School Ends

School has ended for the year.

Why not be Animated!?

I have found one thing about students in the classroom. They like to draw. Often they are not happy with the quality of their work, but I always encourage them to work at it and keep moving forward. They also have an interest in animation.

However, I have also found that most schools do not have the funding to provide animation software for their students. I have found an interesting site off my del.icio.us account that I have posted. Go Animate is an interesting animation program that students can use to get the flavor of creating unique animations. There is an account setup that must be gone through and there may be some student privacy/viewing issues that teachers/administrators will have to del with locally. It is still worth a look as students seem to be genuinely engaged in learning when animation is used.

Leaves are Gone...Where is the Snow?...

The fall semester is moving alone quickly and by all accounts this term is proving to the busiest of my time as a technology mentor. There is so much going on with technology integration and that integration is taking on many different faces. Here are a few examples:

-geocaching in various subjects
-a new on-line report card for teachers
-wikispaces as a communication tool
-google documents as collaboration tools
-1:1 laptop integration (year 3)
-digital storytelling
-interactive white boards(SMART Boards)

This is just in the last 6 weeks. I am working on a module on how to geocache in the classroom and I will upload it soon. There is so much going on!

Where Has the Time Gone!?!

It seems like yesterday I was blogging and then nothing. That unfortunately is the life of an educator who is trying to manage too many projects at once. However, I feel it's time to get back at it. There are so many things happening in the world of tehnology and integration that I feel I need to get back into it.

First; I went to San Antonio in June/July 2008 to the NECC conference. I have to say that it was a good conference, not great, but definitely good. I spent a lot of time going over the concurrent sessions that were offered and I was able to take in most of what I wanted to go to.

But the exhibit floor is where I found the action and ideas to be. One that really interested me was Inspiration or more accurately the Kidspiration3 software. I could go on and on, but the presenter did a fantastic job at showing how the product could be used in the regular classroom.

Now first, I am not an employee of Inspiration. In fact, up until NECC San Antonio I was not even a fan of the product. I had used it before (or thought I did) and was not pleased. The presentation opened a window for me to see how the software could be used in the classroom. Now I am not one to suggest watching advertisement videos, but this one may help you understand what I am talking about. Click HERE to see the Kidspiration "Quick Tour". The best part; its not all the expensive for a single licence and there is a 30 day trial.

I am in a software kind of mood lately so this is probable the first of many posts about software to use in the classroom. It's good to be back!

Math is a Passion

You have to watch this video. Show it to your students, your colleagues, your friends and neighbors. This video shows that math is not the horrible subject that everyone tries so hard to avoid. It can be so much fun.

Do you believe?

No, I don't mean in Santa Claus! I was working with a teacher over the past few months on a project that incorporated her creative writing classes and technology. How, you ask? Well, let me explain.

Oh, about 50 years ago a guy you may know Edward R. Murrow was producing a show called SEE IT NOW on CBS. Murrow was definitely interested in the common person perspective and he started a program called "This I Believe" on public radio in the United States. The results were amazing. Now, I wasn't around in those years, but I have listened to so many of the archived recordings I have lost count. Some are inspiring; others are not. Some are academic; others are not. It doesn't really matter the theme of each recording, the listener could literally hear into the heart of people, to see a side of them that you would never see. This I Believe was something special.

Now, time travel to 2008 and see how that can work in the classroom. As teachers we all want our students to write and write well. I remember my English teachers telling my class to write and giving us different themes or topics to write about. I wrote, as did our class, and the teacher marked it, returned it and I looked at the mark and then what happened? You're right...it ended up in the trash can or at the bottom of my locker. But that was a long time ago as well.

Now...Students are given a writing assignment to write abut something they are passionate about(their theme or topic). They are then told that they will be recording their writing to be published on a website/blog/wiki(not the trash can or locker).

In the project I am currently working on, the students have been working hard to create writing pieces that are well-written and having them record their own voice is adding a whole new dimension for them and the teacher. The project is breathing new life into creative writing. Is there an impact on student achievement? I can't tell that. What I can tell is that there is an increase in student engagement and that I believe will lead us to the path all teachers and administrators want; increased achievement.

Have you seen Alice today?

I'm a bit off on my making connections theme, but just bare with me for a minute. I have been working with gifted students over the last year and there is one student who is interested in animation and all that goes with it. Now, I am the first to admit that my understanding of animation software is minimal, but what I do know is that my district has none! We have worked with some free software to kind of get the process started. We tried Pivot Stickfigure Animator and that was fun for about an hour.

Over time we worked on a few other areas and then along came Alice. Who is Alice? Well, it is more like 'what is Alice?' According to the Alice website it is...an innovative 3D programming environment that makes it easy to create an animation for telling a story, playing an interactive game, or a video to share on the web. Alice is a teaching tool for introductory computing. It uses 3D graphics and a drag-and-drop interface to facilitate a more engaging, less frustrating first programming experience..

Well this would seem like a Eureka moment. A gift from Carnegie Mellon University Alice seems like the answer we were looking for. No it is not the top end of animation software. For students looking to get their 'feet wet' as it were; this may just be it.

I have talked to teachers who work with students with learning disabilities and they think the program would offer something different into the curriculum. I even spoke to a teacher yesterday who was so keen on the program she immediately asked for it to meet the needs of a highly gifted student who was struggling in all aspects of school life. This was exactly what he needed I was told.

Is there an educational use for Alice? YOU BET!