Fearlessly Doing Good: Tolerance.org

When discussing the events of 9-11, consider talking about how students can gather the tools needed to break the cycle of violence and fear. Remind them that liberty is just as important and security.Help them learn to be capable of doing good. Help them learn to do it in the name of peace. Teach them tolerance. For ideas on how, visit Tolerance.org.

Have You Heard (and Seen the Word)?--Lexipedia

If you teach Language Arts, English, Writing, and/or Reading, take a few minutes to swing by Lexipedia. This nifty site is a place where "words have meaning" and it shows. Lexipedia demonstrates the fact by taking given terms and generating semantic relationships in animated word webs. This kind of tool is great for pupils who are trying to ferret the meaning on new vocabulary terms. Used in conjunction with the rich, interactive student materials at ReadWriteThink, the robust resources that Lexipedia brings into play will help both beginning and advanced learners build for better comprehension across all manner of disciplines.

Storm Info is Only a Heartbeat Away: Stormpulse

Do you teach concepts related to weather? Are your students interested in hurricanes? If so, read on.

I know I should have posted this resource for Science teachers earlier but I've been all but swept away in a deluge of email and other administrivia. Anyone interested in meteorology or hurricane-related information will want to explore Stormpulse. For example, the site allows visitors to view hurricanes and hurricane seasons dating back to 1851! Simply enter the name of a prominent storm (like Katrina) in a URL such as: http://www.stormpulse.com/katrina or the year of a hurricane season such as http://www.stormpulse.com/1966. For more features guaranteed to blow you away, review all of Stormpulse's cool features.

Hidden Treasures

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to work with a generous group of educators here in southeast Georgia. All of the gracious folks in my audience were in attendance in order to learn how to make better use of a Promethean Activboard. Those attending my day-long presentation were very excited at the prospect of finally discovering how to employ a technology resource that had essentially been sitting idle in their respective classrooms. My attendees, like many other educators I work with on a daily basis, had been given a powerful tool for teaching and learning but, due to a lack of funding for professional development and/or an administrative oversight, found themselves waiting for an explanation as to how the device worked or could be integrated into instruction.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens with far more frequency than should be tolerated. In many ways, it's tantamount to making a delivery to overworked doctors in the middle of an epidemic, leaving them with an incredibly powerful medical tool for combating illness, and subsequently giving them absolutely no information about what the tool is, how it can be used, or the kinds of results it will generate. In such a scenario, most doctors concerned with treating the immediate needs of their patients would probably toss the new tool aside in favor of doing what they already know to do. Administrators, teachers, and other educators are no different. We can supply them with unbelievably powerful resources and expect improvements. Without the accompanying professional development, however, it's unlikely that anything--either teaching practices or student achievement--is going change for the better.

Thankfully, though, the individuals I worked with yesterday were thirsty for knowledge about using their interactive whiteboards. I was only too happy to oblige. I took them through the basics of using the Activboard, facilitating their exploration of its robust tools and resource library. They loved the features of the interactive whiteboard and its software. Many were somewhat distraught that such an engaging tool for learning had been at their fingertips all along and they hadn't even realized it. I did my best to help them make up for lost time.

During the 8 hours we spent together I tried to help my audience gain a deeper understanding of the incredible potential for using interactive whiteboards to make concepts, processes, and skills more visiual and doable. In addition to directing them to Promethean Planet, I showed them all manner of free, interactive resources (Thinkfinity.org, a list of Thinkfinity "WOW" sites, Exploratorium and it's favorite picks, et cetera) and repositories for content-specific pictures. "It's not enough to lecture about a topic or concept," I explained, "You've got access to a tool for helping your pupils create a clearer mental image of what you're exploring in your classroom. Even if you choose not to make use of your Activstudio software, you can still use imagery to engage your students and help them latch onto an idea."

Afterward, one of my participants explained that even though she had an Activboard, others at here school did not. "Are there any more projectors and other interactive whiteboards--not necessisarily Promethean--at your school?" I asked, betting I'd hear a familiar response. Sure enough, the lady responded, "Yes, we do have other projectors. They're in the media center but no one ever checks them out. We also have some other kind of interactive whiteboard but it doesn't have an Activpen with it like mine does so the other teachers aren't sure they can use it."

"Hmmm," I said, "I'll bet it's a SMARTBoard," and I asked her to describe the board. After listening to her description there was no doubt in my mind that such was the case. I explained how she and others at her school could be using the newest, resource-rich SMARTBoard software with their old SMARTBoards. The lady was delighted and quickly opened her cell phone to call her school and share the good news.

On a recent trip in one school, a school with a desire to improve student math performance, I just happened to stumble across an unopened pack of resources from a great series called Math Exemplars. It's a program that (when implemented properly) successfully addresses student engagement and performance in math classes. It helps students become masterful problem-posers and solvers. Here was a school struggling with math and not using a resource that would help the pupil. When I asked why the folks there had no idea what Math Exemplars were or what to do with them.

I wonder how many unused technology resources are lying around in classrooms and media centers because no one knows what all the stuff is or how to use it? Why not take a look around in your own school and see what you turn up when you do. You might be surprised.

Puttin' on the Ritz

You might think I'm crackers but everything really is better on a Ritz. Yes, cheese applied atop a Ritz is absolutely delicious (but to be fair, the addition of cheese makes just about anything worth nibbling). Go a little further and add a slice of ham or turkey and the flavor increases. Heck, even Science is tastier when blended with Ritz. How so? Allow me to tell you a story.

Once upon a time, a thoroughly scientific instrument ended up as a beloved toy. It was the year 1816, and a clever Scottish physicist by the name of Sir David Brewster (as in Brewster’s Angle) was all agog about color. In order to explore the qualities and (chromatic) nature of light, Brewster became enthralled playing with mirrors. He subsequently invented the kaleidoscope (as well as the word, too–from the Greek Kalos, beautiful + eidos, form; + skopos to view). Brewster’s contributions to the study of light (along with an impressive body of knowledge amassed by others) eventually resulted in a better understanding of the dual nature of light and one very cool toy.

Technology, toys, and time to think ideas through–all of these components (along with the propensity to add a little fun to Science)--promote better understanding and lifelong learning. Teachers who wish to help their students understand concepts surrounding the properties of light as well as reflection and refraction, would do well to allow pupils to play with kaleidoscopes. With a little patience, access to the internet, and some inexpensive materials, most learners can find and follow directions for making a kaleidoscope. To extend the learning experience, and have more than a modest helping of fun, educators can direct learners to appreciate a taste for experimentation at the Ritz Cracker site. Once there, pupils can tinker with the Ritz kaleidoscope and make more than a few observations about how and why they see the patterns that emerge.

Chrome Really Shines

Well, I've downloaded Google Chrome, installed it, and taken it for a quick test run. My first impression was, "Wow! This thing flies!" The way my pages are loading is enough to make me want to continue using this new browser. I like it and intend to put this new browser to work for the next week or so. In fact, I just made this post using it.

Related links:

• Download Google Chrome (It's currently in beta for Windows and not quite ready for Mac at this time :-(
  
• The Wall Street Journal's venerable Walter Mossberg has had more time to explore Chrome and offers his views about the net newcomer.
  

New Browser Demonstrates Its Precious Mettle: Google Chrome

According to what I've read at the Official Google Blog, it seems that Google's long-awaited and soon-to-be-released web browser, Chrome, is going to have some stamina that other browsers are currently lacking. In typical Google style, Chrome is going to an open source browser. Big G is giving back to the community! As if to add whipped cream and a cherry on top, one of my favorite illustrators, Scott McCloud, has an online comic book explaining the rich features of Chrome. Spiffy!
It'll be available tomorrow, September 2nd. I can't wait!