Teachers Learning to Use Technology

This summer, several Van Buskirk teachers met in our make-shift computer lab in the multipurpose room to learn about some cool technological tools and how to integrate them into our teaching. One of the first things we tried were Wordles. Check out this example made by Mr. R as a demo. Those wordles were just to get our feet wet. Afterwards, we dove right into blogs.

Most chose to set up accounts with Blogger. Look how far Mr. C's blog has come in just three short days!! He's written three posts, added a photo and a link to his screencast, as well as started a list of useful links for students.

Not content with simply adding text to the blogs, we have been trying out different tools and gadgets to make our blogs more interesting. Mrs. C created her avatar called "Frogstillo" at the BuildYourWildSelf website. Mr. R learned how to make a customized header using a picture of our school. Mrs. R is working on a voki (animated audio) to introduce visitors to her blog. I figured out how to embed a video I made (using Screencast-o-Matic) and uploaded to YouTube.

We're not only exploring online tools, but also becoming familiar with some of the hardware we have available at our school. Mr. B used the Mac's camera and Photo Booth program to take a picture of himself and upload it to his blog. See how closely his avatar matches his photo? :) Our current adventure centers around discovering innovative uses for the SMARTBoard in our classrooms.

Stay tuned to see and read more about the products we create to share with colleagues and students.

I appreciate all comments on this posting, but would especially like to invite the participants in this summer's PD to comment on your experience thus far. What did you enjoy most? What's frustrating you? What would you like to learn more about?

What's Your Ecological Footprint?

Have you ever wondered how much your lifestyle impacts our planet? The Global Footprint Network has a calculator quiz that may give you an idea. A series of simple questions about the food you eat, how you travel, and where you live reveals how much or how many Earths it would take to support life if everyone lived as you do. After the quiz, there are options to explore ways to reduce your ecological footprint.

I took the quiz half-seriously and found out that six planets would be necessary to sustain life as I live it. I need to take some drastic actions to reduce my ecological footprint, including eating more locally grown foods and limiting air travel each year.

I challenge you to take the quiz yourself and share your results.

Earth Day Reflections

In looking for Earth Day resources, I came upon a page of quotes about our earth. Many of them are very striking and made me really pause to reflect on the way we live our lives.

• Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.
  ~Mahatma Gandhi, spiritual and political leader
  

• Take nothing but pictures.
  Leave nothing but footprints.
  Kill nothing but time.
  ~Motto of the Baltimore Grotto, a caving society

• Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.
  ~Cree Indian Proverb

• The earth is what we all have in common.
  ~Wendell Berry, Author, farmer, cultural critic

Which of these quotes is the most meaningful to you?

Please share your thoughts about any of these quotes or about Earth Day. What are some things that you do to reduce, reuse, or recycle?