Workshops, info sessions, Pro-D offerings I have presented as a teacher and library coordinator. (As of August 2016, I began working as a district administrator in Surrey - see my other blogs for more current presentations.)
Linda from Tomsett invited me to come to their end-of-June Pro-D to talk about how to make better use of Destiny (our on-line library catalog) as well as how to use the Worldbook on-line encyclopedia and the EBSCO databases.
I've pasted below the Scribd version of the Destiny handout from the session. Step by Step Destiny
The rest of the handouts can be viewed by clicking <here>.
I was asked by Bev at General Currie and Glenda at Spul'u'kwuks to introduce their students to iMovie. They both planned to have their kids use this software package to present learning from a unit they were currently working on, but wanted the students to be familiar with the application before they began.
The mini-project we came up with was a simple, fun presentation that would allow the students to use all the elements of iMovie:
Pick a topic (ie kittens or gummy bears or...)
Find 5 pictures (only five!)
Import pictures.
Place on timeline
Add narration
Add sound effects
Add transitions
Add titles
Tweak final view
Export as a QuickTime file. (Share)
In two sessions, after a brief demo, students were able to produce great little clips that they could show to the class. (An extra bonus: it was exciting to see students helping each other problem-solve issues that came up. )
I also used this same format on a Pro-D session with McNeely staff.
I recently met with Colleen, the TL at Quilchena Elementary. She wanted to rethink her school library web page and was looking for some suggestions to implement. Colleen had already created a Blogger account that she was using as a jumping off point.
Here are some of the things she was looking for:
A place to feature "Book Contest" titles.
A place for kids to review books.
A way to show off the new titles in the library.
A place to list important links for research.
To keep things simple, the "review" feature was moved to a "sister" blog (Cyclone Review) and linked back to the main page. We set up the account so anyone could comment on blog posts (which were really a stem with the novel name and author name), but turned on "comment moderation" so Colleen could screen the reviews before they went live. (While most kids are great, you don't want to be caught having to do damage control!)
Each of the book posts in the sister blog is labeled with the book's title, which allows Colleen to add a "label gadget." This is an easy way to create an index! (See the sample pasted here: As you can see, the contents of the Book Titles feature are listed alphabetically, and make it easy for kids to find the novel they are looking for.
Showing off the new books required a different strategy. For this feature, it was simply a matter of creating a LibraryThing acount, and adding the new titles. (This can be done using the title, author name or even the ISBN using a scanner.) LibraryThing can then generate a widget that supplies random book covers taken from your newly-created collection and serves them up on your blog. Very cool. Here's the link to the library for a look-see: http://cyclonelibrary.blogspot.com/
Near the top, you'll see the "New Titles" widget with book covers. Clicking on a cover icon brings up a short description of the novel.
I had an opportunity to go to a SmartBoard training session. While it was Level 1 (ie for beginners), I did meet some other people in the province doing fun things with this technology, and I did pick up some useful tips and tricks.
Here's a Manual for Notebook on the Mac that I found on-line. (I think it is simply a compilation of the docs on the Smart Tech site.) Notebook-Manual-4-Macs
I met with members of Steves Elementary staff to look at the new Worldbook on-line (3 different versions: kids, Middle school and advanced) as well as some of the EBSCO host magazine databases the district is subscribed to (in particular Novelist). These are services that all Richmond District students and teachers have access to, providing a reliable source of web-based information. While it is important to teach kids how to Google effectively, it is also a good idea to point out the many fact-checked databases they have at their finger-tips. (As an aside, students can also access this information from home with a school code and password, or via RPL with their card number.)
Here's a link to the handout I brought to the session. It explains some of the features of WB on-line.
Novelist and Novelist K-8, are databases accessible using EBSCO. They give reviews of novels, provide suggested reading lists and in some cases teacher activities. Worth checking out to build your reading program. Here's the description from the service:
NoveList K-8 allows you to discover the fiction titles that are popular with young readers as well as titles to use in your classroom. The NoveList Learning Center provides a complete introduction to the product and shows you how to use NoveList to meet the reading needs of your students. NoveList K-8 contains materials for all K-8 grade levels and includes picture books, children's "chapter" books and young adult titles. Updated monthly, NoveList K-8 is your starting place for learning about the books that you and your students need and will want to read!
Students and teachers can get to WB and EBSCO via the eLibrary link that can be found on the District Library directory page. (Follow the links to "databases".) You can also look under the "Visual " tab on your local Destiny library catalog. (Go to your own library, click on "Visual" and then "eResources".) Your teacher-librarians can be a great help in brainstorming ways to incorporate these resources into instruction.
I met with Ruth and Christina to work on setting up some demo ESL podcasts. They both wanted to create mp3s that ESL level 1 and 2 students could use to practice their English skills and speed their mastery of vocabulary and common phrases.
We looked at the variety of ESL audio resources on the internet: there are many! However, some use regional accents or expressions that aren't used here in BC. Ruth and Christina wanted a homemade solution.
I proposed two options: 1) easy but plain, 2) harder but more professional
Method 1 uses the podcast feature built into FirstClass. One of the "new page" options in the "WebPage Folder" on the FirstClass desktop is "Podcast". Users can record their voice with the built in Mac microphone, give the podcast a name, and in seconds it is on the internet for downloading. (This method doesn't allow for editing or sweetening - but it's fast!)
Method 2 uses GarageBand. (PC users could do the same thing with Audacity.) We we planned to record 3 samples: vocab, simple phrases, a listening exercise. After a few trial recordings, we used the following steps:
First, we opened a GB file (New Podcast) and added an extra voice track, and an extra jingle track. (We simply copied existing tracks.)
Then we recorded the first voice, all the way through, reading English vocab words, and leaving an "empty" pause to allow for the Chinese equivalent.
With earbuds plugged in to prevent audio interference, the second voice was recorded onto the second voice track, responding to the English prompts in Mandarin.
We then added a short spoken intro, and some "theme" music (from the GB jingles section.) and then tweaked the timing and volume levels.
Once we were happy with the final version, we chose "Share" from the GB menu, and then "Export Song to disk". We uploaded the resulting mp3 to a webpage for downloading by students. (Here are the samples)
Ruth and Christina are excited about the prospect of creating vocab podcasts grouped around themes. They hope to do the same for additional common classroom phrases. The third sample was a listening exercice: both teachers see lots of potential for this kind of activity.
I met with Lauren and Spencer at Mitchell to plan a Fine Arts project using one of the laptop labs.
Our goal is to have students learn about a Baroque musician, explore some music from the period and then compose some simple "pseudo-baroque" tunes using Garage Band. We decided on a stations approach.
1) The Listening Station: Students can analyze some Baroque tunes by visiting the "podcast page" I've set up. (Here's another good site.)
2) The Composer Research Station: We will ask the teacher-librarian at Mitchell to help us pull some material for this station.
3) The Garage Band Station: The students begin by playing with some demo clips I put together for the activity. Braver souls can try composing from scratch. (I'll post some student samples once we get rolling.)
More: Assorted midi samples and handouts can be found here.
And I've put the student handouts up on Scribd. You can view and print them below:
I've been traveling around to the schools that have booked the portable lab and talking about set up and brainstorming. Having the iBooks in the school (in groups of 10 or 15) gives the teachers great opportunities to extend what they are doing in the classroom without having to move to the computer lab.
Earlier in the year, I was asked to give a Pro-D workshop highlighting some of the features of Word that can help make work easier for student and teacher alike. I created a Word document illustrating a number of "tips and tricks" and then we played with the document to practice each new skill.
My presentation outline, as well as the practice Word template download can be found here.
Kathy M and Sharron brought their Grade 2 classes to the computer lab today to learn about how to use ComicLife. (This fun program is installed on all the Macs in the district and provides lots of great opportunities for students to show their thinking.)
Because students import pictures rather than draw them on the screen, all students can see immediate, "professional" looking results. Budding artists can scan their drawings or hold them up to the Photobooth camera and import them easily.
We began by reviewing with the kids the various elements found on a typical comic book page: the panels, the pictures, the speech and thought bubbles, the "impact" words ("POW", "CRASH") and narration blocks. We asked the students to create a 4 panel page with a title in the first square ("What I Like"), and then insert three pictures of themselves: happy, happier and a little sad. Then they added a 2 speech bubbles and a thought bubble: "I like...", "I really like...", "But I don't like...")
Students had a lot of fun trying out the different options and experimenting with the program. (Plasq has just released a Windows beta that kids can try free for 30 days!)
Here's a sample I made to demonstrate: What I Like2
or
Here are a couple of "how-to" handouts (2 page and 6 page) that teachers might find useful: Comic Life Mini Manual
I recently met with Colleen, the TL at Quilchena Elementary. She wanted to rethink her school library web page and was looking for some suggestions to implement. Colleen had already created a Blogger account that she was using as a jumping off point.
