MasteryMaze Blog

We have recently been impacted by the Swine flu and advised by our District that we may have to close if their is an outbreak.  This can have a significant impact as we only have approxinately 7 weeks until final exams and several new topics to cover.  Not to worry!  I told my students that we will still learn online by utilizing our online learning Lab which I have created in Moodle.  The Mastery Review Lab is a Moodle site where I have created online course modules for my students in each of the subjects I teach.  With this online space I create videos which I post to review various topics as well as lessons where students can post their work via a drop box.

Using a tool like Moodle will help us to finish the material we need  to cover if we are forced to close.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that we will not need to do so!

Here's the link!  www.masteryreview.com

Feel free to contact me via contact page if you are interested in training or help in setting up these types of courses!  School never closes when you have online options!

I thought I would share this video which is a quick look at some of the ways I have used screencast technology in my teaching!  See Palmers Page in the Wiki for more info on my current projects! 

Links!

www.educationallysound.com

www.masteryreview.com

Sue Palmer

This year I began a new project known as "The Global Lab" which is an online learning center to be used by students to review for the Global 10 NYS Regents Exam.  This state assessment is required for graduation and proves to be difficult for many students. 

We recently explored a new option for creating simple web based screencasts! See this demo and let us know what you think! Here's th link! www.screentoaster.com 

I wanted to take a minute to thank NYSCATE (New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education) for their recognition in the Lee Bryant Outstanding Technologist Award for 2008.  This award goes to a teacher who has implemented technology in an outstanding manner to improve student learning and I am very honored and appreciative of the recognition.

It has been an amazing few months since the launch of this site and my use of podcasts in my classroom.  I remember just last March 2007, as I first heard about podcasting, and began to imagine the possibilities in my teaching.  It has been a very busy year, but worthwhile as I have seen the results in the test scores as well as overall success of my students!  All of my US History students passed the NYS Regents exam this past week.  I am pleased most of my students tackled the exam with confidence with the tools we added to our program this year.  It is very gratifying to see all of my kids, including inclusion students formerly in self contained classrooms, now succeed in a Regents exam! 

Thanks so much NYSCATE for the award and their mention of our site!  I also want to thank all of the supporters of this site over the past year! We see this as a strong beginning, and look forward to your help as well in the future.  Remember, collaboration is key!

Thanks again!

Sue Palmer

This past week I presented at the NYSCATE Conference in Rochester New York on the topic of "Issues in Internet Law for Educators".  My session was at the end of a long day, and I truly expected to see just a few attend.  Not so!  The room was filled with many teachers, administrators and tech folks eager to discuss the many issues which arise for educators in light of the use of new tech tools and  the web in teaching.

Attention all art teachers, students, or folks interested in animation!  Here is la link to a great global collaborative project where students create a continuous animation!  Learn about ROTOBALL! 

Here's the link!  http://www.carrotrevolution.com/rotoball/

WizIQ is an interesting option for a virtual classroom!  Take a look and leave your comments.  Would you attend a review session on WizIQ or a similar platform?  What is your experience as a teacher in a virtual setting?  What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Here's the link!  http://www.wiziq.com/home/  Leave you comments! 

We love the Commoncraft videos!  This is a great explanation for all of us!  Now we understand!  Thanks!

We all know how hard it is sometimes to keep things organized!  We can all use a little help working on projects.  We wanted to share a free tool to help manage projects and keep things on track.  Check it out!  We think it has real potential!

Here's the link to Voo2do!  http://voo2do.com/