Need Videos for Your LiveBinder?...TOP 5 Places to Find Them!

Cartoon credit: anneelicious.wordpress.com


So, you have decided to create your own LiveBinder. After going through all the "dead" binders in my home office I can see the value of a "virtual" shelf...
But where do you get videos for your students.

Have no fear...The Lit Maven is here!

1. WatchKnow
Sliding filter, feature to find age appropriate videos (3 to 18+) and a broad directory as seen here:


2. EduTube
A vast array of educational videos. You can search by:
*Category
*Video Type
*Video Length
*Educational Level

3. YouTube
Videos that might not be on Edutube. The biggest directory of videos, that I know, out there.

4. Khan Academy
Math and Science focus...all ages. Check out the TED talk on the home page...very inspiring!

5. Brightstorm
Math and Science focus...middle to high school. Thanks to Brandon for letting me know about that one!

"They have a textbook browsing feature in which they have mapped popular school textbooks to the videos on their site, so essentially as the teacher is going through the book, there are videos that directly correlate with whatever lesson he or she is teaching. also in beta testing right now, they have a 'maps' feature in which both teachers and students can create playlists of however videos they want in any order they want, so they can have their own personalized lesson plan. it's like flipping the classroom... students can watch the videos at home and then teachers can run experiments, show other videos, have discussions in class. and it's all up to the teacher's discretion because she can customize her lesson plan. pretty neat, i think, and she can also share her map with other teachers across the country." -Brandon

WATCH FOR THE BONUS POST TOMORROW

Other Posts on this Topic

Digital Textbooks...Like Putting Lipstick on a Pig
Digital Textbooks...It's a Matter of Definition
Building a Textbook From Scratch...5 Reasons to Try LiveBinder
5 Tips for Starting Your Own LiveBinder


But until then...Here is the video that helped the LitMaven learn her numbers:



Until Next Time,
Lit Maven Out!

5 Tips to Starting Your Own LiveBinder

I am in the midst of starting my own LiveBinder and of course... it is never easy to make a decision...so here are some tips to get you started.

1) Who is your audience?
*Students
*Teachers
*Parents
*Administrators
*A Mixture
Here is great example of a teacher audience:
Cape Fear Handbook

Note: The School not the Movie


2. What will the user access be?
*Public
*Private

3. What is the time frame for utilizing the LiveBinder?
*one day
*one week
*one month
*one semester
*one year

4. What are you going to include?
*PDFs
*Audio
*Video
*Images
*Links

5. What type of online access will you have?
*Computer Lab
*Wireless
*Classroom Connections

Love this Grade One example!
Access at school and at home.

So this should at least get you thinking...

Here is a BONUS TIP: Look through the other binders, this is a collaborative exercise after all.

Perhaps even...Whistle While You Work


Other Posts on this Topic

Digital Textbooks...Like Putting Lipstick on a Pig
Digital Textbooks...It's a Matter of Definition
Building a Textbook From Scratch...5 Reasons to Try LiveBinder

As always let me know what you are thinking in the comment boxes below.


Until Next Time,
Lit Maven Out!

Building a Textbook From Scratch?...5 Reasons to Try LiveBinder

I have been stumbling across LiveBinders over the last while. The thought of a "Live" binder snapping at me with its rings, was disconcerting...see the above image.

But like all things, I don't understand. I investigated.

LiveBinder seems to be an ideal platform for creating a textbook from scratch.

Thankfully, there are amazing people out there such as Cybraryman, who have collected many LiveBinder tips in one location.

I like that! Thanks Cybraryman.

5 Reasons to Use LiveBinder

1. You can go PAPERLESS! Imagine all your resources in one location. First, there was one ring to rule them all...now there is one binder!

2. There are "Ready-Made" binders.

10 Online Tools to Kickstart the Year

Great for those who prefer to just "dip their toes" when trying out new "web" stuff.

3. Timely Educational Uses

LiveBinder suggests these uses:

School Computer Labs
Class Presentations
Class Assignments
Learning at Home
School Team Sports
Class Projects and Research

4. Easy Access

"Teachers place LiveBinders on desktops so kids don’t have to type addresses or get lost searching on the web. And they don't have to add a bookmark to every computer every time they have a new link to share - they can just update the livebinder.-LiveBinder"

5. It's Free!
Nuf...said!


Let me know how LiveBinder has worked for you. I plan to make one soon. Perhaps, it will change my life!

Other Posts on this Topic

Digital Textbooks...Like Putting Lipstick on a Pig
Digital Textbooks...It's a Matter of Definition

Until Next Time
Lit Maven Out!

Digital Textbooks...It's a Matter of Defintion (Part 2 in a series on Digital Textbooks)

Last post, I went to the extreme of comparing digital textbooks to putting
"Lipstick on a Pig". So I promise that I will lead you away from the make-up aisle and towards something that will change your teacher...Forever.

Way to raise the bar Lit Maven!

Anyway, I have been thinking about this post in my sleep. Which, I know is fairly sad...but it is all for the educational good.

Anyway...it begins with this... it's a matter of definition.

(not the Canadian TV Show)

and definitely not the show's Theme Song or Austin Powers

What it isn't
For me, I am not talking about a "Digital" Textbook as simply a digital version of a regular textbook.

Some schools use the term E-book or "digital equivalent", as suggested in this article.

My Definition

So what is your definition, Lit Maven?

I envision or define a digital textbook, like writers' notebooks. An all encompassing catchment for a subject area or subjects combined. Pulling in audio, video and other resources into a home base for students. Combining all the features of a digital textbook except...it is created by the teacher (perhaps also from students).

This would be a huge undertaking. But wouldn't it be worth it?

I must digress..once a teacher asked me for help with her struggling reader. I suggested some resources or things that she could create.

She said, "I don't have time."
I thought, "So it's easier to do nothing. It's easier to ignore a student who is struggling?" (Please note the sarcasm)

So yes...it requires work, but so do all things, that are worthwhile.

What Do We Call it?

So what name can we use to replace the digital textbook?

I am thinking CLN(Classroom Learning Network ). But I also what the name to suggest a unifying element, a central hub of info. I will continue to ponder it. Please let me know what you think.

Also,check out this #Edchat summary. It helps to get the discussion started.

Next Post: Baking a "textbook" from scratch.

Until Next Time,
Lit Maven Out!

Digital Textbooks...Like Putting Lipstick on a Pig

No More Paper, No More Books…No More Problems…

I find the topic of digital textbooks to be fascinating. It sounds appealing…heck it sounds romantic…. Really?...Lit Maven.

Let me explain....
The current situation is that most students are using "regular" textbooks.

I remember the excitement of opening a textbook at the beginning of the year and seeing who had their name in it last year.

If it was a boy, there was sure to be bad words somewhere…or Rock Band logos…Sometimes there were speech bubbles with inappropriate comments.

The textbook was a rite of passage. A unifying force so to speak. Walk down the hall and you knew who was in which grade or at least, taking which classes. But how old school is that notion...

But the question cannot be about textbooks vs. digital textbooks. It has to be this:

Can we move away from digital textbooks (textbooks) towards a blend of other internet resources?

You see...it is a matter of intention. If it is to save money, by having a digital textbook then essentially you are putting lipstick on a pig.

Are we enlightening he child...or lightening the backpack?






Oh I know..you are thinking.."there is so much you can do with a digital textbook, Lit Maven."

Perhaps you can change the font size or search more efficiently...but really is this a breakthrough?

NO.

So what can we do instead?

This week I would like to investigate the possibilities of teacher created textbooks. That is... textbooks (resources) that are a blend of materials such as audio,video, images etc.

I will be answering questions like:

Where can you find the information to include?

How can you store and distribute the information?

Of course I may come up with more questions along the way.

But...
Until Next Time,
Lit Maven Out!

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner: How Dirty Dancing Can Inspire Educational Change

So...I was thinking a lot about context. The fact that we behave differently in different contexts.

You might be more chatty at home, less so at work.
You might think more creatively outside, less inside.
You might be a morning person, not a night owl.
You might prefer to walk and think, rather than sit and think.

Baby Houseman was the perfect daughter...until she helped carry watermelon (fast forward to 6:30 mins in)...more about that later.

I guess we all have our ideal conditions, where we do our great work. The thing is students are learning and being assessed in one context with usually one set of conditions.
Is it possible that grades reflect the context not the person?
If so...what are we doing?
How is this even useful?

This insight first came to me a couple of years ago when my daughter brought her art home from school. School art time was usually about 20 minutes max and her art reflected that. At home, she would take 2 hours at a time to complete amazing works of art.

All of a sudden, I thought back to my past students.
What I saw in my classroom was only a glimpse of what those students could do!? It could have been a good reflection or a bad reflection but no where near a complete reflection.

Baby Houseman learned to dance in another context. (Fast Forward to 4:10 mins)

Think about it this way...What if Baby had never been exposed to other contexts?

Well, personally, I think she would have stayed in the corner...a very long time...

Until Next Time!
Lit Maven Out!

Blogging From Brokeback Mountain: When Quitting Isn't an Option

I need your help. I am nearing the 100th blog post and I need to know a bit more about your interests. This blog was created on January 2010 for a graduate course. Those "Post #1", "Post #2" etc., were created for weekly assignments.

When the course ended, I wasn't sure of the direction I wanted to go, so it was a mixture of classroom reflections, pop culture connections to education, social media chatter etc... and so I am curious what keeps you coming back to the Lit Maven?

I have created 2 Polls on the left side.You can choose as many selections as you wish. NOTE: POLL HAS CLOSED, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW INSTEAD. I appreciate the extra effort...cause,

"I just can't quit you!"

(Note: Not the original movie quote...I took Lit Maven liberties...as usual!)




If you would like to be more specific than the polls allow, please comment below.

Until Next Time,
Lit Maven Out!