Woo Hoo!

For our first meeting, I think we will look at the clickers that go with the CPS system we bought last summer. I am going to try them out and do some trial runs before we get together. I will also be ready to help you with the software and techniques to use them most effectively.

Let me know if you have had any success or failures with the system, and I will figure that out before we meet. We will be meeting on Tuesday, March 6th for our first meeting. Thanks guys!

Matt Damon Defends US!

So, I always love it when teachers get respect from outside sources. Thanks Mr. Damon, this is exactly what I needed to hear before inservice!

What do I make?

Found this video and thought it was took amazing to set aside for my self.

Mobis

Mobi Lessons Learned

After our meeting last week, I took some time to see exactly what it would take to build a lesson from scratch using WorkSpaces. Several things I picked up:

• Planning ahead is invaluable and a must. Before you try anything, decide what you would like to do.
• There are two important viewing functions. First, mouse view (looks like the computer mouse in the toolbar) is like using your mouse on the computer. Second, lesson plan view is going to let you annotate on top of your screen as it appears when you click the lesson plan icon (looks like pages stacked on top of one another). I kept getting very frustrated because I was trying to click on a webpage in lesson plan view. That was an hour long mistake! 
• There is a huge difference between pages and layers. Pages are like pages in a book. You can turn the page and the previous one is no longer there. Layers can be displayed on top of one another.
• Learn to use the capture tool. This will allow you to take pictures directly from you computer screen. It adds a depth of function with the cutting out feature. Instead saving or copying a photo from the Internet, you can cut around it so any added info you don't need, you don't get.

Tomorrow we will look at these lessons and CPS, the clickers. See you then!

Blogger

Anyone up for a tips and hints navigating Blogger? Click here to have a short tutorial about the main features of Blogger. Remember, you are your best teacher. Also, if you are not ready to set up your own blog, please feel free to take a test run on this site. I have emailed several of you to have permission to author on this site. If you would like to be added as an author, please email me at kate.caraway@gmail.com Have Fun!

Tech Minds Intro

How can we take technology to the next level? It is like the picture. We know from current brain research that students brains are physically different because of the changing world of technology. So, teaching our students how to utilize technology is like growing a plant. Students may have a network of roots, much like a tool box, to gather resources. Our hope is that we, as educators, can help students “branch out” and use technology to increase knowledge and problem solving skills. They have some kind of foundation that is just waiting to bloom and grow beyond belief if we can find ways to use what they have. 

How have you used technology? What type of growth did you see? What tools do you use? 

Let’s embark on this journey with a commitment to sharing. Your own growth will be amazing simply by sharing. I look forward to hearing from you all.