Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Promethean - Nine Ways to Reveal Answers
Click on the play button above to watch an embedded video from YouTube on nine different ways to reveal an answer using ActivInspire.
YouTube Downloader
I use a YouTube downloader quite a bit to download songs or snippets of videos related to the subject I am teaching. There are several kinds of YouTube downloaders but I like the one here.
We (the teachers...not the students) have access to YouTube at school however it is dicey at best to try and stream from YouTube. If there isn't enough broadband width the video will stop and start as it buffers. Sometimes the advertising bar along the bottom pops up with inappropriate ads for the classroom. The YouTube downloader eliminates this and is easy to use.
I always use it at home since my internet is faster. Above is screen shot of what it looks like on my desktop and as I open it up. I simply copy and paste the address of the video I want to use and tell it where to download it on my computer. It will download it as an MP4 file. I can play an MP4 at school but most of the time I convert it to a WMV (Windows Media Video) so I can embed the video in my Promethean flip charts. To covert it you would use the same YouTube downloader and tell it to convert the video (look at the screen shot above - under "what do you want to do?" you have two choices "download" or "convert").
Most recently I downloaded several video/songs from YouTube that were made up to teach the scientific method. I had taught my version of the scientific method (with fun hand gestures) and then showed students all the other versions I had found. They had to compare my version with those from other teachers. It was great to show that students all over the country, and across grade levels, were learning the same thing.
Start with Just One Thing
This was a great two minute video that really drives home that teachers don't need to be an expert in technology they just need to be willing to try just one new thing.
Next Blog Button
The first year I introduced my fourth grade students to blogging I was operating a pilot program. I had to meet with several district personnel to outline how I was going to blog, benefits to students, etc. Once I had approval I was pretty much on my own with the understanding I was going to document and share my year with other teachers.
I decided to use blogger despite the multitude of other blogging platforms out there because it was fast to set up and easy to use and I wanted to get started right away.
Mid-year an article was written about our adventures in blogging and teachers who had been thinking about blogging wanted to jump in.
The district decided to make an official blogging policy for the new year and the first change was that we couldn't use blogger. When asked the biggest concern was the "next blog" button across the top. Apparently if you hit it enough times you will eventually be taken to an inappropriate site (I have not tried it but I have no doubt that it is true).
This led me on a search as to how to get rid of that "next blog" button. Finally I found this great online article that very clearly explained how to get rid of it. I've used it on this blog, since it will be linked on my district website but left it on my Science Notebooking site to show viewers what it looks like.
If you are planning to use blogger.com in any educational setting, or if you know children will be using your site, go ahead and remove that "Next Blog" button for peace of mind. It is easy to do!
Screen Casts
I recently found out that my favorite online screen recorder (Screen Toaster) has quietly gone away. I used the recorder to make several screen cast videos and now, sigh, I'll have to re-record.
What is a screen cast? A screen cast is a recording of your computer screen. It allows you to record what is happening step-by-step on your computer (above is a snapshot of what the recording software looked like when I was ready to start recording). This allows you to create video instructions for your targeted audience.
I've used screen casts on my Science Notebooking blog to show viewers how to format Word documents to fit into a notebook format. I have also made them to put on my school website to show parents how to access and use Compass learning at home.
I am now on the look out for a new (free) screen casting site. Luckily I came across this online article that gives several options to replace Screen Toaster. Right now I am trying out Screen-O-Matic and I will report back once I have played around in it a bit.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Promethean Planet - Downloads for Everyone
There are approximately 284 resources packs that teachers can download from Promethean Planet.
Not every resources pack can be used by every teacher however there are a few that I would suggest as being a good dowload for all. They are as follows:
These are fairly generic and can be used to enhance your flipcharts no matter what subject you teach!
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