If your wondering how your school can make ends meet in these tough economic times while still providing a quality education;
open your mind to open source!
A recent article published by LinuxPlanet, oulines 55 Free educational products ranging from core curriculum, (Math, Science, English), to Learning Management systems.
For example, Jmol, is a Chemistry app allowing students to create diagrams of atoms, molecules, macromolecules, crystals, and more.
To view the full article, click here.
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
When I Grow Up?
My son is leaving for college in a couple weeks and has know idea what he wants to major in let alone a career choice! Fortunately he is surrounded by friends and family members who are prosperous because of their education. Sadly, far too many American teens aren't this lucky.
If public schools are to succeed in breaking the cycle of poverty we must show our students a tangible pot of gold at the end of educational rainbow!
Thanks to a Microsoft, this task has gotten much easier with their FREE online learning program, CareerForward.
To visit the CareerForward site, click here.
If public schools are to succeed in breaking the cycle of poverty we must show our students a tangible pot of gold at the end of educational rainbow!
Thanks to a Microsoft, this task has gotten much easier with their FREE online learning program, CareerForward.
To visit the CareerForward site, click here.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Calling all Educators!
Upcoming Webinar: Cellphones as Instructional Tools
Thursday, July 23, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsored by: Sprint
Cellphones have been called “the new paper and pencil” or “the new laptop,” and they could be in the hands of as many as 10 million to 15 million schoolchildren in the next few years. For their instructional potential and ability to connect students to the Internet, mobile devices are quietly making their way into schools in the United States and abroad. Guests will discuss policy and implementation issues and offer practical curriculum ideas for every subject.
Thursday, July 23, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsored by: Sprint
Cellphones have been called “the new paper and pencil” or “the new laptop,” and they could be in the hands of as many as 10 million to 15 million schoolchildren in the next few years. For their instructional potential and ability to connect students to the Internet, mobile devices are quietly making their way into schools in the United States and abroad. Guests will discuss policy and implementation issues and offer practical curriculum ideas for every subject.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Lordy~Lordy...look who's 40!
40 years ago, yesterday, the Apollo 11 mission carried Neil Armstrong to the moon! It's difficult to fathom the technology involed to accomplish this amazing feat and harder still to provide today's students (tomorrow's astronauts?)with a proper historical perspective of what this meant to humankind.
But now, thanks to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, our kids can experience, and hopefully be inspired by the past.
To visit this FREE site, click here.
But now, thanks to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, our kids can experience, and hopefully be inspired by the past.
To visit this FREE site, click here.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Health Games = Healthy Kids = Healthy Learning
I grew up in the 70's learning from Seseme Street and The Electric Company.
However, today's kids want more than passive viewing, they are hungry for Active Doing!
Fear not, Grover and Cookie Monster have e-volved and are still providing FREE, interactive education content for today's digital learner.
The focus is on a healthy diet which has been directly linked to improved academic achievement.
To visit, see, and PLAY ~ Click HERE.
However, today's kids want more than passive viewing, they are hungry for Active Doing!
Fear not, Grover and Cookie Monster have e-volved and are still providing FREE, interactive education content for today's digital learner.
The focus is on a healthy diet which has been directly linked to improved academic achievement.
To visit, see, and PLAY ~ Click HERE.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Smarter Phones!
From the Sci-Fi movie Minority Report to an i-phone owned by you, the future of Smart Object recognition is closer than you think!
For the complete article, click here.
For the complete article, click here.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
A Writing Revolution
"Writing has never been accorded the cultural respect or the support that reading has enjoyed, in part because through reading, society could control it's citzens, whereas through writing, citizens might exercise their own control"
K. Yancey
Web 2.0 is helped shift the focus of literacy from obedience to creativity. So go ahead and Tweet your heart out, the world is listening.
For an excellent article on literacy in the 21st century, click here.
K. Yancey
Web 2.0 is helped shift the focus of literacy from obedience to creativity. So go ahead and Tweet your heart out, the world is listening.
For an excellent article on literacy in the 21st century, click here.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Shmoop There It Is!
Shmoop wants to make you a better lover (of literature, history, poetry and writing). See many sides to the argument. Find your writing groove. Understand how lit and history are relevant today. We want to show your brain a good time.
Our mission: To make learning and writing more fun and relevant for students in the digital age.
Shmoop is currently a Beta Test. To paraphrase Robert Frost, we know that we still have miles to go before we sleep.
To visit Shmoop, click here.
Our mission: To make learning and writing more fun and relevant for students in the digital age.
Shmoop is currently a Beta Test. To paraphrase Robert Frost, we know that we still have miles to go before we sleep.
To visit Shmoop, click here.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Learn to Laugh & Laugh to Learn
"Humor is needed in literature because it ventilates or disrupts oppressive conditions, it provides a different lens to view reality, provides hope, pleasure, and fun."
Zarnowski (2000)
The moralistic, didacticism of 17th Century Puritan literature is gone. If we want our children to read, let reading be enjoyable, and the universal sound of enjoyment is laughter!
Comic Creator, a free online tool for educators, is just the right medicine to cure classroom boredom. Students can easily write and illustrate their own stories, or develop a comic strip as an extension exercise for assigned readings.
To visit Comic Creator, click here.
Zarnowski (2000)
The moralistic, didacticism of 17th Century Puritan literature is gone. If we want our children to read, let reading be enjoyable, and the universal sound of enjoyment is laughter!
Comic Creator, a free online tool for educators, is just the right medicine to cure classroom boredom. Students can easily write and illustrate their own stories, or develop a comic strip as an extension exercise for assigned readings.
To visit Comic Creator, click here.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Middle School Literacy
Teachers' Domain is a multi-modal, multi-media approach to providing middle school literacy instruction. Utilizing standards-based lessons delivered with the support of online video, audio, flash interactives, images, and documents, Teachers' Domain is an excellent FREE (cross-curricular) resource to engage your students in Literacy.
To visit Teachers' Domain, click here.
To visit Teachers' Domain, click here.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Magoogle, You've Done It Again!
If seeing is believing, Google Earth has provided an amazing pair of eye opening lenses to improve our view of the world.
According to Al Gore who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work raising awareness about climate change:
“This is an extremely powerful educational tool,” “One of my fondest hopes is that people around the world will use Google Earth to see for themselves the reality of what’s happening because of the climate crisis.”
One cautionary note for educators, don't download applications to your network unless you intend to use them! Ask any IT professional and they will tell you that band width is a scarce resource that must be conserved to ensure an adequate return on our educational investment.
To link to the google earth site, click here.
According to Al Gore who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work raising awareness about climate change:
“This is an extremely powerful educational tool,” “One of my fondest hopes is that people around the world will use Google Earth to see for themselves the reality of what’s happening because of the climate crisis.”
One cautionary note for educators, don't download applications to your network unless you intend to use them! Ask any IT professional and they will tell you that band width is a scarce resource that must be conserved to ensure an adequate return on our educational investment.
To link to the google earth site, click here.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Don't be quick to judge...
Horace Rackham, Henry Ford’s Lawyer
“The horse is here to the stay, the automobile is only a novelty, a fad”
Daryl Zanuck, Movie Mogul, 1946
“Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the 1st 6 months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night”
Kenneth Olson, 1977, President and founder of digital equipment corporation
“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home”
What present day comments have you heard, or can you imagine are being uttered in public schools about digital literacy that may someday be added to this list?
“The horse is here to the stay, the automobile is only a novelty, a fad”
Daryl Zanuck, Movie Mogul, 1946
“Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the 1st 6 months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night”
Kenneth Olson, 1977, President and founder of digital equipment corporation
“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home”
What present day comments have you heard, or can you imagine are being uttered in public schools about digital literacy that may someday be added to this list?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Technology's Pal
School's all pay a premium for technology support. Not all school's get the same bang for their buck. I was contracted to provide two days of on site software support last week to a district in Ohio. Independent contractors are just that, INDEPENDENT, and have a good deal of freedom when it comes to fulfilling training obligations.
First stop at any school is the Principal's office.
Some Principal's consider technology a necessary evil and view me as an inconvenience. These schools subsequently receive cursory service. I pull the requested data, fix reported issues, and email a brief summary to the administrator. Not surprisingly student technology use is sporadic, teacher attitude poor, and achievement gains are minimal.
Other schools are blessed with a true technology integration hero,
The PRINCIPAL!
This champion of 21st century skills actually reads email and therefore knows I am coming! Last week's PAL greeted me warmly at the door by name, and then personally took me around to visit each teacher who was using the software I was there to support. The teachers and students exuded pride in their buildings technology integration and with good reason, the data reflected an impressive increase in achievement gains over the next closest school in the district.
It is worth noting that a majority of students in this school suffer from low socio-economic status which almost always correlates to low academic achievement. Want to close the achievement gap? The common denominator in HPHN (high performing high need) schools is...you guessed it, an engaged hands-on
PRINCIPAL. Education's unsung hero.
First stop at any school is the Principal's office.
Some Principal's consider technology a necessary evil and view me as an inconvenience. These schools subsequently receive cursory service. I pull the requested data, fix reported issues, and email a brief summary to the administrator. Not surprisingly student technology use is sporadic, teacher attitude poor, and achievement gains are minimal.
Other schools are blessed with a true technology integration hero,
The PRINCIPAL!
This champion of 21st century skills actually reads email and therefore knows I am coming! Last week's PAL greeted me warmly at the door by name, and then personally took me around to visit each teacher who was using the software I was there to support. The teachers and students exuded pride in their buildings technology integration and with good reason, the data reflected an impressive increase in achievement gains over the next closest school in the district.
It is worth noting that a majority of students in this school suffer from low socio-economic status which almost always correlates to low academic achievement. Want to close the achievement gap? The common denominator in HPHN (high performing high need) schools is...you guessed it, an engaged hands-on
PRINCIPAL. Education's unsung hero.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Free Art!
Looking for creative ways to integrate Art education into the curriculum?
Virtual fieldtrips, cybermuseum tours, and investigatory collaborative learning are just a mouse click away.
Click here for a comprehensive search engine.
Click here for cybermuseum tours.
Click here for a glossary of museum terms.
Click here for a collaborative learning guide.
Virtual fieldtrips, cybermuseum tours, and investigatory collaborative learning are just a mouse click away.
Click here for a comprehensive search engine.
Click here for cybermuseum tours.
Click here for a glossary of museum terms.
Click here for a collaborative learning guide.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
EETT Takes a Bite of the Elephant
As part of the massive economic recovery plan, the Obama administration has set aside one billion dollars in funding to improve technology in our public school classrooms. These monies will be distributed through the existing E2T2 program and represent a solid commitment on the part of the new administration to support 21st Century learning.
To read more, click here.
To read more, click here.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Don't Bully the Bully!
Often educators are forced into the role of cyber-judge and executioner in order to maintain web-safety and classroom order. However, most of us prefer to teach, which is why we became teachers and not sheriffs.
Instead of threatening students, why not provide lessons to encourage proper digital communication and safety? After all, standards-based lessons are already available and they are absolutely free!
Click here to visit CyberSmart! and learn more.
Instead of threatening students, why not provide lessons to encourage proper digital communication and safety? After all, standards-based lessons are already available and they are absolutely free!
Click here to visit CyberSmart! and learn more.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Digital Building Blocks
As a child, what was more fun...playing with a house of blocks or building the house of blocks? I was partial to building, and truth be known, destroying! Wouldn't it be nice if your kids today actually built something? Thanks to Platinum Arts, they can, and it is absolutely free!
"Platinum Arts Sandbox is an open source easy to use standalone Free 3D Game Maker and 3D Game Design program currently being used in many schools throughout the world that allows kids and adults to create their own video games, worlds, levels, save the princess adventures and quests, even cooperatively! The goal is to make it accessible to kids but also powerful enough for full game projects. With a simple click and roll of a mouse wheel users can modify the world however they want. In the words of Margaret, a nine year old Sandbox whiz I babysit for, “Press Edit and go fulfill your dreams!”.
Click here to visit their site.
"Platinum Arts Sandbox is an open source easy to use standalone Free 3D Game Maker and 3D Game Design program currently being used in many schools throughout the world that allows kids and adults to create their own video games, worlds, levels, save the princess adventures and quests, even cooperatively! The goal is to make it accessible to kids but also powerful enough for full game projects. With a simple click and roll of a mouse wheel users can modify the world however they want. In the words of Margaret, a nine year old Sandbox whiz I babysit for, “Press Edit and go fulfill your dreams!”.
Click here to visit their site.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
