Goals for the Future Part 1

Use Google Maps more...I mean...just use Google Maps with my class. A cool idea comes from We Tell Stories, a digital writing project from Penguin UK. Six authors have been challenged to create new forms of story - designed specifically for the Internet and that "...take full advantage of the immediacy, connectivity and interactivity that is now possible." The first story is told by following the story through Google Maps as it unfolds.

Obviously, there are numerous ways to do this same type of thing in the classroom. I'm thinking of doing something similar in social studies--Paul Revere's Ride, hiking the Appalachian Trail, Lewis and Clark's journey, the Trail of Tears, etc.

Goal #1 - Embed Google Maps into my classroom blog.

NY Times article is comical

Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops

One of my parents sent me an email about this article. She said I might find it interesting. I did. I have so many thoughts about it that it's difficult to know where to start. I guess I'll begin with this quote:

"...technology is often embraced by philanthropists and political leaders as a quick fix, only to leave teachers flummoxed about how best to integrate the new gadgets into curriculums."

Flummoxed. Perhaps this is the problem. What do you expect when technology is rushed into the classroom, with little training and preparation for the teachers --it is doomed to fail from the start. Put those laptops in the hands of a tech savvy teacher though and watch them have their kids do amazing things with the devices.

Here is another quote:

"...a survey of district teachers and parents found that one-fifth of Matoaca students rarely or never used their laptops for learning."

Once again, in the hands of a capable teacher students would be doing more than their share of learning.

And if we needed any evidence that flummoxed teachers have no idea how to use the laptops, we get this unenlightened statement from a history teacher at one of the schools:

“The art of thinking is being lost,” he said. “Because people can type in a word and find a source and think that’s the be all end all.”

Obviously this teacher doesn't feel the need to teach his students how to critically and carefully evaluate these sources. If he did, then his students would be improving their thinking skills, not losing them.

This quote also brings something else to mind: in the age of Google, is it bad that we can type a word or a name and find out something we didn't know before? With so much knowledge just a click away, doesn't that mean we should focus more on teaching problem-solving, creativity, innovation, collaboration, critical thinking, etc. instead of teaching our kids useless facts. If this is the way we choose to go, then the laptop is the perfect tool to help us get there.


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Check out: www.misterteacher.com | Digital Cameras in the Classroom | Education in a Flat World

Live from SOITA: Google Tricks from Tammy Worcester

I got in a litte late, but I still managed to pick up some tricks from the SOITA Conference's featured speaker Tammy Worcester. I happened to stop in right as she was showing some of lesser known features of Google. You probably already know that you can use the search engine as a calculator, but did you know that you can also use it to do conversions?

• Want to convert 32 degrees F to Celsius? Simply type the following: 32 f to c and Google returns the following

32 degrees Fahrenheit = 0 degrees Celsius

• How about converting metric measures to customary? Try typing 3 m to ft and Google returns the following

3 m = 9.84251969 feet

Searching for PowerPoint Slideshows

Need a PowerPoint, but can’t find the time to create one for class. A Google advanced search allows you type in a keyword and choose to have the search return only PowerPoint files. Here's how to do it:

1. Click on Advanced Search.
2. In the Find Results box, type your keyword (Tammy's was rainforests).
3. Click on the Find Format drop down menu and choose PowerPoint.
   

Look for more reports throughout the day.


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Check out: Spreadsheets in the Classroom | Classroom Blogging | Alphabet Geometry

Using the Internet to Acquire Digital Images for Classroom Use

The Internet is a gold mine for finding digital images to use in your classroom. On numerous occasions I have found photos from Google or another photo site and used them on worksheets, in a blog entry, for writing prompts, or for something else. Below are some of my favorite sites for finding photos to use in the classroom.

1. Google Images.
   
2. Flickr - Millions of users, million of photos. This is Web 2.0 at its finest. This photo sharing site allows users to tag their photos, or add keywords to them when they upload. When you search for photos here, you enter a tag into the search box and any photo that has been tagged with that keyword is returned. Tips for using Flickr:
   • Try a tag search for math nature and you will get photos from folks who have tagged photos with those words. Go to the site and try this.
   • You can also do a group search for photos. Do the same search from above and your results will show groups who have uploaded photos with the theme math nature.
3. KidsClick - This page contains links to special image databases under the following categories: Art, Astronomy/Space, Animals, History/Society. Some of the links include Astronomy Picture of the Day, FWS Image Archive, and American Memory Collection.
4. Yotophoto - From the site: "Yotophoto is a search engine for free-to-use stock photographs and images. These are images that are either in the Public Domain or released under generous Creative Commons, GNU FDL or similar licenses."
5. Stock.Xchng - This site is full of stock photos for professionals. It is still full of photos that are great for classroom use.
6. PixelPerfect - Another site meant for professionals but full of of photos appropriate for classroom use. This is a comprehensive site on digital photography with tons of information on cameras, reviews, links, and more.
7. Pics4Learning - A copyright free image library for teachers. I can't say I'm real high on this one--there just isn't the depth here that you'll find in the sites above.

By the way, the above information is copied word for word from my Website Future of Math: Digital Cameras.


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