Handheld Technology in the Classroom

ITSC Geography YouTube Videos

2009-02-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

For those of you requesting the YouTube videos...here they are:

Quick Ideas for Student Activities using GE

2009-02-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Create placemarks for:

Three landmarks along the Oregon Trail
The locations where Lewis and Clark started, wintered over each year, etc.
Physical features such as isthmus, straits, deltas; additional tasks would include incorporating images into the placemark
Wonders of the Ancient World
Label state capitals
Your dream vacation and then write about why you selected those locations
Locations that you learned about this year in class; what did you learn about this place (annotate the placemark)? Why is this place important to you?
Locations that your ancestors lived; what were the push/pull factors (why did they move away from somewhere or move to somewhere)?
The topic of your choice. Why did you make these placemarks? Why are they important to you?

Observations about:

Vegetation and season
Vegetation and terrain
Elevation and vegetation patterns

Compare and Contrast

Populations of different regions of a state (e.g. why do so many people live in the Willamette Valley)
Natural resources and industry

Measurements and Routes

How far is it to..?
How wide is...? How does this compare to Autzen stadium? To our school yard?
How do you get to...? Where would you stop along the way? What would you see or do in these places?

Session

2009-02-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

iPhone Blog Post

2009-02-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

Using email and my Blogger account, I can post images to my blog. This photo was taken in the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.

iPhones/Touches at ITSC #7

2009-02-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

Gabcast! iPhones/Touches at ITSC #7

This was recorded using Gabcast on my iPhone by dialing an 888 number and was automatically posted. There are two things that you have to do to set this up--(1) edit your channel settings in Gabcast -- essentially tell it about your Blogger blog; and (2) authorize your Blogger account (you will be prompted to do this when you edit your Gabcast channel).

ITSC 2009: Recording Audio for your GE Project

2009-02-16T09:12:00.000-08:00

gcast: Record your audio using the information presented in the session. If you choose to record to Lynn's gcast account, you can access your audio files the here.

Benefit: can be done without a computer in a quiet location
Downside: audio is linked to GE projects rather than embedded

Google Earth 5: You can also record directly in Google Earth, using the new Tour feature , if your computer has a microphone.

Benefit: audio is embedded directly into your GE project
Downside: must be recorded while at a computer

ITSC 2009: Google Earth Classroom Projects

2009-02-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

Imagine that you are a student and have been asked to make a presentation. You want to incorporate geography, pictures, text, and maybe even some audio into a presentation that you will be giving to the class. In this workshop, you will learn how to use Google Earth to create a virtual tour that incorporates location, text, images, and even your own podcast! Join us and learn how you can use Google Earth to help your students make global connections to their learning.

Google Earth Classroom Examples

Additional Student Projects

Time Travel: Explorers and Voyages
5th Grade Explores Explorers (files and lesson overview)
Historical Events
Centennial Elementary's Community Walk
Riverbend Elementary's Community Walk
Google Lit Trips

Additional Resources

Google Earth Blog
Digital Explorer: Bringing the World to the Classroom, British Geographical Society (Virtual Fieldwork Using Google Earth; Advanced Virtual Fieldwork Using Google Earth; School Grounds Projects Using Google Tools)
Google Earth 5.0 Tour
Springfield Public Schools Instructional Technology Google Earth Resources

ITSC 2009!

2009-02-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it has already been a year since the last ITSC! Coming up in short order will be posts on Google Earth Student Projects and a couple of blog postings directly from my iPhone.

Speaking of which, if you are interested in iPhones, I have started using a WordPress blog as I can post to it from the WordPress iPhone app. The difference in posting to Blogger via iPhone is that my posts are done by emailing them from my phone. This is great for iPhone users, however, if you are a using a school-owned iPod Touch, you may not have it configured to view your email.
Happy blogging!

Malhuer Summer Institute: Google and Beyond

2008-07-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

The references to all web resources listed in the Google and Beyond workshop are listed below.

This year, we'll take a look at how some of Google's search tools have changed as well as some of the cooler new tools that are available.

Part 1: Google Search Tools

You'll also see new ways to obtain information--as we are no longer tied to using search engines to find information. Instead, we'll investigate the use of layers and RSS (really simple syndication) in conjunction with Google Earth (GE) which will allow us to access information from a geographic perspective--and have it displayed globally. Imagine reading the news--not in a newspaper, not on a web page, but reading it from the location where it is taking place!

Part 2: Map Tools / Spatial Aggregators

Join us and learn how you can use Google tools to find the information you want and Google Earth to help your students make global connections to your instructional content.

Part 3: Google Earth

Happy Googling!

Follow up to ITSC Google Session

2008-04-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Remember the idea of looking at the news in Google Earth? Well, the New York Times is now geo-coding the news and it shows up in the Geographic Web layer in Google Earth.

Google and Beyond ITSC Workshop Web Resources

2008-02-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when we in the Pacific Northwest come together in Portland, Oregon for another Instructional Technology Strategies Conference (ITSC). In keeping with the tradition of providing all conference resources to the laptop-toting participants, the references to all web resources listed in the Google and Beyond workshop are listed below.

This year, we'll take a look at how some of Google's search tools have changed as well as some of the cooler new tools that are available.

Part 1: Google Search Tools

Part 2: Map Tools / Spatial Aggregators

Join us and learn how you can use Google tools to find the information you want and Google Earth to help your students make global connections to your instructional content.

Part 3: Google Earth

Happy Googling!

Document Cameras: Pre-Teaching and Student Sharing

2008-01-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

One of the things that is helpful to have if you plan to use GPS, Palms, student response systems or other handheld technologies is a document camera. Document cameras are hooked up to a either a projector or a television and can be used to show the entire class all types of objects--any of the items I mentioned above as well as student work, artifacts, or science experiments.

Pre-Teaching: One example includes using the document camera to pre-teach GPS skills prior to taking kids out into the field. Students are able to follow along visually and try the GPS units as opposed to only having oral instructions in the field.

Sharing Student Work: My friends, in the South Lane School District in Cottage Grove, Oregon use document cameras extensively in math instruction. In this case, while students are working on open ended problems, the teacher is moving about the room observing the students' strategies for solving the problem and is thinking about the level of sophistication of the various solutions. When students have completed the problems, the teacher asks several students to present their work using the document camera. Student work is sequenced from the most basic, trial and error approaches to the algorithmic approaches resulting in student generated formulas.

Other Benefits: The great thing about the document camera that I am currently using (AVerVision300AF) is that it takes pictures which can be accessed from the camera in another class or the next day (up to 80 pictures can be taken which can later be transferred to a computer if desired). This is a great way of comparing and contrasting solutions.

Technical Notes: If you choose to connect this to a television, be sure to use the S-Video cable or the picture will be grainy.

Alternatives: Finally, if you don't have the funds to buy a document camera, you can project your 2- and 3-dimensional objects by putting an old video camera on a tripod, tilting it to point down, and connecting it to the television. Make sure to connect the AC power or it may go to sleep at a crucial moment.

Feedback: If you have a document camera you love, let me know the model, price, and what you love about it.

Going High Tech: Geocaching Activities with Students

2008-01-02T06:55:00.001-08:00

In my last posting, I wrote about selecting GPS models for use with students. Now let's talk a little about Geocaching and how you might use the concept with students. If you've never heard of Geocaching, the short version is that it is a high tech treasure hunt where people all over the world hide items in containers for others to find. They post the latitude and longitude coordinates of the hiding location along with a verbal description and hint to the Geocaching web site. The great part about it is that you often visit places that you would never have gone to or even knew about. For instance, once when I was in Helena, Montana, a Geocaching trek led me to the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts (pictured to the left) and an incredible outdoor art exhibit. To summarize, other people select interesting places to hide stuff for you to find with your GPS and it's pretty fun.

Oh, and I might also mention that sometimes people can be very tricky with the containers that they hide the cache in--as in this modified brick from a cache in California.

The kids that I've worked with generally love using the GPS and get pretty excited when searching for the hidden cache container. In an outdoor school setting, this may be tied in with existing activities or an activity all on its own. The one thing that is pretty important is to construct good clues and to select locations that are not secluded (my goal is to have things hidden in such a way that the adult in charge can generally see where all of the students are from a single vantage point--or to have a couple of other adult helpers available). Below are examples of the directions and some of the clues that I've used in the past. Note that the lat/long coordinates have been omitted for this posting.

Directions: Read the numbers aloud that are displayed on your unit to your partner. Work together to determine when you have arrived at or near the coordinates. When you get close, and you are at the nearest hundredth of a minute, use the clues below. If you are using the GO TO feature of your GPS, use the clues once you get within 20 feet of the cache.

Remember as you go north, your north coordinate increases and as you go west your west number increases.

Waypoint 1 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
I rest at the base of a single tree.

Waypoint 2 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
The number of sides in a pentagon equals the number of trunks I sprout.

Waypoint 3 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
This cache is ‘illuminated’ and near the state flower of Virginia

Waypoint 4 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
Look for box # ___ 100-80 2-2x25+1= (multiply and divide left to right then add and subtract)

Waypoint 5 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
Give a hoot, don’t forget to salute.

Waypoint 6 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
You might have to take a walk around the “blocks” to find this cache.

Waypoint 7 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
How much wood can a woodchuck chuck?

Waypoint 8 N 43 4x.xxx, W 122 5x.xxx
People may have eaten here long ago, but now I’m a little prickly.

In some of the above examples, you can pretty much tell where the cache might be located (e.g. at a flagpole). But for the most part, the descriptions should be enough to let the finder know that they are in the right area, but not give them enough information to get there without the GPS.

Take a look at a few of these resources that I've put together in the past as well as the Geocaching web site

Hide and Seek: GPS and Geocaching in the Classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, March 2004 Vol. 31 No. 6.
Classroom Ideas and Lesson Plans
Real Life Applications — Links to articles about how GPS is used. Several links are to articles that are in the EBSCOhost database.

Happy Caching!

Outdoor School: Purchasing GPS Receivers

2007-12-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

Now that I've expanded my blog topics to include more than just Palm handhelds, it's time to address purchasing GPS receivers. For those of you who know me, you know that I am an avid Geocacher and advocate of location-based learning...both in real time and virtually using my favorite geobrowser, Google Earth.

As an instructional technologist for a K-12 school district, I am often asked which GPS receiver to purchase for student use - and yes, this is different than what I would purchase for home use.

First, you need to decide what features you want. Here are the features that I personally like on a GPS for students:

Easy to use buttons that are labeled: this is extremely important! GPS units with unlabeled buttons located on the side of the unit are hard for students to use. Before you purchase, try adding/editing a waypoint/point of interest. Is it easy to do? How long does it take to edit a point?
Screen size: I prefer a larger, black and white screen. Color is nice, but doesn't really add anything other than draining the batteries at lightning speed.
Built-in map database of North America, including interstates, highways, major roads, waterways, city locations, and airports: Some people may argue that base maps are not needed for student use, especially when using them at outdoor school where there may not be any major roads or cities. However, in using GPS units with a variety of students (from 1st-12th grade), having the ability to zoom out and see where you are with respect to highways, states, countries is much more interesting than just seeing a little black triangle on the screen with no locational context.
Ability to upload/download coordinates from the GPS receiver: This is a huge time saver when setting up GPS activities for outdoor school. In the past, when setting up GPS activities I have had to take every non-uploadable GPS out and mark the locations. On the other hand, when I have used an uploadable GPS, I take one unit out with me, mark the locations, download them to my computer and then upload them to each GPS. This way the coordinates are identical and I can also save the coordinates on my computer for future use.

The GPS unit that I currently recommend for student use is the Magellan Explorist 210. It is a sturdy device (I have dropped them several times) with easy to use buttons, comes with base maps, and you can upload/download points. You can find it online for around $135.

For personal use, I also like the ability to load detailed topographic/street maps. In fact, I have three different personal GPS units and have detailed maps for both North America and Europe. Two of the units, one Garmin and one Magellan, have SD memory card slots. This makes it very easy to carry as many maps as I need, as all I have to do is pop in the card that has the map that I have downloaded from my computer to the card. For those GPS units that do not have SD card slots, you'll want to make sure that there is enough built in memory to handle the maps that you want to use and that it comes with a cable to connect to your computer.

Two older companies that sell GPS receivers include Magellan and Garmin. I've purchased other less expensive brands for school use, but in the long run, was sorry that I did. For additional information, see the product comparison charts for Magellan and Garmin.

Clickers, Infrared, and Fluorescent Lights

2007-12-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

I was recently visiting a with a second grade teacher who was having trouble using his student response system (Clickers). After doing some testing with his students, I had a sudden flashback to a problem that some of my teachers had with their Palms when they tried to beam in their classrooms. Both Palms and the Clickers use infrared technology to beam information and sometimes fluorescent lights cause the infrared not to work very well. In the case of the Palms, the students just had to move away from the "dead zone" to another part of the room. However, with the Clickers, all students are beaming at one time while sitting at their desks. With the lights on, students had to click in their answers several times before their response was received.

We experimented and found that with all of the lights out, the students were able to click in much faster-approximately half the time it took when the lights were all on. We also tried clicking in with one or two (of three) banks of classroom lights turned off; in both situations students had an easier time of clicking in their answers than when all of the lights were turned on. Lastly, we tried repositioning the receiver. The best place for the receiver was where all kids were able to see it. The one thing that we found was that students had to be careful about pointing their clickers directly at the receiver rather than 45 degrees above it.

Food for Thought...

2007-02-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

If you're reading this blog, you are probably using handhelds with your students. If so, you may have fallen into just using them in the same old way day after day. Why not try (or at least think about) something new? Below are four articles that highlight the use of handhelds.

If you have a favorite article about ways to use handhelds, be sure to include a link to it along with your comment.

Community Walk

2007-02-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

There are a number of ways to use handhelds in the classroom. One great thing that you can do with them is to take them along on field trips so that students can take notes on what they are learning. But what to do with the notes? One idea is to have students incorporate their notes into a Community Walk.

Community Walk "allows you to create annotated Google Maps. You can add location markers and route markers, upload images, display content from other websites, leave comments, and get directions on your map." Example 1 / Example 2 / Example 3

Having students create and post what they learn to the web is simple. Ideally, you may want to have students work in groups with individuals having specific assignments (photographer, writer, editor, etc).

Here's what you'll need to do to create your own Community Walk:

Create a free Community Walk account for each class or each group of students.
Provide each team with the following tools: Palm and keyboard, clipboard, GPS, and digital camera.

If you don't have GPS devices, you can use the MapMuse web site or Google Earth to get your latitude and longitude coordinates. You can obtain the coordinates in Google Earth by creating a placemark (you'll need to make sure that the latitude/longitude is set to decimal degrees rather than degrees/minutes/seconds).
If your GPS is set to degrees/minutes/seconds and you don't know how to change it to decimal degrees, you can use a Latitude/Longitude converter.

Determine the focus of your CW assignment. For example, having students take photographs and writing about geometry, botany, or history.
Provide students with a template on their Palm for capturing the information that they will need to include in their CW. Information might include the project title and description, and then specific information for each "stop" along the Community Walk:

Location in decimal degrees
Title
Short description
Photograph and caption

Community Walks can be private or shared. If you have a CW to share, please post the address in the comments!

Virus Participatory Simuation

2007-01-31T20:27:00.000-08:00

The Virus participatory simulation is one of several applications developed by MIT for classroom use. In addition to the Palm app, there are also handouts (teacher and student materials) for a Future CSI unit. The simulations are available from the MIT site.

If you decide to implement the Future CSI unit, there are some great online resources that you may want to consider. As recommended in the unit, have students read the virus information on the How Stuff Works web site. This information is good for middle/high school students, but is too advanced for younger students.

Another resource that is really helpful are the video clips that are available through UnitedStreaming (anyone can get a free trial account for 3o days). The two videos I found useful were The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and Introduction to Viruses.

Get the latest version of Math Ace

2007-01-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

If you are using an old version, it's time to upgrade. MathAce is available from Brian Schau's web site. He has also posted a bundle of his math programs which includes Angles, LcmGcf, MathAce, MixedUp, PowerPlay and Simplify.

eBook Studio

2006-10-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

Two easy tools for creating eBooks for the Palm are (1) Plucker (described in a previous post) and (2) eBook Studio. I use both of these tools. Here's how I differentiate when to use which tool:

I like to use Plucker (free) when I am including web content in my eBooks. It is super easy and is great for incorporating web sites when students don't have access to the computer lab but do have access to Palms.
If the users of the eBooks have access to eReader Pro (which includes a built in dictionary), and I don't plan to use any web site content (other than pictures), then I like to use eBook Studio ($30; contact them for education pricing). It may seem a little easier to use than Plucker, but they are essentially about the same level of difficulty.

Demo version of eBook Studio (for Windows and Macintosh) If you use the demo version, you can make the eBook for reading on your Palm, however you will have a stamp on each page of your book that says that it was created with a demo version. You will not be able to save the eBook for later editing (you can however copy the contents and save them in a word processing document for later use).

For information on what makes a good eBook, see Electronic Books: Reading and Studying with Supportive Resources.

Free Dictionaries

2006-10-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

There are free dictionaries for specialized terms available for use with the public (free) version of Bdicty. One caution--if you purchase the English dictionary, it does have thorough definitions of words that your students will be sure to look up.

TextTutor v1.2

2006-08-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

TextTutor is a nice piece of freeware for helping kids learn how to keyboard on the Palm. If you have any problems with TextTutor, make sure that you have the latest version (which was updated in April 2006).

Gone Mad Lesson Ideas and Template

2006-07-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Earlier, I posted an entry about Gone Mad. Today I came across the incredible Mr. Vincent's posting on Gone Mad which contains links to template tips and lesson ideas. Enjoy!

Jot Log v2.1

2006-07-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

The new version of Jot Log is available and works perfectly on the Palm TX. As noted in a previous post, Jot Log is a great little program for creating a dictionary or vocabulary list. Why am I excited about this? Well, not only does it allow you to enter the text, but you can also draw a picture to represent the word.

TinyLogo

2006-01-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

TinyLogo is the Palm version of Logo. If you have never used Logo, it is essentially a very easy to use programming language in which you can program a "turtle" to move around a screen /or draw images. In terms of math application, this is a great tool for reinforcing concepts regarding distance, angles, and perimeter. It is also a wonderful way to teach critical thinking and problem solving.

There is an overview, easy to use online beginners guide, and even an advanced guide. In the beginners guide, you will want to be sure to look at two sections in particular: About Turtle Graphics and Extending TinyLogo with Your Own Procedures One of the really powerful things that students can do is to create their own procedures (or subroutines for those of you who haave programmed in the past!). These procedures can be saved (they end up saved as Memos) and reused. Students can also write procedures in Memos and then use them in TinyLogo.

TinyLogo can be used with students in elementary through high school. The next step, once your high school or bright middle school students have mastered TinyLogo, is to have them take a look at 0L Systems by Brian Schau. This "is a simple implementation of a 0L System renderer. An 0L System, or more formally a L System, is a string rewriting system which produce a long string to be interpreted as commands for a LOGO turtle." Have your students read the instructions and try to figure out how this works and to create their own set of instructions. The download and user manual are both included at the link above.

WordWiggle V1.0

2006-01-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have to admit, this is an incredibly addictive activity (yes, I was up until midnight)! WordWiggle is the Palm equivalent to the game of Boggle. You get a bunch of letters and have to make as many words as possible in a set amount of time. One thing that you do have to make sure that you do is to download the WordWiggle dictionary. To do this, you have to register at WordWiggle (it's free).

WordWiggle checks each entry for proper spelling against its dictionary. Mispelled words cause the student to lose points!

The best part of this though, is that once students learn how to play this game alone, the next step is to partner them up and have them compete against one another. Once in the game, to compete, you have to click on the WordWiggle logo and then click on the menu to select Beam & Play Challenge.

You can also ajdust the settings in WordWiggle. Settings include:

Time limit: 1 to 9 minutes
Puzzle size: 3 x3 to 7x7
Minimum word size: 2 through 5 words

Participatory Simulations

2006-01-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

These applications, created by MIT, allow entire classes to participate in a simulation activity. Simulations are appropriate for upper elemenatary through high school focus on science, math, and economics. Full information on how each of the simulation works is listed on the Participatory Simulations web site.

Math Ace Update

2006-01-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

You may have read my previous posting on Math Ace. If so, and you downloaded, be sure to go back and download the most recent version (1.8). You might also want to take a look at what Ron Lampe's middle school students have to say about Math Ace!

Plucker Part II

2005-09-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

In a previous posting, I reviewed Plucker. Here are a couple of additions:

The Plucker Viewer is for the handheld. You must have this to view the files on the Palm.
For instructions on how to use Plucker, see the K12 Handhelds Site.

MathAce 1r2 (Freeware)

2005-09-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

MathAce is what we have been waiting for! Finally a free math program that let's you print the results! Here's the skinny: Kids can set their own options including the operation (+ - x ÷), the maximum operand OR answer (how cool is that?!), and whether or not to allow negative numbers. They can also set the amount of time for the practice session.

The best part though, is that the students get to decide whether to calculate (2 + 3 = _ ) or solve ( _ + 4 = 6). This is something that I haven't seen before in a free math application.

Finally, from the author of the application, "MathAce keeps tracks of your successes and failures. The Last 10 scores can be exported to Memos." This is a nice little feature because you can then print the Memo (if you have printing cabability using something like PrintBoy). Below is a sample of the data that is exported to Memos.

1: Lynn Lary
Started: Sep 22, 2005 11:27 am
Stopped: Sep 22, 2005 11:29 am
Timed: No
Score: 32 of 36
Operations: +-*/
Mode: Calculate
Max: Operand, 10

One note: Students cannot continue on until a problem is correctly answered. Regardless of how many incorrect attempts are made on a single problem, it is only counted as one incorrect answer.

QuizWiz V3.3 (Freeware)

2005-09-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

We showed the QuizWiz application to the HIP (Handheld Integration Project) teachers in August and they loved it! According to the author, it's "an easy-to-use quizzing program that lets you tutor yourself on any topic using flashcards, multiple choice, or true/false questions. With QuizWiz you can import quizzes you've created yourself using the Palms built-in Memo Pad application or choose from a library of free quizzes available at our website."

So, how is it used? Teachers and students can create their own quizzes in Memo Pad (see direction below) and import them into QuizWhiz to study any topic (we were working with vocabulary) in a variety of formats (multiple choice, true/false, or self scored flash cards).

To create the quiz in Memo Pad, create a new Memo. The first line of the memo will be the title of the quiz. Then put the question on the 2nd line and its answer on the 3rd line and so on alternating between the questions and answers. Once you finish this, open QuizWiz and import the quiz. One thing to note: QuizWiz randomly generates the other multiple choice options. However, you can provide your own alternatives by editing the quiz from within QuizWiz.

Quizzes are beamable. However, if you have students create quizzes for their classmates, make sure that they have included a correct answer for each question!

Geohelper 0.1.3 (Freeware)

2005-08-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

As those of you who know me already know, I am an energetic Geocacher. If you are interested in taking up Geocaching, you might want to take a look at Geohelper so that you can carry the most up-to-date cache information with you on your handheld. Nice thing about this is that you don't have to print and carry around all those cache descriptions!

JotLog Update

2005-08-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

We are waiting for the new version of JotLog as the current version doesn't work 100% correctly with the Tungsten E2. The issue with the E2 is that the drawings are not saved with the notes. But if you have a Tungsten E, JotLog works great!

Sketcher V2.0 (freeware)

2005-08-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Sketcher is a great little drawing program that can be used in vocabulary instruction similar to my previous Jotlog posting. The one thing that I really like about this program is the fact that when students open Sketcher, they view the picture that they have drawn first and then they can access the notes that they have written to describe the picture. This is a great way for kids to non-linguistically represent vocabulary words.

NOTE: We are waiting for the new version as the current version doesn't work with the Tungsten E2. Works great on the Tungsten E!

Plucker V1.8 (freeware)

2005-07-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so now I am really excited. Plucker is a wonderful application that allows you to save web pages to your handheld. Why am I excited about this? Well, think about the teacher who has a classroom set of handheld computers. She can use Plucker to download a web page, including its linked pages (you can decide how many levels you want to download), beam the file to her students and they can use the offline site to do their own research. Benefits include no off-task browsing and student access to online content without having to go to the computer lab.

There are two components to Plucker: the Plucker desktop which allows you to select the web content you want to download and the Plucker viewer Palm application that allows you to read the web content once you have hotsynced. You can beam the Plucker files to another Palm from within the Plucker viewer.

Name Picker V1.2 (freeware)

2005-07-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Name Picker is a fun little program that can be used to randomly select a word from a list of words. The way I use it is to raise the "level of concern" in my classroom by using it to randomly select students. To do this, first create a list of students in your Memos. Each student's name should be on a separate line. Then, open Name Pick on your Palm and locate your class list. Click Start to select the first name. Click Choose Again to select the next name.

Snap (freeware)

2005-07-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

A quick way to create Palm screenshots is to use an application called Snap. To use Snap you need to have an SD card to store the images on.

Open Snap, click the Enable button and uncheck the Auto disable box. This allows you to take as many screenshots as you like without having to open Snap each time. You should see "Snap Key" and it is defaulted to Power. What this means is that when you want a screenshot, you have to click the power button. You'll here a beep, then wait a few seconds for your Palm to process the image (your Palm is not frozen, so be patient!).

To use the image, transfer it from your SD card to your computer.

Moose Update

2005-07-27T14:20:00.001-07:00

I'm visiting with some awesome teachers here in Montana who are doing a terrific job learning about handheld computers. We are using Tungsten E2s and have so many programs we are installing that we need to delete some files to make room for more.

One of the tricky ones to delete is Moose. According to the author of the program, you will need to delete Moose. Then, make a soft reset by pushing the reset button and then delete the following files:

flite
cmulex
cmu_us_kal16
usenglish

JotLog V 2.0 (freeware)

2005-07-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

JotLog is a very cool little program that can be used for vocabulary instruction. Essentially, students can make up their own dictionaries by entering a word and its definition. The really cool part though is that students can also draw a symbolic representation of the word. Why is this important? According to my friends in our local vocabulary dream team, "One of the best ways to learn a new word is to associate an image with it. In controlled studies it was found that instructional techniques employing the use of imagery, produced achievement gains in word knowledge that were 34 percentile points higher than techniques that did not. This would include using graphic representations, pictures, and pictographs as well as creating mental pictures of new words and even act out their meanings."

ShapeUp ($14.95)

2005-06-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

ShapeUp is a Geometry program that focuses on shape recognition and transformational geometry. Although I usually write about free programs, I couldn't resist including this one! There are a couple of basic activities--identifying shapes and transforming shapes. If the student doesn't know the properties of a shape, background information is provided so that the student can complete the activities. Identifying shapes (such as isosceles triangles) is ok...but the real fun is with the transformational geometry activities. In the first part of this activity, students are challenged to transform a shape in the minimum number of moves. The second part consists of transforming multiple shapes to form a given design. Lots of fun and a good way to reinforce transformational geometry concepts.

Simplify and MixedUp (freeware)

2005-06-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

These free two programs can both be used to practice fraction skills. Simplify allows students to simplify fractions. Students can select the maximum size of the denominator (up to 20, 100, 200, 1000). MixedUp allows students to convert between fractions and mixed numbers. Students can select the maximum size of the denominator (up to 10, 20, 100, 200) and the level (beginner and advanced). In both cases, there are no documented assessment results. However, after each problem, the student receives feedback and a running total is kept until the student stops using the program.

SpellIT (freeware)

2005-06-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Students can use SpellIt to create their own spelling word/definition lists. Once the list has been entered, students can practice spelling, work on word jumbles, and take spelling tests. The teacher can look at test results by date/time, can see how the student responded during the spelling test, and review the overall percentage that the student spelled correctly.

HiMoney (freeware)

2005-06-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

The HiMoney program is for tracking your budget. However, the cool part about it is that there are multiple ways to graph budget data. This program would be great for use in the classroom as part of a simulation where students track their expenses and incomes. Graph reading skills can also be targeted as the students can switch between the numerical budget and the graphical representation.

Gone Mad (freeware)

2005-06-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

As a kid I remember planning MadLibs with my sister and friends. One person would write down the nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc. that we suggested and then read the story that our parts of speech had formed. It was so much fun! The great news is that Gone Mad is available for the Palm and is the same game that I played as a kid using the MadLibs note pad that we had purchased at the store. Gone Mad comes with three stories that have certain parts of speech removed; when you complete the list of the required parts of speech, Gone Mad substitutes your words into the story. There are two features that I love—first, the stories can be exported to Memo Pad where students can continue writing. Second, the story templates can be created by the teacher or students (be sure to read the README file for instructions on how to create the templates, as it is a really easy task if you follow the directions).

Idea Pad 3.1 (freeware)

2005-06-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

I first saw Idea Pad about a year or two ago. At that time, I decided that it was really too much work to have students create diagrams on the Palm with Idea map--that it was easier and more efficient to have them do so on paper.

However, all that has changed with Idea Pad 3.1. It works quite similarly to the program Inspiration, allowing you to create a diagram, switch to outline view, and then export your work to Memo Pad where you can continue the writing process.

Thanks to Tony Vincent for his tip on deleting files: "To delete a file, tap the file name from the "Choose a file" screen. Then tap the Details button. From there, you can delete it."

Moose 1.1.3 (freeware)

2005-06-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

WOW. After spending all day reviewing Palm software on Saturday, I found some really cool software. Moose is a free piece of text-to-speech software. Need I say more? Now your Palm can read to you, pronounce words for students who don't know how to read, and be used in the writing and revision process. It does require a bit of space, so be sure to read the Read Me before you install it.

If you're students are not using text-to-speech in the writing process, you may want to do a little reading. My web page on this topic includes several worksamples showing the student's progress as she writes, listens, spellchecks, listens, and revises.

One thing that you will want to do is to turn on Moose (in the Moose options) so that it can be accessed from all programs in the shortcuts menu.

BeSmart V1.3

2005-05-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

BeSmart is a drill and practice piece of software allowing students to add, subtract, multiply, or divide two numbers. The student can select one type of operation as well as the number of digits in both the first and second number (these can be one to five digit numbers). The student can also determine whether to use negative or positive numbers. There are two features that I like about this program. First, there is a work area so that if a student needs "virtual scratch paper" they can work out the problem right on their Palm. Second, the student's percent correct is shown on the screen at all times. If a student doesn't like a 75% rate of accuracy, (s)he can simply reset the tally and go for 100% accuracy. Speed in which the problems are completed is not a factor; the only feedback a student receives if they are wrong is the correct answer.
This is a time limited demo version; the unlimited version is $8.

TanFree

2005-05-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Tangrams Free allows students to solve tangrams. The student starts with a silhouette and seven pieces. The pieces can be rotated, flipped, and translated; the goal is to replicate the silhouette using all seven pieces. This is a great virtual manipulative because unlike physical manipulatives, this program allows students to ask for hints in solving the tangram. If a hint is requested, the program will show the correct location of the selected piece. The student can then continue solving the puzzle. This is an excellent activity for students of varying ability levels.

Salary Utility

2005-04-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Salary Utility used to be a free program, but now it is bundled with 49 other programs for about $1.50 (50 Great Utilities for Palm OS which I found using Froogle).

This program allows students to calculate how much they really make once they take into account the costs of commuting, paid vacation, insurance, etc. This is a good tool to help students understand that an hourly wage isn't necessarily worth its face value. A drawback to this program is that it doesn't take into consideration social security, retirement, state and federal taxes. In addition, teachers would want to supplement the use of this program with discussions about topics such as how much commuting to a higher paid job located farther away would cost (is public transportation available? is a car necessary?) as compared to a lower paying job within walking distance.

I'm Back...

2005-04-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a week or so since my last post because I have been out at a conference. It was wire-less (as opposed to wireless), so I have been offline for a bit. Onward and upward!

Oh, and email me at llary@lynnlary.com if you are interested in a particular type of Palm software.

dAbacus

2005-04-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

dAbacus is a free, easy program that simulates a Chinese abacus. As the user moves the beads, the Arabic numeral equivalents are shown. This allows students to deduce the values of the beads in different rows. One of the really cool features is that as the students use beads with smaller place values (i.e. two beads with a value of five each), they are exchanged for beads of larger values (i.e. one bead with a value of ten). This is a valuable exercise in teaching the concept of place value in a number system. This virtual abacus is a great virtual manipulative that can be used with a real abacus, as it provides students with immediate feedback as to the value of the beads.

KidzTalk™-Calc

2005-04-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of our schools if focusing student use of handhelds on mathematics achievement. Students as young as first grade, as well as special education students, are using the Palms. Using the Palm to give instant feedback is one of its major benefits and one of the programs that we found to be helpful was KidzTalk™-Calc.

We bought this program because it actually speaks the numbers allowing students to have audio feedback about the numbers that they are working with. For instance, if you enter "2 + 4 =" it will say "two plus four equals six." But, do be forewared because when you start working with two digit numbers, it acts a little odd. For instance, if you enter "24 + 13 =" it will say "two four + one three equals thirty seven." The way that we use it is to help students learn how to say multi-digit numbers correctly. For instance, when you enter "24 =" it will say "two four equals twenty-four." The nice thing is that you can have it pronounce numbers up to 99,999,999.

WordDraw

2005-04-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

WordDraw is a shareware program ($5) that allows students to practice writing their letters and words. For little ones just learning to write, the advantage of using this program over a worksheet is that it is animated--by that I mean that the students can actually watch how a letter is formed. Then they can either trace or free write the letters of the word with their writing showing up on the Palm screen. Gone are the days of having students trace words on a worksheet only for the teacher to find out that the student has just traced the same letter wrong for the last 15 times! The visual feedback on this program is awesome.

One nice feature is that you to create word lists in Memo Pad and then import them into WordDraw, which is great if you are trying to reinforce specific vocabulary. You can also set the animation speed and the case of the letters. As with most Palm programs, there are not many choices, so the program is easy to use.

Tan Free

2005-04-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Tan Free is a nifty little program for teaching students about translational geometry. Essentially, it provides a number of tangrams; students start with a silhouette and seven shapes and the goal is to replicate the silhouette using all seven pieces. To solve them, the students must translate, reflect, and rotate the geometric shapes. This is a great virtual manipulative because unlike physical manipulatives, this program allows students to ask for hints in solving the tangram. If a hint is requested, the program will show the correct location of the selected piece. The student can then continue solving the puzzle.

Environmental Footprint Calculator (EFC)

2005-04-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

EFC is a great program for classroom discussions about the impact that humans, and particulary ourselves, have on the world, provides opportunities for students to read graphs, and allows students to test their own hypotheses about the effect changing their lifestyles has on the earth.

Students are asked a series of 13 questions about their lives: how much food they waste, how big their homes are, what kind of transportation they use, etc. Once all of the answers are entered, the students learn how their lifestyles affect the earth. The data is presented in four different ways:

The number of Earths needed to support all humans if everyone lived the way they do
The number of football fields needed to support their lifestyle
How their own consumption breaks down (acres needed for housing, transportation, food, etc.)
How their individual consumption compares with the average American, the averages of people living in Sweden, Nigeria, and five other countries as well as with the world as a whole.

Depending on the age of the student, they may not know the answers to all of the questions. Teachers may want to use this program as a part of a home-based activity in which students discuss the questions with their parents to make their data input more realistic. Related activities might include conjectures about ways that humans can have less impact on the Earth or having students answer the questions from the perspective of a poor person in a third-word county and comparing/contrasting the outcome to their own responses.

Muxles

2005-04-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

What better place to use a Palm than in the PE classroom? Writing down grades on a clipboard in the field and then entering them into a computer in the office just doesn't make sense when you can have your whole gradebook with you on your Palm. What's more is that there are a number of programs that are available for the Palm that would fit into the physical education curriculum. For instance, Muxles, which costs $11.95, is a program that contains information about different muscles, their functions, and what exercises can be done to develop them. The cool part about it is that as a user, you don't have to look up the names of the muscles - you just click on the muscle on the front or back of the interactive body that you want to learn about.

WIB: What-if Builder

2005-04-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

This is another completely free and totally awesome program for the Palm. This application allows you to write a story in which the reader decides which of several options to take as they read the story. For example, after reading part of a story, the reader may have to decide whether to walk through the creepy forest or return home for more help.

This type of story provides readers with a variety of options as to how the story will come out. It also provides a highly differentiated activity for student authors. The program is easy to use and can be used with primary through adult students. For more information about WIB, see my instructional unit. Oh, and don't forget to download WIB from Kidsolve.

PS: I have found that when beaming WIB stories, the receiver needs to exit from the WIB application (else the app will die forcing you to do a soft reset).

Inflationmaster

2005-03-31T22:44:00.000-08:00

Inflationmaster is one of my favorite programs! I love it because I can use it at the drop of a hat to provide me with some context for what I am hearing, learning, or seeing. Here's how it works:

1. Enter a year between 1800 and 2004 (ie: 1850)
2. Enter an amount of money (ie: $325)
3. Enter a second year between 1800 and 2004 (ie: 2004)
4. Calculate

In this case, I had read (National Oregon Trail Center) that it cost $100 for a wagon in the 1850s and another $225 for three oxen. Based on the actual rates of inflation, that's $7,211 by 2004 standards! And, that's just for the oxen and the wagon. So, ask yourself: what kind of people came across the Oregon trail with wagons and oxen?

Need I say more? This program rocks!

NW Handheld Project

2005-03-31T22:28:00.000-08:00

If you are considering using handhelds in your classroom, there are a number of things to consider: equipment management, student contracts for out of class use, tutorials, curriculum integration, success stories, and current research on handheld effectiveness.

During the 2004-05 school year, the South Lane and Eugene 4J School Districts began the second year implementation of handhelds in the classroom. These two districts, in conjunction with the Lane Education Service District, are assisting Creswell, Three Rivers, and Springfield School Districts in the implementation of their own 2004-05 handheld initiatives. This blog will feature applications that we have found helpful to the teachers and students in these Oregon K-12 districts.

To help teachers learn more about classroom use of handhelds, the South Lane and Eugene 4J School Districts have worked in partnership with the Organization for Educational Technology and Curriculum to develop the Northwest Handheld Project. Visit the site and be sure to contribute to the applications database!

Math Ace Updated

2005-01-16T17:22:00.000-08:00