http://www.screencast.com/users/jason.potsander/folders/Jing/media/a3df7de6-867a-415c-a2a6-36382c40b3a8
I'm exited about the possibilities of using Jing to create Screencasts on a variety of topics. This would be an effective way to time-shift training opportunities for staff when it is convenient for them.
This four minute Screencast demonstrates how I use a resource called Skills Alaska for assessment and evaluation purposes.
Enjoy!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Nettrekker Famous Person Writing Notes
In keeping with my Nettrekker theme of postings as of late. I created a worksheet to help my students generate an essay on an African American they found by using Nettrekker's "Famous Person" feature. Once students identify a person they want to study and find appropriate resources/information on them, they may use the worksheet below to help frame their thoughts for their essay. Feel free to use or modify what I've done here and make it your own! Thanks,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name ____________________________________ Date __________________
Black History Celebration Writing Notes
(Use the notes you make here to help create your writing essay on your person)
1. The name of my person is ___________________ and he/she was born on _______________________________________________________________________.
2. He/she is famous or interesting to me because ______________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How has your person made a difference in the lives of others? (Name as many reasons as you can.)
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
4. Name some obstacles/problems he/she had to overcome in his/her life in order to reach those accomplishments. (Name as many as you can.)
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
5. How have you experienced some of the same obstacles/problems as your person?
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
6. How do YOU make a positive difference in the lives of others? How do you help others and always try your best?
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
7. Why do YOU think it is important to make a positive difference in the lives of others and always try your best?
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
8. Draw a picture of your person on the back or use another sheet of paper.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name ____________________________________ Date __________________
Black History Celebration Writing Notes
(Use the notes you make here to help create your writing essay on your person)
1. The name of my person is ___________________ and he/she was born on _______________________________________________________________________.
2. He/she is famous or interesting to me because ______________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How has your person made a difference in the lives of others? (Name as many reasons as you can.)
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
4. Name some obstacles/problems he/she had to overcome in his/her life in order to reach those accomplishments. (Name as many as you can.)
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
5. How have you experienced some of the same obstacles/problems as your person?
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
6. How do YOU make a positive difference in the lives of others? How do you help others and always try your best?
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
7. Why do YOU think it is important to make a positive difference in the lives of others and always try your best?
A. __________________________________________________________________
B. __________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________
8. Draw a picture of your person on the back or use another sheet of paper.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Nettrekker.com Staff Dev Handout!
school.nettrekker.com
A safe search engine and resource management tool. The thinking person’s Wikipedia.
The Perfect Tie into our Black History Month Focus
Log-In Steps:
1. Log in or choose “register” if not previously registered
A. Consider creating a class-wide user name and password that all students may log into simultaneously to avoid having to create a log in name/password for each student.
B. Create a personal log in name/password for yourself.
“Famous Person” Feature
1. Click “show” if the Tool/Feature bar is not automatically listed
2. Click “Famous Person” feature
3. Choose your search parameters (male/female, time period, profession, culture)
4. Click “Search” and view the source generated.
Selecting Readability
1. Click the readability drop down menu and select a level 1-5
2. Click “Refine Search”
Read Aloud Feature
1. Click the “Open Read Aloud” button (upper right corner).
2. Click on resource and highlight the text. (Don’t highlight more than a paragraph at a time.)
Resource Management & Distribution
1. Hit the check box for 1 or more resources and click “save search.”
2. Save the link to your site in “My Portfolio”
3. Consider making a folder for each student in the class-wide user log in side.
4. If you want the ability to share resources in the “Willow Crest” folder, click profile and enter “polarbear” in the Teacher Code box.
Let us know how we can help!
Notes:
Other Resources: http://www.worldbookonline.com
A safe search engine and resource management tool. The thinking person’s Wikipedia.
The Perfect Tie into our Black History Month Focus
Log-In Steps:
1. Log in or choose “register” if not previously registered
A. Consider creating a class-wide user name and password that all students may log into simultaneously to avoid having to create a log in name/password for each student.
B. Create a personal log in name/password for yourself.
“Famous Person” Feature
1. Click “show” if the Tool/Feature bar is not automatically listed
2. Click “Famous Person” feature
3. Choose your search parameters (male/female, time period, profession, culture)
4. Click “Search” and view the source generated.
Selecting Readability
1. Click the readability drop down menu and select a level 1-5
2. Click “Refine Search”
Read Aloud Feature
1. Click the “Open Read Aloud” button (upper right corner).
2. Click on resource and highlight the text. (Don’t highlight more than a paragraph at a time.)
Resource Management & Distribution
1. Hit the check box for 1 or more resources and click “save search.”
2. Save the link to your site in “My Portfolio”
3. Consider making a folder for each student in the class-wide user log in side.
4. If you want the ability to share resources in the “Willow Crest” folder, click profile and enter “polarbear” in the Teacher Code box.
Let us know how we can help!
Notes:
Other Resources: http://www.worldbookonline.com
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Nettrekker.com
Hello All!
Recently, I attended a training on Nettrekker and I wanted to share. Some of you may know what it is, but in a nutshell; Nettrekker is a safe search engine for kids that also has some very cool management features for teachers to create folders for web sites you want to refer back to and also create classes or groups of students that you want to see specific web sites. One trainer described Nettrekker as "The Thinking Person's Wikipedia." All web sites that you find through Nettrekker have been evaluated for quality and they also include a readability scale. Using Nettrekker you can do specific key word searches or you can "drill down" preselected subject areas and categories that they give you. In either case it helps to find web sites that you can choose to be focused for an Elementary, Middle School, or High School audience. Furthermore, you can also search for sites that are geared towards English Language Learners.
My two favorite Nettrekker features are the "Famous Person" link and the "Timeline" link. If your tired of all students wanting to do reports on the same sports stars and teen heart throbs then the "Famous Person" link is for you. You can search for famous persons by isolating male/female, specific time periods, occupations/professions, and ethnic/cultural heritage. Searching for famous persons by "Ethnic/Cultural Heritage" especially interests me so we can better connect with our diverse student population. Unfortunately, "Alaskan Native" is not included as a category, but many others are included here.
The "Timline" link allows you to create time lines based on specific dates you enter or subject areas you choose (i.e. world history, U.S. History, music, visual art, etc...). Once you log in and create your account look for these two links on the right side of the page, if you don' t immediately see the tool bar containing "Famous Person" and "Timeline" make sure to click "show" just below the orange Nettrekker banner at the top of the page.
Another very cool feature/option is that once a student finds a useful site, Nettrekker has the ability to read aloud any text that you highlight within the page. Choosing appropriate web sites with Nettrekker's readability scales and using the "OPEN Read Aloud" is a powerful combination to increase student comprehension. Look for the "OPEN Read Aloud" button just below the Nettrekker banner at the top of the page. You must then find the web site you want and highlight the text.
To find Nettrekker go to:
http://school.nettrekker.com
Recently, I attended a training on Nettrekker and I wanted to share. Some of you may know what it is, but in a nutshell; Nettrekker is a safe search engine for kids that also has some very cool management features for teachers to create folders for web sites you want to refer back to and also create classes or groups of students that you want to see specific web sites. One trainer described Nettrekker as "The Thinking Person's Wikipedia." All web sites that you find through Nettrekker have been evaluated for quality and they also include a readability scale. Using Nettrekker you can do specific key word searches or you can "drill down" preselected subject areas and categories that they give you. In either case it helps to find web sites that you can choose to be focused for an Elementary, Middle School, or High School audience. Furthermore, you can also search for sites that are geared towards English Language Learners.
My two favorite Nettrekker features are the "Famous Person" link and the "Timeline" link. If your tired of all students wanting to do reports on the same sports stars and teen heart throbs then the "Famous Person" link is for you. You can search for famous persons by isolating male/female, specific time periods, occupations/professions, and ethnic/cultural heritage. Searching for famous persons by "Ethnic/Cultural Heritage" especially interests me so we can better connect with our diverse student population. Unfortunately, "Alaskan Native" is not included as a category, but many others are included here.
The "Timline" link allows you to create time lines based on specific dates you enter or subject areas you choose (i.e. world history, U.S. History, music, visual art, etc...). Once you log in and create your account look for these two links on the right side of the page, if you don' t immediately see the tool bar containing "Famous Person" and "Timeline" make sure to click "show" just below the orange Nettrekker banner at the top of the page.
Another very cool feature/option is that once a student finds a useful site, Nettrekker has the ability to read aloud any text that you highlight within the page. Choosing appropriate web sites with Nettrekker's readability scales and using the "OPEN Read Aloud" is a powerful combination to increase student comprehension. Look for the "OPEN Read Aloud" button just below the Nettrekker banner at the top of the page. You must then find the web site you want and highlight the text.
To find Nettrekker go to:
http://school.nettrekker.com
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