Technology for Teachers Quick and Dirty

							Technology for Teachers:
20 Integration Techniques



                        Kim Peacock, M.Ed.
                    Edmonton Public Schools
A Context…
 Why?!
• Digital immigrants vs. digital natives
  (Mark Prensky)
  – Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
  – Do They Really Think Differently?
• Kids THINK they know a lot about
  technology, but…
• Things can’t really be the way they
  “used to be” because kids aren’t built
  the way they used to be (cognitively
  and physically).
Some Warnings & Considerations…

• Socio-economic status
• Prior skills (IMing and
  downloading music vs. searching
  skills)
• Classroom management
• Lack of knowledge of copyright law
  (you, not them)
Some Warnings & Considerations…

• Administration (check sites, give
  them email addresses, etc…)
• Assessment (why assess a tool
  when we don’t normally assess
  tool use)? This is a hot topic…
 Foundational Skills

• Searching (and, -, quotations, advanced
  search) -
  http://www.google.ca/help/basics.ht
  ml
• Discrimination of Information -
  http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic32.ht
  m
• Media Awareness - http://www.media-
  awareness.ca/english/index.cfm
Where are You?




      http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/edtalk/tef.htm
20 Ways to Integrate Technology



                   Low Level Integration
1. Online Information Repositories

• Allows classrooms to have the most up
  to date information.
  – Social studies: Current events comparison
  – Science/CTS: Innovation
    (http://www.newscientist.com/home.ns,
    http://www.wired.com/ )
  – ELA: Book reviews, author blogs
    (http://www.jkrowling.com/ )
  – Foods: Recipes online
    (http://allrecipes.com/ )
2. Scavenger Hunts

• Lower level but makes finding
  information more fun for them (rather
  than hunting through a textbook).
• Can be low or high level - give them the
  URLs or test their searching skills.
• Examples:
  http://www.usiouxfalls.edu/~apeter/s
  cavenger_hunts.htm
3. Virtual Field Trips

• Cultural -
  http://www.themoscowtimes.com/tra
  vel_guide.html
• Geographic - http://www.japan-
  guide.com/ ,
  http://www.artsalive.ca/en/eth/index.
  html
• Historical -
  http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreek
  s/ , http://search.eb.com/dday
3. Virtual Field Trips

• Local sites at
  http://www.2learn.ca/mapset/virtfield
  trips/virtftmuseums.html
• Hint: Context is key, just like in a real
  trip. Give them a focus – ask them to
  identify a favourite artefact or
  something that surprised them, etc…
4. Virtual Exhibits

• Like virtual field trips but more
  focused on knowledge.
• Examples:
  – http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/English/in
    dex_flash.html
  – http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/
  – http://www.exploratorium.com
5. Discussion Boards & Chats

• Make them truly purposeful! Cultural
  exchanges, experts, etc…
• I strongly discourage individual
  participation unless the
  environment is
  password protected
  (ie/ Yahoo or Google
  Groups, district service)
6. Video On Demand & Multimedia
• New curriculum in ELA and SS focuses
  on media awareness (beyond books).
• There is a lot of video out there…
  – http://www.brainpop.com/
  – http://www.histori.ca/default.do?page=.i
    ndex
  – http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
  – http://www.ctv.ca/generic/generated/ne
    ws/WFive.html
  – http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/video.html
  – http://www.starfall.com/
7. Simulations

• Like games but require little to no
  active participation besides clicking
  forward.
• Examples:
  – http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbod
    y/body/interactives/lifecycle/teenagers/
  – http://www.sfskids.org/templates/instorc
    hframe.asp?pageid=3
– http://www.froguts.com
– http://www.sodaplay.com/constructor/
– http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area
  =L2_Engineering
– http://illuminations.nctm.org/
– http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cf
  m?method=cResource.dspResourceCatalo
  g
20 Ways to Integrate Technology



                Medium Level Integration
8. Creating Presentations

• This has been done for years, but is still
  useful in the classroom.
• Try giving students specific criteria for
  inclusion (ie/ 2 images, 1 sound clip, 1
  movie) as well as limits length wise.
• Assess the content more than (or
  instead of) the skill of technology use.
  We don’t mark handwriting…
9. Creating Web Pages

• By division 3 students should be creating
  multi-paged web sites (ICT outcomes).
• They don’t have to know programming code
  anymore (nor do you).
  http://pages.google.com/
• Another option:
  http://www.
  protopage.com/

• http://www.protopage.com/yzerman19
10. Gaming

• Like simulations but require active decision
  making.
• Can be high level: http://www.civ3.com/ ,
• http://www.mpogd.com/games/game.asp?ID=
  2074 , http://www.engineeringinteract.org/
• Can be low level:
  http://www.bconnex.net/%7Ekidworld/java/le
  monade/lemonade.htm ,
  http://www.iknowthat.com ,
  http://www.edheads.org/,
  http://www.rainforestmaths.com
• Must read for game learning: Mark Prensky
11. Videoconferencing

• Sometimes impractical but it can provide
  meaningful experiences.
• Uses: Expert exchange, cultural exchange,
  virtual tour, meetings.
• You are in a VC triad…
• Directories:
  – http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/direct
    ory.cfm
  – http://www.global-leap.com/
• Alberta Network:
  – http://www.2learn.ca/rln/rlnrls.html
12. Google Earth and Geocaching

• Google Earth has become a powerful
  educational tool.
  – Bringing historical events alive
  – Surface area scavenger hunt
  – http://blog.wolverhamptonclc.co.uk/2006
    /02/05/google-earth-in-education/
• Geocaching is trendy in outdoor
  education right now. It’s a GPS
  scavenger hunt.
  – http://www.geocachingedmonton.com
20 Ways to Integrate Technology



         (Potentially) High Level Integration
13. Inquiry-Based Activities (Webquests)

• Goes beyond a scavenger hunt and has
  student find information to perform a task.
• http://edweb.sdsu.edu/WebQuest/taskono
  my.html: retelling, compilation, mystery,
  journalistic, design, creative product,
  consensus building, persuasion, self-
  knowledge, analytical, judgemental,
  scientific
• http://www.webquest.org/ (don’t re-invent
  the wheel).
• See brochure project example.
14. Telecollaborative Projects

• Pen-pals for the 21st century.
• Can be chat, discussion, email or
  videoconferencing based.
• Directories:
  – http://www.2learn.ca/
    projects/projectcentre/
    exjoproj.html (local)
  – http://www.epals.com
    (global)
15. Spreadsheets

• Spreadsheets fit naturally in many
  areas: Math, science, social and health.
• Fantastic spreadsheet activities:
  – http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techk
    nowpark/FreeFall/Resources.html
  – http://standards.
    nctm.org/document/
    eexamples/chap5/
    5.5/
16. Databases

• Statistics Canada E-Stat -
  http://estat.statcan.ca/
• ALIS Database -
  http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/occinfo/Content/
  RequestAction.asp?format=html&aspAction
  =GetHomePage&Page=Home
• If you decide to build one, really try to make
  it meaningful for them (give them a reason
  to need one – ie/ survey results, science
  investigation results, career research
  results).
17. Multimedia & Visual Representation

• Using images, sounds and motion to express
  and represent oneself.
• Requires investment in digital cameras,
  microphones, video cameras, etc…
• Can be simple (ie/ using Windows Movie
  Maker to express outcomes -
  http://www.lati.ualberta.ca/html/secondary
  elaresources.html ) or complex (ie/ creating
  videos, historical re-enactments, parodies,
  etc…)
• See examples…
18. Blogs & Wikis

• Blogs (or weblogs) are online journals
  that are as easy to create as hotmail
  accounts.
• Can be 1-D (http://www.blogger.com)
  or multi-D
  (http://www.21publish.com)
• Examples:
  http://www.lati.ualberta.ca/html/ele
  mentaryelaresources.html
Blogs and Wikis

• Wikis are collaborative web sites
  where users can add pages and/or
  bits of info.
• http://www.wikispaces.com ,
  http://pbwiki.com
• http://stratford78logos0607.pbwi
  ki.com/
19. Audioblogs & Podcasting

• Using a recording application to create audio
  journals, news shows, old fashioned radio
  shows, etc…
• Can be simple (click record and go)
  or complex (mixing, editing, etc…)
• Example:
  http://room17.meyokumin.ca/
• Danger! FOIPP and Security for blogs, wikis,
  audioblogs & podcasts – use password
  protection and turn off comments.
20. Cognitive Mapping

• Most popular software is Inspiration,
  which is available free courtesy of the
  province of Alberta
  (http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/tech
  nology/nr/inspiration.asp)
• There are other good options out there
  such as CMap (http://cmap.ihmc.us/)
  which allows you to concept map
  collaboratively over distances!
• See examples…
A Note on Other Software

• Note that there is really good software out
  there (some free) that you can be using:

  – Pivot Stickfigure Animator (LA/Health/SS)
    http://www.snapfiles.com/get/stickfigure
    .html , examples
  – Geometer’s sketchpad (Math)
    http://www.keypress.com/sketchpad/
  – Calorie & exercise counters (Health/PE)
    http://www.calorieking.com/
A Note on Other Software

  –Digital music creation software
   http://www.looplabs.com/
  –Graphic Design (see examples)
   http://www.getpaint.net/index2
   .html
  –3D modelling (see examples)
  –http://sketchup.google.com/
Where are You?




      http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/edtalk/tef.htm
Other Resources
Teacher Resources
• Best of the Web –
  http://www.bestoftheweb.ca
• LaTI Project (U of A) –
  http://www.lati.ualberta.ca
• MASS Learns -
  http://www.masslearns.com
• Education World: Technology -
  http://www.educationworld.com/#Tec
  hnology
Other Good Links
• Edutopia - http://www.edutopia.org/
• Apple Learning Interchange -
  http://ali.apple.com/
• The Committed Sardine Blog -
  http://homepage.mac.com/iajukes/blo
  gwavestudio/
• Elizabeth Daley –
  http://www.ualberta.ca/~kpeacock/d
  ocs/ElizabethDaleyBetter.html
Technology Leadership and PD Links

• North Central Regional Education Lab -
  http://www.ncrel.org/tech/tpd/index.
  html
• ISTE - http://www.iste.org/ (their
  books are especially good)
• Edutopia (George Lucas Foundation) -
  http://www.edutopia.org/ (especially
  the professional development topic).
 Must Reads
• Leading in a Culture of Change by Michael
  Fullan
• Windows on the Future : Education in the
  Age of Technology by Ian Jukes and Ted
  McCain
• Modeling with Technology : Mindtools for
  Conceptual Change by David H. Jonassen
• Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful
  Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson
• Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century by
  David Franklin Warlick
Stay Inspired…




      http://www.edutopia.org/
             Video Library