Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Using Pictures to Ignite Learning and Discussions


Using Pictures to Ignite Learning
Donna Criswell · Aug 2nd, 2011
posted by Christine Cote…



I attended a training session on the use of PQARs and am excited to try this practice in a classroom.
What is a PQAR? PQAR stands for Picture Question Answer Response. Imagine showing an image
to your class of Neil Armstrong and asking them what they can tell you about the photo. After some
discussion you show them a picture of Elvis Presley and again ask them what they can tell you about
it. You may now show them a photo of Albert Einstein and again have a discussion about the photo.
What do these people/events have in common? Did you put together a connection? PQARs can spark
connections for students as well as help teachers gain an assessment of prior knowledge. The example I just presented could be used as an introduction to a unit on Pioneers. Each photo represented a pioneer in their own field. Pictures can promote critical thinking skills as well as logic and reasoning. It has also opened the door for peer collaboration and communication.

The images available through Discovery Education can be a great addition for lesson starters. Or
perhaps you want to tie in a video to your curriculum. Another resource for PQAR resources is the
American Memory website at the Library of Congress. It is a dynamic approach and can engage the
students. Why not give it a try?

Posted by Christine Cote

Monday, July 11, 2011

Concurrent Sessions- DEN Summer 2011

Steve Dembo    iThink iNeed iPads in the Classroom    University Center Forum A/B    Sure, they're bright and shiny, but are they really learning devices? We'll take a close look at exactly how these technologies are being leveraged in the classroom and what the best apps are for educational purposes.

Cynthia M Brown    Digital Storytelling 2.0 with Discovery Education    UC 128    Storytelling can be used to frame learning, scaffold content and enable students to imagine new perspectives. Join us as we uncover creative ways Discovery Education media and web 2.0 applications like Jay Cut, Photo Peach, and Voice Thread can be harnessed by students to place facts in a meaningful context through the publishing of creative media-rich digital stories.  Participants will learn how to create, manage, and assess digital storytelling experiences in their classroom.  
Kyle Schutt    Checking for Understanding in a Digital World    UC 104    Save time and effort, avoid frustration, and motivate students by leveraging the power of formative assessment in your classroom.  After all, research shows that when teachers understand formative assessment processes and students participate in them, BOTH achievement and motivation increase.  In this session we'll learn how digital tools are blurring the lines between assessment and instruction by focusing on learning.  We'll take a look at a suite of Discovery Education tools along with a host of other free web 2.0 resources to find out what your students know so you can teach them what they need.
Lindsay Hopkins    Connecting Language Learners to the Curriculum through Digital Media    UC 103    With diverse classroom populations, your ability to differentiate feels more important than ever. In this session, explore Discovery Education through the lens of Language Learners and see how digital media and technology can engage and benefit students from all backgrounds.
Matt Monjan    Using Discovery Education to Differentiate Your Instruction    UC 107    "This hands-on session, will explore how educators can use Discovery Education’s video, imagery, sound files, and more to reach different learners and deliver that “a-ha!” moment.  We'll examine how Discovery Education’s interactive media can be used to easily customize lessons that allow students to process information through multiple modalities.

1.  Participants will develop a broader understanding of how to integrate engaging digital content into their classrooms.

2. Participants will examine how one type of digital media (song, image, video) can be used to engage multiple types of intelligences (kinesthetic, auditory, and visual). 

3.  Participants will leave with an understanding that differentiated instruction does not mean that teachers have to create a different lesson plan for each learner but rather one lesson that reaches multiple learners at the same time
"
Traci Blazosky    Do the Mash... DEN Style!    UC 128    In this session I'll share some creative ways to 'Do the Mash' DEN Style. We'll combine Discovery and Web2.0 applications to create a unique Mash Up that will surely bring out the entertainer in all of us!
Nancy Sharoff    Do You See What i-See?    University Center Forum A/B    We'll take a look at various i-Device (iTouch & iPad) photo editing and image content creation applications and how to use these in our classrooms, in our lessons, and with our students.  Be sure to bring your i-Device as there will be time to play.  You will also help to 'build' the content of the workshop by contributing your ideas for using the applications in a shared Google Doc.
Jen Wagner    Show Off Your Stuff    UC 107    You will be involved in a  REAL TIME online project and then learn 4 (or more) ways to display your data in unique and clever ways.  
Cheryl Lykowski    Pack Your Bags! Google Earth & Lit Trips    UC 104    This hands-on session will take participants step-by-step on creating a Google Lit Trip and creating virtual field trips using Google Earth.
Rita Mortenson    Discovery Streaming - Take 2    UC 103    "In this hands on session, you will learn a variety of ways that you can incorporate Discovery Streaming content into your curriculum.  Learn how one high school teacher had students make incredible documentaries using iMovie, that were then shown at the Apple Store.

Learn how you can create a variety of engaging digital media projects with Discovery Streaming using a Mac or an iPad2."

DEN Summer Institute 2011

Today's schedule-- Lots to learn....
UC128: Thomas Guide or Magellan?!? Building the Foundation for Active Learning       
UC107: Recalculating Route: Uncovering and Discovering Digital Learning Activities       
UC104: No Outlet: Tailoring Instruction for the Digital Learner       
UC103: Red Light… Green Light: Assessing and Maximizing Student Engagement       

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Green Screening with Discovery Education Videos

Found this great DEN blog article to help out with using green screen and student videos-- great tips here!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Make Tech Easier

Found this blog on the Make Use Of site my son sent me-- so it must be super geeky.
So much to learn- so little time....

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Are You Going to San Diego? Discovery Education on the ipad!

Well- I am thrilled to be attending the Discovery Educator Network's Summer Institute in sunny California.
I'm going to bring back tons of great ideas and info. for my staff!  Check my blog this summer for updates!  (July 9-14)
Also- did you know Discovery Ed is now optimized for the ipad?
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ipad/





Free Document Publishing Options-

From Richard Byrne's Blog (check it out at the link above- it rocks!)...
Document sharing services I'm currently using.


Yudu is a free service that allows you to upload PDF, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files to create online magazines. The page turning effect and the zoom options are all built into the technology of Yudu and automatically activated. When your Yudu online magazine is created you can embed it into a blog, wiki, or website. The only drawback to Yudu is that the download option can be hard to find when viewing a document full screen and the download file is a zip file which is a turn-off for some people.

Issuu, like Yudu, offers the option to display your documents with page-turning effects. You can embed your documents with those effects into your blog or website. Issuu also offers a "bookshelf" widget that you can embed into your blog or website to display previews of multiple documents. You can see the Issuu bookshelf widget in the right hand column of Free Technology for Teachers. 

DocStoc and Scribd are similar services that can best be described as YouTube for documents. You cannot create documents within either service rather you have to upload documents created with your preferred word processing program. Both services accept all of the common Microsoft formats, Open Office and Neo Office formats, and PDFs. Once you've uploaded your document it will be assigned a url and given an embed code. You can use the embed code to feature your documents on your blog or website. DocStoc and Scribd don't offer page-turning effects like Yudu and Issuu offer.

Youblisher is a PDF publishing service that is very similar to Yudu and Issuu. Youblisher turns your PDFs into online magazines complete with page-turning effects. The documents you upload to your Youblisher account can be embedded into your blog or website.

Tools for building ebooks from scratch.

My Ebook is a new service for creating rich multimedia ebooks. My Ebook allows users to create ebooks that contain text, images, and videos on each page. My Ebook users can create ebooks from scratch or upload their existing PDF files to display in a book format. When starting an ebook from scratch on My Ebook, users can import images from their Flickr, Facebook, Picasa, and Photobucket accounts or upload new images directly to My Ebook. If you don't have any digital images you can select some from My Ebook's gallery. Videos can also be embedded into the pages of My Ebook. My Ebook provides a good variety of themes and templates to give each ebook a different look and feel. Ebooks created using My Ebook can be embedded into blogs and websites or shared via email.

One word of caution about My Ebook, you might not want to let your students browse the library of ebooks without supervision. I didn't see anything that was explicitly bad (the terms of service forbid that type of content) but there is some material that you might not want middle school students accessing. 
Simple Booklet offers free online booklet creation and publishing. To create a book using Simple Booklet just sign-up for a free account and click create. Select the layout template that suits your needs. To add content click anywhere on the blank canvas and a menu of options will appear. You can add text, images, audio files, videos, and links to each page of your booklet.

Each page of your Simple Booklet can have multiple elements on it. To include videos you can upload your own files or select from a variety of provides including SchoolTube, TeacherTube, YouTube, and others. To add audio to your pages you can upload your own files or again select from the online hosts Last.fm, Sound Cloud, or Mix Cloud. When you're done building pages in your Simple Booklet you can share it online by embedding it into a webpage or you can share the unique link generated for your booklet.
Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
Seven Places to Find Free eBooks
17 Free eBooks for Teachers and Parents