tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41986605261918550842024-03-13T15:21:45.199-07:00learning.21stthoughts and ruminations about technology & educationbfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-47251288458698281752012-11-12T13:28:00.001-08:002012-11-12T13:28:12.057-08:00<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mrGHwTdljnE" width="560"></iframe><br />
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This is awesome. Content. Quiz question. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley">Intersting link.</a><br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Though Tornado Alley is considered to be in areas of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_United_States" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="Central United States">Central United States</a>, no official definition of the term has ever been designated by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Weather_Service" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="National Weather Service">National Weather Service</a>. According to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Severe_Storms_Laboratory" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="National Severe Storms Laboratory">National Severe Storms Laboratory</a> FAQ,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley#cite_note-3" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial; white-space: nowrap;">[3]</a></sup> "Tornado Alley" is a term created by the media as a reference to areas that have higher numbers of tornadoes. Over the years, the boundaries of Tornado Alley have not been clearly defined, but the differences are the result of the different criteria used to define the region. 90% of tornadoes hit this region of the U.S because cold, dry air from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="Canada">Canada</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="Rocky Mountains">Rocky Mountains</a> meets warm, moist air from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="Gulf of Mexico">Gulf of Mexico</a> and hot, dry air from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="Sonoran Desert">Sonoran Desert</a>, which causes atmospheric instability, heavy precipitation, and many intense thunderstorms.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The most common definition of Tornado Alley is the location where the strongest tornadoes occur more frequently. The core of Tornado Alley consists of northern Texas (including the Panhandle), Oklahoma and Kansas. However, Tornado Alley can be also be defined as an area reaching from central Texas to the Canadian prairies and from eastern Colorado to western Pennsylvania. It can also be disputed that there are numerous Tornado Alleys. In addition to the Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas core, such areas also include the Upper Midwest, the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley and the lower Mississippi valley.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The term "tornado alley" was first used in 1952 by U.S. Air Force meteorologists Major Ernest J. Fawbush (1915 - 1982) and Captain<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_C._Miller" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial;" title="Robert C. Miller">Robert C. Miller</a> (1920 - 1998) as the title of a research project to study severe weather in parts of Texas and Oklahoma.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley#cite_note-4" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: initial; white-space: nowrap;">[4]</a></sup></span></div>
bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-5272438602169905682011-05-12T07:14:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:47:05.001-07:00Superhero: Join us!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Join us for <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/superherotechcamp/">Superhero</a>!</span></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7LZJD3i1T90/TcvsDl4wTRI/AAAAAAAAj5M/kBNb8BcmY5I/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-05-12%2Bat%2B9.06.29%2BAM.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7LZJD3i1T90/TcvsDl4wTRI/AAAAAAAAj5M/kBNb8BcmY5I/s400/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-05-12%2Bat%2B9.06.29%2BAM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605833707646635282" /></a><br /><div><br /></div>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-66350862893610066362010-10-19T05:37:00.000-07:002010-12-23T11:49:23.280-08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Sdh3wYnDKG0/TLcy0r8eJeI/AAAAAAAAO2I/k9iDr_mnqjU/s1600/GWE.png" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(124, 140, 197); clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><br /><img border="0" height="164" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Sdh3wYnDKG0/TLcy0r8eJeI/AAAAAAAAO2I/k9iDr_mnqjU/s200/GWE.png" width="200" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" >Join us for the next Google Workshop for Educators</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span ><span class="Apple-style-span">Saturday, December 4</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span">, 2010</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" >@ TIES Technology Conference</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="color: red; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span style="color: red; "><span style="color: black; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Hyatt Regency Hotel</span></span></div></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" >Minneapolis, MN</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" >8:30am-3:30pm</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" >Bring your own Laptop</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><a href="http://tchlrn.ties.k12.mn.us/ties2010/main/registration.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >REGISTER HERE</span></a></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: red; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span><span style="color: red; "><span style="color: black; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; "><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Sdh3wYnDKG0/TLcy-6etvDI/AAAAAAAAO2M/ZH4uC6-4HDo/s1600/GAFE+Workshop+Logo.png" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(124, 140, 197); clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Sdh3wYnDKG0/TLcy-6etvDI/AAAAAAAAO2M/ZH4uC6-4HDo/s200/GAFE+Workshop+Logo.png" width="200" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></span></a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: red; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span style="color: red; "><span style="color: black; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; display: inline !important; text-align: center; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Join us for the </span></span><span style="color: red; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">first </span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Google Apps for Education Workshop</span></span></div></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Sunday, December 5</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span">, 2010</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">@ TIES Technology Conference</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: red; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span style="color: red; "><span style="color: black; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Hyatt Regency Hotel</span></span></div></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Minneapolis, MN</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">8:30am-3:30pm</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; "><span><span style="color: red; "><span style="color: black; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Bring your own Laptop</span></span></div></span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><a href="http://tchlrn.ties.k12.mn.us/ties2010/main/registration.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span">REGISTER HERE</span></a></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mydigitalfootprint/gwe?pli=1" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(124, 140, 197); "><span class="Apple-style-span">More information on each of these events can be found here.</span></a></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">We can bring the Google Workshop for Education or the Google Apps for Education Workshop to you or your school district!</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><span class="Apple-style-span">Please fill out this form to bring this professional development opportunity to you!</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; "><span><a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDBEejBTU0lpb3BwRW1JNC01SS10Tmc6MQ" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Workshop Request Form</span></a></span></div></span></div></span></span></span></div></span>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-56113311530758953652010-10-10T18:51:00.000-07:002010-10-19T05:45:10.439-07:00Newest Collaborative Experience<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Using Images in the Classroom!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dfgfvm4v_131g8t9zffq" frameborder="0" width="410" height="342"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This presentation grew out of a conversation with a colleague that stressed the importance of having concrete strategies for the classroom that they could use with their IWB. The desire was to get past the bells and whistles and use real stuff that actually resulted in academic gains. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Although you can use these strategies without interactive white boards, these proven strategies should be an easy entry point for IWB users. If someone is struggling to authentically use their IWB, an image is a natural first step.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What are some innovative ways you use images and graphics in your classrooms?<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">*Make sure you open the speaker notes to see notes about each page.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://goo.gl/gth2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Please add your strategies.</span></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goo.gl/gth2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Use as many slides as you need.</span></div></span></div>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-74845287076724866732010-02-23T10:31:00.000-08:002010-12-23T11:46:23.712-08:00Google Workshop for Educators - TIES<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:180%;">TIES is excited to announce the next Google Workshop for Educators!</span><br /></span></span></div> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=95919db485&view=att&th=126fbfc7422ea852&attid=0.0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_126fbca3776df4a5&zw" alt="?ui=2&view=att&th=126fbca3776df4a5&attid=0.1&disp=attd&realattid=ii_126fbca3776df4a5&zw" title="?ui=2&view=att&th=126fbca3776df4a5&attid=0.1&disp=attd&realattid=ii_126fbca3776df4a5&zw" height="78" width="96" /><br /></span> </div><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> <b><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:red;"></span></b></p><div><b><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:red;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"><b><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:red;"><br /></span></b></p></b></b></span></span></b></div><div><b><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:red;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"><b><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:red;"><br /></span></b></p></b></b></span></span></b></div><b><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:red;">Google Workshop for Educators<br /></span></b><p></p><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> <b><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:blue;">@ TIES <span> </span><span>May 15, 2010<br /></span></span></b></p><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p> <b><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> <span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cost $260 Lunch Included<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><span style="font-weight: 900;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p> <b> <b> <b><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p> <b><b><b><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1667 Snelling Ave</span></span><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> N.</span></span><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">St.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Paul, </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">MN</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">55108<span style="font-weight: 900;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Presenters: Google Certified Teachers<span style="font-weight: 900;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:Georgia;color:black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Molly Schroeder, Ben Friesen & Sean Beaverson<span style="font-weight: 900;"><br /></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Bring your own laptop!</span></span></span></p> </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><p> </p></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"> </p><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; display: inline ! important;" align="center"> </p> <b><b><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"> </p> <b><b><b><b><b> <b><b><b><b><b> </b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:green;">Search, learn, share!</span></b><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:black;"> </span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;color:black;">Brought to you by the producers of the</span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;color:black;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:red;">Google</span></b><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:red;"> Teacher Academy</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;color:black;">, </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;color:black;">the <b>nationally acclaimed</b> </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:blue;">Google Workshop for Educators (GWE)</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;color:black;"> introduces participants to innovative ways Google tools can be used in education. The one day workshop includes a full day of fast-paced presentations and hands-on activities including experience with advanced search techniques, collaborative web-based applications, and inspirational instructional strategies.</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;color:black;">Google Certified Teachers share ways they've implemented tools such as Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Sites, and... even more. Participants who complete the event are given access to the Google Workshops for Educators Network (GWEN), an online community focused on supporting educators as they learn more about the power of Google to drive student learning.</span></div> <span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 100%; "><div style="text-align: left;">We are looking for creative participants (eager beginners to advanced) that have a desire to build on current skills and integrate relevant technology into the classroom. Participants should have a desire to collaborate online with other educators from the workshop and help support each other with questions and successes. Participants should bring their own ideas and be willing to look at big picture when pace is fast and dive into the relevant details during time set aside for application.</div></span></span><p></p> <div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 1pt 4pt; background: silver none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;border-top-width: medium; border-right-width: medium; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; background-image: none; background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: silver; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; " align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;">Register Google Workshop for Educators!</span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in; background: silver none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;">Location: <span> </span><span> </span>TIES 1667 Snelling Ave N., St. Paul, MN<br />Date:<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><b>Saturday, May 15th<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Time: <span> </span><span> </span>8:30 AM to 3:30 PM (w/1 hour lunch provided)<br /><span style=";font-family:arial;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;">Register Information: <span> </span></span><b><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://ties.k12.mn.us/Professional_development_workshops.html" target="_blank">http://ties.k12.mn.us/<wbr>Professional_development_<wbr>workshops.html</a><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Calibri;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;">Questions? <span> </span>Contact Dorothy Harmon @ TIES <span> </span>651-999-6503</span> </span></span></b></span></span></b></span></span></b></span></b></span></p></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;color:black;">Quotes from GWE past participants…</span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">“Thanks! By far the best and most beneficial technology workshop I've attended.</span><span style="color:black;">” – Nicholas, ISD 138</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">“This was a great workshop. I want more.....</span><span style="color:black;">” – Cathy, Edina Public Schools</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">“This was fabulous! I'm excited about putting this to use with the teachers and students in my district.” –Penny, Orono School District</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;">“All educators should have the opportunity to attend a GWE.” – GWE Participant, Hopkins, MN August 2009</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:black;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";color:black;">“</span><span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">I dreamt of google last night!! Wish it was Monday so I could start working with teachers on the amazing things I learned at the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23gwevegas" title="#gwevegas" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(3, 133, 67);">#gwevegas</span></a>”<br />@joleneanxalone via twitter.</span></span></span></p>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-77448573901528988812009-12-07T19:03:00.000-08:002009-12-07T19:53:58.584-08:00Google Workshop for Educators - TIES<span style="font-size:180%;">Only a few more days...</span><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WvCetEx2JXbhcoy6EG_A-Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCP6347vT6OKHGA&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/Sx3Bu8DtRCI/AAAAAAAAUZI/tq5qyGC8pOg/s400/2009-08-05%2015.52.30.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We're looking forward to the Google Workshop for Educators at TIES on 12.13. Check out our <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/cuegli/events/2009-12-13">agenda</a>.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-71128948177037492152009-11-23T17:29:00.000-08:002009-11-23T18:27:11.370-08:00MN Geology with Google My MapsOver the last several classes the students have been creating MN Geology Maps in Google My Maps. This is a <a href="http://technologyruminations.blogspot.com/2008/12/megamap-mn-geology-via-google-my-maps.html">repeat assignment</a> from last year with a few notable changes for the better. The biggest change was adding a <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmT-2POmcTfsdG5Jbjh1VV9JVEM0QW5FYkZuQ2Nwdnc&hl=en">rubric</a> the students used to assess their placemarks. In the past it was very difficult to assess the maps, but this time I used more specific criteria like links, photos titles in addition to the content. I also simplified the login process by using a single login for the entire class (+30 students). Finally, I created a <a href="http://sites.google.com/a/stumail.hopkins.k12.mn.us/mn-geology/home">Google Site</a> to use as the source based on the <a href="http://www.geo.umn.edu/mgs/virt_egg/virtual%20egg%20carton.htm">Virtual Egg Carton</a> from the Minnesota Geologic Survey.<br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100092936897131664477.0004789af10ff2a3def05&ll=45.644768,-90.791016&spn=10.753472,21.972656&t=h&z=5&output=embed" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" width="500"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100092936897131664477.0004789af10ff2a3def05&ll=45.644768,-90.791016&spn=10.753472,21.972656&t=h&z=5&source=embed" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">B3 - MN Geoolgy Map</a> in a larger map</small><br /><br />Please check out the <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmT-2POmcTfsdG5Jbjh1VV9JVEM0QW5FYkZuQ2Nwdnc&hl=en">rubric</a> and create a copy and modify it yourself. Please comment with criteria you would like to see added.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-61489881066861708892009-10-04T13:16:00.001-07:002009-10-04T14:04:56.175-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sites.google.com/site/cuegli/_/rsrc/1238131199340/Home/GWE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 383px; height: 383px;" src="http://sites.google.com/site/cuegli/_/rsrc/1238131199340/Home/GWE.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />We are excited to announce the </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Google Workshop for Educators</span></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">@ the TIES Technology Conference</span><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">December 13, 2009</span></span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis</span><br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE1PMm9yTG1pRmxSalVvQjl6ZVFvZkE6MA">Let us know you are interested!</a></span></b></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Fill out this form and we'll forward you the registration information as soon as it becomes available!</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Search, learn, s</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span">hare!</span></b></span></span><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span">Brought to you by the producers of the </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Google Teacher Ac<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">ademy</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span">, the </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span">nationally acclaimed</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Goo<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">gle Workshop for Educators (GWE)</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> introdu</span></span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span">ces participants to innovative ways Google tools can be used in education. The one day workshop includes a full day of fast-paced presentations and hands-on activities including experience with advanced search techniques, collaborative web-based applications, and inspirational instructional strategies.</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span">Google Certified Teachers share ways they've implemented tools such as Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Sites, and... even more. Participants who complete the event are given access to the Google Workshops for Educators Network (GWEN), an online community focused on supporting educators as they learn more about the power of Google to drive student learning.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span">We are looking for creative participants (eager beginners to advanced) that have a desire to build on current skills and integrate relevant technology into the classroom. Participants should have a desire to collaborate online with other educators from the workshop and help support each other with questions and successes. Participants should bring their own ideas and be willing to look at big picture when pace is fast and dive into the relevant details during time set aside for application.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Quotes from GWE past participants…</span></span></div><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span>“Thanks! By far the best and most beneficial technology workshop I've attended.</span><span>” – Nicholas, ISD 138</span> </div></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">“<span>This was a great workshop. I want more.....</span><span>” – Cathy, Edina Public Schools</span></span></div></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">“This was fabulous! I'm excited about putting this to use with the teachers and students in my district.” –Penny, Orono School District</span></div></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">“All educators should have the opportunity to attend a GWE.” – GWE Participant, Hopkins, MN August 2009</span></div></span></span></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div></div>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-40195583813145819472009-10-04T11:56:00.000-07:002009-10-04T12:42:42.430-07:00A Bakery, Pharmacy and a Snack Shop: Microloans from Students<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://psdblog.worldbank.org/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/22/one_hen_book_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 502px;" src="http://psdblog.worldbank.org/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/22/one_hen_book_2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Last week I introduced the students in <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AWT-2POmcTfsZGZjN2R4cm5fNjloZ2Z2Y3B0dw&hl=en">learning.21st</a> to the idea of microloans. I was partially inspired by a <a href="http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/2009/09/using-microloans-to-learn-about-the-world.html">blog post</a> but mostly by a lesson my wife was doing with her 2nd graders. It is not often when a lesson can be interchangeable between 2nd graders and freshman. I started the class with a good old fashioned read-a-loud of <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87930121">One Hen</a>. A short clip from a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXk4GUGXNTQ">PBS Frontline episode</a> provided a nice personal narrative of how the love of peanut butter leads to direct support of small business in the developing world. It also gave a nice overview of how microfinancing and <a href="http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses">Kiva.org</a> works.<br /><br />The students were asked to consider their criteria for lending money and worked in small groups to choose a person from Kiva.org to support. Each group had a few minutes to introduce their candidate for funding while we looked at the business profiles and saw each location in Google Earth. After the pitch, we voted via a Google Form and the top two candidates received $25 microloans.<br /><br />The challenge for me is to take the lesson to the next level. There was great discussion about equity, privilege and life experience. We lent money to groups of people to causes we deemed worthy. I would like to take the lesson to the next level so please share your ideas in the comments. Other than commenting on the lender pages and sending messages I feel I am missing an opportunity to build on a great first-time lesson.<br /><br />At the end of class there was a mystery donation of $20 from one student. I quickly made a additional loan to a small bakery in Samoa hoping it would maybe in some small way offset some of the recent tragedy as a result of the tsunami. The lesson clearly impacted one student all by itself, but now should I build on it to further it in for the rest?bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-2041512973060615472009-08-24T20:06:00.001-07:002009-08-24T20:11:26.666-07:001st Day of School<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SpNVKrdfyqI/AAAAAAAAQds/_cqxAzWdDHs/s1600-h/25476169-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SpNVKrdfyqI/AAAAAAAAQds/_cqxAzWdDHs/s400/25476169-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373732422336629410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sometimes an image is worth a thousand words and it sums my goals for the next school year perfectly. Stay tuned... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Thanks to <a href="http://twitter.com/gardenglen">@gardenglen</a> for the image!</span></span>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-52587345318327545552009-08-05T07:41:00.000-07:002009-08-05T07:43:11.411-07:00Google Workshop for Educators - MN<iframe src="http://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dfc7dxrn_343hrvk8dct" frameborder="0" width="410" height="342"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe src="http://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dfc7dxrn_336dxbxzxdb" frameborder="0" width="410" height="342"></iframe>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-89082437434325244042009-05-27T20:06:00.000-07:002009-05-28T12:56:09.067-07:00The Longfellow 10<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">For a few weeks this Spring I tried an experiment in my classroom. One of my sections joined the super hip student-run Longfellow 10 Productions. The LF10 is a loose confederation of unknown students in undisclosed locations in cyberspace looking to promote awareness of important literary terms (and Science Concepts!) through absurd stop-motion films. Check out our Longfellow 10 movies <a href="http://lf10.wordpress.com/">here</a>. For information on an upcoming film festival, <a href="http://www.mrmayo.org/">click here</a>.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/Sh4FjniLAzI/AAAAAAAAPBE/MjSwHvH9rnQ/s1600-h/Picture+16.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/Sh4FjniLAzI/AAAAAAAAPBE/MjSwHvH9rnQ/s400/Picture+16.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340712317573858098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mr. Mayo and one of the LF!0 give valuable advice via Skype.</span></span><br /><br />Instead of doing the usual assignments, labs and activities we got into groups and began working on stop-motion movies around science topics and concepts. Each group got a piece of butcher paper for story-boarding, a bag of materials and a topic. Five class periods later we posted eight new videos to the <a href="http://lf10.wordpress.com/">LF10 site</a>.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/Sh4GolWujVI/AAAAAAAAPBM/6mSWXmHB0hA/s1600-h/Picture+14.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/Sh4GolWujVI/AAAAAAAAPBM/6mSWXmHB0hA/s400/Picture+14.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340713502399958354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >LF10 member (MN faction) shows off storyboard for Orographic Cooling</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />One of the coolest parts of the project was a very valuable 15 minutes of advice from from the Maryland faction via <a href="http://www.skype.com/welcomeback/">Skype</a>. It was the first time I skyped in classes but I instantly realized the value of this tool. We learned that there were lots of bumps in the road, that it took a lot of time to make a good movie and music and sound effects are critical for quality movies. The students saw other students being successful and caught a glimpse of the classroom of the future. I'm looking forward to finding authentic reasons to incorporate Skype next year. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Anyone interested in connecting classrooms?</span></span> <span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Check us out! </span>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-31082158214716026262009-05-17T06:40:00.000-07:002009-05-27T20:40:52.472-07:00Twittering the Solar Oven Cookout!<span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">"Twitter?!...that is like Facebook for old people" - 8th Grader</span><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/ShAUUYg9e7I/AAAAAAAAOuk/2N01VFHqJ-Q/s1600-h/IMG_0248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/ShAUUYg9e7I/AAAAAAAAOuk/2N01VFHqJ-Q/s400/IMG_0248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336787898844674994" border="0" /></a>Every year, the big finale for our Earth Science course is making solar ovens. Students parade into school with boxes made of foil, plastic wrap, construction paper, mylar, and spray paint. There are ovens that somehow get colder when put in the sun, ovens that are 100% created by parents, and ovens that light themselves on fire. If you doubt the ability a cardboard box to cook hot pockets, I assure you that it is possible. The high temp on Friday was 305 F.<br /><br />This year we tried an experiment. I put a desk on the field within range of the wireless and we live-blogged and twittered the events on the web. I have done online chats with students before and from my experience it was most successful when focused on an event. For example, the homework/review session chats didn't work at all, but the lunar eclipse chat had 20 students chattering like monkeys for over an hour.<br /><br />The Solar Oven Cookout was the perfect opportunity for the students report the events live. In one block we live-blogged and for the rest of the classes we Twittered. Check out our SO09 <a href="http://twitter.com/science619">tweets</a> and <a href="http://science619.blogspot.com/">blog posts</a> from Friday. I would highly recommend setting up a Twitter account for your classroom. For privacy reasons, I will not follow my students, but the Twitter account gives us a chance to broadcast events with one button. 140 characters forces the students to be concise and I think the next time we watch Bill Nye the Science Guy, the students at <a href="http://twitter.com/science619">@science619</a> will be tweeting summaries, science connections and applications to the topic of the day. Check us out and see how our experiment evolves.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/ShAbEHxa5yI/AAAAAAAAOus/DayUzaqmjNc/s1600-h/Picture+5.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/ShAbEHxa5yI/AAAAAAAAOus/DayUzaqmjNc/s400/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336795316053796642" border="0" /></a>How do you use Twitter in the classroom? Please comment!<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><br /></span>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-15318905748008160822009-05-11T19:44:00.000-07:002009-05-11T20:03:41.031-07:00Silo: Oink, Mooo, CluckThe other day I walked into the computer lab and saw a group of students using Google Docs to work on cool Supreme Court case assignments. I chatted with the teacher and saw a cool extension of the assignment that I never though of (more on that in a future post). In the distance I heard a cow moooo, a chicken cluck and a pig go oink. I am living in a silo. I am one of the Tech Integration people at my building and I have no idea people are using the same tools that I have been trying to hype.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2221/2447767501_62a4a1f3ec_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 238px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2221/2447767501_62a4a1f3ec_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Teachers (at least I do) live in silos. We are in our rooms, doing our thing and occasionally we get out to see that is happening around the barnyard (I have failed in my goal to each lunch in the lounge). The busier I get, and the more things I have on my plate the higher and more constricted my silo gets. The tools, like Google Presentations, are intuitive and do not require a lengthy sit-down. I'm not frustrated that people are not getting me involved and asking for help, because they are plenty capable. I am frustrated because I would like to collaborate and have discussions about new ways of doing things and making the classrooms more relevant.<br /><br />I know there is a discussion happening about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_silo">silos of information</a> in education. I know that we shouldn't be in them. <br /><br />Don't you wish you had more time to collaborate with those around you?<br /><br />I do.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/4ever30something/" title="">onlinewoman</a></span>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-40802455287622933592009-04-22T09:11:00.000-07:002009-04-22T09:13:03.586-07:00Happy Earth Day<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cF5g0FgZQsA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cF5g0FgZQsA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-44660306400732235532009-04-06T07:43:00.000-07:002009-04-06T07:46:52.432-07:00Google Workshop for Educators<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SdoVZqdp_7I/AAAAAAAAOa4/aY1r48wqKYU/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SdoVZqdp_7I/AAAAAAAAOa4/aY1r48wqKYU/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321589440331251634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://cueweb.cue.org/cueweb/pdw/pdwwebstore.aspx">Register here!</a>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-84064926370420708922009-03-31T08:44:00.000-07:002009-03-31T09:02:24.171-07:00The Finished ProjectHere are some of the best slides created by my students related to Global Warming and The Greenhouse Effect. Again, the emphasis was tipping traditional presentations on their head. We talked about design, marketing, using images and conveying your idea in one single slide (we also talked about science). Unfortunately, the <a href="http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2009/03/drawing-on-your-creativity-in-docs.html">drawing feature</a> in Google Presentations was added after we finished and would have been very useful.<br /><iframe src="http://docs.google.com/EmbedSlideshow?docid=dhg3s6qv_0c8jw85fg" frameborder="0" height="342" width="410"></iframe><br /><br />One thing that is interesting is how many slides took the form of flow maps. We use a lot of these at our school and it is encouraging to see students actually use them to organize their thoughts. One question that I am still trying to figure out is how to make sure students are learning and constructing knowledge when they do these presentations.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Any ideas?</span> Are there always a few students that will spend a day working on a slide and miss the main idea? Next time I would like to incorporate the Presentation Chat feature so that we can all interact with the presentation.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-23717769507312079612009-03-09T19:45:00.000-07:002009-03-09T20:30:57.501-07:00Greenhouse vs. Global Warming<span style="font-style: italic;">science619</span> is starting another Google Presentation project. This time we are taking two days to research and present the basics of the Greenhouse Effect and Global Climate Change using exactly two slides. I wanted to build on a few aspects from the last presentations and focus more on the the following. <span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks to </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.apgov.org/">UF</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> for these ideas.</span><br /><ul style="font-style: italic;"><li>Use good images</li><li>Avoid bullets and lists</li><li>Think about design</li><li>Begin building knowledge by using links</li><li>Examples are better than definitions</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SbXalFwgxnI/AAAAAAAAOJQ/ljuFJxDyGQM/s1600-h/Picture+2.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SbXalFwgxnI/AAAAAAAAOJQ/ljuFJxDyGQM/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311391666289034866" border="0" /></a><br />I also decided to make a planning sheet that looked more like a website and less like a worksheet. Supposedly kids are screen-first and should take to this layout better than a piece of paper with lists of expectations. We'll see.<br /><br /><script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://www.google.com/coop/api/012520591284162689023/cse/nib9xv_drti/gadget&synd=open&w=286&h=40&title=Greenhouse+Effect+vs.+Climate+Change&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script><br /><br />Lastly, I am also going to use a <a href="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/">Google Custom Search Engine</a> instead of providing a list of websites that I have previously vetted. This is a great tool to help scaffold searches. Despite the reputation that students are tech wizards it can be absolutely painful to watch them search the web. By previously defining the sites I want them to use they can still feel like they are part of the process and I know the information is solid. Next time I use Custom Search I plan on throwing in a few distractor sites to see how the students filter content. Stay tuned for a few samples.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-21318319169371282532009-02-25T20:08:00.001-08:002009-02-25T20:36:18.237-08:00Snowshoeing with an Android<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SaYVwbUZ6rI/AAAAAAAAN2c/yN0eaGQk54A/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SaYVwbUZ6rI/AAAAAAAAN2c/yN0eaGQk54A/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306953132613954226" border="0" /></a>Over the weekend I downloaded some new applications for my <a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/android/#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-bk&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=android%20phone">Android G1</a> and thought I would give <a href="http://mytracks.appspot.com/?utm_campaign=en_US&utm_medium=ha&utm_source=en_US-ha-na-us-bk-mm&utm_term=my%20tracks">My Tracks</a> a try while out on a leisurely snowshoe. While taking my GPS enabled phone on a quiet snowshoe through the woods in the middle of Minneapolis seemed wrong, I decided give it a try anyway. <br /><br />The purpose of this post is say that despite all the gadgets in my life...I can still get out and go for a simple walk in the woods. Rats!<br /><br />Here are my stats. <br /><br />Total Distance 1.95<br />Total Time 01:00:07<br />Moving Time 00:39:15<br />Number of Tracks 1<br />Average Speed 1.95<br />Average Moving Speed 2.98<br />Elevation Gain 378<br />Min Elevation 716<br />Max Elevation 892bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-29043011569778433972009-02-20T17:39:00.000-08:002009-06-11T08:56:59.073-07:00Google Workshop for Educators<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Announcing the Google Workshop for Educators (formally the Google Learning Institute) in Hopkins, Minnesota on August 6-7, 2009.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.cue.org/images/cue/glelogohighres.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 242px;" src="http://static.cue.org/images/cue/glelogohighres.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Search, learn, share! Brought to you by the producers of the Google Teacher Academy, a Google Workshop for Educators (GWE) introduces participants to innovative ways Google tools can be used in education. The two-day workshop includes a full day of fast-paced presentations and hands-on activities including experience with advanced search techniques, collaborative web-based applications, and inspirational instructional strategies. A second day will be devoted to development of a proof-of-concept project and classroom application. Google Certified Teachers share ways they've implemented tools such as Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Sites, and... even more. Participants who complete the event are given access to the Google Workshops for Educators Network (GWEN), an online community focused on supporting educators as they learn more about the power of Google to drive student learning.<br /><br />We are looking for creative participants (eager beginners to advanced) that have a desire to build on current skills and integrate relevant technology into the classroom. Participants should have a desire to collaborate online with other educators from the workshop and help support each other with questions and successes. Participants should bring their own ideas and be willing to look at big picture when pace is fast and dive into the relevant details during time set aside for application.<br /><br />This workshop is designed to give participants an introduction to various Google tools plus an extra day to develop a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_concept">proof of concept</a>" idea/lesson to be implemented in your own classroom. The Google Workshop for Educators is designed as an entry level workshop into the world of Google with room for personal adaption to higher level application.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-73378193411312629442009-02-15T11:19:00.000-08:002009-02-15T11:41:10.487-08:00Youtube - The Bombproof Sub Plan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SZhrWN9MbaI/AAAAAAAAM7Y/AC6s_cH2mZ0/s1600-h/Picture+6.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SZhrWN9MbaI/AAAAAAAAM7Y/AC6s_cH2mZ0/s400/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303106590676381090" border="0" /></a>Last week I created the bombproof sub plan. Seven minutes of quirky teacher-ness that the students would be accustom to and information about expectations and such straight from the horse's mouth. The Youtube video was embedded on the class website and was recorded for the intended audience...the students.<br /><br />The problem is that they never saw it. For some reason the sub never played it for them. A sub's dream...push play and kick back. Students would magically do what they were supposed to do and questions would be answered. Of the 102 views in one day on Youtube not one of them was for the intended audience.<br /><br />Try it! The Youtube quick capture video really is the ultimate sub plan, just make sure you tell the kids in the event the sub is a dud. Train a few kids in each class to be the tech helpers and make sure your sub gets to the class website for the day. I did this, but next time I will make sure the students <span style="font-style: italic;">insist</span> on watching the sub plan as a large group to start class.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-31794976153828941792009-02-12T06:18:00.000-08:002009-02-12T06:24:29.944-08:00learning.21st (2.0)<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yySkyRjqI_M&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yySkyRjqI_M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Students will soon be registering for classes at WJH and I am hoping that learning.21st will take off next year. After a successful first year with 17 students, I am ready for the masses. Bring it on...and tell your friends to sign up too.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-1303967662698794412009-01-30T09:44:00.001-08:002009-02-03T09:58:01.110-08:00Teaching 2.0Try and describe to 8th graders how transfer pictures and sources from 3 different computers using a server or USB drive to a common computer so you can make an iMovie. Then tell them that they have to huddle around one computer so they can "work together" and make a movie. Look at their faces. Hmpf!<br /><br />After my Voicethread project went up in flames minutes before the bell (Java issues) I found myself scrambling to the the old iMovie standby. After a week of planning an authentic collaboration lesson (unfortunately, I didn't try it on a student computer) I was listening to the words coming out of my mouth and thought they sounded stupid, dumb and ridiculous. Why would I want to have my kids huddle around a computer to make a movie after getting them excited about the idea of them working on common project from different computers? Everything suddenly seemed so difficult. They <span style="font-style: italic;">were</span> going to annotate, talk, type and video comment and now they are trying to figure how to swap pictures from different computers and how to change the length of titles.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Giant leaps....backwards!</span> I took and deep breath and switched to Google Presentations. After a seven minute overview and sharing session I didn't really have another technical question for the rest of the block. There was one group, however, that forged ahead with iMovie, but they pulled out the USB drive during the saving process and lost their project to an error. The other groups don't have to worry about USB drives, saving, swaping, or sharing because I'm already a viewer on all their projects.<br /><br /><iframe src='http://docs.google.com/EmbedSlideshow?docid=dggbk2hc_0dc8xjqhm' frameborder='0' width='410' height='342'></iframe><br /><br />The Google Presentations highlight how technology should work in the classroom. It should make things easier, allow authentic collaboration, and be applicable to all the classes, not just this one project.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-40393666133849852792009-01-13T20:41:00.000-08:002009-01-14T05:20:46.674-08:00Chatting in Google Presentations!Yesterday, our school had a 2-hour late start devoted to technology integration. The first hour was a large group session where we overviewed Web 1.0 vs. 2.0 and introduced Google Docs and ways it could be used in the classroom. The second hour was breakout time related to a specific topics (Activboards, Moodle and Google Docs).<br /><br />During the large group session, the staff was invited to join the presentation online and follow along. What is nice about the Google Presentation tool is that it has a chat column that the audience can use for questions or comments. During the presentation I made the comment that students want to create and be active participants with technology and not just click links and watch. The comment/chat column in the Google Presentation is really great because it allows the audience to do more than watch and listen. There was a running commentary/dialogue that was approximately following the presentation and adding insights along the way. I thought everyone was very well behaved...was it because they were actively participating? Hmmmm. <br /><br />There were a dozen or so staff members that jumped in and I decided to post some of the comments and chat topics during the presentation.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://docs.google.com/EmbedSlideshow?docid=dfc7dxrn_192gxdr2jcd" frameborder="0" height="342" width="410"></iframe><div class="wackmsgtype_c wackmsg"><div style="padding-right: 10px;" id="68"><br /><ul style="font-style: italic;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Congress</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">has</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">it</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">'</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">s</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">own</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">youtube</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">channel</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">now</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">.</span><wbr></li></ul></div></div><ul style="font-style: italic;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">There is some research out there that argues wikipedia is more accurate than an encyclopedia...I read a study where a person made over 30 deliberate mistakes, and theywere all corrected within an hour</span> </li><li><div class="wackmsgtype_c wackmsg"><div style="padding-right: 10px;" id="84"><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> I</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">'</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">ve</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">been</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">using</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">Google</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">docs</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">to</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">get</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">my</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">ski</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">team</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">to</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">sign</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">in</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">for</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">races</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">.</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">It</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">'</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">s</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">pretty</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">cool</span><wbr></p></div></div></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">For our ALC team meeting notes, I type them in Google docs, and then we all have accessto them at all times - and can make additions, as necessary.</span> </li><li><div class="wackmsgtype_c wackmsg"><div style="padding-right: 10px;" id="194"><p><span style="font-size:85%;"> the</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">cool</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">thing</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">is</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">that</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">I</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">can</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">actually</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">edit</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">the</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">document</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">or</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">make</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">notes</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">right</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">on</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">theirs</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">as</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">they</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">type</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> they</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">like</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">that</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">immediate</span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><wbr><span style="font-size:85%;">response</span><wbr></p></div></div></li><li><div class="wackmsgtype_c wackmsg"><div style="padding-right: 10px;" id="194"><p><span style="font-size:85%;">google docs has a tool call revision history, too. So that if there was an innapropriateaddition to a document you can actually fetch back to the time before they added thatcontent and delete it.</span></p></div></div></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Sean and I used Google docs to write behavior contracts - we were both editing at the sametime. Worked perfectly.</span> </li></ul>bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198660526191855084.post-24296462608207882572009-01-07T17:44:00.000-08:002009-01-07T18:45:54.287-08:00Plate Tectonics...In Google Earth!<span style="font-style: italic;">Google Earth is the textbook!</span> It took a couple of classes but I finally figured out what to say to the students that were trying to figure out why we never seem to use a textbook while learning about new topics. For my most recent project the students used a customized KML file in Google Earth to explore the idea of Plate Tectonics. Students navigated different areas of the Earth to learn about the different plate boundaries and the landforms associated with them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SWVcsrEwkxI/AAAAAAAAEn4/DLHoKgmlNS4/s1600-h/Picture+3.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DkJLQa7BQKE/SWVcsrEwkxI/AAAAAAAAEn4/DLHoKgmlNS4/s400/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288735259963200274" border="0" /></a>Every region of the Earth is paragraph in the textbook. The Pacific Northwest - Cascade Mountain Range is a paragraph. Iceland and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a another paragraph and so is the Mariana Trench.<br /><br />All the placemarks that have been deliberately created are sentences (I created them in <a href="http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=68480">Google My Maps</a>). Every YouTube video, every image and every word is helping to tell the story and emphasize the main idea.<br /><br />Although I spent a lot of time putting the content together, I could finally sit back in (not really) in class and watch the students take it in at their own pace. If a student wanted more, we turned on the Wikipedia or volcano layer. If a student was struggling, we focused on the videos. Easy!<br /><br />This <span style="font-style: italic;">book</span> is different than the ones I never use in the class. It is dynamic. Almost every class period used different KML file because I would discover errors or glitches and correct them for next class. It is differentiated. The content can easily be adjusted based on the learner. It is also chalked full of media. I heard an <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99036156">NPR story</a> about curiosities at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and the next day students were watching relevant YouTube videos of the only liquid <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yClafvyuctQ">sulfur cauldron</a> this side of Jupiter. That wasn't known when my textbook was published. <br /><br />Just saying. Thoughts?<br /><br />Click <a href="http://science619.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-earth-plate-boundary-file.html">here</a> for the most recent version of the Plate Tectonics KML file.bfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06760014187008421531noreply@blogger.com1