Giant Stride
It’s all that exists between you and a new experience.
Some very clever Roanoke County students created this very informative video about safety rules.
DINO SAFETY
Roanoke County Schools have only been in session for a few days but the teachers are fired up about using technology to connect with learners around the world. Here’s just a sampling of what the teachers I work with are up to:
The Oreo Cookie Project - Both Mrs. Clifford and Ms. Zebosky from Green Valley Elementary school are starting the year out right! Cookies and collaboration, what could be better? Both teachers will participate in The Oreo Cookie Project this month!
Are you taller than a First Grader? - Quite possibly you are! The real question is How Tall is a First Grader? Mrs. Kern’s class from Back Creek Elementary is going to participate with students around the country to determine this information. Students will be measured this fall and again this spring.
Regions of Virginia - Mrs. Stanley’s Fourth Graders will collaborate with students across the state this year to learn interesting facts about the Regions of Virginia. Check in with their wiki from time to time to view Voicethread and Podcast projects!
Oceans of Ideas - Both Mrs. Steffen’s & Ms. Rooney’s classes created amazing digital stories last year after participating in a unit that focused on the ocean. Here’s a taste of what the students created! This year’s 8th Graders will participate in this unit again and collaborate with <ahem>a certain diver this fall.
This type of collaboration just skims the surface of what is available to the students in your classroom! Here are a few other projects that are up and coming:
And up an coming soon:
The Zoo Math Project- a multi-district (Roanoke City, Salem, & Roanoke Co), Third Grade Math adventure based on our very own Mill Mt. Zoo! Stay tuned for details!
Story Chasers - Students can share stories on a variety of topics with other kids around the world. First up, Spooky Ghost Stories!!!
Animal Habitats - Students in Texas would love to discuss habitats and food chains with students in Virginia.
Ocean Voicethreads - Do your students understand the ocean environment and the characteristics of the Continental Shelf & Slope? Not only can they ask me questions that I’ll gladly answer after diving, but they can collaborate with other students around the world to discuss ideas and issues.
The ability to collaborate with classrooms around the district, state, country or globe is easier than ever! Let’s get together soon to get your kids involved in this amazing learning activity.
The 2008-09 school year is just around the corner and promises to be action packed and full of adventure. Here’s a run down of just a few highlights!
ACTIVboards ACTIVboards have been added to each elementary classroom and many of the secondary classrooms. YIPPEE!! This fabulous tool will transform your classroom and revolutionize the way you teach. Training is available this year in all shapes and sizes -classes, workshops, user groups, and grade level & individual sessions. Please let me know how I can best help you get comfortable with your board. I’ll be glad to help you find pre-designed flipcharts and we can work together to plan and team teach lessons.
New Email Our new email system is web based so there’s no software to download. Your First Class mailbox will exist for another month or two but no new email will come into your mailbox. If you need help moving your existing emails into folders or organizing mail lists, please let me know!
Flip Cameras Digital Video has never been easier! Press play, press stop, and use the camera’s USB plug to download the video to your computer. I have a small library of Flip Cameras available for checkout! Let’s get together so I can show you how easy and fun these little tools are.
Blogs A blog is a free nifty web tool that allows your to create and maintain an online journal. The administrators in our building will be blogging this year and I’ll be right there will them! When you visit my blog you’ll get a sampling of what’s happening in technology -both in our schools and the rest of the world. Wanna get your students excited about the writing process?? There’s no better way than to get them writing for an audience. I would love to work with you and your students to make blogging a reality!
Networking with other classrooms Remember the days when Pen Pals were the only way to collaborate with other classrooms? Those days are gone forever! Collaborating with classroomss around the county, the country, or the world is a close as your nearest Wiki and as easy as typing in a box. Here are a few projects on the books already for teachers with a sense of adventure:
The Monster Exchange Fun, easy, and perfect for practicing descriptive writing!
Story Chasers - A multi-state collaborative designed to to support story telling.
There are more- many more - for all grade levels and subject areas. Teachers all over the world are connecting to share information and I’m happy to help you get started.
These great educational tools are quick and easy to use - contact me soon so we can get started!
A small group of ITRTs gathered at the DOE this week to learn how to use data gathered from standardized tests to support teaching and learning. Not necessarily a setting where you’d expect a discussion about Blogging to begin.
The workshop was informative. We spent a good deal of time analyzing test data and learning to identify strengths and weaknesses within demographic and program areas. We strategized about how to best work with teachers and building administrators to use this information to improve instruction. The magic didn’t happen, though, until the discussion turned to how technology could facilitate instructional changes.
With a group comprised of Instructional Technology Resource Teachers there was no need to worry about technology “buy in”. We all understand how technology can improve instruction. What was interesting to me was the way information was generated. Enthusiasm electrified was what I witnessed. It started gently, just a few polite suggestions about technologies that might support certain curriculum areas. Soon, though, a group of curious educators were exploring how technologies were being used in different districts and with each inquiry, the energy level grew. Blog, wiki, De.icio.us and twitter accounts were shared and the learning grew exponentially. Soon, we were sharing, exploring, teaching, learning, and creating simultaneously. The room took on a life of it’s own.
It occurred to me that this was exactly the type of learning that today’s students should be experiencing in school. If we can help teachers use technology to generate this type of energy for learning, there might be less need for data analysis.
