The World According to Ellen

Living Water International

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:42:00 +0000

About Living Water International

Living Water International helps communities acquire safe, clean water... loving the poorest of the poor in the name of Jesus.

Over 20 years, we have completed 9,000+ water projects in 26 countries, serving millions of people every day. Our goal is to ease the global water crisis while addressing root causes such as injustice, oppression, and abject poverty.

For more information please visit Living Water International.

On January 30th my dad and I will run the Houston 5K and have each set a goal to raise $500 for Living Water International. Please help in raising the money for this worthy cause. Your donation is tax-deductible and will make a tremendous impact. Click here to go to my personal fundraising page.

Every donation - large or small - brings me one step closer to reaching my goals.

Images and information about LWI taken fromhttp://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/Donate/PersonalPage.cfm?MID=6284&CID=245+

Suzanne Collins reads from the first chapter of Mockingjay

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:09:00 +0000

Facebook Unveils Service to Announce Locations - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:52:00 +0000

Facebook Unveils Service to Announce Locations - NYTimes.com

Interesting . . . is this crossing the line into too much information?

What about those reports of people being robbed when their status says they are away?

BLOGAPALOOZA

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:28:00 +0000

BLOGAPALOOZA

anyone up for it? Sign up and blog once an hour for 24 hour period. If you do (and are one of the first 100 to sign up) you get a free Blog2Print book.

Blog2Print is a pretty cool idea, they take your blog and print it in a hard cover book for you. A great alternative to scrapbooking!

Users Spend 23 Percent of Their Online Time Social Networking | Geeky Gadgets

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:58:00 +0000

Interesting article 23% of time on social networks - what do you think? Is it true? How much time do you spend clicking through your old roommate's new boyfriend's pictures?

Users Spend 23 Percent of Their Online Time Social Networking | Geeky Gadgets

Poll Everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:12:00 +0000

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Create interactive meetings at Poll Everywhere

Make your own poll voting question with Poll Everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:08:00 +0000

Houston

August 6-8

Reliant Center

TTHA Hunter's Extravaganza

Friday - 3-9

Saturday - 9-7

Sunday - 10-5

Bring your donations of frozen, wrapped and processed game to the Hunters' Harvest booth outsideReliant Center. Donations benefit Youth-Reach Houston, Victory Home and Open Door Mission.

Donate meat and register for a free processing from Midway Deer Processing

You can help us feed the hungry:

Spread the word - forward this newsletter or link to Hunters' Harvest on Facebook, Twitter orLinkedIn.

Details: www.huntersharvest.org or ttha.com

Thanks to our Sponsors:

Blue Northern AC

Announcing Edmodo Weekly Webinar Series

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:28:00 +0000

Looking for more info on how to use Edmodo in your classroom? This is a great place to start!

Announcing Edmodo Weekly Webinar Series

Edmodo Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:06:00 +0000

Technology in the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:49:00 +0000

Integrating technology in the classroom was once thought to be a luxury but now is not only an everyday occurrence but a necessity. In order to prepare students for the outside “real world” they must be equipped with computer skills, critical thinking processes and the required content. Gone are the endless days of searching, we now have information at our

fingertips.

Integrating technology in the classroom allows teachers and students to work on all three of these areas at one time. Teachers present students with a task and equip them with the appropriate technology to solve the problem. A quick search will give you numerous articles full of lists on how to integrate technology in all disciplines. Students can do anything from researching a historical figure to examining the life cycle of a snail. As students search and pull their information they are learning to evaluate what they find, a very important skill for later in life.

In recent years social networking has been a hot topic. Some are nervous about putting too much personal information out for the public, while others see it as a learning opportunity. Teachers are now incorporating blogs, Wikis, and networking sites such as Edmodo to enhance the learning experience in their classrooms.

Allowing students the opportunity for social networking experiences allows the class time to extend beyond the regular school hours. Students who are less inclined to speak up in class may feel comfortable posing a question on the internet. Edmodo allows students a place to organize class notes, a class calendar and turn in assignments. Teachers can give students feedback quickly and easily by grading work online.

Social networking also has benefits for parents as well as students. A teacher blog can post information that is being studied in the class giving parents insight into what their student is doing all day. Teenagers don’t want to talk about school, but if parents are equipped with information to ask they can get those conversations started. Applications such as the Edmodo calendar help students work with time management and planning ahead.

Higher level thinking involves creating products. Students go through all the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy when asked to research online and create a product for a class Wiki. The problem solving skills used to seek out the needed information and determine what product to create are life-long skills students need to learn. Group projects are made easier because students can meet virtually to create a final product.

Integrating technology in the classroom has many benefits. Students are given a set of important skills needed to be successful in the work place. Parents are connected with the classroom. Most importantly students are empowered to be in charge of their learning.

Never heard of Edmodo? Watch this video to find out more.

Facebook for the classroom? This slideshare presentation created by Kevin Lim takes an interesting look at this famous social networking site.

Facebook Strategies For The Classroom

View more webinars from Kevin Lim.

References

Edmodo: a social network that works in the classroom #mace2010 Â« Moving at the Speed of Creativity. (n.d.). Moving at the Speed of Creativity. Retrieved June 20, 2010, from http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2010/03/05/edmodo-a-social-network-that-works-in-the-classroom-mace2010/

Klopfer, E., Osteweil, S., Groff, J., & Haas, J. (n.d.). The Instructional Power of and How Teachers Can Leverage Them. using the technology of today, in the classroom today. Retrieved June 19, 2010, from education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf

Starr, L. (2009, August 11). Education World Â® Technology Center: Technology Integration Made Easy. Education WorldÂ® The Educator's Best Friend. Retrieved June 19, 2010, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml

Vrehas, J. P. (2005, March 22). Integrating Technology in the Classroom. tripod.com. Retrieved June 19, 2010, from http://vrehas.tripod.com/wp.doc

Thing #1 - Inspiration and Registration

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:19:00 +0000

I'm excited to get started. The summer feels like it is already flying by!

What a cool video! That would be great to share with parents so that they could see just how the classroom is changing. What stuck out to me about the teacher was that she was encouraging new ideas, and motivating the student to keep searching. I 100% see a librarian taking on that role. I love that the student was taking ownership of his knowledge, seeking out information and organizing it in the way that best suited him. Instead of memorizing a list of preselected facts. BORING and how much do we really learn when we do that??

Soooo Excited!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:02:00 +0000

My principal is going to let me present 23 Things to the whole school next week at our faculty meeting! Hopefully I can get everyone excited and organize a good group to participate this summer.

What? Free Food!

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:36:00 +0000

click on picture to go to Mision Burrito site and get more info.

Searching for textbooks?

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:47:00 +0000

It's almost time for summer school, and we all want to get the best deal for our textbooks. CollegeSwapShop.com searches the web and finds different sites where books are sold to compare for you. Simply type in the ISBN number and BAM you have options. It does all the seraching and comparing for you.

AND it's not just for textbooks, it will search and ISBN.

I added a widget (right below my avatar) for easy use.

Saves me time and money, I'm all for it.

Thing #23

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:22:00 +0000

Wow I can't believe I made it to Thing #23!! This has been a very interesting and entertaining ride. I have really enjoyed reading all the other blogs and sharing in this journey together. I am going to take away confidence in trying new things. I really enjoyed just exploring! I took away many new skills and lots of resources. As new things come out, and others go away (or start to charge) things might need to be updated and revisited. I wouldn't change the format at all, just make sure it adjusts with the times. I could definitely see myself participating in another project like this.I will tell others that this is FUN and rewarding!

Thing #22

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:21:00 +0000

As some of you have also commented free Ning's will soon be a thing of the past.It's a great idea to build a social network around common interests. I know the 7th grade English classes at my school created a Ning so that they could have discussion across the grade not just in groups of 25-30. Great way to host book discussions!

I did some looking around on the Texas School Librarians Ning and could see myself checking back there to read some of the discussions.

Thing #21

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:10:00 +0000

This was the first time I really played with Photo Story. It's very simple and easy to use. I did have some trouble uploading my video because just like BJ (BJ's Bubbles) I did have the video icon. Her post saved my time and troubles and it was a quick fix. Last weekend we redid the landscaping in our front yard. We now (after living here for a year) have met our neighbors. I guess we just had to prove that we would try and make things look nice and keep the street up to get their approval. So my vidoecast is about my yard. (Can you tell I'm excited about it??)

Podcasts or vidcasts can be used in many different ways to promote what is happening in your library, preview books, recap events etc. For classroom teachers they make great attention grabbers or reviews.

I took the same pictures and made an Animoto slideshow. Even easier than Photo Story and I just embedded it right in. You can pay for a "pro" account and have the ability to download your slideshows. The librarian at my school uses Animoto with her book talks. And my students have made some GREAT slideshows for class.

Thing #20

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:52:00 +0000

This is one of my FAVORITE history videos. My students always laugh because I end up singing along. :)

TeacherTube is such a great resource! Thankfully it isn't blocked at school. Videos can give a great introduction to a topic or wrap up what you have been covering. Now that many sites make the embed codes easily accessible it's much easier to use videos. I like to send my students videos on Edmodo as a review of what we have discussed that day, or I send something out a few days ahead of time to prepare them for class. How great would it be to stay organized and keep an updated class blog full of videos that students can refer back to. Someday I'll be that organized. . . I hope.

Thing #19

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:17:00 +0000

I could waste SO MUCH time looking at everything listed in these awards! My first reaction . . . thank you for organizing everything so nicely. :)

For personal reasons I love MyHeritage and all of the cooking sites listed.

I was looking at LuLu a site where you can publish your own books and it reminded me of Bookemon. This is a really cool site that allows you to upload your own content to make books that can then be printed and purchased. Bookemon is cool because it automatically creates a book widget and allows for you to read the "book" online. Content is easy to upload, you can transfer a word document page by page. Thinking as the history teacher my classes could work together to create a book about all the people we study in the year. Each student would be responsible for one person, write one page report, add it to the book. If we wanted a printed copy could be purchased and kept in the classroom as a study tool. Art teachers could scan in student work and keep a portfolio for each year. Students could submit book reviews and create a reference book on what's in the library.

We started a cookbook at my school . . haven't add that many recipes, but it gives you an idea of how the online viewing works.

Make books online at Bookemon

Thing #18

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:42:00 +0000

OpenOffice or Google Docs . . . . I went with GoogleDocs because I like that you don't have to download anything. I've been using Google Docs for personal stuff for a couple years. I love being able to have access to documents on any internet computer (even in Katy now that the firewall has changed a little).

When training for marathons my husband keeps record in a GDocs document. That way even if we go out of town for the weekend he can access it and track his progress. The best part is that you stop e-mailing documents back and forth to yourself. How many times have you worked on something at home, emailed it to school, only to e-mail a newer version home again? Then you waste time trying to figure out which copy is the most updated.

This is great for students because they can smooth the transition of working at school to working at home. I'm so glad that Katy now has access to Google Docs. I also enjoy the share feature allowing multiple people to edit the same document. My sister and I were trying to plan a wedding shower and it made our lives so much easier to share a document and each update as we wet.

You do have to have an account with Google which is the only "drawback."But if it's creating an account versus downloading OpenOffice I would go with creating an account.

Thing #17

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:25:00 +0000

I hadn't heard of Rollyo before but I really like the concept. Sometimes you know a couple good websites to gather information from and this allows you to create custom search, searching your chosen sites. Just playing around trying to figure it out I creating a search-roll for knitting patterns. I have a couple sites I usually go to looking for patterns but I always have to spend time searching each one. Now I can go to one place and search several all at the same time. This would be great in the library if you have students working on a research project. The librarian I currently work with always creates a list of suggested websites for students doing research. She could make a search-roll including those sites and send students there. I've been told that you can create custom Google searches before, but I'm liking this better. And for some reason I am really craving a fruit by the foot. . . .

My rollyo profile.

Thing #16

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 21:43:00 +0000

Ahh wikis. Wikis are GREAT. We started a class wiki earlier this year and it has been a great asset to our class. The students have really taken charge in posting class information and updating our info. It has been helpful for the parents as well because they can clearly see what is happening in class.
In my class I give students the opportunity to pretest and test out of upcoming units. If a student can pretest with 90 or above they have the option of then completing an alternate independent study project. We created an independent study wiki for those students to ask questions and post their finished products.
As a school the staff created a wiki where our principal can post updated information, articles she enjoys, and lots of other stuff.
My husband and I even have a "family" wiki. It's great that both of us can update it from any computer. We make our weekly menus (and sometimes link to recipes), shopping lists, and to do lists. Very helpful. Surely there will be something new and better by the time we have kids but I'm thinking if I had kids I would have section for each child to keep track of schedules, and other needs.

These are all made using PBworks, and I love that just last week they introduced nesting folders. Now you can have a folder in a folder! I think this will really help with organization and make it easier to navigate.

Our family wiki is members only :) but below are links for all the others I mentioned.

Class Wiki
Independent Study Wiki
WCJH Wiki

Gary Paulsen THIS SUNDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:01:00 +0000

GARY PAULSEN

Presentation by Paulsen followed by meet the author, book sale and signing!

Sunday
April 18, 2010
3 pm

Pershing Middle School Auditorium
3838 Blue Bonnet at Stella Link

Free and open to the public

PLEASE NOTE: Gary Paulsen will personalize an unlimited number of copies of Woods Runner and Lawn Boy Returns purchased at the event. Gary will sign (not personalize) one backlist title brought from home and up to three purchased at the event.

Inprint Houston will be hosting Gary Paulsen this Sunday for FREE!

text taken from Inprinthouston.org, click on anything above to go to the site.

Thing #15

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:52:00 +0000

Library 2.0 . . . this ones tough. It means so many different things to so many people. To me it's an interactive library that utilizes many different online tools. Online book clubs, a library blog, the skies the limit. It's hard to put it into a box and define. To a temporary place in time gives great ideas on what the future holds. And A Vision of Students Today is almost frightening to watch. I see the truth behind it, but to say students will have jobs that aren't even created that's frightening. Away from the "iceburgs" is very thought provoking as well. We need to go to our students and make ourselves available to them.
I'm working towards classroom 2.0 with many new things we have begun this year. I see how it putting information "out there" actually draws students in. It's something that will constantly be evolving but isn't that what we are supposed to do? Change and grow as our students and world change and grow.

Teen Book Convention

noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Barnes) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:40:00 +0000

Check it out . . . .

Teen Book Convention

This Saturday - Alief Taylor High School