Off to the Warmth!

Amidst rain, fog and TORNADO warnings in December, I pack to go south. Florida here I come. Can't wait to chase a little white ball for a few days and enjoy the company of friends. Koz, I will miss being with you - but this time I get to play while you work.
I hope that the really bad stuff stays away until my plane gets up. Looking forward to seeing Sue and Gayle and the Villages.
It has been a very nice Christmas-now the R & R starts. NGKA headed home today- Godspeed and be safe.

Christmas Marathon

202 miles, 6 stops, 4 dogs, 1 cat and plenty of food and drink made for a GREAT Christmas! The day began at 8:30am and ended at 11:30 pm -but we saw everyone, talked to those that we coudn't see and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. That is what Christmas is all about

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Two of my favorite days of the year-Two frantic days of travel, visits, gifts and joy. NGKA made it safely from MN-a 9 hour trip in lot of snow. Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight and tomorrow. Sorry that Ed will be in China-we'll miss you cous!
Happy, Happy, Merry MERRY

The push to Chritmas

I awake this morning to a new blanket of snow and the news of a Bears comeback. I admit it-- I was frustrated and went to bed.
Apparently the offense and the good luck fairies woke up and the Bears won in overtime-YIPEE!!

Beautiful snow overnight-thank goodness we bought a new snowblower last year! Lots of wrapping to do today. NGAK driving in from MN today-it will be a slow trip I'm sure. Final prep for the holiday. I love this time of year and all that it brings: Snow, Love and Miracles!

School's Out!

The 12th day of TECHristmas will have to wait. I sit snug and warm in my family room as the snow and ice flies outside. 6:00 am seems a little late to be making a decision-but a decision non the less.

I hope that the 12 days has been enjoyable and a start to an ongoing learning journey. Enjoy the time off -Enjoy your families and friends-And enjoy all that the season of wonder brings.

12 Days of TECHristmas - Day 11

This morning's flood only dampens THINGS- not our SPIRITS
'way to carry on COUGARS!!!


Today's item is DELICIOUS(www.de.licio.us.com) YUM!

The Web is a big place, full of new and interesting things to discover. The problem is finding the good stuff and keeping track of it all. This is where Delicious can help.

Delicious is a Social Bookmarking service, which means you can save all your bookmarks online, share them with other people, and see what other people are bookmarking. (Don't let the word SOCIAL bother you-that's what makes it cool-that ability to share)

Things you can do with Delicious
Bookmark any site on the Internet, and get to it from anywhere
Instead of having different bookmarks on every computer, Delicious makes it easy to have a single set of bookmarks kept in sync between all of your computers. Even if you're not on a computer you own, you can still get to your bookmarks on the Delicious website.

Share your bookmarks, and get bookmarks in return
If your friends use Delicious, you can send them interesting bookmarks that they can check out the next time they log in. Of course, they can do the same for you. As you explore the site and find interesting users, you can use our Subscriptions and Network features to keep track of the Delicious tags and users you find most interesting.

Discover the most useful and interesting bookmarks on the web
See what's hot with Delicious users by checking out our popular tags. By looking at popular bookmarks for a tag, you'll be able to discover the most interesting bookmarks on the topics you're most interested in. Browse bookmarks on just about anything from the best programming tips to the most popular travel sites, all in an easy to read format.

Imagine creating a series of book marks of sites and sharing the with your students!
Take a look at this site-I think that this is a very cool idea that has implication in the classroom.

PAINT PROJECTS

CREATIVITY ABOUNDS @ PSHS!!

12 Days of TECHristmas - Day 10

Good morning!!

Today we have another "did you know that you have this available to you?"
PAINT is today's software(located in your "Standard Applications")- PAINT certainly is not Photoshop, but it is a simple program used to draw, color, and edit pictures. You can use Paint like a digital sketchpad to make simple pictures and creative projects or to add text and designs to other pictures, such as those taken with your digital camera.

Following are two resources:

Microsoft's help for PAINT(VISTA):
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/f5feb1df-8dd7-4ab0-9f65-3c1c89a329ab1033.mspx

Or a really good tutorial
http://fay.iniminimo.com/paint.html

Here is today's quest- Play with PAINT--Enclosed is my change in the PSHS cougar for the season
Email me your "project" we will display them on the blog

WEBQUESTS

We are going to use this for Huck Finn:
http://campus.lakeforest.edu/~ragland/mlee/student.html#Introduction

Day 10

Today's topic- WEBQUESTS

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. The model was developed by Bernie Dodge at San Diego State University in 1995. They provide teachers with controlled researching/inquiry, and learners with specific guidelines and outcomes.
Here is a webquest about webquests: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest-hs.html
San Diego State University is the ultimate resource for webquest and has a terrific search site available athttp://webquest.org/search/index.php
There are certainly other resources out there--here is another of the "good ones" :
http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic4.htm

Here's today's quest--Take a look at the SDSU site-do the webquest on webquests if you are unfamiliar with them.
Then--look around and see if you can find a webquest that you would use--or like to use--Forward the URL to me and I will share it
Have fun!

Good morning--Hope your week-end was good-Today is the beginning of the end- the last 5 day of TECHristmas.
Hope you are having fun and learning something along the way.

Today's session concerns books. Are you aware of all of the ways that you can now " read" a book? The advent of technology now allows for ebooks, and audio books. You can purchase books on CD,s download them to your portable mp3 player or download them in various digital formats, from PDF files to specific pocket reader software. It all follows the "anytime-anywhere" possibilities that technology provides.

Today's quest can take little or not time, depending on how interested you are. Find your local library's web site - explore it for options of digital media- See what is available to you-You might be surprised! With many of us traveling for the holidays, digital books allow us to listen to book during our travels or read it on a handheld device like a palm pilot or even your cell phone!

Taking it one step farther, Amazon has introduced the KINDLE, a electronic device that allows for wireless download of books and other kinds of publications

For those who might be interested, we will have one in the media center in late February
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Device/dp/B000FI73MA
At any rate- see what is available to you - READ!!!

Teacher Tube

2 math videos:





Top 10 Things you don't learn about teaching in College



Teachers Make a Difference




Science - Egg in a bottle -upside down twist

12 Days of TECHristmas - Day 7

Another week closer to BREAK!! Today's quest is another explore opportunity

TeacherTube officially launched on March 6, 2007. Its goal is to provide an online community for sharing instructional videos. They seek to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill.
Many of us are frustrated when we find something that we would like to share on YouTube only to find that our system block access to the site--Here is another option-A site by and for teachers!!
So--go to Teachertube.com--Search your content area or interest area--Find something that you like or would use in class -Send me the video's name and I will compile them for the BLOG.

I encourage you to create an account and become a part of their community. With the TEACHERTUBE community you can:
*Upload, tag and share videos worldwide.
*Upload Support Files to attach your educational Actvities, Assessments, Lesson Plans, Notes, and Other file formats to your video.
*Browse hundreds of videos uploaded by community members.
*Find, join and create video groups to connect with people who have similar interests.
*Customize the experience by subscribing to member videos, saving favorites, and creating playlists.
*Integrate TeacherTube videos on websites using video embeds or APIs.
*Make videos public or private - users can elect to broadcast their videos publicly or share them privately with those they invite.
*Most importantly, TeacherTube community members are a major part of the evolution of the site. Members are encouraged to not only upload educationally relevant videos, but also to make constructive comments and use the rating system to show appreciation for videos of value to one as an educator or learner. Users also have the ability to preserve the integrity of the site by flagging inappropriate videos. TeacherTube staff review flagged sites and will remove any inappropriate posts. With more collegial commentary and discussion through messaging and responses, the quality of this resource will only increase.

Smartboard Resources

Compilation of SMARTboard resources:


I found this really awesome one at: http://www.think-bank.com/iwb/science.html#chem
It would work so well next semester when we're balancing equations. I downloaded it, but i can't get it to open.


http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Notebook+activities/Browse+Notebook/United+States/Secondary/10-12/Math/Pythagorean+Theorem+3.htm
This one comes with a Senteo set of questions as well. I love being tech savvy!!!!!!!!!!!!!



http://www.teacherled.com/resources/keywords/keywordload.html
Here is a link to a word jumble lesson that is awesome. I am going to use this with my kids when we do vocabulary words.


Here is a page with a bunch of lessons!
http://www1.center.k12.mo.us/EDTECH/SB/templates.htm


One of my favorite BLOGS that I check daily is entitled "Teachers Love SMARTboards!" It is written by Jim Hollis, a math/computer science educator from Arizona. He has AMAZING resources!!
His blog is: http://smartboards.typepad.com/
He listed his favorite resources of the year at : http://smartboards.typepad.com/smartboard/smartboard-web-resources-2008.html
Favorite websites are listed at:
http://smartboards.typepad.com/smartboard/smartboard-website-listin.html
The SMARTboard folks have their won resources @ http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities
Another great site is:
http://www.teacherled.com/
Here's another- a school District's compilation
http://www.lm.havre.k12.mt.us/teachertools/smartboard/webresources.html

With the creation of a SMART lab in room 130, I have become obsessed with SMARTboard resources. For those of you who have never used one, SMART Board interactive whiteboards were introduced in 1991. They have a touch-sensitive display which connects to a computer and digital projector to show the computer image. You can then control computer applications directly from the display, write notes in digital ink and save your work to share later-In otherwords, you are the cursor, pen, keyboard, etc. In classrooms( or the lab), students can interact and be actively involved in lessons.

One of my favorite BLOGS that I check daily is entitled "Teachers Love SMARTboards!" It is written by Jim Hollis, a math/computer science educator from Arizona. He has AMAZING resources!!
His blog is: http://smartboards.typepad.com/
He listed his favorite resources of the year at : http://smartboards.typepad.com/smartboard/smartboard-web-resources-2008.html
Favorite websites are listed at:
http://smartboards.typepad.com/smartboard/smartboard-website-listin.html
The SMARTboard folks ahve their won resources @ http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities
Another great site is:
http://www.teacherled.com/
And if you GOOGLE search(see how everything ties together!!) SMARTBOARD resources, you will come up with lots more.

You have probably guessed by now that your quest for today is to find an interactive lesson--Mind you, it is easy to get "lost" and caught up in all of the great stuff that is out there.
Have fun!!! Forward the site/activity-- and I will share it with everyone on the QUEEEN GEEK BLOG!

Today's quest is another " did you know that you have this software available to you?"
We will be looking at INSPIRATION - a Graphic Organizer software. For those of you who have never seen this before-Go to STUDENT APPLICATIONS and INSPIRATION is right in the middle of the programs.

Graphic organizers help students construct meaning. They can be used across all grade levels and content area. Use them to assess your students understanding of what they are reading, observe their thinking process on what you read as a class, as a group, or independently; plan a project; do research and lots more.
The program is simple to use once you figure it out-- I have included a PDF for new users and a web site as well
http://inspiration.com/Examples/Inspiration
I believe that this is the most under used program in the building and potentially the most useful. If you do nothing else with this--Open the program and under FILE- look at the templates that are available in your content area-Open one of them and click on the icon on the far left of the tool bar that is alternately OUTLINE or DIAGRAM-- a powerful way for students to plan visually and have a written form as well( For those of us who are visual-this program is a great help!)
JUST AS AN ASIDE-I WILL BE DOING MORE THOROUGH TRAINING ON INSPIRATION IN THE NEW SEMESTER)
For now- explore! Here is your project- create a "character web" - or a "web" of the 12 days of Christmas--save it and forward it to more-We will share on the BLOG
Have fun!!

As with BLOGS, it is very interesting to see the interest/passion base in our building.
Once again, in no particular order are podcasts that people listen/subscribe to:

1) If you like Chicago blues you probably know about this site http://www.podfeed.net/tags/Chicago%20Blues
Good road music. Lots of variety.

2) The 2008 National Book Award winners on NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=97354087&m=97353180

3) I admit to being a politics addict-My current favorite is Rachel Maddow
Her podcast is on AirAmerican @ http://airamerica.com/ondemand
or on ITunes

4) For all of you Cub fans! http://cubscast.com/

5) About snowmobiling up North-- tis' the season
http://zenwaiter.podOmatic.com/entry/2008-11-23T22_14_37-08_00

6) Here is a link to a punch of podcasts about MyPyramid: The New Food Guide System
http://www.mypyramid.gov/podcasts/index.html

7) Here are science podcasts

GUIDE TO SCIENCE PODCASTS, (Charles Burrows) Here are a few sources!
Nature Podcast, Nature: Journal of Science http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/archivetranscripts.html
The Science Podcast, Journal by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) http://www.sciencemag.org/multimedia/podcast/
The Naked Scientists: Science Podcasts http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/
Guardian Unlimited Science Podcasts http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/podcasts
The Science Show, ABC Radio National (Australia) http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/default.htm
Talking Science, ABC Radio and TV (Australia) http://www.abc.net.au/science/broadband/talkingscience/
Science Talk, Scientific American Podcasts
http://www.sciam.com/podcast/index.cfm?e_type=W
60-Second Science, Scientific American Podcasts
http://www.sciam.com/podcast/index.cfm?e_type=D
NY Times - Science Times
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=120316173
NY Academy of Sciences http://www.nyas.org/snc/podcasts.asp
Science @ NASA Feature Stories Podcast
http://science.nasa.gov/podcast.htm
NewScientist.com Podcast http://www.newscientist.com/podcast.ns
Earth and Sky Podcast http://feeds.feedburner.com/earthsky
Earth Science Podcasts, Concord-Carlisle Regional High School, Concord, Massachusetts http://web.mac.com/cchsearthscience/iWeb/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html
Point of Inquiry, D.J. Grothe
http://pointofinquiry.org/

Today's Quest concerns podcasts.

What is a PODCAST?
A podcast is a series of audio or video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet. Though the same content may also be made available by direct download or streaming, a podcast is distinguished from other digital-media formats by its ability to be subscribed to and downloaded automatically when new content is added.
The term is a combination of the words "iPod" and "broadcast", the Apple iPod being the brand of portable media player for which the first podcasting scripts were developed. Such scripts allow podcasts to be automatically transferred from a personal computer to a mobile device after they are downloaded. As more devices other than iPods became able to synchronize with podcast feeds, the term was redefined by some parties as "Personal On Demand broadCASTING.
Since podcasting originated with IPods and Apple, ITunes is a very popular site to find podcast--but not the only one.
Following are some great sites to find podcasts-Like BLOGS you can pretty much find anything out there. I confess to being a podcast junkie, and find myself listing to podcasts instead of the radio on my ride to and from school.

Find a podcast-if you like it subscribe, and if your feel the urge- send me the URL and the name- and I will share via my BLOG.
Have fun!
http://www.podomatic.com/directory
http://www.podcastdirectory.com/
http://www.podcastalley.com/
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory

12 Days of TECHristmas - Day 2

Welcome to DAY 2
Today we are going to visit an in-house resource.

How many of you have even looked at PUBLISHER 2007? (Some of you may not have even looked at Publisher 2000!!)
The new Publisher has a wealth of options and cool features. Take a look at all of the "publications" that you and your student can create.
I am especially excited at the web sites that can be created using Publisher
There are lots of templates- take the time to explore!
I encourage you to open Publisher--don't be afraid -- and play-- select something to create and go for it!
If you get stuck,stop by or call, I am more than happy to help!
Your quest for today is to design/create and forward to me a business card for yourselfor an alter ego;or a real or fictious business.
Have fun!
( I will compile all and share them via email rather than posting on the BLOG-in case there are any extra clever alter egos!)
For those who need assistance-scroll down
General "Publisher 2007" Site
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/FX100649111033.aspx
Business card help site: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/HA101078041033.aspx?pid=CH100487781033

12 Days of TECHristmas - Day 1 Results

Following in no particular order are BLOGs that are read by those participating( I will update as new ones come in):

1) http://thefightofmylife.blogspot.com/ This is because I also had a traumatic brain injury and it's nice to read about people who have similar struggles as myself.
2) http://www.morethanihopedfor.blogspot.com/ This is my sister's blog, and it's nice to keep in touch with family. Plus, my sister lost her first baby at 19.5 weeks, and it's nice to see her deal with her grief in a healthy way. She now has 2 wonderful children, but she still longs for the child she lost.
3) http://scienceblogs.com/ They have a ton of different "channels" you can click on in the various sciences, as well as other options, like environment, education, humanities, medicine- lots of options to click on.
4) http://www.rockrunner.blogs.com/ It's the pastor of my church's blog. It's just a blog where he posts his thoughts, things on the One Year Bible that our church is going through, he talks about the transition from moving from our old building to our current building, and talks about his kids.

5) http://health.yahoo.com/experts/nutrition/13933/is-breakfast-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day/comments/?pg=3 It expresses the importance of eating breakfast everyday. It also shows current research that supports how some individuals who eat breakfast actually weigh less than those that don't.

6) http://www.physicaleducationupdate.com/peblog
Nice blog's for coaches of all sports. I especially like the difference of indoor and outdoor coach's.

7) This one against my better judgement: http://www.cubsblogarmy.com/

Need I say more, a site for REAL Chicago Cub fans. Home to plenty of good rants (100 years worth) that do not have to get through the Tribune moderator on the Cubs website. Expect laughter, tears, cursing and curses. Do not mention the Goat, Leon Durham, Bill Buckner, the fan down the leftfield line who touched the foul ball, or the 2008 playoffs.


8) http://bwquiltchallenge.blogspot.com/ Lori renewed my interest in sewing with her lovely quilts. I have started quilting and find it a good way to relax and refocus. The quilt blogs are good for getting new ideas.

9) http://borderland.northernattitude.org/2008/11/13/assessments-for-learning
This is my new favorite blog to visit! It is a blog about reading skills and strategies. AWESOME! I felt like I was talking to someone that was "speaking the same language as me."


10) http://www.spanish-only.com/2008/11/spanish-word-day
interesting spanish words of the day with explanations and examples of it being used. Some normal words and some swear words too.

11) http://bakebakebake.livejournal.com/
People sharing tips on how to bake better banana breads.

12) http://news.exploreminnesota.com/explore-minnesota-winter-trails-report-december-4-2008/
Minnesota winter trail conditions for snowmobilers (or if you live in Alaska or Canada "snowmachiners")

13) http://math-blog.com/
Kind of helpful - some fun math brain teasers and other teacher resources. Also homework help - trust me I need it sometimes so that I am one step ahead of the kids.
http://delicious.com/wegner/Mathematics
I got to this one through another blog. I'm not sure if it's a blog or not but cool stuff on there.
I'm still a little shy - so I didn't join - I know - Loser!


14) http://buncomamas.blogspot.com/
here's my spot. I often contemplate the creation of a book about bunco (not the game), the life. Here's a blog that reminds me of my put-off want...

15) http://blog.thecrochetdude.com/
I enjoy crocheting, so this was a good place for me to start blogging.

16) http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/
Doug Johnson is the guru for librarians and technology folks. He is funny and always gives me good tips...Read him when I can


17) I found a rockin' blog - http://www.1000recordings.com/music/legend-arab-music/ It's from a mothership blog called "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die," and this particular portion is all about Arab music with major emphasis on singer Oum Kalthoum, who is the best-known Arab singer and was always called Kawkab Al Sharq, which means Star of the East. I've always been interested in her and her music, and I have a friend from Egypt who confirmed just what a national celebrity she is!


18) I found a rockin' blog - http://www.1000recordings.com/music/legend-arab-music/ It's from a mothership blog called "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die," and this particular portion is all about Arab music with major emphasis on singer Oum Kalthoum, who is the best-known Arab singer and was always called Kawkab Al Sharq, which means Star of the East. I've always been interested in her and her music, and I have a friend from Egypt who confirmed just what a national celebrity she is!


19) http://thesouthofenglishtalk.blogspot.com
You do NOT have to have an account, You can JUST post comments.

12 Days of TECHristmas - Day 1

On the first day of TECHristmas, your Quest concerns a BLOG.

WHAT IS A BLOG?
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.A blog is whatever the writer wants it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.
In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.
Since Blogger was launched in 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We will start with a simple quest today- Find and read a blog related to something that you are passionate or interested in--You can search topics at :http://blogsearch.google.com/ ; you can search educational blogs at:http://edublogs.org/ or simply do a google search of " _______ blogs"
If you are so inclined, join and post on the blog-that is part of what blogging is -- an opportunity to share by commenting.
Finally- to validate your quest, please forward me the URL of the blog with a BRIEF explanation of it - I will complile a list and share it with the group on my BLOG(see if you can find it!)
Let the blogging begin!!

Social Networking

So, I recently created an account on Facebook to see what all of the hoopla is about. I have to say that I can't quite figure it out. I me, it seems to be a personal chat room with bells and whistles. I am told that emailing is out and posting on these site is what it is all about. I'm perhaps a little too old, set in my ways or outdated enough to not understand why I would want communication between me and my friends to be available for all to see. To all to all of this, I discovered a new site called power(http://www.power.com/) that combines all of the social networking sites into one--So, regardless of which site you are a part of, you can access your and others' from one place-- I guess that's progress.

An educational publication that I receive introduced Pageflakes(http://www.pageflakes.com/) as a personalized home page service that offers support for everything from videos to podcasts, class links, news, blogs, etc--Seems like much of the same-supposedly for educators-At first glance, it looks like another social networking site-Can't quite see the difference-but I will keep an open mind!

I'm Ba-a-a-a-ck!

JOIN THE BLOG WORLD

The 12 day of TECHristmas and a general renewed vigor has me back in the blogosphere! Lab 130(the SMARTlab has consumed most of my fall. I am pleased with the lab and the excitement and possibilities that is has created. Jean has jumped into it with both feet and is a welcome resource to me and others in the building.

As a result of work with SMARTboards, I am on the lookout for new and innovative uses. My new favorite is from Jim Hollis, an educator from Arizona who blogs at http://smartboards.typepad.com/.