WOCSD Tech Talk

Happy New Year Tech Tip

2009-01-07T18:56:00.000-05:00

Tired of telling others that you can't open a document they sent you? Especially when it has to do with their new upgrade to Microsoft Vista and Microsoft Word 2007? Now all you need to do is go the the website below, follow the directions and ZamZar will convert their document into something you can read. Zamzar also, allows you to convert YouTube movies so you can play them from your laptop

Happy Holidays 2008 to my Network

2008-12-20T21:20:00.001-05:00

What about Google?

2008-12-19T06:16:00.000-05:00

Google has been in the outreach to educator mode since 2007, by training 50 educators per session using the train the trainer model. Each training session, called a Google Teacher Academy, is offered for 50 educators and now over 250 educators have been Google trained. Educators must apply by answering a few questions, with a limited number of characters in the response and a 60 second video

Primary Documents and Where to Find them!

2008-12-03T06:46:00.000-05:00

This was cross-posted at TechLearning.com/blog 12/2/08 How many of you have used the Library of Congress Collections for your curriculum, content and most importantly your students? If you have never used the online collections here is the perfect time to begin. No matter what your content area you will find something that you can use. Plus, by introducing your students to the wealth of

Library of Congress, Primary Sources

2008-12-01T22:02:00.001-05:00

Screenshots of Library of Congress Online

FREE for educators!

2008-11-23T14:58:00.002-05:00

If you have always wanted an interactive whiteboard in your classroom here is a way you can try this out for FREE for a year. The beauty of this is that there is a plug-in that allows you to set this up in your moodle page for ubiquitous use by your students! The offer is from Elluminate, an online tool you can use with multiple people, audio and video tools along with the whiteboard. Give it a

Back from Google Teacher Academy! NYC 2008

2008-11-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

The Maine Connection at Google Teacher's Academy in New York City, November 2008. Okay, this was just a phenomenal event. More to come. Blogged with the Flock Browser

This is a Graphic of What I am Saying to Teachers in District

2008-11-11T17:29:00.003-05:00

Have you wondered about Fair Use and Copyright for your classroom!

2008-11-10T21:01:00.001-05:00

Doug Johnson, author of the Blue Skunk blog, has written a comprehensive post about the lastest ruling. I won't attempt to comment yet, but will send this post out for you to read and relate to your classroom practice. I've also sent it to our librarians and asked for their impressions and interpretations.You can read his post here:http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/

Wonder what you can do?

2008-11-09T18:43:00.002-05:00

I love how David Warlick does this! He not only thinks big ideas, but he "does" big ideas. If you are inclined to want to participate, be a prosumer, join in his conversation. We can all have a part. How much do you want change? Yes, CHANGE, that 6 letter word that most of us avoid! But, the time for change is here and we can be part of the change, embrace it and shape it. Join in the

This made me very happy! Click to read the entire article.

2008-11-06T18:19:00.001-05:00

UCLA scientists have found that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function. The study, the first of its kind to assess the impact of Internet searching on brain performance, is

What does this all mean?

2008-11-04T17:45:00.008-05:00

This was cross-posted at TechLearning.com/blogOften times in these posts you read about new technology tools designed to engage and motivate learners, as well as change the way we provide instruction. Today is an observation about how the technology goes underground and the content takes over in a surprising way.This month, I have attend trainings in my school about using online tools and data

Science images, videos, webcasts. Stop here when looking for content to engage your learners.

2008-10-27T06:36:00.001-04:00

The National Science Foundation has opened up their Multimedia Gallery to educators for classroom use. You can check it out here, http://nsf.gov/news/mmg/index.cfm?s=2 You will find many interesting clips which will explain the unexplainable. The gallery is searchable by keyword or phrase. Blogged with the Flock Browser

Virtual Worlds

2008-10-27T06:27:00.001-04:00

If you are ready for a virtual world, check out http://www.rezed.orgRezEd is a comprehensive virtual-world resource for educators, students and those interested in learning about using virtual worlds.This site is funded by MacArthur Foundation's Digital Media and Learning. You will find best practices, research, interviews and podcasts about this new type of learning. Bring something new into

How active are your students? Would they write to "win" a Green Computer Lab for their school?

2008-10-27T06:09:00.001-04:00

Win a Green Computer Lab for your School!INSPIRE your middle and high school students to be leaders in the Green Schools movement--and your school could win a state-of-the-art computer lab! The "Green Light Contest" essay competition, sponsored by PC Mall Gov, in partnership with HP, InFocus and T.H.E. Journal, is seeking entries from students in two categories: grades 5 - 8 and 9 - 12. In

Looking for audio books?

2008-10-26T21:33:00.001-04:00

Here is a great place I found Wired for Books!This is just another alternative for your challenged readers. When designing differentiated lessons be sure that you ask yourself, is reading the text the purpose of the lesson or is doing the activity the purpose? If reading the text is the means to the end, then please allow your challenged readers to listen and read along, so they can get to the

Google Sketch Up in Maine

2008-10-20T21:02:00.001-04:00

What an awesome session I attended with Google Maps at the MainEd08 , ACTEM conference. Using realworldmath.org you can use Google Maps and have students figure out real life problems. If you are an educator using Google Maps and lessons, then think about sharing that lesson on the Google Educator site. Be sure to share the wealth! It is what I call open source learning. There are so many

ACTEM presentation by Beth Goodwin and Cheryl Oakes

2008-10-18T20:48:00.003-04:00

On Friday, October 17, 2008, Beth Goodwin and I presented at the ACTEM08 conference. It was a great opportunity to share some FREE webtools with other educators. The presentation can be viewed online. This is where you can follow the presentation by Beth Goodwin and Cheryl Oakes. You can listen to the audio and follow along with the website. Thanks to all the great participants. Thanks to Beth's

What would you share with a guest at your school? Join me for a tour of Wells Junior High School!

2008-09-27T20:41:00.003-04:00

What would you share with a guest at your school? Last week I had two guests visit me at school. After we chatted a bit about our technology and our hurdles we still have to meet, they asked for a tour. var position = "

OneTrueMedia part 2

2008-09-27T20:37:00.002-04:00

Do you have some students working on a project about the election? Here is a way for them to promote participation. Try OneTrueMedia It is a simple way to create and publish a message. You will need to register. It is free for the basics. Here is my media.Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

OneTrueMedia a new way to share!

2008-09-25T21:29:00.002-04:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Somethings are meant to be shared!

2008-09-19T21:01:00.004-04:00

Last summer, I went to an international conference called BLC, Building Learning Communities, in Newton, MA. It was a great conference in many respects. I met some bloggers from Manitoba,Canada, Scotland, Australia, all over New England and many great places in the USA. It was amazing to have so many people coming together to share their school experiences and their technology uses. One

Does this all count?

2008-08-28T19:08:00.001-04:00

A few minutes from our first Seedlings show@edtechtalk.com on August 28, 2008, with Bob Sprankle and Alice Barr, and I am reflecting on my MEME, rhymes with seem. I did it, I made all my goals for the summer MEME. More details to follow on the extent of my goal attainment.

Want to celebrate! Tonight I graduated!

2008-08-27T21:17:00.004-04:00

Again, I graduated. This time it was from my webcast academy class of 1.2. For the past 2 years I have listened to webcasts, listened to podcasts, created webcasts and podcasts. After plenty of practice, actually teaching the class, with fellow webcaster Susan Ettenheim we graduated! Alice Barr- from Kennebunk, ME, Susan Ettenheim- from NYC and me, Cheryl Oakes- Wells, ME.So, what is a webcast, I

Back to School, homework for Educators!

2008-08-20T17:59:00.002-04:00

It is that time! You can smell fall in the air in New England. The evenings and mornings are crisp! You need a jacket for a bit when the sun goes down. It is also time to apply for a couple of grants for educators! Here is a new one to me from Target.com/community then look for Education and the many options. Here is my favorite, field trip grants! You can apply anytime from Sept. 2, 2008 and

Grant information for K-12 math and science.

2008-08-07T06:52:00.002-04:00

This is lifted from THEjournal.com. 2008 TAF K-6 Math and Science Grant Deadline Approachingby Dave Nagel var addthis_pub = 'davenagel'; The deadline for this year's Toshiba America Foundation's Science and Math Improvement Grant for K-6 is looming. Educators have until Oct. 1 to apply for the grants, which award up to $1,000 to fund science or math projects. The Toshiba America

What is a techtorial?

2008-08-06T20:54:00.001-04:00

"Education World Techtorials are weekly, step-by-step instructions on using some aspect of technology in the regular classroom. Short, practical, and educationally sound, Techtorials provide classroom teachers with simple, straightforward tips they can use today!" Taken right from the Education World website!Do you feel like you are the only one in your hallway that doesn't know how to:Skype:

Just the best thing since sliced bread! Now how long ago would that have been new?

2008-08-05T18:01:00.003-04:00

If you have been looking for great resources for your students, grades K- 6, check out these sites:Wikijunior Books- The aim of this project is to produce age-appropriate non-fiction books for children from birth to age 12. These books are richly illustrated with photographs, diagrams, sketches, and original drawings. Wikijunior books are produced by a worldwide community of writers, teachers,

Dog Days of Summer! (for the Northern Hemisphere that is)

2008-08-05T17:22:00.004-04:00

If you are living in the State of Maine, and you are a 4th grade teacher teaming with an art teacher you can apply for a grant from WMTW TV Through a Child's Eye.This sounds like a fabulous effort by WMTW to empower Maine students to explore and document their world! Do it soon, the deadline is September 15, 2008. Oh, btw, good luck. Let me know how you do!Here is another digital photography

Great link for Social Studies and 21st Century Literacy

2008-08-01T14:45:00.002-04:00

The Parntership for 21st Century Skills has published the 21st Century Skills Map for Social Studies with benchmarks at Grade 4, 8 and 12. This document provides the necessary language and examples for any teacher to make meaningful decisions in a classroom about how to present material encompassing 21st Century Literacy.Here is an example for 8th grade communication:Outcome: Research, organize

Summer Professional Work Links

2008-07-31T10:52:00.002-04:00

Check out the work that summer allows!Donna W, Beth C, Charlene K, Michele LIt has been most impressive. There are still two more weeks of classes. Aug. 4, WHS and Aug. 11, @WES all about assistive technology and Universal Design for Learning.Come Join the Fun!

Highlights for this month!

2008-07-26T19:57:00.004-04:00

In an effort to support my classroom teachers I am going to publish a monthly collection of the newest classroom resources.My first for elementary students is a site created by two retired teachers I met at NECC. I will be interviewing them soon and will like the podcast here. They designed the site as a place for students with reading levels from 2nd to 4th grade to research animals, presidents

Half way to accomplishing my summer goals and meme!

2008-07-24T06:38:00.004-04:00

I just realized that I am halfway through summer vacation, (sorry for this brutal reminder), and halfway through accomplishing my meme. My professional learning circle has expanded. My toolkit has expanded and become more purposeful and streamlined. I am adding an online component to my in district professional development course. My learning on a good path!

BLC a session I was able to uStream

2008-07-24T06:33:00.006-04:00

I was fortunate enough to attend the session put on by Darren and Clarence. Here is the uStream of their presentation, after fashion, I do get out of the way so you can actually see the presentation.Here is Clarence's site. Here you will find Darren's site.Now the focus of this post should be on you viewing the Ustream, however, a quick note about the "background". It is so easy to set up an

BLC08, David Truss

2008-07-18T14:07:00.003-04:00

Use this link all the afternoon http://fon.gs/keyword/http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifDavid Truss Here is the CoveritLive Blog

UDL Concord Consortium Science for Middle and HS

2008-07-17T13:53:00.004-04:00

Use this site http://itsi.concord.org/share/blc08Introduction to our afternoon, with probes and their science lessons.Probes, http://itsi.probesight.orgUse the probes or use the models already uploaded to the site and given data.I made activity 1085 on temperature.

Web 2.0 for Newbies, Jim W. November Learning

2008-07-17T12:43:00.003-04:00

This is a way to deliver the message to new teachers. In 1991 the first Mosaic Website was built, the Internet wasn't just for science anymore. So our students just graduating in 2008 have been alive as long as the Internet. Things are changing so quickly.This session is totally full, and people are sitting on the floor.Jim had us introduce ourselves with each other, I met a woman from Detroit.

Universal Design for Learning

2008-07-17T10:22:00.004-04:00

http://udl.concord.org/share/blc08This is dedicated for younger students. This is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Initial starts in grade 3/4 and 5/6.Carolyn shared the different ways that the information on the portal is available to students, larger/smaller fonts, Spanish/English, speech to text. This is all based on science content. When text is highlighted it auto

Dr. Joyce Valenza Libraries Accessible

2008-07-16T14:04:00.003-04:00

Great ideas.Put up an Amazon wishlist for parents and community to purchase books.Use online polls.Use Google calendar to have classes sign up for a time slot.Reading polls to help purchasing.Use a poll affirming /confirming what was learned in the latest lesson.How can I sell the databases as user friendly.Catalog, not use the label find books.Use igoogle pages or pageflakes, that puts all the

Podcasting with Purpose BLC08

2008-07-16T11:41:00.007-04:00

Check the links at www.bobsprankle.com. There is also a wiki.YOU can view the presentation for this.Bob shared the movie the students made explaining podcasting.Students are writing their pieces before they record them. There are many edits, peer edits and many rehearsals, and editing. It is a workshop of activity in the classroom. Notice the music in the movie, makes the movie!http://

This is not a Test, Clarence Fisher

2008-07-16T10:29:00.007-04:00

Snow Lake Manitoba, CALive blogging from BLC08Clarence is setting the stage for his presentation, 1,000 people in Snow Lake, a small mining community. It is 2 hours to get anyplace from Snow Lake, 7 hours to the airport.However, if you look worldwide, it is the best small place to learn.I love that Dennis Richards , a superintendent , is Ustreaming this presentation!You can live in a remote or

Assistive Technology Goes Mainstream!

2008-07-15T17:46:00.002-04:00

This is also posted at TechLearningWhile thinking about a plan for this blogpost and preparing for a summer week of professional development for my staff I came upon Karen Janowski's website and UDL toolkit.Click Here for PollSurvey Software | Polls | Email Marketing | Idea ManagementView MicroPollI thought I would start out with the challenge. Read further

EdubloggerConEast July 14, 2008

2008-07-14T12:39:00.002-04:00

Live blogging our breakout sessions.Pedagogy Matters with Richard S. facilitatingOutline the Construct Behaviorism- shaping- rewards, ex. grades, stars, reinforcement Connectivism,George Siemens, when you are connect to so many people it really capitalizes on the social learning aspects of constructivism, it is the wikipedia effect, the google docs, If you are accomplished in using your

Tribute to Vicki Davis, Cool Cat Teacher

2008-07-10T22:13:00.001-04:00

You know it isn't often that you meet someone virtually, work with them for a year and finally meet up with them and make great connections. Well, this is how I first met Vicki Davis.Vicki and I were approached by Jen Wagner and Sharon Peters to make a quartet and become the Women of Web 2.0 in an effort to present at NECC07. It came about when Jen was listening to the male bloggers at NECC06.

Live Blog of Ian Jukes @ NECC 08

2008-07-01T13:41:00.006-04:00

Ian recommends for all of us to take the digital diet challenge. He has the challenge here at his handouts page.We have to learn to teach to the whole new mind, from Daniel Pink.He says many, kids in school learn in spite of what we do. The top one third do this with ease. We need to direct our teaching to the other two thirds of our students.These are our students! This is our audience! Think of

Guess who is coming to dinner? What happens when you invite one person to dinner in San Antonio, NECC 2008?

2008-07-01T13:28:00.001-04:00

This post is also at www.techlearning.com/blog52 diners show up! No this is not a bad dream, it is a reality. About 6 weeks ago, in the Twitterverse, many of us were setting our sights on converging in San Antonio for NECC 2008. Well, in the old days, about 365 of them ago, we probably would have sent an email to a few friends, and asked them to invite a friend and we would name a restaurant and

Graduation speech from Ms. Lewia

2008-06-09T17:19:00.004-04:00

I asked Ms. Lewia if I could refer to her speech for those of you who may not have been at graduation. She presented this speech with great polish!Good Afternoon, Administrators, Senator Collins, School Board Members, Faculty, Staff, Parents, Family members and the Wells High School Class of 2008.When I was asked to give the graduation inspirational speech, I said, “Are you kidding”… For those

Professional Development Meme

2008-06-06T06:05:00.001-04:00

It seems that a Meme kicks off my jump into summer! So, I am happy to oblige Michael Richards with my entrance into this meme. Especially since he was tagged by Skip Zalneraitis (twitter=skipz), who considers himself a newbie in this world of social web tools. So, Welcome Skip!Here are the directions: Summer can be a great time for professional development. It is an opportunity to learn more

Dear Teacher Redux

2008-06-02T22:02:00.004-04:00

Dear Teacher, ( substitute your name here) This was posted originally at http://speedofcreativity.org as a guest blogger! Thanks Wes for allowing me to be a guest blogger. With a 3 day span I am really challenged to produce a daily post. Well, here goes. These ideas and opinions are mine and do not reflect Wes’ thinking on these subjects. Dear Teacher, (substitute your name

Dear Student Redux

2008-06-02T22:02:00.001-04:00

June 2007 Dear Student, (fill in your name) This was posted originally at http://speedofcreativity.org as a guest blogger! Thanks to Wes for this opportunity. Thanks to students everywhere for this inspiration. Thanks to teachers and administrators for all you do. Dear student, Thank you for kicking off this series of letters. I must say you have given me pause

Dear Administrator Redux

2008-06-02T21:38:00.001-04:00

Dear administrator, This was posted originally at http://speedofcreativity.org as a guest blogger!Guest blogger, Cheryl Oakes, reporting for duty! I wrote this a year ago. See how much has changed. Dear administrator, I am writing after an exhausting year of instructing my students. I want to thank you for hiring me and keeping me in this position. I have been teaching this same

Open Ended Technology Survey March 2008

2008-05-04T22:05:00.002-04:00

The open ended survey was designed by the District Technology Committee as a way to get different information than has been offered in the past. 16 people responded to the survey. We appreciate the information you shared. I will summarize the results. If you want to view all the results you can go to this URL and see the results. Part of the reason for using this format is to make the

Internet Safety at WJHS

2008-02-11T21:40:00.001-05:00

For the past 6 weeks I've been involved teaching an internet safety class at WJHS. The class time included some instruction and conversations about cyberbullying as well. Ask a 5th grader to tell you what they learned. The class was so engaging for me that I added a post to the TechLearning.com/blog for my entry this month. You can find the information and class activities at my Moodle page at

How to get free text message for school closings.

2007-12-03T20:54:00.000-05:00

Here are some free online resources you can sign up for to hear about schools closings.WCSH6- this one requires your cell phone to accept text messages, it took me less than 5 mins. to sign up.WMTW- this one requires an email address to get the alert, it took my less than 5 mins. to sign up.MaineToday.com-this is the Maine newspapers and you need to sign up to be a member first, then select to be

Technology changes our perspective all the time.

2007-11-15T05:22:00.001-05:00

This is an image taken onboard Kaguya, a Japanese probe, on our moon. The rest of the details are from NASA. " The Moon's surface is a region near its south pole. On Earth, you can see Australia (center) and Asia (low right). The upper side of the Earth is the Southern Hemispher, thus Australia looks "upside down". Credit: JAXA/NHK.

Latest Links for Teachers!

2007-11-14T17:17:00.000-05:00

Here are my site suggestions for this week!A collection of great teacher/student resources from Eduhound and Time Magazine.Great resources by the teacher for the teachers.Register and join Teacher Domain, sponsored by WGBHThere are a wealth of free video resources. This one caught my eye! Metals in Hydrochloric AcidIf you have heard of the 1-1 laptop for third world countries, for the next 12

Route 21, which way?

2007-11-12T17:58:00.001-05:00

Are you looking for Route 21? If not, then you should be, check this link and see what you think.More later. Blogged with Flock

Technology in the Classrooms WOCSD

2007-11-07T17:29:00.000-05:00

Presentation to the School Committee Nov. 7, 2007

2007-11-07T17:14:00.000-05:00

This was my presentation to the school committee Nov. 7, 2007. Click to view.

District Technology Fall Newsletter 2007

2007-10-30T18:36:00.001-04:00

Check this link for the district technology newsletter. Blogged with Flock

November a Giving Month

2007-10-30T16:02:00.001-04:00

November for our family is a giving month. I would like to promote these giving ideas. Click here to help feed the world. What happens at this website, you have a chance to click the click here to give free food button. Then 100% of the sponsor money goes to charity. How do they do this? Well, the site also promotes some sales of items that they are hoping you will stop by and purchase. However,

New Tools for Adding a blog post.

2007-10-15T05:54:00.001-04:00

All I do it type my message and edit, then post.Here is a great website. WOCSD District Blogged with Flock

Big news October 15, 2007

2007-10-15T05:46:00.000-04:00

You can take part in a FreeOnline workshop this week and next. K12OnlineConferenceTake part in the national SpeakUP Netday survey. This gives our district great information about how we are using technology compared to our answers from last year and compared to the USA. It is very helpful in planning.Click here SpeakupSurvey 2007Our password is wocsd

2007-10-14T21:18:00.000-04:00

First snow of the Sugarloaf 07-08 Season! One more month until skiing!

ACTEM07 Will Richardson's Opening

2007-10-14T14:50:00.000-04:00

This is the 20th year for the ACTEM technology educators workshop.Listening to Will Richardson's keynote.Technology:changes in politics with YouTube, myspace, blogs as social networkschanges in journalism, the world has instant connection with their cell phone and cameras.75% of media is shared peer to peerPrince gave out 100,000 copies of his new CD.Read Wikinomics!Not about competition in

Getting Ready for K12online conference

2007-10-08T08:47:00.001-04:00

Usually, when I go to a conference I blog my notes and reflections. Seems funny to be sitting in my home office, participating in an online keynote for the k12online conference.(Follow the previous link to learn how you can get credit for participating in this online conference.) However, since I am so used to backchanneling during a presentation, or blogging, I decided that this should be the

My 3 reasons to join the K12Online Conference

2007-09-28T06:03:00.000-04:00

You can see other reasons here! http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=1201. I could take online workshops anytime I wanted.2. I was able to comment to, listen to, view presentations with others from around the planet.3. I was able to sign up for graduate credit!!!I had so much fun attending last I, I signed on and was to chose to present. Join in the fun.Check out the teasers and choose your own

Great Research Sites for students K-6.

2007-09-12T21:45:00.000-04:00

Here are some good research sites for kids, they may need some supervision to get things in the correct search spaces.Kids Tools for searching the InternetKidsClick!- designed by librariansTime for Kids Homework HelperEnchantedLearningBig6Kids a great place to organizeMarvel KIDS- Maine's virtual Library- you will need your library card and bar code number!At Marvel, you will also be able to

I just loved this statement. When was the last time you felt like this?

2007-08-14T21:43:00.001-04:00

My good friend Jose R, made this remark on his blog this week. I just love how everything came together for him. I asked if I could share and well, open source! in Class of 2.2 Webcast AcademyJose Rodriguez I think I first heard the term; "Open Source Learning" in chat in the Webcast Academy. I thought I knew what it was. I figured it referred to us choose what content we wanted to

This is a good thing! This is my professional development!

2007-08-12T18:40:00.001-04:00

81%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?Mingle2 - Dating Site

Eight Random Things Meme

2007-08-12T18:17:00.001-04:00

I was tagged by my great Canadian friend Sharon Peters and Wes Fryer, so here goes.Here are the Rules: * Post these rules before you give your facts * List 8 random facts about yourself * At the end of your post, choose (tag) 8 people and list their names, linking to them * Leave a comment on their blog, letting them know they’ve been tagged.Okay, 8 random things about me. This could

MLTI-emints workshop in Castine, ME August 2007

2007-08-02T09:11:00.001-04:00

Technorati This workshop is really happening. There are so many new tools that have been put into place since June. I will share them as I find and experience them.I've been in workshops with David Warlick today and I"ve learned lots about the tools and people who are using them. There are so many new things.This morning at low tide I found the most unreal sea stars or star fish of many sizes

2007-07-20T07:02:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Rachel, NZ, for this heads up about the 10 year anniversary of blogging. It was a surprise blogging has been around that long. I've been blogging since I believe the school year of 2003, and in earnest since 2005 when I went on sabbatical and wanted to stay in touch with my students. Now I have many blogs, one for staff, one for TechLearning.com/blog, my facebook, my think.com, and the

Parent Information about Technology in WOCSD #18

2007-07-09T07:59:00.001-04:00

Parent Technology Information for WOCSD #18 The WOCSD District Technology Committee has spent the year reviewing how technology is used in the classroom and throughout the district. A number of changes and recommendations have come from this review. The committee wanted to update the community on the progress the district has made with regard to technology both in the classroom and throughout

Karl Fisch and his cadre of teachers

2007-06-26T15:58:00.001-04:00

Constructivist Teaching with Technology: Learning with Laptops Tag=n07s647 fischbowl.blogspot.com learningandlaptops.blogspot.com Karl wrote up a proposal where staff meet once every 3rd week for a 3 hour block, during day, paid staff development- built in collaboration time, reflection and sharing. Teachers need the passion. First thing was to change the way the classroom looked. Changed

Sowing the Seed for a more creative society

2007-06-25T12:45:00.001-04:00

Mitchel Resnick Tag=n07s737 Blog Posts / Blog RSS / Flickr / Flickr RSS Join me with a summary of this workshop. Where do we do creativity right? Kindergarten, go Maria Knee,(who I happen to be sitting next to during this session) Kathy Shields and all the rest of you! Kindergarten approach, explore, create, question. If you only have wooden blocks and paint from kindergarten to high school,

Daring Conversation: An Actor shares the voices of students

2007-06-25T12:10:00.001-04:00

Very dynamic and engaging presentation using student blogs, statistics. Taking It Global Student Video Contest award winning videos. www.takingitglobal.org Students are creating content, so they are learning.But how can you /we bring ideas into the classroom, how do they use technology in their lives, how can we use it in schools. Tag=n07s581 How can we use technology to connect souls and

Voices from the Past, session at NECC07

2007-06-25T11:20:00.001-04:00

This session was a great demonstration of how a 3rd grade teacher used a blog, start to finish with her students to write, illustrate and provide audio about Harriet Tubman. You can see the website here. http://dowell.typepad.com/harriet_tubman/2006/02/welcome.html#commentsJunior High http://dowell.typepad.com/civil_war/2007/05/welcome.html#comments4th grade http://tappmiddleschool.typepad.com/

Sunday NECC June 24 ready for the Keynote.

2007-06-24T17:20:00.001-04:00

Well, this update will show that you too can live this conference virtually. I spent last evening at the top of the Westin Hotel with a great group of bloggers. Photos will follow, Lisa! Vicki Davis surely had great southern hospitality and gave all the guest some peanut brittle, plus organized this wonderful dinner reservation. We circled the city 3 times during dinner. It was an incredible

Just got to Atlanta for NECC 2007!

2007-06-23T15:43:00.001-04:00

Just arrived in the Peachtree city of Atlanta. I am at Edublogger Con having just met up with Vicki Davis and Sharon Peters. Waiting to meet Jen Wagner then the Women of Web 2.0 circle will be complete. Just got to meet Julie Lindsay and Cheri Toledo too. Very fun to finally met people I've learned so much from through virtual blogs, wikis and chats. Stay tuned. clipped from www.youtube.com

Great links of this week!

2007-03-14T22:04:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for ideas to promote learning about the Civil Rights Movement, please check out this site. http://www.visionaryproject.org/teacher Have you been looking for a collaborative calendar? Here is a free online calendar for organizations that will streamline the scheduling and communications process for your members! http://www.famundo.com Marco Polo, a standards based curriulum

SMARTboards and differentiation

2007-02-28T06:02:00.001-05:00

Joe Scrivens presented about how he used Notebook to differentiate lessons for multi levels of ability in the classroom.Notebook also allows for different learning styles, the cloner for example lets you build words from parts. All the learning styles can be built into the lesson. By using colors to jazz up the bullets, it may make it easier for some students to read and remember. Now we have

A great time at SMARTboard Training, Wocester 2/2007

2007-02-27T13:06:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Pamela for sharing these great photos!This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog

Day 2 of SMARTboard training in Worcester MA

2007-02-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

John Blaser from Eastchester, NY, presented his rollout and training of staff in his school system. Critical Factors for Integrating SMARTboards into Classrooms, Schools and Districts. His district has 2800 students and has integrated SMARTboards , 125, into their classrooms for the past 2.5 years.There are still more SMARTboards to add to the district. As part of John's presentation he

Part 2 of the SMARTboard workshop

2007-02-26T11:37:00.000-05:00

Robert shared this great source for all subject areas for high school teachers and students. Merlot.orgGillyon, science teacher in NB, demonstrated how to use the virtual cell URL http://www.ibiblio.org/virtualcell on the SMARTboard. Spyguys http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mesg/html/math6web/math6shell.html for math, geared for 6th graders, james bond theme and also had good review for gr. 7

SMARTboard Workshop, Worcester, MA

2007-02-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

I was invited to attend this New England workshop with area SMARTboard educators. This is a sharing opportunity for area educators and by blogging about what I am learning, I am able to bring you along on this workshop.Check out this site first. http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-us/There are more than 450,000 whiteboards in classrooms. 15 million students using the technology.There is a great

Blizzard of 2007!

2007-02-14T20:24:00.000-05:00

We are in the midst of the Blizzard of 2007! While the snow is falling, the winds are blowing and temperatures are in the teens, with below zero wind chills, we can all be quite comfortable in our homes while reaching out on the Internet. I can check the weather in Tampa where my mother is at 46 degrees F, the weather in Montreal at 9 degrees F and snowing, and keep tabs on what is happening in

January News in WOCSD

2007-01-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

Filters in WOCSD To comply with Federal NCLB law the district uses the state issued filter called Bess. This filter is updated weekly so you may find things you normally accessed not available. The State of Maine controls the filter and I apply exceptions for our schools. Please email coakes@wocsd.org if you need access to a website for you or your students. I can usually open the site within 10

New 5th/6th Grade blogging activity group at WJHS

2007-01-06T10:46:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday (January 9, 2007) I'll be starting a blogging group with 5th and 6th graders at Wells Junior High School. The purpose is to share Internet Online safety and netiquette rules. Our first charge will be to review online safety and create a collaborative wikispace on Internet Safety. You can watch as this site grows. Students must have parent permission before they create their own blog.

Tagged and I am It! 2007

2007-01-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

Apparently, a game of tag is currently going on in the blogosphere - and I have been caught! In a better attempt for you to get to know me better I'm to "reveal" five things about myself that you otherwise wouldn't know from reading this blog. Here goes: Sharon Peters, a Women of WEB 2.0 tagged me while I was still at the mountain house. She even had to give me a hint I'd been tagged!