Looking for a couple of lessons using Wordle Word Clouds? Hop on over to Bright Hub and check out the post by Jonathan Wylie. Personally, I liked the ideas for using word clouds as a poll, for word walls, and for unit preview/review posters. What other ideas are sparked by this list. Share them!

I like to use Audacity, a free, easy-to-use and multilingual audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems, when working with teachers on multi-media projects that require sound. The folks at makeuseof.com have written about three tips for enhancing a recorded interview. If you have ever wanted to learn how to remove background noises, amplify quiet voices, or add a nice musical introduction to your recordings, then check it [...]

As we near the end of the school year and those papers are submitted, it’s not a bad idea to review this resource filled with best practices for detecting and preventing plagiarism. The Ultimate Plagiarism Resource: Detecting Plagiarism & Preventing It – Guide to Online Schools Of course, one important step in preventing plagiarism is to create an assignment that asks student to work with (create, apply, analyze, synthesize, evaluate – higher order thinking skills) [...]

Have you ever wondered how you could embed a viewer in your blog or web site so you could display a PDF? Well, wonder no more! Google offers a feature that lets you embed a PDF. To make this work, the file you want to display must be available online. So, upload a document somewhere on the web and then follow these instructions! We need to insert an iframe. An iframe allows content that is [...]

Posted on the Google Docs blog yesterday… Today, we’re pleased to announce preview versions of the new Google document and spreadsheet editors and a new standalone drawings editor, all built with an even greater focus on speed and collaboration. To get a taste of what’s new today, check out our video:   Hurray! I have been working on a graduate class project with three others and the changes announced yesterday to the suite of tools [...]

I had the pleasure of participating in a Google Workshop for Educators a few weeks ago and at the session was directed to some crib sheets created for a variety of Google applications. Each sheet has a short description of the tool, why it should be used, some instructional ideas, and example of the tool in action, and some additional related resources. I hope they are of value to you! Google Apps Blogger Google Docs [...]

Many thanks to David Kapuler, the media and technology specialist at the Greendale (WI) School District, for compiling this list of 10 tools for creating digital books. Mixbook: The best site for creating a book to either share with others digitally or order in the form of hard copy. Also, educators can create student accounts for better management. BookRix: One of the best sites for advertising your digital book; very user-friendly, and a nice social [...]

A March 9, 2010, article in the Washington Post was titled, “Wide Web of diversions gets laptops evicted from lecture halls.” I found the article very interesting and have selected some passages: A generation ago, academia embraced the laptop as the most welcome classroom innovation since the ballpoint pen. But during the past decade, it has evolved into a powerful distraction. Wireless Internet connections tempt students away from note-typing to e-mail, blogs, YouTube videos, sports [...]

Doug Johnson, the Blue Skunk Blog fame, from TEDxASB last month: Entertainment tends to be for amusement or diversion, for leisure or for fun – passive. In Doug’s terms, entertainment is ephemeral. However, engagement requires emotional involvement or commitment – it is active. One way to engage students is through authentic problem-solving. Assignments or projects that simply require information collection or recall is not engaging. What Some other highlights from the presentation that caused me [...]

From the February 2010 issue of eSchool News: A new booklet released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other government agencies helps parents and teachers steer kids safely through the online and mobile-phone worlds. The booklet, titled “Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online,” was unveiled last month at Jefferson Middle School in Washington, D.C., by FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. [...]