Dear Class,
I know I'll be seeing you at 4:00 this afternoon but...
....I'm sending this reminder to you so that I don't forget to do so later on. Just as you need a grade, I do as well. I've always passed in evaluations with grades and my request for compensation, but since we will not see each other in this class again, I will not be able to have you fill them out to pass in with your grades.
I therefore created two PDFs of MEC's evaluation form and posted it to the Web at http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/MEC_Eval_pg1.pdf and http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/MEC_Eval_pg2.pdf.
You may print them out as two separate pages or two sides of one page, but MEC requires me to have you fill out both pages.
Please print and fill out the evaulation as soon as you can and mail it to:
Isabelle Kunselman
Professional Development Office
40 Linnell Circle
Billerica, MA 01821
Thank you. It was so good to get to know you all. I hope that you will be able to take from the course much of value for your classes.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday with your families.
Eric
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
MEC Google Class December 9
IMPORTANT! However your situation should develop throughout the day, you will not have to worry about driving to the lab this afternoon. Stay home!
Please let me know that you received this!!!!
As you know, today will be our last class and it will be abbreviated. In view of the ongoing snow storm (I've been up since 3am in anticipation, I guess), we will not be meeting in the lab this afternoon. Hold on...I can hear the distant sobbing and wailing from here. I'm sure that you're all disappointed, but pull yourselves together and break out the snuggies everyone!
We'll wrap up any unfinished business online in my office at TI this afternoon after 4:00. Most of you have sent me your project links and I'll spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon going through them. After that I'll complete grades tonight and tomorrow and submit them by hand in the morning. Providing that I receive your work as an attachment or links to it today, MEC will have your grades on Thursday.
I do have some work that I must complete for a couple of you which I will finish later on today, but before 4:00 in case any changes need to take place.
I will also be posting some information regarding the procedure (as requested by Andrea and germane to most of you) I developed for downloading (with open source software) YouTube videos.
I'll be posting the lesson with all the details and links which would allow you to bypass any filtration settings by placing the videos on a CD and running them independent of your school network.
The important issue from my side is that I'll need assurances from you that you won't forget to fill out an evaluation form (I'll create a PDF for you and email it as an attachment or I'll place it on the Web and send you the link) and mail it to Isabelle. I'll be letting her know that she should be expecting them in the mail because our last class took place online and not in the lab-more about that later.
You can email me throughout the day with any questions.
Now to the lesson on YouTube. During our last class, Andrea expressed some frustration with problems regarding YouTube. If I can recall, she said something about her school network blocking them and/or an inability to download them.
I wanted to simulate problems that you may run into so I located a favorite instructional YouTube video on folding a shirt in seconds just as an example. Then I wanted to download it to my hard drive and run it later much as you would do for your students.
Well, I found a couple of pieces of software, both free and open source that could help her in her efforts and may be of interest to you as well.
The first one from sourceforge is called xVideoServiceThief. Do not let the "T" word scare you. Sourceforge represents the wonderful people who freely gave us Audacity among other superb programs. Mac or PC, you can go to http://xviservicethief.sourceforge.net/ and download the applicable version for you.
When you unpack it, you'll see a small number of files and folders. I used another cool, free, and open source screen recorder program called CamStudio to make a short video for you which shows the files I'm taking about and how to paste a YouTube URL of a video that you want to download into the operative box. You can see my video later at: http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/videothief.avi. When you've downloaded your target video it will be deposited into the "Downloads" folder. You can access it there.
You'll need a second (open source as well) program to view it. It's called FLVPlayer and it's available through Applian Technologies at http://download.cnet.com/FLV-Player/3000-13632_4-10467081.html or http://applian.com/. I made a second vid for you using CamStudio again that shows you how to "drag and drop" technique to run a captured YouTube video with FLVPlayer. You can see that by going to: http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/shirtflvplayer.avi
Please let me know that you received this!!!!
As you know, today will be our last class and it will be abbreviated. In view of the ongoing snow storm (I've been up since 3am in anticipation, I guess), we will not be meeting in the lab this afternoon. Hold on...I can hear the distant sobbing and wailing from here. I'm sure that you're all disappointed, but pull yourselves together and break out the snuggies everyone!
We'll wrap up any unfinished business online in my office at TI this afternoon after 4:00. Most of you have sent me your project links and I'll spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon going through them. After that I'll complete grades tonight and tomorrow and submit them by hand in the morning. Providing that I receive your work as an attachment or links to it today, MEC will have your grades on Thursday.
I do have some work that I must complete for a couple of you which I will finish later on today, but before 4:00 in case any changes need to take place.
I will also be posting some information regarding the procedure (as requested by Andrea and germane to most of you) I developed for downloading (with open source software) YouTube videos.
I'll be posting the lesson with all the details and links which would allow you to bypass any filtration settings by placing the videos on a CD and running them independent of your school network.
The important issue from my side is that I'll need assurances from you that you won't forget to fill out an evaluation form (I'll create a PDF for you and email it as an attachment or I'll place it on the Web and send you the link) and mail it to Isabelle. I'll be letting her know that she should be expecting them in the mail because our last class took place online and not in the lab-more about that later.
You can email me throughout the day with any questions.
Now to the lesson on YouTube. During our last class, Andrea expressed some frustration with problems regarding YouTube. If I can recall, she said something about her school network blocking them and/or an inability to download them.
I wanted to simulate problems that you may run into so I located a favorite instructional YouTube video on folding a shirt in seconds just as an example. Then I wanted to download it to my hard drive and run it later much as you would do for your students.
Well, I found a couple of pieces of software, both free and open source that could help her in her efforts and may be of interest to you as well.
The first one from sourceforge is called xVideoServiceThief. Do not let the "T" word scare you. Sourceforge represents the wonderful people who freely gave us Audacity among other superb programs. Mac or PC, you can go to http://xviservicethief.sourceforge.net/ and download the applicable version for you.
When you unpack it, you'll see a small number of files and folders. I used another cool, free, and open source screen recorder program called CamStudio to make a short video for you which shows the files I'm taking about and how to paste a YouTube URL of a video that you want to download into the operative box. You can see my video later at: http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/videothief.avi. When you've downloaded your target video it will be deposited into the "Downloads" folder. You can access it there.
You'll need a second (open source as well) program to view it. It's called FLVPlayer and it's available through Applian Technologies at http://download.cnet.com/FLV-Player/3000-13632_4-10467081.html or http://applian.com/. I made a second vid for you using CamStudio again that shows you how to "drag and drop" technique to run a captured YouTube video with FLVPlayer. You can see that by going to: http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/shirtflvplayer.avi
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
MEC Google Class December 2
We're coming down the "home stretch"-class 9. One more to go.
I do want to focus on a few things today regarding online delivery of your files/work for you students. I know that depends upon your particular environment at home, in class, and the various restrictions therein.
The remaining class time will be a work session. Please give some thought to anything I can do to help you in the lab. I may also be able to perform some research or "grunt" work (formatting, ftping for you, or whatever incidental jobs you may need to accomplish.
Please bring a flash drive if you can remember to do that. That way we can easily transfer files and applications (open source) from one computer to another.
Since our last meeting, I have been working with a few of you on various aspects of your projects via phone or multiple emails. Although a bit tedious, it "filled the bill" sufficiently. We'll be talking about all of this today.
Along with that, I'd like to talk a little bit about Google Sites at http://www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html which is user friendly, would save you a lot of time, and would free you from the dependence on some IT person (like me or at school) to make an initial upload for you and then make periodic updates.
Please take a look at the overview video and then look at a quick (very quick) classroom site called Mr. Groves' Room by going to http://sites.google.com/site/mrgrovesroom/
Google sites looks easy enough to use and adaptable to the classroom. Please rely upon me for any needed help should you choose to use the site.
Eric
I do want to focus on a few things today regarding online delivery of your files/work for you students. I know that depends upon your particular environment at home, in class, and the various restrictions therein.
The remaining class time will be a work session. Please give some thought to anything I can do to help you in the lab. I may also be able to perform some research or "grunt" work (formatting, ftping for you, or whatever incidental jobs you may need to accomplish.
Please bring a flash drive if you can remember to do that. That way we can easily transfer files and applications (open source) from one computer to another.
Since our last meeting, I have been working with a few of you on various aspects of your projects via phone or multiple emails. Although a bit tedious, it "filled the bill" sufficiently. We'll be talking about all of this today.
Along with that, I'd like to talk a little bit about Google Sites at http://www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html which is user friendly, would save you a lot of time, and would free you from the dependence on some IT person (like me or at school) to make an initial upload for you and then make periodic updates.
Please take a look at the overview video and then look at a quick (very quick) classroom site called Mr. Groves' Room by going to http://sites.google.com/site/mrgrovesroom/
Google sites looks easy enough to use and adaptable to the classroom. Please rely upon me for any needed help should you choose to use the site.
Eric
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
MEC Google Class November 18 draft and complete
Good afternoon everyone,
I've been "off the tether" for most of the week since our last class and as a result have some catchup to do. All of you have been working on your projects some of which (PowerPoint creations) have some minor issues, while others are progressing well. I'll try to troubleshoot anything I can from here today.
Before we begin this week's topic, I'd like to add something that pertains to Wikis, covered in our class last week. I stumbles across an entry entitled, Censoring History Won’t Work. It deals with
a wiki entry that with the passage of time has become a violation of German law and the reality of the impossibility or retracting information from the Internet after it has gotten out there. See http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/murderer-wikipedia-shhh Convicted Murderer to Wikipedia: Shhh!
In class this afternoon, which is going to be in my office again, we'll be taking a look at Google's Sketchup program. Let's classify it as one of Google's most powerful special tools. It's offered in a couple of version levels of which the basic (although certainly robust) is free for download by anyone. The basic version is "open source", can be accessed from a flash drive, doesn't need to be installed on a computer's hard drive, and therefore leaves no "footprint".
I''d like to give you a personal anecdotal example of how I used SketchUp. My 23 year old son was working in Asheville, NC. He's very "outdoor oriented" and spends much of his free time mountain biking, mountain climbing, hiking, and canoeing. It was natural that he came across an ad (Craig's List or other somesuch venue) offering an Old Town canoe in exchange for some construction work to be performed.
Two women who owned an old garage needed two corner posts replaced and estimated that it would take someone roughly 10 hours to complete. Tom contacted the women and then called me for advice. Actually he had no clue how to do the work, but he is in good shape, honest and dependable, and resourceful (I happen to be one of them).
After discussing it with him including details of the agreement (materials, hourly rate should the work run over the 10 alloted hours, etc.), I tried to get him to visualise how the work would be done safely. I wasn't confident that we were on the same page, so I decided to use SketchUp to show him exactly how to do it (one picture is worth a thousand...), by drawing him a 3D model and sharing it with him.
His only connected computer belonged to his employer, so he wasn't comfortable using a non-approved program on it. In spite of my assertions about the "no decernable footprint", he said he wouldn't use SketchUp on the computer. For that reason, I knew I'd have to use a different format for him to view my creation.
And so I recorded my SketchUp file, as I used its "Rotate" tool to view it in 3D, using a program (not open source and not inexpensive) called Camtasia Studio. I put the file on a CD and mailed it to Tom. He got it and he "got it", did the work successfuly, and received his canoe.
I'd like you to take a look at the file by going to http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/SketchUp/corner_jack2.avi Please take five or six minutes to do so.
Please remember it is one perfect example of a practical use for SketchUp. Had my son had the Internet connection then that he does now, he could haveve used his own computer and we could have done to whole lesson online without the aid of the US Postal service.
BTW I've since found an open source program that does much of what Camtasia does. I've used it with teachers and it's free. It's called CamStudio and it's a great program.
Let's look at a couple of definitions and blurbs about SketchUp:
From SketchUp's site:
SketchUp Extras
I found this rich little trove at a blog named Assorted Stuff.
http://www.assortedstuff.com/stuff/?p=298
Its author has this to say,
My name is Tim Stahmer and currently I’m an Instructional Technology Specialist working in the Office of Instructional Technology Integration for an overly-large school district on the Virginia side of Washington DC. What else do you want to know?
Next we're going to take a look at a few short videos (4-7 mins.) that will give you a better idea of how SketchUp works and what it can do
Please go to the following link to view:
Next go to:
and on to:
and finally to:
Bonnie Roskes is, my estimation, the SketchUp diva. You can view her profile at Roskes Profile. Her name is everywhere you'll look for information on SketchUp and she's authored a number of texts on the subject.
She has provided us with a site, http://3dvinci.net/teacherguide/Teacher_Guide.htm, that offers a number of lesson plan/projects for a number of subjects and grade levels.
Please take the next 20 minutes or so to try to locate two that you find applicable to your classroom or two that could be modified to be so.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Math Forum take a look at what they say about themselves:
The Math Forum Is...
... the leading online resource for improving math learning, teaching, and communication since 1992.
_We are teachers, mathematicians, researchers, students, and parents using the power of the Web to learn math and improve math education.
_We offer a wealth of problems and puzzles; online mentoring; research; team problem solving; collaborations; and professional development. Students have fun and learn a lot. Educators share ideas and acquire new skills.
Take a look at a couple of examples of how they use SketchUp to clarify geometric concepts:
http://mathforum.org/sketchup/videos.html
and be sure to view the short videos (the first two) on 2D tessellations and Hirschhorn Tiling. We'll set aside 15 minutes to do so.
Finally, if you're interested in trying out SketchUp 7, you can download it by going to http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html. Save the installation file to your flash drive if you'd like, and install it there.
I've been "off the tether" for most of the week since our last class and as a result have some catchup to do. All of you have been working on your projects some of which (PowerPoint creations) have some minor issues, while others are progressing well. I'll try to troubleshoot anything I can from here today.
Before we begin this week's topic, I'd like to add something that pertains to Wikis, covered in our class last week. I stumbles across an entry entitled, Censoring History Won’t Work. It deals with
a wiki entry that with the passage of time has become a violation of German law and the reality of the impossibility or retracting information from the Internet after it has gotten out there. See http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/murderer-wikipedia-shhh Convicted Murderer to Wikipedia: Shhh!
In class this afternoon, which is going to be in my office again, we'll be taking a look at Google's Sketchup program. Let's classify it as one of Google's most powerful special tools. It's offered in a couple of version levels of which the basic (although certainly robust) is free for download by anyone. The basic version is "open source", can be accessed from a flash drive, doesn't need to be installed on a computer's hard drive, and therefore leaves no "footprint".
I''d like to give you a personal anecdotal example of how I used SketchUp. My 23 year old son was working in Asheville, NC. He's very "outdoor oriented" and spends much of his free time mountain biking, mountain climbing, hiking, and canoeing. It was natural that he came across an ad (Craig's List or other somesuch venue) offering an Old Town canoe in exchange for some construction work to be performed.
Two women who owned an old garage needed two corner posts replaced and estimated that it would take someone roughly 10 hours to complete. Tom contacted the women and then called me for advice. Actually he had no clue how to do the work, but he is in good shape, honest and dependable, and resourceful (I happen to be one of them).
After discussing it with him including details of the agreement (materials, hourly rate should the work run over the 10 alloted hours, etc.), I tried to get him to visualise how the work would be done safely. I wasn't confident that we were on the same page, so I decided to use SketchUp to show him exactly how to do it (one picture is worth a thousand...), by drawing him a 3D model and sharing it with him.
His only connected computer belonged to his employer, so he wasn't comfortable using a non-approved program on it. In spite of my assertions about the "no decernable footprint", he said he wouldn't use SketchUp on the computer. For that reason, I knew I'd have to use a different format for him to view my creation.
And so I recorded my SketchUp file, as I used its "Rotate" tool to view it in 3D, using a program (not open source and not inexpensive) called Camtasia Studio. I put the file on a CD and mailed it to Tom. He got it and he "got it", did the work successfuly, and received his canoe.
I'd like you to take a look at the file by going to http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/SketchUp/corner_jack2.avi Please take five or six minutes to do so.
Please remember it is one perfect example of a practical use for SketchUp. Had my son had the Internet connection then that he does now, he could haveve used his own computer and we could have done to whole lesson online without the aid of the US Postal service.
BTW I've since found an open source program that does much of what Camtasia does. I've used it with teachers and it's free. It's called CamStudio and it's a great program.
Let's look at a couple of definitions and blurbs about SketchUp:
From SketchUp's site:
Can we use Google SketchUp in our school lab?
Yes, Google SketchUp can definitely be used in school labs. In fact, we believe that Google SketchUp is perfect for most K-12 schools. There's no licensing to worry about, and students can download and install it on their computers at home as well. Simply download Google SketchUp onto your computers and you are off and running. If you later decide that you want to try SketchUp Pro in your school, click here for more information about our educational lab licensing for Google SketchUp Pro.
I found this rich little trove at a blog named Assorted Stuff.
http://www.assortedstuff.com/stuff/?p=298
Its author has this to say,
My name is Tim Stahmer and currently I’m an Instructional Technology Specialist working in the Office of Instructional Technology Integration for an overly-large school district on the Virginia side of Washington DC. What else do you want to know?
What is this blog all about?
Mostly it’s my observations on the state of public education in the United States and the perpetual efforts to reform it. That, plus comments on instructional technology, blogging and the read-write web (aka Web 2.0), various forms of media, digital rights and fair use, a very small dab of politics, and the everyday oddities of life that pop up. Which is why the site is called Assorted Stuff. I probably could have called it Constantly Distracted but I didn’t.
If you burrow down one level to http://www.assortedstuff.com/stuff/?p=298#resources, you'll find a great deal of information regarding SketchUp. We'll linger here a bit, say for 20 mins. or so. While you're here, I'd like you to look over the Intro section and read the Overview. Then please go and view the three short related videos entitled, Making a quick model, Slapping on some paint, and Switching on the sun.
Activity:
This activity is designed only to familiarize you with yet one more aspect of Google. Please go through with that in mind-no tests!
If you look down from there, you'll see a section about SketchUp's 3D warehouse, some of which I'll copy here
Google’s 3D Warehouse is a site where anyone can upload a sketch they’ve created in SketchUp and share it with the world. Some of these have also been included in the 3D Buildings layer of Google Earth.
While you may not be ready to contribute to the collection, exploring the work of others in the Warehouse will give you a good idea of just what’s possible with this software (and the Pro version) along with a little inspiration.
Open the main page of the Warehouse find the section for 3D Building Collections. Use the left and right arrows to find the Ancient Rome collection and click to open that section.
On that page find the model for Trevi Fountain and (skip this download section, which you can do later on if you wish) download the version for Sketchup 6 and open it in Sketchup.
Play around with that model and see what you can do with the sketch. Click on any of the edges with the selection tool to see all the pieces of the sketch.
Zoom in on one of the statues in front of the building and then use the Orbit tool to look at it from the side. There’s no statue there! It’s just a picture of the statue and that’s a technique you can use: use photographs to make your drawings more accurate.
You’re likely to find a model for almost any well know (and some not so well known) structures in the Warehouse. So, let’s use the search tools to find something specific.
- Skip over the search box and click on Advanced Search.
- In the Find items with all of these words in the title box enter Sturbridge.
- In the Item type section, change the Find items that are models with this complexity popup to Simple.
- Use the find models with this file type popup to select SketchUp (.skp).
- Check the box next to Show only downloadable models.
- Click the Search 3D Warehouse button in the top right corner.
The search results page shows a collection created by the same person of buildings in an historic town in Massachusetts called Old Sturbridge Village.
In the search results choose the Village Printing Office, which at the time this was written was the third choice in the third column.
Download the model and open it in Sketchup. This one is much less complex than the Trevi fountain so it should be easier to see how the model was constructed.
In both the Sturbridge page and the Trevi page, you may have noticed the little Google Earth ribbon 
. That means this particular model can be seen in the 3D Buildings layer of Google Earth.
To find many more of them, do some exploring in the recently opened Google Earth 3D Gallery. Here you’ll find tours that will take you to a variety of collections of 3D structures, many of which you can click on and download to study in SketchUp.
Next we're going to take a look at a few short videos (4-7 mins.) that will give you a better idea of how SketchUp works and what it can do
Please go to the following link to view:
Part 1 - Concepts (3:08)
Next go to:
Part 2 - Drawing Shapes (6:09)
and on to:
Part 3 - Modify Tools (4:43)
and finally to:
Part 4 - Create a Chair (8:43)
Bonnie Roskes is, my estimation, the SketchUp diva. You can view her profile at Roskes Profile. Her name is everywhere you'll look for information on SketchUp and she's authored a number of texts on the subject.
She has provided us with a site, http://3dvinci.net/teacherguide/Teacher_Guide.htm, that offers a number of lesson plan/projects for a number of subjects and grade levels.
Please take the next 20 minutes or so to try to locate two that you find applicable to your classroom or two that could be modified to be so.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Math Forum take a look at what they say about themselves:
The Math Forum Is...
... the leading online resource for improving math learning, teaching, and communication since 1992.
_We are teachers, mathematicians, researchers, students, and parents using the power of the Web to learn math and improve math education.
_We offer a wealth of problems and puzzles; online mentoring; research; team problem solving; collaborations; and professional development. Students have fun and learn a lot. Educators share ideas and acquire new skills.
Take a look at a couple of examples of how they use SketchUp to clarify geometric concepts:
http://mathforum.org/sketchup/videos.html
and be sure to view the short videos (the first two) on 2D tessellations and Hirschhorn Tiling. We'll set aside 15 minutes to do so.
Finally, if you're interested in trying out SketchUp 7, you can download it by going to http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html. Save the installation file to your flash drive if you'd like, and install it there.
MEC Google Class November 18
Good afternoon everyone,
I've been "off the tether" for most of the week since our last class and as a result have some catchup to do. All of you have been working on your projects some of which (PowerPoint creations) have some minor issues, while others are progressing well. I'll try to troubleshoot anything I can from here today.
This afternoon I'd like to reveal the class agenda to you via the class blog, MecGoogleClass. My office here in TI will be used only to keep lines of communication open, should you have any problems or questions as we progress.
That way I can concentrate on posting chunks of information in one place only where you will have dynamic links. The chat and private chat windows will still be options for communication should we need them.
We'll see how it goes and modify our plan should we need to do so. Please remember to refresh by clicking on the "Reload current page" button or its equivalent at the top of your browser window.
Before we begin this week's topic, I'd like to add something that pertains to Wikis, covered in our class last week. I stumbles across an entry entitled, Censoring History Won’t Work. It deals with
a wiki entry that with the passage of time has become a violation of German law and the reality of the impossibility of retracting information from the Internet after it has "gotten out there." See http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/murderer-wikipedia-shhh Convicted Murderer to Wikipedia: Shhh!
Can you guys take a look at the above two sites?
In class this afternoon, which is going to be in my office again, we'll be taking a look at Google's Sketchup program. Let's classify it as one of Google's most powerful special tools. It's offered in a couple of version levels of which the basic (although certainly robust) is free for download by anyone. The basic version is "open source", can be accessed from a flash drive, doesn't need to be installed on a computer's hard drive, and therefore leaves no "footprint".
I''d like to give you a personal anecdotal example of how I used SketchUp. My 23 year old son was working in Asheville, NC. He's very "outdoor oriented" and spends much of his free time mountain biking, mountain climbing, hiking, and canoeing. It was natural that he came across an ad (Craig's List or other somesuch venue) offering an Old Town canoe in exchange for some construction work to be performed.
Two women who owned an old garage needed two corner posts replaced and estimated that it would take someone roughly 10 hours to complete. Tom contacted the women and then called me for advice. Actually he had no clue how to do the work, but he is in good shape, honest and dependable, and resourceful (I happen to be one of them).
After discussing it with him including details of the agreement (materials, hourly rate should the work run over the 10 alloted hours, etc.), I tried to get him to visualise how the work would be done safely. I wasn't confident that we were on the same page, so I decided to use SketchUp to show him exactly how to do it (one picture is worth a thousand...), by drawing him a 3D model and sharing it with him.
His only connected computer belonged to his employer, so he wasn't comfortable using a non-approved program on it. In spite of my assertions about the "no decernable footprint", he said he wouldn't use SketchUp on the computer. For that reason, I knew I'd have to use a different format for him to view my creation.
And so I recorded my SketchUp file, as I used its "Rotate" tool to view it in 3D, using a program (not open source and not inexpensive) called Camtasia Studio. I put the file on a CD and mailed it to Tom. He got it and he "got it", did the work successfuly, and received his canoe.
I'd like you to take a look at the file by going to http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/SketchUp/corner_jack2.avi Please take five or six minutes to do so.
Can you pvt chat me when you're done viewing this file?
Please remember it is one perfect example of a practical use for SketchUp. Had my son had the Internet connection then that he does now, he could haveve used his own computer and we could have done to whole lesson online without the aid of the US Postal service.
BTW I've since found an open source program that does much of what Camtasia does. I've used it with teachers and it's free. It's called CamStudio and it's a great program.
Let's look at a couple of definitions and blurbs about SketchUp:
From SketchUp's site:
Please go to the following link to view:
Next go to:
and on to:
and finally to:
She has provided us with a site, http://3dvinci.net/teacherguide/Teacher_Guide.htm, that offers a number of lesson plan/projects for a number of subjects and grade levels.
Please take the next 20 minutes or so to try to locate two that you find applicable to your classroom or two that could be modified to be so.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Math Forum take a look at what they say about themselves:
The Math Forum Is...
... the leading online resource for improving math learning, teaching, and communication since 1992.
_We are teachers, mathematicians, researchers, students, and parents using the power of the Web to learn math and improve math education.
_We offer a wealth of problems and puzzles; online mentoring; research; team problem solving; collaborations; and professional development. Students have fun and learn a lot. Educators share ideas and acquire new skills.
Take a look at a couple of examples of how they use SketchUp to clarify geometric concepts:
http://mathforum.org/sketchup/videos.html
and be sure to view the short videos (the first two) on 2D tessellations and Hirschhorn Tiling. We'll set aside 15 minutes to do so.
Finally, if you're interested in trying out SketchUp 7, you can download it by going to http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html. Save the installation file to your flash drive if you'd like, and install it there.
I've been "off the tether" for most of the week since our last class and as a result have some catchup to do. All of you have been working on your projects some of which (PowerPoint creations) have some minor issues, while others are progressing well. I'll try to troubleshoot anything I can from here today.
This afternoon I'd like to reveal the class agenda to you via the class blog, MecGoogleClass. My office here in TI will be used only to keep lines of communication open, should you have any problems or questions as we progress.
That way I can concentrate on posting chunks of information in one place only where you will have dynamic links. The chat and private chat windows will still be options for communication should we need them.
We'll see how it goes and modify our plan should we need to do so. Please remember to refresh by clicking on the "Reload current page" button or its equivalent at the top of your browser window.
Before we begin this week's topic, I'd like to add something that pertains to Wikis, covered in our class last week. I stumbles across an entry entitled, Censoring History Won’t Work. It deals with
a wiki entry that with the passage of time has become a violation of German law and the reality of the impossibility of retracting information from the Internet after it has "gotten out there." See http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/11/murderer-wikipedia-shhh Convicted Murderer to Wikipedia: Shhh!
Can you guys take a look at the above two sites?
In class this afternoon, which is going to be in my office again, we'll be taking a look at Google's Sketchup program. Let's classify it as one of Google's most powerful special tools. It's offered in a couple of version levels of which the basic (although certainly robust) is free for download by anyone. The basic version is "open source", can be accessed from a flash drive, doesn't need to be installed on a computer's hard drive, and therefore leaves no "footprint".
I''d like to give you a personal anecdotal example of how I used SketchUp. My 23 year old son was working in Asheville, NC. He's very "outdoor oriented" and spends much of his free time mountain biking, mountain climbing, hiking, and canoeing. It was natural that he came across an ad (Craig's List or other somesuch venue) offering an Old Town canoe in exchange for some construction work to be performed.
Two women who owned an old garage needed two corner posts replaced and estimated that it would take someone roughly 10 hours to complete. Tom contacted the women and then called me for advice. Actually he had no clue how to do the work, but he is in good shape, honest and dependable, and resourceful (I happen to be one of them).
After discussing it with him including details of the agreement (materials, hourly rate should the work run over the 10 alloted hours, etc.), I tried to get him to visualise how the work would be done safely. I wasn't confident that we were on the same page, so I decided to use SketchUp to show him exactly how to do it (one picture is worth a thousand...), by drawing him a 3D model and sharing it with him.
His only connected computer belonged to his employer, so he wasn't comfortable using a non-approved program on it. In spite of my assertions about the "no decernable footprint", he said he wouldn't use SketchUp on the computer. For that reason, I knew I'd have to use a different format for him to view my creation.
And so I recorded my SketchUp file, as I used its "Rotate" tool to view it in 3D, using a program (not open source and not inexpensive) called Camtasia Studio. I put the file on a CD and mailed it to Tom. He got it and he "got it", did the work successfuly, and received his canoe.
I'd like you to take a look at the file by going to http://cgi.mec.edu/~groves/SketchUp/corner_jack2.avi Please take five or six minutes to do so.
Can you pvt chat me when you're done viewing this file?
Please remember it is one perfect example of a practical use for SketchUp. Had my son had the Internet connection then that he does now, he could haveve used his own computer and we could have done to whole lesson online without the aid of the US Postal service.
BTW I've since found an open source program that does much of what Camtasia does. I've used it with teachers and it's free. It's called CamStudio and it's a great program.
Let's look at a couple of definitions and blurbs about SketchUp:
From SketchUp's site:
Can we use Google SketchUp in our school lab?
Yes, Google SketchUp can definitely be used in school labs. In fact, we believe that Google SketchUp is perfect for most K-12 schools. There's no licensing to worry about, and students can download and install it on their computers at home as well. Simply download Google SketchUp onto your computers and you are off and running. If you later decide that you want to try SketchUp Pro in your school, click here for more information about our educational lab licensing for Google SketchUp Pro.
I found this rich little trove at a blog named Assorted Stuff.
http://www.assortedstuff.com/stuff/?p=298
Its author has this to say,
My name is Tim Stahmer and currently I’m an Instructional Technology Specialist working in the Office of Instructional Technology Integration for an overly-large school district on the Virginia side of Washington DC. What else do you want to know?
What is this blog all about?
Mostly it’s my observations on the state of public education in the United States and the perpetual efforts to reform it. That, plus comments on instructional technology, blogging and the read-write web (aka Web 2.0), various forms of media, digital rights and fair use, a very small dab of politics, and the everyday oddities of life that pop up. Which is why the site is called Assorted Stuff. I probably could have called it Constantly Distracted but I didn’t.
If you burrow down one level to http://www.assortedstuff.com/stuff/?p=298#resources, you'll find a great deal of information regarding SketchUp. We'll linger here a bit, say for 20 mins. or so. While you're here, I'd like you to look over the Intro section and read the Overview. Then please go and view the three short related videos entitled, Making a quick model, Slapping on some paint, and Switching on the sun.
Activity:
This activity is designed only to familiarize you with yet one more aspect of Google. Please go through with that in mind-no tests!
If you look down from there, you'll see a section about SketchUp's 3D warehouse, some of which I'll copy here
Google’s 3D Warehouse is a site where anyone can upload a sketch they’ve created in SketchUp and share it with the world. Some of these have also been included in the 3D Buildings layer of Google Earth.
While you may not be ready to contribute to the collection, exploring the work of others in the Warehouse will give you a good idea of just what’s possible with this software (and the Pro version) along with a little inspiration.
Open the main page of the Warehouse find the section for 3D Building Collections. Use the left and right arrows to find the Ancient Rome collection and click to open that section.
On that page find the model for Trevi Fountain and (skip this download section, which you can do later on if you wish) download the version for Sketchup 6 and open it in Sketchup.
Play around with that model and see what you can do with the sketch. Click on any of the edges with the selection tool to see all the pieces of the sketch.
Zoom in on one of the statues in front of the building and then use the Orbit tool to look at it from the side. There’s no statue there! It’s just a picture of the statue and that’s a technique you can use: use photographs to make your drawings more accurate.
You’re likely to find a model for almost any well know (and some not so well known) structures in the Warehouse. So, let’s use the search tools to find something specific.
- Skip over the search box and click on Advanced Search.
- In the Find items with all of these words in the title box enter Sturbridge.
- In the Item type section, change the Find items that are models with this complexity popup to Simple.
- Use the find models with this file type popup to select SketchUp (.skp).
- Check the box next to Show only downloadable models.
- Click the Search 3D Warehouse button in the top right corner.
The search results page shows a collection created by the same person of buildings in an historic town in Massachusetts called Old Sturbridge Village.
In the search results choose the Village Printing Office, which at the time this was written was the third choice in the third column.
Download the model and open it in Sketchup. This one is much less complex than the Trevi fountain so it should be easier to see how the model was constructed.
In both the Sturbridge page and the Trevi page, you may have noticed the little Google Earth ribbon . That means this particular model can be seen in the 3D Buildings layer of Google Earth.
To find many more of them, do some exploring in the recently opened Google Earth 3D Gallery. Here you’ll find tours that will take you to a variety of collections of 3D structures, many of which you can click on and download to study in SketchUp.
Next we're going to take a look at a few short videos (4-7 mins.) that will give you a better idea of how SketchUp works and what it can doPlease go to the following link to view:
Part 1 - Concepts (3:08)
Next go to:
Part 2 - Drawing Shapes (6:09)
and on to:
Part 3 - Modify Tools (4:43)
and finally to:
Part 4 - Create a Chair (8:43)
Bonnie Roskes is, my estimation, the SketchUp diva. You can view her profile at Roskes Profile. Her name is everywhere you'll look for information on SketchUp and she's authored a number of texts on the subject.She has provided us with a site, http://3dvinci.net/teacherguide/Teacher_Guide.htm, that offers a number of lesson plan/projects for a number of subjects and grade levels.
Please take the next 20 minutes or so to try to locate two that you find applicable to your classroom or two that could be modified to be so.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Math Forum take a look at what they say about themselves:
The Math Forum Is...
... the leading online resource for improving math learning, teaching, and communication since 1992.
_We are teachers, mathematicians, researchers, students, and parents using the power of the Web to learn math and improve math education.
_We offer a wealth of problems and puzzles; online mentoring; research; team problem solving; collaborations; and professional development. Students have fun and learn a lot. Educators share ideas and acquire new skills.
Take a look at a couple of examples of how they use SketchUp to clarify geometric concepts:
http://mathforum.org/sketchup/videos.html
and be sure to view the short videos (the first two) on 2D tessellations and Hirschhorn Tiling. We'll set aside 15 minutes to do so.
Finally, if you're interested in trying out SketchUp 7, you can download it by going to http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html. Save the installation file to your flash drive if you'd like, and install it there.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
MEC Google Class November 11
Good afternoon. Welcome to class and before we start, I'd like remember Veteran's Day and how very grateful we are to anyone among your family and friends who served or is currently serving Our Country.
This afternoon we'll be taking a look at Wikis and some of their different variations. Afterwards, I'd like to spend some time with anyone interested in doing so. I'm aware that some of you have been working, without problem, on your projects. Those that have and wish to do so this afternoon are welcome to continue on their own after we complete our wiki business.
As we go through each segment of tonight's class. I'll pace it so that you'll have sufficient time to look things over.
I'm going to use this blog as well as Tapped In to monitor how things are going. I'd prefer to use TI but some of you have trouble using the links...I believe they are all active and I think you can use "ctrl +click" to get out to them. I'll use both venues, so you're welcome to use whichever one you are most comfortable with.
See you at 4:00
Eric
Oh yes, I almost forgot. If you use the blog to track the class tonight, you'll have to remember to refresh your screen after every posting since I'll be adding pieces just as I do in TI.
Remember..."Patience is a virtue." and "Patience and Diligence, like faith, remove mountains." William Penn
Here is Wikipedia's own definition of the term, wiki:
A wiki is a website that allows the easy[1] creation and editing of any number of interlinked Web pages, using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor, within the browser.[2][3] Wikis are typically powered by wiki software. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.
Q. How many Wiki people does it take to change a lightbulb?
A. One, but anyone can change it back. -langreiter.com
This wiki is dedicated to revealing history regarding women soldiers in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Please be sure to explore to data accessed at the menu sidebar on the left hand side of the hompage. http://victoriaaurorahistoryfairproject.wetpaint.com/
Wiki classroom checklist from http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Classroom+uses+for+wikis: see below
Here is a list of ideas for what you might like to include on your wiki.
Google's Site for Wiki creation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Sites
Google's Jotspot http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/27/it-took-16-months-but-google-relaunches-jotspot/
Other Wiki Info:
For teachers new to wikis: http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html
This school oriented wiki site uses wikis in various ways. When you look it over, please be patient and remember to view the sidebar. http://leecountyschools.wikispaces.com/Teacher+Wikis
Teacher Librarian http://teacherlibrarianwiki.pbworks.com/
Finally-I created a hypothetical wiki for you guys to look over and get the feel of. I named it The Sawdust Bin and it's aimed at technology students and woodworkers. Its initial pages concern tree species and the lumber produced from them. When you go there to visit the site, you should see three species of trees listed; poplar, sourwood, and oak. Only the oak wiki contains no information .
This is an experiment, so be patient!
Since I gave the world all rights imaginable to my wiki, you should be able to enter and modify entries. I'd like you to locate one piece of information about oak; the tree, its lumber, or products made from it. Please try to locate information that the average person would not be aware of-something not commonly known.
If you look at the entries for poplar and sourwood, you'll see information regarding their range of growth, size, preferable soil type, and leaf or flower characteristics. Please look for something along those lines and enter it into the wiki about oak trees. Please type your full name at the end of the entry.
My Wiki Demo
http://sawdust-bin.wikispaces.com/
This is where I went to construct the above wiki should you wish to construct one yoursellf for your classes: Wiki Space for Educators http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers
This afternoon we'll be taking a look at Wikis and some of their different variations. Afterwards, I'd like to spend some time with anyone interested in doing so. I'm aware that some of you have been working, without problem, on your projects. Those that have and wish to do so this afternoon are welcome to continue on their own after we complete our wiki business.
As we go through each segment of tonight's class. I'll pace it so that you'll have sufficient time to look things over.
I'm going to use this blog as well as Tapped In to monitor how things are going. I'd prefer to use TI but some of you have trouble using the links...I believe they are all active and I think you can use "ctrl +click" to get out to them. I'll use both venues, so you're welcome to use whichever one you are most comfortable with.
See you at 4:00
Eric
Oh yes, I almost forgot. If you use the blog to track the class tonight, you'll have to remember to refresh your screen after every posting since I'll be adding pieces just as I do in TI.
Remember..."Patience is a virtue." and "Patience and Diligence, like faith, remove mountains." William Penn
Here is Wikipedia's own definition of the term, wiki:
A wiki is a website that allows the easy[1] creation and editing of any number of interlinked Web pages, using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor, within the browser.[2][3] Wikis are typically powered by wiki software. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.
Most wikis serve a specific purpose, and off topic material is promptly removed by the user community. Such is the case of the collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia.[3] In contrast, open purpose wikis accept all sorts of content without rigid rules as to how the content should be organized.
Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work."[4] "Wiki" (pronounced [ˈwiki] or [ˈviki]) is a Hawaiian word for "fast".[5] "Wiki" has been backronymed by some to "What I Know Is".[6]
and another definition:
from Using Wikis in Education
What is a wiki?
A Wiki can be thought of as a combination of a Web site and a Word document. At its simplest, it can be read just like any other web site, with no access privileges necessary, but its real power lies in the fact that groups can collaboratively work on the content of the site using nothing but a standard web browser. Beyond this ease of editing, the second powerful element of a wiki is its ability to keep track of the history of a document as it is revised. Since users come to one place to edit, the need to keep track of Word files and compile edits is eliminated. Each time a person makes changes to a wiki page, that revision of the content becomes the current version, and an older version is stored. Versions of the document can be compared side-by-side, and edits can be "rolled back" if necessary.
The Wiki is gaining traction in education, as an ideal tool for the increasing amount of collaborative work done by both students and teachers. Students might use a wiki to collaborate on a group report, compile data or share the results of their research, while faculty might use the wiki to collaboratively author the structure and curriculum of a course, and the wiki can then serve as part of each person's course web site (excerpt from my contribution to a Business 2.0 article --Stewart.mader 11:35, 14 Dec 2005 (PST))Q. How many Wiki people does it take to change a lightbulb?
A. One, but anyone can change it back. -langreiter.com
"The New Writing is online writing: designing web sites, writing weblogs, and creating and managing wikis. New writers are redefining writing online, creating new forms and approaches for new audiences." - English Dept., Bemidji State University
Wikis in Education: Wiki Wiki Teaching-the art of using wikis to teach
This wiki is dedicated to revealing history regarding women soldiers in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Please be sure to explore to data accessed at the menu sidebar on the left hand side of the hompage. http://victoriaaurorahistoryfairproject.wetpaint.com/
Wiki classroom checklist from http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Classroom+uses+for+wikis: see below
Here is a list of ideas for what you might like to include on your wiki.
- Course Syllabus
- Graduation Exam and SAT objectives
- Pictures of your classroom - both with and without students (let me show off their learning environment!)
- Handouts - especially for absent students or ones students lose a lot
- Class Notes (use the class scribe system and have them do this, not you!)
- Links and Resource page
- Calendar - classroom calendar, school calendar, etc.
- Parent's Page - notes, letters, pictures, announcements, etc.
- Extended Lessons - webquests, further research
- Import a Blog (go to Help at top of page to learn how)
- Real World ___ (name of your subject) - I'm starting this on mine - have them answer how what they are learning can be used in the real world
- Link to your blog
- A page about you - introduce yourself
- A page of your writing or your own work --pictures, short story, drawing (scan it ), or something you've created
Google's Site for Wiki creation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Sites
Google's Jotspot http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/27/it-took-16-months-but-google-relaunches-jotspot/
Other Wiki Info:
For teachers new to wikis: http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html
This school oriented wiki site uses wikis in various ways. When you look it over, please be patient and remember to view the sidebar. http://leecountyschools.wikispaces.com/Teacher+Wikis
Teacher Librarian http://teacherlibrarianwiki.pbworks.com/
Finally-I created a hypothetical wiki for you guys to look over and get the feel of. I named it The Sawdust Bin and it's aimed at technology students and woodworkers. Its initial pages concern tree species and the lumber produced from them. When you go there to visit the site, you should see three species of trees listed; poplar, sourwood, and oak. Only the oak wiki contains no information .
This is an experiment, so be patient!
Since I gave the world all rights imaginable to my wiki, you should be able to enter and modify entries. I'd like you to locate one piece of information about oak; the tree, its lumber, or products made from it. Please try to locate information that the average person would not be aware of-something not commonly known.
If you look at the entries for poplar and sourwood, you'll see information regarding their range of growth, size, preferable soil type, and leaf or flower characteristics. Please look for something along those lines and enter it into the wiki about oak trees. Please type your full name at the end of the entry.
My Wiki Demo
http://sawdust-bin.wikispaces.com/
This is where I went to construct the above wiki should you wish to construct one yoursellf for your classes: Wiki Space for Educators http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
MEC Google Class November 4
Good afternoon. In keeping in reonciliation with our syllabus, I'd like to expose you to groups that are accessible. We have touched lightly upon a couple of these resources during our first or second class. Please look at the following:
http://groups.google.com/googlegroups/overview.html
http://www.google.com/educators/community.html
Google Groups in the Classroom-
They explain some of what Google provides for educators in terms of online communities.
Remainder of this afternoon's class-
I'm going to cover the rest in a slowly paced manner, much as we did a couple of classes ago. In that way we'll get to spend some time looking over each topic. After we're done-either tonight or later on-I'm only too happy to help you select and test out anything promising that you might find. I don't know the essentials of your individual classroom situations to help you without you providing me with specifics about how you envision delivery (of your reusable learning object) to your students. Please be patient with me if I ask you something that I may have forgotten but which you think I should be familiar with. For instance, you may tell me that you want to give your students a test, I may ask you what kind of test. I guess I'd be asking you how you expect to deliver it, administer it, etc.
Some of you have strong definite ideas on what you would like to do for a project and are currently working toward that goal. Others have still not experienced any revelations in that regard. For that second group, I've spent the last couple of days exploring sites containing templates that allow for interactivity in the form of educational games.
I've found that while almost all are inviting, their degree of simplicity of use can vary. And that's due to two reasons; some have directions which are written in an arcane fashion, while others have backward compatability software issues.
I require nothing from the former group this afternoon except that they let me know how they're doing in general terms and/or if they need any help, and they use their class time today to continue their progress.
I'd like to devote my time this afternoon, helping those who feel that they are without a rudder or worse, floundering. And because a couple of you expressed an interest in educational games I'd like to show you some of the things I found during the last couple of days.
Geography: Online interactive maps http://www.yourchildlearns.com/online-interactive-maps.htm
Map puzzles: http://www.yourchildlearns.com/map-puzzles.htm
At this site below I was able to devise a simple crossword puzzle:
http://www.myteachertools.com/puzzles.php
and then going to the link entitled Instant Online Puzzle.
Webquest resources:
Bernie Dodge's (Godfather of Webquests) Webquest page: http://webquest.org/index.php
http://its.leesummit.k12.mo.us/webquests.htm
At this site you can download a small application that is editable and suitable for customization for you class. I downloaded it, installed it, and tested it out. My Addicting Hangman http://downloads.world-database.com/my-addicting-hangman.myaddictinggamescom.html
Hangman Word Game: http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/hangman1/hangori.htm
and Hangman Pro Download for Macs: http://www.faico.net/software/download_Hangman_Pro_for_Macintosh_dwn20953.htm
Hangman at Superkids: http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/hangman/
Dolch Word Games http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/sightword/dolchgames.htm
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Golden Interactive Websites http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster4/part89.html
See Spelling Games and Activities: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy.html#7 and Star Words Game at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/hfwords/starwords/game.shtml
Finally take a look at this site: http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/pptgames/index.html When you get there, you'll see
a representational graphic and a download link. I've been testing out PowerPoint template all day to no avail. I could download them, but they always opened as a show and uneditable. I think I cracked the code with this one however. After I downloaded the temp, I opened PP first and then pointed to the template and I saw what was revealed to me in the tutorial video here: http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/templates/ppt%20tutorials/jeopardy/index.html
It looks very good and if anyone is serious about using it, I'm willing to invest some more time in it.
http://groups.google.com/googlegroups/overview.html
http://www.google.com/educators/community.html
Google Groups in the Classroom-
They explain some of what Google provides for educators in terms of online communities.
Remainder of this afternoon's class-
I'm going to cover the rest in a slowly paced manner, much as we did a couple of classes ago. In that way we'll get to spend some time looking over each topic. After we're done-either tonight or later on-I'm only too happy to help you select and test out anything promising that you might find. I don't know the essentials of your individual classroom situations to help you without you providing me with specifics about how you envision delivery (of your reusable learning object) to your students. Please be patient with me if I ask you something that I may have forgotten but which you think I should be familiar with. For instance, you may tell me that you want to give your students a test, I may ask you what kind of test. I guess I'd be asking you how you expect to deliver it, administer it, etc.
Some of you have strong definite ideas on what you would like to do for a project and are currently working toward that goal. Others have still not experienced any revelations in that regard. For that second group, I've spent the last couple of days exploring sites containing templates that allow for interactivity in the form of educational games.
I've found that while almost all are inviting, their degree of simplicity of use can vary. And that's due to two reasons; some have directions which are written in an arcane fashion, while others have backward compatability software issues.
I require nothing from the former group this afternoon except that they let me know how they're doing in general terms and/or if they need any help, and they use their class time today to continue their progress.
I'd like to devote my time this afternoon, helping those who feel that they are without a rudder or worse, floundering. And because a couple of you expressed an interest in educational games I'd like to show you some of the things I found during the last couple of days.
Geography: Online interactive maps http://www.yourchildlearns.com/online-interactive-maps.htm
Map puzzles: http://www.yourchildlearns.com/map-puzzles.htm
At this site below I was able to devise a simple crossword puzzle:
http://www.myteachertools.com/puzzles.php
and then going to the link entitled Instant Online Puzzle.
Webquest resources:
Bernie Dodge's (Godfather of Webquests) Webquest page: http://webquest.org/index.php
http://its.leesummit.k12.mo.us/webquests.htm
At this site you can download a small application that is editable and suitable for customization for you class. I downloaded it, installed it, and tested it out. My Addicting Hangman http://downloads.world-database.com/my-addicting-hangman.myaddictinggamescom.html
Hangman Word Game: http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/hangman1/hangori.htm
and Hangman Pro Download for Macs: http://www.faico.net/software/download_Hangman_Pro_for_Macintosh_dwn20953.htm
Hangman at Superkids: http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/hangman/
Dolch Word Games http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/sightword/dolchgames.htm
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Golden Interactive Websites http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster4/part89.html
See Spelling Games and Activities: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy.html#7 and Star Words Game at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/hfwords/starwords/game.shtml
Finally take a look at this site: http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/pptgames/index.html When you get there, you'll see
Jeopardy Betting Powerpoint (PTT) Game - Editable Template Download here!
a representational graphic and a download link. I've been testing out PowerPoint template all day to no avail. I could download them, but they always opened as a show and uneditable. I think I cracked the code with this one however. After I downloaded the temp, I opened PP first and then pointed to the template and I saw what was revealed to me in the tutorial video here: http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/templates/ppt%20tutorials/jeopardy/index.html
It looks very good and if anyone is serious about using it, I'm willing to invest some more time in it.
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