Here Goes Something ... I guess

For well over a year now, my professional goal has been to expand my interaction with the global teaching community.  As you can well imagine, the benefits of developing a supportive and passionate Professional Learning Network (PLN) have been very inspiring and thought-provoking.  The way in which I approach teaching my classes now is very different than it was even a few short months ago.  In particular, I am most pleased to report that my students have also benefited from these new teaching practices as we have incorporated many innovative ideas into our daily classroom activities.

Without question, the connectivist approach of #etmooc has certainly motivated me to continue my pursuit of life-long learning.  Specifically, #etmooc participants are encouraged to act upon the following principles as outlined by Alec Couros in his welcoming comments:

1.  Make your learning visible.

2.  Contribute to the learning of others.

Even before #etmooc started, I was very good about applying and practicing both of these principles.  However, I was definitely starting to hit a rut.  It is this powerful video that made me realize I need to continue pushing my limits and boundaries in order to fully maximize the potential of the global connections I have made.




Okay, so where do we go from here?  What new challenge am I willing to take on?  Well, here goes something ... I guess:

I have always wanted to connect with my on-line colleagues in a more direct and personal way.  I have also wanted to try Google Hangouts.  So I have decided to challenge myself and host three - 1 hour Google Hangout sessions this week.  Accordingly, I am extending a formal invitation to all those interested, especially to my fellow #etmooc participants, to join me.  The schedule is below along with potential discussion topics.  

Wednesday, January 30  9 pm EST - #etmooc Thoughts so far

Thursday, January 31st   4 pm EST - The Global Teaching Community

Friday, February 1st        1 pm EST - Connected Learning

If you are interested in joining us, please feel free to contact me beforehand or just join in.  The Google Hangout will be entitled "etmooc Faculty Lounge".

I look forward to the opportunity of connecting with you.  See you Wednesday!  


photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/68051075@N02/8380341879/">alisonseaman</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gforsythe/7549370822/">giulia.forsythe</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>

Getting Fired Up about #etmooc

Hello for Kamloops, BC Canada!

This post is a bit different than my usual entries as starting this week, I am participating in an amazing online professional development opportunity - #etmooc.  (More information can be found at - http://etmooc.org/).

In the coming weeks, I will be writing about my #etmooc experiences so that we can all benefit so look out for those upcoming posts!

Below is our first #etmooc assignment - an introductory piece about ourselves.  Please feel free to check it out!

Create Stylish Word Clouds with Tagxedo

The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers Word Cloud

Tagxedo is a free, online web tool that students can use to create very visually appealing word clouds.  As you can see from the image on the left, word clouds can be generated in the shapes related to the topic.  For visual learners this is an excellent tool to highlight or emphasis key terms, concepts or themes.

Tagxedo offers many terrific features such as:
1. customization of fonts, themes, colors, orientation and shapes.  
2.  saving images for printing and sharing
3.  numerous fine-tuning options

Teach-nology:
(the pedagogical rationale for the use of technology in the classroom)  

Skill	Teach-nology
Visual Literacy	To interpret, recognize, appreciate, and understand information presented through objects and/or symbols
Creativity	To elaborate, refine, analyze, and evaluate ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts.
Language Skills	To expand and improve vocabulary by using various language expressions such as synonyms, homonyms, antonyms, etc.

Sample Activities:

The official blog of Tagxedo offers an excellent resource for teachers entitled "101 Ways to Use Tagxedo".  Below is a sampling of some of the great lesson ideas offered:  

1.  Contrast Candidates in a Political Debate - Using debates, speeches, slogans, promises, etc., students can examine the political platform of two or more political candidates.

2.  Current Events - Using key terms from various news outlets (newspaper, radio, television, etc.), students can summarize the latest newsworthy event.

3.  Make a Self Portrait - Using one's dreams, hopes, character traits, goals, etc., students can summarize their personality. 

4.  Make a Tagxedo Poem - Using a favorite poem or one written personally, students can create a word cloud highlighting its theme.  


How to Get Started:

View the video tutorial below to create your first Tagxedo word cloud in minutes!




Tagxedo is a fantastic resource to help students improve a variety of 21st Century skills.  Click here to get started!


This post originally appeared on The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers.

Unlock the Educational Power of Comics with Bitstrips

Comics have a way of piquing the interest of even the most disengaged student.  In fact, I have had younger siblings of former students request to create a comic of their own!  In most cases, these siblings are referring to Bitstrips for Schools, a Canadian-based comic engine that users can access on-line for free.  The reason most cited by students for using Bitstrips for Schools is its fun, engaging, and user-friendly environment.  In fact, the Bitstrips for Schools template format allows users to create and customize characters, backgrounds, drawings, and so much more.  View the sample comic below to give you a better idea as to the functionality of Bitstrips for Schools.  

The Bitstrips for Schools feature not evident in the example above is the private virtual classrooms students are able to work in.  Educators will definitely value the safe and secure on-line environment Bitstrips architects have created mainly because teachers control all student permission settings.  Another very useful feature teachers will appreciate is the dashboard homepage which immediately shows the latest student activity.  By including these two features, teachers can monitor student progress in a few mouse clicks.    


A New De-tech-tive 4 Teachers Feature Segment!                                                     Teach-nology

Incorporating technology into classroom activities is a great way for students to learn 21st Century skills.  However, with any form of teaching, it should be based on sound educational practice.  Teach-nology is just that - the pedagogical rationale for the use of technology.  The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers goal for the 'Teach-nology' segment is to not describe every learning outcome, but to outline the key 21st Century skill(s) students will be exposed to by using a specific technology.

Skill	Teach-nology
Communication	- Use written communication to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade. - To extend & confirm meaning of a visual text.
Creativity	- Write effective imaginative texts to explore ideas & information. - Experiment with various writing styles & syntax.
Organization	- Utilize a variety of strategies to generate, develop, and organize ideas such as considering one's audience, gathering & summarizing ideas, etc.

Sample Activities:

Another valuable Bitstrips for Schools feature is its 'Activities' section.  In it, educators will find a wide selection of prepared activities organized by subject and topic.  Below is a sampling of some of the great lesson ideas offered:  

1.  My Report Card - Students create a comic to reflect on their academic progress in a subject area.  Analysis should include what they have done well and what they should improve upon.

2.  Two Sides to Every Story - To demonstrate their working knowledge of point of view, students create a comic describing a situation about how two or more people can interpret the same circumstances differently.  

3.  People We Depend On! - Students create a comic strip describing what may happen if the people they depend on were not so dependable.

4.  Une Activite Dehours! - Using proper French language writing skills, students create a comic describing their favorite outdoor activities.

5.  Your Province - To demonstrate their knowledge about a particular Canadian province, students create a comic interviewing the province's premier. 


How to Get Started:

Bitstrips for Schools has developed a very detailed support page for its users.  You can access it using the hyperlink below: 

Bitstrips for Schools Support Page

Bitstrips for Schools is an excellent web-based educational tool students will love to use as it allows users to express themselves in a fun and engaging way.  If you are interested in 'unlocking the educational power of comics', click here to get started right away!


This post originally appeared on The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers.

The Ever Evolving 'Teach-nologist'

As the year 2012 winds down, I, like many of my teaching colleagues worldwide, find that it is a good time to reflect on the year that was.  This process of reflection has solidified for me several benefits of writing the 'The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers' blog.  

1.  Learn, learn, learn, I love to learn! The writing process authenticates my learning because I must formulate into words my understanding of it.  How many times have I 'learned' something to only forget it shortly thereafter?  Too many, I am sure.  More importantly, I may be able to add to the concept and subsequently enhance someone else's learning too. 

2.  Sharing - Teaching in isolation is a thing of the past.  Sharing our professional knowledge and experience, not only improves our teaching practice, but also broadens our perspective.  Interacting with the global teaching community offers a multitude of opportunities to expose ourselves to different ideas, perceptions and opinions - all of which should make us further reflect on our own professional practice.  

3.  Empowering!  The positive connections I have made through 'The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers' blog in the past 7 months have not only inspired me but also empowered me.  Specifically, I am no longer willing to sit at the back of the bus and let a driver determine the direction.  At times, I find myself wanting to be the driver.  This new found self-confidence has led me to contribute a lot more to the educational community - a responsibility I am beginning to appreciate more and more.  

4.  Evolving - I started 'The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers' blog as a way to offer assistance to educators who are interested in integrating technology into their classroom activities.  My goal was to not only de-tech 'teacher-tested' technologies, but to also recommend potential classroom activities.  However, I have found that a more detailed explanation is needed as technology should be used as an effective pedagogical tool, one that challenges students to expand their learning.  In essence, to effectively use technology in the classroom, there must be a pedagogical basis for its use.  As a result starting in 2013, future 'The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers' posts will also include a 'teach-nology' or a pedagogical rationale segment.  This segment will continue to offer sample classroom activities, but it will also explain how the technology will help meet required learning outcomes.  My goal is to enhance the information offered by 'The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers' blog so as to better assist my colleagues.  I certainly hope I can meet this goal.


In 2012, 'The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers' blogs published 38 posts in total.  Below I have created a ranked summary of these posts with the top 10 highlighted at the top (from left to right).

Feel free to use this hyperlink for a larger view - The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers Top Posts for 2012.


Holiday Cheer: 

Stake Lake Nordic Centre - 20 minutes west of Kamloops

Hello from snowy Kamloops, BC Canada!  As you can see from the photo, it has snowed a lot as of late which allows us Kamloopsians the opportunity to enjoy some good ole Canadian winter fun during the holiday season.  For me personally, I will be hitting the cross-country ski trails but I am sure most of my students will be snowboarding, ski-dooing or playing hockey.  

As this post will be the last one for 2012, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your continued support of 'The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers' blog.  It has been an absolute pleasure to connect with you on a regular basis.  More importantly, I would like to wish you continued success and future prosperity for both you and your family in 2013.  Happy Holidays!


This post originally appeared on The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers.

Create 3-D Videos with Xtranormal

Xtranormal is a text-to-speech video creation tool that creates animated video clips with three-dimensional, conversing characters.  This storytelling tool allows users to choose from the template, a wide range of actors and sets options.  Once selected, users enter into the timeline a text script with accompanying character actions and video effects to create a dynamic video in minutes.  Please view the video below for a sample of what students can create with Xtranormal, the free on-line version.  

Depending on student needs, access to technology resources and monetary availability, educators can choose from two versions of Xtranormal - a desktop version and a web-based version.  The desktop version requires a software download and a monetary payment upon video export but as a result, it does include many more powerful video features.  The web-based version has both basic and paid account options but it also offers the flexibility of accessing the account from any web browser anywhere.  To help support schools, Xtranormal also provides a paid Educator Account that offers unlimited publishing, full access to the actor/set template, security features and grading options.  The following hyperlink - Xtranormal - has a more detailed comparison of the two options.   


How to Get Started:

Xtranormal has created an excellent 'How To' web page that assists users with the various features of the Online Movie Maker, the Xtranormal Desktop and the Xtranormal for Education account features.  Click on the link below to access this first-rate Xtranormal resources.  

Xtranormal 'How To' Webpage


Sample Activities:

1.  Narration of an Historical Event - As depicted by the video example above, my students used Xtranormal to chronicle an event from the Napoleonic era. 

2.  Improve Language Skills - Because Xtranormal allows users to change the attributes of a character's voice as well as the language a character speaks, a French Immersion colleague of mine has her students create short narrations for the purpose of exposing her students to new vocabulary, accents and expressions.

3.  Creative Writing - Storytelling is a fantastic way for students to express themselves creatively.  Use Xtranormal to teach students how to brainstorm, plan, write and edit a fictional story, mythical tale or space-age fantasy.   


Xtranormal has many, many educational uses that I know your students will enjoy.  Get started with Xtranormal by clicking here!

This post originally appeared on The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers.

Create Graffiti Style Text Images

At a recent EdCamp I attended, a student-led session highlighted the idea that the best way to engage learners was for educators to interact with students at their level.  Many ideas and strategies on how to achieve this were exchanged, but the one idea that struck me was that the on-line tools we so proudly use for our classroom activities may not be as engaging as we think!  In order to fully connect with students, it is important to use web tools that fit the interests of the students before us.  In other words, a specific web tool may be engaging to one class but not another.  Clearly, teachers must take this into account and have a Web 2.0 toolkit that includes a diverse set of resources that fits the needs of a wide range of students.  

The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers - Graffiti Style

As a result of this latest revelation, I have begun revisiting some web tools that I had earlier dismissed.  One of these tools is The Graffiti Creator.  The Graffiti Creator allows users to create a graffiti-style name or logo within minutes.  There are many options to choose from including various font styles and artistic features that will add life to your creation.

How to Get Started:

Below is a Graffiti Creator screen-cast tutorial that will assist you in creating your first graffiti-style image:



Sample Activities:

1.  Class Website or Blog - jazz up your classroom on-line space with a graffiti-style message or title.

2.  Student E-portfolios - students can include a graffiti-style name bar to introduce their e-portfolio.

3.  Presentations - insert a graffiti image into any on-line or print based visual.  

NOTE: For on-line insertions, users may need to use 'PrtSc' on their computer keyboard to generate the image.  Once generated, a cropping tool will be needed to crop the excess portions of the image to isolate the graffiti text.  

A special thank you to Dave Guymon (@DaveGuymon) for first introducing me to this web tool.

There is a lot of potential with The Graffiti Creator.  Please feel free to explore the possibilities with your students today!  Click here to get started.

This post originally appeared on The De-tech-tive 4 Teachers.