Audio Boo

My new toy. Listen to what it can do!

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Sciescka

The Book Whisperer

Just finished reading this book this weekend. Here are some important take-aways:

Children who read independently score higher on all academic tests and other measures of achievement.

With more schools regimenting classroom time/activities, less time is left for actually reading.

Reading programs, like accelerated reader, actually decrease reading time in school.

The more reading choices students have, the more they will read.

Newport PD: Wikis and Blogs (11-4-08)

Here are some resources for later reference:

Create a wiki:
http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers Free wikis for teachers (no ads!)
http://pbwiki.com/academic.wiki Free

Browse Blogs:
http://www.bloglines.com

Create a blog:
http://www.blogger.com
http://edublogs.org

Learn more about wikis:
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2007/09/12/02wiki.h01.html Article on using wikis in education – great article

http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english Online video- Wikis in Plain English

Examples of great wikis and blogs:

http://scienceinquirer.wikispaces.com/freestuff For all high school Science Teachers to share with each other

http://dorman-data-digest.wikispaces.com/ High School Social Studies

http://bishopblogs.wikispaces.com/page/diff/home/6816195 High School Wiki

http://room2-wiki6.wikispaces.com/ Elementary (gr.1-2) Dinosaur Wiki

http://bobsprankle.com/blog/ Elementary Classroom Blog

http://roosterreaders.blogspot.com/ Elementary- RI Children's Book Award Blog

http://westwood.wikispaces.com/ Westwood Schools District Wiki (detailed)

For a copy of today's handout, click this link

What is a Wiki?

A wiki is a versatile tool, ideal for collaboration. A wiki is a website with easily edited content. One person can get a bright idea, type it up, then ask peers to check it out. Peers can read, revise, edit, and add their own bright ideas. Soon, there is a working document with all kinds of great ideas, all in one place. Fabulous!

We love this video explaining wikis:

If you can't see the video, click the link:Wikis in Plain English

Library Showcases

So to better demonstrate how integral library instruction, information literacy, and technology are in terms of providing a forum for students to master the content of the regular classroom curriculum, I thought I would create a "Library Showcase" for Coggeshall.

If you have a chance this summer, go to the Coggeshall library page and click on "Library Showcase", and see some of the projects our students completed last year. I'm using Teacher tube to post the video content, and blogger for the showcase.

I am having trouble with Teacher Tube (it takes a long time, isn't always successful), so if anyone has any hints, they'd be most welcome.

2008 RIEMA Conference

The '08 Rhode Island Educational Media Association Conference was held April 28th. I left feeling enlightened and ready to implement new learning into my schools. I directed my day toward digital literacy, as I am taking an online course in Web 2.0 and am particularly interested in these topics.
I attended both of Clint Kennedy's sessions on Blended Learning (face-to-face + online tools= blended learning). I also attended Dave Fontaine's Web 2.o presentation. During Kennedy's second session, and with some skills from Fontaine's course, I was inspired to create a wiki for conference attendees: riema08.wikispaces.com. I added a page for each of the sessions, and included a brief summary of each session under its link. Since then, I have also added session notes for a few of the sessions I attended. Then, I promoted the wiki at the conference. RIEMA members have begun to add to this collaborative tool, for reference now and in the future. Visit the wiki to contribute your reflections about each session, or to add resources and/or lesson plans related to the sessions!

Library Advocacy

Hello, colleagues. As the possibility of cutting a library position in Newport has been announced, I know that Stacey has been gathering thoughts about services that we will need to cut if our position is cut. Jane, I know you have also been preparing ideas.

I'm sure you're aware of the BEP wiki that Dave Fontaine set up. Here's the URL for quick link: http://ribep.wikispaces.com/. I have been reading it with interest, particularly since I have not been able to attend the meetings. Has anyone else been able to attend the meetings? Will any Newport representatives accompany Barbara Ashby when she and other RIEMA professionals attend the Board of Regents meeting?

I think we could set up a portion of our wiki to collaborate on our efforts, while using the BEP wiki to keep track of the overall RI effort. What do you think? Let's meet on the wikis and advocate.