Course Goals

Course Goals:
1. Obtain an overview of the tools and information that are available via the World Wide Web (1.1.1-5) {1, 2, 3, 4,5}
2. Review the history of the Internet(1.1.1-5) {1, 2, 3, 4,5}
3. Learn about Web browser software and Web pages & addresses (1.1.1-5) {1, 2, 3, 4,5}
4. Navigate the Web and use it to find information for use in the classroom and as a professional development tool (1.1.1-5) {1, 2, 3, 4,5}
5. Learn about Google search tools, how they work and how to formulate effective Web search strategies using various kinds of search expressions (1.1.1-5) {1, 2, 3, 4,5}
6. Use Web 2.0 and social media tools for academic networking and utilization in the classroom setting (3.1.1) {1, 2, 4, 5}
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the role digital literacy and supporting technologies can play in effective 21st Century Classrooms (3.1.1) {1, 2, 4, 5}

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Tagxedo


Here is a great tool: http://www.tagxedo.com/. Use this site to make amazing word clouds. This site allows you to copy and paste text from Word into Tagxedo and form them into a cloud or for fun, a shape. These can be saved as .jpgs and then uploaded to your blog, webpage, document, etc. In addition, you can use a URL and Tagxedo will create a cloud from all words on that specific web page. Here is a sample I made from the wiki page.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

KidBlog

KidBlog - an easy way to start blogging with kids. You can check it out and see what you think!
http://kidblog.org/home.php

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Blogs

I have added a gadget to my page that includes all of our blogs. You can easily access one anothers blogs from here!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Making Good Use of Google

1. Type in your search and the open the panel using the Show options link above your top result. Then use Google’s Wonder Wheel to find related searches and potential keywords to target during your keyword discovery. The Wonder Wheel can be found on the results page under “Show Options” and then “Standard View”.
2. You can also narrow a search by using the timeline in the options panel. Try sf earthquakes, and click on the timeline.
3. Also in the options panel, search images by color.
4. Use the Similar images link under image search results to narrow down your image
searches.
5. Use Google Squared www.google.com/squared to build a table of information about a topic. You can add a column if there's a dimension missing. You can drill into a cell to see where the information comes from. Great for fact checking.
6. Use Street View in Google Maps to answer questions we can't answer with
conventional Web Search or conventional maps. Questions like
"what does the entrance to this store look like?"
Or
"When can I and cant I park on that side of the street?"
(To use street view, open a Google Maps map, and then drag the little yellow stick figure onto the street you'd like to view.)
7. Visit Google.com/educators for
teacher resources
prepared lesson plans on how to search like an expert and how to spot reliablesites (developed with help from librarians!)
prepared lesson plans that leverage Google Docs and Spreadsheets

21st Century Reading

Time Magazine Article - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html




http://www.21stcenturyskills.org

The Mile Guide – for school districts help give guidelines on how to implement


Suggested Reads
The Last Lecture – Randy Pausch

The World is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman

A Whole New Mind – Daniel Pink

This Wisdom of Crowds - James Surowiecki

The Element – Sir Ted Robinson

Engage Me or Enrage Me – Mark Prensky