It’s Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 and welcome to Episode 128 of TechTalk4Teachers, I'm Tom Grissom. First of all I would like to thank everyone, we do have enough students that our Students Involved with Technology Conference is a go for February 18th. So I want to thank all the teachers out there for getting the word out and all the students signing up and we look forward to a productive conference for the students. Thank you all for getting the word out on very short notice.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(24 minutes 06 seconds)
With us in the studio today is Dr. Cindy Rich, and Dr. Rich is back again this time to talk a little bit about the Teaching with Primary Sources Program here at EIU, and our topic for today is the US Constitution.
Our Constitution and Bill of Rights
Podcast Notes (from TechTalk4Teachers)
January 31, 2012
http://www.eiu.edu/eiutps/topics_constitution.php
Technology Pick of the Week
A Better Calculator
HTML 5 Version
https://www.abettercalculator.com/
Older Flash-based Version
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/
A Better Calculator is a great free browser-based graphing calculator solution for teachers and students.
That wraps it up for episode 128 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank Dr Cindy Rich for joining us today and thanks again to all for spreading the word about the upcoming Students Involved with Technology Conference coming up on February 18th. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom, keep on learning.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Friday, December 30, 2011
Episode 127 – All Hands on Tech – Students Involved with Technology Conference
It’s Friday December 30th, 2011 and welcome to episode 127 of TechTalk4Teachers, I'm Tom Grissom. We have an abbreviated show for you this month as we are currently on semester break here at EIU but I do have some time-sensitive information to share with you. But first, as we transition from one semester to another many technology support personnel are working hard over the holidays to update and improve the technology infrastructure that we use daily.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(6 minutes 47 seconds)
As you come back from break be sure to thank those that provide technology services, as it often goes unnoticed, and when done well is invisible to the average user of technology. This invisibility is the goal of every technology support person but it also means a lot of people go unrecognized for their efforts. Be sure to let someone you know in a support role that you appreciate all the efforts required so that we all can reap the benefits of a reliable and robust network.
The semester break is also a time for many of us to recharge our batteries and prepare for a new semester full of hope and promise of starting anew. Many are also planning for conferences and we have a student technology conference to tell you about this month.
For Illinois students - we have the SIT conference scheduled in February and we need your help to get the word out. The SIT Conference is a one-day technology conference for students and led by students in grades 3 through 12. SIT stands for Students Involved with Technology and this is the second year that Eastern Illinois University will be hosting this event for students located in central and southern Illinois. The theme for the 2012 conference is All Hands On Tech. The conference is scheduled for Saturday, February 18th but the deadline to register for the event is January 18, 2012. There are a total of six hosting sites across Illinois this year and you can register for the closest event to you by visiting the sitconference.org website. The registration deadline is quickly approaching in Mid-January so please help us get the word out to Illinois teachers and students. I will have a link in the show notes to this website as well as promotional flyers for you to share with your school.
http://www.sitconference.org
Here is the press release for this event:
ALL HANDS ON TECH
Students Involved with Technology Conference comes to EIU
Has your child or student ever shown you how to use technology or tell you what is the “brand new thing” to be paying attention to in the tech world? Well, they have the opportunity to show other students and adults too. The Students Involved with Technology Conference is just the place for your student to establish themselves as a young leader in science. The conference is comprised of students from grades 3-12 presenting and sharing their knowledge of technology with their peers.
Each year the SIT Conference strives to expand its accessibility to regions across Illinois. The conference is an annual conference occurring at several sites simultaneously throughout Illinois, and for the second year in a row it is being held at Eastern Illinois University. The conference is set to take place Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Buzzard Hall at EIU.
This is a one-day technology conference for students and led by students in grades three through twelve. SIT strives to replicate an industry-level conference for its attendees, complete with a keynote speaker, snacks, lunch, hands-on activities, competitions, chances to win prizes and the choice of many different technology sessions to attend.
Student presenters develop a 20-minute session on a technology topic of their choice, create a handout for their session, and facilitate a question & answer session following their presentation. Sessions at the conference may include photo editing, digital art, robotics, programming, animation and much more.
The registration fee is $25 per student or adult sponsor, which includes a full day of sessions, a T-shirt, giveaways, snack and lunch. Students who present at the conference must have an adult sponsor for their presentation. All SIT participants must pre-register for the event by the deadline. No registrations will be available at the door.
The SIT Conference is sponsored through the Bloomington-Normal Education Alliance Technology Committee, with partners representing Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Heartland Community College, Unit 5, District 87, Olympia Schools, Regional Office of Education, Bloomington Public Library and State Farm.
With over 100 attendees participating in last year’s event, the conference is looking to have another successful year. Students and sponsors must register to present or to attend the conference at www.sitconference.org. The deadline to register for the event is January 18, 2012. For questions about the SIT Conference, contact JoEllen Hickenbottom at 217-581-5114 or jhickenbottom@eiu.edu.
SIT Conference Promotional Flyers
http://www.sitconference.org/promotional-fliers/
Technology Pick of the Week
My Technology Pick of the Week this week is from the website of the Newseum located in Washington, D.C. Since we are at the end of the year for 2011 this time allows for a reflection upon the events that have occurred over the past twelve months. How things are reported can vary greatly from one location to another and this weeks tech pick gives you the ability to see the front page of newspapers across the country. There is also an archive section that you can explore to see how major events of the past year were portrayed on the front pages of newspapers across the world.
Newseum Front Page Today’s Stories
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/default.asp
Newseum Front Page Archives
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/archive.asp
You can use the Sort Pages by Region link and drop-down menu to sort the newspapers by region and select the newspaper location. There is also an International section that will be of interest to social studies teachers that would make for some great primary source material for items in the news and for a discussion of current events with your classes. Links are provided in the show notes so be sure to checkout the Newseum’s catalog of newspaper front pages from around the world.
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/
That wraps it up for episode 127 of TechTalk4Teachers. Please help spread the word about the upcoming Illinois Students Involved with Technology Conference to be held on Saturday, February 18th at EIU, registration deadline is January 18th so please share with your students and parents as soon as you get back from holiday break. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom, keep on learning.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(6 minutes 47 seconds)
As you come back from break be sure to thank those that provide technology services, as it often goes unnoticed, and when done well is invisible to the average user of technology. This invisibility is the goal of every technology support person but it also means a lot of people go unrecognized for their efforts. Be sure to let someone you know in a support role that you appreciate all the efforts required so that we all can reap the benefits of a reliable and robust network.
The semester break is also a time for many of us to recharge our batteries and prepare for a new semester full of hope and promise of starting anew. Many are also planning for conferences and we have a student technology conference to tell you about this month.
For Illinois students - we have the SIT conference scheduled in February and we need your help to get the word out. The SIT Conference is a one-day technology conference for students and led by students in grades 3 through 12. SIT stands for Students Involved with Technology and this is the second year that Eastern Illinois University will be hosting this event for students located in central and southern Illinois. The theme for the 2012 conference is All Hands On Tech. The conference is scheduled for Saturday, February 18th but the deadline to register for the event is January 18, 2012. There are a total of six hosting sites across Illinois this year and you can register for the closest event to you by visiting the sitconference.org website. The registration deadline is quickly approaching in Mid-January so please help us get the word out to Illinois teachers and students. I will have a link in the show notes to this website as well as promotional flyers for you to share with your school.
http://www.sitconference.org
Here is the press release for this event:
ALL HANDS ON TECH
Students Involved with Technology Conference comes to EIU
Has your child or student ever shown you how to use technology or tell you what is the “brand new thing” to be paying attention to in the tech world? Well, they have the opportunity to show other students and adults too. The Students Involved with Technology Conference is just the place for your student to establish themselves as a young leader in science. The conference is comprised of students from grades 3-12 presenting and sharing their knowledge of technology with their peers.
Each year the SIT Conference strives to expand its accessibility to regions across Illinois. The conference is an annual conference occurring at several sites simultaneously throughout Illinois, and for the second year in a row it is being held at Eastern Illinois University. The conference is set to take place Saturday, February 18, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Buzzard Hall at EIU.
This is a one-day technology conference for students and led by students in grades three through twelve. SIT strives to replicate an industry-level conference for its attendees, complete with a keynote speaker, snacks, lunch, hands-on activities, competitions, chances to win prizes and the choice of many different technology sessions to attend.
Student presenters develop a 20-minute session on a technology topic of their choice, create a handout for their session, and facilitate a question & answer session following their presentation. Sessions at the conference may include photo editing, digital art, robotics, programming, animation and much more.
The registration fee is $25 per student or adult sponsor, which includes a full day of sessions, a T-shirt, giveaways, snack and lunch. Students who present at the conference must have an adult sponsor for their presentation. All SIT participants must pre-register for the event by the deadline. No registrations will be available at the door.
The SIT Conference is sponsored through the Bloomington-Normal Education Alliance Technology Committee, with partners representing Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Heartland Community College, Unit 5, District 87, Olympia Schools, Regional Office of Education, Bloomington Public Library and State Farm.
With over 100 attendees participating in last year’s event, the conference is looking to have another successful year. Students and sponsors must register to present or to attend the conference at www.sitconference.org. The deadline to register for the event is January 18, 2012. For questions about the SIT Conference, contact JoEllen Hickenbottom at 217-581-5114 or jhickenbottom@eiu.edu.
SIT Conference Promotional Flyers
http://www.sitconference.org/promotional-fliers/
Technology Pick of the Week
My Technology Pick of the Week this week is from the website of the Newseum located in Washington, D.C. Since we are at the end of the year for 2011 this time allows for a reflection upon the events that have occurred over the past twelve months. How things are reported can vary greatly from one location to another and this weeks tech pick gives you the ability to see the front page of newspapers across the country. There is also an archive section that you can explore to see how major events of the past year were portrayed on the front pages of newspapers across the world.
Newseum Front Page Today’s Stories
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/default.asp
Newseum Front Page Archives
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/archive.asp
You can use the Sort Pages by Region link and drop-down menu to sort the newspapers by region and select the newspaper location. There is also an International section that will be of interest to social studies teachers that would make for some great primary source material for items in the news and for a discussion of current events with your classes. Links are provided in the show notes so be sure to checkout the Newseum’s catalog of newspaper front pages from around the world.
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/
That wraps it up for episode 127 of TechTalk4Teachers. Please help spread the word about the upcoming Illinois Students Involved with Technology Conference to be held on Saturday, February 18th at EIU, registration deadline is January 18th so please share with your students and parents as soon as you get back from holiday break. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom, keep on learning.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Episode 126 - Social media, digital footprints, and PLNs
It’s Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 and welcome to episode 126 of TechTalk4Teachers, I'm Tom Grissom. This month we will be talking about social media and how educators are using it to great advantage for sharing information and resources and also in developing personal and professional learning networks, commonly referred to as PLNs.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(36 minutes 33 seconds)
First up we have an interview with Dave Meister, a local principal from Paris Cooperative High School located about 30 minutes from EIU. Mr. Meister recently participated in a job fair for new teachers held at EIU and he shares how he uses Twitter and other social media to connect with other educators. We discuss the importance of having a professional digital footprint and what considerations go into the hiring process of new teachers. We also discuss the importance of collaborating with other educators and continually updating your knowledge and skills as an educator. Social media tools when used with a purpose and spirit of collaboration offer tremendous potential for educators. Because social media tools are relatively new we are just in the beginning stages of exploring the beneficial ways of using them. As always, when using any Web 2.0 technology, be sure to follow your organizations policies regarding social media and maintain a positive and professional digital footprint.
After my conversation with Principal Meister we have Dr. Cindy Rich from the Teaching with Primary Sources program here at EIU and she shares how the Library of Congress is using social media to share their mission with educators from all around the world. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr are all being used to share information and resources from the Library of Congress, but first we have our phone interview with Dave Meister.
Dave Meister Interview
Cindy Rich Interview
Technology Pick of the Week
My Technology Pick of the week this week is the K12onlince conference. The K12 Online Conference occurs annually and has been a featured Tech Pick of the Week on previous episodes of TechTalk4Teachers podcast.
K12 Online Conference
http://k12onlineconference.org/
http://k12onlineconference.org/
K12 Online Conference Schedule 2011
http://k12onlineconference.org/?page_id=824
http://k12onlineconference.org/?page_id=824
This is a timely pick because today, November 30th , is the third day for this online conference and it continues through December 9th, 2011. The theme for this years conference is Purposeful Play. Presentations are pre-recorded videos that educators across the world share at this conference and many presenters have blogs and Twitter addresses. The sessions of the K12 Online Conference are also archived so you can watch the video sessions when it is convenient for you if you cannot view it at the time in the conference schedule. The asynchronous nature for this conference is a blessing for many a busy educator that cannot attend face-to-face conferences due to either budget constraints or scheduling issues. Face-to-face conferences are still very important but many educators find more value in face-to-face conferences when they have established a previous online relationship with other educators. A simple service like Twitter when used with a purpose of building a professional learning network amplifies your professional relationships that occur overtime both online and face-to-face.
Adding other teachers to your own Professional Learning Network allows you to have access to many of the best and brightest educators from around the world. If you choose the people you follow strategically you will learn many new things as you will see all tweets from the people you follow in your Twitter stream. Social media is a big topic and everyone has their own definition of what it is. Social media is continuing to evolve and when used purposefully with a little common sense and netiquette many will find benefits that make it worthwhile.
That wraps it up for episode 126 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank Dave Meister and Dr. Rich for sharing how they are using social media, if you are on Twitter you can follow Mr. Meister @phsprincipal The Library of Congress has a Twitter account and can be followed @librarycongress If you would like to follow me on Twitter my twitter name is @tomgrissom
Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom, keep on learning.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Episode 125 - Veterans Day 11th hour 11th day 11th month
It’s Monday, October 31, 2011 and welcome to episode 125 of TechTalk4Teachers, I'm Tom Grissom. Well you can probably tell by the intro that today marks Halloween in the United States. Many cities have already hosted trick or treat nights around the country where children (and adults) dress up in their costumes and visit neighborhood houses for the annual ritual of trick or treat night and/or attend Halloween parties. Tonight is the official night for Halloween so if you see a few characters dressed up in some unusual costumes don’t be too afraid.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(24 minutes 15 seconds)
Veterans Day Interview Show Notes:
Theme Intro: Observing Veteran’s Day and Teaching with loc.gov Music
On 11/11/11 we will observe Veterans Day. Many schools are choosing to have students attend classes on this day to use this opportunity to celebrate our Veterans, connect with communities and focus on topics and themes that may otherwise not be in curriculum. Regardless of whether we are looking at nationally discussed topics like progressions in medicine resulting from war, geographic influences on military strategies with maps, individuals that played important roles in our history, songs by the military and civilians or deeply personal stories of veterans, their correspondence home, drawings and photographs and diaries.
Veterans Day
To provide teachers with another tool to use in their classroom as we observe Veteran’s Day, TPSEIU created two pages on our site within our Special Projects area. http://www.eiu.edu/eiutps/ The first is titled Veterans Day http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/veteran_day.php and provides links to many resources within the Library of Congress, the most poignant being the Veteran’s History Project http://www.loc.gov/vets/vets-home.html.
In addition, our Patriotic Songs http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/patriotic_songs.php has become really popular because we highlight official songs of branches of the US Armed Forces. The songs are shared through sheet music, audio, and information from the Library of Congress and links to the official website of that military branch.
Teaching with Music - Types of Primary Sources
Music created at a specific place or point in history is a powerful primary source. Students know that they are drawn to particular songs, artists or types of music. We can use this information to encourage them to analyze the lyrics and music from other times and places to gain a better understanding of life at that time.
Music is available at the Library of Congress site in the form of audio, sheet music and lyric sheets.
1. Sheet music is typically found in in jpeg and PDF format for printing.
2. Lyric or Song Sheets are also found in jpeg and PDF format and were often distributed to gatherings for sing-alongs.
3. Audio may be found in RealMedia or MP3 format. This audio can be downloaded and saved.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia
A search from the homepage will let you look for topics and type of resource. A wonderful area is the Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts/. Look at the Special Presentations for prepared sets with background information and highlighted items.
One of my favorites is Patriotic Melodies http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/patriotic/patriotic-home.html that tells the stories behind some of our countries most recognized songs.
Yankee Doodle - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000025/default.html is available in sheet music from 1845 and 1862, song sheets and sound recordings as early as 1897.
God Bless America - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000007/default.html You can find Irvin Berlin’s handwritten lyrics, however you will only find 30 second MP3 and RealMedia audio due to copyright restrictions.
Be sure to look at the BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION for the primary source - you will find restrictions and more!
Copyright
Copyright and Primary Sources from the Library’s Teachers Page http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/copyright.html offers questions and answers about copyright and fair use.
Taking the Mystery out of Copyright is an interactive page for teachers and students http://www.loc.gov/teachers/copyrightmystery/
Citations
One key point to remember is to always cite your sources. It is important that we model this for students and show that we are respectfully giving credit where credit is due. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/citing.html
Technology Pick of the Week
I have two Technology Picks for this week, the first marks another milestone in human history. The United Nations has estimated that the 7 billionth human will be born today, October 31, 2011. With the world population continuing to grow it is evident that our collective actions have an increasing impact on planet earth. I have provided a link in the show notes to a United Nations website called 7billionactions.org where you and your students can learn more about population growth and how it impacts all of us.
United Nations - 7 billion actions website
http://www.7billionactions.org/
This website provides plenty of topics for you to use with your students to discuss population growth and what we can do as individuals to reduce the detrimental effects that population growth upon planet Earth.
My second tech pick this week is a mashup of Google Maps and the local newspapers. A link is provided in the show notes.
Newspaper Map with Google Maps
http://newspapermap.com/
This site presents a Google map of the world with place markers for many of the worlds newspapers. This is a great site to use for current events as you are able to select a newspaper in another part of the world and get the perspective of that locality. The markers are color coded by language. Many times I am interested in a story I briefly hear about in the news but would like to learn more about. For example the recent earthquake in Turkey was briefly mention by American news rooms but provided little detail. I went to the Google Newspaper map and clicked on a marker in Turkey that brought up the local newspaper but it was not printed in English. This was no problem as this site also uses Google translate to translate the pages to English. It is true that the translation is not perfect but it gives you enough information that you can learn more about whatever article you are interested in. Give it a try the next time you are looking for something specific about another country in the world.
That wraps it up for episode 125 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank Dr. Rich for being a guest on todays show and sharing patriotic music available from the Library of Congress and for providing an over view of Veterans Day. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom, keep on learning.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(24 minutes 15 seconds)
In a couple of weeks we will observing Veterans Day here in the United States so we have invited Dr. Cindy Rich back with us today to discuss and share some of the patriotic music resources that are available from the Library of Congress. Dr. Rich is the Director of the Teaching with Primary Sources program here at EIU and her office has created a couple of web pages with resources to share with us this month related to Veterans Day as well as information about some of the patriotic music that is available at the Library of Congress website.
Veterans Day Interview Show Notes:
Theme Intro: Observing Veteran’s Day and Teaching with loc.gov Music
On 11/11/11 we will observe Veterans Day. Many schools are choosing to have students attend classes on this day to use this opportunity to celebrate our Veterans, connect with communities and focus on topics and themes that may otherwise not be in curriculum. Regardless of whether we are looking at nationally discussed topics like progressions in medicine resulting from war, geographic influences on military strategies with maps, individuals that played important roles in our history, songs by the military and civilians or deeply personal stories of veterans, their correspondence home, drawings and photographs and diaries.
Veterans Day
To provide teachers with another tool to use in their classroom as we observe Veteran’s Day, TPSEIU created two pages on our site within our Special Projects area. http://www.eiu.edu/eiutps/ The first is titled Veterans Day http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/veteran_day.php and provides links to many resources within the Library of Congress, the most poignant being the Veteran’s History Project http://www.loc.gov/vets/vets-home.html.
In addition, our Patriotic Songs http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/patriotic_songs.php has become really popular because we highlight official songs of branches of the US Armed Forces. The songs are shared through sheet music, audio, and information from the Library of Congress and links to the official website of that military branch.
Teaching with Music - Types of Primary Sources
Music created at a specific place or point in history is a powerful primary source. Students know that they are drawn to particular songs, artists or types of music. We can use this information to encourage them to analyze the lyrics and music from other times and places to gain a better understanding of life at that time.
Music is available at the Library of Congress site in the form of audio, sheet music and lyric sheets.
1. Sheet music is typically found in in jpeg and PDF format for printing.
2. Lyric or Song Sheets are also found in jpeg and PDF format and were often distributed to gatherings for sing-alongs.
3. Audio may be found in RealMedia or MP3 format. This audio can be downloaded and saved.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia
A search from the homepage will let you look for topics and type of resource. A wonderful area is the Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts/. Look at the Special Presentations for prepared sets with background information and highlighted items.
One of my favorites is Patriotic Melodies http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/patriotic/patriotic-home.html that tells the stories behind some of our countries most recognized songs.
Yankee Doodle - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000025/default.html is available in sheet music from 1845 and 1862, song sheets and sound recordings as early as 1897.
God Bless America - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200000007/default.html You can find Irvin Berlin’s handwritten lyrics, however you will only find 30 second MP3 and RealMedia audio due to copyright restrictions.
Be sure to look at the BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION for the primary source - you will find restrictions and more!
Copyright
Copyright and Primary Sources from the Library’s Teachers Page http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/copyright.html offers questions and answers about copyright and fair use.
Taking the Mystery out of Copyright is an interactive page for teachers and students http://www.loc.gov/teachers/copyrightmystery/
Citations
One key point to remember is to always cite your sources. It is important that we model this for students and show that we are respectfully giving credit where credit is due. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/citing.html
Technology Pick of the Week
I have two Technology Picks for this week, the first marks another milestone in human history. The United Nations has estimated that the 7 billionth human will be born today, October 31, 2011. With the world population continuing to grow it is evident that our collective actions have an increasing impact on planet earth. I have provided a link in the show notes to a United Nations website called 7billionactions.org where you and your students can learn more about population growth and how it impacts all of us.
United Nations - 7 billion actions website
http://www.7billionactions.org/
This website provides plenty of topics for you to use with your students to discuss population growth and what we can do as individuals to reduce the detrimental effects that population growth upon planet Earth.
My second tech pick this week is a mashup of Google Maps and the local newspapers. A link is provided in the show notes.
Newspaper Map with Google Maps
http://newspapermap.com/
This site presents a Google map of the world with place markers for many of the worlds newspapers. This is a great site to use for current events as you are able to select a newspaper in another part of the world and get the perspective of that locality. The markers are color coded by language. Many times I am interested in a story I briefly hear about in the news but would like to learn more about. For example the recent earthquake in Turkey was briefly mention by American news rooms but provided little detail. I went to the Google Newspaper map and clicked on a marker in Turkey that brought up the local newspaper but it was not printed in English. This was no problem as this site also uses Google translate to translate the pages to English. It is true that the translation is not perfect but it gives you enough information that you can learn more about whatever article you are interested in. Give it a try the next time you are looking for something specific about another country in the world.
That wraps it up for episode 125 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank Dr. Rich for being a guest on todays show and sharing patriotic music available from the Library of Congress and for providing an over view of Veterans Day. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom, keep on learning.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Episode 124 – 2011 Illinois Teacher of the Year
It’s Friday September 30th, 2011 and welcome to episode 124 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. This episode we have an excerpt from a recent presentation given by the 2011 Illinois Teacher of the Year to a group of EIU preservice teachers from earlier this month. The Teacher of the Year event was organized by the EIU chapter of the Association for Childhood Education International. We also have another Teaching with Primary Sources segment where we will be talking with Dr. Cindy Rich the Director of the Teaching with Primary Sources program here at EIU about natural disaster resources available from the Library of Congress. September has also had a large number of technology related announcements so I will also share my Technology Pick of the Week.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(46 minutes 24 seconds)
First up we have Annice Brave, the winner of the 2011 Illinois Teacher of the Year Award. She recently talked about a variety of topics related to education at an evening event here on campus. Her talk covered current educational news items including the movie Waiting for Superman, the Save our Schools march held this summer in Washington DC, how poverty is impacting our local schools and she ends her presentation by sharing her recent experiences with the other Teacher of the Year award winners from across the United States at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Without further delay here is an excerpt from the 2011 Illinois Teacher of the Year presentation given by Annice Brave to teacher education students here at Eastern Illinois University.
Matt Damon speaks before SOS March
Teach like a Champion Book
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Champion-Techniques-Students/dp/0470550473/
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Champion-Techniques-Students/dp/0470550473/
Teach Like your Hairs on Fire Book
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Your-Hairs-Fire/dp/0670038156/
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Like-Your-Hairs-Fire/dp/0670038156/
Teaching with Primary Sources
Natural Disasters
September 30, 2011
Introduction
September 30, 2011
Introduction
When teachers are looking for resources relative to this topic, the Library of Congress may not be the first place that comes to mind to look. Remember, primary sources are created for every event and come in many formats.
Natural disasters seem to be headlining the news more frequently. The story may have played out on the other side of the globe or within our own state or community. Even if we are not directly impacted by the event, it is amazing how many different disciplines and topics these discussions fit into. Regardless, we want to show our students ways that they can connect with these events and hopefully encourage them to learn more.
Let’s take a look at the diverse scenarios relative to nature taken to the extreme are reflected in the Library of Congress digitized collections. We can take a look at items from the basic level of recognizing what they are, to how they fit into curriculum and sample activities that develop critical thinking skills.
Basic level of understanding: what are natural disasters and what types of primary sources exist that are relative? - earthquake, tornado, flood (hurricane, tsunami), drought (dust bowl), heat wave, blizzard, volcano & more.
- Basic search from homepage www.loc.gov for images, maps, docs, etc. – when I enter flood in the search box there are 6468 items displayed. I am shown a long list of relative terms such as flood control, floodplain, floods Mississippi, floods 1920-1930… The same would happen for tornado, blizzard, etc.
- Today in History http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/archive.html– archive search for flood gave 12 hits ranging from the 1775 creation of the Army Corp of Engineers to modern day. We heard about flooding farms and rerouting the Mississippi in So IL this year and I was fascinated by information on the Hoover Dam.
Ideas for different content areas
- Science – the most obvious fit. Beyond the homepage, primary sources in American Memory collection http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html Weather and events are referenced in the papers of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln as well as those from the Chicago Daily News, Prairie Settlement and more. Do you know about Everyday Mysteries? http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/ from the Kids and Families link. Science based questions with answers and an opportunity to ask questions.
- Geography – Map Collections http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html offer resources for studying changes in landscapes over time, Places in the News http://www.loc.gov/today/placesinthenews/ .
- Social Studies/History – Use maps to research impact on communities, culture over time.
- Languages arts- setting and context, dust bowl 6 in American Memory – America from the Great Depression to World War II (Photographs from the FSA/OWI 1935-1945) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsowhome.html , American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/wpahome.html and Voices from the Dust Bowl http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tshome.html
Taking it into the Classroom and Critical Thinking
Nature’s Fury – 7 a lesson for grades 6-12 looking at personal stories about natural disasters from the late 19th and early 20th centuries through newly invented motion pictures, panoramic photos, personal accounts and poignant song lyrics. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/nature/
Topics in Chronicling America – 8 The Great San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 – various articles that students can review and compare perceptions from different newspapers http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/earthquake.html
Next month in honor of Veterans Day we will look at music available at www.loc.gov and discuss copyright, fair use and guidelines.
Technology Pick of the Week
My Technology Pick of the week this week is from the recent Amazon event held Wednesday in new York City. Amazon announced three new Kindle devices to add to their staple of ebook readers but the big news of the event was the affordable prices that will most likely bring the use of ebooks to the masses. The lowest cost device is the all new Kindle coming in at a price of $79. The middle model comes in two flavors and is called the Kindle Touch that has wifi with a price of $99 and the Kindle Touch 3G that has Whispersync that allows the purchase and downloading of content over the 3G network. The big news of the day however is the new Kinndle Fire that is a color tablet similar to the iPad but at less than half the cost with a starting price of $199. The Kindle Fire not only is an ebook reader but is also a tablet device that can playback HD movies and also download apps from the Amazon Store. These prices are the most affordable we have seen to date and most likely will give ebooks a boost with the general public.
“We are excited to announce four new products: the all-new Kindle for only $79, two new touch Kindles – Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G – for $99 and $149, and a new class of Kindle – Kindle Fire – a beautiful full color Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games, web browsing and more, for only $199.”
That wraps it up for episode 124 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank the 2011 Illinois Teacher of the Year award winner, Annice Brave, for sharing her presentation. I also want to thank Dr. Rich for her Teaching with Primary Sources segment on natural disasters this month. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom. Keep on Learning.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Episode 123 – September 11 Resources From The Library of Congress
It’s Wednesday August 31, 2011 and welcome to episode 123 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. It is the end of August and thousands of educators are going back to school all across the nation. This month we have some September 11th resources to share with you as this year marks the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Dr. Cindy Rich is back again to share resources from the Library of Congress that teachers may be interested in using in the classroom. But first I want to take a moment to recognize the many individuals that have worked very hard over the summer to prepare for the first week of school.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(27 minutes 03 seconds)
Before teachers and professors return to school there is an invisible army of support staff that have been working away all summer to make the first week of back to school a successful one for students. From building service workers that have been doing maintenance, cleaning, and waxing of floors to the technical support staff that have been busy adding wireless Internet connections, installing new equipment, repairing old equipment, and updating software this time of year is always hectic. So if you see someone in the hallways that has made your life a little easier this week be sure to give them a thank you for all their efforts.
I want to personally give a salute to all the support staff that work tirelessly that are often unrecognized for all their efforts. We here at EIU are off to a smooth start to the school year and that is in no small part attributable to all the work that occurs over the summertime by numerous individuals that have things ready to go for the first week back to school. So thank you to all the dedicated staff that make a difference for a successful start to the school year.
At our university we have installed hundreds of new computers, updated thousands, and improved the network to handle increasing traffic. All of this is unnoticed unless something goes wrong. When you click your mouse on a link it just works. It just works because of all the preparation and hard work that goes into providing the services required to support a modern school.
TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES AND THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on America and many teachers will be looking for resources to share with students in a couple of weeks. Here is my interview with Dr. Cindy Rich who gives an overview of primary sources available at the Library of Congress website.
Eastern Illinois University Teaching With Primary Sources September 11 Webpage
http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/911.php
http://www.eiu.edu/~eiutps/911.php
HOMEPAGE SEARCH
http://www.loc.gov --> search box (upper right corner)
(EXHIBIT) WITNESS & RESPONSE: SEPTEMBER 11 ACQUISITIONS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911
http://www.loc.gov --> search box (upper right corner)
(EXHIBIT) WITNESS & RESPONSE: SEPTEMBER 11 ACQUISITIONS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911
(AMERICAN MEMORY) SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, DOCUMENTARY PROJECT
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/911_archive/
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/911_archive/
(TEACHERS PAGE) COLLECTION CONNECTION FOR SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, DOCUMENTARY PROJECThttp://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/september11/
(these are the classroom activities in the areas of history, critical thinking and arts and humanities)
(these are the classroom activities in the areas of history, critical thinking and arts and humanities)
Reflections on September 11 - Share Your Story – YouTube/New York Times
Teaching about September 11 Using Primary Sources from the Library of Congress
http://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2011/09/teaching-about-september-11-using-primary-sources-from-library-of-congress/
Technology Pick of the Week
My Technology Pick of the Week this week are a couple of interactive timelines about the 9/11 tragedy. The History Channel offers a timeline along with a host of multimedia content including video, photos, audio, and interactive maos. A link is a available in the show notes:
My Technology Pick of the Week this week are a couple of interactive timelines about the 9/11 tragedy. The History Channel offers a timeline along with a host of multimedia content including video, photos, audio, and interactive maos. A link is a available in the show notes:
I have also linked to a 911 Memorial website with timeline of the events of that day.
These websites are interactive and allow you to scroll through a timeline to see a breakdown of the events of that tragic day.
There will also be many memorial services on 9/11 across America so be sure to checkout the opportunities to attend in your local area to Commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy. Here at EIU there are several events scheduled during the week of 9/11 including a candle light vigil & memorial service on Sunday evening the 11th on the quad as well as many guest speakers scheduled to speak at various events throughout the week.
That wraps it up for episode 123 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank Dr. Rich for being a guest on todays show. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom.
Keep on learning…
Friday, July 29, 2011
Episode 122 - Looking for the Oregon Trail
It’s Friday, July 29th 2011 and welcome to episode 122 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. This month we have a couple of special segments to share with you, first I have a debriefing with Brian Poulter, we had Brian on the show a couple of episodes ago back on Episode 120 when he was about to leave on a motorcycle trip to follow the Oregon Trail. Brian is now back from his trip and has some interesting stories to share with us.
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(33 minutes 43 seconds)
Following the Oregon Trail segment I will have an interview with Dr. Cindy Rich from the Teaching with Primary Sources grant here at EIU who I have invited back again to share more about digital resources available from the Library of Congress. In talking with Dr. Rich after last months show we thought we would try to make a new recurring segment called Teaching with Primary Sources to incorporate into the TechTalk4Teachers podcast to share the many things made available to teachers from the TPS grant.
So once again we have a lot to cover so let’s get started.
Looking for the Oregon Trail
In the End
http://brianpoulter.com/?p=438
Tragedy Strikes
http://brianpoulter.com/?p=403
Picture of Graves with Mt Hood in Background
http://brianpoulter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/hood.jpg
Teaching with Primary Sources
EIU Teaching with Primary Sources Website
http://eiu.edu/~eiutps/
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/index.html
Library of Congress Site Update Sheet
http://eiu.edu/~eiutps/2011_LC_Updates.pdf
Kitten on the Keys Music
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/papr:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(edrs+50898l))+@field(COLLID+edison))
Technology Pick of the Week
My Technology Pick of the Week this week is a TED video by Matt Cutts. Matt gives an excellent talk about trying something new for 30 days. When Brian Poulter and I talked about Oregon Trail trip we threw out a challenge to you for trying something new over the summertime and sharing that experience. Brian also mentioned that he would be doing another photo a day experience this fall. I believe as educators we must constantly sharpen our saws and hone our skills to make us better educators. Becoming stagnant and stuck in a rut is a death knell for an educator.
TED Talks Homepage
http://www.ted.com/
Having a time of purposeful practice is absolutely necessary in order to improve any skill. The only way to achieve that is with commitment and focus. You can read and dream all you want but the effects of actually doing something is the only way to improve, there is a price to pay for getting better at something. Since education is all about constant improvement, by learning new things we need to consciously make decisions about what area of life we would like to improve.
I have provided a link in the show notes to the TED talk by Matt Cutts about such taking a 30 day challenge.
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html
Learning takes time and repetition and it turns out that focusing on something for 30 days provides just enough time to create new habits (or break bad ones).
If you are not familiar with the TED talks you should really check them out. There are nearly 1000 videos of some of the worlds best and brightest thinkers at the TED website where videos of short 20 minute or less presentations are available about what the speakers are passionate about.
Here is what the TED website says, “TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design”
So, if you have a little extra time this summer and have not yet experienced TED Talks, or even if you have, I encourage you to visit the TED website and do a search on whatever topic of interest and sit back, watch, and be inspired.
That wraps it up for episode 122 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank Brian Poulter and Cindy Rich for being guests on todays show. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom. Keep on learning…
Right Click Here to Download MP3
(33 minutes 43 seconds)
Following the Oregon Trail segment I will have an interview with Dr. Cindy Rich from the Teaching with Primary Sources grant here at EIU who I have invited back again to share more about digital resources available from the Library of Congress. In talking with Dr. Rich after last months show we thought we would try to make a new recurring segment called Teaching with Primary Sources to incorporate into the TechTalk4Teachers podcast to share the many things made available to teachers from the TPS grant.
So once again we have a lot to cover so let’s get started.
Looking for the Oregon Trail
In the End
http://brianpoulter.com/?p=438
Tragedy Strikes
http://brianpoulter.com/?p=403
Picture of Graves with Mt Hood in Background
http://brianpoulter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/hood.jpg
Teaching with Primary Sources
EIU Teaching with Primary Sources Website
http://eiu.edu/~eiutps/
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/index.html
Library of Congress Site Update Sheet
http://eiu.edu/~eiutps/2011_LC_Updates.pdf
Kitten on the Keys Music
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/papr:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(edrs+50898l))+@field(COLLID+edison))
Technology Pick of the Week
My Technology Pick of the Week this week is a TED video by Matt Cutts. Matt gives an excellent talk about trying something new for 30 days. When Brian Poulter and I talked about Oregon Trail trip we threw out a challenge to you for trying something new over the summertime and sharing that experience. Brian also mentioned that he would be doing another photo a day experience this fall. I believe as educators we must constantly sharpen our saws and hone our skills to make us better educators. Becoming stagnant and stuck in a rut is a death knell for an educator.
TED Talks Homepage
http://www.ted.com/
Having a time of purposeful practice is absolutely necessary in order to improve any skill. The only way to achieve that is with commitment and focus. You can read and dream all you want but the effects of actually doing something is the only way to improve, there is a price to pay for getting better at something. Since education is all about constant improvement, by learning new things we need to consciously make decisions about what area of life we would like to improve.
I have provided a link in the show notes to the TED talk by Matt Cutts about such taking a 30 day challenge.
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html
Learning takes time and repetition and it turns out that focusing on something for 30 days provides just enough time to create new habits (or break bad ones).
If you are not familiar with the TED talks you should really check them out. There are nearly 1000 videos of some of the worlds best and brightest thinkers at the TED website where videos of short 20 minute or less presentations are available about what the speakers are passionate about.
Here is what the TED website says, “TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design”
So, if you have a little extra time this summer and have not yet experienced TED Talks, or even if you have, I encourage you to visit the TED website and do a search on whatever topic of interest and sit back, watch, and be inspired.
That wraps it up for episode 122 of TechTalk4Teachers. I want to thank Brian Poulter and Cindy Rich for being guests on todays show. Show notes for this episode and archived episodes are available on the web at the EIU Instructional Technology Center website at eiu.edu/itc To leave a comment or suggestion, please send an email to techtalk@eiu.edu or leave a comment on the Tech Talk for Teachers blog. Until next time, this is Tom Grissom. Keep on learning…
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