Another way to download Youtube videos

Here is another quick and easy way to download Youtube and other videos from the Internet and save to your computer. Clipnabber is a web based tool so you don't have to download anything to your computer. Youtube downloader is a great tool for downloading videos but you have to download the software, it only takes a minute and use the tool from there. Also with Youtube downloader you are limited to just being able to download videos from Youtube and no where else. Another problem is that if you move to a computer that doesn't have Youtube downloader you either have to download it or not have it.
Clipnabber is easy to use and you can download more than just Youtube videos with it. Just copy the URL of the video into the Clipnabber box and select what type of file you would like it to download as and you are done. (flv, mp4 or mobile formats)
Here is a link to Guiding Tech that explains this process in more detail.
Give it a try!

Social Networking Goes to School

Interesting article from Education Week. Discusses the many ways teachers and students are using social networking tools such as Twitter and Facebook. I am trying to work this out with administration to get a Facebook page for FR that I can post sports scores, building events and other FR related information.
I am still trying to figure out a way to use Twitter for professional development here at FR. I personally find it to be the best professional development tool I have ever used.

What have you learned?

I was thinking about all the new things that I have learned this year and how several of them have positively impacted my classes. So I thought this would be a good end of the year question,
"What have you learned this year that has had a positive impact on your classes?"

Educational experts everywhere are constantly talking about how important it is to make our kids "life-long learners". If that is the case shouldn't we as educators also be life-long learners? If you took a video of your classroom this year and your classroom from the year 2000 how has it changed? What do you do differently? If seems to me that if the two classrooms looks very similar then something is wrong.
We constantly have to be learning and our classrooms evolving to improve the educational experience for our students. And today with tools like Twitter, blogs, RSS feeds there is no excuse for not being a constant learner. "I don't have time" is no longer a valid excuse. As an educator in 2010 you have a constant stream of learning experiences available to you through your phone or computer, USE THEM!

It is time to consider what is truly best for your students and not what you are willing to do to make your life easier.

What will you learn this summer?

Mathematics and Multimedia

Mathematics and Multimedia is a math blog that provides some interesting information and several "how-to's" for creating math tools using PowerPoint add Geogebra. There are several links to other math resources also available.
The author of this blog is now organizing a Mathematics and Multimedia Blog Carnival.

Here are some of the topics that they will be discussing:
1. integration of technology in teaching mathematics;
2. connections among different topics and mathematics as well as connections of mathematics to other fields;
3. explanation of the ideas behind concepts in mathematics;
4. problem solving and proofs;
5. pedagogy and teaching mathematics.

The author is looking for math teachers to submit ideas, questions, comments etc. See the blog for more information and to participate. It begins on July 5th.