PolarScience Project Information

I wanted to direct your attention to a comment made by Fiorella on an earlier posting. She is the teacher of a team of students who participated in the project.
She gives us an interesting look into the PolarScience project and what the class was doing. Kudos to you Fiorella for particpating in this project, I’m sure your students are thanking you as well.

I really do hope that more projects like this one are available to teachers in the near future.

December 9, 2005 | | Comments Closed

Knowplace Open Weekends

Complimentary Open Weekends offered by Knowplace http://knowplace.ca

1. Macromedia Breeze: Virtual Classroom from December 9 -11, 2005
2. ESL Mixed Mode Delivery: Tips & Tricks from December 9 – 11, 2005

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1. Macromedia Breeze: Virtual Classroom – December 9 -11, 2005
Susan Bates will lead you into the virtual classroom to discover the world of Macromedia Breeze. This weekend will be full of ideas and tools that you can immediately use in your own work or business. Susan brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for the virtual classroom to this weekend.

Susan is an ESL instructor at Vancouver Community College and is completing
the E-Course Design Certificate program at Knowplace. She brings her face-to-face teaching experience into the online world with insight and innovation.

2. ESL Mixed Mode Delivery: Tips and Tricks – December 9 – 11
Learn the tips and tricks of Mixed Mode teaching and learning with Wendy Seale-Bakes. During this weekend Wendy will provide tips and tricks for using Mixed Mode as an instructional method in language education. Always practical, this weekend will introduce you to computer assisted language learning and provide you with tools that you can implement in your own online or face-to-face teaching.

Wendy teaches English as a Second Language at a community college in Vancouver, Canada. She’s completed a Knowplace eTeach certificate and is currently finishing her certificate in Mixed Mode. Wendy designed and teaches an Advanced level Mixed Mode ESL class at her college, and is very enthusiastic about the benefits of computer assisted language learning (CALL) for ESL students.

December 8, 2005 | | Comments Closed

Edublog Awards

Make sure you cast your vote at the edublog awards. It was nice to see some of the blogs that I already read and a few new ones to add to my agggregator. I was especially interested in the “Most influential post, resource or presentation,� it was great to see that category.

PolarScience.ca has been nominated for “Best example/case study of use of weblogs within teaching and learning.� One of the teachers at my board is involved in this project and said that they students were really getting into the project. I hope she will share a little more as the project comes to an end.

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Teachers’ TV

All I have to say is WOW! – http://www.teachers.tv/. “There are currently 653 programmes available to download.â€?

Just go look at it…

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The Whole Truth

Another comic I created using GNOMZ

joke

December 4, 2005 | | Comments Closed

Templates For School Websites

When you are thinking about the design of a template for your school website try to keep in mind these concepts. They will help you to improve the impact of your design.

Warm or Cool Colors Colors evoke moods, warm is more active, cool is calming, what mood
are you trying to create?
Depth Cues Indicate Importance The larger the object the closer it seems, the higher the importance
attributed to an object.
Use Icon For Easy To Recognize Tasks Most people seem to recognize a printer as something that allows you
to print, you can use these memorable icons as part of your design
Navigation at top, bottom, or sides of screen. Navigation is most easily used when the targets are on the edge of
the screen.
Balance Positive and Negative Space Keep in mind where the textual information is on your screen and where
it is not. Keep this balanced on your web pages.
Blue is for Backgrounds Blue is an excellent background color and good for providing contrast
to elements of your web page.
Similar Color and Shape to Denote Relationships When colors and shapes are not exactly the same but very similar a
relationship is suggested.
Avoid Scrolling Avoiding scrolling and keep the your web
pages above the fold.
Chunk Information Limit chunked information on a web page to five to nine related points,
or three to four unrelated points for maximum effectiveness.
State Goals Goals of the website stated at the Beginning
KISS Keep it short and simple
KILL Keep it large and legible
Be Consistent Use graphics, menu items, and links in a similar way throughout the
website.

For more information regarding designing for the web you really need to review this online book “Design Principles for Interactive Texts� by Julie Jacobs & William Mueller. It will give a detailed understanding of designing for the web.
December 3, 2005 | | Comments Closed

Links from Mathematics and Technology Enabled Learning Presentation

Using Online Math Tools

Illuminations
Library of Virtual Manipulatives
Shodor Foundation
Arcytech
Interactive Mathematics Dictionary

Using Presentation Software and Internet Projects

Monica’s Math PowerPoints
New York Net Resources for Teachers

Math WebQuests

The WebQuests Page
SESD Math Webquests

Online Math Videos

United Streaming
Curriculum Resource Bank
Make Your Own Math Videos using Moviemaker or iMovie

Using The Read/Write Web

Blogmeister
Learner Blogs
Use Blogs Instead of Writing In Paper Journals
S1 Math

Math Problems and Instructional Resources

Math Forum Technology Problem of the Week
NRICH Online Math Enrichment Club
Learn Alberta
BrainPop
Math That Counts

Math Teacher Support Online

Math Forum
MathSwap
NCTM
OAME

December 1, 2005 | | Comments Closed

Deleloping Navigation For School Websites

When you are thinking about navigation for your school website don’t make it flashy, consider that the end user wants to get to the information as quickly as possible. If the visitor has to watch a three second Macromedia Flash animation of chalk writing on a chalkboard whenever they click on a navigation button or have to enable JavaScript just to get around your website, then they are going to get annoyed. Use simple buttons or even text links as your jumping off points. Try to avoid using fancy fonts, converting them into images and then using them as buttons.

Why not just use plain text links it will mean that your web pages will load much faster, and it will be easier to read. If you are going to include images as navigation hyperlinks, then it is often useful to include plain old text links at the bottom of a page. This allows for persons with computer assisted devices such as screen readers, an easy navigation area to follow.

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