Glogster or Poster?

One of the tools I found appealing was Glogster.  The idea of students creating their own posters on a project is always showing what the students are learning when they are putting the information together.  As teachers, we always tell them the criteria to make a successful poster by adding pictures, information and other articles.  Now without killing any trees to make a project poster, the same can be done on Glogster.  The student can create posters on the internet.  They can pick images or upload video of the subject they are learning about.  The students don't have to worry about drawing a picture or handwriting the information in.  They can add on different backgrounds or stylize the poster that goes with the theme of the subject.  Their posters could look professional and be shared with other classes or the world.  This does have a privacy control, graphic galleries, and drawings.  I could see using this for any subject and they could do this during their Specials time (computer lab) or during their technology center.

slide show - free slideshow maker

Pictures from:
Kamazonia   www.flickr.com/photos/kamazonia/2259984064
Whateverthing  www.flickr.com/photos/whateverthing/2145614424
Jeffery L. Cohen  www.flickr.com/photos/digitalpapercuts/3435060546
Alistair Knock  www.flickr.com/photos/aknock/4353753287

Flickr my lessons

Instead of searching images in google, I now have a new place to find images.  I find images for my students to understand vocabulary words and concepts of each lesson. They love looking at the pictures and it helps them to understand the real meaning of the vocabulary words.  The Pearson Reading series are giving the students a variety of vocabulary words that they don't use anymore.  I can go to Flickr and only find the photos I really can use instead of going through different images from different sites.  I visited Teacher Dude's blog for teaching vocabulary.  He used a slide show with the different vocabulary words for walk.  I can see using it to help the students different ways to walk.  The transitions on the slide is eye catching and the words are located at the bottom of each slide.  I could see using this type of slide to show pictures that go with the vocabulary word.  For this photo, if their vocabulary word was Mantaee, I would show this picture of a manatee.

The photo is by kamazonia
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kamazonia/2259984064/

Creative Commons......Why should I share?

Of all the websites I have visted, I never noticed the Creative Common symbol or (CC).  I am too busy trying to find information I need to and for students to use.  Learning about copyrights on any medium, its always the same rule, "Don't use unless you have permission."  I don't use any person's work unless I site it.  Any art work I may use, I don't want to re-create it or be paid for it.  I don't want any phone calls from lawyers.  Having students putting the (CC) on their work will excite them to show they might not want anyone to reuse their work.  It might give them pride showing their work is protected from being copied unless they give permission.  They could be generous and have their work be use for educational purposes but leaving it up to the students will give them a chance to make an important decision.

When I find any images on any website, I only use them as examples to make sure students understand the lesson I'm trying to teach them.  With ESOL, the students need visuals to understand what is being taugt.  For videos, I go to United Streaming on the Discovery site.  Its a good site since all other video sites are blocked.  Again, I only use for my students for learning purposes.

If I had an educational website, I would love to share my lessons with others.  I try to come up with hands-on and engaging lessons that are beneficial for all students.  I could see in my students' faces that they are bored with books and worksheets.  So bringing something exciting for all to try would bring teaching back to life.  As far as owning teaching materials, I only get ideas from the stories in the Pearson Reading Street Series.  I know teachers have created PowerPoints for other teachers to use that goes with the series.  I would like to make sure if I use any stories that it is okay through our reading series.  Again, I don't want lawyers to be calling me.  I can see some of the negatives for (CC), I would want to know how my ideas or projects are being used if its not for the intended lesson.  For me,  If I want to protect, I will not display it on line unless I want all to use it for educational purposes.

HTML Codes

It has been years since I worked with HTML codes and develop a webpage.  Do I miss the headache of codes not working? No.  I had one project that displayed the same pictures four times.  It wasn't the code, it was the computer.  The teacher was confused too.  All I wanted to do was to take a baseball bat to the computer.  It was an iMac, enough said.  I want to upgrade my skills on create a more sophisticated webpage.  Just knowing all the tricks to a good webpage, will take time.  I am glad I still have my books to help with remembering the codes and setting the page up to be functional and easy to read. I only have done a few webpages and each time I have done one, I have shown progress on style and proportional images.

I can't wait to start working on my page.  I want it to reflect me as an educator and my growth through Instructional technology.  I also want it to reflect my artistic side to show my capablilities as a graphic artist.  I am hoping this time around my page will look professional and organized.

Wikis

I have done a Wiki already for my engage learning project.  I want to improve it and allow students to continously add student's works.  I can see how organizing the wiki makes it less clutter and easy on the eyes.  I thought Blue Code was very simple and easy to review.  I can see the students was able to create letters about their specialties.  The other wikis I seen were information and pictures.  I can see that some of the students might be a little you to type information on the page but they need to experience putting something on the page so they can feel they own it more.  I do see that the educators ask people from all around to add educations things to their page just like Primary Math Wiki.  I looked at some of the pictures of patterns and notice the pictures came from different places around the world.  At least the students can see different kind of patterns from other countries and how they are the same or similar to those in the U. S.  The Wiki I was slightly disappointed about was the Oregan Trail.  I can see the students leaving comments about their feelings of traveling through the unknow wilderness of the western U.S.  The teacher should have set it up like the computer game Oregan Trail.  Each group of students have money, supplies and scenarios traveling west.  It could become more interactive. 

I could see using it for my ESOL groups on the outcome of science experiments.  Also having students from different parts of the U.S. try to repeat the experiments to see if they have the same outcomes.  I could see using it for my Math group as well.  I always have them  writing word problems so they can understand how to solve them.  They always come up with some good word problems that the 3rd graders might be able to do.  I would really have to think hard but I would like to try it with one of my groups. 

ESOL Conference

I am surprise how the conference this year has added more technology into the sessions to help with supporting the ESOL this year.  There is a program that has been around since 2006 called Imagine Learning.  If you haven't heard of it, its a program to create a lesson geared towards the students learning level and language level.  I was very intrigued with giving the students a pretest, and displaying only the standards and skills the students needs to grow.  It also goes back to the same skill for the students to master if they have not.  For the students who are ELLs, they have two ways to give the students directions in English and their native language.  As the students continues with the lessons, their native language directions gradually be less and less until English is the primary language for the directions.  This program goes through phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, shants and songs for Pre-K through 6th grade. It will also display data for each student's progress as well as the class. If you want to look at it, http://www.imaginelearning.com/.

There was another session I went to that went over Lexile, Public Sources and Published Materials.  This was good as well.  This went over the websites that I should have familiar with but I am glad I learned about it.  The public sources went over a variey of sites to get ideas and materials for a lesson.  There were sites that was great for sharing lesson plans and getting ideas for a variety of lessons from different subjects.  These are some of the sites:
http://www.lexile.com/
http://www.classicreader.com/
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
http://www.eduref.org/
http://www.aesopfables.com/
www.rif.org/educators
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators
http://www.literacyconnections.com/
http://www.readwritethink.org/
http://www.teacherplanet.com/

This was a good conference to come to.  I am glad to see that technology is working its way to ESOL.

Building My Google Reader

As I was adding more article sites into my Google Reader, I decided to add my hometown newspaper.  The newspaper will have useful articles about the enviroment throughout the state of Florida.  Some of the articles deal with big state issues, like the Everglades to small issues like local county preservations.  I have shared some articles for one of my classes from the main website that deals with the issues of a changing enviroment due to the weather or people.

There is an article that talks about the failing grade of the water in the estuaries.  As you know, many wildlife live in the estuaries and need the water to survive.  Charolotte, Lee and Collier had started grading their estuaries in 2005 and the grade for this year have been needing to improve.  The only change they have found were the run offs that are entering into the canals, and the canals flow into the estuaries.  Any chemical that enters into one of the connecting canals are most likely entering into the estuaries.  I am hoping they create a plan to save the quality of water. 
I could use this article  for the students to show many types of habitats and wild life preservations.  This would give them a wider range of vocabulary and scenarios that their books can't give them. I can show the students what pollution can do to these habitats and preservations and how it can affect any enviroment from miles away.  The students can create plans to help save the estuaries from failing and making the wild life ill.  They can also create a poster so people can be aware of the problem.  I can't wait to start using it as a tool for my classes once testing is over.  This will help to bring the issues they may not have here  in Georgia, into the classroom.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011102040407