Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.
Robert A. Heinlein
Students can now register for the global online Google Science Fair for 2015 using the following link: https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/ Check out the video below for more information.
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"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." Of course, there are many ways to measure time. There are clocks in most every classroom and they remain a widely used resource for time management. Teachers also use timers. From the traditional egg timer to a cell phone app timer, timers are often used in today's classrooms. They help us manage our time and provide audio alerts to the end of an activity. There's something about an audio alert that makes it seem like much more of a hard and official deadline when it sounds.
I've been asked several times recently about online timers so I've decided to share some with you. Perhaps the easiest timer to use is to simply go to Google and type in "set timer to" and then enter a value such as 1 min. Go ahead, try it. Did you notice the visual representation of the time in both a number countdown and the blue bar going across the screen? Pretty cool, right? My old faithful timer was always online-stopwatch.com You can choose between a countdown timer or a stopwatch at the top. I've found that many people have discovered this site by now. What I've also noticed is that people don't always know about all of the other timers the site has to offer. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you'll see a variety of other timers. You may even find your new go to timer. Just be careful not to click on their ads along the way. Another place to get a free timer is at classtools.net They have a timer that works with various pieces of music and soundtracks. Click here for the direct link. From James Bond to the Pink Panther they have a nice variety of choices. These timers can provide a nice break from "the norm". If you'd like multiple timers running at the same time in the same tab or window I'd suggest http://online-eggtimer.com. It's another easy-to-use and free timer. Lastly, for those of you who use Smart Notebook there are timers built into the gallery. Just search for "timer" and they will come up. Have you used any of these? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments. Also, if there's a timer out there that you're using and I missed please let us know about it. The Greater Capital Region Teacher Center has many upcoming pd opportunities for teachers this spring. Check out the offerings in the .pdf below and register for something outside of the district's offerings for a change. It's a great way to meet and network with new people. You'll learn a lot too! Check out their entire website at the following link: http://www.teachers-center.org/
Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence. At its core, the Teaching Channel is a service that hosts a free resource bank of teacher practice focused videos as well as a platform for teachers to connect with one-another and discuss best practices and strategies.
The Teaching Channel's video library is free to access, easy-to-use, searchable by a number of filters, and features high-quality, focused videos. The videos are usually short and feature teachers modeling strategies in classrooms with students. The idea of teachers learning from each other is at the core of their beliefs and they have set up a structure to enable that. The format also empowers teachers to take charge of their own professional learning and growth. Once teachers have set up their free account, they are able to engage in discussions around specific videos and strategies. Teachers are also able to connect with others who have similar interests or are facing similar challenges. The video below gives an idea of what the Teaching Channel has to offer. Click on the logo next to the video to visit the Teaching Channel and take a look around. If you find a video you like please add it to the comments for this blog. Thank you! Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to community. At its core, Share My Lesson is a free, easy-to-use service that allows teachers to connect with resources and other professionals.
AFT's Share My Lesson hosts an impressive searchable bank of lesson plans and associated documents and files (currently 293,007). The lessons are rated by users and comments can be left about the lesson and its implementation. There is a community aspect which allows users to follow other users and participate in forums as well as a section dedicated to Common Core implementation with standards aligned resources. It's a "by teachers, for teachers" type of service and it's definitely worth checking out. You can learn more by watching the video below or clicking on the logo to go directly to the site. Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. Would you like the ability to access your school documents and software titles from anywhere, anytime and on any device? The LaunchPad by ClassLink will allow you to do all of the above and the Albany City School District is pleased to provide it to you for the 2014-2015 academic year. At its core, the LaunchPad provides a cloud-based desktop allowing users to access their district network drive and a number of software titles including the Microsoft Office Suite and Smart Notebook 11. It also provides visual bookmarks for easy access to commonly used websites, and the ability to manage a class online and share resources with students. For log in information, please consult the following document. If you would like to print it, please click here. "A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning." As we cross over the midway point of Connected Educator's Month, I'd like to remind you of an opportunity to connect with other educators live and in person. Edcamp Upstate NY is taking place in Queensbury, NY on October 25, and there is still time to register. At its core, Edcamp is a ground up professional day of learning that is often referred to as an unconference. There are no formal presentations, keynotes, etc. I had the opportunity to participate in a mini-edcamp with Kristen Swanson, the chair of the Edcamp Foundation and it was incredible. If you're intrinsically motivated to learn and develop as a professional this model is for you. Typically, the schedule is built live based on the items participants are knowledgeable about and what they want to know more about. This can be done using a physical board, or in the case of the Edcamp I attended, using Google Docs. For the sessions I attended, we moved to a physical space and navigated on our wireless devices to a cloud-based note-taking page that was shared with everyone else in the session and also linked back to the schedule. The sessions were driven by discussions between professionals seeking to learn from one another and improve their practice. The discussions were thought provoking, informative and participation was encouraged. By the end of the final sessions, the notes from all sessions were accessible via the online schedule. We then had a "smackdown" in the larger group in which people had a minute or less to speak about something that really works for them. It was an incredible experience and I learned a lot. The video below is from a different Edcamp, but I think you'll see why they are so powerful. We already have several Albany educators attending the Queensbury event and I sincerely hope that you'll consider joining us. It's a free opportunity to learn and connect with other professionals. Please leave a comment below or send me an email if you'll be attending. It would be nice to meet up with everyone at some point during the day. You can register for free at the following link: http://edcampuny.com/get-tickets-here/
"All is connected... no one thing can change by itself." It's the first day of Connected Educator month and it's a great time to start getting connected. For those of you who already have Professional Learning Networks, it's a time to work on expanding them and to help others see the value of becoming connected. This link will take you to the Connected Educator website so you can learn more about Connected Educator month and some of the planned activities. I invite you to download the starter kit below and try out Day 1's activity. It's basically a short reading on what a connected educator is and why it's important to build a Professional Learning Network. There's also a video by Will Richardson about the power of using connections to transform education that's worth watching. I look forward to helping you get connected this month!
"The Internet, like the steam engine, is a technological breakthrough that changed the world." It's not a new idea to use proper nouns as verbs. You've probably already googled something today. In that spirit, we weebly.
We weebly because Weebly is a powerful, easy-to-use tool for building websites. It's a service that I recommend with-out resevation because of the overwhelmingly positive feedback I receive. In the rare instances that it's not embraced it's usually due to the fact that a class website isn't what was needed to meet a teacher's objectives. It's not because of a shortcoming on Weebly's end. At its core, Weebly is a template-based website creator that allows users to easily create a website with text, pictures, slideshows, videos, documents and more. It allows users to create pages, customize the menu layout, create buttons that link directly to other sites, connect with social media, maintain a blog, and embed objects such as Quizlet flashcards, Youtube videos, or documents. Weebly does an excellent job of balancing ease of use with the ability to customize a website. They have an education version which allows teachers to set up student accounts that can be managed by the teacher. They have an excellent support section and maintain a blog of their own. Weebly does have a paid version, but the free side is robust enough to meet most teachers' needs. This site is a Weebly site, and the links below will take you to other Weebly sites created and maintained by members of the Albany City School District. The Weebly logo below will take you to the education sign up page for Weebly so you can get started. Check out these sites and you'll see why we weebly! http://mrsswierzewski.weebly.com/ http://www.msfeltsclass.com/ http://ahsmrsbrown.weebly.com/ http://scasano.weebly.com/ http://mrsspadolamath.weebly.com/ http://mathwithmrserickson.weebly.com/ http://schuylerachievementacademy.weebly.com/ http://giffenmemorialelementaryschool.weebly.com/ "Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow." Quizlet has been a long-time recommendation of mine and I continue to point people to it on a regular basis. At its core, it allows people to create flash cards that can be studied on a computer, a mobile device through their app, or in a physical form by printing them out. Beyond those things, it automatically creates games and quizzes with the terms and definitions you enter and it allows you to copy and modify the terms and definitions of other users. This means that if the terms and definitions you need have already been created by another user there is no need to enter them again. Simply copy them to your account, modify if necessary, and share them with your students.
The user community is a very powerful aspect of Quizlet. The terms and definitions from many popular textbooks are likely to be done and waiting for you. The same applies for many standardized tests. The ability to copy and modify flash card sets will save you time in addition to providing a powerful resource to your students. Quizlet also gives you some management tools such as the ability to create folders and embed flash cards and games on your own website, wiki, or blog. What makes Quizlet awesome is that everything that's been mentioned in this post can be accomplished easily and for free! Quizlet does offer a couple of paid options including a teacher account that allows you to progress monitor, add your own voice, and add pictures. You can upgrade a free account to a teacher account at any time. Quizlet remains a top recommendation. |
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December 2015
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