Cliotech: April 2010

21 April 2010

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/20/2010

Grou.ps And Grouply Welcome Ning Refugees
With yesterday’s news of Ning’s move to eliminate free social networks on its platform, competitors are rushing to emphasize their free offerings for building a social network. Today, Grouply, a startup that’s built around creating and managing online groups from Google and Yahoo Groups, is going to try to make it easy for Ning users to port their groups to Grouply’s platform. And fellow competitor Grou.ps is also welcoming Ning refugees to its free social network platform as well.
tags: ps, networks, welcomes, education, blogs, web_2.0, aggregators, classroom, video, social_networking, learning, mashups, PLC, PLN
GROU.PS welcomes NING Networks
GROU.PS is not just a Ning replacement. It's the best do-it-yourself social network on the market. More white label, more sense of belonging, more flexibility and more control for the group administrator and best of all.... it's free. Extra features are at affordable prices. You won't miss any of the features you were enjoying on Ning.
tags: ps, networks, welcomes, grou, education, social_networking, video, classroom, aggregators, web_2.0, blogs, learning, mashups, PLC, PLN
YouTube - SearchStories's Channel
Every search is a quest. Every quest is a story.
These videos show that anyone can do anything when paired with the power of search.

View and create your own Google Search Story.
tags: google, youtube, searchstories, search, DigitalStorytelling, education, web2.0, teaching, technology, video, learning, classroom, digital_storytelling, mashups, web_2.0
Readability - An Arc90 Lab Experiment
Readability is a simple tool that makes reading on the Web more enjoyable by removing the clutter around what you're reading. Follow the steps below to install Readability in your Web browser.
tags: readability, reading, tools, bookmarklet, web, typography, tool, education, technology, blogs, web_2.0, learning, mashups
Going Paperless - A Collective Brainstorm
I love this idea - public Google Doc with ideas for going paperless in the classroom.
tags: google, paperless, education, technology, blogs, web_2.0, aggregators, learning, classroom, PLC, PLN, mashups, social_networking

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

20 April 2010

Model Search Pathways with Google Search Stories

Okay, so I'm a sucker for creative ways to tell a digital story and I never thought of using Google searches to accomplish such a feat.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon Google Search Stories on Twitter.

Here is my first attempt at a GSS - of course, it's a total vanity story, but it should help you get the picture.

Google Search Stories lets users create their own digital video based on seven search parameters.

Creators can select from among several types of searches - web search, image search, news search, blog search, book search, map search, etc.

Next, set the theme for the story with background music. There are three options in each generic category.

Once the videos render, they are uploaded to YouTube.

That first attempt - vanity searches - is not really the best exemplar. I created two others that I can see used for educational modeling.

Consider this, students who use the web for research are often very poor searchers. They don't use the search operators or specialized search engines to refine their searches and often find themselves mired in useless information. Teachers could use Google Search Story to model best searching habits for students. I've already added Google Search Stories to my Research 2.0 wiki page.

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/19/2010

Udemy - Academy of You | Find and Create Online Courses - Teach and Learn Online
tags: online learning, web2.0, udemy, collaboration, academy, education, 21st century learning, e-learning, technology, web_2.0, aggregators, classroom, learning, mashups, PLC, PLN
CitizenGlobal: The World is Watching
Make a video. Make a difference.
tags: beta, citizenglobal, technology, education, video, web_2.0, images, learning, mashups, digital_storytelling, PSA, activism
Project Overview - CitizenGlobal - Oprah's No Phone Zone PSA
Make a PSA about the dangers of using your cell phone while driving.
tags: education, learning, video, PSA, Oprah, public service announcement
Earth Day Footprint Calculators
This is a ShareTabs that compiles great carbon, energy, and resource footprint calculators. Perfect for Earth Day.
tags: education, learning, science, social studies, social science, interactive, interactives, Earth Day, carbon, footprint, calculator, energy, resources, conservation, tools, calculators

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

19 April 2010

Celebrate Earth Day's 40th Birthday!

Earth Day turns 40 on April 22, 2010.

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day Network is galvanizing millions who make personal commitments to sustainability. Earth Day 2010 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.

Here are some great resources to use with students to engage them in hands-on activities and critical discussions about their world.

The first is a ShareTabs page with links out to 13 environmental calculators to track energy and resource consumption.

Discovery Education and its partners collaborated to put together a great environmental resource, Think Green Classroom. The Earth Day resources and activities feature contains terrific tools for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Discovery Education and the Siemens STEM Academy partnered to bring a special webinar to students and teachers. If you missed the STEM Connect Webinar featuring Philippe Cousteau, Earth Day: Celebrating our Past and Future Efforts to Conserve our Oceans, you can catch the archive and classroom activity on the STEM Connect webinar page. Don't forget to check out the student challenges and activities sponsored by Philippe's EarthEcho International.

14 April 2010

DEN Gurus featured in T.H.E. Journal

Who are those smiling faces being featured in THE Journal this month? None other than our very own DEN Guru class of 2010! In case you missed the announcement, our five gurus are:

Traci Blazosky - Guru of Creative Construction with Multimedia

Tim Childers - Guru of Project-based learning

Patti Duncan - Guru of Science

Lee Kolbert - Guru of Personal Learning Networks

Nancy Sharoff - Guru of Visual Literacy

Check out the article for yourself, and don’t forget that Lee Kolbert will be kicking off our Spring Virtual Conference on Saturday, April 24th. Don’t miss out, register now!

Websites I Found Interesting - Diigo 04/13/2010

SafeShare.TV - The Safest Way To Share YouTube videos
tags: education, youtube, Video, sharing, tools, safeshare, safeshare.tv, technology, web2.0

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

12 April 2010

DEN National Institute Application Extension

Since we are still finalizing the attendance list for the DEN LC Symposium, we have extended the application deadline for the DEN Summer Institute to April 26.

The DEN Summer Institute for 2010 will take place from July 18-23, 2010 at Bentley University in Waltham, MA just twenty minutes west of Boston. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with fellow STAR Discovery Educators from all over during an exclusive, intensive, week-long networking and professional development event. Apply today!

March 12
DEN Summer Institute Announced - Application Open

April 26
Deadline for applications (5 PM ET)

April 30
Applicants notified

May 5
Deadline for accepted applicants to RSVP

May 7
Wait-listed applicants notified

May 12
Deadline for wait-listed applicants to RSVP

Interested? Read the FAQ document and then click here to apply.

More about the DEN Summer Institute

Curious about this whole DEN Summer Institute thing and want to know more? Check out the links below.

Brief video about the DEN and our institute

Resources and materials from last year’s institute in San Francisco

Live coverage of the 2009 institute

More highlights of the 2009 institute

Okay, that should be plenty. If you haven’t started your application yet, what are you waiting for?

Read the FAQ document and then click here to apply.

06 April 2010

Free Project Based Learning Webinar from the Siemens STEM Academy Webinar Series

I am facilitating a webinar on Project Based Learning (a.k.a. Challenge Based Learning) as part of the Siemens STEM Academy webinar series. The webinar will run on Thursday, April 8, at 7 pm Eastern.

Click here to learn more about the webinar and to register. Visit the Siemens STEM Academy to access the archive if you are unable to attend the live session on Thursday.

I created a pre-webinar activity that is posted on the Siemens STEM Academy webinar page.

I also put together some resources as take-aways from the webinar.

PBL wiki page

Challenge Based Learning

View more presentations from Jennifer Dorman.

Challenge Based Learning Resources

View more documents from Jennifer Dorman.

Researching in the Digital Age - Free Webinar

I'm getting materials together for a Discovery Education webinar called Researching in the Digital Age.

Do you recall how challenging it was to research in the "Bee Gee Age" (that's right, the disco age Before Google)? Explore the exciting ways that online tools can augment traditional researching methods and connect our students to the tools and habits of mind for 21st century anytime, anywhere learning. This session will examine some of the best online applications to empower our students while developing their information fluency and cultivating best practices for locating, organizing, sharing, managing, and evaluating information.

The webinar will run at 7 pm Eastern on Tuesday, April 6th. Click here to register.

I created a wiki page with embedded resources - Research 2.0

Here is the take away presentation.

Research 2 0

View more presentations from Jennifer Dorman.

Here is the take away handout with resources.

Research 2 0 Resources

View more documents from Jennifer Dorman.

I also posted downloadable resources in a public Box.net folder.

Dr. Temple Grandin on Discovery EdTechTalk Webinar

Cover via Amazon

Dr. Temple Grandin will be doing Discovery Education's April 13 EdTechConnect webinar (7pm EDT).

Dr. Grandin is an award winning animal scientist. The main focus of her career has been on the design of humane livestock facilities. Her designs enable workers to move animals without frightening them. Dr. Grandin spearheaded reform of the quality of life for the world’s agricultural animals, and is one of the most well-known animal advocates on the planet. I just finished reading one of her latest books, Animals Make Us Human and learned much about my pets and animal behavior in general.

Oh, and she has autism. She is inarguably the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. She has been featured on radio, major television programs, and has been written about in many national publications. in addition to her publications on animal behavior, she is also the author of several books on autism including Thinking in Pictures, The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Aspergers, and Emergence: Labeled Autistic.

Check out this short video for more info. Then rush on over to register for the webinar at http://links.discoveryeducation.com/templegrandin

April 13 7pm EDT See you there!

If you want a taste of what Dr. Grandin presents, check out her TED Talks speech from February 2010.

Get Ready for Earth Day with Philippe Cousteau

On Wednesday, April 14 at 1pm EDT, Philippe Cousteau will be hosting a very special Earth Day celebration for you and your students. Philippe is the grandson of Jacques Cousteau and he will be presenting “Earth Day: Celebrating Our Past and Future Efforts to Conserve Our Oceans.” During the webinar, he will share his experiences as a prominent environmentalist working towards the protection of our oceans. Philippe, who serves as Chief Spokesperson for Environmental Education for Discovery Education and often hosts programs on the Discovery Channel, Planet Green, and Animal Planet, will also take a look back at how Earth and its natural resources have changed over the last fifty years, how the growth of the environmental movement has created positive impacts for our planet, and how students have the power to make a positive difference over the next fifty years. This engaging webinar will inform, engage, and excite students to become agents of environmental change.

This webinar is presented by the Siemens STEM Academy, and is part of a series that has included other such notable names as Garth Gundem, and Michio Kaku.

Visit the Siemens STEM Academy webinar page to register!