 2009. So enter often and soon so that you have a chance to with the prize. What do you get? Here is an explanation of what you get "The winning teacher will win a spellbinding assembly for his/her school that is not only fun and interactive, but also underscores the importance of science literacy and the need for science resources among schools. Discovery Networks will lead the assembly, which will consist of videos, mind benders and interactive demonstrations."
What about your Science students grades 4-6? What if there was a resource that allows them to get hands on learning... and lets you give them a Certificate when they complete each lesson.
Take a look at Siemens Science Day. This website gives students in grades 4-6 Science classes the ability to get some hands on learning. You have videos, hands-on activities and other information that will help them learn Life, Earth and Physical Science.
What do you do to get started? You do have to create an account, I know not another password to remember. Once you create an account just choose one of the subject area topics, have the students watch the video, then pass out the printable worksheets for the activity and let them start working. The subject topic gives you a difficulty level associated with it, a summary of the topic and is also aligned with national science curriculum.
Have fun and take a look at this with your students and give them the opportunity to learn Science in a fun and inviting way.
Oh yeah.. one last thing to look at while you are on the site. You could also win the Ultimate Cool School Science Day Sweepstakes. The contest runs through March 2, 2009. So enter often and soon so that you have a chance to with the prize. What do you get? Here is an explanation of what you get "The winning teacher will win a spellbinding assembly for his/her school that is not only fun and interactive, but also underscores the importance of science literacy and the need for science resources among schools. Discovery Networks will lead the assembly, which will consist of videos, mind benders and interactive demonstrations."
Have you ever had an AHA! moment?
I was sitting in a meeting the other day with a group of educators and we were discussing ways to integrate technology and the curriculum seamlessly that would make teachers more comfortable and less likely to run. When I say run I am talking about full bore sprinting away from using technology in the classroom.
Talk came round and round to the same point that teachers are overwhelmed with the everyday tasks that are put on them and sometimes can not get their head above water. I have numerous friends that say it is all they can do sometimes just to get kids to sit down in their seats let alone try to introduce them to curriculum that has a technological component to it. "When do I have time to learn," some say. "If you do not show me how I can use it in my subject area I will never use it after the training," are what others say.
So comes the AHA moment. I get it now where it had not really clicked before. I have been going into school after school showing these educators the technology, over and over again until I can recite verbatim the training in my sleep. I don't need props anymore because it is so repetitive that I seem to sleep through everything.
So now comes the retraining of the trainer. I now have to relearn what I have learned so that I can make it viable for everyone that I am working with. Personalize it as some would say so that it makes sense to the educators that are sitting there like their students. I am not sure how it is going to go, or what changes I will make. Stay tuned for my personal journey to make life easier for the 20th Century teacher in a 21st Century classroom.
Talk came round and round to the same point that teachers are overwhelmed with the everyday tasks that are put on them and sometimes can not get their head above water. I have numerous friends that say it is all they can do sometimes just to get kids to sit down in their seats let alone try to introduce them to curriculum that has a technological component to it. "When do I have time to learn," some say. "If you do not show me how I can use it in my subject area I will never use it after the training," are what others say.
So comes the AHA moment. I get it now where it had not really clicked before. I have been going into school after school showing these educators the technology, over and over again until I can recite verbatim the training in my sleep. I don't need props anymore because it is so repetitive that I seem to sleep through everything.
So now comes the retraining of the trainer. I now have to relearn what I have learned so that I can make it viable for everyone that I am working with. Personalize it as some would say so that it makes sense to the educators that are sitting there like their students. I am not sure how it is going to go, or what changes I will make. Stay tuned for my personal journey to make life easier for the 20th Century teacher in a 21st Century classroom.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
We Are...
Some faculty members at a local school had never seen Photo Story 3, Movie Maker or heard of a vodcast before a couple of months ago. Now they have created a number of vodcasts representing their school. Here is their latest creation. Enjoy it and read some of the comments on how they created this. My hats off to them for coming so far so fast.
"Making the storyboard first was probably one of the most helpful tools because I knew exactly what kind of pictures I needed and where they needed to go in the sequence of the story. I love creating these stories and can't wait to learn more about editing videos. "...
"I wanted the video to have a clear message, but I wanted the words to come through powerfully yet subtly. In order to do that, I decided to have a black background with the words written in red. I felt the contrast between the bright colors and the dark background would give it intensity, but the lack of narration would give it a visual effect. I also wanted the phrases to be short, and the meanings (and pictures) present contrasting images between the old and the new."...
"...The classroom no longer has to be contained in four walls. The traditional walls of old school education are crumbling. When I thought of wall crumbling, I wanted a visual effect to enhance that image and phrase which is why I searched for a transitional effect that would make the slide look like it was falling or crumbling to reveal a world beyond. The word slides are made using the PowerPoint program, and I saved the slides in the presentation as separate J-PEG images."...
"Making the storyboard first was probably one of the most helpful tools because I knew exactly what kind of pictures I needed and where they needed to go in the sequence of the story. I love creating these stories and can't wait to learn more about editing videos. "...
"I wanted the video to have a clear message, but I wanted the words to come through powerfully yet subtly. In order to do that, I decided to have a black background with the words written in red. I felt the contrast between the bright colors and the dark background would give it intensity, but the lack of narration would give it a visual effect. I also wanted the phrases to be short, and the meanings (and pictures) present contrasting images between the old and the new."...
"...The classroom no longer has to be contained in four walls. The traditional walls of old school education are crumbling. When I thought of wall crumbling, I wanted a visual effect to enhance that image and phrase which is why I searched for a transitional effect that would make the slide look like it was falling or crumbling to reveal a world beyond. The word slides are made using the PowerPoint program, and I saved the slides in the presentation as separate J-PEG images."...
Friday, February 6, 2009
BlackBerry for Kids?
Leap Frog announces a BlackBerry for kids. That's right, I said a BlackBerry for children. Kids can be just like mom and dad now with their own BlackBerry or "Text & Learn" as dubbed by Leap Frog.
The device offers a full Qwerty keyboard, allows them to send their own text messages. It has a mock online browser and because it is from Leap Frog it has learning activities for kids ages 3 and up. Children can learn about the keyboard, letter matching and a calendar feature to help teach kids about the months of the year, shapes and how to follow the directions. When does it hit the shelves you ask? It looks like it will be a summer release.
The price you ask, 19.99 in British pounds or approx. 25-29 US Dollars, not very much at all compared to the cost of the current Blackberry on the market.
Image provided by: cnet news
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Bridging the Gap: English
As an English teacher do you find it difficult to integrate technology into your instructional day?
Wouldn't it be nice to have a reference guide or road map to help with curriculum/technology integration?
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills(P21) and the National Council of Teachers of English(NCTE) have teamed up to offer a new Free resource which can aid in integrating 21st century skills into the curriculum.
The 21st Century Skills Map for English provides English teachers with examples of how some of the 21st century skills can be incorporated into classroom instruction. This document provides ideas for adapting and molding collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking and other skills students need into their curriculum .
The road map provides sample lesson plans and various ways of bridging the gap between the current text-based methdology and its web 2.0 integrated counterpart. Resources and information are available for use with grades 4, 8 and 12 to help foster student achievement.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a reference guide or road map to help with curriculum/technology integration?
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills(P21) and the National Council of Teachers of English(NCTE) have teamed up to offer a new Free resource which can aid in integrating 21st century skills into the curriculum.
The 21st Century Skills Map for English provides English teachers with examples of how some of the 21st century skills can be incorporated into classroom instruction. This document provides ideas for adapting and molding collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking and other skills students need into their curriculum .
The road map provides sample lesson plans and various ways of bridging the gap between the current text-based methdology and its web 2.0 integrated counterpart. Resources and information are available for use with grades 4, 8 and 12 to help foster student achievement.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"Copyright" - Enough Said
What can we do to help everyone get on the same page with Copyright Guidelines? How can we make any and all information available to everyone so that informed decisions can be made when it comes to using digital materials in the classroom.
Someone has gone and made it a little bit more simplified. The Temple University Media Education Lab, along with National Association for Media Literacy Education, the Action Coalition for Media Education, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Visual Communication Studies Division of the International Communication Association have all collaborated on their most recent project.
This project was to develop a an easier format to aid educators in understanding copyright when using "digital materials in teaching and learning." They have created the "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education." This document was created to help educators in making good and appropriate decisions on how they use copyrighted material.
You can also watch the pre-recorded launch event from November 2008. As well read more about it from the Temple website.
Someone has gone and made it a little bit more simplified. The Temple University Media Education Lab, along with National Association for Media Literacy Education, the Action Coalition for Media Education, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Visual Communication Studies Division of the International Communication Association have all collaborated on their most recent project.
This project was to develop a an easier format to aid educators in understanding copyright when using "digital materials in teaching and learning." They have created the "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education." This document was created to help educators in making good and appropriate decisions on how they use copyrighted material.
You can also watch the pre-recorded launch event from November 2008. As well read more about it from the Temple website.
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