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Welcome to the one-stop place for

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MATN Webinars!

 

Use this site (wiki) to learn when and where to find an upcoming MATN webinar. Or, access the archive of a previous presentations and review the questions and answers posted by the participants and presenter.

 

 

MATN_OS_Webinar_11-07-07.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Add your thoughts about Open Source software here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terry's Webinar Refelction

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a. ) There would be many challenges I would face in utilizing the open source software. My first challenge would be how to effectively add the software to my curriculum. The second challenge I would have is rotating my students on one computer to experience the programs. The final problem I might have in a gymnasium/physical education setting is finding the time to introduce my students to the software given the fact that I only have them once a week for a fifty minute period.

 

b. ) There are a few ways I have already planned on using the resources presented for the next school year. The first thing I plan on utilizing is my wiki site http://bullfrogpe.pbwiki.com/. This site will allow for my students and parents to get involved in the learning process as well as allow me to reflect on my lessons and my students understanding. Another resource I will utilize is my blog I create located at http://bullfrogpe.blogspot.com/. This site will allow me to comunicate with my students and parents and keep them "in the learning loop" to understand expectations in Bullfrog physical education.

 

Randy's Webinar Reflection

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a.) While browsing through a lot of the open-source possibilities, many thoughts crossed my mind when thinking about implementing them. One of the questions that I had was about the support my students (and I) would need to successfuly use these programs. Some of them take many steps for their use. With time shortage being a factor in my classroom, chances are I would be demonstrating these programs to small groups of students. Another factor is resources in a classroom setting. As others have mentioned, the use of a computer lab would be necessary. Fortunately for our school, we have a large facility for our class to use. However, scheduling conflicts always occur for the use of the lab. I plan on sharing some of these programs with my colleagues, while implementing them in small steps.

 

b.) The major problem that occured while checking out all of the programs was deciding which ones to use. I think for the most part, each one can play a key role in differentiating instruction in my classroom. I have already set up a wiki page for student-teacher interaction at this site: http://barnes208.wikispaces.com . I plan on using www.surveymonkey.com to create short classroom surveys. I believe by implementing the speaking PowerPoint slides, I will be able to effectively reach those students who may have reading difficulties.

 

David Nguyen Webinar Reflection

 

 

A) In the application of Open Source Software, the challenges that I will need to overcome would be learning how to use the program and all that it has for the upcoming school year. I believe that the information will make teaching less difficult for myself because of all it has to offer. It is a great source for teaching ideas and lessons to differentiate in the classroom. It would definitely an on going learning experience, but a very positive one geared towards our society’s future.Like other stated, I think my biggest obstacle would be 1) getting computer lab time and getting around the firewalls and blocked sites that are connected to our student networks. I also think it was almost too much information. I had a hard time deciding where to go next and keeping it all straight . I can't even imagine a new teacher or student trying to navigate through all the information.

 

B) Some ways to use Open Source Software:

Completing the module during class has made me realize that blogging web sites are the thing of the future and a great source to use in the educational world. We as a population use facebook, IM chats as a source of social blogging, teachers can use education blogging sites to pass information to parents and students.

 

I would love to use wikipages/spaces for students to reflect their ideas and learning in the classroom on different subjects. Students would be able to comment on their peer’s ideas and post their own thoughts and ideas as well.

 

 

 

www.surveymonkey.com is a good site for teachers to get to know their students on a personal level as well as an educational level. Plus it is a lot more enjoyable then a pencil and paper activity.

 

 

www.gliffy.com is a great site for creating a graphic organizer for writing or reading as well as flow charts. This would have been great resource to use during writing for students to organize their ideas and thoughts as well as their writings.

 

 

 

Shiasia's Webinar Reflection:

a) This was a great webinar! It provided so many open source resources that I was not aware before viewing it. One challenge in implementing some of the new resources is the number of computers that are available to each classroom in my school. Unfortunately, each teacher only has one computer for use with at least 20 children, in addition to one 45 minute period in the computer lab each week. It would take a very long time to complete projects and assignments with such limited use.

 

b) Some ways to use Open Source Software: 1- I would love to use PowerTalk http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/ to create differentiated projects outlined on Powerpoint presentations to help students with reading difficulties follow directions independently. 2- http://www.wikispaces.com keeping would be a great for keeping a class log of learnings from a science or social studies unit; kind of like an ongoing K-W-L. 3-FreeMind -http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page#Get_a_taste_of_FreeMind would be great software for mind mapping concepts throughout the curriculum. 4- Jarnal http://www.dklevine.com/general/software/tc1000/jarnal.htm to keep a writer's journal for seed writing ideas. 5- I would also like to use the Free Software Directory- http://directory.fsf.org/category/elem/ to search for appropriate computer based games for use with math and reading/language arts center activities.

 

 

 

Kristine's Webinar Reflections:

 

a) I had never seen a webinar before and after watching this one, I can see how this could be a great learning tool. I was so amazed and enjoyed listening and watching. It was a new and exciting way to learn new information. The webinar gave great information and I have already begun to search many of the sites provided. I do find it very time consuming, but I do a little searching each day. The webinar gives great information about open source software and I plan to introduce the software to my team. If my entire team would participate and search the open software then we all can gather an abundance of information. However, as a Kindergarten teacher I do find that many of the sources aren't developmentally appropriate. I do try to modify things but since time is an issue it makes it very difficult. I do know there are sources that are appropriate for my students and I plan to continue to search and encourage my teammates to do the same. Once again, I really enjoyed the webinar. Technology seems to keep amazing me :-)

 

b) Below are some ideas that I have already thought of on how to implement the resources given to me:

 

• http://www.surveymonkey.com/ This is a great way to learn more about my students, especially at the beginning of the school year

 

• http://www.kidrocket.org This is a great way to make sure kids are being safe when they are using the internet. It was very kid friendly!

 

• http://www.eduhound.com/hotlist To provide a list of site to my students. For example if there are some websites with games that are reinforcing what they are learning in Math, I could make a list so they could go to them during center time.

 

*http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/ This is a great way to present information through a power point that speaks the text. This would be very helpful during back to school night.

 

I know there are many more resources that I will learn about and implement in my classroom. I plan to continue to search and hopefully continue to find great things!

 

 

Terry's Webinar Reflections:

 

Let me begin by saying I was blown away with the entire webinar presentation. I had no idea you could set something like that up to reach out to a captive audience. Webinar's are defintely the wave of the future. I personally enjoyed the information, becuase a good part of it summarized a number of the free software applications we have already used.

 

I will defintely use the Web 2.0 tools in the future such as blogger.com, pbwiki.com, and odeo.com to possibly create audio presentations for my students to listen to at home. I really think the talking power-points would be a great way to introduce objectives based on grade levels to parents. Most parents do not visit specialists on back to school night and this would be a great way for them to find out what will be expected from their children in art, music, and physical education. Eduhound.com is a final site that I would link fo the students to possibly reasearch information regarding fitness or nutrition.

 

I know for a fact that Great Seneca Creek can defintely utilize this software to enhance the learning that takes place in our building. I'm interested to know the rules and laws as they relate to Montgomery County in allowing our students to interact and utilize the different software.

 

Carrie's Reflection:

 

Challenges:  Wow, that was a lot of information!  One of the first challenges is finding the time to actually go through all of the open source software applications and websites.  And not only going through it, but figuring out how all of it works!  Since I tend to be technically challenged and more of an auditory learner, some of the websites that I looked at were pretty overwhelming!  Another challenge would be downloading some of the webrowsers or getting through some of the firewalls or blocked sites at our school.  For example, I went onto http://odeo.com and am wondering if I could get on that site at school (I will try tomorrow).  And as always, a big challenge would be that I only have 1 extra computer in my classroom.  It would be hard for more than 1 student to benefit from these resources at a time.  Furthermore, it is really hard to sign out the computer lab so that is another issue.

 

Ways to use the information:  So I had some time to actually look through many of the websites.  This is what I found to be very useful.  First of all, I like the http://mozilla.org/ webrowser because it is really fast.  Also, I found a text to speech program on it that I am intending to use with my students to differentiate instruction.  I also like the http://gliffy.com website.  It has a lot of cool diagrams and flowcharts that students can create.  You can even send the diagrams to others via emails or through wikis.  I believe though that it is only free for 30 days and then there is a fee of 5$ per month.  I am not sure if I want to pay for it :(  The http://odeo.com website had some good audio resources on such health topics as H1N1 and fetal alcohol syndrome.  I could definitely use that in my health classes.  I only found audio sources on that website, but would like to find video as well.  When I have more time, I will keep searching.  I also liked the  http://kidrocket.org website but think it was too elementary for my students.  I definitely like the idea of talking power points and creating a class wiki.  In fact one of my goals is to create a class wiki using wikispaces.com.  I just need more TIME!  But, my goal is to have one done the winter break. 

 

 

Shirley's Webinar Reflection:

 

a) As I viewed the webinar, I was astonished at the wealth of information it contains. I could see how some of us can be taken back by the overwhelming resources. I think my challenge is to trust the sources provided and take the time to explore some of them. Given that our time is stretched to maximum, it can be a challenge to explore them all, so I think I will pick and choose from ones that I find interesting. Since the webinar is all about open source software, I think I will suggest to the leadership team as we prepare for the inservice week if the staff could view it. I'm sure that many of my colleagues would take interest in the use of some of the information in it. Since my school is due to get the promethean boards this year, access to many of the open sources will be more convenient than ever. I just need to explore some in school to ensure that the software is operable on our network.

 

b) Below are some ways that I think I can use in the classroom:

 

~ http://freeware.intrastar.net/organize.htm Use the Digital Diary to keep track of day to day activities and the Notekeeper to manage information students may be collecting for an assignment. It is a one stop location to store notes and images in virtual folders in one file. Many notes and images can be stored in a single NoteKeeper file and can be grouped into flexible virtual folders enabling easy access at all times.

 

~ http://www.surveymonkey.com/ Use the online surveys to learn more about my students, get feedback on specific assignments, and to plan units to include my students' interests.

 

~ http://www.dklevine.com/general/software/tc1000/jarnal.htm Use for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal, making presentations.

 

~ http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/ This site is perfect for science and math homework, craft projects and other graph paper needs. All graph paper files are optimized PDF documents that can be printed on a transparency for sharp graph paper overheads.

 

~ http://directory.fsf.org/project/TuxPaint/ Tux Paint is a simple, easy-to-use drawing program for children. It provides a fixed canvas size, one-click saving and thumbnail-based browsing and loading. Large icons, simple labels and prompts, and the ability to display only uppercase characters and disable features like printing, quitting, and certain prompts make it easy for very young children and the disabled. Tools include a paintbrush, lines, shapes, text , a large eraser, a rubber stamp tool with dozens of pre-drawn and photographic images, and a collection of "magic" special effects tools. Multiple levels of undo and redo are available. A cartoon version of "Tux," the Linux penguin helps explain what's going on. Additional stamps, fonts and brushes can be added easily.

 

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Raegan's Webinar Reflections

 

a) This was the first webinar I had ever watched and thought it was an extremely cool way to interact with others while obtaining so much useful information. I found it especially helpful that I could pause, go check out some of the links mentioned, or replay bits of information that I needed to hear again. I have already started to explore some of the open source software links that were mentioned in the presentation. This will be a time consuming process, but I feel that it will be time well spent. With so many options to choose from, I think it will be challenging to find the best program to suit the needs of my learners. Once I am able to explore the variety of open source software that is out there, I will then need to select several programs to explore in depth to become comfortable with using it so I can teach students how to use it during school. Since so many subject areas have open source software available, it is probably best to focus on one academic area at a time and then explore/familiarize yourself with programs from there. It is critical to make sure that the programs you are using are reliable and have been tested. A program with glitches and bugs is of no use to anyone. A barrier to using some of the open source software would be the limited number of computers for students to use each day in the classroom. The school's computers and network would also need to be compatible with the software so that it could work properly. It would be neccessary to make sure that the school's search engines did not block any of the sites you planned to use.

 

b) After exploring only a fraction of the sites mentioned on the webinar, I already have some ideas of how to implement some of the open source software. I will continue to explore the ideas this summer so they are ready to go at the start of the school year.

*http://www.eduhound.com/hotlist - to provide a list of research links for students in various content areas as well as linking homework resources and math practice sites for studetns to use. Eduhound.com would also help to facilitate a web scavenger hunt or webquest with my students.

*http://www.surveymonkey.com - to have my students provide feeback on longterm projects or the instruction of a unit, as well as to find out their learning styles and preferences.

*http://www.gliffy.com - to help students organize items via graphic organizers or to help them break things down to explain their thinking graphically.

*http://www.koffice.org - a variety of processing programs are available, but I liked how you could use kchart to help students record data in math or science. It is easy to compare, and to change the format of the data.

*http://www.kidrocket.org - to create a secure site for students to search the web. I love how it requires a password!

*http://www.blogger.com or creating a wiki page - for students to post reactions to what we are reading in class or current topics of study.

 

Anthony's Webinar Thoughts

 

The Webinar definitely did not disappoint-but I come from a generation where we were supposed to have flying cars by now. I do like all of the options available to teachers; but how do we ensure that information is given to the troops in the field? I can tell you for a fact that most of the teachers in my building do not know of the open source software that is available to them. Is this information going to be disseminated via the Staff Development Teacher during inservices? Will this prove to cumbersome for some of our new teachers? I know I will be bringing this matter up during leadership week in my school. The RT's must buy into this so it can trickle down.

As I meander through the websites it's sort of like reading my golf magazines; some tips are for my classes and some aren't. It's up to you to use the information as best fits your class within the parameters of your curriculum. Some teachers hands are tied more than others, nevertheless, you can find something to supplement your lessons and reach more of your students. I plan to introduce some of the Web 2.0 features to a few teachers in my building without being pushy. My school is going tech mod this summer so there is even more optimism in the air.

 

Some ideas I would like for my classroom:

 

SurveyMonkey-Just to know what my students' likes and dislikes are. Maybe I can teach something better-I might be encoding something wrong.

Nasdaq-Students need to know how the stock market works and how to invest.

Gliffy-For projects and charts-great for presentations.

ConsumerReports-Students will be surprised when they find out what merchandise is deemed bad or good based on tests and not hearsay.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Wow! Talk about alot of information! There was quite a bit of information in the webinar. I think the first challenge for me would be to just wrap my head around all of the presented information. Just by going to some of the suggested sites, I could see that the possibilities really are tremendous. I would think it would be best to narrow down first what you want to accomplish and secondly, which sites and open software would be best to help you get there. As the presentation alluded to, it is probably best to stick with software that falls under the stable distribution. Being in a school setting, I would think it would be prudent to only use software that has been tested and is reliable. Since I teach high school, I would think my students could use quite a bit of the tools that were presented.

Another challenge, for me personally, would be to actually feel comfortable using some of what was presented. I know that technology offers many possibilities and allows for a wonderful learning experience, but that doesn't mean I always get it! I am usually able to, through trial and error, decipher how to use technology. Of course, that really wouldn't work in front of a classroom. As my comfort level increased, I could see me putting some of this to good use.

My school setting is one that allows and encourages technology use in the classroom. We have knowledgeable people that are more than happy to lend a hand if necessary. With that being the case, I feel confident that I can successfully implement some of these Web 2.0 features into my classroom.

 

2. Ideas of how to put ideas to use:

a. Possible wiki site for homework help- Can be accessed by teacher and students so that students can also help those in need.

b. Homework podcast- Go over steps to solve problems. Can be used to walk students through basic problems and/or more likely than not, the more difficult problems. It can be presented daily or as warranted by the concepts.

c. Gliffy.com- Cool site to make posters, flow charts, and floor plans. Could tie nicely into math presentations and/or projects. Could be used for the problems I assign having to do with geometry and such. Ex. Mr. Davis is putting in a pool. His backyard is a rectangular measuring 2000 square feet etc. Kids design backyard and use gliffy to create a layout of the yard.

d. Zoho.com had quite a few uses. Great site to use as a tool for a project. It had a word processor, online presentation tool, a wiki, etc.

e. Directory.fsf.org/category/second had many great math tools such as math games, building geometric figures, and interactive math activities.

f. Blogging- This seems to be quite popular today. Since I teach math, it may not be something students want to blog about. However, since I am at a Catholic school, I could certainly have them blog about scenarios that make them think about things from a moral standpoint. St. Joe has 5 virtues that the students hear about and see around campus quite frequently during their 4 years. Trust, humility, compassion, zeal, and simplicity are ideas that we hope they make apart of themselves. Blogging would lend itself to such ideals. It can be difficult to have a teenager break out of the "me" phase and focus on how things can impact others, so this might be one way to do that. It's surely better than blogging about math!

 

Lou

 

 

 

 

I mentioned in a previous post I find when I’m presented with an abundance of information (websites) I tend to shy away. Lou, you are correct…wow! Not only was I overwhelmed, but nervous about downloading. So many of them wouldn’t allow you to preview what they had to offer until after the download was complete. I find most of the “free-ware” I use has been sites shared with me through friends or colleagues…I allow them to download them onto their computers at home and/or school and then if recommended I’ll risk downloading it. My computer at home has very few downloads for two reasons, 1. the risks of viruses, and 2. I have dial-up internet. The biggest challenge occurs at school; I find firewalls block many of the free downloads I attempt…which may be a good thing, because I probably take more risks on my school computer. This may sound frivolous, but I think I’d rather purchase software in a store rather than download it for free, other than the situations mentioned above. In a store, you can preview a box, graphics, talk to a salesman, etc, where online I found very little information exploring the sites.

 

I found the following websites worth mentioning and useful:

I personally have used the following downloads. As previously mentioned I’d prefer someone to suggest a download that was used and works. Take a look!

 

-Tracy

 

 

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The webinar certainly was thorough. I couldn't download anything at school, but the webinar is a great resource for templates that you can use in your classroom. I think many of us by now have a wealth of material. The goal I have is figuring out how to streamline the material into usable and accessible formats. During the summer months, I can transfer much of my material onto more accessible and transferable formats.

 

I think a common theme throughout the webinar is making information more accessible. Like anything, this takes great preparation and trial and error. There are a handful of teachers who have digitized their courses on BlackBoard. I think there are elements in this webinar--like Zoho--that allow a teacher to streamline their material. The only obstacle is learning the software and undergoing the normal pitfalls of learning new technology.

 

I think that the strengths of the webinar were the presentation of front pages on the PDF file. When you are dealing with so many resources, it's nice to window shop. I think if there was a way to shrink some of the front pages, the presentation would be more effective. The front page of a website speaks volumes about its usability. And I found sites like Zoho and Free Software Directory to be useful because of their simple designs.

 

Some possible uses:

 

--I think the onset of Web 2.0 software greatly benefits English program. The essence of Web 2.0 is editing. Editing is a vital part of AP Literature and Composition. Using Wiki, students can post essays, and then edit each other's work. I find this to be a far more productive and organized form of peer editing. Imagine--a student's work could be scrutinized by the entire class. This allows exponentially more access to the writing process. Grading and student participation would be efficient and simple. I think that the Wiki format has great potential in English classes of all levels. Writing is editing.

 

--I think the Freemind software would also be effective. A major component of my AP class is effective outlining. Outlining is practiced throughout the year. On the AP exam, students must be able to create an effective ouline in about 7 minutes. The Freemind software provides good practice for outlining and creating visual maps for essays.

 

--My students analyze over 100 poems during the course of the year. I burn far, far too much paper on copying these poems. I think the PDF creator would be an effective tool to disseminate poems to the students. It has always been a goal of mine to go paperless, and this application can make it possible. PDF files are easily mailable and have easier viewing and printing options than Word files.

 

--Zoho looks like a really cool site. It is a one-stop for users and maintains a very accessible interface.

 

--I have personally used Audacity to record audio and edit audio files.

 

Good stuff.

 

Mick Coogan

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1. WOW… not to the repeat the pattern but I also found the webinar to have a overwhelming amount of information. But it was very helpful. It was definitely a presentation in which you have to take the time to go through the information presented to figure out what can work in your particular classroom setting. Since there was such an abundance of information the first thing I would do is decide which area I would like to focus on first. If you try and spend all your time exploring everything you will leave yourself very overwhelmed. The first thing I would do is focus on the OATS Project. Being a special education teacher I found the information given on this website in particular to be very helpful. I was able to see the endless possibilities of things that could come in very handy with each of my student’s individual needs. The main problem that I would have to overcome at my school is the evil firewall. It seems that every time I have an educational based website that I am using on a regular basis, within a couple of weeks it is blocked. While I know you can request that websites be unblocked it really is a pain especially when I plan a lesson at home and it works on my computer only to have the site not work when I get to school can be very annoying. There is also the threat of viruses. Another obstacle I would need to overcome is computer lab time. While it is nice that I have three computers in my classroom for my students to use, I prefer a whole class computer lesson in the lab. Lab time at my school is really hard to come by.

2. Ways in which I can use this information…

• The OATS Project- This is definitely a website that I will be checking out since it is assistive technology. The things that I saw from this website that I think would be helpful are the Click-N-Type virtual keyboard (which allows students to type using the mouse to click a keyboard on the screen), Edword and EdWeb (which are talking word processors), PowerTalk (allows a power point presentation to be read aloud), Mouse settings (allows the mouse to enlarged and slowed down), the Big Calculator (which allows you to click on buttons with the mouse or use the numeric keypad to perform calculations) and the PDF Aloud (which allows PDF files to be read out loud). This is all information that would be helpful to my particular students.

• I would also like to try and create a classroom Wiki to allow the students information that would help with class notes, assignments and homework help.

• Free Mind- it helps students to map out their ideas.

• Zoho-looks like an interesting site that allows fun things like web conferencing and a planner which all of my students can use.

• Hotlists: http://www.eduhound.com/hotlist/ this would be helpful in organizing the websites and links I use on a regular basis.

• Surveymonkey: www.surveymonkey.com a great way to create surveys and pre-tests for students.

• Airset: http://www.airset.com this would be very helpful in organizing all of my passwords for all of the websites I use.

• http://freeware.intrastar.net/organize.htm -I would like to use this website to help my students stay organized.

-Kristin Mannion

 

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A. From the webinar one thing that stuck out in my mind was the quote that was displayed from Steward Brand- "Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road". This quote exemplifies all the difficulties and challenges that I often experience about incorporating technology full force into the classroom. I am so used to the so called basics of technology such as powerpoint presentations, overhead projectors, etc., that incorporating another form of assistive technology is kind of scary. One thing that initiates the fear is not having the formal training and knowledge of the various technology out there. I think one thing that can help me to overcome this fear is to have more professional development workshops that provide the opportunity for hands on learning utilizing technology. The second challenge that I have is the security that the computers are working, that the internet will not be down for the day, that all my students have the opportunity to use the computers. From the webinar, you provided excellent usable and most importantly Free downloads that can be used for the classroom computers.

 

B. I looked through most of the websites that were displayed but the following websites that I listed, seemed to be more benefical to my classroom setting:

1. www.gliffy.com- (graphic organizing)This website would be excellent for brainstorming for writing ideas, developing writing passages, and connecting science ideas and vocabulary.

 

2. www.skype.com- This site would be great with the pen pal program that I have in my class. We write letters to another school within our district. However, another option is to have an international component by having the opportunity to write to students from another country and finally have the opportunity to speak to them using this program. That would be very exciting for my students.

 

3.www.kidrocket.org- this website is a fun website that has a full screen option for games and puzzles for kids. One thing I wish that it had were more user friendly directions in playing the games.

 

4.eduhound.com- this is an excellent website for teachers, parents and kids because it provides resources for various topics such as suggestions for bulletin boards, lesson plan ideas, math games, etc.

 

5. freeware.intrastar.net/organize.htm- was an excellent website for organizing. Two things that I feel could really benefit my students include the digital diary- an opportunity for students to keep daily, weekly or project logs on their thoughts and feelings about the days, weeks or monthly activities. The Birthday scanner can help me keep track of the students birthdays.

 

6.oats.com:The OATS software- open source assistie technology software, provided great assistive technology for all learners. DSpeech- reads aloud written text. This would be used for a center activity for a story that was read in the classroom, or for poetry, etc. The Big calculator will be great for students to use for working on math problems. Our school is part of the Teachers Institute program where we focus on writing stories, so using the estory-maker program would be great for those students who have difficulties writing their ideas on paper.

 

7. fullmeasures.co.uk/powertalk- talking power point presentation- This would be great for presenting ideas to the classroom and for the upcoming final project.

By: Munachiso Onuoha

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This is very overwhelming to me, and I agree with others about downloading. Downloading can be a scary think with viruses and such, but follow others so avoid a computer problem. I agree with other above about purchasing the product at the store rather than downloading.

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Now, using the software can be another task, and where do you start. I am one of those where you find a couple things and stick with what works. I know of some people who have a new theme every year with things and want to change it up. If I find something, especially when it comes to the computer, I stick with it and run it until I feel comfortable enough to try something new.

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My high school is really pushing technology use, bad things is there is about one or two of everything. I was someone who would fight for things, but now have grown tired of the war and throw in the towel. Today I was introduced to this notebook like thing that you could write on. It was like the smart board, but you passed this notebook sized device and write on that. Once again we only have one, and we don’t know if we are getting more. Information on the internet is so accessible, but getting the tools to access is a struggle.

 

 

1. Wiki site for homework and for help- This can be assessed by teachers and students to help those having difficulty.

 

 

2. www.sticky-notes.net – A great organizational tool in using your desktop. Customize them to the way you want and are easy to use.

 

 

3. www.gliffy.com – Great for creating visual aids (flow charts, posters, etc.) and helpful for presentations or projects. With my lower level learners I use a lot of visual aids, and this can be a way for me or them to create more charts. I think if they were to create them that it would benefit them more.

 

 

4. www.zoho.com – I like the uses it has, and has a variety of things. It has word processor, wiki, chat, projects, invoicing, and other useful tools.

 

 

5. www.surveymonkey.com – Students can take surveys and respond to questions, and also give their ideas or opinions on something.

 

steve

 

I had a hard time putting my comments on the page, and I have no idea what I am doing wrong.

 

 

Like others who have already commented about the Web 2.0 information I thought that it was a great deal of information to put together and digest. I had to go back and forth referring to definitions in remembering what was what. Once I had some connection, it was better. It was informative information though. I do alot of web surfing but I have never seen any of those site and actually I was surprised that some many of them and the ways that they are used is really wild. I use Mozilla on my own and Netscape when I first started using the computer many moons ago.

 

1. In my setting, one of the challenges would be having access to work with some of the webpages. Some of pages would probably would not be able to be used due to the firewalls with the school system. Some sites may be blocked. Another challenge could also be if the sites are child friendly, more specially elementary friendly.

 

2. The sites and information that I would use in my class settings;

www.writely.com - as a product from google, this site students could use it to do various reports, spreadsheets and reports.

 

www.bloggers.com - here at this site, my students could set a bloggers about their exercise or eating journals. Younger students could do storyboards.

 

www.wikispaces.com - I would have my older students do a class wiki about multicultural games or the history of different sports.

 

www.zoho.com - I could use this site to do my organizing and writing my lesson plans and tests

 

www.fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk.com - This would be a great tool when teaching simple skills such as throwing, skipping, gallooping or other locomotor skills. With each step being broken down and the students hearing the how to do it would be fun.

 

With all of these website, going to them on my laptop that I would connect to a LCD projector, would allow for the entire class to experience first. By walking the students through the websites and then giving them time to use the sites themselves.

 

Stephanie Keeling

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

1.

 

I feel that this information can make my job easier. We spend so much time re-inventing the wheel when so many resources are already out there. I am in my 6th year of teaching and I am already getting bored teaching the same old way. What a great resource to update my teaching.

 

1. www.writely.com- this would be a great resource for my high school English students. We use a program called noodletools.com where the students can submitted work cited pages and notecards online for us to view. This could be great for my research paper unit.

2. www.zoho.com- I spent a lot of time exploring this site. I like many of the programs especially the organizer/planner program. We do a 1 1/2 month long research paper in English 11. The hardest thing for our students is completing all the steps and on time. They could set up reminders to be emailed to them.

3. www.gliffy.com- I love this source! During our Oediupus Rex unit in English 12, I always draw a family tree for the students. This would be a great way for the students to make there own chart.

4. www.sticky-notes.net- This would be so good for my special education students. I am always telling them to use actualy sticky notes to jot down questions or comments during discussions, when reading, etc.

5. Any blogging site--- blogging is the new thing! Students blog through myspace, facebook, etc. I would love to show them that they can use blogging in an education way too. It allows them to practice organizing information, writing clearly, peer reviews, etc.

 

 

 

2.

Like other stated, I think my biggest obstacle would be 1) getting computer lab time and 2) getting around the firewalls and blocked sites that are connected to our student networks. I also think it was almost too much information. I had a hard time deciding where to go next and keeping it all straight . I can't even imagine a new teacher or student trying to nagivate through all the information.

 

 

-Jessica Garlick

 

Question 1 - What are some challenges to overcome?

I think using a program that you're not familiar with is a challenge in and of itself. It takes a lot of time to become comfortable with technology, especially if you are going to use it in front of a class or with students. It seems like it would require a lot of time up front to find the software, download it, learn how to use it, work out the bugs, then implement it in your class. I think it would be well worth it in the long run, but would be frustrating at the start. I think the best plan would be to identify a specific need and then look for the software to address it rather than just looking for ways to implement what you find. Like many of my colleagues have said, it's a lot to wrap your head around. However, if you're looking for something in specific it might be easier to navigate. That said, it was really helpful to look at all the resources and see what's out there.

 

Question 2 - How can I use it?

www.gliffy.com

Students can use this for making flow charts and concept maps for their vocabulary or concepts from a chapter. They could also create other graphic organizers.

 

www.oatsoft.org

I noted the power reader feature on this site to help kids who struggle with reading. Not only would this be great for kids to use at school, but also at home where parents may not have the know-how to find these programs on their own.

 

Your Brother's Keeper

You could use this to store usernames and passwords. I would use it to store the usernames and passwords for my students to log on the computers, www.studyisland.com, and www.firstinmath.com.

 

TrayNotes

I love post-it notes and it would be great to have them on my desktop. I constantly need to write things down and make lists so this would be perfect. My students could use them as they listen to stories on tape since we use real sticky notes during reading to apply our strategies.

 

TuxTyping http://directory.fsf.org/project/TuxTyping/

I don't know about you, but I teach 4th grade and none of my students are effecient typists. I don't have them type their papers because it takes them too long. My school won't buy a typing program so this would be perfect.

 

BingoCards http://directory.fsf.org/project/bingo-cards/

I would use this to create bingo cards for vocabulary words in all subject areas, science concepts, etc. It is a fun way to make reviewing interactive.

 

Multiplication Challenge http://directory.fsf.org/project/MultChal/

My students are weak in multiplication and this would be another way for them to practice.

 

www.kidrocket.org

This is a great idea for kids. They often have too much access to things and stumble upon things by accident. This would eliminate those incidents. It is a browser that allows users to only access kid friendly websites instead of filtering out inappropriate sites.

 

 

Shawna Stoltenborg

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I would say the biggest challenge that I see in having all this technology available is the sheer magnitude of it. It is so wonderful that there is so much out there for teachers to use with their students, but I believe that in some cases, it is a little overwhelming. We know as teachers there is little time in the day to teach all the subjects we need to get in, but when you offer these opportunities to learn technology, they get a little stressed out. I understand while some individual teachers really embrace technology there are others who shy away. A possible way to approach those who may be hesistant, is to show them how it may enhance their lesson or make it more enjoyable for the students. I think that one of the most positive things in the school to get teachers on board is to see their colleagues using the technology in a lesson. Teachers not only have to be taught how to use a technology, but examples of when and how you can use it. There have been many times when I have done lessons in the library using technology and a teacher sees and says, "that was great, can you show me how to do that". This is a great way to get them on board.

 

I think one of the first things I am going to do is share the information with our technology specialist so that he can determine, what might serve our teachers best. We have a great tech specialist at my school. He is always working with the teachers and encouraging them to use technology. I think that if we could go over websites that were given in the web seminar, we can think about the best ones to share with our teachers. Many of them are not even aware of all the things that are available to them and their students. I wasn't even aware until I listened to the webinar. Looking over the list, I think that there are a few that stand out that would be of use to me.

 

www.kidrocket.org

I think this would be a great website to share with parents. Our school has a filter, but many parents may not be aware that there is a browser that they could use at home with their children to keep them safe.

 

www.skype.com

I think that Skype could be an intersting software to use at school. You could have students from one class talk to another. Another possibility would be two same grade classes talking to each other from different parts of the country. Also, I just love using Skype at home to talk to family members. It is a lot of fun to use.

 

www.eduhound.com/hotlist/

I think this could be a great link for teachers and myself. I am always on the look out for websites for teachers. There are so many education websites, that I think I will start using this to gather my websites together.

 

www.openoffice.org/

This looks great! This could be used to collaborate with other teachers in different places. There are so many great teachers with wonderful ideas. It would be a great tool to try to work together.

 

www.surveymonkey.com

This is tool that I would like to use at the end of the year to survey my staff about the library. My school aready uses this periodically for different occasions.

 

There are so many websites, I can't wait to go through more of them and find ways to use them or share them with the staff at my school. I think that the key to using technology, is to sometimes think outside the box.

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Michael-

 

The webinar is a very important reference tool. I’ve saved the PDF version to my flash drive, and I’ll probably continue to refer to the webinar way into the future. Though the sites listed in the webinar are great, the knowledge of open source and free websites is even better. I had no idea there were so many free and open source websites out there. I knew that if I was interested in something that chances were there was a website that would address my interest. Still, I had no idea about the availability of free websites; now I know there is a free website for just about anything. This newfound understanding of the availability of open source and free websites is the main thing I’ve gotten from the webinar. A few open source/free websites, which I can utilize in my classess, are listed below.

 

 

 

http://www.surveymonkey.com - to have students fill out a preassessment on their aptitude for health and physical education curriculum

 

 

 

http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/planner/launchPage.aspx - to help students track their daily calorie intake and quality of the calories they are taking in

 

 

 

http://www.eduhound.com/hotlist/ - to create a web site for my students with important class information

 

---

Testing - Elizabeth

 

Ken's Reflection:

 

The webinar presented many opportunities to incorporate open source resources into my current teaching placement.  There were a few challenges which came to mind as I was viewing the webinar.  First of all, there are SOOOOO many resources and many more are probably being created everyday!  This makes choosing the "right" ones and the most appropriate resources a challenge.  Once I do decide on a source to use, it's implementation would require a good understanding of how the software works.  This is necessary because in order to teach students how to use it, I feel I would have to have a very firm grip on it.  Finally, technology connections could be an issue.  To install software on student computers requires appropriate permissions and clearance, not to mention time.  It would need to be a very worthwhile resource (not one that would just be used once and forgotten) in order to be worth the effort.

 

I have already begun including some of the available open source technologies in my classroom to aid in management and differentiation.  This includes wikispaces (for my class website) and bubbl.us (a thinking map share program).  After viewing the presentation, I am excited to try several others...I would like to introduce my students to openoffice.org so they can create presentations and documents even if they do not have Microsoft Office!  I think the idea of having students create podcasts of notes from class or learning about a topic could be a great engagement activity that would be helpful for remediation and review.  I've considered the prospect of using Skype to teleconference with other teachers to showcase a project that both classes completed and have a class contest.  Finally the PDF Aloud and PowerTalk sound like they could be great if they work as they claim to.

 

Like you said this is a jumping point and now I have to discover how much of this is worthwhile to incorporate into my differentiated teaching style in order to do what's best for my students.

 

Angela’s Reflection:

Challenges:

After viewing the abundance of open source software programs I felt overwhelmed.  There are so many programs that I would not know which ones would be the best match for my curriculum.  I would have to do further research on the programs and take time to learn how to use the software that I select.  Another concern I have is whether the software would be compatible with my computer and how much memory it would use.  I currently use a lot of software programs and I’m afraid that if I add new programs that my computer will crash.  In addition, the IT department only allows us to use certain programs.  Finally, I would want to make sure that all my students would be able to access the software.  I only have one computer in my room and it is difficult to sign out the computer lab because the entire school shares the lab. 

Usefulness:

After viewing the webinar I found a couple of open source software programs that have potential use in the classroom.  For instance AirSet is a software program similar to blackboard where students and teachers can collaborate.  For instance, I can post an announcement about assignments, deadlines, and upcoming assessments.  In addition, I can store class documents on AirSet so that students and parents have access to important information such as class notes and homework.  Just this past week, a parent asked me to email a homework assignment because the student forgot to bring it home.  If I had AirSet then students and parents can have access to all documents at their own convenience.  Furthermore, I can post online discussion questions and students can collaborate with one another on outside projects.  Another software program that I think would be neat to use in class is skype.  At my school I am in charge of the multicultural club which promotes diversity and teaches tolerance of other cultures.  Many times our club writes announcements and makes posters to celebrate and teach others about different cultures.  However by using skype students would be able to use webcams to talk directly to students from other countries and learn about their perspectives and beliefs.  I think that students would be more motivated to learn about other cultures if they could personally share stories and collaborate with one another.

 

Jenny's Reflection

 

As I was looking at all of the information that was presented in the powerpoint, I became very overwhelmed.  There was so much that was presented, I started to think about what would be beneficial to me and my students.  As I have mentioned several times, one of my struggles in my classroom is the lack of computers for the students to use as well as only having one lab for the entire school to use.  My other worry becomes being able to figure out how to use the software.  I know how to use the basics on the computer but when it comes to other softwares, I need someone else to show me how to correctly use it. 

 

After looking at the open source software programs, there were two main things that I thought that I could use for myself.  The first is the Google Docs.  This is actually something I just learned about 2 weeks ago.  One of the other teachers in my school recommended this site as a way to communicate with other teachers.  I have 2 other teachers that come into my room and work with the same students.  Since they are coming and going while I am teaching, we never have time to discuss how the students did.  We have decided to use Google Docs as a way to communicate about the students and how they are progressing with the concepts that are being taught.  I am very excited to use this as a way of communication.  The other program that I would like to use is the bingo cards which was located in the free software directory.  I would like to be able to use this to create all sorts of bingo cards.  I could use this with vocabulary words and even word patterns.  I am always looking for ways for the students to practice their word patterns they are learning and they always get excited when they can learn by playing a game.  Instead of having to make my own bingo card and fill it in, this program would make it easier for me.  Finally when looking through all of the programs, I wish that I still taught math.  There were many programs that could be used to help student learn their facts.  This is a concept that many students in 5th grade still struggle with.  These programs would be great to use as a station for the students to practice. 

 

Rachel's Reflection on Open Source Software

 

Challenges to overcome:

The biggest challenge that I see when it comes to opensource software is finding what you need and installing it on many computers.  I think I would have to figure out if we are allowed to install software on the computers in our computer lab before I could do anything else.  If the software is only on one computer than it can only be used by one student at a time which isn't very practical.

In addition, as I started to explore some of the programs I had difficulty installing some of them.  I found a program that sounded great called vocabumonkey, but when I tried to install it, I couldn't get it to work.  There was another program that I tried to install that needed additional software in order to open it.  I started to wonder if these kinds of problems would happen with a lot of open source software.  Like Angela had said in her post, I worry about causing my computer to crash or doing something that might mess up or slow down my computer.  Not being very tech savvy this is a challenge for me.

 

Usefulness of the information: 

I love the mindmapping software.  This was one of the first things I downloaded after viewing the webinar.  I tried it out, and it is easy to use and I think it is a great tool that can be used by my students.  I think that if we were able to get this software in our computer labs then a mindmap would be a great way for students to explore new concepts and connect the things they have learned.

Other software that really caught my attention were the many programs that would give information orally to students.  I have many children in my class this year who struggling with reading grade level text.  However, with these programs I could give them the information they needed without them having to read it all on their own.  For example, I can record podcasts that give directions orally for students, or use the powerpoint software so that students can listen to the powerpoint at a later date, or even scan their social studies text into the computer as a pdf and then use the software to read it aloud.  This made me think of UDL and how these tools would really help to make information accessible to all students.

 

Ginny's Reflection on Open Source Software and the Webinar

 

Usefulness of the Information:

 

Open source software definitely has a place in the classroom! I was amazed by all the software available if you just go looking. I especially loved the idea of Gliffy.com where kids can draw a diagram and then write about it to discuss it. That would be something very useful to me later in the year when we are working on thinking maps and writing ideas. I also loved the Free Software Directory where you could search by category.  This was probably the most useful site to me because it contained elementary software and games that would be appropriate for my age of students to use without too much instruction. On that site, I  found the site Gcompris which offers games for young children to learn basic academic skills but it also focuses on learning how to use the keyboard and mouse which is our major hurdle at the beginning of the year! I  would love to use this with my kids. There were many other resources that I found too that could tie into the ideas of UDL  and provide adaptations for students who needed things read aloud or for students who wanted/needed alternatives to assignments. These could be for students with learning disabilities or students who need/want to take things to the next level. Overall, I felt that the webinar presented open source software in a way that was useful to teachers who are looking for different ways to meet their objectives while still meeting their students' needs.

 

Challenges of the Software:

 

As with most things with technology for my grade level, most of the software I  found I would be using either with the kids or showing the kids rather than them using them independently. There were a few pieces of software I found that my students could use themselves but the majority would be to assist me in meeting their needs or differentiating. Also, learning to use these different types of software could definitely provide a challenge. There are also so many resources out there that it may be difficult to find the time to go searching for them or to learn how to really use them most effectively. The biggest challenge I  see with open software though is getting the kids to use the programs in the way they were intended. The first challenge would just be putting the software on all the computers for the kids to use. The one software I found on Gcompris had very complicated directions for getting the different aspects of the software downloaded and I  would have to do that x19 for all my students! Also, as with any new activities, teaching them how to use the program, modeling and troubleshooting through problems are challenges. I think that in order for me to put a lot of time into downloading, installing, learning about and teaching my kids how to use some software, it would have to be very purposeful and something we could use for a variety of skills all year long. I don't see myself using the software for just one or two lessons or activities. 

 

Marie's Reflection:

I was very interested in reading about the different types of software.  I felt alot like a sixth grader reading an adult level book, because although I kind of understood, there were alot of concept with which I was very unfamiilar.  In this realm I would definately consider myself a novice.  As I have understood it, all software is a combination of several terms.  It is either free, open or closed and copyrighted, copylefted or public domain and it is either stable, testing or unstable.  If it is free software that is the same thing as open source and the only difference between the two is the licensure.  Public Domain means that software has not been copyrighted, so anyone can use it, but not anyone can look at or work on the source code.  Copyrighting protects the software as well as the code, and copylefting is the same as public domain (I think they were trying to be funny or cute). 

I don't always want to be a novice so I’ve saved the PDF version to my flash drive, and I’ll probably refer to the webinar way into the future. The sites listed in the webinar seem to be great, but the knowledge of open source and free websites was more meaningful to me at this point.  I had no idea there were so many free and open source websites out there!  I have heard the terms but did not understand them. This new understanding of open source and free websites is the main thing I’ve gotten from the webinar.

Last of all, but not least, I finally know that Web 2.0 isn't an actual thing but a concept meaning that the web has been improved from it's original design.  My favorite quote was the one about the difference between verisions, because I actually got that!

 

Amy P's Reflection

I was very overwhelmed by the information on the webinar about Open Source Software, however I do see how it can be very helpful for students in the classroom. Some challenges that I think I would face when using the software would begin when I download the programs. I don't feel like I have enough knowledge about computers to download all the programs. If something goes wrong I would not know how to fix it. I also wondered how useful the software would be if I only have one computer available in my classroom for students. I would need to take students to the computer lab to use some of the programs. Then I wondered how I could download the programs on all the computers. I think if I do try some of the programs I will start small and try to use a program that I can use as a center for students. I realized too that it would take some time to learn how to manage the program. For example Abiword looked really neat, but it had so many different features I don't think I would be able to learn it all in the amount of time that I have.

 

Like I said earlier I do want to try some of the software programs, but I want to start small and possibly use them in centers. This way I only have to deal with downloading on one computer. I saw a few programs that I would be able to use with my students now. The first program was called Tuxtyping. This program helps students practice their typing. Earlier in this class I talked about the need for my students to get keyboarding practice. I think this would be a great center for students to practice their keyboarding skills. I have already used the survery monkey software as a interest inventory and I got a lot of useful information from it. I have thought about creating pretests with the survey monkey. I think it would be a great way for me to collect my data on a certain topic. I am also interested in the software that reads power points. I think I could use this with my struggling readers when they miss a class. The power point could teach students the concepts they missed. I know the software programs would be very helpful in my classroom, so my goal is to take  some time to learn about and explore some of the programs that look useful to me.

 

 

Amy A's Reflection on Open Source Software

What a great presentation.  I found many great sites.  The number of possibilities is overwhelming.  I think the biggest challenge for me is time.  I set up a Wiki for my classes, but having the time to search for specific sites to go with my lessons is a challenge.  I plan on taking it one unit at a time, and continue to work on my Wiki for the years to come.  Another concern would be accidentally downloading a virus.  This is particulary a concern for my school computers.  So far this hasn't been a problem, but it can happen.  I do like to download all sorts of things.  Here are some of my favorites:

 

The following link is The Hat.  You can create a list of students and it will shuffle them, pick one out of a top-hat, or pick pairs.  My students love the sound effects!!  It is very simple to use.

http://www.bestfreewaredownload.com/freeware/t-free-the-hat-freeware-kergjyxx.html

 

The following link is to a timer.  The name says it all, "Cool Timer".  You can set it easily.  It is large on the screen.  And again there are great sound effects. 

http://www.bestsoftware4download.com/software/t-free-cool-timer-download-ixzoknzd.html

 

You can download this program and then place post-its on your desktop.  I use it to show the list of objectives for each of my classes and then can "check" them off as we go.  The students know where we are in the unit and up-coming quizzes or tests.

http://www.hottnotes.com/

 

I like this as a PDF converter.  I always send home attachments as PDFs.  If you send it in word, parents could change it when you don't want them to.

http://www.dopdf.com/

 

 

 

Given time, you probably can find just about any freeware you need.  As a teacher, you can't beat free.  Anything to make my job simpler or to engage my students is key.  Also, by showing my students a function plotter or calculator, they are able to extend what they learn in my class.  This was not possible even five years ago. 

 

 

Chris M's reflection

 

I think the biggest challenge I have in using Open Source Software is getting beyond vocabulary, jargon and the idea that this is something new I'll have to figure out.  I am reluctant to spend a great deal of time trying to learn something new just to get across the same ideas that I can already get across.  Part of what will help is the knowledge that I already use some open source software.  Another thing that will help me is having a boyfriend who is an experienced at computer programming and engineering who is also great at explaining things that seem very complicated in an easy way. (Ex. Open source software works the same as going to a pot luck dinner and getting to try a new dish and getting the recipe for it to boot.)  I'm not sure how knowing the 'recipe' for any of the programs I use in education will every be useful to me but if I expose my students to these programs, the random computer 'geek' in my class might take interest, play with things, and go from there. 

 

I did find some resources that I think would be very useful and worth the time and effort expended to try them out.  PowerTalk and PDF Aloud would be programs that I could find a use for.  I do an activity where my accelerated students research and create presentations about Islamic achievements that the standard students use to research the same achievements.  The students in my lower reading level class would use PowerTalk to have the presentations read to them, enabling them to have a better change to fully understand the information.  This will also help them to not fall so far behind that I have to cut out activities so all the key concepts get covered.