EUSD Instructional Technology

Hello Teachers,

California State Parks offers free video conferences which include the following units of study: Tidepools, Geology of Anza Borrego, Adaptations of Elephant Seals, Gold Rush, Paleontology, Government and more. The units meet specific content standard and can be adapted to all grade levels. Several Encinitas teachers have participated in these programs throughout the year and found them to be exceptional.  For more information go to http://www.ports.parks.ca.gov/ and click on UNITS OF STUDY.

Please contact me if there is a program that you feel would enhance your curriculum. I will assist you with the process. You will contact a ranger from the state parks to set up dates and times. Mike or I will setup the videoconferencing unit in your classroom and come in to assist on that day.   It does not require much on your end and the students are thoroughly engaged, learn a lot and absolutely love it.  Looking forward to hearing from you.

Ashley

Voice Thieves

Voice Thieves

DMA 20007

Chair Tippers Be Warned

Chair Tippers Be Warned

DMA 2007

We are going to be updating the software on the WordPress server this week and will need to have teachers stay off the system on Thursday night and all day Friday. There is a new look to the Dashboard that will make it easier to navigate and manage your WordPress site.

We will post some new training videos shortly, but in the meantime you can get a preview of the new changes, as well some basic training on how to use the new system by going to the Video Tutorials at EduBlogs.

EduBlogs Video Tutorials

On August 1st from 1:00-3:00pm at the District Office, Brad Krey from California State Parks will be providing an overview of the free video conferences that are offered. The units of study include Tidepools, Geology of Anza Borrego, Adaptations of Elephant Seals, Paleontology, Government and more.

The units meet specific content standard and can be adapted to all grade levels. Several Encinitas teachers participated in these programs throughout the year and found them to be exceptional.

For more information go to http://www.ports.parks.ca.gov/ If you are interested in attending please sign up from the link below.
REGISTER ONLINE

This summer Instructional Technology will be offering an open lab on a few Wednesdays at the district office for teachers to try out new technologies, receive help with planning for use of technology in the classroom and to get help with using software in the classroom.

The following dates and times will be offered on a drop in basis. If you want to learn more about technology or get some practice away from the demands of the school year just drop in.

Wednesday, July 23rd, 1-3 pm
Wednesday, July 30th, 1-3 pm
Wednesday, August 6th, 1-3 pm

Here are some things that you can get help with:

WordPress/Classroom Web Site
Google Docs
Digital Media
Digital Photos
Google Earth
United Streaming
Classroom Management
Collaborative Projects
Virtual Field Trips
Grade Level Resources
Arts and Technology

Hope to see you at the district office on one of these days. Please let me know ahead of time if you plan on dropping in and what you think you might want to learn more about.

iPhoto

Project Live Digital Photo Resources

iPhoto 06 Video Tutorials

Project Live iPhoto Basics PDF

Pictures For iPhoto Activity

With the year coming to an end, students are rambunctious….perfect time to watch a movie made for students by students. Continue your spiral review by revisiting some of the things you studied throughout the year and continue to grow. The writing cohort has been finding that students enjoy learning from other students. I tried these lessons in a classroom and they were well received. Try them out and give us feedback if you’d like.

We have highlighted some of the movies from the 2008 IVIE Awards that students will learn from with a follow up activity designed to reinforce the concept. Best to use whole class with a projector or TV connection or as a small group computer activity.

TO ENLARGE MOVIE CLICK ON

NARRATIVES:
“Yes, You Can! Writing a Great Personal Narrative Essay!”

Show the video and then discuss the tips below and model them on the board. Then have students write narrative using these tips to improve their writing. Allow those interested to share them out loud.
Tip #1 Focus on one event
Tip #2: Start with a “Grabber”
Start with a question: Have you ever gotten stuck on an amusement park ride?
Surprising statement: Whoever said Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth better get their had examined.
One word: Terrified! That’s how I felt when we were stuck on the Pirates of the Caribbean for 20 minutes.
Dialogue: “Mommy Mommy!” I screamed as the pirates kept shooting pistols over my head.
Tip #3: When writing dialogue use “Speaker Tags”
Inquired, responded, flirted, scoffed, begged, refused, interrogated, confessed……
Tip #4: Use vivid verbs
Tip #5: Use similes to paint a picture
Tip #6: Create a “Takeaway” Ending…tell the reader what you learned as a result of the experience.

PLACE VALUE:
“Zero The Hero”
Create a number in the millions or larger, depending on how many students you have in the class. Label each sheet. Ex. Ten Millions, Millions, Hundred Thousands, etc. Write the number they are going to create on the board. Write each number (7) on a separate paper too! Watch the short video to see how it’s done. (Go to 1:39 to see the sample cards.) Discuss place value and expanded form. Turn on some music and have them build a number as shown in the video.

UNITY:
K-5 Unity in Action PSA
Watch all of the videos in the Unity section and have students vote on their favorite videos.
Journal and Critique: Why was this video meaningful? What did you like about it? What would you have done differently? How did it make you feel?
Share journals aloud.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
“Pebble in a Pond”
“Global Warming”
“Making a Difference”
“Seeds”
Journal and Critique: Which movie(s) made you want to make a difference and why? Did the movie provoke thought and meet its intended purpose? How can you make a difference? Would you like to create your own public service announcement? Use this storyboard to create your own PSA. storyboard1.pdf

EUSD Teachers Marilyn Bieck and James Staton and their students were honored at a “red carpet” event in San Diego for the 2008 iVie (Innovative Video in Education) Student Awards ceremony.

Both of their class films were nominated in the Grades 3-5 Math/Science category. The student film from James Staton’s class won the People’s Choice Award for most popular movie at the iVie Film Festival held on May 10th. The films were produced as part of their participation in the Digital Media Academy.

Please join me in congratulating Marilyn, James and all the other Digital Media Teachers who submitted films for the iVie competition this year.

You can view a broadcast of the 2008 iVie Awards Ceremony on June 21st at 10:00 a.m. on ITV (Cable 16).

The two videos will be available for viewing at http://www.ivieawards.org/ivie08/3-5math.asp.

Selecting the right tool for the job is an important function in every project. When working on home improvement projects we rarely start with the tool and try to find a job around the house that we need to use it on. We don’t always do the same thing with technology tools. There are times when we start with the tool and then work backwards into the project.

There are many technology tools that can be used for collaboration with other colleagues. Defining your purpose, determining the functions you need to have in a tool for a specific project and determining the short term and long term needs are all very important in choosing the right tool for the job.

Define Your Purpose

What do you want to achieve?
What products are to be created?
What are the dimensions of the collaboration? Singular or multifaceted?

What Functions Do You Need?

Collaborative Editing
Calendar
Resource Sharing
Discussions
Document Sharing

Short Term and Long Term Needs

What do you need the tool to do now?
What will you need it to do as the collaboration grows? Not always easy to anticipate.
Will everyone be able to use the tool right away or is training needed?
Do you need a tool that does many things or one thing?

Tools For Collaboration 

These tools are just a few that might work for a collaboration. Each has their strengths and functions that can be evaluated. Some of the tools do similar things, but there are subtle differences that need to be considered whether it will be a better tool for the job. Google Docs and a wiki might appear to do the same thing, but they have differences that make them unique and could make one or the other better for a collaborative team.

Google Docs

Online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation creator that can easily be accessed access from home and school. Also makes it very easy to share their work with other teachers for collaborative editing. Google Docs is password protected and can only be viewed and edited by selected people.

Wiki

Creates a space for teams to build collective writing and resources that can be edited from any web browser. Wikis can be configured to be viewed and edited by anyone or only people that have been designated.

Wordpress/Blog

Allows groups to easily setup a web page for blogging or sharing news about a project.  Also gives a team a place to have discussions about the project and resources that have been added as blog posts. A blog can be public or private.

Google Sites 

Creates a space that can be used to share Google Docs, calendars, to do lists and resources. Site is setup for easy additions of pieces to the site. Can be public or private.

Here are the sites that we will be accessing in the DMA meeting today

Edutopia Poll

DigiTales

Animoto

Jump Cut 

TeacherTube