Tapped In Newsletter: May 2010
...On the Tapis
May 2010
Issue 150
In This Issue
[1] Spotlight on the Learning Hub Series
[2] Tapped In Technology Tip
[3] News Nuggets
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[5] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month: "The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B." - James Yorke, mathematics and physics professor
[1] Spotlight on the Learning Hub Series
Patricia Eaton posted the following in the Reflective Work for PD folder in the Learning Hub group room:
Troubles:
1. It was hard to be the only teacher at my school working with the program.
2. Transcripts would come to my regular mail, however other e-mails went into my spam-mail. * (See Technology Tip)
3. The Animoto site was blocked on the school computers early in the year.
Experiences:
1. Chatted online with the Tapped-In leaders.
2. Met and worked with teachers from another school to share ideas.
3. Learned how to get to the TI Learning Hub.
4. Learned how to chat in the Learning Hub.
5. Learned how to send a private message.
6. Learned how to find the Tapped-In calendar.
7. Learned how to post to the discussion group.
8. Learned about Twitter, but did not like it.
9. Learned about the Taxonomy of Reflection and found it very interesting. The levels are: Creating - Evaluating - Analyzing - Applying - Understanding - Remembering.
10. Created an online classroom and put some Wordles in it.
11. Worked with the Animoto site and liked it very much. It was easy to make videos. The drawback was your work is only online for a few months, then it is deleted.
12. Used the Wordle site to have the students summarize work in Math, Social Studies, and a field trip. The 4th and 5th graders loved it. The site is especially good if colored ink is available.
13. The 5th graders and I made a video about the seven sacraments. It is up on teachertube.com. The students and I enjoyed making the video. Here are some of their comments: the video simply described the sacraments - liked the transitions and posters - music fit the video - liked the timing - enough time to read - each sacrament was unique in its presentation.
14. I found the program to be beneficial both as an individual and as a teacher. I know I will use much of the information with the students and on my own in the future.
--------------------
Dolores Guittar posted Reflections on the progress of Southside PD TI teachers to the Reflective Work for PD folder in the Learning Hub group room:
Last Tuesday evening after school, the four teachers from the Southside PD group, that had worked with me and TI throughout this school year did their presentations for the group.
Every teacher told about what they had done with technology and the students in their classroom. Everyone had run into some kind of a problem but everyone kept on going. They spoke of their difficulties and their successes. They showcased their work on the projection screen.
Everyone one knew they had taken a big step forward into an area that had and would continue to throw up many difficulties, and they also knew that they did not let that stop them!
Each teacher had found a "toe hold" in the huge world of technology that they found useful to them in their teaching. That "toe hold" now will be the anchor that will let them reach for the next "toe hold".
I am very proud of these teachers for the effort and work they put into their achievement.
--------------------
Mark your calendars for Veronica Criado's Learning Hub Showcase of her TI classroom in Uruguay on May 25!
--------------------
Do you have a K-12 Classroom that you want to showcase? Did you participate in a Learning Hub Series tour and get inspired to work with your students online? Let us know what you're doing, what worked best for you and what needed some tweaking. e-mail your comments to bjb@tappedin.org or post them here.
[2] Tapped In Technology Tip
* "Transcripts would come to my regular mail, however other e-mails went into my spam-mail."
Some email services tend to put mail from TI into the junk or spam or bulk folder. To help prevent this from happening add the TI address (mail-service@tappedin.org) to your address book. If you are getting your email through a school service, check to see if the TI address has been blocked.
[3] News Nuggets
TI member Glen Bull from UVA has been chosen as a MacArthur Foundation winner, Digital Media & Learning competition.
--------------------
FAB@SCHOOL: A Digital Laboratory for the Classroom - Glen Bull, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Fab@School introduces K-12 students to the excitement and power of mathematical analysis and modeling, digital fabrication, and engineering by encouraging imaginative and collaborative experimentation, invention, design, and creation. Adapting a low-cost open-source emergent digital fabrication system for school use, Fab@School provides students the satisfying experience of taking their concepts-from geometric structures to simple machines to usable products-from mind's eye to physical form. A complementary curriculum aligned with school standards fosters the further development of STEM skills by posing challenges and presenting models that spur inquiry and inspire students' original designs. Click here for more info.
--------------------
Do you have a News Nugget about yourself or another member of the TI Community? Send your News Nugget to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
AntoinettR: The support I have received from Tapped In has been so wonderful and I am learning a lot through you guys (BJB and JeffC)
--------------------
DianeDP: FYI- The nice thing about doing a chat like this is getting different perspectives and in the end, a recorded transcript will be sent to you via email.[From Action Research Transcript 2010/02]
--------------------
MaryannDu: students have been conditioned to just feed info back. It takes time for them to learn to be creative and open and think, but they can do it.
PhylisC: oh we are seeing improvement every day. Other students are re-enforcing their peers to think outside the "box." They have to have ownership.
MaryannDu: And it has to be mutual - kids have to be a part of this also. They have to be able to say that they don't get it, and the teacher has to be willing to think about it and be more clear
PhylisC: exactly
MiaK: You need to also make sure the content is relevant, and somewhat interesting or something they can relate to outside of the classroom. [From Classroom Assessment Transcript on PBL]
--------------------
PatriciaR: This would be a good alternative to the typical social studies projects that we have seen for so long. [From Learning From Lyrics Transcript]
--------------------
MichelleOD: ok thank you for all that help I really like this site. I wish I would have known about this before now
DianneA: can we quote you on that?
MichelleOD: YES!!! [From TI: Learning Hub Tips and Tricks]
--------------------
DebbieGP: I am just scrolling through all of the neat resources listed above... WOW!
JerryM: Lynne, my teachers loved the sites from the last session. [From Lynne Wolters' Web 2.0 Tools for Schools Transcript 3/18/2010]
--------------------
If you have a comment or experience to share with the Tapped In community, please submit the information to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org or post your comment here.
[5] About ...On the Tapis
Past issues of ...On the Tapis newsletters are available online.
Contact us if you have any questions about your subscription, password or user name, or if you have any news items that you want to share with the community for ...On the Tapis.