As educators we need to begin thinking differently. Question, how can we get our students thinking and writing using technology in a creative and engaging manner?

Take a look at the links on my delicious account on Comics - it is a good start.

http://del.icio.us/teresacoffman/Comics

Grants are a big issue for technology educators. A place on the Web to learn more about grants and what you need to do to write an effective grant can be found at the Carolina Biological Supply Company found online at http://www.carolina.com/grants/. Take a look. Next, begin asking around your school for other teachers that are looking for grants or who have written grants. Information is a major key when applying for a grant.

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/moose-crossing/

MOOSE Crossing is an excellent way for kids 13 and under to expand creative writing skills and learn to program at the same time. Kids can create objects ranging from magic carpets to virtual pets to even a pokemon; a world based on your imag inations. They can also build virtual rooms and cities, such as King Tut's Pyramid, the Emerald City of Oz, or Hogwarts. Kids can meet and interact with other kids from all around the world. The world of MOOSE Crossing is built by kids, for kids.

TechLearning is an interesting resource for teachers. It provides some ideas for thought and creativity in our teaching and possibilities for our classrooms. Here is an article that provides us with an opportunity for thought and the possibility of creativity...

Teaching to the MySpace Generation: The digital native is constantly evolving. So how can educators keep up? by Susan McLester

http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArti...articleID=196604312

What are your thoughts about teaching to this generation of students?

edWeek is sharing a visual representation of educational technology.

This is interesting on many levels. One, timelines provide information in a linear way. When you include hyperlinks to the idea of a timeline information becomes non-linear. The learner now can be provided quality information that relates to that concept and build on their overall understandings.

This brings me to the idea of the concept map. Concept maps have the potential to be interactive. Allowing the learner to build on knowledge and as a result build on their understandings with the material.

My other level of interest - educational technology has advanced. Have we? Have our schools?

Take a look at the timeline below

http://www.edweek.org/ew/tc/2007/timeline.html

A student last night showed us (the class) some social sites that will engage you and your students. Take a look - while you do, think of ways you can use this new technologies with your students. If you think of something...share it with the group!

Bubblr – This tool will allow your students to create comic strips. Hmm you say - What can this be used for? Think of this tool as a new way for your students to demonstrate their understanding of the topics being explored in your classroom (math concepts, history concepts, science concepts, etc.). Well...get any ideas?

http://www.pimpampum.net/bubblr/


Google Sketch Up – Imagine having your students design a new playground for their school yard or for the community. Google Sketch Up is free and similar to CAD.

http://sketchup.google.com/

Kartoo – A visual search tool. Ever wonder what site was linked to which site? Well this search tool will help you better evaluate Web sites and benefit the visual learner at the same time.

http://www.kartoo.com/

Swivel – Explore data. There is data already in this tool to begin exploring or add your own! Wow.

http://www.swivel.com/

LibraryThing – Ever wonder how you could easily catalog books that you have read? Ever want to know what others feel about a book that you have read? Well, wonder no more. LibraryThing is an online Library Catalog that also can connect you to readers who read what you do. Imagine linking libraries, schools, classrooms, families...

http://www.librarything.com/

CommunityWalk - Map a route out. Imagine the possibilities in your classroom. How far is it to the Fredericksburg Battle Field and my school? How would solders have gotten to the battle from Fredericksburg City? What are your ideas?

http://www.communitywalk.com/


CreativeCommons - A place where you can license your work to share with the world and at the same time find content/works that have been created to be shared by you and your students.

http://search.creativecommons.org/

What do you think about each of the above tools and what do you have to share with us!!!

Web Inquiry Projects

What is the difference between a Web Inquiry Project and a WebQuest? After you and your students have explored the power of WebQuests and are more comfortable with the Internet, it is time to step up the challenge to include open-ended inquiry learning into your classroom.

Philip Molebash, at San Diego State University, does a terrific job identifying the key differences between an inquiry-oriented activity (WebQuest) and an open-ended inquiry learning experience (Web Inquiry Project)take a look at http://edweb.sdsu.edu/wip/

Interesting idea

How can we as educators create learning spaces for our students that are engaging and meaningful? Chris Dede, Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is looking into this idea. He calls this quest distributed learning. Learning that is not suspended in time or place - such as a classroom - but which is distributed throughout time and space our environment.

Two types

Muves
secondlife
RiverCity Developed by the Harvard School of Education

This idea of Learning by doing (experiences) continues

Not that Muves are not learning by doing but there is another idea. Handheld Augmented Reality. Learning is interwoven between face to face and moving through the real-world. Students use a PDA with global positioning software to move around an environment (school yard) to solve real-world problems (environmental crisis). Programmed within specific locations in this environment are experts. Students can call upon these experts (scientist, landscape artist) to gain further knowledge about a topic to help solve the problem. It is similar to playing a game but the game is based on real problems that have many solutions.

How scary for a teacher but how exciting - Scary, how do we as teachers design and create these learning environments for our students and still have time to complete the other duties that we must perform? My idea, how about using our wikis and blogs to create a container of learning objects - teachers can pull from these containers and easily use the content with their students. Each learning experience would align with national standards so any teacher can pull and utilize the learning experience with their students. Teachers could provide feedback when they are finished to build the level of knowledge and to aid in making this a smoother process. The feedback can be used to help improve the learning experiences. This would be a learning community that aids in growing meaningful experiences for our students.

Resources

Handheld Devices for Ubiquitous Learning (HDUL) project

Campus Second Life

secondlife Education

Edited by author 02-25-2007 03:35 PM
The New Literacy written by Sara Armstrong and David Warlick on September 15, 2004 for TechLearning.

The question that this article raises -

In our knowledge economy what do we as teachers and schools need to teach our students before they leave our classrooms?

Is it our responsibility as teachers and administrators - to keep our students information literate and at the same time teach our students information literate skills?

Interesting article packed with good resources that you can learn from and use right now.

Edited by author 02-21-2007 09:35 AM
Would you like to have a repository of images that can be used by your students? Well, this Web 2.0 is working for you because you can. There is a social image repository that is free and accessible to all that access it through the Internet. You can set up your own account and upload images that apply to your curriculum needs. The site is...

Flickr and can be found online at http://www.flickr.com/

Set up an account and begin adding images. It is that easy.

You can even add an RSS feed (this is like having your newspaper delivered to your mailbox!) to your blog. This means, every time you add an image to your Flickr account it will appear on your blog - Wow!!!

Do you have a social bookmarking site yet? First, what is it? A social bookmarking site is a way for you to store, classify, and share Web sites with your colleagues and students. How cool! The best thing about this tool is - you can access your Web links from any location that has an Internet connection. Now, that is helpful.

Each of the tools below are social bookmarking sites and they are free.

Furl
http://www.furl.net/

Del.icio.us
http://del.icio.us/

PortaPortal
http://www.portaportal.com/

Hello to all. I just subscribed. See you around later.

Webquests

Here is a terrific inquiry oriented activity that has the potential to engage students and teachers into the learning process.

Start your discovery by reading - Focus: Five rules for writing a great WebQuest

Dodge, B. (2001a). Focus: Five rules for writing a great WebQuest. Retrieved February 19, 2007, from http://www.webquest.futuro.usp.br/artigos/...outros-bernie1.html

Many of these ideas can be implemented not only with Webquests but with any inquiry project.

Welcome to Instructional Technologies...share your thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Let's not forget questions, concerns, and problems....