Mrs. Carey: Technology Integration

Tip 24 - Glogster
Tip 23. Google Squared and Wonder Wheel
Tip 22 Flash Card Machine and Flip Book Maker
Tip 21 Guess the Google/ Montage a Google
Tip 20 Award Maker
Tip 19. Search Cube
Tip 18 Picture Perfect in Word
Tip 17 Animoto
Tip 16. Webspiration
Tip 15 Sheppard Software
Tip 14. Resources for the Presidential Inauguration
and Martin Luther King Jr.
Tip 13. Find on Page
Tip 12. Have FUN
Tip 11. Print Multiple Files
Tip 10. Powerpoint Tips
Tip 9 Spelling City
Tip 8. Professor Garfield
Tip 7. Wordle
Tip 6. Newspaper Clipping Generator
Tip 5. Desktop Icon
Tip 4. Freeze Panes
Tip 3. Change Case
Tip 2. Page Border
Tip 1. Format Painter

---

Tip 24. Glogster

Interactive Poster. A multimedia tool for Educators.

---

Tip 23. Google Squared and Wonder Wheel

Here are two great online tools from Google that will display your search results in a more organized and meaningful way. Google Squared and Wonder Wheel.

Google Squared extracts data from Web pages and presents them as squares in an online spreadsheet. Rather then listing the web pages, all information is presented in a nice looking grid. I typed in US Presidents and this is the result:

You also have the ability to add columns for attributes you want include. Need another attribute that isn't listed? Add a column and Google Squared will search the information for you. In the example above it pulled up attributes for name, image description, date of birth, party etc. However I want ed to add Vice President to the square. All I had to do was click on Add Square, type in Vice Presidents and Google Squared searched for that information and added it to the Square. You can print, save and/or export your grid to an Excel spreadsheet. Give it a try!

***

The other Search tool by Google is Wonder Wheel

It's been described as a “new stool that allows you to slice and dice results in new ways.”

Basically it's a pre defined mind mapper which helps the user get all the related search results in a wheel shaped like display (similar to Kidspiration and Inspiration),

I typed in US Presidents in the search box on the main Google page. When the results appear you click on “Show Options” at the top of the page and go to Wonder Wheel on the left hand side. Here is the result:

If I click on one of the spokes of the wheel it creates another wheel which drills down to a deeper search. Here is the result when I click on Republican US Presidents.

---

Tip 22. Flash Card Machine and Flip Book Maker

Here are two free online applications which will provide fun and useful teaching tools for teachers and students alike.

Flash Card Machine, is a web application that allows the user to create interactive web-based study flash cards.
Students can create flash cards and make them publicly available for their classmates so that they can study from the same set.

Teachers! Create flash card sets for your students. Assign each set of flash cards their own unique username and password giving your students access without having to register.

Ellen Ahern, the Librarian, is using Flash Card Machine to create a set of book talks for her classes in the library. On one side she has written the title of the book and on the other a summary of the book. She is building a collection as she goes along and it is available to her online whenever she needs it.
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/

Flip Book allows users to type and illustrate tabbed flip books up to ten pages long - online. You can use the flip book like a notebook for writing, drawing, or journaling or to write and illustrate an original book or the steps in a procedure. Use the flip book to create a poetry collection or make picture books. It can also be use to collect facts, or create question and answer booklets – the possibilities are endless!

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/flipboo

tes t

As we begin the year you might be looking for some creative ways to help your students to become collaborative learners/team players. Here are a few applications which you can use with your students...or to entertain yourself!

test

Guess The Google is an image guessing game which is entertaining and fun to play. The game is simple: look at the montage of images and guess what word/words were searched to find these. This is an ideal tool to build creative thinking-- specifically flexibility-- and loosen up minds to consider more than one option for any problem. It turns the mental activity of searching into a fun, visual and engaging game where students and teachers have to determine what connects all of the pictures together. It could serve as an collaborative learning activity to focus your students on the class or to open up creative thinking and help them to apply their learning in new ways.

Another application: Montage a Google, reverses this process.  Montage-a-google uses Google’s image search to generate a large montage of images based on keywords entered by you the user. Not only an interesting way of browsing the net, it can also be used to create desktop pictures, a book report cover or even posters.  You could also have students make predictions as to what they may see as a result of a keyword search.

Ocean Life

NOTE:  Like Wordle (Tip 7) these are web based applications which are not monitored.

Tip 20. My Award Maker

As we wind down the school year you might want to present some awards or certificates to your students. Here is an easy online award maker that allows you to personalize and print all types of certificates in seconds!

Visit My Award Maker (www.myawardmaker.com)
Now

• Browse to find the certificate you want
• Click the Download Button (you just need to Open you don't have to Save)

• The Downloaded file will open in Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Enter your text
• PRINT!

Attention all you visual learners, check out this great new search engine. Search Cube is a visual search engine that presents web search results in a three-dimensional cube interface.

This graphical search engine searches websites, videos and images and displays previews of each result on a unique, three dimentioanl cube. Once your search results appear, you can use the arrow keys, the SHIFT key and the mouse to interact and rotate your Search Cube. Mouse over images and get a visual preview of the site. It's fun to watch the cube build and it's also fun to rotate it to see all your choices.

It could be a great way to engage a topic and provoke discussion around an idea or concept, similar to a wordsplash.Try typing in "Revolutionary War". It could also be a great inspirational tool for creative pursuits like writing or art. I typed in "Picasso", see the result below.

Try it out! http://search-cube.com/

Picasso

Did you know that you can make adjustments to pictures right in Microsoft Word? You don't need to buy or download special picture software. Learn how to make simple changes to your pictures in Word.

Click here for a demonstration

Click here for more examples

First you need to insert a picture into Word (Insert-Picture-From File). The picture Tool Bar should appear automatically whenever you click on a picture. If it doesn't, click on View -Toolbars-Picture.

Here is an illustration of what each button on the toolbar does:

.

Do you want to take your presentation and Slide Show skills to a new level?  Check out Animoto.

Animoto is an awesome web application that takes your uploaded pictures and mixes them into professional looking videos, like something you might see on commercials.  Animoto will analyze the music and create a custom show using your pictures that you can link to in a webpage, email to parents, download, embed in a web site, or just show your students! Because Animoto is completely web-based there is NOTHING TO DOWNLOAD!  Students and teachers can create videos from school and continue working on them at home.

Make any lesson come to life.   Use it at the beginning of the day as a ‘teaser’ for what your students can look forward to learning each day (similar to a Word Splash) or use it to teach complex concepts in history, math, science, or character education.  Allow your students to display knowledge of a concept. Animoto presentations are quicker to create than traditional PowerPoint type presentations and much more exciting.  It’s an ideal venue  for  digital storytelling in the classroom setting.

Animoto is private – which  means that other people can’t come across student videos or contact students through the site. Anyone can sign up for an account and create free, 30 second videos.  Educators can apply for an Education Account which allows you to create full length videos and music.

I created a quick 30 second video using pictures of Holliston that I found on the G drive:

Or check out some of the videos that have been submitted to Animoto by teachers around the country. They are quite inspiring!

 http://education.animoto.com/

Tip 16. Webspiration

Recently launched by Inspiration, Inc., Webspiration is the new online visual thinking tool that helps you capture ideas, organize information, diagram processes and more.  
Webspiration  has many of the same features as Inspiration but is free to use and the documents you create are available anywhere you have access to the Internet.  Collaboration on Webspiration documents is simple and allows for same document contributing, posting, comments, and viewing.  Overall, Webspiration gives you all the power of Inspiration with the added benefits of collaboration, and being able to save your visual maps and access them from any computer connected to the web.  You  can also upload your existing Inspiration graphic organizers to the web as well as download the ones you create from within Webspiration

Again, You can store and access documents online without discs, drives or email!

Tip 15. Shepard Software Website - GREAT!

I have found a great website for teachers, students and parents! The Sheppard Software website is thoroughly packed with interactive activities for students.  http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

You will find a wide variety of online free games on subjects like math, vocabulary, chemistry, animated games for kids, animal quizzes,  brain games, paint activities and puzzles. At the top of the main page you can find useful games such as animal pages, pages for kids, world geography games, U.S geography games and more.  These free online games are a great online tool for learning. The games and activities span all age levels.

There are preschool and Kindergarten Activities:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/preschool/preschool.htm

Or check out the Animial Classification Activities:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/kidscorner3.htm

It's also a great resource for State and Country reports:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm

Kids will also have fun learning the countries, capitals and geography around the world with these free online excersises and games.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm

Or Check out  License Plate Math- it’s a fun game you can play on the road as well as on the computer. There are virtually unlimited numbers of math puzzles.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/lpm_01_cat.htm

And there is so much more. It's definitely worth a look!!

Next week provides us with a great opportunity to reflect on the United States' history and future.

The day before President Elect Barak Obama becomes president and a new Congress takes office is Martin Luther King Jr.s Birthday celebration. I have compiled a list of websites and downloadable activities for you to explore.
Martin Luther King Jr

Inauguration Day

When performing a search on Google have you ever found what appeared to be the perfect site but  when you clicked on it couldn't find the information you wanted?
 Search engines provide a list of websites that contain the words or phrases for which you have searched. However, once you go to a recommended website, it can be difficult to find your subject on the page. This is especially true on a long page. Instead of searching endlessly for what you thought you already found, try using the option called "Find on This Page" in the Edit menu. Ctrl-F is the keyboard combination shortcut.   Type in the word or phrase you are looking for and it will highlight the first instance of the word. Click Find Next to see the next and next. This can quickly help you find information on the page.

Click here for a Demo

Sometimes you just gotta' have fun!

Here are a few websites that might keep students entertained throught the winter holiday. Go to Curriculum Connections - Click on Just For Fun - and then on SNOW. Or click here:

http://www.holliston.k12.ma.us/miller/justforfun.htm

Tip 11. Print Multiple Files

Do you ever want to print out several files or documents, all at once, without having to open each one individually? 

First, make sure all of the files are all in the same folder. Go to My Computer and navigate to the folder that contains your files. Highlight the files or go to  Edit – Select all and Click File Print.  It will open each one, print it, then close it. You can highlight a string of them by clicking on first one then holding Shift and clicking on last one. Or you can hold Ctrl and individually select all of the items you want to print. Be careful, if you pick something with a million pages you may clog up the printer for awhile.

Click here for a Demo

I know you think you're an expert at PowerPoint - but here are some tips and tricks that might surprise you!

3 Ways to Start a Slide Show:
1. Go to "Slide Show" on the menu bar and select "View Show" .

2. Click the little graphic of a projector screen in the bottom left corner.

3. Jjust press "F5" on the keyboard   

The following shortcuts work when you are running a PowerPoint show (not editing a slide)

Move Through a PowerPoint:

TO GO FORWARD:  Space Bar, Right Arrow, Down Arrow, Enter, Left Click, Right Click and select "Next" from the menu

TO GO BACKWARDS:  Left Arrow, Up Arrow, Backspace, Right Click and select "Previous" from the menu

2 Ways to Blank the Screen:

During a presentation your audience will naturally focus on the screen rather than the presenter.  To get all eyes back on you - try making the screen blank during the presentation.  Here's how to do it:   

    Type the letter "B" and the screen will go black; Typing  “B” again returns it to normal

    Type the letter "W" and the screen will go white: Typing “W” again returns it  to normal

Draw on the screen

   Sometimes it can be valuable to be able to draw or highlight areas on the screen during your presentation to illustrate a particular point or item. Press the Ctrl-P key combination to display a pen on the screen. To erase what you have drawn, press the E key.  To use the highlighter function right click on the screen and go to “pointer options” and select “Highlighter”.  Hit Control “A” to return it to a Pointer.

How do you spell fun and educational? Checkout the website Spelling City which makes practicing for a spelling test fun. All for free! Students can type in their own lists of up to 10 words or use one of the many sample lists. Teachers can make a free account and save their lists online for their students to access at home. The site offers eight spelling and vocabulary games to complement the spelling list. Try a few test words to see how much fun and good practice it is.

How to use the site:

Click the “Find a List” tab, or enter up to 10 words of your own.

Click the appropriate button to:
Test Me
The computer says the words aloud and the student types them.
Teach Me
The computer says the word aloud, spells it, and shows it letter-by-letter to the student.
Play A Game
Students can choose from a variety of games including HangMouse

Add your own lists for students. You can create and save your own spelling list for students. Click the "Teacher" button at the top of the screen to see how.

Did you ever think that the Comic Strip Garfield could help your students with reading comprehension and sequencing?? 
Visit Professor Garfield (yes Garfield the cat!) and you’ll find a fun, interactive site which will help your students practice their skills.  Professor Garfield was designed with the intent of being both enjoyable and educational through its interactive format and instructional content.

A visit to “Reading Ring” has children put their reading and sequencing skills to the test by putting the frames of a Garfield cartoon in chronological order.

Or visit Comics Lab where students can write, assemble and print their own comic strips. The Comics Lab allows students to develop creative writing skills while learning how to develop plots and story lines. The Comics Lab also includes a video tutorial about writing.

A link to the “Teacher’s Lounge” provides a site designed for teachers that includes lesson plans and incorporates assessment methodologies. 

Enjoy!

This web tool creates word clouds from text you provide. It's simple, fun and creative! The more times a word appears in a text, the larger it is in the word cloud. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts and color schemes.

Here is an example of a Wordle based on President-elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech:

Or from words I typed in for Placentino’s 10th Birthday:

There are many ways you can use this tool in the classroom:

• Convert a Poem or Children’s Book (Dr. Seuss would be fun!)
• Create a “Who am I” poster
• Use the text from a news article
• Turn an essay into a poster
• Automate the creation of word poetry
• Combine key words and themes as an introduction to a unit or course.
• Enter keywords from weekly weather reports to obtain a seasonal picture
• Represent the results of a brainstorming session
• Show "Today in History" in a new and exciting way

Instructions on using Wordle are as follows,:

Goto www.wordle.net

1. Click on create
2. Key in or copy and paste text in to form the word cloud.
3. Key words can be enlarged by just repeat typing the word. (Does not have to be consecutive)
4. To keep two words linked in the wordle, use the tilda key (~) between the words eg word~cloud
5. When complete, hit “go” button
6. Java will convert the words into a cloud. Press randomize until you are happy with the effect, or manually change the colors and font style.

Tip 6. Newspaper Clipping Generator

You can create your own newspaper article with the Newspaper Clipping Generator. Here is a silly example which I created (based on an example from the website)

Click here for a demonstration

There are many ways you can use this tool with your students:

• As a way to motivate or engage your students about a new project
• Create a clipping for a writing assignment
• Create a clipping as part of a history assignment from the time period they are studying

Create an article of your own. Go to Newspaper Generator. Fill in the fields for:

Newspaper Name
Date of Article
Headline of your Article
Your own news story (about 100-200 words)
Click the Generate button at the bottom of the page. And then the Click Here to Save your Clipping. It saves it as a jpg or picture file.

You can then insert this clipping (or picture) into a Word document or a PowerPoint Presentation your class Webpage or you can simply print it out.

Tip 5. Desktop Icon

Would you like to put a website icon or shortcut on your desktop for websites you visit frequently?

Fist click on the Restore Down button on the top right corner of your screen. It is the middle button. Next navigate to your desired website. And now click and drag the URL (or web address) from the address bar to your desktop. Click HERE for a demonstration.

Tip 4. Freeze Panes

Keep row and column labels visible as you scroll through a spreadsheet with the Freeze Pane command.
It is sometimes difficult to read and understand spreadsheets. When you scroll too far to the right or down, you lose the headings that are located at the top and down the left side of the worksheet.

Click in a single cell of your worksheet and to the Window>Freeze Panes command. Make sure you click the cell below and to the right of where you want the split to appear. This will freeze all rows above the selected cell and all columns to the left of the selected cell. Click HERE for a demonstration.

Do you ever start typing with the Caps Lock key on without realizing it? No need to retype!

Do you want to insert a page border/or artwork around your word document?

Open a Word document. • Click on Format and Borders and Shading. • Select the Page Border tab. • Choose either Box, Shadow, or 3D. •If you want artwork select Art from the middle section. Click OK. NOTE: If you get a wide rectangle on your page instead of a border around the page, you’ve selected a paragraph border. Go back to Format, and Borders and Shading. Notice the Border tab and the Page Border tab. Click on the Border tab and select None. Now, go back to the Page Border tab and select the border or art that you like.

You’ve formatted some text within your document and now you want to apply the same formatting somewhere else. It can be difficult to remember what font, size, color, etc. you used. But wait! You don’t need to! You can just use the Format Painter. 
Instead of having to manually apply the font, font effects, centered paragraph alignment, and other formatting to each new section heading, you can quickly copy all of the formatting attributes by using one toolbar button.   You’ll find the Format Painter tool in your standard toolbar  The Format Painter tool looks like a paintbrush on your Standard toolbar.   Select or highlight the text you want to copy.  On the Standard toolbar, click Format Painter . Select the text you want to apply the formatting to. -The text takes on the new formatting.

video