Day 2 @ TXDLA

Dimdim is a videoconferencing tool that has several uses. Some ideas include conferencing with parents who can not make it to the school or as an online afterschool tutorial. The way that I saw it being utilized was as an online afterschool math tutorial by Kiesha Taylor, a teacher for Aldine ISD. Many thanks to Mrs. Taylor who shared this information with us during her workshop. I love how she incorporated dimdim into Moodle.

A few things I picked up today.

Dimdim is free, but the free version does not allow you to record the session. Not happy about that, but if you do not want to record your session, then you're good. If you want to use dimdim and you also want to record your session, then you would have to use a screen capture tool such as ScreenToaster (also free) to record your session. The free version allows a teacher to have up to 20 students. Hope that makes sense.

The teacher will first sign up and create an account in DimDim. Students do not need to create an account. All they have to do is click on the join meeting button and then type in the teacher's username. Once they have located their teacher, the student can then type their own username and join the meeting.

Some other free tools.
Xtranormal
ToonDoo

Day 1 @ TXDLA

It was a long day, but we all learned so much. I will be listing some great videoconferencing sites. Some free, others come with a fee but very worth looking into. Some of the crew that came along, Caroline and Joann from Calallen. Also in the picture, Bert, Ron and Walter form Mathis.

Stacks...A Book Review Site for Kids

Stacks is an online book review site for kids created by Scholastic. It is set up like a blog. Many thanks to Kristi Nix who shared this site. I was in the Magee Computer Lab last Thursday while Mrs.Nix assisted her students. She did a great job guiding her students as they set up their profiles. The students were excited and really enjoyed creating their Avatars. They are now ready to start reviewing books and sharing that information with others. Take a look at Mrs. Nix's page.

Copy Right Use/Fair Use

Have you ever wondered what in the world can be fairly used from copyrighted material? What is a copyright and why do we have it? What is fair use, and well, it is really fair? Well, here is a great example of what is fair use of copyrighted material, talking about...well...copyrights!

Fair(y) Use

AVerPen...How Does It Work?

As I visit each campus to talk about the T3 List, there have many questions concerning the AVerPens. Rey and I have done our best to describe the features of these interactive devices. I understand how hard it is to picture something you have never seen nor used. If our description of these tools left you somewhat confused, I hope the following videos will give you a better understanding of the functionalities these pens possess.

Also, please make sure you have the updated price for the class set (1 teacher pen and 8 student pens) if you are ordering these pens. They are now $953.

Downloads: Views: 503

Downloads: Views: 256

iPhone/iPod Touch as an Instructional Tool

The iPhone/iPod Touch document from TCEA lists many apps (some free) that may be used in the classroom. There are many to choose from, and they are also catagorized by subject. I thought this would be beneficial to those of you who are contemplating an iPod Touch on your T3 list. This PDF from TCEA provides more detailed information. Parents can benefit from this information too, so please pass this on.

The 1st powerpoint below demonstrates how one school district, MISD, is utilizing iPods. This shool district presented at TCEA. The 2nd powerpoint offers some more examples. Hope this helps.

iPodTouch-TCEA

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iPhone/iPod Touch Education Presentation

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MathTools...A Math Forum for Teachers

Math Tools is a community library of technology tools, lessons, activities, and support materials for teaching and learning mathematics. There are many software tools, mostly free, together with reviews and discussions by teachers. Registration is free.

Below are some homework help websites to share with students and parents.
Encarta.com, AOL Step-by-step Math, Hotmath.com, Nutshellmath.com

T3 Collaborating Partners...Calallen & Odem/Edroy ISD

This past Saturday, both Calallen and Odem/Edroy ISD teachers came together to work on the Technology Applications TEKS. This team consisted of PK-2 teachers from both districts.

From Calallen, the East Primary teachers were Deanne McClure, Lori Vasquez, Kimberly Jones, and Emily Grimes. Also from Calallen, the Wood River teachers were Odilia Torrez, Dayla Hearon, Susie Cloud and Lauren Kiddy.

The teachers from Odem Elementary included, Lecretia Ann Witten, Yolanda Chapa, and Jena Hunter.

These teachers had the task of aligning the TA TEKS and adding specificity. They did a great job! It was great to work with such an awesome group of teachers! Thank you ladies for your time and effort!!!

Also included in the picture are Faye Stone from ESC2 and Gay Palmero from Odem/Edroy ISD.

 

Website Builder

I was asked by a colleague today about teacher websites. This prompted me to include a category of free website builders. A website is a great way to provide a static resource of information to your students and parents. This led me to do a little research and provide you with some sites that will allow you to build a great teacher site. You can link your blog (great for frequent updates) or wiki (excellent for collaboration) to your site.     

K-8 T3 Teachers

CISD K-8 teachers are attentively selecting technology tools for their classrooms. There have been many questions, which is a good thing. Rey and I are here to help. We will do our best to answer all your questions.   

As you make your choices about the technology tools you would like for your classroom, please keep in mind that you will be required to describe how it will help you enhance your teaching and student acheivement...make the lessons more effective or efficient. Tell why and how you will use the technology in your classroom. (Make a detailed outline of how you will use the equipment selected.) This should all be included in you teacher plan.

This is a classroom technology integration project.   

T3 & Teacher Wish Lists

Things are moving along here in Calallen and teachers have started to prepare their technology wish lists.

As part of the T3 Grant initiatives, K – 8 teachers are given approximately $1,000.00 to spend on technology resources for the classroom to increase 21st Century learning skills and accelerate student achievement. The list of technology resources to purchase for your classroom is found in the district’s new online Moodle platform, called “Student Portal”. Instructions on accessing the list and creating your classroom technology plan have been emailed to all CISD K-8 teachers. Please contact Rey or Rebecca if you need any help.

Google for Educators

If you have not already explored Google for Educators, you are missing out.
Take a look at lessons that were submitted by teachers by clicking here. You can choose by product, subject and grade. These are lessons using google apps. There are even posters that you can download and print for your classrooms.

Target Tech in Texas (T3) Grant

The T3 Grant will fund movement towards 21st century classroom as envisioned by the Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020. The grant strives for more media rich and project based learning to promote critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and career rediness. Calallen ISD and Odem/Edroy ISD will be provided with grant money. These funds will provide current and innovative technology to teachers and students so schools can focus on improving both teaching and learning.

Calallen ISD has partnered with Odem/Edroy ISD in a collaborative effort to identify common needs, goals and resolutions in K-8 and to create a broader participation within the community as we move towards 21st Century classrooms. We are excited to have this grant and the many opportunities it is providing our teachers and students with.

WallWisher

Who's Out There?

So at this moment, I know that someone in Sheppard, Texas is viewing this blog. Are you an educator? Did you find anything useful? Is there anything that I can do to make this blog better? I just started blogging this past December. In the past, I only participated on various blogs, but never started one of my own. So, constructive criticism is always welcome.

CSCOPE Parent Portal

C-SCOPE now has a parent portal. Please refer parents to this website. Parents can find out what is being taught by grade level and subject. There are also other resources to that allow parents to support student learning at home. They can even sign-up for the newsletter. Click here to find out more.

Design a Cool Website Contest

Design a Cool Website is a contest just for high school students and sponsored by Microsoft, NASA, TBEC, and the State of Texas. The registration deadline is Feb. 24, 2010 and the submission deadline is Mar. 25, 2010. Students can win cash and prizes. NASA-Johnson Space Center in Houston will host the winning teams to honor their accomplishments. Email me for more information.

Technology Applications Teacher Network

Technology Applications Teacher Network is another resource that was mentioned to me at TCEA. I just went to the website and signed up. TATN was put together as a collaborative effort between TEA and several Texas Education Service Centers in hope of provideing teachers with resources to implement TA TEKS in grades K-12. There are technology infused lesson plans for every grade level. I am just
getting familiar with this site so I will research it and get back with you all.

I need to get more information about this, but from what I understand TATN pays $400 for a 30 minute presentation at conferences such as TCEA. These presentations are of course on the topic of technology in the classroom. I will try to find out more. If anyone out there is familiar with this, please share with us. Thanks!

Day 5 at TCEA

Well, as you can see, this post is a little late. The last day at TCEA was a bit exhausting, but I am so glad that I was able to attend. I came home with an abundance of knowledge and technology tools that I will be sharing with you. There were so many great presenters that I had the opportunity to listen to and many more that I wish I could have heard. TCEA put together a great conference and it is my hope to bring along some teachers next year.

I also have to thank Rey and Bryan for putting up with me and attending the Avermedia presentation on the last day. I figured the more people we had there, the better our chances would be in winning the new document camera and a class set of Aver pens. Instead, some lucky librarian won the package. Oh well...maybe Avermedia will read this post and donate a set to us!

See you all on Monday!

Day 4 at TCEA

Four down, only one day to go. I awoke to lots of rain this morning. I had to wake up extra early to make it on time for Geocaching. I volunteered to help out with Geocaching. The nice lady at the volunteer booth pointed me to where I needed to be. When I arrived, the presenter told me it was canceled and that I was not needed. You can imagine what was going through my mind. Oh well, I had a back up plan of course. I was on my way to attend the Engaged Mathematics session only to find out that the presenter for that session was late. So I sat down patiently and decided to go over my daily schedule. A few minutes later, a TCEA rep walks in apologizing for the delay and assures us all that the presenter was on their way. Well, the presenter's manager shows up instead, aplogizes again, and informs us that his presenter would not be coming, therefore there will be no Engaged Mathematics session. What luck!!! FYI...the presenter was from eInstruction. I asked for a Mobi to make up for this, but I got a t-shirt instead. I tried!!!

I am happy to say that the rest of the day went pretty well. I learned so much, and I can't wait to bring all that back to you all. I have one more day to go.

Oh, and the cart I told my mother I would never use, but brought anyway just to please her, was put to good use by me today . Yes, I was all over the convention center rolling around a little black cart that was overflowing with lots of stuff. More free pens! I will not tell her that I used it because that would mean admitting she was right and I was sooo wrong. I miss my family and I am ready to go back home.