This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner above to learn about the amazing Read&Write products.
Episode Overview –
Episode #139 features three song parodies from The Nightmare Before Christmas. My apologies to Tim Burton and Danny Elfman. As you listen, please keep in mind that I’ve never had one singing lesson, ever. In case you’d like to sing along, I’ve added the lyrics below.
This is Technology
Boys and girls of every age
wouldn’t you like to see something strange
Come with us and you will see,
our use of technology
This is technology, this is technology,
students scream when they see its sight
This is technology, everybody make something,
click or press to squeal with deeeelight,
It’s our time, everybody scream,
in this time of technology
I am the one you hold in your hand
screen gone dark and battery glowing red
I am the one sitting in your lap,
keyboard up and ready for your tap
This is technology, this is technology, nology, nology, nology, nology
Press the button to go home,
everyone post things all day long
Its our time, don’t we love it now,
everybody’s waiting for the next surprise
Pinch that corner, then,
zoom in if you can,
that gadget only weighs an ounce and don’t break the..
screen,
this is technology,
front and back and going green,
Aren’t you wired?
Well, that’s just fine,
say it once, say it twice,
take a chance and hold the mice,
write while you type, yeah it’s alright
Everybody scream, everybody scream,
its our time for technology
I am the boy with the tears on his face
gone in a flash with a tablet in place,
I am the girl who you need to teach
I am the one who you need to reach,
I am the teacher trying to get it right,
Making their futures nice and bright
This is technology, this is technology, nology, nology, nology, nology
slender tablets everywhere,
make it fun so we all care,
that’s your job, know what I mean?
in our time of technology
In this time don’t we love it now,
everyone’s waiting for the next surprise
A.TTIPSCAST
helps you with the facts
will help you learn just how to be
Give you tools so students win!
This is technology, everybody scream!
Please make way for a very special guy
Our man Chris is king of the Tipscast,
everyone hail to the tipscast Song
Now, this is Technology, this is Technology, nology, nology, nology, nology
In this time we press home everyone hail to the techno song
On on on on turn it on on on on on on on
—————————————————————————————————-
Chris’s Lament
There are few who deny,
That technology is the best,
For it’s benefits are renowned far and wide
When it comes to surprises
With a backlit light
We make things without even trying
With the slightest little effort
using hashtags and alarms,
Twitter helps teachers find what they seek
With a mic in your hand
And a dulcet tone,
Podcasts swept many listeners off their feet!
Yet year after year,
It’s the same routine
And students grow so weary
when we lecture things.
And I BET!
They like making things,
But they’ve grown tired of the same old thing…
Oh, somewhere deep inside their bones
An emptiness began to grow,
There’s something out there in the wide unknown,
A longing that they’ve never known
They can master it alright,
with strategies out of sight
teachers guide them rightwhen others can’t
They might think it’s yucky or they’re super unlucky
that they’re learning more in Finland, what’s the chance?
And since they have read, they can fill others’ heads
To spread technology integrations.
Any woman or man can learn like they can
But hurry ‘cause we need those educations
Oh you there please do understand
That the song I sing should make you grin
you’d lose that frown,
if you only understood
We can’t give it up,
that wouldn’t be good
We can’t fill that empty place all alone
Students need to explore the great unknown
Give praise and praise year after year
Makes students smile from ear to ear
——————————————————————————————————-
What’s This?
What’s this? What’s this?
There’s tools everywhere
What’s this?
There’s strategies in the air
What’s this?
I can’t believe my eyes
I must be dreaming
Wake up, Chris, this isn’t fair
What’s this?
What’s this? What’s this?
There’s something that I dig
What’s this?
There’s students making things
What’s this?
The schools are lined with
Little children laughing
Everybody seems so happy
Have I possibly gone appy?
What is this?
What’s This?
There’s children using tech
Instead of using pens
They’re busy building joys
And absolutely no one’s ever sad
There’s apps on every screen
Oh, I can’t believe my eyes
And in their bones I feel the choice
That’s coming from inside
Oh, look
What’s this?
They’re putting things online,
they post!
Why they looks so engaged,
inspired!
They’re gathering around to share a story
Roasting worksheets on a fire
What’s this?
What’s this?
In here there’s so much that is free,
how queer!
And who would ever think
And why?
They’re creating unique things
Let’s see what this electric gadget brings
And there’s a smile on everyone
So, now, correct me if I’m wrong
This looks like fun
This looks like fun
Oh, could it be I got my wish?
What’s this?
Oh my, what now?
The children are amazed
But look, there’s something underneath
All tools, no glitches here to block them or ensnare them,
very little mobile things
Secure them in their dreamland.
What’s this?
The worksheets are all missing,
the nightmares can’t be found
And in their place there seems to be
Good feeling all around
Instead of screams, I swear
I can hear learning in the air
The spark of thoughts and reason
Are absolutely everywhere
The sights, the sounds
They’re everywhere and all,
around!
I’ve never felt so good,
before!
This empty place inside of me is
filling up
I simply cannot get enough
I want it, oh, I want it
Oh, I want it for my own
I’ve got to know
I’ve got to know
What is this place that I have found?
What is this?
UDL? Hmmmm???
A.T.TIPS in this Episode –
A.T.TIP #453: Song Parodies to Represent Content for Learners
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner above to learn about the amazing Read&Write products.
Episode Overview –
Episode #135 is the 2014 Halloween episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST.
Be A Digital Detective with Beth Poss– 12:45pm – 3:00pm on November 18, 2014. PATINS 2014 Conference.
Twitter 101 with Beth Poss– 10:15am – 11:15am on November 18, 2014. PATINS 2014 Conference.
Technology Driven Data Collection: Using Digital Tools to Document Progress – One-Day Pre-conference – January 28th, 2015. Assistive Technology Industry Association One-Day Pre-conference. Register Now!
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner below to learn about the amazing Read&Write products.
Episode Overview-
Episode #124 features a recording of the events that transpired when Chris and his wife, Melissa, went on a romantic, rustic retreat only to discover an iPad in an abandoned cabin in the woods.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner below to learn about the amazing Read&Write products.
Episode Overview-
Episode #123 features a recording of a statement by the spokesman for N.O.T.S.I.C.K., the faux National Organization for Training and School Improvement in Classrooms for Kids, pertaining to the outbreak of the PD2.0 virus. A text version of this statement including additional visuals can be read at the Microsoft Partners in Learning Hot Topics Accessibility blog.
A.T.TIPS in this Episode –
A.T.TIP #376 – Automatic reply e-mails to share professional development resources (See a sample at http://bit.ly/emailreply)
A.T.TIP #377 – E-mail signatures to share professional development resources
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST features a recording of the events that transpired in the attic of the Bugaj household on a stormy night in October 2012 which involves electricity, a tablet computer, some spare parts, and (of course) some strategies that can help students.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. To learn about these products and their new suite of web apps go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #82 is a recording of an event where Chris and his wife Melissa describe a variety of educational tools as they conduct a paranormal investigation.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
When Chris and Melissa wake up in a strange room after a Halloween party they meet the notorious Saber Saw who asks them if they want to play a game. Will they win?
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Run! Run! Run for your lives! Episode #42 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #42 features a visit to Count Edula’s mansion where he asks about some tools he can use to help organize his “hypothetical” zombie army. Chris’s suggestions just so happen to be useful tools to help students as well.
Google Earth lets you to zoom anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. Google Earth is a free software program you can download and install on your computer. When you launch the program you see a celestial view of the earth. On the left hand side you see a search window. Type in any location, hit the magnifying glass icon, and watch as you zoom to that location. Also on the left side of the screen you’ll find a section called “layers” click on any of the boxes there to add additional features to what you see in your search. So, for instance, if you select the “3D Buildings” layer when a 3 dimensional image of a building is available you will see that building in three dimensions. Try it by searching for any major city, like Chicago, and you’ll see a three-dimensional representation of tons of different buildings or try doing a search for one of the lighthouses along the Outer Banks. In more remote locations like those you can really see the difference between the 2 dimensional representations and the 3 dimensional representations. There is a street view layer that is awesome where you can see, where available, a 360 degree digital image as if you were standing at a given location. Students who have trouble visualizing how tall something is, or what something might look like, or how a structure might appear in real-life, can experience these places in a very tangential way. Using Google Earth before or after a field trip or community-based instructional trip can bring a totally new dimension to the learning experience. What’s nice about Google Earth is that it’s totally free. Students can download it at home to explore on their own. Again, this is just scratching the surface of what it can do as there are all different types of layers, including shipwrecks, weather conditions and forecasts, and global awareness.
Google Earth 5 allows you to create a tour by creating a movie. One of the icons is a little video camera. Just click on that video camera icon and then the little red record button that appears. Teachers can use this with students to give a little video tour of where they are going or where they have been. Students can also use this feature to demonstrate their knowledge. A student records themselves traveling from place to place in Google Earth to demonstrate they know how to get to a location from a location, that they know where on the globe an event occurred or where a place is actually located. You could even use it as an alternative way to tell a story. Instead of writing that essay on what they did over Winter Break, students can virtually take the teacher and other students to that location by showing it on Google Earth.
Mystudiyo.com is a website that allows you to create assessments using all sorts of different media. There are different assessment types to choose from, but the one that I think is easiest and most relevant to students is the multiple choice type of assessment. Once you choose your assessment type the website takes you through a series of questions to set-up your quiz. It’s like a quiz wizard that walks you through creation, step-by-step. You can choose from different looks of your quiz and you can add introductory media using text, an image, or video to give directions which is perfect for students who might have trouble reading instructions. You can also have text, an image or video accompany each question, which means you could read each question aloud and save it as a video to have a much more accessible assessment. At the end of the assessment a student can be presented with a scoreboard to see how well they did. Once you’ve finished creating your quiz the website generates a unique URL for your quiz. Take that URL and distribute it to students for them to take the quiz on your computers or, if possible, on their own home computers. See how well you can do on the quiz created by Count Edula for his zombie horde.
Shorttext.com allows someone to either type or copy/paste text directly into it. Then, once they are ready, they click on the “Create URL” button to make a URL for that text. In the future, they just go back to that unique URL to access that text again. It’s a handy way to save information. For instance, students who tend to lose things, like thumbdrives or assignments, can post it to Shorttext.com. Then, all they need is the URL to go get it. Unlike a thumbdrive, the URLs can be shared with a teacher or in a safe location that doesn’t get transported to and from school. There are some other tools on the net that might be better for organization of assignments and such, but shorttext.com has a very simple interface without lots of buttons or other functions. This makes it less intimidating, which is why I like it and which is why it might be perfect for some students and teachers. Check out a piece of intercepted correspondence from one of Count Edula’s zombie field generals.
Points of Interest:
Mentioned in the podcast is an article by the New York Times about Wikipedia’s new policy about editing entries about living people.
Also, if you haven’t seen this Common Craft How-to video, well, it might be worth your time to help you prepare for the impending apocalypse.
I hope to meet you at any or all of these presentations. But, if you can’t make it to those, and you’re interested in any of this (or other) content for workshops in your district please contact me at attipscast@gmail.com. We can work together to set something up either in person or virtually!
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
The next episode should be coming out shortly but, in the meantime, something strange happened. I received this strange invitation today when I got home from work. Check it out:
Hey everyone,
Episode #22 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #22 describes different ways to use Google Maps to help students who participate in Community Based Instruction (CBI). Also, there is a special guest bumper from Dr. Penny Reed!
A.T.TIP #34: Google Maps for CBI
Here are some quick screenshot tutorials to help you navigate Google Maps:
You can look me up on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 and join the A.T.TIPPERS group on both!
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
The Compendium Blog of The A.T.TIPSCAST 