ITES Technology Standards

I have been given the task to relate the new ITES standards to a content area.  Since 2006 my workdays are spent in a school library media center.  However, my past professional life was spent in a Language Arts classroom.  I'm back in high school so let us first take a look at the four standards for 9-12:

1. SI: Sources of Information: Evauluate resources needed to solve a given problem
2. TT: Technology as a Tool: Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks
3. RP: Research Process: Design project-based products that address problems
4. SE: Safety and Ethical Issues: Analyze issues and practices of responsible behavior when using resources.

Here's a look at the English/Language Arts Standards for High School

My goal is to connect the following Common Core high school English Standard to ITES: 

• Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

This goal is an important one as it will be applied to the  International Baccalaureate (IB) students as they write the essays that determine their success in achieving the IB Diploma. The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, culminating in a 4,000-word paper. As a required component, it provides:

• practical preparation for the kinds of undergraduate research required at tertiary level
• an opportunity for students to engage in an in-depth study of a topic of interest within a chosen subject.

Emphasis is placed on the research process:

• formulating an appropriate research question
• engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
• communicating ideas
• developing an argument.

Participation in this process develops the capacity to:

• analyse
• synthesize, and
• evaluate knowledge.

Source

1. Standard I: SI: Sources of Information: Evauluate resources needed to solve a given problem: IB Students are given the task to deveop a research question and find an engaging solution or satisfactory evaluation of the situation.
2. TT: Technology as a Tool: Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks: Part of ther research process is designed not only around books but online databases.  Utiliznig NC Wise Owl, NC Live and working with the UNCG libraries to give students online database access enables students to use technology to complete their research.
3. RP: Research Process: Design project-based products that address problems: The entire IB essay is designed to find a solution to a problem.  Acting as a guide to provide students with the tools to find online and in-library tools to solve the problem adds to their success.
4. SE: Safety and Ethical Issues: Analyze issues and practices of responsible behavior when using resources.: As a library media specialist my goal is to enable students to identify reliable websites for research.  Using the 5 point checklist of: validity, currency, content, purpose and accuracy, students are able to use non-online database resources with confidence.

 

THE Webtools of 2011

I realize that tech tools are the last thing educators are thinking of as we prepare for Winter break.  However, I want to leave my fellow blends with a new tool to try every day for the remainder of the 2011-12 school year.  Many of these tools have been featured on TTWIT but I hope you return in 2012 and read the features on the ones new to you. Enjoy!

1. Thinkfinity: http://www.thinkfinity.org/
2. National Geographic Xpeditions: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
3. Culture Grams: http://www.culturegrams.com/
4. Asia Society: www.asiasociety.org/arts-culture/asia-society-museum
5. BBC for Kids: http://www.bbc.co.uk/
6. New York Times, Lesson Plans: www.learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/lesson-plans
7. Teacher Corner: http://www.theteacherscorner.net/
8. Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/
9. Free Rice-Vocabulary Site: http://www.freerice.com/
10. Free Poverty-Geography Site: http://www.freepoverty.com/
11. Learner: http://www.learner.org/
12. International Reading Association: http://www.readwritethink.org/
13. OWL at Purdue U: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl 
14. Blue Grammar Book: http://www.grammarbook.com/
15. ESL Flashcards: http://www.eslflashcards.com/
16. Spellanywhere: http://www.spellanywhere.com/
17. Rick Walton: http://www.rickwalton.com/
18. Fires in the Mind: http://www.firesinthemind.org/
19. Edhelper: http://www.edhelper.com/
20. RubiStar: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ 
21. Byrd Seed Gifted Lessons: http://www.byrdseed.com/
22. Imagination Soup: http://www.imaginationsoup.net/
23. TED: http://www.ted.com/
24. Professional Garfield: http://www.professorgarfield.org/
25. Kid Blog: http://www.kidblog.org/
26. That Quiz: http://www.thatquiz.org/
27. Academic Skill Builders: http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/
28. Circle the Cat: www.members.shaw.ca/gf3/circle-the-cat.html
29. Sheppard Software: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/
30. Storyline Online: http://www.storylineonline.net/
31. ABCya!: http://www.abcya.com/
32. Study Zone: www.studyzone.org/testprep/index.cfm
34. Super Teacher Worksheets: http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/
35. Discovery Education Streaming: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/
36. Busy Teacher’s Café: http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/
37. Global Tech School: http://www.globaltechschool.com/
38. Diigo: http://www.diigo.com/
39. Vocabulary and Spelling City: http://www.spellingcity.com/
40. Making Curriculum Pop: http://www.mcpopmb.ning.com/
41. English Champion: http://www.englishcompanion.ning.com/
42. National Council of Teachers of English: http://www.ncte.org/
43. Web English Teacher: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/
44. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: www.rockhall.com/education
45. College Board: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/prof-dev
46. Technology in Class: www.technologyinclass.com/blog
47. PBworks: http://pbworks.com/
48. Challenge by Choice: http://www.challengebychoice.wordpress.com/
49. McQuality Education Services: http://www.mcqualityeducserv.com/
50. Learning Centre: http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/
51. Dream Up the Future: http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/
52. Ten Marks: www.tenmarks.com/tmother/teacher-index
53. Quizlet: http://www.quizlet.com/
54. Voice Thread: http://www.voicethread.com/
55. 8 to Great: http://www.8togreat.com/
56. Learn Me Project: http://www.learnmeproject.com/
57. Hands on Math: http://www.handsonmath.blogspot.com/
58. Edmodo: http://www.edmodo.com/
59. Tween Tribune: http://www.tweentribune.com/
60. TregoED: www.tregoed.org/teachers/new-to-scan.html
61. Middle School Science: http://www.middleschoolscience.com/
62. Science Spot: http://www.sciencespot.net/
63. Animoto: http://www.animoto.com/
64. Prezi: www.prezi.com
65. Buck Institute for Education: http://www.bie.org/
66. Eduhound: http://www.eduhound.com/
67. How Stuff Works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/
68. Flash Card Machine: http://www.flashcardmachine.com/
69. Class Jump: http://www.classjump.com/
70. ABCteach: http://www.abcteach.com/
71. EPALS Global Community: http://www.epals.com/
72. EdHelper: http://www.edhelper.com/
73. TeAch-nology: http://www.teach-nology.com/
74. Survey Monkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/
75. Scholastic: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/home.jsp
76. iKeep Bookmarks: http://www.ikeepbookmarks.com/
77. Enchanted Learning: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/
78. Eclipse Crossword: http://www.eclipsecrossword.com/
79. Math Snacks: http://www.mathsnacks.org/
80. Wikispaces: http://www.wikispaces.com/
81. World Digital Library: http://www.wdl.org/
82. Library of Congress for Teachers: www.loc.gov/teachers
83. SocialMaestro: http://www.socialmaestro.com/
84. Spellingcity: http://www.spellingcity.com/
85. Report Card Comments: http://www.reportcardscomments.com/
86. EDSITEment!: http://www.edsitement.neh.gov/
87. Khan Academy: http://www.khanacademy.org/
88. Teachinghistory.org: http://www.teachinghistory.org/
89. National Archives - Teachers: www.archives.gov/education
90. Smithsonian: www.si.edu/educators
91. Jibe: http://www.jibemix.com/
92. Glogster Edu: http://www.edu.glogster.com/
93. PD 360: http://www.pd360.com/
94. Enter The Group: http://www.enterthegroup.com/
95. assessmentfocus.com: http://www.assessmentfocus.com/
96. JewelBeat: http://www.jewelbeat.com/
97. NWP Digital Is: http://digitalis.nwp.org/
98. Gapminder: http://www.gapminder.org/
99. Facing the Future: http://www.facingthefuture.org/
100. Curriculum21: www.curriculum21.com/clearinghouse
101. World Mapper: http://www.worldmapper.org/
102. Collaborize Classroom: http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/
103. SweetSearch: http://www.sweetsearch.com/
104. LearningReviews.com: http://www.learningreviews.com/
105. Genetic Science Learning Center: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/
106. Enter The Group: http://www.enterthegroup.com/
107. Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology: www.hudsonalpha.org/education/digitaleducation
108. Knovio: http://www.knovio.com/
109. Splashtop Inc.: http://www.splashtop.com/  
110. Root-1: http://www.root-1.com/
111. MyClassTalk: http://www.myclasstalk.com/
112. BenchPrep: http://www.benchprep.com/
113. World Digital Library www.wdl.org/
114. Library of Congress for Teachers www.loc.gov/teachers/

Have a safe and happy holiday season. 











 

A Note About Success

This morning the Library Ladies met with our intern for the Spring 2012 semester.  She expressed an interest in helping teachers be successful in integrating technology into their curriculum.  Intern Jess caused me to think about our idea of success when it comes to both ours and our students’ class performance.  We get so bogged down in finding the best technology that that the true success lies in trying something new or not giving up when things go wrong such as the LCD bulb burning out.  Thomas Edison once said that "success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration." 

What do you think?

Tweets for Teachers

Educators, do you have a Twitter account?  If not, what are you waiting for? If you think Twitter is only for the Kardashians and Ashton Kutchers of the world, you're wrong.  Twitter is a useful tool for everyone to share ideas, links and news.

For eductors, Twitter can be used:

• to reate a Q&A feed for students.  This is especially beneficial to keep a running record of tips the night before a big exam.
• as a form of communication between teachers and parents.
• a live Tweet session for extra credit
• upload photos and links that will increase engagement in your content area and boost the self-esteem of your students.
• You'll find additional tips here.

One of the greatest tools for teachers are Twitter feeds for advice.  There are numerous experts in the education field who research educational trends and the only thing you have to do is follow their feed. You will find countless list of super educators online but the following link breaks up feeds by subject area.



Another valuable Twitter tool are hastags.  A hastag is simply "a convenient way of tagging and organizing ideas simply by sticking a number sign in front of any word. In Twitter, hash tags automatically become links to the entire stream of Tweets that share the same #hashtag." Source 

There are in infinite number of hastags and starting with A-Z Dictionary of Educational Twitter Hashtags is a lovely place to find exactly what you're looking for.

As you can see, Twitter goes beyond Beyonce's unborn child @BeyonceJayFetus ("I AM… Baby Fierce").  Twitter is a fantastic opportunity to reach out to students, parents and colleagues. 

Please follow me on Twitter @HolisticTechie should you have any questions about this or other posts on TTWIT.

READER RESPONSE: Please list your Twitter handle in the comments section. 

Big Thinkers

Big thinkers are not lacking in education. What’s lacking are big mouths. I have chosen a person who is not afraid to speak his mind as my Technology Education Hero of the Week. Professor Henry Jenkins of USC’s School of Communication and Journalism explains why it is important for teachers and schools not to shut out important instructional tools such as YouTube, video games and social networking in their classroom.

Thank you, Professor Jenkins for being a big thinker.