Start the Year off right - use Google Earth to add to any lesson

New Year - Renewed Ideas!

Have you every used Google Earth to highlight an area that is of interest in your curriculum? It's not just for Geography or Social Studies - use it for Language Arts, Science, Art, Music, etc. Discussing Edgar Allen Poe? Log into Google Earth and bring the students to his Philadelphia quarters.




Click on the link and it was take you to more information regarding the hours to visit and website information.



Think of the possibilities - look up the birthplace of anyone - Barack Obama perhaps? Tour the White House this month when discussing the Inauguration. Have the students use Google Earth to determine how long far in distance to fly from your school to the Vatican. And the best part? IT'S FREE!!!

Download the program today and try looking for your school or house:

http://earth.google.com

Here's a great site for podcasting and geography

Teachers,

While searching for some interesting podcasting tools, I found this wonderful website called "Learning in Hand." Tony Vincent, who created and runs the site has great directions on using podcasting in the classroom, but I love his "Our City" podcast site. Your students research the city where the school resides and shares the facts in a conversational format using either GarageBand or the free Audacity program. The great thing about Tony's site is that you can upload and share your podcast from his site easily. People all around the United States can click on the link for your town and listen to the podcast about your school and the area. Click on this link, Our City Podcast and listen to some of the podcasts on the site from all over the country.

If you'd like to add yours and need assistance, please contact me - this is a fun project.

Adele - aellis@diometuchen.org

Great content available for you to use FREE from iTunes University!

Did you know that there are many videos and podcasts available free for educators on iTunes? Even if you don't have an ipod you can still use the content free! All you have to do is download iTunes on your computer and then download the video or audio you wish to view.

If you download iTunes on your school computer you will be able to use a projector and share the content with the students - its that simple! There are free lectures from Universities, free lectures from writers (I've seen Randy Pausch, Tom Friedman-The World is Flat author, and Discovery Channel episodes), and even math and language arts content from teachers in New Jersey (Perth Amboy in our area.) Take advantage of this free tool - you can even upload podcasts created by your class when you are comfortable.

Here's the link: http://www.apple.com/support/itunes_u to learn more about iTune University.

A free way to use a "student response system"

Teachers,

There are many types of "student response systems" available for use. Most of them are "clickers" that allow the software to show responses on a screen from a projection device. There is a simple and free way to take these types of "polls" with your students. Using the website http://pollanywhere.com you can create a poll with real time results for free with up to 30 responses. Responses can come from the Internet from a website or can be answered by cell phone. This might be a way you can get feedback on a homework assignment if the students are using their home computers or in a computer lab. Try it, take my poll:

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Digital StoryTelling

Stories are wonderful - especially when children can create them to share their knowledge and excitement for a particular topic. In all areas of Core Curriculum Content Standards, whether its Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, etc., students can use digital storytelling to share information and receive feedback. As we become more involved with integrating technology standards 8.1 and 8.2 within the CCCS for each discipline, we allow the students to use their skills to embrace learning of the present and future.

Here's a site to get you started - Scratch.mit.edu. This site is free and you can view projects already uploaded on the system. Here's some points to help you get started:

7 elements of digital storytelling


*Point of view – What? Who? Why? What is the story only you can tell?

*Dramatic Question – What makes a good story – what hooks us?

*Emotional Content - Is it engaging to me – the reader?

*Voice - Who is telling the story?

*Soundtrack – optional – watch copyright violations

*Economy - how many panels to get the point across? No more than 3 minutes.

*Pacing – need to allow time to reflect and should vary. Pauses are important.