PJA Technology Spotlight

In each blog post, I will spotlight a few of our very own technology stars.

First, you should take a walk down the 5th Grade hallway and marvel at the Hebrew dialogues hanging on the bulletin boards!  5th graders composed Hebrew dialogues and then recorded their conversations with digital voice recorders.  Go Bat-Ami!

The 5th Grade Wikispace is also up and running.  It looks gorgeous!  Harriet and Bat-Ami are using the space as a resource for their students, and as a collaborative learning space.

Visit their wiki at http://pjaproud5.wikispaces.com/ .

Celinda has a beautiful blog up on the PJA Web site.  She used FinalSite (our very own PJA web site interface) as the tool for creating the blog.  Visit her page to hear kindergarteners sing about different alphabet letters!  Very sweet!  (Remember, you have to login to access all the teacher pages on the PJA Web site.  Email me if you do not remember the password!)

Noah’s 6th Grade students learned a great deal about their online identities and digital footprints, as well as about bullying and cyberbullying.  His students created posters that represent their online identities,  and they created Public Service Announcements that demonstrate their learning about bullying.  All of the digital citizenship coursework can be viewed on Noah’s wikispace at http://pjatech.wikispaces.com/  .  Noah will continue with Digital Citizenship next quarter with another group of 6th graders.

How many times a week do you think you watch a video on YouTube?  How many times a day do you think our students watch a video on YouTube?  A picture is worth a thousand words, so the saying goes, but how about a video?  Our students live in a visual media age–a time so unique from any other period in human history when media is readily available, accessible, and in our face.  And no longer are we passive viewers or consumers of media.  We post our own movies, make comments about others’ movies, and share out our favorites.  Our consumption of visual media is interactive, collaborative, and social.

The History of YouTube

(3:52)

YouTube in the Classroom:

Of course, as an educator you know how important it is to preview any video  before showing it.  There are ways to make whole-class viewing cleaner and advertisement free.  Try Quietube, Quick Keys, and YouTube Leanback.

Quietube

http://quietube.com/

Quietube is a fun little add-on or button that you can add to your browser.  It works best with Firefox.  Quietube plays your video on a clean web page that is free from all the sidebars, comments, and distracting advertisements that surround any YouTube video.  To use Quietube, visit the Quietube homepage and drag the “quietube” button up to your toolbar.  Then, navigate to the YouTube video selection.  After, click the Quietube button in your toolbar.  A new tab or window will open up with an ad-free page.  This really helps students who get easily distracted, and it cuts down on the advertisements and comments that may or may not be appropriate for the classroom.

Quick Keys

If you know that there is a short clip of a video you want to play in the classroom, you can create a link that jumps to an exact moment in the video.  Trim the video (and trim off advertisements) by first playing the video.  While it is playing, right-click (control + click for MAC users) at the point you would like your video to start and SELECT “copy video URL at current time.”  Save the link in a word document or in the body of an email message to yourself.  Open the link when you are ready to play the clip in your class.

 YouTube Leanback

http://www.youtube.com/leanback

By visiting the “leanback” interface of youtube, a large black screen appears that blocks out advertising and distracting sidebars.  This interface is perfect for viewing a video in the classroom.  Go to YouTube Leanback and start typing on your keyboard the name of the video.  You will be able to select and view the video on a large screen, framed in black.

 Zamzar

Zamzar allows you to capture a video from YouTube and save it for use later.  If you experience buffering or a weak internet connection, this is a wonderful way to ensure that your video will play smoothly in the classroom.  Please keep in mind copyright laws.  You may capture the video and share it in the classroom, but then you are responsible for deleting the video after class.  Visit Zamzar, follow the steps on the screen, select the URL link, paste in the URL from the YouTube video, select the movie format you would like to view (I usually select MOV, which plays as a Quicktime file), enter an email address, and wait.  Zamzar will send you an email with a download link.  Download the captured video and use it in class.  Zamzar is free for smaller video file sizes.  Also, you should know that it does not work with links from Vimeo, another video sharing site.

Embedding a YouTube Video

You can embed a YouTube video as a widget (a little gizmo that plays media) on your wiki, blog, or PJA Web site.  All you need to do is copy the “embed code,” which is some scary looking computer code that no normal person needs to understand:)  Just copy it!

Navigate to the video.  1.  Click the SHARE button.  2.  Click the EMBED button.  3.  Copy the “embed code.”  4.  Paste this code in your widget tool (on a wiki);  as SOURCE code (PJA FinalSite tool), or as HTML Code (blog users).  The video will appear and play right on your Web page. (Note:  Double-click on the images to see larger versions of them.)

Create Your Own Youtube Account

You can sign in to YouTube with your Google account.  (Google has owned YouTube since 2006.).  By having an account, you can create your own playlists or a list of videos to “watch later.”  These lists are quick and easy to access.  It is like bookmarking videos inside the YouTube interface, so that you can quickly locate your video clips when you need them.  This also allows you to store video links for use in the future, so that you are reminded of which clips support a particular unit of study.  And if you like posting videos, then you can create your own “channel” and password protect the videos.

In my next post, I will talk about TeacherTube.  In the meantime, please post some comments about how you use YouTube in the classroom!

For more resources related to technology integration, visit our teacher wiki, K8JTechLearn.

In this post:

2nd Graders Sing

Wikis and Blogs Around School…

Comic Strips in Grade 6

Animoto, Grade 2 Art Slide Show

Cool Tech Tools

Bullying in the News

 Macterrarium Image by aur2899

It may be the beginning of the rainy season in the Pacific Northwest, but technology is sprouting at PJA!  PJA teachers are tech trailblazers, diving into tech-integrated lessons and activities.  Model projects are popping up across the school.  Here are a few ideas to inspire you:

2nd Graders Sing

Jana has the tech bug, and she decided to flex the power of her new personal macbook.  We worked together in the program Garageband for maybe 15 minutes.  She walked away a pro, ready to record the sweet voices of the 2nd grade class.  We exported the file as an MP3, and she sent it out to all the parents.  What a fun way to deliver New Year greetings. And by the way, you can try this same project or any voice recording project with your students.  PJA has a set of portable digital voice recorders that you can bring into your classroom.  Listen to Jana’s cuties:

Tuuu Shanah Tovah

Wiki Warriors:

Wikis are spreading like wildfire.  Mostly, teachers are using the interface to share learning links with students, post homework, and upload documents.  Many teachers have plans to bring their students on the wiki for collaboration and editing, once the students are comfortable with the interface.  Take a look at some of the wiki works in progress at PJA:

4th Grade Wiki:

http://pja4thgrade.wikispaces.com/

6th Grade Wiki:

http://pjahumanities6.wikispaces.com/

6th Grade Technology

http://www.pjatech.wikispaces.com

Teacher Blogs

Teacher blogs are also starting to sprout around the school.  Before you start a blog, think about using our school web site tool, Finalsite.  Finalsite gives you the option of password protecting your page, so that only PJA families can access your stuff.  Russ and Susan are experimenting with the blog tool, WordPress, which is outside of the PJA web site.  These tools also can offer password protection on pages.  Take a look:

7th Grade Humanities

http://mrromas.wordpress.com/

Russ’s blog is directed at his students, where they can get tips on writing and keep true to the course expectations.

2nd Grade

http://sightsandsoundsofsecondgrade.wordpress.com/

Susan is using her blog as a powerful school-to-home link.  She is posting daily happenings from her classroom.  She also has a link on her blog to the student blog, where she posts writing and projects created by her 2nd graders.

Comic Strips in Grade 6

Elana created a comic strip project based on the memoir assignment, a school memory.  6th graders used the tool Pixton for schools.  The tool is free for the first 30 days, offering students a safe interface that does not collect information upon sign-up (follows COPPA guidelines).  Elana modeled the use of the tool by creating her own comic strip.  Once all the students are finished with the project, they will submit the comics for approval by their teacher.  Here are a few samples (*Note:  Double-click on each image to see a full-size that is easy on the eyes.):

The First Day of School by Mrs. C-R

Rocket Science by Will

Hooger What?  By August

 Animoto, Grade 2 Art Slide Show

http://animoto.com/

Animoto is a slideshow tool that allows you to upload still images (jpgs) and then animate the images with music.  The end result is a slide show that can be viewed online.  For more interesting slideshow tools, go to K8Jtechlearn wikispace.  And please do consider cyber safety when using any online tool.

Grade 2 Art Slideshows:  Saddle Blanket & Contour Line

http://animoto.com/play/aQ1vIW8dF7sLJiC06W1Bug

http://animoto.com/play/W4xgF3LRiRvEOhoWr7DpiA

Cool Tech Tools

All “Cool Tech Tools” can be accessed from the PJA Teacher Wiki, K8Jtechlearn. Bookmark this teacher wiki link, as the resources and materials will be constantly growing throughout the year!  You are invited to join this space and add some of your own favorite tools.  I will highlight a few tools with each blog post.

DahBear

This is a Hebrew flashcard interface from the Legacy Heritage Fund.  You can send the list of Hebrew words to DahBear, and they will upload your list.  Your students can also access flashcard sets put up on the site by others.  If you have used Quizlet, the tool works quite similar.  DahBear has plans to allow users to upload their own lists in the future.

Zamzar

This is a tool that allows you to capture a Youtube video and save it for  later.  This is wonderful for teachers who do not want to rely on the bandwidth speed.  If you experience buffering when viewing Youtube videos, then check out Zamzar.  You can paste the video link from Youtube into the Zamzar tool, select the file format for your video download, and enter an email address.  You will be sent an email message with a link for downloading the video.  The videos should be used for educational purposes and then deleted after use, of course (copyright!).

 Bullying in the News

CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° is airing a special this week on bullying.  A new study conducted and released by AC360° reveals new information about bullying patterns.  The study revealed that patterns of cruelty are directly related to garnering social power and status.  Kids who are already well-liked are most likely to engage in bullying behaviors.  The higher the social ranking, the more likely a student is to bully. And of course, bullying is of tech interest, because tweens and teens use social networking and cell phones to leverage their social standings. The study also revealed that aggressive behavior does not improve social positioning and the behavior is contagious. And what is even more fascinating is that while the Wheatley School in New York is quite affluent (where the study was conducted), the school is a true model for bullying behavior everywhere, as the bullying pattern does not discriminate between socioeconomic classes.   Tune in this week at 5pm Pacific Time to learn more.  A follow-up airing of the original program, “Bullying:  It Stops Here” town hall, will occur on Friday, October 14, 2011, 5pm.

Complete report of the study on bullying at the Wheatley School

findings.from.the.wheatley.school

Which one is right for you and your students?

As you begin curriculum planning for the 2011-2012 school year, add technology integration to your list of tools to consider for using in the classroom.  Wikis and blogs afford students with an authentic audience, immediate feedback, and a platform that encourages revision, reflection, and personal investment in the learning experience.  And these are just a few of the wonderful benefits.  (Blog/Wiki image created using Wordle.)

General Wiki Features

Video:  Wikis in Plain English by Common Craft (3:53)

Wikis provide a quick (in Hawaiian, “wiki wiki” means “hurry”) and simple way to post information to the World Wide Web.  To the untrained eye, a wiki may look like a web site, as it contains multiple pages and navigation tool bars.  The organizer of the site has ultimate control over who can edit pages, who can view the pages, who can join, as well as the overall look and feel of the site.  Wikis offer a user-friendly template of color schemes, navigation menus, the ability to upload your own logo, post links, and control font styles and colors.  Media like video, still images, sound files, documents, and chat boxes can easily be embedded into any page.  Members who are invited can collaborate, add their own content, and participate in a discussion board. Sophisticated users can subscribe to wiki RSS (real simple syndication) feeds to receive notifications when content has been added or altered.  Wikis often have a history feature that allows the wiki community to see who has posted and edited what content.  Returning to previous versions of a page is a simple task, protecting the content from accidental deletions.  New pages can constantly be added to a wiki and navigation can grow over time.

Wikis in the Classroom

Read More About Wikis on YOUR K8JTechLearn

10 Classroom Ideas for a Wiki: (And there are so many more you can think of on your own!)

1. Course content:  Post daily homework, activity sheets, resource links online, and class/student-authored notes
2. Class discussions:  Use the discussion board to chat online about interesting topics related to learning, challenge questions, current events, literature, art critiques, and more.
3. Collaborate:  Invite an expert in the field to make guest appearances on your discussion board, create learning groups that post information and discuss information online, or invite a class from around the globe to join in on your learning.
4. Project-Based Learning:  Use the space to invite students to become experts on a subject matter and then post their culminating learning and project.
5. Podcasting:  Post podcasts to enhance student learning and eventually have the students create their own podcasts.
6. Record of Learning:  Ask students to post their reflections on learning for any given unit of study.
7. Cartoons:  Ask students to use a free cartoon generator to create a dialogue that addresses a theme of study or challenging question.
8. Classroom Newsletter:  Take your classroom newsletter on line and post photos, samples of students’ art, writing, and more.  This is a terrific link to home and a way to get your parents involved in their students’ learning experiences.
9. Journal:  Use the space as an online class journal.
10. Digital Book:  Create your own class digital book, representing learning on a specific unit or a variety of units throughout the year.  How about a counting book or a “how to” book of math concepts?

General Blog Features

Video:  Blogs in Plain English by Common Craft (2:59)

You can bet that there is a blog out there for almost every interest on the planet.  Blogs can serve as an online journal, a news feed of current information happening, a space to rant, a space to explore a narrow interest, a digital newsletter, and more.  The most recent blog post appears at the top of a blog page, followed by previous posts. A blogger can categorize their posts by topic, as well as archive posts by month and year.  Blogs typically have an “about” page that explains the purpose of the space, as well as a “blog roll,” which is a listing of other blogs that the author follows and respects.  Blogs have a “published” interface that the viewing audience sees and a “dashboard,” or behind the scenes view where the blogger can control posts, comments, user permissions, embed media, add pages, and manage the overall look and feel of the blog.  Just like a wiki, media can be embedded into the posts and pages, like pictures, sound files, documents, and videos.  And similar to a wiki and probably more important to a blog than a wiki, the blog has an RSS feed or “real simple syndication” feed, so that readers can subscribe to the blog like a newsletter and read the feeds or new posts in a “reader.”  (We will talk more about RSS later in the year!  It is an awesome little tool.)  Blogs are meant to be interactive, where readers post their ideas and comments.  The blog manager can control who can post and when comments are posted.  Permission settings allow the blogger to send comments to a review platform where only “approved” comments are posted by the blogger.

Blogs in the Classroom

Read More About Blogs on YOUR K8JTechLearn

10 Classroom Ideas for a Blog:

1. Classroom Newsletter/Newspaper:  Take your classroom news online with weekly posts, pictures, comments from students, and samples of their work.  This will certainly engage the students and include the parent community too.  Eventually, invite the students to start writing the articles and photo captions.
2. Classroom Blog Campus:  As a teacher, keep your own blog and in the sidebar, keep a listing of all your students’ blogs.  Your main blog page can organize the “blog campus” and serve as a space where everyone can collectively meet and find one another online.  This eases the management of a class set of student blogs.
3. Daily Learning & Course Content:  Post daily warm-ups, activities, online resource links, related videos, study guides, challenge questions, and more.
4. Podcasting:  Use your blog as a classroom “channel” and podcast/broadcast your learning to the world.
5. Record of Learning & Reflections:  Use the class blog as a space for students to make comments and reflections about their own learning, as well as post questions.
6. Literary Book Discussion:  The Secret Life of Bees created a blogging rage in the classroom for literature teachers in 2002. The author made a guest appearance online and answered many of the students’ questions.  It is quite possible to invite an author and have them appear with no fees involved.  It certainly makes the discussion online all the more authentic!
7. Scientific Data Log:  After a science lab, why not ask students to post their data online, predictions, reflections, and then receive feedback?
8. Collaborate:  Invite a class from the other side of the globe or from somewhere in the USA to participate in an online blog discussion around an area of study.  The possibilities are endless.
9. Professional Development Reflections:  Being a reflective practitioner is an important part of moving your curriculum forward and growing as a teacher.  Instead of jotting down notes in a file folder, why not reflect about your teaching online and invite your colleagues to chime in?
10. A Learning Space:  A blog can serve as a post for classroom learning around any topic.  Create a space that is a learning network for any topic that you want to explore with your students; better yet, challenge the students to create the space!

Main Differences Between Wikis and Blogs

1. Blogs are chronological,  time stamped by date.  They appear linearly in the blog post column.  In contrast, wikis have complex navigational structures and pages can be organized in a variety of ways, determined by the collaborators.
2. Blogs invite comments on each post.  In contrast, wikis may offer a discussion board, but content in general does not invite constant commenting.
3. Blogs usually have a single author or one person posting the main content (even though a teacher can post all that students write and create).  In contrast, wikis are a collaborative space with many authors.
4. Blogs have external links; in contrast, wikis have internal links to other pages within the same wiki, as well as links to web sites outside of the wiki.

Classroom Considerations Before Joining the Wild Frontier

• Determine your  student learning and professional goals when you choose to use a wiki or a blog.  Which platform will serve your needs the best?
• What sort of training will you and your students need to be successful in using this tool?  What skills and information do students need ahead of time?  What skills can they learn along the way?
• Schedule time in class to make online posts.  Students will have more success if they have teacher support and guidance while making blog and wiki posts.
• How will you weave in digital citizenship into the learning experience, so that students conduct themselves in a safe and appropriate manner online?  Model best practices in digital citizenship in all that you do.  Don’t forget about copyright.
• How much time are you willing to dedicate to the wiki or blog?  Consider your time and your classroom learning time.
• How will you communicate with parents about this learning tool, and how can parents feel more connected to their students’ classroom learning?

Wiki and Blog Resources Just for You

Visit the K8JTechLearn wikispace and explore wiki and blog tools, sample blogs and wikis from teachers around the world, as well as more resources and tips to get started with your own wiki or blog.

What are your thoughts on wikis and blogs in the classroom?  Start the dialogue by posting your comments.