Google Docs and Spreadsheets

As usual I am working on learning a new technology, this time it is Google Docs and Spreadsheets. This web based sharing tool could almost take the place of a wiki and allow students to collaborate on projects with access from any computer. This is something to think about and play around with. I created this quick syllabus original document and uploaded it to this blog; potential there.

Renweb is now installed on all my computers and probably next week we'll have a workshop to learn that new system allowing parents to see grades and assignments.

This has really been a technology loaded summer what with attending the NECC conference in Atlanta and trying to digest lots of new things in preparation for writing the grant. Let's hope this all comes together in a meaningful way.
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"Powerbook surgery". Sarae's photostream. posted January 22, 2006. Canon Powershot S410 camera http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarae/90106817/

American History Syllabus

Sacred Heart High School

2007-2008

First Grading Period

Chapters 4,5,6,7,8

Project: VFW essay and podcast

Second Grading Period

Chapters 9,10,11,12,13

Project: Critical Thinking Biography

Third Grading Period

Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Project: Important Battle Power Point Presentation organized by a wiki

Fourth Grading Period

Chapter 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Project deadlines will run over so this is overlap catchup time

Each grading period has an Academic Assessment Rubic grade worth 50 points.

Death by Power Point

Read an interesting blog entry by Doug Belshaw from the UK about people who put up a Power Point slide presentation and then preceed to read directly from it. Boring!!!!! I agree and have been in that situation myself. However, I find myself doing that somewhat in class lecturing and the students copying the notes off the Power Point slides. At first seven years ago I was really bad and had way too many slides and notes. I guess I felt a complusion to put everything in writing up on the screen. I am better; now I have only 6 slides per chapter and am only doing American History myself with the new books we have chosen. World History and World Geography provide Power Point slide shows per chapter that are less wordy and more thought provoking. So, I am trying to learn how to do that; lecture and make the students actually read the material and use the slide presentations for more critical thinking. I am a work in progress.

Another web 2.0 tool to master

Today I am conquering del.icio.us. Let's see what all this tagging is about.

Doneness vs Ongoing Conversation

An interesting post by David Warlick School 2.0 is a lot of Things + Conversation poses the question of "doneness" or project completion in schools versus lifelong, ongoing, continuing conversation type learning. I have been struggling with this concept since I got swamped with all this Web 2.0 business this spring. It seems to be a struggle that I can best deal with through balance; using the tools of web or school 2.0 to inspire true learning and literacy but meeting the requirements of grades and completeness. In a way, the struggle is not new-- weren't we also trying to achieve the same balance in our own educations? It is just now the tools are so much more powerful than a pencil and a Big Chief tablet. I know the end result is not just a podcast or a blog or a comic book but the ongoing challenge and experience and opportunity for inspiration to a student. But like life, there are beginnings, and middles, and ends to mark even things that are ongoing.

Learning yet another skill

Working with Google docs and spreadsheets, I came across their photo sharing site, Picasa web albums and this is an attempt to embed a slideshow of pictures into this blog from the trip I took in June with my mom, sister, and daughter, Bessie to Pennsylvania.

Checking out Google Maps

OK, so I am trying to conquer Google Maps and Google Earth based on all the new information I learned in Atlanta at the NECC conference. I want to use these new resources in my World Goegraphy class this yer and of course, write some dynamic lesson plans for the grant. So, I have been playing around and will attach a link to a map I made of Evangeline Parish. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117514730902477349265.00000111fcfaab912bdb8&ll=30.709962,-92.308502&spn=0.524232,0.925598&z=10&om=1

OK, so now let't try to reduce the size of this url by using tinyurl.com and see if that works. http://tinyurl.com/3ymohn