The Social Studies Teachers' Community RSS feed

Rivers and Wildlife Celebration - Carol Smith

Carol Smith — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:00:00 GMT

The Wild Experience Room will provide free, hands-on, family-friendly activities on Saturday, March 20, as part of the 2010 Rivers and Wildlife Celebration at the Holiday Inn in Kearney, Nebraska.

The Wild Experience Room, organized by the Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership, will be open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. "Live critter demonstrations" will include Birds of Prey, from Raptor Recovery Nebraska, at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Nebraska Snakes, with Dan Fogel, at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Activities will include making bird feeders, folding paper cranes, making bird band bracelets, looking for compost creatures, and more. wild experience room flyer no tabs.pdf

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Opportunities to see sandhill cranes - Carol Smith

Carol Smith — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:00:00 GMT

C.S.I.

(Crane Scene Investigations)

The largest gathering of sandhill cranes in the world happens right here in Nebraska! You and your students are invited to become Crane Scene Investigators and learn about these unique birds.

C.S.I. is approximately 2 hours long and is designed with your students in mind and only available from the first of March through the first of April. Dates and times fill fast, so make your reservations early!

Crane Cam

Crane Central

For downloadable educational videos, be sure to check out CRANE CENTRAL on the CRANE CAM hosted by ESU 10. Go to www.rowesanctuary.org The DVD is also available in our Nature Store.

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Social Studies 2.0 Workshop ~ March 25, 2010 - Carol Smith

Carol Smith — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:00:00 GMT

Social Studies 2.0 Workshop ~ March 25, 2010 ~ 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ~ ESU 10 ~ Kearney

This workshop is designed to demonstrate and utilize technology integration tools specifically for the social studies classroom. We will feature technology tools, web resources, and software that encourage the use of 21st Century skills for students. To register go to: https://odie.esu10.org/

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Basic Clickers Workshop ~ March 24, 2010 - Carol Smith

Carol Smith — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:00:00 GMT

Basic Clickers Workshop ~ March 24, 2010 ~ 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ~ ESU 10 ~ Kearney

One of the hottest items in instructional technology is the use of “clickers” or audience response systems. Students use remotes to answer questions before, during, and after a lesson thereby allowing teachers to get instant feedback about student understanding. Dustin Frank will lead a workshop for eInstruction clickers using the Classroom Performance System (CPS). If you are using eInstruction clickers or want to learn more about what they can do, this workshop is for you! To register go to https://odie.esu10.org/

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Pony Express Celebrates 150 Years - Carol Smith

Carol Smith — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:00:00 GMT

The Kearney Archway and Fort Kearny are offering some new special programming and pricing for the 150^th anniversary of the Pony Express. A field trip to the Archway and Fort Kearny would be a great way to celebrate this important historic event this spring! The new sod house location on the prairie will be a great setting for the Archway’s program, and the Archway and historic Fort Kearny both welcome schools with sack lunches!

Attached are flyers for their events.

Archway Pony Express program.pdf
Pony Express at Ft Kearny (2).pdf

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2010 Olympic Games Project - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:00:00 GMT

This looks like a REALLY fun project to do with your students! If you have wanted to try blogging with students or some other collaborative, global projects, this is the one for you! Check out this project web site! Even if you only want to try a portion of this, I think it would be worth your time. This is for students from k-7th grade and it was started by a 2nd grade teacher! Check it out and let me know if you want help!

http://sites.google.com/site/misschatz/home

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Nebraska Outdoor School Day Expo - Carol Smith

Carol Smith — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:00:00 GMT

Nebraska Game and Parks invite all fourth, fifth and sixth grade students to their 4th Annual Outdoor School Day Expo on either Thursday, May 13 or Friday, May 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at Fort Kearney State Recreation Area and is a free educational event. Over 40 diverse hands-on activities and demonstrations that correlate with Nebraska State Standards in the areas of science, math, history, reading and writing are offered.

Registration begins January 20, 2010. Attached is the Teacher's Guide and Registration Instructions.

Teachers Guide Packet 2010.pdf

Registration Instructions - Fort kearny.doc

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MLK blog and links - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:39:02 GMT

I was just reading this blog and I thought this particular group would like what is presented here. I hope you can find something here that you can share in class or maybe even develop a project.

"If you really want to honor Dr. King..." http://stager.tv/blog/?p=870

More links and materials - http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/holidays/mlk/mlk.htm

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Web Sites for you! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:00:00 GMT

Here are a few web sites that I thought you would like.

Good general lesson plan sites - http://tr.im/KjRO
Science Fair site - http://www.sciencebob.com/sciencefair/index.php
You Tube URL Tricks - http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-youtube-url-tricks-you-should-know-about/
ReTool Yourself (professional development ideas) - http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/25886
100 Web Tools for Collaboration - http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/26378

This last link is a video from a student demonstrating how her 7th grade science class is being run. This looked like a very engaging science class!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY&feature=youtu.be&a

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Classroom Instruction That Works Webinars - Carol Smith

Carol Smith — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:00:00 GMT

In this series we are featuring nine webinars on Marzano's instructional strategies. Each webinar will focus on the how to use specific instructional strategies in your classroom as well as technology tips and tricks to integrate along the way!

Each webinar is a one-hour session from 4-5PM. A day or so before the webinar, you will receive an email with instructions and the website for the webinar.

There is no driving or weather worries, all you need is a computer! Choose just one webinar to attend or choose them all! These are great refreshers if you attended Classroom Instruction That Works this last summer! Even if you don't know anything about these instructional strategies, please join us and find out all the easy ways of engaging and reaching your students.

Summarizing and Note Taking - January 19, 2010
Reinforcing Effort/Receiving Feedback - February 2, 2010
Homework and Practice - February 16, 2010
Non-Linguistic Representation - March 2, 2010
Cooperative Learning - March 23, 2010
Setting Objectives/Providing Feedback - April 6, 2010
Generating and Testing Hypothesis - April 20, 2010
Ques, Questions, and Advanced Organizers - May 4, 2010

Register on ODIE at https://odie.esu10.org/

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Nice free site - Keith Kucera

Keith Kucera — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Screenjelly gives you three minutes of recording time for your on screen movements and audio. Easy way to show kids how to get to a site or what part of a site they should use. The recording can also be emailed.

http://www.screenjelly.com/

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Best of 2009 for Social Studies - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:00:00 GMT

I just saw this blog post on Twitter and thought you would all enjoy this! In between basketball games and holiday performances, this list of web sites will surely give you some new ideas and engaging activities for your Social Studies Classroom! Happy 2010 to you all!

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/12/09/the-best-social-studies-websites-2009/

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First Sunday's at Rowe Sanctuary! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Looking for something other than shopping this Sunday? Come on out and join us for our December First Sunday @ Rowe starting at 1:30 p.m. http://rowesanctuary.org/first%20sundays.htm

With native grasses and fallen leaves rustling in the breeze and the symphony from flocks of birds streaming south, late fall is a great time to explore Rowe Sanctuary. This month’s program will take advantage of this natural music by offering a workshop called ‘The Music of Nature - The Nature of Music’ presented by former UNK professor of music Annabell Zikmund, and Rowe Volunteers Susan Elmore and Jackie Flohr.

Other activities include nature hikes and marshmallow roasting on an open campfire!

For more information:
Keanna Leonard, Education Director
Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary
44450 Elm Island Rd
Gibbon, NE 68840
308-468-5282

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Mapping, Google, and GIS - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Check out this link! Loaded with mapping, geography, and Google links and information! Enjoy!

http://eduscapes.com/sessions/gis/

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Shmoop! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

If you haven't had a chance to check into Shmoop, it is a MUST over your weekend or holidays. Shmoop is a very unique web resource for literature, history, and music teachers. I recently received an email from them. When I saw it, i thought it would be a GREAT idea for a history thanksgiving lesson plan! I have included it below. See what you think! This might be a fun activity to do cross-curricular with the language arts teacher! Then go to Shmoop and see all the other great resources that they have! I think you will really like it. You will probably need to get an account and you can sign up for their mailing list from there. Don't forget to share your lesson with the rest of the group here on the community!

Shmoop's Top 20 Thanksgiving Dinner Guests from Literature & History
Food, friends, naps, and good conversation. What could be better than that? Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks with the people we love. We at Shmoop have decided to invite our best friends to our Turkey Day feast - we're grateful for them, after all.

Now, we just have to figure out who is going to sit next to whom:

Top Five Best Dinner Guest Pairings

These dinner guests will get along like - you know - peas and carrots, ice cream and pie, Aunt Nene's green jello and marshmallows (how the heck does she get those marshmallows to float, anyway?)...

1. Scout Finch and Huck Finn:
Watch a childhood crush develop as Scout and Huck share exploits, plan adventures, and show each other their slingshots. When nobody's looking, they'll steal the silverware, find treasures in the hole of a neighbor's tree, and meet up with Jim on the river.

2. Holden Caulfield and Hamlet:
These two sensitive, maladjusted young men should have enough in common to keep them talking the whole night. Both privileged? Check. Both lovesick? Check! Both despise liars and phonies? Check! Both going to tackle the world's hypocrisy head-on? Checkmate!... Whenever they can get around to it, anyway.

3. Grendel and Luna Lovegood:
Letting Grendel into the room is a fast way to kill a good dinner party, so don't seat him next to anyone faint-of-heart or vegetarian. The un-fazeable Luna Lovegood will make Grendel feel right at home by asking him all about mythical monsters and swapping tales of run-ins with humankind. And if Luna's magic wand can't keep Grendel in check, maybe her radish earrings will.

4. Porphyria's Lover and Madame DeFarge:
Porphyria's Lover is a passionate, poetic, thinky-feely kind of guy who likes long walks on the beach and staying up all night to admire the corpse of a strangled girlfriend. None of your other guests will want to get near him, so throw him in a corner and use Madame DeFarge as a buffer zone. Her attitude? Bring it!

5. Alice and The Walrus:
Who has a better resume for spending an evening with The Walrus? Alice has extensive singing-walrus experience from traveling through the Looking-Glass, and with her mind so radically opened by her adventures in Wonderland, she'll be the only guest who has any idea what "cu-cu-cachoo" means.

Top Five Worst Dinner Guest Pairings

Only the brave host would seat these duos together. If the mashed potatoes start flying, don't say that we didn't warn you...

1. Edgar Allan Poe and Ulysses S. Grant:
Nothing is more embarrassing than watching friends and family getting blitzed at a dinner party. Poe liked his absinthe and Grant was a reported alcoholic, so if you want to give your other guests a fighting chance at the wine, make sure to stick these two at opposite ends of the table.

2. Jay Gatsby and The Giver:
Letting these two get on a roll is bound to make everyone depressed. Everything was better in the good old days, they'll tell you: the men had more hopeful futures, the women were more loving - heck, even the colors were brighter!

3. J. Alfred Prufrock and Teddy Roosevelt:
Blankets don't get much wetter than J. Alfred Prufrock, so be careful not to seat him next to a carouser like Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy was so famously high-energy that when he invited a foreign ambassador to join him for a day of sports, the ambassador is said to have collapsed from exhaustion.

4. Hedda Gabler and The Misfit:
Sometimes, having too much in common can be a bad thing. Hedda Gabler is bored, manipulative housewife who breaks up relationships, destroys careers, and encourages people to commit suicide for entertainment. Similarly, The Misfit is an escaped convict who murders an entire family along the roadside because he wants to do something mean before the police catch him. The last thing these two need, aside from cutlery, is an evening picking each other's brains.

5. Emily Dickinson and Boo Radley:
The only thing worse than a conversation gone wrong is no conversation at all. These two notorious recluses might not be the liveliest guests at the table. But, who knows, maybe they would hit it off after passing soap carvings and crumpled-up poems to each other under the table.

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Take away... - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Give us one take away you had from the workshop today...

21 Comments

Share Your Favorites! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Share your favorite lesson plan, project, activity, web site, or tech tool! Everyone has their favorite lesson that they do in class with students. Share yours here by posting a comment to this article! Everyone is welcome to join in the conversation! Don't forget Social Studies 2.0 is tomorrow (11.3.09)!

2 Comments

Left Wing, Right Wing Differences in a Graphic - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:44:13 GMT

You probably totally understand this left wing/right wing stuff. I would bet that your students do not. I certainly don't know and can't keep up with it all. Here is a GREAT unbiased information graphic on differences between left and right wing! See what you think!

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/leftvright_world.html

Do you have any OTHER great teaching tools for teaching about the polar opposites views of our government? Please share here in a "Comment!"

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ESU 10 Now Has GPS Units! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:00:00 GMT

ESU 10 has purchased 15 Garmin eTrex Legend GPS units for teachers to checkout and use with their classroom! They can be checked out through ODIE!

More can be found in the description on the Media Library:
https://odie.esu10.org/library/MediaItemDetails.aspx?MediaItemID=54607

Also at: http://blog.esu10.org/gps Here you can find out more about the Global Positioning System devices as well as how-to's and instructional materials to go with the GPS's.

Let us know what you think! How will YOU use the GPS Devices with your students? Are you already doing a GPS project that you would like to share? Share this and other instructional materials here on this community!!!

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Video Contest from eInstruction! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Win a $30,000 ed tech make-over from eInstruction! Check out the details here! http://www.eimakeover.com/

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Wordpress Updates - Jason Everett

Jason Everett — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

WordPress Site for updates and information
Check out this website for current announcements, news, account requests, feature requests, training resources, and workshop information. Wordpress @ ESU 10 Blog Site

Mobile Support in WordPress @ ESU 10
Districts purchasing and supporting mobile computing now have the option of making their Wordpress site mobile accessible. Great for providing content to these mobile devices without having to sync them on an continual basis. Read more...

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New 21st Century Skills Maps - Jason Everett

Jason Everett — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

21st Century Skills Maps

Geography Map (2009)
Science Map (2009)

From an email I received:

First-of-their-kind Classroom Examples of Integrating 21st Century Skills into Science and Geography Courses

The 21st Century Skills and Science and Geography Maps demonstrate how the integration of 21st century skills into science and geography classes support teaching and prepare students to become effective and productive citizens.

The maps were released at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) by representatives from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) along with colleagues from the National Council for the Social Studies and National Council of Teachers of English, who released social studies and English maps in 2008.

These new maps:

Provide educators with teacher-created models of how 21st century skills can be infused into instruction.
Highlight the critical connections between science, geography and 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication.
Cite specific student outcomes and provide project models for enhanced student achievement in grades four, eight and twelve.

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The Great Park Pursuit - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:51:10 GMT

This would be a great adventure for families as well as classrooms! Check out http://www.negpp.org/! there is a challenge there to visit all of the 15 listed Nebraska state parks! If you want to participate, you must register there on the web site.

This might be a great summer project to continue to engage students in Nebraska Geography! Have your own Great Park Pursuit! Challenge your next group of students (any age would love this) to get to as many of Nebraska's parks this summer as they can. Once they get there, have them take a picture of the park sign and two more pictures from inside the park. They must then email those pictures to you, the teacher. You can create a map in Google Earth and mark their travels using the pictures they took! This would also make a great competition between class sections or maybe between conference schools! (They could even use their cell phones and send those pictures if your cell plan will handle that!)

Most importantly, encourage your students to get out and enjoy Nebraska's state parks!

http://www.negpp.org/

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Historical Documents - Rob Simpson

Rob Simpson — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:00:00 GMT

footnote.com

View online documents from history from the revolutionary war to the 2000’s. Site includes photocopies of historical documents and photographs. There is a Premium account that you can purchase to get access to all files otherwise you are limited to their free documents which still gives you a wide range of files. You can also add to the collection as well.

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More Web Sites... - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Here is a site that you may have heard of before but I think it is worth mentioning again. Digital History (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/) looks like a great resource for teachers of American History.

This site is a development of the presidential libraries called The Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century (http://presidentialtimeline.org). This has some great stuff on the presidents of the 20th Century. Another great resource for History teachers containing video clips, audio clips, documents all from the presidential libraries.

Let us know what you think of these sites!

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PeaceMaker Game - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Heard this is a great game. You can play the demo for free. Here is the blurb from the site:

   PeaceMaker challenges you to succeed as a leader where others have
   failed. Experience the joy of bringing peace to the Middle East or the
   agony of plunging the region into disaster. PeaceMaker will test your
   skills, assumptions and prior knowledge. Play it and you will never
   read the news the same way again.

http://www.peacemakergame.com/

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Delicious bookmark list - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Here is a Delicious bookmark list from Kate (@mrsbrowndog on Twitter) that I thought you might get some use out of. there are over 60 links here. http://delicious.com/mrsbrowndog/SocialStudies

Just in case you are wondering, Delicious is much like Diigo. Diigo has more features allowing you to highlight and take notes on certain sites.

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Web Sites for Social Studies Teachers - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Here are some web sites that I thought you would be interested in. Let us know if these are worthwhile or which ones are not good.

News site for students - http://www.dogonews.com/
Skype wiki; site with other teachers worldwide that use Skype - http://skypeinschools.pbwiki.com/
Map Skip; maps to create stories on - http://www.mapskip.com/
Turn photo into a virtual puzzle - http://www.flash-gear.com/puzzle/
Listing of comic/cartoon creating web sites - http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/02/7-resources-for-creating-cartoons-and.html

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Sharing at Social Studies 2.0 - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Today we are going to do some sharing in this workshop. I would like you to share here, your favorite lesson, technology tool or web site!

6 Comments

Political Cartoons - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Just found this blog. It talks about using Political Cartoons to teach current events to students. It contains links to other political cartoon sites. Thought you would all like this one!

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/01/activities-for-understanding-political.html

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NING Site for Social Studies Teachers - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Have you heard about social networking but haven't been brave enough to try it out? Well, here is your chance! Check out the NING site http://iteachsocialstudies.ning.com/. Ning is a company that hosts user created social networks. Social networking sometimes get a bad name because it sounds like something our students would go to to just hang out. In this case, this social network is all about teaching social sciences! Find lesson ideas and make connections that you might not otherwise make using this web site. If you have been wanting to exercise your global awareness muscles, this is the place to start! Happy Globetrotting!

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Upcoming Workshops at ESU 10! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Upcoming Workshops
See ODIE for complete descriptions and registrations!
https://odie.esu10.org

New & Noteworthy:
•   White Board Shoot Out – Wednesday February 4, 2009
•   Basic Clicker Training – Thursday February 26, 2009
•   Advanced Clicker Training – Friday February 27, 2009
•   LAN Managers Meeting – Tuesday April 7, 2009
•   Library/Media Specialists Meeting – Tuesday February 17, 2009

After School Webinars (online):
•   Google Docs – Tuesday March 3, 2009 @ 3:45-4:45 PM
•   Google Spreadsheets – Tuesday March 17, 2009 @ 3:45-4:45 PM
•   Google Presentations – Tuesday March 31, 2009 @ 3:45-4:45 PM
•   Google Maps – Tuesday April 14, 2009 @ 3:45-4:45 PM

Spring 2.0 Workshops:
•   Social Studies 2.0 – Tuesday February 10, 2009
•   Technology Integration Specialists – Thursday February 12, 2009
•   Elementary 2.0 – Wednesday February 18, 2009
•   Science 2.0 – Wednesday February 25, 2009
•   Language Arts 2.0 – Wednesday March 18, 2009

Summer Camp 2.0:
•   Science Camp 2.0 – May 27 & 28, 2009
•   Elementary Camp 2.0 – June 9 & 10, 2009
•   Language Arts Camp 2.0 – June 16 & 17, 2009
•   Social Studies Camp 2.0 – July 21 & 22, 2009
•   Technology Integration Specialists Camp – July 16, 17, 27 & 28, 2009

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Malcolm X Video Conference - John Stritt

John Stritt — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Video Conference opportunity from the Durham Museum

The Durham Museum invites you and your students to join them to a live and interactive presentation from the Durham Museum Lecture Hall as Charles Everett Pace, Chautauqua Performer / Scholar. Mr. Pace
transforms into Malcolm X to provide participants with background on the life and ideas of Malcolm X followed by questions to the performer while he remains in character.

For more information on Charles Pace as Malcolm X go to www//charleseverettpace.com

The presentation will be shared via video conference on February 19th, 9:30 to 10:30 am.

If you are interested in having your students attend this informative performance contact Mike Irwin – mirwin@durhammuseum.org or call 402-444-5027

Comment - I attended a Chautauqua presentation by Mr. Pace in character as Malcolm X. My background on Malcolm X who is a native Nebraskan was very limited. Mr. Pace was extremely entertaining as well as informative. These programs have been filling up quickly so if you are interested, respond ASAP.

John Stritt - DL Director ESU 10
jstritt@esu10.org

0 Comments

365 Photos! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

This looks like a great project and would be fun to do with your
students. The idea is to take a photo each day! You could gear this
toward a certain type of curriculum or theme if you wanted! The kids
would get into the routine of this and you would be pulling out that
camera more often! For more on this project go to:
http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/

Also see The 10 Most Stunning Photo Blogs - http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-10-most-stunning-photo-blogs/

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Flowing Data - Watch Wal-Mart Develop Across the US - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

0 Comments

Google LIFE Photos - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Google is hosting photos from LIFE! Search millions of photos from LIFE's archives from as early as the 1750s. Go to http://images.google.com/hosted/life or add "source:life" to any image search on Google.

Let us know what you think!

0 Comments

ArcExplorer—Java Edition for Education - Jason Everett

Jason Everett — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Website Link

ArcExplorer—Java Edition for Education (AEJEE), allows you to view and query local data as well as ArcIMS services from the Geography Network, or other hosted sites. AEJEE comes with several pre-packaged project files as well as sample data to get you started.

0 Comments

Track This Now! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Track This Now is a free web application which is mainly a news search plus Google Maps. You can follow a news story around the globe and see the different perspectives on that story. For more information about this site and for other free web applications see Free Technology for Teachers.

0 Comments

Spacial Wiki - Mapping web site - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Thought you would like this site. It is called Spacial Wiki http://spatialwiki.com/. it is from Microsoft but it is a little like Google Maps but very easy to add information to. There is a very small free install called Silverlight that you will need to go ahead with once you get to the site. Let us know what you think! Has anyone tried it?

0 Comments

Global Connections - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Last summer at NECC in San Antonio, TX, we listened to the keynote on the second day and were inspired to go beyond what we were already doing in education. The keynote was a pair of teachers from Canada who were not necessarily comfortable with technology but they were burning out in their classrooms. They learned about Skype and about iEarn and were refreshed! Their classroom activities were renewed as was their spirit!

What they were talking about is the latest buzz word in education, global connections. Teachers are connecting with other classrooms around the world! The tool of choice seems to be Skype. Skype is a free download. With this program you can instant message but you can also make audio and video calls to another computer for FREE! You can also make audio calls to landlines and cellphones for a small fee. Skype is also a tool that you can use on any platform; Mac, PC, or Linux.

How do you find schools to share such a connection? One of the most important issues is having a purpose in your connection. You want to make sure this is a learning experience for students. Using iEarn, schools can find projects to participate in or post their own project. The projects come in all shapes and sizes. There are projects from the US and some from Pakistan.

What equipment will you need? You will need a computer with an Internet connection. You will also need speakers and a microphone. If you are going to do a video conference, you will need to have a camera. Many of the Mac's come with built-in cameras which work very well. Web cams are not very expensive and can be picked up at your local Wal-Mart, Target, or KMart. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for in a web cam. If you have a regular video camera, you can plug that in and use it as a web cam! That adds the zoom and pan actions into your video conference.

This is really an exciting tool for education. Even here at the ESU, we are using Skype to answer teacher questions and other tools such as Adobe Connect Pro to do workshops and trouble shoot technical issues. Go home today and try these ideas for yourself! Some of you may be able to try this right away with kids but many of us need to try it for ourselves first. It is a great tool to visit those grandkids or children. Use Skype to find a college friend and visit with them. See what YOU think...

Here is a link to the presentation I did yesterday for the Library/Media Specialists group on global connections! It contains more links to other sites such as iEarn! http://tinyurl.com/globetips

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Social Studies 2.0 – October 29, 2008 Wrap up activity... - Jason Everett

Jason Everett — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Social Studies 2.0 – October 29, 2008

Today I learned…

...about Skype.

…how to use Google Docs and Diigo.

…some great websites to use and Diigo.

…possible uses for GPS devices.

…how to make waypoints on aGPS

…distance Learning.

…to be more confident in new ideas.

…how to be more tech savvy.

…almost everything was new to me.

…I know a lot.

…a lot of useful info.

…lots of stuff that I can actually use!

While participating in today’s activities, I felt…

…as if I was on the right track with tech in the classroom.

…enlightened.

…excited to try new ideas.

…excited about new and better possibilities.

…excited and overwhelmed.

…overloaded with information.

…overwhelmed by the learning curve.

…very relaxed.

…at ease.

…that this would have been cool to have this info. a weekago!

Something that really pleased me today was…

…Skype, geocaching ideas, Diigo!

…Skype.

…learning more about Diigo.

…the GPS lesson.

…that I could run the GPS.

…the weather for the GPS activity.

…how to save bookmarks on Diigo.

…all the awesome ideas and potential activities/websites,etc.

…the sharing of websites and how to do that.

…the new sites to use in class.

…new ideas for teaching.

…great useful information.

Something I can change in my classroom to make adifference is…

…using Skype.

…using Diigo.

…to collaborate with students.

…use collaboration with the internet.

…to use more online resources for reinforcement.

…more hands-on time for students.

…I will use more technology.

…forcing students to take a chance with me.

…to utilize the programs so I don’t have to reinvent thewheel.

…more exciting ways to learn new ideas.

Something that bugged me today was…

…not enough time at the cemetery!

…how far behind our school is. Leon as well!

…all the GPS buttons to push.

…using a MAC.

…a lot of information and not able to incorporate all of it.

…so much to digest in one setting.

…I need to budget time.

…my computer was slow.

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Become a Discovery Educator! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

I go to conferences and see DEN on name tags and bags. That is what inspired today’s blog. I wanted to find out more about the Discovery Educators Network and how it works.

We all know that Discovery Channel is a great resource. What you might not know is that you can become a member of Discovery Channel to get more from this fabulous resource? So, today I went on and signed up. I am not a STAR Educator yet but I have made the first step.

To get into being a Discovery Educator, go to DEN web site and follow these instructions. Check out the benefits of being a Discovery Educator! Once you are signed up you have hundreds of great resources, lessons, discussions, and more at the tips of your fingers. If you are still hungry for additional resources, become a STAR Educator! Follow the instructions there and apply online! They will ask you to answer three questions and submit a digital version of a lesson you have done. Seems pretty simple! With STAR status, you will receive even more benefits.

Join me in the DEN!

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Mapskip - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Here is a site I just learned about called MapSkip. it seems to blend storytelling, mapping, and social networks in one web tool. see what you think! Leave a comment so we know if it is worthwhile! http://www.mapskip.com/index.php

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Pictures from our GPS Activity (10-29-08) - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

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World Geography - Jason Phelps

Jason Phelps — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:40:05 GMT

http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/
This site has interactive maps of countries all over the world

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October 29th Assignment - Jason Everett

Jason Everett — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Your assignment for the community is to share how you will use each of the tools discussed today.

Google Docs
Distance Learning
Skype
Communities

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Google Earth Ideas - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Just found this Google presentation on the web that I thought you might like to share with your teachers. This slideshow is Twenty-One Interesting Ways to Use Google Earth in the classroom. Check it out and see what you think! Let us know by posting a comment! http://tinyurl.com/2q4da8

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21st Century & You! - Deanna Stall

Deanna Stall — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:00:00 GMT

What do 21st Century Students look like?

You have seen them walking down the street in any town, big or small, with pockets full of gadgets and talking on their cell phones. All that technology that we adults can't even identify. These are the 21st Century students. These are the next generation of earners, families, and voters in the United States. As I was reading the article Syncing Up With the iKid: Connecting to the Twenty-First-Century Student by Josh McHugh in Edutopia, I was thinking about when I was a kid and boom-boxes were a hot item. Everyone had one and they were all shapes and sizes. But it was a little embarrassing on those Saturday nights when my parents would bring out the record albums to torture us with this outdated technology, not to mention the polka music they were playing. Thankfully, the Walkman came along and I could listen to what I wanted, when I wanted. That meant, no more polkas for me! It also meant that I missed out on the family time together and the opportunity to let my parents know that I didn't like their music. In reminiscing, I realized that is probably what today's kids think of the adults in their lives. They want the latest and greatest technology for reason's they aren't sure about; they want it personalized; of course, they want to be able to tell you that you are old and out of touch with the world; and they still want to be accepted and part of the family.

A group called Partnership for 21st Century Skills developed a vision of 21st century student success. Nine states have taken part in this initiative. Nebraska's Department of Education has been in talks about it as well. The skills, knowledge, and expertise students should master to succeed in work and life are outlined on their site.

Core Subjects & 21st Century Themes - The core subjects they have included are English, reading or language arts, world languages, arts, math, economics, science, geography, history government and civics. They also include that interdisciplinary themes of global awareness; financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health literacy.
Learning and Innovation Skills - These skills include creativity & innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; and communication and collaboration.
Information, Media and Technology Skills - Because of an abundant amount of information the skills students will need are information literacy, media literacy, and ICT literacy (Information, Communication and Technology)
Life and Career Skills - Employers will be looking for these skills in any area and in all their employees. They are looking for flexibility & adaptability; initiative & self-direction; social & cross-cultural skills; productivity & accountability; leadership & responsibility.

In order for us to get students to succeed with these skills, four things must be in place. First, standards and assessments are critical; that's not a problem in Nebraska. Second, curriculum and instruction should support these 21st century skills. Third, teachers need to be provided adequate professional development in these areas. And lastly, where students learn affects what they learn so learning environments which support 21st century skills is the final critical piece of the puzzle. Statistics say that students of today will have fourteen different jobs by the time they are 38 years old. It is vital that our students have these skills in place before they leave our schools. Did You Know 2.0 and A Vision of Students Today are great video representations of many statistics like these.

What do 21st Century Teachers look like?

Why upgrade to color televisions if the black and white worked just fine? Why get a cassette tape player when your eight-track player did the job? Well, ok, the eight-track may be a bad example. I bet you can come up with a few of your own examples. The world has upgraded in every way, shape, and form. 21st Century Teachers are going to look different as well. We must upgrade to provide a quality education for our students.

International Society of Technology Education (ISTE) created standards for educational technology for students and teachers. In June of 2007, ISTE unveiled the NETS-National Educational Technology Standards for Students. This last June, ISTE released the NETS for Teachers. In June of 2009, ISTE will complete the NETS for Admininstrators. You are probably thinking, "More standards? I'm going to scream!" Before you do that, let's think about what these standards are really asking us as teachers to do for our students. Here are some explanations and ideas you can try in your classroom to promote 21st century learning in your students.

Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity - Many of you already do this every day with kids. The word facilitate is really a tough one to truly put into action. How do we let go of the reigns in our classroom and still control the behavior, student interaction, and learning while they are there? My kids always want to be responsible for the big stuff like mowing the yard instead of just doing the dishes. The same applies to students in the classroom. If you want kids to do something, they need to know it is important enough and that you trust them enough to be in charge of it. Allow students to be in charge of their own learning! Give them guidance so they know how to do the research and let them find all the resources they can. Let them create their own visual model of their understanding so you can see it too. You will be surprised at how deep the learning will be! If you don't know how to use the technology, ask someone to help you or be willing to let the kids figure it out on their own. Letting go of the reigns is an exhilarating feeling for you and your students!
Design & develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments - For weekend work, have students take pictures that represent your current vocabulary words and share those pictures with the whole class. Think they don't all have cameras? They will take the pictures with their cell phone or will borrow a camera. Have you ever had your students make a movie for your class? If you aren't ready for Final Cut Pro, have students use their digital cameras to take enough pictures to create a movie (kind of like making a cartoon). If you want to dive in a little deeper, try out Movie Maker on Windows or iMovie on the Mac to have students create commercials, public service announcements, or summary videos of classroom events.
Model digital-age work and learning - Most schools now have some sort of information system such as Power School so many of you are using that for keeping grades. Try adding one new tool to your repertoire this next school year. If you get stuck, ask a student! They will be glad to help you, and it is a great way to build that trusting relationship with students. Keep your bookmarks on Delicious or Diigo and then share them with your students. Take pictures of your class and post them on Flickr or Picasa. Save your Power Point slides as .jpg or .png and post them to Picasa so students can access them anytime.
Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility - Talk to kids in every class about internet behavior. Preteaching is the best! Tell them ahead of time what they can expect on an assignment and then, how you expect them to complete it and how it will look. If they are doing research, teach students how to do responsible research on the internet. Take the next step and talk to them about the difficult stuff. Talk about the internet, social networks, and what might be out in the world. This is no different than talking about drugs, alcohol, or relationships. Even if kids hear it from their parents and then hear it again from you, keep talking!
Engage in professional growth and leadership - Going to workshops is always a good thing but we here at ESU 10 are very aware of the obstacles you face when trying to take time for professional development. What can you do then, if you are unable to take those days? For starters, find a small group of people you trust. They don't have to teach in the same curricular area that you do or even the same grade level. Gather your group frequently for short sharing sessions even if it is only 10 minutes a week maybe in the morning or after school. Start by sharing your favorite web sites, next teach each other how to use a web tool. Finally try longer training sessions for instructional strategies or applications. You might even try learning a new tool together with the help of online training such as Lynda.com. or Atomic Learning. Your new group (PLN - Personal Learning Network) will keep you going through the school year. ESU 10 also offers many workshops in Kearney. Those trainings can be brought to you and your school by our trainers at ESU 10! Please call or email if you are interested. We will also be implementing a new training delivery method in the form of a webinar. We have four planned for October and November covering Google tools. They are one-hour sessions after school. We hope this new technology will make it easier for you to get the training you need, when you need it. Additionally, there are online communities just for teachers! From the makers of ODIE, ESU 10 is developing communities for workshop participants and member schools. (More communities are in the works!) These communities will be used for collaboration, sharing resources & lessons. There are also web sites such as Classroom 2.0, a Ning site where teachers gather to collaborate and share. If you are really ready to dig in, try Twitter! Twitter is a microblogging site where you follow and are followed only by the people you give permission to. Read more about Twitter and how it is being used in a new article on Edutopia! Professional development is viral so pass it on and cheer each other on!

If you are wondering where you stand with your technology integration, ISTE has created a classroom observation tool that can be downloaded. You will need to sign up for a free account. Use this tool when making lesson plans or observing teachers. The last two pages of the .pdf might trigger some other great lesson ideas for your classes.

21st century kids may look a little different than we did at that age but they didn't get there by themselves on purpose. They are the result of a changing society. America and the world will continue to change, grow, and develop new technology. For our students to be ready for that change, ready to be proper citizens, run a government of which we can be proud, we must be willing to work toward these skills for ourselves first.

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