How to Check Your Math in Excel

This is one of the most popular lessons I teach to Excel beginners. It is relevant, instantly usable and makes sense from the beginning. Before you start this one, be sure to complete Project 70 and 71.

–from 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom. Preview available on Amazon.com and Scribd.com

If you can’t read this, send me an email at info@structuredlearning.net (they’ll forward it) and request a pdf copy

Kigose–Does it Satisfy it’s Promise of a Student-Friendly Search Engine?

It’s difficult to find student-safe search engines. To keep out the riff raff often results in not enough sources, like a small library that limits your choices to just those approved by the librarian. Subsequently, I haven’t found one I’m happy with.

A reader suggested I drop in on Kigose.com. It’s powered by Google Custom Search and promises to assist students find safe educational resources from sites without subscription requirements.

I’m always eager to find new resources for my K-8 students, so I decided to try it out. As a test, I searched “Human Body” for websites, to see if it came up with some of my favorites. Here’s what I got:

• It has a nice, clean interface. Appealing for us adults and looks easy-to-use for the intended student audience.
• I got 126 million hits, from many great sites. That’s good.
• But 126 million is too many. When I tried to refine it with “”, it wouldn’t work. Has anyone else had this experience–that limitors don’t work?
• It offers searches in all the major search engines–Google, Yahoo Kids, Encarta (which came up blank), Ask Kids, Kindernet (not very focused), Kids Click (looked great), and Piffany (under construction)
• How to find images wasn’t immediately apparent. Usually Google Images are a wealth of info and excitement for kids, but these didn’t come up. I finally found some under Ask Kids
• the edu-games looked great! Yes, they start with an ad, but it shouldn’t be hard to train the kids to ’skip ad’ and move on to the fun.

Anyone tried this one? Any ideas?

 

How to Excel if You’re a Beginner II

An introduction to Excel without the confusion of cells and formulas. Students collect data at home and transfer data to an Excel template at school. Be sure to complete Project 71 first, a lesson that teaches skills needed for this project.

–from 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom. Preview available on Amazon.com and Scribd.com

If you can’t read this, send me an email at info@structuredlearning.net and request a pdf copy

How to Excel if You’re a Beginner–I

An introduction to Excel without the confusion of cells and formulas. Students collect data in the classroom and transfer it to an Excel template in the computer lab. Once you’ve done this one, be sure to try Project 70 and 72–both using Excel for classroom learning.

–from 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom. Preview available on Amazon.com and Scribd.com

If you can’t read this, send me an email at info@structuredlearning.net and request a pdf copy

20 Websites to Learn Everything About Landforms

If your third grader has to write a report about landforms, try these websites:

1. About Rivers www.42explore.com/rivers.htm
2. Biomes/Habitats  http://www.allaboutnature.com/biomes/
3. Deserts http://www.42explore.com/deserts.htm
4. Explore the Colorado http://www.desertusa.com/colorado/explorriver/du_explorrv.html
5. Geography Activities—for teachers www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/
6. Geography Game—Geospy kids.nationalgeographic.com/Games/GeographyGames/Geospy
7. Geography Quiz Game www.quia.com/pop/114591.html
8. Geography Reading Problems  www.tv411.org/lessons/cfm/reading.cfm?str=reading&num=8&act=4&que=1
9. GeoNet Game www.eduplace.com/geonet/
10. Labeling Maps www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area=LabelMaps
11. Landforms make a greeting www.geogreeting.com/main.html
12. Landforms www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/landforms.htm
13. Landforms—matching games, etc. www.quia.com/jg/29.html
14. Los Angeles River Tour http://www.lalc.k12.ca.us/target/units/river/tour/index.html
15. Map skills www.tv411.org/lessons/cfm/reading.cfm?str=reading&num=8&act=3&que=1
16. Mapping Game www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html
17. Rivers Seen from Space http://www.athenapub.com/rivers1.htm
18. The Colorado River http://www.desertusa.com/gc/gcd/du_glencaydam.html
19. What’s on a Map www.tv411.org/lessons/cfm/reading.cfm?str=reading&num=8&act=2&que=1
20. Zambezi River Tour http://www.on-the-matrix.com/africa/zambezi.asp

 

5 Tools for the Teacher’s Technology Toolkit

An example of a Tech Toolkit

Thanks to my colleague, Mr. Steven Anderson, here’s a great Technology Toolkit for teachers (his is in a blog–the one to the side is a workbook sold on Amazon or Scribd)

Most schools and districts spend lot of time and effort trying to get their teachers up to speed on technology and its use/place in the classroom. And honestly that is where a majority of effort should be spent; working with those on the frontlines of instruction. However, rarely, if ever, is much time spent with administrators, working with them on ways they use technology to enhance what they are doing. What can administrators do?

I have put together what I am calling The Administrators Technology Toolkit. (I really should find something more flashy or fun. If you have ideas leave me a comment.) There are some simple, easy to use tools that Administrators can be using right now to, just like teachers, integrate technology into what they do daily.

Tool 1-Twitter
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big advocate for Educators to use Twitter for Professional Development and growth. The job of an Administrator is a tough one. Twitter can serve as a place to connect with other professionals and see whats working in other buildings or districts that might work in yours. There are tons of Asst. Principals, Principals, Superintendents and even a few School Board members that I interact with on a daily basis.

Check out this site for tons of resources on getting started and find a several lists of Twittering Administrators and other Education Professionals created by a great friends of mine, Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal) and Shelly Terrell (@shellterrell).

Tool 2-Google Docs/Forms
Its time to go paperless. Flash Drives and External Hard Drivers are great inventions. I carry at least two of them with me where ever I go. However, neither of them have any documents or presentations on them. I exclusively use Google Docs. Everything I need is there. I honestly don’t remember the last time I opened a Microsoft Office product. Even if I get an attachment I open it in Google Docs because I know I will have access to that document not matter where I am. No need to hunt down a cable or USB port for my drives. I access the Internet and have all my documents.

Part of Google Docs is a great feature called Forms. As an Administrator you are probably constantly giving and recieving feedback from your teachers, parents, colleagues, and community. Again, go paperless. Create a Google Form that instantly captures data and enters it automatically on a spreadsheet for analysis. Having your faculty vote on an important issue? Use the Google Forms. (Then you can create snazzy graphs to impress them at the next meeting!)

Check out this site for some great information on Google Docs. Be sure to watch the “Google Docs In Plain English” and “Principals Talk About Google Docs” videos.

Tool 3-Social Bookmarking
I crave resources. Its part of my job. However, the resources I collect do no good if I don’t share them with anyone. Social Bookmarking services like Diigo and Delicious allow me to share websites, lessons, videos and more with anyone who wants them. Both these services allow you to tag your bookmarks making it even more easy to find the resources you need.

Administrators can use Social Bookmarking in one of two ways. If they are like my good friend Eric, they are constantly on the hunt for teaching resources for their teachers. So Eric spends time searching and sharing and making what he finds available through his Delicious Account. The other way administrators can use them is to just search. Sometimes these Social Bookmarking services can be more efficient at finding what you need than a regular Google Search. Also, you can search your friends’ bookmarks, further enriching the experience.

There are a couple of “must-see” tutorials that I have collected. The first is another In Plain English Video, this time on Social Bookmarking. Either Delicious or Diigo are great for Administrators. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Here is a really good Delicious Tutorial and one for Diigo.

Tool 4-Google Reader
I am willing to bet that there are certain websites you check everyday. Perhaps you even have a blog or two that you read. Instead of wasting time visiting each and every website in the hopes there is a new article or post you can use an RSS reader. What is RSS you ask? Really Simple Service. Basically it is a web address that you insert into a reader so all you need to do is visit one site (your reader) and see whats new on all your favorite sites.

One of the best readers out there is Google Reader. Its easy to navigate and add feeds. There are also lists of feeds that you can add with one click like news, technology and more. A new feature is Suggestions. Once you have subscribed to a few feeds, Google Reader will offer some suggested new feeds for you to check out.

So how do you get started? Well, you need to see yet another In Plain English Video, this time on RSS. Next you will want to see this great Google Reader Tutorial. Lastly, every tech savvy administrator needs some blogs to follow. Here are several great lists:
SupportBlogging Educational Blogs
Moving Forward Educational Blogs
Educational Blogs You Should Be Following

Tool 5-Ning
As I mentioned before it is important for all educators, including Administrators, to create networks of other professionals to connect with. I previously mentioned Twitter. Twitter is great for real-time discussion and resource sharing. However why not take the idea of social networking one step further and enrich the experience with video and file sharing, discussion forums, events and specialty groups. Ning does all that!

Ning bills itself as the social network you create. Nings are very popular among educators because there isn’t lot of the “junk” you will find on other social networking sites. Nings are great because you can really customize the content and you can create private spaces for your school or district.

Of course, I want you to check out the Social Networking In Plain English video to get an idea on how social networking works. Then check out this Ning tutorial for more information on how to sign up and get started. You will also need some Nings to visit. Here are just a few:
Educational Administrators Ning
The Educator’s Personal Learning Network Ning
More Educational Nings

Five tools. That’s it, just five to get started with. Of course that’s not all you will need to become a Tech Savvy Administrator but its a good start.

What do you think? What are some other tools or applications you would recommend for Administrators? Maybe you are already a Tech-Savvy Administrator. What tools do you currently use or what suggestions can you offer?

20 Great Research Websites for Kids

Quick, safe spots to send your students for research:

1. All-around research site libraryspot.com
2. Dictionary www.dictionary.com
3. Edutainment site—requires subscription www.brainpop.com/
4. General info research www.infoplease.com/yearbyyear.html
5. Internet research sites for kids http://ivyjoy.com/rayne/kidssearch.html
6. Kids search engine for the internet kids.yahoo.com
7. Math, reading, arcade edutainment www.funbrain.com
8. National Geographic for kids kids.nationalgeographic.com/
9. Nova video programs www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs.html
10. Research for kids www.factmonster.com/
11. Research—by grade level www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area=LabelMaps
12. Research—chapters on subjects http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/
13. Videos on so many topics www.woopid.com/
14. Research—for kids libraryspot.com/
15. Research—history www.infoplease.com/yearbyyear.html
16. School Tube—learning videos from YouTube. Organized by topics http://sqooltube.com/
17. Science headlines—audio science.nasa.gov/headlines
18. Search the internet www.google.com
19. Thesaurus—a great one www.thesaurus.com
20. World Book Online (subscription required) www.worldbookonline.com/kids

 

What are the Eu’s Education Issues?

This from the Netherlands. How’d you like if these were the education issues we faced?

Discriminatory Student Grants Land Netherlands in European Court of Justice

Source: European Commission
Published Thursday, 8 October, 2009 – 13:55

The European Commission is taking the Netherlands to the European Court of Justice over a student grant scheme which discriminates against workers from other EU countries and their families. Dutch legislation imposes a residence requirement for grants to study abroad which puts migrant and frontier workers – including those residing in neighbouring Belgium – at a disadvantage compared to nationals.

“Free movement is a founding principle of the EU which ensures people are not discriminated against on the basis of nationality. Grants to study abroad are a social advantage which should be allocated without discrimination to migrant and frontier workers and their children,” said Vladimír Špidla, EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs. “The Netherlands has failed to modify its rules and respect the right to equal treatment so we are now bringing a case before the Court of Justice,” he added. (more)

Are You A Critical Thinker?

Not a MENSA Math Marvel, but able to logically think through an answer. These focus on math, but they address life skills of problem solving:

Take the official critical thinking quiz* and test your knowledge with questions from our award-winning titles.

1) You have only an 8-liter jug and a 3-liter jug. Both containers are unmarked. You need exactly 4 liters of water.How can you get it, if a water faucet is handy? Question from Classroom Quickies • Show/Hide Solution Answer: Fill the 3-liter jug three times, each time dumping the water from it into the 8-liter jug. The third time, this will leave one liter of water in the 3-liter jug, and the 8-liter jug will be filled. Dump the water from the 8-liter jug down the drain, and then empty the one liter of water from the 3-liter jug into the 8-liter jug. Now fill the 3-liter jug again and dump the water into the 8-liter jug. The 8-liter jug now contains 4 liters of water. Various answers are possible.

2) What can you add to 1,000,000 and always get more than if you multiplied the 1,000,000 by the same value?Question from Scratch Your Brain • Show/Hide Solution Answer: zero, any number less than and including 1.000001, any fraction less than a whole, or any negative number.

3) Determine the common saying depicted in these verbal picture puzzles.a. DECISION b. ANOTHER     ONE Question from Think-A-Grams • Show/Hide Solution Answer: a.) split decision b.) one after another

4) What is the 50th number in this sequence? Explain how you got your answer.5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 35, 41, … Question from Dr. Funster’s Think-A-Minutes • Show/Hide Solution Answer: 299. The pattern involves a difference of 6 between adjacent terms of the sequence. Add 6 to 5, getting 11, then add 6 to 11, getting 17, then add 6 to 17, getting 23, etc., until 6 has been added 50 times, ending in 299. Answer explanations will vary.

5) Determine both one-word answers. The floor of ship or boat, They walk on me at sea; Where there’s a C, make it an S, At school you sit on me. What am I? _______________ Question from Spelling DooRiddles • Show/Hide Solution Answer: Deck, desk

6) The reason he gave the press for leaving his job was illness and fatigue. That wasn’t exactly the truth and it wasn’t exactly a lie.Why did he leave? Question from Red Herring Mysteries • Show/Hide Solution Answer: He was the coach of a professional ball team. The teams owner fired him because he was sick and tired of the teams dismal performance.

7) Determine both one-word answers.Another word for sick, Your forehead is quite hot; Now put an H in front, A mountain I am not. What am I?______________ Question from Spelling DooRiddles • Show/Hide Solution Answer: a.) ill b.) hill

Use the clues to solve the puzzle.A duck, a goose, a goat, and a horse all entered the barn at different times one day last week. 1) A mammal entered the barn first. 2) The duck entered before the goose. 3) The goose entered ahead of the horse. Who entered the barn first? ____________ Question from Dr. Funster’s Creative Thinking Puzzlers • Show/Hide Solution Answer: the goat

9) Determine the common term or phrase depicted in these verbal picture puzzles.a. CHIEDITOREF b. T   2222 Question from Think-A-Grams • Show/Hide Solution Answer: a.) Editor in Chief b.) Tea for two

10) Use the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division symbols once each to make these equations true.a. 600 __ 200 __ 400 __ 300 __ 200 = 200 b. 200 __ 300 __ 600 __ 400 __ 200 = 200 Question from Dr. Funster’s Quick Thinks Math • Show/Hide Solution Answer: a.) 600 x 200 / 400 – 300 + 200 = 200 b.) 200 / 300 x 600 – 400 + 200 = 200

11) While relaxing on the deck outside her cabin one summer evening, Vivian fell into a deep trance-like sleep. When she awoke, she felt as if she had slept only an hour or two, but it was now the middle of winter.How could this be? Question from Red Herring Mysteries • Show/Hide Solution Answer: Vivian was on the patio of her first class cabin on a cruise ship. She fell asleep just before the ship crossed the equator on a trip from Hawaii to New Zealand. The equator is the dividing line between the opposite seasons. She fell asleep north of the equator while in the middle of summer and awoke two hours later south of th equator in the middle of winter.

12) What do you get when a math teacher is a magician? ________________Question from Scratch Your Brain • Show/Hide Solution

More Free Stuff From Google

My colleague, Tech Paul, alerted me to this, and it addresses a question I get very often from parents: How do I (fill in the blank)? This package from Google includes (it’s a link. If you can’t read my Jing screen save, click on it):