CTL1799 Holistech Resources shared by the class Spring 2008

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/ On January 22nd, 2008, PBS Frontline aired Growing Up Online, a special on how the Internet is affecting the lives and education of today’s youth. The full program is available for viewing at the PBS Frontline Site. I found this special to be very interesting, and it provided me with some insights into technology in the classroom. It's worth checking out if you have the time!  Written transcripts of interview, commentary, a teacher's guide, and many more links/resources can also be accessed at this site.

http://www.media-awareness.ca  The Media Awareness Network: Media and Internet Education Resources. An excellent Canadian resource which includes information for parents and teachers, educational games for kids, research, and lesson plans. I used some of the educational games in my grade 3/4 practicum class - "the adventures of the 3 cyber pigs" - it's a great way to introduce students to some issues surrounding internet privacy and cyber-bulllying.  Angela Potts

http://www.w3schools.com - this website provides the free tutorials for building up a webpage

Constructivism References:
Bruner, J. T. (1993) Schools of thought: A science of learning in the classroom. CityplaceCambridge, StateMA: MITT Press.
Kanuka, H. & Anderson, T. (1998). Online social interchange, discord, and knowledge construction. Journal of Distance Education, 13 (1) 57-74.
Taylor, P. (1993) Collaborating to reconstruct teaching: the influence of researcher beliefs. In K. Tobin (Ed.) The practice of constructivism in science education. CityHillsdale, StateNJ: CityplaceLawrence Erlbaum, 267-297.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1990). Vygotsky and education: instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. Luis C. Moll (Ed). StateplaceNew York. PlaceNameplaceCambridge PlaceTypeUniversity Press.

http://www.commoncraft.com/show - WIKI, Blog, RSS and much more in plain English.  Baolong Fu


I wanted to let everyone know about a very inspiring school project, communally built in Tibet.   From an education, sustainable, humanitarian, vernacular and architectectural standpoint I find this to be a wonderful design project.  It is the kind of place that speaks of holistic design and education. I first heard about it when I found a bought a modest book called 'Building Culture:  Druk White Lotus School: a sustainable model for education + design' edited by the New York School of Architecture and Planning, 2006.  There are several websites that relate to this but the main one is  http://www.dwls.org/

Searching for the book author online I also came across a video for the school as it was featured on e2 Design, a television program produced by Brad Pitt that can be seen on tvo (TV Ontario).  To see that go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3lWrM23zdA   Let me know your impressions of this place as a school.

Bonded Design and the Zone of Proximal Development", McGill Journal of Education
I recently found this article during a publication search for my school's scholarly research quest.  It is of personal interest for me relative to design and public education.   I haven't read it yet but thought it sounded interesting in terms of how the technology some of us are playing with for the first time could be introduced at an earlier age.  Seeta Nyary actually brought up this very example of elementary history classes using technology, during our guest speaker chat Monday evening.

ABSTRACT. The article presents a new technology design methodology that the authors have termed “Bonded Design” and that was applied by two intergenerational teams comprising adults and grade-three elementary school students in one case, and adults and grade-six students in a second case. The objective of each team was to design a low-tech web portal prototype that elementary school students could use to find information on Canadian history to support class-based projects. The relationship between Bonded Design and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory is explored, and the success of Bonded Design is explained in part by its use of the ZPD as a conceptual framework for the development of a community of designers.  Link to abstract and full text PDF:  http://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/970  Catherine Dowling


A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have someone share this presentation with me. I found it very inspiring as both a teacher and a parent.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/wp-content/themes/179/aschool012008.html

http://www.commoncraft.com/It seems that everyday we are presented with new technology and the terminology which accompanies it. This website offers a series of short video presentations which explain things like wikis, blogs, podcasting and RSS in terms that anyone can understand. If you are new to any of these topics I highly recommend taking a few moments to explore this site and the resources which it offers.

http://www.webopt.com/ - As Selia has mentioned, image size is an important consideration for the projects that we will be developing. Another consideration is image compression as this can reduce file size and help your pages load faster. This site offers a 30-day free trial of WebGraphics Optimizer which can help you compress your images. It is compatible Windows 95/98/2000/NT/ME and XP. I have begun to explore its capabilities and so far I found it quite user friendly. Once a photo is opened, you can select from up to five different levels of compression by clicking on the five numbered icons on the toolbar. There is also a dropdown menu on the toolbar which allows you to quickly resize the image to a percentage of the original, while maintaining its relative height and width.  Celynn Klemenchuk


http://www.teachersmortgageplan.com/. - I recently became aware of an unusual and seemingly unknown way to pay down your mortgage years sooner as well as make your mortgage interest tax deductible and save up lots of money by the time you retire or before. The system was developed by a Canadian name Fraser Smith. I heard about the Smith Manoeuvre from my financial advisor and it has really fast tracked my mortgage payments. I was surprised to see this system advertised in the June 2008 issue of "Professionally Speaking".  I recommend this system to any home owner. It's so amazing that you can turn a 25 yr mortgage into a 9 year or less mortgage without paying any more money than you do currently. You definitely should work with a certified financial planner which they are offering on the site.  Michelle Best

http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/html_401/ and http://werbach.com/barebones/barebone.html   Just wanted to provide you with a couple links that offer tips on how to use HTML tags in WebF.  These links can give you instructions on how to bold, italics, underline, color...etc...If you go to the barebones site and then select "Version 4.0 Formatted' it provides you with formulas to change text as mentioned above.  Claudia Imola

http://www.commoncraft.com/show  - Being a new “user” to technology, I have been struggling with terms and definitions (amongst other things!)  Celynn posted the Common Crate Site, but I wanted to elaborate on how interesting and how much the Common Craft Show helped ME along the way.  After I viewed the first one, I looked up many just to view how they would explain aspects in “plain English” and with a visual. - Claudia Morano

http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/  - I have included the link to Smart Tech, the developers for the Smartboards which are interactive whiteboards.  Smartboards can be amazing tools if educators are taught the interactive ways to use them.  I have seen some schools use them as glorified projectors and other schools use them as great teaching tools! - Denise Ing

Clipmarks: Clipmarks is a browser addon in Firefox or a toolbar for Internet Explorer.  I don’t think it’s compatible with Opera’s browser or Mac’s Safari yet.  On Clipmarks.com, you can see clips of text, images or video about all sorts of topics that other people find while surfing the web.  Clipmarks allows you to cut and paste the web.  Literally.  Only, instead of using Microsoft Word or whatever else and re-formatting constantly, you do it in one place.  You can highlight text in the form of paragraphs or sentences, pictures, and even video.  Yes, VIDEO – mostly flash embedded video, but still – a cool feature.  The best part about clipmarks is it’s direct to blog feature, where you can post directly into most blogging platforms, and include a response and a title above your clippings.

Here’s a how to with text and video:
http://clipmarks.com/how-to-clip/

Here’s a link to find it on the web:
http://clipmarks.com/install

Here’s the firefox addon site:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1407/

Google Notebook: Google Notebook is similar to Clipmarks.  It does many of the same things using a slightly different interface with compatibility for Google’s webmail and other online productivity software such as Google docs.  The only thing with Google notebook is that you need a Google account.  Also, you publish directly in a notebook format.  I don’t think it’s compatible with any blogs, however.

Here’s a how to video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QILd8RhmJ0Q&feature=related

A more advanced how to video: (USING NOTEBOOK IN A CLASSROOM/GROUP RESEARCH SETTING)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLKhhbT492M&feature=related

Here’s a link to find it on the web:
http://www.google.com/notebook/download

Here’s the firefox addon site:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1407

Why use Clipmarks or Google Notebook?

1) Save the trees: instead of printing the whole site, print only what you need.
2) More precise information sent and received – only save what you think is important.
3) They make collaboration easier – the person who receives a Clipmark or a Google   Notebook can choose whether or not they want more information, and can click the link   to the page the information was derived from if they do.
4) You can use it to reference articles and information from the web more easily.  This is  great for teachers finding lesson plans, students comparing products or features (great  for father’s day when trying to find the best barbecue under $1000),  great for getting  rev iews from many different folks.  Great for parents at that PTA meeting who need to find  recipes for the next pot-luck.  Any task that involves summarizing and combining a va rie ty of disparate sources of information is made easier using either of the above.
5) Both can be accessed by cellphones, and information can be sent to them as well.
6) If you’re on a trip overseas, you can include pictures (linked via your uploads to flickr)  and clipped information on the historical sites you visited.
7) Use them in conjunction with Stumbleupon ([ http://www.stumbleupon.com/about.html ]http://www.stumbleupon.com/about.html)  and you’ve just cut your endless google searches down!
8) ENJOY!!

Conclusion:

Both allow you to cut and paste parts of WebPages into a virtual repository of information.
Google notebook cannot clip video.  That being said, it’s much more stable, less glitchy and less of an intrusion in your browser.  Further, most video links are embedded (flash) anyway, and you can always just link the url.  If you want ease of use and minimal intrusion, go with Google notebook.  If you want a more comprehensive set of features, and the option to export directly to blogs is important, go with Clipmarks.  Jeremy Nigli


I mentioned in my introduction that I had the opportunity to teach a Media Literacy unit, and very much enjoyed it. I came across an excellent web site called Newseum, which can be found at: http://www.newseum.org The site has a number of features, but the one that I especially like is called "Today's Front Pages". It allows users to compare the front pages of over 400 newspapers in 47 countries. Students in my Grade 5/6 class were fascinated with the different approaches (text and photos) used in covering the same stories. One option is to use a map view to find various newspapers, thereby incorporating some geography into the mix.

The April 2008 edition of Voice -- a publication by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario -- is all about the theme of "teaching with technology". It contains a number of articles about teachers who have decided to embrace the fact that many students have grown up with technology. This "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach seems to be working well in many classrooms. The articles describe: graphic novels created by software called Comic Life; collaborative global projects made possible through socially responsible social networking tools, such as Taking IT Global (http://takingitglobal.org); student podcasts using Portable Radio (http://portableradio.edublogs.org); and video podcasts that reinforce themes in a French class. The articles offer valuable teaching techniques, and the web sites referenced could lead to many more opportunities.

This edition of Voice (Vol. 10, No. 4 to be even more specific) is available in hard copy, but can also be accessed online at: http://www.etfo.ca/Publications/Voice/Pages/default.aspx. The main articles are all available in PDF format.

Just wanted to recommend a movie, and I'm including it in this section because it addresses what I think are the central components of holistic education -- mind, body, and soul. I just saw the movie Young @ Heart, and it was remarkable. It's about a seniors' chorus -- the average age of the members is 80-something. They sing songs by artists like Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and James Brown. The members all seem to refer to the fact that singing affects their minds, bodies, and souls. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. http://www.foxsearchlight.com/youngatheart/

P.S. I'd also recommend doing something that I didn't do, which is bringing Kleenex  - Justine Montgomery


http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video  This is a neat site that allows you to watch or listen to many famous speeches, books, etc.  I'll post a description from the website below. LearnOutLoud.com has scoured the Internet to bring you over 500 free audio and video titles. This directory features free audio books, lectures, speeches, sermons, interviews, and many other great free audio and video resources. Most audio titles can be downloaded in digital formats such as MP3 and most video titles are available to stream online. Enjoy!

http://media.libsyn.com/media/thecleversheep/amdec.mp3 - this is a podcast mini-doc about my online school's year-end picnic/get together, done by a provinical e-learning coordinator (Rod Lucier).  He talks about the "relationship" factor in online learning as being the fourth 'r'.  I thought this tied in nicely with our course.

http://www.drawingday.org/ - Drawing Day is a worldwide drawing event encouraging everyone to drop everything and draw for the sake of art. The internet is an open canvas. Help us create 1 million drawings online this day and boost online art communities.  Kristin Frank


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE - This is the link to a YouTube video on Web 2.0.  I think this concept has much to do with the conversations that we have been having about the evolution of learning and collaboration.
http://www.youthography.com/ - I attended a Student Success Team workshop put on by my board this past week.  There was a great speaker named Max Valiquette who is co-founder of a company called Youthography.  His presentation was two hours long and focused on the evolution of youth culture and the effects of technology especially on how they operate.  He then outlined the implications (in his view) for education.  Very good presentation.  Lawrence DeMaeyer

http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com/ - Teacher's Story - This is another inspirational story. You'll need kleenex for this one.

There is a wonderful actress/educator that if you have the opportunity to see, take it. Her name is Deneen Frazier Bowen and she did a presentation called "The Natives are Restless" for an NECC (National Education Computing Conference) conference in Philiadelphia in 2005.  I tried to get her video conference, but for some reason, it will not download to my computer anymore.

Her 1-hour key-note presentation is available in quicktime and is downloadable on mp3. It is not as interesting as the video, but it is still worthwhile listening to because she introduces her character "Dr. Priscilla Norma" and dramatizes 3 gamers who are not good at school, but can share their success stories as gamers. They are different ages and as she acts them out, she shows her point of how technology can involve students holistically.

You can listen to this presentation on the Apple Learning Interchange website under her name, http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/item.php?itemID=11748

Enjoy and if you find the video link, let me know.  Lesline Smikle


http://www.statscan.ca - The website for Statistics Canada is an excellent resource for teachers that I use all the time in my classes.  It is really easy to navigate and simple to use.  In addition to statistics, there are many other features.  My favourite part of this site is a function called "The Daily" which has articles on various topics.  The articles are archived, so you can see ones from the past as well.  You can search this site by topic, location and dates.  When I am researching to prepare a lesson plan, I often find a lot of American information, so this site is great to find Canadian information to compare with the U.S.  Lynne Howard

In our busy days and with our hectic schedules...I find this site is worth a few minutes of your time:
http://positivepause.com/en/index.html  Mike Kirby

This website provides e-books for children.  I often use this site with the smart board such that the whole class can enjoy it.  Many children pictures books are on the site.  The story will be read to the children and there are often games and quizzes about the story at the end. My grade 4 students love it.

Another suggestion is also for teachers to sign up for a 30 day trial just to see what its like and it is also recommended for parents.  Especially to those parents who are too busy to read to their children and those who are not fluent in English.  This will help their children to listen and speak English without their parents worrying about accents and pronunciation.

Enjoy the following website: http://www.tumblebooks.com

This website is extremely useful during party times in school.  We often like to show movies during parties in the elementary school, but as a teacher, there is no way that I will have seen all the movies that the students suggested.  This website : http://www.screenit.com not only gives movie reviews, but it also shows you want kind of rating the movie is.  They also tell you what some of the more sensitive topics are in the movies. For instance, they will tell you if the movie mentioned anything about divorce, if it does, then you might not want to show it to students in your class whose parents is going through divorce.  A really good last minute tool for teachers to use!!!  Nancy Tsang


http://www.mathfrog.ca - I was involved in this project during my last year at the University of Waterloo. It was developed by the Learning and Teaching Through Technology (LT3) and The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computers. We compiled a list of online games and created resources for teachers to use after playing the games. (Math FROG stands for Fun Resources and Online Games). It is directed mainly at students and teachers in grades 4,5 and 6.  Narissa Coronel

This is a version of a page of fun things to do I originally created for students for study week - you may find a few of these work for you as well. http://astralsite.com/learn/learningfun.html
Resources from CTL1799 - Summer 2007 - http://www.astralsite.com/1799/1799-07resources.html
Selia Karsten

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jPUt4yaZFOo This is a buddhist inspired dance by a group of beautiful, young, unfortunately hard of hearing dancers. The choregraphy is absolutely beautiful and amazing.

The dance was inspired by the Chinese bodhisattva (Guanyin), who was originally the East Asian, Indian male bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara, "Holder of the Lotus". In China, Guanyin is usually presented in femine or gender neutral form. In the west, Guanyin, is known as the Goddess of Mercy. This buddha is one of the most beloved buddha in the Chinese culture. Almost every Chinese buddhist family has her sculpture in their house, and offerings are made daily. Her kindness and her helpfulness inspired Chinese scupltors to give her a thousand hands and each hand has an eye in it, so that she can watch over millions of people and lend a helping hand when required. For more information about this goddess:  http://www.purifymind.com/Kuan.htm.

I heard a lot about this buddhist dance by a group of hard of hearing dance. I was very impressed when I saw it on 'Youtube'. I hope you folks enjoy it. It goes to show the kind of beautiful things people can achieve despite their disabilities. Hope the dance inspires compassion, peace, kindness, that Guan Yin inspire in people.

You can share your powerpoint presentations at these sites below and use the links for your own webpages:
http://www.slideshare.net/
http://www.authorstream.com/Register/SignIn/Upload-presentation
Selina Glyn


The website is called "WISE". (http://wise.berkeley.edu/)
WISE is a simple powful learning environment where students from grade 5 to 12 can examine real world evidence and analyze current scientific controversies.

StarLogo is a programmable modeling environment for exploring the workings of decentralized systems -- systems that are organized without an organizer, coordinated without a coordinator. With StarLogo, children can model many real-life phenomena, such as bird flocks, traffic jams, ant colonies, and market economies.
http://education.mit.edu/starlogo - Xin Su

Created June 14, 2008
skarsten@oise.utoronto.ca