The E-line Archives, Vol. 4, #21

Volume 4, No. 21 17 June, 2005

[To view this newsletter on line:
http://www.emck.net/eline/05_06_17.htm]

Are you changing jobs? Do you want The E-Line to follow you to your new one? Simply reply to this email, tell us where you're going and when, and we'll make the switch. Don't forget to include your new email address!

In Support of Technology Tools...

All manufacturers of educational software, technology, and other resources such as textbooks, have one primary goal - to create demand and sell product. Nevertheless, many know that the best ambassador for their company is a free website, with materials, activities, and lesson plans which are downloadable. Many also provide support for communities where teachers can support each other and exchange materials and ideas they themselves have created. Of course, in the best tradition of educational sharing and community, many support sites and online communities are produced and maintained completely independently, without any direct support from the technology involved. This summer edition of The E-Line reviews several of these resources.

We've marked our reviewed resources this month as (vendor-produced) or (independently-produced)

Disclaimer: The E-Line does not promote the purchase of any product, nor does it receive any compensation for its reviews, so inclusion below should not be construed as an endorsement of the product. Also, this collection is by no means exhaustive - if you know of any free resources provided online and associated with an educational technology or provider, be sure to forward it on to us!

Online Resources

EDCompass - http://edcompass.smarttech.com/ec/en-US/
SmarterKids - http://www.smarterkids.org/

Smart Technologies designs and sell the SmartBoard, an interactive computer projection screen with lots of potential. These two websites provide resources in support of their use.
EdCompass is a free exchange of lesson plans, templates, and instructional ideas, most supplied by teachers themselves, and freely available for download. There is a forum and mailing list, and helps on everything from use of Smart Technology products to grant writing and resource evaluation.
SmarterKids is Smart Technologies' foundation, providing grant resource for the purchase of Smart products and other technologies.

Digital Photography:

Adobe Education - http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/ - From Adobe, the software designer of PhotoShop and other resources for digital photography, comes this rich source of lesson plans and other educational resources. There is a complete online curriculum for digital photography. Also, look to Digital Kids Club for specific resources aimed at kids, including tutorials and galleries of student submissions.
Envision Your World - http://www.envisionyourworld.com/ - This site is maintained by Olympus, the digital camera manufacturer. There are some very stunning printable science and social studies lesson plans aimed at the analysis and production of photographs. Registration is required, but is free, and there is no email verification!

Molecular Expressions The Intel Play - http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/optics/intelplay/

We had to work really hard to come up with a support site for the powerful yet inexpensive "Play" series of microscopes (now marketed by Digital Blue and NeoSci as the QX-3). This excellent site is part of Michael W. Davidson's Molecular Expressions digital image gallery and support site, and is hosted by Florida State University. There are lesson plans, student activities, tutorials, and an analysis of the QX-3 as well as the Olympus MIC-D (much more expensive than the QX-3).

[We have not included NeoSci's extensive collection of instructional resources, since they are for sale - only a handful of images are available for free. Oddly, Digital Blue's website contains a 2003 news release about an NSF grant to fund an interactive online middle school initiative using the QX-3, which we couldn't find anywhere! Anybody...?- jlj]

AlphaSmart Solutions - http://www3.alphasmart.com/k12/solutions/

The AphaSmart is an inexpensive word processing keyboard with possible wireless capabilities. They are used frequently for keyboarding training as well as writing assignments for young students. The manufacturer has a variety of free-for-download lesson plans and resources, including winners of their "Teacher for Teacher" lesson plan contests. Also on the site are grant sources, and research articles.

Learning in Hand - http://www.learninginhand.com/

Tony Vincent, an instructor at the University of Nebrasca/Omaha, has assembled this wide range of resources aimed at Palm Pilots and other PDAs/Handhelds, and their use in the classroom. There's a lesson plan page, articles and discussion, resource suggestions...a great site!

[Since current PDAs are nearly as flexible and powerful as computers, many more resources can be obtained by searching general lesson plan sites such as Education World. For a description of use, don't forget Kentucky native Stephanie Sorrell's Paperless Classroom at http://www.paperlessclassroom.org/! - jlj]

People

[editor's note: During this summer, we're featuring innovators and education technologists. - jll]

Jennifer Wagner

http://www.technospud.com

Jennifer is an ordinary K-8 classroom teacher with ordinary responsibilities at Crossroads Christian School in California (she teaches technology classes there)....and an extraordinary interest and participation in the online education community! Her website name pokes fun at the idea that heavy computer users bear some relationship to "couch potatoes," but its content is anything but inactive. She has been hosting and supporting a variety of simple collaborative classroom projects for a decade (since 2000 through the website), and her newsletter is in its 44th edition. We featured one project for St. Patrick's Day in our February 4, 2005 edition. Technospud Besides those, and regular participation in the online education community through lists and Education World, she teaches online courses on Microsoft products through LVS Online, an inexpensive tutorial provider. See Jennifer at NECC, where she'll be co-hosting a "Birds of a Feather" session!

Newsletter archive (including further information about this resource): http://www.emck.net/eline/

Questions, comments, feedback, or requests for removal from the mailing list: eline@emck.net