Many teachers here in our own school district know Lee from our TV show and all the great training she’s done over the years in how to use technology to enliven their lessons. What people might not know locally is that Lee has a reputation that reaches all over the world. That’s right, Lee is one of those pioneers in the field of educational technology that sees the really big picture, and has collaborated with folks all over the world. Teach Locally, Share Globally pretty well sums up Lee’s attitude.

So, without further ado, here’s our little tribute to Lee. You can join right in by adding your own voice here and wish Lee a happy birthday. By the way, if you add a comment to this Voice Thread please be sure to tell us where you’re from.

With features like a shared calendar, forums for discussion, links to various web resources, and the ability to make this modrated or invite only ALL FOR FREE, I can’t think of a school group, sports team, or common interest group that would not find some use for this service. Please take a look, and add your thoughts to this page. The page is not intended to be a primary source of new information, but rather a living example of another great FREE tool available to educators and community groups.  I will be automatically notified of any changes or additions, and will be sure to act on valid suggestions.

If you don’t know about this community of BrainPOP-loving teachers then you’re missing out on some great ideas for integrating BrainPOP into your classroom. It’s definintely worth your time to sign up (free of course) and join in. Whether you’re using BrainPOP, BrainPOP Junior, or BrainPOP en Espanol–which we make available at school and at home in our school district–you’ll find that this is another example of how your personal learning community can be expanded by becoming involved in discussions with like-minded educators.

One of the added benefits of joining BrainPOP Educators is it gives you the ability to embed the featured movie of the month in your own web site. That’s right! All you need to do is copy and paste the code provided to you after you request the snippet from BrainPOP and away you go. Try it! It’s easy! Palm Beach County teachers can even do this in their Edline sites, providing their students and parents with a fun lesson from BrainPOP that changes frequently.

So, without further ado, here’s what you’ll see when you get your own BrainPOP code. I’m not even sure what movie will appear when you read this, but you can be certain that the content will be like the rest of the material we get from BrainPOP–fun, fast-paced, vocabulary-rich, and chock full of add-on activities that you can do with your students!

Me neither but I felt like I was very close!

Today, I had the pleasure of video conferencing with a 5/6 grade class in Central Butte, Canada. Participating in the activity was (teacher) Barb Mcinnis (& her students), Tim Lauer (Portland, Oregon), Tom Barrett (Nottingham, England) and Dean Shareski (Moose Jaw, Canada). This is direct from Mrs. Mcinnis’ class blog

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The grade 5/6 students had the chance to meet people from different parts of the world thanks to wireless technology!  On Tuesday, November 4 we participated in a web conference.  We had the opportunity, thank you to Dean Shareski (division technology) to interview educators from Nottingham, England;Portland, OR; Florida; and Moose Jaw via a web cam.  We were able to see and talk to these individuals. We first asked them questions to try and locate them, then we talked about the wireless technology that exists in their classrooms and schools.  Wow!  there are sure some great pieces of technology being used!! This project came about from an article we had read called “Get Set For the Net”. This article helped us understand how past inventions lead us to the wireless age we live in. Most of the students take this age for granted and do not realize the negative and positive effects it can have on our lives. We watched “Smart Guy:Stranger on the Net” to help us become more “Net” smart. Then we decided to do something positive and exciting with our wireless technology.

I’d like to commend Mrs. Mcinnis for her innovative vision as she seeks out relevant technologies to make learning for her students relevant. Wouldn’t you love to be in her class? This is an easy and free activity that took less than 40 minutes and can easily be replicated in YOUR classroom. Where would you find another class to communicate with? Try ePals, for starters.

This is the edited version that Dean created (5 min):

This is the entire conversation (40min):

Thank you, Dean, for asking me to participate. It was truly a pleasure to “meet” Tim, Tom, Mrs. Mcinnis and all of her students.

P.S. I hope my clues (about where I live) still have them stumped!!

The Technical Stuff:
We used Adobe Connect to have our online conversation and I recorded the session. When we were finished, I downloaded the video in .flv format (the default for recorded Adobe Connect sessions) and then uploaded that file to our school district’s Vodcast server (Video On Demand). I was then able to copy the code (anyone know how to read code??? Certainly not me, but I know how to copy and paste!) and pasted it into this blog. Code like that can be pasted into ANY webpage, including Edline! The video is also available on MediaShare along with a description so other teachers can easily access and replicate similar activities in their classes.

After looking into the actual link on YouTube I realized that this interview was already an Internet sensation, and the interviewer, 5th-grader Damon Williams, was already attracting widespread acclaim. With well over 300,000 (!) views on YouTube Damon was already well-known around the world.

And you know what? It’s well-deserved. Be sure to watch the whole video to get Damon’s closing words on this interview.

(The video has been moved over to our District’s dedicated video service so you can watch this even in places where YouTube is blocked.)

Did you know if you log in to DE Streaming/MediaShare, and search for keyword: ELECTION, there are over 700 resources (videos, images, quizzes) for your use? In addition, while you’re there, click on the tab at the top labeled MEDIASHARE and then search for keyword: ELECTION. Here there are a few results with election related content created by teachers. There is one created by one of our own, Susan Osborne from Indian Pines Elementary. The beauty of MediaShare is that OUR teachers (anyone, that’s right, YOU TOO) an upload content to share with the rest of us. (If you have any trouble with your login, go to this page for information and a form to complete if you need further assistance.)

In a previous post, I recommended a video from CommonCraft that clearly explains RSS feeds. This one, also by CommonCraft , does a GREAT job of explaining the electoral process.

Enjoy!

“…technology provides sexy alternatives to older methods of instruction and assessment. (I once) spoke about my “podcast year” — when, as a first year teacher, I discovered the joy of digital microphones. Every piece of creative writing was recorded, an activity that ate up entire class periods. By the time I reached a unit where it actually made sense to capture student voice (speeches), the kids were ready to fight me. I too had allowed myself to be distracted.

Technology is also expensive. The kids have to buy insurance, and they constantly lose and replace parts. Schools feel the pinch, too. There is the myth about the Soviets using a pencil when we spent millions developing a pen — and I’m sure that’s how many feel about schools using technology. In hard economic times, there certainly is an argument to be made against unnecessary expenses.”

And yet, as he sums things up, Mr. Kay still finds incredible value in the role technology plays in the education of today’s students.

“As important as it is for students to expand their sense of community and learn to collaborate — it is more crucial that they learn how to sift thoughtfully through increasing amounts of information. The Internet presents a unique challenge to scholarship — many of the questions that once required extensive research can now be answered with 10-minute visits to Google. The issue now is distinguishing between rich resources and the online collection of surface facts, misinformation, and inexcusable lies that masquerade as the truth. It will be hard for our students to be thoughtful citizens without this ability to discern the useful from the irrelevant.”

Hmm. Being able to discern the useful from the irrelevant. Now there’s a 21st Century skill!