This is a free download of an Earth Science lesson on the Types of Stress--this leads nicely into a lesson on earthquakes and includes a link to a Discovery Education video called "Earthquakes-Our Restless Planet".
Friday, January 29, 2010
TYPES OF STRESS--Free Download of SMART Notebook lesson on Plate Tectonics
This is a free download of an Earth Science lesson on the Types of Stress--this leads nicely into a lesson on earthquakes and includes a link to a Discovery Education video called "Earthquakes-Our Restless Planet".
Friday, January 22, 2010
NEW!! Updated Plate Boundaries Lesson with Google Earth file SMART Notebook Lesson FREE Download!
This lesson is a SMART Notebook lesson on the three basic types of Tectonic Plate Boundaries. It includes an attached .kmz file (with an embedded link) for a plate tectonics "sightseeing tour" in GoogleEarth. You need to have version 10 of the SMART Notebook software in order to use it.
Here's the link to the page that contains the lesson: https://sites.google.com/site/mrskaplanssciencepages/downloadable-files/PlateBoundaries.notebook?attredirects=0&d=1
click on the file labeled "Plate Boundaries.notebook" to download it.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tectonics of the Earthquake in Haiti
A colleague was kind enough to forward the following link to me:
"A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti this evening, causing extensive damage to the capital, Port-au-Prince, and probably causing many casualties. The map below shows where the main shock occurred (red), as well as the epicentres of the numerous aftershocks (orange) that occurred in the following 5 or 6 hours (and continue even as I write)...."
Plate Tectonics Animations
You'll need flash player for these .swf files, but I cannot say enough about these elegant, simple and easy to use animations for the teaching of plate tectonics. They have large buttons that are easy to use on a SMARTboard or tablet PC. You cannot use them within Notebook, but you can easily insert the link into your Notebook and then use the camera capture feature to capture a screenshot of each basic plate boundary (divergent, convergent and transform) to your Notebook file.
To access the full list of the geology animations, click this link: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/geo/egeo/animations/ch2.htm#5
Friday, January 15, 2010
Interactive Mitosis/Meiosis Animations and More!
This site has excellent animations that are especially well-suited for use on an interactive whiteboard. My personal favorites on this site are the mitosis/meiosis animations, which happen to be the first ones that he published. They are beautifully designed, uncluttered, elegant animations that can be translated into 6 languages (just click the "lips" icon on the upper right-hand side of the page).
Monday, January 11, 2010
Superb DNA "Wrapping" Animation
Aha! It is really hard to explain to young students new to the concept of genetics precisely how DNA relates to reproduction and chromosomes. This well-narrated video shows in sequence how DNA is "wrapped" in coil upon coil using just a few advanced vocabulary words:
- histones
- chromatin
- solenoid
- chromosomes
Above all, the last few moments are my favorite, when the 3-D digital animation, "zooms out" to an SEM sequence animation (like a flip-book) of the chromosomes as they become part of a cell in the midst of mitosis! Phenomenal!
I found this animation after reading about the Cold Spring Harbor Digital Biology Animations by the Dolan Digital DNA Learning Center on the blog Free Technology for Teachers!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Using SMART Notebook without a SMART board--and posting your slides to Google Sites!
I had a technology breakthrough today. Just a creative spark that is saving me and my students lots of headaches. Here's the story:
****I do NOT have a SMART board in my room, but my district owns many SMART boards, so we have a site license for the software. I am a SMART board trainer, so I use the software all the time with my tablet.
1. Next week is the Midterm Performance Assessment for 8th Grade in my school, so today was the day where we reviewed the principles of experimental design in class.
2. My students offered their input on what makes a "fair test" and I served as a scribe. I wrote all of these notes in Notebook 10 on my tablet PC.
3. Many students were absent today, so I posted the notes to my class blog:
http://sites.google.com/site/mrskaplanssciencepages/home/dashboard
4. Then, I emailed the notes as a PDF to all of the special education teachers that work with my students.
****I do NOT have a SMART board in my room, but my district owns many SMART boards, so we have a site license for the software. I am a SMART board trainer, so I use the software all the time with my tablet.
1. Next week is the Midterm Performance Assessment for 8th Grade in my school, so today was the day where we reviewed the principles of experimental design in class.
2. My students offered their input on what makes a "fair test" and I served as a scribe. I wrote all of these notes in Notebook 10 on my tablet PC.
3. Many students were absent today, so I posted the notes to my class blog:
http://sites.google.com/site/mrskaplanssciencepages/home/dashboard
4. Then, I emailed the notes as a PDF to all of the special education teachers that work with my students.
Here is how I did it:
1. Make slides in Notebook.
2. Save the file.
3. Click File>>Export>>Powerpoint
4. Save the powerpoint file to your computer.
5. Upload the powerpoint file to your Google Docs account.
6. Open the Presentation in Google Docs.
7. Click Share (upper right)>>Publish/embed
8. Go to your Google Sites Dashboard page
9. Open the page editor (sign in to Google Sites first)
10. Click Edit>>Insert>>Presentation
11. Select the presentation that you just uploaded to Google Docs.
12. Click "Save"
Voila! Anyone can now view the slideshow of the notes from your class!
1. Make slides in Notebook.
2. Save the file.
3. Click File>>Export>>Powerpoint
4. Save the powerpoint file to your computer.
5. Upload the powerpoint file to your Google Docs account.
6. Open the Presentation in Google Docs.
7. Click Share (upper right)>>Publish/embed
8. Go to your Google Sites Dashboard page
9. Open the page editor (sign in to Google Sites first)
10. Click Edit>>Insert>>Presentation
11. Select the presentation that you just uploaded to Google Docs.
12. Click "Save"
Voila! Anyone can now view the slideshow of the notes from your class!
DIRECTIONS on how to email pdf's of your slides to a colleague without opening any other program:
1. Keep the Notebook file open and save it.
2. Click File>>Send to>>Mail Recipient (as PDF)
3. Give it a few seconds to convert the Notebook file to an Adobe PDF.
4. An email message, with the PDF as an attachment should open up.
5. Enter any addresses you wish to send it to.
6. Click SEND.
Tada! No copies, no papers...
Friday, January 1, 2010
Tech Support for New Year's Resolutions!!!
I love this one! It's like free tech support for keeping track of progress with New Year's Resolutions combined with social networking with people who made the same resolutions that you did. That last part is my favorite part. The New York Times, the LA Times and so many national papers in-between have reviewed this interesting new online phenomenon. How timely.
Whether it’s one thing or 43, do you need some reliable support in making change in your life? 43 Things is a free online goal-setting community where you can make a list of all the things you want to do, connect with others who have the same goals, sign up for periodic e-mail reminders, track your progress, and share reflections.
Get started at http://www.43things.com/.
Get started at http://www.43things.com/.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Interactive Vocabulary Review Games
Teachers Love SMART Boards is one of my favorite resources for SMART board lessons, links and ideas for use in the classroom. In this case, it is a treasure trove of ready-made vocabulary games for the SMART Notebook. Many content areas are represented here, including Spanish, Math and Art Education.
Just click on one of the lessons and it will download automatically. You must have SMART Notebook in order to open the lesson.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Discovery Education
Talk about a teachable moment!!!
Pandemic is a terrifying word--but what does it really mean? The recent outbreak of H1N1 is only the latest in a series of deadly global battles between human and virus. And as scientists learn more about the ways viruses mutate and replicate, an international effort is underway to track and vanquish humanity's most lethal foes. The program traces the spread of swine flu from Mexico around the world and draws parallels between this outbreak and the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic that killed millions of people.
Here is a link to the video--you need a discovery education membership to view or download it.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Google Voice--Transcribes your messages to text FOR YOU!
Aha! I have been waiting for months for my Google Voice invitation to arrive and I just got it. Is there nothing Google cannot do? Here is how it went:
- I chose my phone number from a list of possibles--they give you the option of choosing the locality of your phone number if available. So, I chose one that has a local area code.
- I listed the numbers of the phones that I wish to ring when someone dials my Google Voice number. In this case, I want my home phone to ring, as well as my cell phone. So my DH doesn't have to dial many numbers just to reach me.
- If I don't pick up, GV plays my recorded voicemail message and records the callers message for me.
- Then it transcribes the message FOR me into a text message, which I then can access from any browser!!!
- I jumped around a did a little jig.
- You can also download a free app where you can get the messages texted to you, but I didn't do that.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Free Technology for Teachers: 30+ Alternatives to YouTube
Free Technology for Teachers: 30+ Alternatives to YouTube
As a teacher that has been frequently thwarted by school district internet filters, this post is a gem! These 30 links bring you to web-based video resources that you can use in the classroom*
*web access is not guaranteed--please check your access before you plan to use any of these in your teaching.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Creating Multiple Choice Tests That Grade Themselves
Yes. You read that right.
Check out the rpollack.net blog archive post that shows you how to make them, step by step.
You need a Google Docs account to do this. Don't have a Google Docs account? View and listen to this screencast for a "how to" on creating a new Google Account.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Xobni...for those of us who have a love/hate relationship with Outlook
Now you can have all the LOOOOOOOOVE, thanks to an amazing free download called Xobni.
I was smitten today.
I find Outlook cumbersome and annoying but necessary. I also receive TONS of attachments from people as part of my job. Since I don't have the time to save them all to my network drive, my Outlook account has become a de facto filing cabinet.
But my cabinet--until today--was so disorganized it took forever to find anything. I actually was thinking this thought today (no joke), "If I had a secretary, I could be so much more productive."
Exactly 25 minutes after that thought, I actually have one, he's very sexy with graphs and all that, and CAPABLE! His name is Xobni! (say ZOB-nee)
Here's what he can do:
Lightning-Fast Email Search
Search email & people faster than you can type. (REALLY??? I can type really fast)
Stay in Touch
Contact info, profile pictures, company info, job titles. All organized. Automatically.
Discover Connections
Xobni searches the web for information about your contacts. Facebook, LinkedIn, Hoovers information & more, brought into Outlook.
Threaded Conversations
Email how it was meant to be read, with conversations in context.
Find Attachments--this is the one that makes me so happy!
Historical attachments available instantly without searching.
There's a cool little video at the xobni site www.xobni.com
I was smitten today.
I find Outlook cumbersome and annoying but necessary. I also receive TONS of attachments from people as part of my job. Since I don't have the time to save them all to my network drive, my Outlook account has become a de facto filing cabinet.
But my cabinet--until today--was so disorganized it took forever to find anything. I actually was thinking this thought today (no joke), "If I had a secretary, I could be so much more productive."
Exactly 25 minutes after that thought, I actually have one, he's very sexy with graphs and all that, and CAPABLE! His name is Xobni! (say ZOB-nee)
Here's what he can do:
Lightning-Fast Email Search
Search email & people faster than you can type. (REALLY??? I can type really fast)
Stay in Touch
Contact info, profile pictures, company info, job titles. All organized. Automatically.
Discover Connections
Xobni searches the web for information about your contacts. Facebook, LinkedIn, Hoovers information & more, brought into Outlook.
Threaded Conversations
Email how it was meant to be read, with conversations in context.
Find Attachments--this is the one that makes me so happy!
Historical attachments available instantly without searching.
There's a cool little video at the xobni site www.xobni.com
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Video Demonstration: Uploading Files to Google Docs
Look! ANOTHER video demonstration for Google Docs! This episode shows how to upload files to Google Docs.
If you have a specific question about Google Docs, please let me know and perhaps I can create a video demonstration specific to your question, if you wish!
If you have a specific question about Google Docs, please let me know and perhaps I can create a video demonstration specific to your question, if you wish!
Video Demonstration: Creating a Google Docs Account
Hey folks!
I finally got around to beginning the creation of my Google Docs podcast. I can't actually call it a podcast yet, though, because as of this moment there is only one episode: Creating a Google Docs Account
I will add more though, and if you email me questions I can add video demos that will specifically address your needs!
I finally got around to beginning the creation of my Google Docs podcast. I can't actually call it a podcast yet, though, because as of this moment there is only one episode: Creating a Google Docs Account
I will add more though, and if you email me questions I can add video demos that will specifically address your needs!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Pollen Park! Perfect for Interactive Whiteboard Use...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)