Tag Archives: Web 2.0

LiveBinders in the Classroom

Ed. Tech Resources,

Our most recent technology workshop was on using LiveBinders in the classroom.  What are LiveBinders you ask?  They’re basically virtual three ring binders where you can organize all of your websites, documents, movies, and images into tabs and subtabs and then share your “stuff” on the web. Click on the binders below to see some examples:

We’re using LiveBinders as ePortfolios, but here are some other ideas:

  • Class Resources – Don’t just bookmark your resources, but LiveBinder them and share your binder.
  • Create a Presentation – Use LiveBinders to present your information.  Don’t make handouts, share the link to your binder and embed it in your blog.
  • Create a Webquest – so easy to navigate through the different tasks!
  • Have your students collaborate on a Binder as a final product of a unit
  • Use a LiveBinder to demonstrate the writing process – create a tab for each draft/activity

But the best place to find ideas on how to use LiveBinders is to browse the featured binders on their website.

Now here come the resources…

LiveBinders
Teach with Web 2.0 put together an awesome resource to get you started using LiveBinders.  In fact, their Wiki is an incredible Web 2.0 resource in general…as the name suggests.

LiveBinders 4 Teachers
This workspace was created for educators to share and categorize livebinders by subject, grade-level, and whatever else makes sense.

LiveBinders Tips and Tricks
Here’s a great place to information on how to make your LiveBinders even better.

Free Tools Challenge #15: Organize and Share with LiveBinders
Edublogs has an awesome teacher challenge for those interested in learning more about Web 2.0.  This one is on LiveBinders.

Printable LiveBinder Tutorial
Please feel free to use this and edit.

Presentation:

LiveBinders in the Classroom

Hints –

  1. Think of the layout of your page as a PowerPoint layout.
  2. Re-size your images for the web before you publish them.
  3. LiveBinders doesn’t have a classroom account yet, however, check out this blogpost from Mark Brumly on how to use gmail to create student accounts that you can control.

Tell us your ideas for using LiveBinders!

 

 

Alternatives to PowerPoint

Ed. Tech Resources, High School, Middle School, Web 2.0, , , , , ,

Edutopia has an excellent Summer PD titled, Web Tools Collective Series.  I just read Part 4 of the series and my absolute favorite Youtube Video about how not to use PowerPoint was shared:

We’ve all probably experienced this when attending presentations, which is why this video is SO funny.  I laugh every time I watch it!  So how do we teach our students to give good presentations?

ReadWriteThink and PowerPoint in the Classroom both have excellent resources for teaching kids how to create effective and meaningful PowerPoint presentations.  But we also have to remember with the emergence of Web 2.0 tools, there are now FREE alternatives to PowerPoint.  Below are just a handful of some of the Web 2.0 Tools that students can use to create presentations:

The beauty of the above tools:

  • They’re accessible from any computer, anywhere as long as one has internet connection
  • They can been shared with peers, students, parents, etc.
  • They allow for collaboration
  • They don’t require a flash drive

One important thing to consider when using any Web 2.0 Tool in the classroom is the terms and conditions of the tool.  Lucie deLaBruere has put together an excellent resource for information addressing terms and conditions of Web 2.0 tools and privacy policies.  Find it here.

What’s your favorite presentation tool?  Do you have any student samples you can share?

Shelfari

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http://www.shelfari.com/

Today Mrs. Helm introduced 6th graders to Shelfari using the youtube video above.  Todays lesson included the following:

  1. Create accounts
  2. Demonstrate how to add and review books
  3. Add three books to bookshelf – two books students have read and one book students are reading
  4. Add friends

For homework, students were tasked to identify, describe, and explain the following literary elements in their book reviews:

  • Protagonist
  • Setting
  • Inciting incident
  • Subplot
  • Theme

They were reminded to provide enough details to their reviews that inform the readers about the novel and hopefully, encourage others to read it.  Students were also reminded not to spoil the ending for readers.

If you’re interested in integrating Shelfari into your reading program, there’s an excellent example of a parent letter you can find here.  Additionally, here’s the beginning of a handout you can use with your students.  If you do use it, we’d love you to come back and comment!

BTW, students loved it.  One student said, “OH!  It’s like facebook for books!”.

Google Docs

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Google Form Links

10 Google Forms In the Classroom
10 ideas using Google Forms in the classroom.

Google Form Quiz Template
Use these form templates to get started creating quizzes using Google Forms.

100 Google Doc Tips
100 different helpful hints when using Google Docs!

Links to forms used in presentation

http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/hawaii.ksbe.edu/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dDF5YWVwSzlXRkhCWWtRWlZ5SGxQNHc6MQ

http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/hawaii.ksbe.edu/ccc?key=0AsNdlnKpLJeBdGJsV1FDaTRHM25VcVNGZzNQRDNDQlE&hl=en

http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/hawaii.ksbe.edu/ccc?key=0Aifm3z5EHXLddHVleWxBTHdUT1ptdzRqc0FMT1V4aUE&hl=en

Are you interested in becoming a Google Doc Ninja?  If so, click here to let me know 🙂

3 Things

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I just finished watching Boni Hamilton’s ISTE presentation, Best Resources for Elementary Integration and Transformation, online and decided she will be the inspiration of my first ever KSBE Blog post.  Hamilton’s “3 Things” advise in invaluable.  She believes, and I happen to agree with her, that a teacher should have a goal of implementing three  new things a school year.  She says, “every little change is HUGE” and if you make many changes you’ll go under.  Ivisited her wiki and chose 3 resources to share here.

Make Belief Comix

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/
When students create comic strips, or comiX, they practice reading, writing, and story telling.  At this site students can create comix using different backgrounds, characters, props, and text bubbles.  Hamilton has this resource listed as a middle school resource, but I feel it can be used in grades K-12. A list of 21 WAYS TO USE MAKEBELIEFSCOMIX.COM IN THE CLASSROOM can be found at the website and additionally, Read Write Think has a variety of lesson plans that use comic strips in education.  Google and UNESCO selected this site as among the world’s most innovative sites to encourage reading and literacy.  If you use this resource or have in the past, please let me know if you have any hints you are willing to share for success.

My First Ever Comix!
My First Ever Comix!

Boolify

http://boolify.org
This site is like a math manipulative for conducting effective and efficient online research.  It’s excellent for teaching Boolean logic and uses Google’s Strict Safe Search.  The website includes a variety of lessons and a discussion board where teachers share their successes using boolify.  Watch this video to see how it works!


Boolify: Basic Operations

Learning Science

http://learningscience.org/
Learning Science claims to “find the best science interactives and resources in the world”, and I think they do.  Hamilton describes it as “the only one (Science site) you’ll need and it’s definitely the BEST one.  Click here to see it in action!