My Favorite Curriculum Integration Video

I like to share this video with teachers when I  hear, "I can't!"  This 4-minute video is worth your time and is heart warming, along with being a great example of what young kids can do with adult support.  I would love to see a video of the same students in 10 years.  I would expect this small project will still be a vivid memory for them and isn't that what we want and need for students to keep them engaged and believing in their power to learn and grow. 

I congratulate the folks who assisted this group of Washington, DC elementary students in adding to the body of information on Wikipedia.  It's not about the technology, it's sound pedagogy.

Enjoy!

Building Legacy with Wikipedia from Brian Mull on Vimeo.

Follow-Up to Tagxedo Post on 9/14

Last week, I shared a word cloud site, Tagxedo.  Although I am not a fan of 100+ slide presentations, I have an Tagxedo resource I want to share.  Here is 101 Ways to Use Tagxedo.    If you've checked out Tagxedo and find it a useful resource, here are some ideas on how to use it.  You are bound to find one or two you like!! 

Enjoy!

E

What Do You Get When You Combine Words and Pictures? PICLITS!

I came across Piclits, inspired picture writing, when I attended a Classroom 2.0 webinar in the spring.  I checked out the site and immediately wanted to share it in my work.  I love great photography and the Piclits folks definitely have the best pictures to start your creative juices flowing.  The next thing that I really liked are the "categories" of parts of speech.  This site provides a easy way to view and "play" with parts of speech. 
Here is my Piclit for today!  

Keeping it simple

• Check out the Pitlits website
• Use the arrows to change pictures or click "explore the gallery."  As I said, the photographs are amazing!
• Try dragging words from the word bank into a picture.  The drag and drop feature is so easy to use.
• Check out the "learn it" tab from the tool bar at the top of the page.  There is much more to learn about this tool.
• Decide if you want to join the site with an email and password.

Do you think your students would engage with this creative writing opportunity?  How could you use this site to support your curriculum?  

As with all online tools, students need to understand the responsibility of online publishing, cybersafety, and protecting one's identity.  If you save your Piclits, they are published online and viewers can comment on them.  Make sure you follow your school's policy on this issue.

I hope you enjoy this tool as much as I do.  Let me know what you think.

 

You Can Do "Shmoop"

Shmoop is a resource you should explore.  From their website: 

Shmoop will make you a better lover (of literature, history, life). See many sides to the argument. Find your writing groove. Understand how lit and history are relevant today. We want to show your brain a good time. 

Our mission: To make learning and writing more fun and relevant for students in the digital age.

Who can argue this this mission?  This site has been a wealth of resources for English, Music and Social Studies teachers and now they have Pre-Algebra resources.  Shmoop resources are available free with an easy registration.   Here is the link to Twilight by Stephenie Myer  The page includes everything from an overview to quotes to teaching Twilight.

One of my favorites is the music section, with analysis of the song as you listen.  Here is a link to Jay-Z and Alicia Key's, Empire State of Mind.  Click "listen" to check out the feature.

Shmoop now has PSAT, SAT and AP exam "game" prep for a subscription fee.  I am not promoting this service.  However, you can decide if you think students would benefit from studying with Shmoop.

Teachers I have worked with are very excited about Shmoop and I hope you will check it out and see how simple it is to integrate this robust tool into your classroom.  It is easy and I know you can do Shmoop.  Happy Shmooping!

Around the World - Interactive Map of Newspapers - Wow!

 Newseum is an interactive website that brings you the front page of more than 800 newspapers from 80 countries.  

              Keeping it simple

• Website should open with a map of the US
• If you want maps from other countries, click a tab.  You'll travel anywhere from North America to Oceana to Africa.
• Click a pin and the "hometown newspaper" front page for today will open. 
• You can read from the site, print the page, create a PDF, or click to go to the newspaper's website. 

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash

Give it a try!  How do you use maps, geography, news, journalism, foreign languages, reading & writing, or tourism in your curriculum?  This site has many possibilities to support your curriculum (educator resources) and I also see this as a tool to support the home/school connection.  Get your students to share it with their parents/guardians.

Check it out and let me know how you use Newseum.

Trying Tagxedo and You Can To!

 

 Tagxedo is a word cloud tool that has some options that Wordle doesn't have right now.  I linked to my twitter account and tagxedo created a word cloud for me.  One cool feature of Tagxedo is that you can create your cloud in different shapes and you can import a picture for your cloud.  I imported my headshot.  Doesn't it look like me??  

Then, I changed the cloud to a star shape with one click.  The words are the same but the look is very different. 

Using word cloud tools is easy and can spice up your lessons, an assignment or a presentation.

Give Tagxedo a try for your class and let me know what you think.

Simple Timer - Online Stopwatch

This is a simple timer that you can save to your computer's desktop and click when you need a count down or count up.  Great for an interactive white board.  It's easy to set and could become a classroom favorite. 
Keeping it simple
Click the site below.  
Click "use the online stopwatch full screen." 
Click start for the stopwatch.  
If you want the countdown timer, click set and start when you are ready.

Check it out and let me know how you use it.  www.online-stopwatch.com

The Secret

"The secret of getting started is breaking your complex,
overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then
starting on the first one."              - Mark Twain

This was today's quote on my I-Google Page, Inspirational Quote gadget.  How appropriate for my first post on my "you can do tech" blog!  This is the secret to learning anything, including integrating technology into classroom instruction.  If you learn and practice one tool, you are on your way to becoming a 21st century educator.

I have been working with teachers for many years and for the past year, working in the NYC public schools as a technology integration consultant.  I find that it is easy for teachers to become overwhelmed and my job is to keep it simple and provide the "what's in it for me and my students" answers.  

I hope you will enjoy my sharing and you will find you can do it, whether you are a novice or expert technology user.