Cheap Multi-Point Interactive Whiteboard Wii Remote Hack - Nintendo-Scene
How clever! I have to try this ASAP, good sign for those vaiting for cheaper IWBs.
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
Saturday, 8 December 2007
What can the laptops do for our schools?
We should all start thinking and discussing here in Australia. Rudd's plan is promising to start a large scale roll out of ICT facilities to all schools. If we consider the market trends in the last 5 years,it is quite logical to expect that the affordability of equipment and access to the services will make the planned 100% high schools coverage almost a natural thing. More an evolution than the revolution.
It is a good time to revisit the debate created earlier this year in US after the Times magazine report questioning the effectiveness of laptop programs in American schools.
I very much agree with the analysis by PBS edubloger Andy Carvin and I am sure we will see a repeat of this debate in various reincarnations as our government's initiative start taking shape.
Quoting edublogger Steve Hargadon, “If computing just mimics the current teaching methodologies, how could you expect a change?” I certainly wouldn’t. And it’s a shame that too many administrators, policymakers, technology vendors and journalists don’t understand this notion as well. Laptop programs have a place in our schools. But unless we’re prepared to change how those schools teach with those laptops, we’re just burning through money, good will and expectations.
It is a good time to revisit the debate created earlier this year in US after the Times magazine report questioning the effectiveness of laptop programs in American schools.
I very much agree with the analysis by PBS edubloger Andy Carvin and I am sure we will see a repeat of this debate in various reincarnations as our government's initiative start taking shape.
Quoting edublogger Steve Hargadon, “If computing just mimics the current teaching methodologies, how could you expect a change?” I certainly wouldn’t. And it’s a shame that too many administrators, policymakers, technology vendors and journalists don’t understand this notion as well. Laptop programs have a place in our schools. But unless we’re prepared to change how those schools teach with those laptops, we’re just burning through money, good will and expectations.
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Monday, 19 November 2007
WiZiQ
Emily Chang - eHub: WiZiQ: "WiZiQ A platform for anyone and everyone who wants to teach or learn live, online. With a virtual classroom, educational content and a session scheduler, WiZiQ works best for anyone's online teaching and learning needs. It's free to boot as well. "
take a tour and join free:
http://www.wiziq.com/
take a tour and join free:
http://www.wiziq.com/
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Downloading videos from You Tube
Many teachers are frustrated because at schools they can't access some great resources available on various video sharing site.(Students are less frustrated since they discovered the endless stream of proxy avoiding sites.)
To be able to play You Tube videos at school you will probably have to download them on your computer at home by using one of the online ripping services like Vixy. This site will download the video for you and let you convert it into another video format like avi that can be played on standard media players. You can also go to the site like keepvid paste the http address of your video and download it as a FLV file onto you computer. To play FLV files you will probably need to download a FLV player. One of the more reliable and simple players is MOYEA that can be downloaded here,
To be able to play You Tube videos at school you will probably have to download them on your computer at home by using one of the online ripping services like Vixy. This site will download the video for you and let you convert it into another video format like avi that can be played on standard media players. You can also go to the site like keepvid paste the http address of your video and download it as a FLV file onto you computer. To play FLV files you will probably need to download a FLV player. One of the more reliable and simple players is MOYEA that can be downloaded here,
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
celtx - Download Version 0.995
celtx - Download Version 0.995
Great open source (free) scriptwriting software. We have tested it in class and it has proven to be a very easy tool to use. students needed 2 minutes to work it out. Can print to PDF, available for Mac, Windows and Linux.
Great open source (free) scriptwriting software. We have tested it in class and it has proven to be a very easy tool to use. students needed 2 minutes to work it out. Can print to PDF, available for Mac, Windows and Linux.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
K12 Online Conference 2007
K12 Online Conference 2007
"The K-12 Online Conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This FREE conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone. The 2007 conference theme is “Playing with Boundaries”. This year’s conference begins with a pre-conference keynote the week of October 8, 2007. The following two weeks, October 15-19 and October 22-26, forty presentations will be posted online to the conference blog (this website) for participants to download and view. Live Events in the form of three “Fireside Chats” and a culminating “When Night Falls” event will be announced. Everyone is encouraged to participate in both live events during the conference as well as asynchronous conversations. Two podcast channels are available: You can subscribe to K12Online07 Video Podcasts and/or subscribe to K12Online07 Audio Podcasts. A feed for blog comments is also available. "
Saturday, 6 October 2007
BBC NEWS | Education | Students teaching the teachers
BBC NEWS | Education | Students teaching the teachers:
"A college is harnessing the power of students' technical knowledge to teach their lecturers a thing or two about information technology."
Oaklands College in Hartfordshire has invested 400,000 in ICT and, to help students and staff become comfortable with the technology, they have appointed 35 'eMentors' - technologically literate students. It sounds like a success.
"A college is harnessing the power of students' technical knowledge to teach their lecturers a thing or two about information technology."
Oaklands College in Hartfordshire has invested 400,000 in ICT and, to help students and staff become comfortable with the technology, they have appointed 35 'eMentors' - technologically literate students. It sounds like a success.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Make Large Rasterized Images
Free web based service. Upload your image, select the settings and download the result.The Rasterbator: "The Rasterbator creates huge, rasterized images from any picture. Upload an image, print the resulting multi-page pdf file and assemble the pages into extremely cool looking poster up to 20 meters in size."
Sunday, 16 September 2007
elearnspace. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age
elearnspace.
Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age:
by George Siemens
Great read for all interested in ICT and education.
Here is the introduction, follow the link on the top to read the rest of this article and more on elearning:
"Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes, should be reflective of underlying social environments. Vaill emphasizes that “learning must be a way of being – an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast o the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring events…” (1996, p.42).
Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age:
by George Siemens
Great read for all interested in ICT and education.
Here is the introduction, follow the link on the top to read the rest of this article and more on elearning:
"Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes, should be reflective of underlying social environments. Vaill emphasizes that “learning must be a way of being – an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast o the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring events…” (1996, p.42).
Learners as little as forty years ago would complete the required schooling and enter a career that would often last a lifetime. Information development was slow. The life of knowledge was measured in decades. Today, these foundational principles have been altered. Knowledge is growing exponentially. In many fields the life of knowledge is now measured in months and years. Gonzalez (2004) describes the challenges of rapidly diminishing knowledge life:
“One of the most persuasive factors is the shrinking half-life of knowledge. The “half-life of knowledge” is the time span from when knowledge is gained to when it becomes obsolete. Half of what is known today was not known 10 years ago. The amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months according to the American Society of Training and Documentation (ASTD). To combat the shrinking half-life of knowledge, organizations have been forced to develop new methods of deploying instruction.”
Sunday, 9 September 2007
iPod in Education: News
iPod in Education: News:
Mogopop - iPod authoring tool
Go to http://www.mogopop.com/portal to see a great iPod authoring tool that leverages the Notes facility on an iPod. The Web 2.0 application creates a downloadable installer for you to get the material you have created onto an iPod. See the screen gab below:
Publish Post
Many educational resources available for free download. It seams to be an easy way to create your own resources for students' use on their iPods.
Mogopop - iPod authoring tool
Go to http://www.mogopop.com/portal to see a great iPod authoring tool that leverages the Notes facility on an iPod. The Web 2.0 application creates a downloadable installer for you to get the material you have created onto an iPod. See the screen gab below:
Publish PostMany educational resources available for free download. It seams to be an easy way to create your own resources for students' use on their iPods.
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Free video tutorials from video-tutes.com
Free video tutorials from video-tutes.com
Tutorials for a range of industry standard design software ( including Dreamweaver, Photoshop , Flash, Premiere Pro). Great resource for staying up to date with constantly updated software packages.
Thursday, 23 August 2007
SMART - Software resources
SMART - Software resources
Essentials for Educators
Download curriculum-relevant templates and images for lessons created in Notebook software (part of SMART Board software).
Educational software
Download educational software and movies to use on your SMART Board interactive whiteboards.
Lesson Activity Toolkit
Try the pilot version of SMART’s Lesson Activity Toolkit – the newest addition to our Notebook software
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Google Sky Launches - 200 Million Galaxies on Your Desktop
Google Sky Launches - 200 Million Galaxies on Your Desktop
Post from Mashable(Social networking news), 22 August:
"No, it’s not April 1st: Google really has launched a service called Sky that lets you explore the heavens from within Google Earth. You get a 3D view of all the constellations viewable from earth, and you can explore them in 3D. 100 million stars and 200 million galaxies are included.
Amazingly, the imagery is stitched together from more than 1 million images, with contributions from the Hubble Space Telescope. That shouldn’t be surprising, since Google and NASA have already worked together on images that show the earth from space."
Software Sites
Software Sites
RSS Feed from EDNA with software - mainly free- of interest to educators and students.
RSS Feed from EDNA with software - mainly free- of interest to educators and students.
Dust Echoes: Ancient Stories, New Voices
Dust Echoes: Ancient Stories, New Voices: "Dust Echoes is a series of twelve beautifully animated dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land, telling stories of love, loyalty, duty to country and aboriginal custom and law. "(ABC Web site)
Education - australian screen
Education - australian screen: " Developed by Curriculum Corporation through The Le@rning Federation, the education collection is designed to help teachers and students make the most of the wide range of moving image resources on the site. The clips in this collection are accompanied by teachers’ notes created by specialist curriculum writers. Expert curators’ notes also provide useful background material."
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Monday, 13 August 2007
RSA Lectures - Howard Gardner - Future Minds | Teachers TV
RSA Lectures - Howard Gardner - Future Minds Teachers TV: "Video Information Length:60 minutes Synopsis In this lecture series, filmed at the RSA in London, Harvard professor Howard Gardener examines the mental capacities needed for the future in a globalised world. The kinds of minds he suggests should be cultivated are three cognitive ones: the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind and the creating mind, and two that deal with the human sphere: the respectful mind and the ethical mind. Gardener discusses how these can be best nurtured, and points out some of the inevitable tensions created between them. After the lecture a group of teachers discuss how these ideas are used in practice in the classroom today."
Thursday, 9 August 2007
SMARTBoard Lessons Podcast
SMARTBoard Lessons Podcast
About
The purpose of this site is to accompany a free podcast that focuses on using SMART Boards in the classroom. Each episode will feature a lesson, a podcast, and user comments. The hosts, Joan Badger and Ben Hazzard, have been recognized as Canadian & International Innovative Teachers by Microsoft, SMART Exemplary Educators, Peer Educators, Tradeshow Teachers, and Conference Presenters on the use of SMARTBoards in the classroom. Joan teaches Grade 6 and provides professional development for teachers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Ben has taught from Grades 4 through 7 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and then Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.
The goal of this podcast to share lesson ideas that use technology to engage students in learning with a focus on SMARTBoard Interactive Whiteboards between educators. Teachers can listen on lunch breaks or recesses as they mark papers or on their way to school in the morning via their iPod. We are always looking for other educators who would like to share their lesson ideas with others. Email Ben (ben @ mrhazzard.com) or Joan (jbadger @ pembinatrails.ca) with your ideas!
Sunday, 5 August 2007
Friday, 3 August 2007
Internet Public Library:
Internet Public Library:
The IPL was founded by a class at the University of Michigan's School of Information, and Michigan SI students almost exclusively generated its content and managed the Ask a Question reference service. As of January 1, 2007, the IPL has moved to Drexel University's College of Information Science and Technology. Now, a consortium of colleges and universities with programs in information science are maintaining the IPL!
The IPL was founded by a class at the University of Michigan's School of Information, and Michigan SI students almost exclusively generated its content and managed the Ask a Question reference service. As of January 1, 2007, the IPL has moved to Drexel University's College of Information Science and Technology. Now, a consortium of colleges and universities with programs in information science are maintaining the IPL!
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Flvix.com - Free online video converter. Convert videos from Youtube, Google Video to the formats AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP, MP3
Flvix.com - Free online video converter.
Convert videos from Youtube, Google Video to the formats AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP, MP3
2. Choose desired format : AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP, MP3.
3. Click Convert button.
4. Download the converted file.
Convert videos from Youtube, Google Video to the formats AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP, MP3
How to use
1. Copy the link of the page with the video on it and paste it in the textbox bellow.2. Choose desired format : AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP, MP3.
3. Click Convert button.
4. Download the converted file.
Monday, 30 July 2007
Friday, 27 July 2007
Friday, 20 July 2007
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Monday, 16 July 2007
ETTC @ NSC Interactive Whiteboard Links
ETTC @ NSC Interactive Whiteboard Links
A huge collection of IWB friendly resources for all learning areas.
A huge collection of IWB friendly resources for all learning areas.
Blog This: » A math lab in your cell phone | Emerging Technology Trends | ZDNet.com
A math lab in your cell phone by ZDNet's Roland Piquepaille -- As most of us are using cell phones today, Israeli scientists have decided to put a math lab in your pocket. They developed a library of math modules which can be installed on almost cell phones available today. So you'll be able to see graphs or solve equations on your phone while on a train or a bus ride. You'll also be able to send graphs or formulas by SMS to other students -- and to send the results of your exercises to your teacher. Did I mention you can download these applications for free?
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
Science Videos Search Engine
Science Videos Search Engine: "ScienceHack: search engine for science videos
"every science video on ScienceHack is screened by a scientist to verify its accuracy and quality"
TeacherTube - When I Grow Up...
TeacherTube - When I Grow Up...: "What will the world be like for our students? Are we preparing them?"
Dummies::Using Skype at School
Dummies::Using Skype at School
"Schools have outgrown inkwells, slates, and typewriters. E-mail, instant messaging, and the Internet have opened the classroom to the world. Skype empowers students and teachers even further by adding features for collaboration, live video, and instant file sharing."
Skype Journal: Skype for Schools
Skype Journal: Skype for Schools
World Class Schools, a collection of forty high schools and organizations all across the world, is introducing several innovative projects for 2005. One of the their most ambitious and innovative project is the Skype Foreign Language Lab Project. This project uses technology from the Skype Company and applies it to the classroom. Cunningham explains that Skype technology allows person setting at one computer to call a person at another computer and then talk to that person for free. He adds that this allows for projects like their Skype Foreign Language Project to turn a classroom of computers into a language lab by allowing students in a language class the opportunity to call and talk with native speakers on a daily basis for free. i-Newswire.com
World Class Schools, a collection of forty high schools and organizations all across the world, is introducing several innovative projects for 2005. One of the their most ambitious and innovative project is the Skype Foreign Language Lab Project. This project uses technology from the Skype Company and applies it to the classroom. Cunningham explains that Skype technology allows person setting at one computer to call a person at another computer and then talk to that person for free. He adds that this allows for projects like their Skype Foreign Language Project to turn a classroom of computers into a language lab by allowing students in a language class the opportunity to call and talk with native speakers on a daily basis for free. i-Newswire.com
Monday, 2 July 2007
Mindomo tutorial: learn by doing
Online Mind Mapping Tool
Mindomo Free Web-based Online Mind Mapping">
Mindomo tutorial: learn by doing
A versatile web-based mind mapping tool with the capabilities of desktop mind mapping software in a web browser. Needs free registration and has a good tutorial.
Mindomo Free Web-based Online Mind Mapping">Mindomo tutorial: learn by doing
A versatile web-based mind mapping tool with the capabilities of desktop mind mapping software in a web browser. Needs free registration and has a good tutorial.
Saturday, 30 June 2007
Mrs.V.'s Lessons
Mrs.V.'s Lessons
Online Activities Promoting Information Literacy
The following activities focus learners on the process skills recommended
by the American Association of School Librarians, the International Society of Technology Educators, and
the American Association of College and Research Libraries
Sunday, 24 June 2007
EPN The Education Podcast Network
The Education Podcast Network is an effort to bring together into one place, the wide range of podcast programming that may be helpful to teachers looking for content to teach with and about, and to explore issues of teaching and learning in the 21st century.
The Education Podcast Network is an effort to bring together into one place, the wide range of podcast programming that may be helpful to teachers looking for content to teach with and about, and to explore issues of teaching and learning in the 21st century.
The Education Podcast Network is an effort to bring together into one place, the wide range of podcast programming that may be helpful to teachers looking for content to teach with and about, and to explore issues of teaching and learning in the 21st century.
Friday, 22 June 2007
Creating Passionate Users: Crash course in learning theory
Creating Passionate Users: Crash course in learning theory
The best learning theory digest around:
• Talk to the brain first, mind second.
Even if a learner is personally motivated to learn a topic, if the learning content itself isn't motivating, the learner's brain will do everything possible to look for something more interesting. This applies to both getting and keeping attention, as well as memory. Remember, you can't do anything until you get past the brain's crap filter! And to the brain, a dry, dull, academic explanation is definitely CRAP (regardless of how much your mind cares about the topic).
The best learning theory digest around:
• Talk to the brain first, mind second.
Even if a learner is personally motivated to learn a topic, if the learning content itself isn't motivating, the learner's brain will do everything possible to look for something more interesting. This applies to both getting and keeping attention, as well as memory. Remember, you can't do anything until you get past the brain's crap filter! And to the brain, a dry, dull, academic explanation is definitely CRAP (regardless of how much your mind cares about the topic).
Thursday, 21 June 2007
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Thursday, 14 June 2007
SMART Board as a video podcast studio
Just found this on Google Edu blog Infinite Thinking Machine
"Creating a video podcast for math class can help your students correct misconceptions, learn the language of math, and clarify thinking about mathematical concepts. ... Although these students created each episodes using the “record” feature of a Smartboard, you can also use a variety of Screen Capture software such as the free version of Camstudio. "
"Creating a video podcast for math class can help your students correct misconceptions, learn the language of math, and clarify thinking about mathematical concepts. ... Although these students created each episodes using the “record” feature of a Smartboard, you can also use a variety of Screen Capture software such as the free version of Camstudio. "
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
