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Beginner or experienced, if you'd like to create a video for your class or research project and are looking for instruction, advice and information, this is the place to start. ETS Classroom Technology encourages the use of video within the Cal community and we are collating this grouping of tips, links and articles to further this goal. This section is expanding as we find and create more content, so check back often! Pre-Production Pre-production is the blanket term for everything that you do before the video shoot. There are many elements of creating a video that need to be planned for ahead of time in order to have a successful end product, many of which aren't obvious upon first consideration. 90% of a production should be an execution of an existing plan! Some fundamental questions What am I trying to achieve with my video? What am I going to shoot? What locations/people/resources do I need to accomplish my goals? What can I remove to simplify the process? Where is my video going to be shown and what do I need to do during production to make sure it displays correctly? If you answer these questions before you shoot, you will save a significant amount of time, money and frustration, and your video will be better for it.

Best Practices: Elementary Tech Teachers DPS Elementary Technology Teachers Best Practices Getting Started Developing Highly Effective Technology Lab Instruction Teacher frequently implements the components of effective technology instruction including: A mini-lesson based on the DPS Information Literacy and Technology Proficiencies. Independent work time Teacher regularly implements the components of effective technology instruction including: A planned mini-lesson based on the DPS Information Literacy and Technology Proficiencies. Independent work time based on a classroom project developed in collaboration with the students� classroom teachers. Closure at the end of each work session that includes defining next steps and work the students need to continue and bring to the lab during their next session. Teacher routinely implements the components of effective information literacy and technology instruction including Mini-lessons that are focused and appropriate and which support student understanding of elements and strategies for specific ILT proficiencies.  The lessons are developed in collaboration with the students� classroom teachers and are project based and contain clear expectations and information necessary to improve the students� work. Independent work time which provides opportunities for students to work with clear intentions and purposes and to try the strategies and skills presented in the mini-lessons.  Students work individually or in small groups, as dictated by the needs of the project at hand. When students are working independently, the teacher confers with students or meets with small groups, focusing on the intended learning from the mini-lesson.  Closure at the end of the session includes reflective discussion on the part of the students re: what they have learned , in addition to defining next steps and the work the students need to continue and bring to the lab during their next session.

exchange ideas and conversations with others using the #hashtag conversations you’re involved in

Just like going to the gym once every two weeks isn’t going to keep you in peak physical condition, participating in Twitter #hashtag chats and interacting only occasionally isn’t going to make your Twitter community very robust. You don’t have to be a chronic Tweeter to stay regularly involved – but it is important to check in, reply, and participate to keep the conversation going

can deepen student learning by supporting instructional objectives

ind creative and constructive ways to integrate technolog

y into your class.

The following five technological tools are must haves for the classroom of today. Each tool provides teachers with a method in which they can actively engage their students in the learning process.

It used to be that my students learned to write by writing on paper. Sometimes they wrote in notebooks and sometimes they wrote on single sheets, but no matter how they wrote, I was the intended audience. In most cases, I was the only person who ever saw that writing. Sometimes their parents would take the time to read through their notebooks and papers as they came home or at the end of the school year. Sometimes they would read their writing aloud to the class. But in most cases, unless I posted their writing on a bulletin board in the hallway, a very limited number of people had access to that writing. Wow! Has that changed! Now, my students regularly write on their blogs, not just for me, but also for their parents, grandparents, other relatives, friends and potentially the whole world to see. When they write a tweet, they have the potential of all of our Twitter followers seeing what they write, and since many of our followers are classroom groups, that number is potentially far higher. Not exactly the same as writing in a notebook. Their audience now exists in places they have never been and may never visit.

Blogger is one of the most user-friendly Web site builders we've ever encountered. We both use it as a communication springboard with our students, and families have found wonderful success in building motivation for out-of-school learning as well. The site walks users through how to build a blog, and it can be customized in a variety of ways. We personally like this better than some others we've used, in that there are more functions with Blogger, and it flows so easily from one application to the next. We use this extensively in the classroom -- for out-of-class contests, research opportunities, extra-credit assignments, keeping absent students up-to-date, communication with parents about classroom climate, and much, much more. I've just renewed my blog site for the new school year.

iOS is the world’s most advanced — and most accessible — mobile operating system. Innovative features like VoiceOver, AssistiveTouch, and Guided Access help students with special needs enjoy more of what iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch have to offer.

Powerful features designed for students with special needs are integrated in every Mac. Technologies like VoiceOver, built-in braille support, and Sticky Keys and Slow Keys help students navigate and control the Mac. All without having to buy additional software.

Innovative teachers, inspired learners.Learn more

If your child receives special education services, he must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). That’s the law.

It spells out your child’s learning needs, the services the school will provide and how progress will be measured.

The IEP is meant to address each child’s unique learning issues and include specific educational goals. It is a legally binding document. The school must provide everything it promises in the IEP.

make it easier for students to take notes and track instructor thinking

If an instructor has taken time to write it down, it must be worth the student writing down. Students will assume anything appearing on a PowerPoint slide is important, unless they are told specifically by the instructor to focus on some points of information and not others. Some of us like having the slides available on BlackBoard before class, some of us don't.

Effective instructors are likely to use technology effectively

Free Lesson Plans, Units, Classroom Materials, Teacher Communities, and More!

teach your students how to use the Text to Table feature.

If you use Microsoft Word, learn how to insert comments into Word documents

When working on lengthy technology projects, print out step-by-step instructions.

Some ways that I use SMARTboard in my classroom: With my morning message. After students read my morning message, I often include a “ps” that invites them to come up and respond to a question or graph. To watching BrainPOP movies and playing the quizzes. To go over math problems. To create charts. To look at maps or photographs. To view interactive websites. To prepare for tests (way more exciting on a SMARTboard!). As a math tool (for example, elapsed time, protractor, graph paper). With Inspiration software (for class brainstorms, spelling word sorts, etc.).