Andy Meyer

Elementary TILT - Phase IIDigital Portfolio

This presentation was originally created with Presentation In Google Docs, downloaded as a PowerPoint

and uploaded using SlideShare then embedded into blog. It isn’t as complicated as it sounds!

Goal set and met

This year, one of the things we did this year was to set goals for types of technologies we wanted to learn.  My biggest areas of interest were Blogs, Wikis and learning to use the document camera and projector.  I also wanted to do a video chat. But, that is not where I stopped.  I learned how to Skype.  That was a great achievement for me.   I personally am not very self-confident with technology, but each time I learned something, it was because of the foundation from previous experience.  Curiosity makes a difference.

PBWorks                        Document camera                Blogger                  Skype                    Chat                            Pocket Video Camera        Community Walk                        Digital Camera        YouTube - including my first upload!

Some of the things I've learned this year...

This year, I've learned so much about how powerful Google is as a site, a research tool, as a way to communicate.I learned how to use Picasa, Web 2.0 products - I have created an account on at least 20 different Web 2.0 products already and will probably forget where half of them are now before I really get a chance to use them.  : >)I have created a wiki for 4th and 5th grade class projects, created a blog for my library and participated in a blog for TILTers. I've learned cartooning, spreadsheet, graphs and how to create a survey. I've done one voicethread and would like to do more I've created a voki, found out how to use google squared and swirled.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 sources are incredible. There a so many ways to use each one.  This is a tremendous asset for education!  With Web 2.0 products, students and teachers  outstanding ways to create, collaborate, communicate and present.  It opens an entirely new medium. What took hours of work to create now takes minutesand the results are spectacular!

Blogger       Skype    Facebook    Twitter   Oovoo   Wiki      Picasa            Flickr           SimplyBox   

Blog post from the Alkali Creek Library Blog

 I have heard many kids say they hate to read. It is not surprising.  Reading is such a huge part of elementary education.  Students read textbooks for science, social studies, language arts, and much more.  Students tend to approach all reading the same way. Reading for information is a different skill than for pleasure. Reading for pleasure is just that - a pleasure.  Students will become better readers with practice, just like a musician playing an instrument.  Reading should never be perceived as a chore, a dull requirement.  It should be viewed as something more.  It is a window that left closed will never allow us to see beyond the glass.  Too many kids end up with windows closed, painted shut, never to open again when they become old enough to "not have to read anymore." Encourage them to open a window, get some fresh air. Try a new view, a new genre. Try a new author, a new setting. Try sitting in a new spot with a good book.  Don't give up. Even people who hate to read can pick up a book and find a new joy in the adventure. It is never too late to start.

Some incredible things Google can do!

Need a picture of something specific, but you get too much junk?  Try this: 

image-swirl.googlelabs.com

 You will see stacks of pictures.  Choose one stack and they will spread out in a web.  Click on one and you will be able to see the site.

Example search: Books  

A great website for students:

Tired of having students use Google as their only search tool?  Give them this one:

www.kidrex.org

All the results are kid-friendly and great for research. 

 Students can find all the information they need just on that topic and not be bombarded with unnecessary, unrelated, or inappropriate sites. They can research without the hassle of advertisements passed off as content.

"Disruptive Thinking" Blog post from TILT Ning

   I was watching a news segment on "Sunday Morning". The subject was iPhone apps. They were described as "disruptive technology". They disrupt the way we live, the way we do things. Every month, 1200 new apps are created. Other things are considered "disruptive technology". The automobile, telegraph, airplane, telephone (Bell's), personal computers, calculators, cell phones, television, radio, even the alphabet and numbers.It is a good term - "disruptive technology." I need to use more of the technologies I've learned in TILT and Cadre to disrupt education - get it out of the status quo. I'm guilty of learning how to use something, then trying to figure out how to insert it into a lesson. Maybe I need to insert the lesson into the technology instead. Disrupt the way I think, the way I teach. Who knows, maybe when teaching a lesson on constellations, the night sky app on my iPod will open an entirely new way for kids to see the stars. Opening minds to a new way to think. Disruptive technology can lead to disruptive education. That can change the world.  http://bpstilt.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?user=0k2alxr4g86do 

Learning to use the digital camera.  A couple of visitors from the Empire came to visit Alkali. 

They were quite happy to pose.

Simply Box:This program is currently only supported with Firefox. It makes saving and sharing of websites very simple. I capture a page or site and box it, share it and collaborate with it.

FLIP Video Recorder

This little dynamo has the best picture.  Capture on video what you want, then plug it right into your computer. Viola! A little movie magic via iMovie and you have a great product. This video was filmed with a Flip Mino. It was uploaded to YouTube and shared on the Cadre blog.

Click to open YouTube and playVideo.

Sharing with an entire class or a large audience is easy with these two pieces of equipment. The LCD projector makes visual medium easy to see.

With the document camera, you can create a short video  and save it to your computer.  The document or video can be viewed over email or shared on a blog, wiki or other medium. It isn't just an overhead any more.

Document camera

LCD projector

Sharing Knowledge

Belonging to TILT is more than just time for teachers to play with technology.  There is a responsibility to share what we know with other teachers - they in turn share what they have learned.  That is the beauty of TILT - concentric circles of knowledge.  We don't hoard information, secretly wanting to keep it from others.  We are glad to share, to collaborate, to teach other teachers.  It is what we do that makes TILT more than just a learning tool.  It is a teaching tool as well.The next few slides will show ways I've shared my knowledge with others, both in and out of TILT.

Tech Tuesday

With the migration to Google Accounts this summer, there is a need to show others what we need to know so people will not be confused by the switch.In March, I worked with several Alkali staff on the shift to Google Tools.  I handed out a cheat sheet on saving Google Docs as PDF or Microsoft Office items.Many of the staff enjoyed the time to see what will happen next year. They are ahead of the curve and will have a better understanding. Now they can share what they learned - concentric circles.

Visit from the Governor

This is part of the story printed in The Billings Gazette on Saturday, April 24, 2010 by Rob Rogers. Things worked out well in the end, but not without a bit of embarrassment on my part.   The vote was to choose the new math and science trading cards.  The kids loved it! The site is: http://mathscience.mt.gov/MSICards/cards.htm. Voting is closed, but you can still see the cards.

Skype

One of the teachers at Alkali wanted to learn how to Skype so her students could chat with their PenPals on the East Coast.  We spent a bit of time learning what to do, then visited with each other from our separate rooms. It worked quite well!Her kids had fun seeing their PenPals, and visiting over the internet.  It opens an entirely new way to communicate - first  writing a 1 page letter then having a conversation face to face over the miles.  Amazing!

Wordle

Before starting the 4th grade Genre wiki, the students told what makes a good book.  I created a wordle using their words.  The larger the word, the more often it was used in the book description. 

Avatar - not just a movie

The 4th and 5th grade Wikis needed something to make them fun and educational.  I used www.voki.com to create an avatar to introduce each wiki.

                                Biography                Genre                                                Wiki                         Wiki                                                5th Grade                4th Grade

Teaching teachers creates the concentric circles of learning.  Each teacher works with another teacher, who then works with another teacher and so on.  Each teacher becomes an expert in several technologies and then works with a group to learn that medium, overlapping other experts in a different medium. It is the best way to teach a large group at the lowest possible cost.  

Photos

Flip, Digial Camera, Picasa, iPhoto

All of these are great ways to take or store photos.  Picasa even has facial recognition so each person is kept in their own folder within your Picasa account.

Teaching teachers creates the concentric circles of learning.  Each teacher works with another teacher, who then works with another teacher and so on, overlapping one another and growing beyond the first tiny drop.  It is one of the best ways to teach a large group at the lowest possible cost.  

This is just the start of a new journey - one step into the world of the digital student and teacher.  Sometimes the teacher is the student and the student is the teacher.Each step takes us into a new place of discovery.  The discovery is just the beginning and the end is no where in sight.  What a wonderful way to work. There are no limits to the expansion of learning.  It keeps the adult minds young and sharp.  And it keeps the young minds engaged.  It is the best of both worlds.