netTrekker Blog

Glogging It

This past weekend I was invited to hang out with the Florida Discovery Educator Network at SeaWorld for a great learning event. The teachers learned how to create a waypoint for geocaching and how to create a Glog as a way to share what they have learned. Being the netTrekker fanatic that I am, I created a SeaWorld folder with resources, a link to a map to use with geocaching in the classroom, classroom project ideas and a link to my Glog. Unfortunately, you can’t access this project folder unless you are at my school. However, if you want a copy of it, leave a message of how to reach you and I’ll move the folder to your school or district.

Aside from catching up with good friends and making new ones, the fun part for me was creating the Glog. I chose to do one on Polar Bears. Unfortunately this exhibit was closed (SeaWorld is getting ready for sharing their Polar Express), so I couldn’t add any photos I took first hand. However, netTrekker did point me to a great video and some interesting facts.

For those of you new to Glogster, it’s a way to posterize your knowledge with graphics, text, video, images, and even sound! (The sound I found in a resource under References!) The even better thing is that they now have an “edu” version. If the regular version of Glogster was once blocked, I encourage you to see if this version can now be made available. It’s a great way for students to be creative in sharing their knowledge.

Quick note about the video, I ended up using the link from YouTube. The same video is on a website found in netTrekker, but it didn’t have the link-ability that YouTube has. Sorry about that!

My Portfolio is a great way to organize complete projects. One of the things you can do is add links to outside resources, which is especially a safe and easy way to have students post their projects. The link(s) you add will not show up in netTrekker as a whole, but rather in your portfolio, for your students to view.

Anyone up for a free webinar on Glogster? I’d love to share what I learned! Or contact your account manager to learn how to book your next professional development with us to learn how to integrate netTrekker with many great tools out there!

Tags: DEN, Glogster, netTrekker, polar bears, professional development, SeaWorld

Is Your netTrekker Authenticated?

The best way to get someone to do something is by making it as easy as you can and removing as many obstacles as possible.  So, wouldn’t it be nice if your students and staff could get into netTrekker from school without having to log in?  Well, it’s likely they can.

Many of netTrekker’s subscribing school districts choose to access netTrekker through IP Authentication.  This means that when students and staff go to netTrekker from a school computer, it automatically takes them into netTrekker without having to enter a username or password.  In fact, most of netTrekker’s districts with the highest usage access netTrekker in this manner, which you can imagine accounts for a certain amount of their success. 

There are certain limitations regarding who can use this method, but if your entire district subscribes and you have a static IP range, you should look into it. 

Click Here to go to where you can learn more and even complete our online form in order to set this up for your school/district.  If you have questions, feel free to email us at contactus@nettrekker.com.

If you’re school or district uses IP authentication, feel free to leave a comment and let others know if you feel this is something useful to pursue.

Tags: authentication, IP, netTrekker

Resource Round Up

We are often asked how a teacher can recommend a site or other great resource for netTrekker. These resources are often either great state or local websites, resources for very specific science topics, great book links, sites that are available in other languages, and great cultural resources. Sometimes it’s just a great personal website with lots of curriculum connections. We want to include these resources, and so we are pleased to announce a very easy form for you to submit them for our content editors to review, align to standards and have added to netTrekker for every student and teacher to use.

To submit a resource, you will need access to netTrekker Village. That means you need to be a member! Once you are a member, check out the form under Events titled “Resource Round Up“. Fill in as many details as you can and submit it. Make sure to include your name and a legitimate email so we can contact you once your resource is added in, or in case we need more information.

While you are at netTrekker Village, take a look at the new events added to the calendar. If you would like to host an event, in order to share a website tool found in netTrekker or a great lesson, please contact Danielle Abernethy. We’re hosting topics such as Museum Box, Social Networking, and netTrekker specific. Join us for one or more today!

By submitting new resources or taking part in an event, you help make us stronger and more resourceful for all of your research needs. To say thank you, you will automatically be entered in our monthly Power Networking Contest.

Tags: content, curriculum, events, museumbox, netTrekker, netTrekker Village, resources, social networking

Up the Mountain, Down the Mountain

This past Thursday I was sent to Oregon for a training scheduled for Friday. I was ecstatic at the opportunity to train, to see the great West, and to see the mountains.

I woke up at 2 am EST and made it to the Tampa airport without incident. The flight was comfortable, but long, and by the time I landed in Portland, Oregon, I was ready to go! I got the rental car, set my Garmin for the lengthy ride ahead of me, set my iTunes to play my favorite driving playlist, and set off. The colors were simply amazing! I’m a Florida girl right now, and we just don’t see those fiery reds, blazing oranges, golden yellows or lush greens in our leaves as the seasons change. Nature’s palette was rich and exciting to view. Add in the backdrop of the mountains and the crisp cool air, I was ready for an adventure!

I just wasn’t ready to drive up the mountain.

It’s been a long time since I drove up a mountain. And actually, I’ve always been the passenger, never the driver, and therefore could tune out the sights if needed with a book or looking the other way. But as the driver, your eyes must stay on the road, with an occasional glance in your rear view mirror. As I drove up the mountain and neared the edge, I looked at all those gorgeous colors in a sea of trees below me, and the panic attack set in. I didn’t realize how close to the edge I really was while going up Mount Hood. I then started taking note of how fast other cars were flying down the mountain, of the cars that were right on my tail to get up the mountain, or of the fact that I didn’t see a guard rail (and what would a guard rail do for me if I did have an accident and hit one?). There were also warning signs of ice, to use chains if snowing, animal crossings, and falling rocks. These did nothing more than to heighten the feeling of my throat closing and the panic attack settling in even more. I’m sure my panic attacks were heightened by my tiredness because as soon as I crawled off the mountain and to the hotel in Madras, I crashed and had the strangest dream.

It was like one of those old educational film strips, with a narrator explaining how education works. Each student has a vehicle, his or her brain. None are the same. You have the Ford Focus I was driving that strained to go up hill, the 18 wheeler that was on my tail forcing me to go faster, the SUV that was meant for that type of driving, and the zoom zoom sports car that scared the living daylights out of me as it passed each chance it got. The narrator noted that for each road there is a standard speed, but to expect some to slow down and some to speed up at their own comfort level. The narrator also pointed out there were areas to pull over and enjoy the view, areas to pull over and let the more accelerated people pass, sometimes a double lane to let people pass, and areas to pull over and test your brakes before going down a hill. All along the way you had the beautiful trees poking out with their vibrant hues and a look at the immediate fall if you didn’t handle the vehicle just right.

And as the narrator explained this to the class watching the film strip in my dream, the comparisons made me realize even more that the panic attack my son, and any other learning challenged student, must feel when faced to learn something new in a way they are not comfortable with must be like. While the end destination is absolutely thrilling, peaceful and worthwhile, the ride itself can be a bit scary. It also made me think of those who go so fast, that they miss the view, and even become bored with the end result because there’s not enough of a challenge for them. For instance, take that SUV that was able to go along at just the right pace, taking in the views, and able to enjoy the end result without crashing into a panic attack. Then there was the 18 wheeler that came pushing up on my tail (where I couldn’t even see the headlights, just the grill), who was like those who just don’t understand everyone moves at their own pace and that we must accommodate for them. (He wouldn’t even pass me when he had a chance, instead increasing my fear by staying right there.) It also made me realize the value of carpooling, or collaborative learning.

I wish I could say it was easier going down the mountain, but I can’t. I still panicked a little, but I knew when to pull over into the slow zones and let others pass me by and I was prepared for the onslaught of nerves prickling my neck. Thank goodness it didn’t rain or snow, I would really have been in trouble.

But the trip up the mountain did make me more thankful to work in education, and with netTrekker. I see netTrekker as a tool helping to support all levels on the course of learning with readability and grade levels, accommodating where possible by making it easier to find a place to pull over and practice those skills with resources that match the student’s learning style, lending a tool to help make it easier (like chains on the tires for snow) with features like read aloud and dictionary hot key. And yes, the collaborative learning power of My Portfolio and netTrekker Village.

But more importantly, we have some of the best teachers as users who are sharing these features with their students and enabling them all to drive, easing the learner out of the panic attacks, so they can drive smoothly up the mountain.

These pictures are courtesy of me pulling over on the way down, once I was by myself on the road and felt comfortable to take a snapshot. The image of Mt. Hood is from Pics4Learning, as indicated in the caption.

Tags: collaborate, learning, learning styles, mountain, netTrekker, netTrekker Village, Oregon