Physics and Chem Simulation Software - free

Here is a screenshot of the start page for the free sim software available from crocodile clips. The list of fully functional demo sims includes: waves, distance-time graphs, and exothermic and endothermic reactions, you may click the image for the full list. The website for crocodile clips provides a variety of modeling and simulation software for education. The full list of sims and packages available for purchase is extensive.

Google Earth, IB Notes, Catalysts and Connections, and Plagiarism from Wikipedia

Catalysts and Connections, a blog and website about music education, the subtitle is "Expanding Dialougue in Music Education. Looks interesting. An example of the posts is "online instrumental mentors".

The IB Notes site is a usefull collection of websites and resources for teachers and students in IB courses. In the new section the Savita Paul and Chem site has a lot of review material as well as topic notes for IB Chem students.

Many students are turning from Google to Wikipedia to research their reports. It is a peer written and peer edited on-line encyclopedia. Quck checks for plagerism for a particular report or essay might start here.

I searched one link for using Google Earth in the classroom and came up with so many links that I will have to make a Google Earth posting. Here is a selection of sites and resources:
-Google Earth educational resources and ideas at the Shambles.
-From Juicey Geography, putting Google Earth into your lessons quickly and easily.
-Google Earth Lessons from Google Earth Lessons, home page link. The image is from this site.

PowerPoint Jeopardy Templates

Use a PowerPoint template provided by M. Schimdt to create a PowerPoint Jeopardy game for your classes. The site will give you templates for single and double Jeopardy as well as instructions for the use of the template and instructions regarding how you can create your own PowerPoint templates.

Using Excel for Marks (and here's a tutorial)

Here is a sample excel file to help to keep track of Group IV IB Internal Assessment. Here is a Lifehacker link to an excel tutorial.

Educational Resources on the Web through Lifehacker

A recent visit to Lifehacker, worth a visit on its own, lead to the discovery of this set of links for free educational resouces. I have found the courses offered my MIT to be useful as they often offer many good links. There is also the growing trend for universities to offer lectures in podcast format and in particular, the wealth of material found at the Berkeley site for podcasts.

Using Blogs as Class Pages

Here is an example of how a blog, sample homework blog, with minimal changes can be used for a class. The moderate comments option would be turned on so that all comments are emailed to the teacher, who can then post or delete comments.

Setting up a Moodle Account

Please note that as of August 29, moodle was not live to the web, it should be soon. If you would like a new account please contact Derek Parker or Alan Dick.

Open another webbrowser, or internet explorer window, and follow the steps listed below.

You will start the moodle program by simply typing "wilson" into the address bar for your web browser.

The school's moodle website, KESPER, will appear.

A login box will appear below the calendar on the right of the moodle start page.

Click on "login" and use your first initial and your last name as your username and use your username as your initial password.

After you have logged in, go tothe upper right hand corner of the screen or the login box where you logged in and select your name and on the next screen click on the button that says "change your password."

You have likely been given creator permission and so you may now go to a course category and create your course. Please use the name on the report card when naming a new course, if you are unsure of the name please contact Derek P.