Strategies Tech It Up

Strategies for the
Classroom Generalist
Plotting a course
Lisa Read
October 2009

Friday, October 23, 2009

Alternate Title:

• If it feels like work, you’re doing it wrong....


Or for people who just
want to know some more
about technology and
Web2.0 tools and other
stuff.


Anyone, really


Tell your friends....


OK, I’m ready

• Why do I make such a big deal about the
digital culture
• Suggestions for running a middle school lab
• Integrating InfoTech to other subjects
• Trying to sort the meaningful from the ﬂuff


Why is this a complicated
issue? Answer: IRP-less in BC

• Well, there is no IRP for Middle School IT,
AFAIK
• Unless you count the Grade 8-10 (1996) and/or
the Grade 11-12 (2003)
• Seems to me that Technology has undergone a
lot of change since 1996...


Come to that, what is
Technology?
• Strong Bad knows....


Anyway....back to the
topic

• Incidentally, PowerPoint presentation
should NOT make up the majority of your
IT program


This is OK

• It’s KeyNote.


What do we need?

• Consider a plan for a Grade 7 Information
Technology course.
• Working backwards from the Grade 8 IRP
Learning Objectives (er.....from 1996)


And now, an excerpt
• It is expected that the student shall:
• identify information technology tools used to access information
• protect information using information technology tools
• enter information accurately using appropriate keyboarding
techniques and software that allows for the storage, retrieval, and
editing of material

• demonstrate the ability to formulate questions and to use a variety of
sources and tools to access, capture, and store information

• use appropriate information technology terminology
• evaluate a variety of input and output device
• demonstrate the ability to install software
• describe and practise appropriate safety procedures when working
with information technology tools


Which boils down to:

• Foundations
• Processes
• Presentation


Presentation

• DOES NOT JUST
MEAN POWER
POINT!!!


Ask yourself...what
would Lisa do?
• There are as many course designs are there are
students, but here is what I do:
• What is Technology?

• Ergonomics

• Ethics

• Graphic Design

• Language/Code

• Efﬁcient Internet/Keyboard short cuts

• Presentation-names/collages/Fireworks/Flash

• Media Literacy


How to begin

• Let’s talk licensed software for a minute.
• Imagine you are designing a lab and have
unlimited funds to set it up
• Stop laughing.


Software I must have:

• Apple iLife suite
• Adobe CS3 (or, of course, CS4)
• Comic Life


Software I could run a
program without:

• Apple iLife
• Adobe CS3 (or 4)
• Comic Life


The “Typical” Teacher


The Networked
Teacher


As long as there is a Web, there is a Way

A plethora of Web 2.0 tools at your Finger Tips


The Evolution of the
Web


This is where it gets
really fun
• In this section, look for sites and tools to
complement what you already do.
• Think about your program and consider
any unanswered questions.
• Be open to sharing.


Maybe you want to focus
on word processing and
Keyboarding
Keyboarding does not have to be: fff ggg jjj hhh

Check out TypeRacer

http://play.typeracer.com/


Behold the
Awesomeness


Race against others, or
just practice:


TypeRacer telling me I
made a typo:


When I’m done, I get my score, other’s
scores, and I can see where my text came
from. There is even a link for more info.


And now something for
the font geeks

• Suppose you really wanted to study fonts:
All you every wanted to know about Sans
Serif is right here...


“What does Font
mean?”

• Here is a site that tells you more about
baselines, descenders and serifs than you ever
thought possible.
• The basics of Typography

Create your own font

• FontCapture: neat little application
• Allows you to capture your own
handwriting and convert it to a digital font
• You just need a printer and a scanner


They aren’t really that
into your fonts...
• So here is a really nice way to bring
meaning to “Word Art”
• A great scaffolder
• Good introduction to “Tagging” (you better
explain that one)


Wordle


Want more? You could
do a workshop just on
Wordle
• Here are 38 more ways to use it


What about Text and
Graphics? Try Glogster


Student Example - Kali,
in Grade 8:


What was the
Assignment?

• There wasn’t one. Kali just took a notion.


Don’t have an advanced
Draw program?

• Try Tiny Designer


Images from
Flickr: Tell a story
in 5 photos


BeFunky


A Whole Collection of
Good Things

• Techy Tips for Non Techies


Want a simpler photo-
editor?

• Try “Tuxpi”. All you need is one good
photo:


This is my one good
photo:


And this is how I
Tuxpi’d it:


Feeling narcissistic and
Time-Travelly?

• Try Yearbook Yourself

A neat Morphing tool

• A little clunky to use, but very cool
technology
• Face of the Future


Start with a “normal” picture

Use the app to zoom in, set
the eye and mouth
markers....and transform!

Different ages, ethnicities or genders

Child


Child
Caribbean


Child
Caribbean

Elderly Adult


Child
Caribbean

Elderly Adult
Masculinize

Use Face of the Future to become a Masterpiece



Modigliani



Modigliani Botticelli



Modigliani Botticelli Manga


Or a different animal
altogether:


altogether:

Chimpanzee

altogether:

Chimpanzee Drunk

Many more Mashables
here:

• 13 Fantastic and Fun Image Generators


But ﬁrst, it’s time for An
Activity
• OMG PWNIES!!!!
• You will see a collection of Acronyms
around the room. How many can you
decode?
• What about the L33t phrases?
• Why is this important? Well, it’s not,
especially, unless you want to understand


What else should I know about
the Culture of the Internets?


Yo, Dramatic
Hamster, I’mma let you
ﬁnish, but “Charlie Bit
Me” is the greatest meme
of all time


Cross Curricular


Cross Curricular
• Design class pages (in Moodle, or Blogs, or
Wikis)


Cross Curricular
Wikis)
• SMARTboard/Notepad projects


Cross Curricular
Wikis)
• Character Blogs or Discussion groups


Cross Curricular
Wikis)
• Illustrations (Fireworks/Kerpoof)


Cross Curricular
Wikis)
• Illustrations (Fireworks/Kerpoof)
• Retellings: Pod casting, Flash, Comic Life

Speaking of Kerpoof

• Nice little movie making application.
• Kids can easily create their own stories, or
retell stories
• Limited editing=limited time-loss
• Kerpoof


Kerpoof Ideas

• Use the Van Gogh or Escher
backgrounds as part of an artist
study
• Use the Movie making function
for retelling stories, or as an
introduction to movie-making.


The Teaching Lab
• It is a TEACHING Lab
• Lock it down-- this is a TEACHING LAB
• Do you have a bookable lab, roving carts, or
stations in the Library? If so, then the
TEACHING lab is for TEACHING
• Same deal for SMARTboards. They should not
be used as a Projector Screen for Movie Day.
• Assign chairs to stations, set the rules in force
Day 1.

Teaching Lab Wish List

• Remote Desk Top
• Projector and Screen or white board
• Groups Folders-- hand in/hand out
• A Management Plan--seating? lighting? Free
Time??


Oodles of Moodle

• Example: Grade 9
• Grade 8
• Grade 7
• Math 8


Model Edmodo

• Edmodo is an easy to use basic CMS


Play Time or Talk Time?

• Flip a coin?


The Slide before the
Last
• A few more resources, more for theory and philosophy. Ponder at your leisure....(or
is that pwnder?)

• Top 11 things to know about technology

• Collection of Canadian education blogs

• Interesting collection of “Social Media” contests

• Good article on a “hacker”. Scary.

• A sobering article about a cyber bully/hacker

• Ten Photoshop disasters. This would be great for a Media Literacy assignment

• Probably the most important site on this page. 100 things you should have already
seen on the Internet...


Check out Louis CK....
“Technology is wasted on a generation
of spoiled idiots.”


Thank you!


Thank you!

Lisa Read
lread@sd79.bc.ca

Twitter: LisaRead

Blog: http://readlisaread.edublogs.org/


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