The Answer is HERE!

I found it! I found it! Whoo Hoo! The answer to the age old question of "Why doesn't this work on the school computers?"

The answer: Firefox on a Stick

 

As more and more new web 2.0 tools become available to us, we are quickly discovering that some (many) of them do not work on Internet Explore 7 on our school computers. The rest of the world is running on Internet Explore 8...or are they?

Last week, Google Chrome surpassed weekend usage over Internet Explore 8. Read the article here.

While I desperately tried to figure out a way to run Google Chrome on the school computers, I was blocked by pop-ups at every turn that read "See System Administrator". Boo.

But I am not a quitter.

Next on the list: Mozilla Firefox.

And it worked! All you need to do is download and run Firefox off your USB stick.

I'm not kidding. It's that easy.

Now, after booting up the school computer, plug in your USB and open up Firefox as your web browser. Google Calendar works. Google Docs works. Actually...all things Google will work.

 

So will the Study Blue Flashcards.

Fantastic!

If you would like to share this with your students, by all means. However they will need to download Firefox here.

Let's get you up and running....

1. Login to a school computer. Plug your USB in.
2. From the desktop, go to TEACHER'S COMMUNITY.
3. Open the STAFF SHARE folder.
4. Open the FIREFOX folder.
5. Transfer this file (Firefox Setup 11.0) to your USB.
6. Open your USB drive.
7. Double click the setup file.
8. When prompted, choose a CUSTOM setup. Click NEXT.
9. Your DESTINATION folder should be your USB drive. Click BROWSE to change this. Click NEXT.
10. Un-check the next 3 options (On my desktop, In my start menu, In my quick launch).
11. Keep clicking NEXT until the extraction is complete.

From now on, when you are using a school computer, simple insert your USB drive and run Firefox as your internet browser.

Any questions, call me. Science Office x143.

Happy Monday!

Me in an Infographic!

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Paved Paradise....and Put Up A Virtual Parking Lot

A parking lot in the classroom? How absurd....(a classroom in the parking lot--maybe)...but in 'edu-speak', a parking lot is simply a place where students can post sticky notes for later review and reflection. As the lesson proceeds, students can write their questions, comments and ideas on a sticky note and post it in the 'parking lot'--the white board, a piece of chart paper or simply the wall.

But at the end of the day, after they leave the room, what happens if a student thinks of a question/comment that they would like to add?

As always, there is a digital solution!!

The Virtual Parking Lot

Linoit is  a free service of sticky notes and canvas for everyone to see and to use. All you need is a web browser.

It IS that simple.

Create a free login. Start a new canvas. Post some sticky notes. And then Share.

Or don't.

Keep some canvases as your personal 'parking lot' and create others for your class.

Here are some ideas on how/when to use Linoit in your classroom:

1. Exit Cards
2. Theme sorting
3. Post a video in the centre of your canvas. Watch it in class. Ask students to post their responses/questions on the canvas as you watch.
4. Summative Project display board--could be used in a similar fashion to Glogster (which is no longer free for education)
5. Concept Attainment Activities.


Did I mention there is also an iPhone/iPad app?

 

And, well, we all like to watch videos right?

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!!

I'm sure at some point, we have all read a book by Dr. Seuss. My favorite was always Green Eggs and Ham--and as a parent I would feel this great sense of pride if I could get through the entire book during Story Time without tripping over my tongue.

And then came Fox in Socks. I have attempted to read this book many times and still find myself tripping over the words and tongue twisters.

Laughing at me? You try it:

“When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles and the bottle's on a poodle and the poodle's eating noodles...they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle bottle paddle battle.” 
― Dr. Seuss, Fox in Socks

Thankfully, my only concern with these books is trying to get the words out of my mouth. But many students in our community speak a first language other than English. Not only are our studnts trying to get the tongue twister over their tongue, but they are trying to decipher the words and their meaning too.

Enter Lingro.

Lingro is a website that will automatically change all the text on a website to clickable text. When you click on a word, a pop up will appear with the definition of the word.

Not only can you find the definition of the word in English, but you can choose a different dictionary and have the definition presented in another language.

This is a great resource for any of your students in your class--whether they are English Language Learners or not. When doing research online, you often end up on a site with a very sophisticated lexicon. 

Having trouble deciphering the following article?

Estimation of alternative splicing variability in human populations

Simple add the web address to Lingro and voila! all the words can be defined/explained in one click!