Collaborative and Resourceful 21st century teens

Posted on October 9th, 2007 in Firefox, Google Docs, HS tech, wireless teaching by Nicole

Aah yes. Students need a little help learning how to become resourceful. When they ask me a question I say the answer is a click away. Students can construct their own learning with the web. It used to be that knowing the facts was satisfactory. Well, 21st century students need………..

A collaborative lesson: Analyzing, Predicting. and Suggesting Marketing solutions

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will comprehend marketing news
  • Students will analyze predict and suggest solutions for marketing companies and their customers.
  • Students will collaborate together on writing using Google Documents web application.
  • Students will define two industry terms found in the article.

You can read the lesson from my web site but tech tools used are:

  • Firefox Colored Tabs for organized searching and composition
  • Firefox Add on: Dictionary Tool-tip for defining unknown terms while reading
  • Google Docs for collaboration
  • Wireless Laptops

RSS in the classroom

Posted on September 13th, 2007 in Firefox by Nicole

You cannot get any more up to date on news related to class than to have its source syndicated to your browser! My class and I were discussing Apple news when exactly at that moment a new article surfaced on our news feed. The news was that Apple decided to refund early buyers of the iPhone $100. The new report supplemented our conversation. Thank you, Firefox.

Day One Across the Board

Posted on September 4th, 2007 in Firefox, Google Docs, HS Technology, HS tech, planning, wireless teaching by Nicole

Quick post of day one’s agenda for all my Business classes. Content objectives are center. But I do believe students can carry computer and internet skills integrated in our course over to other classes, people, and hobbies. Therefore learning the technology is important. So, day one is the day to orientate students to the tools we will be using for the course. It is amazing how quickly they understand how Firefox helps organize their leariing with the web. No windows open all over the place. Just swift mastery of data. Comment to add to my outline.

  1. Course Overview
    1. Content Objectives
    2. Projects overview
      1. Audio Recordings
      2. Videos
      3. Slideshows
      4. Others particular to course
    3. Final Projects and Exam
    4. Supplies- jump drive
  2. Wireless Overview
    1. Assign students laptop #s
    2. Discuss various seating arrangements
    3. Laptop daily deployment and return procedures
  3. Course Tools
    1. Course Website
    2. Firefox
      1. Toolbars
      2. Integrated Search Engine
      3. Extensions
        1. Quicknote
        2. Text Size toolbar
        3. Colorful Tabs
        4. Highlighter
        5. Dictionary Tooltip
    3. Google Docs
      1. Set up account
    4. Resources
      1. Advertising Age Magazine
      2. USA Today RSS News
      3. Business first
      4. Buffalo News RSS
    5. Ice Breaker Activity
    6. Lesson 1 of course

    Stay tuned to see posted lessons………..:):):):)

Facilitating the HS Resume writing classroom

Posted on June 5th, 2007 in Firefox, Google Docs by Nicole


High School students learning to write resumes can easily be successful when using Google Docs and Microsoft Office Templates. After seeing one resume model and discussing formatting students can use Google Docs to brainstorm the sections of their resume.

An example:

First, I simply presented a model of what their brainstorming sheet (using a published Google Document). should look like. Because they have some experience with Google Docs they easily followed my lead and figured out how to make a table and jot down their accomplishments and experiences.

Next they browsed through Microsoft Templates. They found them on the web with no link provided just simple verbal instruction from me stressing Microsoft Templates as the keywords. Not one student had trouble searching Google via Firefox (built in search and tabbing back and forth to Google Docs) to find what they needed. To me that means students’ ability to use a search engine is improving ( and search engine intuitiveness is refining).

Browsing this page and templates helped my students format a resume with ease. One revision later students were printing.

Some students downloaded the templates as Word documents. Others used the format examples from Microsoft and created their resumes in Google Docs. Using this application, students don’t need to take this important document off of a school drive to have it at home. It is with them as long as they have/use their Internet Google account on the web.