Palms For Patriots

Just Returned From LACUE

2006-12-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am so excited about what I learned at the Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educator's State Conference held in Baton Rouge. I was very fortunate to listen to Elliot Soloway and Cathie Norris who spoke on Mobilizing the Curriculum. I have attended several Handheld SIG meetings in which Elliot was in attendance and had read must of his research. His session was absolutely awesome! I heard Janet Caughlin give a presentation on using handheld computers and am eager to purchase her new book this spring. I actually attended a hands-on workshop where I created my own wiki using pbwiki. I can hardly wait to begin using a wiki in my classroom. Keynote speaker was Will Richardson--I moved to the very front of the ballroom so that I could hear him and see his presentation easily. After listening to Will's keynote address and attending his workshop, I finally understand how blogs, wikis, and RSS all work together. When Will spoke with a friend in Canada using Skype, my curiosity was definitely peaked. I have downloaded and installed Skype on my computer and was given 5 free minutes. I called my telephone just to see if it actually worked--it did!! I can hardly wait to use it with my students and with teachers when I conduct professional development workshops.

This was the very best LACUE conference that I have ever attended--and I have attended a few. A highlight of the conference was when Marge Arnold, our parish grant writer, was named as Louisiana's Outstanding Technology Educator of the Year.

Patriots Practice Podcasting

2006-09-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Although we were plagued by hotsync problems with voice memos, students are managing to finalize their school announcement podcast. We are using Audacity to edit the voice memos and add background music. By Monday afternoon, we should have seven individual podcasts concerning news and events at FPHS.

Next week, we will continue by creating a podcast for Constitution Week. Students will once again be divided into groups where they will combine patriotic music, a recitation of the Preamble, a short interview with a veteran, a brief history of Constitution Day, and a short citizenship quiz into an informative podcast. I hope to post these to my website for others to hear.

Following podcasting, my students will explore the use of virutal tours on the Internet. Once again, groups of students will create an actual virtual tour of our school campus. I hope to incorporate videos, photos, voice memos, text, and whatever else we can come up with to create a tour that can be featured on our school webpage. Stay tuned for further developments . . .

Third Inservice For 8th Grade Teachers

2006-09-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

Eighth-grade teachers had the opportunity to experiment with several software programs including Divisible, Gone Mad, Numerus, Crickometer, and Angles. I chose to introduce these programs after reading Tony Vincent's blog entry concerning his experiences with teachers from Phoenix. After a brief demonstration of the programs, teachers actually used the Palm Quick Install to transfer the programs from my webpage to their laptops and on to their handhelds. The teachers are doing a great job with the handheld computers--we hope to have the actual handheld computers available to our 8th graders by October 1.

After attending Mike Curtis'workshop at NECC, I purchased a copy of Tap Smart Handshare for demonstrating handheld programs to teachers/students. It is a wonderful program--it is so nice not to have to bring another piece of equipment such as the Elmo!

My students used Sketchy to create animations of famous events in history. I showcased a few of these at the workshop: The Dawn of Man, The Hindenberg, and September 11. At first my students were disappointed because there were three September 11 animations. However, it was very interesting to see the different points of view.

Marge Arnold has recently started a blog describing the use of educational technology in Franklin Parish. You can find her blog at http://franklinparishtechnology.blogspot.com/.

Computer Science - Year Three With Handhelds

2006-08-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

This fall marks the third year we have used handheld computers in the computer science class at my school. In one week, we have managed to perform a hard reset on each handheld computer and re-install the Palm operating system and keyboard software. Students are still adjusting to the conflicts that occur between the keyboard and the ir port.

This year, we have the entire HLE suite of programs from GoKnow. Students have already discovered Sketchy and designed their animation of a famous historical event. Students will be making their presentations to classmates tomorrow. Titles that I have seen include: September 11, Titanic, and Caveman discovers fire.

We began an internet scavenger hunt designed to introduce students to the concept of podcasting. This hunt can be found using Trackstar #268838. Our goal is to podcast the weekly announcements on our school website.

Connected Tech 8th Grade Palm Project

2006-08-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Approximately 15 eighth-grade teachers along with three curriculum coordinators met today for our second inservice training on the use of handheld computers. Teachers brought their handheld computers, laptop computers, sync cables, software, etc. and came prepared to sync their handheld to their laptop. Ultimately, all teachers were able to install the Palm desktop to their laptops and install Docs to Go and Ebook Reader to their handheld computers.

Marge presented a lesson plan that could be used with the Louisiana comprehensive curriculum. Debbie distributed several documents that would be useful in preparing for parent's night as well as a sample handheld contract. Thoy explained the blackboard site and how participants could locate and logon to the site.

We discussed an article that was published in Interactive Educator entitled "electronic books help reluctant readers?" The article was written by Kathy Schrock. Teachers can request a free IE subscription at www.education.smarttech.com/subscribe.

Since Constitution Day is September 17, we informed teachers of the following blog where a free handheld curriculum unit on the Constitution will be made available by September 1. http://www.k12handhelds.com/blog/

Our next meeting will be held on September 7 (Thursday) from 4 to 6 p.m. Our main goal will be to share software such as Numerus, Flash/Boom, etc. with teachers and explain how it can be installed on their handheld computers.

Eighth Grade Teachers Introduced to Handhelds

2006-08-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

As the first step in the implementation of our handheld computer initiative for all eighth graders in the school district, eighth grade teachers gathered for the first of many inservice workshops. Mrs. Marge Arnold, grantwriter, explained the purpose for the initiative and how handheld computers have been successfully used in school districts throughout the nation. Mrs. Thoy Leonard, technology coordinator, discussed pre and post surveys to be completed by both teachers and students.

As local consultant for the project, I issued each teacher a handheld computer (Palm Tungsten E2) and began with hands-on activities. My agenda included:

1. A Tour of the Tungsten E2 - Explanation of soft buttons, hard buttons, stylus, etc.
2. Contacts - Teachers used the on-screen keyboard to create a contact that contained their school information and beamed it to other teachers in the group.
3. One of the handheld computers froze; therefore, I took advantage of the teachable moment and showed teachers how to perform a soft reset.
4. After a brief meet and greet session using Cooties, we had an epidemic! Teachers were forced to use their higher-order thinking skills to find the initial carrier.
5. I beamed a memo to each participant. The memo contained a paragraph, spelling words, and math problems. These were edited and beamed back.
6. Using Tony Vincent's Quizzler handout, teachers were able to design their very own drill and practice test.
7. We concluded with a special viewing of my presentation from NECC--Beaming Across the Curriculum.

Teacher comments/suggestions included:
A parent night in which to explain the project and issue handhelds.
Giving a spelling test on the handheld rather than pen/pencil.

Special thanks to Dr. Mark Yehle of SuccessLink for his input on this workshop.

Trackstar Updates

2006-05-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have recently added to my collection of links on Trackstar. They can be referenced from the TrackStar site as follows:

Introduction to Podcasting - #272837
Using Handheld Computers in the Classroom - #218883 and #218982
Software for the Palm OS - #240182 and #288704

I hope to see you all at NECC in SanDiego. Marge Arnold and I will be presenting a concurrent workshop entitled Beaming across the Curriculum. It will be held on Friday, 7/7/2006, at 11:30am– 12:30pm, in the SDCC 9.

LA Association of Computer Using Educators

2006-02-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

On February 14-16, I had the opportunity to attend the Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators’ State Conference. While in Baton Rouge, I attended the following sessions: Podcasting 101 – This was presented by a representative from Apple Computer. Even though I am not an Apple computer user, I was pleased to learn many new and exciting aspects of Itunes. We had the opportunity to see the new video Ipod in action and listen to an episode of Radio WillowWeb. Next, I attended Photo Editing with Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 presented by Leslie Fisher. She is most knowledgeable about all kinds of gadgets and software. Thanks to her workshop, I can now use this software to reduce the size of my photos. An instructor from Trinity Episcopal School taught me a little about RSS in RSS: Learning More While Doing Less. I can hardly wait to subscribe to various podcasts and have them downloaded as contents are updated. While I was waiting to begin my presentation, I attended Reeling IT In: Integrating Technology in Math. This workshop was particularly valuable for fourth and eighth grade math teachers who are preparing students for the Leap test in the spring. While strolling through the exhibit hall, I had the opportunity to visit with Luba Lewytzkyj with Atomic Learning. Atomic Learning offers online training videos in numerous software. Since I received a 30-day free access code for the service, I tried out the Introductory Excel with my students. They loved it! They are beginning to expand their curriculum tools. They even have an online workshop on podcasting!

The conference website is http://www.lacue.org/

School Based Enterprise Students Use Palms

2006-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Students in my school based enterprise have begun to use our set of handheld computers. As part of their portfolio, they must take at least one photo of themselves at work on a product. They must also photograph any products they create. When students do not have an order to work on, they are encouraged to check out their handheld computer and begin learning to use it.

One student is responsible for the distribution and collection of handheld computers. So far, this system is working quite well. Later in February, I plan to incorporate some podcasting into our class.

First Term Ends

2006-01-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

Our first term ended today, and my computer science students turned in their handheld computers. We have learned so much over the last few months. Students seemed to really enjoy the podcasting--many referred to it as their favorite class project. At the end of the term, I gave students the opportunity to share creative ways they had used the palm handheld outside the classroom. One student was having trouble with math--she videoed the teacher working the problem and played it over and over until she grasped the concept. Another student taped the Spanish teacher and listened to the voice memo to better his/her pronunciation. And yet another used Quizzler to review for Spanish vocabulary tests.

I plan for my Entrepreneurship students to use the handhelds next term. We run a school-based enterprise out of my entrepreneurship class where students create desktop publishing products. We will be creating some new products this term such as a weekly school podcast that can be played on the local radio station. I would also like students to have the opportunity to video math and science teachers explaining concepts and burn them to a CD. Students could check the CD out for remediation. Just some thoughts--will let you know how they work out.

I'm excited! I will be presenting a workshop at the Louisiana Computer Using Educators Conference in Baton Rouge in February. I will also be presenting at NECC this summer. Hope to see you there!

Podcasting American History

2005-12-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today, I asked students to select an important event that happened in American History such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of JFK, September 11, etc. Next, students were asked to use the Internet to research this event and locate such facts as persons involved, eye witness accounts, date, time, place, cause, etc.

Tomorrow, students will be asked to write the script for a podcast that could have been the first radio news report from the scene. The podcast must begin with a 30 second introduction identifying who they are, where they are, the date and time, and their radio "podcast" station information. Four minutes of coverage in which they describe what is happening along with interviews from eye witnesses. Meaningful sound effects are encouraged (such as guns firing at Pearl Harbor). The podcast must conclude with a 30-second wrap up and asking the listener to stay tuned for further details.

I recently ordered the book KIDCAST: Podcasting in the Classroom. It is written by Dan Schmit--Dan also has a website that he updates regularly. I have found his website as well as his book to be extremely helpful.

Exploring Podcasting

2005-11-28T07:17:00.000-08:00

Today, we begin exploring podcasting and how it can be used on the Palm. Quite frankly, I did not realize how exciting this could be. As an introduction for my students, I designed a trackstar that required students to visit six different websites and answer questions from each website. The trackstar also asked students to download and install Audacity as well as listening to parts of several podcasts. FYI, the trackstar number is 268838. For homework, students will write a script for the introduction to a school news podcast and record it on their Palm. Tomorrow, we will listen to each one and vote on our favorite.

Prior to Thanksgiving break, we explored the use of E-book Studio. After downloading the trial version, students created an e-book describing the projects that we have completed thus far and reflected on what they had learned.

Shop Till You Drop

2005-11-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

Since the holiday season is just around the corner, I decided to show students how they can use their Palm to create a shopping list and keep their checkbook records up to date. I began by explaining the scenerio: students received a deposit of $2000. They could purchase any item up to $50 in price -- only two of each item. The object of the "shopping spree" was to see who could spend closest to $2000 without going over. (Sounds like the Price is Right!) We downloaded SuperList (either freeware of shareware) which students used to record their "wishlist" items. We downloaded a trial version of Handy Checkbook which is a very easy program to use. Students recorded their initial deposit of $2000 and recorded each purchase as a check.

Later this week, we plan to explore ebook creator. Right now, we will be working with the trial version. I plan for the students to write a short autobiography complete with photos. After Thanksgiving, I hope we can begin podcasting - at least the daily announcements for school.

Meeting of the Minds

2005-10-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we invited the Computer Architecture Class to join us for a brief introduction into the world of Palm handheld computers and the MIT participatory simulations. Approximately 35 students participated in this joint venture. Since the Computer Architecture Class has experience working with Cisco networking, we chose Netsworks for our first simulation. These students received a "crash course" in basic palm operations while simulating the way data flows through a computer network. It was safe to say that all students were actively engaged in the learning process. This also gave our visiting class the opportunity to explain the simulation from a computer networking point of view.

This week, my students are finishing their video projects for Station FPHS which include such topics as student talent, cheerleading competition preparation, a public service announcement concerning teenage pregnancy, school news, and a unique look at the imaginary world of books. We're beginning to explore the area of podcasting and look forward to experimenting with it in the upcoming weeks.

Show and Tell

2005-10-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

We all enjoyed the software exploration project--there are many good programs referred to on Tony's site. Yesterday, students shared their new-found programs with their classmates using an Elmo along with a projector. Some of the more interesting school-related programs included Hangman, First Aid, Earth and Sun, Match Who, Angles, and Matches. I could see where Angles could be useful in a Geometry class. We explored first aid suggestions for snake bites, bruises, and flash floods. Two of my students who are more musically inclined presented Bug Band and Rhythm Pro--One student actually played cadences that are used by drummers in our band. Of course, the students really enjoyed the games! Reflax was interesting in the fact that you had to match the word with the color--it's harder than it sounds. We all got involved in trying to beat the palm in Coconut Fern and Tic Tac Tough. Finding all the different images in Illusion4 proved to be quite challenging for some of us. Wordz could be helpful for those who enjoy crossword puzzles and anagrams. Aside from their presentation, students were also required to turn in printed instructions as well as a video clip. I definitely consider this to be a worthwhile project and one worth repeating in future classes.

We've Got Dropairs!

2005-10-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

After reading Tony Vincent's blog concerning the Dropairs program, I had my students download the program on their Zire 72s. They could choose any two boards to download and install as well. Once they were familiar with how the program worked, they downloaded the dropairs board maker and designed their own boards. We really enjoyed this project--we now have dropair boards designed for American History, Foreign Language, Literature, Chemistry, and Computer Components. I'll try to post them on my Palms for Patriots webpage soon.

Next week, students will explore the Learning In Hand website where they will select one curricular application and one appropriate game to install on their handheld. Requirements for the project will include a short paragraph explaining the purpose of the software, step by step instructions, and a short video clip. The ultimate test will be for another student to try the step by step instructions and see if they actually work!

Later in the week, I plan to divide the class into groups of two. These groups will use their palms to create a public service announcement that would be of interest to a teenage audience.

This Week At FPHS

2005-10-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

By tomorrow, most students should be finished with their oral history projects. Students took the video, audio, and digital photos from the Palms along with a PowerPoint presentation to create a multimedia project using Producer. Of course, their final product was created with a PC; but all the ground work was completed using the Palm.

The photo journalism project was interesting to grade this week with such photos as homecoming week activities, a local church in ruins after it burned last week, and storm damage due to the remanents of Hurricane Rita.

The students seemed to enjoy the MIT Participatory simulations. They particularly enjoyed Live Long and Proper and the new simulation - Netswork. We plan to invite our computer architecture class one day and have them participate in Netswork with us.

On Wednesday, students will explore the Learning At Hand website and select one curricular application and one school-appropriate game to download. Students will download the programs to their folder on the PC desktop and unzip the program bundles if necessary. Students will hot sync the programs to their handheld. Students must write simple instructions for downloading, hot-syncing, and installing the software to their handheld. Students are encouraged to use screen captures and photographs. Students must also write step-by-step instructions that explain the purpose of the program and how it is run. Once again, screen captures and photographs may be used. Students will also create a short video clip that will show students how the program works. I'll keep you posted.

I have many photos of my students at work--if only I could get blogger to upload them!

MIT Participatory Simulations

2005-09-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today, students made their Participatory Simulation presentations to their classmates. Project components included a title page, step by step instructions for the simulation, special instructions for the teacher, and an explanation of the purpose of the simulation. FYI: Students do not normally wear camouflage attire at our school--this was a special day during homecoming week!

Students will begin taking a photo each day that will be compiled into a photo journalism project--I hope to see photos of current events occuring around the school and community.

New Projects

2005-09-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, students used their Palms to record video clips of such events as the football game, friends, and pets. On Monday, students synced their handhelds and used Windows Movie Maker to edit their videos. Transitions, titles, and special effects were used to enhance the original video. Tuesday, students were given the opportunity to present their final video to fellow classmates. We're not ready for the academy awards yet--but it was a good start!

Today, I divided the class into groups and assigned each group one of the MIT Participatory Simulations. They are to research the simulation, find out how it works and what it is supposed to teach the class. Monday, each group will turn in their project and teach their classmates how to use the simulation.

What's New?? Students saved their windows moviemaker video to the palm desktop and saved it to their Palm. Most were able to show their videos on their palm. Another student discovered how to edit the user name on the palm. (We were still using last year's user names.) Last night, an area church sanctuary burned to the ground. One of our students actually captured the fire on her Palm.

Did You Know?

2005-09-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

You can save a word document created on your palm to the memory card. The memory card can then be inserted into a digital camera's card reader and loaded into the pc. The file can be formatted and printed and saved back to the card.

When creating transcripts for oral histories, we found that earphones from "only a dollar" stores work great.

The arrow keys on the portable keyboard will not work when the caps lock is on.

Palms Travel To Parking Lot

2005-09-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Imagine this -- 81 degrees - 76% humidity -- and 15 students on the parking lot with their Palm Zire 72s! Yes, it was hot; however, the students seemed to enjoy the project. Prior to our journey to the parking lot, I beamed the students an Excel spreadsheet in which they would use to gather data concerning the cars and trucks. Students were to look for makes, colors, and registration hang tags and record their data on the spreadsheet. We synchronized our world clock and set an alarm for 8:45. When the alarm sounded, students were to gather back at the front door of the building.

Back in the building, students synced their handheld to their pc and used several functions to manipulate the data into something more meaningful. Students were also instructed to make their spreadsheet more attractive with graphics, color, shading, and fonts. A graph should also be generated to show their results.

Saturday's Workshop

2005-09-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Twenty-four educators from throughout Tensas Parish attended Saturday's workshop. When we finally removed the Palms from their hard plastic wrappers, we discovered there was no battery power--ooops. While the batteries charged, we discussed ways in which handheld computers could be used in the classroom, viewed samples of student projects, and explored websites.

The group was very enthusiastic and patient while the batteries were being charged. Participants learned to enter contact information into the address book and beam their business card. We learned how infectious diseases spread by running the participatory simulation Cooties. Sketchy was a real hit! Among the animations created were Hurricane Katrina, Solving Addition Problems, the space shuttle as it moved through the layers of the earth's atmosphere, and a field goal complete with referee and cheerleaders! I learned that you cannot beam from one handheld to another if the handhelds are on top of the elmo device--so much for that demonstration!

We had a very interesting, but productive day. I look forward to visiting with this group again soon.

Welcome To FPHS

2005-09-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Franklin Parish High School consists of approximately 800 students in grades 9-12. The school is located in rural northeastern Louisiana and is the only high school in our parish (county). This blog will be used to discuss what we have learned about handheld computers at our school. I currently have 15 computer science students who have Zire 72 handheld computers on a 24/7 basis. We have been in school for three weeks--students have already created a review quiz with Quizzler and a Sketch animation. Several of our Sketchy animations depicted Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Students are currently completing an oral history project using the Palm for collection of data. I have encouraged them to use all aspects of the Palm..their camera, video camera, voice memo, Documents to go, etc.

Tomorrow, I will be presenting a workshop entitled "Just Beam It -- Using Handhelds Across the Curriculum" to a group of teachers in neighboring Tensas Parish. It should prove to be interesting--we will begin the workshop with teachers actually taking the Palms from the boxes and setting them up for use by students. It should be interesting -- I'll keep you posted.