FUNecole

FUNecole is a wonderful digital learning solution for grades 1st-6th.  FUNecole focuses on different topics such as: digital literacy, SEL (social-emotional learning), and 21st Century Skills, coding, Computer Science, and more.  This is done through an innovative platform which helps teachers develop dynamic lessons, differentiate instruction, and seamlessly integrate Computer Science into their curriculum.

Below is a brief demo...



I highly recommend checking out FUNecole by clicking here!!!

50 Sites in 60 Min V. 3

I just finished creating my latest preso 50 Sites in 60 Minutes V. 3.  This is a collection of sites that I like to use in a 1 hr session of professional development.  Also, I like to update it twice a year to keep things fresh and because the first two were such a huge success.  The last volume received over 21,000 views on Slideshare alone.  As w/ all my resources feel free to use them anyway you see fit and I hope you enjoy it.  I've even seen this used as teaching tool for a blogging exercise at the college level.  Stay tuned for volume 4 sometime this summer!!!

50sites ver3

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Taking it Global

This is a guest post from Kate Lang on 21st Century skills and Global citizenship...

"TakingITGlobal (TIG) is an international charitable organization which seeks to empower youth to take informed action to build a more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable world. It serves youth worldwide through a multilingual online learning community and innovative education programs. Often described as a "social network for social good," the award winning www.tigweb.org is the world's leading online community for young global citizens committed to changing their world. It is available in twelve languages and offers a diverse set of educational resources and action tools intended to inspire, inform and involve. Since launching in 2000, 20 million people have accessed the website to learn, grow and realize their potential. Because of the crucial role that education plays in shaping tomorrow, TIG launched TakingITGlobal for Educators (TIGed) in 2006 to empower teachers around the globe to utilize technology to create international learning experiences that build 21st Century Skills and foster global citizenship. TIGed does this by: Connecting globally minded educators with one another through a growing network of 4,000+ educators in 120 countries who are interested in collaborating online to create transformative global learning experiences for their students; Providing an extensive database of global education resources that are linked to curriculum benchmarks and 21st Century Skills; Offering accredited professional development e-courses designed to help teachers bring technology and global perspectives into their classrooms; Hosting a safe and customizable virtual classroom platform equipped with both synchronous and asynchronous ICT tools, specifically designed to support international collaboration; and Coordinating global learning initiatives open to classrooms and schools worldwide. When it comes to learning about global issues and the role of youth in shaping a better future, collaborating online is key. When students learn about issues such as poverty and environmental degradation through interpersonal relationships with global peers, the issues become more real and relevant to them. Educators regularly describe how students who have been involved in global collaborations through TIGed not only come to understand the far-reaching implications of their actions and decisions but also become compelled to take an active role in shaping a better world."

Web 2.0 for Schools ebook

A few months back I posted on a slideshow that I created called, Web 2.0 for Schools. Since then a number of new web 2.0 sites have come around that can also be used by schools. I decided to create this as a free digital book that people can view/embed/download. I've added 7 new sites since the presentation for those that have already viewed that.

I feel that web 2.0 is a popular resource in education and I plan to continually update my resources on this as frequently as possible. For that reason I decided to add it to my box account as well that you can download on the right menu screen of this very blog.

Download and view the ebook below...

50 Sites in 60 Seconds ver. 2

After the success of the first presentation, 50 Sites in 60 Seconds, I've decided to turn this into a bi-annual project. Today I'm releasing version 2 which includes 20 different sites from the last. I'll be doing another slideshow in Dec that will have 50 new sites to view. Remember these slideshows are all free and can be used/modified anyway you see necessary. I use it as a professional development tool and help organize all of the sites I review.

Click here for the course wiki.

50sites ver2

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iTechSpec

iTechSpec is a wiki I'm just finding out about that has lots of wonderful resources for educational technology. I find it as a nice comparison to Cybrary Man's excellent resource sharing site. This wiki has everything from web 2.0 links, to information on mobile devices, to different 21st century skills (a la digital storytelling).

I highly highly recommend checknig out iTechSpec by clicking here!!!

Thanks to Brian Mckee's excellent blog for the tip.

Top 25 Sites of 2010

With the end of the year right around the corner I decided to dedicate a post to my favorite websites of the year. At first I wanted to do a list of 10 choices, but after looking through the 100's of posts that I've done throughout the year I had to up that total to 25. Depending on feedback I might even do a top 100 or 50 if there is a demand.

Top 25 Sites of 2010

1. Kidblog - A great way for schools to have kids blog. No student email is required and everything is monitored before being posted online.
   
2. Sweet Search - Excellent search engine for students as everything has been reviewed by educators before hand.
   
3. Cacoo - A nice site for creating online charts/graphs w/ a built in chat feature for collaboration.
   
4. 21 Classes - A nice way to get student's blogging in a safe/secure environment.
   
5. Story Jumper -Excellent site for digital storytelling that has lots of educational resources for teachers.
   
6. Middlespot - Is an innovative website for social bookmarking that allows users to collect sites in a visual way.
   
7. Education Eye - Is a fun site for brainstorming w/ this visual search engine.
   
8. Kizoa - A great site for creating animated slide shows w/ lots of different content to choose from.
   
9. Drag on Tape - A very user friendly site that uses a drag-n-drop interface to edit/mix video.
   
10. Shwup - Is a great site for making collaborative slide shows.
    
11. PreZentit - Very similar to Shwup this is a nice looking site for making collaborative slide shows.
    
12. Quintura for Kids - A search engine for kids that acts a bit like a tag cloud where results can be embedded into a site.
    
13. TodaysMeet - Create a real-time, private, back channel chat that brings in tweets from Twitter.
    
14. MeMoov - A very user friendly site for digital storytelling that allows users to record their voice for narration.
    
15. Wordia - Brings words to life through the use of video.
    
16. Encyclomedia - A video encyclopedia where results can be embedded into a site.
    
17. Zooburst - A great site for for digital storytelling where a user can make an online 3D pop-up book.
    
18. Jay Cut - A site similar to iMovie that allows users to edit or create a video.
    
19. Splashup - Looks like Photoshop and is a great way to edit photos and manipulate layers/effects.
    
20. Comic Master - A fun site for digital storytelling that has a drag-n-drop interface.
    
21. Knowcase - Create collaborative outlines w/ this easy to use site.
    
22. Cloud Canvas - A great site for photo editing and drawing/painting similar to Splashup.
    
23. Magic Studio - A great mult-media site for uploading photos/documents/video and then editing them.
    
24. Googlios - A way for students to create digital portfolios online using Google Tools.
    
25. We are Teachers - A social network for educators where lots of ideas and lessons can be found.
    

5 Free 21st Century Presentations

Recently, I've had the opportunity to present and compile some presentations that I've done throughout the year. I've made these all available for free and allow people to edit them and use them as they desire. I feel these courses could offer a nice guide to educators who want to explore 21st Century/Web 2.0 technologies. I try to cover a wide range of areas such as building a PLN to blogging in the classroom.

1. Cutting Edge Technology - A course that focuses on web 2.0 technologies and building a personal learning network (PLN).
2. Digital Storytelling 4 Everyone - A list of sites arranged by grade level w/ a Voicethread example.
3. Blogging 101 - A great way to introduce and use blogging in a classroom.
4. 50 Sites in 60 Minutes - A collection of great websites that can be used in the classroom.
5. Backchanneling in the Classroom - A nice way to learn how to use a backchannel channel chat in a classroom w/ a list of resources.
   

21st Century Workshop

Naomi Harm, one of the truly innovative and special educators around is conducting a workshop on 21st Century Tools using Google Apps. The list of Google Apps is endless and she shares practical easy ways to increase your technology literacy.



I highly recommend checking out this site by clicking here!!!

Best of the Web V. III

Best of the Web V. III is now up online. This presentation can be used by anyone as they see fit. I hope people will find some good resources here. This volume focuses on excellent resources for presentations/slide shows.

Best of the Web V. III

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Best of the Web V. II

This is the second volume of the "Best of the Web" series. This presentation will focus on great educational sites that can be used by teachers. Please feel free to use this anyway you see fit.

Best of the Web V. II

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Best of the Web V. I

It's no surprise that a lot of educators who blog also share a love for professional development. The last presentation/course that I developed "50 Sites in 60 Min" did quite well online that I figure why not turn my digital books into slide shows. (BTW if anybody wants to email me about PD and has questions on how I do 50 Sites or any other topic please let me know.)

I'm in the process of creating 6 slide shows that can be used/edited in anyway that a user sees fit. Ideally, this is not designed for PD but can certainly be used in this manner or any other way. Each volume will focus on a different topic.

Best of web 1

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50 Sites in 60 Minutes

I'm in the process of designing a professional development course called, 50 Sites in 60 Min. I just finished uploading the slide show which you can use/download anyway you'd like.

50 sites

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Here is the course wiki which is still under construction. Hopefully, someone will find some use for this presentation on Web 2.0/21st Century tools.

The Ultimate Wiki

I've been mulling an idea for awhile on creating a place where people can go to get all their Web 2.0/21st Century Tools information.

Also, I wanted something that would be of a collaborative nature where other people can post/review sites.

Finally, after sometime I think I created a nice little place for such a thing in a wiki format. This site is for everyone who likes to use innovative technology and apply it to their teachings.

Feel free to join the wiki and use/share it anyway you see fit.

Click here http://web20-21stcentury-tools.wikispaces.com/

Enjoy!!!

Technology Faceoff

Technology Faceoff is a new wiki which I designed for a group I created in the social network, Educator's PLN (which I did a review on a few weeks back). This is an exciting group where educators collaborate on 21st Century Technology and try to "weed" out the good from the bad.

The wiki is in it's infancy stage but I think has a lot of promise to help educators decide on which Web 2.0 tools will work for them.

If you'd like to take a look or even join the wiki click here.



For more info visit the Edtech Group on The Educator's PLN.

Smart Bean

Smart Bean is a new (beta) site I learned about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. It is a place that I like to call the "ultimate online resource for parents."

SB is broken down into 3 main sections: magazine, library, and store. The magazine is where the majority of searching is done on articles pertaining to any number of things, such as: internet safety, 21st century technology, and parenting, etc etc. The library focuses on resources arranged by grade, subject, level, etc. Finally, the store is where you can purchased educational products, such as: games, books, toys, etc.

After looking through SB I'd have to say I am really impressed w/ how this site is developing and I feel that is a valuable resource for parents who want to engage their child w/ educational technology and where it is heading.

Give Smart Bean a look by clicking here.

Book Army

Book Army is a new site (beta) that is very similar to Shelfari. It's a web 2.0 site where people can go to collaborate on books.

Those of us familiar w/ social technology will have no problem jumping into the mix. Register an account, search for friends, select your books, rate/review, join groups, view videos, etc etc.....

If I had to compare the two, I would say Shelfari has a nicer look to it, and might be a tad more user friendly. I'm not trying to suggest that BA is hard to use, but the overall look to it seems to get a bit cluttered at times.

However, there are some nice features to Book Army that sets it apart from others. For example, there is a button by each book w/ a plus sign. Click on that and it will take you to Amazon to purchase the book. Also, there is a word bubble icon next to each book that you can click on which will bring you into a chat discussing that specific book.



All and all Book Army is a great new site that readers/authors alike will have a great time collaborating on!!!

Give it a look by clicking here.

Glogster

Glogster is a site I have known about for quite some time but never really looked at until I found out about their educational section to it (Thanks JJ).

Glogster is a site where you can make online/interactive posters. Now that they have gone the route of "web 2.0" it has quickly become one of my favorite online apps around.

To get started is simple, in fact you don't even need to register if you want to just create one from scratch. However, for education you can sign up for a free "teachers" account and then register up to 200 students. Glogster generates all usernames/passwords so no student email accounts is necessary.

Once, the accounts are created you are good to go. Creating your own poster is very simple and just click on the text/video/sound etc. button, to do what you want. Everything you put on
your poster is at your control and you can upload media straight from your computer as well.



After your Glog/poster is created you can then share it w/ others or set it to private. Also, you can rate/comment on each others Glogs if you so choose (if that option is enabled). You can even embed your poster into your blog/website too.

For more info on Glogster in education click here.

Cyber Smart

Cyber Smart is a site for 21st Century Skills for education. It's probably been about a year since I last visited this site, but came across it again and found that it has changed quite a bit. Basically, Cyber Smart is a collection of great resources for teachers/educators.

There are so many things that you can find on this site: from online workshops (paid) to free lesson plans (search by grade level/subject) to one of the best toolbars (browser) around. I highly recommend downloading the toolbar (IE or FF) and explore all that it has to offer (Web 2.0, K-12 Curriculum, Library Resources, etc).

For more info click here.

Below is a screen shot of the incredible new tool bar!!

Great Blogs

Here are some of the great blogs in Education:

1. Cliotech - Jennifer Dorman’s amazing blog. She is one of the most influential people in integrating technology in the industry, and a huge inspiration for me. Her track record in the online community is second to none and her cutting edge ideas/work ethic make her a great resource for teachers.

2. Larry Ferlazzo - Larry is an ESL high school teacher who has a wonderful blog. His blog has many accolades and has been nominated for the coveted EduBlogs award two years running. His links and his ideas on how to use these resources in education are second to none.

3. Brian McKee - a very well written, thought provoking, witty blog that covers instructional technology. His experience in education as well as his travels help make this one of the more useful/entertaining reads around.

4. Always Learning - Kim Cofino’s blog is a great read for educators, she is the 21st Century Literacy Specialist at an International School in Bangkok and shares some great ideas on how to use technology in education.

5. Geeky Bird - Matt Monjan’s innovative blog on the Discovery Education Network (DEN). This is a great resource for up and coming technologies in the classrooms.

6. iLearn Technology - Great blog which I learned about after I originally posted this list. Kelly Tenkely, is a K-5 technology teacher who shares simple ways on how to integrate technology into the classroom.

7. Free Technology 4 Teachers - Award winning blog that has some of the best resources for education out there. Nicely written and has a very nice "blurb" at the bottom of each post which suggests how to use in the classroom.

Smart Technologies - Blog written by Smart Technologies on all their products. Great read to learn how to use Smart Resources and to find out about upcoming technologies.