What’s all nice about Google Earth is you can add pre-created layers on top of the existing Earth.  These are pre-created files with a .kmz file extension.  You can open them very easily by clicking File-Open and selecting the .kmz file.  Once you open it, you can click on the placemarks to read each cause.

What’s especially nice about Google Earth is you (and even students) can create your/their own layers on top of the Earth for whatever topic or event you want.  Google Earth is also a great way to make that difficult connection between Social Studies and Math (for interdisciplinary planning).

Awesome Tutorials and Lessons Using Google Earth in all subject areas.
Good PowerPoint Presentation for using Google Earth with sample files
World War II Tour and Worksheet
Compare Aeriel Photographs between Modern Day and World War II in Google Earth
Awesome World War II Photography
Google Earth in Earth Science
Visual Tour of 1906 Earthquake
Google Earth for Astronomy
More Google Earth Resources Online and of course Google Lit Trips — Connecting Literature to Google Earth (includes novels like Night and Grapes of Wrath etc.)

I notice how easy it has become in the digital age to plagiarize and copy/paste content from sources and not properly give credit.  Our students, many low performing students with serious reading issues, often cannot navigate the World Wide Web easily due to the high reading level of many sites and in their frustration resort to to the simplicity of copying and pasting sections of Wikipedia and other sites and offering it as their own work.

It’s for the reason I cringe at the thought of having students write a research paper or create a PowerPoint presentation without having the content already synthesized and written in their own words.  I feel that it becomes necessary for teachers to “control the content.”  In other words, student cannot turn a research project in without seeing the actual source material used in its creation.

How do I achieve this?  I make sure that when they submit any writing project, they need to show me the original texts they used.  Either through copying the text on to a data gathering sheet or printing out the information used.  I can then assist them in synthesizing and reworking the text into their own words.  Then I can show them how to cite the source and finally put it into their own words in the research paper or PowerPoint.  It requires a great deal of hands-on work with students, but it is necessary if you want to receive a well-written, authentic research project.

I cringe whenever one of my students says that “he/she is going to do it at home.”  How can I tell anything when they turn in a project or essay when I haven’t seen them engage in the earlier steps of the process.  With students in an under-performing school, why should I believe that they are going to create an awesome, well-written essay at the end when they are struggling to complete the in-class ditch digging?  By allowing the student to turn in a completed project without seeing their steps to the final goal is not assuring their work is genuine.  This is why I “control the content.”

* submission of essays for revision and feedback.
* discussion groups during school year and extended vacations
* online test taking
* journalling, blogging and creating wikis on different topics
* reduction of the amount of paperwork by allowing students to submit work in digital format
* keeping an ongoing record of student work (digital portfolios)
* embedding videos and demos, online content without the need for programming or HTML

Moodle courses are especially useful for classes where you wish to continue the “culture of learning” outside the class period (classes that regularly meet in a computer lab setting, AP classes, honors classes, programs requiring working during vacations/summer, classes wishing to create a digital portfolio).  It also provides students who might be timid in the classroom setting and better at expressing themselves in written form. 

Caveat: Moodle is best for an ongoing online experience for students, not a once in a while experience.

Two Page Guide for Using Moodle for Online Content Development
Using Moodle for Online Content Development PowerPoint
Video Screencasts for using Moodle

Good Link for More Moodle Tutorials

“I’m excited to announce that starting today, Google Books will offer free downloads of these and more than one million more public domain books in an additional format, EPUB. By adding support for EPUB downloads, we’re hoping to make these books more accessible by helping people around the world to find and read them in more places.” — Google Books

I’m not seeing how this decision is all that significant.  Most of the public domain books have already been available in one way or another, and it’s never hard to pick up one of these books cheaply in a used bookstore.  Sure you might find a gem if you look hard enough, but sometimes the search is long and fruitless.  I have used the Stanza IPod Touch app up until now to download free classics, and though it’s cool, it’s only once in a while when I get an urge to reread Heart of Darkness.

I tried the new service out today by stopping by Google Books. It’s hard to tell which of the books are even in the public domain.  It seems that many of the offerings are not available for download (therefore, not in the public domain).  I downloaded Treasure Island, since that was the example book and had to install a third party desktop app to open the EPUB version of the novel.  I chose Stanza (since I’m familiar with the mobile app) and thought I’d try the desktop version.  The IPhone surely put that software package on the map.  (I think I heard a rumor that Amazon bought Stanza). 

It opened the book easily enough, but I’m not likely to read many novels on my computer screen.  I have definitely made the switch to watching television shows and some movies on my laptop, but I’ve yet to read any substantial work.  Even reading Anthem recently on the IPod Touch is a slow, occasional process.  (Anthem is downloadable on Stanza, but there is no Download option on the Google Books version.)

I tire somewhat of how certain companies brag about having a huge collection of "something," when you really get to the bottom, it’s exaggerated advertising.  Of Netflix’s large catalog of 12,000 movies, about 500 I’d imagine are even worth watching.  Amazon touts their Kindle, but they do not even have a large number of important works available.  Same with the public domain: how many books in the public domain do people even read (outside of being assigned it in high school), and of those, who actually reads a digital version of it?  And it seems like copyright law protects most books from ever entering the public domain. 

Today, I managed to figure out how to download an administrative template for Internet Explorer 7.  Our district is ridiculous, and encourages us to not install Internet Explorer 7 even though it is more secure and efficient.  Their solution to avoid technical issues is to keep everything outdated, instead of having to resolve more issues.  I upgraded all our machines to IE7 and as a result, our server needed to be updated, so it could push policies to the new browser version.

Pushing Policies. What is this?  Simply, I can configure one computer with settings that will push out settings like “You cannot change the home page” or “You can not change the screen saver” or “You will always start on the School Website.”  Anytime a student logs into a computer in one of three labs or any computer in the school attached to the server, these policies will be applied.  Simple!  And useful.  My IE7 patch allows me to customize the brower’s policies for all computers.

Another great thing about server technology is that a student can log into any computer and find his/her files.  If a teacher is having trouble with two students talking, just ask one to move over to another seat and log in, and the files are there too.  These are the types of technologies that matter to the teachers.  We can discuss the ramifications all day about which technologies support ELL students, but without the convenience and ease of pushing policies and using a server, everything else is irrelevant.

I was working with a student today, who after working through a few questions in math, I discovered didn’t know basic math skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  I was partly taken aback, since I have worked before with students who can’t read.  But her skills were the equivalent of not reading, but in math.  She couldn’t multiple by 10s, and as an English teacher, I didn’t really know where to begin.  I encouraged her to find a tutor or a friend she really trusted who could work with her on multiplication and division.

I can’t see how anyone could answer many of the CAHSEE math questions and pass without knowing basic math.  I’ve heard that the only way to make a real difference in raising test scores is to help the “low hanging fruit,” but some students seem so far behind they need help with basic math, not passing the CAHSEE.  The software, though user friendly and helpful in preparing for the CAHSEE, was too advanced for this student.

On a side note:  I sadly also found that I was having a hard time performing a simple subtraction problem.  You know like 21 – 18.  You have to borrow, and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the old procedure of teaching subtraction.  I perform simple calculations like this in my head and naturally, that putting into simple terms was beyond me.  I think from now on I plan to stick to English, and stop trying my hand in those complicated mathematical procedures.

Thousands of students nationwide, including many who were previously reluctant to study online, have suddenly decided to take one or more college classes over the Internet.

Clearly another area where the costs of driving are taking a toll. Not only are people not taking vacations, but they are staying home to take classes. I question if this is a good thing. Unfortunately, from the five online classes I’ve taken over the years, the quality of education you receive online versus in a classroom is inferior. It’s much more difficult for serious instruction to occur when the teacher is not interacting with students in person. I know that I find it hard to take an online discussion serious when I’m in my pajamas watching television in the background. I also think that the teacher tends to require a lot more meaningless assignments in an online class than in a real classroom setting (post in a forum your comments, post a couple comments in response to someone else). The expectation of good writing is thrown out the window, and your responses are rarely graded for content or accuracy.

I’m hoping that as people take more online courses, a greater degree of professionalism results. I have been relatively dissatisfied with the level of rigor in online courses, and until that changes, this trend toward staying at home to take a class will result in the students suffering the most.