Get2Know Metcalf Tech

YouTube Videos you really want as MyTube

2010-03-16T09:10:00.004-05:00

Sometimes we find something on YouTube that we simply must have.
Why rely on the Internet or risk someone taking the video down?
www.keephd.com is a great solution for those trying to save some really good content for use in the classroom, where you just have to have the video available.

Keep in mind, just as you can capture a video of someone else, the same can be done to you and your students.
Good time to teach them about social networking and the permanency of the web.

Happy Tuesday,
Wes

In the Jungle...

2009-10-28T08:45:00.002-05:00

Dr. Toldeo Tech Resources

2009-09-21T15:49:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Dr. Cheri Toledo for joining us today at our faculty meeting.

For those who are interested, here are the links that she shared during her presentation:

Kathy Cassidy
http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337

Learning is Messy
http://learningismessy.com/blog/

K-12 Online Conference
http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=180

Ed Tech Talk - Live
http://www.edtechtalk.com/live

Social Networking: Sharing Your Life

2009-06-30T06:32:00.015-05:00

By the End of the Session you will:

Know the terminology: social networking, facebook, myspace, twitter, tweet, retwteet (RT), direct message (DM), mobile device, app, etc.
Know at least 5 uses for these tools: personal, professional, or academic
Be signed up for a Twitter account, have tweeted, and following one of each of the above topics
Have tweeted about: the most interesting item you learned about in social networking today, one way you might use social networking in your personal life, professional life, and classroom

Social Networking is many things:

Interaction between a group of people who share a common interest
A broad class of web sites and services that allow you to connect with friends, family, and colleagues online
Interactive communication in which participants in online communities such as Facebook share thoughts, photos, etc.
A way to make our disconnected world a little more personal

Some Examples of Social Networking Sites:
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter
Plurk
Ning
Flikr
YouTube
TeacherTube
WordPress
Blogger
Linkedin

Social Networking is a new(er) term. It is not a new idea. The tools may have become easier to use, but the concepts have been around for decades:

Town Criers
Newspapers
Bulletin Boards
Networking Groups
Student Journals
Photo Albums

Videos worth Watching:
Social Networking: In Plain English
Twitter: In Plain English
Twitter: How To
Twitter: Trouble with Twitters
Twitter: Experiment

Educational Implications:
Tweeting your Way to Better Grades
ISUTeach Pro/Cons List
Twitter in Academia
Pass Notes During Class
Twitter your way into Employment - Student in Eng 239 @ ISU uses Twitter to get Internship
What Can You Do with Twitter?
Nine Great Reasons Teachers Should Use Twitter

Smartboard Resources

2009-06-24T14:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who attended the Smartboard Training provided by Katie from Smart Tech today. Given the number of you that have emailed or spoken to me during and since the session, I can tell we have some pretty strong interest in seeing our use of Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom expand. I am excited to see where this pilot leads.

For those of you that wanted to check out the resources that Katie had available, I am posting them here for you to download at your leisure:

Smart 2-Hour Training Session (Notebook Interactive File)
Smart 2-Hour Training Session (PDF)
Smart Resource List with Links (PDF)
Teaching with SmartBoard
Teachers Love SmartBoards
Smartboard Revolution

The Smart site also contains thousands of teacher-created lesson plans available for free download. These are broken down and searchable by grade and discipline.

Smart also provides the Teacher's Hub:
Puzzled about what to do next with your SMART education technology products? There’s no need to be. Our Teachers’ Hub will help you put everything together – one piece at a time. You’ll find training, networking and content resources specifically designed for you, whether you’re just starting to use technology in the classroom or have been teaching with it for years.

Please contact me for correct information should you download and install the Notebook software.

How I Feel

2009-05-27T10:13:00.000-05:00

So summer is around the corner and I simply must share how I feel:

So I might not be able to dance like Christopher Walken, but let me assure you, if I could...

:)

Just smile and enjoy.

Too Long

2009-05-07T09:01:00.001-05:00

Not too fear, I will have something new posted soon.
With the School Year wrapping up, most of Metcalf is a flutter.
Technologically, there has been little change.
Right now we are in the home stretch and keeping fires put out and starting to plan for summer training and classroom upgrades.

Classroom Document Cameras

2009-04-08T08:25:00.000-05:00

New document cameras will be rolled out to the classrooms thanks to the PTO Grant applications. We have purchased eleven Epson DC-10s' to add to the new LCD Projector Combo units in many of our classrooms.

This classroom-sized document camera will allow our teachers and students to display documents or 3D objects. With a 14x19 capture area, it’s simple to share information from text books, journals, models and more. In fact, you can easily display two full pages without having to shuffle around any items.

"Ideal for any classroom, the DC-10s was designed to enrich the learning experience, offering a host of innovative features. Its intuitive control panel and easy-to-use menus make it easy to quickly choose the function you require. Use the SD card slot to share photos from the class field trip without having to upload them to a PC. With 128MB of internal memory, you can capture over 300 jpeg images, making it easy to share your photos again at a later date. Use the split screen functionality as a powerful teaching tool, to display live and captured images simultaneously."

Green-er Printing with Ecofont

2009-03-27T08:05:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, I am no fan of printing and paper. Why print something that can live forever and not be lost online. It's hard for a student to say "I lost the handout, sorry.", when it lives online and is available for viewing all of the time. However, I too can recognize the need for limited printing (it is becoming more difficult everyday). To that end, I was discussing some new innovations with my wife and she showed me this: ecofont! Without trying to put this in my own words, here is an explanation from the creators:

The prints we make for our 'daily use' not only use paper, but also ink. According to SPRANQ creative communications (Utrecht, The Netherlands) your ink cartridges (or toner) could last longer.  SPRANQ has therefore developed a new font: the Ecofont.  "After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well."
Appealing ideas are often simple: how much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability? After extensive testing with all kinds of shapes, the best results were achieved using small circles. After lots of late hours (and coffee) this resulted in a font that uses up to 20% less ink. Free to download, free to use.

A 20% savings in ink means $1000-$1500 savings per year. That could be one more Laptop, one more SmartBoard, or two-three more Desktops for you, your students, or your classroom :)

Please check it out and let me know how it works for you:

Download HERE!

iCreate

2009-03-13T08:37:00.001-05:00

Spring Break... a time for cleaning up so that new life and new ideas and spring forth. While everyone was gone (at least you should have been) out Mac Laptop cart received a few new software upgrades. Both iLife and iWork 09 have been installed. This means that all the new functionality of iLife is at your students fingertips. Add to that, the new iWork suite. This includes Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. Pages provides a word processing and desktop publishing solution to compliment the Word/Publisher counterparts on the Windows platform. Keynote are Numbers are comparable to Powerpoint and Excel, respectively. For the rhythmically inclined and by the graciousness of our Metcalf PTO, we have also purchased and installed Finale Notepad. And finally, to explore the realm of FreeWare available to us, we are experimenting with a new desktop image/paint title called TuxPaint. Please check out the new titles and see what you think.

We are in the homestretch. Let's keep up the excitement!

Wes

"Smart" Table by SmartTech

2009-03-06T10:50:00.000-06:00

Anytime a I see new technology, I first think about how much I want to play with it, then about how much my son would want to play with it. Since I am a strong believer in the idea that true learning occurs from play, this table intrigues me.
I would love to hear what some of you think about it. Please feel free to leave a comment on this post. Here are a couple of links for you to check out:
http://www.klausco.com/SMARTtable.html
http://www.smarttech.com/tableorder

Have a GREAT Spring Break and gets lots of play in :)

Thomas Metcalf Twitters

2009-03-02T09:59:00.001-06:00

Sure, our new calendar might be nice. The Upcoming Events section may keep you informed. But why settle for just that? With Twitter, we can keep you updated every second. Something happens and we think you might want to know, check out Twitter. Our kids and community love information and they like it fast. With Twitter, we can keep you in the know.

Check us out @ http://www.twitter.com/metcalfschool

Organized with "Evernote"

2009-02-26T11:11:00.001-06:00

Not too long ago, one of my Administrators asked me about a wonderful new note collecting/organizing software. This site captures images, text, addresses, locations all online. A Digital Notebook of EVERYTHING can be stored for free online. Images taken from your phone, notes from a meeting, snippets from a web site... all in one place. Today I am using Evernote to take my notes, tag the information, and store everything I gain form this Conference. Just a neat utility that I can access from my phone, the web, my Mac, my Windows Machine. Take a look.

www.evernote.com

Illinois Computing Educators

2009-02-26T11:03:00.000-06:00

Today, I am attending a Technology Conference. Once in awhile, we need to leave our little bubble and see what the rest of the world is doing with technology in the classroom. ICE stands for Illinois Computing Educators. What better place to learn about Instructional Technology than with a group of educators working with technology? So far I have learned about the iTouch in the classroom and Google Earth in Elementary Ed. The Google Earth ideas are awesome. Diggin the Digital Tours. How about... "Where did you go on your summer vacation?" Why not show us where you went? Or show us the path you took to get there. Or tell us how many miles you drove? Why not watch the Lewis and Clark trip across a 3D map? Fun stuff.

"Stuck"

2009-02-13T15:30:00.000-06:00

I have been in a video kinda mood lately and have not been able to get a particular commercial out of my head. Let me share...

Now, this meant even more to me after being in the classroom this past week.
Sometimes, things go wrong. And when they do, we might feel stuck, like there is just no way out and we have to abandon our project instead of thinking of another way to accomplish things. In this case, we made some adjustments and moved right along. We saw that an escalator is never broken, but instead a set of stairs. Just another method, that might require a little more work, but still the correct path to our destination.

Hopefully, as we build skill, confidence, and trust here at Metcalf, in regards to our technology foundation and support, we will start to see the stairs when the escalator might stop working.

Ejoy your three day weekend,
Wes

Time to Change

2009-02-06T10:39:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it takes laughing at ourselves to make it through the day. I was recently working on some digital videos here at Metcalf and wanted to share one that not only made me laugh, but made me think about the words and message. With all the Change taking place at Metcalf, especially in the realm of technology, this video seemed to fit. Enjoy the nice weather this weekend.

Metcalf inTouch Competition - Collaboration in Curriculum

2009-02-04T09:55:00.000-06:00

Today begins the Metcalf inTouch Collaboration in Curriculum Project.

Please checkout the Competition Rules and Regs HERE

This is an exciting new competition created by the Administration to encourage collaboration with our community, from student to College, and to promote and learn by play environment.

And ultimately, you can win an iTouch, a Nano, or a Shuffle!!!

Enjoy and Thanks for the great encouragement Administration.

HD in the Classroom

2009-01-23T11:10:00.000-06:00

More classes in Metcalf are receiving new HD LCD Projectors. These projectors are accompanied by a new laptop/projector cart that allows the teacher a mobile solution for viewing online content, movies, and in some cases, document projections in the classroom. In most rooms, these are new devices, allowing our teacher a more diverse set of tools with which to teach. In others, these are replacing antiquated CRT TV's that offer poor resolution and visibility for anything but a VHS or DVD.
- With a sick child, this was a slow week. Sorry for the lack of noteworthy news. More change to follow.

MacBook Checkout Almost Complete!

2009-01-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

Brenda Thompson and I have been working on a system to allow for MacBook checkouts to take place from the library. These systems are now setup and awaiting tagging by the ISU Library system. What this means for Metcalf Teachers and Staff is:
1) Three notebooks for professional development, media creation, and academic use will be available to checkout with your ISU ID from the Metcalf Library.
2) These machines will be available for 14-day checkout to allow for adequate time to create and play.
3) Those that make use of the MacBook cart in the classroom will no longer find the cart short a laptop or two.

As we get closer to these laptops being available to our teachers and staff, we will send out an email to the Metcalf listserv to notify you of their availability and the policies and procedures.

Deep Freeze

2009-01-16T14:37:00.000-06:00

Appropriate that we experience three snow days in a row here at Metcalf and two of them are due to extremely cold temperatures, since I have been freezing our labs these past two weeks. In an effort to provide a more stable, consistent, and manageable lab experience at Metcalf, for students, teachers, and support staff alike, I have employed the use of a product called Deep Freeze. This software allows the technology support staff the freedom of setting up workstations in the most user-friendly way possible, while preventing the systems from ever changing. Whether by the experimentation of a student, or the mistake of a user, the machine only needs to log off (restart) and the environment has returned to the original configuration. As a teacher you can appreciate the consistency of icons and backgrounds being in the same location and of the same style on every desktop. As a student, every machine should function the same and look the same as its neighbor. And as the technology support staff, a hands-off approach, with the confidence that all will be the same day-to-day and should a change need to take place, remote administration is in my hands. So, just as we may all freeze outside, know that our labs and workstations are feeling the same way :)

Digital Organization

2009-01-05T14:55:00.001-06:00

With the New Year here and resolutions running rampant, here is some info on one that many might want to pursue: Digital Organization.

Search efficiently and save your Favorites/Bookmarks from becoming overburdened. Use Windows Desktop Search or Apple Spotlight to quickly find ANY information on your computer. From documents, to emails, to contacts; simply type in a portion of the text you are looking for and you should immediately be pleased with some quick and precise results from your local machine. Great for finding that long lost lesson plan or even that old email to a parent or colleague.

Clear your inbox every day. You don't keep snail mail in your mailbox, so why keep e-mail in your inbox? Every e-mail needs to be either filed, acted on, or deleted. Even after all methods of organization are employed, you can also use Outlooks Archival feature and set a point in the past to archive old emails off of the server and into a local folder to personal storage.

Shortcuts to time. Sometimes hunting and pecking on the keyboard or searching through all the toolbar menus to find the simplest of tasks turn our stomach. Not only are we wasting time trying to find them, but we are only increasing our frustration with the computer in front of us and the work we have to do. Use your keyboard. Ctrl+X, C, and V = Cut, Copy, Paste. Want to get more fancy? Ctrl+A = Select All, Ctrl+S = SAVE (Very important), Ctrl+B = Bold, Ctrl+O = Open. And the one I like the least... Ctrl+P = Print

Backup and archive. No need to keep those highschool and college papers or 1st year student reports in your My Docs folder. Backup your documents to the server. Metcalf02 provides storage for all teachers to safely and confidently backup and archive current and old data. Need the documents at your fingertips, back it up in case that ever important file is lost in some crisis. Can't find that one document you need because of the thousand other five year old documents cluttering your folders? Archive the files into yearly folders on the server and have them for reference in the future.

Clean Slate

2009-01-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

Welcome to a new year and the down hill sprint to summer. During this semester, we have to roll out our new Library Laptop Lab and Middle School Laptop Cart, complete our 3 Year Tech Plan, and install another 7 Virtual Labs in the classrooms. On top of that, we have to get consistent and reliable technology in our teachers hands. I will keep you all posted as we get each project done.

Time

2008-12-15T08:42:00.000-06:00

As many of you may have picked up in my last Tech Tuesday (sent on Monday due to vacation departure on Tuesday), I am working on creating the 40 hour day.
While this might provide many of us with the much-needed time we need to accomplish some extra tasks, I would ask that you each think and plan responsibly.
40 hours a day can be a wonderful thing, but it could also be a drug.
As much as I would like my 40 hour days, I should only be putting in the 24 that God has given me.
That being said, back to work (on Metcalf and the 40 hour day).

Happy Holidays and I will get some more technology news up here as soon as possible.

Ketchup & Cleanup

2008-12-03T13:33:00.000-06:00

For the past many months, I have been singing the cleanup song with my 18 month old. Apparently I have to sing the song to myself. Sometimes, in all my excitement here at Metcalf, I want to plan so much for the future, that I forget how much I need to remain on top of my mess. Things need to be fixed, updated, upgraded, etc.
This week, I listen to the same song I sing with my son:
Clean Up,
Clean Up,
Everybody, Everywhere,
Clean Up,
Clean Up,
Everybody Do Your Share.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T09:25:00.000-06:00

Nothing much to report this short week here at Metcalf.
Lots of planning, reading, preparing, and cleaning up in preparation for the homestretch.

As the Technology Coordinator for Metcalf, I have so much to be thankful for and I wanted to make certain that I took some time to share that with whoever might be following this thread.

Things I am Thankful for at Metcalf:
Teachers who are also lifelong learners
Administration that support change and development
Students that are willing to push us further
The ability to change the world through the education of our students

While people tend to think of a job as just that; something that pays the bills and keeps me from home and my family, this position is a dream come true.
We have a long and arduous road ahead of us, as we attempt to bring about change faster than the educational environment is used to; but this is the best place I could imagine doing it.

Metcalf is the "school of the future". This I believe, and am so very thankful that I have the opportunity to be part of the movement.

In an effort to provide some info and resources and not just ramble on, here are some neat sites for those of you that want to sit down with your kid(s) and do something fun on the computer this Thanksgiving. Why not model some of that teaching and learning you want in the schools at home?
Anyone know what "Mary had a little lamb" and Thanksgiving have in common? Want to understand why we give thanks or why we watch football on Thanksgiving?

History of Thanksgiving @ History.com
Family Education - Thanksgiving Activities and Resources

Happy Thanksgiving

1+5=1 (Virtual Math)

2008-11-19T12:16:00.000-06:00

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned Virtualization. Essentially, we are simulating computers for our students to use in the class. This technology allows us to install one moderately powered machine in a classroom and turn that computer into up to 7 fully functional workstations. Since the infrastructure of Metcalf is such that only one network jack is available in each room, we have to make good use of our resources. The virtual machines also allow us to minimize the physical footprint in a classroom and be more green. Here are a couple of classroom shots showing off the technologies and space required.

Classroom (sites) get a Facelift

2008-11-13T13:19:00.000-06:00

Image is everything.

That is one of our themes for Metcalf Technology and Communication this year. With the large task of creating an entirely new website with organized and up to date data, our teachers have also undertaken the chore improving our classroom presentation on the web.

Please check out the new info and updates on our site at your leisure.

Virtually 25%

2008-11-11T22:10:00.000-06:00

Here in Metcalf we face many challenges.

Technologically, we face even more.

Teaching, learning, and living in a building that is now 61 years old can present some challenges in regards to infrastructure and change.

In the past decade(s) we have been limited in our classrooms in regards to student access.

What I mean by that, is we have few resources in so far as proper electric and adequate network connectivity to accommodate the growing need for computer access for our students. Who could have foreseen the rapid development and changes in the world that long ago? In the majority of classrooms, there has usually been 1 computer station with connectivity, and if lucky, 2-4 more stations for off-line (no internet connection) publication and technology access. On average, we have had about a 1:25 computer:student ratio in the classroom.

Luckily, things change. Technologies get smaller, faster, and more affordable. Dreams and ideas lead to creation and implementation. And along comes your virtual computer. Most of you have heard of virtual reality and in many ways, that is what I am talking about. Virtually providing a workstation for more students in each class. What I will discuss over the next week or so will be the ways we are increasing student access in the classroom. Bringing the technology to the student, instead of the students to the technology. Creating an environment that is more familiar to each student here at Metcalf. One where technology is a part of their learning environment, just as it is their living environment.

Virtually increasing student access at Metcalf by over 15% in the classroom!

Turning 10 machines into 60.

The Classroom's Connected to the ... (to the tune of Dem Bones)

2008-11-11T08:58:00.000-06:00

222 is now complete. With the exception of some furniture removal, we have a complete and cohesive computer lab. The images show the new Sympodium and Touch Panel for room controls. The Sympodium is a Smart Tech product that allows the user to interface with the computer screen in a more human/fluid manner. One can draw on the screen and take notes for students like they might on a whiteboard, circle and highlight points of interest on websites, insert pictures of maps or cells into a screen-sized notebook and discuss and comment on the particulars of the image and its impact or relevance on the lesson. And unlike a whiteboard, this learning is not limited. Teachers can export/save/email these notes and other items with the touch of a button. This will allow students to spend more time collaborating and discussing the topic at hand, rather than scribbling notes furiously into a notebook for translation in the future. Please check out this link for exciting examples from the classroom on how to implement these lessons and technologies into your teaching. The new Document Camera allows for image capture (scanning), transparency and note projection, and scientific tasks like magnification and Pos/Neg imagery. Our new projector will enable our teachers to enter the room and have the entire system up and running in seconds rather than hours as well as provide a brighter and more vibrant display to the class no matter the light levels.

Training sessions for all Teachers/Staff will be provided over the course of the year so as to fully utilize these new and exciting methods of instruction in the classroom.

Thanks to all those who helped make this project fly:

Dr. Robert Dean for approving the funding for this project.
Dr. Amy Coffman for approving and supporting the advancement of technology in our classroom.
Doug Smith of CTSS (and his entire team) for planning the purchases and the technologies being installed in 222.
And to all those teachers at Metcalf that adjusted their teaching schedules to accommodate the week-long shut down of 222 while the upgrade too place.

Metcalf Online Calendar

2008-11-07T12:46:00.000-06:00

Not too shabby...
Since the launch of the Metcalf Online Calendar: http://metcalf.intand.com/ we have already had 36 registered users sign up for their free account.
That is 36 more families able to track their students events both by group and class.
Hopefully our membership will continue to increase and the Metcalf community will all become more informed and more involved.

Break a few eggs...

2008-11-05T11:37:00.000-06:00

You know the how the old saying goes.
That is exactly what is happening in 222.
We are 1-2 days out from unveiling our new lab and here are some pics of the work

222 Lab Construction

2008-11-03T14:04:00.000-06:00

Today, we start a week-long revamping of the 222 lab. We will be replacing many technologies, adding some new instructional technology, and removing some antiquated technology.

New:
Sympodium
Replacements:
HD Document Camera
LCD Projector
DVD/VCR Player
Touch Control Panel
Removed:
Room Microphones
Aged Distance Ed Technologies
Control Box/Shed - creating two more potential seats in class

These changes will:
Provide interactive technologies to the teacher and students
Create more space for students to work
Enable us to think and act more Green.

Attached are pictures of the room as it appears now...

Pictures of the new room will follow completion of the project.

Welcome

2008-11-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Wes Matejka and I am the Instructional Technology Coordinator of Thomas Metcalf Lab School @ Illinois State University. I have been around instruction and technology for almost eight years now and have spent the last four months at Metcalf.

The purpose of this blog is to share the news and information in the realm of technology and curriculum integration at Metcalf. Items I hope to share with you include; technology projects from the classroom, teacher created curriculum integrating new and emerging technologies, classroom and lab upgrades throughout the building, and finally, my hopes, plans, and dreams for the students of Metcalf.

Thanks for checking this out and I hope you enjoy,

Wes