Did You Know?
By Betsie Clary – Principal, South Morrison Elementary
We have had an invaluable year of teaching and learning. We have learned so much about technology, web 2.0 tools, and 21st century instruction. A sharing tool that we have found to be priceless in our learning community is the “Did you Know?” quick share. It is our hope that our learning becomes one for you. If you have any new tools or techniques that you have used, please feel free to share them with us!
Did you know?
Share a quick tip, website, tool, or troubleshooting tip that you have found useful in your classroom. We all have a lot of knowledge to share. We are including examples below.
Did you know that Donors Choose is a great site to post projects that you are hoping to find funding for? Submit a project with a lower price total to have a better chance at quick funding.
Did you know that if you are using student laptops and they will not connect to the NNPS network, you can try wiring in laptops with an ethernet cable and restarting the computer while plugged in.
Did you know that there are social networks that are geared for teachers? Twitter, for example, can connect teachers to a learning network. This wiki helps teachers to get familiar with Twitter. Plurk is another online social network. Teachers have collaborated to create this wiki. Good teachers are always looking for new and different ways to teach content and we can learn so much from others.
Did you know that you can subscribe to blogs so you can stay connected? Here is favorite of ours.
Did you know that there are great tech tools to teach vocabulary? This is a great tool to use on the Smart board. Students can learn parts of speech, synonyms, antonyms and meanings.
Did you know that the National Zoo has live animal webcams? This is a great way to take a “nature walk” in your own classroom.
So do you have a “Did You Know?” too? Post it below!
May 21st, 2009 at 7:13 am
Did you know that National Geographic has some great interactive map games? http://mywonderfulworld.org/toolsforadventure/games/
May 21st, 2009 at 7:36 am
Did you know that we all have Polycom’s in our school ,yet we very rarely use them for instruction ?
May 21st, 2009 at 7:48 am
Did you know that you can teach an old dog new tricks? Thanks to Diane Fones and Paul Lawrence at Epes.
May 21st, 2009 at 8:05 am
Thanks, Betsy, for all the tips in your blog! I agree with Alice about the expertise of Paul Lawrence, whom we at Achievable Dream share with Epps. He has set up a variety of teleconferences using the polycom. Our sixth grade students travel weekly to Canada and New York via these classroom conferences. This new technology makes teaching and learning exciting for both teachers and students.
May 21st, 2009 at 8:22 am
I’m a retired teacher, but I am thrilled about the National Zoo web cams just for my own personal enjoyment. I’ve just been to the site and bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks.
May 21st, 2009 at 8:24 am
Did you know that PALS has an online wizard that eliminates almost all of the need for sonsumable materials, as well as the need to enter scores after testing? It gives you instant results for instruction and for grouping.
May 21st, 2009 at 8:42 am
Thanks to Alice and Syd for your kind words. Did you know that you can connect with teachers from around the world and set up your own free video conferences at CAPSpace? Here is a link. http://projects.twice.cc/?
May 21st, 2009 at 10:10 am
Did you know that if you scroll over the text you will find the hidden links to the sites that were mentioned in the blog? My favortie site for math is http://www.mathplayground.com. Students can enjoy games and videos that teach and review math concepts.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:16 am
Did you know that you can import all of your internet bookmarks to a Social Bookmarking site like “Delicious.com” (I know the name is ridiculous). This way you’ll never have to worry about which computer you saved that link on, or which browser you were using at the time- your bookmarks are on your online account, no matter what computer you’re on! Even better, when you tag a website that someone else has tagged, you can see how many other people have tagged that website, and what other websites they have tagged! Social Bookmarking at it’s finest- having others help you search the web for the information you need! If you want an example, you can check out my account at:
http://delicious.com/bonnie.adams
May 21st, 2009 at 11:42 am
Instead of writing journal entries in a composition book, I have my German IV students submitting their entries via blogging. I post the question in German at the beginning of the week and start off the process by answering it myself. As I receive my students’ responses, I send them an email indicating that I have received their blog. I allow one week for the assignment in case someone does not have a computer at home. Not only do the students prefer using the computer for this assignment, but I find I am concentrating more on the content because I am reading the entry on my computer screen and not reading the entry on a sheet of paper with pen in hand!
May 21st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Did you know that there is a sight called http://www.onetruemedia.com where you can import pictures and videos to share with others (staff or parents). It is a very quick way to display work and it looks like you took hours on it!
May 21st, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Thanks Betsy. It has been wonderful to grow technologically as adults. The best part is that as our skills increase, our students comfort with technology pushes us to the next level. Way to go, students of the 21st century.
May 21st, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Did you know that… grade level teams can post their lessons, plans, and smsrtboard activities on thier school sharepoint site and it is great for collaboration and utilizing their best practices.