My TweetsI just started this week with teaching my TechSperts (Grades 4-6) MIT’s Scratch programming software (scratch.mit.edu) to make interactive games and stories about the Internet Safety topics we have learned about on NetSmartz.org.
I admit, I had WAY too much fun playing around, I mean, learning the software.
Check out my first Scratch Project!
Apple TV is fantastic so far but it is missing 2 things:
1) Let me log into my flickr account so that I can show my private photos as my screensaver. Right now, I have to make my profile a public searchable profile so that Apple TV can find my account by my contact name, and then it only shows the photos that I have made public. Argh.
2) Skype: Add in a videoconferencing app like Skype with a plug in webcam and now we are having fun!
I have been in deep in a (slow) transition of my home computer to a Macbook, and of my TV to Apple TV with Time Capsule, so I have felt very out of sync with my media, including with this blog. I had my work flow down between my phone, my camera, Flickr, this blog, iTunes, my ipod…and now its still a bit questionable. But I am getting there. I really like having my music and movies accessible by my TV or computer at any time, and with AirTunes, I can play it all on my computer’s speakers and/or the TV wirelessly. Time Capsule is a whole 1TB of storage space and a much faster router for the wireless connection I need to stream all of this around the house. BUT, I haven’t quite got the syncing with my computer’s iTunes down, so I find myself double checking where my files are when I download them. I have a list of things still to do, like a spring cleaning, but it is a beautiful day today in Boston that really should be appreciated since we were flooded (in some places, quite literally) with rain for three days last weekend!
I’ve twittered about this but didn’t bother to post the details here on my blog! The timing is still relevant as just yesterday I attended the reception for all ARRA Title IID grant recipients at the DESE in Malden. I applied in October and was notified in December of our winning of the a little over $98,000 in equipment, software, and professional development to support and enhance our ELA curriculum with technology! It is a 2 year grant and we have already begun. The equipment is being prepped this week, and the planning with all invested parties – principals, teachers, IT specialist, and coaches – will begin next week.
With the funds we were able to purchase a “Mobile Literacy Lab” – 26 Macbooks, 12 32 GB ipod touches, 2 mobile carts, 2 sets of A/V speakers, a projector, a Mac Server capable of hosting wikis and blogs internally, and almost $50,000 worth of 3 years of licensing and upgrading our current reading intervention software, Lexia.
And then the age-old question follows the WOW! (or the COOL!): What are you going to do with it?
More to come…
( :
Here is the grant application:
http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/Grants/grants10/rfp/776.html
And here is the Awarded Announcement page (we are Boston Renaissance):
http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/grants/grants10/awards/776.html
Out of 81 proposals, 34 were selected. Woot!
Our 6th grade students have been doing a tremendous job learning a new operating system on the Apple mac minis, how to connect to and manage files on a server between Windows XP and Apple OS, and how to create their own digital stories using the iLife suite of software. Mr. Dodson and I have been keeping a dicussion board in a NING of our curriculum’s daily lessons and materials while sometimes Skyping during planning meetings (sometimes it is hard to catch an elevator at lunch time!). So far in one term, the kids have written their scripts in Keynote, scanned, photographed and edited pieces of their academic work using Photoshop Elements, managed their photos in iPhoto, and paired up to make an imovie about a sample topic. When we return form break, they will have all the tools, skills, and content to pull their individual eportfolios together in iMovie!
Ms Mason opens math assignments on the board and has the students come
up and solve problems using the digital pen. She saves the written
work as a file to reference later, print and handout as notes, or grade.
Mr Dodson has his students come up to the board and use the pen as a
mouse to play educational games like this memory game. There are lots
of ooos and aaaaahs!
Ladies and gentlemen, if you have to do this to read your iphone, then it is not for you. There’s no app for poor eyesight. Phew.
It didn’t take long before everyone wanted to try it!
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