Cool Website of the Week - Scoop.It

Scoop.It is a content curation site, meaning you can find articles, blog posts and other resources based on keyword searches. This social-based site allows you to share these resources in a clean "magazine"-like interface. Scoop.It is ideal for keeping track of information about a specific topic, and enhancing your digital presence.

Scoop.It makes it easy for you to search for suggested content to share on your page. These articles are sorted by their date of publication, so by researching this way, you can keep up with new information. 

You can also download a Scoop.It bookmarklet, so when browsing the Internet, you can share interesting articles at the push of a button.

Scoop.It is great for continual professional development. You can easily share articles and blog posts with your colleagues and other teachers online with similar interests. Create multiple Scoop.Its for all the subjects you are interested in.

You can also consider using Scoop.It with your students. Share current events articles, or information about specific educational topics using this site.

Flipping/Blending/Disrupting the Classroom with Online Video

Learn about "flipping the classroom" from this post on Mr. Chase's other blog: Make EdTech Happen.


Flipping/Blending/Disrupting the Classroom with Online Video


from the post:

With advances in video-capture technology and the introduction of more affordable mobile devices, many teachers are changing the nature of their instruction using online videos. Some are even “flipping” the classroom, assigning lectures for homework, and reserving in-class time for what were traditionally homework assignments.

Making a Google Docs Template

One of the great things you can do with Google Docs is create templates for your students. With these templates, you can create the rough skeleton of a project, and then share this template with students. Students will then make a copy of your template and update the content.

In these directions you can learn how to create your own custom templates. There is another way to more officially "submit" templates that can be shared by the entire community. For more on this, visit Lynda.com: Google Docs > 14. Using Templates

One way create a Template:

In order to create a template, make your document just as you would a regular assignment. When you are ready, share the document by clicking the blue "Share" icon in the top right corner.

On the next screen, you must add people, and then choose what type of editing access to give them. (Hint, add students by typing in their full first and last names, for example: "Chip Chase." The email should automatically appear.)

When adding students to a template, do not give them "editing" access. Instead, give them only the ability to "Comment" or "view" your document. This way, they will not be able to make changes to the template.

When students want to work on a template, they must:

1. Make a copy of the template
2. Change the title from (Copy of Template) to their own title.
3. Students can change the field placeholders that you add.
4. Students share the project with you.

Formatting and Word - Best Practices for Comments

When entering comments into PowerSchool, it is important not to simply cut and paste from Word. Instead, you can "strip" the formatting from your comments, by saving as a text file.

To save a Word Document as a Text File:

1. In Word, go to File>Save As
2. In the popup box, enter your document name, and choose your location as normal.
3. In the Format dropdown box, change from Word Document (.docx) to Plain Text (.txt)

You will be able to paste this text as you normally would into PowerSchool, with Command-V or Edit>Paste.

Cool Website of the Week: Diigo

This week's "website of the week" is Diigo, an online bookmarking site ideal for personal and collaborative content curation. 

With this cloud-based note-taking tool, you can collect bookmarks, highlight web pages directly from your browser, and then share your resources and notes with others by using tags.

Example of highlighted text using the Diigo Toolbar

A site like Diigo is ideal for teachers to share links with students, including important notes and instructions. If students create accounts, they can also share resources with teachers and other students. For example, you can create a common tag, specific to your course or unit that students can associate with a website to share that resource with the group.

Diigo also lets you easily create widgets that can be embedded in your Moodle website.

Example of a Tagcloud widget

About Website of the Week
Every week we will share interesting websites and online resources that might be of interest to teachers.

Student Work in Incompatible Formats

When students work from home, they may use programs that are incompatible with our systems.

For example, Work Perfect documents do not open automatically with Microsoft Office Word. Also, students making movies on Windows Movie Maker cannot automatically show these projects at school. (Windows Movie Maker only works on Windows machines, not Macbooks, and our netbooks do not have enough memory for this program).

In order for students to share their work with teachers or continue working on projects from school, students must be aware of the file types they are using, and know how to save their work into compatible formats.

For Word Perfect:

Students must change the file type format to "MS Word".

1. Click File > Save as.
2. Choose the drive and folder where you want to save the file.
3. Type the filename in the File name box.
4. Choose an MS Word format from the File type list box.
5. Click Save.

For more, see Corel's Website: Working with Microsoft Word Users

For Windows Movie Maker:

Students must finalize or "publish" their movie into a finished format that can be read by our Mac computers.

1. Click File, click Publish Movie.
2. Click This computer, and then click Next.
3. In the File name box, type a name for your movie.
4. In the Publish to box, choose where you want to save your movie once it's published, and then click Next. (Mr. Chase recommends that students choose AVI instead of WMV). 
5. Choose the settings you want to use to publish your movie, and then click Publish.
6. If you want to watch your movie after it has been published, select the Play movie when I click Finish check box.
7. Click Finish.

Use File Conversion Websites

If students have saved into a Word Perfect format, you may be able to use online file conversion websites in order to open the documents.

• Media Converter - Great for multimedia, including videos. Upload or link to a file, choose the output and save the file to your computer.
• Zamzar - Great for documents. Upload a file, choose the output file type, add your email and click "convert"

Use Student Google Accounts

We have begun using Google accounts with our students this year in part to tackle the issue of compatibility from home. Any student with a Google form on file has access to a school email address, as well as Google Docs. Using Google Docs online removes any concern about compatibility, since all you need is an Internet connection.

Saving Files to the Network with the CCPCS Macbooks

Students must save all their files to their personal drives on the network. Any documents saved to the hard drives will be hard to retrieve, if they are not lost altogether.

Saving student (and teacher) work to the server is different for Mac and Windows computers.

Accessing the Network on the Macbooks

On a school-owned Mac, the server should mount the correct server automatically upon login.

To navigate to the server, open a Finder window and noticed that under "Shared" in the left-hand navigation bar, "abbott.ccpcs.org" (for the Lower School) or "costello.ccpcs.org" (for the Upper School) is listed.

If the server does not mount automatically, follow the instructions at the end of this post.

Saving to the Network on the Macbooks

In Word or similar applications, go to Files > Save As when you want to save to the network. The following pop-up box should appear:

Students MUST NOT click save at this screen. Instead follow these directions:

1. Click on the drop-down arrow next to the Save as box.
2. In the dropdown, choose the Costello Server under Shared, then navigate to Students > Student Username.

Manually Connecting to Servers

If you do not see "Abbott" or "Costello" under shared in your Finder window, you will have to manually connect to the server using these steps.

1. In a Finder window, selecting "Connect to Server" under the top menu item "Go"
2. Input:  smb://costello (at the Upper School) and smb://abbott (at the Lower School)
3. You will be prompted to log in and then select a share.  
4. After this, "costello" or "abbott." should show up in the Finder window under Shared.

Saving Files to the Network with the CCPCS Netbooks

Students must save all their files to their personal drives on the network. Any documents saved to the hard drives will be hard to retrieve, if they are not lost altogether.

Saving student (and teacher) work to the server is different for Mac and Windows computers.

Saving on the Netbooks

On a Windows computer, like a Netbook, the server will automatically add a student's folder as a drive under "Computer".  It will be titled with the student's username, along with the name of the server in parentheses: "costello."  You can navigate in this folder by selecting it and selecting any sub-folders to save within.

Accessing Network Files

In order to access Network files, click on the Windows flag in the bottom left corner of the screen, then click Computer. Scroll to "Computer" on the left-side navigation. Choose the username, listed under "Network Location". Students should also be able to see a "Public" folder, where they can save material that other students or teachers can access. (Public folder not pictured below).

Website of the Week - Hoot.me

Hoot.me

This week's "website of the week" is actually a Facebook application that lets students study together online.  Students can share what they are working on (either by subject or "course code") to create impromptu study groups. Students can work together through "smart chat" for easily typed math equations, or video chat.  Soon the website will allow students to share screens between projects.

If properly used, these resources might enhance the use of Facebook as an instructional tool. The site seems to have been designed for higher education, but has potential for High School use.

About Website of the Week
Every week we will share interesting websites and online resources that might be of interest to teachers.