A BYTE OF THE APPLE
MY COMPUTER EDUCATION date
19/08/09
location
MARIST COLLEGE EASTWOOD NSW
time
This is an e-magazine to introduce teachers to the little discoveries that we have all made about using our Mac Laptops and learning to introduce suitable and relevant Web 2.0 Applications into our teaching practices.
CONTENT hintsand Tools.
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Pages. Making professional worksheets in minutes’ Using template chooser
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Our Computers. What are the discoveries so far? Helpful
Using
Pages
Web
2.0
. What
Web 2.0
2
.0 Apps Review. Art and Comics
Apps Review. Podcasts
and
Vodcasts,
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2.0 Apps Review
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TAS, Maths PD/H/PE
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Music, Movies and Video.
Novelty and Fun,
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,
2.0 Apps Review.
5
Web 2.0 Sites
2.0 Apps Review. English Science, HSIE
Web Web
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are people talking about....................................
Web
Web
Examples
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apps
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Resources
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students
Web 2.0
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OUR COMPUTERS What are some of the discoveries so far? Helpful Hints and Tools
Simone Maciel Darren Peattie Martin Mooney Mark Holden
10 9 9
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Blue Tooth File Exchange The Blue Tooth File Exchange tool allows you to share files or documents without the need for networks or cables. Open the Exchange Tool from Applications, select the file to be exchanged, select the device you want to send it to. Then send.
IChat
Digital Colour Meter
IChat is a tool that allows you to talk to other members of staff or students who have made themselves available. Open your bonjour list and select available for yourself. You can now chat with others, you can share documents, collect homework or even assignments.
Often when you are making a worksheet in Pages or designing a graphic you have forgotten which colour you used for a particular part of your design. Go into Applications and click on your Digital Colour Meter. It will let you know the value of the colour of the item your cursor is on.
NeoOffice
6 5 4 3 2 1
Stickies
Cut and Paste
Grab
An Apple application program that lets you post small notes, similar to Post-it notes, on your computer screen. These can be reminders or to do lists. To close them you simply close the window in the top right corner. In Mac OS X, Stickies is one of the widgets (an add-on tool) included with Dashboard.
Some people may be unaware that you can cut and paste from NeoOffice into Word and visvisa. Open your Remote Desktop Connection window highlight text in Word, copy Control C. Click back into the apple window and place your cursor into the NeoOffice document and hit Command V.
Grab is a tool that allows you to take a picture of all or part of your screen. This is a very useful tool if you are attempting to show someone how to do something on the computer. It is also a great tool for student to use to construct procedures or sets of instructions.Grab can be found in Services in the Program menu, select screen or selection.
USING PAGES
Worksheets to Impress
Professional Looking Worksheets in Minutes Using Template Chooser
From this
Pages is a wordprocessing application that also allows you to use layout and colour to produce professional looking documents. For teachers the best thing about Pages is that we never have to hand out another boring photocopy to our kids again. The easy thing about pages is the templates that come with the program. This newsletter has itself been totally produced using Pages. Each of the individual pages started life as a template. When you click on the Pages icon the template chooser immediately opens. This gives you the opportunity to design how you would like your document to look. Use Pages as a wordprocessor or use it as a professional page layout tool. Once you have chosen one of the layouts your document will open. Each of the design aspects on the layout is there only as a placeholder. This means that you can simply drag a new image or cut and paste new text
To this in 15 minutes
into the format on the document. You can change the size of text box by dragging the arrows on the corners. You can change the size of your pictures or even change the amount of the picture you use by playing with the slide bar on the Edit Mask. All of the colored shapes are added by clicking on the shapes icon in the toolbar. The colour of each shape can be changed by clicking on the small coloured box next the the Font Size box. DESIGN HINTS: Design hints are numerous, but there are some very simple rules you can follow when designing a worksheet or booklet. Like everything else these rules are meant to be broken. The more confident you get the more rules you should break. 1. Three colours only per page. These three colours should come from any images you have used on the page. 2. Repeat these colours throughout your design to help pull the design together.
3. Balance your design. If you have a big heading, then a block of colour may be necessary elsewhere on the page. 4. Include one (1) large image or if you want multiple images keep them the same size. 5. Do not be afraid to include text of different sizes. Place different concepts in different coloured boxes. 6. Stick to one font per document. There is nothing harder than trying to read different styles of fonts on the one page. 7. Finally, in this age of digital information it is vitally important that our students see us doing the right thing. We should reference properly any material that we use that is not our own. 8. Use your favourite magazine for design inspiration. Have FUN.
Girls just wanna have fun!
Yr 10 Sculpture Worksheets
PAGES EXAMPLES
All of the colours for this page where taken from the photograph. The boxes of text where used to differentiate between the different websites being used. The use of shadows on the boxes also gave the page a 3D element. Copy and paste web links straight into your documents.
Sometimes the graphics are so good you do not want to detract from them with a lot of unnecessary text. Let the images do the talking.
You can start to see how each of these pages is related. Picture at the top, linked to the text with a band of color. Main heading in one colour, sub-heading in another lighter colour. All websites links are designed to stand out so the students will not miss them.
Again all of the colours for this page where taken from the photographs. The boxes of text where used to differentiate between the different types of activities. I was going to sneak a boring activities in before they got to do the exciting one. Less motivation problems this way.
WEB2.0
Opening the door to Web 2.0
Big Huge Labs: Magazine
Essay map Glogster Interactives Jing Letter Pop
What are people talking about ?
MahShelf
Web 2.0 the new buzz word Web 2.0 is the second phase of internet tools to be developed. Most of these tools have been designed to allow users greater access to using and manipulating information. Many of these tools are web-based free tools or downloadable applications. The tools that are of most interest to educators are those tools that allow students to own, decode, deconstruct and then re present information that they have learnt. These tools include things like mind mapping tools, interactive timelines, digital bookshelves, comic creators, movie makers, online magazine cover makers and Podcast or Vodcast applications. Many of these tools have been packaged together to offer integrated sets of tools that allow students to create work in multiple ways. Some are designed to be presented straight from the net, other offer the ability for teachers to create secure websites or wikis. Some of these tools can be downloaded and used independently on the student’s individual laptops. A Wiki you say. A wiki is a mini website that allows users to add to, modify and
enhance the site. It is a fluid, changing thing that is directed by the users. In our case - students. The best example of a wiki is wikipedia. Each entry has been made by users. People can correct, add more detail and include citation as the site grows. A widget is another term you might hear. Widgets are tools that can be added to a website. An example of a widget is a site counter, but it could also be a graphic or a map that shows all the people around the world accessing that site at a particular time. Many of the Web 2.0 tools available are twitter or facebook based. It is these tools that many teachers have struggled to find places for in the classroom. This is not to say that there is no place for them. However it may be that other braver, bolder educators test the waters and find appropriate uses for these microblogging tools.
The last type of Web 2.0 tools that are being talked about include game based education applications that can be accessed through Playstation or Nintendo DS consoles. These applications
seems to be most popular with primary school educators but a few high schools have experimented with this technology. It is easy to find games that primary school students could benefit from; Imagine Designer could be used for Art and craft. Nintendo Dogs teaches young children the value of responsibility and empathy. There are many games that require complex problem solving skills in order to advance throughout the different levels of these games. Students, through trial and error discover the best strategies to succeed. The Brain training, spelling and eye training games all have admirable outcomes. There doesn’t seem to be as many that lend themselves to the skills that high school student require. None that are overtly obvious to a techno novice anyway. Have a look at some of the Web 2.0 tools on offer. Some are excellent.
NASA Images Only 2 Clicks Scribblemaps Science Buddies Snap Teachers TV Text 2 Mind Map Xtranormal Virtual Volcano The websites and Web 2.0 tools above are only a few of the plethora on offer. Some of these have been reviewed and will have a place in many classrooms. Many of these tools will be used almost immediately by many teachers. Have a play with some of these links and see if any would work well in your classroom.
WEB 2.O SITES
If it looks too hard it must be too hard ! What other schools have done? Many teachers are intimidated by the whole technology in classrooms debate. This is mainly because we don’t have anyone to actually explain what this means for US as teachers. The Web 2.0 tools introduced on the previous page are but the tip of the iceberg, but, all we really need to do is to adopt a number of tools that will benefit what we do in the classroom. Some of these tool do what we are already doing in the classroom however, they do it better, they do it quicker and they do it so all students can participate in the learning process and can then walk
away with their own copy of the product. How good would it be for each student to document their thought process using a digital mind map. How good to be able to go back and modify this mind map at any stage, or to add another branch when a new line of inquiry opens up. This is real. We can do this quickly and easily using the tool Mindomo. This is so easy to use that a class could be introduced to the tool and create a detailed mindmap within 10 minutes. The applications for this type of tool are endless; Visual Arts, Science, Eng-
lish, Drama, Tech Mandatory etc, etc. There are many schools that have already implemented many of these tools. We need to be aware of the websites that are available to us that have already developed resources to use in conjunction with these tools. We need not to re invent the wheel but instead take advantage of the huge array of digital resources that already exist. We need to learn from the experience of other schools. We need to look at how they have used these tools and in what situations they have worked best. We need to not repeat the mistakes that they made.
http://english11casey .wetpaint.com/ http://graphicnovelst udy.wikispaces.com/
http://sharedstoriesanth ology.wikispaces.com/
http://wicked-themusic al-resources.wikispace s.com/ http://artmatters.wiki spaces.com/ http://accounting3.wik ispaces.com/Course+ Content
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www.prezi.com
What sort of Web 2.0 tools will students www.museumbox.com want to use?
www.soshiku.com www.weekinrap.com www.kickfly.com www.voicethread.com www.text-to-movie.com www.professorgarfield.com
Like many tools that the students have access to, the students are the ones that will direct much of the learning. They become self motivated learners that will utilise all that is available. If you are unsure of how to use a Web 2.0 tool, give it to the boys a week or two before you want the use it the classroom and get them the teach you how to use it. Break the class into groups that are each responsible for teaching a specific aspect of the application. Look at the Web 2.0 tools you have available
and use only ones that allows for the educational outcomes that you desire. The one mistake we can make in this process is to throw the baby out with the dishwater. We would only choose to implement technology if it presents learning outcomes in better, more efficient or more thorough ways. Students love to create Imovies. These can be to document processes, record roleplays, mock interviews or create animations. Some of the mindmapping tools are easy to construct and can also
be used to annotate the diagrams. Many of the Web 2.0 tools are stand alone aplications that can teach students a specific set of skills. A great example of this is Virtual Volcano, Essay Map or even Science Buddies. The most popular set of tools for students seems to be the video suites and Pod and Vodcasting tools. These allow students to record their responses digitally and then present them as an audio file or an audio file accompanied by images. Most students know how to do this already.
WEB 2.O APPS REVIEW What are some of the good tools out there A quick review of suitable sites There a literally hundreds of Web 2.0 applications. Many are not relevant to teachers or the classroom environment. The following is a sample of applications that people may find useful in their classroom. Some applications might allow teachers to develop activities that would provide a concrete and real learning experience for their students. Have a look at the ones below and find ones that you feel most comfortable using. Alternatively offer the whole selection to a class one lesson and get the students to tell you which are best.
General Applications for Teachers
Mindomo
Prezi
WIZIQ
Visual Thesaurus
Fleck
Glogster
Odioge
Solvr
Scribble Screen
Wetpaint
Xtranormal
amap
Mind Mapping / Brainstorming Apps
Text2Mindmap
Mindomo
Mind42
Bubbl.us
Dropmind
Flowchart
Wisemapping
Skrbl
WEB 2.O APPS
Type to enter text
English Apps
Plotbot
Tikatok
BigHuge Labs
Quotes Daddy
Vorby
Read the Words
Magmypic
Shelfan
Essay Map
Enablr
Google Sky
Geni
Interactives
SciVee
Scilinks
Science Buddies
Virtual Volcano
NASA Images
Chartle
Graphsy
Interactives
Audible Kids
Ispeech
Science Apps
Maths Apps
Chartle
WEB 2.O APPLICATIONS
Type to enter text
TAS Apps
Flowchart
Grouprecipes
Cookstr
Foodari
Supercook
tastyplanner
Fatburgr
myrecipe
imcooked
Ifoods.TV
Tastespotting
cookthink
Geocommons
Trippermap
Interactives
Mytimeline
Interactives
Dipify
Geni
Museum Box
Click2maps
Timetoast
UNdata
Stratetris
HSIE Apps
WEB 2.O APPLICATIONS
Type to enter text
Art and Comic Apps
Kickfly
Doodlewall
DoInk
Picture Trail
Mutapic
Minishowcase
bitstrips
Teacher TV
JamStudio
Thesixtyone
deezer
Singsterr
AmieSt
ututti
Qtrax
soundsnap
Lyricsmode
songza
Dottunes
tunefind
Flowchart
Geni
Solvr
Music Apps
PD/H/PE Apps
Fatburgr
WEB 2.O APPLICATIONS Movie and Video Apps
Viddler Text-to-Movie
Tracking Shot
Movavi
JamStudio
Voice on the go
Waxxi
Pikikids
Mosaickr
JamStudio
Forlater. com
Myschoolog
Mashface
Podcast and Vodcast Apps
Spinvox
Podomatic
Novelty or Fun Apps
Mashface Apps for Students
YourGen
If some of these applications sound as though they might work in your classroom, just google the name of the application to locate it. Many of these have been found on the go2web2.0 website and there are many more that have yet to be reviewed. If you are unsure if any of these could be used please feel free to ask how they have been used elsewhere.
WEB 2.0 RESOURCES What are some good resources out there Other suitable websites
The Top 101 websites for Teachers assortedstuff.com teachingdegree.org readwritethink.org globalteacher.org.au Arcademicskillbuilderes.com mindmeister.com edu 2.0 youtube.com.EDU go2web2.0 ilearntechnology.com
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