Staff Technology Resources
The Google Classroom - WHPS page
https://sites.google.com/a/whps.org/the-google-classroom/
iPad Training - WHPS page
https://sites.google.com/a/whps.org/the-ipad-training-site/home
CCSS Lessons
http://learnzillion.com/
File Conversions/Downloads
www.zamzar.com
http://www.ilivid.com/
School Tube – Post your educational content, then embed the code in your blog
www.schooltube.com
Free Play Music – Search mp3 music by keyword, style, or feel to add background music to your digital stories
http://freeplaymusic.com/
Resize Web Images
http://webresizer.com/resizer/
Twitter
http://twitter.com/login
Chirbit - Embed your audio or voice anywhere online including Twitter
http://www.chirbit.com/
Twitpic - Share photos and videos on twitter
http://twitpic.com/photos/room302
Photo Story 3 Download
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx
Widgets
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open
Aspect Ratio Calculator – for resizing images
http://andrew.hedges.name/experiments/aspect_ratio/
Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy, by Derek Sivers
http://sivers.org/ff
Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids. TED Talk
http://www.wimp.com/adultskids
QR Codes in the classroom
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-qr-codes-in-classroom-monica-burns
Guiding Students to Have Productive and Polite Online Discourse
In a sidebar of an interview by Jan Umphrey in Principal Leadership, Catlin Tucker suggests the following do’s and don’ts for students’ online discussions:
Address peers by name to create a friendly online tone.
Avoid slang and jargon; it may be familiar to you but not to others.
Don’t use all capitals. It comes across as yelling.
Avoid emotional punctuation like exclamation points unless you’re complimenting someone’s idea.
Read questions and conversation postings carefully (don’t skim), listen to all ideas presented, and ask questions if something is unclear.
Compliment peers when they post strong responses or contribute original ideas.
Be respectful and considerate; remember that your peers can’t see your body language or hear your tone of voice.
Critique the content, not the person. Focus on what’s said, not the person who said it.
Respond rather than reacting. Don’t write a response if you are angry. Read over your posts before sending: are your ideas clear and supported?
Avoid sarcasm, which can lead to tensions and hurt feelings.
Don’t present your personal opinions as fact. Back up ideas with details, evidence, and examples.
When disagreeing, use “I statements” and present ideas in a constructive manner that encourages further dialogue.
Remember that there are no right or wrong answers in a discussion; a variety of perspectives is helpful.
Tucker also suggests sharing the following sentence starters as models for students:
Although Rio made a strong point that _______________, I think _____________.
I respectfully disagree with Zach’s assertion that ____________ because __________.
I had not thought about Leigh’s point that ______________.
Even through Dalia’s point is valid, I tend to ________________.
In contrast to Michelle’s point, ________________.
Bradley highlighted some key ideas when he said _____________.
Lulu, can you clarify your statement that ______________.
Carmen, your posting reminded me of ______________.
Nadya’s observation that ______________ reflects _______________.
Marcella, do you agree (or disagree) with _____________?
Robin, how would you define _______________?
Like Amaya, I also connected _____________ to _______________.
“Blended Learning”: An Interview of Catlin Tucker by Jan Umphrey in Principal Leadership, September 2013 (Vol. 14, #1, p. 36-41), www.nassp.org; these are excerpted from Tucker’s book, Blended Learning in Grades 4-12 (Corwin, 2012, p. 63-65).