Picture It! – Photo Scavenger Hunts in the Classroom

I’ll be facilitating one of the opening workshops today at the Arkansas Association of Instructional Media Conference. I’m excited to be back in Arkansas as I went to college and spent my first two years teaching in this state. The AAIM Conference is in Hot Springs which is one of my favorite Arkansan (Pronounced like “Are Kansan”) towns. I’ll be speaking a couple of more times throughout the 3 day conference. Here are the resources from today’s workshop.

Workshop Description
Photo scavenger hunts get students moving while engaging them with course content. Well-designed photo scavenger hunts integrate 21st century skills and promote higher-order thinking.

Workshop Resources

View more presentations from Clif Mims

Free Apple Education Workshops

Instructional Design and Technology at the University of MemphisThe Instructional Design and Technology program at The University of Memphis (UM IDT) is pleased to offer FREE workshops on Apple tools and applications. These will be conducted by Tim Matheny, a Senior System Engineer with Apple. Seating is limited and registration is required…but these top-notch workshops are FREE.

Use the links below to discover additional information and register.

MONDAY, MARCH 21

Accessibility: Technology Enabling All Students
Register at http://umidt-accessibility.eventbrite.com.
Time: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Place: 310 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

ILife ‘11 in Education
Register at http://umidt-ilife.eventbrite.com.
Time: 5:45 PM – 7:15 PM
Place: 310 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

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TUESDAY, MARCH 22

IPad Tools
NOTE: This workshop is also offered on Wednesday.
Register at http://umidt-ipad01.eventbrite.com.
Time: 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM
Place: IDT Studio, 320 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23

iPad Tools
NOTE: This workshop is also offered on Tuesday.
Register at http://umidt-ipad02.eventbrite.com.
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Place: IDT Studio, 320 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

Creating Media for iPods, iPads, and iPhones
Register at http://umidt-iosmedia.eventbrite.com.
Time: 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM
Place: IDT Studio, 320 Ball Hall, University of Memphis

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Educational Technology: Current Trends and Future Directions

Future-TechnologyThis is my slide deck for my keynote presentation at today’s Tennessee Administrator’s Technology Academy. The following serves as an outline of some of the topics that will be highlighted and demonstrated.

  • Standards, 21st Century Learning, and Higher-Order Thinking Skills
  • Classroom Examples
  • Web 2.0 Tools and Services
  • Benefits and Barriers
  • “Telecollaboration”
  • Audio and Video
  • Mash-Ups
  • Mobile Learning
  • Interactivity
  • State of Innovation
  • A Personal Experience
  • Conclusions and Discussion

 

 

 

Prezi for the iPad

Why use Prezi on the iPad? (Source)

* Show your prezis on a portable, lightweight device
* Put ideas at your fingertips by leveraging the iPad’s touchscreen experience
* Keep the focus on your prezi by avoiding the distractions of a browser environment

Sign up for an account at Prezi.com and download the app from iTunes.

Waze for Smart Phones: The Wisdom of the Crowd for Driving

Waze provides “real-time maps and traffic information based on the wisdom of the crowd.”

Here are a few items of note from the Waze website. (Source)

  • At waze, our vision is to work in cooperation with drivers worldwide to create the world’s first live driving map, providing users with the real-time road intelligence they need for better everyday driving.
  • Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road. 100% powered by users, the more you drive, the better it gets. Join the community of drivers in your area today!
  • Waze is a social mobile application that enables drivers to build and use real-time road intelligence. The service includes constantly-updated road maps, alerts on traffic and accidents, and data providing users with the fastest route to get to wherever they need to go.

(Hat Tip to Wes Fryer for bringing Waze to my attention.)

Educational Uses

Waze could be integrated with geography, driver’s education, and social studies.

Data generated by Waze (collected from the live maps) could be used in math and science classrooms.

Please share additional educational uses in the comments.

Skype’s New Resource Specifically for Teachers

Skype in the Classroom is “a free directory that connects teachers and helps them use Skype to enrich students’ educational experience.” It allows you and your students to meet new people and connect with classes from around the world. Skype offers an immediate way to help students discover new cultures, languages and ideas, all without leaving the classroom. (Source)

“There are lots of teachers out there doing amazing things with Skype. But many of them say their biggest obstacle is finding other teachers and classes to connect with. [Skype is} developing a free online directory to make it easy for teachers to connect with other teachers and resources from around the world…Once you sign up with your Skype account and create a profile, you’ll be able to search for other teachers and classes by subject and region. You can also share inspiration and tips to help kids learn with Skype.” (Source)

Start by creating a profile, then explore the directory to find teachers and resources that match your interests. You can then share inspiring links, videos and tips with other teachers.? Feel free to connect with me, too.

Connecting the Classroom and Outside World (Feedback Requested)

Educators, what are some strategies for connecting the classroom with the outside world?

NOTE: I’d like to share responses in an upcoming workshop/presentation and on my blog and wiki. You can submit your ideas using the form below, share your text/audio/video reply in the Comments section of this post or respond via Twitter, Plurk or on your blog using the tag #thruwalls. You can also view the compiled database of suggested strategies on my wiki, Learning Telecollaboratively.

Share this post using http://tr.im/104.

Conversation tag: #thruwalls

Mobile Devices in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #4)

THINKING OUT LOUD
Episode 004

AudioBoo in the Classroom (Thinking Out Loud #3)

THINKING OUT LOUD
Episode 003

Listen!