The Media Centers at Morgan and Elda have a new edition! Mrs. Mueggenberg (Media Manager at Elda) and Mrs. Godbey (Media Manager at Morgan) decided to use a portion of the money they earned from the Book Fair to purchase wireless Mimios. They are the same concept as Smart Boards, however can turn any surface into an interactive space and are made by a different company. Smart Boards require the actual Smart Board (large, interactive white board) to work. A mimio uses a small device that is mounted on an existing wall or white board (dry erase board). The device sends a signal over the board or wall space and communicates with the computer being used with it. So, to make it less confusing it basically turns a dry erase board or wall into an interactive space and is used for similar purposes as a Smart Board. The Mimio has software that you install on your computer that consists of various tools and gallery items (similiar to Smart Board software). The gallery items provide hundreds of resources for educators that are all ready to go! There are shapes to be manipulated, money and change to be counted, fairy tales to read, maps to use, music staffs and notes; the list goes on! Many of the gallery items are interactive too!
Why a Mimio and not a Smart Board, you ask? Well, they are both great products but there are a few differences. One difference is price. Mimios are much less expensive then Smart Boards. Other reasons are portability and less equipment set up. The Mimio device is very small (about 2 feet long and 4 inches wide). It can be easily transported from room to room and can be used on any wall space or white board (dry erase board). Although the Media Center Mimios will live in the Media Centers and not travel, this is a great opportunity to check out new hardware and software to see if the concept could work for other classrooms in the future. There are a few small user differences between Mimios and Smart Boards once they are set up, however I think they will be easy to learn!
The Mimios will be a great teaching resource for the Media Centers. Mrs. Godbey and Mrs. Mueggenberg are currently learning how to use the new hardware and software. I know they are looking forward to introducing the new equipment into Media lessons for the students!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Technology Showcase-Elda Elementary
The April District Board meeting was held last night at Elda Elementary. There were many important topics covered during the evening, however my favorite presentation happened to be the 'Technology Showcase' for Elda Elementary. Mrs. Johnsen (Elda Principal) wanted to make sure that all of the fantastic technology integration happening throughout the building did not go unnoticed. So, I put a presentation together showcasing a sampling of the innovative ways our staff uses technology with students everyday. The actual presentation at the meeting consisted of the slide show, a demonstration of CCI/Pro-Ohio and some commentary from me! Our board members were asked to take a 3 question quiz from Pro-Ohio on 4th grade math using the clickers. They did great! It provided the perfect opportunity to explain how we use the clickers and Pro-Ohio software in the classrooms. Of course, no technology presentation would be complete with out its share of glitches. The laptop crashed part way through! The audience was very patient and we were up and running again in no time. That just goes to show that 'technical difficulties' can happen to anyone! Overall, the presentation was a success! The board seemed pleased with the information and as always, the Elda staff looked great!
The slide show will be uploaded and linked below for your viewing pleasure shortly. You might notice the theme of 'In their own words' as the show progresses. My idea was to get the information straight from the people who use it most; the teachers and students. Make sure you have the volume turned up on your computer. You won't want to miss the audio!
link coming soon!
The slide show will be uploaded and linked below for your viewing pleasure shortly. You might notice the theme of 'In their own words' as the show progresses. My idea was to get the information straight from the people who use it most; the teachers and students. Make sure you have the volume turned up on your computer. You won't want to miss the audio!
link coming soon!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Video Conferencing in the Classroom!
We held our second video conference in Mrs. York's room today! It was really neat! The class was able to see and speak with Dalton Chandler along with his mother and grandparents today. Dalton is unable to attend school at Elda right now and is currently in Children's Hospital. The Chandler's have worked with the tech staff at the hospital, Mrs. York, Mrs. Thomas and I (and several others) to get the equipment and connections set up for everything to work. It didn't take much to get our end at Elda set up since we have access to so much equipment. Here is how it worked:
First, Mrs. Chandler and I both set up accounts with Skype and loaded the software onto our computers. The Mac laptop I used has a built in web camera as well as a built in microphone. Add an internet connection and that is all either side needs! However, the PTO purchased Elda a 'Snowball' external microphone so it would pick up sound better and be a higher quality for us to communicate with. Mrs. Chandler had her PC laptop (does not have to be a laptop, desktops work too!) and purchased a web camera to use with it. Her computer did not have one built in, however it did have a microphone.
Step two: We coordinate the time when we will log in to Skype and start the call.
Step three: The students were able to see and speak with Dalton and he was able to do the same. We hooked the laptop at Elda up to a projector so the whole class could see Dalton.
This provided a great experience for Dalton and the rest of the students in Mrs. York's class. The students at Elda were exposed to new video conferencing technology and Dalton was able to listen in and interact with students during classroom activities! Skype is free video conferencing software and works with PCs and Macs. For more information about Skype and web cameras, check out the Skype web site below:
http://www.skype.com/
The site includes links to download Skype as well as links to accessories like webcams. Just click the 'Shop' button for the accessories.
First, Mrs. Chandler and I both set up accounts with Skype and loaded the software onto our computers. The Mac laptop I used has a built in web camera as well as a built in microphone. Add an internet connection and that is all either side needs! However, the PTO purchased Elda a 'Snowball' external microphone so it would pick up sound better and be a higher quality for us to communicate with. Mrs. Chandler had her PC laptop (does not have to be a laptop, desktops work too!) and purchased a web camera to use with it. Her computer did not have one built in, however it did have a microphone.
Step two: We coordinate the time when we will log in to Skype and start the call.
Step three: The students were able to see and speak with Dalton and he was able to do the same. We hooked the laptop at Elda up to a projector so the whole class could see Dalton.
This provided a great experience for Dalton and the rest of the students in Mrs. York's class. The students at Elda were exposed to new video conferencing technology and Dalton was able to listen in and interact with students during classroom activities! Skype is free video conferencing software and works with PCs and Macs. For more information about Skype and web cameras, check out the Skype web site below:
http://www.skype.com/
The site includes links to download Skype as well as links to accessories like webcams. Just click the 'Shop' button for the accessories.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Fine Art Show-Morgan Elementary
Morgan’s Fine Arts Show was held last night and it was wonderful! The students are so talented and creative! They have great leaders to show them the way. Jenna Rahrig (Art teacher) and Greg Thatcher (Music teacher) guided students to create fantastic art projects and an entertaining musical. The theme was dental hygeine, which was displayed through the musical and several sculputres throughout the building. It was obvious that Jenna and Greg put a lot of work into making the evening such a success and to show off all the talent at Morgan!
The art projects ranged from small to large sculptures, clay, oil pastels, watercolor, lego-mation movies and iExpress posters. Many of the projects were inspired by themes from famous artists and several incorporated a variety of technology. They utilized digital cameras with tri-pods and iMovie to create the videos. There were iExpress posters that were created with the Elmo and a digital camera. The students chose an activity or emotion (iSing, iPaint, iConfused etc). Digital pictures were taken of students portraying that action then projected with the Elmo and traced to be larger then life! The posters were inspired by the iPod commercials seen on TV. Even the clay sculptures utilized technology by being fired in a computerized kiln.
Visitors also had the opportunity to get their pictures taken with their faces as part of famous paintings! The Elmo was used to blow up pictures of famous paintings. The paintings were traced onto fabric and painted to look like the originals. The faces were cut out so people could put their own faces in the paintings instead!
The entire Fine Arts production showcased the great talent that runs through the halls of Morgan Elementary. Technology played an important role as well. It is always amazing to me how much technology can be incorporated into every subject!
The art projects ranged from small to large sculptures, clay, oil pastels, watercolor, lego-mation movies and iExpress posters. Many of the projects were inspired by themes from famous artists and several incorporated a variety of technology. They utilized digital cameras with tri-pods and iMovie to create the videos. There were iExpress posters that were created with the Elmo and a digital camera. The students chose an activity or emotion (iSing, iPaint, iConfused etc). Digital pictures were taken of students portraying that action then projected with the Elmo and traced to be larger then life! The posters were inspired by the iPod commercials seen on TV. Even the clay sculptures utilized technology by being fired in a computerized kiln.
Visitors also had the opportunity to get their pictures taken with their faces as part of famous paintings! The Elmo was used to blow up pictures of famous paintings. The paintings were traced onto fabric and painted to look like the originals. The faces were cut out so people could put their own faces in the paintings instead!
The entire Fine Arts production showcased the great talent that runs through the halls of Morgan Elementary. Technology played an important role as well. It is always amazing to me how much technology can be incorporated into every subject!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Google Earth-Studying Landforms
I worked with Mrs. Sester's class this week at Elda and used Google Earth with the Smart Board. The students loved it! We were studying landforms. Google Earth was a great application for this. We flew to many different areas in the world to look at islands, peninsulas, mountains, valleys, rivers and flood plains. It was really interesting to see all the different terrain across the earth! We flew to Nepal and checked out Mount Everest, Egypt and the Nile river, the Hawaiian Islands and the volcanoes, and Antarctica with the ice caps. We also looked at Florida as a peninsula, the Rocky mountains, and the ocean floor of the Atlantic along the United States coast. The students were really able to see where the ocean floor dropped off from the coast! We discussed underwater terrain and how it relates to terrain above water . Students gained map skills by looking at the differences of the topographic maps of mountains, rivers and plains. Students also were able to see an areal view of Ross as we flew over Elda!
The most interesting thing we found were the flood plains around the Nile river in Egypt. From high above you can see what looks like a huge river in the middle of the dessert. However, as you zoom in closer you can see where the actual river runs through and that the rest of the green area surrounding it is actually planting fields for crops. It illustrates how much water rivers provide to communities and sparked discussions about river flooding and why people tend to live near natural water sources. Everyone in the classroom learned something new that day and had a great experience utilizing technology for education!
If anyone is interested in working with me to provide a lesson using Google Earth to your class let me know! For more information about Google Earth, visit:
http://earth.google.com/
The most interesting thing we found were the flood plains around the Nile river in Egypt. From high above you can see what looks like a huge river in the middle of the dessert. However, as you zoom in closer you can see where the actual river runs through and that the rest of the green area surrounding it is actually planting fields for crops. It illustrates how much water rivers provide to communities and sparked discussions about river flooding and why people tend to live near natural water sources. Everyone in the classroom learned something new that day and had a great experience utilizing technology for education!
If anyone is interested in working with me to provide a lesson using Google Earth to your class let me know! For more information about Google Earth, visit:
http://earth.google.com/
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Art Show at Elda Elementary
The Art Show for Elda was last night. It was great! It was so exciting to see all the students showing parents and loved ones their work as well as the work of their classmates. All the projects were so creative! The sculptures throughout the building were all made from recycled materials. There were activity booths set up for students and parents to show off their art skills along with local artists showcasing their work. The local artists provided some great inspiration for our students and their work gave children an idea of how much creativity and art are flowing through the Ross community. There were also a few special performances from our own Elda students. The building was filled with talent!
Pat Kerr (Elda Art teacher) utilized countless materials and resources to teach the students and guide them on projects. Of course, technology played a role too! The art room is equipped with an Elmo (document camera), laptop and projector that Pat uses to show pictures from Art books, the internet and other materials she has to provide instruction and inspiration to students. There also student computers in the room providing art software, internet access and many other resources.
Pat wanted to show the parents how hard the students had worked on their masterpieces. She used a digital camera to snap pictures of all the students during the months spent preparing the art work and displays. She also used a digital video camera to capture footage of the sculptures being made and the lip sinking students practicing their performance. Both the video footage and digital pictures were on display during the show.
Both Elda and Morgan have Art shows every year to showcase student work and talent. This was another big success for Elda and I am sure Morgan will put on a fantastic show as well! Jenna Rahrig (Art teacher at Morgan) and Pat do a fantastic job working with the students and letting creativity flow! The Art Show for Morgan is scheduled for April 2 this year. I hope to see you there!
Pat Kerr (Elda Art teacher) utilized countless materials and resources to teach the students and guide them on projects. Of course, technology played a role too! The art room is equipped with an Elmo (document camera), laptop and projector that Pat uses to show pictures from Art books, the internet and other materials she has to provide instruction and inspiration to students. There also student computers in the room providing art software, internet access and many other resources.
Pat wanted to show the parents how hard the students had worked on their masterpieces. She used a digital camera to snap pictures of all the students during the months spent preparing the art work and displays. She also used a digital video camera to capture footage of the sculptures being made and the lip sinking students practicing their performance. Both the video footage and digital pictures were on display during the show.
Both Elda and Morgan have Art shows every year to showcase student work and talent. This was another big success for Elda and I am sure Morgan will put on a fantastic show as well! Jenna Rahrig (Art teacher at Morgan) and Pat do a fantastic job working with the students and letting creativity flow! The Art Show for Morgan is scheduled for April 2 this year. I hope to see you there!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Collaborate with Google Docs
After going to the Tele-Tech Tuesday video teleconference on March 3, I realized how great Google Docs can be! Basically, it is space to create and save files that you can access from any computer. I think of it like a giant, free flash drive that I don't have to carry around with me. Google will give you server space for free (space to save files) on the internet. So, it acts like email through Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc. You can log in and check your files from anywhere with internet access. Here are a few scenarios that I can see Google docs coming in handy for:
1. You have files on your teacher computer that you would really like to take home. You could email them to yourself as attachments but this can get tedious when you have several files. You could also save them on a flash drive. What if you don't have a flash drive? Or, what if you loose it? Google docs to the rescue! You just upload (with about 2 clicks) your documents to your internet space from school. Then, go home, log back in (just like you would email) to your space and voila! There are all your files! You can download them onto your home computer or just work on them right there in your internet space (Google Docs).
2. Think of the above scenario, but the other way around. You have documents at home that you want to bring to school. It works the same way!
3. Your class is working on a power point project in the Computer lab and you want to combine all the slides from each student into one presentation. Just upload the first student file to Google Docs. From there, you can import slides from each student's file directly into the main one. No more copy/pasting!
4. You have created a file that you want to use with your students. You realize how wonderful your work is and want to share it with other teachers from your grade level. If the other teachers have an account with Google Docs you can "share" your file directly with them. No more emailing attachments or worrying about a server at school. As soon as you share it that other teachers will see the document in their own Google Docs account. Things brings me to scenario 5.
5. You want to work with a few other teachers to create documents (slide shows, word documents, etc). The goal is for each person to do his/her part and put everything together to finish the project. Here is what to do: Have one person create the file and share it with the other teachers. From here, each person can log in from any computer with internet access and work on the file. When they save their changes the new version will show up in all the teachers' accounts! You will be able to immediately see what changes have been made.
Is your interest peaked yet? If so, check it out! Go to:
www.google.com
In the upper left hand corner it says:
Images, Maps, News, Video, Mail, More
Click on the 'More' link and click on 'Documents'. The site will walk you through setting up an account. If you have a blog spot, Google Calendar or Gmail account you can use the same username and password you have already created. If not, you set up a new account. If you have additional questions or want more information please let me know. I am happy to share everything I know, copy the handouts from the tele-conference for you and walk you through using Google Docs!
Have fun!
1. You have files on your teacher computer that you would really like to take home. You could email them to yourself as attachments but this can get tedious when you have several files. You could also save them on a flash drive. What if you don't have a flash drive? Or, what if you loose it? Google docs to the rescue! You just upload (with about 2 clicks) your documents to your internet space from school. Then, go home, log back in (just like you would email) to your space and voila! There are all your files! You can download them onto your home computer or just work on them right there in your internet space (Google Docs).
2. Think of the above scenario, but the other way around. You have documents at home that you want to bring to school. It works the same way!
3. Your class is working on a power point project in the Computer lab and you want to combine all the slides from each student into one presentation. Just upload the first student file to Google Docs. From there, you can import slides from each student's file directly into the main one. No more copy/pasting!
4. You have created a file that you want to use with your students. You realize how wonderful your work is and want to share it with other teachers from your grade level. If the other teachers have an account with Google Docs you can "share" your file directly with them. No more emailing attachments or worrying about a server at school. As soon as you share it that other teachers will see the document in their own Google Docs account. Things brings me to scenario 5.
5. You want to work with a few other teachers to create documents (slide shows, word documents, etc). The goal is for each person to do his/her part and put everything together to finish the project. Here is what to do: Have one person create the file and share it with the other teachers. From here, each person can log in from any computer with internet access and work on the file. When they save their changes the new version will show up in all the teachers' accounts! You will be able to immediately see what changes have been made.
Is your interest peaked yet? If so, check it out! Go to:
www.google.com
In the upper left hand corner it says:
Images, Maps, News, Video, Mail, More
Click on the 'More' link and click on 'Documents'. The site will walk you through setting up an account. If you have a blog spot, Google Calendar or Gmail account you can use the same username and password you have already created. If not, you set up a new account. If you have additional questions or want more information please let me know. I am happy to share everything I know, copy the handouts from the tele-conference for you and walk you through using Google Docs!
Have fun!
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