Tech Probes

Coding Robots

2021-07-21T19:52:00.002-07:00

My daughter built mBot this weekend. We choose this kit because it allows my daughter to do graphical programming language scratch as well as the code programming Python. Assembling was also not difficult.

Reading Websites

2021-07-05T19:22:00.002-07:00

Here are some websites that will help your child/students practice his/her/their reading skills.

1. Starfall - offers interactive reading and math games and activities, songs, as well as free printable resources.

2. Mighty Book - offers free animated stories, songs and games

3. Roy The Zebra - offers free stories as well as before and after questions about each literary piece

4. SpellQuiz -

Here are websites that offers free books:

1. Between The Lions Early Reading by PBS Learning Media - offers video of books being read with each words highlighted while being read. Resources are organized by reading skills such as phonemic awareness, fluency, phonics, etc

2. Epic - offers thousands of books for Grade K-5 students

Math Teaching Tools

2021-07-04T20:30:00.005-07:00

Here are some tools that you can use in teaching Math.

1. Didax - offers virtual manipulatives that make math concepts interesting enhancing learning whether in the classroom or at home.

2. Mathigon - a safe platform that contains free activities and resources for the mathematics curriculum

3. Prodigy Game - offers game that adapts to the child's learning style and grade. It allows students to practice math skills in an action packed fantasy adventure.

Background Eraser

2021-07-03T20:52:00.038-07:00

Do you need to erase background from your pictures? Here are a few tools that you can access through your browser that will work

1. Pixlr - This is a free automatic background removal tool. If you are not satisfied with the result you can fine tune it. I usually use the magic tool when i clicked the fine tune button.

2. Lunapic - This is another photo editor that lets you erase the background of your pictures by selecting Transparent Background from the Edit drop down menu.

Free Communication Apps For Teachers and Parents

2018-08-04T19:48:00.024-07:00

Communication between teacher and parents are important. Sometimes picking up the phone might not always be the right time except of course during emergency and serious misbehavior that need to be addressed. Parents and students need to know updates on a regular basis too for little achievements. And come to think of it reminders for school activities that flashes on a parent phone is pretty handy for busy parent who are juggling chores, family life and even work. Being reminded early in the morning when you have time to get needed stuff instead of late in the afternoon or in the early evening when everyone is home is convenient.

Here are the classroom communication apps for parents and teacher:

1. ClassDojo

ClassDojo is a classroom communication app used to share reports between parents and teachers. Teachers track student behavior and upload photos or videos. The gamification style system teaches developmental skills through real-time feedback

2. Remind

Remind is another free communication app that allows teachers to send instant messages like schedule reminders, assignment, assessment, homework directly to students' and parents' phone.

Turning Any Site into A Social Network with Spot.IM

2014-12-06T13:19:00.002-08:00

Want to add a chat to your website? Spot.IM make it possible to turn any site into a social network with a few lines of code. By adding Spot.IM you can engage your community more.

For example in my real estate website, I encourage my visitors to leave a comment on their must haves for their dream home.

You can share what is the style of your dream house or what specific in your dream house would look like.

Business Card Reader App

2014-08-13T08:24:00.001-07:00

Tired of entering business card in your contact list. Why not use a business card reader app?

CamCard is a free business card reader app. It transcribes the card instantly without waiting. It can also auto-crop the card image like CamScanner and save to your digital card holder.

Bizzcard is a free iphone app but is not for managing business cards but rather for giving people your electronic card through e-mail. They can then add your card to their contacts. You can create an electronic card or if you have an existing card, just capture the image to send electronically.

Community Information Apps

2014-08-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Buyers need to find out some important information about their preferred community when searching for a house. It would be nice if you had an app that can give you instant answers to their questions.

Sitegeist is a free app that lets you know about a community's Age Distribution, Political Contributions, Average Rent, Popular Local Spots, Recommended Restaurants, Record Temperatures, Housing Units Over Time and How people commute.

AroundMe is a free app that gives you information about the points of interest in a community such as banks, gas stations, restaurants, etc.

Panoramic Photo Apps

2014-08-08T06:03:00.002-07:00

Pictures sell! Buyers tend to request showings from their real estate agents if there are pictures, especially in a buyers market. People are so busy right now some don't want to waste their time going to a showing without looking at pictures first. If you need a panoramic photo app to take your pictures (whether you actually use it to advertise or just use it before your professional photographers busy schedule can accommodate you, or just to take pictures to describe your listing better, there are several panoramic photo apps that you can use).

Photosynth is a free panoramic shooting app. Simply shoot your camera and start panning slowly. You can pan left to right or up and down to capture any room. The app lets you crop and save your panoramic creation to your camera roll You can also share any panoramic picture you've taken in your Facebook Timeline.

With GoPano you can create 360 videos and panoramic images with lens attachment like GoPano micro which allows you to capture video and audio in 360 degrees or the GoPano plus. You can upload and share your panoramic pictures through the GoPano website.

pixeet is a mobile app that helps you immediately create 180 or 360 degree panoramic views right after the shooting by attaching a special lens to any mobile device. With the kit or accessories that you can buy at their site you can create and manage virtual tours for your listings or real estate properties with your panoramas in the pixeet online studio. You can add music and hotspots to move from one room to another. It is free but you have to upgrade to a pro account for branding; such as adding your company logo, for analytics, and to create PDF flyers out of your panoramic pictures. You can share them in websites, MLS and social networks.

Digital Invitation Tool

2014-06-02T09:09:00.002-07:00

Planning a birthday party? You can mail the invitations or use digital invitations. I planned a party for my daughter's birthday party in White Post Farms, and I used Evite. So far so good. Only one Mom told me she didn't get the invitation. Luckily another Mom told her her kids are invited, (you can choose to show who are the other guests to those invited) so she was able to tell me she didn't get it. I just manually put her kids in to remember who are coming or not because I had to fax the names of each participating child to White Post Farms three days before the party.

I've used Punchbowl before but only to send digital cards. I probably used it for the next get-together just to give it a try.

Another online invitation that I want to try is whoozin because guest can easily RSVP from a computer or mobile device-without being required to create a Whoozin account. I probably use it for holiday get together. Being able to upload the menu will be cool since we always order guest food anyway.

Celebration is another online invitation tool. Although you can only invite up to 75 people for free.

My Educational Technology Specialist Licence

2013-07-12T10:29:00.002-07:00

I just received my passing score for Educational Technology Specialist Content Specialty Test (CST)71 last Monday July 8 and I am pleasantly surprised to received my Educational Technology Specialist license or professional certificate from the New York State Education Department (NYSE) today, exactly four days that I received my score. My, that was fast! Happy with it all!

To check the license/s of a teacher in New York State, click here.

Creating Digital Books

2013-06-23T20:49:00.001-07:00

Creative activities help children express their feeling, and emotions, their ideas, and the way they view the world around them. Since children learns how to use tech gadgets so easily, why not use technology to help children be creative?

Want to offer more digital books to your children or students that is on their reading level? How about creating digital books for them using Book builder. You can also use this free online tool to let your children or students create their own digital books.

Storybird is another authoring tool that lets children or student create their own digital books and share them on any device.

Storyboard Generator is another tool for creating digital stories. Users can either chose the script or bulid their own storyboard.

To have animated stories, use Zimmer Twins, children or students can use the babble clips to make the character, talk, yell or sing. They can use the action clips to let the character walk, run, dance or more. Close up clips can be use to express expresion like surprised, angry, scared and more. When children or students add a clip, the clip is added to the timeline at the bottom of the screen, they will see a preview of the clip and a sentence about the scene. To make their story, children or students can change the underlined words in the sentence. As they clicked on the words, options will pop out and the scene will change according to how the sentence is changed. Basically, the character, background and the object that the character is holding can be changed just by clicking on the selected options. The longer the story, the more interesting it would be; and children or students can add more than one clip to the timeline, rearrange the clips if they want to change the order in their stories or even delete a scene if they want to.

Domo Animate is almost the same as Zimmer Twins, both allows user to have scenes and edit them through a timeline. But in Domo Animate, there are more characters to choose from. There is no sentence describing the scene either so the user is more free to label the scene as how h/she imagine it. Children or students will really liked the animation effect that they can add to make the story more entertaining.

Kerpoof is another online tool to create a story or a movie. Users has to select a movie, select a storyline and scene, select a character on the panel on the right of the screen. To add speech bubbles, users have to select the say method and type in the resulting Message box.

Creating stories about personal experiences not only makes one remember happy moments but also makes sense of things around them. If you want your children or students to use their photos to create a story about their vacation, their pets or whatever story about them with their own pictures, then Animoto is a great tool. Children or students can choose the style they want from available templates, can add soundtrack from the music library, add some captions and title cards to create their own story.

Another tool to create a story with their own pictures is Slidestory, the user can use his/her own pictures and narrate with his/her own voice. However, it is not a cloud based tool, the user has to download Slidestory Publisher.

Want to create a story with just phrases or few keywords?Try PicLit. Children or students can drag and drop the right words and arrange them correctly to tell something about a certain picture.

Game Design Tools

2013-06-23T10:26:00.001-07:00

Creating games stimulate children's creativity and critical thinking skills. Here are tools that will help students or anyone interested in creating games learn how to design a game:

Gamestar Mechanic - a game based quest to teach kids the principles of game design. Every time someone play a game or completed a quest he/she get access to avatar, backgrounds, and other things that were used in the games that he/she played. These rewards can be used in designing his/her own game.

Sprite Shlep

Clean Slate

2. Scratch - It is a free educational programming language that allows anyone, children or adult to create visualization, stories and games using Sprites.

3. Kodu - It needs to be downloaded but it lets anyone, children or adult with no design or programming skills create games on PC and XBox through a simple visual programming language. It can be used to teach creativity, problem solving, storytelling, etc.

4. GameSalad - It is an authoring tool lets anyone even with with no coding knowledge create games then publish them iPhone, iPad, Android and HTML5.

5. AgentSheets - It needs to be downloaded and only offer free trial but it lets anyone create their own agent based games and simulations through a user friendly drag-and-drop interface

Free Online Screen Recording

2013-06-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

When I was attending P2PU Massive Open Online Classes (MOOC) class called Machinima, I learned about Screencast-O-Matic, a free online screen capture recording on both Windows or Mac computers with no installation required.

In the short screencast above, we were in Second Life and I was having a problem getting on the cube so I was not able to jump on one like what the rest of the other participants are doing. I was graduating at that time and busy with my internships and Networking class so I wasn't really able to devote as much time to the Machinima class as much as I want to.

Another free online screen capture recording with nothing to install is Screenr. You can record your screen on both Mac and PC and the screencast even plays on iPhones.

File Transfer

2013-05-21T07:26:00.002-07:00

Want to share projects with your classmates and the files are too big? Or do you want to share pictures with other Moms and it is just too cumbersome to send all the files through several e-mail messages, try
WeTransfer. If you have all the documents or pictures in a folder, select the folder, right click on it. When the drop down menu opens up, point your mouse to "Send To". Click on "Compressed zipped folder". Then go to www.wetransfer.com click the "+Add Files" button, add the recipient e-mail address, add your own e-mail address and click "Send" When you're friend received the download link, they have to click on the download link click on the "I Agree" button click the"Download" button then once they save it in the desired location in their computer, they have to right click on the zipped folder and choose "Extract All" once the drop-down menu appears.

If you'd rather not deal with compressing a folder you can just send the files as they are instead of in a folder. Just Click click the "+Add Files" button then select all the documents or pictures that you want to send. add the recipient e-mail address, add your own e-mail address and click "Send" When you're friends receive the message, they have to click on the download link which will take them to www.wetransfer.com Click on the "I Agree" button then click on the "Download" button. When the dialogue box, "You have chosen to open we-transfer-_ _ _ _ _ _.zip" appears click "OK"

WeTransfer works on both Mac and PC and the download link is available for two weeks. You can also send to multiple people.

You can also use LargeFilesASAP from both PC or Mac, but you're limited to one e-mail recipient that's why I prefer WeTransfer

Using Scratch to Teach Critical Thinking Skills

2012-03-30T14:44:00.003-07:00

In our ever changing world, tools, gadgets, learning and working environment are continually changing, or evolving brought about by technological innovation. What is the current gadgets now may just be an older version next month. Before distance education means being sent packets of learning materials augmented by radio educational programs geared for home schooled children. Now it means being able to access a learning management system like Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai, etc. In the old days students are shown films, slides in projector. Now students watch streaming videos on their laptops, tablets, and even phones. That's why the role of schools is actually to teach critical thinking skills to children since the knowledge, concepts and skills that they are learning in school may not be that up-to-date by the time they are ready for the work force.

Teaching Scratch to students foster critical thinking skills. "Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art ---and share your creations on the web"Scratch Website. Critical Thinking is defined by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul (during the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education reform, 1987) as "the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action" The Critical Thinking Community.

Here are Scratch projects I created just for fun.
dancing

chicks following mother hen

If you want to read more about using Scratch in the classroom visit the following:

Teaching Kids To Think Using Scratch

Investigation into Using Scratch to Teach KS3 Mathematics

Using Scratch to teach algebra and geometry

Sources:

Defining Critical Thinking http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766

21st Century Skills

2012-03-15T20:57:00.002-07:00

We are all in a journey where no one comes before. Human ingenuity and creativeness continue to produce rapid new technological changes that affect the way we live, learn and work. These changes are so innovative that no one can fully predict what is going to come in the future. There are so much new things coming out that schools need to prepare students how to sift through this barrage of information and determine what is relevant or irrelevant to them. Technology also diminished the barrier of physical distance making global economies all part of interconnected world. This means graduates have to be competitive not only with local graduates but also graduates from around the world. Thus, schools need to prepare globally qualified graduates. We need to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to be competitive in a global information-based economy.

Capitalism along with the ever-changing technology produces so many choices for consumers. With so much market competition going on, companies also need to be competitive or else they will be eliminated by competition or go bankrupt. They want to hire graduates that will help them produce the most return in their investments. Companies hired graduates with good work ethics, know how to communicate, and work with others in the company, and have good critical problem solving skills. Work ethics is defined as “demonstrating personal accountability, effective work habits, e.g. punctuality, working productively with others, time and workload management.” - (CorporateVoicesforWorkingFamilies, 2006). Students need to learn good communication skills because they need to articulate innovative ideas to excel or even just perform well in the work place when they graduate. Students need to learn how to work in groups while in school because companies sometimes call collaboration among team members to be able to come up with the most economically sound solution from different experts in various departments within the company. Students need to learn critical thinking and problem solving skills because companies also faces changes and future workers need to come up with solutions that maximize productivity according to the challenges face by companies because of the rapid changes of technology. However, even if the worker possess the good communication, critical and problem solving skills as well as ability to work in groups or collaboration skills, if the worker didn’t have work ethics then nothing will be accomplished or not done in time again affecting the companies productivity and profits.

Unfortunately U.S. high school graduates are graduating not prepared for the world of work judging from the workforce survey “Are They Really Ready To Work?“ nor are they prepared to be competitive with other graduates from other countries as the Educational Score Performance – Country Rankings suggest (geographic.org, 2009). Even with grants for retraining existing workers (DOL, 2010) the continues hiring of foreign workers (NumbersUSA, 2011) in specialty occupations such as scientists, engineers or computer programmer (USCIS, 2011) suggests a difference in the skill set that the employers need and the skill set that current U.S. graduates have. They are lacking in written communication, leadership, work ethic, critical thinking and problem solving, and self-direction. There is a growing gap between the knowledge and skills that students learn in schools and the skills needed in the 21^st century workplace. With so much distraction such as watching too much TV, video games, social media, we need to create learning environments that engage this generation and help them reach their full potential. We need to prepare students for the real world. We need to prepare students for the world of work.

I believe that U.S. education is superior in teaching 21^st skills compared to other countries as the U.S. has the most number of patent application compared to other countries (WIPO, 2010). This suggests U.S. was able to produce innovative or creative thinkers just like the educational leaders or policy makers wanted. It’s just that not every student takes advantage of what is offered to them in school nor not every parent becomes adequately engaged with their children’s education. Students are sometimes disinterested in learning things in school, not seeing the relevance of what they are doing in school to their future. Sometimes parents has the notion that all they need to do is demand changes, more technology, more budget and yet leave all the responsibility of their children’s learning process to the teachers, blaming the teachers when their children did not meet learning standards instead of supervising their children so they actually do what is expected of them in schools. The media with its politically correct bias do not help matters. Instead of calling proactive mothers who choose to be part of their children’s learning process by supervising them in doing homework as Tiger Moms, the media need to stress that education is supposed to be partnership between teachers and students, teachers and parents and parents and their children. Parents need to realize that teachers want their students to succeed as much as they do, that teachers are in the profession because they care. It is unfortunate that even with one of the highest amount of money spent in education as compared to other countries(MAT@USC), even when leading other countries in terms of available technology in school, some U.S. students are sadly not faring well compared to other global students who have less (geographic.org, 2009). As long as some students and parents do not have the right mindset, there will still be students falling through the cracks, not meeting what is expected of them to compete in the 21^st century workplace. As work ethics is part of the requirements in the workplace to succeed in the 21^st century, the proper mindset among students and parent’s engagement are also important to succeed in schools.

The US government already has good policy on technology integration (as the National Technology Plan and district technology plans across the U.S. suggests); it is just a matter of dissemination to the stakeholders. The U.S. government will have to institutionalize professional development as never before. They can start at requiring all teacher preparation colleges and universities to align their curriculum to the needs of the 21^st century workplace, encourage more partnership between the industries and schools so students will have a practical idea of what is expected of them in the work place as interns, create connections with industry people. Since there is a rapid change in hardware devices and software in school, teachers already in the field should be continuously retrained. Certification agencies need to demand more professional development hours from already certified teachers in order to maintain their license so as to force teachers to attend workshops related to their field. Technology grants have to be modified so it will include software as well as hardware and the much needed professional development because even when technology are there if teachers do not maximize their use because of inadequate training, results will not be as good. The learning environment should promote the four Cs: critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity in innovation along the three Rs: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.

Curriculum Transformations and technology infusion in education will results in teachers becoming facilitators exploring with their students the vast world of ideas and information. Students will be open and responsive to new and diverse perspective. They will be able to articulate ideas clearly and effectively through speaking and writing. They will demonstrate ability to work effectively with diverse teams. They can exercise flexibility and willingness to compromise to accomplish a common goal. The students will become adults adept at multitasking in a multifaceted technology-driven diverse vibrant world. There will be a better fit between the graduates and the workers that the industries need. People will be more productive and the nation’s economy will benefit.

Sources:

CorporateVoicesforWorkingFamilies. (2006, October 2). MOST YOUNG PEOPLE ENTERING THE U.S. WORKFORCE LACK CRITICAL SKILLS ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from Corporate Voices for Working Families: http://www.cvworkingfamilies.org/node/153

DOL, U. (2010, January 08). Grants To Train U.S. Workers For High-Tech Jobs Often Filled By Foreign Workers. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from United States Department of Labor: http://www.doleta.gov/grants/awards/00-104award.cfm

Forgione, P. D. (1998, April 3). ACHIEVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES: PROGRESS SINCE A NATION AT RISK? Retrieved March 11, 2012, from National Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/Pressrelease/reform/#International

geographic.org. (2009). Educational Score Performance - Country Rankings. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from Countries of the World: http://www.geographic.org/country_ranks/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html

NumbersUSA. (2011, December 7). USCIS Data: U.S. Companies Hiring Foreign Workers at Record Pace Despite 8.6% Unemployment Rate. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from NumbersUSA Action: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/news/december-7-2011/uscis-data-us-companies-hiring-foreign-workers-record-pace-despite-86-unemploym

USCIS. (2011, November 23). USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2012 H-1B Cap. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=f0a78614e90d3310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

WIPO, W. I. (2010, February 8). International Patent Filings Dip in 2009 amid Global Economic Downturn. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from WIPO News and Events: http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0003.html

3d Virtual Worlds as Learning Resources

2011-12-08T07:18:00.001-08:00

3D Virtual World can a be good resources in learning Math and Science concepts. According to Keith Devlin, Executive Director of H-STAR Institute, students need to learn mathematics in meaningful context which means putting students in a context where they actually had to do mathematics in order to achieve goals. Research conducted at the H-STAR Institute indicates that video gaming where mathematics is required to succeed might be one way to improve learning because children encounter real life scenarios where mathematics is necessary.” (Role Playing Mathematics). Dr. Tony O'Driscoll in Virtual Social Worlds and the Future of Learning said that Virtual Social Worlds offers seven advantages to the learners; the sense of self, the death of distance, the power of presence, the sense of space, the capability to co-create, the pervasiveness of practice, the enrichment of experience. He contended that these advantages provide us with freedom (which stands for flow, repetition, experimentation, engagement, doing, observing, motivation) to create true experiential learning opportunities. The World of Miamiopia is a virtual world, where children of all ages can create characters and then use these characters as they explore, play educational games, and solve puzzles and other challenges. As children play the over 300 educational games, their characters earn "coins". These coins can be used to purchase accessories, such as virtual clothing, wigs, jewelry, belly stickers, homes, and home decor.

Another Virtual World that can be used for learning is Second Life. Second Life offers role playing that teaches Math and Science in the process. Second Life can definitely enhance the learning process. Students can explore objects and places that are replicas of the real world from a first person perspective. Students can visit historical sites, galleries, museums and natural parks that would not be possible in real life because of distance, cost or historical period or era. Second life offers a different experience than traditional virtual tours because students can go back in time and explore historical sites as it was before not as it is of the present. The scavenger hunt, the guided tours and sloodle as mentioned in Educational Uses of Second Life can be really great interactive tools for learning. Students interact with their environment and even each other. At present students are immersed in animated TV programs and interactive computer games at home that sloodle’s combination of the Moodle learning management system with the interactive multiuser experience of Virtual Life does not only enrich students’ learning experiences but also offer a way of keeping their interest in the lesson. They explore the virtual environment and do educational tasks like answering questions and get simultaneously graded in Moodle.

While studying Unit 3 Latin America, in 5th grade Social Studies, I can take the whole class on a virtual tour of Ancient World Art Mayan, Aztec, Pyramid, Mexican, 2012, Inca, Dynasty Land in Second Life, The students can virtually experience going up and down the steps of the pyramids as well as discuss with each other the objects and art works inside and outside the pyramid. This way the class would be immersed in the two objectives of the unit, Latin American Art and architecture (NY City Scope and Sequence p. 18). Second Life make the lesson interactive and fun as the student virtually explore the place like they are actually there. The students will be engaged and I can easily keep their interest in the lesson. A related destination will be the UW Project: Maya Island 3D project by University of Washington students about Mayan civilization which include a Mayan medical village, a science and astronomy center and an explorer's cove.

Another example will be taking the whole class to GREAT WALL OF CHINA - World Heritage Site, China Sichuan which is under the Real Life categories in Second Life, while studying Unit 2-7 of 3rd Grade Social Studies (NY City Scope and Sequence p. 11) . The students can explore by walking around in the replica of one of the seven Wonders of the World. Second Life provides the students three dimensional perspective of the Great Wall of China, an experience not possible by just showing videos or pictures of it and all without leaving the physical classroom or going through the hassle of traveling or the cost of a foreign trip.

Second Life can also be used to enhance science lessons.A fourth grade class can teleport to NOAA Virtual Island, an Education/Nonprofit destination in Second Life, while studying UNIT 4 INTERACTIONS OF AIR, WATER, AND LAND (K-8 Science Scope and Sequence p. 5) when students are supposed to investigate the negative and positive impact of extreme natural events (earthquake, volcanoes, etc.) on living things. Aside from learning facts from virtual field trip, using Second Life enhances this project because students can virtually experience being in the center of a hurricane or tsunami without dealing with the dangers of being in a real extreme weather condition. It gives them a sense of being there as well an opportunity to observe in an engaging learning space that will not be feasible in the classroom because teachers can’t manufacture weather conditions to coincide with curricular units. In a way, Second Life let the class get around nature’s time table and experience learning opportunities on demand. The following are good Second Life destinations for science learning.

Virtual Mine an educational 3D environment and game that teaches about mountain top removal, coal fired power production, alternative energies, and the amazing music and culture in the Appalachian Mountains.
Inspire Space Park – SL residents can explore the stars, galaxy and the universe
MoonWorld a simulation of lunar geology field work funded by NASA, this project lets SL residents explore the lunar surface to closely observe the terrain and collect samples
NASA eEducation Island provides support for teaching about NASA in the classroom This education resource center has a marine research station, underwater habitat and even an Antarctic outpost
The Abyss Observatory A museum of ocean science and technology which let visitors travel 2,000 meters down into the dark depths of the ocean floor
The Frontier Project is a 14,000-square-foot demonstration building that educates consumers, commercial builders, and sustainable advocates regarding the latest methods and technologies in water, energy, and site conservation.
Synthetic Biology Interactive (SBI) an educational resource and interactive learning area about synthetic biology.
Genome Island - SL residents can study microbiology by stepping inside a rotating plasma membrane, check out elaborate dioramas, and play interactive games designed to teach students and scholars alike more about the micro world.
Astronomy Island offers a tour of a digital planetarium, listen to podcasts, and learn all about astronomy at this SL science destination, which is sponsored by the American Astronomical Society
Spaceflight Museum offers a series of exhibits and events about real-world space travel hosted by the International Spaceflight Museum

Sources:

University, S. (n.d.). Role Playing Mathematics. Retrieved from Science 360: http://science360.gov/obj/video/1e1f14ec-ed83-4266-8e8a-e57b645ed1c5

Enriching the Learning Process with Video Games

2011-12-06T16:32:00.001-08:00

Video Games can be used to teach concepts so even the students who are not interested in learning unknowingly learn something. They are interactive and engaging. They engage both the learners sense of seeing, and hearing. According to NYU Child Study Center (Video Games: Pros and Cons), they enhance students’ motor coordination and ability to think quickly and analyze a situation. HealthNews claims that “games need simultaneous task execution, which helps improving concentration, cognition, as well as improve multi-tasking skills, focus, and agility (Video Games in Increasing Brain Power, 2009). Though using video games has disadvantages, these can be avoided through proper guidance and support. For instance, games provide a high level of quick gratification. Students are almost constantly being rewarded and, when they lose, they get to easily start over to work on their goal (Video Games: Pros and Cons). However, in real life, students cannot be rewarded for every right thing that they do. Here are some sources of educational games.

1. PHYSICS GAMES.NET offers games on physics

2. Learning Games for Kids.com also offers educational math and science as games that are excellent to present the vocabulary or term that students need to know about the lesson

3. Fun brain offers Math games
4. Learning Games for Kids offers Art Games, Music Games, Math Games, Logic Games, Geography Games, Memory Games, Science Videos and so much more!

5. Prongo offers interactive quizzes

6. The Magic School Bus/Games and Activities offers interactive Science games and activities

7. Curious George Games offers Math related games

8. The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That offers Science and Math games

9. Team Umizoomi Games offers Math games for preschool children

Sources:

Center, N. C. (n.d.). Video Games: Pros and Cons. Retrieved from education.com:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Video_Games_Cons/?page=2

HealthNews. (2009, May 26). Video Games in Increasing Brain Power. Retrieved December 2011, from health news: http://healthnews.ebookroute.com/mental-health/1400-video-games-in-increasing-brain-power/

Xerri, R. A. (2011, September 29). The role of video games. Retrieved from skola:http://elearning.skola.edu.mt/2011/09/the-role-of-video-games

Video as a Learning Tool

2011-12-06T16:28:00.001-08:00

Video is a good learning tool. Using video enable teachers to reach the visuals and auditory learners. We can use video presentations to teach math and science so students “can pause, repeat, at their own pace, at their own time. But the more interesting thing is – and this is the intuitive thing when you talk about technology in the classroom – by removing the one size fits all lecture from the classroom and letting students have a self-paced lecture at home, and then when you go to the classroom, letting them work” (Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education) A lot of free science and math lectures or explanations done in video are now available in Khan Academy. Another source would be bright storm, they film actual teachers teaching high school math and science concepts and the Math and Science videos on Algebra, Geometry, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry and Physics are free. This websites is geared more on students who are doing their homework or preparing for tests. Gamequarium also offers teaching videos on Math and Science.

We can also use videos to demonstrate processes in math and science to students. Using videos support different learning styles. Videos support both the visual and auditory learners. In addition integrating digital and/or video also reinforce reading material by providing visual context and imagery thus bridging the gap between students from different economic backgrounds or even from different cultures or different geographical area. In other words student’s common general knowledge is improved. Presenting lessons using videos also motivates the students better than just showing presentation with plain text.

1. neoK12 offers educational videos as well as well as quiz games not only on Science and Math but other subjects

2. science 360 The Knowledge Network offers high quality videos on Mathematics, Astronomy and Space, Chemistry, Earth and Environment, Life Sciences, Physics among others

3. WatchKnowLearn has free educational Math and Science videos among others

4. KidsKnowIt Network also has free Math and Science movies with interactive quizzes at the end of presentations

5. Learning Games for Kids.com also offers educational math and science videos BrainPOP/Science/Free Movies –free Science movies from BrainPOP
6. BrainPop Free Stuff – free Math and Science movies from BrainPOP

7. Teachers Domain -offers free videos, interactive activities and lessons plans in science, math, social studies and the language arts provided teachers or students register for the website.

Here are other sources of educational videos:

Reference:

Khan, S. (n.d.). Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education. Retrieved from TED Ideas Worth Spreading: http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

Video Production As a Learning Tool

2011-12-06T14:51:00.001-08:00

Even in today's technological world, nothing would replace doing more of the actual hands on activities to teach the concepts. As Aristotle said "What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing." To make hand-on activities more interesting, students can take a video of themselves while doing the hands on activities and upload it on the class website or class blog. Not only do they have online portfolio of classwork, other students from other classes even from other places can learn from them. Integrating video production in the learning process with the students as the actors is very motivating for students simply because it gives them the feeling of being a star or gives them exposure just like their favorite star in their favorite TV programs. ZOOM sci offers a lot of science hands on activities as well as some videos of kids actually doing the activities.

To learn something about video production for student's projects visit Kid's Vid.

Using Google Earth in the Classroom

2011-12-06T14:44:00.001-08:00

“Google Earth provides startling clear satellite views of the globe in an interactive 3D environment. Beyond the visual, users can add place marks, annotations, photos, and models, as well as measure distances and draw paths”. (Real World Math - Using Google Earth in the Math Curriculum) With Google Earth, students can use the Line and Path measurement tools to find distances that are challenging to measure. They can use the ruler to measure distances. Thomas J Petra from RealWorldMath.org provides some math lessons using Google Earth (Real World Math - Using Google Earth in the Math Curriculum). Kevin Smith uses Google Earth to teach area, perimeter, geometry, and many other mathematical concepts (Teach Area and Perimeter Using Google Earth), and so do a lot of other people. These lessons are aligned to NYS Math Standards: 4.R.1 Use verbal and written language, physical models, drawing charts, graphs, tables, symbols, and equations as representations. Here are other videos showing how to use Google Earth to teach Math concepts:

1. Finding Perimeter with Google Earth by Luis Manuel Morais

2. Technoliciously Using Google Earth for Teachers shows “How to find the perimeter of a building on Google Earth.

Google Earth can be used to teach different subjects. For example Google Earth can used for a fourth grade science class while studying UNIT 4 INTERACTIONS OF AIR, WATER, AND LAND (K-8 Science Scope and Sequence p. 5) when students are supposed to investigate the negative and positive impact of extreme natural events (earthquake, volcanoes, etc.) on living things. Students can plot the locations of the extreme weather conditions in the US that happened in their lifetime. First they have to do a little research where those extreme weather conditions happened. Then they can type those places in the box under the tab Fly to. They can click the Add Placemark icon to save each location where those extreme weather conditions happened then add description as well as pictures for each location. Then they can record a tour to the different locations where those extreme weather conditions happened. Google Earth can also be use to teach a fourth grade Social Studies lesson about the strategic role of New York City and New York State in the Revolutionary War (geography, battles, key figures, etc.) under Unit 3 Colonial and Revolutionary Periods (New York City K-8 Social Studies Scope and Sequence p. 15). They can mark or add Placemark where the events happened, add descriptions of the events as well as pictures of the key figures then record a Google Earth Tour.

Sources:

Morais, L. M. (2008, September 30). Finding Perimeter with Google Earth. Retrieved from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my2in0GnmSE

Petra, T. J. (n.d.). Real World Math - Using Google Earth in the Math Curriculum. Retrieved from RealWorldMath.org: http://realworldmath.org/Real_World_Math/RealWorldMath.org.html

Runescapefantasyinc. (2009, June 8). Technoliciously Using Google Earth for Teachers. Retrieved from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFbVY60p_5I

Smith, K. (2006, December 13). Teach Area and Perimeter Using Google Earth. Retrieved from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHwrehm6HO8

Using Google Maps in the Classroom

2011-12-06T14:36:00.001-08:00

Students can use Google Maps during Physics class. Dale Basler use Google Maps to map out different bus routes in his class neighborhood. He asked students to map out the route with a line (this gave them the route’s distance) find the average time needed for the bus to make a complete loop calculate the average speed of the bus and display the results on the map. Students with extra time could earn more points if they placed a pin at each stop and entered the arrival times in each stop’s description. They could also calculate the average speed from stop-to-stop. (Bus routes and Google Maps help teach physics). This lesson is done in an engaging way as well as aligned to NYS Math Standards S3.4 Adjust their explanations and understandings of objects and events based on their findings and new ideas. Jeffrey Branzburg shared that the Planimeter, a feature of the Google Maps connects any three points you clicked on a map into a triangle and computes the area, not only that, as you click on additional points, the area of the triangle adjusts too as the triangle expands into a many-sided polygon (Use Google Maps Mashups in K-12 Education). This lesson is aligned to the NYS Grade 4 Math Standards 4.R.4 which is: Use standard and nonstandard representations with accuracy and detail.

When seventh grade students are studying distance (Mathematics Scope and Sequence p. 10 -7.M.1* Calculate distance using a map), they can use Google Maps to calculate the distance from their house to the different places in their community. To take this further, they can use GMap to create a map of their favorite places in the community, their last vacation or their dream vacation. They can add comments and pictures to make the tour interesting. Since they had just studied area in the previous quarter they can also find the area of their yard, the school yard, and other places in the community like their favorite mall’s parking lot using Planimeter, a feature of the Google Maps or they can go to http://maps.google.com/maps?showlabs=1&ftr=misc.distance to enable the measurement tool on their Google map.

Sources:

Basler, D. (2007, October 23). Bus routes and Google Maps help teach physics. Retrieved from Dale Basler: http://www.dalebasler.com/2007/10/bus-routes-and-google-maps-help-teach-physics/

Branzburg, J. (2006, May 15). Use Google Maps Mashups in K-12 Education. Retrieved from Tech&Learning: http://www.techlearning.com/article/use-google-maps-mashups-in-k-12-education/43534

Using SketchUp in the Classroom

2011-12-06T14:35:00.001-08:00

SketchUp is a FREE, fun, and engaging 3D modeling program. Students can use SketchUp to produce colorful and interesting geometric models. Videos: SketchUp in Action shows videos how SketchUp can be used to teach Geometry. SketchUp can also be used to make puzzles as shown by bonnieroskes in 3DVinci:Puzzles(SketchUp Projects) so teachers can load a picture of a plant from the 3D warehouse then make a puzzle out of it for students when second grade students are studying Unit 3 Plant Diversity, where they are supposed to identify and compare the physical structures of a variety of plants parts (seeds, leaves, stems, flowers, roots) (K-8 Science Scope and Sequence) p. 3, they can download different plant from the 3D warehouse label them then divide them into parts as a puzzle. Teachers can also use SketchUp to demonstrate concepts such as area. The students can create shapes and SketchUp automatically give them the measurement of the sides of the polygons they created so they can use this information to determine the area of the polygon they created. They can use the Label Tool to add annotations which in this lesson would be the area.

Flickr, Flickr Tools and Flickr Toys as Classroom Resources

2011-11-14T14:29:00.001-08:00

Using digital images as classroom resources support the visual learners. In addition integrating digital also reinforce reading material by providing visual context and imagery thus bridging the gap between students from different economic backgrounds or even from different cultures or different geographical area. In other words student’s common general knowledge is improved. Presenting lessons using digital images also motivates the students better than just showing presentation with plain text.

One of example of a good source of visuals in the classroom is Flickr. Flickr can enhance a lesson because it illustrates the content of the lesson. For example, on a veterans day lesson, I can use Flickr to display a slideshow of pictures of American soldier by making use of the tags that other users labeled their public pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags. All I need to do is type American soldiers inside the box labeled Jump to, and I will be directed to http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/americansoldier/. I can then click Share while on slideshow so I can copy the url http://www.flickr.com//photos/tags/americansoldier/show/ and share this with my students, or copy the embed code and embed it in the class blog or class wiki. If I want to dig deeper I can explore the cluster while exploring tags. Iraq is offered as a cluster so I can look into that to show soldiers in Iraq. Flickr can also be used as a digital story tool. For example in a second grade Science Plant Diversity lesson, we can take pictures of plants we planted then post the pictures on our Flickr group account. Students can put the days the plants grow for title, then they can add description of the pictures as well as add notes on the pictures thus chronicling how plants grow day by day. In addition we can add notes on the different parts of the plants in each picture to make the pictures more informative and maximize their use for our lessons.

If you want to explore more options on how to use Flickr photos in your classroom, you can also try using Flickr tools and Flickr toys with them. Like for instance, the Captioner can be very useful in digital story telling since it lets you add thoughts or speech bubbles to your photos just like in a comic book. For example on a fourth grade science lesson investigating the negative and positive impact of extreme natural events on living things, the class can use the pictures on http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/extremeweather/ or http://www.flickr.com//photos/tags/extremeweather/show/ and add captions on them to make the slideshow more interesting. Motivator can also be useful in the classroom as teacher and students can create motivational posters related to the lesson. For example on the same fourth grade science lesson investigating the negative and positive impact of extreme natural events on living things, students can add a slogan about hope or solidarity on a picture depicting people affected by floods or other extreme natural events.