Embedding a document in your blog

One of the teachers here wants to be able to post her templates on this blog. My first search for a solution sent me to scribd.The document I uploaded threre does embed nicely, and it actually printed! On the other hand
1) the program requires you to "completely trust this java applet"
2)The document titles were hard to view in the upload phase,
3)there were too many steps for most teachers, and
4) the document was reduced in size about 75%. For a older guy like me, that means I need to find my reading glasses, which disturbs me.
Still, it's a start. Stay tuned for better ideas.

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

We just installed a nice tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, and more.
Now, when you look at this blog, you'll notice a small dialog box on the right side of every hot link. As you mouse over this box and pause, you'll see a larger box pop up with a preview of the site. As visual thinkers, we think this makes the links far more valuable to our readers than they were before we installed this great tool. It gives the reader more choices in the navigation of this blog's content.

Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

If you want to install this tool on your blog, the link is here. A few pointers on installing this tool

1)The default install is for both the icon and the link to show the pop up. That turned out to be too distracting, We went back to install and chose option two: only mousing over the icon gives the pop-up box.
2)Don't worry if you didn't get it right the first time; the Snap site sends a confirming email that has a customization link in it. It took me five minutes to change my settings.
3)When the Snap site changes your settings. all it really does is place a new widget on your blog You should remove the first widget you installed before you install the second time to avoid confusion.

Afterschool Matters

Here's a video from the George Lucas Education Foundation (GLEF) about how a group in Chicago, is using after school programs to change students' lives. Technology is often part of it, but it's wonderful to see how their program serves kids interested in a wide range of areas.

How to make a rainbow

Margo and I continue to be fascinated by the tool that created this short clip on how a rainbow is created.

A fine example of a simple video blogging class project

Margo found this for me on teacher tube, and we both thought it was a great idea. The kids get to plan out, write down, and practice what they are going to say; the parents will love the video; it takes only equipment the school already has; and there are no privacy issues.




Rachel Boyd, the teacher who did this says:

Let the 6 & 7 year olds from Room 9 at Nelson Central School educate you about what they think a blog is and why they love using them! This is the introduction to my presentation for a New Zealand Online Conference. This part is the student's voice. Primarily it's an AUDIO file, we didn't want to detract away from the children's voices. I've just chosen to upload it here as a movie for flexibility. Check out out class blog here at: Room 9 Nelson Blog Or our teacher's edublog at: My journey in ICT and blogging

How to create a group in Teachertube.

One of the issues we are faced with in blogging is student privacy, which must be protected at all costs. As you may have noticed, Margo and I post our videos at Teachertube.com. There are many reasons why we do so, but here's one. Watch this short video which demonstrates how to create a "group" at the Teachertube site. This group will allow you to limit the people who can view the video you post to your classes parents and other teachers and administrators in your school. Great feature.

Inspiration for Math Education

Here's a post from Margo's blog, Inspiring Math Learning.

In light of NCLB and the standards movement, teachers are so pressed to raise test scores that it's easy to forget some of the intriguing, fun, math things we used to have time for in the "good old days". So this blog will help remind us of some of the conversations, resources, and really "cool things" that inspire math learning.

Like for instance. I just came across a very elegant simple puzzle, called Ball of Whacks - a 30-sided polyhedra made up of 30 identical magnetic pieces that just pop into place. You've got to feel it to believe it.
Check it out. Here's a little movie of it - Ball of Whacks