Tapped In

I am currently in a session for Tapped In about Storytelling. I was kind of confused at where to go.. but apparently I figured it out somehow. So I find this kind of weird. Not really what I was expecting. Basically they are just discussing this website some guy's website (who's running the session). It's actually kind of a cool website though. It's an online make your own comic strip. This would be very appealing to kids and a fun way to get them to do creative writing. Here's the link : MakeBeliefsComix. Oh they just shared another interactive writing website. Bills Treasure Chest.

Well I guess I got two good websites from this. I don't feel I'm learning anything about the Art of Storytelling though.. which is what I was expecting. I thought this would help me become a better storyteller - like Patrick Louis. I also thought that it was going to be more of a lecture type dealy, but in a chat room.. however, it turns out that it's just people chatting about writing I guess. I feel that I'm reading a lot of the same responses too. They share a site and then I read 20 people saying, "this is great.. kids would like this.. cool.." I feel too disconnected and finding it hard to really pay attention.. probably why I'm blogging.. which probably isn't helping my concentration. Kind of a catch 22.

I was checking out this Tapped In site though and there are a lot of resources within it. There are links to sites and free resources available to teacher. I suppose this online seminar is a good idea in theory. I'll maybe have to try this out again.

Also, check out those two websites on writing because they're pretty cool.

Stumble

If you have Firefox at home I recommend downloading a really cool 'Add-on'. Firefox has a website where you can download a variety of different add-ons to jazz up your internet. I found one that is really cool and handy. It's called StumbleUpon. Basically it lets you "channelsurf" the best-reviewed sites on the web. It is a collaborative surfing tool for finding and sharing great sites. This helps you find interesting webpages you wouldn't think to search for. When you first start it up it gives you a huge list of possible areas of interest. You click off all the areas you are interested in, like Education, animals, technology, etc. Then whenever you want to look for a cool site you click on your 'Stumble' button and it will take you to a website that is under one of your interests. It's a really cool way to find good websites, plus if you're ever bored it's a good way to pass the time!

For other cool Firefox Add-ons click here.

Lejo DJ

Cute Video

What Teachers Make

Finally... a blog about a Podcast

It's the environment, stupid!

The podcast that I listened to was one I found on David Suzuki's website.

This Podcast was done February 26, 2007 - And it asks the question.. "Can Canada afford to reduce green house gas emissions? David Suzuki and economist Sir Nicholas Stern explain why we can't afford not to."

So basically this podcast discussed the Economic Cost of Global Warming. If we were to reduce our emissions to where they have to go, we would have to pay 1% of our GDP - says David Suzuki. This amount translates to Billions of dollars - which scares many politicians and corporations because it's "Too Much Money.. bla bla bla".. Well we have to ask, what is the cost if we do nothing at all???

David Suzuki says that if "We follow Mr.Harper, who says that we have to keep raising our emissions because if we do anything about it our economy will fall" it will end up costing us More than WW1 and WW2 combined to try and deal with the world that has changed in the result of Global Warming. It will ruin 20% of the economy and we will be forced into a global depression the likes of which we have never had before. Our global economy will collapse . Basically We can not afford to do nothing!

I'm amazed at how many podcasts are available out there. It's cool because it's like having a speaker come to your class. And you can have someone as cool as David Suzuki "come to your class" to discuss critical issues about the environment. Plus, kids can make their own podcasts about topics.

I wish my cat could talk

Crossword Fun!

Today in class I learned how to create an online interactive crossword game using a program Hot Potatoes. A free program where you can created quizzes, matching, fill in the blanks and as mentioned earlier crossword puzzles.

Here it is.

Make sure if you are trying to embed a link into your blog you get the whole link. Otherwise you will have troubles, like I was having. But it's been solved and everything is all good now.

I have been Converted!!

If I have learned anything from my experience creating a video with Mac is that my next computer will definitely be a Mac computer. Trust me I have learned a ton about video making too and song making but I have also fallen in love with Mac computers! Their so user friendly, with so many cool programs and their quite attractive as well. What makes me mad is that last year I just bought a brand new PC, which is nice, but it doesn't compare to the Mac.

I love using the iMovie program. At first when Heather and I started we were frustrated often, learning the new system and learning how to make a movie. But once we got over our learning curve we have been able to do so much. We have become pros at video editing and transitions... We have also become music producers. Seriously, if you have never spent some time with Garage band I suggest you get up, go over to the Mac Lab and do it right now! It's so much fun. I could probably play with that program all day making songs. If we show our video in class you'll hear our songs that we created.

Plus, I really like the new Mac commercials. Their so funny. If you haven't seen one yet watch this one.. beware though if might convert you to a Mac person too!

We need Alec No More! :)

So Heather and I have been creating a video for our major project using the new Mac computers. I'm sure Alec has been getting sick of us because I think we have a new question for him (sometimes the same one) every day. Well Heather and I made some big strides this weekend and learned somethings on our own!! We figured out how to convert a garage band song to an Mp3 on our own (well Alec showed us once but we couldn't remember how to do it again). We also figured out how to put pictures over top of our video - so that we still have the audio from our clip but you'll look at a different picture instead. Plus, Heather and I have been making some awesome music using Garage Band. Our movie is coming along quite nicely and excited for it to be done!!

Monster Mash

The Monster Exchange that Alec shared with us I thought was great. Classrooms from around the world are paired together and students are separated into groups. Then in their groups they create a picture of an original monster and provide a descriptive paragraph about it. Then the classrooms exchange their descriptions and they have to try and draw a picture of the monster based on the descriptions. After they created the picture from the description they compared what the monster was actually suppose to look like.

This provides students with a great opportunity to practice descriptive writing and receive feedback on it in a fun and interesting way. They will be using their reading skills to try and decipher what this monster is suppose to look like. Students want to draw the monster as close as possible to the original. This also allows students to use their imaginations and creativity because the monster could look like whatever they want! Plus it's integrating technology in the classroom! I think this would be a fun activity for any elementary grade.

Here's a link to the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Lots of resources and free lesson plans. They also have posters and free kits you can request! Worth checking out.

Wildlife Link

Hinterland Who's Who

Here's a great website.

It's about wildlife in Canada. Remember this commercials? I think they're still on too. It's great because it has fact sheets for mammals, birds, amphibians, insects and fish. They're very detailed, have good pictures and some of them have a short video. This is a good page for kids to visit if they ever have to do research on a Canadian animal. It also has some resources for Educators - you can get some free stuff! Plus they have lots of lesson plans which are really good.

Lesson Idea for Body Image

Here's a follow-up to my last blog. Heather and I came across this great lesson plan idea from Discovery School about body image. Here's the link:

http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/extrememeasures/

It's a great lesson plan that really get kids to start thinking about the way our society portrays women. It has great discussion questions and a survey that will allow you to get a good understanding of how your students see themselves. Mostly geared towards grades 6 to 8.

Killing Us Softly Advertising's Image of Women

Here's a link to a video I think everyone should watch. It's about 30 minutes long but very informative about women and body image. It reveals the way the female image is formed and maintained in our society through advertisements and the media. It's quite eye opening to advertising and what it's saying about women and men.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1993368502337678412

It's scary how we are bombarded with advertisents everyday. What's even more scary is the effect this has on children. I believe that we need to make our students aware of these issues and teach them to be critical of advertising and the media and not to let them get sucked into this ideal our society has created. There are girls in grades 3 and 4 dieting themselves already to try and live up to the inaccurate portrayals of women. Think of the damaging effects this has on their bodies and let alone their self-esteem and self-worth. The media is telling girls that their self-worth hinges to the way they look - which then dictates how they interact, live and see themselves. I watched another video on this topic and there was an 11 year old girl who said "She rather die than be fat". Terrifying stuff.

Debate: Ghost boy - real or not real?

Ok. So recently I watched a clip from You Tube of an apparent 'Ghost Boy' from three men and a baby. I think it's real, and it gives me the creeps. Others are skeptical. What do you think?

Fountain Pens - The Wave of the Future?

Last week there was a blog that discussed the future use of technology in the classroom. It posed the question of how long would it be until each student had a laptop of their own. There was also an interesting article attached to it which discussed the relevancy of handwriting today. If we did get to the point where students used computers to write, would there be a place for handwriting anymore? In the article it revealed that most teenagers and children today don’t remember or even know how to write in cursive. Is this becoming an ‘archaic’ and unnecessary form of writing today?

Well one school in Edinburgh, Scotland is taking a stand against this. They’ve actually required that all students learn handwriting using the ‘old fashioned’ fountain pen. The principal claims that this is improving the quality of the students’ work because it forces them to concentrate and pay more attention to their work, which then in turn creates higher self-esteems.

Here’s the link to the article:

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/life/story.html?id=a5a892a2-86fc-4946-990f-2530c5cbe30a&k=41506



I think that it’s interesting that they are using fountain pens to get kids to handwrite. However, I don’t know that it’s necessary to use ‘fountain pens’. I do agree that handwriting shouldn’t be neglected though. I think that teaching younger students how to write in cursive also allows them to strengthen their fine motor skills and it’s probably better exercise for their brain as well – in comparison to typing. In the class that I interned my co-op still taught the students how to write in cursive and I think that one day when I have my own classroom I will too.

Here’s the article from the other blog about handwriting becoming obsolete, if you haven’t read it already (originally posted by Lindsey):

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/pdf/December06/TorontoStarSrihariHandwriting.pdf

National Geographic Kids

Here's a website that I've come across a few times. It's the National Geographic for Kids. Great website! It has lots of animal facts, interactive games, video clips, education news section for kids, craft ideas and reproducibles for teachers.


http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/


Definately visit the 'Creature Feature'. (Click on the Animals Tab, then there will be an option to either click on Amazing Animals or Creature Feature). I really like this because you get lots of pictures of the animals, Facts, a video/sound clip, a map of where this animal is found in the world, an e-card and a 'printable version'. Really cool!

Stressed

This is unrelated to technology in the classroom... but I have to ask it. Is anyone else stressed after going to that resume/interview seminar? I didn't know getting a job could be so complicated! :)

Let's try this blog thing for a second time

I'm at work right now, taking a short break and I thought I should enter my second blog. I hope that I'm doing this right. I wasn't sure if I was just suppose to 'post new' or if I was to create another blog. This is blogging my mind! I want to become efficient enough using this blog gizmo to possibly incorporate it in my 'future' classroom like the teachers Alec showed us. I wouldn't even know where to start teaching my class (especially if it was a grade one class) how to do that. But I guess nowadays kids are probably smarter at using the computer/internet then most adults are now.

My boss is now having difficulties with the printer. I do like technology and I can appreciate all it can do for us.. however, their are days where it seems it would just be more simple to use a pen and paper. Like today for my boss. heh. I've given up on my printer at home because of its constant breakdowns. It always seems to fail you when you need it the most. I get you could say technology is selfish. :)

On side note.. my job at the museum right now is actually very technology involved. (did that make sense?) What I'm trying to say is that I am currently working on developing the 'layout' of a Kids' webpage off the museum's main page. I'm not doing the computer stuff, I am just actually drawing it out (on a piece of paper with a pencil). So, in order to do this I have been doing a lot of research on other kids' webpages from other museums and educational sites. When I come across some good websites I think are worth sharing I'll post them for you to do with what you will!!

Here's one for starters:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/index.html

This come from the Natural History Museum of London. It's quite colourful and interactive. It has some fun games for the kids ( for instance - What dinosaur are you?, Volcano explosion, dinosaur defender.. etc.) , it has naturecams, and animal facts. If you ever do a unit on Dinosaurs it has a great 'Dinosaur Directory' - lots of good info! Enjoy! :)

My first blog in Ecmp 355

This is my first blog in Ecomp 355. I am looking forward to this class and I feel that I will be learning a lot about computers this semester!