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    Add Flash, Widgets, All that Stuff to Your Website with Sprout

    May 15, 2008

    You’re probably all well aware of the threat posed to mankind by artificially intelligent machines, everyone’s seen The Terminator movies at least once or twice. So when I heard about the so-called “living content” available through Sprout Builder, I immediately thought the worst.

    As it turns out, however, adding living content to your website or class blog is a pretty cool feature. Click, drag and drop just about any rich media (video, audio, images, interactive services) into the Sprout Builder to create your content, then you’re given a Flash file to embed onto whatever website you please. Now you have a mini-site full of flashy content contained all on one page. A site within a site—the site’s the thing!

    WARNING: Persons denying the existence of living machines may be robots themselves. -NICK YINGLING

    Sprout

    Monday by the Numbers

    May 5, 2008

    Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower
    Exercise your mind with these 12 strategies from Wired designed to max out your brainpower. Tips include exercising wisely, putting the right kinds of information in your brain, and even finding out the optimum dosages of caffeine.

    40 Ways to Spice Up Your Spelling Words
    Who doesn’t love memorizing spelling words? Your students, probably. Plenty of adults have trouble with spelling, meaning it’s probably even tougher for kids. Help them out by making your spelling words more interesting with these ideas.

    50 Handy Tricks
    File this under “Grab Bag.” Instructables presents this list of 50 Handy Tricks encompassing nothing in particular. You’ll learn how to do everything from taking blink-free photos to making a bow-and-arrow out of skis. Not necessarily teaching-related, but a creative soul like you can certainly figure out a way to build a lesson plan around reupholstering your couch with duct tape, can’t you?

    10 virtually instant ways to improve your life
    Want to add some quality to your quality of life? The folks at Stepcase Lifehack have some ideas, most of which can be summarized by the word, “relax.” Avoiding drama, not being a perfectionist, and not taking things personally will all help you make a fitter, happier and more productive life for yourself. -BILL FERRIS

    Photo credit: Kaptain Kobold on flickr

    Film School on the Cheap: BBC’s Me and My Movie Shows Kids How to Make Movies

    April 29, 2008

    The last movie I watched about British schoolchildren was over 2 hours long and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. My main trouble was trying to figure out why an organization such as the Department of Mysteries would store rather valuable information in crystal ball format, which were then stacked precariously on high shelves where they could easily fall and shatter. If you ask me that’s just inviting disaster.

    Plot holes aside, terrific strides are being made by other British schoolchildren when it comes to film-making. Check out the Me and My Movie feature on Children’s BBC. This interactive site offers the amateur filmmaker in your classroom all kinds of videos and written instructions—plotting advice, camera techniques, lighting, etc. Trying all these short tutorials together is the Movie-Making Guide, which helps the student to plan out the entire process. -NICK YINGLING

    Me and My Movie

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    Explanations Abound at Common Craft

    April 22, 2008

    Do you struggle to explain Web 2.0 to interested but clueless administrators? Social networking, blogging and podcasting can be tough to describe to the uninitiated. If you need succinct explanations of social media to convince your principal to open the school’s firewall for you, show him or her a video by Common Craft.

    Common Craft videos are free mini-tutorials on everything from wikis to RSS, and even what to do in case of a Zombie attack (that was a Halloween video, but zombies probably don’t know what day it is, so it’s good advice to heed year-round). Each video discusses a topic in plain English using a white board and simple paper drawings for visual aids. The simplicity of the production is Common Craft’s greatest asset – nebulous concepts like social bookmarking don’t look so daunting in a paper doll context.

    Watching Common Craft videos may give you a few ideas for some class projects. Your class can make this type of video without much more than a white board and a Web cam. Making your videos as engaging and pithy as Common Craft, however, may take some practice. -BILL FERRIS

    Common Craft

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    Turn Useless Totes into Stylish Messenger Bags

    April 3, 2008

    Spring is conference season. That means getting out of class, baked chicken hotel luncheons, and another free tote bag to stuff into your closet. If it turns out the conference was overbooked and the chicken overdone, take solace that the event won’t be a total wash if you convert your tote into a messenger bag.

    Flickr user duganj has created a step-by-step photo tutorial on how to transform those ubiquitous canvas bags from swag into swank. You’ll need a tote bag (you’ve probably got hundreds from various conferences) and sewing skills and supplies, or at least access to the home ec room. It’s a great way to carry around homework or your laptop, and you’ll know you at least got something useful out of your latest conference. -BILL FERRIS

    HOW TO – Tote Bag to Messenger bag via Make
    Convert a tote to a messenger bag via Lifehacker

    Learn Languages with LingQ

    March 25, 2008

    Give your foreign language students some extra ammunition. No, I don’t mean teach them obscure French curse words. I’m talking about powerful lessons and practice that can supplement the great stuff you’re already teaching in class. They can get it with LingQ.

    LingQ lets students sign up for free lessons in the language of their choice (language include Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish). If you’re teaching ESL, they can also study English (or any other language) in their native tongue. In the assignments, if they see a word they don’t know, they can highlight it and hit the LingQ button. LingQ will define it and create a flashcard for later review.

    Students will also get a progress snapshot, which keeps track of benchmarks like how many words they’ve learned, the number of hours spent listening to lessons or speaking, etc. They’ll also get a list of Priority LingQs, which are the 25 most important words they should learn at whatever skill level they’re at. Students can review Priority LingQs by clicking on the the word to view the definition, or display them as flash cards.The free account lets students have five active assignments at any given time.

    You can pay extra for more active assignments at once, plus points you can use for personal tutoring, though if they heard about LingQ from you, they’ve already got a live-and-in-person language guru. Still, students can get an awful lot of LingQ for free. The only place with more free knowledge is in your classroom -BILL FERRIS

    LingQ

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    Get Ready for your Closeup: Kids’ Vid

    March 24, 2008

    Making movies is a great way to harness students’ creativity for good instead of evil. It’s also a good way for students to goof around and get lost in the many steps of the film making process. Good planning is key to any successful video project. You can help them make the process go as smoothly as possible by using resources like Kids’ Vid.

    Kids’ Vid will guide you and your class through every facet of making movies, including scripting, shooting, editing, and showing off their hard work on DVD or online (the site has been around since 2000, so they also mention something called “videotape,” whatever that is). Take advantage of their surprisingly advanced storyboarding tools, pick up a few camera tips, and heed their advice on not overdoing effects – even the awesome star wipe can be used too much. -BILL FERRIS

    Kids’ Vid

    Carnival of Education #158

    February 13, 2008

    Welcome to your romantic and eerily educentric Valentine’s Day date. But will it end in love, tears, or possibly food poisoning from an undercooked Valentine’s dinner? These kind educators were gracious enough to share their Valentine’s Day experiences:

    Dinner and a Movie: Benjamin Baxter at On the Tenure Track invites you to a live recreation of Saving Private Ryan in his own classroom.

    Dining by Candlelight: Larry Ferlazzo at In Practice and Eric at Teachers Call say teachers should include more modern means of illuminating young minds.

    Set the Mood with Music: Alvaro at SharpBrains says musical training stimulates the brain. Meanwhile, Creating Lifelong Learners tells you how to make the most of your iPod in class.

    Send a Valentine’s Card: Ms. Cornelius says principals who care, trust and lead by example are sooo her type.

    Like Romeo and Juliet, Minus the Suicide: The Bard Blog knows there’s no better way to woo someone than with poetry. Learn how to read Shakespearean verse like a true Romeo.

    Even More Poetry: Eduwonkette has the same idea. Send your Valentine a funny poem.

    On a Budget: American Consumer News has tips on how to get great books for cheap. Speaking of books, Money Blue Book talks about a few things you didn’t know your library could do.

    On a Budget, Part II: Uncle Joe’s Leadership Blog tells parents and students how to get a free college education. And Thursday Bram at Wise Bread tells students where to shop when they have to start buying their own textbooks.

    Propagating the Species: GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life has the skinny on a guide to teaching evolutionary theory.

    Lovers’ Quarrel: Mr. Walker, The English Teacher, prompts a heated discussion on tracking.

    Kiss and Make Up: Resolve conflicts with colleagues by employing these strategies, courtesy of Pat at Successful Teaching.

    Share a Few Laughs: Scenes from The Battleground pokes fun at the idea of blaming the victim in education.

    Spend Some Time with Your Kids: TutorFi‘s Colleen Palat asks, “Does My Child Need a Tutor?“If so, not to worry. The kid can still excel in school.

    Find a Special Someone where you Least Expect It: Joanne Jacobs dishes on Principal Shimon Waronker, a Hasidic Jew, ignoring potential culture shock to turn around a prominently black and Hispanic school.

    Watch the Sunrise: Circle Time “Lead From The Start” discusses teaching with both sides of the brain to usher in a new tomorrow in student learning.

    Remembering the Way We Were: The Tempered Radical’s Bill Ferriter asked beginning teachers to remind older colleagues they’re still learning how to do this job.

    Stand by Your Man (or Woman): Nancy Flanagan, a Teacher in a Strange Land, sticks up for teachers in the face of claims that the professions isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

    Get Some Alone Time: Dana at Principled Discovery doesn’t like the idea of the federal government butting in and bossing around local schools.

    Remembering it’s the Thought that Counts: Like many parents reared on New Math, NYC Educator struggles to help his daughter at math. But he’s a dear for trying.

    Fending off Suitors: Ms_Teacher isn’t interested in ETS’ insultingly low wages.

    Dumped: To MasterPapers.com and CustomEssays.co.uk – We both knew this was coming. Selling essays to students is just wrong, wrong, wrong. And your advice on essay writing is pure fluff. I don’t think we should see each other anymore.

    Photo Credit: Candy hearts at cryptogram.com.

    Rethink the Way You Use Your Digital Projector

    February 4, 2008

    With all the neat tech stuff at teachers’ disposal these days, the choices can be overwhelming. Should you create a video? Or put today’s lesson into a PowerPoint presentation? Or how about setting up a mic so you can record tomorrow’s lecture for a podcast? And where do you find time to do all this stuff? Pretty soon your head is spinning so fast you end up sticking with your trusty chalkboard.

    Blogger Dan Meyer at dy/dan reminds you that you don’t have to create a multimedia extravaganza to incorporate technology in the classroom. He uses his digital projector as little more than a slide projector for some digital photos he recently took. By showing pictures of price tags at his local grocer, he’s able to provide real-world examples for his math lesson. And he’s able to accomplish it without staying up all night to put together some extravagant slide show.

    It’s nothing groundbreaking, but that’s the point – it doesn’t have to be. Technology is there to make your job easier. But when pondering all the neato stuff we can do, it’s easy to get in our own way. Sometimes it’s best to start simply, then work your way up to more challenging projects, like Meyer’s electronic sub plan. -BILL FERRIS

    So Happy Together #3 via dy/dan

    Related Stuff:

    Make an Electronic Sub Plan

    Make Awesome Screencasts with Jing

    January 25, 2008

    Extend your classroom to the ends of the earth by making a screencast. Jing is a free download that will record whatever you’re doing on-screen and turn it into a small movie that you can share with others. It’s easy enough that even a n00b like me can make my own screencast in just a couple of minutes.

    A screencast is a great way to put lessons online, create tutorials for assignments, or make an electronic sub plan for days you’re out of the classroom. -BILL FERRIS

    Jing

    Related Stuff:

    Effortlessly Create Video Demonstrations with Screencast-o-Matic
    Make an Electronic Sub Plan

    Kickin’ it Foldschool: Make Sturdy, Kid-Sized Furniture from Cardboard

    January 15, 2008

    When I was a kid, my favorite chair was the floor. Whether wood or plastic, the seat at my desk always wobbled, and after thirty minutes of sitting I could feel my butt go to sleep.

    If your kids experience the same discomfort, or you’d just like to add some fun to your furniture, turn to Foldschool. Download blueprints (or, depending on your printer, whiteprints) to create usable kid-sized furniture out of cardboard. You’ll need your printer to print out the patterns, some glue, a ruler, and masking tape. If your students will be helping make the furniture, note you’ll also need grownups-only stuff like a box cutter and cutting mat, a needle, and spray adhesive.

    The most difficult resource to find is probably the cardboard itself. But you can often find the stuff at grocery stores, or maybe just call dibs on the cardboard box from that new refrigerator in the teachers lounge.

    The Foldschool site states that folding the cardboard makes it very stable, and that their designs can easily support the weight of an adult. They also look pretty cool. For added fun, your students can grab a brush and decorate their new stools and chairs.

    Foldschool furniture is also a teaching opportunity to tell kids that reuse is better than recycling – especially when its new use is so awesome. -BILL FERRIS

    Foldschool

    Create Liquid Ice Sculptures

    January 4, 2008

    You can’t beat an ice sculpture to spruce up the refreshment table at the winter dance. But if your school doesn’t have huge blocks of ice or chainsaws in the supply closet, head to your local chemistry laboratory to take matters into your own hands. The Popular Science website shows you how to create liquid ice sculptures like an X-Man with water and sodium acetate.

    The article advocates buying the sodium acetate from unitednuclear.com for $24 per pound. If you don’t already have the stuff lying around and want to do this on the cheap, you can check out this post on Instructables to learn how to make it yourself.

    PopSci.com rates this experiment a 2 out of 5 in their safety scale (1 equals safe, 5 equals crazy), so your students can probably do this as a lab. As with any interaction of chemicals, please observe safety guidelines such as using goggles, and refrain from drinking the solution – so no using your icy art to cool off the punch bowl at the school dance. -BILL FERRIS

    Transform Hand Warmers to Liquid Ice Sculptures via PopSci.com
    Create Sodium Acetate via Instructables

    Make Your Own Pop-Up Photos

    January 2, 2008

    Who among us didn’t like reading pop-up books while growing up? Heck, I’m still partial to them now. And if you geek out as much as I do about pop-ups, you can make your own thanks to WikiHow.

    All you’ll need is a glue stick and scissors, plus a few copies of the same photo. Follow WikiHow’s step-by-step guide to creating photos with a 3D feel. This would make for a fun elementary art project. If you’re more ambitious, have your class collaborate to make a 3D narrative of a recent field trip. You can use this pop-up technique to snazz up everything from class projects to classroom displays. And if you do end up making a pop-up book, please let me know. -BILL FERRIS

    How to Make a Pop up Photograph

    Spruce Up Your Bulletin Boards: Classroom Displays Blog

    December 27, 2007

    Are you out of ideas for your classroom displays? Do you feel like you’ve accomplished all you can in the unforgiving medium of construction paper? If so, get inspired again by visiting the Classroom Displays Blog.

    Londoner Linda Hartley posts some of the most creative displays from across the pond. They’re tagged by subject, holiday, and all sorts of criteria. So if you’re looking for ideas to steal a little inspiration for your upcoming winter bulletin boards, this is a good place to turn. Now dig your scissors and construction paper out of the trash and get creative again. -BILL FERRIS

    Classroom Displays Blog

    Swap your Stuff at Zwaggle

    December 18, 2007

    They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Well, if you’d like to get at said treasure without trekking across town to yard sales or digging through garbage cans on the side of the road, You might want to take a look at Zwaggle.

    Zwaggle works like an online swap meet. Post stuff online that you can’t use but don’t want to throw away. Browse the inventories of other folks with the same idea. You can also find electronics, sports equipment, DVDs, books, and lots more. Because of the inherent difficulty of determining whether a baseball bat is a fair trade for a Laser Tag set, Zwaggle demystifies the shrewd science of haggling with Zoints. Zoints are a point system designed to avoid using cash, and the inherent drawbacks it would bring (PayPal fees, people trying to make a profit by selling whatever random junk they have lying around, etc.).

    A lot of the stuff listed isn’t classroom-specific (video games and baby clothes, for example). But Zwaggle might be a good resource to pass along to parents. If you can make their lives easier by showing them where to find Christmas presents on the cheap, they might make your lives easier by encouraging Little Johnny to buckle down and try a little harder for his nice teacher. You’ll at least get a bigger smile during parent-teacher conferences. And a good relationship with parents is something most teachers wouldn’t trade anything for. -BILL FERRIS

    Zwaggle

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