OPSD Representing at NETA 2012

This week several OPSD faculty will be headed to the Nebraska Educational Technology Association conference in Omaha. Actually, OPSD has a list of presenters for this year's conference:

Cheri Maupin (OHS SPED): Teaching Special Needs Calendar and Time using multiple technology

Jo Brown (Elementary Admin.) & Nancy Armstrong (Curriculum) along with several elementary staff: R.E.D.U.C.E.: Recycling every day unveils a clean environment (poster session)

Loree Cain (OMS Spanish/Journalism) Susan Krab (IT), and Danielle Helzer (OHS English): Creating and Utilizing Online Professional Learning Networks (see presentation embedded below)

So...if you're at NETA this week, check out our sessions! 

Google Alerts

When's the last time you Googled yourself (...that phrase sounds a little funny, eh?!)? Do you know what would come up in a Google search with your name as the keyword? If not, you should. Most of us don't even think about this---but, I ran across Google Alerts today on Richard Byrne's blog, Free Technology for Teachers. After checking it out, I signed up to receive Google Alerts for my name.

Essentially, Google searches the interwebs for your designated search term--and when new hits are found, they are sent to you in an email or through an RSS feeder like Google Reader. When signing up you can specify how often you want to receive these messages. I started with once a week. You can also eliminate certain high-traffic sites like Facebook and Twitter from the search if you want.

Not only is this an excellent way to keep track of what's "out there" about you, you can also sign up to receive alerts about topics that strike your fancy. Say I'm interested in banjo picking techniques---I can enter this search term into Google Alerts, set up the frequency (how often I want to be informed of what's new in Google Land regarding this highly interesting topic), and then bam: I'm swimming in a sea of banjo bliss!

It's actually pretty nifty and easy to set up. Check out the Getting Started page for the basics!

Should teachers be disciplined for online lives?

Should teachers be disciplined for online lives? What a question! This contentious issue was one of the topics on NPR's Talk of the Nation today. Two college professors, Jonathan Turley (Prof. of Civil Law) from George Washington University and Elizabeth Meyer (Asst. Prof. of Education) from California Polytechnic State University, discussed the issue with callers on today's program. I listened to the podcast of the episode today and found it incredibly relevant for teachers even in a small, rural district like ours.

As the title implies, teachers across the nation have been disciplined for online activity. One teacher was disciplined after he posted a blog entry containing his opinions on the topic of gay marriage (by the way...he was awarded Teacher of the Year in Florida prior to this blogging incident), others have been let go for posting photos on social networking sites of themselves drinking alcohol, and the infamous Philadelphia teacher who blogged about her students being "rude, disengaged, lazy whiners" was also fired. Though this may seem to some like immoral behavior, as one caller (a pre-service teacher) points out, it's all perfectly legal and within each teacher's right as an American citizen under the first amendment.

"Teachers are denied the full range of freedoms adults have" states Turley. Turley's argument throughout the show is that teachers work long hours for low pay, and they should be allowed the full freedoms that every other citizen is allowed. Meyer argues that there is no separation between a teacher's career life and his/her personal life. "Schools are public compulsory, therefore it's essential that teachers are held to a higher standard," she states.

There's no doubt that teachers should model social media responsibility, but should they be held to higher standards than every other citizen? Should districts include morality clauses in teacher contracts? If so, who gets to decide what to put in the clause? Where do we draw the line? It's a touchy issue for sure; listen to the podcast yourself to decide if you believe teachers should be disciplined for their online lives....and you might want to think twice before you tweet, blog, or Facebook!

Organize yourself with Evernote

My desk tends to be covered with sticky notes. Sometimes when I'm ambitious, I color code them. Sometimes when I'm scatterbrained (which seems to be most days), I forget the color-coding system. Sometimes the sticky notes lose their stickiness and then float off my desk never to be seen again. It's really quite a flawed system. Solution? Evernote.


A few summers ago I was introduced to this amazing program at the Nebraska Writing Project's three-week Technology Institute, and I've been hooked ever since. In its simplest form, Evernote is a place you can keep notes and archive them using a series of labels and notebooks. You can sign up for an Evernote account that is stored on the cloud, downloaded to your computer, and any mobile devices you want. Once signed up, you can create "notebooks" to organize your notes. So, I have a notebook for each of the classes I teach, a notebook for recipes, a notebook for technology related items, etc. etc. Then whenever I want to remember something, instead of writing it down on a sticky note that will probably end up stuck to the back of some random kid's paper, I open up my Evernote account, click "new note," type it up, and drop it into the appropriate notebook. You can even tag your notes to organize them more. So in my English 9 notebook, I have my notes organized by units.

A screen shot of my Evernote account.

I have the Evernote app on my iPhone as well, so I can add something to my Evernote account on my phone, and it will sync automatically to the Evernote app on my computer. I can also email and text notes to my Evernote account. When you download Evernote to your computer, you also then have the opportunity to take a screen shot of a webpage and save it into Evernote. Evernote also has amazing text recognition. Once I was in a meeting and didn't have my phone or computer, so I scribbled a note on a napkin. Later I took a picture with my phone of the napkin-note, sent the photo to my Evernote, but forgot to title it. Later when I opened my Evernote account to try and find the note, I typed in my search bar a word that I remember writing on the napkin, and guess what...Evernote found the note for me in my account that contains hundreds of notes! Basically, you're streamlining and organizing your notes.

Educational applications:

• Helps keep students organized: Last spring my seniors were required to complete a weekly blog post about a socially relevant topic every Friday (one of the blog posts would eventually become their end of term research paper). Each day I gave them time to browse through news sites, blogs, and other articles, so anytime they found something they liked that might make for an interesting blog post, they saved it in their Evernote account as way to keep track of all of their good finds. I had them write short notes about each item they saved to remind them of why they saved the article---it was almost like an annotated bibliography by the end of the semester. Click here to read more about Evernote for schools.
• Helps keep yourself organized: Keep track of all of those wish-lists, resources, websites, notes, etc. Sure you could bookmark these on your web-browser, but you can't access those bookmarks on any computer or device. Using Evernote allows you to access your items in your account from ANY computer or mobile device because your account is stored in the cloud. 
• Check out these GradHacker posts featuring Evernote. The writers share some practical ways to use the program. 

Check it out. If you're interested in setting up your account but would like some guidance, shoot me an email!

Get more out of your students' internet searches.

We all know that when our students need an answer, they usually simply "google it". What am I saying... I do it all the time too. But don't discount your students' (or your) google searches as meaningless. A lot of great, meaningful research can be had on google.

Below are some great tips and tools for you and your students to BETTER your google searches and get more out of Google!. Print it out and post it in your room as a handy reference, or just remember that it's on your helpful PLN!

If you want to take it a step further, here's a lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network devoted entirely to developing internet research skills, titled "Google It". It might be a good idea to check it out before you embark on a project with your students that involves some internet research.

Created by: HackCollege

Online Classroom Through Edmodo

Screenshot of our English 9 Edmodo Page

When our server went down before Christmas break, our online classroom at the high school (Sakai), also went down with it. I relied heavily on Sakai to post classroom documents, have discussions, offer online quizzes, etc. that I scrambled to find an equivalent site that I could throw together quickly. My solution: Edmodo.

Last year a colleague and friend from Lincoln Public Schools introduced me to the site. It's been an incredible tool in my classroom. It looks very similar to Facebook, so it's easier for me and the kids to navigate. And because of its resemblances to the popular social media site, the kids were excited to give it a whirl.

What can you do with Edmodo?

• Create multiple pages if you have several different classes
• Create a library with folders for individual units and then post links, documents, etc. for students to access
• Have online discussions
• Use for students to turn in assignments
• Connect parents with the class with Edmodo's parent code feature
• Create a calendar of events for students to access
• Keep track of grades
• Create a multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, or short answer quiz for students to take
• Post updates or notes to groups, classes, or individual students/parents

Edmodo is easy to use for both teachers and students, and it's not stored on the school's server...so in the event of another server crash, you could still access this site. The site also allows teachers to have a great deal of control over student access; teachers can limit individual students' access if need be. Here's a link to the help center that has many useful tools for getting started with Edmodo.

Creating Your Own How-To Videos

Tired of explaining how to use some piece of technology over and over again? Here's a simple fix: record a tutorial video demonstrating how to complete a task using Jing.

Jing is an easy, free downloadable program that allows you to record a tutorial type video on your computer. The program takes a video of what you are doing on your computer---so you can demonstrate where to click, what to open, etc. At the same time, it records your verbal instructions creating a pretty slick tutorial video that can be easily shared with others. Here's a sample video I created to teach my 9th graders how to create a Google Site.

Applications:

• Use it to explain how to complete a technology task
  
• Teachers can pull up an essay or other assignment on their computer screen and record their oral feedback while pointing to specific portions of the assignments and then send the link back to the student
• When you're sick or can't be at school, use it to explain what you want your students to do and send it to them so there are no confusions what they are to be doing

The Learning Network - New York Times

I have had good success with some of the lesson plans and ideas from the The Learning Network, a site dedicated to teachers and students which utilizes content from the New York Times. You can search for lesson plans by curriculum or topic. Or start simple and follow the Student Opinion pages (an online blog) and have your students comment/blog on the topic of the day if it seems like it might fit your class. Either way, it should get your students thinking and writing.

For an easy start... Here's a link to 150 questions you could try (surely there's one that might work for you).

Give it whirl if you like and see what you think! ~ :) Loree Cain

Prezi...A New Way to Present

The first time I saw a presentation created on Prezi, it was as shocking as being slapped in the face with a fish (sorry for the bad simile...we're working on figurative language in English class!). It was so out of the ordinary and honestly, way cooler than PowerPoint. Then I started creating my own Prezis; when I found it was easy--I fell deeper in love.

Benefits:

• Your trusty PowerPoint or Keynote slides can be "Prezified!" There's a simple import tool to "Prezify" your existing presentations
• It's cloud-based (meaning it's on the internet), so if your computer crashes...your Prezis aren't lost
• It's more interactive and visually pleasing than Keynote or PowerPoint
  
• Video, images, hyperlinks, and sounds can be embedded
• Prezis can be made public and editable--so a person can search for a Prezi that's already been created by someone else and then use it in your own class or make a copy of it and tweak it for your own use
• People can collaborate on Prezis and create one together
  
• Prezis can be printed as handouts for your students
  

Applications:

• Use it to create presentations that will knock your students right out of those uncomfortable desks
• Have your students create their own Prezis---they can embed them on their own blogs or websites OR email you the link for viewing and grading

Take a few minutes and learn how to use Prezi! Here's the Google Docs presentation I "Prezified" to create for our teacher in-service tomorrow:

NETA 2012

Mark your calendars and plan on attending this year's NETA conference on April 26-27 in La Vista. If you haven't attended NETA yet, bug your administrators until they let you go. Or...submit a proposal to present at this year's conference. It's a top-notch professional development opportunity and a great way to network with teachers.

Google Docs

I feel blessed to teach in a district that holds a Google Apps for Education license (GAFE). I can do so much more in my classroom with Google Docs. Rather than writing about it in a boring blog post, I'll let you check out a boring presentation! Here's a portion of my presentation that I created for last year's NETA conference. It contains how I use Google Docs in my classroom and some student work and feedback about the tool. If you haven't used Google Docs yet...don't wait another day!

Tween/Teen Tribune

Tween/Teen Tribune is a fantastic news website specifically geared for junior high-high school students that presents high interest news stories arranged into categories so it's easy for students to find a story that interests them. Teachers and students can comment on stories, publish their own stories (and we all know that writing for an audience causes students to invest more!), and take quizzes over the news stories.

How it works: Teachers create classrooms and students add themselves to the classroom. Then when a student adds a comment to a story, the comment is sent to the teacher's approval queue for the teacher to approve or delete. It's a great way to immerse students in non-fiction at an accessible reading level.

I'd like to give a shout out to Pam Abbott from Progress Elementary who sent me an email regarding a sweet feature in Tween/Teen Tribune: parents can be added as readers to teachers' classrooms. They only have to be added once, and then they can read all comments posted by students in the class. What a great way for parents to stay informed and be a part of their child's education!

If you're interested, check out Tween Tribune--specifically, their Top 10 Lesson Plans page.

Thinking Blocks: Model Your Math Problems

Yesterday our building had a staff meeting to discuss our 1:1 laptop program. A few of the math teachers mentioned how difficult it is to find ways to use the laptops in math classes. Later that day while perusing my Google Reader account (by the way, if you don't have a Google Reader account, you should consider signing up for one! I'll put up a blog about this later), I came across Richard Byrne's post on his blog Free Technology for Teachers about a website called Thinking Blocks--a website that helps students model their math word problems.

Because of my extreme disdain for math, I hesitantly checked out the website. After playing around a bit, I can see how this could be useful for students. Byrne recommends that this be used for K-8 math, but I really think this could be used in some of the lower level math courses we offer at the high school. The website allows students to visually map out their process when solving a problem. Students can use shapes, number lines, colors, and text to solve the problem. It's like having manipulatives on the computer. I struggled with math in high school partly because I am such a creative, visual, hands-on learner who was quite honestly scared of the subject. I think this tool would've taken the edge off of math for me. It would've given me a visual, hands-on way to solve word problems. If you're interested, check out the Modeling Tool page to find videos of the tool in action.

Free Technology for Teachers

This is an incredible blog for K-12 teachers that highlights several interesting technology tools and ways to use technology in the classroom. Check it out when you have a few spare minutes!

Backchanneling in the classroom

At NETA this spring, backchanneling was all the rave. So, when I got back to my classroom---I tried it. The verdict: love. it. I've been using TodaysMeet to set up my temporary chat rooms for my students ever since. I create a new chat room for each section of my English 9 classes, leave it open for a week for absent students to participate when they return, and then open it up to students for one class period. I pull the chat up on my projector and jump in with the kids. It's a great way to start a class period and jog students' memories about a reading assignment. Students generally love this activity because it has that familiarity of an instant message but allows for multiple people to be chatting at once.

Application: Could be used in almost any high school/junior high classroom with internet access---also works on iPods! It's also a great tool to use when presenting at conferences. When I presented at NETA this spring, I opened up a TodaysMeet chat specifically for my presentation so attendees could chat about my session with one another in real time. It was a really effective way to share ideas right in the moment.

Benefits: TodaysMeet only allows posts to be 140 characters long (similar to Twitter), so students must be concise. Great virtual discussion tool to ease students into a larger class discussion; very excellent for shy students who don't participate much in a class discussion. Great way to start or end class and check for comprehension.