Discovery Education has created a “one stop resource for the latest tech tips, trends, and tools” – all for free! Check out Web 2011! There are resources for administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Topics include Internet Safety, Media Literacy, Web 2.0 Tools, and Tech Tips. Worth a look!

I was sorting through some files and found notes I had taken back in April of 1999 at a conference at Penn State focusing on “Exploring Learning Technologies.” One session I attended was on “The effects of incorporating concept mapping into computer assisted instruction.” What caught my attention within my own notes was a line or two about how to score a student generated concept map. The suggestion for scoring is posted below: Identifying concepts [...]

I have been working with a colleague to collect data on student reading performance. We successfully uploaded the Excel spreadsheet to Google Docs and shared the form with Reading Assistants for data entry. After an initial training session and some one-on-one work with the assistants, everything is working well. Once the data is entered, the Google Spreadsheet is downloaded, opened with Excel and merged with a Word document that is printed and sent home to [...]

If you have been following the development of Google Docs features then you probably have heard of the new commenting tool. As Google puts it, they have been” updated to facilitate rapid and seamless discussions and integrate with email in an intuitive way.”   I am looking forward to using this new feature with my colleagues. How will you use it?  

I just received this email message from Skype in the Classroom: We’re pleased to announce that Skype in the classroom is coming out of beta and bringing with it a few improvements. We’ve refined the way you search for teachers and resources, and we’ve made profiles a lot more informative. We’ve also added two new features: a projects section and a world map of the Skype in the classroom teaching community. Projects: the easiest way to [...]

Classroom participation… Every educator wants a lively, engaged classroom in which all students contribute, but how do we measure the level and value of the participation? Fresno State has created a web page with Classroom Participation Grading Resources. Although designed with higher education in mind, I believe these resources can be easily adapted to suit your current professional position. After reviewing the resources, share your thoughts!

I know, I know… Yes, it is now 2011, but David Kapuler is at it again – this time with his list of top sites for 2010. Kidblog: A great way for schools to have kids blog. Sweet Search: An excellent search engine for students, as everything has been reviewed by educators beforehand. Cacoo: A nice site for creating online charts and graphs; it has a built-in chat feature for collaborating. 21 Classes: A good [...]

YouPublisher.com is a free online service that takes your PDF documents and transforms them into online publication that reads like a digital magazine. They create the publication from your PDF and host the document. To start using the site just upload your PDF and add a link to your web page!

Simulating social networking sites for student projects has become a popular strategy for instructors. Here are links to some resources: Facebook Project & Template – A PowerPoint slide template and a Word document with directions and a scoring rubric. My Fake Wall – A site sponsored by Cavi Studio. User registration required. Fakebook – Site sponsored by ClassTools.net

From Edutopia: Want to know your learning style? Take the quiz. There are 24 questions, and it will take less than five minutes to complete. Try not to think too hard — just go with your first thought when describing your daily activities and interests. At the end, you’ll find out more about how you learn. *If you would like to your results saved then please login first. What’s Your Learning Style? | Edutopia Just [...]