Here is a podcast that I created for the library blog.  I asked one of our avid readers to record a short booktalk on a book that she enjoyed reading and she chose  Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

            twilight-by-stephenie-meyer.mp3

The term podcasting derives its name from Apple’s iPod, but to create a podcast or even to listen to one, you don’t need to own an iPod, or any portable music player for that matter.  In a nutshell, Podcasting is a new type of online media delivery.

Podcasting is becoming increasingly popular in education.  Podcasts enable students and teachers to share information with anyone at any time. 

Listed below are ways Podcasting can be used in the classroom:

• An absent student can download the podcast of the recorded lesson.
• It can be a tool for teachers or administrators to communicate curriculum, assignments and other information with parents and the community.
• Teachers can record book discussions, vocabulary or foreign language lessons,international penpal letters, music performance, interviews, and debates.
• Podcasting can be a publishing tool for student oral presentations.
• Video podcasts can be used in all these ways as well.

Let me know if you are interested in learning how to use this technology tool. 

Seems that our summer vacations are getting shorter and shorter.  With the first week  and hopefully the high temperatures behind us we can now begin to settle into the beginning of this new school year.  

One of the main goals for our library program this year is to introduce Web 2.0 and provide instruction in the use of these information tools in classroom instruction and also in professional development.   Web 2.0 is a neat vehicle for collaborating learning, writing, evaluation, analysis, and presentation.  Being a librarian during this “digital age” is exciting and I look forward to learning with you and leading in our trek through this vast landscape of information and technology.   Each week we plan on featuring one of these tools and how it can be integrated into the curriculum.

Welcome To Our New Teachers

Check out how Janelle Porter, Carrie Radice, and Marrianne Coleman are using yet another Google tool.  If you use any Google tools in any way to help develop classroom instruction,  for student/parent communication,  or for managerial purposes  please share your experiences here.  

Thank you Jannelle for letting us know how you are using Google spreadsheet.

Google has so many useful tools. I just recently used the spreadsheet feature available for those who use Google mail. Prior to this year, Marrianne Coleman, Carrie Radice and I would write all the receipts for prom tickets and then one of us would have to compile a master list of all students attending the prom. This year, my husband suggested we use Google spreadsheets. I created a spreadsheet in Google that I was able to “share” with Marrianne and Carrie. Every time we sold prom tickets, we would individually update this spreadsheet from home, school, or any computer that could access the Internet. It was so convenient and operated very much like Excel.  You can also share documents and calendars. I am using the shared calendar with my students to list all homework. By making the calendar “public,” my students are able to access it from home and get their assignments. Google is so much more than a search engine. You should do some searching yourself and explore the many features!  

Jannelle Porter

Sometimes when I am searching the Internet I become overwhelmed with the necessary task of keeping track of the vast amount of useful information that I find.  Losing my path in a search for previously found information can be quite frustrating not to mention the time wasted backtracking and searching through pieces of paper or word documents for my notes and web addresses.  At last I have discovered a neat new tool to help organize my search results and at the same time add my own personal notes AND not even have to close my browser window.

This tool is the Google Notebook.

You can:

• Clip useful information- Quickly add clippings of web content (images, text and links) straight to your notebook by highlighting the content you want and clicking the “Clip” button in the mini Google Notebook.
• Organize your notes – Keep all your notes organized by creating multiple notebooks for different subjects or by dividing a single notebook into several sections.  You can also easily rearrange your notes by dragging-and-dropping them from one section or notebook to another.
• Get access from anywhere- You can access your Google Notebooks from any computer by using your Google Accounts login.
• Publish your notebook – You can invite friends or classmates to collaborate on a notebook with you,  giving them full access to edit that notebook and add their own notes.  This would be a great way for students to collaborate on a group project.

Open the Google Search Engine

1. click on more>>
2. click on even more>>
3. under Search scroll down to find and click on “NOTEBOOK”
4. click on “take a tour”
5. click on”sign up” if you don’t have a Google Account

 Click on the Google icon for a quick tour of Google Notebook.

We have just received six pre-loaded digital audio books and they are available for check-out. You can listen individually with headphones or plug into your computer speakers and the whole class can listen.  You can bookmark your favorite sections, adjust the speed of the narrator’s voice and it remembers where you stopped.

We have the following titles:  Aespo’s Fables, Bridge to Terabithia, Canterbury Tales, Ethan Frome, Frankenstein, The Art of War, and The DaVinci Code.

Click on the picture for more information.  Let us know if  you have requests for other titles.

When Janelle Porter came into the library last week she was wearing an unusual looking piece of hardware on her collar.  She explained that she was recording her classroom presentations.   I asked her if she would share her idea and experience with the rest of the faculty.  The following is her written explanation.  Thank you Janelle!!

“For the past week and a half I have been wearing a really cool hi-tech Samsung Digital Audio Player attached to my collar with a really hi-tech paper clip!  The audio player records my classes…the paper clip is all I could find to ensure the microphone was close enough to my mouth.  With the technical help of my husband, I record my classes and copy the files to my math website.  It has been quite a challenge to teach my lesson knowing it is being recorded.  I want students to be able to access class sessions if they have been absent so I try to use more descriptive methods.  I try to teach as though I am instructing a blind student.  It is very difficult.  And if you listen to any of the recordings, you might be able to tell that I am not good at it just yet.  One of the other pitfalls is having to listen to yourself as you review the recordings.  I do no enjoy that at all!  Aside from these few hurdles, I think it is really going to be an asset to my classroom.  Students will be able to catch up/review when necessary and parents will have the opportunity to hear what is going on in class!  As a parent, I would embrace this opportunity.  To hear classroom audio, go to www.porterweb.net/math and select either precalculus or AP calculus.  Select audio.  These files take a minute or two to download as they are probably a bit too large.  My next project is to work on compressing them.  Any comments, criticisms, or corrections are welcome!”   Janelle Porter

After attending a workshop last week on Blogging, Wikis, and Podcasting I decided that blogging is the perfect tool for providing a quick and convenient means for professional communication among the teachers, librarians and administration here at Hueytown High. 

The explosion of information made possible by advances in technology has given schools and their library media programs more options to assist students in acquiring information.  The question is, “How do we teach and learn with our students to use our newest technologies to take action to provide ourselves and our students with the essential information?”  

We need to share our stories and ideas that guide our pathways to decision making concerning the gathering and presenting of this information.  Converstions among teachers often lead to better clarity, deeper understanding, and renewal.  Hopefully you will find some of these qualities in this blog as it evolves in addressing our professional needs and quest for information.

Your thoughts?   (Click on ”Add a Comment” to share your thoughts.)