5 Ways to Teach "Green" That You May Not Know

Along with 500+ other teachers, I have pledged to go paperless tomorrow in honor of Earth Day. Though this is a worthy cause and certainly gains awareness, there are many other things teachers can be doing on a daily basis to make our classrooms more "green" and set an earth friendly example.
Here are 5 great suggestions for teaching green that you may not know:

1. Use old stuff in new ways. Old junk around the house can have creative new uses. Bubble wands make great "word finders," (early readers run the wand along the sentence and read the words as they "appear" in the wand.), baby formula containers spruced up with some decoupage make excellent pencil/marker/crayon tins. When we got a new dishwasher I salvaged the utensil basket from the old one to use for my guided reading materials. (Bonus- the holes work great for clipping my question cards on it!)
2. Digitize Your Classroom Library Check-Out. This could be a post in itself (coming soon!), but it is quite easy to use free tools on the web to streamline your classroom library checkout. Forget wasting paper (and time!) having students write things down or make up little book cards- go digital and save some trees!
3. Stop Making Posters. Aside from the fact that posters are (in my humble opinion) stupid (when was the last time you had to make a "poster" in corporate real-world?), they are a huge waste of paper- ditched in the trash as soon as they are presented. Save paper and have your students do alternative projects. Use websites like Glogster or DabbleBoard to illustrate points. If you simply must make a poster...at least save it and use the other side for future projects.
4. Teach Students to Take Notes. I am so very frustrated when I see students find something from the internet they want to use for a project, and what do they do?! They print the page! Hello! Wasting Trees! Students need to be taught how to paraphrase notes from information they see online, as well appropriate cut/paste techniques, so they don't just print three pages of a website when all they really want is one or two facts.
5. Ditch Daily Worksheets. Lots of teacher's do daily warm-ups, printing off unnecessary paper for practice (especially when they aren't even collected). Even those teachers conscious enough to use 1/2 sheets or print double sided could still easily eliminate the paper use by writing the problems on a board (white or smart, your choice) and having students use personal marker boards (a blank page put in a sheet protector works great as a makeshift marker board) to complete the problems.

And as a bonus thought- stop printing out "extras" for students who can't keep track of their papers. If you have 25 students- print out 25 copies. If they lose it ask them to hand copy the information from your master onto a sheet of paper. Once or twice of doing this and they'll remember to keep track of papers. When we continue to give kids extra copies for their carelessness or disorganization we are teaching them that it is okay to live in a disposable society where we can always get more of something. It's not.

Please feel free to comment with your suggestions for teaching green!

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Free Tech Tools

A mad dash to the main theater after the poster session I wanted to see was a no-show, here to see a session on free technology tools led by Rushton Hurley “teacher, trainer, nonprofit guy” & Google Certified,-- and once again I'm in a packed PACKED room! Already the presenter is much more dynamic than the keynote, which is great- I need a wake-up! Ugh…network issues again…back to typing on word. Here are my notes on this presentation:

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·         The key to technology is “you gotta play with it.”

·         Five minutes into this session he already has us laughing and joking- awesome!

·         Words and finding them

o   Urbandictionary.com (I’ve used this before- OME, it’s crazy.)

o   Google page- advance search, click on different types of files- search for powerspoints, pdfs, etc.

o   Don’t have kids create powerpoints- have them find them, evaluate them and choose the best and what they would do to change it.- FREAKING AWESOME IDEA!

o   Google books- get free books, add your own library to keep track of your books, some kids will do better by reading them online!

o   Google scholar has cited by link, related articles.

o   Google Docs- things you can do with your excel, he showed a cool example of adding countries to the spreadsheet; with fruits it will pull up chocolate too because it thinks it’s flavor.

o   Always ask “Kids we just pulled this information off the internet, how will be evaluate it?”

o   He has choose their own homework assignment each week (have guidelines for the kids) add it to google forms.

o   Wikispaces.net very edu friendly- if you request to take the ads off they will for education.

o   Google sites- google’s version of a wiki- add free

o   Look up self-grading quizzes on youtube

o   Tag galaxy- search for flickr photos (don’t do photo searches in front of the kids)

o   Flickr- cooliris.com

o   Google maps- my maps, still excellent if you can’t use earth.

o   Jamendo- everything is creative commons licensed, music sharing sites.

o   Zamzar, use to convert files, show you ads, but it’s free! You can convert a url to a pdf, video download, etc.

o   Google sketch-up, 3-D modeling program, dot changes to blue to find the midpoint, showed an example of creating a house, add shadows, download sketch-ups that others have made.

o   Always ask- is it accurate and how do we know?

o   Freshbrain.org- showed example of student made video on scouting, awesome.

o   “THIS STUFF MATTERS.” Kids love to see each others’ projects.

o   Nextvista.org is his nonprofit website.

o   Check out the website- more tools available.

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Streamlining Teaching Processes

The beautiful New Orleans Ballroom is the site of the last breakout session I’ll be attending at ICE. A full house to see “Streamline Your Teaching Processes” led by presenter Daniel Rezac, yet another Google Certified teacher here at ICE. Here are my notes on this presentation for using Google Aps:

·         Use your google docs/spreadsheet to create a table where students walk in and add their name to the a seating chart.

·         I’m thinking you can do an easy attendance everyday using google forms

·         Lesson planning using the google presentation- add your lesson plan info, standards, etc. to your powerpoint, you can print out the notes to give to your principal, add extra information or differentiated learning into the powerpoint for students to reference individually.

·         Google calendars can be embedded right into teacher sites.

This is a good presentation, but at this point I’m not hearing anything new to me so I’m going to dash!

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Keynote Robert Marzano

Weird. I’m sitting in a huge conference room, in the back, standing room only, to watch renowned education leader Dr. Robert J. Marzano, author of Classroom Strategies That Work. I can’t actually see him through the sea of people so I’m watching him on Ustream (on mute), as I’m listening to him live. This is truly a tech conference! Here are my notes from this presentation:

·         In one of his research groups he cited a 17% educational gain by using technology in the classroom vs. the non tech classroom.

·         Sharing research/data about how much better students do with technology. I’m not sure if I’m just tired, or not in the mood for a data talk but I’m not really “feeling” this presentation.

Note: Okay, I always feel rude leaving a presentation, especially with such a great speaker...but I'm just not able to focus right now on the data talk.

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Creating a Digital Sub

One section of Pheasant Run Resort has conference rooms with “gem” names. I’m not in Ruby attending a session I’ve been anxious to hear since the schedule came out “Creating a Digital Substitute.” The session, presented by Chris Wherley, Williamsville CUSD #15, started off with an adorable video of his children (why you need a digital sub!). Here are my notes:

·         Sub days, let’s face it, are a wasted day. Creating a digital sub would be a great way to utilize time better.

·         Showed several videos of his kids, cute but not necessary to see several of them.

·         PLN: plurk, diigo, classroom20.com, live.classroom20.com, www.edtechtalk.com, google reader

·         Time is short very in a 45m. presentation, first time presenters  are nervous and tend to spend too much time on intros.

·         I would have liked to started off with a video of a classroom utilizing a digital sub.

o   When *I* think of using a digital sub, I think of Skype, podcast, youtube video

·         Video Resources

o   Moviemaker (www.papajohn.org)

o   FlipVideo (I sooo want one of these.)

o   Webcam

o   Digital Camera

o   JingProject.com

o   Youtube.com

o   Ustream.tv (several people doing that here at the conference)

o   Learn 360 or Discovery Education

               

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Plain Language Needed: Understanding PLN

My third breakout session of the day, and finally a bit of breathing room! I’m plugged in and so far the network is backed up (having a bit of tech issues here….) This presentation, Plain Language Needed: Understanding PLN focuses on getting your personal learning network up and running! Here are my notes:

Stephanie Madlinger @cyberteacher- St. Louis, Mo

Cindy Lane @clane

These two women (both google certified teachers) are inspirations to me- I’d love to follow similar career paths.

http://www.oovoo.com/ is an alternative to Skype.

Chris Brogan (blogging guru) states that information much be: dynamic, localized, atomized, relevant, etc.)

PLN is Personal Learning Network (sometimes referred to as Professional Learning Network)

·         Created by user (what about pre-creating or twitter lists?)

·         Virtual community, common interests, open membership or closed (depending), they will help you but you will probably never meet.

·         Interesting visuals about how network will grow.

Twitter                                                         

·         600 tweets per second!

·         Tweetups, Twibes & Twubs

·         You have to reply to people, RT, and engage with people- not just sharing your own stuff.

·         It’s not taken personally if don’t follow, unfollow, or follow people.

·         Stephanie tries to keep her following to 300-400 people.

·         Follow RT ettiquite- it is a way of “siting your sources” and an untold rule of curisy

·         http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com/

·         http://twitterforteachers.wetpaint.com/

Ning

·         private sites, like your own community FaceBook

·         thousands of Nings, like the ICE conference Ning.

Skype

·         check out the website, http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/

 

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Google Lit Trips

Yes, this is my 3rd time being at ICE, and yes, I still managed to get lost in this building! I'm here (with a bit walking through walls) in Salon II very excited to be listening to Google Lit Trips presented by Jerome Burg, all the way here from CA. I've communicated with Jerome briefly on email before and I'm thrilled to see him present on this project. Here are my notes on this inspired speaker:

• Jerome mentioned that even though he is retired he can't get away from education. That is a true teacher!
• www.googlelittrips.com, mixing the passion of  17th century literature with 21st century skills.
• "Not On The Test" by John Forster & Tom Chapin- hilarious song about not teaching anything that isn't tested.
• We need thinkers, researchers, creators- not regurgitation of information.
• If we want to be better teachers we need to think about makes a better learner.
• Buying a Tiger Woods golf club will not make you Tiger Woods; tech is just a tool- it's the learning involved in the technology that is useful!
• China is only 2 seconds away on a telephone. We need to collaborate with them. It is 1 world, America isn't at the center anymore.
• Lit Trips is geography, literature, cross-curricular.
• Takes a travel story and adds it to google earth.
• Examples: Grapes of Wrath, night, The Odyssey, Big Anthony, Possum Magic
• Each stop has pictures, questions.
• Tip- find a picture of what you want and then set the view to match the picture.
• Use the 3D button as necessary for the story you are trying to tell.
• This is just an incredible way to give students background knowledge of the journey through books and connect literature to real life.
• Remember: It’s not the technology that makes things happen- it’s the teacher’s vision using that technology that makes a difference.
• We want to produce people that can think for themselves.
• We have to move on from what is our comfort zone and what we’ve always taught, we have to get out of traditional mode.
• It makes me think of Mary Poppins where they jump into the pictures and go to the carnival; we can actually have kids virtually jump into the story.
• I want to do this- but can’t help but think, “When do I have time?!”

 

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MP3 Players in the Classroom

Now I'm sitting (literally- on the floor, it's crowded!) in Broadway C with presenters Michael Jones and Zack Gilbert to listen to their presentation on MP3 use in the classroom. It's no surprise that this small piece of technology is the most widely available piece of technology we all have access to. Here are my notes on the presentation:

• Jigsaw media
• Podcast reviews
• Presenter from Bloomington Junior High School- mentioned one of my favorite techies- @mochagirl and how awesome she is.
• Always preview content, labeled “clean” doesn’t mean appropriate.
• They used prezi.com for their presentation.
• Creating content- speeches, podcast, service projects
• Excellent handouts- it’s a book!
• They use audacity or garageband
• Voice digital recorders that plug into USB- monaural- have to record in stereo to hear out of both speakers.
• In their district of almost 55% low income, 95% of his kids have an mp3 player of some kind.
• More kids have access to this over cell phones- it’s the number one piece of technology that we have access to- can create a paperless classroom.
• Wow! They created their own audio tours, uploaded it to itunes and now the community can download it! What a great REAL-learning project!
•  grammargirl- I've listened to her podcasts before, great!
  
• Lit 2 go

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Sign of the (Bing) Times

Despite the fact that students in our schools aren't allowed to do "blind" searches on Google, they still know how (and frequently do when teachers aren't watching). "Just Google it." is a phrase I often hear my students saying to each other when they come across anything they don't understand. (This phrase might make some educators scoff, but it really doesn't bother me in the least. I do the same thing so how can I judge?)

This afternoon however, I was chatting with one of my favorite "Twilighter" sixth graders; about Twilight themed tennis shoes. "Really?" I was skeptical. His response: "Yeah, just Bing it."

Bing it?!

What happened to our beloved "Google it?!"  I kind of just looked at him a minute in astonishment, at first because he knew what Bing was, and second because- wow, is it really a sign of the times that Bing is replacing Google?

I usually only use Bing when I can't seem to find what I want with a first (albeit lazy) Google search. Is Bing more student friendly? Perhaps I'll have to test it out more...

(image: Illustration by Dave Wheeler for @TIME )

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