tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-378771642024-03-13T08:56:18.807-07:00Tech4TeachersTechnology Tools and Lesson Ideas for TeachersDennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-68418761492791908922010-06-19T16:03:00.000-07:002010-06-19T16:07:42.518-07:00Tech4Teachers Moving to New Site<span style="font-size:130%;">My </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Tech4Teachers </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">blog has been moved to:</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a href="http://dennisgrice.com/blog"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">dennisgrice.com/blog</span></span></a><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Please update your bookmarks, favorites, & blog readers.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />-Dennis</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></span>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-914147660015276392010-05-10T12:43:00.000-07:002010-05-15T13:02:06.930-07:00What I Learned From Twitter This WeekA while back, someone posted a message asking about my favorite teacher. I'm wondering if Twitter might be an acceptable answer. Now I've had some amazing teachers in my past and I mean no dishonor or disrespect to them, but when I stop and think about where I'm getting much of what I'm learning right now, I'd have to say that Twitter has been an excellent teacher - or more accurately the group brain of all those I follow on Twitter.<br /><br />For example, here is just a sample of what I've learned this week...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MONDAY</span><br />From <a href="http://twitter.com/imcguy/status/13743554220">@imcguy</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-hma1I4bJI/AAAAAAAAAvM/9R7AVh70bvw/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-05-10+at+1.02.01+PM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 47px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-hma1I4bJI/AAAAAAAAAvM/9R7AVh70bvw/s400/Screen+shot+2010-05-10+at+1.02.01+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469734358568430738" border="0" /></a><br />Thanks Chad. I too really need to take a look at my privacy settings and share this slideshow with others.<br /><br />From <a href="http://twitter.com/jgriffith2/status/13742427644">@jgriffith2</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-hmBMl1qFI/AAAAAAAAAvE/YDyAU5UKVSk/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-05-10+at+12.58.58+PM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 46px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-hmBMl1qFI/AAAAAAAAAvE/YDyAU5UKVSk/s400/Screen+shot+2010-05-10+at+12.58.58+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469733918187300946" border="0" /></a><br />I learned that Glogster is a great way to create and share workshop flyers. This sounds much more fun than a plain old Word document or PDF.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">TUESDAY</span><br />From a retweet by <a href="http://twitter.com/jdthomas7/status/13784090131">@jasonschmidt123</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-lt-gx7XbI/AAAAAAAAAvU/6xn5ULP9V0s/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-05-11+at+7.45.15+AM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 48px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-lt-gx7XbI/AAAAAAAAAvU/6xn5ULP9V0s/s400/Screen+shot+2010-05-11+at+7.45.15+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470024143136841138" border="0" /></a><br />Will definately have to forward this list to my teachers. Okay, sometimes I'm guilty of a few of these myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WEDNESDAY</span><br />Busy with meetings and student projects. Didn't have much time to check Twitter today. It's sad when I think about all the learning I probably missed. :(<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THURSDAY</span><br />From <a href="http://twitter.com/kditzler/status/13914934477">@kditzler</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-wLv-bhCEI/AAAAAAAAAvc/6cLr8ZoAYZU/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-05-13+at+7.23.49+AM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 48px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-wLv-bhCEI/AAAAAAAAAvc/6cLr8ZoAYZU/s400/Screen+shot+2010-05-13+at+7.23.49+AM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470760566188476482" border="0" /></a><br />I spent way too much time this morning squashing flies with this little math game.<br /><br />Direct Message from @rjacklin<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-yIX61TeyI/AAAAAAAAAvk/-v4Bc5cc0_c/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-05-13+at+4.14.02+PM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 44px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-yIX61TeyI/AAAAAAAAAvk/-v4Bc5cc0_c/s400/Screen+shot+2010-05-13+at+4.14.02+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470897591859510050" border="0" /></a><br />Thanks to Twitter, our 3rd grade was able to video chat with another 3rd grade at Rob's school near St. Louis. We shared information about our schools and communities. It was a first skype for both classes - and it won't be the last.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">FRIDAY</span><br />From <a href="http://twitter.com/wfryer/status/13992115098">@wfryer</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-79PbypfdI/AAAAAAAAAvs/Ii7_gTEZfMo/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-05-15+at+12.58.53+PM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 49px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S-79PbypfdI/AAAAAAAAAvs/Ii7_gTEZfMo/s400/Screen+shot+2010-05-15+at+12.58.53+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471589038901788114" border="0" /></a><br />I know Steve Jobs says that iPods and iPads will not support Flash, but that didn't stop a few people from figuring out a way to make it work. Thanks for sharing this. Although <span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">until I know for sure that my confidential info was safe, I'd limit use to flash sites that don't require you enter your username and password.</span></span></span>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-70525022836199085822010-04-30T16:10:00.000-07:002010-04-30T16:48:34.687-07:00The All Important QuestionFor those of you who don't know me, I am a technology coordinator, tech teacher, technology coach, or for lack of a better title, the guy in charge of making sure our teachers and students are using technology effectively to support curriculum. My workplace is <a href="http://www.sjls.org/">St. John's Lutheran School</a> in Orange, California. We are a K-8 Christian elementary school with approximately 680 students. We are currently finishing year 2 of a 3 year plan to implement 1:1 Tablet PC's in our middle school. Students in K-5 currently share a single computer lab and also have one student computer in each classroom.<br /><br />Last week my principal asked me these three questions:<br /><ul><li>How you would like to see instruction change as technology develops? </li><li>How does it transform instructional strategies? </li></ul><span style="font-style: italic;">AND THE ALL IMPORTANT QUESTION...</span><br /><ul><li>How do we intentionally design and train staff to accomplish the desired outcomes?</li></ul><br />This was my e-mail response:<br /><blockquote>Yesterday I had a teacher share with me that they would really love to have some of “those mini laptops” for their classroom. When I asked why, they excitedly shared their vision of students being able to take STAR Reading, Math, and Accelerated Reader tests whenever they wanted. Seriously, if that’s the only argument for putting technology in the K-5 classrooms then my answer would be a definite “No!”. Computer based assessment is not a transformative use of technology. It’s just using a modern (and expensive) tool to do something we’re already doing.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/NETS/forstudents/2007standards/NETS_for_students_2007.htm">ISTE National Technology Standards for Students</a> say that we should be preparing students so they can effectively use technology tools and demonstrate…<br />1. Creativity and Innovation<br />2. Communication & Collaboration<br />3. Research and Information Fluency<br />4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making<br />5. Digital Citizenship<br />6. Technology Operations & Concepts<br /><br />In my opinion, we are already working on the first step toward transforming our instructional strategies through the process of curriculum mapping. Changing a mindset of “my textbook is my curriculum” to “my curriculum is my curriculum and a textbook is just a resource” is a monumental task. Once this has been accomplished then we can work on identifying lessons and activities that focus on curriculum goals and also meet these six areas of technology proficiency.<br /><br />Preparing and training our staff to do this will involve tweaking a couple of other mindsets as well. First is that our students need to learn to be good citizens and demonstrate Christian morals and values in two worlds – the real world AND the online world, because they will be living and working in both. Our teachers need to be able to model and teach good digital citizenship to their students. This will involve training in web safety, appropriate use, and how to integrate our <a href="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3066727/online_behavior_agreement.pdf">Online Behavior Agreement</a> (PDF) into their Christian Learning curriculum and any lessons that involve using technology.<br /><br />Second we need to help them understand that all learning and knowledge is not limited to the walls of their own classroom. They need to be connecting and collaborating with other people (subject matter experts) and classes outside our school, state, or even country. To do this, teachers need to develop their own Personal Learning Network (PLN) – an online community of professional educators for sharing ideas & lessons, getting support, and working together on projects. This will require moving beyond email and training them to use and integrate online collaborative tools and social networks into their daily life. It will also require some cooperation with our IT Department, convincing them to open up some of the restrictions currently prohibiting such tools. If our staff understands and demonstrates proper use of the tools and can use them effectively to help our students meet the ISTE Standards, this should not be a hard sell.</blockquote><br />After we met on Tuesday to discuss this further, I was assigned the task of planning our professional development days for the 2010-2011 school year.<br /><br />Be careful what you ask for...<br /><br />(Be warned, I will be calling on <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">my </span>PLN for help with this.)<br /><blockquote></blockquote>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-71245432588665988952010-04-25T12:02:00.000-07:002010-04-25T12:08:04.038-07:00Not Worth The HassleSometimes it seems like getting anything done on our school network is like being forced to make three left turns in order to go right. I understand filters, firewalls, and proxies are pretty much a necessary evil when using a network at school, but they are also key source of frustration for a teacher trying to work with technology in their classroom - right behind the dreaded "I can't print".<br /><br />At our school we have a "wonderful" <span style="font-style: italic;">(quotes intentional)</span> product called <a href="http://www.stbernard.com/">iPrism</a> which serves as our web proxy and Internet filter. Teachers have the ability to override a blocked web site. Students do not. Our IT administration also has the ability to make exceptions for sites that are blocked by the default iPrism filter which updates regularly. This sounds like a fair system and one that should work pretty well. Not always.<br /><br />The fact is, with many web 2.0 tools, simply allowing or unblocking a site is not always enough. There are issues with firewalls, ports, and other mysterious network authentications and protocols that can take a simple online task and turn it into a complicated process of ridiculous steps and meaningless procedures. Something that should take one click, now takes 3, 4, or 5 clicks and require several proxy authentications just to get it to work. Unfortunately, many teachers give up before they get that far. "It's just not worth the hassle."<br /><br />This is one of my major stumbling blocks in getting our teachers to embrace and use technology tools with their students. Most genuinely want to, but when they try it doesn't work. I'll come in their room and explain to them, "Well, if you want it do that, you first have to close this, click here, sign-in here, open that, click here and click OK. Then it should work."<br /><br />"Why do I have to do all that?" They ask, looking at me as if I just told them to turn around three times, pat your head and rub your stomach.<br /><br />"You just do." I say.<br /><br />"It's just not worth the hassle."<br /><br />If I may, let me present just a few of my network frustrations. Maybe you've run into one or more of these problems yourself. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(By the way, If you have any insight into ways to make these work please leave a comment or e-mail me so I can help our IT troubleshoot these issues.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Automatic Software Updates</span> - Ever get those little messages when you first start up your computer that Flash or Java are ready to be updated? Even if the computer is properly logged into on to our school domain, these updates do not work. To get them to go, you first have to open Internet Explorer (not Firefox) and go to any web page that is outside our network. After that, you close Internet Explorer and the update will work. Even though the computer is properly logged on to our network, there is something that Internet Explorer does (and Firefox does not) that opens up a connection through the iPrism that then allows these updates to connect through the proxy. What does it do? I don't know. Is there a way to open this connection automatically when you log on the network. I haven't found one yet.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.diigo.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Diigo</span></a> - One morning I discovered that our latest iPrism update had blocked Diigo. I convinced our IT Administrator to make an exception for it so now it works - sort of. I can get to Diigo, look at my library of bookmarked sites, but I cannot create any new bookmarks. When I try, I just get a Diigo Server error.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Discovery Education Streaming</span></a> - Many of our teachers use Firefox as their default browser, but if they try to watch a streaming clip it won't play. The workaround for this is the same as the one for automatic software updates above. Close Firefox, open Internet Explorer, go to a random site outside our network, and close Internet Explorer. Go back to Firefox, log into Discovery Streaming, and the video will now play just fine. Even though Firefox is configured to work with our iPrism proxy, Internet Explorer must do something else that opens up a connection for streaming media.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flash Apps that run in a web browser</span> (<a href="http://ed.voicethread.com/">ed.voicethread</a>, <a href="http://edu.glogster.com/">Glogster Edu</a>, etc.) - These Web 2.0 tools are not blocked, but they don't completely work either. You can't always upload images, sounds, video, or other files. It looks like the upload is working but it never finishes. Clearing out the temporary Internet files and cookies will fix this sometimes, but not always. Sometimes uploading only works with Internet Explorer - but not always.<br /><br /><a href="http://edu.glogster.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Glogster Edu</span></a> - has a "Grab" tool that lets you record voice or video directly within the application, but that tool has never worked here at school no matter what browser you're using. You just get an error saying it can't connect.<br /><br />Are these proxy authentication errors? Is our firewall blocking things that these apps need to connect? Why should I have to use Internet Explorer for some sites and Firefox for others? I don't know. What I do know is if I want our teachers and students to be able to use these tools at school we need to do something to make it easier and more reliable, otherwise I fear using the technology will "not be worth the hassle."Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-77827348343897778402010-04-18T19:25:00.000-07:002010-04-18T19:38:37.870-07:00The Smell of Education<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">After a little Twitter conversation I had this evening, I felt the need to reflect in a few more than 140 characters.</span></span><br /><br />A smell can be one of the most powerful memory triggers. Do you remember what school smelled like when you were a child? Here are just a few odors that bring back images from my school days. See if any of these bring back memories for you...<br /><ul><li>Opening a new box of Crayola crayons.</li><li>Flipping through the pages of a dusty old World Book Encyclopedia.</li><li>Paste. <span style="font-style: italic;">(The kind with the stick in the lid.)</span></li><li>Tempera paint. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Especially if it has gone bad.)</span></li><li>White out.</li><li>Chalk dust. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Ever have the job of cleaning the erasers?)</span></li></ul>And of course, the best smell of all...<br /><ul><li>A paper handout fresh out of the ditto machine.</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S8vAnNUB8vI/AAAAAAAAAu8/U9ZhEqktjzI/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+7.30.20+PM.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 47px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/S8vAnNUB8vI/AAAAAAAAAu8/U9ZhEqktjzI/s400/Screen+shot+2010-04-18+at+7.30.20+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461670752937964274" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I wonder what smells our students will remember?Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-1617209774091620072010-04-15T09:59:00.000-07:002010-04-15T10:09:42.028-07:00KISSS my PDIf I had my way, I'd never lead another mandatory, all staff, technology in-service at my school ever again. Simply put, they're a waste of time and they don't work. First, there's a problem with focus. More often than not, the focus of all-staff PD is on the tool, not the curriculum. Second, it implies a cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to professional development. Have you ever been in a room full of teachers at an in-service!? If there was ever a more diverse group of learners I have yet to see it. You think your students need differentiated instruction? Teachers need it even more!<br /><br />That's why I've adopted the <span style="font-weight: bold;">KISSS Principle</span> for professional development. Keep it...Small, Short, and Specific.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SMALL</span></span> - I'm talking small group. Rather than work with a room full, select a single grade level. At my school, that's 3 teachers. Then, before I start talking, I listen. I listen to find out what they are teaching. What are their learning goals? These answers differ greatly between grade levels and departments.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SHORT</span></span> - Teachers' free time is valuable and they get precious little of it. Try to respect that. Rather than one long session, I've found it's better to do short mini-sessions before and after school. Fellow tech educator Suzanne Wesp has a program at her school called "Lunch & Learn" where teachers come in during their lunch for mini lessons.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">SPECIFIC</span></span> - Keep the training specific and focused on the curriculum standard. For me, the first sessions are more just casual conversations where we talk curriculum and I find out what these teachers are doing. Next I come in and demonstrate a "learning tool" or "project" that will help their students meet a specific learning goal or standard. Finally I work with them to develop a lesson that will help their students meet that standard. The goal of the training is to give the teachers something they will use tomorrow or next week. If I can get this lesson into a teacher's lesson plan book I know I've struck gold because once it's in there, it will likely become a regular part of their classroom curriculum.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Things to remember for successful teacher training:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Focus on the curriculum, not the technology tool.</span> I try not to even use the words "technology" or "Web 2.0" when working with teachers. Instead I use "learning tool" or "web site". Technology is MY passion, not theirs. Don't intimidate with terminology.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Be there</span> when they teach the lesson for the first time. This provides that much needed safety net when trying something new. In some cases I'll even team teach with them, letting the teacher present the curriculum while I show how to use the tool. If I can't be there, sometimes I'll create tutorial videos or screencasts for the teacher to use.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Follow-up.</span> Meet with them after the lesson. Discuss how it went. What worked? What didn't? Discuss and make notes on how it can be improved next time. The important thing here is to make sure there WILL be a "next time".<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Share successes.</span> Rushton Hurley (<a href="http://www.nextvista.org">www.nextvista.org</a>) has said, "Great things are going on in our classrooms and nobody knows about it." Take time to share great lessons and student work with other teachers. Others might see it and say, "Hey, I can do that!"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >"To Infinity and Beyond!"</span><br />As teachers use the technology...er...i mean..."learning tools" they will require less and less help from me. Better yet, they become "experts" on using that tool. If I have another teacher that wants to learn it, I can say, "You should go talk to so-and-so. They use that tool all the time with their class." My long term plan is to develop a network of experts on various tools at my school. Eventually some teachers may even feel comfortable sharing their expertise with others outside our school.<br /><br />The biggest compliment I think I could ever receive is seeing a teacher that I helped present at a conference. It hasn't happened yet, but we're getting close.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:</span><br /><a href="http://dgrice.wikispaces.com/TeamSport">Education is a Team Sport </a><br />Tutorial Videos? Okay, show me an example. Here you go: <a href="http://dgrice.wikispaces.com/Animal_Riddles">PhotoStory Animal Riddles</a>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-46545585291733807182010-03-03T15:24:00.000-08:002010-03-03T15:35:58.955-08:00A More Human Way to Travel - Part 2Climbing through the mountains near Santa Fe we ran into snow flurries so I didn’t get great view out the window for the prettiest part of the trip, but the falling snow was a treat in itself. One thing I’ve really come to appreciate about train travel is the quiet. In my compartment with the door shut, it’s quite peaceful. Unlike an airline, there’s no engine noise and unless you’re moving between cars you don’t even hear the “clackety-clack” of the tracks. Even though I bring stuff to read and typically make plans to use all that time on the train to get work done, I usually end up just sitting, staring out the window, watching the world go by. Before I realized it, we had crossed over Raton Pass and into Colorado. It was already getting dark again.<br /><br />After dinner I retired to my roomette, worked a little more on my presentation then found Rene to get the room ready for sleeping again. Knowing I would lose another hour overnight I set the clock on my Blackberry ahead to Central time and turned in.<br /><br />The tracks were a bit rough through Kansas overnight. As I rocked in my bunk I dreamed I was riding the luge down the Olympic course at Whistler. After breakfast we stopped in Kansas City for about 40 minutes. I had time to walk around and take a few pictures inside the beautiful Kansas City Union Station. If you’ve ever been to Union Station in Washington DC, it’s a bit smaller, but similar. As I stepped out front to get a few exterior pictures I saw Barb. Her trip was over and she was waiting for her ride. I told her it was a pleasure traveling with her, wished her a safe journey home, and made my way back to the platform.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4378560735_b80f5902ba.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4378560735_b80f5902ba.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Leaving Kansas City we crossed the Missouri River. The rest of the way to Chicago, I saw a lot of snow. It was everywhere - on the ground, in the trees. It blew past my window as the engine stirred up whatever was lying on the tracks. We passed countless farms and rolled through several small towns as we made our way across Missouri. At one stop in La Plata, MO I noted that you know you’re in rural America when the only vehicle waiting at the railroad crossing is a John Deere.<br /><br />At Fort Madison, Iowa we crossed the mighty Mississippi into Illinois. My last meal on the train was with a couple from Kansas on their way to Chicago for a little vacation. She was a retired Kindergarten teacher. Funny how I keep running into teachers. We shared school experiences and I talked about ways education has changed over the years (and how it hasn’t). I also explained some of the things I planned to teach in my ICE presentations.<br /><br />Passing through Princeton & Mendota, I knew my journey on the Southwest Chief would soon be coming to an end. As I gathered my things Rene came by to help. Naperville was the last stop before downtown Chicago. Since my conference was in St. Charles, it made sense to arrange for transportation from there. I found my way downstairs as the train slowed to a stop. Rene opened the door and placed my bags on the platform and I thanked him for making the trip an enjoyable one.<br /><br />As the train pulled out of the station on it’s way downtown, I meandered toward the front of the station where my friend Anne was waiting for me. My 42 hour Amtrak trip to Chicago was now officially over.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">EPILOGUE:</span><br />The train arrived in Naperville, Illinois 15 minutes early. My flight back to California the next Saturday was over 2 1/2 hours late due to mechanical problems. As I stood in the security line at O’Hare with my shoes off, laptop out, and carry-on ready for inspection, I noticed ads for Amtrak pasted to the bottom of those plastic bins at the x-ray. The modern day equivalent of “Next time, take the train.” You don’t have to tell me that.<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157623358913361%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157623358913361%2F&set_id=72157623358913361&jump_to="> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157623358913361%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157623358913361%2F&set_id=72157623358913361&jump_to=" height="300" width="400"></embed></object>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-43211908636807543282010-03-03T15:08:00.000-08:002010-03-03T15:36:48.567-08:00A More Human Way to Travel<span style="font-style: italic;"><blockquote>I’ll be taking a departure away from technology issues for the next few posts to submit another online journal of another train trip across the country. This time I used the 2010 ICE Conference in St. Charles, Illinois as an excuse to ride the <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Route_C/1241245650447/1237405732511">Southwest Chief</a>.</blockquote></span><br />When you ride the train they know you by name. At least your sleeping car attendant does. Rene was in charge of car 430. “Mr. Dennis”, he called me looking at his passenger list as I boarded the Southwest Chief in Fullerton, California eastbound to Chicago. He lifted my large bag up onto the lower baggage rack and directed me upstairs to my compartment. I was in roomette #5. The roomette is a small compartment with two seats facing each other and a sliding glass door & curtain for privacy. By the time I set my backpack and coat down on one seat and plopped myself down on the other I realized we had already started moving. I barely noticed. “They’re still serving dinner.” Rene advised, “You should go get something to eat.”<br /><br />It was 7:20pm. If I had known they would be serving dinner that late I wouldn’t have eaten that burger before arriving at the station. Meals are included in when you purchase a sleeping compartment. Entering the dining car, Annie, the dining car steward directed me to my table. Amtrak dining cars are community seating, so you get to know your fellow passengers during meal times. Next to me sat Barb, who got on with me in Fullerton. Her compartment was right across the hall from mine. She was traveling back home to Kansas City after visiting her grandchildren in San Diego. The gentleman who sat across from us was a businessman “training” his way to back to the East Coast. We introduced ourselves and shared about our occupations. The ribs and chicken looked good, but since I had already eaten I opted for just coffee and slice of cheesecake. Over the meal we had a lively discussion over ways deal with the glut of information online, the need for "fact-checking", and how to teach kids to determine bias. We agreed that the loudest opinion is believed and shared more often than the actual truth.<br /><br />By the time dinner was over we were already past San Bernardino <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4377287775_ecb1970d49_m.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4377287775_ecb1970d49_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>and heading up Cajon Pass. I was about ready to turn in for the night and before I could ask, Rene was there. In less than 2 minutes he had converted my two seats into one bed. When the sleeper is made up it’s about as wide and long as a standard sleeping bag. With the slider to the compartment shut and curtains pulled I had about 12 inches of space between the bed and the door. Not much room to change, but I managed. I suppose I could have used the changing room downstairs. Maybe tomorrow. This was my third overnight train trip, but the motion of the car and the unfamiliar surroundings still took a little getting used to. I woke up several times but eventually found my way to dreamland.<br /><br />Shortly after 5:00am it was still dark when the train stopped in Flagstaff. I woke to look out my window and see snow - lots of it. I snapped a couple of pictures and debated going back to sleep, but then realized my time was wrong. Blackberry’s don’t update the clock when you change time zones. It was already after 6:00am. Time to get up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4377288243_46673b58bb.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 196px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4377288243_46673b58bb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Showering on a moving train can be a challenge. Each sleeping car has a changing room with a shower. It’s like a glorified RV shower. Amtrak provides towels & soap. You set the temperature and press the button for about 45 seconds of water. It took a few presses to get hot water - I never really got the temperature right. The water pressure was pretty weak but after several presses at least I felt clean and somewhat refreshed which is more than I can say for my fellow passengers in coach. One man who got on with me at Fullerton was headed all the way to Rhode Island in coach. All I remember thinking was, “Good luck, pal.”<br /><br />The dining car opened at 6:30am for breakfast. The sun was just coming up as we rolled East across Arizona. Barb was at my table again for breakfast. She had travelled on the Southwest Chief several times before so I asked her to advise me where the prettiest part of the trip might be. She told me my best photo opportunities would be climbing through the mountains near Santa Fe and into Colorado. While we ate, the train made a quick stop in Winslow. I did a quick check to see if I could see anyone standing on a corner - taking it easy. Nope. The train moved on.<br /><br />9:00am. Crossing into New Mexico there was snow on the ground once again. After passing through Gallup, I grabbed a cup of coffee from the coffee & juice station at the center of my sleeping car and tried to get some work done on my presentation for the ICE Conference - my excuse for taking this train in the first place. Rene had already changed my room from a bed back into two seats. Each room has a power outlet so I plugged in my computer and was able to get online by tethering it to my Blackberry. I tried pushing my luck to see if I could Skype with Jen Wagner so she could give me some advice on my presentation. We got a few words in, but the connection kept dropping, so I went back to texting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2726/4377292935_cf31f9846f.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 366px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2726/4377292935_cf31f9846f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Lunch time. We pulled into Albuquerque 20 minutes early. That gave me over an hour to explore before the train was scheduled to depart. I walked around for a bit but got hungry. “Back so soon Mr. Dennis?” Rene asked as I climbed back into car 430. “The dining car is empty if you want to eat lunch.” My thoughts exactly.<br /><br />This time my meal companions were a couple of seasoned train travelers, one a retired college professor, on their way to New York. Teachers always have stuff to talk about and before I realized the hour was up and the train was moving once again.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Go to <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2010/03/more-human-way-to-travel-part-2.html">PART 2</a></span>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-7315710705403930812010-02-10T21:40:00.000-08:002010-02-10T22:17:06.538-08:00Are They Paying Attention?Remember that scene in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" where the economics teacher, played by Ben Stein, is asking his students questions followed by the line, "Anyone?...Anyone?..." It's the classic image of students that are NOT engaged. Hopefully your students are not as bored as his seem to be. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Side note: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_BORED_TO_DEATH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-02-10-07-59-17">Boredom might actually be bad for your health</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.)</span><br /><br />In "standard lecture mode" a teacher asks a question. One student responds while the others wait their turn. Some may be listening, but it's a sure bet that others are not. How do you get 100% of your class engaged and participating in the discussion?<br /><br />Here's one way - <a href="http://wallwisher.com/">WallWisher.com</a>. With this tool, you can post a question or discussion item on a wall and all students can participate by adding a sticky note to the wall. Comments are limited to 160 characters. If you're in a computer lab or your kids have computers, you can do this in class and students can see their responses right away. You can also assign it to be done outside of class on their home computer. Walls can be shared between classes, schools, cities, states, countries. It's the Internet so this thing could even go global if you want.<br /><br />How does it work? Watch the video below.<br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3066727/wallwisher.swf" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" height="318" width="424"></embed>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-69481080460683921542010-01-19T20:14:00.000-08:002010-01-19T20:46:21.669-08:00Someday?If I were to dream about what students at my school should be able to do with technology someday, it would look something like what this 7<sup>th</sup> grade student is doing right now. After watching this video you’ll see that this student is using, almost exclusively, free tools that are available online. Most of the tools she uses require her to have her own e-mail, something we have not trusted our students with yet. Many of the sites and tools she uses are also blocked at my school. It’s seems clear that rather than blocking anything that might possibly be misused, her school has trusted her and granted her freedom to use these tools for learning. It also seems clear that her teachers have modeled and taught her responsible Internet use and encouraged her to take charge of her own learning. She understands what is appropriate for school and what should be used at home and realizes that the freedom she has been given should not be taken for granted. As she works, the idea of citing resources and giving credit for other people’s work seems almost automatic. For her, learning is fun and she seems inspired to follow her curiosity - extending her learning beyond the curriculum.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YEls3tq5wIY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YEls3tq5wIY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Thanks <a href="http://tipline.blogspot.com/2010/01/stop-now-watch-this.html">Jim Gates</a> for posting this on your blog and <a href="http://twitter.com/GDhuyvetter">@GDhuyvetter</a> for sharing this on Twitter this morning. You got this video stuck in my head - shining a light on where I am and showing me how much farther I still have to go. We'll get there...someday.Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-76819359100667828532009-11-07T09:14:00.000-08:002009-11-07T09:46:22.302-08:00Collaborative Maps UpdateIn my <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2009/10/collaborative-maps.html">last post</a> I mentioned that, " I'd still like to see a SHARE button on Google Maps." Today I noticed that when I go to My Maps, I see a "collaborate" link at the top.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SvWwDAsL-KI/AAAAAAAAAjw/BiHvNXvg9aI/s1600-h/collaborate_button.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 206px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SvWwDAsL-KI/AAAAAAAAAjw/BiHvNXvg9aI/s400/collaborate_button.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401416893872208034" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Clicking on it will let you invite others to collaborate with you on your map.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SvWwNJQKdZI/AAAAAAAAAj4/DCz4_htvaSA/s1600-h/invite_collaborators.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SvWwNJQKdZI/AAAAAAAAAj4/DCz4_htvaSA/s400/invite_collaborators.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401417067969279378" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm not sure how long that feature has been there. (It was probably already there when I wrote my last post.) For now I'll just fool myself into thinking that Google liked my idea and decided to add this feature because of me. :)<br /><br />It's worth noting that collaborating on a custom Google Map still requires users to register for a Google Account, something that requires an e-mail. If you'd like your students to be able to work together on a map without having to register for a Google Account, <a href="http://techiemedia.blogspot.com/">Linda Dierks</a> suggests ScribbleMaps.<blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><br />As an alternate way to have students collaborate on maps, I've been using Scribble Maps (<a href="http://scribblemaps.com/">http://scribblemaps.com</a>). It gives many of the same features Google Maps can without having to set up forms. You can save the map you create to a unique URL and password (still no ID needed) and share it with others. They can save changes as long as they have the correct URL and password.</blockquote>Thanks for the idea Linda.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SvWx7EjxTiI/AAAAAAAAAkA/YttvzgF9K4w/s1600-h/Scribble_Maps.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 220px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SvWx7EjxTiI/AAAAAAAAAkA/YttvzgF9K4w/s400/Scribble_Maps.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401418956494949922" border="0" /></a>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-61296108454074574242009-10-04T18:49:00.000-07:002009-10-05T07:17:20.842-07:00Collaborative MapsEver sit around playing with a particular web tool and say, "This is great, but there's got to be a way to...<span style="font-style: italic;">(insert your idea here)</span>." This particular question has been rolling around in my head regarding <a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a>. I LOVE Google Maps, but have been frustrated that I haven't found an easy way to create maps collaboratively. I know I can share <a href="http://docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a> and have multiple people working on the same document, presentation, or spreadsheet, so why can't I do the same with maps? I was ready to write a blog post today pleading with Google to add a SHARE button to Google Maps when I was reminded of a tool that <a href="http://mrlosik.blogspot.com/">Andy Losik </a>shared with me last spring.<br /><br />There IS a way for my students contribute placemarks to a Google Map. A way that doesn't require them to use my login, or even have a Google account. Here's what you do:<br /><br /><ol><li>Create a Google Form - Students will use this form to enter their placemark information. This will put their information into a Google Spreadsheet. No login required. They just need a link to the form.</li><li>Use Map A List (<a href="http://www.mapalist.com/">www.mapalist.com</a>) to auto-generate a Google Map that's linked to your spreadsheet.</li></ol><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Details</span></span><br />To set up your Google Form, you need to know that Map A List determines location using the following fields:<br /><ul><li>Address 1</li><li>Address 2</li><li>City</li><li>State</li><li>Zip</li><li>Country</li><li>Latitude*</li><li>Longitude*</li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;">*Latitude & Longitude information supersedes address information.</span><br /><br />You'll then want to add three additional fields for the placemark information.<br /><ul><li>Title - What appears for the title of the placemark.</li><li>Additional Info - What appears as the text in the popup window. This field will also accept HTML code. So any code you can copy & paste into Google Maps will work here too.</li><li>Placemark Symbol Identifier (optional) - This could be a multiple choice item in that your students use to select what type of placemark they want.</li></ul>Here's a <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dG9uZVFJRkE4ZWVVZElZa19MWnJDUUE6MA">sample Google Form</a> I created. Feel free to add your data to it.<br /><br />Once your form is done and you've started collecting information, go to Map A List and sign-up for an account. After that, you'll need to give Map A List authorization to access your Google Spreadsheet. Once that is done you can start creating your map. It's a simple step by step process.<br /><br />Select the spreadsheet that contains your map data.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SslpqZUPk-I/AAAAAAAAAjk/h9cyhBOHPtk/s1600-h/step1a.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 166px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SslpqZUPk-I/AAAAAAAAAjk/h9cyhBOHPtk/s400/step1a.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388954606196724706" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Match the fields in your spreadsheet to the ones that Map A List uses to create your placemarks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SslgB-xPbhI/AAAAAAAAAjU/1I5DOW6hx5s/s1600-h/step2.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 152px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SslgB-xPbhI/AAAAAAAAAjU/1I5DOW6hx5s/s400/step2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388944016271175186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once that is done, Map A List will check to see how many locations it can find based on the information in your spreadsheet. It does a surprisingly good job of determining locations even with incomplete information.<br /><br />If you added a field that determines what type of placemark to use, the advanced feature on the next step is where you enter that information.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SslhxGOdwEI/AAAAAAAAAjc/-v07QuM-wzg/s1600-h/step4.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 138px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SslhxGOdwEI/AAAAAAAAAjc/-v07QuM-wzg/s400/step4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388945925238276162" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The last step is where you save your map and set a few final options. If you want to be able to send a link to your map to others or embed it on your web page or blog, you'll need to make it public.<br /><br />Here's a link to the <a href="http://mapalist.com/Public/PublicMapViewerShell.aspx?mapid=66709">Google Map</a> I created with my form. If you added data to the form, it may take a while to appear on the map. I set mine to update automatically, but noticed that sometimes I need to go in to Map A List and tell it to update the map manually if I want to see new data added the spreadsheet.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Classroom Applications</span></span><br />Students can participate in this type of collaborative map by...<br /><ul><li>Mapping Birthplaces. It could be their own, or someone else's. Our 5th grade is working on immigrant reports right now. This would be a fun way to share their information.</li><li>Historical Places. Students could work together on a class project locating and posting information about historical places around their state or country.</li><li>What's The Weather Today? Classes from several different schools could pick a day and share the weather. They could even embed a picture of what it looks like outside.</li><li>Breakfast Around the World. The form could be shared with as many people as possible to find out what people around the world eat for breakfast. Hmmmm. <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2009/04/its-all-about-network.html">This idea sounds familiar</a>.</li><li>I'm sure you can think of other ideas...</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >This is great, but there's got to be a way to...<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br />Add lines? Highlight regions? Draw shapes? I haven't figured these out yet. If you have any ideas please share them.<br /><br />By the way Google, this does not let you off the hook. I'd still like to see a SHARE button on Google Maps.Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-12497543025614786942009-09-17T21:44:00.000-07:002009-09-17T22:33:14.297-07:00Summer Reflections 2<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fun With Time-Lapse</span></span><br /><br />In addition to digging into <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2009/09/summer-reflections.html">Google Maps</a>, this summer was also an opportunity to explore the world of photography. I haven't owned an SLR camera since my old 35mm Canon T70 died back in the early 90's. Things have changed a lot and my new <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Digital-SLR/25452/D5000.html">Nikon D5000</a> has some pretty impressive features. For those you hardcore photographers this is just an "entry level DSLR", but for me it was a major step up from the point & shoots I've been using up to now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SrMYlz0OP-I/AAAAAAAAAjE/24GLiPfZGkE/s1600-h/d5000_Interval.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 191px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SrMYlz0OP-I/AAAAAAAAAjE/24GLiPfZGkE/s400/d5000_Interval.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382673017481347042" border="0" /></a>One feature I'm really enjoying is the Interval Timer feature. This allows me to set the camera to take a certain number of pictures at a specific time interval. This is a great way to capture a series of images that can be combined either inside the camera or using video editing software like iMovie, Movie Maker. For example, I was able to capture time-lapse images of storm clouds moving over Lake Powell this summer. To create the sequences below, I put the camera on a tripod and set it to take one picture every 10 seconds for about 60 frames.<br /><br /><object height="314" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yX_FgyKV4ws&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yX_FgyKV4ws&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="314" width="400"></embed></object><br /><br />The ability to shoot time-lapse has lots of creative possibilities as well as some science applications too. Things to remember:<br /><ul><li>Make sure the camera doesn't move while you're capturing images. After seeing the results of my first few attempts, I learned that it was better to set the tripod on the ground because the houseboat moves.</li><li>Don't use the maximum resolution of your camera. You don't need a 3000 x 4000 pixel image if you're making a video. Besides, you'll fit a lot more on your memory card if you scale it back a little. The best HD video resolution is only 1920 X 1080.</li><li>Make sure you have a full battery charge or, if you have an AC adapter, plug your camera into a power source. A lot of time can be wasted if your camera dies during your interval shoot.</li><li>Experiment & have fun. Just like the Hokey Pokey - "That's what it's all about."</li></ul>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-70455087869638789752009-09-08T07:20:00.000-07:002009-09-08T17:21:14.842-07:00Summer Reflections<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3483/3720702725_8d5215d673.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 377px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3483/3720702725_8d5215d673.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Many of you start a new school year today. In just a moment students will be arriving, anxiously waiting for the pearls of wisdom you choose to bestow upon them. Like me, many of you are probably wondering how summer went by so fast. It seems so close, yet as you frantically put those finishing touches on your classroom, it also seems infinitely far away. It wasn't that long ago, I think it was July, that I was in Alaska exploring Denali National Park and cruising the Inside Passage. When I get stressed about everything on my "to-do" list it helps to go back and re-live that adventure. It puts me back in my "happy place".<br /><br />Because I consider myself a bit of a techie, I used the trip as an opportunity to dig in and really get familiar with <a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a>. Below is my Alaska Adventure.<br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=116642612252495048514.00046e13bea2ed3cb029c&ll=61.164437,-143.833008&spn=6.247872,23.269043&output=embed" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no" width="425"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=116642612252495048514.00046e13bea2ed3cb029c&ll=61.164437,-143.833008&spn=6.247872,23.269043&source=embed" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">Alaska Adventure</a> in a larger map</small><br /><br />Creating a Google Map is a wonderful way to combine stories, pictures, and video from your vacation. I was able to arrange events in order, map my travel route, and place pictures and videos in their proper place on the map. It's like an interactive travelogue. And sharing my travel story is as simple as copying and pasting a link into an e-mail (or blogpost).<br /><br />When editing a "story" events can be rearranged by simply dragging them up and down the list on the right side of your screen. Lines can be added to show travel routes. One feature I really liked was Google Maps ability to make lines follow known roads or highways. (I don't even think you can do this in Google Earth.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SqZuXdClfFI/AAAAAAAAAik/LWdemi53kQ8/s1600-h/map_along_roads.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 121px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SqZuXdClfFI/AAAAAAAAAik/LWdemi53kQ8/s400/map_along_roads.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379108154152156242" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I had no problem adding photos I had posted to my Flickr account. In the "rich text" editor you just click on image button and paste the URL.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SqZv4JLQX8I/AAAAAAAAAis/kYso_FYAvtI/s1600-h/add_picture.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SqZv4JLQX8I/AAAAAAAAAis/kYso_FYAvtI/s400/add_picture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379109815267123138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Google Maps will also accept <span style="font-style: italic;">some </span>embed code. Using the "Edit HTML" feature, I was able to copy and paste code to embed video clips I posted to YouTube. Since Google owns YouTube it makes sense that this would work. I did not have any luck trying to embed something from Voicethread however. It may take some experimenting to see what it will and will not accept.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SqZwnjiNMgI/AAAAAAAAAi0/g16OABkiCLQ/s1600-h/embed_video.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 351px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SqZwnjiNMgI/AAAAAAAAAi0/g16OABkiCLQ/s400/embed_video.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379110629796557314" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As you can imagine there are lots of possibilities for using Google Maps in the classroom. Maps are a great way for students to grasp large amounts of data in a way that isn't overwhelming. Here's one that shows recent earthquakes around the world (<a href="http://earthquakes.tafoni.net/">earthquakes.tafoni.net</a>). Do you think your students could use this information to locate the boundaries of tectonic plates? If your class is looking at current events, the LA Times has one with updated info about the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-la-fire-map-html,0,7464337.htmlstory">Station Fire</a>.<br /><br />You can also get students involved in creating Google Maps. In an <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2009/04/its-all-about-network.html">earlier post</a> I showed a "<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&source=embed&msa=0&msid=116642612252495048514.0004666dd3d48edb26587&ll=25.165173,-120.9375&spn=173.546922,360&z=1">Breakfast Around the World</a>" map created with data collected from our 3rd graders. Colette Cassinelli created a project she uses with her students called "<a href="http://sites.google.com/site/postcardgeography/Home">Postcard Geography</a>". I can see our 5th grade teachers doing something similar for combining information from students' state reports. (Colette also has some great Google Map links on her <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/colettecassinelli/maps">wiki</a>.)<br /><br />One hurdle you need jump when using maps with students is that Google Maps is not part of <a href="http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/">Google Apps for Education</a>. So in order for students to edit a map or create their own, they need to register with Google and create their own Google account, or use one created by their teacher. Otherwise the teacher will have to take work submitted by students and post it to Google themselves. (That's what I've done.) Hopefully this is something Google will add to Apps for Ed in the future.<br /><br />Enjoy playing with Google Maps and if the new school year gets a little overwhelming, take a time out, think back to summer and map your summer memories. I think I 'm going back and look at some Alaska pictures right now.Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-4484434179943782482009-06-15T17:11:00.000-07:002009-06-16T19:44:53.123-07:00Listening with Their Eyes"These kids just don't listen!"<br /><br />You may not have said it out loud, but you know you've thought it. Sometimes it seems like the words we say just bounce right off. You might as well be talking to a wall.<br /><br />It's true. There are times when kids don't hear a word we say, but that doesn't mean they're not listening. Maybe they're listening with their eyes.<br /><br />In a recent Sunday sermon, this quote was shared:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><br />I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;<br />I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.<br />The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,<br />Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;<br />And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,<br />For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.<br /><br />I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done;<br />I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.<br />And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,<br />But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;<br />For I might misunderstand you and the high advise you give,<br />But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.</blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">excerpt from 'Sermons We See' by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Guest">Edgar Guest</a></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />When you stand in front of your students what are you telling them? On those rare times they they do listen with their ears, does the message they hear conflict with the one they receive with their eyes?<br /><br />Like it or not, when they're looking at us they're learning more than just the curriculum. The lessons they learn with their eyes are lessons in character. These lessons are taught continuously and unconsciously - both in and outside the classroom.<br /><br />Our actions can be a powerful teaching tool when we SHOW our students what to do rather than just telling them. Think about it. When we use our words to say, "This is important." Do our deeds back it up?<br /><br />Look at the way we teach information literacy and digital citizenship. When we tell kids to go find information on the Internet, do we also model good search techniques in class? Do we demonstrate how to evaluate information for accuracy or bias? We tell them to be sure to respect copyright and to cite ALL their resources for papers & projects, but do we take the time to do the same for our presentations & lectures?<br /><br />We emphasize good digital citizenship and encourage students to protect themselves online. We warn them that what they post can come back to hurt them later if they are not careful, but do we also exercise those same practices ourselves? Would you want your students to see your Facebook or MySpace page? How would you feel if they started following you on Twitter?<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"I'm no role model"</span> - <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/charles_barkley.html"><span style="font-size:85%;">Charles Barkley</span></a></blockquote><br />Maybe Charles Barkley isn't, but we are. We chose to be when we made the choice to become teachers - <span style="font-style: italic;">I think </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.teach42.com/2008/04/">Teach42</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> would back me up on this</span>. The students in our room are watching to see if the words they hear from us are more than just hype.<br /><br />Now I've made a personal choice not to "friend" my students on Facebook and as far as I know none follow me on Twitter, but if by chance one of them happens to see my profile or read my tweets, there's nothing there that should cause me to feel shame or regret. I believe we need to be role models to our students in the way we act in public and online. This doesn't mean we have to be perfect - kids see through that facade right away. It just means we have to be real and make sure that our words and our actions are not sending mixed messages.<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today<br />Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way</blockquote><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;">another excerpt from 'Sermons We See' by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Guest">Edgar Guest</a><br /><a href="http://sofinesjoyfulmoments.com/quotes/sermon.htm">Read the entire poem here.</a><br /></span></div></div></div>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-27067428405859908172009-06-07T11:31:00.000-07:002009-06-07T17:02:54.478-07:00The Final FrontierHere's another one of those <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2008/01/webcam-surprise.html">serendipity</a> moments.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SiwNUxuOp9I/AAAAAAAAAek/GFiiL4v5fwo/s1600-h/DSC_0030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 241px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SiwNUxuOp9I/AAAAAAAAAek/GFiiL4v5fwo/s400/DSC_0030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344661508377716690" border="0" /></a>A weekend fishing trip up to the Owens Valley yielded an unexpected surprise. If you've ever driven up US 395 you may have noticed those large radio telescopes off to the east between Big Pine & Bishop, CA. For years I've wondered about those and have always wanted to get a closer look and learn more about them. What I never knew, is that 13 miles east of there, tucked up in the hills is another similar array.<br /><br />Here's the serendipitous part - the day we picked to fish the Owens River just happened to be the same day that <a href="http://www.mmarray.org/">CARMA (The Combined Array for Research in Millimeter wave Astronomy)</a> was holding their annual Open House. We followed the signs along the highway, headed east on highway 168 past the big dishes in the valley up into the White Mountains, and found the observatory site and it's 23 "telescopes".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SiwP2p9062I/AAAAAAAAAes/uX5dAPxczwQ/s1600-h/DSC_0031.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SiwP2p9062I/AAAAAAAAAes/uX5dAPxczwQ/s400/DSC_0031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344664289434463074" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Upon arriving we were greeted by Dr. Mark Hodges from Caltech who started the tour by sharing some information about the array and some of the work being done there. While not as big as the 130 ft dishes in the valley, what these telescopes lack in size, they make up in quantity and precision. The 10 and 3.5 meter dishes here are practically perfect parabolas - the margin of error is about the width of a human hair. By using an array of telescopes they are effectively able to get the same information that could be obtained by a much larger dish. As we toured the facility, Douglas, one of the engineers explained how the racks of computers he designed process terabytes of information received from the array, filter out the noise, and combine it into one "image".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SiwSxRHEAtI/AAAAAAAAAe0/Jkd8Evdsn1o/s1600-h/DSC_0032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 155px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SiwSxRHEAtI/AAAAAAAAAe0/Jkd8Evdsn1o/s400/DSC_0032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344667495397851858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why take a picture with radio waves?</span><br />After munching on free hot dogs provided by the CARMA staff, Eric, one of several astrophysicists on site, explained that while the Hubble Telescope provides stunning visual images, it doesn't give us the whole picture. Radio waves provide much more information about distant stars & galaxies and help scientists determine not just what they look like, but also identify the molecules that make up these distant objects. Also, because radio waves are not affected by visible light, these telescopes can be used 24 hours a day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What type of research is being done here? </span><br />When I asked Eric about his project, he shared that he currently has the 3.5 meter array pointed at a cluster of galaxies and hopes to use the information he gathers to prove the existence of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0301/01.html">dark matter</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/Siwb7go0BNI/AAAAAAAAAe8/KTZ0FGNclQk/s1600-h/DSC_0041.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 310px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/Siwb7go0BNI/AAAAAAAAAe8/KTZ0FGNclQk/s400/DSC_0041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344677566969283794" border="0" /></a>The CARMA array is funded by the National Science Foundation and is a jointly operated by Caltech, UC Berkeley, the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, and the University of Chicago. Every 6 months, the NSF accepts research proposals and determines which ones get time to use the array. The allocation of time is a valuable thing because a single "picture" taken by the array can take take several hours. Douglas, one of the CARMA engineers, explained that to get one image, an array of telescopes captures lines of information as the Earth rotates. After about 8 hours these lines create a complete circle and the computers get to work to process the image. "It's like the world's slowest digital camera."<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />That's me standing next to one of the 10 meter telescopes.</span></span><br /><br />For more information about CARMA, visit their site: <a href="http://www.mmarray.org/">www.mmarray.org</a>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-40105919524477799002009-06-04T09:48:00.000-07:002009-06-04T10:24:52.707-07:00A Simple Solution?Back in November 2007 I posted a "<a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2007/11/not-so-simple-solution.html">Not So Simple Solution</a>" demonstrating a fairly complicated way to take projects created in <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx">Microsoft PhotoStory3</a> and make them viewable on Macs.<br /><br />While brainstorming a way to share our 3rd grade Animal Riddles online <span style="font-style: italic;">(thanks </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://web.me.com/jennifergingerich/jennifergingerich/Blog/Blog.html">Jennifer Gingerich</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> for the project idea)</span> I tried uploading the wmv files created by PhotoStory directly into <a href="http://voicethread.com/">Voicethread</a> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">AND IT WORKED!</span><br /><br />Now we can not only share our students' PhotoStory projects, but putting them on Voicethread allows us the option to let others comment back. Nice!<br /><br />Below is an example. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Until I get an OK from the teacher I've turned off commenting.)</span><br /><br /><br /><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNDQxMzU1NzA1NzYmcHQ9MTI*NDEzNTU3NDI3MSZwPTIwNjQyMSZkPWI1MjgxNDcmZz*yJnQ9Jm89NDI2N2RmN2U*ZmU5NDZjYmJhZWIwMDczMzFjZTAxZjEmb2Y9MA==.gif" border="0" height="0" width="0" /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=528147"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=528147" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="300" width="400"></embed></object>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-12418997979828143112009-05-04T14:55:00.000-07:002009-05-04T21:15:42.453-07:00If Oprah Can Do It...This might just be my shortest blog post ever, but sometimes a good idea doesn't have to be complicated. At the <a href="http://www.sgvcue.org/events/09techfair.html">San Gabriel Valley CUE Technology Fair</a> last Saturday, <a href="http://www.jenuinetech.com">Jen Wagner</a> passed on this idea she heard from <a href="http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/media_matters/">Hall Davidson</a>. Now I'm passing it on to you. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Care to keep the thread going?)</span><br /><br />If you're looking for a free way send a message blast out to parents, rather than pay for an expensive phone/text message system, why not do what they do at <a href="http://twitter.com/FCSchoolsGA">Forsyth County Schools</a> in Georgia and use <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a>? Just create a Twitter account (FREE) for your school and encourage all parents to follow it. Parents can use a Twitter app on their computer or phone or set up their account to alert them via SMS text message whenever your office sends out a message.<br /><br />Parents follow the school's Twitter updates, but the school does not follow or reply to anyone. It’s simply used as a way to broadcast events and emergencies.<br /><br />I’m sure Twitter messages from your school would be much more useful and meaningful than those from Oprah or Ashton Kutcher.<br /><br />Did I mention it’s free?Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-80338489165480880222009-04-02T06:39:00.000-07:002009-04-02T07:22:19.991-07:00It's All About the NetworkHave you seen those Verizon commercials that have hundreds of support people standing behind their wireless phone user? The idea is to let you know that you're not alone, that you've got people behind you to keep you connected. Their slogan - It's all about the network. That's how I felt about MY network this week.<br /><br />On Tuesday morning I worked with one of our third grade classes. They had just read the book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/George-Washingtons-Breakfast-Jean-Fritz/dp/0698116119">George Washington's Breakfast</a>" by Jean Fritz. Our idea was to create a little form, asking the world what they ate for breakfast. I opened up a new form in Google Docs and had the kids help write the survey description and questions. Then I posted a link to the form on Twitter and Plurk asking you to show them the power of our network.<br /><br />The results were practically instantaneous. Within 15 minutes we had a dozen responses. By that evening there were over a hundred. When I checked the next morning there were almost 400! Most were from the US, but we also had responses from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Scotland, Italy, China, Singapore, Korea, and Brazil!<br /><br />I thought it would be fun to add the responses to a Google Map, so I started copying and pasting what people ate into placemarks. I had to stop after the first 200. I just couldn't keep up with the responses.<br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=116642612252495048514.0004666dd3d48edb26587&ll=25.165173,-120.9375&spn=150.68083,298.828125&z=1&output=embed" scrolling="no" width="425" frameborder="0" height="350"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=h&msa=0&msid=116642612252495048514.0004666dd3d48edb26587&ll=25.165173,-120.9375&spn=150.68083,298.828125&z=1&source=embed" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br />We're still working on what we're going to do with all the data, but if you'd like to share our project with your students, here is a link to our <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pxugx3UQu48T6YmFnQUNzTQ">spreadsheet</a>. (As I write this, we're up to 469 responses.)<br /><br />I'd like to thank all those who contributed to the survey and passed it on to others. The kids had a blast watching the results come in. We were all amazed by the huge response. Our network ROCKS!Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-26878844306020870252009-03-01T12:00:00.000-08:002009-03-01T17:11:18.235-08:00Morsels from NCCE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SarsitMvIjI/AAAAAAAAAaw/J1i4IFoAg5I/s1600-h/NCCELogo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 110px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SarsitMvIjI/AAAAAAAAAaw/J1i4IFoAg5I/s400/NCCELogo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308315191802274354" border="0" /></a>Okay, I have to admit I'm a little jealous of people who can attend a conference or workshop and by the time it is over they've already written and posted a clean, coherent, and thoughtful blog recap of what was learned and experienced. For me it takes some time to process all that has been received, and even then it's often difficult to put pen to paper (or text to screen). Maybe that's why I have such great respect for experienced edubloggers like <a href="http://speedofcreativity.org/">Wes Fryer</a>.<br />Even so, it has been a week since I returned from Portland, Oregon and the <a href="http://www.ncce.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=458&Itemid=183">NCCE Conference</a>, and while it may not be as timely as some bloggers, here are a few morsels that fed my brain last week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peer Coaching</span><br />This idea of training a team of teachers to design and implement technology rich, standards-based lessons, and then sending them out to coach and train others at their school is nothing new. It keeps the focus where it should be - on the students and the teachers, not the computers and the technology. It makes sure that technology is not used for technology's sake, but rather with a real learning goal in mind.<br />In my practice at school, I've realized that staff in-services once or twice a year are not nearly as effective as working one-on-one or in small groups to provide "just in time" learning. When a teacher learns how to use a specific tech tool that engages students and helps them achieve a specific learning goal with greater understanding and retention, that teacher sees the value of that tool for learning. Better yet, as that teacher becomes proficient using that tool, they can help their colleagues learn it too.<br />In <a href="http://etsc.esd105.wednet.edu/peercoaching/">Washington</a> state they've formalized the process of peer coaching with the help of grants from <a href="http://us.itn.partnersinlearning.com/PeerCoaching/Pages/ThePeerCoachingProgramataGlance.aspx">Microsoft</a> and peer coaching facilitator training through the <a href="http://www.psctlt.org/edlab/peer_coaching_training.html">Puget Sound Center</a>. I think a program like this could really benefit our schools and districts here in Orange County.<br />In my <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2009/02/bigger-isnt-always-better.html">previous post</a> I shared one example of how this type of mentoring works in the Bend/LaPine School District. I'm really impressed with the work done by these "cadres" of teachers to energize their lessons with technology. Besides I think it just sounds cool to part of a "cadre". I want to be part of a cadre, or maybe I'll join an "EdTech Posse". What do you think?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mobile Technology in the Classroom</span><br />From Karen Fasimpaur I learned about "<a href="http://mobiletech.wikispaces.com/Differentiating+instruction">Using Mobile Technology to Differentiate Instruction</a>" and how podcasts, vodcasts, Palms, cell phones, netbooks, and ebooks can be used to engage students and motivate them to learn. I also got a chance to get my hands on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83624371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0YF80XEFWAEWFMGCR6A2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=469942651&pf_rd_i=507846">Amazon's Kindle</a> e-book reader. I know I keep saying it's about the learning and not the thing, but I <span style="font-style: italic;">SO</span> want one of these now. <span style="font-style: italic;">(Is that wrong?)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://icot.iste.org/"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">ISTE's Classroom Observation Tool</span></a><br />Want to see if technology rich lessons and projects are really helping your students? Download this free tool from ISTE to use as you observe in the classroom. You can use it offline, but data is uploaded to ISTE's secure server so you can access it from different computers and generate various reports. I asked if ISTE intends to use this data for their own purposes, but was told, "No, they just store it. They don't use it." With that in mind, if you use this tool, you still might want to be careful to keep your observations clear of specific names and keep them limited to "just the facts". I can definitely see benefits to using this tool to record and report the effectiveness of instruction. Now if only ISTE would update it with the <a href="http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm">2007 NETS for Students</a> rather than the <a href="http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/1998Standards/NETS_for_Students_1998.htm">1998 version</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Northwest Tech Teacher of the Year</span><br />What a pleasure it was to see my friend and fellow <a href="http://community.discoveryeducation.com/">DEN</a> STAR, <a href="http://digital-doors.blogspot.com/">Martha Thornburgh</a> awarded the Northwest Tech Teacher of the Year award. It's always nice to see someone you know and respect honored for the great job they're doing. Way to go Martha! If you get a chance, be sure to check out her "<a href="http://sites.google.com/site/voicethreadmath/">Give Math a Voice</a>" presentation and Voicethread.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/Sasx8sH40rI/AAAAAAAAAa4/9lBVr8-k3hE/s1600-h/MarthaAndReed.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/Sasx8sH40rI/AAAAAAAAAa4/9lBVr8-k3hE/s400/MarthaAndReed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308391504492417714" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Blog author with Northwest Tech Teacher of the Year, Martha Thornburgh, and StormChaser Reed Timmer. Photo courtesy of Martha Thornburgh.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Storm Chaser</span><br />The <a href="http://community.discoveryeducation.com/">DEN</a> came through for me again, this time giving me and other Discovery Educators an opportunity to meet and talk with <a href="http://tornadovideos.net/">Reed Timmer</a> of <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/storm-chasers/storm-chasers.html">StormChasers</a>. His passion for science, math, and meteorology is demonstrated in his fascination for getting up close and personal with tornadoes and other violent storms. I was also surprised to learn that in addition to storm chasing, he's also working on his PhD! Is this guy brilliant or totally nuts? Perhaps a little of both. Thanks Reed for inspiring my students, and thanks Discovery for this wonderful opportunity!Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-11275717600851931672009-02-18T12:12:00.000-08:002009-02-18T12:26:41.381-08:00Bigger Isn't Always Better<a href="http://itsc.oetc.org/">ITSC</a> is small compared to other state or regional conferences - only about 400 attendees - but I really like how they put it together. The three hour workshops really encourage conversation and allow time for reflection. It's also a great opportunity to hear and interact with some pretty amazing presenters on a more intimate level. Having access to these presenters both during and outside of their sessions is a real treat and facilitates some great conversations.<br />Speaking with Jennifer Arns, the Program Director, I learned that at ITSC they really want schools and districts to attend in teams and they provide teams with time to meet and discuss what has been learned periodically throughout the conference. This time to process what has been learned and brainstorm how it can be applied is quite valuable and unfortunately pretty unique in educational conferences. The fact that they can actually get this many teachers to take their President's Day weekend to attend speaks to the importance these educators place on using technology tools to improve instruction.<br /><br />Here are some thoughts from sessions and conversations:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://handouts.wesfryer.com/cellphones">Cell Phone Digital Storytelling</a> - Wes Fryer</span><br />I've created podcasts from my cell phone using GCast, but another tool called <a href="http://www.gabcast.com/">Gabcast</a> adds the ability to post from not just MY cell phone, but ANY phone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SZxtN_XgdlI/AAAAAAAAAac/iCwZsn-eDKA/s1600-h/gabcast.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SZxtN_XgdlI/AAAAAAAAAac/iCwZsn-eDKA/s400/gabcast.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304234548251358802" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With this tool, teachers can create multiple channels for different classes, then give students the phone number and access code so they can just call in and record their thoughts & stories, posting them to the class podcast. At our tables we brainstormed how this could transform a class field trip by directing students to use their cell phones to take pictures at certain locations and record and post their thoughts on what they see, what they experience, and what they learn. These images and audio files are captured "on location", and can later be combined into digital stories using any number of media tools.<br />The best part? There's no need for the school to supply students with expensive camera or recording equipment, most already have what they need to collect their stories.<br /><a href="http://web.mac.com/jennifergingerich/jennifergingerich/Blog/Entries/2009/2/16_Historical_Documentaries.html"><br /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://web.mac.com/jennifergingerich/jennifergingerich/Blog/Entries/2009/2/16_Historical_Documentaries.html">Historical Documentaries</a> - Jennifer Gingerich</span><br />Using familiar tools like PhotoStory3, iMovie, and GarageBand, students take "digital kits" and use them to create documentaries from periods in history. Jennifer worked with our group to create a pretty impressive Ellis Island story in just a matter of minutes. She also shared student created Oregon Trail diaries. These documentaries are written in first person, using images from the kit, or photos taken of students in costume with a sepia tone effect to give an "antique" look.<br />The digital kits contain music, photos, citations and other components needed to create the stories. For the students, the focus is not on teaching them how to find pictures or make videos, but seeing how well they know the content and can tell a story. The emphasis is on writing and historical accuracy. The advantage of digital stories over a written report? Stories not only capture the facts of the time period, but give kids an opportunity to put themselves in the place of these people and consider what they must have thought and how they must have felt - connecting them to the history on an emotional level rather than just a factual one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://wiimotewhiteboardhq.blogspot.com/">Wii Whiteboard</a> - John Sperry</span><br />I've seen Johnny Lee's video on YouTube, but here I got to actually see, feel, and try it out for myself. John Sperry from Springfield, Oregon demonstrated how easy and inexpensive it is to make your own interactive whiteboard using a Wii Remote. Time to dust off my soldering iron and go into project mode. I may have to take John up on his offer and send him a empty Expo marker so he can transform it into an infra-red pen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bend/LaPine School District - Amy Lundstrom</span><br />Amy Lundstrom is a technology program developer for Bend/LaPine School District. She's also the one that suggested I take an extra day or two to attend this conference. I'm so glad she did.<br />Speaking with her between conference workshops I learned how she is working with teams of teachers in her district, facilitating development of standards-based lessons that integrate technology. One unusual thing they do is give teachers an opportunity to observe their own class during one of these lessons. Through this "Lesson Study" program, members of these teams take turns teaching and observing each other's classes. The purpose of these observations is to determine 1) Do all students have access to the content being taught? 2) Did technology help students acheive the standard? In addition to observing the whole class, the classroom teacher can identify specific students in their own class to be observed. Observers are directed to be "human video cameras" noting how these students act during class and determining if those actions indicate motivation. After class, these students' work product is also evaluated. This program gives classroom teachers a unique insight into how particular students are affected by these newly developed lessons and technology tools. Ultimately it helps these teachers become more comfortable and confident planning and implementing technology infused lessons with their classes.Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-30238723536945609032009-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:002009-02-18T08:29:57.986-08:00The Joy is in the JourneyIt's nice sometimes to take a day or two get away and clear your head. Riding the <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Vertical_Route_Page&cid=1081256321841&c=am2Route&ssid=135">Coast Starlight</a> last weekend from LA to Portland for <a href="http://itsc.oetc.org/">ITSC</a> and <a href="http://www.ncce.org/">NCCE</a> was my chance to do a mental shut down and restart, clearing out some brain space for the massive information download I'd be experiencing at these back to back conferences.<br /><br />The 30 hour rail journey was just that. Even though I brought reading material I spent most of the time just staring out the window. Saturday the train hugged the California coast up to San Luis Obispo then headed inland through lush green hills toward Paso Robles, then north to San Jose, Oakland, and over to Sacramento. Sunday morning I woke up to snow flurries as we crossed into Oregon. Passing Klamath Falls the train chugged up into Cascades toward Cascade Pass (about 5000 ft) and eventually down to Eugene. From there it was a straight shot up the Willamette Valley to Portland.<br /><br />Some Random Observations from the journey:<br /><ul><li>A dozen deer leaping through the hills outside Santa Barbara</li><li>12 foot surf crashing along the coast near Pt. Conception</li><li>several startled cattle scrambling ungracefully away from the train as we climbed out of San Luis Obispo</li><li>Rolling hills near Paso Robles turned a velvety green from recent rain storms </li><li>Sipping coffee early Sunday morning in the Parlor car, watching the wind & snow swirling outside through the Shasta/Trinity National Forest</li><li>peeking through snow covered evergreens at the view of Odell Lake climbing up toward Cascade Pass</li><li>Clear blue skies and views of Mt. Hood outside Salem. (Oregonians would say, "The mountains are out today.")</li></ul><br />During my rail trip last summer (<span style="font-style: italic;">see </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2008/07/amtrak-adventure-part-1.html">Amtrak Adventure</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> blog post from July '08</span>) I lamented the fact that I was unable to get Internet access on the train. This time I was armed with my <a href="http://dgrice.blogspot.com/2008/11/have-internet-will-travel.html">Blackberry</a> and it's 3G connection to keep me in touch with my twitter & plurk friends. This also allowed me to post pictures, videos, and even do a couple of Skype video chats from my compartment. The laptop tethering worked great when I was able to get a cell phone signal. (<span style="font-style: italic;">See photo slide show and video below.</span>)<br /><br />Arriving at Portland Union Station late Sunday afternoon I hopped on the <a href="http://trimet.org/">MAX</a> light rail to the ITSC Conference at the Portland Airport Sheraton. With work 1000 miles away and my head clear it's time to do some learning. Let the conversations begin.<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157614015340338%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157614015340338%2F&set_id=72157614015340338&jump_to="> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=67348"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=67348" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157614015340338%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fdgrice%2Fsets%2F72157614015340338%2F&set_id=72157614015340338&jump_to=" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=67090" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=3a4ebaaf11&photo_id=3283096940"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=67090"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=67090" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=3a4ebaaf11&photo_id=3283096940" height="300" width="400"></embed></object>Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-10901693064605125682009-01-19T16:24:00.000-08:002009-01-19T16:38:08.773-08:00The Art of SoundRemember that guy, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Winslow">Michael Winslow</a>, from the Police Academy movies? The one who made all those strange sounds with his mouth? How many of you have a student like that in your class? As you walk across the room, this is that special child that makes squeaking noises for every step you take, putting his classmates in hysterics. Few things amuse this kid more than the variety of different sounds made by gas escaping from the human body - and he can reproduce any one of them at will. Rather than strangle this child, maybe it would be better to let this unique individual express his talents in a constructive way.<br /><br />Sound effects are a big part of creating a dramatic audio podcast. They can take your story and give it depth, creating a rich sound picture for your listeners. A good sound effect can create a picture in someone’s mind much easier than it would be to produce that same image on film or video. This is why I like the simple elegance of the audio podcast. You can create a multi-layered soundscape with relatively little effort or resources. No need for expensive equipment, dangerous stunts, or elaborate sets.<br /><br />Creating sound effects can be fun. Did you know you can mimic the sound of a crackling fire by slowly crinkling a bag of potato chips? Sliding the lid off of a toilet tank sounds just like someone opening an ancient sarcophagus. Rapidly opening and closing an umbrella sounds like a bat flying. And of course any self-respecting Monty Python fan knows that two hollowed out coconut shells are a prefect substitute for a galloping horse.<br /><br />With all the attention given to student created video I think we should not forget about the power of audio. An audio podcast project can be a great choice if you don’t have a lot of time or resources. Using free software like <a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/">Audacity</a> you can record your story, add music and sound effects, and export your show as a podcast friendly mp3 file in just a fraction of the time and effort it would take to do the same project as a video production.<br /><br />To encourage students and teachers at my school to learn to use audio podcasts, I created an online elective course that teaches them about podcasting and how to use Audacity to create their own podcasts and post them on our system. I’ve also taken many elements of that course and posted them online on my wiki so you can share them with your students and faculty too.<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dgrice.wikispaces.com/Podcasting">Make Your Own Podcast Wiki</a><br /><br />Feel free to use these resources and share them with your students and teachers. If you or your students create some great podcasts as a result, please reply with a link so we can all hear what you’ve done.Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-10165966649986549642008-11-25T14:34:00.000-08:002008-11-25T20:25:18.124-08:00Have Internet Will TravelMaybe I’m getting spoiled, but I find it harder and harder not to gripe and complain when I go to a conference and find out that I can't get online. I can’t say I blame the conference committee for not providing Internet access when the conference center (in this case the Long Beach Convention Center) charges astronomical prices to provide web access in conference rooms. ($600 for a 256K connection, per room!)<br /><br />This year rather than complaining, I used the lack of connectivity as an opportunity - or should I say excuse - to upgrade my phone to the new Blackberry Storm with it’s Internet tethering capabilities. Since I was presenting I <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span>, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">really</span>, needed to be able to get online. You understand, right?<br /><br />So last Friday morning I got up extra early to wait in line at my local Verizon store and was one of the lucky few to get my hands on the new Storm. I’ve had it for a couple days now and still have lots to learn but here are a few first impressions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It’s Clickable</span><br />I know it sounds gimmicky, but I really like the clickable screen. Essentially the whole screen is a big button. You position your finger on the touch screen where you want click and push down. The feedback on a click is really nice, although positioning my fingers on exactly the right place on the screen can be a little tricky.<br />The onscreen keyboard is really nice too. In landscape mode, you get a full keyboard. In portrait mode you get a half keyboard in which each key has two letters on it. I’m amazed by the interpretive ability of this keyboard to know the words or web sites I’m trying to type.<br />One annoying feature - when typing numbers you have to click the number key to make the keypad appear. When you type a number it goes back to letters and you have to press the number key again to make the numbers come back up again. This is a pain if you have to type in any number higher than 9.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSx9wvNoA9I/AAAAAAAAAZo/H20BpSuCp3Q/s1600-h/PB250010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSx9wvNoA9I/AAAAAAAAAZo/H20BpSuCp3Q/s400/PB250010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272727540004815826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tethering</span><br />This feature was not an option for me, and Verizon seemed to be the only company that actually didn’t make tethering your laptop to your phone a violation of their terms of service. Although they do charge $15 to turn this feature on for a month. This is one reason I stayed away from the iPhone. I checked online and the only way I could find to tether an iPhone was to jailbreak it and hope that AT&T doesn’t catch you and charge you overages, or cancel your service. I know lots of people do it, but I didn’t want to go that route.<br />Since I got the phone on Friday and was presenting on Monday, one of the first things I wanted to try when I got home was connecting the phone to my Mac and going online with it. Imagine my dismay when I inserted the CD only to discover that there was <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">NO MAC SOFTWARE!!!</span> The VZAccess Manager Software is Windows only. Thankfully, after about an hour of online searching I found this <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/963933">video by Landon Stuckey</a> that explained how to tether your Blackberry to a Mac using bluetooth. I tried it. It worked flawlessly and I didn’t even have to install any software. (Way to go Mac!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Web Browser and Other Apps</span><br />Compared to the web browser on my iPod touch, the one on the Storm is a not as smooth. I’ve grown used to the iPod's multi-touch zoom and the smooth scrolling. The Blackberry is not as clean. The accelerometer also doesn’t appear to be as sensitive. Switching from portrait to landscape does not have the snappy response my iPod does and sometimes I have to turn it sideways and back again to trigger it.<br />I did manage to install Google sync to connect the Storm to my Google Calendar, ans was able to connect to my Yahoo mail account with no problems. The Blackberry Facebook app helps me keep track all my FB friends. There’s also a cool little brick game that reminiscent of the one on my old Atari game console. I have yet to play with apps like VZ Navigator, Word to Go, and many others. Guess what I’ll be doing over Thanksgiving break?<br />The list of available applications isn't nearly as extensive as the iPhone, but I'm sure they'll get more. This thing is still pretty new. Although I'm hoping they add a Pandora music app soon!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bummer</span><br />One feature I was anxious to try was the visual voicemail - until I clicked on the app and it told me I needed to subscribe to the service for another $2.99/month. Bummer! Hey Verizon, doesn’t the iPhone include this for free?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSx-D1VSRQI/AAAAAAAAAZw/v8vFec7iTOk/s1600-h/PB250012.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSx-D1VSRQI/AAAAAAAAAZw/v8vFec7iTOk/s400/PB250012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272727868065072386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Okay, So Why Not an iPhone?</span><br />Beyond the fact that I’d have to jailbreak an iPhone to use it for tethering, the AT&T service at school is really spotty. Teachers who have it complain that there are only certain spots on campus where they can get a signal. The same is true in my neighborhood. If not for that, I’m sure the iPhone would have been my first pick. For now, Verizon is my best choice given the reliability of the service in my area. We’ll see what things are like in two years when it’s time to renew.<br /><br />Oh, and if you're wondering, the phone worked great for my presentation on Monday. The 3G connection was almost as fast as my home DSL.Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877164.post-28188109362872894722008-11-19T09:58:00.000-08:002008-11-19T10:55:40.652-08:00Picasa Web Albums & Google EarthHere's a quick and easy way to do use your own pictures for a place-based learning project using Picasa Web Albums and Google Earth. It's as easy as uploading your pictures to a Picasa Web Album and entering the location information. Once you do that, creating a Google Earth KML file with all your pictures is just a simple mouse click. Here's how it works...<br /><br />First, upload your pictures to a new Picasa Web Album. Add captions and then click Edit Location. <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Click images to see a larger view.)</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRVJUSV9QI/AAAAAAAAAYo/p2zCxQCyiLI/s1600-h/PicasaWebAlbum1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRVJUSV9QI/AAAAAAAAAYo/p2zCxQCyiLI/s400/PicasaWebAlbum1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270431082483152130" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Drag the placemark to where the picture was taken and click SAVE.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRVjaLTN4I/AAAAAAAAAYw/kH7uTNXU-FY/s1600-h/PicasaWebAlbum2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRVjaLTN4I/AAAAAAAAAYw/kH7uTNXU-FY/s400/PicasaWebAlbum2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270431530740823938" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Repeat this process for each picture in your album. When you're all done, click "View in Google Earth. This will download a Google Earth KML file.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRV9aTWeKI/AAAAAAAAAY4/kJz9IhYEF8U/s1600-h/PicasaWebAlbum3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRV9aTWeKI/AAAAAAAAAY4/kJz9IhYEF8U/s400/PicasaWebAlbum3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270431977451190434" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When the KML file opens in Google Earth, your pictures appear as placemarks along with your captions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRWtUZQdwI/AAAAAAAAAZA/P6DrP0HUeAc/s1600-h/PicasaWebAlbum4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ur3b1EEnVc0/SSRWtUZQdwI/AAAAAAAAAZA/P6DrP0HUeAc/s400/PicasaWebAlbum4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270432800499070722" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Clicking the the placemark opens an information bubble with a larger version of your picture and your caption.<br /><br />Something like this would be a great way to follow up a class field trip or outdoor education experience. The example above was created with pictures from our 7th grade trip to Catalina Island. You could also share your own personal vacation photos with your class and add historical and geographic information relevant to your curriculum.Dennis Gricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676015023297235119noreply@blogger.com0