katie.christo.blog

Last week I did my When the Best is Free: Images training for my staff.  The training focuses on where to find the best copy”right” photos, images, and clip art.  I also discuss some great primary source images and how to use them in your classroom.  Participants were also given time to explore the websites.

Interestingly enough the big hit was how to get clip art from Microsoft online, download it, find it in My Pictures, and edit it.  I’ve added directions on how to do this to my wiki.

All of the resources are also available on my wiki here.

I’ve uploaded the presentation to slideshare here.

Have a great weekend!

I just have to say that Made to Stick is one of the best books I’ve ever read.  The premise of the book is that there are 6 essential traits of sticky ideas.   You can use these six traits to help make any message or idea more “sticky”.  The six traits are: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories (SUCCES).  I’m not going to go into each of them here as the book does such a fabulous job of it and is a joy to read.

Two times in the past week these six traits have really helped me.  Earlier this week I was filling out an application for a position on a board and had to write a narrative.  Thinking about and refering back to the 6 traits made sure I was staying on topic and hitting the most important points in the 250 words alloted. 

Secondly, I’ve been helping a collegue plan a big presentation and been amazed at how much thinking of the 6 traits have helped me to pare down the presentation to the core message and design the presentation.  We now have a Simple core message – “Debunking the Myths of Curriculum Standards”.  The presentation will open with an Animoto video showing pictures of our students and asking “What is our role in their future?”, making the presentation Concrete and Credible.  We will be telling an Unexpected and Emotional Story to get participants thinking about why curriculum standards are an integral part of teaching and learning.  We will then move into “Debunking the Myths” surrounding curriculum standards by answering their doubts and concerns.  Still working on the ending – but I believe it will involve Concrete, Credible and either Emotional or Story.  

Anyone else found this book as helpful as I have in writing and designing presentations?  Any other books you would suggest?

I am using Evernote and truly love it… I have it on my machine, on my itouch, and can access it anywhere on the internet.  It is truly one fabulous app and you can now pull in your Google Notebooks.

We are winners!
Evernote won the TechCrunch Crunchie for Best Mobile Startup of 2008. This is a tremendous honor. We thank everyone that helped make our mantel a little more crowded. You all rock! 

Google Notebook importer
Recently, Google announced that they were stopping development on Google Notebook. To ensure that no one is left out in the cold, we released a Google Notebook importer that makes it incredibly simple to bring content your content into Evernote. If you know a Google Notebook user, make sure to let them know. Learn more: http://s.evernote.com/googleimport

I’m currently reading Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.  It is a great book and I highly recommend it!  As I was reading this weekend one of the parts that struck me was the discussion on what motivates people to buy into an idea.  They discuss Maslow’s list of needs (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs), essentially needs and desires that people are trying to fulfill, and how we can address those needs as we are making an idea “sticky”.  The authors point out that the list isn’t really a hierarchy but instead that people tend to pursue these needs simultaneously.  The needs/desires are:

Transcendence: help others realize their potential

Self-actualization: realize our own potential, self-fulfillment, peak experiences

Aesthetic: symmetry, order, beauty, balance

Learning: know, understand, mentally connect

Esteem: achieve, be competent, gain approval, independence, status

Belonging: love, family, friends, affection

Security: protection, safety, stability

Physical: hunger, thirst, bodily comfort

The authors go on to point out that:

The results of spending too much time in Maslow’s basement [the bottom four in the list above] is that we may overlook lots of opportunities to motivate people.  It’s not that the “bottom floors” – or the more tangible, physical needs, to avoid the hierarchy metaphor – aren’t motivational.  Of course they are.  We all like to get bonuses and to have job security and to feel like we fit in.  But to focus on these needs exclusively robs us of the chance to tap more profound motivations. (Heath, 185)

As I think about my role as an instructional tech I need to look more at this list and think about how my appeals to integrate technology match this list.  I know that I try in my presentations and trainings to address many of these.

What do you think?  Which needs/desires are you tapping?

The survey is going great – getting lots of responses!  Thank you to everyone who is participating – the information is great!  I will still be collecting responses through the end of next week.  The survey is here: http://tinyurl.com/7yl9ph and the responses are here: http://tinyurl.com/7dxj9x

My K-12 school is looking for ideas for next year for hosting blogs, wikis, eportfolios, forums, etc. I would really appreciate your feedback on my quick What do you use for Web 2.0 applications in your district/school? survey. The survey is here: http://tinyurl.com/7yl9ph
Thanks in advance!

I am so ready for a new year. This past year has been great and it got us where we are but I’m really looking forward to this year. I’ve written all of my “personal” resolutions but have yet to work on my “work” resolutions. So here it goes. I wish I could remember where I wrote it down but one of the bloggers I read spoke recently of the 4 Cs. Connect. Collaborate. Contribute. Create. These are definitely four of my resolutions. These and my others you can read below:

1. I will connect with my peers and help my teachers and students connect with their peers. I will do this through trainings on tools such as PLNs, Social Networking, and RSS Aggregators.
2. I will collaborate with my peers and help my teachers and students to begin collaborating. I will do this through the same trainings listed above and through perhaps our own Ning and/or global collaboration projects.
3. I will contribute my own thoughts out there (that would be this and other blogs, wikis, etc.) and help my teachers and students contribute.
4. I will create content, handouts, slideshows, etc. that I will make available through creative commons to allow anyone to share, edit, and use and I will encourage my teachers and students to do the same.
5. I will help my teachers meet their own technology integration goals.
6. I will showcase the ways my teachers are using technology to enhance their teaching and their students’ learning.
7. I will help my teachers “Explore the Possibilities” (thank you Donna) of what is out there and how technology can help their teaching and learning.

So here they are.  Let me know what you think and a Happy New Year to you all!  If you have your own work resolutions posted I’d love to see them – link to them in the comments.