Resource of the Week - Tikatok

Tikatok is a site where children can write, illustrate and publish their own storybooks. Children may create three types of stories: personalized stories (using their names and pictures), StorySparks (using writing prompts to spark ideas), or students may write their stories from scratch. All stories allow the writers to illustrate their books using pictures from the gallery or their own uploaded photos or drawings. Books may be created and shared for free and may be published (hardcover, paperback, or e-book format) for a fee.

Free teacher accounts are available with the Tikatok Classroom Program, allowing teachers to view and edit student work, encourage collaboration, and track each student's progress.

For more resources like this, please be sure to check out the eLIS Digital Resources Collection.

Resource of the Week - Conservation Central

Conservation Central is a habitat educational program designed to teach children in grades 5-8 about the temperate forest and biodiversity. The program features a middle school curriculum with lesson plans, alignments to national standards, and online activities designed to supplement the curriculum. The online activities, including, Design a Panda Habitat, Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge, and A Walk in the Forest, may also be used as standalone activities.

In Design a Panda Habitat, students learn how to design a habitat that meets the needs of the pandas, zoo staff, and visitors. Students may choose trees/plants, water features, climate control, food, items for enrichment, and research/observation tools. Helpful tips are available and, upon completion, the pandas will explore their new habitat.

In Habitat Adventure: Panda Challenge, students learn how to protect giant pandas by protecting their habitat. Students accompany a researcher in a fictional Chinese nature preserve and learn about making observations, identifying core areas, the healthy balance between carnivores and herbivores, creating habitat corridors, and helping the local community.

A Walk in the Forest leads students on several virtual nature walks through a fictional Virginia forest. Available walks currently include Dirt Detectives: Trees & Soils, Forest Layers, I.D. a Tree, Observing Seasonal Changes, Mapping Forest Changes, and Using Amphibians as Indicators. Each walk teaches students about the temperate forest and encourages them to make observations using the same tools and methodologies that scientists use when monitoring biodiversity.

Additionally, Conservation Central features Family Learning Activities designed to help students and their families explore the world around them.

For more resources like this, be sure to check out the eLIS Digital Resources Collection.

Resource of the Week - Wordia

Wordia is an online dictionary that provides the spelling, meaning, and etymology of the word and encourages members of the community to make personal connections to the words through video. An example may be found below in Wordia's Word of the Day for June 18, 2010:





In addition to the public version of Wordia, a school version is available, providing a private destination for students and teachers. Wordia Schools allows students to explore vocabulary and contribute their own personal thoughts and reflections on the meaning of a word through video. Wordia Schools allows words to be broken down in to subject area, theme, and keywords; lesson plans and assessment tools are forthcoming.

All videos uploaded to Wordia Schools are moderated and are not published to the public Wordia site. Teachers may decide if their videos are to be shared with one class, the whole school, or the entire Wordia Schools network.

Resource of the Week - Admongo

Admongo is an educational game designed to teach children how to recognize and understand advertisements. Students journey through a game world where they overcome obstacles, collect coins, and solve challenges designed to teach them about advertisement. Throughout the game students learn how to answer three important questions:

• Who is responsible for the ad?
• What is the ad actually saying?
• What does the ad want me to do?

Additionally, a free advertising literacy curriculum designed for 5th and 6th grade classrooms is available. The curriculum contains lesson plans, worksheets, classroom resources, and handouts. Teacher training videos are forthcoming. Admongo also includes areas for both parents and teachers as well as a Text Version (containing all of the information learned in the game), a Glossary and an Ad Library.

Faculty Spotlight: Rick Schneider

Sharing Student Projects Through Wikis
Illustration Survey, Fall 2009

Introduction

In Rick Schneider's traditional face-to-face art history course, students had little opportunity to share perspectives or engage in dialogue about artists. After learning about wikis, Rick set up this tool to enhance student engagement with the content. He created an environment where students could research and collaboratively profile artists to share with the class. By creating this space, Rick was able to engage the students in a lively discussion about the artists they were viewing.

Timeline

In June of 2009, Rick participated in the Online Course Development Seminar. Through that seminar and attendance at various other workshops, he began to see the value of a shared online environment, even in a face-to-face lecture class. Rick then decided to build a wiki for his illustration Survey course. After completing research on his own, he was able to figure out how to create one.

Equipment

• Wikispaces (www.wikispaces.com)

Process

Rick set up a wiki with module pages for each of his course topics. In response to each module, students were required to create their own wiki page featuring an artist in that weeks' genre. The students created artist profiles, incorporating text, images and video. The students then commented on each others' pages with constructive feedback. In this way students were able to share what they were learning, and create a rich repository for the various artists explored throughout the course.

Outcome

In the wiki, students were able to view each others work in a way they hadn't before. This gave students exposure to more artists than they would have had time for in the classroom. According to Rick, "The students clearly benefited from the shared insight. They engaged in dialog about content, agreed or disagreed about conclusions, and read about topics outside their own required writing." In terms of assessment, the transparency of the activity in the wiki allowed Rick to easily see who was contributing.

Rick's Next Steps...

Rick continues to refine the instructions to be clear around what is expected. By providing better guidelines, Rick hopes to help students understand how to collaboratively write and edit one another's papers. Using what he has learned from developing the Illustration Survey wiki, Rick will create a fully online course for undergraduates called A History of Illustration.

You Can Create A Wiki Too!!

• Keep an eye our for our Wiki Workshops - http://www.lesley.edu/elis/programs.html
• Participate in a self-paced, online Wiki module in the eLearning Faculty Resource Center
• Contact eLIS@lesley.edu for special one-on-one training sessions
  

Resource of the Week - 8 Wonders of the Solar System

8 Wonders of the Solar System is an online interactive from Scientific American. 8 Wonders of the Solar System takes users on a journey to unique places within the solar system: Saturn's rings, Jupiter's red spot, Mars' Valles Marineris, Enceladus' geysers, Triton's geysers, the moon's Peaks of Eternal Light, Mimas' Herschel Crater, and Mercury's sunrise. The site features stunning artwork by Ron Miller, as well as information on the location and current and future space missions.

Be sure to visit the eLIS Digital Resources Collection for more resources like this.

Resource of the Week - ReadCoud

ReadCloud is a social eReading platform designed for schools. It consists of social eReading software with built-in learning tools and a Digital Library Management system. Users may embed comments, videos, pictures, and sound bites to facilitate conversations and discussions. The video below provides an introduction to the tool and how it may be used:



ReadCloud features a Digital Library Management system of out-of-copyright classics, poems, plays, and creative commons books but also allows users to upload their own content. The program currently works on both Macintosh and Windows machines and mobile phone support is forthcoming.

Check out the eLIS Digital Resource Collection for more resources like this. This week we added the 700th resource to the collection! Resources are available for multiple subject areas, age ranges, and tool types.

Resource of the Week - Calculation Nation

Calculation Nation features math strategy games aimed at upper elementary and middle school. Students register with the site to become citizens of Calculation Nation, where they may then play games by themselves or against other students worldwide. Games cover topics such as fractions, multiplication, multiples, factors, symmetry, area, perimeter, and more.

Calculation Nation is part of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Illuminations project, which features a wealth of interactive activities, lessons, standards, and more.

Be sure to visit the eLIS Digital Resources Collection to find more resources like this.

Resource of the Week - HSI: Historical Scene Investigation

The Historical Scene Investigation Project guides students through consulting primary sources to decode the past, compare multiple points of view, and draw conclusions based upon the evidence. Current investigations include Jamestown Starving Time, Bacon's Rebellion, The Boston "Massacre", Constitution Controversy, Children in the Civil War, School Desegregation, march on Frankfort, and more.

Each investigation is presented like a case file and provides both a student view and a teacher view. The student view provides links to primary source documents and instructions for analyzing the sources. Students must determine who authored the documents and for what purpose, what the documents try to convey, where the points of view differ, etc. The teacher view provides background information, standards correlations, and implementation ideas.

Be sure to visit the eLIS Digital Resources Collection for more resources like this.

Upcoming Spring Workshops for Web 2.0 Tools

Utilizing Web 2.0 Resources with myLesley

Spring is a time of renewal and awakening; the daffodils begin to bloom, the leaves return to the trees, and we enjoy the thaw from winter. As we anticipate the arrival of spring, this is an excellent time to freshen up your myLesley course sites. Perhaps you have been thinking about new tools or ideas you would like to try? Maybe you are experimenting with some new methods on your own and would like a little extra help? Whatever the case, the helpful staff in eLIS have a spring menu of workshops and online seminars and resources ready for you!

Below are highlights of some of our upcoming offerings. And remember, If you cannot make an event or an online seminar, you can always contact us directly at elis@lesley.edu to set up time to meet in person talk over the phone about your ideas.

Utilizing Web 2.0 Resources with myLesley

On-Campus Workshops
Introduction to VoiceThread, March 3rd, 11:15am -12:45pm Wolf 204. RSVP bchervin@lesley.edu

Blogging Workshop, March 22nd 2:30-4:00pm Wolf 204 RSVP bchervin@lesley.edu

Online Workshops
Podcasting Seminar, fully online, 2 weeks, March 29-April 11
Contact Kristina McElroy to register: Kmcelro3@lesley.edu

Wiki Seminar, April 19th-May 1, Fully Online, 2 weeks, 6 hours a week.
Please RSVP to Barbara Chervin at bchervin@lesley.edu

Full schedule of online seminars and on-campus events:
http://www.lesley.edu/elis/programs.html

eLearning Faculty Resource Center (eLFRC)
Our online community for faculty features a variety of resources and tools, including self-paced modules on using wikis, blogs and podcasts. If you are not a member of eLFRC yet email eLIS@lesley.edu

Additional Workshops in Atomic Learning
Our relationship with Atomic Learning provides more than just technical tutorials on software and common web tools. You can also view their Web 2.0 workshops and learn more about the ways you can use these tools in your teaching and learning. To find our Atomic Learning resources click on the myServices tab in myLesley.

We hope to see you soon!

Resource of the Week - The Science of the Olympic Winter Games

The National Science Foundation and NBC Learn have teamed up to create The Science of the Olympic Winter Games, a 16-part video series exploring the science behind several Olympic events. The series includes Aerial Physics (Aerial Skiing), Slapshot Physics (Hockey), Internal Athlete (Cross-Country Skiing), Olympic Motion, Competition Suits, Mathletes, Science of the Skis, Science of Skates, Figuring Out Figure Skating, Safety Gear, Banking on Speed (Bobsled), Downhill Science (Alpine Skiing), Air Lift (Ski Jump), Science of Snowboarding, Science Friction (Curling), and Blade Runners (Short Track Speed Skating).

The series addresses various scientific topics, including the laws of physics, chemistry, biomechanics, and physiology. Complementary lesson plans for grades 6-9 are also available.

Check out the eLIS Digital Resources Collection for more resources like this.

Resource of the Week - Shmoop

Shmoop features learning guides and teaching resources for literature, poetry, bestsellers, United States history, civics, biography, and music. Designed to make these topics relevant, Shmoop uses everyday language, humor, and pop culture references to explain the topic, provide detailed analysis, and inspire discussion. A writing guide helps students through the writing process by assisting them in organizing ideas, finding quotes, and formulating the paper.

For more information, check out the detailed tour for teachers, librarians, and professors.




Looking for more resources? Visit the eLIS Digital Resources Collection.

Faculty Spotlight: Kathy Holmes and Mary Jo Larsen

Providing Library Instruction Through Online Webinars
Research Seminar Investigations, Adult Learning Division

Introduction

Mary Jo Larsen teaches a research course on-site in Tacoma, WA. Her students extensively use the Library's online databases and resources. Mary Jo began working with Kathy Holmes, the Library's Assistant Director, to provide a specialized orientation to using library resources for research. Initially, Kathy flew to Tacoma for a face-to-face orientation. It was soon clear that the cost of providing a face-to-face orientation was not scalable. For the second orientation, Kathy delivered her content via a live phone conference while Mary Jo and her students participated from their Tacoma classroom. This approach was okay, but still lacked the strong connection to the visual elements they needed. Kathy then contacted eLIS to learn about Elluminate web conferencing software that could potentially provide the ideal situation for delivering Kathy's presentation.

Timeline

In January 2009, Kathy met with the Learning Technologies Designer in eLIS for a tour of Elluminate and to brainstorm plans for the event. Kathy then completed Elluminate's online moderator training. She and Mary Jo practiced using the Elluminate tools while sharing scripts for the event. In February, they gave their first Elluminate event.

Equipment

• Elluminate vRoom (Free)
• Headset microphone ($20-$30)

Process

Kathy and Mary Jo kept things simple for the event. Mary Jo plugged her laptop into the classroom's projector and sound system in her Tacoma classroom. She then logged into the Elluminate virtual classroom while Kathy logged in from her computer in Cambridge. The students could see and hear Kathy's demo on the projection screen. Mary Jo used the Raise Hand tool in Elluminate to let Kathy know when there were questions. Students then had hands on time to practice on their computers in Tacoma. They could still see the projection screen at the front of the classroom so Kathy put up tips or steps for the students to view while working. A few students used the voice feature to ask Kathy specific questions.

Outcome

The students felt they got the information they needed from the Elluminate event and that it was equivalent to face-to-face orientations they had received. It was a new experience for the students, but they were very accepting. Kathy and Mary Jo found that as long as they didn't get nervous about the technology, the students wouldn't either. The event also helped the off-campus students feel more connected to the University. They could now see the librarians as real people and the web conference allowed the library to provide just in time instructions to a whole group of students at once and answer common questions.

Next Steps...

Kathy and Mary Jo are refining their use of Elluminate for short Q&A sessions at the start of class. They hope to include video of Kathy to help build a stronger connection and to experiment with alternate microphone options so students have greater opportunity to talk directly with Kathy and guide her presentation with questions and comments.

You Can Elluminate Too!

• Contact eLIS@lesley.edu for training and orientation
• Get a free vRoom at http://www.elluminate.com/vroom
  

Resource of the Week - Prism

Instead of opening multiple browser windows or tabs, Prism allows users to separate web applications from the browser and run them as independent applications. Prism applications may be run from the desktop, start menu, or dock and run independently of the web browser, reducing the likeliness of browser crashes.

Prism is available as both a standalone application or a Firefox extension and will run on both Windows, Macintosh, and Linux machines. The following videos show how to convert a web application to a Prism application with both versions of Prism:

Standalone Prism


Firefox Extension


Looking for more resources? Visit the eLIS Digital Resources Collection.