Lindgren's MetroNet Blog

Technology in the classroom

2009-04-22T06:49:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I have REALLY dropped the ball on my Metronet responsibilities as of late but I did want to blog about my lesson this week.
We're spending block day this week analyzing music of World War I. It's so great to have my laptop/LCD player and my ipod for this lesson. I can play the music, project the lyrics on the screen and it is a very interactive way for students to get involved in the lesson. I feel it's one of my better lessons I've done this year. The kids seem to be very involved and it makes it a fun day. Yay for technology!

FB update

2009-04-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sure this will come as no surprise to those of you who have had facebook accounts for awhile....but I'm loving it. I've been in contact with several people that I haven't seen or talked with in 20 years! Very cool idea!

Facebook

2009-03-31T07:25:00.001-07:00

I've been inspired by some of you (and friends and acquaintences) to create a facebook page. I made it last night and still need to learn more of the ins and outs. I can see where it will be a fun place to reconnect with people from the past.

Thing 10 Digital Storytelling

2009-03-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

The only thing that I can think of that comes close to digital story telling in my classroom is when I used a video from online that showed an Aesop's fable that I was trying to connect to a lesson. It's interesting that I chose to work on Thing 10 today becuase in the Tech Crew training that I'm taking through work we had an assignment that is somewhat similar to digital story telling.

Our assignment was to video tape our class and then record voice narration over our video to describe what's happening in the lesson. Future teachers can use our videos to help out with classroom issues and to improve their own teaching. I did my video on techniques to improve on-task student behavior.

I could envision using digital story-telling in the future in my class in a lot of ways. One thing that I think would be fantastic, is to have students interview a grandparent or an older relative about some aspect of world history that they lived through. I think that would be a fascinating way of researching primary sources and it could also easily be shared with the class.

Some possible obstacles to overcome regarding having students use digital storytelling is teaching and learning the computer programs necessary to create digital stories. One nice thing is that year after year I feel that students become more and more tech savvy and that would help in overcoming this obstacle. Another way to overcome technology problems is to plan ahead with our building technology coordinator and have them help me brainstorm possible problems and ways to overcome those problems.

Thing 10

2009-03-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hi out there! I wanted to work on Thing 10 today but I can't get the link to work from the Metronet page. Any thoughts on how I can access this? Thanks.

Thing 9 - Copyright & Creative Commons

2009-02-16T11:56:00.000-08:00

What have I learned about copyright? I believe I've mostly just been reminded of things I already knew. For instance, that copyrights are meant to protect and inspire creativity and that they give legal rights to creators. It's important we respect them because then we're promoting the sharing of ideas. I think it's important that we inform our students about copyright protections because really, using copyrighted materials illegally is stealing...no different than if they walked into Target and stole a book.
I think copyright is a good Mili topic because there's so much to know. Also, I've found some cool websites that are copyright free as a result of Metronet. As I put on the Miliwiki...I really like the site http://www.oldbookillustrations.com/ because it includes neat copyright free illustrations I can use on my history assignments.
My primary experiences dealing with copyright are actually when I go to make photocopies. For example, in my E.L.L. History class, we don't have a single textbook that we work out of. I find myself constantly seeking for, making and borrowing materials for that class. Sometimes I'm unsure if I'm using everything in a fair manner. Because of this topic in Metronet, I'm more aware of how I can find out about fair use of any classroom materials.

Thing 8: Databases

2009-02-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

I decided to check out more thoroughly the databases that we have here at Pioneer Ridge. There are several good databases here that I've used in the past like Opposing Viewpoints or Discovery Education Streaming (awesome place for video clips if you haven't tried it I highly recommend it).
Today I decided to dig deeper into the Historical Newspapers database from ProQuest. Since my students have an upcoming research assignment dealing with inventions and inventors of the Industrial Revoltuion, I thought I would see what sort of sources I could find at this database.

Some of the information the database provides includes articles (I found one on how the sewing machine changed society from 1858). The database also provides a timeline so that the researcher can focus in on a particular era if he/she so chooses. There are full articles available here as well as just the abstract of the article if you just want a basic idea of what is contained in the article.

I think the Historical Newspapers database is user friendly. One drawback is that the articles can be difficult to read even if you open them in a new window. This is likely due to the age of some of the articles. Considering a lot of them are transferred from microfiche or maybe even some older technology, that's not too surprising. If one has patience, the articles can be deciphered, but I do see this as a possible drawback trying to get some students interested in printed information that is tough to read at times.

I think one benefit I could point out to students about the Historical Newspapers database is that it is a simple way to look for and find entire primary sources about a research topic in history and they are available for free! I would recommend this database to all the Social Studies teachers for sure and maybe others looking for primary sources for another type of research project.

Cool site

2009-01-28T06:47:00.000-08:00

Check out http://cramberry.net/ if you need to have your students make flashcards for anything. This week, my students are creating board games. All of their games require that they write trivia questions as part of the assessment criteria. I'm going to share the Cramberry site with students and see if any of them want to use it to help them create or study for their game creation.

Another great link from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/!!!

Thank you memos

2009-01-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

I just love one thing about the end of a quarter. A few of our Using Tech. teachers give their students an assignment to write a "Thank you" memo to one of their teachers. It always makes me smile to find one or more of those memos in my mailbox. Often the kids write silly things like "you never give us much homework" but every once in awhile I get a very well thought out and kind memo like "you always look for ways to make learning fun."

This year, Metronet has helped me find several ways to keep learning fresh and fun. Not only do I appreciate that fact, but my students have noticed too.

P.S. Travis and I have a not so friendly little on-going memo competition on which one of us gets the most. It's pretty funny actually. I'm ahead this quarter. :)

editing wikis

2009-01-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

As Sarah pointed out, I must be getting pretty techy because I just blurted out, "Now I have to blog that I edited a wiki!"

I did in fact edit a wiki; one for our new Chanhassen library and the resources/research we do and the other was on the http://milicopyrightwiki.pbwiki.com (check it out). I tried to make a little joke about what is a "copyleft".

I'm just learning so much from my Metronet class! This web 2.0 stuff isn't so hard afterall and it's kind of fun too!

Thing 6 - Online collaboration tools

2009-01-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

Alright, I must admit I can't think of a reason why I need one yet but I went ahead and read about wikis and then I created one today. I inivited a couple of friends to share how they find wikis useful and to give me ideas for use in my own work or personal life.

Right now, I feel that wikis are just another blog. If I have a blog, why do I also need a wiki? But I have faith that an idea will come to me for wiki use with my students and it will be inspirational.

I'm curious why I couldn't figure out how to add my wiki to my Rss reader on Google. Anyone out there have any thoughts on that?

Thing 7 - Going deeper, search engines

2009-01-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

So I've been checking out some other search engines besides my old stand-by, Google today. I liked the gigablast.com site and will try to remember to use it more often (how easy to form the always search google habit!)

Additionally, I created a Google custom search engine called Lindgren's search engine. I'm not entirely sure yet all the ways it will be helpful, but I'll keep you posted.

Finally, I continue to be amazed by all the Google products. Today I checked out http://knol.google.com/k and it looks pretty interesting. It is a way to communicate with experts in a particular area and I plan to explore it further when I have time. I found some interesting information on Napoleon Bonaparte in a cursory search this afternoon.

Thing 5 Libraries

2009-01-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of teachers I've liked going to the library since I was a kid. I was brought up in rural northern Minnesota so going to the nearest public library in Grand Rapids was a treat. My sisters and I really looked forward to getting books from our local book-mobile up in Bigfork to supplement trips to the library.

As a 13 year resident of Chaska, I am a regular user of this public service. I've had a library card for a long time and a pin number for awhile. I've requested books and movies from other libraries with ease. The only caveat...is planning ahead a little if I need a resource for my classroom.

I have the MNLink on my classroom webpage and have encouraged my students to use it during past research projects.

Long live the public library system! :)

note taking

2009-01-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Well back at my classrooms we're neck-deep in the French Revolution. I'm wondering if any of you have any clever ideas to liven up note-taking. I've steered further and further away from the practice each year because it is boring for me too and I believe most students. Sometimes though it just seems like the best way to give students information.
With all of the creative teaching minds in the Metronet class, I'd love to hear from anyone who has clever ideas to liven up good old fashioned note taking. Thanks!

MELSA

2008-12-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

I was really happy to be reminded of all the great resources available on Melsa.org last night at Metronet. My students are working on some biographical research and I was able to direct them to the Biography Resource Center for a great source of information today.

Here's the link if you missed it last night: http://find.galenet.com/menu/commonmenu.do?userGroupName=mnkvictoria

Blogging backlog

2008-12-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

Wow! Are any of you like me and feeling a little behind in doing your "Thing" assignments? I've really lost lots of valuable Metronet time since my student teacher left!
I'm looking forward to our nice long break at Christmas to try to get a couple more of my things finished.
Happy holidays everyone!

Tagedu

2008-11-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

I checked out a new search engine site that is supposed to be a helpful resource for teachers, it's called http://www.tagedu.com/
After a few attempts to find teaching resources related to "Louis XIV" and then "Versailles" and finally just "World History", I didn't receive ANY hits. I'm not convinced this is a particularly helpful site. I think I'll stick with Delicious for the time being.

Letter to our next president

2008-11-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hi bloggers,

I got another great idea from the Free technology for teachers site and I thought I'd share. The idea is to have students write a letter to our next president identifying issues and concerns that the student feels are critical for our nation.

I typed up a rubric and gave students a sample letter today. I think the idea would work well in a Social Studies or Language Arts class.

Election resource

2008-10-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Metronet gang. Here's an interesting link to get students a little more interested in the campaign process. I'm going to give it a try next week. http://current.com/topics/88849451_election_night_2008

With my student teacher finishing his time here tomorrow, I'm curious when I'll make time to do my blogging and keep working on my "Things", but I'll give it my best shot!

Comments on Thing 4

2008-10-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading and doing Thing 4 from the 23 Things list. I'll make a few comments on the On-line productivity tools.
First, I've been using igoogle as my customizable homepage. I love the streamlined and efficient nature of using this page. It's a real time-saver and I just read through the things that interest me most if I'm pinched for time.

While doing my Thing 4 assignments, I checked out google calendar and even set up an account and entered an appointment. I like the calendar but I don't know that I'll use it for the time being becuase I already keep a calendar for my students on my rSchool account and I keep my personal/professional calendars in my Outlook. I feel that keeping an additional calendar at this point is redundant. I may change my mind about that in the future.

Thing 2 and RSS readers

2008-10-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I did "Thing 2" but forgot to blog about it. Now that I'm using it every day, I LOVE Google Reader. I've found several terrific sites on the RSS feed "Technology for Teachers".
It's quick and simple to check Google Reader once or twice each day and read things that look interesting &/or relevant to teaching World History. Today I'll be looking for good resourses on the presidential election to use in my classroom. I'll keep you posted on any great finds.

Power Point Palooza

2008-10-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

http://pptpalooza.net/

Social Studies teachers might be interested in this site. It has many "ready made" power points for history and global studies type classes. I was looking for a power point on the Age of Exploration and found a very well done slide show at this site.

P.S. I found this site because of the "Free Technology for Teachers" RSS feed that Travis and Sarah showed us all recently. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I recommend it as well. Here's the link:
http://freetech4teachers.blogspot.com/

Wordle plan for my E.L.L. class

2008-10-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

I've made a lesson plan to incorporate the wordle website into my lesson plan for Monday. I teach one section of World History to an all E.L.L. (English Language Learners) class. Many are struggling to learn to write and even speak in English. On Monday, they are composing paragraphs to wrap up a Social Studies unit we've been studying about Islamic Empires.

After students write paragraphs summarizing important facts about two Islamic Empires, I'm having them cut and paste their paragraphs into the Wordle site and then print them. We'll talk about which words they see appearing in their word clouds and why they appear prominently (which I understand is all about the frequency of certain words in the text they entered). My hope is that this will be a fun way to talk about improving their writing skills. I'll keep you all posted how things go after Monday's lesson.

Delicious and This Day In History

2008-10-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Today I learned how to add other users to my Delicious account which is really cool because I can see what other teachers are using and saving too...seems like a potential time-saver!

Another cool thing from today's Metronet class was hearing from Sarah B. how to find little video clips on the History Channel about "On This Day In History". I'm frequently looking for simple and interesting ways to add technology to my lesson plans, so I'm sure I'll be using this clip in the future. Here's the link if anyone is interested in exploring it.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do

Top 10 reasons to use a blog in the classroom

2008-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

I just watched the YouTube video that had students describe why they like using blogs in the classroom. A couple of the more compelling comments to me were that students like the interactive nature of blogs and also that blogging allows otherwise reluctant students an alternative way to classroom participation.

I'm often looking for ways to get more students to participate in classroom discussions. I think that a classroom blog is a good way to get shy/quiet students to be more involved in class and to have a different type of "voice."

Working on my 21 things...

2008-09-30T08:59:00.001-07:00

Ok, today I am committed to finish one more of my 21 Things for Metronet. I'm hoping to stumble across some more neat web 2.0 tools that I can share with you. Wish me luck! :)

Google docs

2008-09-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited to use Google docs on an upcoming student project. I love that students can collaborate and create a group project or presentation, without one or two students doing the bulk of the work. With Google docs, I can easily keep track of which students are contributing to the group project and in what manner.

Research Project Calculator

2008-09-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to say that I was able to talk about the Research Project Calculator with parents and colleagues this morning at a 504 meeting. The parents were concerned with their son's ability to stay on top of on-going research assignments. I was able to briefly explain the R.P.C. and also to point out that there is a link to this on my webpage at work.

MetroNet Day 2 Blog

2008-08-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

Just set up my Google Reader...now trying to determine all the many fine uses of it!

SHAWN-I!!!

2008-08-20T12:08:00.001-07:00

HI SHAWBN!

MetroNet Day One

2008-08-19T12:36:00.001-07:00

Seems like lots of good information and a fun group. I'm looking forward to learning lots this year!