ARIN+Inservice+Day

ARIN Inservice Day - August 2010

Morning Session: Digital Media and Other Online Resources

[|Thinkfinity - www.thinkfinity.org] Thinkfinity.org makes it easy for educators to enhance their classroom instruction with lesson plans, interactive activities and other online resources. Thinkfinity.org also provides a wealth of educational and literacy resources for students, parents and after-school programs. All of Thinkfinity.org's 55,000 standards-based K-12 lesson plans, student materials, interactive tools and reference materials are reviewed by the nation's leading education organizations to ensure that content is accurate, up-to-date, unbiased and appropriate for students. At Thinkfinity.org, you'll find primary source materials, interactive student resources and grade-specific research lists to help you tailor materials to meet your needs.

[|Discovery Streaming - http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/]
 * Discovery Education** provides engaging digital resources to schools and homes with the goal of making educators more effective, increasing student achievement, and connecting classrooms and families to a world of learning.

The leader in digital video-based learning, Discovery Education produces and distributes high-quality digital resources in easy-to-use formats in all core-curricular subject areas. Discovery Education is committed to creating scientifically proven, standards-based digital resources for teachers, students, and parents that make a positive impact on student learning.

Afternoon Session: Web 2.0 Tools for Educators

[|Google Tools - http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/] Google has a wide array of tools and products that are fun and interesting. Google Reader, Documents and Calender can help keep you organized while Picasa and and Knol let you share with others.

Wiki pages - www.wikispaces.com A **wiki** is a website that uses wiki software, allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked Web pages, using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor, within the browser. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, and for note taking. The collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the best-known wikis.

The above was taken directly from Wikipedia!

[|Blogs - Blogspot.com] A **blog** is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning //to maintain or add content to a blog//. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. The above was taken from Wikipedia.

Sample Blog: [|Special Education Law Blog]

RSS Feeds What is it?

Google Reader

Twitter Instant updates from your friends, industry experts, favorite celebrities, and what’s happening around the world.

Skype A tool to have conversations with people via text chat, voice and video. James Gates Wiki