Flixn

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A first grade teacher in my district just got a new webcam and is anxious to post some video on her classroom blog.  She asked me if I knew how to use Flixn.  I've never heard of it, so I figured I'd give it a try.  The program is very easy to use!  And it does not even require a log-in.  I look really tired and am having a bad hair day, so I apologize.  However, if you are a blogger and have a webcam, this program is worth taking a look.

Kudos to Barb, who has her first graders writing more than ever before... due to her blog.  The students love getting comments and sharing their writing with others. If you have a moment, they would love for you to make a comment.  Thanks!

Discovery Resources About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Are you looking for classroom ideas and resources about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr?  If you are a subscriber, Discoverystreaming has many new videos, audio files, images, and writing prompts available.  Click here for easy access to these resources. 

Take students to the 1960’s and the Civil Rights movement with these resources.  Also get them thinking and writing about Dr. King, his message, and his impact on our nation and the world.

Weird Al Gives Lesson About Copyright

Click  here to listen to a Weird Al's lesson about copyright.

6th Graders Write Science Song and Perform Dance

Jean Buller, a sixth grade teacher at Clifford Smart Middle School, assigned her students to write songs to go along with the astronomy unit they were studying.  When I heard of this, I encouraged Jean to podcast.  With some brief training, Jean was using Audacity to record the students, converting to mp3s and posting the files to her website.  I had the pleasure of assisting her for a portion of the day while the students were performing.  The students really enjoyed watching their classmates sing their songs.   They were also very excited to be able to share their creative works with their family and friends!  Jean reported that her students did remarkably well on the unit test and she attributes their success to this activity.  

I happened to have my Flip videocamera in my purse (I don't go anywhere without it... I never know when I might need it!)  One group of students had choreographed a dance to go with their song.  I grabbed them and took them into the hall to record their performance on video.  Enjoy!

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Free Premium Yugma Account for Bloggers

Yugma : Free Web Conferencing, Online Meetings, Web Collaboration Service, Free Desktop Sharing, video conferencing, remote control software, net meeting, mac conferencing: home

Thank you, Langwitches for this tip!  Until the end of the month, free Premium accounts are available to bloggers from Yugma.  Yugma is for hosting web meetings, and it allows you to share your computer desktop with others, along with whiteboard and chat features.  If you are not a blogger, you can still sign up for a free account for up to 10 attendees.

I cannot wait to try it!  I've copied and pasted the info from Sylvia's blog below:

Hi, This is Connie from Yugma. On behalf of Yugma with our One Year Anniversary, I would like to thank you for mentioning us on your site and helping us to spread the word about our product. The blogging community had had an integral part in making Yugma one of the fastest growing real-time web collaborations services in 2007 with over 100,000 users to date.

To express our thanks, we’re donating/sponsoring Yearly Premium Yugma accounts (valued at $99.50) to bloggers who simply ask. To learn more about this program and how to get your sponsored Yugma account, check out the details on the Yugma blog – linked below.
http://www.yugma.com/blog/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=261&Itemid=1

Please be sure to check this out soon! The window to request your account through the Yugma Blogger Program will be through the end of January, 2008.

With Greatest Appreciation,

Connie and the rest of the Yugma Team

PS: Be sure to stay tuned! Yugma is set to release new features and improved performance in the next few weeks and months. To keep informed of all the happenings, check out http://www.yugma.com under the news and blog.

MoodleMeet Ning

Ning - Create your own Social Networks! via kwout

I learned about a Ning dedicated to Moodlers from Gates' Computer Tips blog.  If you have never heard of Ning, it is a social networking site that can be used for educational purposes.  I am a member of several Nings:  MACUL, Classroom 2.0, School 2.0, VidSnacks, OpenEducation, and the One-to-One Institute.  Nings can be public and private.  Of the ones I am subscribed to, all but one are public, as they are designed to share and collaborate with others from around the world.  The private Ning is used to work and create professional development materials for a large project that will be marketed around the world.  A private Ning could be created by any teacher to allow students the opportunity to use social networking as part of thelearning process in a safe way.

Happy New Year!

This was made with a fun Flickr tool.