SY20/21 so Far

  This school year is certainly shaping up, not as we had hoped, but things are going well despite teaching and learning taking place from home. 

I spent a lot of time over the summer researching, taking online courses and getting caught up on EdTech changes and enhancements for this school year. I have been busily updating my training website and have been equally as busily updated lessons and trying out new tools to use in our daily online learning.

I was also privileged to participate in a ISTE STEM Spotlight publication.

A few takeaways from the year so far. 

Favourite Teaching Apps:

Google Classroom (carried over from previous years)

1. Pear Deck (I have come back to it today, after many years)
2. Jamboard, Miro (and Mentimeter for presentations and responses)
3. Kialo for online debates

The LRC

Everything is now online, all of our clubs, events, and as many books and subscriptions as we can get.

I revamped the entire website over the summer and launched it on a New Google Site. The improvement and growth of which is one of my big projects for the year. We have made interactive, user-friendly access rooms, added all of our online content to it, and are in the process of linking our online activities for the year through a central hub on the website.

We are currently in the process of preparing our Destiny library system for new users so that the community can easily log in and reserve books and we are sorting out our best practices for book quarantine and lending practices in anticipation of a partial or full reopening in January.

It has been very busy, but everyone is doing their very best to make the most of the tools and technologies we have available and working closely with the community to build positive working relationships with all members while helping them to access and navigate all of the provisions we have put in place for them.

Here's to a very different but very successful SY20/21!

ABES Online Conference 2020-Supporting Schools and Libraries During Closure

Each year we support the Salvador Librarians' Week by hosting a conference, which focuses on sharing ideas, techniques, and tools for libraries and teachers. This year, due to closures and quarantine in the country we moved the conference online.

It took place using GSuites Google Meet, Slides, and Google Chrome and was a great success. We plan to pick up where we left off in September with a followup in preparation for the new school year.

Media From the Event

• The Invitation
• The Virtual Library We Built with Certain Attendees
• Group Selfie
• The Recording

The Presentation 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dKL7rFEtzBmhB5KLqGKAvA4VpDdokJ51Lx9sN8A7h1o/edit

The Future of Learning

I came across this great presentation by Steve Wheeler at the University of Plymouth on the future of education this morning, as I was trawling through my scoop.it updates.

It's interesting to see how many new technologies were met with resistance and are either still going strong in some form or other, or have become a thing of the past only after many years of being the "new tools". What is really powerful is the concept of digital evolution as opposed to digital revolution, the idea of merging virtual and real worlds.  If you look at Steve's 6 trends for a the digital age, it becomes obvious that we are smack in the midst of this particular merger.

New Technologies and the Future of Learning

View more presentations from Steve Wheeler

The Power of Prezi, on Social Bookmarking

This came through on Twitter a few minute ago, from Shamblesguru. The following is not only a great demo about the importance of Social Bookmarking tools Not only does it spotlight one of the best of the bunch- Diigo, but it is also a prime example of how to truly harness the power of Prezi. Just look at how cleverly this presentation has been put together.

Social Bookmarking for Educators on Prezi

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• Build Slideshow Presentations Collaboratively with Prezi Meeting (readwriteweb.com)
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Google Custom Search Tool-Hats off to Google Yet Again!

Yet another reason to adore Google!!!

I have just come across a spectatular way to create pathfinders for students. Leave it to Google to empower use with such a simple yet potent tool.  I am referring to Google Custom search.

Through Custom Search Google enables you to create two different types of search tools, one that includes only sites you specify, and one that focuses on sites you specify, but also searches the rest of the web.  Basically you determine your search topic, websites to search within, keywords, and yes you can alter its look as well. Once done the embedding code is made available along with multiple options to edit and refine your search tool further. Not only that, yes like most things Google, you CAN collaborate on it.

I was playing around with a very rudimentary WW2 timeline and picture pathfinder which I have embedded below. Anyone feel like collaborating on it?

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• Google Continues To Dominate The Internet (ronmedlin.com)

Super Teacher Tools

I just came across this in the New Tools Workshop Wiki and thought it would be worth sharing with everyone.

http://www.superteachertools.com/index.php#tools

Basically the site allows you to copy your class lists into the system, which creates seating charts that can be rearranged by dragging on screen or randomized for mixing them up and printed out each time. A link is sent to you that you can use each time to modify your class. It can also generate groups of various sizes randomly so that you are saved that task, the other thing the system does is pick names from a virtual hat, which is a great way to vary the students to whom you ask questions in each class. There are plenty more goodies on the site to investigate, but I thought that these tools in particular might be very useful to some of you since it is the beginning of the year. By the way it is free and no registration is required.

enjoy

Fiery Ideas Freebies

This is a  collection of great tools for teachers. Registration and login are required.

Check out the timers!

Search Tools

Teaching kids (and adults) how to search the web efficiently is a difficult task. Most people go directly to Google and perform a basic search, without realising that a wide variety of alternative resources are being overlooked, including blogs, wikis, Twitter tweets, as well as a huge repository of invisible web resources.  A big thanks to Joyce Valenza for her New Invisible Web post which covers search tools for wikis, blogs, tweets  as well as specific Google Searches. Here is a link to our LRC Webpage listing of search tools, many of which Joyce has also recommended in her post.

Simplybox Again!

I am definately going to use Simplybox more than ever now, to box and share my online finds. I no longer have to box and bookmark on Delicious separately. I can now Simplybox items and the bookmark is saved on my Delicious account and get this-it is also automatically posted on Twitter too,  (Keeping up with tweets is one of my goals this year). Great stuff!

More Cool Web 2.0 Tools

This is short list of some really cool tools I have come across through my feeds. I have already fallen in love with the first three on the list and am about to get to know #4 much better.

Mygazines.com provides free uploaded mags online we can all enjoy. Are there copyright issues here?

Flowgram.com is a great app. that allows you to upload and/ create unique presentations while adding audio, notes and other content to them. It is something similar to Voice thread only BETTER for presentation purposes, not as good however for collaborative work and feedback, which is really the beauty of Voicethread!

Go Animate is a web app. that brings animations to life with themed characters, audio, backgrounds, sound effects. I just recently go very excited about toondoo , using it to generate cartoon strips. Go Animate however, breathes life into your toons as you organise your stories along a time line.

Finally there is PicLIts.

"PicLits.com is a creative writing site that matches beautiful images with carefully selected keywords in order to inspire you. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture."

Update: For a wonderful collection of web 2.0 tools (one of the best I've come across) go to Cooltools.

Newscred

Newscred is a better way to read the news, offering 3 columns of aggregated feeds, allowing readers access to the news from the world's leading newspapers and established blogs. This service encourages readers to vote on which articles and news sources they think are credible or not. The credibility trends and analysis are easily available with the click of a button.

This may prove to be a powerful tool for teaching web fluency units on evaluating web content as well as those of us whose work focuses on worldwide current events. What perfect timing for those in search of innovative tools for curriculum support during sy08/09.

Why Use NewsCred?

1) Read all the world's breaking news from quality newspapers and blogs.

2) Personalize your newspaper by selecting your favorite sources for each category.

3) Vote and learn which articles, journalists and news sources are credible and which ones aren't.

Take our 90-second Tour!