Microsoft Surface
After reading the article Craig sent us on the new Microsoft surface I was really intrigued and interested in finding out more. Surface looks like a black coffee table and does not use a keyboard or mouse. It is truly unlike anything I or perhaps most people have ever seen before. People can work individually or collectively work using Surface. You use touch to navigate and move documents etc.
The article got me thinking about how Surface could be used in the educational field. It’s obvious that it will take years for Surface to catch on and be included in schools. However, the impact could be great. The fact that surface is made like a table makes it easy for people to gather around and watch what is going on. As we all know children are usually very visual learners and also enjoy learning and learn best by actually doing things themselves. Surface would allow students to get a real hands on approach to learning.
One area that I think would be really beneficial for students is working with digital content like pictures and music. Working with pictures looks so effortless on the presentation in the Microsoft website. Using their fingers students could just touch and drag pictures to resize them, watch videos and place them into folders. “Surface computing breaks down those traditional barriers to technology so that people can interact with all kinds of digital content in a more intuitive, engaging and efficient manner. It’s about technology adapting to the user, rather than the user adapting to the technology. Bringing this kind of natural user interface innovation to the computing space is what Microsoft is all about.” (
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/may07/05-29Surface.mspx)
Although there is a lot to still be learned about Surface, I am excited to see what happens.
* The Microsoft website has a fantastic website where you can actually see demonstrations…I would definitely recommend checking it out: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/
Microsoft Press Page, Look What’s Surfacing at Microsoft, 29 May, 2007, <http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/may07/05-29Surface.mspx > (2 June, 2007)
Microsoft Surface homepage, 5 May, 2007, <http://www.microsoft.com/surface/> , (2 June, 2007)
Monday, June 4, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Site of the Week: 5/28
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing
This website is for elementary school students who are learning to touch type. There are four levels and twelve stages for students to pass. This is the only free online typing website that I’ve found to be effective and hold my student’s attention. My students especially loved the characters they get to meet for each level. There is a goat that speaks with a Scottish accent, a belly dancing hippo, a Greek cat with a moustache and more!
NETS for Students
Technology Foundation Standards for Students
1 Technology productivity tools
Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
This website is for elementary school students who are learning to touch type. There are four levels and twelve stages for students to pass. This is the only free online typing website that I’ve found to be effective and hold my student’s attention. My students especially loved the characters they get to meet for each level. There is a goat that speaks with a Scottish accent, a belly dancing hippo, a Greek cat with a moustache and more!
NETS for Students
Technology Foundation Standards for Students
1 Technology productivity tools
Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Evidence Based Posting: May 21, 2007
The Need for Cyber Bullying Prevention Legislation
During the course of this class, cyber bullying has come up several times throughout our discussions through email and in Second Life. In our relatively small class it came up that two families have had to move and/or switch schools because a child was being cyber bullied. I do not have kids yet but I teach middle school age children and wanted to do some research on what could be done to protect them.
Cyber bullying tends to happen most often through instant messages, although it can also occur through e-mails, my space pages, texts etc. Fight Crime ( an anti-crime organization made up of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors other law enforcement leaders and violence survivors ) commissioned a poll where it was found that 13 million kids in the United States ages 6-17 have been cyber bullied. That number is astounding to me. One teacher at my school told me that at her child’s school a student made a myspace page and was claiming to be another student. They put up pictures and horrible comments on this page and the victim couldn’t really do anything about it.
Gone are the days when children would have to deal with the occasional bully at school and then go to the safety of their home. These days the bullying doesn’t stop. Kids are getting bullied 24 hours a day because of the accessibility of electronic devices that are used to cyber bully. Because of the extreme toll this takes on the child families are having to move, children are becoming depressed and some even commit suicide. Therefore, I believe there should be legislation set in place in every state to help prevent cyber bullying.
Schools must address cyber bullying if it takes place on campus. Is that enough? I don’t think it is. It raises the question of how far can schools go to prevent cyber bullying. Most likely the impact of cyber bullying off campus is being felt at school. Even though the actual bullying is taking place off campus, interactions between the bully and the victim are happening at school as well. Some school boards have added electronic harassment into the anti-harassment policy which is a good start. However, I believe that there needs to be legislation set in place to help prevent cyber bullying.
Nancy Willard, Cyber bullying legislation and school policies, March 2007,, (19 May 2007)
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Cyber Bullying, 4 January 2007, (20 May 2007)
Tony Mauro, Justices may take centrist view of 'Bong Hits' case, 3 March 2007, (21 May 2007)
During the course of this class, cyber bullying has come up several times throughout our discussions through email and in Second Life. In our relatively small class it came up that two families have had to move and/or switch schools because a child was being cyber bullied. I do not have kids yet but I teach middle school age children and wanted to do some research on what could be done to protect them.
Cyber bullying tends to happen most often through instant messages, although it can also occur through e-mails, my space pages, texts etc. Fight Crime ( an anti-crime organization made up of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors other law enforcement leaders and violence survivors ) commissioned a poll where it was found that 13 million kids in the United States ages 6-17 have been cyber bullied. That number is astounding to me. One teacher at my school told me that at her child’s school a student made a myspace page and was claiming to be another student. They put up pictures and horrible comments on this page and the victim couldn’t really do anything about it.
Gone are the days when children would have to deal with the occasional bully at school and then go to the safety of their home. These days the bullying doesn’t stop. Kids are getting bullied 24 hours a day because of the accessibility of electronic devices that are used to cyber bully. Because of the extreme toll this takes on the child families are having to move, children are becoming depressed and some even commit suicide. Therefore, I believe there should be legislation set in place in every state to help prevent cyber bullying.
Schools must address cyber bullying if it takes place on campus. Is that enough? I don’t think it is. It raises the question of how far can schools go to prevent cyber bullying. Most likely the impact of cyber bullying off campus is being felt at school. Even though the actual bullying is taking place off campus, interactions between the bully and the victim are happening at school as well. Some school boards have added electronic harassment into the anti-harassment policy which is a good start. However, I believe that there needs to be legislation set in place to help prevent cyber bullying.
Nancy Willard, Cyber bullying legislation and school policies, March 2007,
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Cyber Bullying, 4 January 2007,
Tony Mauro, Justices may take centrist view of 'Bong Hits' case, 3 March 2007,
Monday, May 14, 2007
Site of the Week 5/14
A truly amazing website that has actual letters to and from soldiers at war over 200 years ago. Students can choose from letters on enlisting, comforts of home, love, combat and the end of war. Letters are written from friends, family members and loved ones. There is one set of letters from old friends who were fighting against each other in the Civil War.
The letters are shown with the original handwriting and all. A great feature of this website is that when you scroll over each sentence the handwriting turns to print making it easier to read.
My students couldn't believe how long it took someone to get a letter back then since the dates are included.
STATE GOAL 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas.
B. Read and interpret a variety of literary works.
2.B.1a Respond to literary materials by connecting them to their own experience and communicate those responses to others.
STATE GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.
A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.
16.A.1a Explain the difference between past, present and future time; place themselves in time.
16.A.2a Read historical stories and determine events which influenced their writing.
16.A.1b Ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical sources (e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old photographs, artwork, other visual or electronic sources).
16.A.1c Describe how people in different times and places viewed the world in different ways.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Evidence Based Posting: 5/7
Importance of Classroom Websites and Parental Involvement
Classroom homepages can provide a variety benefits for students and the classroom teacher. Above all, classroom websites can teach students the importance of technology in education and motivate them to take an active approach in their learning.
Perhaps one of the most important reason for creating a classroom homepage is because classroom websites can help communication with teachers, parents, students, the community and even the world. From my experience, most teachers find it extremely important to build a link between home and school. I believe that parental involvement is vital to a students success. Classroom websites do a great deal to strengthen that link between home and school. Classroom websites can also be used as a tool for communicating with parents through an email link.
Homework assignments, exams and school events can be accessed by the click of a mouse.
It's a great way for parents to see what is going on in their child's class and even see their work published.
Something that many people may not think about is that classroom websites are also great tools for those students who have some learning disabilities like ADHD or dyslexia. These disabilities can prevent students from accurately copying down assignments. In these situations students and parents need not worry, as they can double check the assignments while at home on the classroom website.
Parents also need not worry about their child's safety on the Internet. Steps should be taken to make sure that every student is safe. For example, a password for students and parents could be set up and teachers should know that students first and last names should never be next to the child's picture.
Classroom websites are excellent for so many reasons, but I think one of the most beneficial is that they can really help bridge a link between home and school.
Leu, Donald, Leu, Deborah, and Coiro, Julie. "Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times" Norwood: Christopher Gordon Publishers Inc., 2004.
Classroom homepages can provide a variety benefits for students and the classroom teacher. Above all, classroom websites can teach students the importance of technology in education and motivate them to take an active approach in their learning.
Perhaps one of the most important reason for creating a classroom homepage is because classroom websites can help communication with teachers, parents, students, the community and even the world. From my experience, most teachers find it extremely important to build a link between home and school. I believe that parental involvement is vital to a students success. Classroom websites do a great deal to strengthen that link between home and school. Classroom websites can also be used as a tool for communicating with parents through an email link.
Homework assignments, exams and school events can be accessed by the click of a mouse.
It's a great way for parents to see what is going on in their child's class and even see their work published.
Something that many people may not think about is that classroom websites are also great tools for those students who have some learning disabilities like ADHD or dyslexia. These disabilities can prevent students from accurately copying down assignments. In these situations students and parents need not worry, as they can double check the assignments while at home on the classroom website.
Parents also need not worry about their child's safety on the Internet. Steps should be taken to make sure that every student is safe. For example, a password for students and parents could be set up and teachers should know that students first and last names should never be next to the child's picture.
Classroom websites are excellent for so many reasons, but I think one of the most beneficial is that they can really help bridge a link between home and school.
Leu, Donald, Leu, Deborah, and Coiro, Julie. "Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times" Norwood: Christopher Gordon Publishers Inc., 2004.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Site of the Week: April 30th
Site of the Week 4/30
http://www.yourchildlearns.com/map-puzzles.htm
This website helps students with developing map skills. Students can choose online map puzzles to complete for the following countries/ continents: United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Canada, Southeast Asia and Australia and North, South and Central America.
One of the biggest benefits to using this websites is that the difficulty level can be changed. For example, if students choose to do the United States map they will be given three options: states with outlines, states without outlines and/or capitals. I would say about 90% of my 5th and 6th graders need to use the states with out lines category. In this game students are given a map of the United States with each state being outlined but not filled in. They are then given just the outline of a state and its name where they are supposed to drag and drop it in the correct spot on the map.
STATE GOAL 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.
A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth.
17.A.1b Identify the characteristics and purposes of geographic representations including maps, globes, graphs, photographs, software, digital images and be able to locate specific places using each.
17.A.2b Use maps and other geographic representations and instruments to gather information about people, places and environments.
http://www.yourchildlearns.com/map-puzzles.htm
This website helps students with developing map skills. Students can choose online map puzzles to complete for the following countries/ continents: United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, Canada, Southeast Asia and Australia and North, South and Central America.
One of the biggest benefits to using this websites is that the difficulty level can be changed. For example, if students choose to do the United States map they will be given three options: states with outlines, states without outlines and/or capitals. I would say about 90% of my 5th and 6th graders need to use the states with out lines category. In this game students are given a map of the United States with each state being outlined but not filled in. They are then given just the outline of a state and its name where they are supposed to drag and drop it in the correct spot on the map.
STATE GOAL 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.
A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth.
17.A.1b Identify the characteristics and purposes of geographic representations including maps, globes, graphs, photographs, software, digital images and be able to locate specific places using each.
17.A.2b Use maps and other geographic representations and instruments to gather information about people, places and environments.
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