Emerging Ed Tech Site

Our blog has been just mentioned at the following site:

http://www.emergingedtech.com/2009/05/education-related-blogs-blogging-resources/

Enjoy!

The Garden

I found this quote today, and thought of this past semester:

Teachers who inspire know that teaching is like cultivating a garden, and those who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.

~Author Unknown

As I considered my Spring 2009 semester, this quote just fit. My semester was like cultivating a garden-- a very diverse garden. I had three wonderful undergraduate classes as well as two graduate classes. Three of these classes were online, and two were face-to-face. I had students in these classes that ranged in age from 18 or 19 to ___ (age not listed to protect the innocent)! Some of my students were full-time students, nannies, lifeguards, teachers, administrators, and full-time homemakers. Some were taking their first class!

Yet, you were all growing. You were growing at different rates and in different ways. Some needed lots of light. Some did not. Some needed to be watered everyday--sometimes 7 times a day. Some did not need a lot of water. You all grew into beautiful plants. Some were flowers; others were trees. However, in the end, you all grew.

Thank you, my garden, for a splendid semester. I wish you are half as lucky as me to have students just like you.

Free Stuff for Educators

Here is a blog that discusses some free resources:

http://www.techlearning.com/Blogs/18598

Enjoy!

CLRN

Currently, my GE-555 class is examining and blogging about the California Learning Resource Network site http://www.clrn.org/

Today, I received the following email:

Dear Dr. Luongo,

I discovered several of your student's blog posts regarding CLRN through an automated daily Google search and noticed that you're sharing our great resource in your class. Thank you. The California Learning Resource Network has been a state-funded project for the past 10 years, although we’ve been around for the past 25. We began by reviewing commercial electronic learning resources, but expanded to include data assessment resources and free web information links. I’m curious to know which parts of our site are of value to you and your students.

You can always catch up with our new features through one of our nine blogs or through my blog . In addition to the two new WILs categories we added in February (Free Software/Web Tools and Free Supplementary Course Materials), we’ve added a user feedback system to both our ELARS and our WILs. Now, educators can rate and comment on any of our free resources. We’re even giving away an iPod Nano each month to one of the participants.

We’re just beginning our yearly evaluation period where we’ll be collecting data about our progress and our user’s needs. If there are any features you feel should be added, we’d love to know.
BTW, our data shows that 1% of our users come from New Jersey, 13% from Virginia, and 3% from New York (let alone the 4% from Beijing).

Thanks,

Brian
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Bridges
Director, CLRN
Your source for California standards-aligned electronic learning resources

bbridges@clrn.org


Ah~ the wonders of the digital age!

Worksheets for Teachers

Take a look at this link:

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/

I just found it and plan on using it in my classes.

Enjoy!

Facebook Freedom?

Recently, I shared Ginette's (GE-555) blog posting with a colleague of mine... She had been complaining about her vulnerability on the web and use of Facebook and Twitter, etc...

The blog made an impact, and she deleted her Facebook account. She explained that she thought she was becoming too reliant on it and wasting too much time. Since that time, she told me she has become "freed" from the constant checking and updating she used to do on Facebook. People wonder where "she is", but she is back where she should be--the real world.

Is this the backlash that will eventually occur when people get tired of Facebook and MySpace? Will this ever occur with the current generation?

Take a look at this link and see what you think:

http://news.myjoyonline.com/features/200904/28721.asp

Wacky Web Tales

Take a look at this WACKY site provided by Houghton Mifflin.

http://www.eduplace.com/tales/

Your students who enjoy Mad Libs will enjoy this site.

"The Raven" on You Tube

How could you use this YouTube video in class? Would you use this video or audio to engage students?

Quotation

It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts... it is to teach them to think, if that is possible, and always to think for themselves.

-- Robert Hutchins

Educational Videos

Here is an additional link to some educational videos that may be of help to you:

http://www.kidsknowit.com/interactive-educational-movies/index.php

This site claims, "Our Free Educational Movies bring your student on a fun and interactive journey through the world around us. Each movie begins by introducing students to the topics that they will be learning about, and ends with an online quiz. In order to successfully complete each online video, your student must watch, and then successfully answer the quiz questions with 80% or higher accuracy....Students who do not obtain 80% comprehension will be instructed to watch the movie a second time, and then again try to answer the quiz questions."

Enjoy!

Saint Peter's College Launches CETL Website

Here is a link to the new Saint Peter's College Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning!

The mission of the Center is to promote excellence in teaching and learning. The Center seeks to communicate and provide information to students, link students to resources for learning; to support and foster the development of faculty as teachers and scholars and to create a venue for dialogue and sharing among faculty. The Center is intended to serve undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members of all ranks and status.

You will find many useful inks on this site.

April Fooling Worm?

Take a look at the CNN story about the April Fools' Day Worm:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/24/conficker.computer.worm/

Has anyone had any problems?

Campus Compare

I just received an email alert about this new website:

High School students looking to explore college options and school counselors in search of a resource for their students should examine CampusCompare, which is a new FREE online resource that merges current data on over 3,000 colleges, reviews, advice articles, financial aid calculators and more.

The website offers a variety of links to area maps, student reviews and "quick facts," and includes a tool that can predict a student’s odds of getting into any college in the U.S. Entire classes can be managed and communicated with via the website’s high school “networks.”

School counselors can use the site to monitor students from their own secure school network to schedule appointments, send individual or mass messages to students and manage key college application dates and suggest different schools that match a student’s academic and personal preferences.

Any thoughts?

Online Versus F2F Learning

In response to mmd's blog (GE555 class), I decided to post these articles regarding the debate between media, message, face-to-face (f2f) and online learning.

http://www.coe.tamu.edu/~mbastian/Clark-Kozma/CK-Debate.htm

http://www.umassonlineblog.com/2008/06/13/face-to-face-or-online-instruction-is-that-the-best-question/

Any thoughts?

Silly Books

This site is a safe and nurturing environment that encourages children between the ages of 3-13 to read.

Take a look and see what you think...

http://www.sillybooks.net/

More Twitter...

Continuing with the Twitter thread, here is a link for future librarians. How to use Twitter in the Library.

I think this link can be useful for teachers, too.

http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/05/27/twitter-for-librarians-the-ultimate-guide

Twitter in Education

In response to Jim's blog (GE555 class Smitty's Section), here is some more Twitter information. Go look at his video to get an idea of what Twiiter is "in plain English".

This video explains how Twitter is related to education, blogging, and Facebook.

Enjoy!

How do I Publish a Webquest?

To my GE555 classes,

Thanks to Eric (on his blog) for this hint on how to publish your WebQuest:

"...Just sign on to questgarden using your temporary ID and then proceed like you are going to edit your webquest. At the very bottom of the editing menu is a section called "Tools". If you click on the link for "Publish" under tools, your webquest will become part of the questgarden domain and always remain available to you and your students. There are a couple of boxes that you need to check that give permission for them to make it available to the public. Check those and hit the "Publish" button and your webquest will be saved. Good luck!"

Kidspiration Help!

Here is a website from a terrific eduator named Vicki Blackwell.

She claims, "The purpose of this website is to provide a resource for ... teachers all around the world, as they continue to incorporate the use of technology into the curriculum. You will find my favorite links in the "Blackwell's Best" section. "The Classroom" has links to staff development materials and technology integration activities as well as tutorials for some of my favorite software. The "Tech Tips" page includes hints to help you become a more efficient technology-using educator, and the "TangiTech" section is devoted to our professional development programs for integration of technology into the curriculum. I hope you find something that will help you and your children."

Take a look: http://www.vickiblackwell.com/kidspiration.html!

Vocabulary

In my SE370 class, we are discussing the importance of developing a strong vocabulary.

Take a look at this free site that allows students, teachers and life-long learners to acquire and retain vocabulary.

http://www.vocabulary.com/