I found that Google has a lot more to offer than just being a search engine.
The two tools I chose to explore were the Google Alerts and Google Book Search.
The Google Alert that I set up is for Baylor Bear Football. I set it to be updated on a weekly basis in order to check the latest game scores etc. Of course I follow Baylor Football already but this will be very handy to have pop up on my email. I can just forward the good news about wins to other Bears.
I would like to provide a link to the Baylor Bear Football alert that I created but did not see a share button.
The Google Book Search surprised me in that I could actually choose to read the text of the book. I did not know that such a sight existed. It also allows a reader to have a list of favorites, current reads, and to read.
By learning more about Google I realize that I have easy access to several applications that are offered at other individual sites but are all offered by Google. That makes Google pretty amazing.
These two Google tools that I explored did not have a share option that I could find. However, I enjoyed getting a first look at them and will enjoy their continued use.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thing #20
Google Docs is used by our campus and district in many different ways. A few that come to mind immediately are calendars, list, agendas, gradebooks, etc.
I created a document and gave access to misd23things@gmail.com. My document is something I find comes in handy every day. Any time a new student enrolls I must get the transfer grades to the teachers on the students schedule. So I made the layout for that particular use. I could actually enter the grades and post for the teachers to access. This of course is just an example of how google docs works.
A project that I could use collaboration with staff on is planning Spring Orientation for our campus. We could all have input to the Agenda. Once the agend is finalized all staff members could refer back to the document as the date drew near.
Typically the more I use an application the easier it becomes. And I have found this to be true with googles docs.
I created a document and gave access to misd23things@gmail.com. My document is something I find comes in handy every day. Any time a new student enrolls I must get the transfer grades to the teachers on the students schedule. So I made the layout for that particular use. I could actually enter the grades and post for the teachers to access. This of course is just an example of how google docs works.
A project that I could use collaboration with staff on is planning Spring Orientation for our campus. We could all have input to the Agenda. Once the agend is finalized all staff members could refer back to the document as the date drew near.
Typically the more I use an application the easier it becomes. And I have found this to be true with googles docs.
Thing #19
Voicethread is a fun digital-storytelling tool that I immediately could see
myself using.
During the welcoming of a new enrollee to our campus they are given a tour by one of our office workers. I could see voicethread being a video tool to introduce our campus to new students and their families. By addressing several of the topics below.
- Introducing the teachers on each team.
- A tour of the physical building and getting around campus.
- Giving a welcome from our administrators.
- School immunization requirements discussed by our nurse.
Voicethread could also be used within my hobby of scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is storytelling too. So I believe that it would add a lot to digital scrapbooking to also have the voice of the storyteller along with the pictures.
A perfect example of this is in the "What is Voice Thread Anyway" where the mom in the picture is talking about how happy she is and at the same time explaining the disgruntled looks on a couple of her children's faces. In hands on scrapbooking using your own handwriting is encouraged because it will be treasured by family and friends. So I know that being able to hear the people in the pictures talking about what was happening would be a lifelong treasure for generations to come.
As I said before. I can see myself using voicethread in many ways.
Thing #18
As a middle school registrar much of my job focus is on curriculum. Therefore, I explored You Tube video's on Curriculum in Middle Schools.
The first one '>"What Makes McKinley Middle School Special" was particularly engaging. It is fast paced and features the students in hands on learning activities which appear to be fun and educational at the same time. I would feel comfortable sharing this with some of the teachers at my school in order to piggieback on the success McKinley Middle School has had.
I chose a how to video that was funny. I was taught how to '>tie a tie by my father and chose this topic for my how to video. Of course now days tie's are not worn as much as they used to be. Therefore, some men may need a refresher every now and then. Some of the middle schoolers I work with might find that this comes in handy when wearing a tie on game days.
Teacher Tube was very interesting. I was able to find lessons on most any subject and found that many might be great introductions to a lesson. This is a resource I will explore more in the future in hopes of finding some attention grabbers to start a presentation.
I also found that the timer idea was a good one. It is quite easy to loose track of time while on You Tube.
The first one '>"What Makes McKinley Middle School Special" was particularly engaging. It is fast paced and features the students in hands on learning activities which appear to be fun and educational at the same time. I would feel comfortable sharing this with some of the teachers at my school in order to piggieback on the success McKinley Middle School has had.
I chose a how to video that was funny. I was taught how to '>tie a tie by my father and chose this topic for my how to video. Of course now days tie's are not worn as much as they used to be. Therefore, some men may need a refresher every now and then. Some of the middle schoolers I work with might find that this comes in handy when wearing a tie on game days.
Teacher Tube was very interesting. I was able to find lessons on most any subject and found that many might be great introductions to a lesson. This is a resource I will explore more in the future in hopes of finding some attention grabbers to start a presentation.
I also found that the timer idea was a good one. It is quite easy to loose track of time while on You Tube.
Thing #17
Well, I believe that podcasting in education definitely has the advantage of bringing other worlds and their people into the schools for us to experience. My example of this is the podcast I heard on the Education Podcast with John Merrow - PBS, the podcast directory that I chose to subscribe to.
The first podcast that I listened to was from Haiti after the earthquake, it was entitled "Read, Read, Read" in English but in Creole it is called "Li, Li, Li". The gentleman speaking is in the courtyard of the demolished school where a tent city has sprung up. He is part of a group that is taking books to the children during the day. They carefully select the books to be read so as not to cause the children to become upset by the subject matter. Such as a book about a child's room would be upsetting because these children no longer have homes.
As the gentleman reads he starts out with say 12 children and a few older students standing around. The group increases to around 40 as he reads several books. The children all ask if he will return tomorrow. They have enjoyed the luxury of thinking only about the topic being read to them. This is also something that families did not do on a regular basis prior to the earthquake. So hopefully this will benefit the children as their nation recovers.
The second podcast that I hear was "A Brand New Ballgame". The subject this podcast dealt with is the loss of learning in low socio-economic areas during the summer break. The summer break is a time when these students do not receive the same nutrition as they did during the school year. The partnership of schools and communities is encouraged as a way to provide food and a summer learning environment even though we are having budget cuts in the non-profit areas.
Also, looking at summer school as a way to prepare for the next grade level. A time full of learning that is fun and full of new teaching ideas.
I saw this as relevant here in MISD. Because we do have summer lunch programs and our summer school is evolving into more of a preparation time for the next year. Hopefully, this trend will continue making summer full of learning and promise.
After listening to these two podcast I felt that our ideas can be shared and we can also learn from other teaching communities by listening to each other. This can all be done in our own schools without the cost of travel and with the same benefits in many cases.
The first podcast that I listened to was from Haiti after the earthquake, it was entitled "Read, Read, Read" in English but in Creole it is called "Li, Li, Li". The gentleman speaking is in the courtyard of the demolished school where a tent city has sprung up. He is part of a group that is taking books to the children during the day. They carefully select the books to be read so as not to cause the children to become upset by the subject matter. Such as a book about a child's room would be upsetting because these children no longer have homes.
As the gentleman reads he starts out with say 12 children and a few older students standing around. The group increases to around 40 as he reads several books. The children all ask if he will return tomorrow. They have enjoyed the luxury of thinking only about the topic being read to them. This is also something that families did not do on a regular basis prior to the earthquake. So hopefully this will benefit the children as their nation recovers.
The second podcast that I hear was "A Brand New Ballgame". The subject this podcast dealt with is the loss of learning in low socio-economic areas during the summer break. The summer break is a time when these students do not receive the same nutrition as they did during the school year. The partnership of schools and communities is encouraged as a way to provide food and a summer learning environment even though we are having budget cuts in the non-profit areas.
Also, looking at summer school as a way to prepare for the next grade level. A time full of learning that is fun and full of new teaching ideas.
I saw this as relevant here in MISD. Because we do have summer lunch programs and our summer school is evolving into more of a preparation time for the next year. Hopefully, this trend will continue making summer full of learning and promise.
After listening to these two podcast I felt that our ideas can be shared and we can also learn from other teaching communities by listening to each other. This can all be done in our own schools without the cost of travel and with the same benefits in many cases.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thing #16
By far this has been my favorite site! Wait, I believe I have felt this way several times throughout our 23 Things journey. It is very exciting to see author sites, groups, and recommendations. I looked up mysteries, romance, some of my favorite authors using Zeitgeist.
And I found the 50 Book Challenge group a good way to start my January. This is also a great tool to encourage students to read throughout a school year. You define when you start, set your own parameters and goals.
Recommendations for books a reader will like are right at your fingertips. This will encourage many student readers. They may exhaust all the books written by that first favorite author. But by listing their favorites they can receive recommendations for books they might find just as enticing! I know that I will put this feature to use myself.
Thank you so much for an intro to such a fun learning site.
And I found the 50 Book Challenge group a good way to start my January. This is also a great tool to encourage students to read throughout a school year. You define when you start, set your own parameters and goals.
Recommendations for books a reader will like are right at your fingertips. This will encourage many student readers. They may exhaust all the books written by that first favorite author. But by listing their favorites they can receive recommendations for books they might find just as enticing! I know that I will put this feature to use myself.
Thank you so much for an intro to such a fun learning site.
Thing #15
Thing #15
I really enjoyed using delicious as a bookmarking and tagging tool. It is easy to see which sites have proven themselves to others by the number of users listed. This being my first use of delicious I would search by topic and then visit the most popular sites. Books have always been fun, entertaining, informative and part of my life. So I did a search for books and found one site called Overbooked that was very user friendly. I feel like this site would be a good one to search for books on for professional and personal use. I also explored scrapbooking which as you already know is one of my hobbies. Just follow this link to my delicious offerings http://delicious/ccwildcat10. I am glad we are sharing our links. This will offer a variety of tags.
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