The next time we will physically meet is Week 4 - April 10th.
1. Send me - via my park e-mail - your URL address for your class blog (for example: http://www.gradteacher.blogspot.com/)
2. A blog post reflecting on the Week #1 writing prompt - see blog post below
3. A blog post reflecting on the Week #2 writing prompt - see blog post below
Be thinking about a 3 minute video project you would like to create for your content area using PhotoStory 3 - due May 8
Be thinking about a 3 minute audio file for your content area using Audacity - due May 8
Be looking for educational web site you would like to share with fellow class members and add to the class wiki - due April 24
Next week we will not meet - April 3rd - but I will post 4 articles on the class blog that I want you to read and then comment about on your blog - 100 words for each article. There will be a writing prompt for each article on the blog.
Thanks.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Week 2 Blog Post Writing Prompt
Your blog writing prompt for Week 2 is to discuss the potential for podcasting and editing audio in general for the classroom or video in the classroom.
You can discuss ways that you might use podcasting in your content or grade area. Is there anything about podcasting that worries you or should approach with caution?
Did you find any educational podcasts that you might be able to incorporate into your curriculum?
You can discuss ways that you might use podcasting in your content or grade area. Is there anything about podcasting that worries you or should approach with caution?
Did you find any educational podcasts that you might be able to incorporate into your curriculum?
Do you have any ideas on how you could use student created video in your classroom?
Write at least 100 words on the topic and have it posted to your blog by midnight, April 10th
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Week 2 - Digital Video in the Classroom
This week we will be using PhotoStory 3 from Microsoft to create digital videos from digital still pictures.
Here is the link to download PhotoStory 3 - free download if you have a legal copy of Windows XP as your operating system.
Links to using digital photography in the classroom:
Ideas for Digital Photography in the Classroom
Adobe Digital Kids Club
Quick Get the Digital Camera - article from Educational World
Picasa - free tool for editing and organizing digital photography
Choosing a Digital Camera for the Classroom
Flickr Toys - add some pizazz to your digital photos
DigiTales - collection of resources for creating video in the classroom
Marco Torres - an incredible teacher from California that uses video in the classroom to the highest degree
iPod Video - a simple movie changes the way Apple does business
We Didn't Start the Fire video
Photo Story 3 - official site
Photo Story 3 - a site with expanded information about the program
Links on Digital Video in the Classroom
Here is the link to download PhotoStory 3 - free download if you have a legal copy of Windows XP as your operating system.
Links to using digital photography in the classroom:
Ideas for Digital Photography in the Classroom
Adobe Digital Kids Club
Quick Get the Digital Camera - article from Educational World
Picasa - free tool for editing and organizing digital photography
Choosing a Digital Camera for the Classroom
Flickr Toys - add some pizazz to your digital photos
DigiTales - collection of resources for creating video in the classroom
Marco Torres - an incredible teacher from California that uses video in the classroom to the highest degree
iPod Video - a simple movie changes the way Apple does business
We Didn't Start the Fire video
Photo Story 3 - official site
Photo Story 3 - a site with expanded information about the program
Links on Digital Video in the Classroom
Week 2 - Sites of the Night
Sites of the Night for Week 2:
Jeopardy Archive - list of every Jeopardy question
PowerPoint Review Game Templates - includes Jeopardy
Snopes - is that really true?
Da Font - fonts of every type, free
Jeopardy Archive - list of every Jeopardy question
PowerPoint Review Game Templates - includes Jeopardy
Snopes - is that really true?
Da Font - fonts of every type, free
Week 2 - Wikis
During this course you will be asked to find and share a minimum of 10 web sites that you believe would be either helpful to you in a specific content area or help educators in general.
These links will be added to our classroom wiki, thus building a collection of links that we can all share. We will all be able to access the wiki to edit and add information over the next several weeks. I will share the password with you in class so that you may edit the wiki.
Park Ed Tech Wiki
You will need to have all your links posted to the wiki by the start of class on May 8th. You are required to have 10 links - each worth 20 points.
These links will be added to our classroom wiki, thus building a collection of links that we can all share. We will all be able to access the wiki to edit and add information over the next several weeks. I will share the password with you in class so that you may edit the wiki.
Park Ed Tech Wiki
You will need to have all your links posted to the wiki by the start of class on May 8th. You are required to have 10 links - each worth 20 points.
Week 2 - Podcasting
#1 - What is a Podcast? What is a Blog?
What is a "podcast"?This question can be answered in several ways. When I am asked that question I usually explain that is sort of like a radio show that can be heard thorugh the Internet or downloaded to your MP3 player and you can listen to a podcast when you select to listen to it.The wikipedia describes Podcasting as: the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers.
A person that produces a podcast is usually called a "podcaster".The word itself is a combination of "i-Pod" and "broadcasting" but you do not need an i-Pod to listen to a podcast or record a podcast.A "blog" is a web site which typically places new content at the top of the page and can contain pictures, links and audio content.Many blogs are very easy to create and there is no need to have knowledge of HTML code or complicated web design.Blogs and podcasts are often work together as a podcast can be placed inside a blog.
#2 - Examples of Educational Podcasts
In the past year, many teachers have found a variey of ways to use podcasts for educationa purposes - student created, collaborative, instructional and content based. Here are some examples of educational podcasts available:
Speaking of History - by Eric Langhorst, 8th grade American History teacher discussing education, technology and history
Room 208 - by Bob Sprankle, a 3rd/4th grade teacher in Maine that has a student created podcast
Connect Learning - by David Warlick, an educational technology presenter from North Carolina who speaks at workshops and conferences around the world
Teach 42 - by Steve Dembo, an educational specialist for the Discovery Educator Network
Bud the Teacher - by Bud Hunt, a language arts teacher in Colorado
Adventures in Podcasting - by Shawn Wheeler, a technology specialist for the Peoria, Arizona school district
Educational Podcast Network - a collection of links to educational podcasts maintained by David Warlick, contains all grade levels and subject areas.
#3 - Creating Your Podcast
The application we will be using today to capture and edit sound is a software application named "Audacity".Audacity is a free program that can be used with both a Mac or a PC. Using Audacity you can record directly to the computer using an inexpensive microphone and you can then edit and layer your sound tracks.
The free download for Audacity can be found here
If you have questions later on using Audacity you can check out these online tutorials for additional help and tips: Audacity Tutorials
Your finished product using Audacity will be a WAV sound file. A WAV sound file takes up much more memory than an MP3 file so we want to convert the file to MP3. The program we will use to convert the file from a WAV to an MP3 is a free program from River Past. This program is free and very simple to use.
Download for River Past MP3 Convert - allows you to convert a WAV to a MP3 file
#4 - Distributing Your Podcast and Blogging
Once your audio file is in MP3 format you can upload it to a school server or a site that allows free hosting for audio files like Our Media. This will allow anyone to listen to your audio file through the Internet.To officially make your audio file a podcast you will need to add something called RSS.
RSS is web language which allows people to subscribe to your podcast so that everytime you upload a new audio file it will automatically be sent to them. The easiest way to do this is to create a blog using a free service like "Blogger" and then registering your podcast with an RSS creater like "Feedburner". These programs will work together to easily create an RSS feed for your blog. Both of these services are free.Once you have your RSS feed created then someone can subscribe it it using a program like "Bloglines". This is also a free.
#5 - Finding and Listening to Podcasts
There are several places you can go to find educational podcasts. One of the best is the above mentioned Educational Podcast Network with a pre-reviewed list of podcasts in various educational categories.You can also do to a podcast directory such as Podcast Alley, Podcast Pickle, Podcast.net.
These have hundreds of podcasts listed under the "education" category but please preview any podcasts before playing for students as some definitions of "education" may differ from what is acceptable in the classroom setting.When you find some podcasts you enjoy listening to you may want to subscribe so that you will be notified each time a new episode is published. To do this you will set up a registration with an aggregator.
A popular aggregator is Bloglines - which is free. The advantage of an aggregator is that the content is delivered to you - you do not have to check each day for new content.
# 6 - Podcasting Resources
Here are some additional links that you may find helpful in exploring the world of podcasting:
Mr. Langhorst's Podcast and StudyCast Links - links to study reviews for 8th grade American History class
Making Your First Podcast - some tips from Podcasting News on starting a podcast
i-Tunes - the Apple site which allows you to subscribe to podcasts
Podcasting Tutorial - from Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand
Podcasting in Education - comprehensive site from Shaun Else, a 5th grade teacher in Canada
What is a "podcast"?This question can be answered in several ways. When I am asked that question I usually explain that is sort of like a radio show that can be heard thorugh the Internet or downloaded to your MP3 player and you can listen to a podcast when you select to listen to it.The wikipedia describes Podcasting as: the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers.
A person that produces a podcast is usually called a "podcaster".The word itself is a combination of "i-Pod" and "broadcasting" but you do not need an i-Pod to listen to a podcast or record a podcast.A "blog" is a web site which typically places new content at the top of the page and can contain pictures, links and audio content.Many blogs are very easy to create and there is no need to have knowledge of HTML code or complicated web design.Blogs and podcasts are often work together as a podcast can be placed inside a blog.
#2 - Examples of Educational Podcasts
In the past year, many teachers have found a variey of ways to use podcasts for educationa purposes - student created, collaborative, instructional and content based. Here are some examples of educational podcasts available:
Speaking of History - by Eric Langhorst, 8th grade American History teacher discussing education, technology and history
Room 208 - by Bob Sprankle, a 3rd/4th grade teacher in Maine that has a student created podcast
Connect Learning - by David Warlick, an educational technology presenter from North Carolina who speaks at workshops and conferences around the world
Teach 42 - by Steve Dembo, an educational specialist for the Discovery Educator Network
Bud the Teacher - by Bud Hunt, a language arts teacher in Colorado
Adventures in Podcasting - by Shawn Wheeler, a technology specialist for the Peoria, Arizona school district
Educational Podcast Network - a collection of links to educational podcasts maintained by David Warlick, contains all grade levels and subject areas.
#3 - Creating Your Podcast
The application we will be using today to capture and edit sound is a software application named "Audacity".Audacity is a free program that can be used with both a Mac or a PC. Using Audacity you can record directly to the computer using an inexpensive microphone and you can then edit and layer your sound tracks.
The free download for Audacity can be found here
If you have questions later on using Audacity you can check out these online tutorials for additional help and tips: Audacity Tutorials
Your finished product using Audacity will be a WAV sound file. A WAV sound file takes up much more memory than an MP3 file so we want to convert the file to MP3. The program we will use to convert the file from a WAV to an MP3 is a free program from River Past. This program is free and very simple to use.
Download for River Past MP3 Convert - allows you to convert a WAV to a MP3 file
#4 - Distributing Your Podcast and Blogging
Once your audio file is in MP3 format you can upload it to a school server or a site that allows free hosting for audio files like Our Media. This will allow anyone to listen to your audio file through the Internet.To officially make your audio file a podcast you will need to add something called RSS.
RSS is web language which allows people to subscribe to your podcast so that everytime you upload a new audio file it will automatically be sent to them. The easiest way to do this is to create a blog using a free service like "Blogger" and then registering your podcast with an RSS creater like "Feedburner". These programs will work together to easily create an RSS feed for your blog. Both of these services are free.Once you have your RSS feed created then someone can subscribe it it using a program like "Bloglines". This is also a free.
#5 - Finding and Listening to Podcasts
There are several places you can go to find educational podcasts. One of the best is the above mentioned Educational Podcast Network with a pre-reviewed list of podcasts in various educational categories.You can also do to a podcast directory such as Podcast Alley, Podcast Pickle, Podcast.net.
These have hundreds of podcasts listed under the "education" category but please preview any podcasts before playing for students as some definitions of "education" may differ from what is acceptable in the classroom setting.When you find some podcasts you enjoy listening to you may want to subscribe so that you will be notified each time a new episode is published. To do this you will set up a registration with an aggregator.
A popular aggregator is Bloglines - which is free. The advantage of an aggregator is that the content is delivered to you - you do not have to check each day for new content.
# 6 - Podcasting Resources
Here are some additional links that you may find helpful in exploring the world of podcasting:
Mr. Langhorst's Podcast and StudyCast Links - links to study reviews for 8th grade American History class
Making Your First Podcast - some tips from Podcasting News on starting a podcast
i-Tunes - the Apple site which allows you to subscribe to podcasts
Podcasting Tutorial - from Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand
Podcasting in Education - comprehensive site from Shaun Else, a 5th grade teacher in Canada
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Week 1 - Online Survey
Hello. Please use this link to take an online survey. Don't worry it's not graded - just so that I can get to know who you are and what you would like to gain from this class.
I will give you the "secret word" in class to allow you to enter the quiz.
The program used for survey is an online tool named "Quia" which we will discuss later in the course. I currently use it for testing in my classroom.
Week 1 - Educational Blog Examples
Teachers and educators are currently blogging on every subject and grade level. Please use the link below to explore an extensive list of educational bloggers.
Check out this extensive list of educational blogs listed on this wiki.
Check out this extensive list of educational blogs listed on this wiki.
Week 1 - Creating Your Blog and Following Others
Hello. Tonight we will be creating the blog we will use throughout the class to reflect on the ways technology can be incorporated into the curriculum. Blogging can be used in schools in many different ways. The links below will help you as we go through the process tonight.
Blogger - the most common blogging application in the world
Bloglines - an aggregator that allows us to keep track of the blogs you read
Blogger - the most common blogging application in the world
Bloglines - an aggregator that allows us to keep track of the blogs you read
Twitter - "microblogging" where each post is under 140 characters
Week 1 - Blog Writing Prompt
Each week you will be posting a minimum of one entry to your blog. In class we will give you a writing prompt that will be the focus of your entry for that week. Please feel free to write as many entries as you wish, add pictures and links, etc. but the graded entry will be the one entry from the writing prompt.
Week 1 Writing Prompt:
This week we are discussing the use of educational blogs - some from teachers, others by students, and still some from classes. Please explore various educational blogs through this educational blogger wiki. The list contains hundreds of educational blog divided into categories.
After you have visited some of the educational blogs I would like you to pick out three and write a short review (a paragraph for each one you choose) to be placed in your graded blog entry for the week. The review could include ideas about you could use a similar blog in your class, things that might have worried you about the blog or anything that comes to mind as you read it. Please include the link to blogs you are reviewing in the text of your entry.
The blog entry needs to be posted by midnight - March 26th.
Week 1 Writing Prompt:
This week we are discussing the use of educational blogs - some from teachers, others by students, and still some from classes. Please explore various educational blogs through this educational blogger wiki. The list contains hundreds of educational blog divided into categories.
After you have visited some of the educational blogs I would like you to pick out three and write a short review (a paragraph for each one you choose) to be placed in your graded blog entry for the week. The review could include ideas about you could use a similar blog in your class, things that might have worried you about the blog or anything that comes to mind as you read it. Please include the link to blogs you are reviewing in the text of your entry.
The blog entry needs to be posted by midnight - March 26th.
Week 1 - Sites of the Night
Front Pages - The first one is from the Newseum. It allows you to see the front page of over 500 newspapers from over 50 countries. Very cool.
Gas Buddy - This site allows you to check in on gas prices from various cities in the United States. Could be easily made into a lesson for math, social studies, science, etc.
Slideshare - This site is great for sharing PowerPoint presentations. You can upload your presentation for free and others can view, and if you wish, allow them to also download it.
Instructor Information
Hello. My name is Eric Langhorst and I will be your instructor for ED 491 - Technology in the Classroom. I teach 8th grade American History at South Valley Jr. High in Liberty, Missouri and this year is my 15th in the classroom. This will be the 7th time I have taught the ED 491 class - 3 times as an online class and 4 times as a face to face class.
I attempt to use technology in my classroom as a way to enhance my curriculum. My students are engaged and active in the classroom. My favorite saying about class is that "History is so much more than just a bunch of boring, old, dead guys." I also produce a blog and podcast named "Speaking of History" in which I discuss history, technology and education. In the past three years the site has had visitors from 145 countries.
This year I am have the honor of representing teachers from across the state as the 2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year.
If you would like to learn more about what we do in class you can check out the following resources:
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