Cliotech: April 2009

29 April 2009

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/28/2009

Great Book Stories / listenandsee
tags: Great_Book_Stories, Digital_storytelling, story, books, audio, digital, education, technology, learning

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

25 April 2009

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/24/2009

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

24 April 2009

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/23/2009

Game Central : Discovery Channel
tags: education, technology, video, images, games, Discovery, Discovery_Channel, Discovery_Education

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

22 April 2009

Celebrate the New DEN Headquarters in Second Life

[Note: Cross-posted on Dorman's Trouvailles]

Join us on April 24 at 8 PM EDT for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new DEN headquarters in Second Life.

The new DEN headquarters is a virtual replica of Discovery's World Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD - complete with the HD theater and the T-Rex.

20 April 2009

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/19/2009

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

18 April 2009

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/17/2009

MindNode
tags: mac, mindmap, software, mindmapping, osx, freeware, tool, mindnode, productivity, education, technology

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

17 April 2009

The Impact of the DEN

The Discovery Educator Network is seeking feedback from educators who have participated in the DEN and/or attended DEN-sponsored events. This survey should take you about 5 minutes to complete. We really appreciate your feedback.

[Note: If you do not see the form embedded below, click here to open it in a new window.]

Discovery
Discovery Education
Discovery Educator Network
Turbo Tagger

Web 2.0 Apps for Middle School

I used Twtpoll for this quick poll.

twtpoll
poll
education
Web 2.0
learning
technology
Turbo Tagger

15 April 2009

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/14/2009

Video: World Wide Web in Plain English | Common Craft - Explanations In Plain English
tags: commoncraft, world_wide_web, internet, Common_Craft, education, technology

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

14 April 2009

Common Craft Does It Again - WWW In Plain English

The folks at the Common Craft show have done it again . . . Check out the newest addition to the awesome library of tutorial and overview videos, The World Wide Web in Plain English.

If you liked that video, Web Search Strategies in Plain English is a great follow-up.

Common Craft
Common Craft Show
Plain English
Internet
World Wide Web
Web Search Strategies
Turbo Tagger

Earth Day Resources for the Classroom

[Note: Cross-posted on Dorman's Trouvailles]

This Earth Day, start talking trash in your classroom!

What happens to the waste we all produce? When does it make sense to recycle? Can trash become energy?

Get answers to these timely topics brought to life at www.ThinkGreen.com/classroom, a new K-12 resource from Waste Management and powered by Discovery Education.

Complete with standards-based lesson plans, compelling videos, interactives, and Think Green® resources to engage students and extend the learning to the home, www.ThinkGreen.com/classroom is a powerful new suite of tools for educators seeking new materials to enliven environmental lessons.

Think green in your classroom just in time for Earth Day and visit www.DiscoveryEducation.com/thinkgreen to get started.

[Note: The information from this post came from DiscoveryEducation.com newsletter. Do you want to receive this newsletter or other valuable educational news feeds from Discovery, visit http://www.discoveryeducation.com/, sign in with your DiscoveryEducation user name and password, click on My Preferences and set your e-mail subscriptions. Or, visit the Discovery Education subscription center.]

Earth Day
Discovery Education
education
recycling
environment
Waste Management
Turbo Tagger

Go Wild Alaska Style with Discovery

Image via Wikipedia

[Cross-posted on Dorman's Trouvailles]

Discovery Education streaming subscribers already know that new media content is added all the time. Tonight " Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment" premiers on the Discovery Channel and streaming subscribers can already access corresponding video in streaming to use with their students:

I'm really excited about this series as I had the opportunity to travel to Alaska in February to work with the terrific teachers in the Anchorage School District.

Yes, we did actually see a moose!

[It probably wasn't advisable to get this close to the moose, but when will I ever get a picture like this again?]

What is "The Alaska Experiment"?

The experiment begins when nine ordinary people are abandoned off in Central Alaska with only a few essential supplies and a goal to make it back to civilization. Alaska wastes no time testing their wilderness experience and severe hunger sets in.

There are some terrific interactive features posted on the series website.

Meet the Volunteers
Supply List (Could you survive with just these items?)
Alaska Puzzles
Frontier Alaska Game
Alaska Survival School Videos
Video Quiz
Discussion Board

So, if you are looking for a terrific series with great classroom extensions, check out "The Alaska Experiment" premiering on April 14th at 10:00 PM ET on the Discovery Channel.

Discovery Channel
Discovery Education
Alaska
Discovery Education streaming
education
Turbo Tagger

13 April 2009

Remixing the Recession

I have blogged about Remix America before.

RemixAmerica.org is a multi-partisan, non-profit website that uses digital technology to give everyone the chance to own the words, the music, the images and sounds of America in digital form; to remix those expressions and ideas with their own; and to send the products of our community's creativity out to the world... where others will come back to us and start it all over again...

We want to be a home for the millions of voices that can change the National conversation. There's no telling where this can go – we want to be the place where millions can post their dreams, their hopes, their frustrations about our country via text, video responses and remixes...

Click here to learn more about Remix America's mission and their Fair Use guidelines.

Remix America has created a channel to help students share their stories about how they have been impacted by the current economic crisis.

America has been hit hard by the economic recession. Families across the country are losing their homes, their jobs, and their morale. Now, more than ever, it’s important for Americans to reconnect with each other and our communities in order to find productive ways to work together through these hard times.

How are you coping? How are your parents and grandparents coping? Tell us your story! We’re listening.

Teachers can download a lesson plan to use the challenge with their students.

Want to learn more about the video editing tools Remix offers to students? View the video below or click here.

Remix America
democracy
economy
education
technology
video
Turbo Tagger

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/12/2009

Top 100 Tools for the Twittering Teacher
tags: Twitter, socialnetwork, PLN, PLC, microblog, social_network, education, teachers, teaching, technology

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

12 April 2009

Maximize Your PLN -- Top 100 Tools for the Twittering Teacher

Image via CrunchBase

Top 100 Tools for the Twittering Teacher | Best Colleges Online

This list contains tons of terrific resources for: managing Twitter, finding followers, sharing, games, news and research, groups, organization and productivity, integration, and classroom tools.

If you are currently a Twitter user or are considering adding expanding your professional learning network through Twitter, this list is a MUST READ.

Twitter
education
networking
learning
teachers
PLN
Turbo Tagger

DEN Virtual Conference - April 25

On April 25, 2009, I'll be at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia for the PA in-person event accompanying the third Discovery Educator Network Virtual Conference. Here are the details about the Virtual Conference followed by the registration form for the FREE in-person event in PA.

Spring Into Action at the DEN Virtual Conference!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
9 AM to 3 PM (EDT)
Register Today!

Spring Into Action with the DEN and join thousands of educators who are passionate about integrating media into their instruction and collaborating with each other to improve student achievement. During this unique (and free) professional development event you have the flexibility to attend online or in-person at one of many regional events hosted by the DEN Leadership Councils.

The day will feature a special presentation from Chris Lehmann, Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in the School District of Philadelphia. Entitled Building School 2.0, Lehmann’s presentation will examine ideas of constructivist pedagogy and the use of 21st century tools to create schools that are engaging, caring and relevant places of learning for everyone involved.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to learn alongside the DEN team through presentations from Hardin Daniel, Brad Fountain, Matt Monjan and Lance Rougeux. The day will also include two special presentations featuring projects, ideas and tips from STAR Discovery Educators.

Schedule
The schedule below reflects what sessions will be presented virtually in the webinar room and broadcast nationally. People attending at local gatherings may have other breakout offerings to choose from during these times.

ALL TIMES EDT

9-10 AM
Keynote
The Benjamin Button Effect
Lance Rougeux

10-11 AM
Virtual Breakout
Turning Data Into Action: Exploring the reporting features of Discovery Education streaming
Matt Monjan

11-12 PM
Virtual Breakout
Sowing Seeds of Success: Projects, Ideas and Tips from STAR Discovery Educators

12-1 PM
Keynote
Building School 2.0
Chris Lehmann

1-2 PM
Virtual Breakout
Closing the Global Achievement Gap: Beyond Test-Prep, Toward Life-Prep
Brad Fountain

2- 3 PM
Virtual Breakout
The Impact of IT in RTI
Hardin Daniel

3-4 PM
Virtual Breakout
Sowing Seeds of Success: More Projects, Ideas and Tips from STAR Discovery Educators

Click here to register for the DEN Virtual Conference.

Want to learn more about the in-person event in PA? Click here to see what the PA DEN Leadership Council has put together.

You can complete the form below or click here to open it in a new window.

Discovery
Discovery Educator Network
DEN Virtual Conference
Education
Technology
Network
Turbo Tagger

09 April 2009

April 15 - Teachable Moment

Image via Wikipedia

Most adults would immediately recognize the significance of April 15 - Tax Day, but many of our students have little concept of its importance. Luckily, teachers can tap the media library in DE streaming for content to help their students understand what taxes are, how they are assessed and collected, and how they are used by the government.

Here are some quick suggestions: (Note: When you click on the hyperlink you will be prompted to sign into your Discovery Education account to view the media. If you are not currently a Discovery Education streaming subscriber, you can activate a free trial of DE streaming and DE streaming Plus.)

Taxes: How They Help the Government (video segment)
The Sixteenth Amendment (video segment)
Services (video segment - Clearview Media Pack)
Managing Your Personal Finances: Show Me The Money : Understanding Your Paycheck (full video - Clearview Media Pack)
Culture Clip: Taxes (video segment - Clearview Media Pack)
Income Tax (article)

Tax Day is also the perfect time to address financial literacy with students. This can be accomplished regardless of grade level. Here are a few outside resources that may prove helpful.

Scholastic also hosts lesson plans and class activities related to taxes. - April 15 is Tax Day. They also have some nice worksheets: "Income Tax: Essential Money Math Skills,"Purchases May Have a Sales Tax: Essential Money Math Skills," and "Review Spending and Saving Money."

The US Mint publishes an interactive website geared to engage students in understanding financial responsibility.

PBS Kids offers a lesson plan on budget making.

If you are looking for a real-world extension of Microsoft Excel, check out Teachnology's Microsoft Excel Budget Project. They are also some excellent personal finance templates from Google Docs.

Money Instructor also offers a host of lesson plans and teaching templates. Practical Money Skills offers similar resources, printables, and lesson plans.

BrainPOP also publishes a free interactive about taxes that is excellent.

Education
Technology
Personal Finance
Taxes
Income Tax
Budget
Turbo Tagger

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/08/2009

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

08 April 2009

FETC Online

Note: Cross posted on Dorman's Trouvailles

Before we Spring Into Action at the DEN Virtual Conference the DEN will also be participating in FETC's first online conference.

What is FETC Online?

The award-winning producers of FETC and T.H.E. Journal invite you to participate in a FREE virtual conference for K-12 educators and technology staff exploring the most pressing issues related to 21st Century Skills.
Join your peers and industry experts as they investigate a range of compelling topics including:

Career and technical education

The Obama administration’s global workforce development agenda

Digital teaching methods and tools