WELCOME TO SPRING

I hope that everyone is enjoying some spring like weather today. Here in North Carolina the temperature just hit 80 degrees. Before you get too jealous, the pollen is already in full force.

Without further adieu, he is the lastest Tech Tool Tuesday from the NAGC Computers & Technology Network.

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This will serve as the last call for anyone interested in being part of the planning committee for the first ever NAGC video competition for gifted students. Do not delay in emailing Brian Housand at brianhousand@gmail.com

Your experience and expertise are needed.

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TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS!

NAGC is looking for new leadership for the C&T Network. If you have been a member of this network for the past two years and have a passion for technology and gifted education, I encourage to run for either the Chair or Chair-Elect for this network. If you have any questions about what is involved with the position, please contact me at brianhousand@gmail.com To apply for the position CLICK HERE to download the application form. All nomination materials must be postmarked by APRIL 11, 2011.

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Update from Texas: Part 2

By Diane Witt

DeeWitt@aol.com

The fourth and fifth grade gifted Connections students from Lundy Elementary school in El Paso, Texas have been learning to blog.

Their teacher, Margaret Clay has been using a blogging tool  with her students. Class blogmeister, (classblogmeister.com) is a free tool that encourages writing. David Warlick, author of four books on instructional technology created the web site. It allows students to have their own blogs. Teachers can monitor the posts and discussions while students take part in the process and ownership of their work. Tutorials are available on how to set up an account and publish to their blog page. A student contract and parent permission form are also available. Best of all, there is no cost.

These fourth and fifth grade students are required to post assignments on their blog. One main assignment is their study of a prospective university. Postings of their poetry and  book reflections also take place. As they become more familiar with the process, they will be requireed to visit at least ten blog sites and post comment on the posts every two weeks.

One of her favorite features is that all posts are sent to her email for review  before they go public. This gives her a chance to grade their work and ensure all content is appropriate. It can be used for any age group and is very user friendly.

Keys to success is access to computers for the kids to create their own posts as well as projection of the teachers computer to show them how to get started. According to Margaret, “Once that happens, they fly!!!!”

Margaret attended Lubbock University and graduated with a bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Shebegan teaching at EPISD Alta Vista Elementary where she taught 3rd grade for one year and 2nd for two. She completed her masters in curriculum and instruction/middle management from NMUS. She is currently teaching 4th and 5th grade Connections gifted students at Lundy Elementary in El Paso, Texas.

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If you are looking for other blogging tools to try, do not overlook WordPress (http://wordpress.com) This is the service used to create this blog. It is relatively easy to use and provides a powerful online experience.

Another option to explore that is more kid and teacher friendly is Weebly (http://weebly.com). While this is primarily thought to be a website creator, Weebly does also offer the ability to create a blog pages as part of your site. It is the easiest web building site that I have ever used, and it provides very professional looking results with little effort.

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ONE MORE THING….

By this point, hopefully all of you have experienced the amazing resource that is TED.com This organization has revolutionized the way that presentations are made and that information is shared. While I am huge fan of TED, often I am left wanting more than the 18 minute talk. If you are looking for something more, I suggest you take a look at the brand new Talks@Google YouTube Page To quote the purpose “The @Google Talks program brings authors, musicians, innovators, and speakers of all stripes to Google for talks centering on their recently published books and capturing the popular and intellectual zeitgeist of the day.” As of this posting there are over 1000 talks that have been posted as part of this program.

Have a great week.

Brian

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