New interview

Neal-Schuman Publishers, a brand of the American Library Association, asked me to provide an interview about my new book Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom.  It's now available on their blog. You might find it interesting.

Also take a look at the companion website to the book and offer suggestions and comments on what you'd like to see there.

Learning 2.0 conference aftermath

The week of August 20 was exciting, interesting and educational. If you missed the Learning 2.0 conference with its wealth of sessions on all aspects of educational technology and its use in the classroom, you really missed out. From games in education to creating Google projects for the classroom, to the exciting area of mobile devices, all provided food for the creative teacher and librarian to use in their schools. And, having so many experts and educators willing to share their ideas, practices and insights was truly amazing.

So, what can you do?  Recordings of the keynote addresses are available here,  Especially interesting if you are a librarian was a panel by four librarians who understand technology and how to use it effectively.

Many of the recordings for sessions during the conference can be found here. In order not to miss these educational events, sign up free at Classroom 2.0 or Library 2.0.  You won't be sorry!

Flat Classroom Projects: Apply Now!

Start your school year off with a bang.  Review and apply now for Flat Classroom Projects so you are ready to go soon after school begins.  Here are the dates and deadlines.  Get more information on any or all of the projects on the Flat Classroom Projects page.

Flat Classroom Project - Deadline September 1, 2012 

Digiteen Project - Deadline September 15, 2012 

'A Week in the Life...' - Deadline September 1, 2012 

NetGenEd - Project based on the Horizon Report published in January each year - Deadline February 1, 2013  

 'Building Bridges to Tomorrow' Project - Deadline September 15, 2012

Eracism - Information and Applications available August 15, 2012

Don't Miss Connected Educator Month

Connected Educator Month is a U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educators initiative, coming out of Director of the Office of Educational Technology. The emphasis is on the role of online communities and social learning networks--networks like Classroom 2.0 and Library 2.0 that are "helping hundreds of thousands of educators learn, reducing isolation and providing 'just in time' access to knowledge and opportunities for collaboration." The goal throughout this August is to expose the broader audience of educators and administrators to the benefits of peer professional development.

Learning events will take place all month. Visit Connected Educators for a complete schedule of sessions throughout the month of August.

In addition, a fabulous free Learning 2.0 online conference full of discussions, interaction, new ideas and much more will be held on August 20-24.  Gurus in the field of K-12 educational technology will present, participate on panels and help novices learn and those using technology in their classrooms to connect. 

Join the activities!

Simple K12 Webinars

I've been attending some interesting webinars lately provided by SimpleK12.  This organization has both free and paid membership.  Today, for example, a series of four 30-minute sessions discussed the Core Standards and technology in math and language arts.  The one on the Flipped Classroom was very educational with many examples from different subject areas--a lot of information in only 30 minutes.  Excellent presenters provide webinars every week such as "Get Out of the Classroom with Virtual Field Trips" or  "Teaching Reading in the Digital Age."  Not only do they have live webinars, but also many other resources for teachers.  Take a look, sign up, and register--all in a couple of minutes!

You can get an amazing amount of information with their Basic free membership.

Great Free Tutorials

Richard Byrne, who write the blog "Free Technology for Teachers" has created a number of books to make your life using technology easier. 

Want to create a free website? Use Google Sites and review Richard's book online, titled Google Sites for Teachers. It will definitely help you get started and then use it in your classroom.

Other books by Richard that might interest you are Google Earth Across the Curriculum and Google Docs for Teachers 2012.  And, if you are bored or want something educational to do this summer, try Byrne's 77 Things for Teachers to Try This Summer. You won't be bored for long and can get a headstart into the school year. 

Free Technology for Teachers website is chock full of guides, ideas and more.

New Source for Information on Cyberbullying

Did you know that ebrary.com has a free collection of open sources on cyberbullying?  This site offers ebooks you can peruse on types of bullying, statistics, what you should do when bullying starts, and much more.  Just go to the ebrary site at http://site.ebrary.com/lib/cyberbullying/search.action?p00=cyberbullying&fromSearch=fromSearch&search=Search and put in a search term at the top of the page.  Titles such as Stop Cyberbullying Before it Starts, Data Memo: Cyberbullying and Online Teens, Serial No. 111-76: Cyberbullying and Other Online Safety Issues for Children and more are available. 
So, next time you want to discuss the topic of bullying or cyberbullying, create a lesson plan on it or have your students conduct research on the topic, ebrary is a safe site to access, read a Table of Contents and click to exactly the aspect of the subject you want.  Try it out! 

These resources also complement the unit plan on bullying that appears in Chapter 3 of my book Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom.

Google Drive--Storage in the Cloud

Google Drive allows you to store any kind of file including documents, images, archives, and video files. Moreover, you can share your files in Google Drive with other individuals, teams of users (such as Google Groups), your entire organization, or even make them public!

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage-based service provided in conjunction with a Google Apps account. Google Drive provides:
--interfaces through your computer, mobile device or the Web
--file sharing functionality
--safe. secure, and redundant file storage
--capacity to meet your storage needs as they grow
For information on how to use Google Drive, download Richard Byrne's free e-book showing how to use Google Drive.

A Cyberbullying Lesson

In my new book Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom, there is a lesson on bullying, a topic of concern to educators and parents today. Check this YouTube video for a lesson on cyberbullying and how to explain it to your students. This interactive lesson provides questions to answer after each part to reinforce the concepts presented. It also contains additional links to other videos on bullying.

Review this 9-minute video, and read Chapter 3 on Wikis in my book and try out the unit plan related to bullying, designed to be used in a multidisciplinary unit for English and social studies using wikis.

Upcoming free Social Learning Summit

Put April 21 on your calendar to attend the Social Learning Summit, a virtual, free, worldwide conference being sponsored by the Discovery Educator Network on the use of social media and Web 20 in teaching and learning. Presentation proposals are still being accept through Saturday, April 7. View the list of proposals already accepted HERE. Session blocks are 30 minutes in length, and more information on how to submit can be found HERE.

This one-day session will be an exciting and informative, offering practical ideas on how to use Web 2.0 and social media with your students. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity.

Learning Science through Games

The Rice University Center for Technology and Learning has a website designed for middle and high school students to explore science topics through games that you won't want to miss. Web Adventures has two sections: 1) for teachers--online activities, guide, free games and more; 2) for students--independent cases where students learn about the topic (e.g., forensic science) and then use what they learn to solve mysteries.

From investigating substances that have both harmful and helpful effects to what it takes to be a forensic scientist in CSI-like adventures, games let students learn about science as they solve the cases. Science careers lets students explore first-hand what it takes to have a career in science.

Teachers: try out this website to introduce a new scientific topic, help them discover what it means to be a scientist or as individual follow-up enrichment activities.

Try using some of these games with your students and let me know what you think!

Google 2012 Science Fair

The Google Science Fair is an online science competition seeking curious minds from around the globe. Anybody and everybody between 13 and 18 can enter. All you need is an idea.

The theme this year is "Everyone has a question. What is yours?" Watch the video to see some possible ideas.

Check out the details and submit your entry by April 1.

Doodle 4 Google contest

It's that time of year--Google's annual Doodle 4 Google K-12 contest. You still have time to send in your doodles, one per child. To enter the Contest, visit the Contest website. Your Doodle must use the Google logo to reflect the Contest theme "If I could travel in time, I'd visit..." Draw your Doodle and follow the instructions that appear on the two-page official entry form.

You still have time to enter and have your entry postmarked by March 20, 2012, and received by March 23, 2012.

New Book Just Arrived!

Now you can review and purchase Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom. Learn how to get started with each tool and take advantage of ready-to-teach units that support K-12 curricular standards.

Some examples of the book’s contents include:
--Collaborating and Communicating with Blogs
--Creating Multidisciplinary Wikis
--Google Tools: Enhancing Instruction in the Science Curriculum
--K-12 Classrooms Join the Social Networking Revolution
--Using VoiceThread and Video to Improve Language Development
--Creating Community

Also review the website that accompanies the book.

Set your date for Computer Using Educators Conference (CUE)

Set aside time to attend the CUE conference in Palm Springs, CA on March 15-17. As a past presenter at the conference, I know sessions, networking and other activities are really technologically worthwhile and fun too!

Attend hands-on sessions, workshops, Diverse Learners Symposium, the Bloggers Cafe, CUETips, Poster sessions and so much more.

At the same time as the conference, attend CUE Unplugged, a series of activities that take place in, around, and with the support of the annual conference. All of these events are free and do not require signing up anywhere except to be registered for CUE.

Register now!

White House K-12 Science Fair

President Obama hosted the second-ever White House Science Fair, featuring research and inventions from K-12 students. More than 100 students represented 30 student teams with projects showcasing the talents of American's next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors, and innovators. Projects ranged from robots in the Blue Room to rockets in the Red Room to marshmallow cannons in the State Dining Room.

Review some of the exhibits and also find out about contests your students can enter in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from across the country.

How to Write a Quality Comment!

This video, created by Mrs. Yollis' students is excellent. Follow it and have your students create great comments to their classmates' blog or others. See more about blogging and commenting at http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/02/22/student-blogging-activity-3-beginner-teaching-quality-commenting/.