Ever since the introduction of digital cameras, educators have been integrating these wonderful tools into their instruction and classrooms in creative ways. Of course, without the worries of wasting film and the convenience of using these devices, there is a drawback to these emerging technologies, management of images.

Digital cameras have truly changed the way we take pictures, but have made the management of the image files somewhat complicated. That is where the power of Picasa comes in. Picasa by Google, is a FREE robust photo application that makes it easy to organize, edit, and share your digital photos. Once installed, Picasa will scan you're your entire system for media files and then it will manage them into visual albums organized by date with folder names. What I find to be most fascinating is that it can even located images that have been forgotten. This is nice because if duplicates of images are found, they can be deleted to free up storage space. Then, each time you launch Picasa, it will automatically locates and update this easy to understand visual library.

Picasa in not only a great media manager, but is also has some simple, but yet powerful photo editing tools. Picasa makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips, allowing the user to do basic fixes like cropping, straightening, the ability to fix red-eye and color and lighting. Then it also allows for the use o even do some fine tuning and add 12 lighting and color effects.  Users can also pan, zoom and rotate images and even add captions. Image can be saved to an external drive, burn them to a disc, or uploaded to popular photo-sharing Web sites.

Picasa also makes it very simple to share images - they can emailed, printed on you classroom printer, made into CDs, or uploaded to a blog site with just one click. It also offers Web Album feature where users can upload their photos to the web with just one click. You can even download your friends" photos directly back to Picasa on your own computer. It's never been so easy to share photos online.

Now I have left two of the coolest features for last; the first being the collage feature. This incredible feature allows users to quickly and easily create unique collages out of images contained in the library. There are four features to choose: picture pile, picture grid, contact sheet, and multi exposure. Each of these are unique and very cool, but hard to describe so I will examples on my site. Lastly, Picas offers a timeline feature that lets you instantaneously scroll through a chronological catalog of your photos.

Picasa also supports many scanners and cameras so users can import of images from these devices using just Picasa software.

Finally, Picasa is easy enough for anyone to use even elementary students. So this tool is perfect for students to use to organize and make those final touches to photos being used for digital storytelling, presentation, and other projects that use digital images.

To download the most current version of Picasa for FREE, click on the Organize your pictures. Get Google's photo software under Links in the right column.

Social networking sites have been getting a lot of bad press over the last year. The media coverage has put social networking on every one's radar. This in turn has created a challenge for schools that has never been experienced before with previous technologies. Now, which ever side of the fence you sit about social networking, there two things that I think we can all agree upon; these web 2.0 tools are not going away and if used properly, they can engage our students in the learning process because they are the tools of the digital generation.

With that being said I am excited to share with you an incredible Web 2.0 tool, that can truly change the way teachers teach and students learnÃ?¢?Ã?¦..and at the same time allow schools to safely use the tools of digital learner.

I am talking about Digication Campus & Digication Spotlight. For more information, please visit their site at: http://www.digication.com

 

In the past the ability to participate in educational conferences was probably not an option for many of you due to the inconvenience of being away from the classroom or the cost of travel. I am excited to inform you that these barriers have been overcome with the unveiling of a new concept in educational conferences.

The first annual "K12 Online 2006" is a convention for teachers, administrators and educators. The conference unites educators from around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice. It is a FREE online conference that is scheduled to be held over the course two weeks, Oct. 23-27 and Oct. 30- Nov. 3 with the theme of "Unleashing the Potential". What makes the conference so unique is the way that the events will be presented. The events of the conference activities will be both synchronous and asynchronous. Presenters may use web casts, podcasts or live discussion; then released via the conference blog and archived for posterity.

There will be four conference strands - two each week. Two presentations will be published in each strand each day, Monday - Friday; thus, four new presentations will be available each day over the course of the two-weeks.

For more information about this historical conference, please visit: http://k12onlineconference.org

Using recording devices in the classroom is nothing new. Teachers and students have been using tape recorders for years. But the traditional cassette tape content was not always the easiest media to edit, store and share. Well, the times have changed with the introduction of MP3 digital recording devices. Here are 23 ideas that I have come up when using these wonderful devices.

1. Use these devices to record and then evaluate students decoding and reading fluency skills.
2. Keep a digital reading portfolio for students- keep an audio history of their progress. Then at the end of the year these can then be transferred to CD so students have a copy.
3. Have students create an audio book library.
4. Let's take that last idea one step further;  allow students to take home the audio recordings of a book or passage along with the book itself so they can practice guided reading.
5. What about having speech therapists record students for evaluations and keep an audio portfolio. They could also create recorded activities and strategies for students to take home and practice. This can also support strategies like self-correction and ongoing self-assessment.
6. Teachers can record audio instructions for students who may struggle with reading the instructions, but not with the actually activities or tasks themselves.
7. Do you ever have students who have been gone for extended periods of time because of illness or on a trip? What about recording students assignments with oral instructions and also to add that personal touch.
8. Students could use these portable recording devices and act as roving reporters for school podcasts or newspapers.
9. Students record the thoughts  for writing activities so they can capture their ideas and not get bogged down with conventions and grammar. Then students get listen to their recoding and transcribe their thoughts and when finished, let them begin editing process.
10. Students lead interviews of  local historical figures? Once these recording have been collected, they can then be achieved for future generations.
11. Recording of field trips to create a sound seeing tours of local museums or historical sites - these files could either be kept for classroom projects or given back to the museums or historical sites so future visitors can enjoy this special audio guided tour.
12. Let children interview relatives about family history or create an audio family tree.
13. Have students create "Reading Rainbow" style books reviews.
14. Instructors can wear a device like the iRiver and record lessons, instructions, and lectures so students have access this content later.
15. Recording assignments or activities for foreign language courses
16. Teachers with ESL students could record written text along with possible definition of words and vocabulary lessons
17. Use these device to quickly create audio books for students with learning disabilities
18. Audio directions to accompany assignments for students who are home-bound.
19. Create audio test-casts or audio study guides to help students review for test.
20. Students  could use the recorder to create digital storytelling projects- students can then create final projects with multi-media software like Microsoft's Photo Story or PowerPoint
21. Let students record pod-pal messages
22. Use these devices to create classroom podcasts. These MP3 files can be uploaded as is, or brought into Audacity or Propaganda to be clean up.
23. Use these devices to make it easy to document School Board and academic meetings. Use the recordings to produce meeting minutes and provide the audio to the entire community.

Please feel free to either add your ideas by clicking on the comment link below or feel free to e-mail them to me at: niessen@cox.net

Announcing the first annual "K12 Online 2006â?³ convention for teachers, administrators and educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice. This year's conference is scheduled to be held over two weeks, Oct. 23-27 and Oct. 30- Nov. 3 with the theme "Unleashing the Potential.â?? The K12 Online 2006 blog has just gone live.

On the conference blog you will also find the web form we will be using for the submission of proposals. Everyone is encouraged to submit a proposal. More details are on the conference blog: www.k12onlineconference.org. The blog will be updated regularly with everything you need to know about the conference.

Well ,the wait is finally over for those of us who own a 5^th Generation iPod with video. Many companies are releasing voice recording components for these devices, but the one that I will be reviewing is the XtremeMac version which is call the MicroMemo.

What makes the micro memo unique are a few of the features that it offers.

• Full iPod integration and on-screen display of record features
• Built in speaker for instant playback
• One-touch recording in stereo or mono (stereo required for podcasters)
• Records 16-bit audio at 22 kHz and 44 kHz
• Detachable microphone port that accepts other microphones and line-in cables
• No batteries are needed, runs off of you iPod
• Very affordable at $59.95 

For additional inforamtion on this incredible device, please got to: http://www.xtrememac.com/

Welcome to WoW - What's on the Web. In this episode I will be sharing some free software for your classroom. For more information about this site, please visit my web site at:  http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/ or go to www.freeserifsoftware.com. While you are at The TechTeacher site, please take some time to visit my sponsors.

In this podcast I share the benefits of using FireFox web browser over Internet Explorer. Please visit The TechTeacher web site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/ and while you are there please take the time to visit my sponsor links.

Join me in this mobile cast from the KAIDE Conference in Wellington, Kansas. During this awesome conference, I get to participate in the local Challenger Learning Center.

Welcome to WoW- What's on the Web. In this episode I will be sharing a cool tool that will truly bring your classroom web site, into the 21st Century.

This podcast is a second in a series of three. The first session was called "Podcasting- Just Another Classroom Tool for the 21st Century Learner" For more information on this podcast and to download the PowerPoint and a sample podcast script, go to: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

Learn how you can start podcasting for Little of Nothing. For more information about this site, please visit my web site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

IDL or Interactive Distance Learning is nothing new, but with the integration of new technologies, it is truly becoming interactive. For more information about this site, please visit my web site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

Welcome to WoW- What's on the Web. In this episode I will be sharing the web tool called SurveyMonkey. For more information about this tool, please visit: www.surveymonkey.com or visit my site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

Welcome to the first edition of WoW- What's on the Web. In this episode I will be sharing an awesome web tool called ClustrMaps. For more information about this site, please visit my web site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com or visit www.clustrmaps.com

There are many strategies to engage the 21st Century learner...digital storytelling is just another. For more information about digital storytelling and to take my podcasting survey, please visit my site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

Learn about podcasting and all of the benefits it has to offer to the 21st Century Learner. Also, if you are subscriber, please drop me a line.... I would love to hear from you. My e-mail is niessen@cox.net. Don't forget to drop by my site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

Engage your students by taking your current projects online with iProjects. I would love to hear from you. My e-mail is niessen@cox.net. Don't forget to drop by my site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

An extreme classroom makeover does not require a lot of expensive technology. Listen today as I share with a group of teachers some strategies and resources that can make this happen. Also, if you are subscriber, please drop me a line.... I would love to hear from you. My e-mail is niessen@cox.net.

In this session, Jana Craig Hare shares with us the online thinking tools from Intel. For more information, got to: http://www.intel.com/education/tools/ or visit my website at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

In this episode I take a look at the iRiver T30 with its built in microphone. How can a device like this be beneficial in the classroom. Also, please make sure that you stop by my web site for more integration ideas please stop by my site at: http://thetechteacher.libsyn.com/

In this brief episode, I will discuss the impact and benefits of using interactive whiteboards in the classroom. If you have any questions about interactive whiteboards, please contact me at: niessen@cox.net

In this podcast, I get the chance to sit down with Marcia Jeans an Instructional Technology Specialist, who is an expert on the SMARTBoard. Listen as she shares the benefits of using the SMARTBoard interactive whiteboard.

Well, as I have mentioned in the past, because of the web and podcasting usage, I have had to move to a new hosting service. Of course, like any move, it will take me a month or two to get moved in. As this process moves forward, I would love to get some input from you and let you help me redesign my page. The goal is to make this page your page; a page for educators to find the materials and resources needed to engage their 21st Century learners. So please add your suggestions and comments below.

Thank you-

Brad

I can still be reach at: niessen@cox.net

Believe it our not, many of your students own some type of MP3 player like an iPod. These small devices can store, play, and display music, video, and text files. But, they can also become learning tools for teachers and students alike. Subscribe to The TechTeacher Podcast at iTunes to find out more.

 

What is Podcasting?
Podcasting means many things to many people, but In its most popular form, podcasting is a way for people to selectively subscribe and download audio content over the Internet. This content, whether video or audio, can then be automatically downloaded to a computer, handhelds or mobile device, like an iPod. Think of it as a radio show on demand, you can listen to whenever and wherever you want. Podcasting for education can be much more though. There is actually two sides to podcasting.

Podcaster/ Content Producer
The production or content delivery side of podcasting is actually the person or persons who create the actual podcast. This piece of podcasting can be easily done with a computer loaded with audio recording software like Audacity and a microphone.

Podcast Subscriber /Consumer
The consumer side of podcasting is the subscriber. This is the person who subscribes and listens to the podcast either from a web site or through a podcatcher like iTunes.
 
Podcasting-The BIG Picture: This is a diagram that shows the two sides of podcasting.

How can podcasts be used?
Simple Podcasting Ideas:

Delivering professional development for teachers along with PDF documents
Record assignments, lessons, and lectures for students
Delivering school/classroom announcements
Student readings- poetry, creative writing, news stories
Narrated books/text
Podcast radio shows
Podcast school's newspaper
Roving Reporter (using iRiver with voice recording)
Sound seeing Tour (using iRiver with voice recording)
Round Robin Podcasting
more to come..
How do you create a podcast?
The easiest way for Windows users to create a podcast is to use a free program called Audacity. This audio editing tool allows users to record and edit spoken word and music files. Once these have been recorded, they can then be exported as a MP3 file. A MP3 file is a cross platform file that has become a standard for delivering music and audio content.

What do you do once you have recorded your podcast?
Once the podcast has been recorded and exported as an MP3, it needs to be put on a web server so that other people can have access to it. There are two ways that it can be delivered from there. One way is to create a link from your school/classroom web site and allow it to be played directly from a web browser using either iTunes (Free for Mac and Windows) or using Windows Media Player. The second way your content can be listen to would be to upload the file to a web server and then create something called an RSS feed so that people can subscribe to you content through a podcatcher service like iTunes, Yahoo Podcasts. By subscribing with this RSS feed through one of these services, your audience can automatically have your podcasts delivered to their computers every time new content is posted. In a way, it is kind of like having your newspaper is delivered to your home, but it is audio and you pick the content that you want delivered. Once these files have be delivered to their computer, these files can then be transferred over to a mobile MP3 player like an iPod.

What is RSS?
In simple terms, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a file that allows users to subscribe to your podcasts. It is a file that contains the information or a summary about your podcast file and also points to a service like iTune to that file for delivery.

What is needed?
Windows XP
Audio recording software, such a the free software Audacity. Be sure to also download the lame encoder library there to convert your output to mp3
A microphone or a headset with a microphone
Songs or jingles (Please make sure that the music you use is royalty free)

• An Introduction to Podcasting (zipped version)-COMING SOON!
• Podcasting in the Classroom- COMING SOON!

Additional Resources

Suggested Podcasts- All of these podcast can be subscribed to on iTunes

• Connect Learning- David Warlick
• Bit by Bite- Bob Sprankle
• Moving at the Speed of Creativity- Wesley Fryer
• Building Learning Communities- Alan November
• EdTechTalk.com

Directories/ Search Engine

• PODZINGER-The largest and most comprehension podcast search engine- search for
  both audio and video podcasts
• Educational Podcast Network
• educate- podcasts for educators, schools and colleges
• Podcast Alley
• Podcast.net
• PODCASTDIRECTORY.COM
• Podcast Pickle

Podsafe Music

• Freesound- Podsafe music
• Podsafe Music Network- Podsafe Music
• Common Content- Podsafe Music

Podcasting Documents

• Podcast Script Template 1- COMING SOON!
• Podcast Script Template 2- COMING SOON!

Miscellaneous Resources

• Apple's Podcasting in Education Educational podcasting. Content to go.
• Learninginhand- Resources for handheld computing in education by Tony Vincent
• David Warlick's- Educational Podcasting Network
• Edupodder.Com- Podcasting in education
• Podcast About Podcast
• The Power of Portable Information - an article from Advance for Speech-Langauge Pathologists & Audiologists June 5, 2006

Not to long ago I was stumbled across a great web site called FreeSerifSoftware.com. Serif Software is a software developer that has created easy-to-use and low cost software for desktop publishing, digital imaging, drawing and graphics, 3D effects and animations, Web publishing for the PC. Now the publisher's main web site is www.serifsoftware.com and this is where you can actually purchase the most current versions of their software that ranges anywhere from $9.00 to $130. But for those of you who really don't care so much about the latest version but would like free versions for you and your students, then their free site is perfect for you. www.freeserifsoftware.com

When ever you hear someone talk about podcasting they usually mention that it is a very inexpensive activity, and it really is if you already own a computer. But, what if you are an educator without a computer or you are in a district where you may not always have a computer available when needed so that you and your students can create podcasts. Well, I think I  may be a simple solution for that problem.

To begin, lets take a little time and talk about podcast hosting. In order to podcast, the audio files that you create need to be hosted, that mean they need to be sorted on a server so that the world can listen to your podcast. Now they could be hosted on your schools web server, or maybe on your on personal web space if you have the space, but many times, these solutions can cause issues with either hosting space and bandwidth usage. Not even to mention the headache of creating the XML feed that is needed. My suggestion is a service that I used called Gcast. Not only will Gcast host your content for free, but they also create that confusing thing called XML. The other advantage to using GCast is that they also give you a customizable UI (user interface) or player that can be added to a web page so that visitors can listen to your podcast directly from your web site or blog. There are a couple of other sites that offer this ease of use, but may charge for the hosting or may have limitations on hosting space.

Next, you will need a computer and some software to actually record your podcast. My suggestion is a some free open source software called Audacity. Now the nice thing about Audacity is that on the PC side, it can run on Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, or later and Audacity it can run on as little as 64 MB RAM and 300 MHz processor. So any hand-me down computer with a good sound card can work. I would suggest that it have at least a USB port or a network card so the files can be easily moved to another computer to be uploading your podcast service. A system like this could probably purchased for around 50 to 100 depending on the model and the amount memory listed above.

Now that last tow items that you will need are a microphone and headphones. Now both of these items can be purchased a just about any superstore for around 5 to 10 dollars each. I often suggest for students picking up a pair of headsets with the microphone attached; an example would be the Logitech Internet Chat Headset. These work great and are perfect for the beginner.

Now, the final step is to actually create you podcast and the only thing that this may cost you is a little creativity. Once you have created your podcast, it is time to get it out there so the world can enjoy it. My suggestion a is to list it with iTunes. This of course is free and only requires you to set up an account with a credit card; but once this is done, your podcast will be available to millions of people to subscribe to.
 

Pentium III with LogicTech Headsets	This laptop has a network card so podcast files can be uploaded directly from the computer

Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) is a term used to describe an interactive educational video network that connects two or more locations, eliminating the barriers of concrete walls, time and distance. These shared video environments are fully interactive with everyone seeing and hearing each other live. Instead of face to face instruction like a traditional classroom, students and teachers see each other on large monitors or on a large screen with a projected image. These video classrooms are equipped with state-of-the-art teaching tools such as laptops, document cameras (ELMO), VCR/DVD players, video compression units, and Interactive whiteboards. I also suggest taking this even farther by giving students laptops or iPods.

Distance education usually has one content delivery site with a teacher and their own students plus one or more additional receive sites where there will only be students and a Para educator. To make this instruction most beneficial to the students and teacher, each classroom usually has a lower number of students. The idea is not to see how many students can be instructed, but to deliver the best content in the most manage way.

First Generation
Synchronous- the feed was only live.
iTV
Fixed Classrooms
Regional Isolation

Second Generation
Synchronous and Asynchronous- It can be tailored to the needs of the instructor and student. Course can be achieved or even export for use with video iPods.
Mobile and Semi Mobile- Now units can be small enough to be put on mobile carts so all classrooms be experience IDL. There are even Semi- Mobil carts which are designed to used in classrooms for a year and then if needed, moved to a different location.
Interactive- With the use of a device called an MCU, instructors can control cameras at all site to make instruction more interactive.
Worldwide- No longer are classrooms isolated to just their region, with the use of content service providers, enrichment content can be brought in from all around the world.

When we talk about IDL, there are currently two type of systems-
Full Mesh Unit - This interactive unit is design primarily as a content delivery unit. This unit consists of a large podium/presentation station containing the following items: a laptop, polycom video codec unit, noise canceling microphones, document camera (ELMO), VCR/DVD player, video compression unit, and Interactive whiteboards, two projectors.

Set Top Unit - This smaller unit is specifically design for content consumption. This unit usually consists of the following items: small media cart, Polycom video codec unit, noise canceling microphones, one projector.
 

Example of a Set-Top Unit	Polycom VSX 7000 Codec

Advantages of IDL:
Allows a connection with external resources and experts- Students will be able to receive instruction at their local schools that will enhance and enrich their current curriculum and join them to a greater community of learners. Experts can help validate understanding, provide feedback, and introduce practical examples. This real-world connection can greatly improve motivation, especially if students participate and the expert interacts at an appropriate level. Over-all, with the use of IDL, USD 259 can establish an alliance between higher education and K-12 participants.

Allows a visual and audio connection among participants- Within time, the technology piece is forgotten by participants and they will feel as if they are in the same room or just next door

Can help provide ongoing, real time professional development for the district- With the use of interactive distance learning, districts can offer teachers professional development opportunities that maybe were not possible before.

IDL can replace traditional field trips- As funding and student safety issue continue to arise in our schools, the traditional field trip can be replace with virtual field trips with the use of IDL

It gives students the ability to experience things that they couldn't experience before.

Expand Curriculum- Districts can bring in content that they themselves could not offer. Examples- Micro-biology courses, Language courses
Enhanced Communication

Addresses the needs of the 21st Century Learner- 

In order to make IDL truly interactive and not just "sit and get�¢?? - a on-line support/ web-centric approach is encourage. Remember that any technology can be impersonal, the same is with IDL. Instructor must have an on-line support approach that uses the World Wide Web as the center for interaction between the teacher and the student. It uses items like class web pages or a Blackboard site to help enrich and support the content for each course. These sites should contain the course syllabus containing goals and objectives, documents such as hand-outs, structured student activities and assignments, video and audio content from previous classes and resources. To make IDL courses even more personable, instructors should use the interactive capabilities of the Internet such as e-mail, Wikis, Blogs and chat rooms to facilitate student-to-student and instructor-to-student communication and interaction.

The upfront cost of a full-mesh IDL classroom can be quit a bit, around $45,000. But, in the long run, it is very cost effective. By sharing of content and instructors with other districts and universities, in no time, a unit can pay for itself.

An extreme classroom makeover does not require a lot of expensive technology. Listen today as I share with a group of teachers some strategies and resources that can make this happen. Listen either by clicking play on the Libsyn player or by using the subscribe buttons to the left.

Many teachers use project-based units in their classrooms to engage, motivate and inspire their learners. No longer must these projects remain locked behind the brick and mortar walls of the classroom. With the use of iProjects, classroom teachers can open up a world of possibilities for their students and take advantage of the flatteners of the 21^st Century.  

 First of all, what is an iProject? In simple terms, it is a project-based lesson in which students use Internet tools such as collaborative web sites, e-mail, chat, blogging, podcasting and video conferencing to communicate, process and share information with others outside the classroom.

 In the past, the teachers have created project-based lessons for their own classrooms and use technology as a research tool.  However, over the last few years, these educators have seen the power behind sharing these projects with classrooms around the world. Last spring, the teachers in Wichita, Kansas launched their first iProject called the Wild Weather Project.  This project covered a multitude of state standards and indicators in addition to many 21^st Century skills.  Once the project was posted on the district's Technology Rich Classroom"s web site, schools from around the world were allowed to register if they were interested in participating. All supporting activities, documents, and web resources were supplied for participants along with a contact for the project. During the Wild Weather Project, the main goal was for students to record and monitor the weather in their area. Once this information was collected, they charted and graphed their findings. Students also compared daily, weekly, and monthly weather observations and shared these with the other registered participants. In addition, classrooms shared writings about their school and region and any exciting weather images that took place during the project. Information for this project was collected from as far away as Massachusetts, Virginia, and Iceland.

Teachers found that iProjects offered a variety of benefits for both teachers and their students:

:  Students could electronically participate in multiple activities with students from around the world and without physically leaving the confines or their classrooms.

:  Students were more engaged, especially those students who have been reluctant learners in the past..

:  Students built comprehension through contact with "real" people and experts

:  Students and teachers gained a wealth of resources, both electronic and human

:  Students experienced a vast array of 21st Century Skills

• Critical Thinking Skills
• Communication Skills
• Teaming and Collaboration
• Prioritizing and Planning
   

Because of the success of the Wild Weather Project, the Technology Rich Classroom teachers created a new project called the Sell Your Community  to meet 3rd grade standards. In this project, students from Wichita, an urban community, joined forces with a Kansas suburban and rural community. The idea was to use the collaborative web site along with video conferencing to help these students better understand the other communities.

No longer must teachers and students be limited by classroom walls or geographical distances that separate them from a world of knowledge and experiences.  With iProjects, teachers can open up new possibilities for interaction and extend learning within a real-world context. 

Blogging is not usually thought of as an activity for elementary students, but students as young as kindergarten are now blogging daily in a variety of exciting ways? Many students all across the country are getting the chance to put their creative writing skills to use with their classroom or personal blogs. There are many benefits to blogging, but the greatest is the world-wide audience. Students are getting a chance to share writings with more than just their classmates, teachers, or parents; they have the whole world as an audience, so the stakes are much higher. Blogs have become a very effective way to help students become confident and fluent writers. Research has long shown that students have the tendency to write more, write in greater detail, and with greater voice, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to a larger and to an authentic audience over the Internet. In some classrooms, students are using blogging to reflect on the days activities, while in other classrooms they are using their blog site as a collaborative tool to work on narrative writing. Teachers are using blogs as writing portfolios, keeping a living history of the students' growth in writing. The uses for blogging are limited only by ones imagination.

Here are some ways that teachers are using blogging:
Round Robin Blogging- Student create different parts of a story in round robin fashion.
End of the Day Reflections- Students reflection upon the daily activities.
Student Response Journals- Have students respond to readings, field trips, current events.
School/Classroom Online News-
Pen Pal Zone- Create a blog so students can communicate with pen pals in another part of the country or world.
Communication Tool with Experts- Set up a blog as a way for students to communicate with outside experts. Example- Ask questions with scientists half way around the world.

 

 

In November, MIT unveiled a working prototype of their $100 laptop. This is very exciting news for those of us who are in education or those of us who are working in the area of instructional technology. This laptop was originally designed to help Third World countries with limited funds for education and limited stable power. Not only would this laptop allow these poor countries to purchase technology for their students, but with the special features that this laptop offers, the maintenance and upkeep will be minimal.

First of all the system will run on a open-source operating system, basically a thin version of Linux. The laptop will also have a 500 MHz processor, 1 GB hard drive, dual mode LCD screen (color or black-and white to conserve power). To also help out in those times when electricity may not be available for the AC adapter, the laptop can also be power with a wind up crank that is located in the hinge of the laptop. The crank will have a 10 to 1 crank ratio which basically means for every complete rotation of the handle, students will receive ten minute of power. The laptop will also have four USB ports and be WiFi and cell phone compatible.

These laptops will not be available for individual purchase, but will be available for large government initiatives. For more information either listen to the podcast above or got to MITs web site: http://laptop.media.mit.edu/