Tech Chick Tips

Tips and tricks for teaching 21st century students using 21st century skills from two Texas educators obsessed with anything digital! RSS Subscribe to RSS

Episode 41

Let's Get Green! Please take a moment to read...

Creative Commons License photo credit: ecstaticist

We know it’s been a while, but we’re back! This episode is packed with links that we’ve been wanting to share with you. And special thanks to Anna’s Mom and Dad who let us arrive unexpectedly and use their wireless this morning. Long story, but you’ll hear it on the podcast…and we have to get this posted, so it’s not as edited…hope you can bear with us!

What Could It Mean
http://whatcoulditmean.wikispaces.com/
Using VoiceThread, contribute a single photo of your country depicting a unique tradition, custom, routine, etc. Students post their thoughts on what that image represents.

VoiceThread Revisited
http://ed.voicethread.com
Providing a secure, collaborative environment for educators and students. $10 fee, but that’s almost free.

Kerpoof
http://www.kerpoof.com
http://www.kerpoof.com/teach
What is Kerpoof? Kerpoof is all about having fun, discovering things, and being creative. Here are just a few ways you can use Kerpoof:

  • Make artwork (even if you aren’t good at drawing!)
  • Make an animated movie (really! it’s easy!)
  • Earn Koins which you will soon be able to spend in The Kerpoof Store
  • Make a printed card, t-shirt, or mug
  • Tell a story
  • Make a drawing
  • Vote on the movies, stories, and drawings that other people have made

Linked to Texas and Washington standards; committed to being kid-friendly! Educator page has ideas for using the site as well as lesson plans and other resources.

Panwapa
http://www.panwapa.com
Developed by the educators behind Sesame Street, geared towards 4 to 7 year olds with the intent to promote global awareness. Awareness of the wider world, appreciating similarities and valuing differences, taking responsibility for one’s behaviors, community participation and willingness to take action, and understanding of and responsiveness to economic disparity. Several languages, video and print. Lesson plans coming soon.

Levelator
http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/
Free software that runs on Windows, OS X (universal binary), or Linux (Ubuntu) that adjusts the audio levels within your podcast or other audio file for variations from one speaker to the next, for example. It’s magic–levels of both people speaking are magically “levelled” out–your podcasts (or any audio recording) will sound professional!

Gigapan
http://share.gigapan.org/easter.php?window_height=697&window_width=1297
GigaPan consists of three technological developments: a robotic camera mount for capturing very high-resolution (gigapixel and up) panoramic images using a standard digital camera; custom software for constructing very high-resolution gigapixel panoramas; and, a new type of website for exploring, sharing and commenting on gigapixel panoramas and the detail our users will discover within them. The GigaPan website allows hosting and sharing all kinds of panoramas, and so the robotic GigaPan mount is recommended but is certainly not required to be part of this community. Think digital online “Where’s Waldo”.

HP Project Idea
http://tiny.cc/j3KGo
Do a scavenger hunt with your students. Make it a Math hunt. Find an example of 4/5th. Or find a parallelogram. Extra points for using an original example.

100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn
Sorry guys! We were so wowed by all the links that we didn’t read the comments all the way through! “ipod-hacker” apparently plagiarized this article from the Online Educational Database. Please see the original article:
http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/100-ways-to-use-your-ipod-to-learn-and-study-better
http://the-ipod-hacker.blogspot.com/2008/02/100-ways-to-use-your-ipod-to-learn-and.html
Lists of study guides, tutorials, podcasts, applications, and other downloads to help users get the most out of their iPod and really use it as a learning tool. Some services are for charge, while others are free.

Poll Everywhere
http://www.polleverywhere.com
Now free accounts come with 1000 votes per month! Much more user friendly for educators–thanks for listening!

2008 SIGTel Online Learning Award Competition
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yteachers_community/message/112
Looking for original, online learning activity. Awardees will be honored at NECC 2008 and SIGTel will publish the winning entries, and the respective authors’ reflections in its online publication, SIGTel Bulletin, and archive the work as exemplary projects on the SIGTel Web area.

Students 2.0 and Student Voice
http://students2oh.org/
Many thanks to two students who contributed their voice to Anna’s professional learning at her campus. Check out their thoughts online and find ways to hear your own students.
Arthus: http://myfla.ws/
Lindseak: http://lindseak.wordpress.com

 


Take our Poll!

It’s in our podcast, and blogged before this entry, but I wanted to give it it’s own entry so it’s not missed. Helen and I are playing with Poll Anywhere to see how it works and how we can use it in teaching and learning. Please cast your vote in our poll about new year’s resolutions!

How soon will you break your new year’s resolutions? Use your cell phone to send a text message to 41411 with your choice below! Be sure to enter the word, “CAST” before your entry!

  • CAST 1191 — I’m in it for the long haul
  • CAST 1190 — By the end of the first month
  • CAST 1189 — 14 days or less (maybe even the first week!)
  • CAST 1214 — After the first month, but before 2009 [this was added later to see how easy it would be to add an option- it was]
  • CAST 1188 — Resolution? Resolution-Schmezosolution!

Try clicking here to see the results.


Posted on : Dec 30 2007
Tags: , ,
Posted under ponderings |