Must-See Websites for Educators
Today’s Topic:
Must-See Websites for Educators
Tech Tip: Powerpoint Attention-Grabber
- What are some of the most engaging and innovative K-12 Websites?
- How are the best new Websites using multimedia to create rich, interactive learning experiences?
(Most of these sites will require the free Shockwave and QuickTime plug-ins to view, as well as a broadband Internet connection.)
Sound Junction
This incredibly rich multimedia site is bursting with information about all aspects of music –- styles, musicians, world music, and instruments. A special feature is the excellent Composer Forum where students compose and play music.
Make Beliefs Comix
Bill Zimmerman’s creative and interactive website where ELL students and other learners can write printable comic strips and improve reading, writing and language skills as well as practice sequencing and predictions.
Can I Have a Word?
Barbicon’s Education’s innovative and visually appealing site, a 2006 Webby Award winner, provides amazing new ideas and resources to inspire creative writing including poems by leading poets, video animations, and classroom activities.
If These Walls Could Speak
This stunningly-designed Atlanta History Center site provides a virtual tour of four historic homes in the Atlanta, Georgia area and the people and lives connected with them. Take your students through each home to view pioneer farm life, the emerging black middle class, rural pottery making, and the grandeur of Atlanta’s early suburbs.
Invention at Play
This engaging and playful Smithsonian site focuses on the link between kids' play and science, and explores the role that toys and play have had in invention. Included are interactive games that teach problem solving, visual thinking and exploratory learning.
Tech Tip – Powerpoint Attention-Grabber
Here’s a quick and effective way to get your audience’s attention when showing a Powerpoint presentation with a multimedia projector:
1. Go to the View menu and choose Slide Show.
2. When you come to a slide where you’d like to draw attention to you, the speaker, simply press B to make the screen black, or W to make it white. Then when you want to resume the slide show, simply click B or W again to reveal the slide where you stopped.
Announcements
Are you looking for a graduate course to meet your recertification requirements in 2007? Sign up today for a summer online course. No travel to campus required.
June 4 EDUC 744 957 Differentiated Instruction
June 5 EDUC 763 960 Instructional Design for E-Learning
June 7 RDGED 701 960 Developmental Reading K-12
June 8 EDUC 761 960 Creating Collaborative Communities in E-learning
June 11
EDUC-744 958 Teaching Art for Non-Art Teachers
EDUC 744 914 Teaching Middle School Math with Technology (Grades 4-8)
EDUC 744 924 Inclusion—Strategies for Special Needs/ELL Learners
EDUC 744 956 Building Better Instruction with Technology
EDUC 744 962 Poverty in the Schools
RDGED 702 960 Reading in the Content Areas K-12
EDUC 744 927 Emerging Issues for Media Specialists
June 12
EDUC 744 929 Web Design for Educators
EDUC 744 939 Intermediate Web Design
Registration closes ten days prior to the course start date to allow time for assigning user name, password, university email account and online orientation practice activities.
Register online at: http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/register.shtml
Additional courses begin June 13-25th and are listed online at:http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/courses.shtml
What Our Students Are Saying…
About the E-Learning for Educators course:
“It was a great first experience with online learning! I would, I have, and I will, recommend the course to colleagues with whom I work. I couldn't have asked for a better experience!”
~ Middle School Librarian, Los Angeles, California
“Dennis was a patient facilitator who cares about his students. This class has been an eye-opening growing experience and a foundation for teaching online classes.”
~ Corporate Trainer, Franchise Restaurant Co. Green Bay
“Using Moodle was very helpful, as well as becoming familiar with the survey and quiz programs.”
~ Middle School Librarian, Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania
Call University of Wisconsin-Stout Online Professional Development (715) 642-0209 if you have questions.
Labels: e-learning, Powerpoint, Tech Tips
Tips for Successful Student-Created Videos
Today’s Topic:
Tips for Successful Student-Created Videos
Tech Tip: Convert Word 2007 Files With Zamzar
- What are the “must-know” tips to create effective digital videos?
- Are there some ready-made digital video lessons to implement easily at the end of the school year?
- Where can I find an effective rubric to use when evaluating student video projects?
Ten Tips for Capturing Great Video
The Apple Computer staff provides a checklist of ten important things to consider when shooting a video.
Windows XP: Get Started With Windows Movie Maker
The staff at Microsoft has developed an online “how to” center for using Movie Maker to edit and add titles to digital videos.
iMovie HD Support
The Apple in Education site provides detailed support for how to work with video clips, titles, special effects and audio files in iMovie HD.
Digital Kids Club
The Adobe Software staff has created a variety of digital video lessons with step-by-step instructions accompanied by screen shots.
Video Project Rubric
UW-Stout’s Joan Vandervelde has created an excellent rubric to use when evaluating student video projects.
Tech Tip – Convert Word 2007 Files With Zamzar
The new .docx file format used by Microsoft Word 2007 is not compatible with earlier versions of Word. When a colleague sends you a Word 2007 file, it may be difficult to open that file if you only have Word 2003 on your computer. However, the Zamzar Web site now offers free file conversions from .docx to .doc files which are recognized by previous versions of Word.
Simply go to the Zamzar Web site and follow the four easy steps to convert your files. The converted files are sent to your email address. You can also use Zamzar to shrink audio and video files to more manageable sizes.
Announcements
Are you looking for a graduate course to meet your recertification requirements in 2007?
Sign up for summer session soon. List of summer online courses.Registration closes ten days before the course start date to allow time for assigning user names, passwords, and university email accounts.
What Our Students Are Saying…
About the Digital Media and Visual Literacy course:
"This course was exactly what I wanted and needed. I signed up for it simply to move my teaching career in a new direction: multimedia journalism. I am happy with this class and very happy that it met my expectations."
~ Instructor, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wisconsin- Madison, Wisconsin
"If you want to make quality video productions, this is the class for you. Make some time in your busy schedule to take this important and necessary step to better videos."
~ Educational Technologist from Ohio
"What I liked best was that this class answered questions that I would never have known to ask...in other words, it enlightened me to what I actually needed to know about video in order to not only use it more effectively, but teach it!"
~ Art, Computer Art, Video Production Teacher - Wurzburg, Germany
Call University of Wisconsin-Stout Online Professional Development (715) 642-0209 if you have questions. UW-Stout is an "international-student- friendly" program.
Labels: Rubrics, Tech Tips, Video
Digital Photo Tips for Year-End Activities
Today’s Topic:
Digital Photo Tips for Year-End Activities
Tech Tip: Calculate With Google
- What are the most important timesaving tips for effectively using digital cameras in the classroom?
- What are some examples of excellent and easy-to-manage digital photo activities for the end of the school year?
Technology coordinator Craig Nansen shares two dozen quick, easy and effective digital photo activities to try right away, plus four time-saving tips for effectively using digital cameras.
Quick and Easy Digital Photography Classroom Projects
(large pdf file 4.31 Mb)Dr. Arnie Abrams’ Powerpoint presentation showcases excellent photo examples of how digital cameras may be used to stimulate writing and critical thinking skills.
Adobe Digital Kids Club: Lessons and Activities
Adobe Software’s Digital Kids Club site provides numerous examples of high-quality K-12 lessons and activities incorporating digital cameras.
11 Tips to Taking Quality Photos
Cathy Chamberlain describes 11 helpful tips for ensuring that your photos are the best that they can be. Many visual examples are included to use with your students.
Tech Tip – Calculate With Google
A lesser-known but highly useful feature of Google is its built-in calculator function.
Need to find out how many miles are in 5 kilometers? Simply type in “miles in 5 kilometers” in Google’s search box, and the answer is calculated for you.
Google will also do quick currency and recipe conversions. Type “50 Euros in dollars” to get the U.S. equivalent. Or type: “half of 4 ½ cups, in tablespoons” to convert cooking measurements.
For mathematical computations type “50 + 35” and Google will return “50 + 35 = 85”; type “square root of 42” and Google returns “square root(42) = 6.4807407.
Announcement:
Summer Online Graduate Courses for Educators
Classes are beginning to close. Sign up soon to reserve your spot!
What Our Students Are Saying…
About the Digital Photography course:
“I am no longer intimidated by digital cameras and digital photography. I like the way the course was structured and that assignments were applicable to our individual curriculums. This is an extremely well-written curriculum.”
~ Teacher, Ocean City, New Jersey
“There have been two times in my educational experience when I recall completing a class knowing I've accomplished exactly what I set out to do, and this was one of them. This is the first class I've ever taken where my work truly had to speak for itself through technology.”
~ Art Teacher, Wisconsin
“I love Photoshop Elements! (This is a great program for elementary students.) The variety of course activities allowed me to really learn the different features of the program for editing digital photos.”
~ Elementary Media Specialist, Iowa
Call University of Wisconsin-Stout Online Professional Development (715) 642-0209 if you have questions.
UW-Stout is an "international-student- friendly" program.
Labels: Digital photography