WordStash

A comment on my 2CoolTools blog alerted me to a flashcard game, WordStash [subheading: Half flashcard, half dictionary, and full awesome!]

I asked teacher librarians if this is popular with students or a useful study help and only heard messages like "thanks for alerting us to this cool new tool."  WordStash is a cool tool for students who need to occupy their time after turning in their assignment or test -- or for after school.  For that matter, this might have appeal for new iPad users and senior citizens who want to stay sharp.

Examples of favorite lists:

• Top 250 most difficult SAT vocabulary words
• Words to impress your friends
• Biology vocabulary
• U.S. State Capitals
• about 200 lists in all

So, enjoy!  I see there is a teacher version.  And there's more!

Teacher librarians also recommend:

• Quizlet - free. 4 study modes: flashcards, spelling, learn, tests.  Audio in many languages. Very large collection!  
• Memorize.com - create pages, memorize, share with others

Tech "Care Package" for Kids to Send Parents and Grandparents

Google has created more than 50 short (2-minute) videos with step-by-step instructions on all sorts of technology topics, ranging from how to "cut and paste" to how to create a blog.  


The site is set up so children can e-mail a specific tech "care package" to their parents or grandparents. See TeachParentsTech.org

Typing Tutorial

A Los Angeles Unified School District teacher librarian recommended this free, online touch typing tutorial by Sense-Lang. There are games, teacher tools, and tutorials. It is available in 17 languages. This should be useful for new students who are English Language Learners.

Sense-Lang also includes a typing tutorial especially for older adults called Skillful Seniors.

Avatar Introduces Anti-Plagiarism Tutorial

UC San Diego Libraries created an online, interactive anti-plagiarism tutorial. An avatar welcomes readers and introduces the tutorial. This avatar's eyes then follows the mouse. This is a good way to capture the attention of students, while offering a short but valuable lesson.

The library lists other classes and workshops, as well as a list of library subject-specialists for faculty to work with on targeted library/research instruction.

Intricate Patterns in Adobe Illustrator

This year, I've been learning Adobe Illustrator and Graphic Design Fundamentals. My son alerted me to GoMediaZine ("real world advice from working artists and designers"), a site that has tons of tutorials for designers and illustrators. For example, see the GoMediaZine tutorial by Barton Damer that that shows how to make intricate patterns based on Adobe Illustrator.

Discovering Assistive Technology - a Tutorial

Discovering Assistive Technology is launched! It is a free online course from the California School Library Association and TransAccess. It requires no registration, only an investment in time and interest.

Posted to CALIBK12 listerv by Connie Williams, CSLA President 08/09:

NEW in 2008-2009: Discovering Assistive Technology

An overwhelming number of the CSLA members who finished Learning 2.0 said they wanted another tutorial, so we did some serious thinking and looking for a topic that addresses technology and student learning. The subject of assistive technology rose to the top of the options for a variety of reasons. For one, we like the goal of California-based non-profit TransAccess, which is to help students with disabilities transition from school to career so they can be self-supporting. We also recognize that all of us – of all ages – could become disabled or know someone who has a disability, so it is good to know more about assistive technologies. We hope you agree that this is a professional development tutorial that you will welcome and share with your colleagues. October is “Disability Awareness Month” -- we encourage you to work through Discovering Assistive Technology so you can recommend books, resources, and our third CSLA tutorial.

Google Earth 4.3

Mari Miller, UC Berkeley Librarian for Information Studies, History of the Book, and Environmental Policy, alerted me to the release of Google Earth 4.3 -- it has new navigation gadgets, new lighting effects, new building layers, and new street view capabilities. See the YouTube video tour by Frank Taylor.



For more information, follow news on Google Earth Blog.

Blogger "how to" videos on YouTube

Do you want to know how to create a blog on blogger? Or connect to your mail or blog from your cell phone or other hand held mobile device? Blogger has added a collection of "how-to" videos on YouTube.

Story Boards and Videos

We've all enjoyed videos from YouTube, TeacherTube, Google Video, and such. But how do you go about creating your own special video? Afterall, a short video with just the right images, messages, music, and more can do wonders for getting the attention (and funding) your library deserves.

Here are a few sites that include "how to" lessons, online tutorials, and tools such as story boards.

• San Diego COE offers a Video Storyboard pdf to educators
• Photostory3 - a free download from Microsoft
• Microsoft Movie Maker. "How to"
• Kid's Vid
• Peachpit
• DiscoveryLearning/UnitedStreaming: MovieMaker Tutorial that uses UnitedStreaming images
• Atomic Learning - series of mini tutorials - well done!
• Ed Tech Masters project - dated, but well presented.
• Digital storytelling and tools
• Apple iLife and iMovie

The technology is the easy part. What you want to say and how to say it is the hard part.

Twitter Tutorial by Common Craft

I love the simplicity of Common Craft tutorials on web 2.0 tools.
Here is one on Twitter that is especially well done.

I learned about the tutorial indirectly, by following a blog post by PumaLibrarian, which led me to the tutorial. And from there, directly to the Twitter site.

My twitter message: Just read a post and watched a video tutorial about Twitter. What are YOU doing?

Classroom Learning 2.0 - Professional Development

An invitation to improve the performance of your education team.

School districts and other educational groups are invited to offer a fun, new online professional development course for classroom teachers, administrators, and other educators. This 9-week course introduces educators to web 2.0 tools and curriculum connections.

Classroom Learning 2.0 participants learn about and use social networking tools such as blogs, image generators, avatars, RSS feeds, wikis, nings, and much more. This course and its accompanying Management/Users Guide is brought to you by the California School Library Association 2.0 Team at no charge. It supports a number of legislative programs such as school technology plan requirements for E-Rate and Module III of AB430 administrator training. Continuing Education credits for the course are also available for a modest fee through Fresno Pacific University.

Designed for classroom teachers, administrators and other educators, this on-line course introduces participants to the many exciting web 2.0 tools available to us to communicate more effectively and creatively in a wide variety of activities. This tutorial introduces educators to many new opportunities for developing dynamic lessons, and shows how to work with colleagues in the school library to create exciting standards-based lessons that will reach students with the tools that they use daily.

Classroom Learning 2.0 is a specially designed course in that each participant learns about the web 2.0 tools and actively participates in a collegial conversation using the applications that they are learning about. Web 2.0 refers to the fact that the Internet is now an interactive medium rather than a ‘place’ to go to get information. Because students are flocking to these Web 2.0 sites, it is important that those of us who work in schools should be up-to-date with the latest trends in educational technology and learn how they can be utilized to support student learning.

Participants can take the course on their own, or they can lead a site group, a district group, or a group of interested teachers. An organization can offer incentives, create collegial work groups, and/or provide on-site workshops to support the course. Forming groups allow for participants to ‘cheer’ one another along, problem solve together, and begin conversations that lead to exciting collaborations.

If your library personnel are already graduates of our first professional development program, School Library Learning 2.0, you have a partner who can help you develop a 2.0 Partners group. Both online courses are available for free during the 2007-2008 school year. To learn more about these courses and to get a copy of the Management/User’s Guide, please contact Connie Williams or me at CSLA2Team@yahoo.com.

WEEK 6: Tagging and Del.icio.us (#13 Thing)

Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content - I tag each post, but call them "labels." To me, it is key word searching.

• LibraryThing describes itself as a new site for book lovers. It helps you create a library-quality catalog of your books. And because everyone catalogs online, they also catalog together. LibraryThing connects people based on the books they share. I took the tour. OK, yes it it very cool. I created y own library starter set of recently read books. The site also has gift items available at CafePress.

Del.icio.us will help me organize my favorite urls.

• I watched the Otter Group Del.icio.us tutorial
• Also read Us.ef.ul: A beginners guide to Del.icio.us and started a Del.icio.us account.
• I added a network badge to my blog.