Checking WordPress feed June 24, 2010
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In a training session working with teachers on posting to WordPress from Posterous.
Schoology (Facebook-like LMS) Looks Great June 9, 2010
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I just learned about Schoology today and I am really excited about the learning potential of this “Facebook-like” learning management system.
Schoology is a learning management system designed to look and act like a social network. Schoology allows teachers to perform routine tasks like recording attendance and grades. Schoology also provides a platform for giving tests and other assignments online. The social networking aspect of Schoology lies in the interface for posting messages to a large community (whole school), to a smaller community (an individual class), or to individual students. The Schoology interface will look very familiar to anyone that has used Facebook.
Read more about Schoology on this Free Technology for Teachers blog post.
Pages, Finally! Bring on Comment Moderation. June 7, 2010
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Posterous recently added the ability to create static pages. Great!
That’s one more reason to make Posterous my primary blogging tool.
You can read about this new feature on the Official Posterous and/or at Free Technology for Teachers.
Another feature that I wish Posterous would upgrade is a way to moderate comments. As of today, you can enable comments or not.
Teachers need a way to review comments before they are posted online.
Hey, Posterous, bring on comment moderation!
Welcome to EdTechKnowledgeGEE April 27, 2010
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Welcome to the new blog, EdTechKnowledgeGEE.
I plan to use this site to provide my thoughts on some of the top educational technology tools available to educators. I will explore both popular and emerging resources.
Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Note to wordpress followers…I’ve really been impressed with Posterous lately and have been pushing it with my teachers. I’m exploring one feature that will let me post automatically from Posterous to WordPress.
I plan to run both blogs together for a while before deciding whether I want to merge to one spot or continue this system.
Technology Integration Learning Sessions April 19, 2010
Posted by timsparacino in Administration/Leadership, Technology Integration.add a comment
One of the most powerful and enjoyable things that we do within our department is host regular “learning sessions.”
We block off time each Thursday afternoon to meet face-to-face to discuss and prepare for upcoming events, training sessions, etc.
A recurring, regular agenda item for these weekly department meetings is a learning session.
Any member of our group can request a session on a topic that they would like to know more about and another member with knowledge of that topic will host the session.
Due to mandated testing last week, we had significantly more time together in the office. That allowed us to have several learning sessions throughout the week. Some of our topics were:
Glogster
Google Apps
Microsoft Tips and Tricks (Word, PowerPoint, OneNote)
Posterous
Quizdom
Voicethread
In addition to being an integral component of my personal learning network, these sessions have allowed me to see just how talented our Instructional Technology team is. I feel very fortunate to work with a group of individuals that are dedicated to continually honing their craft and are so willing to share their expertise.
I would strongly encourage any team out there to incorporate some type of learning session into the way that you regularly do business.
TeachersFirst April 9, 2010
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With all the great new technology tools that are available (and more coming daily), it’s easy for some quality resources that have been around a while to fly under the radar.
Today, I used a great resource that I’ve known about for a while but do not use frequently…TeachersFirst.
According to their website:
TeachersFirst is a rich collection of lessons, units, and web resources designed to save teachers time by delivering just what they need in a practical, user-friendly, and ad-free format. We offer our own professional and classroom-ready content along with thousands of reviewed web resources, including practical ideas for classroom use andsafe classroom use of Web 2.0. Busy teachers, parents, and students can find resources using our subject/grade level search, keyword search, or extensive menus.
Check it out today.
Sharing Links April 7, 2010
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Over the course of this school year, I have been investigating the best ways for educators to share links with peers, students, and/or parents.
I use the Sharing Links page of my Top Tech Tools wiki during training sessions where I talk about why teachers might want to shorten links before sharing, how to shorten links, how multiple links can be merged into one shareable address, etc.
Today I found what might be my favorite link sharing tool so far, Linkli.st.
The two things that I like most about Linkli.st, is that you have the ability to edit your list after you create it and each list generates an embed code so that you can actually embed the list in your web page.
Check out Linkli.st and all the other tools that I have highlighted on my Sharing Links page.
What am I up to? A lot! March 3, 2010
Posted by timsparacino in Administration/Leadership, Global Learning Network, Resources & Information.add a comment
What am I up to today? A lot.
Along with writing this post, I am finalizing my preparations for two training sessions that I have tomorrow.
The first session will be during our monthly Director’s meeting and is basically geared toward administrators. Last month, I took this group through a brief overview of using digital tools to create and cultivate a global learning network.
I talked about the development of my own learning network and previewed (with the help of a wiki and a Prezi) the tools that I use the most- Google Reader, Twitter, and Diigo.
My presentation sparked the creation of a study group of administrators that will convene each month after our Director’s meeting to preview, discuss, and work with technology tools that can help members of the group be more productive.
A tool will be selected, the group will investigate possible uses of that tool during the month, and the following month we will have a session to review our progress and decide on the next course of action.
I am really excited about this opportunity to showcase what the Instructional Technology Department is doing and how the tools we help teachers/students use can also be very beneficial for administrators.
The other session that I have tomorrow will be held after-school and it pertains to sharing internet resources.
I will demonstrate for teachers how beneficial it would be for them to:
- Shorten long URL’s
- Combine multiple URL’s so that they are under one “umbrella”
- Create online “binders”
I’ve collected the tools that I will be demonstrating on this page of my Top Tech Tools wiki.
So, what am I up to? A lot!
Back to Blogging March 2, 2010
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The frequency of my blogging has really fallen off this school year.
My excuse is that this is my first year in a new position (Instructional Technology Coordinator) and I have been extremely busy managing our department, publishing monthly newsletters, creating materials, facilitating training sessions, and researching new developments in the field of educational technology.
However, today I have resolved to begin posting more frequently again.
Hopefully, you will find the ideas that I share and the resources that I spotlight to be useful in your instructional technology endeavors.
Using Dial2Do to Blog with WordPress November 11, 2009
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This is my first post to wordpress from dial2do. A very simple service that allows you to use your voice and your cellphone to make blog posts.
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