The Zombie Teacher Project
- Midlothian ISD offers a 24-hour staff development opportunity in which teams of 4 compete to record and produce an education 4-minute video. This is usually offered in the summer and teams check in at 9:00 am at "Zombie Central" to get their instruction packet and check out equipment. By 9:00 am the next morning, the finished product MUST be turned in. Nancy Bergvall, from MISD, said their first year they expected to have 4-5 teams sign up. They had 14! And the second year 25 teams participated. One team even flew to San Antonio to film! This project, they said, built camaraderie, increased the staff's awareness of available technology resources and increased technology know-how. Keep your eyes and ears open for a Zombie Teacher Project in BISD!!
- Frisco ISD presented on 5 technology projects that were a success in their district this year. The one that really caught my eye was geocaching. Click here to read what Wikipedia says about Geocaching. FISD pairs students with one GPS device, gives them a virtual map of the caches, and turns them loose! Sometimes they even involve PE and run the caches! They use Altoid cans wrapped in camo duck tape for the caches and laminate all paper that goes in them so they're weather proof. Some ideas on how to integrate this into our curriculum include keyword gathering, unit review questions, and evaluation stations. I would like to see items that the students must classify and then take a picture of their finished work with a digital camera. Then all they have to do is turn in the camera for a grade!
- "A blog is a window into your classroom." I thought this was a great way to open this session. It became apparent to me that teacher blogs are quickly taking the place of teacher websites because they are SO much easier to navigate, personalize, and update. Another great piece of advice...do you have a blog that you visit often? Check out that blog's blogroll (their list of followed blogs). You might find another one that you love! Here are some of the better blogs that were presented at this session:
- Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog
- A Primary Blog for the 21st Century
- The Braman Bunch
- Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs
- Wow! This session really got me fired up! We've seen the wax museum idea again and again, but I loved how this district incorporated technology into their project. Their third grade students researched a famous person (check out facts4me.com - login with open, access until March 12!), wrote a script, designed a costume and props, and then collected in the library for their exhibit. They pre-recorded their first-person speech and the teacher imported it onto a laptop that attendees could listen to. (My thoughts are to use the new RM talking points instead of a laptop!) White Oak Elementary also put all of the speeches onto iPods for "special visitors" to use as they viewed exhibits...like a guided walking tour! I thought this was brilliant and an excellent use of the school's technology resources!
- Yet another session that left my head spinning! Chris Hulce from Country Day in Fort Worth gave us a wealth of ideas for using Flip videos in the classroom. He also showed us several examples and really got me excited! The lip dub was the most prominent of the examples (I really want to do this with BES!). Some other ideas: have your students make a commercial or advertisement, create a music video, public service announcements, produce skits and plays (great for foreign language classes), and videos to promote your school (like introducing a new student or faculty member!). Then, at the end of the year, have a Flip Film Festival!!
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