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John Hendron

Director of Innovation and Strategy

Archives for January 2013

A Better Blog: Episode 4

by John Hendron · Jan 31, 2013

Provide interaction!

Some posts can be interactive. Allow us to interact with your ideas through conversation. Turn the comments on to invite participation by parents or even students. You can even collect comments from students that won’t be published, to check for understanding as a quick and informal formative assessment strategy.

What other ways can we make your blog interactive? Don’t forget you can embed content into a blog. Post a video. Embed a form to collect information. I can probably think about a lot of instructional examples, which is great for using your blog with students, but I think this tip is equally important for all stakeholders, including parents and our peers in teaching.

Instructionally, you can use the blog comments or an embedded Google form to:

  • invite students to finish the beginning of a story (if you want something more substantial, try a wiki page);
  • pose challenging problems and see who wants to see if they can figure them out;
  • pose trivia questions;
  • hide your post with a password post and only give the password (and access to the question and ability to comment) to students who have made an achievement in class (my guess is the password would be motivator for some!);
  • ask for feedback on a new lesson or a new instructional technique;
  • give students choices about upcoming assignments (use a form as a type of poll, where Google reports-back the results after the answer(s) are given…

If you need tips on embedding Google forms, check out this tutorial.

Filed Under: Learning for Teachers Tagged With: blog, blogging

A Better Blog: Episode 3

by John Hendron · Jan 30, 2013

Reading takes more time than processing imagery. Photographs beat “clip art.” Including even a small thumbnail image of something you’re writing about can help the reader. Images draw us in, and images help us see what you’re discussing.

Images also help with scanning (tip #2). The visual image can immediately alert the reader whether or not the content of your post is something of interest to them.

In fact, I support the use of “image icons” which are images you’d use over and over again, from your Media Library in WordPress. These small images (100-300 pixels in size) could be used to denote posts that deal with:

  • homework,
  • news,
  • special announcements,
  • interesting facts,
  • reflections,
  • and more!

Macarons Pierre Hermé

Images can make your blog posts… delicious!

Filed Under: Learning for Teachers Tagged With: blog, blogging

Tech Plan Revision

by John Hendron · Jan 29, 2013

GCPS will be revising its six-year technology plan for re-submission to the Virginia Department of Education. Our six-year plan expires in 2016, and so this is our mid-term review.

We have set up the following meetings to discuss updating our plan for the next three years. If you’d like to join us, teachers, students, and technology staff will be on hand in the following locations:

  • Thursday, February 7th – 8:30-11:30 a.m. for GMS and GHS in the Library at GHS (first and fifth section),
  • Friday, February 15th – 8:30-11:00 a.m. for GES in the Library at GES (second section),
  • Friday, March 1st – 8:30-11:00 a.m. for BES in the Library at BES (third section),
  • Thursday, March 7th – 8:30-11:00 a.m. for RES in the Library at RES (fourth section)

If you are a parent or community member and would like to attend, please comment on this blog post with your intent to attend and the session(s) you will be attending.

The technology department will be presented our updated plan to the Board in April of this year.

Anyone may scan this QR code or click it to access our working plan. With a Google Account, you may login and comment on the document.

Filed Under: General News Tagged With: techplan

A Better Blog: Episode 2

by John Hendron · Jan 29, 2013

DIY Book Scanner

Make your Blog Scannable

Good blog posts can be scanned with the eyes. In order to make this possible, use bold text to make the important content stick out. Make things like dates, times, and people appear in bold type. When a reader is scanning over the content, this important text helps them decide if the content is worth slowing down for.

Changing colors is discouraged. For some visitors, this can make reading the blog more difficult. Stick to standard ornamentation to text by using boldface and italics to emphasize important points.

If you have a really long blog post, consider using headings to break up sections. You’ll find the tool for adding headings in the Visual (expanded) toolbar in WordPress.

Filed Under: Learning for Teachers Tagged With: blogging, blogs

Revisiting Google Earth

by John Hendron · Jan 29, 2013

We have two Google Earth classes this winter/spring and I’m always amazed to learn more teachers aren’t using this tool!

It’s great for:

  • hands-on map skills,
  • elementary social studies standards (latitude, longitude, continents, bodies of water, regions, etc.),
  • distance, units, measurement,
  • history (historical maps, placeholders),
  • place and location in literature (Google Lit Trips),
  • change over time (satellite history),
  • solar system (moon, mars, etc.),
  • weather systems,
  • all the third-party content (photos, articles, embedded videos, etc.),
  • science (environment, oceans, research)

I’ve made a 11-ish minute video on just getting your feet wet with Google Earth. I hope if you have never tried it, it won’t scare you away. For me personally, Google Earth is a lot of fun to play with and to explore our planet with, and I think it would be that way for any curious student!

So where to begin after you start to play? We’ve compiled a great list of online resources both for learning what more you can do with Google Earth, and how you can use it at a variety of grade levels and in a variety of subject areas.

I hope you’ll join us at one of our sessions soon – on January 31, 2013 at GES with Krystle Demas and on March 13th with me, location TBD!

PlayPlay

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Learning for Teachers, Resource of Interest Tagged With: earth, google

Let’s Teach Kids to Code

by John Hendron · Jan 29, 2013

Great TED Talk from Professor Mitch Resnick from MIT, whom I’ve had the pleasure to meet.

Filed Under: Learning for Teachers, Resource of Interest Tagged With: scratch, stem

A Better Blog: Episode 1

by John Hendron · Jan 28, 2013

This is the first of a series of ten new blog posts on making a better blog. Today’s is about choosing a great title.

Great blogs are made up of great blog posts. More often than not, great blogs have more frequently-updated content, as opposed to long blog posts. Some folks like to think in daily units, some in weekly. But don’t feel you have to maintain a schedule. Good blogs deliver fresh news, when it’s fresh.

What makes a blog post delicious? If we think of a blog as a smorgasbord or type of edible buffet, then each blog post is a different type of food. Posts people want to read, we could say, are delicious. What’s the recipe?

> It starts with a good title.

The title should relate to something mentioned in the blog post. It’s easy enough to list a week or a date and to cram everything going on that you’ve planned into that blog post. But over time, the dates aren’t so important. In fact, the blogging software is time- and date-stamping each and every post. Instead, what stands out? If you have too many things going on within one post, then maybe you need to split them up.

A good title will draw people in. And it can also help them stay away. If the content isn’t relevant to your audience, they’ll thank you for saving them time.

Above all else, something in the title of your blog post should relate to something unique about the post.

As with each of these tips, I am leaving comments open in case other readers have examples or additional insight to share!

Filed Under: Learning for Teachers Tagged With: blogging, blogs

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