Kerpoof & Brainpop ~ United!

Last night, I participated in an online webinar co-sponsored by Brainpop and Kerpoof.  Although I've used BrainPop many times, and I knew a little bit about Kerpoof (see GTG's GETABC series:  "K = Kerpoof")... you won't believe what a difference an hour makes!

Doing the "PD...in my PJs" (as is on the Brainpop website's webinar promo, advertising their professional development), wasn't half bad either!!

To see the archive of what I saw ("Navigating the Writing Process with Kerpoof and BrainPOP"), check out their Upcoming Webinars and Webinar Achives. 

Here's a little "Go Green" poster I whipped up in about 15 minutes after the webinar.  I made it on Kerpoof, just to try it out with my new skills.  I used their "Make a Card" activity button, which is programmed with an Earth Day Card choice and all the associated icons.  It makes for a pretty impressive presentation! (Of course, hindsight does show I accidentally cropped out my final word "Day" on the "Earth Day" bubble, but you get the idea!!)

Not to mention, both sites have some super resources and lesson plans for teachers, and BrainPop has some great graphic organizers.

 

So my wheels are spinning as mental activities & plans are brewing.  My class set of login cards are created (what a nice Kerpoof-perk!), printed, laminated, and ready to hit the computer lab with my classroom of kiddos!

Images:  Kerpoof from www.kerpoof.com, Brainpop from www.4thekidsarlington.blogspot.com, and Go Green Kerpoof poster my design at www.kerpoof.com

#GETABC on Symbaloo

Here's a total one-stop-shopping Symbaloo Webmix of the 30+ A-Z resources I've been investing this summer during my #GETABC Series on all things incorporating Green, Education, and Technology.  You can scroll through it below, click on the title above to go directly to Symbaloo to add it to any existing webmixes you have, or click here to go directly to it..

Cheers from Green Team Gazette for a great school year ahead, and it's my hope that my #GETABC series offered a bit of inspiration that you'll be able to bring to your classroom this year. I know my quest most certainly brought me a lot of "new to pursue!" 

Be sure to use the scroll bar to get find all the #GETABC Goodies!!

An Alphabetic Review: #GETABC Reflections

Ahh...here we are at the end of the summer, and at the end of my personal quest:  To embark on my own form of homeschooling, teacher-style; to learn a little more about what's out there in the world of #GETABC--my alphabetic adventure incorporating Green, Education, and Technology. 

I must say, I really do feel wiser, learning so much about things that (a mere 3 months ago) I didn't even know existed. 30+ things, to be exact.

Of course, there's the old adage:  the more you know, the more you realize you don't know. 

However, when I think of my pretty-decent-tech-savvy-skills and what I do already know...then I add in what I've learned this summer...it certainly makes me realize the amount that I still have to learn.  Moreover, it makes me realize how much work teachers in the 21st Century have in front of them to stay current.  This goes for new and seasoned teachers alike.  I do think we are in an era where most teachers have acquired your basic amount of tech skills (as opposed to 15 years or so ago).  We are now past the era where the computer is downright scary to many teachers. 

But, twice this summer I've spoken with former teaching buddies (both who are currently the tech coordinators at my former schools).  We spent a decent amount of time during each visit talking about how there are still a lot of teachers out there--great teachers--who are still resistant to bringing true technology integration into their classrooms.  It's hard.  On top of the forever issues of teaching:  curriculum, testing, report writing, differentiation, behavioral issues, learning differences/difficulties, dealing with parents, lunch/recess duties & playground politics, lack of planning time, expanding classroom numbers, budget and extracurricular cuts, and more...integrating technology seems like that "one more thing."  That thing that might be enough to send a teacher over the edge. 

Add in, the learning curve on the ever-expansive new technologies is huge...not to mention time-consuming.  Most of us do know that!  And moola for tech-training is sometimes hard to come by.  So, only the mega-motivated (who probably aren't getting enough sleep just trying to carve out time to do this) find info-videos on YouTube, or putz endlessly on the computer in self-teach mode.  Or maybe that's just me, who does goofy stuff like this for fun in my spare time.

For those of you who still might not be quite sure where to start on the "EdTech curve," here's a great article entitled "50 Ways to Integrate Technology in your Classroom Tomorrow," with an equally fabulous follow-up "50 MORE Ways to Integrate Technology."  I also added in a few interesting infographics on the subject of tech and education.  At the end of the day, it goes to show, there's a lot of food for thought.  Yet it is through reflection that we, as teachers (regardless the subject), grow and become better teachers.  I do feel that technology is a tool...just as "getting outside" is a tool.  Both scream of "experiential learning."  Pulling up our sleeves, and getting a little dirty or messy as we go (or at the least, getting out of our desks and moving around a bit) are exactly what our students need.  We, as teachers, might need that too.

Online Activities by Age Group: From: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/05/infographic-which-age-groups-use-social.html

From http://edtechtoolbox.blogspot.com/2011/05/infographics-at-school.html

From http://edtechtoolbox.blogspot.com/2011/05/infographics-technology-enhances.html

ABC pic from http://www.davidairey.com/alphabet-photo-art-gallery/, "Learning" Wordle from http://drapestakes.blogspot.com/2010/04/national-ed-tech-plan-online-data.html. Infographic sites listed in each caption.

Z = The ZimmerTwins #GETABC

Z is for ZimmerTwins

(GTG's  #GETABC Series =

Green, Education, & Tech*)

Here at the end of the alphabet, we have a bonus.  Falling somewhere in between Charlie Brown's "Peanuts" and Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," we have the ZimmerTwins.

The ZimmerTwins (or ZTs, as I like to call them--which does bring to mind the ziti pasta) are a kids site combining storytelling and comic books.  A known entity since 2005, the ZTs are a quirky duo( with their black cat) that was created by Jason Krogh to provide an online tool to stretch student imagination, storytelling, and character development.

Lesson Plans abound on-site, largely in the field of writing, but one of the unique factors is that the ZimmerTwins can serve as a mode of presenting just about any piece of information--a story summary, a math problem, a science or social studies concept.  My at-home-9 year old had hours of fun at home this summer creating with the ZTs....and she was virtually self-taught

Check out their lesson plans and teacher section, then go make some academic comedy with the ZTs.

Introduction To The Writing Process (gr. 4-6)

Making Movies Using Exclamation and Question Marks (gr. 4--6)

The Truth About Commercials (gr. 5-6)

More Great Lesson Ideas

Z pic from http://husamjandal.com/generation-c-onnect-or-z/ and the ZimmerTwin photo from their website.

Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

Z = Zunal, WebQuest Maker #GETABC

Z is for Zunal

(GTG's #GETABC Series =
Green, Education, & Tech*)

Z!  At long last!!  With the zillions of things on the Internet, I tell you--it never ceases to amaze me all the new things there are to find out there.

Zunal is my latest and greatest new find. 

Zunal is a free WebQuest Maker.  WebQuest, you ask?  It is an online presentation of a task to students, where they are given resources to find, analyze, and incorporate their finds via the resources to solve the problem at hand.  As stated in their "Definition of Webquest" from their WebQuest Workshop:

"A well-written WebQuest requires students to go beyond simple fact finding. It asks them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to solve a problem. WebQuests help students analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information."

So here is Zunal, complete with numerous templates, the ability to attach endless numbers of files and videos, a preview-before-publish option, the ability to add tables & rubrics/quizzes & photos...there's a ton here!  At today's writing, there are 80,597 published WebQuests!!  Zowie!!!

Sample Zunal WebQuest Image

Their WebQuest Menu includes the following categories, where WebQuests are sorted by grade level:

--Art/Music
--Business/Economics
--English/Language
--Foreign Language
--Health/PE
--Life Skills/Careers
--Mathematics
--Professional Skills
--Science
--Social Studies
--Technology
--Most Reviewed
--Latest Published
--User Profiles
--WebQuest Searches

Such a zany wealth here...definitely explore what they have, which will give you a better feel of the endless extent of what you can create!!  Here is a listing of just a smattering of the environmental education webquests I found on Zunal.  The Science thematic area has a ton from life cycles, to animals, to habitats, to biomes...darn-near, (in the words of Buzz Lightyear), "to infinity and beyond!"

SaVe ThE PlaNeT--gr. K-2

Earth Day--gr. K-2

Taking Care of Planet Earth--gr. K-2

What is pollution--gr. 3-5

Great Barrier Reef--gr. 3-5

Deforestation--gr. 3-5

Saving the Rain Forest--gr. 3-5

Food & Nutrition--gr. 3-5

Water Conservation--gr. 3-5

Global Health Planeteers--gr. 6-8

Save the Tigers--gr. 6-8

Global Warming--gr. 6-8

Water Systems: Groundwater--gr. 6-8

How an Invasive Species Can Effect the Ecosystem of the Great Lakes--gr. 9--12

Pollution--gr. 9-12
  
Deforestation--gr. 9-12

Help Animals in Danger--college to adult


Letter Z picture from http://www.fonts.com/aboutfonts/articles/letterseries/letterz.htm.  WebQuest pic from http://webpages.shepherd.edu/DREED01/WebQuest%20Reviews.html

*Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

Y = YouTube...& A Few Other Tubes #GETABC

Y is for YouTube...
& a Few Other Tubes 

(GTG's  #GETABC Series = Green, Eucation, & Tech*)

We all know YouTube, and what all we can find there.  One of my favorite ways to use it is as my own personal tutorials.  It's amazing the different things I've figured out after a view or two. Especially technology !I'm also lucky too, in that I'm not blocked at school, so YouTube can also work out well for me as a teaching tool.

If you're blocked, as many people are with YouTube, you have a few other options. 

SchoolTube is one such option.  Start here to give yourself a bit of a tutorial as to how best to go about using SchoolTube. Or, start by checking out the Channels or Categories.

TeacherTube is another classroom video option.  The Teacher's Resource page is a great resource indeed.


QuietTube is like living in the land of simplicity.  Even the webpage is peaceful, most likely by design.  Here's a brief snapshot of how that works.



And for the eco-minded, there's Ecotube. Just as you can infer, here's their message: "Ecotube is a community of users and their videos about issues facing the world today from an ecological perspective."

Here you have a portal of all types of videos on a multitude of green themes, classified as such (as detailed exactly from their website):

Products Reviews – Real people reviewing real products

Talk – Speeches, Conferences & Interviews

Fun – The Lighter side of the serious side of eco-issues

Travel – Transport, Fuels and Eco-Tourism

Energy - Renewables, Fossil Fuels, emissions & new technologies

Act - Activism,campaigns & White Collar Genocide

Home - Eco products, technology, saving money & household tips

Know – Knowledge, Education

Gaia - Earth, Climate Change, Weather & Nature

News - Reports, Technology, Disasters

Shop - Products, ads & consumerism

Freebies – Special Offers & Free Product Samples

Here's a great example from their site:

May the movies run educational and wild in your classroom!!


Letter Y pic: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/52200/52282/52282_letter_y.htm. Website logos from above mentioned websites.

Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

X = 'Xplore SlideShare #GETABC

X is for 'Xplore SlideShare

(GTG's #GETABC Series = Green, Education, & Tech*)

X is a hard bargain. So, we're fudging a little bit. But, it's all good.

SlideShare.net is another endless place of goodies to "eXplore." Here, you've got uploaded powerpoints and documents on just about any subject you'd want.

A SlideShare search of "environment" or "green" gets you almost too many to even sort through. But choice is good (not to mention an exercise in getting specific with your search).  Plus, it is an excellent way to NOT have to reinvent the wheel when you are starting out attempting to make some kind of teaching presentation on a topic. I've found presentations, and then I've tweaked them to suit my needs or grade level--which takes a fraction of the time that doing it from scratch would take.  Use SlideShare to upload your own presentations you wish to share, or hunt to your hearts desire on whatever topic tickles your fancy!

 

Here are 3 eco-friendly presentations I've made in the past....perhaps they're just what you're looking for, or perhaps they'll serve as inspiration of what you can do with SlideShare!

See also some of my other uses of SlideShare at E = 8 Ways to Explore Endangered Animals @ ARKive  and Q = QR Codes.

Darkening Our Shade of Green: Juice Pouch Recycling

View more presentations from Vicki Dabrowka

Going Green at the Great Pumpkin Patch

View more presentations from Vicki Dabrowka

Day-Tripping at the Landfill

View more presentations from Vicki Dabrowka

Letter X from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/4157160699/. SlideShare logo from http://www.slideshare.net/


Note: In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC. To see the inception of #GETABCGTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

W = Wordle #GETABC

W is for Wordle 

(GTG's #GETABC Series = Green, Education, & Tech*)

What in the world is Wordle?   A tool for creating "word clouds," Wordle allows you to showcase your text in a number of ways.  The visual is up to you--tweak the fonts, the layout, the color.  Copy and paste a text into the Wordle generator, and you can see the prominence of the words you used (or overused). 

Here's a very GTG Wordle, using the GTG site's "Word Cloud" of site labels.

Other wonderful Wordle resources to learn more:

Wordle – educational uses

CybraryMan's Word Cloud Page

Wordle on Slideshare



Letter W picture from http://lisatallon.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/start-of-something-beautiful/.  Wordle picture from http://www.wordle.net/show/wr.dl/3821488/Green_Team_Gazette.

Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

V = Voice Thread #GETABC

V is for Voice Thread

(GTG's  #GETABC Series = Green, Education, & Tech*)

VoiceThread is a unique online tool that needs no additional software to install...yet it's a place that conversations can be shared for collaborative sakes.  With it, you can create slideshows of pictures, documents, videos and more in order to allow spectators to leave comments in a multitude of ways:  voice  text, audio file, video/webcam.

The whole interface invites both collaboration & expression.  VoiceThread becomes a multimedia mecca.  There is also an expansive digital library of articles and projects.  Here's a great tutorial about how to use VoiceThread

 One of the best ways  to learn about VoiceThread would be to go into the "browse mode" and search on a subject to see all that you can do.  "Green," by the way, is a pretty nice, eco-friendly key word to use for your search!!

Letter V pic from http://ed.voicethread.com/products/k12/.  VoiceThread image from http://learningmastery.org/2009/07/12/edutopiavoicethread/ 
Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

U = Unveiling the Double-U (W) Duo: Wiglington and Wenks #GETABC

U is for Unveiling the Double-U (W) Duo:  Wiglington & Wenks

(GTG's #GETABC Series = Green, Education, & Tech*)

Given that U left me primarily with "Uncertain"...which felt undeniably underachieving...I needed to get creative.  Hence the "Double U" (aka "W")...which brings me to our duo "Wiglington & Wenks."

Wiglington &Wenks is in the same category of Virtual Worlds, like Club Penguin or Webkinz.  Geared for youngsters aged 7--14.  Players get to travel the world 'round, through time and space, meeting famous historians & solving mysteries as they go.  Additionally, kids can learn about history, geography, ecology, famous landmarks, inventions, animals & their habitats, and more.  Storylines, plots, missions, and quests draw in players, and have them pulling in their problem solving and critical thinking skills.  

Environmental issues such as global warming, forest preservation, protecting marine life and endangered animals also lie under the umbrella of Wiglington and Wenks. Here's a sneak preview of a little bit of what you will find at W & W:


From their Features page, you get a good insight into each of the different virtual world.  Three of these detail specific ecological  issues details--check out the W & W quotes below: 

"Amazon Forest, fondly described by most as the “Lungs of our Planet” produces 20% of the Earth's oxygen! One square kilometer of the Amazon can contain about ninety-one thousand tons of living plants—that's approximately 758 fully-grown blue whales! But the current rate of deforestation, usually due to human settlement and farming, threatens to destroy the Amazon Forest in a matter of 40 years."

"Madagascar is often referred to as the “Eighth Continent of the World” as it contains 5% of the world's plant and animal species, most of which are unique to Madagascar. However, extensive deforestation mostly due to mining has destroyed large areas of natural wildlife habitats. Other threats to Madagascar wildlife include illegal trade and poaching of exotic animals, overfishing and climate change."

"The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World, visible even from outer space. It is the largest coral reef ecosystem supporting more than 2800 species. Currently, the Great Barrier Reef faces the massive threat of climate change and water pollution, threatening the survival of many endangered species like the dugong and the green sea turtles."

So check it out, and go have some fun with Wiglington & Wenks!

  

Letter U picture from http://manicule.posterous.com/luxetype-letter-u.  Wigglington & Wenks picture from the home page http://www.wiglingtonandwenks.com/.

Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

T = Thinkport #GETABC

T is for Thinkport

(From the GTG #GETABC Series = #Green, #Education, #Technology*)


Thinkport is another total treasure trove of information for educators--perhaps more than you can ever want. Great stuff galore lives at Thinkport. When you have Maryland Public Television (MPT) and Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education (CTE),working together, how can you have anything less?

Thinkport's mission is to assist teachers, serve as student inspiration, connect home and school--all through technology while supporting the Maryland educational state standards. Professional development opportunities also abound!

Thinkport has 4 main venues or channels in which to enter their portal:
--Think Classroom
--Think Career
--Think Technology
--Think Family & Community

Here are some great places to investigate in a "GET" (Green, Education, Tech) sort of way:

EnivroHealth Connections

"Explore the relationship between the environment & human health"

Think Earth Day
Programming links for the current year, and a slew of internet links both on Thinkport and beyond.

Think Chesapeake Bay
Lesson plans including Bayville Online Field Trip, MPT programming connections, and video clips.

Think Environmental Health
Lesson plans galore, activities, video clips, tech tours, and the EnviroMystery online field trip

Think Ocean & Bay
Online Clips, Bayville Online Field Trip, ITV, & lesson plans

Theme Think Weather
Covering Climate, Severe Weather, Lightning, Hurricanes, & Tornadoes

INTERACTIVE MEDIA: 

--Changing the Balance (Effects of Global Warming)

--Plastic Fork Diaries (Nutrition & Food Choices)

--Bayville & EnviroMystery (mentioned above)

--Baytrippers (Animals & plants of the Chesapeake Bay)

--Plus tons more with Maryland History, math and more...including a great decision making activity on Slavery.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg...there is so much to Thinkport--it truly is a portal worth investigating.


T pic from http://emmi10.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Trotting+Lions+Capstone+Project+C4
Thinkport pic from their webpage.

Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.