[10/14] Class assignments via email

URL: http://www.gaggle.net/gaggler/The_Gaggler_Vol3Iss2.pdf

Keywords: Using email in the classroom (Google)

Target: the 6-12th grades

This article suggests a few examples for assignments using email.

- A teacher email to students reading assignments and get their response with a short summary by email. A teacher can send them reading assignments on the appropriate level for each student. Also, students can learn email etiquette and progress their writing skill in email format.
- Progressive story writing would be a fun assignment. A teacher starts a story and each student adds a few lines to the story. Students cooperate with their classmates in making the story by email.
- Email can be also used for math assignments. A teacher sends daily or weekly math problem to students and gives them the answer later via email. Also, students can complete data collection in fraction or percentage math lessons.
- For social studies and history classes, students email to a member of Congress about the issue that has been discussed in the classroom. Teachers would confirm their email before students send it.

I would use these examples for my homeroom students. When I was a homeroom teacher in the 7 grade, I sometimes gave some homework by writing papers such as reading a book and the response. But, these would be better and easier by email. Particularly, the progressive story writing would be fun, and through this project students can make friendship with their classmates.

[10/07] On-line Art Gallery

• URL: http://media.iearn.org/node/188
  
  
• Google Keywords: the web in the classroom, art class
  
  
• Student Age Level : 5-11, 12-14, 15-18
  
  
• Description: The title of this lesson is “Eye to Eye Project”. The process is very simple, but meaningful to students. Students create postcard size images, and then participate in a web art exhibition hosted around the world through posting their artworks on the website. The main aims of this project are to support the ideals of friendship between students around the world and to help understanding each other through visual communication. Also, students can understand other cultures and countries through posting images, email, on-line chatting, and discussion boards in the project website.
  Here is one example of the “Eye to Eye Project” web gallery: http://web.mac.com/fratescreates/Site/Gallery.html
  
  
• Application: I can use this lesson in my art class. I can join in the project through registering this site and meet teachers and students in many countries by email or the forum on the website. It would be very good experience for young students and students can learn to use various web communication tools through this project. Besides, they can experience various and international views to one subject. I would really like to give my students this lesson when I come back to the school in South Korea.
  

[10/07] my 3 web browsers

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer supports Active X. I know that many U.S web sites do not use Active X, but most Korean websites use Active X so much. I use Korean websites every day, so I should install Active X. However, other web browsers except Internet Explorer do not support Active X. It needs to operate many active web effects or to use on-line payment systems. I don’t know why most Korean web sites require installing it, but I cannot throw Internet Explorer away because of Active X.

When one window has a problem, all windows are closed (crash problem). I sometimes lost my searched information because of this problem. And Internet Explorer works slower than Firefox and Google Crome. Also, Internet Explorer does not have a smart address bar that support advanced URL search and show a site name with its address. Other two browsers support this.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox has the strong add-on function such as IE tab, a colorful tabs, blog editor, newsreader, fast dial, and so on. My favorite is ScribeFire that is a blog editor. I can post the current page to my own blog just through clicking the right button of the mouse (click “ScribeFire” > “blog this page”). It is very simple and easy. I do not need to access to my blog for posting.
Firefox also support the embedded Internet Explorer engine within Firefox browser. If some websites do not work on Firefox, I can use Internet Explorer within Firefox window through clicking IE button of the menu bar.

Although using multiple tabs in one window is an advantage of Firefox, Firefox does not support the individual tab function like the crash problem of Internet Explorer. So, if one tab has a problem, all tabs are closed.

Google Crome

I have used Google Crome after it was released. I like Crome because it has a nice and simple interface and a heightened screen without unnecessary menu buttons. The dynamic tabs that I can freely move are also cool! Also, I can search Google in the address bar, and I can access my favorite web sites instantly with quick speed from any new tab. The page shows that the most visited 9 pages through the thumbnails and it shows the recent history and search engine together in the page. The word finding function (ctrl+F) is also great. It appears on the upper-right side. It shows the number of the searched word in a page and all searched words have different color, so I can find them easily.

But, it is difficult to find the functions of the browser at first because of the simple interface not showing many menus on the browser. And, Google Crome does not support various add-ons, yet.