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
Saturday, January 31, 2009
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
Monday, November 10, 2008
Statement of Professional Objectives
Jason Potsander
Statement of Professional Objectives
University of Alaska Southeast
July 27, 2008
"Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living." ~Nicholas Negroponte, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab and the One Laptop per Child association (OLPC)
Technology is increasingly being integrated into the personal and professional fabric of our lives. This technological bombardment occurs so constantly and consistently that it is nearly impossible to perform our activities of daily living without coming into contact or being facilitated by technology in some manner. Indeed, interfacing with various technologies is no longer a quaint novelty, but is often a prerequisite to achieving personal and professional success in today's rapidly changing world. As an elementary educator I believe it is my job to provide my students with a foundation of knowledge and skills that will enable them to be in a position to take advantage of any opportunities available to them throughout their lives.
Since earning my Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a K-12 Teaching English as a Second Language endorsement in 2001 from Goshen College, (Goshen, Indiana), I have accumulated over five years of experience teaching English in small group settings. Four of these years of teaching experience were performed within the very multilingual population of Anchorage, Alaska. Primarily focusing on oral language and literacy development, I have experienced first hand how the integration of technology across the curriculum can greatly enhance student engagement and motivation.
In accordance with the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools, I recognize that in order for my students to reach their full educational potential I must provide opportunities for them to master the technological knowledge and skills that will help springboard them into future opportunities. As a culturally responsive educator, I also realize that technology is a great medium in which students can learn about the rich cultural and geological variety around the world while enhancing their own cultural identity.
With this in mind, I seek to equip my students with several key technological skills. For example, students need to become critical consumer-evaluators of media, Internet resources, and technology-related hardware. To initiate this evaluation process students would be taught to question "Is a technology-related device or activity beneficial or accurate?" along with asking "Is a technology-related device or activity technically possible or allowable?" These questions are two very different, but related evaluation tools which students might use to guide their technology use.
In a world where multimedia can saturate our senses, students require the technical knowledge and skill to utilize software as well as hardware creatively in order for their stories and ideas to be heard. Increasingly, technology-related multimedia resources and skills are becoming the preferred communicative medium for both personal and professional endeavors. Students must be adept at harnessing the power of both software and hardware resources in order to express and promote themselves as well as contribute to the global society in which we find ourselves.
With a Master's degree in Educational Technology, I believe that I can successfully impart to my students the technological knowledge and skills that this digital age will demand of them. By exploring and critically evaluating a vast array of technological resources and concepts I will be better equipped to engage my students in their own quests of creation, expression, and communication. I believe a Master's degree in Educational Technology will provide me with the resources and knowledge to more fully integrate technology across the curriculum in my own teaching practice as well as allow me to serve as a professional resource to my colleagues as we mutually strive to cultivate each of our student's highest learning potential.
Statement of Professional Objectives
University of Alaska Southeast
July 27, 2008
"Computing is not about computers any more. It is about living." ~Nicholas Negroponte, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab and the One Laptop per Child association (OLPC)
Technology is increasingly being integrated into the personal and professional fabric of our lives. This technological bombardment occurs so constantly and consistently that it is nearly impossible to perform our activities of daily living without coming into contact or being facilitated by technology in some manner. Indeed, interfacing with various technologies is no longer a quaint novelty, but is often a prerequisite to achieving personal and professional success in today's rapidly changing world. As an elementary educator I believe it is my job to provide my students with a foundation of knowledge and skills that will enable them to be in a position to take advantage of any opportunities available to them throughout their lives.
Since earning my Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a K-12 Teaching English as a Second Language endorsement in 2001 from Goshen College, (Goshen, Indiana), I have accumulated over five years of experience teaching English in small group settings. Four of these years of teaching experience were performed within the very multilingual population of Anchorage, Alaska. Primarily focusing on oral language and literacy development, I have experienced first hand how the integration of technology across the curriculum can greatly enhance student engagement and motivation.
In accordance with the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools, I recognize that in order for my students to reach their full educational potential I must provide opportunities for them to master the technological knowledge and skills that will help springboard them into future opportunities. As a culturally responsive educator, I also realize that technology is a great medium in which students can learn about the rich cultural and geological variety around the world while enhancing their own cultural identity.
With this in mind, I seek to equip my students with several key technological skills. For example, students need to become critical consumer-evaluators of media, Internet resources, and technology-related hardware. To initiate this evaluation process students would be taught to question "Is a technology-related device or activity beneficial or accurate?" along with asking "Is a technology-related device or activity technically possible or allowable?" These questions are two very different, but related evaluation tools which students might use to guide their technology use.
In a world where multimedia can saturate our senses, students require the technical knowledge and skill to utilize software as well as hardware creatively in order for their stories and ideas to be heard. Increasingly, technology-related multimedia resources and skills are becoming the preferred communicative medium for both personal and professional endeavors. Students must be adept at harnessing the power of both software and hardware resources in order to express and promote themselves as well as contribute to the global society in which we find ourselves.
With a Master's degree in Educational Technology, I believe that I can successfully impart to my students the technological knowledge and skills that this digital age will demand of them. By exploring and critically evaluating a vast array of technological resources and concepts I will be better equipped to engage my students in their own quests of creation, expression, and communication. I believe a Master's degree in Educational Technology will provide me with the resources and knowledge to more fully integrate technology across the curriculum in my own teaching practice as well as allow me to serve as a professional resource to my colleagues as we mutually strive to cultivate each of our student's highest learning potential.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Embedded Blog: Highlights from ED693 Emerging Internet Technologies
Yeah! I found out how to embed my podcast within blogspot. That wasn't so hard...
I hope you enjoy the podcast.
Subscribe in a reader
I hope you enjoy the podcast.
Subscribe in a reader
Blog: Highlights from ED693 Emerging Internet Technologies
This URL should take you to my blog that highlights my experiences during ED693 Emerging Internet Technologies.
http://web.me.com/jpotsander/EmergingTechPodcast/Podcast/Podcast.html
or
http://jasonpotsander.podomatic.com/entry/2008-07-25T12_09_24-07_00
or
http://feeds.feedburner.com/PotsanderBlog
Here is a link my podcast through podomatic, but you will see I did find a way to embed the podcast within my blog in the next posting:
http://web.me.com/jpotsander/EmergingTechPodcast/Podcast/Podcast.html
or
http://jasonpotsander.podomatic.com/entry/2008-07-25T12_09_24-07_00
or
http://feeds.feedburner.com/PotsanderBlog
Here is a link my podcast through podomatic, but you will see I did find a way to embed the podcast within my blog in the next posting:
Thursday, July 24, 2008
My embeded Grazr Widget Creation
With some tinkering and experimentation I figured out how to successfully embed the html that Grazr used to create my widget. When I first tried to embed the code I would get the outline of my Grazr widget, but the reading lists lists said "file not found." I'm still not sure what exactly was not working, but I kept trying to go back to original source code provided by Grazr and would then retry embedding the code. So not it works, yeah!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Extra Credit Widget Creation
Patti,
Hopefully this URL address will lead you my Grazr widget creation so you can view it and grade it.
http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=grazr.com/jx/widget.pl?destEQ
GoogleIGQSTviewEQsAMPthemeEQgloss_blackAMPaddbarEQonAMPfileEQgrazr.com
/data/jason.potsander/Triathlon_and_Tour_de_France_Blogs_and_Podcasts_1
Hopefully this URL address will lead you my Grazr widget creation so you can view it and grade it.
http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=grazr.com/jx/widget.pl?destEQ
GoogleIGQSTviewEQsAMPthemeEQgloss_blackAMPaddbarEQonAMPfileEQgrazr.com
/data/jason.potsander/Triathlon_and_Tour_de_France_Blogs_and_Podcasts_1
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