STJLabs Help Info

• November
• 16

As you work through the potential deluge of STJLabs questions, here’s some info that might be helpful.

Email me with lists of accounts you need reset. I can’t reset student accounts when the requests come from student email addresses.

Usernames are all fullfirstname.fulllastname@stjlabs.com. All spaces are removed. Dashes are included. Notice the period between the full first name and the full last name.

Passwords are whatever a kid has set. The first time they log in to the system they are forced to change their password.

Portal and STJLabs accounts are completely separate. If someone changes their password on one system it does not change their password on the other. (Sidenote: Yes, I do think it would be amazing to have a universal login and password for all the systems we need to log into.)

The login info letter I give out to all new students is right here. It may be helpful to give out to students who are confused about their accounts.

Lots more support info is online on the STJLabs Support page: http://stjlabs.com/support/

10 minute lesson plans

• November
• 15

Bill Vinton suggested that we use this 10 minute lesson plan in the science department, to organize our lessons through this guided step-by-step lesson plan builder and get students to engage, focus and improve in the classrooms. I found this very useful and would like to share it with you.

http://www.10minutelessonplans.com/

Technology as a Tool to Help Struggling Students

• November
• 15

As a teacher of 47 standard level Social Studies students I find one of my hardest jobs is keeping track of my student’s progress and helping them make up class when absent, and/or providing support beyond the classroom.   My new (to me) tablet PC has been providing a way for me to capture dynamic in-class discussion and make them available to students via the Portal or by simply handing it to them when they return.  Students who struggle to take notes while pay attention and engaging in discussion can forgo standard note taking procedures and therefor concentrate on staying present with the material being discussed.  They can access the notes at a later date to review necessary content.  I find for many of my students this increases their confidence level and thus their willingness to contribute in the moment.

I have had some successes and failures while using the hardware and software.  The normal frustrations that technology presents many of us, some of it caused by user error, some by the quirkiness that comes with machines that seem to have personalities of their own, has caused some moments of utter desperation but alas it’s been a journey of problem solving that my students have been a part of, and for many that is the best lesson they can learn.

Here are the details; by creating a framework for each class with topics, sub topics and guiding questions in Power Point and then importing into One Note I have essentially my lesson plan as a guide to our discussions.  I take all notes of our discussion generated by the framework on the tablet PC (at this point I take all the notes but would love to transfer that over in time to my students). The end product is a pdf version of a summary of the discussion.  It works well for some discussion but with others I would love to have an audio recording as it’s sometimes hard to capture the entirety of a high order thinking discussion (as I hope all of them are, to varying degrees of success) in written words and phrases. That is the next step.  My goal for next semester (with Josh’s help) is to get the hardware and software necessary to audio capture our discussions.

I strongly believe that no audio recording or pdf will ever replace the experience my students have with each other in the classroom but for students with occasional or chronic absences (of which I have far too many) it does provide a vehicle to begin the make-up process.  Technology has the opportunity to not only work in a reactive way but also in a proactive way for my student who needs additional support.  Knowing that have access to the material at a later date allows them to be more present and engaged.  I should note that I do require that students take some sort of notes but my goal this is for their insights and ideas, something to enrich rather than to remediate.

Amazon has a phone number and other Kindle lessons

• November
• 14

While the library has been getting Kindles up and running, Special Services is also working on getting these devices out to their students as well. There are a few differences in the way that we will be utilizing the Kindles, but we have both run into a few bumps along the way.

At one point, I thought about calling Amazon to ask a question, and the path to their phone number was maze-like and frustrating. I tried to find it many different ways, but kept hitting a dead end; I almost gave up until finally – I found it!

Here’s how: I opened an Amazon account, but wanted to close it after opening a different one – so I typed “close Amazon account” into the search field. After filling out a few questions with a pull-down-menu the number appeared like flash in the darkness: 1-866-216-1072

Although it says that the number is an automated system, it turns out that a real live person talks to you. (I didn’t actually make the call because the word “automated” frightened me away, but two colleagues said they did not speak to any machines.) So, it turns out that once the number is found, Amazon can be very helpful.

One instance that Amazon provided some very useful information was when I was trying to help someone figure out how to get a book from Overdrive onto an older version of the Kindle (the 2nd one).
We went through the steps, and instead of saying that the book was delivered to the device, it said that that particular device did not support Wi Fi, and without this there could be no book sent to it. In this case, it is possible to download the book to a usb and then transfer it to the Kindle. There were a couple of issues with this, at first, but after calling Amazon they said that there was a step missed: clicking save and transfering it to the right place. So, it worked and the book made it safely to the Kindle.

On another note, I’ve checked out one of the Kindles and just finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, an incredible account of how the author’s determination to overcome a running injury takes him on an incredible journey into the world of ultamarathons and ultramarathoners. It’s a pretty amazing read – and you certainly don’t need to be a runner (or even like running!) to enjoy it!

Instead of buying an iPad…

• November
• 10

The iPad is a revolutionary device. It’s awesome. It just works. It’s hip. It pushed a new class of device into the mainstream. It can do wonders in the classroom.

That being said, before you go out and pick up one, keep in mind that for the price of one base model iPad 2 ($499), you could buy:

Document cameras for an entire department: 7 iPEVO2 Document Cameras ($483)

Digital projector setup: ViewSonic PJD5123 Digital Projector ($325.99) and a 120″ Pull Down Projector Screen ($159.99) [Total: $485.99]

A way to amplify your handouts: 6 Kindles ($474)

The reverse classroom kit: Refurbished Lenovo x61 Convertible Tablet (~$300), SFBags Tablet Case ($57), USB Mobile Mouse ($7.84), USB Keyboard ($11.97), 500Gb Portable External Hard Drive ($57.99), and a USB DVD Burner ($36.99) [Total: $471.79]

Double the power and a fire hose of media: 2 Kindle Fires ($399.98) and a year of Amazon Prime ($79.99) [Total: $479.97]

Fall Grant Winner

• November
• 10

The 2012 tech integration grant winner is Nicole Begin for her document camera proposal. She will be awarded and iPEVO2 document camera, LED light, and USB extension cable.

Congratulations Nicole!

My New Lenovo Think Pad – Technology Ramblings of a Raving Maniac

• November
• 10

I am not a stranger to writing or even journaling, yet when asked to write a blog, I froze. What does that mean? How do I write a blog? And how do I talk about all the wonderful things I am doing with my new toy when in fact so few of them have materialized yet? Well, I guess I will just rip the band aid off and here we go.

I was quite surprised to have been one of the “Chosen Ones” when the Think Pads were awarded. I love technology and I love what we can do with it…in our lives, in our homes, and in our classrooms. But as with all things loved, there is a dark side to the love that feels like, dare I say it? Hate!

I hate it when I can’t remember which password I have created to meet which criteria for which program. I hate it when I can’t log on to a computer to do simple things like check my email, write a document, or print a document. I hate that our school has not yet evolved, technologically speaking, to a point where we can log onto the wireless Internet without super top level clearance to get the password and assurances that we will not use up all the bandwidth with unnecessary streaming or other illicit behavior.

I was so hopeful that being awarded the Think Pad, an Academy computer, for my use would eliminate at least most of those hateful technology glitches I kept running into. I can say that that dream has come true. But as with all other aspects of my new life as an Academy community member, there is just no time for the vertical learning curve that I am facing in every direction.

So, the question remains, what have I accomplished with this new technology? Well, I am happy to say that more often than not my finger print scan does confirm that I am who I said I was when I set it up. Which is great, because I often forget the actual password that I set up at the same time! I have used the Think pad to project notes and Powerpoint presentations for my classes using the LCD projector that I conveniently forget to return so it is always in my classroom. I have not enjoyed the OneNote program as I was told I would, but to be fair, I have not spent as much time getting used to it as I have Word, so for now, I will use Word because it is what I know.

I was confounded one day when I realized that the CD drive on the computer in my classroom does not work and therefore the Fireworks movie that was going to get the kids jazzed for a unit on Combustion combusted before my eyes. I reached for ThinkPad thinking (foolishly) that it would behave as my personal laptop does by providing a CD drive that functions. WRONG!! No CD drive and a memory of Josh’s admonitions about using such archaic forms of media presentation so no movie. Well, not on that day anyway. Ended up going way old school with a television and the requisite three CD/VHS combination players of which two do not function and you have to wonder why it is still on the darned cart!

So…what now? I have ditched the attachable keyboard and mouse because peripherals add to the burden of transporting the computer on my daily walk to and from work and if Josh can use that little red button, so can I! I am not discouraged that I am not doing technological gymnastics stunts with my new technology because there has been nothing but new every week so I have to beg for patience from my audience while I get more familiar with the computer and how to integrate it with the spotty technology in my classroom (no offense to anyone, it is a work in progress, I understand that).

60 New Open Source Apps You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

• November
• 1

St. Johnsbury Academy’s CTO Jim Mazzonna just sent me a link to this article. It really is impressive how many quality open source software packages are developed each year.

If you’re looking for open source software alternatives, I highly recommend checking out osalt.com. The site has a fantastic searchable database where you can enter the name of a non-open source program and it will give you a list of open source alternatives.

Not just for Kindles

• November
• 1

Just a reminder: you only need to deal with Amazon if you are downloading Overdrive eBooks onto Kindles.

eBook titles in Overdrive can be downloaded to just about any device (PCs, Macs, smartphones, Nooks, etc.). For all devices other than Kindles, you don’t need to go to Amazon. Instead there is an easy, free, one-time download of Adobe Digital Editions onto whatever device you choose. From then on, it is really easy to download eBook titles from the Academy’s Overdrive site:

http://stjohnsburyacademy.lib.overdrive.com

I don’t recommend trying to read eBooks using Adobe Digital Editions on Smartphones, though. I still think Bluefire reader is better app for the iPhone at least.

Not that I’ve heard rumors of this but, let’s just hope Amazon doesn’t decide to buy Overdrive now and ruin it for everyone else!

Distributing the library Kindles

• October
• 31

So, we ran into a few complications getting the Kindles ready for use in the library. Basically – in order to get books from Overdrive you have to go through Amazon – which we were trying not to do.  In order to get books through Amazon, the Kindle needs to be registered to the user. At first, we were thinking of having each student register and de-register the library Kindle they were using to themselves, but after further discussion it seemed too complicated.

Instead, I set up one Amazon account for the library and registered all 10 Kindles to that account. There are a few complications with this scenario as well, but it seems a little less complicated than our other option. Each person who wants to check out a book from Overdrive using a library Kindle will need to put in the library username and password into Amazon when prompted. They will also have to ensure that they select the proper number of the Kindle they want the material to go to. Otherwise, it will go to a different Kindle that someone else may have checked out.

We also realized that there is no way to check items back in early from the Kindle or from Overdrive. It has to be done through Amazon. This isn’t that big of a deal though, because the materials will eventually be sucked back into the system automatically (if you want to use technical terms) at the end of the lending period.

If, however, you already have a Kindle and want to use Overdrive to check out materials on your own device you can do that too! Instead of using the library account, use your own!

So far, it’s been a pretty positive experience, and the students seem to enjoy the devices. It’s also pretty great to be able to use Overdrive to check out items onto personal devices as well.

So, come on in and check out a Kindle! (Or get put on the waiting list), and feel free to use Overdrive! Let us know what you think!