Free Rice is an addictive site where you can build your vocabulary and feed the hungry with a click of your mouse. A vocabulary word is displayed with 4 choices. When you choose the correct definition, 20 grains of rice go to feed the world’s hungry. Free Rice automatically adjusts to your level. The words get harder or easier based on your score.

Since October 7, 2007, nearly 5 billion grains of rice have been donated. How does this work, you ask? With each correct response an ad appears at the bottom of the page. Through the United Nations World Food Program, these advertising dollars fund the rice. The ads are small. I haven’t noticed any inappropriate content.

This is a great site for students. In addition to learning new words, they may be become concerned about world hunger. Poverty.com, a sister site of Free Rice, provides information about world hunger. During this holiday season, a time of giving, the focus sometimes shifts to material abundance. This site may foster a teachable moment that brings the focus back to giving and helping others.

WARNING: This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance…

tag: edtech k12 communication_arts vocabulary Free_Rice poverty

In our rural Missouri school district of Willard we have a surprising variety of languages spoken by our ELL students: Spanish, Russian, Romanian, Hmong, Chinese, Ukrainian, Filipino, and Portuguese. Google Translate features a set of translation tools that many teachers may find useful.

The Text and Web tab is for translating a small amount of text to get the gist of message. Like any translation tool, it is not perfect. There is also a field for pasting in a web page address for translation. Languages include: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

The Translated Search tab translates your query from the selected “My language” to the selected “Find results in” language. It then carries out the translated query, displaying the search results in “My Language.” Google provides this example:

1. Search for Dubai tours from English to Arabic.
2. We translate your query into “جولات دبي” and find Arabic web page results.
3. Finally, we translate the Arabic web page results back into English for you.

The Dictionary tab provides a translation of your word or short phrase.

The Tools tab offers 3 options.

A translate widget (or gadget as Google labels it, must be a G thing) can be added to your web page for your readers to use to translate your web page. Just copy and paste the provided html code in the appropriate location. For Edublogs this would be a text widget. With Wikispaces you can use the Insert Widget button and choose Other HTML.

The next tool is a browser button installed with just a click and drag. A variety of buttons are available for several languages. Use this to translate a webpage you’re viewing, just click that button. You can also translate a part of a webpage by selecting that part before you click the button.

The last tool is the Google Toolbar which is used to translate a word on a webpage by hovering the mouse over a word. This results in a pop up translation cloud. You will need to install this toolbar.

By default, Windows installs the files for most input languages. However, if you want to enter or display text in the East Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, or Korean) or the complex script and right-to-left languages (Arabic, Armenian, Georgian, Hebrew, the Indic languages, Thai, or Vietnamese), you have to install the language files (otherwise you just get a bunch of ?????). Add only those languages you will use. Each language you add is loaded into memory when you start your computer and can affect performance. Willard Staff: If you need these options installed complete a Tech Work Order.

1. Open click Start>Settings>Control Panel.
2. Double-click Regional and Language Options.
3. On the Languages tab, under Supplemental language support, select the Install files for Complex script… or East Asian languages check box.
4. Click OK in the pop up window.
5. Click Apply. You will be prompted to insert the Windows CD-ROM or point to a network location where the files are located.
6. After the files are installed, you must restart your computer.
7. Next you need to add the new languages. Open Regional and Language Options in Control Panel.
8. On the Languages tab, under Text services and input languages, click Details.
9. Under Installed services, click Add.
10. In the Input language list, click the language you want to add.
11. Click OK.
12. Click Apply.

Technorati Tags: Google_Translate translation ESL language

I enjoyed Sylvia Martinez’s presentation for the K12 Online Conference, Challenging Assumptions About Technology Professional Development. I’ve submitted my complete Professional Development Record at the PD Tracker and would like to share my reflection here.

When it comes to technology professional development, I think a combination approach is best. There is not one right solution. Teachers do need pd from their peers, but could definitely benefit from the support of students. Teachers can benefit from just-in-time, real life support and virtual support. Teachers can leave a workshop with a unit integrating technology ready to implement in their classroom. Yet, teachers do need instructional support in the classroom.

It has not been my experience that all students are born with an inherent ability to use technology. Just like the adults I know, some have a pension for tech and some don’t. I can see how younger people would naturally choose to use technology. It is not new to their world. A teacher might automatically look for a phonebook when needing a number, whereas a student may naturally turn to Google. As the GenYES program suggests, I think a student tech club that provides a support system for the teachers would work. A member of the tech club could provide just in time support in any of his/her classes as needed. A teacher would feel reassured knowing that a member of the geek squad is in the house.

I have a hard time visualizing students paired with teachers, one-on-one, developing lesson plans as suggested by the GenYES program. But maybe that is just my inability to see over the box lid. The logistics of scheduling time for these pairs to meet, and visualizing one student working with a teacher on lessons plans, just doesn’t work for me. I can see class brainstorming sessions in which input from students is considered. I can see teachers giving students more choices on what tools they use to create, and what products they publish, to demonstrate their learning. Teachers giving up some control, but in return engaging their students. Making students a part of a learning community by valuing their input is a powerful strategy.

Students shouldn’t come to school to see teachers work. They should come to school to participate in a learning community. As Sylvia said, teachers need to be transparent in their learning, modeling problem solving, trial and error. I think this is challenging for some teachers because of their perceptions of what a teacher is. Did any part of their education experience include a teacher modeling problem solving, making mistakes? Teachers are used to being taught, expect to be taught. They want to be experts in using a spreadsheet before asking their students to do so. Technology changes too quickly for this to work. It is okay to just know the basics and let the students take it from there. In addition, the time constraints put on teachers to cover a long list of concepts makes it difficult to use class time to discuss choices and model trial error. It takes less time and is easier to give everyone the same assignment and model how to successfully complete it.

As a parent, I know that I want my daughter to grasp certain concepts and develop schemata. More importantly, I want her to develop problem solving skills, know how to choose the best way to present information, effectively evaluate resources, know that learning is never finished and does not require an instructor. So I feel that taking the time to model learning for students is a priority.

I see my position as Tech Curriculum Director to be very beneficial to teachers. I provide staff members with a variety of pd opportunities from real time workshops to online tutorials and classes. I am available to provide instructional support in the classroom or lab, with the students or during the planning process. I think inside the classroom support is an important component. I also think technology can help teachers overcome the isolation of classroom. The collaboration opportunities provided by Web2.0 are practical and easy to use. I frequently email short screencast tutorials to provide virtual just-in-time support. I have found just-in-time support for myself through my virtual learning network, specifically Twitter. I can post a question to my network and have several responses in just minutes. I use the collective intelligence of my online learning network nearly every day.

I enjoyed Sylvia’s presentation. It is always good to think outside of the box.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laffy4k/27695419/

tag: k12online07oo02 k12online07 Sylvia_ Martinez GenYES edtech k12 professional_development

• You are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving
• What the World Eats
• Scholastic: The First Thanksgiving
• The History of Thanksgiving
• Better Recipes: Thanksgiving

Willard Staff: If you are not able to participate in one of the Flickr workshops this month, or would rather learn on your own timetable, you are in luck. The Fusion: Flickr webpage offers a handout and short video tutorials (screencasts) to lead you through the steps of using Flickr in your classroom.

And, there’s more! If you want to earn 3 Salary Advancement Workshop hours while you flickr, you can enroll in the free, online professional development, Moodle course: Flickr. This course uses the handout and screencasts on the Fusion webpage to lead you through the steps. Work at your own pace, when it fits in your schedule, from any computer with Internet access. Just in time learning, at your convenience!

Flicker in the Classroom

1. promote and build visual literacy skills in students
2. add labels/notes to a photo
3. embed a slideshow of photos in your blog, wiki, or web page
4. use image as a writing prompts or in digital storytelling projects
5. use mashup tools to create motivational posters, magazine covers, cd covers, and more, using shared photos
6. use tags to find photos of areas and events around the world for use in theclassroom
7. document school events; parents can use the RSS feed to subscribe andautomatically be notified when new photos are posted.
8. showcase student projects/work
9. source of images for student and teacher projects which are Creative Commons licensed
10. allow selected friends, family, coworkers, peers, etc to utilize shared photos

Check these out:

• Michael Poliza’s Africa Book
• Food and Money
• Leo Reynold’s Collections
• Interesting Snippets
• Nature All Over the Planet
• Tell a Story with 5 Photos for Educators
• Flickr for Education

Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or suggestions. I’m happy to provide you with additional assistance.

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/estarsid/803937188/

tag: Flickr photos professional_development K12 edtech