Derrick Waddell's Posts - Classroom 2.02024-03-29T09:50:25ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddellhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1950366510?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1ak0ej0jorcs7&xn_auth=noCr-48: A Teacher's Reviewtag:www.classroom20.com,2011-02-06:649749:BlogPost:5899872011-02-06T17:53:38.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
<p>Last week, UPS showed up at my door with a box that held inside it a shiny (well, more of a matte-finished) new Cr-48. I've been using it as my sole computing device for over a week now, so I thought I'd offer my thoughts.</p>
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<a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com/2011/02/cr-48-teachers-review.html">http://www.teachthecloud.com/2011/02/cr-48-teachers-review.html</a></p>
<p>Last week, UPS showed up at my door with a box that held inside it a shiny (well, more of a matte-finished) new Cr-48. I've been using it as my sole computing device for over a week now, so I thought I'd offer my thoughts.</p>
<p>
<a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com/2011/02/cr-48-teachers-review.html">http://www.teachthecloud.com/2011/02/cr-48-teachers-review.html</a></p>From the Labs: Google Tools You May Not Knowtag:www.classroom20.com,2011-01-14:649749:BlogPost:5832982011-01-14T01:38:42.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
From Search to Maps to Docs, Google offers tons of free tools that have had a great impact on technology in the classroom. The best thing about Google, though, is that it is continually innovating. Here are some of my favorite educational applications from Google Labs, Google's test bed for new Internet technology.<br />
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Find out what my favorite Google Labs tools are here:…
From Search to Maps to Docs, Google offers tons of free tools that have had a great impact on technology in the classroom. The best thing about Google, though, is that it is continually innovating. Here are some of my favorite educational applications from Google Labs, Google's test bed for new Internet technology.<br />
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Find out what my favorite Google Labs tools are here: <a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com/2011/01/from-labs-google-tools-you-may-not-know.html">http://www.teachthecloud.com/2011/01/from-labs-google-tools-you-may-not-know.html</a>Four Words to Improve Your Searchtag:www.classroom20.com,2010-08-19:649749:BlogPost:4986532010-08-19T01:40:39.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">I'm a huge fan of the free tools that Google offers, as they integrate perfectly into my classroom. Google's best offering, though, is its original--search. Even with some recent competition hot on its heels, Google Search is the best search on the web. Here are four modifiers that I use on a regular basis that make Google Search even more…</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">I'm a huge fan of the free tools that Google offers, as they integrate perfectly into my classroom. Google's best offering, though, is its original--search. Even with some recent competition hot on its heels, Google Search is the best search on the web. Here are four modifiers that I use on a regular basis that make Google Search even more useful.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">site:</span></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Using site: followed directly by a website URL or a domain type (no space) will give you results just for that specific page or domain type. For example: You want to find resources for online safety on pbskids.org. Simply search for "online safety site:pbskids.org" and you'll only get results for those words on the pbskids.org website. Or say a student is researching Shakespeare and wants to use a .edu website as a source. Have him/her search for "Shakespeare site:edu" and it will return the results for Shakespeare on .edu websites.</p>
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<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyE2dsJtaI/AAAAAAAABrg/ellGzMaprTE/s1600/site.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyE2dsJtaI/AAAAAAAABrg/ellGzMaprTE/s400/site.png" width="400"/></a></p>
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<p class="separator" style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">filetype:</span></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">The filetype: modifier allows you to search for files of a particular type, such as PowerPoint (ppt), Word document (doc), PDF, etc. Say you want to find a timeline of World War II, but you want it in a Word document so you can edit it and print it for your students. Search for "World War 2 timeline filetype:doc" and you'll only get Word documents in your results.</p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyF6jO4RoI/AAAAAAAABrk/_PySZSlYnNk/s1600/filetype.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyF6jO4RoI/AAAAAAAABrk/_PySZSlYnNk/s400/filetype.png" width="400"/></a></p>
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<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">related:</span></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Ever been on a website and wished there were an easy way to find other websites like it? The related: modifier is it. Imagine you're browsing the Edutopia website, and you decide that you want to find similar websites. Start a Google search for "related:edutopia.org." Google will spit out a list of websites that are similar in content to Edutopia!</p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyG7taQ5OI/AAAAAAAABro/CRsLRVtPFC4/s1600/related.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyG7taQ5OI/AAAAAAAABro/CRsLRVtPFC4/s400/related.png" width="400"/></a></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">define:</span></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Here's the situation: You're perusing your Google Reader RSS feeds, reading an article about recent viruses, and you run across the term "cybersquatting." Pretend for a moment that you have no idea what that means. Simply open up another tab and do a quick Google search for "define:cybersquatting." Google will give you several popular definitions from a variety of websites.</p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyIH1VKD6I/AAAAAAAABrs/VqAyDHdaUPo/s1600/define.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TGyIH1VKD6I/AAAAAAAABrs/VqAyDHdaUPo/s400/define.png" width="400"/></a></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">There are many more modifiers (like forecast:zip code for your local forecast), but these are the four that I've found most useful in an educational setting. They're great for me to use during prep and equally great for students to use during research. For more modifiers and other search tips, check out my "Better Google Search" presentation on my website, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(94, 94, 94); font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com">http://www.teachthecloud.com</a></span>. If there are others that you've found useful, please add them in the comments!</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></p>Bridging the Digital Generation Gaptag:www.classroom20.com,2010-08-17:649749:BlogPost:4980342010-08-17T00:53:12.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
<div>I often hear the term "digital native" when discussing the current and upcoming body of students. The implication is that technology is a must use tool in today's schools because these students have grown up with high tech tools and they see the world through a digital lens.</div>
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<div>So, if today's students are "digital natives," then my parents' generation of students were "book natives." They grew up with books, and they learned through that medium. That said, were my…</div>
<div>I often hear the term "digital native" when discussing the current and upcoming body of students. The implication is that technology is a must use tool in today's schools because these students have grown up with high tech tools and they see the world through a digital lens.</div>
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<div>So, if today's students are "digital natives," then my parents' generation of students were "book natives." They grew up with books, and they learned through that medium. That said, were my parents able to pick up books, use them effectively, and teach themselves from day one? Or rather, did it take a teacher to teach them how to read? How to use an index? A table of contents? Did they need someone to teach them to research and filter the good information from the bad?</div>
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<div>Today's "digital natives" need teachers in much the same way. One-to-one initiatives are great, but that's not enough. We must have teachers who understand enough about the technology to teach students how to use it safely, effectively, and as an enhancement to learning--to bridge the digital generation gap.</div>
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<div>The teachers in my generation are uniquely equipped to answer this call. When I was in high school, Don Tapscott wrote the book Growing Up Digital, a book title that reflects my life perfectly.</div>
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<div>I was born in 1980, right around the time VHS was winning over Betamax. Since, I've seen the rise and fall of VHS, the move to DVD, the death of HD-DVD, the shift to Bluray, and the advent of high-quality streaming video. I was there for the invention of MS-DOS and its implementation in the personal computer, which only got smaller, faster, and cheaper as I grew up. I saw the birth of mobile computing, from the laptop, to the netbook, to the tablet. I was still in elementary school when the first digital cellphone was released and now carry a virtual computer in my pocket that keeps me connected to the world at all times. My gaming cabinet contains every console I've ever owned, stretching all the way back to my Atari 2600.</div>
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<div>So, just like the name of Tapscott's 2007 book, I have Grown Up Digital. I got hands on technology as it came out, and I learned from trial and error. The most important aspects of technology education I can offer my students don't come from my educational background, but rather from my experiences with technology. They can learn from my successes and my failures as I tackled technology as it shifted and changed.</div>
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<div>I imagine, occasionally, what I could have accomplished had I had teachers who could offer that kind of background knowledge when I was growing up in the new digital age. We are dealing with "digital natives," but it's up to us to teach those students the digital skills that are necessary to be responsible citizens in a digital world.</div>
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<div>I'd love to hear your thoughts! Comment or find out more at my blog, <a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com">www.teachthecloud.com</a>.</div>Seven FREE Online Resources for Teacherstag:www.classroom20.com,2010-07-26:649749:BlogPost:4920462010-07-26T19:26:11.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
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<div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Yesterday I gave you my top seven cloud-based applications. Today, I decided to make that the first in a top seven series and offer you my top seven online resources for teachers. All of these are sites I've used in the past to find lesson ideas, videos, or interactive elements that I could use in my classroom, and all…</p>
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<div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Yesterday I gave you my top seven cloud-based applications. Today, I decided to make that the first in a top seven series and offer you my top seven online resources for teachers. All of these are sites I've used in the past to find lesson ideas, videos, or interactive elements that I could use in my classroom, and all of them have something to offer.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.edutopia.org/">Edutopia</a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3fwDqiiWI/AAAAAAAABm8/sdKiAUHGEd4/s1600/edutopia.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3fwDqiiWI/AAAAAAAABm8/sdKiAUHGEd4/s320/edutopia.jpg" border="0"/></a>Edutopia is a sites for educators created by the George Lucas Foundation that supports education and works to move it forward. It is the home of the "Schools That Work" project that many of you have probably heard about or possibly used. They offer free access to videos, blogs, and a teacher community, and they work to better prepare educators to meet the needs of today's students</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.thinkfinity.org/">Thinkfinity</a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3f0tapgNI/AAAAAAAABnE/c87VwocUzp8/s1600/thinkfinity_logo_new.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3f0tapgNI/AAAAAAAABnE/c87VwocUzp8/s320/thinkfinity_logo_new.jpg" border="0"/></a>Thinkfinity is a free resource for educators offered by the Verizon Foundation. There you can find free lesson plans, students interactives, games for students, information for parents, and much, much more. Another great resource offered under the Thinkfinity umbrella is Read, Write, Web.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/teachers">PBS</a></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">PBS has a ton of educational materials which it separates into several sites: one for teachers, one for parents, and one for students. While PBS Kids is geared more for younger students, PBS Teachers offers free lessons, activities, videos, etc. for every grade level organized by grade level and subject area.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/">Discovery Education</a></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gBcoLiFI/AAAAAAAABnU/WHzJqaSfZkQ/s1600/discovery.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gBcoLiFI/AAAAAAAABnU/WHzJqaSfZkQ/s320/discovery.jpg" border="0"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Discovery Education is a good place to find resources like lesson plans and videos. Much of Discovery's content is free for educators, but some of it requires you to purchase materials. One of my favorite elements of Discovery Education, though, is its free Puzzle Maker, a free cloud-based application that allows you to create your own printable puzzles like word searches and crosswords. There's also a "Science Fair Central" section that offers tips and advice for teachers, students, and parents.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.curriki.org/">Curriki</a></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gIhTGU9I/AAAAAAAABnc/FBXEyWZouGc/s1600/curriki-logo.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gIhTGU9I/AAAAAAAABnc/FBXEyWZouGc/s320/curriki-logo.jpg" border="0"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">Curriki is a place to find resources that are submitted by and reviewed by other educators. You can find and download resources by searching or by browsing grade level or subject area. You can also submit your own lessons or vote on materials posted by other users. You need a membership to submit and vote, but membership is free.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1480177284">Wolfram</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1480177284">|</a></span><a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/educators/">Alpha for Educators</a></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gjiE473I/AAAAAAAABns/E9znlk1I8fU/s1600/wolframalpha-logo.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gjiE473I/AAAAAAAABns/E9znlk1I8fU/s320/wolframalpha-logo.jpg" border="0"/></a>Wolfram Alpha, the "computational knowledge engine," recently began collecting and sharing tools for educators. You can download lesson plans in math, science, or social studies and share your own lessons. The site is still young, so it doesn't have as many resources as some of these other sites. The resources it does have, though, are top notch.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.watchknow.org/">WatchKnow</a></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; clear: both; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gqkfRbyI/AAAAAAAABn0/7WrdxluPJGQ/s1600/watch_know_logo.gif" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; float: right; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TE3gqkfRbyI/AAAAAAAABn0/7WrdxluPJGQ/s200/watch_know_logo.gif" border="0" width="200" height="48"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">WatchKnow aggregates educational videos from all over the Web and conveniently puts them in one place. You can search educational videos or browse by age, grade, subject, etc., narrowing by category and subcategory, which makes it super simple to find exactly what you're trying to find.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><br/></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;">If you haven't tried these sites, open a new tab and start playing. You'll find plenty of lesson ideas and useful materials. If you have a favorite site that you've used to improve your classroom, please let me know in the comments. Find more free resources for teachers at bit.ly/21stCenturyTools or visit my blog at <a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com">www.teachthecloud.com</a>.</p>
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<div><br/></div>Seven FREE Cloud Tools Every Teacher Should Knowtag:www.classroom20.com,2010-07-26:649749:BlogPost:4918532010-07-26T02:30:00.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">As I've said before, cloud-based applications play a big role in my everyday computing and my classroom tech integration. Here's an annotated list of my seven favorite cloud tools.…</p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">As I've said before, cloud-based applications play a big role in my everyday computing and my classroom tech integration. Here's an annotated list of my seven favorite cloud tools.</p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExk2J0PUjI/AAAAAAAABlc/eFBH2Bn-H0c/s1600/google_docs_logo.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExk2J0PUjI/AAAAAAAABlc/eFBH2Bn-H0c/s200/google_docs_logo.png" width="200"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><b>Google Docs</b></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><i>Office Suite</i></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">Google Docs is a free, online office suite. Google Docs allows you to create, edit, share, and collaborate on documents, presentations, spreadsheets, forms, and drawings. It does lack some of the more advanced features and font choices that you'll find in desktop software like MS Office or OpenOffice, but the main features are reproduced very effectively. As a cloud-based application, Google Docs offers things desktop software doesn't like the ability to collaborate, store your documents online so they are accessible from any device with Internet access, and easily publish your documents to the Web. Google Docs is also part of Google Apps.</p>
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<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExk89W84hI/AAAAAAAABlk/EJPm1cD0xXw/s1600/GoogleSitesLogo.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExk89W84hI/AAAAAAAABlk/EJPm1cD0xXw/s320/GoogleSitesLogo.png"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><b>Google Sites</b></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><i>Website Creation</i></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">Google Sites is a free, online WYSIWYG website creation tool and hosting service. It allows you to easily create your own website from scratch or from a template. It's easy for people who have never created a website, but it also offers more advanced options and HTML editing for those who want a little more punch. Google Sites is also part of Google Apps.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"><br/></font><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"><br/></font><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"><b><br/></b></font></p>
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<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExlOnlHmwI/AAAAAAAABls/k7td29ogX_I/s1600/Poll.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExlOnlHmwI/AAAAAAAABls/k7td29ogX_I/s320/Poll.JPG"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"><b>Poll Everywhere</b></font></p>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><i>Free Text Message Polling</i></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">Polleverywhere.com offers free accounts for educators where they can create multiple choice or text polls for students to answer via SMS messaging, much like the text voting on reality television shows. This offers a way for students to provide feedback to the teacher or the class since the poll results are listed in a graph that is updated in real time. It's also a great way to incorporate cellphones into the classroom. The free educator account allows up to 32 answers per poll, but unlimited polls that are super easy to create.</p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExlUKYBxgI/AAAAAAAABl0/Ixx6Ua8W0Ww/s1600/picnik_logo.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExlUKYBxgI/AAAAAAAABl0/Ixx6Ua8W0Ww/s200/picnik_logo.png" width="200"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><b>Picnik</b></p>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><i>Basic Photo Editing</i></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">Picnik allows you to upload photos and perform basic editing functions like cropping, resizing, adding text, objects, and effects, and more. You can then download that picture in a variety of formats. You don't have to sign up to use Picnik, but registration allows you to upload 5 photos at a time. Paid registration opens up a variety of options not available to non-paid users, but the free version is more than adequate for everyday usage.</p>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExld_piosI/AAAAAAAABl8/det3_UkebVg/s1600/tools_aviary_logo.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExld_piosI/AAAAAAAABl8/det3_UkebVg/s200/tools_aviary_logo.gif" width="200"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><b>Aviary</b></p>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><i>Image Editing and Creation, Music Editing and Creation</i></p>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">Aviary offers more advanced image editing than Picnik, and is more comparable to Photoshop or G.I.M.P. It also has an online audio editing tool that allows you to edit and layer multiple channels. Most recently they added a music creation tool with numerous instrument loops that you can use to create your own music.</p>
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<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExluRyelUI/AAAAAAAABmE/KpjunOTwbHk/s1600/jaycut-logo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExluRyelUI/AAAAAAAABmE/KpjunOTwbHk/s320/jaycut-logo.jpg"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><b>JayCut</b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><i>Video Editing</i></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">JayCut offers multiple channel video editing in the cloud. Upload your video and edit it then store it in the cloud or download it to your device. It has an easy-to-use interface and includes many of the same functions as traditional video editing software including titles, transitions, etc.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"><br/></font><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExl1HCPksI/AAAAAAAABmM/KHJhu6MkyWk/s1600/dropbox_logo.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TExl1HCPksI/AAAAAAAABmM/KHJhu6MkyWk/s320/dropbox_logo.png"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><b>Dropbox</b></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><i>Online File Storage</i></p>
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<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">Dropbox allows you to upload and store files in the cloud. You can upload and download your files from dropbox.com or install the Dropbox software on your device, which allows you to add and organize files in the Dropbox folder that is automatically synced with your dropbox.com account. This software can be installed on multiple devices so that your files are accessible from any computer you use. The free account offers 1GB of storage that can be upgraded to up to 2GB by following a few simple steps. You can also purchase extra storage space for monthly or yearly fees.</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<div style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;">There are many other free, useful, cloud-based services for teachers. Check out my list at bit.ly/21stCenturyTools (bit.ly and Google Bookmarks are also great tools!), check out my blog at <a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com">www.teachthecloud.com</a>, or tell me about your favorites in the comments.</p>
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<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></div>Get Better Google Search Resultstag:www.classroom20.com,2010-07-25:649749:BlogPost:4916932010-07-25T04:28:40.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1974056618?profile=RESIZE_320x320" style="float:left;" width="200"></img></span></span> Web searches are changing. Since Google's inception in the late 90s, the amount of information on the web has grown exponentially. With websites, blogs, images, music, videos and social networking from all over the globe, the amount of information online is simply astonishing. Sometimes, finding that information can be tricky. A recent trend is to crowd…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><img width="200" style="float:left;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1974056618?profile=RESIZE_320x320"/></span></span>Web searches are changing. Since Google's inception in the late 90s, the amount of information on the web has grown exponentially. With websites, blogs, images, music, videos and social networking from all over the globe, the amount of information online is simply astonishing. Sometimes, finding that information can be tricky. A recent trend is to crowd source searches on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook by asking your network to answer your question instead of searching the web. Sites like Yahoo! Answers have also made a strong play in the crowd sourcing arena.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Because of this, search must constantly change with the information in order to stay relevant. According to searchenginewatch.com, in August of 2009, Google still made up the majority on internet searches with almost 65% of the searches, Yahoo! came in second with 16%, and Bing was bringing in third with almost 11% but was making great strides. All of these search engines have different types of search like image searches, video searches, and now real-time social networking searches.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">During an opening exercise during the first few days of a computer applications class, I noticed that my students (9-12 graders) had a hard time finding information online. Sure, they were all very adept at finding things on Wikipedia and Yahoo! Answers, but they had a hard time finding pertinent and relevant information. So, I put together a Google Docs presentation to help them get better search results with Google. My school's librarian found it on my website and started implementing it into her library introduction and the English teachers began using it during their research papers. The response was so positive, I went back and added a Mobile Search section and decided to share it with the masses. I've embedded the presentation below for anyone who wishes to use it. Feel free to download it and edit it to meet your needs. I hope you find it as useful as I did.</p>
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<br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If the embedded presentation doesn't work,</span> <a href="http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhjz26qt_785gphn7qct"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">view the presentation here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If you have any suggestions for additions or corrections, please let me know in the comments.</span><br/></span></font> <br/>
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</div>The Cloud: Shifting Educationtag:www.classroom20.com,2010-07-12:649749:BlogPost:4873802010-07-12T00:22:41.000ZDerrick Waddellhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DerrickWaddell
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDnsqKB578I/AAAAAAAABi8/Mi9ulSbWxUM/s1600/googlecloud.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDnsqKB578I/AAAAAAAABi8/Mi9ulSbWxUM/s200/googlecloud.png" width="200"></img></a></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDnsqKB578I/AAAAAAAABi8/Mi9ulSbWxUM/s1600/googlecloud.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDnsqKB578I/AAAAAAAABi8/Mi9ulSbWxUM/s200/googlecloud.png" width="200"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">The cloud isn't a scary place up in the sky that's untouchable. In my mind, it's one of the most exciting things that's ever happened in educational technology. I'll explain what it means for education, but first let me explain what the cloud is and how it's changing.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">While the exact origin of the term is still up for debate, the cloud is thought to refer to classic network flowcharts in which the Internet was represented by a cloud. So, when people talk about the cloud, they're really just talking about the Internet.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">The cloud has been used for off-site file storage for a long time. If you've ever used a browser-based email like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, or Hotmail, or stored pictures at a website like Picasa Web, Flickr, or Photobucket, then you've used the cloud. What makes those cloud services? Your email, attachments, and pictures aren't stored on your computer, they're stored on the servers of those websites, on the Internet, in the cloud.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">What's exciting about the cloud right now is that it's moving far beyond online file storage and into online applications. These are "programs" that run completely inside the web browser. There's nothing to download, nothing to install, and most of them are FREE.</font></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
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<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDntOWhVKeI/AAAAAAAABjE/bxauApEv4pk/s1600/picnik_logo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDntOWhVKeI/AAAAAAAABjE/bxauApEv4pk/s200/picnik_logo.jpg" width="200"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">More and more of these cloud applications crop up every day. Here's a short list of some of my favorite cloud-based applications:</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a> - Online office suite offering document creation, storage, and collaboration</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.picnik.com/">Picnik</a> - Easy to use, basic image editor. (The Teach the Cloud logo was created in Picnik)</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.aviary.com/">Aviary</a> - More advanced image editing, vector graphics, and music editing</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://jaycut.com/">JayCut</a> - Video editing</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">Now, what does this mean for education? As I said, most cloud applications are FREE. So, instead of paying for site licenses for Microsoft Office, Photoshop, and Adobe Premiere, the main functions of those programs can be accessed for free through the cloud. With programs such as</font> <a href="http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/index.html"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">Google Apps</font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">, email functionality can be sent to the cloud, eliminating the need to keep Microsoft Exchange servers on site and avoiding licensing fees and upkeep costs. With all of the money that can be saved, I envision more and more school systems and teachers moving away from traditional software and into the cloud.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<p class="separator" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDntYLi7YVI/AAAAAAAABjM/veQy0c-PR2I/s1600/edmodo-logo.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_q98Zn7ILLBA/TDntYLi7YVI/AAAAAAAABjM/veQy0c-PR2I/s200/edmodo-logo.gif" width="200"/></a></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">It's not just money, though. Many of these cloud-based applications also present more opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate. Applications like</font> <a href="http://bubbl.us/"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">bubbl.us</font></a> <font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">let students and teachers work together on interactive, online graphic organizers. Google Docs allows students to work on collaborative documents and presentations in small groups or class projects with each student at his/her own computer. In applications like</font> <a href="http://www.edmodo.com/"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">Edmodo</font></a><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">, the teacher can interact with students in an online classroom much like the social networks that today's students know so well.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Still, with all of the great things offered by cloud computing, is it a viable replacement for installed software? I would argue that it is. I haven't had a version of Microsoft Office installed on my personal computer in two years, instead relying on Google Docs as my main office suite. More recently I've moved away from software like Photoshop and G.I.M.P. and into the cloud with Picnik and Aviary. A</font></font><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">s the cloud becomes more prominent, I look forward to more advanced applications moving off of traditional software and into the cloud. Soon, the web browser will be the single most important program on a computer, if it's not already.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br/></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" style="font-size: 13px;">So, what do you think? Is the cloud the next step in educational technology, or is it just a passing fad? How do you think it will help shift education as we move forward? Add your comments and discuss at</font> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(94, 94, 94); font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.teachthecloud.com">http://www.teachthecloud.com</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">!</span></p>
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