Time for an update on places to visit when teaching with technology. Thanks to “Free technology for teachers website” Here are a few of my favorite things!

1. Issuu you publish. I was just looking for a place where my students could make a newspaper or a journal, magazine. Great fun
2. Yudu does much of the same, try and compare.
3. Google translator is also great fun when you get to know people from different places in the world and you want to impress them! Not always the best language but still!
4. To make a thesis for your essay.
5. TypePad is an easy way for students to make blogs. They have launched a new free blogging service
6. In this short TED Talk, atmospheric chemist Rachel Pike gives the audience a sense of how much scientific research goes into producing a climate change headline such as those found in popular newspapers and magazines.
7. Tips for the net:

Image via Wikipedia

Objectives:

1. Students should be able to explain the political institutions in Britain.
2. Know what the House of Lords do
3. Know what the MP’s do
4. Know the work of the prime minister
5. The black Rod, who is he and what does he do?

Taeching methods:

1. Use this PowerPoint to explain.
2. Watch this video from about The Black Rod look at video beneath
   
3. Use this virtual tour of the parliament. Parliament and government.
4. Take virtual tours of the parliament chamber of Lords what do they do?
5. Take a virtual tour of the House of Commons
6. An interview with the speaker of the House of Commons
7. Watch live tv from Parliament.
8. Watch this movie explaining the general election
9. A select committee, what do they do?
10. You’ve got the power.
11. Watch this movie, Democracy? You Decide
12. Gordon Brown in Parliament see how they debate.
13. Read this blog “lords of the blogs“, and write a comment on your own blog, call it: The lords are blogging, my views.
14. Visit the web-pages of the Labour party, the Conservative party and the Liberal democrats

To do

1. Write a summary of the topics above on your blog
2. Prepare a 3 minute talk about the topic
3. Write an article about what you find on the parties’ blogs, what are the main issues today?

done

A school in Norway invites the President.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.

The Nobel Committee will hand over 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.4 million) to President Obama on December 10 in Oslo for winning the historic award. The White House has confirmed to CBS News that President Obama will give all of the roughly $1.4 million that comes with the Nobel Peace Prize to charity.  No word yet on which charity or charities will be the beneficiaries.

Students at Sandvika high school in Oslo Norway have started a project called “a letter to president Obama, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009″. The school uses Web 2.0 to collaborate in this project. In this document written in EtherPad,  they invite the President to visit the school and to hear what the students have to say about choosing a worthy charity for the award money. The  U.S. Embassy writes in a e-mail to the school:

Thank you for inviting President Obama to visit Sandvika VGS. At this point, we are very unsure of the President’s schedule so we cannot make any commitments on his behalf. In all honesty, it will probably take some time before we can suggest any additions to the President’s schedule for Oslo.

It is, however, an interesting opportunity, so I will be happy to include it on a list of possible activities for the Obamas while they are here. The White House will choose what they are able to do, based on the rather tight schedule that faces them.

Read the letter here!

How do we teach using web 2.0 and social media. Is it possible to find new ideas collaborating with other teachers in you PLN? What works well? How do we help the students build their own personal learning networks? Who are the most successful teachers in this area? I am looking for ideas and thoughts on the issue. Please leave a comment!

more about “TeacherTube Videos – Pay Attention“, posted with vodpod

To prepare the students on how to present in class

Methods:

Discuss the following points in class:

1. Read the 18 tips here. Agree – disagree? Make your own liste and narrow the points down to 8
2. Presentation tips. Anything new to add?
3. Funny approach to the problem!

PowerPoint presentation tips from http://www.yourbusinesschan… PowerPoint presentations are either interesting or they stink, but what makes them stink isn’t necessarily because they are full of …

more about “Pimp my PowerPoint – eight powerpoint…“, posted with vodpod

Image by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten via Flickr

I have to agree with Richard Byrne, not a day goes by when I don’t learn something new on Twitter. It is a great way to connect to teachers all over the world and there is so much to learn. I have listed up the places suggested at the website “Free technology for teachers” and I highly recommend everyone to look for tips there!

1. Twitter 4 Teachers wiki. The Twitter 4 Teachers PB Wiki was started by ed tech specialist Gina Hartman. This wiki is organized content teaching area so that visitors can connect with Twitter users who teach the same subject(s).

2. Educators on Twitter is a Google Docs Spreadsheet started by Liz B. Davis. The list is constantly growing as new additions are added almost daily.

3. Twitter for Teachers is a wiki started by Rodd Lucier with the purpose of educating teachers about the use of Twitter as an educational tool and as a professional development tool. You may want to check out who the contributors to the wiki are and follow them. Rodd has also produced a great video demonstrating how to use Twitter, Delicious, and Google Reader to find more Twitter users of interest to you.

4. Jane Hart, founder of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, has compiled a list of nearly 800 educators on Twitter. Each entry is accompanied by a short summary about the Twitter user.

This is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video.

more about “Did You Know 4.0“, posted with vodpod

Image by fredcavazza via Flickr

Objective:

1. To teach your students how they can influence society by using social media

Teaching methods:

1. Listen to this interview with Clay Shirkey
2. Read transcript here
3. In groups of 3 try to think of areas where young people might make a difference; that be in school, in your community or country
4. Write about it on your blog and call it “making a difference” or “my voice”
5. Read this blog from our collaborating school in the US

more about "Anna Deavere Smith’s American charact…", posted with vodpod

People in New South Wales are certainly excited about getting their own computers. Wonder if this excitement is shared by Norwegian students or if it is just as ordinary as books and pencils? And are we seeing  great 21.century learning? Or are the students spending time perfecting Facebook and MSN?

more about “The Digital Education Revolution in NSW“, posted with vodpod

Background

Last month marked the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Here are some web-pages to use in class.

Sites to visit:

1. Make History is a site that was developed by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to give people a place to share their stories of September 11, 2001.
2. Lesson plans from New York Times.
3. I will always remember
4. 9/11  – A remembrance in Film
5. The twin towers sight today
6. Teachers sharing stories about the what they did that day
7. Charlie Sheen on 9/11.
8. Watch movie 9/11

Teaching methods.

1. In groups of 3 make an account of what you remember from that day. If you do not remember ask some who do
2. Marin Sheen asks a question, what is it and what is the answer?
3. Try to list what has changed since that day
4. Write a post on your blog calling it: “9/11 a day we will never forget, the story of the people”

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