I am reading about.. Integration & enhancing instruction

Educational Technology has 2 posts that are very interesting.  The first is a link to an article about how educators integrating digital content into their curriculum.    I agree that now because the availability of content it is much easier to integrate into the classroom.  The second posting is about enhancing instruction with web 2.0  which is a redo of many articles written about Twitter, picaso, blogging and other sites which have been written about before. 

I am reading about..best lessons, thinker, 14 technologies

ED.gov posts about educational data systems

A dry but interesting article

Gates wants your best lesson

I enjoy Gates blog and he does have some really great ideas that I have tried in the past.  I am going to follow this post for new ideas.

Free technology for teachers posted about Thinker a collaberative outline maker.

to me it looks like Google Wave is a better and more advanced platform.  I am always warry of allowing students to "Sign up" for apps and if they are going to "sign up" and be using something that is out of district control I feel Wave is the better option.  just my $.02

http://www.readwritethink.org/ is a nice resource for lesson ideas.  I found an engaging idea for writting called "the 100th day of school"

Educational Technology posts about the 14 technologies educators should know about. 

A fantastic article!!! Some I have used before some I will be using in the future

Making Teachers Nerdy posts about project based learning

This is how I do my unit plans, it is hard work but well worth it!

Linking Text Boxes in Publisher 07

Linking Text Boxes

You may only link text boxes that are empty. 

Select the first text box then look on the toolbar for the  button. 

When you press it your cursor will turn into a pitcher

Select the text box you would like to have text flow into.  Yes, the text box may be on another page.

The linked boxes will display an

To Unlink Text Boxes

Select the text box previous to the one you want to unlink

Click BREAK FORWARD LINK

 

I use Keynote and want to edit a PowerPoint I created on a PC.

I use Keynote and want to edit a PowerPoint I created on a PC.

By default Keynote will open PowerPoint files.  Simply open your PowerPoint in Keynote.

Then to convert so the file will open & can be viewed and edited by PowerPoint users on Windows or Mac OS computers.

Choose Share   Export, click PPT (PowerPoint) and then click Next.

Type a name and choose a location for the file, and then click Export.

Note: PowerPoint doesn't support some Keynote features:

Some bulleted text items may be lost. If you hide the bulleted text on a slide (by deselecting Body in the Slide inspector), it is deleted from the outline when you export.

 PowerPoint doesn't support alpha-channel graphics, so if you use a photo cutout frame, the image behind it will appear in front. You may also notice slight variations in other graphics.

 

Thanks to A New Mac Tip Everyday you saved me.  I compiled this from a posting and the suggestions back.

Video How 2 - Add Accents & Symbols in Word 2007

Check out my YouTube page to see this latest video on how 2 add accents & symbols in Word 2007

I'm Reading About..Social Media Week, Educause, Google

Social Media Week takes place all over the world, check out the schedule for your city to registration details.

Educause is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.

Educational Technology posts about Google developing online education and campus technology trends.

I'm Reading About..Web Camming bears, P2P judgments, Blogging Priests

The first Tweet From Space @ Pcworld.com

PcMag.com discusses P2P file sharing judgments

Thanks to Fox News we can link up to the Bear cam.

Priests are given the blessing to blog so says the Washington Post

Watch this video to become a better teacher

Information Week has an article about Google's new search results basically the snippets will highlight your query in them

Free technology for Teachers has 2 great postings.  1 about Audio Owl a great service for locating and listening to free audio books.  The other is an information time line about the Revolutuionary war.

Wordle

Wordle is a tool for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. Link words together using the tilde ~  The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you will be prompted to "SAVE" them and asked to enter an email address to do so.  These images will be posted to the internet.  I use this as an opportunity to teach students about "PRINT SCREEN" then paste them into a Word document.  As closure we discuss how students can use Wordle in their other classes.  Some have used them in causes and effects, important vocabulary words, guidance lessons etc.
Hope you enjoy

I'm reading about..

Jeremihas Vanishing NY is a fantastic blog about history in NYC, one of my favorite reads.

Free Technology for Teacher writes about GoSquared.com gosquared.com where a reference for EVERY Character Key on a Mac can be found on PDF.
In a word Awesome, I am definitely printing this and linking to it.
He also has a link to UMapper a online weather mapping tool.

Educational Technology  Writes about Indy schools dropping textbooks and going digital.
I am hearing from students that older siblings at the university level are using this format whenever possible.
In a related report PCMAG has an article discussing Amazon Inviting Devs to Write Programs for Kindle
He also has a link to a webinar about using Google Wave
I am going to watch this, I am not sure about Wave yet and this should prove interesting.

Making Teachers Nerdy has a list of the 45 websites for art.

reuters.com posted an article and statement from Secretary of State Clinton calling for consequences for China's Cyberattacks.

MSNBC.com talks about the Mars rover, including animation.

Look at ChannelWeb for an article about Microsoft Bangs Drum For Cloud Legislation

Checking for Understanding

When I began teaching computer science I realized that the layout of the classroom although great for student supervision was poorly designed for student interaction. Meaning how would I be able to scan the room quickly to check for student understanding? Two main problems are the students face away from me & I need to keep the lights turned off so that the LCD projector is clearly displayed on a screen. One solution I came up with was to velcro question marks to the monitors. Students enter the room and remove the question mark, if they have a question or need additional assistance they attach the question mark to the screen, signaling me to them. This has worked out well especially during group instruction keeping students from raising thier hands or calling out. I can see that a question mark has been put up and assist that student.

Here is a picture of what they look like;

I am reading about..CoSketch, FirstClass, online time

Free Technology For Teachers has an article about CoSketch.com  a multi-user online whiteboard designed to give you the ability to quickly visualize and share your ideas as images.

If you use First Class as an Email client look at these how 2 videos  from Kannon Communications
I found these videos to be very helpful with the creation of my own website at school.

The NY Times has an article about how much time kids spend online

I'm Reading About..Explorer under fire, Photosynth, Internet Safety

Internet Explorer under fire in Europe for security flaws

Free Technology for Teachers shows a Photosynth of Haiti.

Photosynth is a cool program that allows 360 degree views of images.  I used it in the classroom for the recent Presidential Inauguration.  It does require a download in order to run so plan accordingly

Educational Technology has an article to internet safety 2.0

Ever wonder how to capture an image of your computer screen? Just press the "PrintScreen" button located on your keyboard then paste the image in any document or presentation.

What blogs should you follow

What are some other blogs you should follow?  Start with the top 100 Education blogs and teaching blogs as reported by PostRank

I'm reading about..Stupflix, Scribblar, social technology & Teachers, FCC & the cloud

 @ Free Technology for Teachers there is an article about Stupeflix a video service similar to PhotoStory.  A good alternative for those who use windows 7. 
Free Technology for Teachers also talks about Scribblar, a way to edit PDF's

Educational Technology discusses how educators are embracing social technology,  & the FCC and cloud computing

On Wired Science you can see satellite pictures of Haiti before & after the quake

ComputerWorld discusses FCC and cloud computing concerns

Wired.com has a great article on 3D TV's

Cnet news has an article on mobile Google apps

I am reading about......doomsday, Haiti, Facebook

No photostory or MovieMaker in Windows 7!?
Doomsday clock moves ahead
Google Earth Reveals the Devastation in Haiti
Facebook has new security features

select the hyperlinks to read the full article

I'm reading about.....

How to grow a blog

Free Technology for Teachers has an interactive WWI map

China & Google, cyber attacks and hacking accusations

A criminal caught by using facebook

Mr. Riley

My First Post

I created this blog to post information on basic computer questions.  I plan on creating how to videos and posting them on my youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/MrRileysBlog  I welcome your comments and you input.
Mr. Riley