After seeing the news lately, reading web sites and blogs, and basically feeling like public education is under attack (some is warranted, but most is unfair) I replied to an article on MSNBC.


Here was my reply:

The Google Apps Education Training Center is an online learning environment dedicated for educators and students to learn how to effectively use Google Apps in an educational context. In other words, it provides training materials to learn how to use Google Apps in education.


While you don't need a Google Apps account to use this site, it is recommended so that you can experience what you learn. Of course, if you have a Google account you can use many of the apps anyway.


This is a good resource for teachers and students whose school system uses Google Apps or for any teacher or student who uses Google's applications for school.

 A Media Specialist's Guide to the Internet is an amazing resource I recently found out about.

The site has a huge number of resources and web links for teachers, sorted by school age group - elementary, middle and high school.

In addition, the main page of the site is a blog and the author posts news and new resources in this space.

This is a great place to start when looking for internet resources for your class.

The Biology Corner is a fantastic web site my wife found this weekend. The site has resources for teachers including lesson plans, web quests, quizzes, and much more. The site is set up by "class" - Anatomy 1 and 2, AP Biology, Biology 1 and 1a, Biology 2 and 2a, and Physics.

Worksheets are also sorted by topic, and images and media have their own menu.

The material is very useful and I like the class format for the resources. It is set up sequentially and allows for easy scanning for resources.

I am a huge user and fan of Google's many applications and their use in education. I use Blogger for this blog and my classroom blogs, Google Sites for my classroom site, Google Docs, Google Earth, iGoogle and much more with my students and for my own use. I show my students Google's applications because they are easy to use, useful, and free.

Google recently launched the Google Student Blog. This blog site is a great resource for students who use Google's products. It includes information, updates, how-to's, tips, and much more on how to use Google's applications as a student. If your students use Google's products, they should be reading the Google Student Blog. 

Related Articles:

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/search/label/google

Digital Learning Environments is a site sponsored by HP and Intel that offers resources and ideas for teachers on how to use technology in education. There are some great ideas and lesson resources for all teachers on the site.

This page of the site has a listing of Web 2.0 resources to use in Science Classes. Resources listed include a varitey of sites listed by subject. There is a brief description about the site and how it can be used in the classroom.

I recommend this page for all science teachers and Digital Learning Environments in general to all educators as a must have resource.

Connecting Student Learning and Technology is a web resource for teachers that shows ways to use technology in education to address the diverse needs of our diverse student population.

The site refers to constructivism a lot, but even if you don't follow that line of thinking the site has some great resources. There are references, classroom activities, lists of technology and how to use it in the classroom and much more. It is a good place to start when trying to decide on how to use technology in your classroom to enhance learning.

Blogs, Wikis, Docs is a great resource for teachers who are trying to decide when and how to use these tools. The author has created a chart listing the nature, collaboration, updating ease, benefits, drawbacks, and examples of each tool in education. If you are thinking of using one of these tools in your classroom, this site is a great place to start.

Related Articles:

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-as-teaching-tool.html

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/p/getting-started-with-blogger-and-google_22.html

Virtual field trips are a great way to get your students to experience something new without having to actually go there. The Apple, a great resource for teachers, recently posted an article listing the 5 best Virtual Field Trips.

Use these virtual field trips as a free resource for your students.

Latest resources I've posted on Twitter:

Great article from @jasontbedell on Reflective Educators (rest of his recent articles are great 2!) must read. http://goo.gl/Rrtp #education

NASA Planet Profile via @tl http://www.techlearning.com/articl… - #edtech, #education, #nasa

RT @Brian_ThomasTCI: Cell phone policies relax as Cincy area schools use cell as instructional tool! http://bit.ly/cYO2UG #edchat #edtech

Upcoming Conferences in CT and NY that I'm presenting at and attending - come join us!! http://goo.gl/slKt #edtech, #education, #edchat

Pictures of my classroom taken with my @palm #pre. Gotta love that camera. http://goo.gl/2pML #technology #prepics, #webOS

This year my schedule is a little busier than usual. I'm teaching an extra class so I'm now teaching 5 Physics classes and 1 AP Physics class. I'm also teaching an EMS Instructor program (8 x 8hr Saturdays) and I just started my second Master's Degree (Educational Leadership). My first Master's is in Educational Technology Integration.

The result is that I'm posting to the blog less often. But, I do Tweet out a lot of links, resources, and tips. So, follow my blog, and follow me on Twitter. @daveandcori.

I also post a list of what I've tweeted here on the blog as a sort of summary.

If you can't get Twitter at school because it's blocked (like me). Here's a work around. Use TwitterGadget.

Thanks for following me and being part of my PLN.

Twitter Gadget is a great app for accessing Twitter, even if Twitter is blocked (like it is at my district).

Twitter Gadget is an app that you can use in iGoogle, GMail or as a stand-alone app. It is very easy to use and works well. I actually like using it in iGoogle over the Twitter home page.

It's free and the site has easy instructions and references on how to use it.

TwitterGadget in iGoogle:


TwitterGadget Stand-alone in browser:


It's a great resource and I use it even when Twitter isn't blocked.

(If you use a Palm Pre+/Pixi+ I recommend Twee as a great Twitter app for webOS)

Any other great Twitter clients that get around Twitter being blocked?

UPDATE 12-10-2010


TweetDeck and Tweetdeck's web app also work if Twitter is blocked and are both very powerful!

Did you ever notice how you can go for a long time with a normally busy schedule, and then all of a sudden everything happens at once? That's me come October.

Here is my schedule of conferences I'm presenting at, all in the same week!


Saturday, October 16th - Glastonbury, CT
Discovery Education - Connecticut Day of Discovery (pre - CECA conference).
I'm presenting a session on all of the free resources from Discovery Education.
Free - limited space. Register soon!
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/connecticut/2010/09/16/registration-open-for-free-ct-day-of-discovery-saturday-october-16-2010/



Monday, October 18th - Hartford, CT
CECA (Connecticut Educators Computer Association)
I'm presenting two sessions. One is on Innovative Free Technologies for Teachers and the other is on Creating a Personal Learning Network.
http://www.ceca-ct.org/page.php?pid=93



Friday, October 22nd - Tarrytown, NY
TechForum NY (sponsored by Tech&Learning Magazine)
I'm one of four panelists on a session entitled "Web 2.0 Smackdown" where we will share our favorite Web 2.0 tools for educators.
http://www.techlearning.com/events/techforum/newyork10/index


If you are in the Connecticut / Mass / New York area, come and check these out. They are all great conferences with a lot of great ideas being shared.

Any good conferences going on in your area?

I was recently asked how I am able to so so much with technology in my school. I have to say that I am very lucky with the equipment I have.

I have a teacher station with an HP desktop, HP LaserJet printer, Canon Color Inkjet Printer/Scanner/Copier/Fax, Speakers, DVD Player, VCR, and LCD Projector and internet access. The computer, DVD player, and VCR all connect into the LCD Projector. I also have a document camera, digital camera, and a Flip video camera.

My room is a physics lab room. I have 30 desk/chairs and six lab stations. I also have 8 desktop computers spread around the room. The 8 computers are connected to a networked printer. There is no WiFi in my corner of the building, yet, but it is coming and all of the desktop computers are connected to the internet.

I also have a Mimio system that turns my white board into an interactive white board. I can capture my notes, operate my computer and presentation from the board and more.

In addition to all of this, the district has also purchased some very nice software for the science department. We have Cyber Ed Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry and Plato Learning's Multimedia Science School. The district also has a subscription to Discovery Streaming.

With all of this equipment and access to software and the World Wide Web, I am able to provide my students with a variety of learning experiences. They do WebQuests, use the software for reinforcement and virtual labs, get to see and experience new and different things. I can show them almost anything through the projector, from videos, to demonstrations, to virtual activities, and more. The AP Physics class is going to be using the Flip video camera and the computers to create an online Physics reference site with videos of labs and physics demonstrations. While doing this, they will be learning and applying physics, technology skills, and more. And, the project will help other physics students.

I'm also trying to go as paperless as possible. Students can email me work or use my Drop.io box to submit electronic copies of work. The Canon scanner is used to digitize paper work and assignments for digital portfolios. Instead of lab or project handouts, everything is posted on the class blog or website and students access it through the class computers.

Students who don't have a computer at home can use the ones in my room for any assignment and for any task. They know they can come to my room before or after school and use the computers.

I am very lucky for what I have in my room. It makes teaching and learning better and more interactive.

Today I just read an article on video games as learning tools on Edudemic. I have always thought that games made an excellent learning tool when done right, with the right support by the teacher. Many video games teach students actual content knowledge, but most of them teach critical thinking and problem solving techniques. 


Research has shown that video games are effective as learning tools and many companies are working on educational video games. But, other video games can be used educationally also. 


I just downloaded Angry Birds for my Palm Pre+ last night and loved it. The premise is simple. A bunch of pigs steal eggs from the birds. The birds then go after the pigs. The birds get launched using a slingshot and try to knock down the pigs structures. 


As I was playing, I realized that there was physics at play here, and since I teach physics, I was very excited. Projectile Motion, structures, stability, materials, and dynamics all come into play. If you understand those concepts, you'll do better at the game. If you don't know those concepts, you will learn them while playing. 


There is nothing really bad about the game. It is extremely popular and received high praise from reviewers. My only problem is that I need it in a Windows version for my classroom! 


The game is available for Palm webOS phones (Pre and Pixi), Nokia phones, and iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad.


" Angry Birds features hours of gameplay, challenging physics-based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Each of the 150 levels requires logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy. " 


As an educator, I am always looking for new, engaging ways to teach my students. Using video games is a great way to do this.


Share video games that you use for education!


Note: Edudemic is a great resource site for educators. In their own words, Edudemic is a website devoted to these ‘geeky’ things with an education slant. We focus on what’s happening in the tech world and how it applies to higher education. We’re not trying to be the next Gizmodo, we’re trying to help educators get the most out of their students and vice versa.

Yankees homepage - have to keep up with my team.