LaLAMP 2013 - Tech It Out presentation - Please leave any comments/feedback.

It is LLA Time...no...it is Peanut Butter and Jelly Time

It’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Time! Web Tools That Grab Attention and Infuse Energy into Classrooms Why are our students mesmerized by crazy videos, commercials or songs? Do you ever feel like you need some creative technologies to help excite your students? This session will demonstrate how you can implement new and interesting tools into your existing lessons to motivate your students. This is the post of my presentation for LLA. I hope everyone enjoyed the session and remember to have fun with the tools.

I WANT my MTV!

SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: This post contains links to songs from the 80s so listening may result in Dancing With Myself (Billy Idol)

Remember the first time you saw Michael Jackson dance in “Thriller“? The 80s decade was ruled by music and for music junkies like myself it was Just like Heaven (The Cure). There were so many personal styles and granted we looked like a box of crayons just exploded on us and more was more (oh yeah…I am talking shoulder pads) but the one constant for a teen in the 80s was MTV music videos. I miss those great videos especially the statuesque women in short black dresses, jet black hairdos and red lips featured in Addicted to Love (Robert Palmer). They totally grabbed my attention so why couldn’t it do the same for the student in your classroom. Were we really that different from today’s student?

This was a Cruel Summer (Bananarama) with heat but Things Can Only Get Better (Howard Jones) if you attended the Discovery Education Network Summer Institute. I was there in Bozeman, Montana and I was reminded of those fun videos when Wes Fryer’s daughter demoed an app Called Video Star. She changed transitions while lip syncing Call Me Maybe. That is when it hit me like in Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)….why couldn’t this be brought into the classroom with curriculum songs. Then someone did Send Me an Angel (Real Life) who had created fun educational songs …Lodge McCammon. His songs share concepts and even vocabulary. I am still singing 2 over 10 = x over 5 from the song I downloaded. Lodge provides the lyrics and even an explanation for the songs.

I created my own MathTV video. So What You Need (INXS)….a song, a teacher (or it could be some students), and the app.
Song: I downloaded The song “Line Up” from the Discovery Education site (search for songs) and when I downloaded it from the site it went directly into my iTunes. I synced my iPad and pulled the song into the app from my songs on the iPad. You could also download music from his website http://www.iamlodge.com/ .
Teacher: Now you are probably saying People Are People (Depeche Mode) but I had to find a teacher who would be willing to be the STAR of my video and who would not be Too Shy (Kajagoogoo). Her name was not Rio (Duran Duran) but Ms. Kaiser – 6th grade math teacher. Her teacher superpower is her enthusiasm.
App: I downloaded the Video Star App at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/video-star/id438596432?mt=8. There is a share feature that will allow you to email the video (.mov file) or send it directly to YouTube when you are finished.

You have everything you need…you can create a fun video with rock stars like this one starring Ms. Kaiser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42xRfK_bfkw. The students will love it and this FREE app may just become an Obsession (Animotion)!

Now… it is your turn. Are you Hungry Like a Wolf (Duran Duran) to try this? What would you use for a music video? What do you think about Lodge’s site? Share your ideas or teacher/student videos.

Technology Slam Scheduled in West Baton Rouge

Will be be in the West Baton Rouge area this Saturday? Looking for some great technology ideas, activities or just want to hang out with some awesome educators then you must attend the

REGION II TECHNOLOGY SLAM
Come ready to share ideas as we “slam” on our favorite technology topics.
Saturday March 9, 2013 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Port Allen High School 3553
Rosedale Road Port Allen, LA 70767

Spend the day gathering and sharing ideas with your fellow technology educators. During the variety of sessions, participants will “slam” about various activities and ideas for incorporating technology in the common core classroom. Topics will include interactive white boards, Web 2.0, QR codes, iPad apps, student presentation tools, PBL, student publication tools, blogging, digital story telling, Google tools, Edmodo, STEM, Robotics, Videos in the classroom, and a whole lot more.

COST: $10.00 (includes jambalaya lunch)
Make Checks Payable to : West Baton Rouge Parish Schools
Mail to: West Baton Rouge Parish Schools
Attn: Tammy Seneca
3761 Rosedale Avenue
Port Allen, LA 70767

REGISTER @ http://tinyurl.com/techslam2013-B

Hosted by the WBR Tech Dept and Region II LACUE

AASL presentation

Hey There  Arkansas friends!
I have been so busy since I left the conference and I am only in my third week of school. I have uploaded the presentation here https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bz-9vMD6n4hRMG01REFER2dYcjg and everything is linked except the manga presentation and I'll have to upload that differently since it has sound. I hope everyone has a great school year and you will consider my invitation to join me in a webinar this week to introduce you to the Intel Engage community. I will be online this Thursday (8/16/12) at 6 pm CST. Register here https://engageteachers.adobeconnect.com/_a816142044/e17mp3er8nf/event/event_info.html

Have You Ever Been In Love?

Digital Learning Day might be a kick-off to the month of February but when I think of this month I always picture big red hearts. I consider this month the time of love, chocolate, lacy doilies, valentines and online tools. You might be wondering if online tools are online dating sites but NOT in this case because I am actually referring to online teaching resources. You are now thinking that I am bitter from a broken heart and looking for love in all the wrong places (yeah…it is a song but it is a really good one). I am here to tell you that I define love as a sense or feeling of never being let down, always being accessible and most importantly someone that makes me look good. I have found that and more in the Intel Thinking Tools http://www.intel.com/about/corporateresponsibility/education/k12/tools.htm.

I like all the tools but I am in love with the Visual Ranking Tool. I think if it were on an online dating site then its profile would look something like this…
Screen Name: VisualRanking4U
Tag line: The right educational tool looking for the right teacher
About me and who I am looking for: I am looking for someone who thinks for themselves, but not for everyone around them. Someone who is willing to drag and drop and comment when necessary or appropriate. My mate must love innovative ways to integrate technology into the curriculum or at least willing to give it a try.
Favorite Things: Ranking (of course), Commenting, Ordering, Prioritizing
Favorite Hot Spots: Classrooms across the World, Intel Teach website (http://www.intel.com/about/corporateresponsibility/education/k12/tools.htm), Engage site (http://engage.intel.com)

I have used Visual Ranking the most with students since it is the easiest to implement. I love the ability to create an activity on the fly. My last lesson with using the tool….hmmm…my students had 3 locations to research in a studies skills class. They had to find the best place for a summer vacation without using Google and then rank the locations from the best location to the worst with the Intel tool. They created comments on the first and last decision to compare with other groups after their research was complete. The tool provided a great venue for the students to voice their findings online in an organized fashion.

The Challenge:
Try a demo of the Visual Ranking Tool http://educate.intel.com/workspace/tryit/VRTryIt.aspx?LID=en Need any help then visit http://educate.intel.com/en/ThinkingTools/VisualRanking/VR_StudentHelp.htm How could you use this tool in your classroom? Do you see this tool as a supplement to verbal student decisions?

Screenchomp!

I am currently working on stories of cells with a science teacher. We decided to use screenchomp http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/screenchomp/id442415881?mt=8 because of its simplicity and we have a cart of ipads. The students are going to use an image and then write on the pic and narrate their stories. I will share an example of the final product when we are done. Any other ideas of how you could use screenchomp or the similar jing http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html?gclid=CPzmmOfT5K0CFWnatgodExIzYQ as a storyteller?