Teachers TV

I am glad to get a few more comments, and thrilled to hear that you are trying some of the sites and techniques that we have discussed in class, including blogs. I'd like to tell you about one more site that we will not discuss formally, but is worth taking a look at. It is called Teachers TV http://www.teachers.tv/ It's British, and has a collection of education related video -some for students, and some for teachers. You can view them on the computer or download to a computer or to a flash drive for use offline. Maureen, this may be something that you could use. I have not spent a lot of time with it, but it looks promising. If you try it, let me know how you like it. Mary

Comments

Great comments! Mary

Views - Forward and Back

By now you should be comfortable using my home page, http://theteachersnet.org to access sites for your worksheets. Make sure you explore the additional sites that are listed under each topic.

On Monday, we'll explore the new web, called Web 2.0 or the Read/Write Web, (the "old" web is Read Only), and some of the tools for using it. We'll take a look at blogs and wikis, and set up a Bloglines RSS aggregator account so that you may begin to use it. Have a great week-end. Mary

Opportunities

Most students today are very comfortable in the digital world. Most teachers need to work at it.
I hope that this class will provide you with opportunities to narrow this gap -- to learn things your students know, to learn things your students don't know, to learn techniques that will make your teaching more effective, to learn from other teachers, and to just have fun. I'm glad to have you in my class. Mary

Free Office Suite substitutes

Several of you asked about programs that could be used instead of MicroSoft office products, programs similar to Word, Excel, & Power Point. There are several that you can check.
Wordprocessors are:
Writely http://writely.com
Abiword http://abisource.com

Excel http://irows.com

Power Point presentation program - Microsoft free downloadable program called Photo Story 3
Use with MS XP operating system. http://www.microsoft.com/windowxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx

There are a number of other online or downloadable programs. Search for: wordprocessing free online OR "Office Suite" free online.

Typing for Kids/ Translate a Site

I promised to find the typing program for kids that is published by the BBC. It is called Dance Mat Typing, and can be found here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/about/

Another tool that you might find useful is a translator called Babelfish. You can type text in and translate, or translate an Internet site into another language. It is accessible at the Alta Vista search engine, or you can connect directly at:
http://babelfish.yahoo.com

Try these. You'll like them. Mary

Graphic Novels

Today's Tribune (Saturday) has an article on Graphic Novels. Graphic novels are what used to be called comic books. They're being published again at all levels of sophistication and for all ages. A lot of them are of dubious quality, but some are very innovative and rival other literary genres.
If you know nothing about graphic novels, take a look at the article in the Trib, or ask your librarian to show you a few. If you have students who are reluctant readers, learning English or have learning problems, consider using them where they might serve a purpose. Make sure you preview and choose only those that are appropriate. Many are not! My home page lists several sites that provide reviews and resources. Go to: http://theteachersnet.org/reading.htm
Click on the GRAPHIC NOVEL link. If you haven't read Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, or seen the movie, I highly recommend both. Hope you're having a great week-end. Mary

Virtual Libraries, etc.

I am getting comments -and that's great. Glad to hear that some of you are using the elementary sites with your own children. Your kids will tell you what works and what doesn't work.
I know all of you will be finding sites for your project. Don't forget to explore the two Virtual Library sites: Awesome Library http://www.awesomelibrary.org and
Homework Spot http://www.homeworkspot.com
Both of these sites allow you to choose grade levels in which to search.
To return to the search section of my home page and see the sites specifically for younger children, use this link: http://theteachersnet.org/search2.htm then click Search Sites for Kids box. Mary

Shift Happens

Thanks for all your comment. Chuck sent a UTube link that I'd like to pass along. It's from a wiki site called Shifthappens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U&feature=relat
I hope you are all recovered and using something that you learned in class.

Web Sites- Good or Bad

Thanks for your comments. I agree that students much prefer the Internet for research over print material. The research tools that libraries subscribe to should be as accurate as reference books, but students often don't differentiate between reliable sources and regular web sites. If you are interested in teaching students to look closer at sites, check my home page, under web evaluation.
These two sites will provide a variety of lessons and worksheets for different levels.

http://www.cyberbee.com/guides.html

http://www3.widener.edu/Academics/Libraries/Wolfgram_Memorial_Library/Evaluate_Web_Pages/Original_Web_Evaluation_Materials/6160/

Thanks for taking my class. I've enjoyed our time together, and hope that you have learned something that you can take back to your school and use.

The Times They Are A Changin' Web 2.0

Our next meeting will deal with the "new" web. We'll look at how it's different, and even more importantly, what these differences might mean for schools. I'd like you to think about two elements of this change that are already apparent, and the impact that these shifts might have on schools. The first change that I see is that students are increasingly using the web as a source for their information, and most students do not evaluate web sites critically. The second shift, in my opinion, is that our primary means of communicating is moving from print (the use of words) to media, including pictures, video, and sound.

Reading Resources

Hope you are all relaxing and resting for next week.
For those of you who teach reading in the primary grades or ESL, I suggest that you look at some of the reading sites on my home page. These are on the second page of resources and listed under Reading Games, Kids Sites for Reading, and ESL.
Teachers Net http:theteachersnet.org/reading.htm
Take a quick look at: Starfall http://starfall.com
RIF Reading Planet listen-to stories
http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/bookzone/default.mspx
and the list of elementary sites listed under ESL.
If you teach middle school or high school literature, you should be familiar with
Spark Notes http://sparknotes.com and Pink Monkey.
If your own children are learning to read, they might also enjoy these.

Spring is Here - Maybe

Hi,
Even though it is technically Spring, and you would probably rather be home watching a baseball game, I'm very glad to have you in class. I'm also happy that we have such an interesting mix of teachers represented. If you have a special interest that you want to pursue, or if you are having problems, please see me. Based on the papers that I have graded, the pace seems about right.
My goals are to give you an overview of the Internet and how it can be used in the classroom, to update some specific Internet skills, and to provide the opportunity to tap into resources of in-class colleagues. Hopefully, we'll also have some fun, and spring will come by the time we are finished.
Some time during this class, you will have to send a comment for one of my blog postings. Just click on the comment link below the post (message) write your comment, sign your initials, and post it. I'll explain in class. See you Thursday. M