iMic, Lapel Mics, and Ear Jams are in from Griffin Technologies!
I plugged the Lapel Mic into the iMic and the iMic into my PC.
In the Audacity (iMic comes with it, but I had previously downloaded it) preferences, I selected iMic audio system for input and output (it was in the dropdown menus waiting for me).
I switched the toggle switch over toward the headphones (don't know why that worked) and--bang! I was recording.
Hello better sound quality!
It took longer to open the package than to set it up.
I might just have to throw out a special Weekend Edition of Teachnology for this.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Math Forum
Here's a great math site! Math Forum from Drexel University is an incredible instructional tool for teachers as well as a helpful homework resource for students that also offers challenge problems to extend their learning. There is also a resource for teachers and parents to ask questions about teaching mathematics, called Teacher2Teacher. There's also the Math Tools, which is a community library of technology tools, lessons, activities, and support materials for teaching and learning mathematics.
I appologize if the audio was a big distraction. I ordered two lapel microphones from Griffin Technologies. Once they get here, the show won't sound like some heavy-breather prank phone call.
Thanks for listening!
EJ
I appologize if the audio was a big distraction. I ordered two lapel microphones from Griffin Technologies. Once they get here, the show won't sound like some heavy-breather prank phone call.
Thanks for listening!
EJ
Monday, January 24, 2005
Wednesday's Show
I'm sorry I haven't posted any previews for this week's show. My 7th grade girls basketball team had two games on Saturday and really chewed up my prep time for the show. I'm on it now though.
EJ
EJ
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Rubistar
Build your rubrics with just a few clicks! Rubistar is a great rubric builder for many curriculum areas. In just a few minutes you can have a rubric built, when it would have normally taken hours. Rubistar allows you to build a rubric by selecting predetermined standards (criteria) and editing them to fit your needs. You can then save and export your rubric to excel for further revision, if needed. Rubistar is an incredible time-saving resource for teachers! There's a short registration required, but the whole process is FREE and EASY! To give it a try, click here!
Monday, January 17, 2005
An email signature you can use...and some sites
I've received some feedback that leads me to believe that there are others out there who may have experienced some similiar difficulties that I had understanding the process involved in getting podcasts to automatically download to iTunes. To that end, I wrote some HTML to help podcasters simplify the process for their prospective listeners or any listeners who play their mp3s directly from Openpodcast or Audio Weblogs.
Here is the final Signature line that I wrote to appear in all my Yahoo emails. You can either edit it to reflect your podcast or keep it as it is to reflect mine--keeping it to reflect mine is much easier.
:-)
If you would like to share this resource with other prospective listeners--especially teachers, students, or administrators (ya, we'll let the administrators in on the fun until they get outta hand) feel free to copy and paste to your heart's delight.
Copy and Paste the passage below the dotted line into your email Signature field. Directions for getting it into your signature field follows it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To hear the Teachnology podcasts, click here!
You can have them automatically downloaded to iTunes (free PC download) by following these steps:
1. Download the iPodder software (free) by clicking here;
2. Copy the URL from my
feed by clicking here;
3. Paste that URL into the "Add Feed Manually" field in iPodder.
Access the show notes here.
Thanks for listening!
EJ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's how you get the above instructions in your Yahoo! Mail signature field (you can also paste this anywhere that allows you to use an HTML editor--also know as a rich text editor (they have a formatting bar across the top).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the final Signature line that I wrote to appear in all my Yahoo emails. You can either edit it to reflect your podcast or keep it as it is to reflect mine--keeping it to reflect mine is much easier.
:-)
If you would like to share this resource with other prospective listeners--especially teachers, students, or administrators (ya, we'll let the administrators in on the fun until they get outta hand) feel free to copy and paste to your heart's delight.
Copy and Paste the passage below the dotted line into your email Signature field. Directions for getting it into your signature field follows it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To hear the Teachnology podcasts, click here!
You can have them automatically downloaded to iTunes (free PC download) by following these steps:
1. Download the iPodder software (free) by clicking here;
2. Copy the URL from my
feed by clicking here;
3. Paste that URL into the "Add Feed Manually" field in iPodder.
Access the show notes here.
Thanks for listening!
EJ
Here's how you get the above instructions in your Yahoo! Mail signature field (you can also paste this anywhere that allows you to use an HTML editor--also know as a rich text editor (they have a formatting bar across the top).
- Login to Your Yahoo! Email account with Explorer--the HTML feature of Yahoo Mail doesn't work in any other browser (Doh!). Sorry, Firefox, I don't make the rules, I'm just imprisoned by them.
- Click the Mail Options link on the righthand side.
- Click the Signature link under Personalization.
- Check HTML. NOTE: IE6 users will have to check View HTML Source in order for the pasted-in code (below) to be recognized as proper HTML.
- Check the Add signatures to all outgoing messages box at the bottom (or don't--it's not like I'm gettin' some big royalty check off this deal).
- Click Save.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Teachnology Podcast 01.05.05
I'm just getting a few things ready for tomorrow's podcast...I'll link later.
I wanted to get some great sites out there from several different curriculum areas.
Interdisciplinary
Brain Pop - Offers several excellent tutorials in math, health, science, english, and technology. There's a 10 question quiz for each tutorial as well as a crossword puzzle and lab activity for many of the topics.
There is a reasonable subscription price; however, they offer a full access 14 day trial period that only requires an email address. They also allow access to a few tutorials from each curriculum area without even signing up for the free trial. This is a good tool that students will find interesting. BrainPop could make this a GREAT tool by reporting student proficiency back to the teacher (like Quiz Lab). How do they know what learning is taking place without some data? Thus, how do they know which tutorials and excercises need revision. More importantly, the teacher has to provide their own independent assessment tool which shouldn't be necessary for the subscription price.
Math
Figure This - Includes several middle level math challenges. Each challenge also has a thought provoking hint that helps the learner become more of a critical thinker. You can also view a short promotional video that explains what the web site offers. One of the nicest features of this site is that the challenges are available in spanish.
Science
NOVA Teachers - Hosted by PBS. There's two things that struck me about this site (other than the name). :-) First, they offer a link to a full lesson plan relating to a recent show complete with answers and a list of National Science Education supported standards. The second aspect of this site that can be particularly helpful to teachers is the Teacher's Guide. This section offers two matrices, sorting their instructional tools by Program Title and by Subject. Each matrix indicates the type of activities available for each resource in a very easy-to-understand format.
Language Arts/Reading
Number2.com - Vocab Builder -Number2 is an excellent free test prep site that helps students prepare for the SAT, ACT, and even the GRE. This site also has a Vocab Builder which adapts to the learner's skill level automatically, and keeps track of the words each learner has seen to allow further attempts. Once the learner gets a word correct twice, it goes into a personal mastered words list.
Social Studies
Marco Polo - This could actually be listed under interdisciplinary as you can search for lessons and student interactives for all curriculum areas/levels from a multitude of online sources. Under the social studies umbrella specifically, the site offers a MarcoPolo Calendar which allows you to access information on historic events and associated MarcoPolo lessons and resources for each day. As if this weren't enough, the site offers Professional Development courses as well.
Health
Kids Health/Teen Health - An excellent resource for students that allows them to explore health-related issues that pertain specifically to their age group. The teen section is geared more toward high school--possibly late midddle school--you'll defiitely want to review content before turning middle schoolers loose on the teen health site.
It looks like the podcast will get pushed back to at least Saturday as I've got a cold and can barely speak. More notes on the other sites later...
I wanted to get some great sites out there from several different curriculum areas.
Interdisciplinary
Brain Pop - Offers several excellent tutorials in math, health, science, english, and technology. There's a 10 question quiz for each tutorial as well as a crossword puzzle and lab activity for many of the topics.
There is a reasonable subscription price; however, they offer a full access 14 day trial period that only requires an email address. They also allow access to a few tutorials from each curriculum area without even signing up for the free trial. This is a good tool that students will find interesting. BrainPop could make this a GREAT tool by reporting student proficiency back to the teacher (like Quiz Lab). How do they know what learning is taking place without some data? Thus, how do they know which tutorials and excercises need revision. More importantly, the teacher has to provide their own independent assessment tool which shouldn't be necessary for the subscription price.
Math
Figure This - Includes several middle level math challenges. Each challenge also has a thought provoking hint that helps the learner become more of a critical thinker. You can also view a short promotional video that explains what the web site offers. One of the nicest features of this site is that the challenges are available in spanish.
Science
NOVA Teachers - Hosted by PBS. There's two things that struck me about this site (other than the name). :-) First, they offer a link to a full lesson plan relating to a recent show complete with answers and a list of National Science Education supported standards. The second aspect of this site that can be particularly helpful to teachers is the Teacher's Guide. This section offers two matrices, sorting their instructional tools by Program Title and by Subject. Each matrix indicates the type of activities available for each resource in a very easy-to-understand format.
Language Arts/Reading
Number2.com - Vocab Builder -Number2 is an excellent free test prep site that helps students prepare for the SAT, ACT, and even the GRE. This site also has a Vocab Builder which adapts to the learner's skill level automatically, and keeps track of the words each learner has seen to allow further attempts. Once the learner gets a word correct twice, it goes into a personal mastered words list.
Social Studies
Marco Polo - This could actually be listed under interdisciplinary as you can search for lessons and student interactives for all curriculum areas/levels from a multitude of online sources. Under the social studies umbrella specifically, the site offers a MarcoPolo Calendar which allows you to access information on historic events and associated MarcoPolo lessons and resources for each day. As if this weren't enough, the site offers Professional Development courses as well.
Health
Kids Health/Teen Health - An excellent resource for students that allows them to explore health-related issues that pertain specifically to their age group. The teen section is geared more toward high school--possibly late midddle school--you'll defiitely want to review content before turning middle schoolers loose on the teen health site.
It looks like the podcast will get pushed back to at least Saturday as I've got a cold and can barely speak. More notes on the other sites later...
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Teach-nology Podcast #1 January 04, 2005
In today's podcast, I'm going to share the rubric I use to allow students to perform daily self-evaluations. The rubric and a student example are in the same excel workbook at this eboard site for my classes.
Obviously, as a computer literacy teacher, it's pretty easy for me to have my students update their excel gradebook every day. However, when I taught math (which seems like decades ago, but was truly only four years ago), my students performed daily (most days) self-evaluations. I think it would be completely manageable for any core teacher to reserve a computer lab one day each week to update their self-evaluation gradebooks.
I certainly believe that if we tell students that being prompt and prepared for class are important aspects to learning, they should be allowed to reflect on their proficiency in those areas as well as on their participation and behavior. The trick is defining each of those areas in a concrete way so they get it. More importantly, I've found that giving the students a piece of the evaluation pie gives them more ownership and buy-in to the process.
Any questions, concerns, consternations, deliberations, revelations, or pontifications feel free to drop me a line at teachnology@hotmail.com. That's technology with an A.
Obviously, as a computer literacy teacher, it's pretty easy for me to have my students update their excel gradebook every day. However, when I taught math (which seems like decades ago, but was truly only four years ago), my students performed daily (most days) self-evaluations. I think it would be completely manageable for any core teacher to reserve a computer lab one day each week to update their self-evaluation gradebooks.
I certainly believe that if we tell students that being prompt and prepared for class are important aspects to learning, they should be allowed to reflect on their proficiency in those areas as well as on their participation and behavior. The trick is defining each of those areas in a concrete way so they get it. More importantly, I've found that giving the students a piece of the evaluation pie gives them more ownership and buy-in to the process.
Any questions, concerns, consternations, deliberations, revelations, or pontifications feel free to drop me a line at teachnology@hotmail.com. That's technology with an A.
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