PESD Techno Stuff

Technology Integration Revisited

2011-11-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

Technology Integration has been a buzzword for as many years as there have been educational computer users groups. Back in the early 1980's teachers talked about using a single Apple II+ computer to have meaningful engagement of whole classes crowded around one tiny screen. I was brought in as a presenter for one such group (The Milwaukee Educational Computing Association aka MECA) on a Saturday morning over 30 years ago. I showed a group of eager educators how to use the graphic editor embedded in Broderbund's Print Shop program. What I got from that moment was a membership into the most giving, passionate community of teachers I ever had the pleasure of meeting. They gave up one Saturday a month to share everything they could with each other and inspire new members to become tech evangelists.

Although I did not have my teaching degree at the time, I continued to attend these meetings and the excitement these teachers brought to their classrooms made me realize that was what I wanted to do with my life. Although it took me a very long time, I went back to school and made sure that every step of the way was linked to technology. My university (UWM-Milwaukee) had an extraordinary two courses for new teachers taught by Dr. David Edyburn.
The first was Productivity for Classroom Teachers which made sure that new teachers were proficient in the latest pieces of productivity software at the time. This included Hypercard/Hyperstudio, WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, The Print Shop, and the newest of all e-mail and internet. We had to produce products we could use in our classrooms that proved that we were capable of using technology. We made schedules, calendars, posters, banners, worksheets, presentations, and more using all the basic tools. We also had to keep in touch with our small groups using e-mail and be able to do internet research. Each teacher in the class had a portfolio proving their ability.

The second class was Technology Integration and I still firmly believe what Dr. Edyburn said, "Do not simply add technology to a lesson. If the lesson is already good and the students are engaged and they learn the lesson well, leave it alone. Take a look at the lessons that are difficult for students and find a way to use technology to bump up the level of engagement and comprehension." That may be slightly paraphrased but the essence is, I believe, intact. We were put into small groups and our goal for the course was to create a fully integrated curricular unit that utilized technology. Step One was to identify a need.

I was put in with two prospective elementary teachers and we decided we would focus on 3rd Grade Math. We each talked to veteran 3rd Grade teachers and asked them what concept students found most difficult to understand. They all identified story problems as the culprit. So, ask yourself what in your classroom is the one thing that makes the kids' eyes glaze over? What do they struggle with in your content area? What concept is a bit dry and could use some pizzazz? That is the area on which you should focus to find meaningful technology integration.

Step two is to see what you have available to you right now. For many teachers, it is an interactive whiteboard setup given to you with the misconception that it would be the panacea to all technology needs and that you would fully embrace it because it was expensive. We all know that hasn't happened when we walk into a classroom and see an overhead projector shining a hand-made transparency up on the very misused SMART Board or Promethean. Worse, and I have seen this, is a huge chart paper set in front of the board.

Many districts did promote the use of the boards but not in a way that would jump start or sustain their use. I know teachers who took multiple "beginning" workshops, but never had anything in the intermediate or advanced range so they used the boards at a basic level for many years without progressing. Some districts gave workshops long before the teachers actually got the boards and by the time they got them, they had forgotten what they learned and their IT departments no longer existed for support.

Let's say you have an interactive board with little or no training, and you have identified a need in your classroom. This is exactly where you need to be to create meaningful engagement for your students. If you have one of the SMART products, you have access to a great set of teacher tools embedded in the SMART Notebook software that will have you creating engaging activities that support things like sorting and sequencing. There are also tons of teacher-created lessons online that can serve as a template for your own work.

To me, integrating technology into the curriculum is the same as integrating any curricular area. It has to be done in a meaningful way or it is superfluous.

The real key here is to work with lessons that need a bump. Why slap a shiny coat of technology on something that is already producing the results you want? That is a waste of time for all concerned. You want your students to tackle challenges don't you? Then you must do the same!

1) Find the real need. What lesson makes your students groan in pain and tune out?
2) Look at what technology you have available to you. How can you make the connection?
3) Stop being afraid. What is stopping you from becoming engaged with technology?
4) Find a mentor. Who(teacher or student) seems comfortable with technology? Seek them out!

Avatar Academy Available

2011-07-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a certified art and technology integration specialist with computer experience going back to 1981. I have been working in virtual worlds for over 4 years and have my own island on the Reaction Grid where I have taught primarily young teens.
I am looking for students who are either home schooled or in a circumstance where they would benefit from the creative work possible in a virtual world. This work supports the latest ISTE NETS-S standards as well as the STEM initiative.
If you have a child from 8 to 15 that you feel would thrive in this kind of environment, I would love to work with them either one on one or in a small group. I can provide integration of various other curricular areas but primarily would be concentrating on teaching your child how to not only function but create their own learning as an avatar.

Inspiration, Collaboration, and Graphic Organization

2011-03-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

Check this out!

Let's End Bullying!!

2011-02-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was happy to be able to attend an online podcast/chatroom event discussing virtual worlds. At the end of the chat, people shared some of their favorite online tools. This one allows students to create anti-bullying posters which is a topic most of us need to address.

Virtual Pioneers History Conference

2010-10-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to be one of the presenters at this cutting edge conference. I was able to present student work to other educators interested in integrating virtual worlds with the study of Social Studies. Here are a few highlights from the two day event which took place in Second Life and the Reaction Grid.

Let's Take a New Look at Public Education!

2010-10-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this fascinating look at what's wrong with public education and what we could do to change things.

My Computer History

2010-06-05T14:15:00.001-07:00

My Computer History on Prezi

Organize Your Links with Portaportal

2010-06-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

There are lots of link organization apps. I use Diigo toolbar to quickly add bookmarks and organize them in lists. My main problem with Diigo is that I bookmark so many links that my lists are far too long and often go unexplored. Portaportal allows you to have a more graphic list of links that you can organize according to grade level or curricular area. If you click on the title of this blog entry you can see my current Portaportal.
Click Here

Would Your Child Like a Virtual Classroom?

2010-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

I’m a certified art teacher with computer experience going back to 1981. I have been working in virtual worlds for almost 3 years and have my own island on the Reaction Grid. I am looking for students who are either home-schooled, homebound, or in a circumstance where they would benefit from the creative work possible in a virtual world. This work supports the latest ISTE NETS-S standards as well as the recent STEM initiative. If you have a child from 8 to 17 that you feel would thrive in this kind of environment, I would love to work with them either one on one or in a small group. I can provide integration of various other curricular areas but for a reasonable price, would be concentrating on teaching your child how to create their own learning as an avatar.

The New Frontier: Life on the Grid

2010-03-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a lesson plan for people to use with Virtual Worlds such as Teen Second Life and the Reaction Grid. It is not a how to function in Second Life. Even 4th graders do not really need to be told how to do that. So don't expect a step by step about taking pictures, using your inventory, etc. This is based on the concept of Big Ideas and Essential Questions. Some of you may know this as backwards design, some UBD (Understanding by Design), but as far as I'm concerned, it's just the way I approach teaching.

This is a 5 page document that gives the teacher quite a bit of leeway for modification, but it is not just a template. It is the backbone for a unit that could expand far beyond the trimester depending upon how involved the students become. Click Here

Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education

2010-03-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

Prezi_ntations...

2010-03-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

Office 2007 on Prezi

Looking For A Revolution Second Life Version

2010-03-04T15:15:00.001-08:00

Calling All Social Studies Teachers!

Looking For A Revolution Second Life Version

View more presentations from WNYRIC.

Remembering the Holocaust

2010-02-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

Students at Lowell School worked on Social Studies projects during the first trimester this year. Most of them were not completed but there was enough of the Main Gate at Auschwitz to bring over to the Reaction Grid. Please feel free to leave small candles or flowers as a memorial if you bring students. There are candles and flowers at the Lowell Depot. There is an information card in the step up to the railway car which has main directories to Holocaust websites. There is a slide show inside the car. Set your environment to sunset for a more emotional view.

Lincoln Memorial on the RG

2010-02-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

I decided to bring one of my student projects over to the Reaction Grid. This was not the easiest thing since it was done by two students from the Advanced Computer Elective at Lowell School.

Teachers Meeting on the RG

2010-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Most of the teachers at this meeting are working at the college level but the interest in the Reaction Grid is essentially the same for all educators; just what can I do with students in a virtual world? The answers are as varied as the content areas being taught and we are seeing more innovative thinkers coming onto this grid from Second Life. It's not that people are abandoning SL, but prices for land on the RG and the level of support from the admins are a huge draw in these difficult times with all the deep budget cuts.

Web Filtering in Education

2010-02-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

More and more our resources are not physical objects in our classrooms but tools and content found on the internet. But who gets to choose what gets blocked? Often blocking is done by someone who is not in the trenches and is afraid of lawsuits. I recently went to this interesting presentation to start momentum from teachers to govern what gets blocked. No one will argue that things that are deemed adult content or graphic violence are not needed but too often social tools which actually can improve student communication skills are blocked. The rest of the world is talking and we should not be left out of the conversation!

Another Whiteboard Tool Online

2010-02-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Dabbleboard is another free online website that emulates an interactive drawing board similar to Twiddla. If you don't have a SMART Board, but you have a computer hooked up to a projector, you can have this at least!

Using Glogster for Math Problems

2009-12-30T16:00:00.000-08:00

Click on the title to go to the full screen of this Glog. I did this so classroom teachers could see how they could make math problems more engaging for their students. The ice cream manipulatives are also available in SMART Notebook or PowerPoint formats.

Speed Chatting on ISTE Island

2009-12-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

As part of the newest ISTE SIG (special interest group) SIGVE (Virtual Environments), I got a chance to participate in our first speed chatting event held at the ISTE skypark. We had a group of 49 or 50 avatars talking about the group and it's place in education. I was able to get some video of the meeting's start using my new favorite video app, Screenr (Thanks Shambles for bringing it to our attention!)

More From the Reaction Grid

2009-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

Today I got a chance to chat with a small group of 8th grade students on the Reaction Grid. They go to Saint Anthony of Padua in Michigan and I know their teacher from Second Life. She asked me to talk to them a bit about making clothes and so I teleported from my island to one of their Michigan islands where they have a fashion show runway and a clothing store. I hope to bring PESD students from Mr. Ross's 4th grade at Lowell onto the Reaction Grid after the winter break, so this gave me a chance to work with students on the RG ahead of time. As you can see, it looks very much like Second Life.

Words, words, words!

2009-12-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

Try Lexipedia as an alternative to Roget.

Looking for an Alternative to Second Life for Less Money?

2009-12-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to tease this now, but I will be posting more about the Reaction Grid when I get a chance. For those who are struggling with the lack of funds but still want to provide cutting edge technology to their students, you may want to explore this Second Life "look alike." It's so reasonably priced that some teachers (myself included) have purchased land with their own money. What is very exciting is the prospect of having students younger than 13 involved. I am planning on a pilot program with a 4th grade teacher in my district who has always been tech savvy. Download the Hippo viewer and try Reaction Grid for free! I'm Norma Underwood in there too :)

Playing around with Prezi

2009-11-22T00:20:00.000-08:00

Tried out Prezi today to create this presentation for my ISTE Capstone Intro class. I felt it was a good way to showcase some elements of tessellations and polysymetrics for an exhibit on Geometry. It's not as interactive on here as on the Prezi site where you can click and zoom in on every object.

Animoto

2009-11-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

For free you only get 30 seconds which is about a dozen photos. You have to choose from their music and please make sure your speakers are turned down because I didn't see any option not to have it be so LOUD! It's sort of cute, but it doesn't achieve much on Bloom's digital scale.

Cool Search

2009-10-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

Math SMART Board Templates

2009-10-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

PBS Asset Web Resources

2009-10-21T08:12:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

PBS Asset Web Resources

View more presentations from Noreen Strehlow.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2008

2009-10-21T08:08:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2008

View more documents from Jane Hart.

New Tool for Screencasts: Screenr

2009-09-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

My most sincere thanks to Chris Smith (aka Shambles Guru in Second Life). Chris told us about a screencasting tool called Screenr last night at ISTE and I love it! This is the power of networking via Second Life because Chris lives in Thailand! I would never be able to meet him or many of the others who are now part of my learning community because of time, distance, or cost, but Second Life makes it possible!

Photo Fun

2009-09-02T22:01:00.001-07:00

Here are two fun things to do with your photos!

Click on Photo Fun in the title to go to Photofunia.

For Befunky Click Here.

PESD Island Blog Wordle

2009-08-30T15:29:00.001-07:00

How Tech Savvy Are You? (PESD only please)

2009-08-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Click Here to take survey

Technology Lesson Resource

2009-08-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Teacher Boot Camp

2009-06-15T15:30:00.001-07:00

These screen captures were from our Second Life Day of Boot Camp. The first section included the basics such as using arrows to walk, communicating, focusing the camera, accepting notecards, using landmarks, and teleporting. We went on some virtual field trips to Genome Island, the Great Wall of China, a Mayan Temple, the Spaceflight Museum, Virtual Harlem, the Vietnam Wall and many more. Then came the building lessons!

My Top Web 2.0 Tools

2009-06-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Vocaroo

Web 2.0 Explained 3B
Bubbl.us Comiqs.com
Diigo Diigo Web Slides
Flickr Google Docs
Ning Zoho
Scrapblog Skype
Slideshare TeacherTube
Twiddla Twitter
Tag Galaxy Jigsaw Planet
Wordle Spezify

I Am in Total Awe of These Kids!

2009-04-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

Everytime I go into the kids' hard drive folders to see what new pictures they have taken documenting their work on the island, I am in awe. These students are gaining a much better sense of spatial reasoning by manipulating three-dimensional shapes in a virtual environment and that gives them a better sense of their own physical world. They are creating buildings from scratch with no patterns or formal blueprints. They "see" what they want to build in their heads and just go for it. They consult with their team members and whatever is happening is evolving from their process. If you walked into the room, no one would notice because they are so busy.

Something Cool

2009-04-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is a virtual representation of all photos on Flickr for specific keyword searches. Want to find all pictures of roses or dogs? Do a search and find a whole galaxy of photos!

A Day in Yoville

2009-04-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

There are many virtual worlds these days. Facebook has included Yoville as one of it's peripheral applications. If you are wondering if it has educational implications, I have enclosed a video tour. My own opinion is that the only possibility would be a discussion group of people in different locations but I would always suggest Second Life instead. You be the judge:

Click Here For a Tour of Yoville

Great Resource for Special Needs

2009-03-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Click here to check it out!

PBS/ASSET Newsletter Online

2009-03-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

The Lion, the Witch, the Wardrobe, and You!

2009-03-02T08:21:00.001-08:00

Here is an integrated lesson plan that hits many of the NETS-S standards as well as many Social Studies essential questions. There are literacy standards, visual, and performing arts standards as well.

Preparing for Island Life on the Teen Grid

2009-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Here is where I am blogging about the process of getting a Teen Island in Second Life. I've started with my own experience as a new avatar and how I got to this point.

ISTE Barn Dance

2008-10-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

Slideshare Stuff

2008-09-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have posted a bunch of PowerPoints I made as tutorials, especially for art. Check out the whole list!

PESD@AZTEA@ISTE

2008-09-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

There is a new, safe portal in Second Life for teachers that takes new avatars right to ISTE island! (International Society for Technology in Education)Click on PESD@AZTEA@ISTE to check it out! The video is PESD's newest professional development site in Second Life. Join and come visit!

Learning GIMP at Lowell

2008-09-15T13:17:00.001-07:00

Using the Bling project, middle school students learn how to use many of the tools and menus in the program Gimp. Gimp is a widely used open source photo and graphic manipulation program. Most schools can not afford to purchase Photoshop and with Gimp, they can still teach students the skills needed in a graphics rich job market.

Create your own Rubik's Cube

Second Life Alamo Tours at ISTE Island

2008-06-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

I recorded this using SMART recorder during NECC while real Alamo tours were taking place and a real band was playing on the Alamo Grounds.

The Pobble Who Has No Toes by Edward Lear

2008-06-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

A fun poem I used to read my son long ago.

Spending the day with Second Graders

2008-04-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

Spending the day in Ms. Pat Bartosz' 2nd grade class in Whitefish Bay, WI
We used the SMART Board to learn about time, fractions, and we made a blog. Unfortunately, due to an unsupportive administration, the blog had to be removed just as the students were getting the hang of making comments. I feel so lucky to be in a school district where we would support a teacher's professional development and reward initiative.

Welcome to the 21st Century Classroom

2008-04-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Like the inventions of Thomas Edison, it starts with a touch of genius...

Does a child have to sit in a desk in a classroom in order to learn? For that matter, does the child even need to be in the same room with the teacher?Visionaries and futurists will tell you that in the digital age, the idea of learning anytime and anywhere is not only feasible but for some students might even provide a superior learning environment.

Edison Elementary School recently completed Phase II of a grant application that is looking to create a model 21st century school within the state of Arizona. Not only does Edison already hold the distinction of being the first and currently only SMART Showcase School, but the staff is dedicated to using the most current technology available to strengthen their instruction and enhance student engagement. On the path to that goal, I have been able to help a small group of tech savvy staff explore the idea of a virtual classroom alternative using the program Second Life.

Why would we do that? Aside from the natural student interest in gaming, many universities now have learning spaces on the Second Life grid (virtual world). Even congress has had meetings in Second Life. If we are truly going to be a 21st century school, then we need to start thinking about the types of higher learning to which our students will be exposed. People are already getting degrees online. Many of our students will never go to a traditional school after high school and will need technology skills to succeed in a world never imagined. Along with this, we move students to the top of Bloom's revised taxonomy. When students are creating and using higher level thinking skills, they have a much better chance of remembering. We all know the old 'teach a man to fish' saying. We are just teaching them to fish virtually!

The group of Edison teachers will learn how to create objects and function in a virtual world. If the school receives the grant, they will create a safe private teaching island in Teen Second Life into which they can bring 6th-8th graders and set them on the most exciting learning adventure they can provide. I will be helping to guide them safely through this alternative to the traditional classroom. Even if the grant isn't given, Edison will use whatever means it has available to incorporate avatars and a visually stunning world into the curriculum.

Imagine student avatars, all wearing their virtual red Edison T-shirts, teleporting to the private Edison Learning Island. Instead of sitting at a desk filling in spaces on a worksheet in science class, they might be collaborating in small groups to create their own 3D models of cell mitosis. Their proud teachers facilitate from various locations on campus while they privately instant message each other saying, 'This is absolutely amazing! Julio and Francisco are working together like a well-oiled machine and last year they didn't get along at all.'

Doing things as an avatar helps students learn how to interact and cooperate. It helps give them the freedom to express ideas and opinions they might be too shy to do in a traditional setting. Thomas Edison brought the world together with his improvements on the telegraph, wireless radio, phonograph, copying machine, and moving pictures. From those early inventions we now have a digital world. The creator of many of the world's greatest communication inventions, would have loved Second Life!

See the Edison Sandbox in Second Life!

2007-08-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

To Blog or not to Blog? That is the Question.

It seems that blogs, aka web logs, are everywhere! As much as you may hear kids say that they hate to write, they are texting like mad so they obviously have something to say. As a teacher, you can tap into that by creating a class blog and posting an open ended question to which students would respond. There are several places you can create these and here are some samples:

http://www.schoolrack.com/pesdtechnostuff/
http://www.schoolrack.com/mrsramirez/
http://pesdtechnostuff.blogspot.com/
http://pesdtechnology.blogspot.com/
http://pesdinstructionaltech.blogspot.com/
http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=36488

http://phoenixelem.az.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/board/default.php?sectiondetailid=631&sc_id=1187279013

As you can see, Blogspot (Blogger on Google) is quite popular but schoolrack looks pretty good too. If you need any help, please contact us!

Lowell Photostory Projects

2007-06-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Lowell Elementary Librarian Ginger Baron invited me into her elective technology class this past school year and I had a great time facilitating a fully integrated project called Connections. After those research projects were done we decided to use Photostory just for fun. We broke the kids into small groups, handed them digital SLR cameras, and let them loose on their gorgeous campus. The idea was for them to take pictures of each other in that great setting.

After the photos were taken, I did a PowerPoint presentation that dealt with the issue of resizing photos for use in multimedia and the web. Today's cameras have fantastic resolution but that means they are way too big! We looked at several ways to resize including PowerPoint, Shutterfly Studio, Picasa2, Snipshot, and a wonderful open source program called Gimp. (more on Gimp later)

Students resized, cropped, manipulated, and added filter effects to their photos. They added titles, and either created their own music or used specially selected free music files. Students were not to use more than two video transitions, and certain design elements were to be followed in order to get a high rubric score.

A bonus part of this was getting to make their own South Park alter-ego and using it in the project. Another bonus was a lesson using Gimp to make their own "bling." Josh was the only one who got his done in time to put into the project.