tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562495627681815352024-03-13T10:50:21.317-07:00moodlebotsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-72702830629826395352008-09-26T13:22:00.001-07:002008-09-26T13:25:16.487-07:00Free Webinars: RETA's Emerging Technology Series<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JhIuNMNqivY/SN1FI4zdZWI/AAAAAAAAAKw/kWFNRNErCow/s1600-h/reta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JhIuNMNqivY/SN1FI4zdZWI/AAAAAAAAAKw/kWFNRNErCow/s320/reta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250428759573357922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Add some eLearning to your Monday nights. Web 2.0, Moodle, Wikis, Blogs, Copyright, and more....plus the experience of linking up with other edtech folks from around New Mexico -<br /><a href="http://webinars.nmsu.edu/series-detail.cfm?id=2">RETA Webinars</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-55565127266997246332008-04-09T12:39:00.001-07:002008-04-09T12:40:16.382-07:00More Wiki-tastic AdventuresFrom <a href="mailto:webinars@nmsu.edu" target="_blank">webinars@nmsu.edu</a><br /><hr style="height: 2px;"><br />We encourage you to forward this to other educators.<br /><br />You are invited to the following free event:<br /><br />Event: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wikis in the Classroom II</span><br />Description: You’ve selected a wiki and you’ve even attempted creating a few wiki pages. Now you want to start thinking about what type of activities work well using wikis and what strategies will help make the wiki activities successful. If so, then this is the webinar for you! So, come join us in this webinar and learn about some of the wonderful activities and strategies other educators have used to create an effective wiki experience.<br />When: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday 15 April 2008, 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM </span><br /><br /><br />TO JOIN THIS EVENT<br />Our webinars are one hour and will begin promptly at 4:30 pm MST (5:30 CST; 6:30 EST; 3:30 PST).<br /><br /> * Please register for this event at least 24 hours prior to the event.<br /><br /> * To register, please go to the following link: <a href="http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis2/event/registration.html">http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis2/event/registration.html</a><br /><br /> * The email and password you use to register will be your login and password to attend the event.<br /><br /> * You will receive a reminder email with the link to attend 24 hours prior to the event.<br /><br /> * You can also attend the event by going to <a href="http://webinars.nmsu.edu/schedule.html" target="_blank">http://webinars.nmsu.edu/schedule.html </a>and selecting the "attend" link (you still need to register prior to the event)<br /><br /><br />To participate speakers are required. A simple computer microphone and/or headset is ideal for complete interaction. A webcam is optional.<br /><br />If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at: <a href="http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm" target="_blank">http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-16846337835251424332008-04-02T16:15:00.001-07:002008-04-02T16:15:53.006-07:00How do you use the Moodle Choice and Journal Activities?<span style="font-weight: bold;">This Sunday from 11 am to 12 pm</span>, you can join a free webclass on the Moodle Choice and Journal Activities. These are simple and easy to use tools for interaction in your online classroom. Hope you can join us.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> For more info, </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://technologyadventures.blogspot.com/2008/04/getting-to-know-basic-moodle-activities.html">click here</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-5603467239334164342008-03-31T10:12:00.000-07:002008-03-31T10:20:59.787-07:00Using wikis with your studentsIntegrating new and powerful tools with your students can be a bit challenging (even though it's incredibly rewarding as well)... Finding this resource on Educational Wikis prompted me post to RETA Moodle.. and so I repost here:<br /><br /><blockquote> The <a href="http://educators.pbwiki.com/" target="_blank">educators wiki at PBWiki.com</a> rocks.<br /><br />Here are some valuable resources you'll want to use as you implement wikis and other collaborative read/write tools with your students.<br /><br />How do you protect your students with these type of tools?<br /><a href="http://educators.pbwiki.com/Protect+your+students+online" target="_blank">http://educators.pbwiki.com/Protect+your+students+online</a><br /><br />What kinds of expectations/etiquette can you suggest for your students when they use wikis?<br /><br /><a href="http://educators.pbwiki.com/Wiki%20Etiquette%20for%20Students" target="_blank">http://educators.pbwiki.com/Wiki%20Etiquette%20for%20Students</a><br /><br />Best practices & more...<br /><a href="http://educators.pbwiki.com/AllPages" target="_blank">http://educators.pbwiki.com/AllPages</a><br /><br />Go check it out! Contribute and share.<br /><br />Have a great eLearning moment today,<br />H.<br /></blockquote>While we are on the topic - don't forget about tomorrows RETA Webinar on wikis in the classroom...<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>We encourage you to send this information to other teachers.<br /><br />This is a reminder that you are invited to Wikis in the Classroom I, which is due to start at Tuesday 1 April 2008, 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM.<br /><br />Below are the event details and instructions for participating:<br />Event: Wikis in the Classroom I<br />Description: Wikis are extremely useful tools for doing everything from helping you easily create web sites to providing your students with an engaging collaborative workspace. Yet, choosing the right wiki from among all those available can be quite challenging and time-consuming. In this webinar, you will explore a few different wikis and learn how to choose a wiki that’s appropriate to your class needs.<br />When: Tuesday 1 April 2008, 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM<br /><br />TO JOIN THE WEBINAR<br />Our webinars are one hour and will begin promptly at 4:30pm MST (5:30 CST; 6:30 EST; 3:30 PST).<br /><br /> * If you have not registered for this event, please go to the following link to register at least 24 hours<br /> prior to the event: <a href="http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis1/event/registration.html">http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis1/event/registration.html</a><br /><br /> <br /> * If you have previously registered for this event, attend by going to the following link and enter the email address and password you used to register: <a href="http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis1/event/login.html">http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis1/event/login.html</a><br /><br /><br />Join the webinar 20-30 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer. To participate speakers are required; a simple computer microphone and/or headset is ideal for complete interaction. A webcam is optional. If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at:<br /><a href="http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm">http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm</a><br /><br /><br />TECH ASSISTANCE<br />If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Cissy Lujan-Pincomb or Miley Grandjean at <a href="mailto:webinars@nmsu.edu">webinars@nmsu.edu</a> or call us 575.646.6143.<br /><br /><br />FOR MORE INFORMATION<br />Please visit us at <a href="http://webinars.nmsu.edu/">http://webinars.nmsu.edu</a><br /><br /><br />Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning Quotient) with us.<br /><br /><br />Thank you,<br />The RETA Webinar Team<br /><br /></blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-19554929005223912232008-03-11T09:36:00.000-07:002008-03-11T09:37:43.950-07:00Seeking Moodle Administrators in New MexicoRunning a Moodle site for education in New Mexico? Join us at <a href="http://minimoot.pbwiki.com/">http://minimoot.pbwiki.com/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-87279068481037047432008-03-07T14:04:00.000-08:002008-03-07T14:06:46.825-08:00Attention New Mexico Educational Technologists!Thank you to Cissy and Miley for this information :)<br /><br /><blockquote>You have been invited to the following event:<br />Event: <span style="font-weight: bold;">NETS Standards / NMSTE</span><br />Description: Dr Jill Brown will provide you with information regarding the updated NETS( National Educational Technology Standards), an update on the International Society of Technology in Education, and information on the newly formed New Mexico Society for Technology in Education (NMSTE).<br />When: Tuesday 11 March 2008, 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM<br /><br />TO JOIN THIS EVENT<br />Our webinars are one hour and will begin promptly at 4:30 pm MST (5:30 CST; 6:30 EST; 3:30 PST).<br /><br /> -Please register for this event at least 24 hours prior to the event.<br /> -To register, please go to the following link: <a target="_blank" href="http://nmsu.acrobat.com/nets/event/registration.html">http://nmsu.acrobat.com/nets/event/registration.html </a><br /> -The email and password you use to register will be your login and password to attend the event.<br /> -You will receive a reminder email with the link to attend 24 hours prior to the event.<br /><br />To participate speakers are required. A simple computer microphone and/or headset is ideal for complete interaction. A webcam is optional. If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at: <a target="_blank" href="http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm">http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm</a><br /><br />FOR MORE INFORMATION<br />Please visit us at <a target="_blank" href="http://webinars.nmsu.edu/">http://webinars.nmsu.edu </a><br />Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning Quotient) with us!<br /><br /><br />Thank you,<br />The RETA Webinar Team<br /> </blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-62122666675923526702008-03-06T08:23:00.002-08:002008-03-06T08:26:27.233-08:00Show me the Moodle - Blocks! 5 pm MST Today!!How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.<br /><br />Find out today at 5 pm MST.<br /><br /><a href="http://moodlebots.blogspot.com/2008/03/show-me-moodle-blocks-and-more.html">http://moodlebots.blogspot.com/2008/03/show-me-moodle-blocks-and-more.html</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-67832109547885998122008-03-04T08:50:00.000-08:002008-03-04T08:52:56.085-08:00Reaching out to the middle school educators in New MexicoI received this on email; seems like a very relevant post for this group.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">Subject: **Special Announcement: PALMS seeking new Outreach Leader schools**<br /><br />Dear Colleague:<br /><br /><br /><br />The PALMS (Postsecondary Access for Latino Middle-Grades Students)<br />project is sending out a special announcement to members of our mailing<br />list and to individuals who registered to receive a copy of Tools for<br />Latino Family Outreach.<br /><br /><br /><br />We are offering interested middle and high schools the opportunity to<br />join the PALMS Outreach Leaders Network for the 2008-2009 academic year.<br />The Outreach Leaders Network is a community of practitioners dedicated<br />to helping Latino students pursue education beyond high school. Members<br />of the network use the PALMS Tools for Latino Family Outreach to create<br />school-based programs focused on this mission. For a modest fee,<br />Outreach Leaders receive a six-week online course, a summer training<br />workshop, five telephone coaching sessions, a Starter Kit of materials,<br />and access to a members-only Online Resource Center.<br /><br /><br /><br />Adaptable to any local setting, Tools for Latino Family Outreach have<br />helped create or strengthen programs in communities as diverse as<br />Montevallo, AL; Northwest Arkansas; Castro Valley, CA; Loveland, CO;<br />Chicago; Reno, NV; and Westchester County, New York. They provide a<br />framework through which to organize existing and future efforts to reach<br />Latino families and students. To download application and informational<br />materials, please visit http://www.palmsproject.net/tools/network.htm.<br />Schools applying from the same district may be eligible for a 10 percent<br />discount. Applications are due April 25, 2008.<br /><br /><br /><br />We hope many of you will benefit from this opportunity in the coming<br />school year.<br /><br /><br /><br />Best wishes,<br /><br /><br /><br />PALMS Project Staff<br /><br />Education Development Center, Inc.<br /><br />55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458<br /><br />Telephone: 617.618.2608</span></blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-44536038795669724992008-03-03T10:16:00.001-08:002008-03-03T10:18:54.748-08:00Show me the Moodle Blocks! and more...This is your eLearning Update for March 3, 2008.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">This week’s RETA Webinar!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Blogs in the Classroom I </span>by Cissy Lujan-Pincomb and Miley Grandjean<br />Tuesday, March 4, 2008 – 4:30 pm-5:30 pm<br />Register at: <a href="http://webinars.nmsu.edu/" target="_blank">http://webinars.nmsu.edu/</a><br /><br />You hear about blogs everyday from students or co-workers, but have you thought about using them in your classroom? In this webinar session you will be introduced to the refreshing world of blogging where you will begin generating ideas on how you might use blogs within your own classroom. In this first session we will introduce you to: what a blog is, what a blog can be used for, help you set up your own blogging account, and then send you on your way with resources, so that you will make an informed and enjoyable push into the “blogging world.”<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">This week’s Show me the Moodle Webclass!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Show me the Moodle Blocks </span>by Holly Rae Bemis-Schurtz<br />Thursday, March 6, 2008 - 5 – 6 pm<br />Register at: <a href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here" target="_blank">http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here</a><br /><br />How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.<br /><br />This session is for Moodlers who have already had an introduction to Moodle Course Design.<br /><br />This session will be recorded for on demand viewing. Details will be shared after the session.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Attending these sessions</span><br /><br />A simple computer microphone and/or chat headset is ideal for participation. A web cam is also nice, but not required. Please plan to join the session at least 20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer.<br /><br />If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at:<br /><br /><a href="http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm" target="_blank">http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tech Assistance</span><br /><br />Support will be available 30 minutes prior to the start of session for tech assistance.<br /><br />More great eLearning webinars and webclass sessions coming up every week! For more information, see<br /><a href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events" target="_blank">http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For more information on Moodle</span><br /><br />Our ancillary resource for this session is the Moodle 1.8 Handbook at our site at <a href="http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle" target="_blank">http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle</a>. After attending, you should be able to practice the ‘hands on’ component in your own Moodle classroom (contact me if you would like a course environment for your use at RETAMoodle - <a href="http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle" target="_blank">http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle</a>).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Can’t make it?</span><br /><br />Sessions will be recorded. A link for a session recording will be available. Contact me for more information.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-71121905568852450032008-02-28T11:07:00.000-08:002008-02-28T11:08:54.207-08:00Upcoming Show me the Moodle Sessions<p>Hi Everyone ~ <a href="http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle">Happy Leap Year to all from RETA Moodle!</a><br /><br />I have some information I'd like for you to know. Feel free to share this with friends. In addition to the wonderful <a href="http://webinars.nmsu.edu/schedule.html" target="_blank">RETA Webinars coming up</a> in the next couple of months, I have scheduled some 'Show me the Moodle' webclass sessions on specific topics. These topics are designed to help you with specific parts of Moodle course design. You will find more information at the Moodlebot Wiki - <a href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events" target="_blank">http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Show me the Moodle - </span><u style="font-weight: bold;">Blocks</u><span style="font-weight: bold;"> - March 6 - 5 pm</span> MST [<a id="p-3543dd4cf8ecd0aeab8a16671ce23f2d0a13aefe" class="WikiLink" href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here">register here</a>] </p><div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span class="event-title"> <p style="font-weight: normal;">How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.</p></span></div> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="event-title"> </span></p> <p><br /><strong>Show me the Moodle - <u>Adding Resources </u>- March 13 - 5 pm </strong>MST<span class="event-title">[<a id="p-3543dd4cf8ecd0aeab8a16671ce23f2d0a13aefe" class="WikiLink" href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here">register here</a>]</span></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Adding content to your course is a breeze with Moodle. Find out how to add websites, HTML, PowerPoints and other types of files in this one hour on Moodle Resources.</p> <p><strong>Show me the Moodle - <u>Assignments </u>- March 16 - 11 am </strong>MST<span class="event-title">[<a id="p-3543dd4cf8ecd0aeab8a16671ce23f2d0a13aefe" class="WikiLink" href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here">register here</a>]</span><br /><br /></p> <div style="margin-left: 40px;">There are four main ways to use the Assignment activity in Moodle. In this one hour session we will demonstrate each of these and give examples of how they can be used in online teaching and blended instruction.</div> <p><strong>Show me the Moodle - <u>Choice and Journal Activities </u>- April 6 - 11 am</strong> MST<strong> </strong><span class="event-title">[<a id="p-3543dd4cf8ecd0aeab8a16671ce23f2d0a13aefe" class="WikiLink" href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here">register here</a>]</span><br /><br /></p> <div style="margin-left: 40px;">Moodle Choice and Journal Activities are some of the easiest Moodle activities to implement. In this hour long webclass we will demonstrate how to implement these activities and discuss how we can use them in our online and blended classrooms.</div> <p> </p> <p><strong>Moodle Administration Professional Learning Community </strong><span class="event-title">[<a id="p-3543dd4cf8ecd0aeab8a16671ce23f2d0a13aefe" class="WikiLink" href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here">register here</a>]</span></p> <p><strong>March 11 - 4:30 pm </strong>MST<strong> and April 8 - 4:30 pm </strong>MST<br /><br /></p> <div style="margin-left: 40px;">This is an open learning community of educators who are currently or planning to administer a Moodle site. Topics of discussion may include security, course management, user management, troubleshooting, etc. Participants in this group are invited to return on a monthy basis to share ideas and discuss how they can support Moodle in their schools and districts.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-22380019621486413632008-02-07T10:49:00.000-08:002008-02-07T10:54:31.815-08:00MIT highlights High School contentAs you check out <a href="http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Content+Repositories">content repositories</a>, you'll want to note <a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm">MIT Open Coursewar</a><a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm">e</a> now has a section for High School students and teachers.<br /><br /><blockquote>MIT Open Courseware High School Highlights page (<a _fcksavedurl="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/hs/home/home/index.htm" href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/hs/home/home/index.htm">http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/hs/home/home/index.htm</a>)</blockquote> I would imagine much of this would need to be adapted for your use, but any new content resource for online teachers is a great resource for a Moodlebot.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-77806252829983343132008-01-17T15:37:00.000-08:002008-01-17T15:50:56.370-08:00How to make PowerPoints smaller (optimization!)At least once in the lifetime of every Moodler, the question arises... "how do I (or my students) make a PowerPoint which isn't too big?"<br /><br />The answer is <a href="http://www.somacon.com/p133.php">here</a> (<a href="http://www.somacon.com/p133.php">http://www.somacon.com/p133.php</a>). I've been putting a link to it in every Moodle course I make, but maybe that's just not enough! Maybe I need to blog about it. *hums to self 'we didn't start the fire' and thinks of this YouTube clip - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6IQ_FOCE6I">Blog, blog, blog it all</a> about 1:23 into it*<br /><br />...but it's not the only answer. You, as a teacher, can also (if you feel like sharing) upload your PowerPoint to <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/">Slideshare</a> and make a supercool widget like the one below. Teachers who want to use this may find a need to propose Slideshare as a respectable site worth <span style="font-style: italic;">un</span>blocking. So since we have those Internet filtering issues, we can always rely on the answer above (using the good old picture toolbar).<br /><br /><br /><div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_169934"><object style="margin: 0px;" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=jump-start-dynamic-learning-with-moodle-1195302250504897-2"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=jump-start-dynamic-learning-with-moodle-1195302250504897-2" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" style="border: 0px none ; margin-bottom: -5px;" alt="SlideShare" /></a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/hollyrae/jump-start-dynamic-learning-with-moodle" title="View 'Jump Start Dynamic Learning with Moodle' on SlideShare">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload">Upload your own</a></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-82517748997040693072007-12-05T13:16:00.001-08:002007-12-05T14:04:00.047-08:00GoogleI am a big fan of Google and their products. Besides the valuable features of each individual product, the greatest benefit lies in the tight integration among the products and the availability of nearly each one on a mobile phone. It is easy to exchange data between products and if you have the mobile web on your phone, you never have to be separated from your data.<br /><br />These products also have the potential to be very powerful in the classroom. Creating, sharing and collaborating are all activities our students are engaged in online, outside the classroom. Bringing these tools into the classroom does open a can of worms. Perhaps we can have that discussion at another time.<br /><br />Below is a list of Google products that I use on a regular basis.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.google.com/notebook/">Notebook</a></strong> I just started using Google Notebook recently and don’t know how I lived without it. With Google Notebook, you can browse, clip, and organize information from across the web in a single online location that's accessible from any computer. You won't ever have to leave your browser window. This could be a useful tool for those having a hard time navigating the many links we have on our moodlebot course. I use it mostly to keep track of my to-do lists.<br /><br /><strong><a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&hl=en&passive=true&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&ltmpl=WR_tmp_2_lfty&nui=1&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-more&utm_medium=more">Docs</a></strong> You can create documents and spreadsheets in your browser which are saved on Google servers so you can access them anywhere you have an Internet connection. You can also add people to collaboratively work on a document. You can find a link to a lesson plan in my post below describing how to use Docs with students during the writing process.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://reader.google.com/">Reader</a></strong> is a feed aggregator. If you’re having trouble keeping up with all the updates to your favorite websites, you can read all the updates in one place with Reader. You can also share and publish items that you choose from your feeds. You could easily create a reading list for your students by using Reader’s publishing feature.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.blogger.com/start?hl=en">Blogger</a></strong> is a super easy to use blog (web log/online journal) and now has more features. When students know they are writing something that will be seen by someone other than their teacher, they tend put a little more effort into it.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://sketchup.google.com/">SketchUp</a></strong> is a super awesome, easy and free 3D modeling software. I teach a unit using SketchUp in my 7th grade Tech classes. It is useful for teaching, measurement, scale and perspective along with skills that can transfer to more complex computer aided drafting programs.<br /><br /><strong><a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=cl&passive=true&nui=1&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fcalendar%2Frender%3Fhl%3Den&hl=en&utm_source=en-more&utm_medium=more&utm_campaign=en">Calendar</a></strong> is a great organization solution for both students and teachers. I had been looking for a calendar that I could access anywhere and this is it. You can add events from any computer sure, but you can also add events by sending a text message to the calendar from your cell phone. The calendar can also send you text messages to remind you of events. You can also publish and share your calendars.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://picasa.google.com/#utm_source=en-all-more&utm_campaign=en-pic&utm_medium=et">Picasa</a></strong> is a photo organizing tool which also has an online component that provides 1 GB in photo storage.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.google.com/ig?source=mpues&hl=en">iGoogle</a></strong> is a Google start page where you can add mini-programs or widgets. I use the calendar, word of the day, headline news, weather, driving directions and email widgets on my iGoogle and can therefore access all that information on one page.<br />Gmail is a terrific web mail program with a tremendous amount of storage (over 2G). Yahoo’s free email service and Gmail are duking it out for webmail supremacy in my humble opinion.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://toolbar.google.com/?utm_source=en-et-more&utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=en">Google's Toolbar</a></strong> A couple of my favorite features of the toolbar include a spell check (which I used to correct my many spelling error and typos in this post) and a real time translation tool. If you place your cursor over a word in a web page, that word will be displayed in your chosen translation language. I have mine set to Spanish so our ELL and bilingual students find this feature quiet useful.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://pages.google.com/">Page Creator</a></strong> If you just want to create quick and dirty web pages, Page Creator is about as easy as you can get.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-74301176244017533322007-11-29T13:27:00.000-08:002007-11-29T15:12:06.068-08:00Speaking of Web 2.0...Holly sent me a link to <a href="http://classroom20.ning.com/">Classroom 2.0</a> yesterday. Classroom 2.0 is a social networking site for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in education. If you are looking for ways to implement various Internet tools in your classroom, this would be a good first stop. There are many teachers who have written about their own experiences so there is no need to start from scratch.<br /><br />Speaking of scratch... "<a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/">Scratch</a> is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive <strong>stories, animations, games, music, and art</strong> -- and share your creations on the web." So far I've only used Scratch as a reward activity as it is easy for students to learn on their own by following a simple tutorial. Despite it's simplicity, Scratch can teach "important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design."<br /><br />For those of you teaching more "academic" subjects here are a few composition related links (I've been team teaching a composition class this year). <a href="http://www.google.com/educators/index.html">Google for Educators </a>created a lesson plan to <a href="http://www.google.com/educators/weeklyreader.html">Teach Collaborative Revision with Google Docs</a>. I haven't been brave enough to sign my students up with a Google account so that they may work with Google Docs but I can still use the ideas in this plan by combining tools like Moodle, Word and email using <a href="http://www.gaggle.net/">Gaggle</a>.<br /><br />Another valuable composition resource is the <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/">Purdue Online Writing Lab</a>. I have mostly used the <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResumeW/">resume workshop </a>during my career unit, however the site covers topics from creative writing to grammar and has a section specifically for <a href="http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/677/01/">grade 7-12 teachers and students</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-29641224040846818632007-11-28T17:28:00.000-08:002007-11-29T10:06:14.770-08:00Web 2.0Although I feel I know quite a bit about the web, I had no idea what the term web 2.0 was so I looked it up. The following link proved to be very useful in helping me understand that what we are trying to do in this class and opportunity is a web 2.0 experience. I feel that the idea of collaborating with peers using the web such as this is an excellent resource that has limitless possibilities for ideas.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2</a>Moodlebot Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08968415216263086069noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356249562768181535.post-26599975581489905642007-11-13T21:00:00.000-08:002007-11-13T21:03:00.458-08:00Welcome, moodlebots!This blog has been created for the use of the moodlebots in the Using Moodle for Blended Instruction project at the Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program. We welcome your contribution to our moodleverse!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893031391247320855noreply@blogger.com7