iMovie

I had my pre-AP class do a History Day project last trimester. Most students chose to create 3-sided display boards. However, one group of two girls made a documentary using iMovie. They made a great team because one of the girls gathered the data and did the interviews and the other one was experienced with the technology. I definitely need to brush up on my iMovie skills because I really couldn't offer them any help. I was most impressed by the finished product, which included pictures, movies, captions, sub-titles, songs, and narration. I would certainly like to become more skilled with this program. It is a great format for presenting research.

Thing 26: Digital Map Collections

Google Earth is one of the most exciting parts of my new Mac. It has brought a whole new life to the old game of spinning a globe, pointing your finger, and saying that one day I will live there. I have used it just for recreation so far. What does the Grand Canyon look like? Where should I visit on my trip to LA? I want to relive old memories from trips I've taken....

There are definitely ways that I can incorporate Google Earth into my curriculum, however. What a great tool it is. Next year, in cahoots with my new SmartBoard, I would like to use this program to show the students what the earth really looks like, and how World History played out on the same land that is around today but just in a different time.

It would also be a great tool to use to get my advisories attention. The kids need movement and imagery and a "wow" factor. Google Earth is one program that can give them this...along with some real learning!

Thing 18: One Student Thing: SmartBoards

Yesterday a Smartboard rolled into my classroom. Our school has 10 new smartboards this year and I was not chosen as one of the lucky teacher who recieved one. However, one of the lucky teachers did not utilize it very well, and after listening to the students yell "Give it to Ms. Rekonen!" all year, we finally arranged for it to be in my classroom. I didn't even mind that I didn't have one except that I found it irritating to listen to the students constantly say "Why didn't YOU get a Smartboard?!??" I often told them that I didn't need one. What would I use it for? Well, there answer to me was "everything!". The students informed me that a smartboard in the classroom would be VERY useful. I could project maps on whim, I could show video on something other than the television way off in the corner, I could show them websites and photos, I could use it like a whiteboard to write Cornell Notes...I could do everything! Every time I roll out the creaky old overhead projector I certainly "hear it". The students are definitley excited about all of Humboldt's Smartboards, and now I am, too.

Now, if I can just get the computer guy in here to install the software....

Thing 16: Using MNLink

Inter Library Loan was first introduced to me in college. I didn't get a chance to use it very often due to my tendency to procrastinate, but it was a great tool to have. I went to college at Minnesota State University, Mankato and we had a fabulous library. I made friends with the quirky librarian and appreciated a lot of what the library had to offer...especially that it was open late during finals week for us "crammers".

I think that using such a tool like ILL with high school students is a fascinating idea. Imagine it...how far past "Google it" can you get other than using sources that are so obscure that it is only available at certain libraries throughout the state! I think that the students would find it exciting to have in thier hands such unique sources. I just hope they don't lose them!

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Thing 14 and Thing 15

Please see prior blogs.

Thing 13: Subscription Databases

Ever since being introduced to the SPPS subscription databases, or Online Learning Resources, I have been a huge fan. My favorite is ABC-CLIO but I am a new user of United Streaming and directed my History Day students to the others. I think that this is a great use of district resources and I hope that they become even more popular in the future. During our presentation I showed them to the staff at Humboldt and I was very surprised that most of the staff didn't know about them. I wish that they were advertised better and utilized even more.

MILP Presentation

Humboldt Sr. High offers teachers 1/2 hour staff development sessions once a month during our lunch hour. The Humboldt MILP Crew, Marilyn, Carmen, Matt and I presented to our staff about the best of the best of MILP. I spoke about the 3 R's. I wanted to talk about Del.icio.us as well, but we ran out of time. It was such a nice experience to share information about MILP with our colleagues and I hope that some of them join the project next year.

Topics shared:
3 R's
Research Process
Level 4 questions
RPC

Thing 12: Search Engines

For some reason I always use Google as my search engine of choice. I'm not quite sure, maybe it's because Google is so clutter-free. Yahoo and ask have a lot more going on on their pages. Hmmmm....here's the test: Ask vs. Google.....

Interesting! Ask has this lovely page with images, news, encyclopedia entries and dictionary definitions right there for you! This is different than Google, where you have to add an extra "click" to get to these things. I think that it's time for me to use more ask.com!

Thing 11: GOOGLE

I love Google. I love Gmail, I love Blogger, I love Reader, I use the search, I appreciate the little artwork on special days, I think Google Earth is absolutely amazing, I have begun to use Google Scholar with my students, and I love Marilyn's photos on Picasa. Before MILP I had no idea of how useful, versatile, and PROFESSIONAL Google truly is. Blogger, Reader, and Scholar were all new to me. My students are also learning more about the usefulness of google (and that "google" is NOT a "source"!)

Thing 10: Copyright and Plagiarism

Oh wow, it sure is hard to keep on top of plagiarism with the students. I mean, it is pretty easy to spot, but it is hard to explain and to direct them towards responsible use. My students do a few research projects in my class and this is the ongoing struggle. It becomes especially difficult with students with learning disabilities or low reading levels and writing skills. I could spend weeks on lessons about how to write information "in your own words" and how to create work based off of information learned from several different sources.

I'm still plugging away, however! Any advice on this subject would be welcomed!

del.icio.us!!!

I am now a new del.icio.us user and it is fabulous! What a great tool. When I first heard about it I didn't see its value. However, as a social studies teacher, there are so many websites out there to use and del.icio.us is a tool to help me not only tag and remember these sites but to organize them as well. The only thing that I want to do now it install the tools onto my other computer, too. Yay for del.icio.us!

Reliable Resources

I have been talking to my students a lot about reliable resources. They are gaining an understanding of what those mean and most of them chime in when I say "We need to make sure that are sources are what??? Reliable!" I also developed a "Source Sheet" where they keep track of their sources and include bibliographical info, an annotation, and an explanation of WHY they think that the source is reliable. Examples: the domain is .edu. It was on an online learning resource database.

Online Learning Resources

Last Tuesday Marilyn, our Library Media Specialist, team taught with me. She helped my class discover how to use the online card catalog and the online learning resources. It was a great experience! The students are working on a History Day project. The OLR's will help them to find reliable resources and primary documents, two of the cornerstone for History Day! Awesome!

Also, the students now have the website, connect.spps.org memorized! Yay!

Thing 9. Streaming Video

I am all signed up for United Streaming and am marveling at the plethora of available videos! I will definitely be showing them when I am absent at training sessions and to enhance my curriculum. WOW! What a great tool!

Thing 8. Dribbling Lessons for Information Literacy

Wow, these dribbling lessons are definitely something to use in the classroom. I hope to use my first one on Friday along with the RPC. Wish me luck!

Thing 21. YouTube and More

I have directed some of my students to YouTube for their research projects. I find it especially effective for students with learning disabilities who learn easier through visual aids rather than reading, especially off of a computer screen. It is exciting to be able to show a student how to use it for educational purposes and a little bit fun when I approach them and they think that I am going to yell at them for being on the YouTube site but instead show them all of the good stuff on there!

Anticipations of the RPC

On Friday I will introduce the RPC to my students so that they can use it to help them with their History Day Projects. I am really impressed that the PRC does such a great job of having very practical goals and deadlines. The correspond exactly with the demands of the project and the assignments that I will grade for the project. I will keep you all posted on how the students react to the RPC!