Reach the World

Reach the World (RTW) is a unique nonprofit organization with the mission of linking students and teachers to online, global expeditions that have the power to expand learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Reach the World was founded by Heather Halstead and Marc Gustafson in 1997, in an effort to revolutionize the delivery of curriculum, enabling all classrooms, in all communities, to use interactive resources that bring the world’s environments and cultures vividly to life for students. RTW’s mission is to become a national organization that links travelers and their journeys with students in classrooms around the globe.

Livescribe SMARTPEN

A newer technology that will make teaching and learning easier is the Pulse SMARTPEN www.livescribe.com.   Like most new technology, I approached this “pen” with hesitation.  So many items that are suppose to make life easier actually give me a headache when first trying to use them.  So it was with apprehension that I opened my Pulse today.

I have to say, it was amazingly simple to start using.  “Tap here,” and away I went.  In about 30 minutes, I’ve become fairly proficient and am having a blast.  ( Scroll down to read everything it can do and the specs)  For students, this is invaluable.  Not only does the pen record everything you write visably, it also records audio.

In fact, the SMARTPEN does more than I thought it would and the available information for learning how to use it makes it very simple; not the least bit intimidating, even for non-tech-savvy people like me.

By the way, it was really easy to plug the docking USB cradle for the pen into the computer after downloading and installing the software (very quickly, I might add) and it was ready to rock-n-roll.

I’m afraid this little pen is going to go from something to write about to something addictive-  and will make an awesome gift for a few writer friends and an engineer husband.  I am thoroughly impressed!!

The pen is a link between my laptop and what I jot down.  Very valuable for taking notes, interviewing or keeping track of things.  Later, you can go back and search for things in the documents  you create.  For instance, if a student wrote the word “test” and the date somewhere in their notes,  they could go back and search ”test” later and find it.

Hardware
Product Design	Sleek ergonomic design with anodized aluminum housingCharcoal blue with silver band & black accents
Processor	Samsung ARM 9 (32-bit, 150 MHz)
Screen	96×18 OLED Display
Camera	High speed infrared camera (over 70 images/sec)
Storage	1GB NAND (over 100 hours recording time)*2GB NAND (over 200 hours recording time)* *Actual available memory will be less. *Actual recording time varies by audio quality setting.
Battery	300 mAH rechargeable lithium (non-removable)
Audio – Record	Dual (embedded) smartpen microphones – mono recording3-D Recording Headset – binaural or stereo recording
Audio – Playback	Embedded speakerAudio jack (2.5mm) for 3-D Recording Headset
Computer Connectivity	USB mobile charging cradle
Size & Weight	Length: 155mm (6.1 in.)Width: 14mm or 0.55 in. (bottom) to 16mm or 0.63 in. (top)Weight: 36 Grams (1.3 oz.)

Desktop Software
Livescribe Desktop	Computer Desktop Software (download) Page Viewer to search, view and replay notes Pen & application management Gateway to your account, store, and online community

Online Community

Web Apps & Services

My Livescribe Account250MB Online StorageCommunity for posting and sharing content Bundled Smartpen Software Paper Replay Record and replay synchronized ink & audio Notes Ink capture (without audio) Quick Record Quick access audio recording application Printed Calc Printed calculator for scientific, financial, and statistical equations Quick Calc A simple calculator that can be launched and used on any dot paper Other Utilities Time, Date, Storage, Battery and other settings Nav Plus 5-way navigation and menu system using pre-printed or drawn plus sign Demo Card Includes: smartpen movies, 3-D audio samples, translator demo, and paper piano Additional Software Additional applications will be made available for sale at livescribe.com Included Paper and Accessories 100 sheet dot paper college-ruled notebook Smartpen case 3 black fine point ink cartridges + 1 stylus cartridge System Requirements Windows XP™ SP2 or Windows Vista™ operating system* 600MHz CPU or higher 300 MB minimum free disk space Available USB port Internet connection * Note to Mac™ users: We are actively developing a native Mac solution and will have a public beta available for download in early December 08 (Works with Intel Mac OS X 10.5 or later). Please note that our product is not currently compatible with Parallels or VMWare. * Note to Windows™ users: 64-bit versions of Windows Vista™ will be supported by a scheduled update available in mid November. 64-bit versions of Windows XP™ are not currently supported.

PowerPoint Presentation

This Week in Technology Integration: POWERPOINT

Videoconferencing in Education

Videoconferencing is an exciting possibility for educators.   Imagine this: a 5th grade class in a small town in Iowa would be able to open up their experiences and share with a classroom in London. Or Africa.  Or Russia.  Of course, there is a major obstacle to some areas sharing with others and that would be time.  However it’s only a detour, in many cases sessions could be scheduled off hour, a sort of evening field trip for one class that might meet at 7 p.m. for a class that is just starting their day on the other side of the globe.

Not only does the technology allow classrooms to open up world-wide with each other, teachers can access institutions around the world for instant field trips.  Museums, technology centers, universities, even manufacturing facilities for vocational resources would be able to share real-time information, instruction and opportunities with students. The possibilities are incredible.

Full Screen Video Conferencing (Picture courtesy of Scott Feldstein, From Flickr Creative Commons)

As future teachers, we need to consider the potentials of technology that we have today.  Things change so quickly and what seems futuristic right now will be commonplace in a few years in our classrooms.  Techlearning.com is a great site that explains this technology as well as other opportunities for educators.

After writing this blog, I read an AP story about 10 schools who videoconference weekly with scientists and teachers in Antartica.  The students can ask questions and see what the teachers are discussing, which is primarily climate change.  To read the article, click here.

Podcasts Blog Post -Chatting About Books from Read,Write, Think

I chose Chatting About Books from Read, Write, Think because I enjoy teaching writing and love reading.  I really liked this podcast because there was great information on books for children age 4-11.  The speaker, 3rd grade teacher Emily Manning, is informative and has lots of insight into age-appropriate books.  I chose to listen to a podcast about election books and the election process, which has current and relevant information.   The first speaker highlights good points about three specific books and points out the positive parts of the book as well as caution against one book that may be challenging on some levels.

Then she has a “cookies and milk” conversation with a 4th grade student named Jared and the interaction is charming and helpful.  In fact, the student turned the tables on the teacher and got the teacher to question her own point of view during discussion of a certain book.

Next, the speaker talks to Kathleen Krull in “expert chat;” she interviews the actual author of the books she recommends, which is incredibly insightful.  She asks the purpose of the author’s blog, www.inkrethink.blogspot.com,  a group of non-fiction writers who write about interesting non-fiction for children.

Author Kathleen Krull, as a child

Podcasts are a wonderful use of technology in education.  To listen, check out my widget on the sidebar, there’s a link to the feed or go to the podcast at Read,Write,Think

Podcasts- What are they and why am I using it?

The Mission

For some reason, the title of this blog makes me think of a Harrison Ford movie– like, The Fugitive.  Maybe it’s because we were talking about Blade Runner in English 306 yesterday ( the book was first called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?….by the way…) or maybe it’s because I’m taking cold medicine.   Our assignment for EDUC260 this week was video editing, which is very fun. It’s also very challenging for me because I wasn’t class yesterday because of bronchits.  Ick.   So I’ve had to teach myself, playing around with Windows Movie Maker.  It’s really interesting and I think I’ll enjoy using video more now that I understand it a little better.  Oh, and how was I in Eng 306 yesterday, you ask?  Because it’s online on Tuesdays.   So here’s a link to the movie that I edited from an unedited video that was produced in class.  I’m suppose to be in it, but since I wasn’t there, I hope Prof. Trusty recognizes that I substituted someone else.

Screenshots

I used several programs to make the following screenshots.  I recently installed Artweaver, which is similar to Photoshop, except it’s free.  Using Artweaver to write my name and hopeful year of graduation on the picture of University of Findlay’s Old Main, the photo was resized to 460 pixels wide.  I then used Microsoft Office Picture Manager to resize the screenshot, which I got from my Snipping Tool (part of Vista).   I’m just learning how to use Artweaver but have used Office Picture Manager for some time.  Both are fun.  To learn more about Artweaver, or download the freeware, visit www.artweaver.de

New Technology for Classrooms

This week’s assignment for EDUC260 is to tell about a new technology that we hope to incorporate into our classroom when we are teaching.  The first thing that came to mind for me was a Smart Board.    These interactive boards are great for presentations but they do so much more.  For instance, a Smart Board would allow a class to take a “virtual field trip.”  If I wanted to share images from a place I (or anyone) would photograph or video during a visit, the images could be displayed for the class to see and experience, along with facts or websites with information about the topic.

For more on Smart Boards, visit the Smart Tech Website http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/default.htm

Smart Board Technology