Julie


====It is critical to engage kids when they are young. Sadly, many major prisons use 3rd grade reading scores to determine how much space they will need down the road. This is because low literacy or illiteracy generally leads to limited life opportunities. ====

1)[|bookbuilder.cast.org]

 * ====Helps engage kids in books and increases comprehension ====
 * ====Great tool for differentiation ====
 * ====Includes "agents" which can be used to animate the text. Teachers can use agents to model strategies and prompt students to think about particular topics or parts of the story. ====
 * ====Be careful that animation supports the text of the book. If it doesn't, it can actually decrease students' comprehension of the text because they are distracted by it and it doesn't add to the content. ====

2) Web Strategy Tutor (on cast.org web site)

 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Includes a strategy tutor lesson database ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Can help kids monitor progress and improve their skills ====

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">PowerPoint

 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Use to have kids work on vocabulary or retelling of a story ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Teachers can create a template and have kids add text, pictures, and music to retell the story. They can also record their voice and make the characters talk to show emotion. ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Kids can also add an author's note to explain why they used the features they did on their PowerPoint. ====
 * ==== For vocab, they can define the words and add background, images, or sound to help define the vocab word. ====

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 * AirLiner (portable tablet)
 * Senteo (clickers)
 * SMART horizontal table (multi-touch:great for ages 3-8)
 * SMART Classroom Suite

Key points about 21st century learners and how to reach them in schools:
 * Many people worry about kids being "plugged in" when they use ipods, cell phones, etc. and think that it isolates them from friends and peers at school. If we really think about it, they are actually communicating and collaborating more with each other when they are "plugged in" than when they are silent reading a book, and this practice has been and still is widely accepted in schools.
 * Even as grown-ups, many people pay to be a part of an online gaming community. Technology is something that not only kids crave, but adults enjoy and crave too.
 * We should be teaching what is relative to the kids, not us!
 * Technology used as teaching tools offers immediate feedback, which is something we strive to give students as teachers.
 * As teachers, we need to understand what we don't know about new technologies and admit it to our students. Then take it one step further and let the kids teach you so you can reach and relate to them better. "Teach Lazy"
 * It is okay to problem-solve with the kids during a lesson. Something is bound to go wrong when using technology, and it is a good experience for both the teacher and students to problem-solve on the spot together.
 * A fun idea to get kids involved in SMART technologies in the schools is to have a SMART Kids Club where kids would meet once a month and learn to become leaders in their classrooms about the technology. They could then help other kids and even teachers problem-solve when issues arise in class.

Friday, Jan. 23 9:15-10:10 am
Emails: costellod@trinityprep.org & parkerg@trinityprep.org

What are clickers?


 * Clickers (student response systems) are handheld devices students use to interact with a lesson.
 * Students answer questions posed by the teacher by using the handheld clicker. Depending on the type, students can answer multiple choice, true/false, yes/no, numerical, or short answer questions.

Why use clickers?


 * They are a great instructional tool to help engage and increase the active participation of EVERY student during lessons for all subject areas.
 * Multi-sensory because teacher can read the questions so students hear and see the questions.
 * Gives the students immediate feedback about their responses and understanding of the material.
 * Helps the teacher better gauge students’ understanding of the material and adjust instruction (“fine tune” teaching).
 * Good preparation for standardized tests.
 * Portable devices and can easily be shared throughout a school.
 * Great for embedding questions in text, quizzes, games, and reviews.
 * You can actually do assessments on the clickers as well, and because the computer scores them, it saves the teacher time in correcting assessments in these formats.
 * You can print out results and use them for parent teacher conferences.
 * Kids can work at their own pace for assessments.
 * You can post the quizzes or reviews online so students can use them to review over and over before tests.
 * They come with engaging, preset games. You can adapt any lesson into a game very quickly and easily.
 * Make lessons fun!

Free site to use for cool graphics of words: http://wordle.net

Resources

• Bruff, Derek. Classroom Response System (“Clickers”). http://www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/resources/teaching_resources/technology/crs_biblio.htm. Retrieved October 28, 2008.

• Caldwell, Jane E. Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. http://www.lifescied.org/cgi/content/abstract/6/1/9. Retrieved October 28, 2008.

• Clicker ResourceGuide: An Instructors Guide to the Effective Use of Personal Response Systems (Clickers) in Teaching. [|http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/files/Clickers_Final_Version_04_08.pdf] Retrieved October 28, 2008.

• EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. (2005). Seven things you should know about clickers. Retrieved 28, 2008.

Friday, Jan. 23 10:35-11:30 am
Email: garrityp@stlucie.k12.fl.us The entire PowerPoint presentation will be posted on the FETC web site.

Ideas for computer labs: • Synchron Eyes: Program that controls the computers so students/staff cannot work when you don’t want them to. • Cup method: Students place a plastic cup upside down on top of their computer to show they need help in class. • Create cheat sheets for basic procedures like log-in or printing so kids know how to do these things. You can use Stikki Clips to hold cheat sheets for them on the side of the computer. • Fundraising: Check out www.fundingfactory.com • Have student experts: Nominate kids to be in charge of different tasks and then act as experts when someone has a question about that task (student or teacher). You might have experts on logging-in, saving, inserting pictures, burning CDs, printing, scanning, etc. • Use Open Office: Microsoft Suites can be expensive, and kids can and will learn the same skills using Open Office, which is a free version of the software. It is nearly identical and saves money. It also allows all kids to have access at home or at a public library if they don’t have access to Microsoft Office. Kids in today’s educational system are expected to have basic word processing and spreadsheet skills by middle school. • Great web sites: Starfall, BBC, Brainpop (Become a BrainPop Educator to receive more benefits for free!)

Friday, Jan. 23 12:30-1:25 pm
http://gamequarium.org : Handouts and resources available at this site

http://www.sqoolquarium.com : Comprehensive education search engine

http://sqooltools.com : Free Moodle-based classrooms

http://SqoolTube.com : A way to download videos and get around YouTube being blocked at school.

Questions to ask yourself to check when to incorporate technology:

1) Does the new media address an educational need, problem, or gap? Ex: Number Top-It Game 2) Would the use of the new media enhance students’ organization of information? Ex: BBC Web site-Data Picking Activity 3) Would the new media engage students in purposeful practice? Ex: Sum Sense Game 4) Does the new media provide frequent, timely, and constructive feedback? Ex: BBC Web site-Mean, Medium, and Mode Activity 5) Would the new media help learners selectively monitor, evaluate, and adjust their learning strategies? Ex: AAA Math Web site-Comparing Numbers Game 6) Would the new media help us as teachers differentiate instruction? Ex: Crack the Hacker’s Safe, Who’s Missing, Color Patterns

Other great games and resources: • BBC: Grids, Grid Game • Math-A-Rama (Educational Courseware) • Classzone • Rush Hour & Snow People and Sunflowers (Problem-Solving) • Test Taking Tips & Test Prep on the Net (Test Prep) • National Library of Virtual Manipulatives, NCTM, & Visual Fractions (Simulations and Visualization) • Tran Towers (Middle School) • Hot Shot Business (High School) • Power Lines (ELL & Fact Practice) • Calculator Chaos (ELL & Fact Practice)


 * Using games lowers the threat of failure and helps foster engagement.

Saturday, Jan. 24 12:30-1:25 pm
All 100 resources are listed on her site at http://Internet4Teachers.us

This web site is dedicated to teachers around the world who are looking for free resources on the Internet that will help enhance their teaching. New sites are added weekly, so check back often!

The site is very well organized and easy to navigate, as the links are organized by category to streamline your search, no matter what grade level or subject area you teach.