my version of transparent, collaborative leadership...with a Teamann twist

web 2.0 wow!

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  In my Tech Edge newsletter this week there was a fancy list of new web 2.0 tools for both teachers and students. Many of these I’d seen or heard of before, but there were a couple newbies thrown in, 🙂 I thought I’d share the list with you, just in case you too needed a fresh toy, er, tool, for Spring. 🙂
  • 280 Slides – presentation tool similar to PowerPoint; embed video, audio, and images
  • Animoto – “the end of slideshows;” create videos from still images
  • Aviary – free photo editing tools
  • Create A Graph – great for even young students to easily create and change graphs
  • Creately – create and collaborate on online diagrams and designs
  • Crocodoc – easily share and review documents online, including PDF, Word, and PowerPoint
  • Eyeplorer – search and cross reference terms in Wikipedia in order to collate notes
  • Gliffy – draw and share diagrams on the web
  • GoAnimate – make your own cartoons and animations
  • Kerpoof – create pictures, cards, book, and even movies; for elementary students
  • Number Gossip – a search engine for everything about numbers
  • Penzu – the anti-blog; keep your thoughts private in this online journal
  • Phuser – personal message boards and private shared discussion spaces
  • Scribble Maps – lets you draw, scribble, and annotate over Google maps
  • Springnote – free online notebook based on a wiki
  • Stixy – flexible online creation and collaboration
  • ToonDoo – online cartoon strip creator
  • VideoLobby – create your own professionally-styled live webcast
  • Voki – create your own avatar; even record your voice
  • Voxopop – audio tool that lets users record their voice for others to listen and respond to
  • WallWisher – a virtual bulletin board where users can attach sticky notes and discussion points
  • Web-Chops – users can “clip” any part of a web page and rearrange clips onto a custom page that can be shared with other people, eliminating ads or questionable material
  • WordSift – text visualization tool
  • Writeboard – collaborative writing software
  • Xtranormal – text-to-speech avatar movie making

Let me know if you do something fabulous with one of these!

 

Webbingly,

Amber

Transitioning Teamann

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As most know by now, I have transitioned over from my role as Title I Technology Facilitator to an Assistant Principal role at Luna Elementary. I’m now fully switched over, 🙂 and have started figuring out where to go from there.

One such transition is this blog. I have always been a “tech”nically driven person and I can’t imagine that changing, regardless of my role. I think I’ll just be able to add in some admin related pieces…that have application to my campus specifically, as well.

Luckily, my PLN (8amber8) on Twitter is a diversified group and there are several administrators that share my technology interest, so I have that to start with. And hopefully, I’ll get my new campus on board as well. It’ll be a PLC & PLN blogging bonanza!!

planningly,
Amber

Connecting with Comments

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The training schedule for next semester will be added to the intranet this week. One of the new classes that we’ll be offering will be on blogs and having your own classroom blog. I’m going to be doing several posts about blogs and why/how I think they are such an easy way to not only integrate technology into your classroom, but also provide you with an opportunity to extend your classroom beyond your four walls and your 8 to 3 time slot.
Since I know I have some readers (lurkers!) that already are blogging, I wanted to start with commenting and how to lead your students in the right directions when teaching them to comment. Just like with any other tool, modeling what you expect from your students is VERY important. Show them other blogs that have great comments and the comments you find lacking. Discuss with your students why each example is good or what is missing from those you’d rather not see.
One of the most important pieces to show students is that you want each comment to be meaningful and actually contribute to the post. Simply saying ” I agree” or “This class rocks” does not count. I wanted my students to either give a strong opinion on what I was writing about or to agree or disagree with another students comments. I taught them to use the “@” for their reply discussions. For example, @Icantu…I agree with what you said but what about…@Jaliefen, remember in class when Mrs. Teamann said….
This helped everyone keep up. Many posts I required my students to comment and then address someone’s comment as well. Conversations would begin, and I would simply try to keep up, 🙂
Keeping in mind that I taught math and science, one point of controversy is whether or not I counted off for spelling or if I released comments that had misspelled words. Yes, I did. I wasn’t using my blog to teach writing, grammar or spelling. I wanted discussions about the content of our classes to be the focus. An added bonus was that the students policed themselves. MY fourth graders were MUCH harsher than I could have been when their peers misspelled words like “friend” than I could have been. Getting called out on the playground for such a thing only happened a couple of times before I noticed students taking their writing SO much more seriously.
From Twitter (8Amber8,) I was directed to a great blog, The Langwitches Blog where this teacher recommended these reminders to her students in regards to how to comment on their class blog.
  • Acknowledge the author of the blog post.
  • Let the author know if you agree with him/her and why.
  • It is also ok to disagree with something, just let the author know why you feel that way.
  • One word comments are not very useful. Writing just “cool” or “nice” are not very
  • helpful and don’t let the author of the blog post really know what you are thinking.
  • Always make sure you follow “netiquette”. Think if it is appropriate BEFORE you hit
  • the submit button.
  • Always be polite . It does not matter if you agree or disagree with what you are reading in a blog. Don’t write anything you would be ashamed of saying to someone’s face.
  • Don’t hurt somebody’s feelings.
I thought this was a great place to start!
Commentingly,
Amber

a techno Teamann tip

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How very misleading that title is, because I actually have TWO techno tips for you! (bonus!)

First, I came across via Twitter (8Amber8) a this list of iPhone apps for education. This may be for you and your personal phone, or for your students if you have an iTouch center in your classroom. I know my daughter loves to “play” on my phone so some of these will be much more beneficial for her than the Pacman I installed, 🙂

www.amazon.com
Second, in this months “Tech and Learning” magazine, I came across a GREAT web 2.0 idea. An idea I think is so profound I will be adding it to my Techno Infusion class we’ll be offering at the Tech center this semester. As an alternative to writing a book report, what if you had your students go to Amazon.com and review the books there? Give them several guidelines, show them some good examples, but then let them review the book in a way that will actually help others as opposed to earn just a grade. I know that my former 4th graders would have LOVED to do something like this and would have given it much more of their attention, knowing it was for the big wide world to see. If that terrifies you, do you have a blog? Let them be guest posters and write a book review blog, encouraging other students to read a certain book and why.

Since I mentioned blogs, I’ll also mention that we are having gBlog classes at the technology center ONCE a month for the rest of the school year. If these fill up, we’ll offer more. A blog is a great communication & learning tool that can seamlessly correlate with whatever subject or grade level that you teach. My daughter was blogging in the first grade and I do have a kindergarten teacher that blogs as well. I know that this is TAKS season and that you already have a ton of to-do’s on your list. Consider coming to the class and let me show you how easy a blog can be and how much it can add to your classroom!

my blog-y best,
Amber

Seriously Skype!

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I have had a lot of teachers talk about finding a virtual field trip or an author to Skype with. After much searching and PLN discussing, here is a list of what we’ve come up with. I already have a rockstar teacher at Ethridge skyping with a teacher from Canada this week! Yea Andrea! If you come across any other resources let me know and we’ll add them to our list!

http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/


digitally yours,
Amber