New FAQ Pages Added
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We’ve added a brand new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page to our site. This interactive page allows you to search for answers in the categories provided, and to add your question if what you need isn’t already listed. We’d love your help with beefing up our list of existing questions. Please stop by the FAQ page HERE and leave a question!
In this session, the presenter demonstrated the use of PhotoStory, Kid Pics,and Paint for second graders to produce a circle book of landforms. The same lesson could be taught with the same outcome (circle book) by simply using pencils, crayons and markers. But I really liked the integration of technology to allow the students to produce a book that shows what they have learned about landforms. With these programs, young students are drawing and coloring using a computer, as well as typing their sentences instead of writing them – therefore improving their keyboarding skills. This is something that I can incorporate into my library visits, as well as share with the classroom teachers so that they can use it in their own rooms.
Google Earth
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This was my first exposure to Google Earth and I absolutley loved it! The lesson that was shared was intended for 6-8th graders, but it can easliy be turned into a lesson for 2nd/3rd graders. In the lessons, the students focused on 3 locations and had to research answers for 5 questions. The questions were exactly the same for all three locations, and the students had access to age and level appropriate sites where they had to read to find the answers to those questions. I am excited to use Google Earth with my second graders, especially, since they study landforms!
Wow what a rush of info
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I’m home and trying to process all that I have learned. I really need a couple of days off just to process and try some stuff and put some thins in action. I want to make sure that I don’t walk away and forget the excitement and the new stuff that I have been handed. Some things that I will try this year: podcasting with the Blue Bonnets and blogging with the students. I will have to make some changes like having the library open longer and having all the computers available at all times. Hopefully getting more computers for next year. Tall order but here I go… Thank you for bringing us.
TCEA 02/04/09
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I thoroughly enjoyed Lisa Ling’s keynote address this morning. What an amazingly articulate individual she is, and everything she had to say helped me to realize how severely lacking I am in a global awareness. I admire her passion for what she does, and I find her work very interesting. It’s kind of funny how the only media she really mentioned was television, yet it made me think about the fact that we really are lucky to be in a position to afford our students such great opportunities for exposure which will lead to a better global awareness on their part.
I gleaned tons more great information from today, much of which had to do with Web 2.0 tools. BISD librarians have had quite a lot of training on this, and I’ve had fun playing with Web 2.0 tools for a good while now. I am amazed, however, at what is really out there. It is a case of “the more I learn, the dumber I feel…”. This afternoon I attended a library website session using Web 2.0 tools, and while I had heard of many of the tools, I did learn of a few new ones. I was also inspired to begin creating digital book trailers (similar to movie trailers). But the presenter said one thing that really struck me. She basically said that we can have the coolest website ever, using all the neatest Web 2.0 tools, making it as interactive as possible, but if we don’t have a real relationship with our students, they will not go there. That really does make sense. What good is technology if it doesn’t get used? It’s too expensive to just sit there. What good is an awesome website if no one ever visits it? It takes too much time to create only for it not to be used.
I do want to mention the coolest gadget I saw all day long: the Fujitsu LifeBook. It’s a mini tablet with a touch screen and stylus, and it is smaller than the paperback I was carrying. It was also smaller than Jace Daily’s Amazon Kindle. Only $1,000–very sweet! I want one!!!
Final Day
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The last day of the conference was productive. I went to a presentation of ipods and literacy for a kindergarten class. The presenter was knowledgeable and excited about her students. I could see how to adapt her approach for English Language Learners.
The next seminar seemed to be more for IT Mangers and dealt with switching over to Google for in house services management of emails, etc. . I’m not sure how secure the system would be. But the presenter from Region XII (could be wrong about the Region) seemed excited.
The closing convocation also was good.
Thanks Kim and Sandra for inviting me.
Protect your assets,
Rodger
Math+Technology Session
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Highly recommend seeing Tammy’s presentation at future sessions.
Who could have known 1 + 1 =120…yep she gave clues such as what time is it??? 1 minute + 1 minute = 120 seconds
We could use this to get them thinking before class starts.
She also showed us how to make pictographs in excel. She created some data and made a chart and filled in each bar with a picture that represented that category.
She showed us how to solve equations in excel and the kids enter in the answer and the cell can turn different colors to represent a right and wrong answer.
The Google doc she used to show data on how the kids scored on a quiz was really neat.
She shows a lot of her tips on her website. I listed it below along with her email address.
Tech. Conference Thursday
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This morning I went to a session on Cross Culture collabortation. The unique thing about this session was the teaching of English by using content. In other words, use science to teach English. A book on this concept is Words Their Way With English Language Learners. I’m going to purchase and read this book.
Later I attended Sandra and Kim’s session. Our Tech. folks rock!!!!!!! Our School District rocks!!!! Our teachers Rock!!!! Sandra and Kim presented compicated issues in a way designed for their listeners where ever they are on the tech. scale of us. Their method of having the audience determine what issues are addressed is inspiring!! I was impressed by the presentation and delivery. One has to see them in action. Words are not suffecient. Uno mas dia, mis amigos. Rodger
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Day Four
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A good session – Basically an ELL/ESL reading and writing
program. Usually when a vendor demonstrates
their programs, they only display how the program
work without talking good teaching strategies.
Not this lady. She used proximity-control over
the teachers. She asked open-ended questions.
She wanted teachers to teach reading/writing in the
content area. Rather than having students who are
learning English in only the ELL/ESL room, they can
learn to read and write in Science/Math/Social Studies.
Like the last post, I don’t want to focus on sessions
that didn’t have much content.
Saw a great session that last an hour & half but it seemed
to be 45 minutes.
Sandra Hines, Kim Estes, and Teresa Sumrall really
brought the thunder. Wikis, Blogs, and so many other
things that most teachers don’t use. JoT.com isn’t free
anymore but what a great resource. Our district might want to use this
rather than other notification systems.
Not only did they present well (no, I’m not saying this
because they might read this – you know me, I don’t
pull punches) but they inspired folks to think and ask
questions.
BISD really doesn’t take the time to go and
listen to these Techperts. WEB 2.0 has so many
options. Kim said something very good – try one of these
resources. Make mistakes. Try to push the features
and find ways to inspire learners to do more.
A great idea is to have students post their Creative
Writing projects. Students work harder because they know
people could comment on their work and creativity.
That’s a really good idea. I might bring that into my
Communication Applications class.
WE – the teachers of BISD need to bring open minds
to Summer Institute and really learn something new.
Stay in our comfort zone is probably causing the
students to not take an interest in the subject area.
Day Two
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Rather than talk about those poor presentations, I’m
going to only talk about the positive.
First session – math applications
They had brought math from using a math book and
TI Calculator to amazing sites. One was a great site
that embraces using textin’ to check for understanding.
Oh, yea. It was Jana & Stephanie from BHS. Burleson.
Isom and I presented “Investing In Tomorrow’s Future.”
We went to another session that this lady had
a lot of good social studies online resources.
Another session I won’t discuss.
Went to one about saving money when using technology.
With energy costs going up. On the average, districts
spend on the average $300 per student per year
in energy costs. Quick ideas – turn off EVERYTHING.
Allowing an old CRT monitor to go to sleep when the computer
is turned off is a bad idea. It still draws energy.
I unplug my printer everyday when I leave. It may
or may not draw energy. Teachers can help
reduce our energy use which in turn can allow more
money for the district to have more teachers or
technology.