Learning in the Lou

Lexie Weitzel is inspiring Contemporary Issues students to change their world. This past Friday, her classes spoke (via Skype) with J.R. Biersmith, the Executive Director of Men in the Arena , a film in production about the Somali national soccer team.  As J.R. spoke about life in Somalia, the challenges (and dangers) of filming, and shared the stories of the young men on the soccer team, the dialogue between students and director became more empathetic, perceptive, and passionate.  Mrs. Weitzel's students made an emotional and personal connection with J.R.'s story. One fifty-minute class period.  A lesson that goes beyond the walls of the classroom.  This is the beauty and power of Skype as a learning tool. J.R. Biersmith, Executive Director of the film Men in the Arena , Skypes with Mrs. Weitzel's Contemporary Issues students.  This unique Skype session will serve as inspiration for an upcoming project on Africa.  In teams, students will de...

Auggie (front-left) and his classmates sift through notes  while completing a formative  assessment quiz in Ms. Rathjen's 7th  grade  science class. Curriculum standards, learning targets, formative assessments, Google Forms and Sheets, Flubaroo, and science notebooks--all of these pieces are working harmoniously in the 7th grade science classrooms of Angela Rathjen and Angela Schneider at Sperreng Middle School. What are they doing? In order to help students understand their learning goals and monitor their progress, Ms. Rathjen and Mrs. Schneider have developed goal sheets for each unit that students can insert into their science notebooks.  Each curriculum standard has been transformed into a learning target (or "goal") written in student-friendly language using the verbs and vocabulary that students need to know and be able to do. After completing lessons developed for mastering a learning goal, students complete a formative assessment on ...

Daydream - Colton Witt Have you dreamed of the day where you can give your students quick formative feedback and have the results automatically tallied, color-coded and recorded? That day is today.  Your dreams are now coming true. This magical tool, flubaroo, works in conjunction with a Google Form to automatically grade the results of your quiz and enter them into a color-coded spreadsheet.  Personalized results can also be emailed to the student giving them instant feedback. Flubaroo Overview Video - by the creators of Flubaroo Things that stood out: Teacher gets a color-coded answer sheet. Red - Names in red scored less than 75 on the quiz. Orange - Questions highlighted in orange indicate less than 60% of the students got it right. These two colors could make differentiated instruction more targeted, you know who needs what instantly. Resources Flubaroo User Guide On Twitter?  Why not follow Flubaroo ! Google Forms Capturing student f...

What is Mystery Skype? Mystery Skype is an educational game, invented by teachers, played by two classrooms on Skype. The aim of the game is to guess the location of the other classroom by asking each other questions. It's suitable for all age groups and can be used to teach subjects like geography, history, languages, mathematics and science. Not sure how this will really work with kids in your classroom?  Read this short post from a teacher explaining the process.  She lists the types of questions you need to prepare to assigning jobs during the Skype session. Would this engage your students?  Take a few minutes and watch the video.  Could your students guess the location after 20 questions?

What does this mean?  Is this really unlimited? Yes! You never have to delete an email! You can add a billion photos to your drive and have room to add more!

Two items that have consumed me this week. PhotoMath Just watch this video and you will see this may just be the most amazing app ever created. PhotoMath from MicroBLINK on Vimeo . I think the way this can help a student deconstruct a math problem is out of this world. Inbox Do you remember when gmail first came out?  It was in 2004 and it changed how the world used email.  The only way to access gmail in those days was through an invite from a friend or you could buy one on ebay. Google has done it again. They are reinventing how you view your messages in a new product called Inbox by Google.  It is still by invite only but they seem to be handing them out like candy on Halloween. I still don't fully understand this but I love it. One more thing... Google Drive Have you seen this message when you logged into Google Drive this week? It appears Google is pushing the new version of Drive much harder this time.  Take a look at wh...

Plickers are awesome.  Just ask Amanda McKay. It's the end of 4th hour and Amanda's physics students have been hard at work learning how to calculate net force.  A poll question appears on the board.  Her students reach under their desks and reveal personalized QR codes.  As they hold up their codes, Amanda scans the room.  In a flash, Amanda knows every student's response to the question. I asked Amanda three questions about plickers.  Here is what she had to say: What are "plickers"? "They are what I call Paper cLICKERS.  The mini QR codes that are printed on them can be oriented in four ways to show four different choices for a multiple choice question and are aimed at an Android or Apple device that interprets the choices.  A live bar graph is shown on the device as responses are read.  A correct answer can be chosen and would then be shown as a green bar on the graph." How do you use plickers? "I use them to collect quick ...

flickr image: williamson You just recorded the most amazing screencast of your life.  Everything you needed to say just seemed to flow, you were in the zone. That video is now on Youtube.   The audio appears that it was recording while you were on a plane. Now you are looking for a way to have your recordings sound as smooth and clear as your natural voice. Solution: 1.  In the lower right task bar, right-click on the audio icon. 2.  Left-Click on Recording Devices 3.  Left-Click on Microphone to highlight (you should only see one microphone icon listed) 4.  Left-Click on Properties button 5.  Left-Click on the tab titled Levels 6.  Move the slider for Microphone boost to the far left (should be at 0.0 DB) 7.  Left-Click Apply button and then Left-Click OK button This solution brought to you by Keith Loveless.

Please use the following address to directly connect to the eValuate site. 208.67.124.147

You have all these photos and videos on your phone/iPad/tablet and you really want them to be backed up.  The issue is the backup process can be hard!  When you realize you need them backed up it might just be too late. Enter the automatic backup.  Every photo you snap and video you shoot will be backed up through a simple (and free) app.  Google+ is like the swiss army knife app, it does so much. Android iOS Where did my photos backup to? Open Google+ on your computer. Click the home button in the upper left corner of the screen. Click photos on the drop down list.

A simple site with many different types of paper you can print out.  Take a look at Printable Paper and I am sure you can find something usable. Check these samples out! Sometimes creating a video project can quickly get out of hand without some type of guide.  Using a storyboard can be just what everyone needs to keep the project on track. There are about a million reasons for using postcards in the classroom.  This site offers two blank templates. Graph paper is like the swiss army knife of paper.  

BrainRush! Adaptive Learning Games Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.  These games are not exceptionally high tech but they are effective. I tried out the comma game and the one about chemical families.  It was somewhat like flashcards but the game gave me instant feedback.  This one feature was enough to make this site blogworthy. Use the search feature in the upper right corner to find more games. I searched for water to see what options I had to pick from.  So many to choose from!

Each pin on this map represents a newspaper published somewhere across the globe. Click on a pin to translate that paper into English.  Some of these also link to the facebook and twitter pages of the newspapers. Why is this amazing? Think about any topical story, like ebola, and read how other countries are reporting it.  A easy way to compare many points of view quickly. Teach a modern language?  Maybe some of these papers could be used in the classroom. Check out  Newspaper Map to learn more about what is going on around the globe.

Google Story Builder Have you seen that commercial of Hall and Oates as they worked on the lyrics of a song?  It was like you could see inside their minds as they edited the song to get it just right. This site will do just that.   Watch the samples they have and let you mind wander. How might this be used in the classroom? A retelling of a historical event? An argument between two historical figures? Book trailer? How the story unfolds from a few points of view? Solving some problem? How multiple parties attempt to construct a solution?  The application of this site is endless.  How might you use this with your class?

Your students want to create a short video and you are looking for a way to make that happen. Questions: What devices do you need to create a video? What software do we have to edit? How can we share these videos? Answers: Devices - just use anything you have access to.  Mobile phones and tablets will work best for capturing the shots. Software - Check out WeVideo .  The students can log in with their Lindbergh account.  Upload the videos they shot on any device and begin to edit.  All of the footage will be stored online.      3.   Sharing -             High School Students - upload to YouTube.              Middle/Elementary - upload to Google Drive and share with the teacher. This appears to be a super simple app/site to solve some issues we have with creating videos.  

Check out these before and after images.  What do you notice? Before After Before After How can you get your webpages to appear in this easy to ready format? Visit the Chrome Web Store . Search for Clearly . Install! Check out this video for more information.

photo by: piX dust As I entered a classroom the other week I noticed something immediately.  The kids were reading and Katie Dausmann was conferencing with a student in one corner.  This is a typical scene in any elementary classroom so it took me a while to figure out what was so different. Almost out of reach was this soft music playing.  It seemed to have magically set the tone for the whole room, it was time to read and reflect quietly. I have read about the power certain music can have but finding those specific songs can be rather challenging until now. Katie was using a specific playlist on Songza called Ambient Music for Reading .  I believe playing this music at a low level helped create a super atmosphere in the classroom. There are also a whole set of Genres and Moods within Spotify that can accomplish the same thing. I did find a section called Kids on Spotify.  This section contains lists like Disney, Hipster Youth and Minecraft. ...

Issue You have some chunk of text online you really want your kids to read.  Some of these articles are slightly above their reading level but you still really want them to understand the context. Solution Find the link to the article and dump it into the app/site. Presto! An audio clip of the article is created! http://soundgecko.com/ Sample from Time for Kids I cut/pasted the link to this article into the Soundgecko site and this is what was created.   Click to image to hear the clip.  It appears some sound clips will have an accent and some do not. 

Try disabling the edge swypes.  This should prevent your laptop from suddenly going into the start screen or the charms from appearing.

Spell check not working?  Make sure you turn it on.  Did you have both turned on?

Check out Google Slides for the iPad! Click and start downloading. On an Android device? They updated your existing version of Google Slides .

Not really sure how to describe this.  Maybe take a whiteboard, some cartoons and mash it with PowerPoint.  PowToons is giving away a free teacher and student account for one year.   I signed up after watching their demo video on the PowToon site. Take a look and see for yourself.

I am missing my Image Mate software.  Any ideas where it went? Absolutely! Click to begin the download .  The file will begin downloading in the lower left corner of your screen.  (I am assuming you are using Chrome.) Double click on the folder when it finishes downloading. Open the folder the pops up. Click on the IM_2.08Setup file. Click Run. Install the software. Check your desktop for the IM icon or your Windows start screen.  Click to launch the newly installed software.

Search your app store for Lindbergh Schools. Download and explore.

LindberghU is now open for Course Proposals in MyLearningPlan!!!   Please read the newly created LindberghU FAQ's for more information (including topics of requested courses) . Proposals will be accepted until  August 27 . Check your email for more information.

Does your screen look a bit squished?  Does it look like a square postage stamp? Follow these steps to restore it back to the fullest aspect ratio you can. Right click on a blank spot on the screen. Select Graphic Properties Choose Display Resolution - change to 1920X1080 Click Apply and OK . Your screen should now be maximized! Note: I put my screen resolution as high as it would go.  Your laptop may have this exact same setting.  My recommendation is adjusting the settings to the max!

What is Airserver?   It allows you to show any iPad through the classroom projector.  Use it once and you will be hooked! This PDF  can help walk you through using the Airserver software. How might this be used? Streaming Pandora from iPad. Students demonstrating an app. Teacher demonstrating just about anything. Students showing a finished project.

Do you have some shared Google calendars not showing up on your iPad?  The following steps will help solve the syncing issues. Click on this long link:   https://m.google.com/sync/settings/iconfig/ Click on your device. Select the calendars you want to sync to your iPad. Click Save. Now all your shared Google calendars will sync to the device!  Thanks to Nicholas Wagenknecht for this tip!

Found this and had to share.  I am super pumped about this.  Seems to be about 14-17% easier to use. Note: These changes are not yet available in our Google Drive.

The video shows a quick preview of what Google Drive will look like in the very near future.  I am super pumped about these new features!

What does differentiation through video mean to you? Is it really possible? Check out these two posters created by a group of teachers during a summer class.  They were produced as a quick brainstorm to generate ideas about what differentiation could look like. The key comes near the end of this video.   What if you did something like this for a single lesson?   What if you created just two videos to explain a concept?   Would that make any difference? Looking for a few resources?   This document was used as part of a two hour summer course. Need help getting this off the ground in your classroom?  Email the team at elite@lindberghschools.ws

Found this video today that discusses an upcoming feature in Google Docs.  I didn't fully grasp the power until the Google Gooru broke it down for me. Is this something you would use?

Made with Code - by Google Code seems to be the super buzz word of the year.  Making things on the computer is interesting but sometimes you just want something physical to hold in your hand.  You are now about 16 clicks away from a custom made bracelet. Why not sit down and make something today?   *Note: Colin will be sporting one of these nifty accessories in the near future.  Why not join him?

In night class so I have to sneak this post.  Here is the link to read more about it. Short version - there are some great new GAFE apps for your iPads and you super powerful Android devices.

Video calling can provide incredible learning opportunities for our students.... and for us! In the beginner's guide below, there are some great ways to integrate Google Hangouts and Google Hangouts on Air, from virtual speakers to getting immediate tech support from our Instructional Tech/ LINC Team! What Is a "Hangout?" A Hangout is a web-based tool created by Google for communicating through video. Who Can Start One? Anyone with a Google Plus account. Start your Google+ account using these instructions. What could Hangouts and Hangouts on Air do for my learners ? How to use hangouts for nearly any role in education, from Elementary and Secondary, to PLCs and administration ! Which Hangout is For You? Type Hangout Hangout on Air Perfect for... Connecting with subject matter experts Mystery Author Visits/ Learning Dates Off-campus study groups for students Connecting with students all over the country with a literacy or math focus G...

Connect Google Drive Folder to Schoolwires Page This is a great way to update information to share with your students, without having to edit Schoolwires on a regular basis. You can drop files to distribute into you Google Drive folder and parents and students can easily access these files by clicking on your Schoolwires page! Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to link a Google Drive folder to your Schoolwires page or follow the steps below. Connect a Google Drive Folder to Your Schoolwires Page This is a great way to update information to share with your students, without having to edit Schoolwires on a regular basis. You can drop files to distribute into you Google Drive folder and parents and students can easily access these files by clicking on your Schoolwires page! PART 1: Getting the URL from Your Google Drive Folder 1. From your GoogleDrive, find the folder you would like to share with students. To the right of the title, find the downward arrow and then ...