Internet Safety for all of us August 6, 2008
Posted by Dottie Black in : Teacher Resources, Technology , add a commentI had the pleasure of attending a presentation on Internet Safety at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University on August 5th. The presenter was Linda Criddle, an expert on Cyber Crimes and Internet Safety. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about the presentation. I was concerned that it would be more about controlling what our students have access to instead of teaching them responsible behaviors. I was thoroughly fascinated with her presentation. Ms. Criddle put herself in the role of a criminal to illustrate how easy it is to glean information from seemingly safe Internet activities. I was taken aback at how much I did not know about the subject. Until yesterday I considered myself to be somewhat “web savvy”, now I know better. There is way too much information to relay here so I suggest you check out her website. It is chock full of good information including and her book and a course for educators.
NECC 2008 July 14, 2008
Posted by Dottie Black in : Teacher Resources, Technology , add a commentI attended NECC 2008 in San Antonio. It has been two weeks and I am still learning and processing what I experienced. Here are several highlights:
There is a new version of Hyperstudio that will be released soon for both PC and Macs.
I was very impressed with the demonstration of IspireData by Inspiration Software,Inc.
Ed.voicethread is the coolest Web 2.0 program I have seen so far. Check out the MathCast wiki with all kinds of examples of using this program for math lessons.
www.jott.com is a great way to send yourself emails using your regular cellphone. Just set up the account and call the jott number and speak your email. You can also send a text message with voice recognition.
The new Classmate PC by Intel is very impressive. There were several vendor booths representing this product and they were crowded every time I went by. You can buy the consumer version on Amazon for 399.00.
I purchased Volume 1 of copyright/royalty-free music from Soundzabound Music Library. You can buy it on CD,CD and online, or just online downloads.
Schooltube.com is another video upload site for teachers and students. Video’s are screened by approved educators before they are approved.
2008 Technology Showcase March 24, 2008
Posted by Dottie Black in : Events, Teacher Resources, Technology, Uncategorized , add a commentAll I can say is WOW! We had a great turnout for the second annual Durham Public Schools Technology Showcase. All the reviews have been very positive and we are so proud of all the teachers and students who worked hard on projects to present.
On a Quest to solve problems March 23, 2008
Posted by Dottie Black in : Rogers-Herr Middle School, Teacher Resources, Technology , add a commentQuest Atlantis (QA) is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-15, in educational tasks. QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. It allows users to travel to virtual places to perform educational activities (known as Quests), talk with other users and mentors, and build virtual personae. Explore our site and learn more about this exciting project. To learn more about this program click here.
Hear Gavin (A Rogers-Herr Middle School Student) talk about his Quest Atlantis Missions:
WIKI WIKI December 10, 2007
Posted by Dottie Black in : Teacher Resources, Technology, Uncategorized , add a commentWhat the heck is a wiki anyway? Simply put, a wiki is a webpage that can be authored by as many people who want to add to it. For example, a teacher can set up a wiki and have all of the students in the class be authors. There are ways to track who adds to the wiki and the administrator decides who can author and who can view the site. Here is an example of a wiki done by a fifth grade class about the book Turn Homeward, Hannalee.
