In this final leg of my journey through technology (though my adventures will continue as I am a lifelong learner) I explored Google Sites and created my own classroom web page. See it here. I created a communication tool between my students, their parents, and myself. My web page gives pertinent information that the parents and students may need such as, my contact information, class rules and procedures, class schedule, calendar, spelling lists, and links to additional resources. I have also included a photo album for parents to enjoy, by bringing the classroom to them. I have wanted to create a classroom web page that would include all of these items for years and now I have one in time to show parents at conferences.
Google Sites threw me for a learning curve because I have never tried to do anything like this before. This was all new to me. However, after watching some great tutorial videos and playing around, I found it to pretty simple to use. I like how Sites allows the user to select from many different themes. It also allows the user to create from a template. I started out with a blank template to create a site that would work for me. The program is set up like a word processing program and has many of the same features. This makes the program easier to figure out, and makes adding photos and clip art easier to add. The only limit is how creative the user can be. I plan to update my web page on a weekly basis through my announcement page. It allows me to post new events or news from my classroom and these posts are archived. I also plan to update my spelling lists monthly. This is easy since my lists are already saved to my Google Docs. Google Sites is fully integrated with other features provided by Google. Sharing has never been easier! Here are some great tutorials to get you started.
I found that Google Sites was easy to use and helped me to create a valuable resource for my classroom. Soon I plan on adding some of my Custom Search Engines that I have created for my students. The possibilities of Google Sites are endless. I can't wait to share this with my parents at conferences. My students already love my new site. Happy creating!
Over the past week I have been busy discovering the wonders of Picasa and You Tube. These two tools can be very valuable in the classroom.
Picasa is a free photo sharing program. Picasa searches a computer for photos and makes copies of the photo files on and stores them. Photos can then be organized into smaller albums and one photo can be saved to multiple albums. All of this can occur without changing how photo files are saved on the computer. Picasa also offers many of the same features or capabilities of photographic programs such as iPhoto, and Shutterfly. Photos can imported simply. Editing photos is simple and includes features such as red-eye correction, cropping, retouching, and color adjusting. Picasa even has a wonderful text feature allowing for text to be added to any picture. This program even has a great collage feature that is great for creating collages of photos that can be shared easily. Google and Picasa make photo sharing easier with its integration of its many programs and tools. Interested in what Picasa has to offer? Here is a link to a great tutorial video. Click on this link to download Picasa.
There are many great resource videos to help learn how to use Picasa and here are a few.
I created a similar collage on Shutterfly last year and paid a lot of money to give one to each student. Now that I have discovered Picasa I will be able to help my students remember their time in my class and save some money. Who doesn't love that? Picasa even gives the user a choice to set the photo project as a wallpaper on their computer.
Another amazing tool for the classroom is You Tube. By now everyone has heard of You Tube, and have enjoyed a laugh, or learned a new skill. I remember trying to help my son tie his suit tie before homecoming and not remembering the steps. I said, "Let's look it up on You Tube!" We found a wonderful video that we could pause as my son completed each step. You Tube saved the day!
Besides learning to tie a tie, You Tube has many wonderful, educationally, valuable resources. I have used many videos in the classroom to help introduce a concept. Many of these videos are learning songs that help grab a students interest. I frequently here my students singing the songs to remind them of skills learned. However, as with all technology, a teacher has to be ever vigilant to protect their students. You Tube has many great educational resources and just as many inappropriate resources. A teacher also needs to keep in mind copyright laws. Here are a couple of resources to help in these areas.
The possibilities of You Tube for developing a deeper understanding of concepts and skills are immense. You Tube reaches students of all learning styles. Please check out these resources on how and why to use this invaluable resource.
As we move further into the 21st Century, we need to create 21st Century learners. It is going to take 21st Century technology to achieve this goal. Students have the newest of technology at their finger tips and we need to use technology to meet their needs. Thanks for joining me as I continue to grow as a 21st Century teacher.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Welcome Back! This week I was able to explore Google Earth and use Tour Builder. I never cease to be amazed by Google. These two tools can do many amazing things and their applications in the classroom are limitless. I hope everyone who reads this post will find a new idea or two for their classroom.
Google Earth allows anyone with a Google account to "fly" anywhere throughout the world. Using satellite imagery, Google allows users to explore and interact with maps, and 3-D buildings. The local terrain of an area can also be experienced. Most areas on the planet even the ocean, and outer space can be explored. Starting a Google Earth journey can be started by following this link to download this tool. One of the best features is that this tool is free! After downloading Google Earth play around and have fun exploring. Here is a link to many helpful tutorials for those that are beginners on up to advanced users.
Using Google earth in the classroom allows teachers to take their students on field trips around the world. The classroom can fly anywhere and learn anywhere. Here is a PDF that lists 26 tips and tricks for using Google Earth in the classroom. Here is a great video on using Google Earth in the classroom.
Interested in learning more classroom uses? Then check out these great resources.
Another great tool to use with Google Earth is Tour Builder. This feature allows a teacher or even a student to create a tour that gives information about a related event or concept. For example, I created a tour that showcases the Oregon Trail. I plan on adding to this tour as I have time and then it will gives students a hands-on interactive learning experience. Check out the Oregon Trail tour that is a work in progress. Tour builder is a virtual field trip and allows the user to show places on a map. These places can be shown as a satellite image from space or can be seen at street view. These tours show the relationships of multiple locations to each other. This is great for visual learners! Images, and videos can be included to make tours more interactive. The user can also include descriptive information to describe what is being shown. This is great for research projects. Here is a great tutorial to help get started using Tour Builder.
As you can see, this week has truly been a worldly adventure! These tools should be used in the classroom. They will pay you back dividends ten-fold. I hope you have learned some new great tools to utilize in the classroom.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Welcome back! Over the past week I have discovered many new Google Tools. I had a blast exploring and discovering the applications of these new (to me) tools. Here is a list of the tools that I learned about this week, however I will only touch on my favorite new tools in this blog. Google Calendar, Translate, Books, Scholar, Google+Hangouts, Body, Public Data Explorer, Art Project, and World Wonders Project are very rich resources. In order to access Calendar, Translate, Books, Hangouts, and Scholar just enter the name in the address bar before the word google make sure you add a . in between the name and google.com. For example: if you would like to navigate to the translate feature you would need to type in translate.google.com. Google Art Project can be found at this link. World Wonders Project can be reached here. Google Body, now called Zygote Body can be found at this link, and the link for Public Data Explorer can be explored here.
Here are some of my favorite Google Tools that I learned about this week.
Google Calendar is a wonderful tool that can be used personally and professionally. Google allows the user to have multiple calendars. We all have complicated lives and this tool allows the user to keep several different calendars that they can combine or keep separate. For example, I have a classroom, family, and work calendar. I do not integrate the classroom calendar with my personal/family calendar, but sometimes I need to integrate my professional/work calendar with my family calendar and my professional calendar with my classroom one. Google allows this to happen with a few clicks of the mouse. Calendars can even be shared between colleagues, students, and parents. Calendars can be personalized and color coded for organizational purposes. Here is tutorial that will cover the basics of Google Calendar.
Google Translate is great find especially for teachers. It is a fact that we have increasing numbers of students in which English is a second language. This means that their parents may not speak any English. This means that we need to be able to send home information in their native language. Translate allows you to copy text from a document and paste it into one of the windows and then it will automatically translate the text into the language chosen. This can then be copied and pasted back into a document to send home to the parents. Another great feature of this tool is its capability to translate web pages. Here is a screen shoot of this tool.
Here is a link to a video showing how useful this tool will be in your classroom. As with all Google tools they can used on most mobile devices. This makes traveling in foreign countries a bit easier if there is a language barrier.
World Wonder Project provides students with a street view of the many Wonders of the World. It allows students to navigate around the site and get up close and personal. Most students will never get a chance to visit any of these places, but now they can visit without leaving the classroom. This takes field trips to an all new level. Information on the sites is also included. I visited the Taj Mahal and learned that it was originally built as a mausoleum. I did not know that! The site also shows where the sight is located on a map. The possibilities are endless for classroom use. Click on the bold words above to visit this site.
Zygote Body is a great site for learning anatomy, seeing the various systems of the body, and being able to undo the layers of the body to isolate one particular system. For example, if you are studying the digestive system, the teacher can isolate that particular system to show more in depth. Here is a screen shot of the digestive system. A URL can be copy and pasted for students to access a particular system to study.
The Google Tools are all very useful and are great for classroom use. Explore them and find out just what great resources can be found. Enjoy!
Google Drive is a suite of word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet tools that can be collaboratively shared. Google Drive used to be called Docs. These tools are quite similar to the Microsoft Office suite of programs. Therefore their use is not difficult to learn. They also provide an endless number of uses for teachers and their students that can be accessed from any device anywhere! Here is a great tool for making use of this tool.
Document provides a word processing feature that is similar to Microsoft Word. The documents created can be shared and edited collaboratively. One of the neatest features of this tool is its capability for comments to be posted that are attached to designated words. This is extremely handy for giving teacher feedback or when collaborating.
Presentation works just like PowerPoint. However, multiple students can create one presentation collaboratively. What I mean by collaboration is that students can each add to the presentation by creating slides. In class, we have recently created two collaborative presentations. Here is a tutorial on utilizing presentation.
Spreadsheet has so many uses it is mind boggling. Spreadsheet is very similar to Excel and has many of the same features. Teachers can use this to make class rosters, record grades, create rubrics (even self-grading), and many many more.
Form allows teachers to create digital questionnaires, surveys, assignments, rubrics, and even self-grading quizzes! I found this feature to be very useful and easy to use. It allows information or questions to be recorded in various ways such as, multiple choice, short answer, paragraph, check boxes and many more. Forms also has a feature where a correct answer could be entered and this allows for self-grading assignments or quizzes. However, this feature is limited to multiple choice answers and maybe short answer, due to answers needing to be either correct or not.
Drawing is a tool that also has limitless uses. Students and teachers can use this tool to make concept maps and graphic organizers. This is an example of a Venn diagram that I created for a math lesson. Here is a link to this graphic organizer.
Overall, Google Drive is a great tool for teachers and students. It has so many applications in the classroom. Here are a list of great resources to explore that detail many more uses for Google Drive.
The adventure continues...each week I learn so many wonderful things to take back to my classroom. My students like to hear what I am learning. They are always amazed when they find out that I am in school too! This week we learned to create our own custom search engine. This is very useful for elementary teachers. It helps to narrow down searches for our students, so they are not so overwhelming. The World Wide Web is large place and as teachers we need to protect our students. School web filters sometimes over protect, while still allowing questionable sources. How can a teacher solve this problem? They can prepare ahead and create a custom search engine that includes only pre-approved suitable sites. By using this search engine students will look for their topic only on the approved sites. This is genius!
Here is a tutorial video on creating a custom search engine.
Each year I have my 5th grade students create PowerPoint presentations over a colonial trade. they have to describe the trade and what products this trade produces. They also need to research the tools used and if this trade is still used today. In the past, trying to help students find suitable sources has been difficult. Many students even put down erroneous information. This led to discussions about not believing everything on the Internet, credible sources, and verifying facts by finding the information in more than one source.
As a result, I have now created a wonderful custom search engine that includes credible sources. The students will be able to search from multiple sites and pick and choose the information they want to use. Here is a my custom search engine on colonial trades.
Now my students will have an easier time with research! I even used sites based on their reading levels! Thanks for joining me for another adventure in technology!
Welcome back! This week has truly been an adventure. I have learned many new tips and tricks in regards to Google search. I never knew that Google could do all of this and I can't wait to use this new information in my classroom.
Google search is not just a search engine! It can do so much more. Did you know that you can use the search box as a calculator? This is not exactly something that I want to show my kiddos at school. However, to all of the adults out there you can type in your equation and press search. The formula is solved and an answer provided. The search box can also act as a conversion tool. For example, type in "How many feet are in a mile?" The answer will be given. This is so cool. When my sons were little (they are farm boys) they used to take off with my measuring spoons. They were using them to dig holes and such. Therefore, whenever I was cooking I could never find the correct measuring utensil needed. It would have been handy to be able to find out how many teaspoons were in a tablespoon. Here is a video that show just how cool this feature is:
Google search also has a hidden dictionary! It is really easy to use the dictionary feature. All we have to do is type define: and the word into the search box. Then click on search. A whole list of definitions should be listed including the sites where they were found. For example, say we want to find the definition for devastation. We would type "define:devastation" into the search box and click on search. Here is a screen shot that shows what will happen.
This takes that old mantra "Look It Up!" to an all new level!
Another great feature involving Google search is that searches can be made by specific filetypes. This feature allows you to search for information involving certain types of files. It is a great way of sorting through and narrowing down search information. As a classroom teacher this is very handy. This allows me to be able to enter in my concept or topic and find resources to use in the classroom. For example, I want to find some PowerPoint presentations on the Revolutionary War. I would enter the topic "Revolutionary War filetype:ppt" into the search box and only PowerPoint presentations on this subject will show up. A searcher could also use this if wanting only educational or government sites. They would type the filetype of edu or gov after the term and filetype. Here is a tutorial video.
My favorite search tip is one of the most useful for teachers. This tip shows you how to use advanced search to search based on reading level. Researching is always a challenge in the elementary classroom. Students enter a topic and the information comes flowing in, but what information should they pick. Much of the information is written at a reading level much higher than the student can understand. I showed this feature to my 5th grade students and they were amazed. This feature allows them to understand the information they are researching easier. Here is another great tutorial.
These tips create a very useful and powerful tool, and they have so many uses in the classroom. That concludes the next leg of my adventures with technology. In my next blog I will share how to create a custom search engine!
Welcome to my adventure into technology. I do not consider myself as "technology Friendly." That is why I am now taking some technology courses as I work towards my master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
As a teacher it is my responsibility to help my students become 21st Century Learners. In order to do this I must first become a 21st Century Teacher! Education is ever changing and technology is becoming increasingly intertwined in all aspects of learning. One of the newest changes is the move towards using Google Chrome as a web browser. Recently at a staff meeting my fearless leader, aka the principal, expressed the desire for the staff to incorporate Google Chrome and Google Tools more into our classroom instruction. At that very moment I was so glad I had decided to take the course "Google Tool for Educators" instead of "Today's Learner." So this is where my adventure begins.
My first assignment was to download Google Chrome and create an account. At this point I was thinking, "It's a web browser, how different can it be?" I watched the video tutorials and began to see many advantages to Google Chrome. On such advantage is the quickness of the browser. It is faster. I also like the fact that you can personalize it with a large variety of free themes. Who wants a plain ordinary screen anyway? This browser also keeps track of your most visited sites and places them in a small window on the screen when you open a new tab or start up the browser. Another great feature on Google Chrome is the built in security. It quickly gives a warning message if you are about to visit a site that uses malware or other malicious software. Also, if an app or tab crashes it does not cause the rest of the browser to crash. In other words it gives you crash control so you can handle the offending app or tab independently.
My two favorite features are the omnibox and incognito mode. The omnibox acts as a search engine and an address bar. It is smart and can tell the difference between a term and an address. This is so cool and is really time saving! The ease of browsing then leads to my other favorite feature, incognito mode. I like to do a lot of online shopping especially around Christmas. I do not like the crowds. O also have two teenage sons who are good with computers and have found that they can look up my browsing history on the family computer! It is the new way of peeking at your Christmas presents early! In incognito mode the browser opens a new window and does not record the browsing history on the web browser. Sorry Patrick and Brice you will not be able to figure out you presents early this year!
If you feel Google Chrome is the web browser for you then you can click here to download it. The following video will help walk you through the downloading of Google Chrome and setting up an account.
Thanks for riding along on the first part of my adventure!
