Using Google Search More Effectively

Becoming a Google Master

http://mashable.com/2011/11/24/google-search-infographic/

This infographic offers a helpful primer for how to best structure searches using advanced operators to more quickly and accurately drill down to the information you want. This is by no means an exhaustive list of search operators and advanced techniques, but it's a good start that will help set you on the path to becoming a Google master. [GIF]

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"See through your text" - Voyeur

Another way to look at text

http://www.voyeurtools.org/

GIve students a different way to see their text.

"Voyeur is an easy tool to use. You simply upload or paste a text and click "Reveal". You're then provided with a workbench-like screen that starts with a word cloud and copy of the text you submitted. You can also upload multiple documents in many common file formats such as Microsoft Word or PDF. Doing so allows Voyeur to create a corpus of texts that it can then compare for word frequencies. ...The initial word cloud includes every word in the document, which is often not very useful because of common words like "the," but the tool provides a pre-programmed list of "stop words" that will cause Voyeur to redraw the word cloud with those words omitted. Clicking on any word in the cloud will provide a graph of the relative frequency of that word. The tool also provides information about vocabulary density, distinctive words, length of documents, and a number of other statistical details worth investigating. (source)"

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Interactive Learning - helping underperforming kids

How to Engage Underperforming Students

http://www.edutopia.org/stw-school-turnaround-student-engagement-video

By focusing tightly on instructional strategies and PD, in just three years, educators at Cochrane Collegiate Academy have doubled student performance, and they and continue to reach higher.

Read the article: Ten Tips [Interactive Video Player: Look for downloadable PDF worksheets and other resource links near the player as you watch the video.]

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Intro Video Clips - High School

Preview the intro to FFH films

http://ffh.films.com/Search.aspx?st=adv&mf=Streaming+Video&sortby=Relevance

Looking for an intro clip to a challenging topic? Films Media Group has a wide range of subjects represented in their on-line library. Each of the titles has a 2 - 5 min preview clip that introduces the viewer to the film. In some cases, the preview clip is the perfect jumpstart to a unit or lesson. The summary of the "Segments" for the video can give some ideas for further discussion, (or suggest titles for purchase).

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"Keeping Teens Reading" - TIp List

Getting and Keeping Kids Hooked on Reading

(Thanks to Kimber T for collating this list from LM-NET)

Nothing earth-shattering here, but some great suggestions to consider if you are looking to reinvigorate your circ stats and encourage a love of reading.

• 1.  Buy series books:  Get students hooked is essential and they will want to keep reading.  Paranormal series are particularly popular. (Lists, Lists, Lists)(Also: keep an alphabetized list of series handy so students can find the next book just by stopping at the desk.)
• 2.  Talk About it:  Give students chances to discuss what they read and recommend that to others. (They like to read what their peers are reading and peer endorsements are valued.)
• 3.  New Formats: Encourage e-books, graphic novels, verse novels, etc.  These can draw students in because of their "novelty."
• 4.  Suggestion Box: At the circ desk, place a box where student requests are dropped so that students can request books easily. (Or better yet, use a Google form linked to your library page: example)
• 5.  "Amanda's Picks": Put student recommendations on shelves near books (similar to those seen in bookstores). (Stickers)
• 6.  Multiple Copies: Have several copies of those really popular books.  That can start a "fad" that may sweep through a grade level!
• 7.  Book Clips: Show book trailers when students are in the library.
• 8.  Promote New Stuff: Have new books visible in the library and the latest titles available.
• 9.  Share Your Choices: Place your latest "literary crush" on your desk. (perhaps on a little stand.) Students will often ask to borrow that title.  (Inspired by Layne's Igniting a Passion for Reading.)  Also: post staff members' pictures with "What Mr/Mrs is reading: __________ " written with dry erase markers to keep an updated running list.
  

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Portable North Pole 2011

Create a Video from Santa Claus

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home

"In just a few easy steps, you can create a personalized video from Santa Claus for your children, friends, family members or colleagues a you choose, by providing a few little details about the person."

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When Learning Becomes An Event

Make learning sticky: When Learning Becomes An Event

http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=926

Presenter: Andy McKiel

recordedin: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Twitter: @amckiel

"Presentation Description: As an educator, how do you make learning sticky for your students? This session will explore the concept of making ordinary lessons and projects extraordinary by celebrating even the little things that occur within our classrooms and schools on a daily basis.

Find out how you can make learning become an event by considering common elements woven through a variety of success stories and reflecting upon your own personal successes as an educator."

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Computer Based Math - web presentation

A vehicle for exploration of mathematical ideas

Presenter: David Wees

http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=906

recorded: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Twitter: @davidwees

Presentation Description:

Computers in math education are typically seen as a tool for delivering content, assessing student understanding, or in some few cases, as a vehicle for exploration of mathematical ideas. Conrad Wolfram has suggested that computers could be used to replace the computation step of solving mathematical problems, so that students' time could be freed up to learn the other aspects of mathematical problem solving.

This presentation is an attempt to explore the consequences of this idea, and to frame my opinion of the use of computers in mathematics education.

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ISTE Magazine in digital format

"Learning and Leading with Technology" Magazine

is available online in fulltext.  

"The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. ISTE represents more than 100,000 education leaders and emerging leaders throughout the world and informs its members regarding educational issues of national and global scope."

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Less Than a Class Set - iPads in class

How to use even a few iPads

http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20111201?folio=22#pg24

Kristin Bennett share ideas for using an iPad, even if you don't have enough for one-to-one computing. She also lists a number of useful apps for the classroom.

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Understanding Learning Disabilities (70:00)

How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop—

Understanding Learning Disabilities (70m00)

http://digital.films.com/play/8JBT6Z

"In this classic program, internationally known learning disabilities expert Richard D. Lavoie leads a group of educators, psychologists, parents, and children through a series of exercises that vividly illustrate the daily classroom reality of LD students, an experience fraught with F.A.T.: frustration, anxiety, and tension. After the workshop is done, participants discuss strategies for working more effectively with learning-disabled children. Mainstreaming, discipline, distractions, and self-concept are addressed. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (70 minutes)"

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StatCan- Video tutorials for students

Easy, short video guides for the busy student!

ENG: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/edu/edu07/edu07_0000a-eng.htm

FRE: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/edu/edu07/edu07_0000a-fra.htm

Step-by-step student guides to finding data, and analyzing it!

Examples:

1) Choosing a topic (4:38 min.)

Discover resources for data projects from the Statistics Canada Students page.

2) Searching for data using Browse by subject (5:01 min.)

Start broad by choosing the subject, then select subtopics to narrow down your search. Find articles, Summary tables and detailed CANSIM tables related to your subject.

3) Searching for data using The Daily (5:24 min.)

Use Search by topic within The Daily to see articles that have been written about your topic by Statistics Canada. You will find data links at the end of each article.

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Webinar: Blended Learning Strategies for K-12

Blended Learning Strategies for K-12

[LINK here]

(Registration - free - required)

"Schools and districts across the country are incorporating blended learning across a continuum of models: from having fully online components of courses such as labs or help sessions to posting online resources that support the instruction that occurs entirely in a face-to-face setting. In this webinar, hear from three district leaders who have successfully implemented blended learning programs about how they set up an online learning program that worked for their administration and teachers, and helped their students achieve results."

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National Video Game Challenge!

Can You Design Video Games to Teach STEM?

(National Challenge Open to Students and Pros)

http://www.stemchallenge.org/Default.aspx

"The 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge is launched in partnership with Digital Promise, a new initiative created by the President and Congress, supported through the Department of Education. The initiative is designed to unlock the promise of breakthrough technologies to transform teaching and learning."

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Videos and webcasts from Literacy BC

Some Tools for Teachers: Literacy Videos   

(Resources developed by B.C. School Districts)

http://www.readnowbc.ca/k12/tools_teachers.php#

Initiatives and resources being developed and implemented include:

"What Do Good Readers Do?", Picture Word Inductive Model, "Talking Table", Firm Foundations, "Let's Read", "Squiggles", "It's All in The Bag: Clustering from Text", "Talking Tables: An Oral Language Program", "At Promise: Reading Practices that Work"

Including Literacy Webcasts from recognized literacy expert Faye Brownlie; her presentation "Literacy in the Middle Years" at a live, interactive webcast on October 7, 2004 is available on this site.

Also, Numeracy Webcasts from Dr. Heather Kelleher, noted mathematics educator and researcher, demonstrating the use of the K-1 mathematics screening resources.

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The Evolution of Search (Video)

Google: Important trends, quick answers and the future of search.

[Video Link]

Following up on Google's video on how they make improvements to search, here is a short history of the evolution of search, highlighting some of the most important milestones from the past decade—and a taste of what's coming next.

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Michael Eisenberg - "Project Information Literacy" (PIL)

How Students manage Technology and Multitasking (1h23)

[VIDEO LINK]

"Project Information Literacy (PIL) is an ongoing research project, based in the University of Washington's Information School. The project seeks to understand how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research activities for course work and "everyday life" use and especially how they resolve issues of credibility, authority, relevance, and currency in the digital age. Research in 2009-2010 collected data from over 10,000 students. Most recently, PIL studied how 560 college students managed technology and multitasked while they were in the library during "crunch time" (the final weeks of the term)."

Dr Eisenberg's current work focuses on information literacy, information problem-solving in virtual environments (funded by the MacArthur Foundation), and information science education K-20. His "Big6 approach to information problem-solving" is the most widely used information literacy program in the world.

Webcast sponsored by Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by SLAIS (School of Library, Archival and Information Studies), and School Library Day Colloquium (Co-Sponsored with the UBC Education Library).

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Project Based Learning (PBL) Video and Links

A Teaching Method for the 21st century (or any century!)

http://www.bie.org/

http://pbl-online.org/

[Another LINK]

Many of us are already incorporating some elements of PBL in our classrooms. For more information, visit these sites. (Also: A nice video summary for new teachers.)

Project Based Learning is "an instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation. These activities are designed to answer a question or solve a problem and generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom."

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A centralized repository of technology related resources

Tech Resources for Administrators

http://www.portical.org/

"TICAL: a centralized repository of technology related resources and professional development opportunities for California's administrators, that will help them in finding resources to assist in the day-to-day needs of their jobs. These resources have been collected and organized by a cadre of technology-savvy, practicing administrators and met criteria judged to be of value to others."

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Going Paperless with iPads

iPads for one-to-one teaching and learning

[LINK to article and video]

"Monte Vista Christian School in Santa Cruz County is one of the first schools to implement iPads for one-to-one teaching and learning.  You will hear from the headmaster/principal, teachers, and students on how the iPad is helping their school go paperless, engage students in active learning and promote autonomous learning with a variety of educational apps."

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Bookbloggin’ - Book Reviews

A Collection of YA book reviews

http://bookbloggin.wordpress.com/

"Bookbloggin' is produced by the folks of Girls Preparatory School, students and faculty alike. If you're short on time and need an easy source of YA and adult book reviews by librarians, students, and faculty at our school, I encourage you to follow our blog!  Readers can also submit reviews. We'll add an image of the book's cover, give it the appropriate tags (which categories/genre(s) it falls under) and vwahlah–you'll be famous!"

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"Goodnight, iPad" - Trailer

A Parody for the next generation

http://quietube2.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ouOwpYQqic

"Like the rest of us who cannot resist just a few more scrolls and clicks, you may find yourself ready for bed while still clinging to your electronics long after dark. This book, which is made of paper, is a reminder for the child in all of us to power down at the end of the day. This hilarious parody not only pokes loving fun at the bygone quiet of the original classic, but also at our modern plugged-in lives"

(Janice N. already has her copy!)

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Interested in doing Lit Circles? - Resources

Online Resource for leading Literature Circles

• Sask Ed Instructional Strategies online
• Laura Candler - Teaching Resources
• Lit Circle Overview of process

"In literature circles, small groups of students gather together to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students' response to what they have read. You may hear talk about events and characters in the book, the author's craft, or personal experiences related to the story."

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Music Resources for French Teachers

La Musique Francophone

https://sites.google.com/site/gordonspresentations/musique

Links to music sites, performers, internet radio and podcasts featuring francophone groups from all over, with a focus on "la musique québécoise et canadienne-française". Lots of great resources, especially "ecoutez.ca"

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WritingFix: Teachers Sharing Writing Lessons

Techniques to "fix" reluctant writers and writing teachers

http://writingfix.com/

"If you navigate this website's menu bar (at left, in the light blue area), you will quickly discover pages dedicated to our local inservice classes and their instructors, as well as hundreds of complete writing lessons developed during these local workshops, and thousands of student samples submitted by teachers all over the world who--even though they're not from Northern Nevada--use our posted materials to inspire their students to write."

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Quintura for Kids

See & Find with Quintura Kids

http://quinturakids.com/

Another way to search the net!

"See & Find with Quintura Kids - Visualization becomes the center of user experience. You can visually navigate and easily refine in order to find relevant information faster and more efficiently!"

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