2008-10-07

=LITT Meeting - October 7, 2008=

Introductions: (8:15 – 8:30)

 * We have some new members; please give your name, school site, and grade being taught.

Information Technology Update: (8:30 – 9:00)

 * New Staff Member for RUHS, RSHS, Annex, and M&O
 * Server Systems: Upgrade Status
 * E-Mail System: Mailbox size limitation
 * Question and Answer

Infinite Campus: (9:00 – 10:00)

 * WebEx Elementary Gradebook Presentation

BREAK

**Screen Capture and Screencasting**

 * What is a [|screen capture]?
 * How do I capture my screen?
 * There are lots of [|Free screen capture tools for Windows...]
 * Also, using [|PrimoPDF] you can make a PDF of anything you can print!
 * Share by uploading the image or PDF to your blog or teacher website... or simply by emailing it to others.
 * [|SMART PDF CONVERTER] This program is free to try and will convert PDF files to WORD or Images. It places a watermark on word documents, but can easily be removed.
 * What is a [|screencast]?
 * How do I screencast?
 * In the past you could purchase options like [|Camtasia] in addition to less powerful [|free screen capture tools for Windows].
 * Now the folks who brought us Camtasia offer the amazing and Free, [|Jing project].
 * Share by linking to the Jing video from your blog or teacher website... or simply by emailing it to others.
 * [|MONKEY MAIL] is a fun site that you can have a MONKEY create a message for you. Use Jing to record the screen and upload it for your students. Here is an example of a finished product: [|A MONKEY MESSAGE TO STUDENTS]

**Activity**
>> http://screencast.com/t/afGMbgEg
 * Create a brief (5 minutes or less) instructional video about the new online gradebook - or another topic for your colleagues or students.
 * Share the link below:
 * This is a video on how to enter the same grade for each student for a specific assignment in the grade book [|ic fill in]
 * This one shows how to use a Graphing Calculator to enter data points, graph the scatter plot, find the line of best fit, and use the line to predict values for new inputs. Tim Baumgartner, RUHS Math - http://screencast.com/t/Y6UxvGqr0
 * This is a 30 second video on how to change the theme of your classroom webpage on myteacherpages.com http://screencast.com/t/XrS6ChdCBlu
 * Susi Farrell This is an explanation of how to get on to Edusoft and into the Assessments folders with tests.
 * Julie Jing http://screencast.com/t/1Aolo0xL
 * Nadine's Jing http://screencast.com/t/nuuoBR5Rw2
 * Amanda's training video for Alta Vista Staff, "How to create a distribution list on Microsoft Outlook http://screencast.com/t/1d7m2xD0P3N
 * Explanation of how to hide dropped students on IC http://screencast.com/t/f0upnV2Xf
 * How to make a new album on Picassa 2 http://screencast.com/t/twpdKuQQh
 * Cindy's video for Spanish class for the webpage: http://screencast.com/t/OpdX65TieRh
 * This is how to get your attendance register for special education: http://www.screencast.com/users/jirika/folders/Default/media/4e8dfd47-70a6-4291-ac4d-e03ed4c30120
 * Extra Credit: Post the link to the Jing video on your own blog or teacher website!

LUNCH

RSS

 * It Really Is Really Simple: An Introduction to RSS in Education
 * Search Feeds - Notifications from Google, Technorati, and More!
 * Web Search: Run a search at [|MSN search]. Add &format=RSS to the end of the search URL. Cut and paste this URL into your feed reader. You now have a feed for that search!
 * News Search: See the instructions for Custom News Feeds at [|Google News]
 * Technorati: Run a search at [|Technorati], a blog search engine. Then click on the orange subscribe link near the upper right (above the search results).

Activity: Set Up An RSS Aggregator

 * Create an account at [|Google Reader]
 * Subscribe to some edublogs and other feeds.
 * Share items with your colleagues and/or students. Add a link to your shared items below:
 * [|Dr. Wagner's Shared Items]
 * Stu's [|quickie google reader]
 * You might also add a link to your shared items to your LITT Page.
 * Extra Credit: Add a link to your shared items on your own blog or teacher website!

**Some Blogs To Subscribe To**

 * [|http://www.weblogg-ed.com] - Will Richardson
 * http://www.davidwarlick.com/2cents/ - David Warlick
 * [|http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com] - Vicki Davis
 * [|http://www.thethinkingstick.com] - Jeff Utecht (in Thailand)
 * [|http://www.edtechlife.com] - Mark Wagner's blog ;)
 * http://hankshistoryhour.com/ - Hank's History Hour - from RBUSD!
 * [|MRPRICEROOM12] Exaclty what the name says

More Read/Write Web Services (Time Permitting):

 * [|Twitter]
 * [|Ning]
 * [|Flickr]
 * [|Edublogs.tv]
 * [|ustream.tv]
 * Optional: Add a link to your page on any of these services to your LITT Page or on your own blog or teacher website!

BREAK

More Google

 * Calendar
 * The Tool: [|http://calendar.google.com]
 * iGoogle
 * The Tool: [|http://www.igoogle.com]
 * The Crib Sheet: http://sites.google.com/site/gtaresources/files/Crib_iGoogle.pdf?attredirects=0
 * GTA Resources: http://sites.google.com/site/gtaresources/tech-tools-rotation-2/blogger-reader--igoogle
 * Google Sites
 * The Tool: [|http://sites.google.com]
 * The Crib Sheet: http://sites.google.com/site/gtaresources/files/Crib_Sites.pdf?attredirects=0
 * GTA Resources: http://sites.google.com/site/gtaresources/tech-tools-rotation-2/google-apps-and-sites
 * SketchUp
 * The Tool: [|http://sketchup.google.com]
 * The Crib Sheet: http://sites.google.com/site/gtaresources/files/Crib_SketchUp.pdf?attredirects=0
 * Talk
 * The Tool: [|http://talk.google.com]
 * Video & YouTube
 * The Tools: [|http://video.google.com] & [|http://youtube.com]
 * Even More: http://www.google.com/options/
 * And Even More GTA Resources: http://sites.google.com/site/gtaresources/materials/

Jigsaw Activity - Modified

 * Each pair or trio of LITTs will select a different Google Tool to explore in more depth.
 * Following their explanation, they will share three things with the large group:
 * The Nature of The Tool - What is it? What does it do?
 * The Educational Value of The Tool - How might teachers and students use it?
 * How to Get Started - What are the next steps one would take?
 * Time Permitting: Explore one or more of the tools that interested you.

[|Evaluation]
[|Future Workshop Topics?]

This wiki was originally developed by: [|Mark Wagner, Ph.D.] President, Educational Technology and Life Corporation