Clip Art and Backgrounds

I will be teaching teachers this semester about how to use the Ellison. I have found some clip art sites to use with the puzzle making dies.

• http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/

The state of Florida has a technology clearinghouse which has many treasures such as clipart, frames and borders:

• http://etc.usf.edu/

I will add more as I find them.

Have fun! cdb

Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling.
Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together,
thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights.
Tell your story now digitally.

- Leslie Rule, Digital Storytelling Association

 
I took this quote from a wonderful website resource entitled Digital Storytelling:

• http://electronicportfolios.org/digistory/index.html

This resource filled site was put together by Dr. Helen C. Barrett.   According to this site, the Canadian Film Centre: http://www.storycenter.org/canada/index.html has a very good introduction to storytelling from images and memories. She also recommends a school link to various digital stories from Scott Country Schools in Kentucky:  http://www.scott.k12.ky.us/technology/digitalstorytelling/ds.html
and Digital Family Stories which includes links to the BBC's Capture Wales and other examples of digital stories.

There are other beautiful sites as follows:

• Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling is a massive site developed at the University of Houston.
• Center for Digital Storytelling with the wonderful quote: "Listen deeply. Tell stories." The quotes and graphic at the bottom of this post is from this site.

Arabic digital stories are numerous. Here are a few links that I found thanks to Google's translating service and Mr. Mohammed Ali:

• Changing Lives: Digital Storytelling by Young Arabic Women in Western Sydney http://nexusproject.net.au/nexusblog/changing-lives-digital-storytelling-by-young-arabic-women-in-western-sydney/#readcommentsanchor
• This is very encouraging: Alaa Sadik's Blog : القصص الرقمية
• This is a promising example of Arabic Digital Storytelling:  http://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=19&article=416476&issueno=10375

Enjoy! cdb

Fun with Science Media

As a staff of one, it can take hours to find good science videos, especially when it is so easy to take off on tangents. Here's some of the most fun ones that I have found so far:

• Animaniac Universe 
• Animaniac Solar System 
• Animaniac Nations
• Toothpick Trick 
• Jennifer is a Mammal    

Other  good sources: Science Bob, Bill Nye, and Teacher Tube.

Enjoy!  cdb

Media Moments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju5sF3YUseU

Thanks to Angela Brittain for the YouTube Download Tutorial:

Downloading YouTube Videos... yes it is possible!

1. Find YouTube video that you want to download.
2. Copy the internet address. (Highlight and press CTRL c)
3. Open zamzar.com
4. In zamzar's Step 1 click on URL. This takes you to the 'Download Videos' tab.
5. Paste your internet address in step 1.
6. Choose the file conversion you want. (.mov for Quick Time Movie and .wmv for Windows Media Player)
7. In step 3 enter your email address for your YouTube video to be sent to.
8. Step 4 click on Convert and wait for the upload to complete.

A conversion normally takes an hour or so to come through to your email.

Follow the instructions given in the email to finish the download.

Science Lessons for 2009-10

Dear Science Teachers,

I plan to incorporate performance tasks from the following sources into upcoming science lessons for 2009-10.
http://pals.sri.com/tasks/tasksk-4.html
http://pals.sri.com/tasks/tasks5-8.html

Here's the site summary:

The performance tasks currently come from several sources: the Council of Chief State School Officers/State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards (CCSSO/SCASS), Partnership for the Assessment of Standards-based Science (PASS), the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), the New York State Education Department (NYSED), the RAND Institution (RAND), the Assessment of Performance Unit (APU), and the Oregon State Education Department (OSED).

Some tasks cover multiple content areas. All tasks include a Science as Inquiry component.

I wish, wish, wish that I can find some videos and/or illustrations to go with the lessons. cdb