new tricks for an old dog

Things have changed since the last post.

Algebra 1 with 2 students

Geometry with 10 students

Pre-Calc with 1student

Calc2 with 1 student

I’m interested in creating an assigment using a spreadsheet for my geometry class. I want them to understand the basics of a spreadsheet. So I’m thinking of having them create a ‘toolbox’ with the different formulas (area, preimeter, midpoint, etc) that they might end up using on a regular basis in the class. Along the way we will cover cell formatting, protecting of cells and so on. I’m open to suggestions and will try and post a grading rubric ASAP.

photo credit: cassiemassacre via Flickr

There are most likely many of us that would like to use imovie in our classrooms, but for various reasons, can’t. (I live Brazil, and mac support does not exist where I am. You buy and use a mac at your own risk. Everything goes to the coast to repair, and meanwhile weeks pass…)

For us, MS-moviemaker is a workable substitute. For tutorials and other helps:

atomiclearning.com mightycoach.com

wtvi.com gslis.utexas.edu

forum papajohn.org

The latest version of moviemaker can be downloaded here.

Digging through my bookmarks, I found this link (thanks to SEGA TECH) for TiddlyWiki, best described as a wiki for your thumbdrive. As it is located on your thumbdrive, its really not a collaborative tool.
BUT

Tiddlyspot will now host your tiddlywiki, making it more of a collaborative tool. As a new administrator I have policies, student rolls, schedules, and my lessons plans all “wikied.” (Is that a word?) The organization just feels better than the folder inside a folder inside a folder routine.

BlockCad (which I wrote about here) has a partner named AnkerCad, a freeware program for building virtual models with bricks.

I think most of my students would prefer to use BlockCad (lego-based) over AnkerCad, but it does give you another option. (and its pretty cool.)

The question is still: What can I do with this?

What can I do with this #2 was going to be about Scratch, the new toy/tool from LiFELONG KINDERGARETEN at the MIT Media Labs. But Kevin Sandridge at notesfromtheridge beat me to it. He has links to a few videos and other resources. The questions is still, what can I do with this?

Here is what the scratch homepage says:

“Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art — and share your creations on the web.

Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design.”

edit: EwanMcIntosh gives some other links to using scratch as does teachinghacks.

So, because of Kevin, I’ll skip right to number three. BlockCad is a program I found mentioned here and there ( sorry that I lost the pages that showed it to me and can’t give the proper credit.)

Again to quote from the homepage:

“BlockCAD is a freeware program for building virtual models with Lego-like bricks.

You can save your models, or save pictures of them (.bmp, .jpg), even reuse a complete model as a part in another model.

Everything can be controlled with the mouse, but it’s also possible to use the keyboard for most of the commands, making ‘routine building’ more effective, and there is a minimum of text involved, to make it easier for kids.”

What can I do with this?

Another post about replacement software. The link is from zdnet and gives options for those looking to replace Photoshop, Flash, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, and a few others.

Replacement Software

I’ve done a lot of work recently working on Macs. This in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, their ease of use has opened my eyes to ways I can use them in my classrooms. But, living overseas, there is no Mac support. Friends with a Mac have to send it either to the coast (where the big cities are) or back to the US for repair. Don’t tell me that Macs don’t break, I have hand carried computers for them. So, I am limited to LINUX/Windows software.

I’ve done a little checking these past few days and want to use this post and the following one to give some options for anyone else like me who likes the ease of the Mac programs, but can’t use them for various reasons.

Right now this list will be Microsoft and Google heavy, I plan on updating these two posts as I find more options. If you know of other replacements, please let me know. Remember, the iLife series is tried together very tightly, these replacements will not duplicate that feature.

Windows Replacements for Mac iLife

• iPhoto

iPhoto is a digital picture organizer, taking you from the importing process all the way to the sharing. It contains basic editing functions, lets you create and print books, organize and share slide shows, and much more.

Currently I am using Picasa2 which is available at http://picasa.google.com/. It lacks certain features of iPhoto, the only one of which I’ll mention here is the ability to batch rename files. Having used them both, I feel that Picasa2 can serve as a basic replacement.

• iMovie HD
  

iMovie gives you the ability to create movies using home video, still photos and audio clips. It is a fairly user friendly program and comes with the ability to add photos directly from iPhoto and music right from iTunes.

Windows machines come with an adequate replacement Windows Movie Maker 2. It has most if the features of iMovie HD and it has a surprisingly strong web presence.

Neither one of these is a professional video editor, of the two, iMovie HD is able to take your further into the editing process, but for the Mac-less, Movie Maker will suffice.

• iTunes

iTunes is also available for windows, no need to a replacement.

• GarageBand

Garageband allows you to record, loop and mix various musical samples or record your own tracks directly. It has a transpose feature as well as a full library of effects. I rarely find a program that boggles my mind, but this one came close.

Audicity is a free program that comes close, it doesn’t have the loop features of garageband, nor the ability to record a podcast as easily.

• iDVD

iDVD is the program that pulls it all together, allowing you to mix projects from all of the above programs into one DVD. My experience is very limited here, can someone review a comparable windows platform?

Part two of this post will address Linux replacements.