ITM 7: Show & Tell

Dive-in to see amazing examples of how students are using a wide-range of innovative tools in the classroom.

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Show Notes:

Dive into our Virtual Open House! We can talk all we want about "cool tools," but it doesn't mean much until we see how it impacts kids. So, this episode is all about students: what interests them, how they understand and generate knowledge, and the amazing things they can do when we give them the right tools and guidance. It's time to let the kids show off!

BTW - if you've got great clips of student work, send them our way. We'd love to include them on the ITM.

Here the examples highlighted in the show...

> MacBeth Wars was produced by 12th grade students for an English project. It's embedded here for you to watch or you can download it from Google Video. PS - Don't be fooled by the fake opening...



> While you're at it, check out a different Star Wars MacBeth video that was produced back in 1997 by students from Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey. The creators digitized it and put it online with behind the scenes details on how it was produced.

> "Does History Repeat Itself?" is a project from City Arts and Tech High School, San Francisco, CA.

> Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams is a non-competitive initiative that awards grants up to $10,000 each to teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors to identify a problem and invent a solution for it. Designed to excite, empower, and encourage students through hands-on problem solving, InvenTeams aims to inspire a new generation of inventors. Initial applications are due April 27, 2007, or e-mail questions to inventeams@mit.edu. And if you live in the Boston area, plan on joining them at the InvenTeams Odyssey, June 19-23, 2007.

> The Envision Schools Project Exchange is an online workspace for Envision teachers to share best practices in project design and implementation. It's an initiative of Envision Schools - a network of high performing charter schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Be sure to check out the Holocaust & Genocide Museum project.

> Rock Our World is an international collaborative project led by Carol Anne McGuire and her students in Orange Unified School District. During the project students use video conferencing and media production to collaborate on challenges and learn about the world. ROW 6 is called "Are You Game", and it involves 20 schools from 6 different continents. Look for their live webcast on June 9th!

> ITM Correspondent Mark Wagner talked to kids at the CA Student Technology Showcase during the 2007 CUE Conference. Explore Cypress High School's "Digital DNA" project, Eureka High Schools "East Lab", and the great work being done at Echo Horizon School.

Special thanks to the students from Rock Our World for their shout outs! And to Mike Morrison and Scott Smith for helping me take my first Segway experience!

ITM 6: And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

A quick overview of how social networking sites and online communities are impacting teaching and professional development.

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Show Notes:

Well, Steve and I couldn't have coordinated it any better. His great post yesterday is the perfect lead-in to ITM 6! Obviously, "social networking" has the tech world buzzing, but we tried hard to find examples where it was really making an impact in K-12 education. And even though "online communities" have been around for a while, there seems to be some new momentum in school districts around the country as the tools become less expensive and easier to use.

So, let us know what you think. Is this all just a fad? Or can these tools really improve classroom instruction and professional development? And what other tools do you use to help break down the walls between the classroom and the real world?

Here are some of the examples highlighted in the show...

Social Networking & Online Communities for younger kids:

> Club Penguin is a safe, fun online environment for elementary kids to play games, chat with other kids, and take care of your own virtual pet. Dangerously addictive for 6-9 year olds!

> Whyville is very similar to Club Penguin, but without the cute little penguins. Instead, kids play and communicate in a virtual city where they engage in "constructive educational activities while promoting socially responsible behavior."

> Imbee launched in 2006 to "provide a secure, dynamic environment where children can safely explore online social networking." It's specifically geared to 8-14 year olds.

Social Networking & Online Communities for teens and adults:

> MySpace is one of the world's most popular Internet sites. Because it's not controlled, teens use it as a way to express their personalities, share media, and communicate with friends. Although there has been a lot of controversy over the site (and many schools block access to it), there are a number of teachers and students that have found positive ways to use the tools available on MySpace. The Weber Institute's "Weber's World News" is one great example. See more details below.

> Sconex is a school-friendly version of MySpace where high school students can "read about your classmates, share stuff with your friends, and communicate with people from your school and nearby ones."

> Second Life is a "virtual world" & community with over 5 million "residents" who collaboratively build the world together. Joining is free, but it takes money to buy land and other items. Many colleges are experimenting with "virtual schools" in this environment, but some people think it's not a "safe" environment for kids. "Teen Second Life" was created as a "gathering place for teens 13-17 to make friends and to play, learn and create." Restriction is limited to teens, and some additional monitoring takes place.

> FaceBook is more of a straight-forward "social network" where teens, college students, and adults can find people with similar interests. You can share your bio, photos, and thoughts on your personal homepage, and then decide who should see it.

A huge "shout out" to the students at the Weber Institute of Applied Science and Technology in Stockton, CA, for their help explaining MySpace to us. More importantly, you have to check out Weber's World News - a MySpace group run entirely by the students after school. Through this online forum, they share their views on a wide range of current topics. Keep up the great work Mr. Hall, Tony, and the whole crew at Weber!

TakingITGlobal "is an online community that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action in their local and global communities. It's the world's most popular online community for young people interested in making a difference, with hundreds of thousands of unique visitors each month."

Moodle is a free, open source, course management system that helps educators organize and facilitate classroom instruction.

Blackboard offers a wide range of web-based tools to support learning, communication, and transactions at schools, districts, and universities.

The Acalanes Union High School District is a great example of how Blackboard can support professional development throughout the district. Special thanks to Acalanes Tech Coordinator, Cheryl Davis, for sharing their story with us. Feel free to contact Cheryl via email for more insights on how to get your teachers on-board!

Google Groups is a FREE tool that teachers and students can use to communicate and collaborate. Groups can be public or private, but each member needs to have a free Google Account to participate. Features include discussion boards, easy to create web pages to share pictures and links, and a place to store files.

Special thanks to the students from the Student Technology Showcase at the CUE Conference for their shout outs!

ITM Extra: P = A x D x E

Interview with Bernie Dodge where he unveils his learning equation: Power = Attention x Depth x Efficiency.

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Show Notes:

Bernie Dodge is an education professor at San Diego State University. He is a leading thinker on how to maximize the use of the Internet for learning, and he is also the creator of WebQuests and QuestGarden - a place to author and host WebQuests.

At the MacWorld Education Symposium, he unveiled a new way to look at the power of learning games: Power = Attention x Depth x Efficiency. This is an interesting idea that has implications well beyond the gaming world.

What do you think of his equation? Is it accurate? What examples do you have to support or refute these ideas? How can we use these ideas to impact classroom instruction?

ITM 5: Calculate This!

It's our first full episode of 2007! Among other things, this show focuses on creative uses of spreadsheets.

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Show Notes:

What time of day is it at the world's largest outdoor, seated Buddha statue in Hong Kong? Post your answers in the comments!

The Holocaust Wiki Project is a history simulation project run by Dan McDowell and his students at West Hills H.S. in the Grossmont Union High School District.

Learn more about wikis on Wikipedia (of course!), or get your own at wikispaces, or host your own wikis on your own webserver using the open-source MediaWiki software.

101 Fun and Relevant Ways to Use Spreadsheets. Thanks to Dr. Alice Christie for posting these great ideas!

Lucie deLaBruere from St. Alban's City School in St. Albans, VT, shares a recent spreadsheet project she did with 5th graders. Thanks Lucie!

You and your students can instantly create, collaborate, and share spreadsheets with Google Docs & Spreadsheets. It's FREE, but every student needs a FREE Google Account before using the tool. A valid email address is required to setup a Google Account. If students don't have one, consider Gmail or use a service like Gaggle.Net if you need safe, filtered email. If your school or district doesn't allow students to have email accounts, then you have two options: fight tooth and nail to give your kids access to email OR setup a series of "generic" email accounts (teachername1@gmail.com, teachername2@gmail.com, etc.) just to activate your Google Accounts. Then have students login directly on the web to access Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

Learn more about ways to use Google Docs and Spreadsheets on the Google Educators website.

How are you using online spreadsheets in your school or district? Add your ideas in the comments for this post. Come on, it's easy. Just click the "comments" in link above. You'll be glad you did!

ITM Extra: MacWorld 2007

Creative ideas (and a few laughs) from Macworld 2007.

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Show Notes:
Here it is - our next episode from the MacWorld Education Symposium - a fantastic day of sessions organized by our good friends at CUE!

Here we asked attendees to share some of their best ideas and imagine what the world would be like if every child had an iPhone. We also take time out to tour the exhibit hall with Hall Davidson.

And don't miss our big announcement of the hottest new ed tech gadget, the "ITM Phone". Place your order today!

ITM Extra: Make a Wish 2007

We're back! Ready to make a wish?

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Show Notes:

We've awoken from our winter hibernation to bring you the first of two special episodes from the MacWorld Education Symposium - a fantastic day of sessions organized by our good friends at CUE! Here we talked to some great educators from around the country asking them a simple question: "If you had one wish for students and teachers in 2007, what would it be?"

So what's your wish? Leave it in the comments below!

Thanks again for all your support and feedback. New episodes coming VERY soon!

Cerf's Up: Design

Internet Pioneer Vinton Cerf shares his thoughts on the process of "designing" in the 21st century.

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Show Notes:

As one of the original inventors of the Internet, Vint Cerf is widely recognized as a leading thinker on how 21st century technologies are transforming our daily lives. Learn more about Vint on Wikipedia.

For more resources on "design", see the entry for ITM 3: Living in 3D.

ITM 4: Welcome to the Blogosphere

ITM #4 focuses on how teachers and students are using blogs in K-12 education. Ready to jump into the swirl? (8 min)

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Show Notes:

The word "blog" is short for "web-logs," and Wikipedia defines a blog as "a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order." So why are blog's so popular? First, they are VERY easy to create. Using FREE services like Blogger and Live Journal anyone can create a website in minutes. Second, they are collaborative. It's very easy for more than one person to be a "writer" for a single blog (just like the ITM), and your readers can quickly leave comments to tell you what they they about your ideas. Lastly, blogs are interconnected. The words, images, and links from one blog can be easily posted on any other blog, making it easy to spread ideas quickly.

To learn more about how Blog's are being used in education, check out these websites:

• Support Blogging - wiki on educational blogging


• Weblogg-ed - Will Richardson


• 2 Cents Worth - David Warlick


• Savvy Technologist - Tim Wilson


• Class Blogmeister - free student blogs


• Gaggle Blogs - free student blogs

"Ms. Cornelius" publishes a blog called the Shrewdness of Apes - which is a finalist for "Best Educational Blog" in this year's WebBlog Awards. (P.S. The ITM is nominated in a separate competition - the EduBlogs Awards. So you can vote for both of us without feeling guilty!) Be sure to check out her popular post that includes classroom setup advice for rookie teachers.

Teacher "Mike" writes the Education in Texas blog. His entry on the use (and abuse) of the word "dude" can be found here.

"Ms. Frizzle's" blog covers a wide range of topics and chronicles her life as teacher on a near daily basis. Be sure to check out her post asking: "What is education like in different countries?" Then follow her adventures on her new blog: Öğretmen - her insights on teaching in Turkey as a Fullbright Scholar.

Don Knezek is CEO of ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE is a non-profit organization that is a trusted source for professional development, knowledge generation, advocacy, and leadership for innovation. They also run the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) - the largest ed tech conference in the world. This year's conference is in Atlanta in June 2007.

Here are some webcasts we did from last year's NECC Conference that you might find interesting.

ITM correspondent Wes Fryer (Speed of Creativity) reported from the rolling prairies of Oklahoma. Be sure to check out his Konza Prairie entry on Wikipedia.

Thanks to the students from Mr. Hernandez' class at Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, for helping us explain what the Infinite Thinking Machine is!

ITM 3: Living in 3D

ITM #3 is finally here! In this episode we share tips and tools related to visual design. So put on your cool 3D glasses and let's go for a ride.

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Show Notes:

NASA's team at the Lewis Center for Educational Research runs the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) in a desert region outside Los Angeles, CA. They conduct a full educational program where students team with scientists to conduct cutting edge research leading to discovery. This is a great learning opportunity for kids to control and operate a deep space radio telescope. GAVRT provides training for teachers and detailed lessons plans, such as Mapping a Radio Source. And you can even see the live video feed of the GAVRT operation control center.

Since we're talking about space, you might want to check out NASA's education site, the NASA Kids Club, Space.com, and the xPrize Foundation.

The EVS-Islands website is produced by "Mr. Minton" - a teacher from San Diego, CA. With the help of his students, he is creating and sharing vector-based images of shorelines from around the world. Basically, he's combing basic shoreline maritime maps with real satelittle images and turning them into stunning, colorful maps that can be used by the rest of us. Much of the work is done with 20-30 students afterschool. His map collection is impressive, and you can download and use all his maps for FREE. He even gives us detailed map making techniques, so we can can join in the fun.

Sharing videos on the Internet is extremely popular with kids. If nothing else, you need to check out YouTube, MySpace, and Google Video, just so you know what kids are up to these days. While much of the videos are produced for fun, a growing number of teachers are using video sharing websites in the classroom. These websites make it extemely easy to post videos, and, in some cases, you can even control who sees them. How are you taping into this craze? Post your thoughts in our comments section.

And don't forget about sites like the Internet Archive, which houses thousands of PUBLIC DOMAIN videos that students can download and re-edit. Some of my favorites are Thomas Edison's news reel on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 1952 classic"Duck and Cover" , and a 1963 production on how to use film in the classroom.

SketchUp is FREE software that empowers students to be 3D designers. SketchUp is a great tool for easily teaching kids to construct 3D models of buildings, trees, cars, and anything else they can imagine. You can use it as a stand-alone tool or in conjunction with Google Earth and the 3D Warehouse. On the main SketchUp website you can find a gallery of student examples, case studies, tutorials on how to use the tool, an educators forum, and even a book on how to use it in the classroom.

As one of the original inventors of the Internet, Vint Cerf is widely recognized as a leading thinker on how 21st century technologies are transforming our daily lives. Learn more about Vint on Wikipedia. In this segment, Vint talks share his thoughts on how technology is changing how we design things.

Learn more about the convergence of design and technology at the Designing Interactions , a book, DVD, and website from Bill Moggridge, one of the founders of IDEO. Check out the other feature articles on design on the IDEO website.

ITM 3 Homework: See if your kids can help you find out what the image is and where it is located. It's tougher than it looks. If you don't have any luck finding the answer, let me know, and I may release a few hints in the comments section. : )

Thanks to the students from Mr. Hernandez' class at Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, for helping us explain what the Infinite Thinking Machine is!

Cerf's Up: Writing

Internet Pioneer Vinton Cerf shares his thoughts on "writing" and communication in the 21st century.

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Show Notes:

As one of the original inventors of the Internet, Vint Cerf is widely recognized as a leading thinker on how 21st century technologies are transforming our daily lives. Learn more about Vint on Wikipedia.

There are so many great writing resources. Here are just a few to explore:
- The National Writing Project
- NCTE Beliefs About Teaching Writing
- New York City Writing Project
- Ideas for Teaching Writing
- "The New Literacy" by David Warlick and Sara Armstrong
- Publish your own books with services like: LuLu, iUniverse, and Cafe Express.
- The Read/Write Web in the Classroom
- More resources on educational blogging
- Check-out these online word processing tools: Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Zoho Writer, AjaxWrite, and ThinkFree.
- Here are some other tools for writing and collaborating online: JotSpot, WikiSpaces, PBWiki, Blogger, LiveJournal, and Word Press.
- Safe email and blogs for students: Gaggle.Net, ePals, and Blogmeister.
- What is a wiki?
- What is a blog?

What's your favorite web resource on writing? Share it in the comments!

Cerf's Up: Maps

Internet Pioneer Vinton Cerf shares his thoughts on the important role that "maps" play in the 21st century.

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Show Notes:

As one of the original inventors of the Internet, Vint Cerf is widely recognized as a leading thinker on how 21st century technologies are transforming our daily lives. Learn more about Vint on Wikipedia.

There are so many great resources on maps. Here are just a few to explore:
- links to map collections
- historical maps for students
- the art of making maps
- geospatial technology and careers
- Green Maps: collaborative project for students
- U.S. Census maps
- FREE maps to use in your classroom

ITM #2: The Write Stuff

ITM #2 dives into the world of language arts with some great web resources and instructional strategies. Pour yourself a cold glass of milk and enjoy!

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Show Notes:

The History is Elementary blog is great resource for practical ideas on teaching history, especially in elementary school. The Shake and Bake post is particularly inspired, providing great ideas for hooking kids on Shakespeare by introducing them to the mystery of his identity.

Type in "Answer to life the Universe and everything" on the Google search bar and click "I'm Feeling Lucky". Hint: It's an obscure literary reference to a famous science fiction novel. If you want to cut right to the chase, check out this entry in Wikipedia.

The Gmaps Pedometer is a FREE web tool that measures and records walking distances from one point to another. It even measures changes in elevation! Use this tool with kids to help measure the exact distance between two points or to monitor your exercise path. FYI - Although Gmaps Pedometer uses Google Maps to help make it work, the website is not affiliated with Google in any way.

Ken Stein's Teacher Blog is a "sandbox" for ideas and resources related to teaching writing. It's just one of many great resources provided by the New York City Writing Project. His post on "Things to do with Writely" has 10 specific tips on how teachers and students can get the most from Writely (now called Google Docs) and other online word processors. Zoho Writer, AjaxWrite, and ThinkFree are a few other online tools to check out.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets (formerly Writely) is a free web-based word processor and spreadsheet tool.

Mike Lawrence is a former high school English teacher who currently serves as the Executive Director of Computer Using Educators. He visited Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA for his "field trip" to see how they were using online word processors in their writing process.

The Big 6 is an information and technology literacy model and curriculum developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz. It is the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world. On the main Big Six website, you can get lesson ideas, read about their evidence of success, and access grade appropriate tools.

There are lots of FREE online dictionaries (Dictionary.com and Free Dictionary are two of the most popular), but you can also define words straight from the Google search bar. This simple tool allows you to quickly view multiple definitions of words and follow the link to the original source of that definition.

Your Homework Assignment: Take one of the ideas or resources mentioned in this episode and use it in your school or classroom. Post your results to the comments section of this blog (see the blue "comments" link above) or send us an email.

Thanks to the students from Mr. Hernandez' class at Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, for helping us explain what the Infinite Thinking Machine is!

ITM 1: Calling Planet Earth

Thanks for watching the premiere episode of the ITM! We know it was a long episode, but we just had so much to say. We promise to make them shorter in the future, and we hope to vary the topics more too. Please be patient as we figure out how to get the most from this great medium. And feel free to send us your ideas and comments!

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Show Notes:

Textmapping is a graphic organizer technique that can be used to teach reading comprehension and writing skills, study skills, and course content. The Textmapping website has great examples, lesson plans, and email discussion groups.

The Inertia video was created by Erica Eng when she was a Senior at Skyline High School in Oakland, CA. More examples of student produced media can be found at Listen Up!

Hart Island is just outside New York City, NY. You can get historical information here and look at the detailed satellite images here.

The new Google Educators website has lots of resources to help K-12 educators get the most from Google's FREE tools.

Hall Davidson runs the CA Student Multimedia Festival, and he works for the Discovery Educator Network. He is a board member of Computer Using Educators, and he is a popular speaker at education conferences. He visited Franklin Elementary School in Hollywood, CA for his "field trip."

Google Earth is free to download and use.

The Jane Goodall Institute is a global nonprofit that empowers people to make a difference for all living things. Jane Goodall has dedicated most of her life to the study and preservation of chimpanzees in Tanzania. The virtual tour of her work can be downloaded here for use in Google Earth.

Learn more about the educational uses of Google Earth at the Juicy Geography website.

A "mashup" is when you combine two or more technologies or media products together to create something even better. Learn more about mashups on Wikipedia or see some great mashups that use Google maps at Google Maps Mania.

You can find, download, and share "placemarks" for Google Earth at the Google Earth Community

Get the World War II "Places, Battles, and Special Ops" placemark to use in Google Earth.

Check out Wikipedia's full entries for World War II.

Thanks to the students from Mr. Hernandez' class at Price Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, for their great introduction to the Infinite Thinking Machine!y