ChronoZoom into History

Chronozoom is a free tool developed by Microsoft to help put historical events into perspective. Try it out! 

 http://www.chronozoom.com

Make a fun Avatar with Picassohead < and many more>!

Avatar Laundry List!

Here are loads of graphic/avatar/image creation sites mixed in with a few Virtual Reality options! (Watch out- don't use these with your students until you preview them thoroughly... the sites can change often and the summary is simply my opinion and impression...)

 

Mr. Picassohead- Create  Picasso-like paintings and transform them into avatars.

http://www.bitstripsforschools.com has a free 30 day trial

Simpsons Avatar Maker- "Simpsonize yourself".

Weeworld- Looks like kid-type avatars in a virtual worldwith a few games.

Voki- Create an avatar, record your voice, and share-geared more towards a younger crowd.

Weblin- Create an avatar and use it to walk around your screen while you chat.

Avatar creator Meez http://www.meez.com/ - Create a 3D animated avatar for export directly to most web profiles, blogs, etc.

Second Life- Use this extremely popular virtual world to do just about anything, but first, you have to create your avatar. This site can have inappropriate areas that have nothing to do with school, but also has many useful instructional purposes. 

Mypictr- http://mypictr.com// Use any image and resize, crop, customize, and export it.

Mii Editor- Create your own "Mii", the avatars characteristic of the Nintendo Wii.

Gickr- Create an animated gif file by either uploading your own pictures.

Gravatar- Create an 80x80 pixel avatar by uploading an image which is then associated with your email address, appearing on Gravatar enabled websites and blogs without additional effort.

Zwinky-Zwinky Customize your personal cartoon avatar and share it across the web.

Digibody's Caricature Maker- Create your own caricature avatar.

Faketown- Looks like an old-school Atari video game world in which you're a citizen.

DoppelMe- Free, simple cartoon-style Avatars.

SitePal- For a cost, make a 3-D, animated avatar creation-this one reminds me of the fake pictures of tech support folks on international websites.

Gaia- Would be great for making your own Manga type Graphic Novel character.

imbee- changed to Fanlala- much more teenaged now.  (Imbee was a social network for young people which included an avatar creator featuring images of animals from the National Geographic Kids library.)

Kaneva- Make an avatar for a  virtual world.

Google Blogscoped-Sunset  Chat with others in this virtual, visual, chatroom.

MojiKan- This one is sort of bizarre- Makes 3D pet avatars.

Frenzoo- Site for girls and women...

and last but not least...

http://www.cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory/

MadMen Yourself http://www.amctv.com/madmenyourself/

Funny Wow http://www.funnywow.com

shorten it and QR it with goo.gl

URL shortener that tracks all the shortened urls you've ever made and it makes a qr code for you all at once- goo.gl... just type goo.gl in your web browser.

goo.gl

URL shortening is a technique on the World Wide Web in which a Uniform Resource Locator may be made substantially shorter in length and still direct to the required page.
 Wikipedia lists these reasons for shortening a URL-- note that some sites will not allow posting of a shortened URL...
"Other uses of URL shortening are to "beautify" a link, track clicks or disguise the underlying address. Although disguising of the underlying address may be desired for legitimate business or personal reasons, it is open to abuse and for this reason, some URL shortening service providers have found themselves on spam blacklists, because of the use of their redirect services by sites trying to bypass those very same blacklists. Some websites prevent short, redirected URLs from being posted."

Everything I know about rolling out a 1:1 iPad initiative. Post 7: Parent and Community Involvement

Everything I know about rolling out a 1:1 iPad initiative.

Post 7: Parent and Community Involvement

Initially, we wanted parents to have an opportunity to help out with the setup of the iPads for our initiative!

We invited them to come help out with unpacking and setup of our iPads.  It was a very exciting day for all of us!  We stationed our new locking carts in the media center and had the iPads delivered to the media center.

We have also continued to hold parent training sessions and opportunities for students to showcase their work through the iPads, and our Learning Management System has a great Parent component.  We're planning a day of Student-Led Conferences also, where students will explain to parents how they use their iPad for school.

Refer to the original post for all posts in this series.  The posts will be active links when they are available. 

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Everything I know about rolling out a 1:1 iPad initiative! Post 6: Training and App Selection

Everything I know about rolling out a 1:1 iPad initiative.

Post 6: Training and App Selection

We had a "Training and App Selection Team." Training and support is a critical need in the early stages of an iPad initiative.

Here are the apps we selected for our "boot camp"- an entire day of iPad training.

We also ability-grouped our attendees based on their honest responses to a skills index.  

Each group was named (we just used random colors) and name tags were the color of their group.

We met and distributed the training schedule, and were off on a day of learning and growing!  

We put together door prizes and had a drawing at the end of the day.  Each attendee received a nice new Stylus to keep.  We even provided pizza and salad for lunch.  It was a tremendous day of Professional Growth!

Here are the additional apps the team selected for the ipads:

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Refer to the original post for all posts in this series.  The posts will be active links when they are available. 

Post 5: Cases

Everything I know about rolling out a 1:1 iPad initiative.

Post 5: Cases

We had a "Case Committee."  Cases are critical to the life of the iPads.

We came up with several criteria we wanted to have in our cases, and prioritized the criteria.  We learned LOADS about case manufacturers, case availability, bulk purchasing, features, materials, and ease of setup.

Our ideas:

1. We wanted durability as top priority.  

2. We wanted protection on corners as a priority.

3. We wanted a kickstand/easel of some sort due to the lighting in classrooms and screen glare.

4. The cases had to be affordable.

5. The cases had to be available in our time frame.

6. The cases had to fit in our cart.

7. We preferred a consistent color, but could give this up if needed and wouldn't mind a variety of colors.

We narrowed it down to these four finalists and ordered samples of each.

Griffin survivor•    landscape in kickstand only
•    thicker
•    has plastic cover

Trident AEGIS
•    no kickstand
•    has plastic cover
•    soft plastic corners

Speck candy shell Wrap
•    separates easily - will break
•    corner protection not as good

Otterbox reflex
•    removable cover issue
•    kickstand breaks
•    kickstand on cover and awkward kickstand
•    good corner

iBlaison ArmorBox
•    less expensive
•    no plastic sheet cover

We went with the iBlaison.  However, we have recently noticed kickstands are breaking off with no negligence on the user's part.  We're working with the company on a solution.

Refer to the original post for all posts in this series.  The posts will be active links when they are available. 

Announcing the DENbrarian Book Selection for August: The Fault in Our Stars

Discovery’s DENbrarians are getting their YA “book on” every month!  Wanna join us?  We’re looking for 10 Media Specialists who would like to select the book for DENbrarian! In October, the lovely and talented Susan Gauthier from Louisiana will be our hostess.  Click here if you’d like to take over for a month!

DENbrarians- get out your Kleenex.  The DENbrarian selection for August is:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Here’s the Book Trailer   ….soon to be a major motion picture!


Summary from Amazon.com: “Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.”
Our Pinterest resource pinboard is ready.  Sign up to be a DENbrarian and you’ll be added soon as a “Pinner” ASAP!  Click here if you’d like to participate in gathering and sharing resources related to each month’s book selection, or  follow our main DENbrarian Pinterest Board which will contain archives of each month’s materials.
———————
Welcome to our book club- EVERYONE is invited! You do NOT have to be a Library Media Specialist to join this group- …you just have to love great Young Adult books!  We began in April with The One and Only Ivan, then we read Wonder in May.  June brought The Apothecary, and now July is The 5th Wave. All books selected will be in the upper elementary to middle grades range and our group will soon move to to online connections, Skyped author visits, virtual discussions, resource sharing, a student project showcase, and hangouts starting soon.

Sandi Dennis- Media and Instructional Technology Specialist- Lead Media Specialist, City Schools of Decatur, Georgia
If you’d like information about the Decatur Book Festival over Labor Day weekend or to volunteer- go here!  It is an amazing celebration of books and authors.

Link to entire post...

Read, Watch, Interact! Literacy Resources for Grades 5-8

PBS is offering an encore presentation of their wildly popular webinar Read, Watch, Interact! Literacy Resources for Grades 5-8. The webinar will take place on Monday, August 5, 2013 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EDT).

Co-hosted by PBS LearningMedia and AMLE (Association for Middle Level Education), the webinar ... will focus on adolescent literacy strategies and showcase Common Core-aligned resources from the Inspiring Middle School Literacy Collection.

Register here!  Space is limited so don't hesitate; a previous session of this webinar was oversubscribed. If you receive a message that registration is closed, please email carolyn_jacobs@wgbh.org to be placed on a waiting list and to receive the recording link.  Thank you and we look forward to having you join us!               Denise Olson PBS LearningMedia/WGBH Education

Looking for a virtual book club? Read, Share, Connect with DENbrarians

New DENbrarian YA selection for July will be announced tomorrow! We're going Sci-Fi this month! If you're interested in joining our virtual book club everyone is welcome! 

http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2013/06/01/announcing-the-denbrarian-selection-for-june/

We're planning author chats, Google Hangouts, and classroom connections starting in September, 2013. Stay connected by signing up on our Google form and we'll send you updates and details...and you'll be added as a collaborator on our Pinterest boards. Even if you just want a great book recommendation each month, please join us!
Happy Reading!

Socrative 101 by Rob Zdrojewski

Rob Zdrojewski from NY is the presenter--  http://www.robztraining.com/ has all the notes and links for this presentation (and others) from #iste2013.

Socrative for Schools Website http://www.socrative.com/schools

Disclaimer: 50 user limit- system made to handle 50 users. This usually is not a problem in a classroom but can be a problem in a larger setting.  

User Testimonial: Demo video from Rob’s classroom
View Rob’s Socrative workshop at Canisius
Overview of features
Teacher Sign Up procedure
Remember, no accounts needed for students

Login Options:
All Users: socrative.com (links at top)
Teachers (shortcut): t.socrative.com
Students (shortcut): m.socrative.com
Two Presentation Modes
On The Fly
Advantages: minimal to no preparation needed
Disadvantages: single questions, anonymous, no results recorded
Multiple choice example (Battle of Alamo slide)
True/False example (TX state capitol?)
Short Answer example, with voting option (favorite app slide)
Quiz Mode
Advantages: multiple questions, capture names, results recorded
Disadvantages: must be prepared in advance
Teacher Paced example (Digital Citizenship) SOC-1445500
Student Paced example (Math Quiz) SOC-1451212
Exit Ticket example (favorite feature slide)
“Space Race” example (Periodic Table)
 Analyzing Results (via email spreadsheet or download)

 Advanced Features- 

-->

Advanced Quiz Options
Select the boxes under the Start Quiz tab to activate these new features

* Randomize Answer Choices

Multiple choice answers will be displayed to students in a random order

* Disable Immediate Student Feedback
Students will not receive feedback when they answer a multiple choice question

New Reporting Options

Don’t want a report?  No problem, just select No Report .

Want to download your report?  Good idea, just select Download Report .

Like to have the report emailed to you? Sounds good, select Email Report .

Not done with the activity yet? Choose Cancel and resume the activity.

Reorder your questions when Editing a Quiz

When editing a quiz in Socrative, you can now change the order of the questions, delete unwanted questions, and add new questions.  To change the order, simply press the up or down arrow at the end of the question block.  Your questions will move accordingly.  It’s that simple.  Don’t forget to Save your changes!

Grey Out Short Answers responses

If you’re using the Short Answer feature and don’t want students to see all of the class generated responses, then click on the X at the end of the row, and it will grey out that selection.  

- See more at: http://www.socrative.com/garden/?p=774#sthash.VyUrOFO8.dpuf

 

Advanced Quiz Options
Select the boxes under the Start Quiz tab to activate these new features
* Randomize Answer Choices
Multiple choice answers will be displayed to students in a random order
* Disable Immediate Student Feedback
Students will not receive feedback when they answer a multiple choice question

New Reporting Options

Don’t want a report?  No problem, just select No Report .
Want to download your report?  Good idea, just select Download Report .
Like to have the report emailed to you? Sounds good, select Email Report .
Not done with the activity yet? Choose Cancel and resume the activity.


Reorder your questions when Editing a Quiz
When editing a quiz in Socrative, you can now change the order of the questions, delete unwanted questions, and add new questions.  To change the order, simply press the up or down arrow at the end of the question block.  Your questions will move accordingly.  It’s that simple.  Don’t forget to Save your changes!

Grey Out Short Answers responses

If you’re using the Short Answer feature and don’t want students to see all of the class generated responses, then click on the X at the end of the row, and it will grey out that selection.  This way you can narrow down student responses or remove unsavory comments.  Then press Vote and only the full colored responses will be eligible.
- See more at: http://www.socrative.com/garden/?p=774#sthash.VyUrOFO8.dpu

Advanced Quiz Options
Select the boxes under the Start Quiz tab to activate these new features
* Randomize Answer Choices
Multiple choice answers will be displayed to students in a random order
* Disable Immediate Student Feedback
Students will not receive feedback when they answer a multiple choice question

New Reporting Options

Don’t want a report?  No problem, just select No Report .
Want to download your report?  Good idea, just select Download Report .
Like to have the report emailed to you? Sounds good, select Email Report .
Not done with the activity yet? Choose Cancel and resume the activity.


Reorder your questions when Editing a Quiz
When editing a quiz in Socrative, you can now change the order of the questions, delete unwanted questions, and add new questions.  To change the order, simply press the up or down arrow at the end of the question block.  Your questions will move accordingly.  It’s that simple.  Don’t forget to Save your changes!

Grey Out Short Answers responses

If you’re using the Short Answer feature and don’t want students to see all of the class generated responses, then click on the X at the end of the row, and it will grey out that selection.  This way you can narrow down student responses or remove unsavory comments.  Then press Vote and only the full colored responses will be eligible.
- See more at: http://www.socrative.com/garden/?p=774#sthash.VyUrOFO8.dpuf

Advanced Quiz Options
Select the boxes under the Start Quiz tab to activate these new features
* Randomize Answer Choices
Multiple choice answers will be displayed to students in a random order
* Disable Immediate Student Feedback
Students will not receive feedback when they answer a multiple choice question

New Reporting Options

Don’t want a report?  No problem, just select No Report .
Want to download your report?  Good idea, just select Download Report .
Like to have the report emailed to you? Sounds good, select Email Report .
Not done with the activity yet? Choose Cancel and resume the activity.


Reorder your questions when Editing a Quiz
When editing a quiz in Socrative, you can now change the order of the questions, delete unwanted questions, and add new questions.  To change the order, simply press the up or down arrow at the end of the question block.  Your questions will move accordingly.  It’s that simple.  Don’t forget to Save your changes!

Grey Out Short Answers responses

If you’re using the Short Answer feature and don’t want students to see all of the class generated responses, then click on the X at the end of the row, and it will grey out that selection.  This way you can narrow down student responses or remove unsavory comments.  Then press Vote and only the full colored responses will be eligible.
- See more at: http://www.socrative.com/garden/?p=774#sthash.VyUrOFO8.dpuf

Customizing your room number
Sharing quizzes
Importing quizzes via excel templates
Integration with Edmodo apps
 Closing Quiz SOC-1446273