Webinars - a great tool for professional development

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><em>webinarsSubmitted by Fiona Beal</em><br /><div closure_uid_69yzax="106">SchoolNet is planning to introduce regular webinars for educators in the areas of technology integration and good classroom practice. I am in the process of contacting South African educators that I know of who have expertise in certain fields to see if they would be willing to share their expertise and host a webinar somewhere along the line. But what about you? To start off we will confine this to SchoolNet Premium members. If you are a SchoolNet Premium member and you have something you would like to share that could benefit us all, please let me know. Initially the time span will be 45 minutes with another 10-15 minutes for interaction...and we'll take it from there! </div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>30 tools in 50 minutes</strong></span><br /><br /><div closure_uid_69yzax="108">But now. let me talk about a webinar I listened to last night. It was wonderful. It was given by Steven Anderson  <a href="http://web20classroom.blogspot.com/">Web20 classroom</a> fame. I was keen to hear what he had to say about 30 tools in 50 minutes. Educators LOVE knowing about resources so the session was packed with people from all over the globe. (By the way the webinar was presented by Simple K12).</div><div closure_uid_69yzax="177"><br /></div><div class="separator" closure_uid_69yzax="176" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIg-11_9o_J56hyVsILI9QO5IniqYC1MLtLBur1sRnIYWHNYcUWxMPhNShzrZtHO3p1ZLAY8UTV6oylZu4YEnjNtdhn5-WFpm6ND7a8RVNfCRHQhRLO-d97wpEjEOyn3Md16DiLCjC4Y/s1600/30-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIg-11_9o_J56hyVsILI9QO5IniqYC1MLtLBur1sRnIYWHNYcUWxMPhNShzrZtHO3p1ZLAY8UTV6oylZu4YEnjNtdhn5-WFpm6ND7a8RVNfCRHQhRLO-d97wpEjEOyn3Md16DiLCjC4Y/s400/30-4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="left">He divided his favourite tools into 6 categories. I liked his emphasis to start with. It is not about tools. The focus in any lesson should be on the content and good curriculum delivery.  The tools certainly spice things up and catch the learners' attention. It's a case of 'Right tool, right time, right job, right people'. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Images</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) <a href="http://compufight.com/">Compufight.com</a> searches Flickr for images with the Creative Commons License. <br />2) <a href="http://flickr.com/">Flickr.com</a> for storing, looking for and sharing pictures.</span></div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://aviary.com/">Aviary.com</a> is a free Google very-easy-to-use photo editing site</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://piknik.com/">Piknik.com</a> is another great photo editing site</div><div align="left">5) <a href="http://bighugelabs.com/">Big Huge Labs.com</a> to create varied fun photo items</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">OK, so I have tried Big Huge Labs and have created a mosaic and here it is!</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCwWq7_Mpue-bMzk0lEmeNsqPK98N87F9QRYxfAinsOVGBV8SlKcDpQ5lRmY1yxNAw-_RfZk4AyD9yQL6Dv_hf3DAovBZg7oSZmgHDU57hKN89fRi0mVOfng_43zG_dNnz6wnX74Lvfk/s1600/30-TOOLS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCwWq7_Mpue-bMzk0lEmeNsqPK98N87F9QRYxfAinsOVGBV8SlKcDpQ5lRmY1yxNAw-_RfZk4AyD9yQL6Dv_hf3DAovBZg7oSZmgHDU57hKN89fRi0mVOfng_43zG_dNnz6wnX74Lvfk/s400/30-TOOLS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">What I love about using these free tools in the classroom is that the learners can go home and try them out there. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Audio and video</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://vocaroo.com/">Vocaroo.com</a> is a very simple audio recording site. Great for sending a simple message to your students. </span></div><div align="left"><a href="http://screenr.com/">Screenr.com</a> is a simple, free easy 5 minute screencasting site - you can recap a way to do a Maths problem for example. </div><div align="left"><a href="http://jing.com/">Jing.com</a> Also for screencasting but can do a bit more than screenr</div><div align="left"><a href="http://skype.com/">Skype.com</a> for free computer ro computer calling. You can do screen sharing as well. What about getting authors to come in on Skype and say something about their book?</div><div align="left"><a href="http://voki.com/">Voki.com</a> sends a message. Use for introductions, instructions etc. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnwkTEAFywlBAsgToxDg9pdXjK1OwgndFjMQbnbkTB0dtxndnu9FM97npeVt6VWPvI0PjWjGJEh5fXi_DZF7TSHp2bp7gAbUSpDnAITrkdZG3vfisERFeFZrf_6fm6KqQs_9vBw7k0H8/s1600/30-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnwkTEAFywlBAsgToxDg9pdXjK1OwgndFjMQbnbkTB0dtxndnu9FM97npeVt6VWPvI0PjWjGJEh5fXi_DZF7TSHp2bp7gAbUSpDnAITrkdZG3vfisERFeFZrf_6fm6KqQs_9vBw7k0H8/s400/30-9.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Collaboration</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">1) <a href="http://en.linoit.com/">Linoit</a> is a corkboard brainstorming tool</div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://pbworks.com/">PBWorks</a> and <a href="http://wikispaces.com/">Wikispaces</a> for wiki collaboration</div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://ning.com/">Ning</a> a great collaboration site but no longer free</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://google.com/">Googledocs </a>amazing for sharing - 100 can work on the same document</div><div align="left">5) <a href="http://google.com/">Google Forms</a> are very useful</div><div align="left"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSLrqKk_TcIvjty7dVkBDwHcIZxvSFmFFPqWKdFnpR5svtjDj7uHBdLT_yzEY1vbFAtLXRt6OVp3TFi9Zq_R9DFsEfCaANML_MAk9dzY1f-f1zNdz1EHP3uXt3YIpWaIKFN5hZHk8hOA/s1600/30-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSLrqKk_TcIvjty7dVkBDwHcIZxvSFmFFPqWKdFnpR5svtjDj7uHBdLT_yzEY1vbFAtLXRt6OVp3TFi9Zq_R9DFsEfCaANML_MAk9dzY1f-f1zNdz1EHP3uXt3YIpWaIKFN5hZHk8hOA/s400/30-11.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Chat and backchannel</span></strong></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) <a href="http://todaysmeet.com/">TodaysMeet</a> is a really useful classroom tool. Very popular at conferences. </span></div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://tinychat.com/">Tiny chat.com</a> for video chatting </div><div align="left"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjvge-7dRyuYbf-g8db9qZMjlBMh_671z4JhA9Gch7YYxfYRR3qcpyh3DyFNXrtihyYP7IFDtHOxvqYnZHK-QauypR12xHzwTXN92EUi2oDn0o93UaCdP_xR1u292LxLsr0Tp41Wik3o/s1600/30-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjvge-7dRyuYbf-g8db9qZMjlBMh_671z4JhA9Gch7YYxfYRR3qcpyh3DyFNXrtihyYP7IFDtHOxvqYnZHK-QauypR12xHzwTXN92EUi2oDn0o93UaCdP_xR1u292LxLsr0Tp41Wik3o/s400/30-13.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Presentation tools</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">1) <a href="http://creativecommons.com/">Creative commons.org</a> has a great search feature on site </div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://sliderocket.com/">Sliderocket.com</a> has amazing, professional presentation templates and tools. You can also set up collaborators.</div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://prezi.com/">Prezi.com</a> for different kinds of presentations</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://livebinders.com/">Livebinders.com</a> is a three ring binder on the web. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWogR8BiV9QnIlHFLT-MySHzjslk8ZttyMnCktjtNp8ODkV7baExt5OTvOrdnOS8F8M7Wf32ar_D9LxcwKV2Q6PCqnsys69VlQzgQhvYSewEDpk4bA0IAMIqZfOZOGaV5veOiktFPbbg/s1600/30-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWogR8BiV9QnIlHFLT-MySHzjslk8ZttyMnCktjtNp8ODkV7baExt5OTvOrdnOS8F8M7Wf32ar_D9LxcwKV2Q6PCqnsys69VlQzgQhvYSewEDpk4bA0IAMIqZfOZOGaV5veOiktFPbbg/s400/30-15.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Mindmapping</strong></span></div><div align="left">1) <a href="http://mindmeister.com/">Mindmeister.com</a> a free web-based mindmapping tool, very simple to use and exportable.</div><div align="left">2) <a href="http://bubble.us.com/">Bubble.us.com</a> is also a web-based mindmapping tool with less options than Mindmeister. Easy to use. </div><div align="left">3) <a href="http://lovelycharts.com/">Lovely charts.com</a> a bit more difficult with lots of icons</div><div align="left">4) <a href="http://popplet.com/">Popplet.com</a> is also a great mindmapping tool<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5uuCu9V6vEINho_g42040UKvdJpHdanULlKYfcYk4ARON8FxbQESIYUM5HtiUbgH8PNPmfFa1OwaGd92eHM4UJEY0XLkfgxcP8B3Y-Sw8-b-FoiU9GN1aFMUJOJWaN9AbfFfAeaz3YE/s1600/30-18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5uuCu9V6vEINho_g42040UKvdJpHdanULlKYfcYk4ARON8FxbQESIYUM5HtiUbgH8PNPmfFa1OwaGd92eHM4UJEY0XLkfgxcP8B3Y-Sw8-b-FoiU9GN1aFMUJOJWaN9AbfFfAeaz3YE/s400/30-18.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Essential tools</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) </span><a href="http://embedit.in/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Embedit.in</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> can embed s nearly everything into a blog or website</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2) </span><a href="http://zamzar.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Zamzar.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> converts one file type into another one</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3) </span><a href="http://twitter.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Twitter.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is a must for every educator. 140 character microblogging tool.  </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4) </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1292099083"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Readit later.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> keeps track of information - anything you don't have time to read right now you just click.</span><br />5) <a href="http://diigo.com/">Diigo.com</a> allows you to keep bookmarks and also share your bookmarks. You can also automtically save them to delicious another bookmarking service.<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">6) <a href="http://google.com/">Google calendar</a> keeps you updated amd you can share shedules. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD84o81ERwLdjeW6F_6cxGHrc89CkHvZVu-nRskjmbmsP4O8JckCpCa0yQAW_Ud2STcjC5VdvMzDiBIsosdobEqh3Lkixa9QObq4MTH8o_8JUYq-CxTOpaw7BbaI9tIzF5FTFljwohZRM/s1600/30-21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD84o81ERwLdjeW6F_6cxGHrc89CkHvZVu-nRskjmbmsP4O8JckCpCa0yQAW_Ud2STcjC5VdvMzDiBIsosdobEqh3Lkixa9QObq4MTH8o_8JUYq-CxTOpaw7BbaI9tIzF5FTFljwohZRM/s400/30-21.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div closure_uid_69yzax="178" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span id="goog_1292099084" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />That's just a quick overview of a few useful tools. I wonder what you would add to this list? Please feel free to add some suggestions in the comment box. It would also be great to hear how these can be used in lessons.</span>  It would also be useful to hear what the problems are in using Web 2.0 tools in your classroom. </div></div>

webinars Webinars - a great tool for professional development

webinarsSubmitted by Fiona Beal SchoolNet is planning to introduce regular webinars for educators in the areas of technology integration and...

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Making lemonade...with a broken wrist?

I bet you thought I was going to say "making lemonade with lemons". My last few post have been trite sayings, albeit true. Especially the "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger".<br /><br />I'll be the first to admit I was a big baby yesterday. I was an emotional wreck. Going in for what I thought was nothing more than an x-ray that I was sure would prove nothing was wrong with me and the pain was totally imaginary, and then walking out with a full knuckles to shoulder cast was devastating. Add in the time of three months minimum in the cast and possible surgery, well, I guess I was in a state of shock. All I could do was cry.<br /><br />My first thought was my upper body weight lifting. I couldn't lift weghts for three months. That was like the end of my world as I knew it. Yes, I know. BIG BABY.<br /><br />Then there was all the stuff I couldn't do for myself. Open jars, do my hair, fasten my bra, carry more than one item at a time (like breakfast AND a cup of coffee). Let's not forget my job. I'm a software developer (among other things). It's hard enough to code and type with two hands. Try it with one hand. The list of what I <u>couldn't</u> do was endless.<br /><br />Of course, top of the list of what I thought I couldn't do was weight loss. My illogical thinking was, great, now I'm physically challenged. I can't exercise. I'll for sure want to eat ALL the time, and of course, lots of bad foods (and don't tell me there aren't any 'bad foods", because in my world there are such things). With no exercise, and eating like a pig I'll definitely balloon up to 300 pounds in no time. I'm doomed! Life as I knew it is over!<br /><br />That was yesterday. Today was a hell of a LOT better. <br /><br />I'm not saying any of this is easy, because everything is a  lot harder with only one hand. But it's not impossible. Except making a decent looking ponytail. I haven't figured out that trick yet. I just have to focus on being creative in figuring how to do simple tasks with only one hand when two would be much better.<br /><br />I'm off to bed now, Very tired.

Making lemonade...with a broken wrist?

I bet you thought I was going to say "making lemonade with lemons". My last few post have been trite sayings, albeit true. Especia...

Read more »