GoogleDocs

GoogleDocs is a wonderful program that has so much to offer anyone who is interested in sharing documents, calendars, lesson plans, etc. It is a well rounded program that has so much to offer that I cannot possibly even describe them all; however, I will touch on the points that I think would be most important to an educator.

*Calendar - your entire school is able to share one calendar to post any information that is needed. For instance, if you pass around a calendar at a staff meeting or have to email the secretary dates you want to go on the calendar that is sent home you can do that all with GoogleDocs. You simply open up the calendar, add the information you need to, and then save it. You event is now saved and ready to be printed. Second, if you have a computer lab that is shared by the school you can have a set calendar in which you reserve your spot. This makes it simple and easy to see who has it when and then you are able to reserve your own spot that week or even for future dates. The calendar offers many wonderful options such as color coding, holidays, and even designing it to fit your needs.
* Lesson Plans - If you are one who prefers to use the computer to type your lesson plans out then GoogleDocs is the place for you. GoogleDocs offers many different templates to choose from, I spent over 30 minutes trying to decide which one I wanted to use this year. Once you have your template you are able to make any changes you want to it. The nice bonus is that you can share this with your principal and they can have easy access to it instead of having to print it off and placing it in their mailbox (if that is what you have to do like myself.)
*Quizzes - Another exciting feature that you can use with your students is to create quizzes that they can take at home. It is relatively easy to set-up. Once students have taken the quiz you are able to score them all at once with a simple set-up. You can then see how they did and which ones were wrong. (I personally can't wait to try this feature with my students.)
*Document Sharing - Probably one of the main features of this program is sharing documents with one another. The nice feature about this is that if you have a piece of work that you are making changes with a group you can do this at your own time and make your changes then. You do not have to be all together making the changes at the same time as everyone has access to this document.

GoogleDocs has many other wonderful great features, but I find these four to be the ones I would probably use the most. GoogleDocs is a nice program that is relatively easy to use and filled with lots of great features. The nicest part is that you can share this with many different people who also have Google accounts.

Phixr

Today I tried out the application Phixr which is a site to help you enhance a personnel photo that you shot with a digital camera or phone. I found this site to be very easy to use as you instantly could upload any photo that you had saved to your computer, did not try directly from the camera or phone. Once I uploaded the photo I tried out several of the features that could help fix your photo. I first cropped the photo. I really liked how you did not have to draw the box, but instead it was already provided for you. Once I cropped the picture to where I wanted it I quickly saved it. Next I made some touch ups to the coloring of my picture. As it was a very sunny day, not always the best for pictures, I adjusted the coloring a bit (you really have to play with this to get the full affect.) Once the coloring was adjusted I the played with the overlay affects a bit. I added an overlay to make it slightly fancier. The application provides you with many different overlay options to play around with. My only complaint with this part is that you couldn't adjust the overlay it just had a set size; however, when adding a border it does allow you to adjust the size. This application will also allow you to add wording, combine two pictures into one, and many other great features.
If your classroom involves using pictures for projects then I would highly recommend you using it with your students that are in grades 5th on up. My students create a memory book this year, and the features of this program are simple for the students to understand and really can add some great touch-ups to the pictures they have taken. Also, if you work on yearbook, this would be a great tool to help you fix pictures that you might not have chosen to use before hand.
Here is the picture I worked on.
Before:

After:

Website

Last year I created a website for my junior high class. This website is where students can go and see what they have for homework, look up information for field trips, and any other important information regarding my classroom. On my homepage you will see the calendar I use for the year along with the different pages students can access. My sixth grade page shows a few of their assignments.

My classroom website

Concept Map

Concept maps are not new to me as they are something that I use often in my classroom to help students narrow down their topics for writing; however, when I do use concept maps they actually draw them out themselves. When I create a protype for my students I always use the whiteboard, but with a site like bubbl.us I can now use my computer to show them how to use it as well as have them create one in class. The concept map I have chosen to use is a writing topic I always use the first week of school. Either on the 2nd or 3rd day of class I have the students write a one page paper about what they did this summer. This concept helps with two things: one I can see where their writing level is, and second it lets the students share an exciting thing that happened to them this summer. My concept map would help me to decide which topic to write about if I am having a hard time thinking of what I did, deciding which is my favorite, and/or recalling the details of the event.

Screencast

Every year my 8th graders create a memory book of themselves telling a story of their last year at the school along with their past years as well. My screencast that I created is how to create the cover page of their memory book. With this screencast my students who are absent or need to view it at a slower pace will be able to view the screencast. Also, I can create multiple screencasts for my students who want to work ahead on this assignment.

Google Maps

During the first week back in school it is always fun to hear what the students did during their summer vacation and the places they visited. Below is an overview of how I can turn a simple share in class story to a  Google Map and writing assignment.
The students would be required to first think about all the things they did this summer. Next, I would want them to recall their favorite trip they took this summer whether it was one day, a few days, or even a week long. Then they will need to list every place they visited in sequential order. Once everyone has their list we will then visit Google Maps. For this task, each student will make a map and plot out their list of locations they visited on the map. With each place they visit, they will also need to make sure to write a brief description of what they did there, why it was their favorite place, or what they found interesting. After everyone is finished with their map, they will then need to write a one page paper providing more details about the map they created. Once everyone is finished with their paper, students will then be able to share their maps with the class.

To view a sampling of what the students map will look like please click the link Google Maps.

Podcasts - Grammar Girl

This week while searching for an educational podcast that would suit my needs I came across Grammar Girl-Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Since I am a language arts teachers I thought that this might be an excellent podcast to try out, and I am very pleased to say it was the right choice. Grammar Girl provides a nice quick and to the point explanation about areas in grammar that many people struggle with. For instance, her most recent topic was about alright vs all right. She explained when to use it, why to use, and how to put them to use. I was very impressed with her explanations and know that this is a site I would want to view more of her podcasts. Grammar Girls site is: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ I hope you find it as interesting as I did, and as useful as well!

Embedding Media in Blogs - Google Maps

View Larger Map

For a real kick, click the View Larger Map to see how you are going to travel across the Pacific Ocean.

Embedding Media in Blogs - YouTube Video

I didn't know which video to put so I choose 2 for this project. I know this is a Christmas video but my cousin wrote this song, created the video, and stars in it as well. How many can say their cousin created a Christmas song? Anyways, here is "Hot Christmas Cookies" by Henry Koperski (my cousin). Have fun watching it!

Embedding Media in Blogs - Youtube Video

Blaise and I love to watch this video together of Fiest singing 1,2,3,4. She does a great job reinforcing the number 4 and I have to say my 3-year-old really knows his number 4. 

Embedding Media in a Blog - Static Image

Here is my adorable son Blaise  at Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes in June. He decided to start doing some fun poses for me as he was tired of always saying "cheese" for the camera. 

Photo Sharing

I have posted 8 photo of our trip to the Columbus Zoo in June. My Flickr website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/cgavinator/. I hope you enjoy the pictures of the animals I have posted!

Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking has brought me back in time to a little over 5 years ago when my then soon to be husband had recommended us using the site delicious to plan our honeymoon. We knew where we wanted to go, but just not where to stay and what to do. With this great site he and I were able to plan a great trip to Door County, WI. Unfortunately, I kind of forgot about it and how useful it was to view the sites from different computers. I had been a bookmark junkie and was, for a brief time turned to the social bookmarking. Now that I have been reintroduced to it, I think my days of bookmarking are over and social bookmarking will be here to stay. Okay, maybe I am getting a little too into this. So here is my link, can't say I have a lot on it yet, but give me time and it will be loaded with many great sites, www.delicious.com/cgavin2023

RSS Reader Links

This week has been a busy week reading some very interesting articles. Two of my favorite websites are abcteach and pbs for teachers. Both of these sites provide great information and ideas that I often use within my own classroom.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone has been staying nice and cool this week. We have been doing a lot of swimming, and I am very excited to state that my little 3yr old has turned into a  fish this week! He has been swimming all by himself in his brand new, hand-me-down, life-jacket from his older cousin. He has gone from hating this water last year to I can't get out of it this year. Okay, I am now done with my proud momma moment.

Here is the link to my new wiki page.