Incredibots

Today, I asked one of my favorite students--the one who speaks out of turn constantly and yet makes me laugh every day--what he does for fun on the computer. He showed me Incredibots...and boy am I glad I asked. This real-life computer robot physics simulator is so very powerful. And he does this for fun! You can use a preselected robot, or create your own by selecting shapes, then adding joints, thrusters at various intersections and try to complete a number of preset missions. Thanks JW!

Sketchcast

Thanks to the Featured Slideshare category "Education" on Slideshare, I found out about Sketchcast today. The "Web 2.0: Tools to Inspire" presentation had quite a few cool and interesting new toys. I liked sketchcast best because I can see some uses for it on our global ed/collaborative wikis. You can show math problems being solved in real-time, including audio, as well as draw diagrams of geographic elements, like how the headwaters in Belize empty into the ocean. I'm sure I could think of a bunch more ways to use it, can't you? Here's a sample:

How Our Kids Are Using the Internet in 2009

How Our Kids Are Using the Internet in 2009

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Internet Safety Workshop Resources

I'm presenting another Internet safety workshop for parents at the Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) in Kensington this week. The presentation is for middle school parents. Here are the handouts/resources I'll be using:

1. The Risks of Facebook (CBS-6 WTVR News Segment) Highlights the security features available on Facebook.
2. Just How Bad Is Facebook For You? (BBC News, May 5 2009) Refutes the news articles stating that facebook users' grades tend to be lower.
3. Easing the e-Teasing (Presentation by Judy S. Freeman, March 17, 2009) Helping parents understand cyberbullying and how to distinguish it from traditional bullying.
4. Text Unto Others... (by Matt Villano, T.H.E. Journal, September '08) Teaching basic principles of good citizenship.
5. Pew Internet and American Life Project (Various Statistics)
6. Facebook for Parents web site
7. WebwiseKids web site, with interactive content for helping parents and kids make smart choices.
8. Charlotte's WebPage (by Lowell Monke, Sept 2005) A manifesto on children and the role technology should play in their lives.

BBC's Me and My Movie

Just came across the BBC "Me and My Movie" site, which walks kids through a highly interactive and engaging process of making a movie. There are movie-tutorials for everything from adding lighting and filters, to storyboarding. My second graders are making mini animal movies and I think this might be a great way to gently ease them in...

Facebook Doesn't Make You Stupid

A Northwestern University study has found that logging into Facebook does not, in fact, make you stupid. The Chicago Sun Times says so:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1563318,facebook-study-social-network-050709.article

PBS Activity Packs---Innovation

DIY Space Exploration Podcasts

NASA is now offering Do-It-Yourself Podcast Kits online. From the site:

Are you looking for a new approach to engage your students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics? NASA's Do-It-Yourself Podcast activity sets the stage for students to host a show that features astronauts training for missions, doing experiments in space or demonstrating equipment. We'll provide a set of audio and video clips along with photos and information about a space-related topic. You and your students may choose as many items as you want to include in your project and download them to your computer. Students may use the information we provide or conduct their own research to write a script for an audio or video production.

There's also an accompanying blog for help: http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/diyPodcastBlog.
Image credit: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/diypodcast/index.html

Global Education on a Dime (Redux)

I keep a stack of paper magazines and journals. Sometimes I get a chance to read them in between classes, but more often they sit in a pile, mocking me. "You're falling behind in content knowledge! You're missing the boat on the next important thing!" Of course, I follow my blogs and feeds but there's something about paper I like. Often, I'll read about half the magazine and bookmark it, promising to come back to it only an hour or two later. Then, about six months later, I'll come back to it.

Today, I came back to a very old issue of Edutopia--Feb/March 2008. In that issue, they feature an article "Global Education on a Dime." There are copious links for tools and projects that are free or low cost for today's plummeting budgets. Ironically, Edutopia is no longer free, but the online article is still there.

The related article and video, "What Does the World Is Flat Mean for Education?" and "A Night in the Global Village: Role-Playing Life in Poverty" are also good.