They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants is an alternative rock group -- I guess that's what you'd call them -- who write very interesting songs. They are probably most well known for their songs "Istanbul" and "Birdhouse In Your Soul" from their album Flood. Some of their songs are strange, some of them are funny, some of them are political, and some of them are actually very educational.

I have used They Might Be Giants songs in my science class over the years. My favorite song to use in teaching is "Why Does the Sun Shine". The lyrics begin with, "The sun is a mass of incandescent gas - a gigantic nuclear furnace - where Hydrogen is built into Helium at a temperature of millions of degrees." My 6th graders learn and perform this song every year. We have also learned "The Guitar", which uses the tune of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" to sing about a rocket ship, just for fun. Other science songs include "Mammal", "Meet the Elements", and "Science Is Real". They have an entire collection of science songs on the album Here Comes Science which is now available on iTunes and was featured in Wired magazine.

These songs and some of the music videos that go with them are great for use in the classroom. As with everything else, be sure to preview any They Might Be Giants songs you plan to use in the classroom since some of their songs, like "Science Is Real" are controversial (it mentions the Big Bang Theory) and not all of their non-science lyrics are appropriate for students, but I highly recommend taking a look at some of their music.

Their website is www.theymightbegiants.com/

Classroom 2.0 Conference - Photo & Video in Web 2.0

Cool Tools For Schools

Images:

Flikr

Cooliris

Big Huge Labs

Cameroid
Be careful because with this one they send your images out to their gallery.
But you can also download your photo to your computer.

BeFunky

BlingEasy - may not want to use with the kids

Video Editing:

Animoto

YouTube

Publishing videos on a blog or site:

• You can download, then upload to another site but this can cause problems with file size limitations and copyright.
• You can look for the embed code on whatever site the video is on, but with YouTube this shows related videos after the video has played. You can uncheck the related videos option first, then get the embed code to get rid of this.

ScreenCasting:
Jing

Classroom 2.0 Conference - Speed Demos

Classroom 2.0 Salt Lake City 2009 Wiki

Dropbox
virtual storage space

Google Desktop

Google Custom Search Engine

Destiny

Voki
A speaking avatar
Can be attached to a blog or email
See it in action!

Dowload Helper
Saving YouTube videos

Picnik
Online photo editor

Weebly
Quick, free, online website building
Weebly is planning on creating an educational version so you can have each of your students have a website that can have an online portfolio.

ChaCha
text any questions and get answers texted back to you

Twitter Back Channel

USTREAM
Live feed

Classroom 2.0 Conference - Pocasting

What is Podcasting?
Think of a podcast as a cross between a blog and a radio show

• regularly posted
• published in reverse chronological order
• focus on a particular topic or subject
• listen to on a computer, CD, ipod, mp3 player

How it works...
A podcaster (the person creating it) publishes content to a server and creates an RSS feed to that server. The listener subscribes to that RSS feed. The most popular way to do that is through iTunes.

Caution

• Don't say anything derogatory towards the community, the district, people
• Monitor content
• Listen to the full podcast before publishing
• Whatever you put out there will stay out there for a long time.

Where can you store your podcasts?

• On your school's or district's server - then ask someone who knows how to help you create the RSS feed
• iWeb has a built-in way to help you create the RSS feed.
• You could publish through iTunes U K-12
• The Internet Archive
• Anyone can post their podcasts to iTunes
• In Canyons district we are creating an easy district-wide place to publish and create your feed.
• You could also post things to YouTube and people can subscribe to you on YouTube

Producing Contenet
Audacity
GarageBand

• mp3 format will be audio only
• AAC format allows images to stay in your podcast

Kevin Honeycutt

Notes from the Canyons School District Ed Tech Retreat:
A Conversation With Kevin Honeycutt

Our students need us to lead them in technology use.
Engage in conversation that convinces teachers they need to do this!

The Strongest Dad in the World YouTube video

Teachers love their kids. Go for their heart first. Let them know their kids needs them.

Analogy - The kids are already on the playground, who's on duty?
Kids are doing things right in front of everyone online. They should be thinking about it. What footprint are we/they leaving? Help kids build a digital future.

Talk positively. What can we do to help?

Make connections in networks so you have resources to get help and ideas when you need it.
Be who you really are online. Be in the real world online. Because the online world is the real world.

artsnacks.org

Educational Technology Specialist Essay

Question #2
I have always considered myself a right-brained person. I love music, dance, art, and literature. Growing up, science, math, and computers were for other people. I was capable of using computers and I enjoyed them, but I preferred to go to a musical rather than sit in front of a computer. It wasn't until college that I realized how wrong I was and the potential technology has for enriching my life and the lives of students.
E-mail and the internet were the first "wonders" of technology that I became aware of as I attended college as an undergraduate. As I have progressed in my education and teaching, my awareness and love of technology as a learning tool has greatly increased. In graduate school I definitely moved beyond simple emails to creating websites, blogging, and online college courses. With the advent of more creative and interactive computer programs and technology tools, education has been greatly enriched.
I am someone who learns by hands-on experience. I need to move, create, discuss, and try in order to understand. I have found that most of my students are active and interactive learners too. Technology is able to create new learning environments. It can bring experiences to you -- whether it be a YouTube video that takes students on a tour of Mars or a blog that allows students from around the globe to discuss topics. Contrary to what I once believed, technology is about creativity. It is about collaboration, interaction, and experiencing life. I want to present students with learning opportunities that stretch them, engage them, and excite them. I have used technology to accomplish this with my students.
Technology is for everyone, from the computer programmer to the kindergarten student. When learners engage in meaningful, real-life projects that integrate curriculum and a variety of learning tools and styles, the needs of every learner can be met. Technology in education can provide this kind of opportunity.