Photos from the Fun

On LIVE from the Creek, it's about the learning and the fun! Here's a few shots from our trip down in Orlando, FL for FETC.

Tech Tips for Teaching About a Greener Tomorrow

This session was presented by Discovery Educator, Lance Rougeux.

He reminded us that kids spend approximately 6 1/2 hours a day consuming different types of media - usually more than one at the same time. This means, of course, that we need to know what they know so we can use it to further our own goals for them. There is even a site called transL8it! where you can translate "normal" language into IM text lingo!

Lance's main focus was on introducing us to several powerful tech tools that could be used by teachers and students to help sustain and promote conservation of our planet.

1) Blackle - the "Dark Google" is the energy conserving way to search Google. It's black and white screen offers no plug ins or flash and saves monitor usage.

2) Text Google - You can actually text Google at 466453 if you need to search without turning on a computer. As an example: If you wanted to sesrch energy conservation you would simply type web energy conservation in the message field and wait on the return text with links to internet sites you can access right from your phone!

3) Digital Storytelling - allow kids to create tips/commercials using a Flip video and green screen technology, movie maker, photostory, etc... Adobe Premier Elements is great for editing with green screen and MOONK is a free website for creating slideshows and videoshows. You upload there and then get link to embed to blog, website, or wiki.

5) Fodey - This site allows a student to create a newspaper like headline clipping for projects. Challenge students to create a headline and lead to story and type it in - you'll have a jpg of it in moments.

6) Glogster - The free education version can be found at glogster.com/edu. On this site students can create online posters or splash pages by simply dragging and dropping. The posters allow for the insertion of photos, video, text and links to blogs or websites. These posters can be printed or embeded in blogs or websites.

7) Google Earth - In the free version you can create content or find layers already created on global awareness with links to information about topics of interest. When creating layers you can customize placemarks with text, photos or video, and save it to your desktop for later. If the end result is really good you can even upload the layer to Google Earth for others to use.

Lance encouraged us to have students take the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge where kids submit plans designed to sustain our planet. You can find out more by visiting wecanchange.com. This site also has multiple resources, including virtual labs, for teachers to use.

For more great tips and ideas for student projects designed o promote conservation visit Lance's blog.

Tech Tips Green

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Going Global, Going Public

Dean started out by talking about how we could take a proactive approach to digital citizenship and online safety.

Have you considered your digital identity? You have one whether you like it or not. If you aren't managing your identity then Google is.

Have you checked out Rate My Teacher.com? People can start groups about you on Facebook or even create an account with your name. It is better to have your own accounts and manage it yourself.

Myths:
#1 Filters are important tools that protect our kids: Australia spent 30 millions dollars on a filtering system that a student cracked in 30 minutes. Filters protect schools and adults, not students. Teachers are the best filters. You cannot rely on software.

#2 Internet Predators pose a huge danger to students. Victimization of kids are usually by someone they know. Not strangers.

#3 Current strategies on internet safety and cyberbullying are effective. It is not just a one lesson thing. You need to use every teachable moment to build kids' understanding.

#4 Kids are internet savvy. They aren't afraid to use it but they aren't born just knowing how to use it.

#5 We need to talk to kids about whether what they are seeing online is real. Snopes is the best way to find out about hoaxes. Teacher need to teach kids how to find out who owns a site. They need to understand credibility.

So, have you Googled yourself? You need to know what would come up. Do it! That's the only way to find out what others are saying about you. How are we helping kids understand this? If you think of the internet as a place to look up stuff, you're missing the best part.

Leverage your network - Connect with other educators on del.icio.us, twitter, facebook.
It's a human network. Watch this:


We need to provide an academic stage for our kids to show off their work. Audience makes the difference. Would a basketball team hold a closed game without an audience? No! They want to show off their skills and work. Why? To get feedback (cheering).

A lot of Dean's thinking comes from Clay Shirkey. If you haven't read Here Comes Everybody, it's worth the read!

Here is a recording of the session that was taped LIVE.

Off to FETC

Live from the Creek members are on the road again, this time, not very far away. We're headed to Orlando, FL to the Florida Educational Technology Conference. We hope to be able to send back some real time learning for you about what we're learning. Let us know what you think!