Waffle Bytes

As Moodle 2.0 is a major upgrade, there will definitely be some relearning of how to do some things that have become habitual over the last 3.5 years.  After several hours of "playing" I've a list of three items I feel are going to be great once I create those new habits.  Docking of Blocks:   Of all the changes, at first glance I think this is the one that excites me the most.  All the real estate I gain really excites me (especially when looking at a Moodle course on my iPad, iPhone or Evo), but I'm more excited for students.  There will be an easy way for them to move all that "distracting" stuff off to the side so they can focus in on the content.  Here's a little video showing this wonderful new feature: All Settings Grouped Together: This makes sense (though I'll be trying to go to the wrong location to find many of these items for a month or two, I'm sure).  When logged in, the settings for the course you are viewing, your profile and ...

App Title: ShowMe App (for iPad) Grade Level: any Purpose: A The ShowMe App allows the user to record annotations along with voice right on the iPad, esentially turning the iPad into an interactive, recordable "whiteboard."  Either a blank canvas or pictures found on the iPad can be used for the base of the annotations.  When the user finishes recording, he/she has the option of uploading it into an account at the ShowMe website either publicly (anybody can find it visiting the site) or privately (viewers need the url of the presentation).  Program Functionality: A This was one of the easiest apps I've ever used.  In less than 2 minutes after loading the app on my iPad, I had created a sample annotation, created a new account at ShowMe, saved the recording to that account, and viewed/shared the recording on the web.  Seriously, LESS THAN 2 MINUTES!  I don't know that it could be easier to use than that.  Currently there are jus...

Finding good web resources can be the hardest part of the job for an educator.  With all the demands on a teacher's time, who has time to spend searching?  If this is you, here are some resources you may found useful. As always, please feel free to share with others.  Then make sure to go out there and explore all the great tools available to you! General Tools- Looplabs “The web’s premium online music mixer.” ELA- NYT Year-End Roundup: ELA, Journalism & Culture The end of year roundup of the New York Times lesson plans from 2010-2011 that involved academic skills, language arts, journalism and culture as well as interdisciplinary topics . Mathematics- Spencer's Scratch Pad: 15 Paperless Math Strategies A list of 15 strategies that can be easily implemented into the math classroom using Web 2.0 instead of paper. Science Virtual Volcano Learn about ...

So the questions has finally been asked, what has happened to the semi-regular Moodle posts here?  It does beg an answer as the Moodle posts have been the most "popular" hits on the blog. Truth be told, I have a confession to make.  I've been putting my Moodle time to good use, just not sharing it yet.  There are two projects I've been working on quite a bit this spring.  The first was the development and initial offering of a "Teaching & Learning in the Blended Environment" course I'm using with local teachers to move from the "traditional" face-to-face classroom into a classroom that also includes online elements.  It's a mix of pedagogy and hands-on development of their own course materials.  And, of course, it is housed in Moodle. It was good to get my hands dirty again creating a brand new course, but I had forgotten the time-intensiveness of it!! The second project has been some sandbox time in Moodle 2.  The more I played in ...

Finding good web resources can be the hardest part of the job for an educator.  With all the demands on a teacher's time, who has time to spend searching?  If this is you, here are some resources you may found useful.  Since my list is becoming top-heavy with general resources that is what I'm sharing today, rather than by curriculum area.  As always, please feel free to share with others.  Then make sure to go out there and explore all the great tools available to you! General Tools- 20 Free eBook Websites for Downloading A great list of sites where free eBooks can be gotten; most of these are new to me, and there are some great finds! Voki for Education In response to teacher requests, Voki is launching Voki Classroom.  This will let teachers create and manage student Voki assignments. Objectives Builder Site that helps you create observable ob...