Friday, May 2, 2014
Mastering your Google Apps Ninja Skills
Mastering the Basics of Google's Online Tools -
Link to Google's Training Certifications Page - Basics and Google Educator
Sign in and you will receive a certificate after passing the tests.
Becoming an Osage Google Apps Ninja Master -
Google Ninja
Here is the site template created by Jeff Utecht that I modified for our school district.
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Have you been using one of those web address shorteners? They take those monster long web addresses and shorten to a length that is much more meaningful and manageable. I like this blog comparison between 3 of them.
View the blog Here
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... more to come...
Monday, April 28, 2014
High School Math
The adopted board-approved math curriculum for most classes at Osage Schools uses the UCSMP textbooks for grades 7-12, published by McGraw Hill Education. Grades K-6 use the Everyday Math program which is created by the same developers. The teaching philosophy by the authors focuses very strongly on building strong problem-solving skills. Lessons included are aligned with the Common Core.
Here are links to the most recent student e-textbooks -
UCSMP is the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project
Here are links to the most recent student e-textbooks -
Transitions: E-Textbook Link
Algebra 1: E-Textbook Link
Geometry : E-textbook Link
Advanced Algebra: E-Textbook Link
Functions, Statistics, and Trigonometry (FST): E-Textbook Link
Pre-Calculus and Discrete Mathematics: E-Textbook LinkUCSMP is the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project
Monday, March 10, 2014
Defending Your Privacy
Last night (3/9/14) I watched, How to Defend Your Privacy Online, a story broadcast on the 60 Minutes TV show. I downloaded the App that was mentioned in this story, called Disconnect. Maybe more on that later.
I have known for many years about data mining and how it could be used by businesses to target their marketing efforts. It's quite a challenge to balance that kind of availability with the expectation that we all have to a certain amount of privacy. It was very interesting to see all the ways our personal data is collected, but it really doesn't show much about how businesses use the information.
Government 'snooping' has been a hot topic in the news lately. If this data is readily available for any business to purchase, then should the same data also be available for a government entity to have access to, especially with respect to national security issues? Maybe I'm a little naive, but I guess I'm OK with that. I have a reasonable expectation though that whatever I buy online from Staples doesn't put me on some security watch list or that my daughter watching the Youtube video Let it Go! as she belts along the lyrics for the 100th time has me a marked man. I'm cautious, but not too worried about it.
I have been a member of our local fire department for 12 years now. For many years we have had a dance as a fundraiser. For years, many people would buy tickets for the dance even if they did not show up because they understood that the funds would go towards to a valuable, local cause. Many individuals would kick in much more than the $6 ticket, often into the hundreds of dollars, and do that every year. We had the challenge of effectively reaching the 'target' audience, which were the people that we serve, those that live in the Osage Fire District. It includes the City of Osage, Iowa and surrounding rural area and communities. For many years, the department used other entities to come up with a mailing list for the city and another list for the rural areas. Every year, many dollars in postage were wasted on duplicate or inaccurate addresses. I convinced the department to buy a mailing list that just included the physical addresses in the fire district, but did not include the names. It was actually for the entire county, but we thinned it out to just our 'customers.' We have been using it for about 10 years with incredible success. Names are not included so we do not have to worry about keeping personal information. If someone moves out, there is generally someone moving in. The only thing we are missing are the new homes in the area and any of those old homes that have been razed.
I would consider this mailing a form of data mining. It did cost some money, but was certainly easier than copying all of the addresses out of the phone book, going door to door, or having the firemen attempt to sell the tickets to 'everyone' they knew in their daily routine. It gets our 'message' out the our target audience. It's a different kind of marketing contact than a face-to-face sell or over the phone. Not everyone buys tickets, but that's OK. We do know that it's very easy to drop those mailing right into the recycling pile. It has made for a very good fundraising campaign, though, and for a very worthy cause.
Any legitimate business will have a rationale for marketing using the best dollars they have. It's about making a buck, which they should have a fair shot at. If it helps me as a consumer, I'm all for it. However, not at the risk of losing my identity or that of my wife or kids or those close to me. I guess I could avoid all of it and try to disconnect myself. Hmm. I don't think I could.
I have known for many years about data mining and how it could be used by businesses to target their marketing efforts. It's quite a challenge to balance that kind of availability with the expectation that we all have to a certain amount of privacy. It was very interesting to see all the ways our personal data is collected, but it really doesn't show much about how businesses use the information.
Government 'snooping' has been a hot topic in the news lately. If this data is readily available for any business to purchase, then should the same data also be available for a government entity to have access to, especially with respect to national security issues? Maybe I'm a little naive, but I guess I'm OK with that. I have a reasonable expectation though that whatever I buy online from Staples doesn't put me on some security watch list or that my daughter watching the Youtube video Let it Go! as she belts along the lyrics for the 100th time has me a marked man. I'm cautious, but not too worried about it.
I have been a member of our local fire department for 12 years now. For many years we have had a dance as a fundraiser. For years, many people would buy tickets for the dance even if they did not show up because they understood that the funds would go towards to a valuable, local cause. Many individuals would kick in much more than the $6 ticket, often into the hundreds of dollars, and do that every year. We had the challenge of effectively reaching the 'target' audience, which were the people that we serve, those that live in the Osage Fire District. It includes the City of Osage, Iowa and surrounding rural area and communities. For many years, the department used other entities to come up with a mailing list for the city and another list for the rural areas. Every year, many dollars in postage were wasted on duplicate or inaccurate addresses. I convinced the department to buy a mailing list that just included the physical addresses in the fire district, but did not include the names. It was actually for the entire county, but we thinned it out to just our 'customers.' We have been using it for about 10 years with incredible success. Names are not included so we do not have to worry about keeping personal information. If someone moves out, there is generally someone moving in. The only thing we are missing are the new homes in the area and any of those old homes that have been razed.
I would consider this mailing a form of data mining. It did cost some money, but was certainly easier than copying all of the addresses out of the phone book, going door to door, or having the firemen attempt to sell the tickets to 'everyone' they knew in their daily routine. It gets our 'message' out the our target audience. It's a different kind of marketing contact than a face-to-face sell or over the phone. Not everyone buys tickets, but that's OK. We do know that it's very easy to drop those mailing right into the recycling pile. It has made for a very good fundraising campaign, though, and for a very worthy cause.
Any legitimate business will have a rationale for marketing using the best dollars they have. It's about making a buck, which they should have a fair shot at. If it helps me as a consumer, I'm all for it. However, not at the risk of losing my identity or that of my wife or kids or those close to me. I guess I could avoid all of it and try to disconnect myself. Hmm. I don't think I could.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Collaboration in the Classroom
Have you ever heard of a Killer App? It's the type of computer application that we all decide that we just can't live without. The first internet app for consumer use was something called 'email.' It provided an amazing change in how so many of us communicate.
So how about some killer online apps that create effective collaboration in the classroom? Many are in the category of Web 2.0 Tools, truly interactive web sites, not like the 'old days' where a site was filled with text and a few pictures. In the classroom, what students do is not about the application, but the learning that takes place. Collaboration requires a unique balance between practicality and creativity to be effective in the classroom.
Below, I'll list some common sites, but let's start with a couple resources that keep up to date with many of the latest and greatest online techy gizmos:
Finding Dulcinea - This is set up like an online newsletter. I like the reference to Dulcinea, the character in Don Quixote. Click on Finding Education to set up your own classroom account.
Educators Technology - I like the magazine style format here. This is great for mobile apps., especially with iPads.
Here are a handful of collaborative sites that you may have heard about:
So how about some killer online apps that create effective collaboration in the classroom? Many are in the category of Web 2.0 Tools, truly interactive web sites, not like the 'old days' where a site was filled with text and a few pictures. In the classroom, what students do is not about the application, but the learning that takes place. Collaboration requires a unique balance between practicality and creativity to be effective in the classroom.
Below, I'll list some common sites, but let's start with a couple resources that keep up to date with many of the latest and greatest online techy gizmos:
Finding Dulcinea - This is set up like an online newsletter. I like the reference to Dulcinea, the character in Don Quixote. Click on Finding Education to set up your own classroom account.
Educators Technology - I like the magazine style format here. This is great for mobile apps., especially with iPads.
Here are a handful of collaborative sites that you may have heard about:
| Edmodo |
| Prezi |
| Moodle |
| Glogster |
| Voicethread |
| Diigo |
| Edublogs |
| Jing |
| Livebinder |
| Animoto |
| Blabberize |
| Creately / Gliffy - Graphic Organizers |
| National Library of Virtual Math Manipulatives |
| Geogebra - Web/Mac/Android/Windows |
| Google Applications - short list |
| Hangout |
| Spreadsheet (now Google Sheets) |
| Word Processor |
| Presentation |
| Forms |
| Docs |
| Classroom Management |
| AirPlay - Using an Apple TV |
| Remote Desktop - for Mac Only |
| Casper - For Mac Only |
| Hapara Teacher Dashboard - for Chromebook |
...and Some new Apps I am just learning about!!
ZooBurst
TouchCast
Powtoon
Adobe Connect
Zoom.us
Adobe Connect
Zoom.us
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
What's a typewriter?
http://mashable.com/2014/01/14/outdated-web-features/#!
I remember students walking in the computer lab 'back in the day' with their 3.5" floppy disks all ready to print out their word processor document for a class assignment. To their dismay, there wasn't a single computer in the room with a floppy disk drive. It was Apple's way of 'forcing' change by not including a floppy drive on their new, colorful, bubble-shaped iMacs. The floppy was all the storage students they thought they ever needed.
This was really only a short time after our seniors would stop in the high school office to pick up scholarship forms only to have to hunt down a typewriter to type in their information. Now, why would anyone use a typewriter on a document that was created on a computer? It seems like such an odd question now.
In the last couple of years I have noticed very few students pulling their USB flash drives out in class. Data, documents, pictures, and projects are now normally saved to either their Google Drive or a school server account. Multimedia projects are commonplace now and take up a vastly larger amount of space than those old floppy's did.
Today's technology tools have provided so many amazing opportunities in education. We look to the innovators of today to figure out what the next evolution will be. We have a big challenge in figuring out how that next chapter will read.
I remember students walking in the computer lab 'back in the day' with their 3.5" floppy disks all ready to print out their word processor document for a class assignment. To their dismay, there wasn't a single computer in the room with a floppy disk drive. It was Apple's way of 'forcing' change by not including a floppy drive on their new, colorful, bubble-shaped iMacs. The floppy was all the storage students they thought they ever needed.
This was really only a short time after our seniors would stop in the high school office to pick up scholarship forms only to have to hunt down a typewriter to type in their information. Now, why would anyone use a typewriter on a document that was created on a computer? It seems like such an odd question now.
In the last couple of years I have noticed very few students pulling their USB flash drives out in class. Data, documents, pictures, and projects are now normally saved to either their Google Drive or a school server account. Multimedia projects are commonplace now and take up a vastly larger amount of space than those old floppy's did.
Today's technology tools have provided so many amazing opportunities in education. We look to the innovators of today to figure out what the next evolution will be. We have a big challenge in figuring out how that next chapter will read.
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