Novel Trading Cards

Today, I started working on a project with our 9th grade English teacher. We are having the students create trading cards for the characters from a novel. The novel is The Pigman and there are 12 characters that were assigned. I made a template in Microsoft Publisher and saved it to the network drive here at school.
On the back of the card, the students are supposed to describe the characters' appearance and personality. They were also asked to include any other details they felt were important. Then the student will develop an image of the character in their head. They will find a picture of an actor/actress that they would cast for the role if the book was remade as a movie. The picture is going to be placed on the front of the card along with the character's name, the book title, and an important quote from the character. Once, their 12 characters are finished, they will save them to a shared network drive and I will print them on a color laser printer.
Here are some questions I think you might have and I would like to address them now.
1. Why did I create a template for Highschool kids that a capable of creating it from scratch?
2. Why I am spending time printing them instead of having the students print them?
3. What about the actor/actress photos and copyright.

#1 I created the template because we wanted the students to focus their time and energy on analyzing the characters, not playing around trying to make the card pretty. I have done activities in the past where students had too much creative freedom and they lost sight of the task at hand. If they finish early and want to change the layout and fonts, that will fine. I believe students need creative freedom because it allows them to express themselves and it allow them to take "ownership" of the project. But, we need to make sure they are meeting the objectives before we allow them to "play". At the rate they are moving, I believe that most of the students will have plenty of time to add a personal touch to their cards.
#2 I don't like to see instruction time wasted on "clerical" work. Either I will print them or I will have a student assistant print them. Keep in mind, we are printing these to a color laser printer that has restricted access.
#3 The students are using these photos for educational purposes and they are citing the source directly under the picture on the trading card. These cards will not be sold or distributed in any way.

This is only the first day of the activity and it has gone surprisingly well. The teacher I am working with is having two of her classes complete this activity. In both classes, there was a significant number of students who asked if they could stay during their lunch and free time to continue working on the activity because they like it so much. I was AMAZED! I taught these same exact students when they were in seventh and eighth grade and I have never seen them this excited about a particular project.

I cannot take credit for the success of the activity. I created the template and suggested the activity, but the English teacher has done most of the work. She has spent ample time planning for this activity and helping the students find the necessary information in the novel. If it wasn't for the English teachers dedication, the activity could have bombed.

Embedded Learning Year 2 Course Outline

This entry is for those of you involved with Classrooms for the Future in PA. I created an outline/checklist for teachers taking the second Embedded Learning Course (Teaching Authentic). The reason I did this is because some teachers were clicking continue and accidentally skipping some of the Learning Log entries and/or the Sync Point Discussions. This way, they had a sheet that they could check off after each activity. Last year, it wasn't as hard to catch the thing they missed and have them go back and do them later. But, this year, with new CFF teachers involved with the first class and facilitating two separate "year 2" classes (one for math and one for science), I found it a little harder to catch everything as quickly as I did last year.

I posted the checklist on my wiki as a PDF. Here is a direct link. If you want to use it or even change it, feel free. If you need it as a Word Doc for easy editing, let me know and I can email it to you

Google Mars

I recently stumbled upon a new Google "Lab": Google Mars. This is awesome and you need to check it out. You are able to view some of NASA's best images of Mars in a format similar to Google Earth. Check out http://mars.google.com.

More on Copyright and Fair Use

Here is some more information on copyright and fair use. Keep in mind that I am not a lawyer or copyright expert. You are responsible for your own actions.

Four Factors of that Determine if Something Falls Under Fair Use

• The purpose and character of use
• The nature of the work
• The amount and sustainability of the portion used
• The economic impact on the market value of the work

Just Remember
Simply giving credit to a source does not substitute for obtaining permission.
The work you are showing has to be legally acquired.

Showing Movies
If you are showing a movie in class, do not show the whole movie to your class because you do not have public performance rights. If it is for "face-to-face" instruction, you can show it. But, very rarely will you have to show the whole movie in class to convey the point you are trying to get across. Showing a movie as a reward for a class, is a big violation of copyright even though it is in a school. The phrase "for educational use" does not always shield us from copyright repercussions. If you think someone could construct an intelligent argument that proves that you did not need to show as much as you did, I would seek permission or cut back on the amount that you are showing.

Some Limitations
Time - you may use projects for up to two years after the 1st instructional use.
Portion - Text (up to 10% or 1000 words, whichever is less), Music(10% or 30 seconds, whichever is less), Video (10% or 3 minutes, whichever is less), Photos (No more that 5 images by an artist or photographer), Numarical Data Sets (10% or 2500 field entries or cells, whichever is less). these limits are cumulative. You can 10 second from the beginning of a song, 10 seconds from the middle, and 10 seconds from the end of a song, you have reached your limit. Also, if you use 30 seconds of a song, you cannot loop it. If you use the same portion of a song and loop it 3 time within a PhotoStory project, you are breaking copyright because your total use is not 90 seconds for that particular song.
Copying - You may have no more that 2 copies - only one for reserve. Additional copies can be made for preservation purposes but may only be used to replace the original if it is lost, damaged, or stolen.

Intellectural Property Curriculum
http://ipreducation.com/curriculum.html

New Google Search Trick

If you include ~ before your search term, it will include synonyms. So, if I "googled" "~inexpensive cell phones" it would include results for "cheap cell phones" and so on. Give it a try.

You have to check this out!

I was just introduced to chacha.com. You create an account, tell it your cell phone number, and verify your number by replying to a text message they send you. Then, you are able to text questions and they will answer. I asked many different questions and they were able to successfully answer them. I asked it everything from "What was the name of Forrest Gump's boat" to "What is the mean of the first chapter of Tao Te Ching" to "What is Einstein's Theory of Relativity" and they answered them. It is pretty impressive. It does take a few minutes for them to respond. Check it out. I guarantee you will be amazed.

Trading Cards in the Classroom

At the CFF Boot Camp, I attended a session where a History teacher showed us some trading cards the students made for different historical figures. I figured we could us this activity in our history classes by assigning students different historic figures and having them create cards for them. My idea was to print them and laminate them just like the presenter did. However, I would like to see each student walk away with a full set of all the cards made by their class. I am trying to figure out an efficient way to print an laminate all of those cards. If a class has 20 students and each student makes a card, that would be a total of 400 cards to print and laminate for that class. Imagine if the teacher taught that class during three different periods. That would be 1200 cards. I would alsolike to see English teachers use this activity for characters of a story. Image assigning each student a different character from Romeo and Juliet. I made an example for Juliet. I posted it here. If anyone has an idea for an effective way to print an laminate all of these, let me know.

Have Students Create Timeline Online

This resource came across the CFF Listserv yestereday. www.dipity.com allows students to create visual timeline. This site allows you to attach a picture to each event, type a description, and tag locations so the events will show up on a map. I created one and embedded it below.

Transfer Big Files

If you have an exceptionally large file to send to someone, check out http://transferbigfiles.com/

What it Does
The site allows you to upload a file to their site and send a link to the file via email. The file remains available for a couple of days.

How I Discovered This
A couple colleagues and I created a video for the Classrooms for the Future Bootcamp. The final product was 90Mb and my email account would not allow me to send a file that big. (Even if it did, chances are the other person's account would not allow them to receive a file that large) I didn't want to sacrifice quality by making the file size smaller and I didn't want to make our mentor wait for a CD in the mail, so I went looking for a free way to transfer the file. First, I tried to host it on my Wikispaces account and then on my GoDaddy hosted account. It was too big for the free versions I use. Then, my Technology Coordinator recommended TransferBigFiles. It worked great.

Day of Discovery - New Discovery Features

I am attending Discovery Day at IU1 and I have a few things to share with you.

New Features

Discovery Education has improved the Writing Prompt Builder so you can now add up to 3 images. The Quiz Builder can now be programmed to show a remedial video if a students answers a question incorrectly. You can also have videos play before each question. The Calendar shows what happened in history on a certain day. If you choose an event on the calendar, it will provide links to videos or other resources related to that event. The Atlas now contains more countries. For each country the resources are categorized by culture, government, history, and natural world. Our presenter for the morning session was Matt Monjan. His blog address is http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/matt.monjan/
Also, for all the science teachers, Discovery Streaming now has Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Geocaching

Our second session was about geocaching. Geocaching is basically a hi-tech treasure hunt. Our presenter for this session was Bridgett Bilardi. To learn more about geocaching in education, visit Bridgett Belardi's Wikispace: http://www.belardi.wikispaces.com/geocaching
Geocaching is not specific to Discovery Education, but it was a great addition to Day of Discovery.

"The Power of an Image"

Our presenter for this session was Stevie Kline. An image can explain in three seconds what a page of narrative cannot. One example that was given to us was the picture called Federal Troops at Rest, which I posted to the left. Showing this picture can teach our students a lot about the civil war time period. The picture might not tell us the name of important figures or who won each battle, but there is still a lot to be learned from the image. Think about how many different content areas you can use this image for. You don't have to be a Social Studies teachers to make use of it. When you get a chance, find a picture you think you can use in your class. If you see a picture you think would fit and need some help integrating it, I will be more than happy to help you.
The above picture is available from the Library of Congress and it is in the public domain. For those of you unfamiliar with the public domain, I posted a blog about it toward the end of last school year. You should be able to find it in the archives or just Google public domain and I am sure you will find what you need.

Jeopardy Powerpoint

I know I posted a link to a Jeopardy powerpoint template on my Wiki last year. That template was created by another CFF coach. I create my own template today at Day of Discovery that might be a little easier to use. I used general information about trout to create the questions. Just change the category titles and the slides. I have uploaded it to my website. Here is the direct link. It is a 2007 .pptx file. If you need it in 2003, let me know. Also, if you need to add more rows or columns to the main screen, let me know and I will help you.

I am typing this live from the conference so you will have to excuse any spelling/grammar errors until I have a chance to go back over it.

Large Hadron Collider Rap

This video across the CFF Listserv a couple weeks ago and I meant to post it earlier. I guess I forgot until now. I am not sure if you can actually use this particular video in your class unless you teach physics. But, image if you had the students create a rap for some other topic. They would have fun and learn at the same time. Remember, we have access to video cameras from the CFF grant.

Wordle - Create Word Clouds

This resource just came across the CFF Listserv and it looks pretty cool. Wordle.net allows you to create a word cloud using a list of words, a blog, or a list of tags from a del.icio.us account. I created one using some words related to Classrooms for the Future. This literally took me less that 1 minute to create.

Free Power Points at Pete's Power Point Station

Today, another CFF coach shared a resource with us that you should all take a look at. It is called Pete's Power Point Station. There are tons of powerpoint presentation free for the taking. Check it out. You might find something you can use tomorrow!

Photo Tools / Flickr Toys

If you use Flicker or just like taking digital pictures, check out fd's Flickr Toys from Big Huge Labs. You might be able to make something you can use in your classroom. There might not be a lot of educational value in some of the tools, but you are creative. You might think of an ingenious way to use one. I just figured I would see if anyone has some ideas for classroom integration. If nothing else, you can have some fun with it.

Glogster: Poster Yourself

When you get a chance, check out glogster.com. Glogster allows you to take multiple photos and create a poster. I just picked some photos from my Ocean City trip this summer to show you what it can do. I can picture a Language Arts class using this site to create a poster that summarizes a story. Or a Social Studies class could use the site to create a visual timeline that goes through a series of events. Foreign Language classes could create a poster in another language. The possiblities are endless. And, it is free. All you need is an email address.

Student Capitol Day 2008

I create a page on my Wikispace that contains all of the files related to our presentation in Harrisburg. The video that the students made is also posted there. I plan to add some pictures from the capitol after the event.

http://mrruddle.wikispaces.com/capitol+day+2008

User Defined Buttons in ActivStudio

Many of you use other programs at the same time as ActivStudio. Some of you would like to be able to create an icon on the toolbar that links to a specific file or program. That is possible with "User Defined Buttons". I have created a tutorial about "User Defined Buttons" and posted it on my Wikispace.

http://mrruddle.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/userdefinebutton.swf

Send Your Name to the Moon!

If you submit your name to NASA before June 27, 2008, they will add your name to a database that will be placed on a microchip of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Plus, you get a nifty little certificate you can print. Your name will orbit around the moon for years to come. Just go to the website below and enter your first and last name. It is very simple.

http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/index.php

New Google Earth

Google Earth 4.3 (Beta) has been released. Be sure to update your copy. http://earth.google.com/. Also, if you are a Google Earth enthusiast, be sure to periodically check the Google Earth Blog. I check this blog on a regular basis and I find some pretty cool things.

How does PA Compare?

This interactive resource from Education Week allows you to compare different states based on the following categories: access to technology, use of technology, capacity of use, state data system, and data access. You can compare multiple states at one time. How do you think PA will compare? Click this link to see for yourself.

Blabberize History

I had a great idea about how we can use Blabberize in the classroom. For those of you not familiar with Blabberize, it is a website that allows you to upload a picture and make it talk. I thought it would be cool to use it in history class. This is a good way to get historical figures to "talk" to the students. All you need to do is find a picture of the historical figure, upload it to blabberize.com, and talk as if you are that person. I prerecorded what I wanted him to say with audacity and then tweeked my voice. I chose Ben Franklin to test this idea. Check him out below. You'll have to excuse the sound quality, I didn't have a microphone handy and I was using the one that is built into the laptop. Also, pretend that the few seconds of silence at the beginning aren't there.

Scheduling Activotes

The Activotes are becoming pretty popular. I created an online calendar that I will update as people request them. Let me know as soon as you know you need them so I can post it on the calendar. To check the calendar, go to http://mrruddle.wikispaces.com/Cff+Schedule . There is also a link to it on my website (mrruddle.com under the cff schedule link). I will also put my schedule on the calendar so you can see when I will be out of the building.

History Tours in Google Earth

I recently received an email on the CFF Coach Listserv about a project two of my fellow cff coaches have been working on. Jason Heiser and Ian McCoog have created a wikispace that contains .kmz files that allow you to follow different historical events. The site is still getting started but they have done a fantastic job. Kudos to them for taking a fantastic idea and running with it. Check out their project at http://historytours.wikispaces.com

Google Doc Forms

Google Docs recently announced the addition of Forms. You can use forms to automatically gather data for a spreadsheet. You can either email the form to people or give them a url to go to. I have tried this and it is exciting. I was planning to use it for online assessments. To create form, open a new spreadsheet, type the questions in the top line, and click the share button. You will now see an option to create a form. If you choose not to type the questions in the top line, you can add them after you have clicked share. See this page for more info. Once people have completed your form, the information will appear in your spreadsheet.

Video Chat With Multiple People At Once

I wanted to make everyone aware of ooVoo. ooVoo is program similar to Skype but you can video chat with up to six people at once. You can also use ooVoo to send video messages via email. If you use online chat clients or video conference software, ooVoo is a free download and definitely worth a look. Please visit http://www.oovoo.com

Promethean Planet

For those of you who have a Promethean Board, be sure to check out Promethean Planet. Promethean Planet is Promethean's free online resource center. There are many great things you can find on this website, but the most exciting are the resources. Teachers from across the world have uploaded their flipcharts for you to use. There are also resource packs that provide you with more images and graphics. The nice thing is that you can open the resource packs from the website and they will install into the appropriate location in ActivStudio. Just make sure you have ActivStudio closed before you open the resource pack. There are tons of resource packs. One I would recommend is the Action Objects Resource Pack. Oh yeah, if you have a flipchart you are especially proud of you can upload it to the Planet. If yours is determined to be the best of the month, you could get chosen to be the monthly “Teacher Feature”. The winner of this title can receive a FREE IPOD.

Aside from the resources, the site also provides news, professional development, user guides, and a forum. The forum is set up like a discussion board where you can post comments or questions and others can respond. If you have any questions, chances are that someone has already asked it. So, take a look at the forum. Some other sites you may want to check out are prometheanworld.com and prometheanlearning.com.