Timer has features perfect for teachers
April 28th, 2009
I’ve talked about timers in the past but e.ggtimer.com is my new favorite. Here are a few tricks that make e.ggtimer.com a handy classroom tool.
Embed online video to minimize distractions
March 24th, 2009
YouTube is riddled with distractions that can take your students’ eyes off the main video you wish them to see.
You can minimize these distractions by embedding your video into a blank webpage. Below is a screencast that demonstrates how to embed online videos.
Using Audio in the Classroom
February 16th, 2009
I have outlined some of the resources and tools available in a screencast for you to watch.
Links to the sites mentioned in the screencast are available below.
- GCast- create podcasts from your phone [Learn More | Get Started]
- Audacity- a free audio recording and editing program [Download Audacity | See Tutorial]
- Tumblr- an easy to use miniblog; you can also post audio [Get Started | Example]
Going Further: you can also post your audio at archive.org. Here you can post all sorts of files and it’s all free! Many people host their audio podcasts at archive.org. You can too!
10 helpful keys when grading on a laptop
January 10th, 2009
It appears that more and more people are buying laptops over desktop PCs. With feature-rich laptops selling for less than $500, I can see why. But there is one thing my laptop is missing- the numeric keypad. I didn’t even miss it until I started enter grades one afternoon.
Trying to enter grades on a laptop is a nightmare and it really slows you down. But never fear, there’s always a gadget to the rescue.
Pick up one of these keypads to give your fingers the extra space they need.
Go Cheap (Numeric Keypad with Retractable Cable - $18.99)
Go Wireless (Logitech Cordless Number Pad - $32.30)
Go Crazy (USB Wireless Keypad with Track Ball - $37.00)
Eight reasons to keep YouTube out of schools
December 22nd, 2008
Frequently, I hear teachers yearn for access to YouTube in their classroom. Yet, I question if this really is a good idea. Below are eight things we need to worry about if YouTube is allowed in the classroom:
- copyright infringement: it’s so easy to get videos that were posted to YouTube illegally. You can’t expect students to do their own work when you showed them a pirated video yesterday. However, I am afraid that the temptation will be too great for many teachers.
- students waste time: YouTube is the ultimate playground for procrastinators. Students can waste class period after class period wandering through videos.
- teachers waste time: like we’re any better- have you even been emailed that “must-see” video? Now imagine this stuff streaming into you classroom.
- sucks up bandwidth: with everyone in the school browsing through video after video, network speeds at you school will come to a crawl.
- inappropriate material: everything from pointless to tasteless- much of YouTube is not appropriate for school
- here today, gone tomorrow: not all the videos on YouTube stick around forever- you might send students off on a wild goose chase that leads them to videos that you weren’t expecting
- spam and scam: spammers and scammers are posting video all over YouTube to entice people to click over to a website that may contain viruses, malware or worse
- lies, lies and more lies: 9/11 conspiracies, miracle water, the real truth about the Holocaust- anyone can make a high quality and convincing video for YouTube that can fill your students’ heads with lies
So given all the good that YouTube can offer, how do we deal with the obstacles listed above?
Don’t flip for the Flip
December 19th, 2008
Some times I think what is hip and cool is not always right for school. The latest trendsetting gadgets are Flip Video’s digital camcorders. It seems like everyone is in love with the Flip. These little camcorders fit in your pocket and have a handy flip out USB connector so you can transfer your movies with ease.
I think the Flip camcorders are a little overhyped. It might be a great little camcorder to carry in your pocket for a night out on the town but we’re not sending our students to shoot video in the clubs. If you’re looking to just record short video clips, many affordable digital cameras can do the job and you’ll be able to use that camera to take great still images too. Here are a few reasons why I don’t flip for the Flip:
- No removable battery: Yes, you can recharge it but when the Flip’s non-replaceable battery stops holding it’s charge you’re finished. School shelling out money for the Flip might think twice if they knew the Flip’s days are numbered. (UPDATE: Flip’s older model- the Ultra- uses AA batteries)
- Missing expandable memory: Need more memory? Too bad. Flip’s memory is also non-replaceable. I want a camera that you can pop memory cards in and out of. Then you can have students record video, take out their card for editing and pass the camera on to the next group so they can start recording with another memory card while the other group is editing.
- Too expensive: starting at $150 and going up and over $200, the Flips are too expensive for their limited set of features. Instead, spend your money on a digital camera that also does video or you might want to consider spending $300 on a real digital camcorder.
If you must have a camcorder with the flip-out USB feature, check out the Kodak Zi6. This camcorder is slightly bigger but it has an expandable memory slot and macro mode. It’s powered by standard rechargeable AA batteries and it comes with a free charger. The Zi6 is a little cheaper too.
Check out these video reviews to see how the Zi6 compares to the Flip models.
Eight reasons to use YouTube in school
December 17th, 2008
Not a week goes by without one of my colleagues asking me how to show a YouTube video in class. Because of it’s history of inappropriate content, ranging from pointless to tasteless, YouTube has been blocked in schools across the nation. However, the same content filters that are supposed to be blocking the bad sites are preventing “…teachers from accessing cutting-edge widgets and digital materials that have enormous potential for expanding learning.” [1]
I think it’s time for schools to take another look at YouTube’s use in the classroom. Here are a few reasons why we should let YouTube into our schools:
- viewing is easy: there are a lot of video sharing websites out there, but YouTube makes the experience simple and seamless
- uploading is easy: posting videos to YouTube is incredibly easy, no need to worry about file formats and frame rates
- great content: sure there are dogs on skateboards but YouTube also hosts an impressive amount of top-notch material
- it’s become mainstream: From Barack Obama’s weekly addresses to videos from Britian’s Royal Family- everyone is using YouTube
- inspires creativity: as the the premiere site for user generated video, YouTube demonstrates the creativity that the world has to offer
- learn from feedback: learning doesn’t just stop after a video is posted, a steady stream of comments on your video can provide more opportunities to learn
- gives people a voice: tools like YouTube, “…make it easier than ever for people to make a difference and become civically engaged” [2]
- the real problem still exists: blocking YouTube doesn’t stop inappropriate video from being circulated in school via cellphones, email or other video sharing web sites
Stacks of papers? Scan them all!
November 17th, 2008
I just discovered that our copy machine works as a scanner too. Below is a video demonstration that shows how the copier at my school can scan documents and send them as emails.
I’ve been on a quest to digitize all my materials for class in an effort to save paper and backup everything I have. Now that scanning multiple pages is so easy, here are a few things I’ve been scanning:
- answer keys: for worksheets and study guides
- students’ quizzes: like it or not some students cheat, now I have a record of what each quiz looked like before I passed it back
- old worksheets: I have few gems that are only in hard copy, now they can be backed up digitally
- workshop handouts: I still get a lot of paper from workshops but now I can file this material in folders with my other digital work
- clippings and comics: preserving the stack of newspaper clippings and comics that I’ve collected over the years is now a breeze
- extra readings: I like to share excerpts from books with my students but I was never happy with all the paper wasted when students read something once and then discard it
Those are just a few examples of how I’ve begun to digitize my classroom. If you have any other ideas, share them in the comments.
All hail the clip show
November 4th, 2008
I was watching The Simpsons a few weeks ago when I saw this perfect example of inertia:
A Milhouse in motion will stay in motion
unless acted upon by an outside force.
(UPDATE: Bummer. Hulu took the episode down. I guess using Hulu is only good for recent shows. I’m sure this is a licensing thing. My guess is that things will get better as more and more video goes online.)
As a huge fan of The Simpsons, I’ve been slowly buying the DVD sets for each season. I have always thought about going through each DVD and pulling out clips that I could use in class. Perhaps I could create a log book to record the timestamp for each clip. I’ve even considered using some DVD ripping software to make a master DVD to hold all my physics-related Simpsons clips. Of course, both of these methods would take a lot of time.
However, I think I’ve found a better solution. More and more content is being put online for viewers to watch on demand. I think the service that does this best is Hulu.com.
At Hulu, you can find clips and full episodes of many of your favorite shows. They have movies too. It is only a matter of time before this method of delivering content becomes the norm.
One of the best things about Hulu, is that they allow you to pick the start and end time for the clip you want use. This is how I isolated the clip of Milhouse’s unfortunate flight above.
This works for movies too. Here are a few of my favorite scenes from the movie Ghostbusters:
With clips that are relevant and entertaining, we can now demonstrate concepts from our curricula with precision and ease. Get started by creating your own clips at Hulu.
Resize margins- a simple way to save
October 15th, 2008
In a recent episode of Stuff Happens, a new show on Planet Green, host Bill Nye explained how simply reducing the margins on the documents that we print can decrease the amount of paper we use by five percent.
If everyone in the U.S. shrunk their margins from ½ to ¼ inch we would save six million trees. This would prevent ½ million tons of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere. That’s like taking 133,000 cars off road. (Check out the project these kids did; they got similar numbers.)
But it’s not just about trees; paper isn’t cheap. Many schools are looking for ways to cut costs. Here is a five percent savings that can be done with just a few clicks.
You can almost always find the margin settings under File → Page Setup.
Change it in Word:
Change it in Internet Explorer:
