Lesson Plan Ideas

Great Online Presentation Creation Site

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

I know everyone is starting to create lesson plans again, right? Great new site (Maybe old. I just found out about it!) for online presentation creation. It's called Prezi. Simple and free. My favorite descriptors!

Students can access from anywhere with Internet and can work in small groups to create a project that can be shared online or downloaded. Here's a link to a really nice one that a teacher created for math.

http://prezi.com/aww2hjfyil0u/math-is-not-linear/

The sign up site is at: http://prezi.com/

iTunes University and K-12

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

iTunes has free resources under the category iTunes University. You do have to sign up and enter a charge number or you can get iTunes gift cards and add it for credit. This video shows you how to get there once you open iTunes.

iTunes University

Easy as Pie, Flixtime!

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

I saw the "runner" describing this on the TCEA site and thought I would create a short tutorial! It's very user friendly. Thanks for sharing the information!

Flixtime Tutorial

Lesson Plan Ideas

• science project photos
• study "cards" for any subject
• English book themes
• create introduction video for students (have them hold their name on paper)
• math problem samples
• create clips from a play
• post artwork

Don't forget about using those cell phones to take pics and vids. Most of them have really good images if you check the settings first.

GIMP Cutouts for Magazines

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

This tutorial will show you the easiest way I know how to create cutout people or other objects with transparent backgrounds. GIMP is an excellent photo editing software and very capable of professional results!

GIMP Cutouts

Lesson Plan Ideas

• magazine covers
• collage of photos from school years
• picture in picture
• green screen products
• remove messy or not so pretty backgrounds
• change the location of a picture
• create "where is Waldo" type projects

Phlogging Does not Involve Injuries

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

How would you like to record a message from your cell phone and then post the link or just e-mail the link to your students, parents or family? Hello iPadio! Here are the links for more information.
BTW, you can have phlogs post straight to Facebook too and provide a link to others for a "live" phlog. You can even post to iTunes!

Sample iPadio Recording

iPadio Website

Lesson Plan Ideas

• Record assignments instructions, directions, parent updates then post to your Website or e-mail.
• If you don't have Website to post MP3's to, you can just provide the link and let iPadio handle the storage.
• Post language translation pronunciations for students.
• Maintain control of student exchanges of information with students in other countries. (You can screen the recordings before they are shared either direction.)
• Share choir or band music for practice or competition submission.

Another Google Offering.... Scholar

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

Among the many options Google has to offer is Scholar. Here is a very brief introduction to what it looks like.

Google Scholar

Lesson Plan Ideas

• Business classes can search for legal documentation.
• Provide middle school students with search phrases to help them find articles of interest for an assignment or just to prepare to do research. Have them practice using the citation tools found in word processing software.
• High school students can use Scholar to research topics from any subject area.
• Teachers can use the tool to provide additional support for topics of interest.
• Medical students can find legal case issues regarding medical liability concerns.
• Government students can prepare cases based on present issues or use to predict outcomes of old cases in the modern day.

Google Sites, Part 3

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

Part three shows you how to Edit pages, Create New Pages and save your work. You can see what the editor will look like and how simple the process is.

Google Sites, Part 3

Google Sites, Part 2

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

This part of the Google tutorial shows you how to finish setting up your site and the selection of a theme.

Google Sites, Part 2

Google Sites, Part 1

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

Google Sites offer opportunities for students to collaborate and create resources to share with each other. This video is Part 1 of showing how this free resource can be used. Come by the SOSSIG room on the mezzanine Thursday for more information about Google products.

Google Sites, Part 1

Lesson Plan Ideas:
Students can create a Webpage on different related topics from a chapter.
Portfolios of work can be posted by students.
Examples of math problems can be posted.
Track a science project.
Comment on literature.
List sources of information and Websites to share.
Display photos of artwork.

Collaborate Across the World

Written by Ellen Zimmerman

It's not easy to find safe platforms for students to collaborate with those outside of the class room and much less outside of our country. I recently learned of some great networking options through Education Networking. Unlike social networking options, these are sites for educational communications.
One of the sites I explored is The Schools United. This site has schools from all over the world! Options for lessons were running through my mind like crazy! You have the option to request contact with a school so there are obviously some safety factors in place. Some of the networks listed are considered closed, but it is definitely a site worth checking out!

Lesson Plan Ideas that Flew By
Foreign language classes sharing accent and dialects discussions and comments.
Sharing everyday math uses from students in other countries with different everyday lives.
Photo sharing between students of famous sites and not so famous but new to us.
Social studies sharing holiday traditions and local historical events from their locations.
Science students can compare temperatures, climates, ecosystems, pollution impacts, etc.
Home Economics classes can share recipes and differences in diets and costs of living.
Art classes can share local art and building architecture.
Government students... well, I don't know if we should get into that!