Welcome to Learn and Earn Thursday!

Welcome to the Elementary Learn and Earn Blog! Each week I will be posting ideas for integrating technology into your elementary classroom. (Some posts will be from last year and some posts will be new.) I hope that you will explore these ideas and leave comments to enhance our discussion of new technologies. If you are taking this class for clock hours, be sure and review the FAQs on the tab at the top of the blog.

To start the class, I would like to share the Technology Resources for Tahoma Elementary Teachers website I created containing websites and blogs for teachers and students. The online resources are divided into K-2 and 3-5. There are sub groups by subject. Once you click on the link you will be taken to my Diigo page (social bookmarking site). You can view all the K-2/3-5 bookmarked sites or refine your search by clicking on the subject under your grade level. Each bookmarked site has a short description. Click on the link to be brought to the site for further exploration. From time to time I will highlight some of these sites and show you some of the key features as well as describe how you can integrate these tech tools/ideas into your curriculum.

For this weeks post, explore several sites from the resource page and leave a comment describing a site of interest and how you see yourself using this technology in your classroom. (Tell us your grade level.) If you are taking the class for clock hours remember to type a thoughtful comment that will further the conversation AND type your first and last name with "CH" in the name field.

Learn and Earn 2011-12 Starting Soon

Tune back in on October 27th for this year's first Elementary Learn and Earn post. Looking for something to do in the meantime?

• Read the FAQ page so you'll be all set to be one of the first people to participate in this year's class.
• Scroll through some of last year's posts and get some inspiration.
• Send an idea you have for Learn and Earn to Christine.

Google Earth: 360 Cities

Google Earth may be one of our most underutilized resources available for teachers. Today's post hopes to change that a little.

Did you realize that Google Earth is much, much more than just flyover satellite imagery? It seems like each time I check it out, I discover new content and features. Today I'm featuring just one: the 360 Cities layer. Layers in Google Earth are just that--layers of content (Wikipedia entries, photos, National Geographic articles, realtime earthquake data, etc.) and information (boarders, places, labels, etc.) you can turn on or off. The 360 Cities layer allows you to "fly" into a specific location and look around with a 360 degree view from the ground. By turning on this layer you'll see where in Google Earth there are 360 Cities you can explore. They are indicated by red circles marked 360. When you double click on one of these magic red circles you'll be transported inside a 360 degree photograph. The video below gives you a brief little peak at how it works.
Google Earth 360 Cities Layer from 10Tech on Vimeo.

Want to learn more about Google Earth?
(I hope so!) Check out these resources:

• Google Earth's very own educator page
• Teaching with Google Earth from the Pedagogy in Action website (this focuses on use in the geoscience classroom, but has overview information that would be valuable to anyone.
• A LiveBinder for using Google Earth in the Classroom included tutorials and links to other resources.
• Google Lit Trips--a great resource for linking Google Earth with literature and history.
• Sign up for What a Trip! Getting Started with Google Earth in the Classroom at the 10Tech Summer Conference. 

Wondering how to get Google Earth installed on your laptop?
Google Earth is an advertised program. You can install advertised programs by following the steps explained in this demo: http://vimeo.com/9865333. NOTE: You must be at school to download and install advertised programs.

One final note about using Google Earth in the classroom:
It's a bandwidth hog. You can mitigate the possible negative effects this could have (e.g. slow response/loading times, etc.) by doing the following:

• Use an Ethernet cable, not wireless, to connect to the Internet.
• Avoid our highest Internet demand time: 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m..
• Do what you're going to do with students before or after school (low Internet demand times) and most of the information will be cached on your laptop and Google Earth won't have to go to the Internet for it.  

Participate by exploring Google Earth a bit on your own or reading about how others are using it via the resources listed above, then come back here and tell us where you think Google Earth could take you and your students.

Thank you Kimberly for sharing your blog post!

Pete's PowerPoint Station

This resource can be found on the Technology Resources for Tahoma Elementary Teachers website. 

Pete's PowerPoint Station contains a HUGE collection of FREE presentations in PowerPoint format. The site has a primary feel but has resources for K-5. To the left is a snip of the various categories. Once you select a category you will be given a description of what is included in that category. Click on Free Presentations in PowerPoint Format & Activities for Kids to be directed to the list of sub categories. Finally, click on the name of the presentation and you will be given the option to open or save the PowerPoint presentation.

The great thing about this free resource is that you can edit the slides if necessary (Some presentations are text heavy so you will want to take some time to explore.) and it makes learning visual through the use of images. And did I mention it's FREE!  

For this weeks post: Choose one or two categories and explore the presentations. Tell us what you found and how if fits with your grade level curriculum.  

Google Apps and Google Teacher Academy

The Google Teacher Academy is held in a different city each year and, although they accept applicants from outside the area, priority goes to those within a 100-mile radius. This year, that could be you since it is being held in Seattle and I hope it will be! Google isn't just a search engine. Google tools (Docs, Sites, etc.) and other Google products, like Google Earth, offer a lot of opportunities for teachers and students, and you could be on the cutting edge of this as a Google Certified Teacher. (Does that sound cool, or what!?)

Interesting in applying? (Pretty please?) Great--head on over to the Google Teacher Academy site, read all about it and get started on your 1-minute video. Application and video are due June 16. Let me (Christine) know if you have any questions or need any help.

Not interested in applying, but wondering what all the fuss is about with Google Apps in schools? Google has numerous tools for educational use such as Blogger, Google Maps, Google Earth, Custom Search Engines, Google Docs and more!

For this weeks post, review the two e-books (Google for Teachers, Google for Teachers II) and/or Google for Educators-Tools for Your Classroom and share with the group one or two ideas you have for using Google as a teaching tool and/or with your students.

Check out even more tools here!

Making Learning Visual

Today I am going to highlight three websites that can be used by teachers and students as a tool for learning about animals related to our integrated units. Photos and videos are so powerful when it comes to teaching students about animals because it allows them to come alive! Students are always amazed when they are able to see animals in action, especially when they have never seen the animal before.

Arkive is a website which contains videos and images of the world's endangered species. You can explore the site by categories such as species group (mammals, fish etc.) or geography (continent and country). You can even type habitats such as Amazon Rainforest or Coral Reef into the search. There is a small library of resources categorized by age (7-11, 11-14) with games, PowerPoints etc. When you search by category you have the option to sort your list by Top 50 Species, Common Name, or Scientific Name. When you type a specific name into the search you can sort by Species, Video, or Image. Once you click on a specific animal you can view the images as a slideshow as well as read information about the animal (facts, description, habitat etc).

Ocean Footage and Nature Footage each contain a huge collection of animal videos. Each video is a preview of a full video available for purchase, so each is less than one minute. Search by category or type in a specific animal. Students love exploring numerous clips. The only down side is that there is no audio, but students don't seem to mind.

Scholastic News Interactive

Did you know that with your order of 10 or more subscriptions to Scholastic News (Grades 1-6), you get a FREE digital edition of the magazine?!

These interactive issues allow your students to read and learn in a whole new way! Teachers and students can hear text being read, highlight text, add digital sticky notes, view videos, define words, and explore additional resources. Teachers can use the mask tool to show students the focus area of the magazine. Teachers can also select an alternate level (in some magazines) for easier text. The "show what you know" quiz page gives you instant feedback on your answers. Comprehension skills sheets are available to print to check for understanding.  

For this week's post: Go to the site to watch a demo or take a tour! Tell us how you would use Scholastic News to enhance your curriculum. Would you use it with your home class or your reading class?