Week 2 Databases, Spreadsheets, Mind Maps, and Videos
Wow! There was a lot to learn this week!
The first items on the list are databases and spreadsheets. Database programs like Access and spreadsheet programs like Excel have been around for a while. Though we are mostly unaware, we encounter databases everyday. It's interesting to see how educators are using these programs in the classroom to enhance learning and encourage high order thinking. Beside teaching computer skills, using databases in the classroom requires students to discriminate and choose useful data. It requires analytical, critical thought to decide what kinds of data are quantifiable in any given set and what information will be relevant and useful.
This first website gives examples of how to integrate databases into the classroom, where to get free software, and how to find tutorials to use databases if you need help.
http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/databases/
This second website explains in more detail how databases are used in class.
http://www.ehow.com/info_7994591_use-databases-classroom.html
The best example I have derived for students to use databases is to track their grades. Using a database is more than just listing their grades. Students can catalog what they are doing in each course. Now they can see where they are falling behind or project the impact their next grade will have in a certain course. Teachers get a little overwhelmed when students ask "why am I not passing?" or "what grade do I need on this next test?" Databases will help students answer their own questions. Creating one may also create open dialogue between parents and students about what is really going with school.
Spreadsheets! One of the handiest things since the indoor toilet! Students in math classes have the most flexibility with Excel. Graphing calculators are still cool. With Excel, however, you can create worksheets that you can publish! You can make graphs with color and change the values without re-typing the equation. You can put multiple graphs or various types of graphs within the same spreadsheet.
I use spreadsheets for my own budgeting. Before I could create the budget, I had to see where my money was going. I kept all my receipts for one month. The next month I organized them into categories and input my data into a spreadsheet. Then, I created a pie chart. The results were a little shocking but I now had a idea of how to draft my budget.
My students could use spreadsheets to document data and/or track trends. The possibilities are endless. Here is website that lists a myriad of ideas for spreadsheets applicable to all grade levels.
http://learntech.ties.k12.mn.us/Excel_Classroom_Projects
Mind maps! I had never even heard of this before now. This is one of the coolest concepts I have seen. I looked at Wisemapping.com and Bubbl.us. You might remember brainstorming in grade school where you created this spider-like notebook drawing for your compositions. The main idea was a big body in the center. Sub-topics would look like legs with details looking like hair on the legs. Now there is software that you can use to do this. I used both to plot a simple family tree using myself as the central point and relatives were offshoots. I'm saving the actual images for Week 3!
Let's look at Wisemapping.com. This site is free and very user friendly. Objects are easily moved, constructed, and deconstructed. You have freedom to enhance your brainstorm with details. For example, I outline all the females in my family with a box and the males with a circle. I added icons to the family members that were deceased. You can add notes to individual ideas. This site allows you to save and share your work. Students could use this to take notes for just about any class. For my potential students, I first thought of making a map of animal cells. The main idea would be animal cells. The offshoots would be the organelles of cells. Sub-topics of that would be functions of the organelles. More detail could include minerals vital to those functions. Hierarchy is the infrastructure for science. Mind mapping fits really well with science concepts.
Next is Bubbl.us. This site is free and moderately user friendly. There were no tutorials because your functions are visible on pop-up menus. The menus appear when your mouse hovers over an object. This site functions best if you create all the bubbles you may need first. Then you connect them second. Once I started connecting idea bubbles, I couldn't create any more independent bubbles. With this site, you must know your hierarchy of organization because you don't have much flexibility to change it later. This site is free. You can save your work and share it as well. I do recommend this site for simple brainstorming. If you need more detail or flexibility, go with wisemapping.com.
So now that I'm getting my mind mapped out and thoughts organized, I had to make a slide show! I looked at two sites that enable you to make your own videos for free.
1st video site- Animoto.com. This site allows you to use pre-fab backgrounds, selected music, and your own pictures. You can make 30 second videos for free. I made a short video using pictures of my son from 0-3 months old. The site allows you to publish it to any social network. I used Facebook but you can also use Twitter or email your video or embed it in a blog as well. Here is the video.
http://animoto.com/play/L9ZbO0Ym5qzYRbq1yw3Fxw
2nd site- Photopeach.com. This site allows you make a slide show the length of an entire song. There are no backgrounds. The song is selected from a set list. You can publish your video to any social networking site and embed it into a blog. You can also leave comments on videos.
">Austin Year 1 on PhotoPeach
I recommend both sites depending on how big you are trying to go. Both sites allow you to do more, especially with music, if you sign up for a paid subscription. I'm just glad that there is alternative to trying to do the same thing with Powerpoint. This is much simpler and looks great.
The first items on the list are databases and spreadsheets. Database programs like Access and spreadsheet programs like Excel have been around for a while. Though we are mostly unaware, we encounter databases everyday. It's interesting to see how educators are using these programs in the classroom to enhance learning and encourage high order thinking. Beside teaching computer skills, using databases in the classroom requires students to discriminate and choose useful data. It requires analytical, critical thought to decide what kinds of data are quantifiable in any given set and what information will be relevant and useful.
This first website gives examples of how to integrate databases into the classroom, where to get free software, and how to find tutorials to use databases if you need help.
http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/databases/
This second website explains in more detail how databases are used in class.
http://www.ehow.com/info_7994591_use-databases-classroom.html
The best example I have derived for students to use databases is to track their grades. Using a database is more than just listing their grades. Students can catalog what they are doing in each course. Now they can see where they are falling behind or project the impact their next grade will have in a certain course. Teachers get a little overwhelmed when students ask "why am I not passing?" or "what grade do I need on this next test?" Databases will help students answer their own questions. Creating one may also create open dialogue between parents and students about what is really going with school.
Spreadsheets! One of the handiest things since the indoor toilet! Students in math classes have the most flexibility with Excel. Graphing calculators are still cool. With Excel, however, you can create worksheets that you can publish! You can make graphs with color and change the values without re-typing the equation. You can put multiple graphs or various types of graphs within the same spreadsheet.
I use spreadsheets for my own budgeting. Before I could create the budget, I had to see where my money was going. I kept all my receipts for one month. The next month I organized them into categories and input my data into a spreadsheet. Then, I created a pie chart. The results were a little shocking but I now had a idea of how to draft my budget.
My students could use spreadsheets to document data and/or track trends. The possibilities are endless. Here is website that lists a myriad of ideas for spreadsheets applicable to all grade levels.
http://learntech.ties.k12.mn.us/Excel_Classroom_Projects
Mind maps! I had never even heard of this before now. This is one of the coolest concepts I have seen. I looked at Wisemapping.com and Bubbl.us. You might remember brainstorming in grade school where you created this spider-like notebook drawing for your compositions. The main idea was a big body in the center. Sub-topics would look like legs with details looking like hair on the legs. Now there is software that you can use to do this. I used both to plot a simple family tree using myself as the central point and relatives were offshoots. I'm saving the actual images for Week 3!
Let's look at Wisemapping.com. This site is free and very user friendly. Objects are easily moved, constructed, and deconstructed. You have freedom to enhance your brainstorm with details. For example, I outline all the females in my family with a box and the males with a circle. I added icons to the family members that were deceased. You can add notes to individual ideas. This site allows you to save and share your work. Students could use this to take notes for just about any class. For my potential students, I first thought of making a map of animal cells. The main idea would be animal cells. The offshoots would be the organelles of cells. Sub-topics of that would be functions of the organelles. More detail could include minerals vital to those functions. Hierarchy is the infrastructure for science. Mind mapping fits really well with science concepts.
Next is Bubbl.us. This site is free and moderately user friendly. There were no tutorials because your functions are visible on pop-up menus. The menus appear when your mouse hovers over an object. This site functions best if you create all the bubbles you may need first. Then you connect them second. Once I started connecting idea bubbles, I couldn't create any more independent bubbles. With this site, you must know your hierarchy of organization because you don't have much flexibility to change it later. This site is free. You can save your work and share it as well. I do recommend this site for simple brainstorming. If you need more detail or flexibility, go with wisemapping.com.
So now that I'm getting my mind mapped out and thoughts organized, I had to make a slide show! I looked at two sites that enable you to make your own videos for free.
1st video site- Animoto.com. This site allows you to use pre-fab backgrounds, selected music, and your own pictures. You can make 30 second videos for free. I made a short video using pictures of my son from 0-3 months old. The site allows you to publish it to any social network. I used Facebook but you can also use Twitter or email your video or embed it in a blog as well. Here is the video.
http://animoto.com/play/L9ZbO0Ym5qzYRbq1yw3Fxw
2nd site- Photopeach.com. This site allows you make a slide show the length of an entire song. There are no backgrounds. The song is selected from a set list. You can publish your video to any social networking site and embed it into a blog. You can also leave comments on videos.
">Austin Year 1 on PhotoPeach
I recommend both sites depending on how big you are trying to go. Both sites allow you to do more, especially with music, if you sign up for a paid subscription. I'm just glad that there is alternative to trying to do the same thing with Powerpoint. This is much simpler and looks great.
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