netTrekker Blog

All Children’s: Joey keeps learning even in hospital

My son, Joey, was diagnosed as a seizure child several years ago. When I first found out, I used netTrekker to find information for myself and for his teachers. Periodically we have to do a 48 hour study where they monitor his staring spells (petite mals) and his sleep habits. We’re in All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg right now for our latest check up. They have just built onto the hospital and it is beautiful! Joey has a private room, the nurses are FANTASTIC, and the volunteers are great. In Joey’s room he has this nice size TV that is controlled by a keyboard. He has movies, television, older arcade style games, and the Internet.

Create your own video slide-show at animoto.com.

And while it’s summer, Joey is still working on school activities. This morning we worked on math. We started with a netTrekker search, refreshed his memory on addition rules with BrainPOP and then he moved onto his workbook pages. His reward for doing the math problems was to read “Belly Up” (he thinks the silly fish is named after him), and to play other games on BrainPOP Jr. Then we went back to our netTrekker search and he played another game that he found using the refinement menu. All on the cool TV.

I made a quick Animoto Video to showcase him using the keyboard and the netTrekker and BrianPOP screen-shots.

This hospital is so cool! And the nurse assigned to Joey also thinks that netTrekker and BrainPOP make a cool combo.

Tags: BrainPOP, netTrekker, petite mals, seizure child

And We Have Winners!

One of the hot topics in education is personalizing education. Of course, being a former classroom teacher, technology coach, and now a netTrekker Trainer, I could tell you many ways to use netTrekker to meet the individual needs of your students. However,  we wanted to know how YOU use netTrekker to personalize learning and put it into action, so we made this year’s ISTE Scholarship Contest a video contest where teachers share their story.

It was tough, and the judges spent a lot of time watching each video entry more than once. In the end, we could only choose two for the scholarships. The others will receive nice gifts from our friends at BrainPOP.

Join me in congratulating Jackie Shanti from Clara Barton School, Milwaukee, WI and Andy Losik from Hamilton Schools, Fennville, MI. They will be attending ISTE2010 as our scholarship winners. You can check out their videos, and the other entries, on our scholarship info page.

They will also be sharing their story in the netTrekker Booth at ISTE2010. Come by and say hi, and learn something new from a netTrekker Educator.

Thank you to all who entered and shared your story. They were all fascinating and edutaining!

Tags: BrainPOP, NECC, netTrekker, scholarship

Paperless Trails

Earth Day is right around the corner, so we decided to dedicate this week to Earth Day topics. Today is a topic that has been hot on Twitter, Paperless Classrooms.

This topic was hot a few years ago, with one classroom going paperless in 2001 and creating one of the first sites about being paperless. With the introduction of handhelds, netbooks, the 1:1 computer initiative and now the iPad, paperless classrooms are still on everyone’s mind. Think about it. A student can create the written document/presentation in Zoho or Google and share it with you as a way to turn it in. Teachers have access to tools like Quia, DiscoveryStreaming’s Quiz Builder, or even handheld clickers you can administer a quiz/test that way. (There’s even a program for the iTouch to become a handheld clicker!)

Then, as I started this blog, I saw a Facebook posting from netTrekker’s CEO Randy Wilhelm about how netTrekker is helping Canada transition to digital resources. Here’s one of my favorite quotes, “With the growing movement toward interactive whiteboards, laptops and mobile computing in schools, augmenting traditional print resources with digital education solutions is now a viable opportunity in K-12 education. Educators need high-quality digital content that is appropriate for classroom use and leverages the benefits of Web technologies such as up-to-date information and rich multimedia.”

Don’t live in Canada? Would like to use netTrekker to digitize your classroom so you can go paperless? Let’s talk about some of the possibilities.

Start by using netTrekker’s My Portfolio to create a project folder. Using the refinement tabs, find resources that are primary documents, video, interactive media, or from some of our great content partners like BrainPOP or Globio. Don’t forget to add a link to your Promethean or SMART Board resource for the students to use as a review. Need to add a link to another subscription your district offers? Go for it with the “Add a Link” button in My Portfolio.

Speaking of “Add a Link”, there are some paper resources that you might enhance your project in the media center. Share that printed resource using a tool like Scholastic Book Wizard. Again, once you create the list, share that link in the My Portfolio.

Next, in your new project folder, add a quiz to check for knowledge gained. Again, use tools like your DiscoveryStreaming Quiz Builder or QuizStar by adding a link to your computer quiz. Or, check out the quizzes found in BrainPOP. The work’s done for you, and the quizzes go along with their great movies featuring everyone’s favorite robot, Moby.

Now, I don’t like relying on a quiz alone for the grade. I want the students to do something with that knowledge to show their true understanding of the standards and the ability to transfer their new knowledge to a new situation. Create a VoiceThread for students to use to debate a topic or share information. How about a Glogster where they present their information in a multimedia format? Or a Kerpoof story, movie, or picture? The students can share their Glogster link with you in the MyPortfolio Folder as a way to electronically share it with the other students and turn it in.

In the end, your entire project is in My Portfolio. Nothing needs to be printed. You have the directions, the electronic resources found in netTrekker and the links to the extra useful subscriptions your district provides to you, and a link to where they will electronically build their project and take their quiz. Now you can share this folder in the school or district area for your students to access. And, you’ll have it for next year too! The added benefit of using the My Portfolio is that you still have access to the Read Aloud and Dictionary Hot Key tools that really help engage and enable students in their learning process.

If you would like to take the pledge to go Paperless this Earth Day, check out this online site.

Amy’s got more information on Earth Day tomorrow. Then on Wednesday we’ll talk about how to raise money for your school while reducing waste. Thursday and Friday have other surprises to be shared. So tune in!

Tags: BrainPOP, Canada, dictionary hot key, Digitized resources, Glogster, My Portfolio, paperless, read aloud, VoiceThread

netTrekker & BrainPOP in PA Cyber Charter School

We’re excited to introduce a guest blogger today. Karry Simmel is the Assistant Principal for PA Cyber Charter School, a leader in providing online education to over 8,000 K-12 students. Karry shares how her school is using netTrekker and BrainPOP together to engage students in 21st century learning.

Here at PA Cyber Charter School, netTrekker and BrainPOP have become a vital part of our instruction.  It was just a few years ago that I was introduced to netTrekker and started to utilize their resources through the state access that was provided for all Pennsylvania Schools. This past year, the statewide subscription ended and each school had to purchase its own license.  At first I felt this was a devastating blow.  Now, through our netTrekker subscription we are able to subscribe to additional resources that have enhanced the education we provide for our 8,000 plus students.

One of the best resources that our teachers utilize often is BrainPOP.  BrainPOP provides additional learning opportunities, interactive learning games, videos, activities, and a large variety of animated educational resources to assist students, teachers, and parents.  BrainPOP increases active engagement opportunities that relate to the 21st Century Learner.  With technology advancements, students are learning differently, and demanding more creative interaction. Education is ever changing, putting more demand on teachers to be more creative in their instruction.  Basically teachers need a wider variety of activities in order to actively engage and captivate their students.  With netTrekker and BrainPOP, many of our teachers have been able to do just that. For example, upon evaluating teachers’ instruction, I often ask, “Where did you get this video or the interactive web site?” The answer is always, “Through netTrekker and/or BrainPOP.” My response, “Marvelous, simply marvelous!”

With the direction of education evolving, I personally feel there is not a better educational resource to have at your finger tips than netTrekker and BrainPOP.  Through the years that I have been using netTrekker, it also continues evolving, learning, adapting, and growing to ensure that today’s student’s needs are met and students are provided with a variety of educational opportunities.  netTrekker is the search engine that links the bountiful resources BrainPOP has to offer to any classroom, student, teacher, and parent.

Though we do pay for these subscriptions, they are proving to be a priceless investment to meet the educational needs of the 21st Century Learner.  This is our specific targeted audience at PA Cyber Charter School.  Safe sites are more and more difficult to come by. Through netTrekker we know our students are viewing protected, educational, and meaningful sites that are specific to the information needed.  No matter what type of school a student attends, netTrekker and BrainPOP are two resources that specifically target the progression of education.

In my own personal words, “Don’t go to school without netTrekker and BrainPOP!”

Are you using netTrekker and BrainPOP together? How is it helping your teachers and students?

Tags: 21st Century Learning, BrainPOP, integration, netTrekker

Getting By With A Little Help

I mentioned yesterday that I read a variety of blogs, articles and other goodies first thing in the morning. Well at night, I treat myself to a bit of the entertainment news and last night in my alerts were a few pages with updates about David Cook.

I admit, I didn’t watch American Idol faithfully until his season, and season 8 didn’t hold my attention as much because David Cook was not a contestant. I’m a cougar cub for David Cook, what can I say?

Well in last night’s alerts was something about Adam Lambert, a very talented runner up for season 8 – but still not my favorite over David. Adam grabbed my attention last night, and in turn has influenced me to buy my son Adam’s debut CD. Why? Because of this commercial he made for DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose is an awesome program where teachers can write up a project or request resources that they need funding, then regular people like yourself can donate. You can give as little or as much as you can. Adam is passionate about the arts, a great outlet for kids with ADHD (like Adam mentioned in one interview) and even for kids with learning disabilities, so he advocates donating to the arts in schools.

If you are a classroom teacher, and you need to find resources for your classroom, check out DonorsChoose and see if your wish list qualifies. You can include a netTrekker subscription add-on to Weekly Reader or BrainPOP. Weekly Reader Online will help you save trees, while promoting literacy skills and global understanding using this trusted classroom resource. BrainPOP – well “the more you know, the more you know”, and their movies will help you be in the know, along with the quizzes and interactive media. Both premium upgrades lend to more interaction in the classroom, and deeper learning of content.

If you are looking for grants, then check out netTrekker’s Teacher Tools (the feature I mentioned yesterday). Click on Professional Development and then there will be a topic on grants. There are many great sites with grants still available, for as little as $100 to the thousands! The Federal Government to Best Buy to HP to Dollar General offer grants that can benefit reading programs or your greatest dream as a teacher. We even have great links to websites that will help you write the grants you’re searching for.

Thank you Adam for highlighting DonorsChoose. Best of luck to any teacher submitting for a grant. Make sure you also keep an eye on our Funding Update Page by Alan Whisman for federal funding information. (You can subscribe to the page via RSS and make it even easier to keep up with. And while you’re at it, subscribe to the main blog as well!)

Tags: Adam Lambert, American Idol, arts, Best Buy Grant, Brain Cancer, BrainPOP, Cook, David Cook, Dollar General, donations, DonorsChoose, Federal Funding, Give Back, grants, HP, Lambert, netTrekker, supplies, Teacher Tools, weekly reader

2009 netTrekker Fest Event

Helping customers has always been something that I enjoy. It’s powerful to feel like you are part of someone else’s “team” and you are helping them alleviate some of their “pain points”.

The netTrekker Fest on Thursday was something completely different. We were on a journey together. I learned right along with all of our customers. When everyone came in, there wasn’t much conversation, not many people knew each other.

Our keynotes gave us many new things to think and talk about INCLUDING how we all felt about the idea of going “back to school”. Sharon Draper made us all consider our level of “crispiness” and renew our faith in what we do. Dr. Kari Stubbs of BrainPOP opened many new doors of possibilities – Web 2.0 tools, Global Perspectives, 21st Century Skills and many more as well as our new integration with the fantastic BrainPOP resources. The conversations started to flow… it was amazing!

The Zoo showed us real, engaging ways to get kids asking the questions they need to learn more – and it was FUN!

CIM shared some cool tools that work with netTrekker and all areas of the technology-scape of a school or district. Gotta have those gadgets! Specific examples of how netTrekker supports these and many other types of approaches helped to round out the day with our Round Robin of afternoon sessions.

I am changed… I am inspired… I am renewed… I am ready to roll my sleeves up (even further) and work harder for this area to continue this new buzz of excitement that was generated last week.

This is our “hood” – this region is home to netTrekker – but the netTrekker Family reaches across the whole world. We continue to try to do good things for kids where ever they are. So, as I say to everyone when I sign off… Happy netTrekking!

Tags: BrainPOP, netTrekker