Make It Interactive...
Please be sure to sign in and that you have emailed the URL to your web-space! We will begin tonight with a group share so you can 'share your enthusiasm' while you share your page...a special thanks to those who volunteered to share!
Tonight's Focus:
Your ‘welcome page’ is a great spot for news and announcements! Students and parents alike can access your site and find out what is going on from calendars to homework. From contact links to what is being learned in class, a welcome page is up front and full of information. A welcome page has in the past been synonymous with ‘website’. And although there is a great wealth of information located here, there is very little interaction outside of your contact information. Consider your welcome page is like a traditional lecture. You state facts. Students and parents listen. Sometimes they do…sometimes they don’t. When you create a site that has more than news and information, you design a ‘wiki’ (except you still control the content). That is the goal of this course.
In week two, it’s time to truly make your webspace come alive for your students. Tonight we will focus on finding online interactive resources to enhance your current areas of study. I call them “Practice Links”, you can call them whatever you like. On the resource tab you will find several sites that assist with compiling resources. Internet 4 Classrooms (http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_2nd.htm) and Sheppard Software (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/ ) is a great start! Some sites require registration and some charge a fee. Most times you are given a free trial. Be sure to take advantage of any that you are given. We have found some worth the money. That’s when it’s smart to pool resources at your grade level to get those really worthwhile sites.
Certainly, Google (http://www.google.com/) is invaluable especially when you know how to conduct a search. It is simple…type in keywords and a list of possibilities is provided. It helps to be creative in your keyword search. For example, be sure to mention kids! If it is an online game you want….be sure to mention it! When looking for math fact games, if you type online math fact games for kids, you get a wealth of them. Just click the hyperlink to investigate to make sure it is what you like. While there visiting, take a screen shot, click on the URL to copy, and then maneuver both onto a Microsoft Word document to have for the future. If you spend a little time organizing your ‘finds’, it is worth it! Check out the screencast in this week’s screencasting presentation for help with this if you need to.
Tonight, you will devote your time to a comprehensive search for activities that will invite your students to interact with technology both in class and at home through your “practice links” page. Of course, you will want to discriminate the sites you link to right now so as not to overwhelm. We have found it good to introduce each one during RC Morning Meeting to eliminate any struggles when students go to visit these sited independently during class or at home. The time you spend troubleshooting any glitches is well worth the independence your kids will demonstrate when on their own. One thing to note: be sure to set your student computer’s browsers to open to your webspace. There is a screencast provided on this week’s screencast page demonstrating how to do this if you need any help.
With all that being said, your mission tonight is to 1.) search, 2.) file (making a Word Doc of your sites...will save you time throughout each year), and 3.) create an interactive page/pages that pertain to your present curricular needs. By all means, collaborate with grade level colleagues. It is a truly rewarding feeling when you are able to share a find with others. Just remember this is reciprocal in nature…make sure to give as well as receive!
So let's design a mock page/pages keeping the Scoring Rubric in mind. 1.) Explanation page 2.) Subject matter pages in a drop down will help students locate your links 3.) Double check to make certain that your links work! There is nothing more frustrating than having a link not take you to the correct site!
Tonight's Focus:
Your ‘welcome page’ is a great spot for news and announcements! Students and parents alike can access your site and find out what is going on from calendars to homework. From contact links to what is being learned in class, a welcome page is up front and full of information. A welcome page has in the past been synonymous with ‘website’. And although there is a great wealth of information located here, there is very little interaction outside of your contact information. Consider your welcome page is like a traditional lecture. You state facts. Students and parents listen. Sometimes they do…sometimes they don’t. When you create a site that has more than news and information, you design a ‘wiki’ (except you still control the content). That is the goal of this course.
In week two, it’s time to truly make your webspace come alive for your students. Tonight we will focus on finding online interactive resources to enhance your current areas of study. I call them “Practice Links”, you can call them whatever you like. On the resource tab you will find several sites that assist with compiling resources. Internet 4 Classrooms (http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_2nd.htm) and Sheppard Software (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/ ) is a great start! Some sites require registration and some charge a fee. Most times you are given a free trial. Be sure to take advantage of any that you are given. We have found some worth the money. That’s when it’s smart to pool resources at your grade level to get those really worthwhile sites.
Certainly, Google (http://www.google.com/) is invaluable especially when you know how to conduct a search. It is simple…type in keywords and a list of possibilities is provided. It helps to be creative in your keyword search. For example, be sure to mention kids! If it is an online game you want….be sure to mention it! When looking for math fact games, if you type online math fact games for kids, you get a wealth of them. Just click the hyperlink to investigate to make sure it is what you like. While there visiting, take a screen shot, click on the URL to copy, and then maneuver both onto a Microsoft Word document to have for the future. If you spend a little time organizing your ‘finds’, it is worth it! Check out the screencast in this week’s screencasting presentation for help with this if you need to.
Tonight, you will devote your time to a comprehensive search for activities that will invite your students to interact with technology both in class and at home through your “practice links” page. Of course, you will want to discriminate the sites you link to right now so as not to overwhelm. We have found it good to introduce each one during RC Morning Meeting to eliminate any struggles when students go to visit these sited independently during class or at home. The time you spend troubleshooting any glitches is well worth the independence your kids will demonstrate when on their own. One thing to note: be sure to set your student computer’s browsers to open to your webspace. There is a screencast provided on this week’s screencast page demonstrating how to do this if you need any help.
With all that being said, your mission tonight is to 1.) search, 2.) file (making a Word Doc of your sites...will save you time throughout each year), and 3.) create an interactive page/pages that pertain to your present curricular needs. By all means, collaborate with grade level colleagues. It is a truly rewarding feeling when you are able to share a find with others. Just remember this is reciprocal in nature…make sure to give as well as receive!
So let's design a mock page/pages keeping the Scoring Rubric in mind. 1.) Explanation page 2.) Subject matter pages in a drop down will help students locate your links 3.) Double check to make certain that your links work! There is nothing more frustrating than having a link not take you to the correct site!