Funday Monday...

When I was little, I used to play this song over and over on my Mickey Mouse record player. I haven't seen or heard this clip in years. There's something about Lena Horne's voice and Jim Henson's perfect puppetry that touches my heart and makes me want to burst into tears. Such a wonderful song with a beautiful message. Absolute classic.




*UPDATE: It's back!!

Eduism, eBeam and a $100 Whiteboard!

Rich White of Edusim had posted a comment about my Smartboard Presentation that I accidentally deleted. He directed me to his site -- and I'm glad he did. Eduism is a free opensource 3D environment specifically for the interactive whiteboard. Check out the video below. It looks almost like a SecondLife environment. Wow!



Then I found this video showing another way to create a DIY interactive whiteboard with a Wii remote. Could/Would school districts be willing to take advantage of this type of technology? Teachers would still need a projector, which can run from $500-1200. But it's definitely cheaper than the $2500 and up needed for a commercial interactive whiteboard. Check out that video below.


Then my jaw dropped further when I saw this video of a device called an eBeam that turns regular monitors into touchscreens! Amazing!!



I will definitely post more about Eduism as I peruse the site some more. VERY cool stuff!

Smartboard Presentation

A few weeks back, I had the privilege of giving a Smartboard presentation to some teachers in my school. From the feedback I received, it seemed to go pretty well -- but now I know what to improve on for the next time. Since today is a snow day, I decided I should update this blog by adding the presentation. However, I realize the version with the "Resources" links is stored on my computer at school. So I made a list of the links after the presentation. Enjoy!



Running out of time...will add links later. Peace!

Taking notes in the 21st Century...

Just saw this awesome post at EduTechie on LiveScribe, a note-taking tool.  Looks like the Flypen, but better.  I want one for my notes!  Check out the video below.  (Sorry if YouTube is blocked at your school.)

LiveScribe - Take Awesome Notes at EduTechie.com

 

 

How to raise student achievement

ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2007) — "In his doctoral thesis, Finnish PISA Researcher Pasi Reinikainen studied the country-specific factors connected to the science achievement of eighth-grade students in Finland, England, Hungary, Japan, Russia and Latvia. He found that factors influential to students’ academic performance differ between countries."

Very interesting article.  Read more here:

TV, Pop Quizzes And Group Work May Hinder Educational Achievement In Science

 

 

 

Make an Interactive Whiteboard for Under $100 using the Wii Remote

via Mark Wagner: Educational Technology and Life » Blog Archive » Links for 2007-12-17

This is absolutely amazing!  Inventor Johnny Lee has devised a hack that allows the Wii remote to become a sensor for an interactive whiteboard.  Then, with a  few LEDs and reflective tape, he turns his TV into a "Minority Report"-like machine.  A projector would still need to be purchased, and of course, the Wii, for this to work.  But is this a low-cost alternative for struggling districts?



See the video for yourself:

Tim Wang’s eLearning Blog - Multi-touch Whiteboard Under 100 Dollars - Using The Wii Remote

 

Snow Day

snow day
Originally uploaded by happy happy apple

I realize that I have not updated this blog in ages! Well, over the break I plan to add some new postings. Today, however, is a snow day! I am resting and updating and searching. Ahh...I love snow days; they're great gifts to students and teachers alike!