Clif’s Notes

It’s Just a Fun and Clever Idea

I know. I know. This video has been around for a few months and everyone has already seen it…including me. It’s just such a fun and clever idea that I’m going to share it anyway.

U.S. Presidential Elections

Some explanations of the American electoral college are clear as mud. CommonCraft comes to the rescue with an explanation in plain English. Depending on the breadth of the topic within your curriculum you might also consider using one or more of the Schoolhouse Rock videos about American history and government.

“It all starts with your vote. Make it count.” (Source: CommonCraft)

Did You Know?/Shift Happens: The Remix

Karl Fisch’s famous presentation has undergone another iteration as Sony BMG Music Entertainment remixed it to be shown to “150 of the company’s top executives gathered in Rome for [their] annual Global Management Meeting. As part of Sony BMG’s mission to improve the music experience for consumers living in “exponential times”, the video illustrates the demand for change.”

>>Download the Remix

Creed

Of his many awesome works this is my favorite Rich Mullins song.

When I become a Teacher

What kind of teacher do you want to be?

This Afternoon at EBC

Diving Deep into Google Earth and Google Maps

• Lucy Gray’s presenter notes
• Adding images in Google Earth
• Geotagging
• Maps, directions, and more
• Google Book Search Library Project

Web 2.0 in Teacher Education (Program Info)

1. My presenter notes
2. Alternative to the term Web 2.0 is the Read, Write Web
3. Teacher education and professional development that effectively helps teachers better integrate technology with teaching and learning
• Allow the teachers to select their own goals and help them reach them
• Online social networks can more easily provide the in-time assistance, coaching, mentoring, etc. that individuals during development/learning, but teachers often don’t think about using the networks
4. How do we prepare teachers to teach in the 1-to-1 environment?
   • The emphasis should change from "teaching" to designing learning that engages the students.
5. Resources for future teachers
   • Social Network
   • Bookmarks

Designing the 21st Century Global Learning Environments (Program Info)

1. Building on some online discussion that has been ocurring for the past year here and here.
2. If there were no barriers what would education look like? Brainstorming notes

Greetings from North Carolina

I’m spending the next couple of days providing professional development for some of the tech-savvy outstanding teachers with Kannapolis City Schools. My classes will be focusing on teaching and learning with Web 2.0 (Becoming my new thing, I guess.) and creating and using podcasts in the classroom.

Note to my online PLC:

I hope to demonstrate the power and benefits of an online personal learning community (PLC) during my time here, but I’ll need your help with that. Please share your ideas, resources, examples, and advice on these topics. I’m sure the teachers here at KCS would appreciate and benefit from your input. You can respond in the comments section of this post or add information to the related section on my wiki.

PLEASE share!

Leave Audio and Video Comments

I meant to mention a few weeks back that Riffly.com is up and running again. That means that you may once again easily leave video and audio comments on Clif’s Notes. This is a free service and I welcome you to take advantage of this technology. Simply click on the corresponding links in the Comments section and follow the on-screen directions to leave your audio and video responses.

Here are examples of Riffly in action.

Learning to Change - Changing to Learn

Here’s something that will be of interest to all of us. Those with an interest in STEM areas like me should especially take note.

To emphasize the importance of education to the nation’s future and to drive home how much schools need to change in order to educate the children of tomorrow, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), and the National Education Association (NEA) have teamed up to develop a public service announcement (PSA) campaign aimed at the presidential candidates. [More...]

Source: eSchool News

Further Reading

Every Life Matters

There are a variety of interpretations to this song, but they all demonstrate that every single life is important. Be sure to help those that are in need. Be willing to ask for and receive help when you need it.

Hang in there!
Clif

The Piano: Teaching Film Narrative

Here’s another good short video titled The Piano. It has a nice message and good graphics.

Tom Barrett has become one of my favorite bloggers. I’ve recently shared his series of posts about using Google Apps in the classroom with teachers and they really liked his ideas. I encourage classroom teachers everywhere to add Tom’s blog to your reading list (or better yet, to your RSS Reader). He understands curriculum alignment, incorporates higher order thinking skills and innovative strategies in his teaching, and he shares sound, practical advice freely.

Tom has shared a clever strategy for using the above video and Google Forms (I think Zoho might work a bit better) to develop an emotional graph as part of his unit on film narrative. He provides everything a teacher needs to implement this lesson in the classroom. Take a look at this and all of Tom’s blog posts.

Believe in Yourself

I’ve seen this video about a dozen different times and it still moves me. Anything I say about it will only diminish it, so watch and enjoy.

Thanks to Vicki for reminding me about it, again.

Related Resources
Paul’s Official Website
NY Times Article

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Newsletter on Educational Technology

Throughout the years many of the preservice and in-service teachers in my classes, workshops, and presentations have requested that I start an email newsletter. They indicate that in addition to this blog they would like to receive occasional emails sharing rich resources related to technology integration. I’m excited to announce that I have answered these requests.

Clif’s Newsletter on Educational Technology focuses on the effective integration of technology with teaching and learning. Subscribers of this free service will receive occasional emails providing valuable resources and information about lesson plans, activities, technologies, research, etc., related to educational technology.

OPEN TO PUBLIC
Subscription to this newsletter is open to everyone. You are encouraged to share this with everyone with an interest in education (teachers, administrators, homeschooling families, friends, classmates, co-workers, etc.). Everyone is invited to receive this free newsletter.

PRIVACY POLICY
Your email address will never be shared with others. You may unsubscribe at anytime.

MANAGING SUBSCRIPTIONS
You may subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter as you wish.

Civil Rights

We will be taking groups to tour the National Civil Rights Museum during this weekend’s Professors of Instructional Design and Technology Conference. It’s an awesome museum and I believe everyone should visit it at least once. I’ve been about a half dozen times just in the past two years.

The following video is available at TeacherTube and would be a great way to introduce a unit on the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. I suggest consider combining the video with a journaling activity or reflective exercise (such as a pod/vidcast, presentation, or photo essay).

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Related Posts

Civil Rights Museum

Educational Resources: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Crisis in Darfur: A Mini-Lesson that Teaches So Much

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