Fun with Claymation May 7, 2008
Posted by Dottie Black in : Morehead Montessori, Schools, Technology , add a commentI have been working with Ms. Kelly’s 3rd graders on a claymation project. They are creating short animations about fractions. William and Hannah are one of the teams.
Hannah and William decided what their Movie would be about.
Then they drew a storyboard.
They created a set and chose the characters.
They worked together as a team to shoot each individual frame for the movie.Here is their final product.
Ms. Franklin’s 2nd Graders Learn About Sound April 9, 2008
Posted by Dottie Black in : Lakewood Elementary School, Technology , add a commentKindergarten isn’t what it used to be. April 8, 2008
Posted by Dottie Black in : Morehead Montessori, Technology , add a commentMs. Sander’s Kindergartner’s created multimedia alphabet books using Pixie 2 from Tech4learning.
Anna’s Project
Isaac’s project
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.
Rubrics,Rubrics October 9, 2007
Posted by Dottie Black in : Teacher Resources, Technology, Uncategorized , add a commentKathy Shrock is a K-12 Technology dynamo. She has been helping the K-12 community with technology for years. She has an email newsletter you can subscribe to and also a fantastic website.
This weeks email highlighted her rubrics page.
The plate is too full September 18, 2007
Posted by Dottie Black in : Blogging, Uncategorized , add a commentLast week I met with two teachers about a project to save our local YMCA. They were passionate about the project and how excited their students were about participating in saving a community treasure. During the conversation I mentioned the blogs I read. They both squinched up their faces and said they didn’t have time to do that. I gently suggested that there were some excellent authors on the web that had really influenced my thinking about education. As I usually do in these situations, I backed off. I will wait for the appropriate moment to share a blog that will be meaningful to them. Then this afternoon I read Chris Lehmann’s post about not blaming the teacher for being technologically illiterate. He had some excellent points to make.
A few months ago I read this blog post by Greg Farr. I was so impressed that I sent it to a middle school teacher and asked her to pass it on to her principal. He was so impressed that he made it mandatory reading for the next faculty meeting. Chris and Greg, like all teachers, won’t ever know how many teachers and students they have positively influenced. I’m just glad they blog and that I can share it when they do.
A New School Year and a New Look September 17, 2007
Posted by Dottie Black in : Blogging, Technology, Uncategorized , add a commentWelcome to the new face of the Pepsico K-12 Technology Mentor Program. I decided to move my previous website into a Wordpress blog to make it more flexible and accessible to the teachers I am working with. I hope you like the new design. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated.
Last fall I attended the NCETC in Greensboro. The keynote speaker was Will Richardson. In his presentation, he showed the list of blogs that he reads on a regular basis. He refered to the list as his textbook and the authors as his teachers. Over the past year I have come to understand what he was referring to. I have learned so much from Will and David Warlick and several other leaders in the K-12 technology field whose blogs I read regularly. I hope I have a chance to teach my new audience some of the great things I’ve learned from my new teachers and from being a part of the Duke Center for Instructional Technology. I am looking forward to a very productive year.
Kelly Stevens’ GPS Treasure Hunt March 5, 2007
Posted by Dottie Black in : GPS, Projects, Rogers-Herr Middle School , add a comment
Movie about the Treasure Hunt (Quicktime File)
Ms. Stevens created a treasure hunt complete with a captured Pirate captain and some gold booty.
The students had to use GPS devices to find and solve the clues so they could rescue their captain and earn the reward.
See the first Pirate Movie (Quicktime File)
See the Second Pirate Movie (Quicktime File)
Download the clues to use in your classroom.



