blog.classroomteacher.ca

We run several classroom blogs and professional sites, including this blog on using educational technology in the classroom. Mostly we use WordPress, but lately we’ve been experimenting with bulleting boards (phpBB) for our online literature circles.
You can only go so far with free accounts, whether they’re with Blogger, WordPress.com, Edublogs, or Wikispaces. Eventually, you want [...]

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WordPress plugins for our class website: Global Translator – not ideal, but uses Google Translate to help non-English speaking parents. #
WordPress plugins for our class website: Mike Jolley's Download monitor tracks how many times the handouts are viewed. http://bit.ly/rLhvT #
WordPress plugins for our class website: TinyMCE Advanced customizes which tools students can use in the [...]

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We’re just creating our new classroom website for the 2009-2010 year. We had it up and running in about 15 minutes by setting up WordPress 2.8.4 (3 minutes to create the site; 12 minutes to cut and paste the content from our Meet the Teacher newsletter.)

How to Make a Class Website
Should I use Google Sites or [...]

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At the end of June, our Grade 8 Language Arts (English) class experimented with using Twitter in the classroom.

What is Twitter?
Why use Twitter in the classroom?

Examining Twitter in the classroom to see how social media tools are changing the way the world communicates.
Using Twitter in the Classroom as a collaboration tool

Review of using Twitter in the [...]

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Tried the MDG Flip Tablet netbook today: Good ink/handwriting recognition. Comes with Evernote. Can you install MS Office to get their ink? #
MDG Flip Tablet netbook: How durable is the pivoting/flipping screen? MDG claims it’s student-rugged, but does it hold up with student use? #
MDG Flip Tablet netbook: bluetooth means you could use a bluetooth [...]

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Windows 7… touch-enabled? Will I be able to do digital ink in the classroom with it? #
New wiimote controller is coming out…Will we be able to still use Johnny Lee’s wiimote software to create an… less than 5 seconds ago #
Will students use bing or google in the classroom? (I wonder why they generally don’t [...]

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Many teachers are blogging in the classroom. It’s authentic writing that hooks struggling readers and writers, especially boys.
However, there is one huge flaw with using WordPress or Edublogs in the classroom. Students can read unmoderated comments when they are logged into the edublog or class blog before the comments get moderated and published online. They [...]

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This post is a work-in-progress as we experiment with using wikis in the classroom and school environment.

What is a wiki?
Why use a wiki in the classroom?
How to start an educational wiki for your classroom
Things to know about Using Wikis in the Classroom

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This is an ongoing draft about students who do inspiring things. Eventually, I hope to use these examples to inspire students in my own class. We’ll keep you posted as our research unfolds.
Dalton Sherman, fifth grader in Dallas ISD

Keynote speaker at the Dallas ISD addressing 20,000 district personnel at the start of the school year [...]

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Travel across the blogosphere and you inevitably come across your fair share of blogs. Here are a few that caught our eye:

High School Teacher Blogs

Transitioning to Web 2.0

Elementary Blogs

Mrs Cassidy’s Classroom Blog
Mrs C’s grade 5/6

Teacher Blogs

Teachers At Risk
Kim Caise: Kim’s Ventures in Educational Technology

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