Sqirlz

I am not sure if many people use Sqirlz to animate water reflections from a still image. Here is a great example.

It is a simple programme to use in the classroom. Once the reflection is complete you have the options of saving as a gif, swf or avi.

I have used this programme for some time now and find it great to create water effects. The completed files can be used in PowerPoint, web pages for example.

I have often used this with my students when they are making a multimedia presentation as it is so quick and easy.

100 useful web tools for education

A great place to find different web tools to use for all the different styles of learning. Christina Laun has written this to enable teachers to find tools that are best suited to different learners. You will find tools for mind mapping, charting and diagrams, video and photos, podcasts, presentation tools, audio tools, text readers, audio books, note taking tools, bookmarking, interaction and collaboration.

Studies Show Deep Understanding Derives from Collaborative Methods

I have been reading an interesting article from the Edutopia magazine about how deep understanding derives from collaborative methods.

This is very interesting for all teachers to read is the research to show how cooperative learning and inquiry-based teaching can have big dividends in the classroom.

"Evidence shows that inquiry-based, collaborative approaches benefit
students in learning important twenty-first-century skills, such as the ability
to work in teams, solve complex problems, and apply knowledge from one lesson to
others. The research suggests that inquiry-based lessons and meaningful group
work can be challenging to implement. They require changes in curriculum,
instruction, and assessment practices -- changes that are often new for teachers
and students.
Teachers need time and a community to organize sustained
project work. Inquiry-based instruction can help teachers deepen their
repertoire for connecting with their peers and students in new and meaningful
ways. That's powerful teaching and learning -- for students and teachers
alike."

Web 2 tools

A very useful wiki for Web 2 tools. These are all free to use in the classroom and are in categories for easy access.

It is great to see how teachers (and others) keep adding to these and sharing information. With all the information now available it can be very difficult to find exactly what you want and by having all these links in one place makes it much easier for the busy teacher.

Measuring skills for the 21st century

I have just been reading this pdf file from Elena Silva which is very interesting and has implications for all educators.


"Skills that really matter for the 21st century—the ability to think creatively and to evaluate and analyze information—can be measured accurately and in a common and comparable way. These emergent models also demonstrate the potential to measure these complex thinking skills at the same time that we measure a student's mastery of core content or basic skills and knowledge. There is, then, no need for more tests to measure advanced skills. Rather, there is a need for better tests that measure more of the skills students' need to succeed today. … "








It is interesting to note New Zealand's standing in this table.

Open source software

I used a lot of open source software in my classroom. The children used such things as Tux Type and Tux Paint.

I was pleased to find a catalogue of Open Source Software which describes the software and lists the platforms it will run on - as well as the web link. Well worth downloading (13 mgs) for educators.

Of course there are other programs available but this lists a lot which will certainly give teachers some good ideas.

GoAnimate

To animate I usually use either Adobe Image Ready or Microsoft Gif animator. I have just been playing around with GoAnimate (another free Web 2 tool) and looking at the possibilities of using this tool in the classroom. It is very easy and children will love it. I can see a lot of ways making these animations fits into the Language curriculum but of course (with some lateral thought) they could make them around Social Studies, Maths or any other curriculum area.

I am going to use this tool with my students next year but would be interested to hear from anyone who has used it in their classroom.

Glogster

Glogster is an interesting Web 2 tool which educators can use in the classroom. Graphics, sound, text and video can be used. Here is a quick play about with the tool. I will be interested to see how teachers are using this in their classrooms. I can certainly see that there are probably some of the glogs others have made that are not appropriate for children (similar to using some other tools).

MyStudiyo

Another great Web 2 tool. MyStudiyo allows you to create a quiz (you can add graphics, videos etc as well as text) which you can then embed it into a web site or blog.

You can use this with your classroom which is far more exciting than a written quiz. Children can also create their own quizzes to use in the classroom. I would be very interested to hear of anyone who has had the children creating their own. I am going to create some quizzes to use with my students next year. We are planning a new online learning environment and this will be a good option to use during their course. In this way we (the teachers) should get a clear picture of the student's understanding as we progress. Hopefully we can then identify those needing help early so we can help them.

Animoto new feature

Animoto, as I have said before is a great little tool for the classroom. By putting your own photos in it makes a video for you - each one is different. It now has a new feature so that you are able to put in the text to go with the graphics.

On the home page of the site you can see a sample video. Don't forget that there is an education area where you can register. This allows you free downloads. Some of my students have made these to put into their web sites or into multimedia resources.