Kamehameha Schools Distance Learning (KSDL) Owau

Scrumblr is a new site that provides an online space to create and share sticky notes with a group. Scrumblr can be used by anyone to quickly create an online space for sharing stickies. To get started just enter a name for your space. The name you choose will be a part of the url for your sticky note space. To add notes just click the "+" symbol in the bottom left corner of the screen. Then double click to edit your notes. Online sticky note services like Scrumblr are useful for brainstorming sessions in which students can quickly share a bunch of ideas with each other. The anonymous online format enables shy students to share their ideas without fear of criticism from other group members. Thought Boxes is a task management service with a hint of mind mapping in its user interface. At its most basic Thought Boxes is a place to create to-do lists. You can organize your to-do lists into groups that Thought Boxes refers to as "trains." Your lists can ...

I attended the end user training today for SharePoint. I picked up some nice tips, things you normally ignore when you just jump in and start using the tool :) Here are 5 things that the trainer mentioned that may help us use it better: Explorer View - We've learned to use Actions > Open with Windows Ex plorer. Using explorer view allows you to do similar navigation, drag and drop but through the browser. 2. Data Sheet - We don't do tasks in SharePoint but I could see how this would be useful for adding multiple things to list without doing "New" and entering things individually. 3. Search - It was more about understanding the search functionality. When you enter a search term, it has to be an exact match to a word in the file. It doesn't do partial searches. There is also a wait period after you upload a file for it to be indexed (it is dependent on the server crawler settings). 4. Creating Document directly on SharePoint - I tend to save a file locally and u...

Zoodles makes it possible to have a “kid safe” mode on every device: Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android. Zoodles includes wonderful features for technology use in the classroom and at home. With Zoodles every child has their own “playground” space (login) that they access by clicking on their picture. A parent dashboard lets teachers (or parents) customize Zoodles to meet the needs of students. Parents and teachers can clearly see where a student spends their time, what their interests are, and what subjects they have been practicing. Every game in Zoodles has been previewed by experts and is rated based on it’s educational merit. Parent play-along mode makes it possible for parents or teachers to guide the learning experience. The interface is focused on kids and is extremely intuitive. There are no distracting “extras” in the navigation or URLs where students can get sidetracked or lost. The content in Zoodles adapts to each child’s age and abilit...

The framework below illustrates the educational approach and the synthesis of: Inquirers: The combination of child, teacher, mentors, family, and friends in pursuit of a question. The Cycle of Inquiry: The cycle that lead learners use to facilitate learning; inquire, investigate, plan, customize instruction, collaborate, construct meaning, create, evaluate, reflect and revisit. Academic Content Areas: Nine areas are explored to help learners achieve standards and developmental benchmarks; language arts, social studies, science, mathematics, physical awareness/health/play, spirituality, social/emotional learning, arts, and global citizenship. Learning Habits/Disciplines: Distinct habits and disciplines are assumed by the students as they approach learning. These disciplines support and assist the learning process. Technology: Technology permeates learning in this blended learning model. Students use technology to build: functional skills, effective communication, col...

In reading eSchool News (yes, sometimes I do read through the things that come around in folders :)), I read about the Google Apps Marketplace and decided to take a look. It has a lot of potential for schools who are moving towards Google being their centralized solution. It makes complete sense when you think about the resources that go in to updating and managing tools but I know how hard it is to change current systems. I've included two videos about the Apps Marketplace, the Ninja is more business oriented but I just thought it was entertaining.

The new features of Adobe Connect 8 make it easier to use, enhance collaboration, provide richer audio and video experiences, improve access and extensibility, and increase security and enterprise support. The Adobe Connect Solution Brief gives a nice summary of the new features. Here are some highlights: Easier to Use Simplified user experience —Use Adobe Connect more intuitively. With the new user interface, you can easily discover all available functions and features through better organization and prominent display of the most important and frequently used controls and capabilities. Enhanced audio and video controls —Access audio and video controls centrally. They are prominently displayed and logically organized at the top of the meeting bar. All related capabilities are now centralized and easily accessible directly from each control. Unified attendee management —Access all participant management functions from the Attendee pod. Hosts can change participant roles using simple ...