This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the interest of improving my craft. Synopsis: This week’s activities in Computer Lab were the best blend so far this year of my old "computer lab" lessons and my new "STEM" emphasis content. Kindergarten students were introduced to a great, free, online art program that has many capabilities and can be used on any computer; Second, Third and Fourth graders followed up last week’s engineering design process lesson with a second engineering challenge involving ten 1″ strips of paper and a 500-sheet ream of paper; First graders had a blast exploring leaf samples using our trusty QX5 microscopes and five Dell D600 laptops I literally saved from the scrap heap over the summer, precisely for this purpose. Please also note: due to our days lost to Hurricane Sandy, our upcoming in-service on Election Day, the approaching Thanksgiving holiday, and a few other scheduling technicalities too obtuse to explain, my current "Day" rotation for lessons in Computer Lab is, in technical terms, all out of whack. As a result, I will be skipping an update in a week or so to get things back on track. Thanks for understanding! Week ending 11/02/12 .Kindergarten What we learned / did / explored together: We warmed up with the ABCYa Shape Construction game and the ABCYa Uppercase/Lowercase Matching activity. Both were instant favorites. Bookmark these at home! We introduced the concept of digital artwork by having a conversation about the advantages & disadvantages of drawing with paper and crayons/pencils/whatever vs. using a computer. As always, the interaction in this part of the class was inspiring. It is always fun to engage a Kindergartener in a conversation. They say (sometimes with a little difficulty) exactly what’s on their minds. Returning to the cubes in front of the SMART Board, we moved on to an introduction to the free and fabulous ABCYa PaintGo! program, which is for now my go-to choice for art digital projects in K-4. The program is simple to use, relatively powerful, supports exporting to .JPG and printing. It’s Flash based so it works great on our Chromebooks. There are some limitations but it’s easily the best program of its kind I’ve found (other than Sumo Paint, which is better suited for grades 3-4 because of the complexity of its user interface). We explored the various components and capabilities (toolbars, color palette, stickers & coloring pages, multi-level Undo (a LIFESAVER), and the kids knew what to do. They were charged with creating digital artwork and incorporating their name (using the text tool or any other means, as Matthew demonstrates above.) Projects were then saved to .JPG format for later printing. What I observed / inferred / connected: It is great to see that so many of the activities I introduce in the lab are already being used in the classroom. Kids instantly know what to do, and, I and the classroom teacher can work individually with those who need extra help. It also makes the beginning of my lessons more effective since I rely on kids to ‘teach’ others using the SMART Board, and the more hands we have in the air when something needs to be done, the better! Since a good portion of our lower elementary technology curriculum is art-based (it gives students the ability to express themselves and respond creatively to prompts), it’s critical that we have a reliable, robust, FREE art program. ABCYa PaintGo! is that program. These painting programs are excellent measures of fine motor and mouse skill and I continue to be impressed by the progress kids are making. Most have mastered the mouse, which, considering a large number of these students come from homes with tablets are prevalent, means a lot. What students can do at home: The ABCYa Shape Construction game and the ABCYa Uppercase/Lowercase Matching activity, as well as ABCYa PaintGo!, can be found on our Kindergarten Symbaloo page. Students should feel free to explore any and all of these activities when the mood strikes! xx Leaf Science from Mr. Jarrett First Grade What we learned / did / explored together: I have been doing this lesson, or a version of it, for as long as we have had the fabulous QX5 computer microscopes (donated by our amazing PTO) so many years ago. It’s a perfect lesson for this time of year. I always change/update something, add a new wrinkle or challenge, and this year, it was to have the kids work in teams (four to five per table) using some older but still viable Dell D600 laptops I salvaged over the summer. We started the lesson with a few of the interactives in "Trees are Terrific" (above) then worked our way into a conversation based on the Powerpoint (also above, which is oriented to second grade, so I remove some content to make it more first-grader friendly). Conversations rule the beginning of the lesson as students share prior knowledge about leaves (some are essentially experts at this age) and we discuss photosynthesis. Eyes are wide when I explain that leaves are only green because they are filled with chlorophyll, which, once depleted, allows the "true" color of the leaf to shine through. (There are many great life analogies here…) Once we demonstrate use of the microscopes, which most kids remember because we use them every year, we send the students to their tables to get to work. Students use the microscope to examine leaf samples gathered from my yard. (If we had more class time, I’d have the students get their own samples, but 42 minutes just isn’t enough.) Students identify leaf components and document them using the "snapshot" feature of the Qx5 microscopes. They also completed this brief worksheet (with a partner). What I observed / inferred / connected: This perennial favorite lesson, which we usually do in pairs, worked beautifully as a group lesson. Kids shared the samples, microscope, laptop and other resources easily and without complaint. Kids have an insatiable curiosity that makes lessons like these invaluable and so much fun. I learn something from them every time. The energy in the room is incredible. Some might consider it chaotic; to me it is purposeful and exciting. The classes always end with students having made a huge mess of the room but invariably they are smiling and chatting and exclaiming as they leave. In the future, I will get a greater variety of leaves (more than just from my yard) and I will shorten the discussion part of the lesson to give kids more time with the microscopes. What students can do at home: Find and explore leaf samples at home. Have them identify the parts, compare and contrast samples, count the "points, " etc. Check out "Trees are Terrific" because there are MANY parts we didn’t get to because of time limitations. [slickr-flickr type="slideshow" tag="LWIL1102a" id="29304822@N00" flickr_link="on" link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/sets/72157631648412574/with/8126400230/" attribution="Photos by Mr. Jarrett"]Second, Third and Fourth Grade What we learned / did / explored together: My erstwhile colleague and fellow STEM teacher Dave Zirkle provided the inspiration for this week’s lesson. I made some modifications to suit our students (and my timeframe) and it worked beautifully. Basically, students, working in teams of two or three, were given ten strips of paper and asked to design a structure strong enough to support at least one ream of paper. I started by pointing out the Walt Disney quote on the wall of my classroom (stenciled by Monica De La Torre): "It’s kind of fun to do the impossible." I asked students if they thought it they could design a structure strong enough to hold an entire ream of paper using just ten 1″ strips of paper. They scoffed. NONE thought it could be done! When I told them that many students did so, and one team even came up with a design that held 12 reams of paper, they were flabbergasted. It was the perfect follow up to last week’s Card Tower engineering challenge. We leapt into a discussion of the Engineering Design Process and what that meant for their task today. We would end up glossing over the "plan" phase (due to lack of time) but the day was all about imagination, creation and improvement. I let the students figure things out for themselves at first, withholding the crucial information about the power of cylindrical structures, waiting to see if they figured it out on their own. Once they had that information, everyone was able to be successful and some were even MORE successful than I’d ever imagined possible. Once the designs were complete, we photographed and tested each design, and while some failed after only two or three reams were added, MANY went significantly higher; several designs held all 12 reams of paper I had available in my room for the test (more than that would have been unsafe to stack that high anyway). What I observed / inferred / connected: Students really, really enjoyed this lesson, as they did last week with the Card Tower Challenge. They learned the value of experimentation, failure, teamwork and collaboration. I was very surprised to note the students in every class who were the first to "get" that cylinders were the best solution for their models. I was especially pleased to note that in several instances, it was a student or students who weren’t usually successful in my class, making it clear that the hands-on aspects of the Engineering is Elementary lessons are going to have a POWERFUL impact on our learning this year. After seeing some of the struggles kids had in groups last week, we worked in pairs or triads and things were much better. Ideas flowed more smoothly, people took turns more easily, and things just worked better. It was fun to explain to students that real engineers use compression tests just like these - I will be showing this video (which I recently found) to prove my point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC6AgX2N1Go&feature=fvwrel. I am sure they will see the connection! What students can do at home: You can do this lesson at home with a single sheet of paper cut into 1″ strips but you will need objects to stack on top. This can be dangerous so please work with your child. Don’t let them stack anything that will result in a structure being so large it would injure them (or anyone) if it fell. Ask your child to explain the Engineering Design Process and explore each phase with them, particularly as it relates to a problem or challenge they recently faced.  

I don’t mean to sound dated, but sometimes I use the type of software that installs on my hard drive rather than an online application. And every so often, some great software comes along that saves time and frustration and can be downloaded for free. Here’s a list of free software downloads I’ve collected that I wanted to share with readers—some I’ve used and others have been recommended. Leave a comment if you try one and like or dislike it … and why. AUDIO RECORDING AND EDITING Audacity Audacity is an audio recording and editing application with a lot of the features you find in commercial products. It works on all platforms and is probably the most popular free audio program around. BURNING CDs and DVDs ImgBurn This is supposed to work more smoothly than the software that comes with Windows for burning CDs and DVDs. It creates data backups, video DVDs and music CDs. The publisher provides a list of sites where you can download the application. They’d like a donation, so oblige if you can. DOCUMENT CREATION Open Office I keep hearing good things about Open Office. It’s the free alternative to the Microsoft Office Suite. You can create text documents, spreadsheets, presentations and databases. And it comes in many languages. PrimoPDF Primo PDF has a free and paid version. The free version is all you need to quickly convert most file types to the .pdf format. To create a .pdf, just use the print command from the source program that the file was created in. EMAIL Thunderbird Some say this email program from Mozilla is better than Outlook Express. It’s supposed to have great features and is easy to use. I’m thinking of using it on my Mac. FILE TRANSFER FileZilla I like this for uploading and downloading files to and from FTP sites. It’s open source software, yet actually has some Help documentation. It’s plain and simple and does the job through a drag-and-drop interface. Works on all platforms. GRAPHICS GIMP GIMP is one of the better, if not the best, downloadable image editing and manipulation applications around. It can do some of your Photoshop tasks and works on all platforms. For more on free editing tools, see Image and Optimization Editors in the Resources section. Picasa Picasa is the other popular image editor and its from Google. You can import photos from a digital camera, edit them, and make and share Picasa Web Albums online. ONLINE CHAT AIM Most everyone has their favorite online chatting tool. Just in case you haven’t found yours, check out AOL’s Instant Messenger, as it has lots of capabilities. In addition to text chats, I’ll often use it as the tool of choice for video chatting. You can download AIM for all platforms. By the way, their Lifestream product looks interesting too. It’s a way to broadcast and get updates with AIM buddies from all your social media. Pidgin This chat program gets rave reviews. It lets you connect to most of the other chat services, like AIM, Google Talk, IRS, MSN and Yahoo, so you don’t need to install different programs to chat with different people. It doesn’t have video or audio chat, though. But it does runs on all platforms. SCREENCASTS Jing Jing works on both Mac and PC, to capture single pictures or to record video of screen activity. You can also paste the video into an IM chat, email or Twitter. Now that could save time. CamStudio CamStudio can record all the screen actions on your computer, as well as an audio narrative, and create AVI files which can converted to a streaming Flash (SWF) format. This app only works on PCs. SECURITY AVG Anti-Virus This is a well-known and loved anti-virus software for home use only. The software is free, but registration is required. SYNCRONIZING FILES Dropbox Dropbox seems to be the file synchronization software of choice. It will automatically synchronize files between all of your computers, regardless of whether they run the Mac, Windows or Linux OS. You get 2Gb for free, after that you have to pay. VIDEO PLAYERS AND CONVERTERS FLV Player If your a multimedia maven, then you need to play FLV files. I like this better than the one that comes with Articulate for the PC. You can download the free FLV player at CNET. It’s got a simple install and works well. I had it downloaded, installed and running very quickly. Then I fainted. Handbrake Have you ever been stuck trying to get DVD video into another format? Well, Handbrake can save the day. It’s a cross-platform media converter that can pull DVD video and convert it to MPEG-4. It may not give you ultimate control over all settings, but it has a nice interface and gets the job done. VLC Media Player VLC might be the media player you’re looking for. It’s cross-platform, open source and plays most video and audio formats as well as converts files from one format to another. VOICE OVER INTERNET (VOIP) Skype Skype is the software of choice for talking to people over the Internet, using a headset and mic. It installs easily and the sound quality is good. I have some clients that prefer Skype rather than the phone, so I use it regularly and can vouch for its quality. ZIP FILES 7-Zip This is an archiving application with a very high compression rate. Free, open source and all that good stuff. Post from: The eLearning CoachGreat FREE Software Downloads Tweet This! Share this on Facebook Share this on Linkedin Buzz up! Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon

There must have been something in the water this weekend - seemed as if everywhere I turned I found myself talking about QR Codes. QR codes are the machine readable badges - basically overlapping barcodes - that are starting to...

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the interest of improving my craft. Synopsis: we’ve accomplished a lot in the two weeks since I last posted a reflection. Students in grades 2-3-4 got their first taste of Google Apps (on National Education Week Visitation Day, no less), we had a crazy mad awesome fun digital camera scavenger hunt with Kindergarteners (also on National Education Week Visitation Day), later following that up with their own introduction to Google Docs (yes, in Kindergarten) and finally, we introduced First Graders to Voicethread, one of our favorite Web 2.0 tools. So, this update spans a two-week period. Please note: in our current "Day" rotation, Mondays are Day 5, which means my new lessons start on Tuesday (Day 1). These "days" change over the course of the year due to holidays, etc. Week(s) ending 11/23/12 What we learned / did / explored together: Our annual Kindergarten Digital Camera Scavenger Hunt is a wonderful kinesthetic activity designed to teach kids about digital cameras, test their ability to recognize simple words and locate corresponding objects, and to strengthen their teamwork / sharing skills. We’ve done it for several years (this reflection provides some backstory.) The lesson starts with me providing an overview of the cameras, safe operation (use of the wrist strap at all times), composing photos and general teamwork hints. Then we let them loose! The next week, students got to use the SMART Board to solve some jigsaw puzzles I created with their photos and enter some data into a simple Google presentation (bottom picture, above). What I observed / inferred / connected: There is something truly magical about a camera in the hands of a student. The photos are truly "at their level" and oftentimes are composed brilliantly. Other times, like the first photo above, the composition is "off" technically, but the picture still works (and is safe for publishing on the Internet.) These are just a few reasons why this is one of my favorite Kindergarten lessons. Most students at this age are already familiar with digital cameras and nearly ALL are familiar with posing for pics. I don’t know which part they enjoyed more! I have mixed feelings about incorporating technology (in general) into this lesson beyond the use of the cameras. Expecting non-readers to navigate a UI (user interface) as complex as Google Docs seems silly; what could they possibly retain? I do go out of my way to simplify the tasks, limiting the areas where data input is necessary, and the words they are spelling are provided in the photos. I could skip this part of the project, but, like I said, I have mixed feelings, so for now, it stays in. What students can do at home: Recreating this project at home is a snap. Since digital cameras have come down so much in price it’s easy to get a cheap one for kids to own and use. By all means, if you can, do it! Storage is also cheap and you will be amazed at the magic moments kids will capture. You might even discover you have a budding photographer in your midst! Our Kindergarten Symbaloo page is a terrific resource and I’m constantly adding to it. Students should feel free to explore any and all of these activities when the mood strikes! First Grade What we learned / did / explored together: Voicethread is a near Web 2.0 technology that makes it easy to incorporate images, video, audio and other interactive content. In this example, students have to decide whether or not the pictured item contains a computer of any kind and if so, to circle the correct choice. It’s more whimsical than practical because my goal is not to assess their knowledge of objects but to orient them on the use of the tool, particularly, the comment and markup (pen) feature. (We’ll introduce voice comments, which are more difficult, later.) Once I showed students what to do, they were on their own. All were successful! What I observed / inferred / connected: Students were MUCH more comfortable and productive with this tool than kids in prior years. Not sure if that’s significant or not but this project was a lot easier this time than in years past. I need different photographs. Some of these were too obvious, others too obtuse for your average first grader. Voicethread works beautifully on the Chromebooks. What students can do at home: The essence of this lesson is a question, "Does this object have a computer inside, and how do you know?" It could easily be replicated at home with common household objects and spark amazing conversation - particularly if you are not opposed to exploring the item with your child (by disassembling it!) Check out the First Grade Symbaloo page for fun online activities! Second, Third and Fourth Grade What we learned / did / explored together: Students started the lesson with our standard "Do Now" - requiring them to log into their Chromebook, access Typing Pal and work their way through a few lessons as a warmup. We do this every week to ensure everyone is logged in and ready to work, so when I say "Lids Down," everyone closes their Chromebook and we can talk about what’s ahead. This week’s lesson was an introduction to Google Docs (new to everyone except some 4th grade students who have Mrs. Shenkus and Mrs. Gibson). Using the Engineering Design Process as a context, students were asked to think about the Tower Power project / experience and describe which "phase" was the most enjoyable for them and why. This is a "free write" - no prompting or planning - and accordingly it was extra challenging. Students were required to insert an image I’d shared with them and then add the requisite text.  Finally, they were asked to share the document with me. What I observed / inferred / connected: This lesson went much better than I thought it would considering I had to rely on step-by-step printed instructions (my screencasting system is currently down). Kids were easily able to create the document, insert the image, add the text and share the document. With the exception of Wednesday, November 21st, the Chromebooks were nearly flawless - and so were the students (in terms of logging in and getting to work.) We are still trying to determine what went wrong on Wednesday but many Chromebooks needed to be reset to regain connectivity. I’m confident we’ll isolate and resolve the problem quickly. I am presently trying my best to figure out gClass Folders, a tool teachers can use to organize and easily share items with students. Since I have 350+ students in three grades and 15 classes, organization is critical for me; it will also be for my colleagues as they begin to embrace Google Docs in their classrooms. So, I’ve got to be the expert! What students can do at home: We are working on having students remember their Google Docs logins; it’s going to take a while, but, ask your student regularly if they know theirs. (Note: the Google Docs login link is on the NCS Website under "Students and Parents.") We want students to be comfortable using Google Docs anywhere, anytime! Practice keyboarding with Typing Pal. Students should know their usernames and passwords by now (they are simpler than Google Docs.) Check out the grade-level Symblaoo pages for fun learning activities: Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4  

I’ve been sitting at the house since Wednesday.  The polar winds swept down across the region and 3 days of -20 to -30 degree temperatures motivated just about every district … Continue reading →

I was amused by the reaction of several friends who saw yesterday's blogpost about QR codes fly down their Facebook feed. "What happened to you?" teased one of them I've known since high school."You used to be fun." I agree...

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the interest of improving my craft. Synopsis: With more "half" days than full ones, this past week was challenging for all of us (due to the compressed daily schedule) but we did the best we could. Kindergarten and First Grade spent some quality time with EasyTech, a longtime Computer Lab favorite, while students in grades 2, 3 & 4 continued working with Google Docs. Everyone got some keyboarding practice, too. But the really big news this week is that we finally got the chairs we ordered way back in June! They are MUCH more comfortable and the proper height. Everyone loves them! Please note: in our current "Day" rotation, Mondays are Day 5, which means my new lessons start on Tuesday (Day 1). These "days" change over the course of the year due to holidays, etc. Week ending 11/30/12 Kindergarten & First Grade What we learned / did / explored together: Students rocked out with ABCYa’s Type Rocket keyboarding activity, which is colorful, fun, challenging and exciting to play. (I have to admit I have a love-hate relationship with keyboarding as a discrete activity, particularly for students this young, but keeping it brief and fun makes all the difference.) We fired up Learning.com’s EasyTech service, or as I put it. "a computer teacher in the computer," to reinforce some basic skills and let the kids work at their own pace. We love EasyTech‘s pleasing graphics, fun animations, calming audio and gentle user interface. It’s ideal for self-directed core skill practice and is accessible from home. More on that in a bit. What I observed / inferred / connected: Fortunately, most students have personal headphones for use in Computer Lab. At this age, "over the ear" models are best; "earbuds" usually don’t fit properly and fall out too often. Occasionally,  headphones break, and we do have limited repair capability (I’m pretty handy with electrical tape) but if your son or daughter says they need new headphones, please get them a set. Five Below has excellent, fairly durable headphones for $5. Click here! I’m amazed at how engaged kids are by the EasyTech activities. The animations, graphics and sound effects are just right; I wish the pacing was adjustable, though, to accommodate those who are ahead of the curve skills-wise. Students are getting better and better at responding to my "lids down" request - which I do as needed to get their attention and at the end of class. Several classes (including Mr. Battistini’s and Mrs. Levy’s) now do so at my first request, which is particularly impressive when you consider they are often wearing headphones and working on an activity! What students can do at home: I will be sending, under separate cover via School Fusion, detailed instructions for how to access Learning.com EasyTech at home. If you still have the instructions I sent home last year, the process / information is the same, but the menus have changed a little. If you have any problems accessing the service, let me know! Check out the Kindergarten and First Grade Symbaloo’s for fun activities and skill builders. Second, Third and Fourth Grades What we learned / did / explored together: Students warmed up with the more challenging version of Type Rocket (more/faster rockets, 60 second time limit) before we dove into our Google Docs from last week. I demonstrated some proofreading techniques and how to use the comments function. Students continue to develop the skills (and memory) needed to log into their Google Apps accounts without assistance or referring to their login cards. What I observed / inferred / connected: The feedback I’ve gotten via these student reflections has been the highlight of my year thus far. Granted, the grammar and spelling isn’t always perfect, and many kids overuse exclamation marks, but, their comments are priceless to me. Some faves: "I realized that the impossible is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "I wish i could do it again. It was the funnest engineering i ever did." "I liked the "imagine" phase the most. We got to imagine what we would do. I like imagining stuff. Do you like imagining stuff?" "It was so fun I was "On the edge of my seat!". STEM is one of my favorite subject’s because it is very interesting! I am not just saying that." What students can do at home: We are working on having students remember their Google Docs logins; it’s going to take a while, but, ask your student regularly if they know theirs. (Note: the Google Docs login link [http://docs.google.com/a/ncs-tech.org] is on the NCS Website under "Students and Parents.") We want students to be comfortable using Google Docs anywhere, anytime! Practice keyboarding with Typing Pal. Students should know their usernames and passwords by now (they are simpler than Google Docs.) Check out the grade-level Symblaoo pages for fun learning activities and skill builders: Grade 2 | Grade 3 |Grade 4

reflect on this. I have nothing more to add… Our students need to see themselves as the inventors of the future not just the consumers of products. #education #principalchat — … Continue reading →

Recently I was traveling to give a presentation and had the chance to visit the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The overwhelming characteristic of the museum is its spectacular architecture—playful, innovative and designed to look random. It’s a structure that seems to dance rather than stand still. Like many visitors, I paid a few Euros to rent a portable audio player for the self-guided tour to learn about the museum’s architecture and its architect, Frank Gehry. This experience of simultaneously touring and listening at the Guggenheim was one of the most compelling learning experiences I’ve had in a long time. It was an ideal model for integrating a structured yet informal learning paradigm. The audio guide was structured in the sense that the content was organized into segments that created a meaningful presentation. It was informal in that it was a voluntary endeavor with no prerequisites or requirements. Users could take or leave what they wanted. The experience was powerful and I wondered what I could transfer to the world of online learning. I don’t have all the answers, but here’s what I’ve figured out so far. It engaged all of my senses. While touring this architectural wonder, it felt as though my brain couldn’t process all the sensory input I was perceiving. This state of heightened arousal is highly motivating and is one reason people seek new experiences. Possibly the only way to transfer this type of potent sensory experience online is through a virtual environment. It heightened my awareness of physical space. Wandering through the Guggenheim’s atrium, you can see through the large glass windows how the architect tied together the interior and exterior space. It  increased my understanding of how the physical environment affects our consciousness. Again, a 3D immersive environment would be ideal for this type of learning. See Your Brain On 3D Learning for more on this topic. It gave me the controls to stop, start and repeat the flow of information. You may take it for granted that asynchronous online learning allows users to move at their own pace. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of allowing learners to stop if they want to ponder, to start when they feel ready, and to repeat if they need to hear or see something more than once to comprehend it. This type of control often simulates how we learn naturally. The content was well organized. The meaningful organization of information is what transforms facts and data into usable content. We can achieve this in all types of online learning with good principles of instructional design. Check out Content Organization Cheat Sheet for suggestions. The audio content was rich. The guided audio tour integrated varied content and sound bytes. It included the architect’s dreams and plans for the structure, characteristics of the building materials, interesting anecdotes about the architect’s creative approach, quotes from others, and comments from an interview with the architect himself. The typical online learning program uses straight narration. Perhaps we can enhance the richness of the audio channel by including sound effects, interviews, music and different perspectives. The experience was immediate. It’s hard to replicate the immediacy of walking through a museum that feels like a living sculpture but it’s something to strive for in our online learning. Can we create experiences that have so much impact, the learner is compelled to pay attention? It allowed for discussion as well as solitary thought. As I wandered the building with my touring partner, we would pause the audio to discuss the points that seemed particularly fascinating. Then we would continue on, wandering around a room on our own paths. We now know that discussion and collaboration contribute a great deal to the learning process. Synchronous learning events and social media technologies allow us to integrate this dimension of learning into the programs we design. We have a great opportunity to learn about design from the experiences that surround us, so that we can make online learning as natural as possible. Related Articles: 10 Social Media Tools For Learning Informal Learning: An Interview With Jay Cross Social Media And Learning Post from: The eLearning CoachLessons From The Guggenheim, Spain Tweet This! Share this on Facebook Share this on Linkedin Buzz up! Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon

Electrowetting is a type of screen display technology. Engaget has called electrowetting the Holy Grail of display: flexible, foldable display surfaces offering full color, high refresh rates, visibility in all lighting conditions, and low power consumption. The reason I know...

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the interest of improving my craft. Synopsis: This was an epic week of with plenty of impossible achievements and wonder as second, third and fourth graders did the "Drops on a Penny" challenge [which I'm using as context for a lesson (coming next week) on Google Spreadsheets.] Kindergarten and First Grade both had fun with art-based projects, the former of which will be turned into a web-based holiday greeting presentation (one for each class) that I’ll be developing in Voicethread. Please note: in our current "Day" rotation, Mondays are Day 5, which means my new lessons start on Tuesday (Day 1). These "days" change over the course of the year due to holidays, etc. Week ending 12/07/12 Kindergarten What we learned / did / explored together: We warmed up with a little Type Rocket (some chose Keyboard Climber [a.k.a. 'The Monkey Game'] instead). Though I find Type Rocket more fun, I’m 50 and they are five so difference in our taste is understandable. I introduced a fun coloring site, http://www.thecolor.com/, a terrific resource for BASIC online coloring. The program is very limited but that means it’s simple and a great choice for early learners. I pointed them to some holiday collections and asked them to choose a picture to complete. (Many did more than one.) I will be incorporating their images and their voices (to record next week) into a Holiday Greetings Voicethread like this over the next week or so. What I observed / inferred / connected: Although this coloring site doesn’t allow a lot of "outside the lines" work, it’s still great fun and excellent for strengthening fine motor skills. Creativity DOES abound with this site when kids choose "wacky" colors for their work. (Wish I had some to share, they are at school.) Kids are getting better and better about putting their "lids down" when I request. Most do so instantly! Apps like these are a "guilty pleasure," to be honest, because while I’d rather the kids rock out with some self-guided inquiry projects, the reality is that the "computer" part of my curriculum still represents the lion’s share of what I must focus on in my lab. What students can do at home: As always, check out the Kindergarten Symbaloo for fun activities and skill builders. If your child plays Type Rocket, be sure they are only pressing the keys needed - you can determine this if, at the end of their game, their score is zero (they lose points for each incorrect key.) It may be fun to explode the fireworks with random wild keystrokes but it doesn’t HELP them learn the location of the keys. I explain this to anyone I see who needs a reminder. First Grade What we learned / did / explored together: We warmed up with Type Rocket (or Keyboard Climber) before heading back to the SMART Board to show them how to play Picture Match, Paw Park Sassy Seals, and Clifford’s Sound Match. (The kids enjoy these applications and I like to help reinforce literacy skills, even if on a limited basis.) We challenged the kids to use ABCYa’s Paint GO! and illustrate an image (assigned randomly using the cards above), making use of multiple brushes, colors, the text tool and more. What I observed / inferred / connected: Though I really, really miss using Tux Paint in the lab, I enjoy familiarizing kids with alternative painting applications like ABCYa’s Paint GO! because they are web based and therefore available anywhere, anytime the student has an Internet connection - which is more and more devices these days. What students can do at home: Make up some cards like the ones I’ve got above and challenge your student to illustrate them using ABCYa’s Paint GO! or another app. Let their imaginations run wild - and have them EXPLAIN what is in their pictures. Apps like these are a "guilty pleasure," to be honest, because while I’d rather the kids rock out with some self-guided inquiry projects, the reality is that the "computer" part of my curriculum still represents the lion’s share of what I must focus on in my lab. Second, Third and Fourth Grade (WARNING: EPIC EPICNESS AHEAD) What we learned / did / explored together: We started the lesson by telling students they would (once again) do the IMPOSSIBLE … and by asking them how many drops of water could fit on a penny. Most responses were in the single digits. I got the usual incredulous looks when I said they would put MANY TIMES THAT AMOUNT on their pennies in our investigation of surface tension! We talked about surface tension via an example everyone can relate to - doing a belly flop into a pool. We talked about the properties of water, the principle of cohesion, and how pennies (old and new) might hold more or less water (and why.) We watched the video above and counted 37 drops of water! The challenge was ON! Each student was provided with a shiny, NEW penny and one older, worn penny; eye droppers; a magnifying glass; paper towels and water. They used the worksheet above (blank available here) to record their predictions and repeated observations. Our trusty Dell D600 laptops (one per group/table) were used to collect data via a Google Docs Spreadsheet. [I will be using that data for a spreadsheet lesson next week.] What I observed / inferred / connected: This lesson was great fun, mostly because the students were in charge of their own learning. They conducted the tests and recorded the results on their own. All were successful; everyone was able to get their pennies to hold a large amount of water. Excited shouts could be heard around the room as the tiny water bubbles eventually burst. "I got 50!" "Watch it wiggle!" "It looks like a Snow Globe!" It’s such a simple activity but one that captures the imagination and is therefore PRECISELY the kind of lesson experience we seek. What worked well: every student had what they needed to be successful and they were. All were amazed by what they observed. Many went home and told their parents and re-did the challenge at home. I am willing to bet many of them will remember this lesson and the concept of "surface tension" for years to come. Our laptops were perfect, used for three continuous periods (almost three hours) with power to spare. Recording data in the spreadsheet was amazingly simple, even though we haven’t worked very much with spreadsheets (that is changing this year.) Transitions between classes were hectic but well managed. There were no major catastrophes involving spills. What could have been better: most students struggled with the worksheet, particularly the writing portions. I could have done a better job explaining what they needed to do. Some "old" pennies were shinier than "new" ones, causing some confusion. My explanation of surface tension could have had more of a scientific basis. Nonetheless, it was an amazing project! What students can do at home: Do the challenge! Get a penny and an eyedropper and see how many drops will fit. Use different coins, but first, have the students PREDICT what will happen and explain WHY. (A magnifying glass is helpful to investigate coins up close.) We are working on having students remember their Google Docs logins; it’s going to take a while, but, ask your student regularly if they know theirs. (Note: the Google Docs login link is on the NCS Website under "Students and Parents.") We want students to be comfortable using Google Docs anywhere, anytime! Practice keyboarding with Typing Pal. Students should know their usernames and passwords by now (they are simpler than Google Docs.) Check out the grade-level Symblaoo pages for fun learning activities: Grade 2 | Grade 3 |Grade 4

Visualizing information makes it tangible so that people are more likely to comprehend it. Here are four compelling examples.Post from: The eLearning CoachLearning From Visual Data

Dr. Darcy Hardy has been appointed to the Office of Assistant Secretary Jane Oats, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), United States Department of Labor. She will be supporting the recently announced Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (CCCT)...

This is the first in a series of posts about Google Chromebooks and their use / applicability in home settings. Though I own two Chromebooks, I also own an iPad, multiple PCs (and have owned Macs). Obviously, no computer is "right" for every user and situation. Hopefully what I share here will help those interested decide what direction to go. My reaction when people ask about Chromebooks for their child is "what computer is your son or daughter using now and what are they doing with it?" For most people, the answer is the child is using a family computer (often the only one in the house or the parent’s) to do lots of online gaming, general internet surfing, light word processing and occasional school projects (older kids, typically upper elementary & middle schoolers.) Understanding the mix of these activities is critical, as is understanding how that mix will change over time as the child grows up. Elementary School For the these learners, a Chromebook is ideal as a primary computing device for a variety of reasons. We need look no further than the popularity of iPads for kids in this age range to understand why. No child using an iPad complains about lack of access to Microsoft Word or high-powered 3D games. They live online; their applications are online. They use websites for everything, but gaming tops the list. Since so much web content is Flash based (for now, until HTML5 takes over) a Chromebook is a very good choice for elementary users. Chromebooks play web-based games quickly and easily. Also, the presence of a keyboard (vs. a tablet) is an added plus, both from ease-of-use and skill acquisition (keyboarding) perspectives. The machine is light, very portable, and the battery life is substantially better (6+ hours with the standard battery depending on the model) than you can get with a traditional PC or Mac laptop (especially for the price.) But what about homework? At this age, in my experience, most homework is either paper based or involves a website for research or skill practice (e.g., Spelling City). As students get older, they get more "computer based" projects (word processing, mostly). To complete these assignments, students typically use Microsoft Office or some other word processing application available on computers they have at home. The real power of personal computing technology is igniting a fire within each student with regards to learning and exploration. You want a computer that will help them develop their interests into passions. Can they use a computer to learn to build things? To create art? To write, and write more beautifully? To learn how to write programming code? To connect with friends near and far? What computer will let them do those things? Most, fortunately, will. Back here at NCS, we are moving ahead with Google Apps for Education, and eventually, all teachers and students in grades 2-8 will be using it. This means Google Apps (a.k.a. Google Docs) can be used for homework projects requiring word processing, presentations, spreadsheets and more. In this case, a Chromebook is an optimal choice as it was designed with this use in mind. Even if your child’s school is not using Google Apps, documents created with it can be downloaded/saved in Microsoft Office formats. (Sometimes advanced formatting doesn’t convert correctly but those problems can usually be easily fixed.) Downsides: Chromebooks don’t run Java, which some (but not many) gaming websites use. Again, understanding what your child does currently - what websites they visit and activities they enjoy - is critical. Chromebooks also cannot have any software installed onto them, like games or video editing software suites. This is becoming less of an issue as more and more applications move online but it’s important to keep in mind, particularly if your child is already using these tools. Basically, if anything needs to be downloaded, it won’t work on a Chromebook. Middle School Use of the Internet explodes for students in Middle School as they discover more and more resources for self-expression, connecting with peers, gaming, digital art, content creation and more. Middle Schoolers also have more frequent and more comprehensive "projects" to complete at home that require computers of some kind. They also tend to be more mobile with their computers, bringing them along to friend’s houses and other social gatherings. If there is a wireless signal (which there likely will be), they will be accessing it. Understanding these usage patterns is critical. Talk to your child about where they use their computer and how. As students get older and their projects / work become more sophisticated, they may find themselves limited by the feature set in online tools like Google Docs. I have seen students use Google Docs for "first draft" work, downloading and completing the finishing touches in a Microsoft Office (or similar) program. These dedicated office suites have features and functionality that Google Docs simply doesn’t. Then again, Google Docs allows student to collaborate online, which Microsoft Office currently doesn’t. That said, Google is constantly adding new features to Docs and it’s only a matter of time before that gap is narrowed. For this reason, a Chromebook is a great secondary computing device for middle schoolers. As long as they have access to a PC or Mac with more powerful Office suite or video creation tools (as an example), they will get a LOT of value out of a Chromebook. It simply won’t be able to be used for everything. (They will be fine with that.) High School & beyond At the high school level, students become even more sophisticated users of technology, and their schoolwork changes accordingly. You need to understand what products they will be expected to generate and how sophisticated they need to be. For example, most would say Chromebooks are not a good choice for video production, but that situation is changing as more and more powerful web-based applications like WeVideo come into existence. (You can expect this trend to continue.) Battery life becomes critical for users as they get older; "all day" usage in multiple classes becomes very attractive. Most standard laptops can’t come close to a Chromebook in terms of battery life. The new "ultrabook" laptops do but they are much more expensive. I’ll close with a few general thoughts… Benefits of Chromebooks Low cost Light and very portable Excellent battery life Good performance overall for most routine tasks Bright screen, even usable outdoors Won’t get a virus or slow down over time Updates itself, stays current all the time (zero maintenance) Though an increasing number of applications and games CAN be used offline, most can’t be used without Internet access. Drawbacks of Chromebooks Processors are less powerful (generally) No optical drive Doesn’t run popular Office programs or other advanced content creation tools Doesn’t run anything that requires a download & installation Doesn’t run Java Battery isn’t user-replaceable (depends on the model) Can’t be used without Internet access (though an increasing number of applications and games CAN be used offline). I tried my best to get everything written down here that I have shared in multiple conversations with people over the last few months on this topic. If you have questions, leave a comment below and I promise to get right back to you. In the final analysis, the "right" computer for anyone is the one that does what needs to be done at the lowest possible cost. The only way to know is to document your requirements (what needs to be done) and compare systems that meet those requirements based on price. For many people, Chromebooks are that computer. Hope this helps, -kj-

I received a link in one of my Google + communities  to Kasey Bell’s blog, Shake Up Learning. It arrived in my inbox just when I needed it.  I’ve started … Continue reading →

Join in on the excitement of writing multiple choice test items. You won't want to miss out on this!Post from: The eLearning Coach10 Rules For Writing Multiple Choice Questions

I am looking forward to being back in San Jose next week for the ASTD TechKnowledge 2011 conference. This is ASTD's dedicated event for learning professionals who are responsible for or interested in elearning and learning technologies methods, new media...

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the interest of improving my craft. Synopsis: Kindergarteners and First Graders enjoyed a "day of play" (free time, essentially) this week as I had to work with students either one-on-one (recording Kindergarten voices for our Holiday Greetings project) or, in groups of five (for a formative assessment involving the ChromeOS user interface in general and tabbed browsing in specific). Second, Third and Fourth Graders rocked Learning.com’s EasyTech service for some basic instruction on spreadsheets which will come in handy after the new year when we begin the data analysis phase for the "Drops on a Penny Challenge" unit. Please note: in our current "Day" rotation, Mondays are Day 5, which means my new lessons start on Tuesday (Day 1). These "days" change over the course of the year due to holidays, etc. Week ending 12/14/12 Kindergarten What we learned / did / explored together: Kids warmed up with a keyboarding activity of their choice (Keyboard Climber was easily the most popular), then they got some free time to explore the activities on the Kindergarten Symbaloo page as I used my digital voice recorder (above) to capture their voices for our Holidays Greetings project. (Here’s a sample.) What I observed / inferred / connected: We have done this project or something similar for years, and every time, I am amazed at how shy kids get when asked to record their voice. Trying to remember what it was like to be five years old, I’m missing something, because, when I was in Kindergarten, I looked like this, and didn’t have any problems chattering up a storm. (In fact, I never shut up. No surprise, eh?) What students can do at home: As always, check out the Kindergarten Symbaloo for fun activities and skill builders. If your child plays Keyboard Climber, encourage them to persist all the way "to the moon," and make a big deal about it when they get there. It’s definitely doable. Then be sure to tell them to let me know the next time they see me so I can give them a big "high-five." First Grade What we learned / did / explored together: Kids warmed up with a keyboarding activity of their choice (Keyboard Climber was the most popular, as in Kindergarten), then they got some free time to explore the activities on the First Grade Symbaloo page as I worked with groups of four or five on a short, four-page, eight item formative assessment on ChromeOS in general and tabbed browsing in specific. I read each of the questions to the group and they provided answers on their papers, which I am still reviewing. The total time of the assessment was about six to seven minutes per group. (One student, in Mrs. Edelmann’s class, read it all by himself and got all the questions right.) What I observed / inferred / connected: This assessment was prompted by a pattern I’ve been noticing for weeks - students often close browser tabs, and sometimes, even the browser itself, by mistake.  The results have been illuminating. A significant number of kids, when asked to "click the tab," actually click the "x" that CLOSES it. That explains a lot of what we’ve been seeing and helps me understand how I need to teach differently. I’ve already made adjustments, we’ll see if things improve. Teaching tabbed browsing to early learners, particularly non-readers, is proving to be a greater challenge than I anticipated. Part of the problem is the high resolution Chromebook screen (and the resulting small size of the fonts.) What students can do at home: First, it would be great if you could install the free Google Chrome web browser. It’s free and will ensure your kids have a consistent experience with applications and websites we use at school. If you’d rather not install Chrome, that is fine, as all major current browsers use tabs, and you can speak with your child about them. Check out the First Grade Symbaloo page for fun online activities! Second, Third and Fourth Grades What we learned / did / explored together: Students warmed up with TypingPal and then tackled a few Learning.com EasyTech lessons on basic spreadsheet skills in preparation for our continued work on the "Drops on a Penny Challenge" unit. (Parents should have information needed to access EasyTech at home, if not, please contact me.) What I observed / inferred / connected: In the photo above, students are shown using the "foam cubes" during the lesson. This particular activity was VERY challenging without a mouse but the kids I selected for the test did admirably well. One of my learning space design goals this year is to allow students to choose where they sit and work. We are getting closer to realizing that vision but more work needs to be done on procedures (proper laptop carrying technique) etc. Of note: several students ended up sitting on the foam pads and placing the Chromebook on the cube to work. It’s all about whatever the student finds comfortable (and productive). Headphones (properly sized and comfortable to wear) are absolutely critical in my classroom this year. This lesson is one reason why. Headphones are also essential for use with screencasted (a.k.a. "flipped") lessons, which we will be seeing more of in 2013. What students can do at home: Work through the EasyTech Spreadsheet lessons (completing any that were unfinished). These are excellent and have a gentle learning curve. Practice keyboarding with Typing Pal. Students should know their usernames and passwords by now (they are simpler than Google Docs.) Check out the grade-level Symblaoo pages for fun learning activities: Grade 2 | Grade 3 |Grade 4

As noted last week, I’ve started sharing some learning with my PLN at work.  I thought I might share it with you also. Enjoy!

Sometimes text to speech synthesis can save the day. Find out more.Post from: The eLearning CoachText To Speech Synthesizers For eLearning

I have a story to tell.  More than 45 years ago, when my mother taught elementary school, I would, for years, go with her the week before school started to … Continue reading →

Interesting article in today's Chronicle of Higher Education's Wired Campus about a growing shitstorm around learning technology standards. Per Jeff Young, author of article in question: "The issue centers around a single line of the 53-page grant guidelines for the...

As we prepare to head into winter break, I wanted to take a moment to ask parents of all my 546 students these questions: Does your child have a working, comfortable, inexpensive set of computer headphones (or earbuds) for use in my class? If so, are they kept in a properly sized (up to one gallon) Zip-Lock storage bag which is marked with their name? Most of our students DO have these, particularly in grades K & 1st, but in Grades 2, 3 & 4 (where the need is actually greatest) the numbers trail off significantly. So much so, in fact, that kids without them - too many - are having difficulty completing lessons. Whether it’s working through some EasyTech tutorials on Spreadsheet basics or watching a screencast I created explaining how to change a Google Account password, personal listening devices are essential this year. (We’re going to be doing a lot more with screencasts starting in January, too.) Fortunately, there’s hope. FiveBelow has excellent "DJ Style" headphones for $5 - here’s a pic: Image credit: Five Below These are very popular and perfect for kids in grades 2-3-4. (They are a little large for younger students). Earbuds are totally fine for older kids too, as long as they fit comfortably and don’t fall out.  For younger students, I prefer smaller, lighter, equally inexpensive over-the-ear headphones like the ones pictured here. Earbuds are another option. FiveBelow comes through here as well for just $5: Image credit: Five Below But wait, we’re not done yet. Headphones need to be stored for safekeeping. A small Zip Lock bag works for earbuds but a one-gallon Zip Lock bag as shown below is ideal for headphones. The bag can accomodate the student’s name written in permanent marker: Image credit: Steven Gould Finally, your child’s headphones (not earbuds, obviously) also should have their name written PROMINENTLY on them in permanent marker, ideally, in a place that makes it obvious and effectively "defaces" them to discourage theft. (I’m sad  to say I’ve heard that some headphones have gone missing. Names should help reduce the problem.) By the way, here’s a handy tip: cut off the corner of the bag (a very small corner) so that air does not get trapped in the bag. This helps for storage. I really, really appreciate your help getting kids equipped for the 21st century learning happening in my class! Best, Mr. Jarrett

Our district is moving towards full GAFE integration, mainly because its cost effective and the collaboration piece is mind blowing.  We’ll be using Chromebooks in the classrooms and are in … Continue reading →