Instructional Technology Blog

Student Sends Video to Climate Conference

Posted by Gary on January 27, 2010 in Language Arts, Social Studies

As Molly Freed, a Chief Sealth HS Junior, studied climate change in her Global Leadership class, she recognized her growing frustration about the condition of the world she and her generation would inherit. For a class project she created a video entitled “Our Generation Needs Your Help.” (more…)

Teachers Use Ning Groups For Online Collaboration

Posted by Juli on January 15, 2010 in Language Arts, Web 2.0

As part of the new teacher computer rollout, Olympic Hills teachers spent time exploring the new SPS Ning site. During their initial exploration, one teacher shared, “I would think this (Ning) would be a fun way to share resources with K teachers district wide instead of re-inventing the wheel…perhaps there will be grade level groups eventually?!” Another teacher Nancy Smith had a similar idea and created a group for sharing ideas about Reader’s Workshop. For example, recently a Whitman Middle School teacher asked, “My struggling readers are left high and dry after they finish reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Does anyone have any suggestions about books or series that my students may enjoy?” Others weighed in and suggested books that might work well. Check out the Reader’s Workshop and other groups on our SPS Ning.

K12 Online Conference 2009

Posted by LeAnn on December 16, 2009 in Instructional Strategies, Tools and Applications, Web 2.0

Looking for ways or ideas to incorporate new technologies into what you are already teaching?   This conference provides a multitude of presentations from inspirational educators all over the world who have tried the tools in their classrooms and schools.  The Preconference Keynote was presented by Kim Cofino who teaches in Bangkok, Thailand.  The conference officially started on Monday, Dec. 7th with a Keynote-The Wizard of Apps by Joyce Valenza (librarian extraordinaire).  New this year is the K12 Online Ning where all can join in on the conversation.  The conference runs through this week, but all of the information and presentations can be viewed online or downloaded.  Take a look at the flyer for this year and the schedule. The schedule is usually updated with links to the presentations once they occur so they can be accessed at any time, even after this week.  Reading through the schedule is a great way to see what’s being offered and select some presentations to view that may interest you.

• If you have participated before what tips do you have for newcomers?
• After looking at the schedule or watching a presentation which one(s) would you suggest to others?

Whitman Student Book Review Blog

Posted by Juli on December 15, 2009 in Blogging, Language Arts, Libraries, Web 2.0

Seventh grade students at Whitman Middle School have been blogging about their favorite reads lately. Librarian Chris Gustafson partnered with all 7th grade language arts teachers to enable school-wide participation in this literary endeavor. Using a generic account, students came into the library lab and submitted their book review, which included categorizing their post by genre and rank (1 paw, 2 paw…they are the Wildcats after all) and adding a tag for the author’s first and last name. Students returned the following week to comment on each other’s posts.

Check out their work and maybe get inspired to pick up a new book!

http://blogs.seattleschools.org/whitmanstudents/

The 8th graders quickly began asking about having their own blog, so plans are underway for 2010.

Embarking on a 3D Journey

Posted by Abbey on December 8, 2009 in English Language Learners, Social Studies

This year 16 students and a teacher from Denny Middle School embark upon their own journey into Skoolaborate. Skoolaborate is an international online learning community that incorporates a blog, a wiki, and the 3-D virtual world of Teen Second Life. Students and teachers from a variety of countries, including the US, UK, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and Chile, create projects that integrate curriculum with current global issues. The subscription for membership to Skoolaborate is funded through a pilot program sponsored by the World Affairs Council.
The pilot program goal is to experiment with introducing students to Skoolaborate during normal curriculum time.  This is a perfect fit for Denny Middle School in their aim to blend global perspective into their curriculum, an important component of the mission for international schools in Seattle Public Schools.  (more…)

To Flash or Not to Flash: That Is The Question.

Posted by mablache on December 1, 2009 in Digital Photography, Photo Story 3, The Arts

By: Meredith Blache

Today’s digital cameras have the ability to meter the existing room light and adjust the camera’s setting in ways that are quite amazing.

In general is it a good rule of thumb to keep the flash turned off at all times and see how the camera handles the current lighting. If the image comes out blurry (because the exposure time is too long) then consider either adding in more natural lighting, such as moving closer to a window, using a reflector or turning on more room lights. Another quick in-camera adjustment is the EV value. (more…)

Lowell Students Use a Webquest to Explore Environmental Challenges

Posted by Juli on November 17, 2009 in Internet Research, PowerPoint, Social Studies

Students in Dustin Wood’s  classroom used a webquest to explore current environmental problems facing Earth. Students worked in teams to develop presentations about a particular topic (e.g., extinction, landfills, air pollution…). In the scenario for this activity, each student team is vying for $1 million in funding from the fictional Help Our World (HOW) Foundation. As members of the HOW Foundation, all students will vote for the team that makes the best case for its environmental issue.

(more…)