Tours from Above - free, virtual aerial tours of the world

Tours from Above is a very cool site that has free, virtual aerial tours of different locations around the world. Tours include Central London, Central Park in NYC, and locations in Spain, Australia, Rio, England and the US. You can search the tours, or browse through them.

You drag your mouse to move around and scroll to zoom in and out.

They are high quality images and are a fun way to explore the world.

It is a great resource for education, allowing students and teachers to virtually visit and explore new places.

Tech Forum Live Online is tomorrow - free streaming of Tech Forum Chicago

Tech Forum is Doing It Live! (free online) Again!




Join us tomorrow, Friday, May 4 to Tech Forum Live Online, Tech & Learning's live broadcast stream direct from Tech Forum Chicago. Join this preeminent group of education leaders as they tackle some of the most pressing, and promising, issues for today's schools. Watch both sessions as they happen and even participate with a live chat session.

The schedule includes:


• The Flipped Classroom in Action: What is it, How do you Manage it, and Should you Support it? - 9:45-11:00 am
Presenters: Jon Bergmann with Justyna Kalinowska, Allison Drew, Elisabeth Lebris and Robert Bialk
The Flipped Classroom has become a buzzword in recent education news. Is it a viable and effective option for delivering instruction? Is it too burdensome for school technology staff? Join the staff of the Joseph Sears School as they provide a background on the flipped class; then hear from teachers and technology staff who have been involved in implementing this new model of teaching and learning.

• Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities of Emerging Learning Environments - 2:15-3:30 pm
Presenters: David Jakes (moderator), Jon Bergmann, Dean Shareski and Jennie Magiera
Join us for a lively discussion on topics ranging from the pros and cons of digital textbooks to the disruptive impact of mobile computing, online learning, social networking, and the flipped classroom. David Jakes will challenge panelists to share their thoughts about the issues and opportunities that arise as we evolve from the traditional classroom to anytime, anyplace, any path learning spaces. Then it's your turn -- to weigh in, ask questions, and engage with virtual audience members who'll be tapping into this session.

Simply visit this link during those times, tune in and participate. You can submit questions to the presenters using the Livestream chat feature or by tweeting:#TLTF12. It's the next best thing to being there!



Tech and Learning Magazine is an excellent, free resource, for educators.

Free Online Education Conference April 25 - 26 2012 - great opportunity for PD

SimpleK12, a great resource for educators, is sponsoring a great free online Education Conference Wednesday, April 25th - Thursday, April 26th, 2012. Topics include Google Earth and Maps, Free Web Tools, Google Plus, Social Networking, Blogging, Student Projects, iPads in Education, Digital Writing, Curation, and much more. The conference runs for 24 hours so you can attend at anytime, from anywhere.

Learn something new without the need for travel or money.


(And don't forget that the Social Learning Summit - free virtual conference is April 21, 2012 )


View a full list of topics and register here: http://simplek12.com/tlc/webinars/#OEC


Conference Flyer:

Related:

Social Learning Summit - free virtual conference April 21, 2012

Google Art Project Expanded to over 30,000 images and 46 museums

The Google Art Project is a great resource for students and educators that I reviewed last year. It was originally a small collection of artwork from museums set up as a virtual art museum, where you could take virtual tours and even create your own "collections of art." It has now been expanded to include paintings, sculpture, street art and photographs from 151 museums in 40 countries.

The original Art Project was 17 museums, in 9 countries, with 1,000 images, mainly paintings. The new expansion brings the Art Project up to over 30,000 hi-res images and even Street View images for 46 museums from around the world.

Here are some of the new features:

• Using completely new tools, called Explore and Discover, you can find artworks by period, artist or type of artwork, displaying works from different museums around the world.
• Google+ and Hangouts are integrated on the site, enabling you to create even more engaging personal galleries.
• Street View images are now displayed in finer quality. A specially designed Street View “trolley” took 360-degree images of the interior of selected galleries which were then stitched together, enabling smooth navigation of more than 385 rooms within the museums. You can also explore the gallery interiors directly from withinStreet View in Google Maps.
• We now have 46 artworks available with our “gigapixel” photo capturing technology, photographed in extraordinary detail using super high resolution so you can study details of the brushwork and patina that would be impossible to see with the naked eye.
• An enhanced My Gallery feature lets you select any of the 30,000 artworks—along with your favorite details—to build your own personalized gallery. You can add comments to each painting and share the whole collection with friends and family. (It’s an ideal tool for students.) 

Here is a video on how to use the Art Project site:

For more information and future developments, follow the Art Project on Google+

This is a great resource for students and educators. Image being able to view such incredible works of arts and museums right from your classroom without the hassle and cost of airfare, TSA security, buses, cabbies, and the like! There is even an Education section on the site.

Panoramic Views of 7 Wonders of the World - great education resource

Panoramic Views of 7 Wonders of the World is a great resource for sharing these great places with students. The panoramic views are wonderful and very easy to use on your computer. You can change your view just by moving your cursor around.

Each image only takes about 30 sec to load and then you are ready to go.

This is a great way to show students some wonderful things in the world without having to go through airport security (or take out a 2nd mortgage for the trip).

Social Learning Summit - free virtual conference April 21, 2012

  

Discovery Education's Discovery Educator Network runs a variety of professional development sessions each year. These are usually online sessions with live meet-ups also planned. For this Spring, they are doing something different instead of the normal Spring Virtual Conference. The DEN is partnering with Classroom 2.0 to present the Social Learning Summit. Steve Hargadon, of Classroom 2.0, and the DEN are working together to organize the event which will be held Saturday, April 21st. The event is free.

More information can be found on the DEN blog and Classroom 2.0 sites, including how to submit a presentation proposal. Stay tuned for more information.

The conference theme is the use of social media and Web 2.0 in teaching and learning, and we are calling for proposals immediately at http://www.SocialLearningSummit.com. To be kept informed of the latest conference news and updates, please join the Classroom 2.0 network. This will also allow you to correspond with the presenters and other members, and to comment on sessions and discussions. 

Sessions will be 30 minutes in length, and can focus on practical classroom application or pedagogical frameworks or both. Please do not submit a session if your are a vendor or a vendor representative. Whilepresentation proposals will be accepted through April 7th, session acceptances will start to be issued on March 26th, at which time presenters will be given a chance to use a scheduling calendar to pick an available time to present. All sessions will be held in Blackboard Collaborate (previously Elluminate), and training sessions will be available both "live" and in recorded form.

Related:

Discovery Educator Network - great resources and great addition to any PLN

25 Free Resources from Discovery Education

2011 Discovery Education Spring Virtual Conference

Guest Post - Give Students Tour of the Capitol Without Leaving the Classroom

 

This is a Guest Post by Samantha Peters, an avid blogger and manager of theeducationupdate.com, who enjoys writing about innovative educational resources that help teachers improve learning in the classroom. 

Give Students Tour of the Capitol Without Leaving the Classroom

The United States is a big country. This is great for the sake of diversity and fruitfulness, but not so good for folks wanting to get from one place to another. Indeed, millions of American teachers face this fact every year when they create their lesson plans on the United States' Capitol, Washington, DC. Teachers on the Eastern seaboard or a few hundred miles Westward are able to conceivably take students on an extended trip to the Capitol, while educators everywhere else face high expense and other challenges that make such a journey impractical. Instead, they must settle on books and videos to teach students about the engine of American democracy.

That is, if they don’t take advantage of the variety of virtual tours available online courtesy of the federal government. While Uncle Sam’s Internet presence helps you get your student loan online, interpret tax information, and determine mortgage rates, it’s also an effective tool used in helping to keep the public more informed about the government and its history. If you aren’t able to take your class to the Capitol, then use the free virtual tours available on the following sites to get them as close as possible:



 

WHITEHOUSE.GOV

It’s almost impossible to secure a student tour of the interior of the White House these days, so you really have nothing to lose by using the virtual tour made available on the White House website. For security reasons, it isn’t as detailed as others on the list, but it does offer a glimpse into every non-private room in the home of our Commander-in-Chief.




CAPITOL.GOV

Nominated for a Webby last year, the Architect’s Virtual Capitol is a highly interactive and deeply informative jumping off point for educators explaining the structure of the U.S. Capitol Building. Through videos as well as a three-dimensional reconstruction of Capitol Campus, students can come as close as possible to actually being on the grounds of Congress.




SENATE.GOV

What this alternative tour of the Capitol lacks in interactivity it makes up for in its catalog of historically significant events. Whenever you select a room to pan around, a list covering every major incident that took place in that space is provided. It’s an excellent way for students to visualize these events occurring.




MYLOC.GOV

The awe-inspiring architecture of the Library of Congress as well as the portraits and murals found therein are impossible to explain with words alone. The LOC website features virtual tours of the Main Reading Room and The Great Hall as well as the seven galleries and pavilions that litter the library campus.

In addition, use Google Maps, specifically the street view function, to give your students a more coherent look at their nation’s capital. In fact, Google is already adding the interiors of public spaces to their Maps catalog, so soon many of DC’s sights should be available through this one free online tool.

You may never be able to find the means to take your students to visit Washington, DC, but that doesn’t mean you can’t acquaint them with their nation’s capital on an intimate level. By taking advantage of free virtual tours online, you can bring faraway students as close to the engine of American democracy as possible.

Related:

50 Amazing Museum Exhibits You Can Enjoy Online

NASA JPL Virtual Field Trip

Virtual Field Trips

Dabbleboard - virtual whiteboard for online collaboration

Dabbleboard is a virtual whiteboard that allows you to create, collaborate and share. It has an excellent interface that is easy to use. You can use it for presentations, homework and study sessions, chat, and as a whiteboard. 

This could be very useful to teachers and students as a way to collaborate and share. There is a free version and then paid plans if you need more functionality. 

Similar to:

Cosketch - online virtual white board you can share with others

Scribblar - online whiteboard

Twiddla - free online team whiteboarding and collaborating

Here is the interface layout:

Here are some examples of what can be done with Dabbleboard:

 

NASA JPL Virtual Field Trip

NASA, one of my favorite sources for great, free, quality science resources, has a Virtual Field Trip of their Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL).

The student picks an avatar, and then Curtis, the virtual tour guide, shows the student around the JPL, explaining what the mission is and what they do. There are links to NASA mission web sites and much more.

It's a fun, creative way to learn more about NASA, the JPL, and science.



Related:

NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Education Resources

Here are a lot more great, free Educational Resources from NASA

Twiddla - free online team whiteboarding and collaborating

Twiddla is a free service that lets you hold online meetings. There is no setup or signup to use it. You can mark up websites, graphics and photos or use a blank virtual whiteboard. It works on any browser or operating system.

It's great for virtual meetings, conference calls, help sessions, study sessions, etc. for teachers, schools and students.

There are paid versions with more features. It's always free for education.

Here are some screenshots of it in action.

DENSCIcon - free online/live professional development this coming Saturday

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for educators. They have great fee-based products (Streaming, Assessment, Science and more) and over 30 free resources available for educators. The Discovery Educator Network is also a great resource for educators where they can connect with other educators and share resources and information. They also provide excellent, free, professional development through out the year. These sessions are held online and there are in-person events to coincide with the online program. 


The 3rd Annual DEN SCIcon will be held this coming Saturday, January 28th. The DEN SCIcon provides participants with effective strategies for transforming science classes through effective integration of digital media content. The conference is live and online so you can join in from home. There are also in-person events around the country, hosted by the local DEN Leadership Council (made up of educators). See below for more in person events. It is all FREE.


You must register whether attending online, or an in-person event. 


The agenda is listed below and you can register for the online sessions here: http://links.discoveryeducation.com/scicon2012


This is a great opportunity to gain some great ideas and resources for free. I've participated for the last two years and it was well worth the time. 

General Agenda (all times ET)

9 AM
Opening SessionYour Attention Please: 10 Ways to Engage Your Students in Science - Lance Rougeux

10 AM
Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Student Learning through Inquiry-based Instruction - Trinette Green

11 AM
What’s the GIST? Bridging Literacy and Science - Brad Fountain

12 PM
The Common Core Connection - Kelly Pauling

1 PM
Busting the Myths of Project Based Learning in the Science Classroom - Mike Bryant

2 PM
Closing Session
The Scientific Method… It’s Not Just For Chapter One Anymore - Patti Duncan

In Person Events:


Connecticut - the CT DEN leadership council will be hosting a live event for the SCICon virtual conference at the Mark Twain House in Hartford on Saturday, January 28, 2012. For more information and to register, click here. 


Peoria, AZ (Register here)
Kansas City, MO (Register here)
St. Louis, MO (Register here)
Townsend, MT (Register here)
Cullowhee, NC (Register here)
Greensboro, NC (Register here)
Piqua, OH (Register here)
Cope, SC (Register here)
Knoxville, TN (Register here)
Richardson, TX (Register here)

Virtual 4T Conference - call for proposals for free education conf

The Virtual 4T (Teachers Teaching Teachers about Technology) Conference is a free, virtual conference open to all educators around the world. It provides an opportunity for educators to connect, network and learn from each other. Most sessions are targeted to K-12 education, but could be applied to higher ed.

Preconference workshops begin Saturday May 19th and the opening Keynote is Sunday May 20th at 7pm. The conference continues through to 8pm on Wednesday May 22nd with all sessions running live and then being archived.

They are currently invited educators and others to submit conference session proposals.

Registration is required to attend even though it is free.

This is another great, free opportunity for educators to share what they know and learn from others.

This is the second year it is being run.

The conference hashtag on Twitter is #4tvirtualcon12

Discovery Educator Network Fall Virtual Conference - Oct 22, 2011 - FREE

Discovery Education is an excellent resource for all educators. They have over 30 free resources available, have a thriving educator community in the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), and have some of the best educational products. Every year, they also run virtual conferences.

This year's fall Virtual Conference is "Tech or Treat" and will have some great presentations from some very talented and knowledgeable educators. Discovery Educator Network also has some in-person events where people can go and participate in the online conference with a group of educators. In some cases, the in-person event also includes other presentations and activities in addition to having access to the virtual conference.

From the Discovery Educator Network Blog:

Get your crazy costumes ready, and mark your calendars! The fall virtual conference Tech or Treat has been scheduled for Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 9am to 3pm ET. Join us for an hour or stay all day.
We have a spooktackular day of professional development (and PRIZES!)  planned for you. Join us online, or join one of the local events our Leadership Council members are planning.
In-Person Events (MORE coming soon!)
Meridian, CT (Register here)
Palatka, FL (Register here)
Atlanta, GA (Register here)
Mandeville, LA (Register here)
Branson, MO (Register here)
Port Chester, NY (Register here)
Poundmaker Cree Nation, SK Canada (Register here)
Knoxville, TN (Register here)
Pasadena, TX (Register here)
McKinney, TX (Register here)
Muskego, WI (Register here)
Schedule (all times are eastern)9:00 am The Monster Mash-Up with Traci Blazosky, DEN Guru
10:00 am No Tricks, Just Treats with Nancy Sharoff, DEN Guru
11:00 am Digital Storytelling: Get it Write! with Joe Brennan
12:00 pm The Collective Brain with the DEN Team
1:00 pm Spotlight Session with Wes Fryer
2:00 pm Treat Yourself to A Story with Dean Mantz, DEN Guru

Register here to attend online. Keep an eye on the blogs for more information about the in-person events and the session descriptions.

This is a great opportunity to learn some great things while home in your pajamas, or join a group of educators for a fun day of learning.

FETC Virtual Conference 2011 (Free) - registration now open

Registration Now Open for Virtual Conference! FETC is a great virtual conference that is free and easy to access.  It will be held on October 27, 2011 and is all online. There are always  some great sessions and there is even a lounge to chat with other  educators and a vendor area to find out information about new  educational products. You can download presentations and materials  and even view product demos from the vendors.  I've attended in the past and always learned something new and exciting.

Virtual Fetal Pig Dissection

Virtual Fetal Pig Dissection is a great site from Whitman College that allows teachers and students to experience the learning of doing a fetal pig dissection without the expense (and smell).

The site is designed to supplement an actual dissection lab, but students and teachers can use it alone also.

The site is picture based, with descriptions and annotations on the pictures.




Great for schools who don't have the money to do actual dissections.

Google Art Project - virtual visits to world Art Museums

Google Art Project is a fascinating web site that has photos of art from museums from all around the world.

The pictures are very high quality and you can even zoom in. Besides viewing the artwork, you can also take a virtual tour of the museum itself. The virtual tour reminds me of Google Street View.

There is a "visitor's guide" for the museums and floor plans to help you navigate. The artwork pictures are incredible quality and resolution. It is truly amazing.

Each piece of artwork has in information tab on the right that has the type of painting, artist, size, audio commentary on the piece, viewing notes, history and more.

You can even create your own "collections" of art.

This is a great way to experience and view great artwork without leaving your home or classroom and is also a "art classroom" on the web.

Here's an example of one of the pieces of artwork. "Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Garden"

FETC Virtual Conference Registration open

The FETC Virtual Conference is Thursday, April 28th, 2011 from 10:30am - 6:00pm (ET).

This is a great, free, online conference with some great resources, presentations, and networking. There is also a virtual exhibit hall with vendor reps and information. The virtual conference is easy to navigate and contains video presentations, discussion forums, vendor sites, and more. There are downloads available and everything is archived for future reference. Attend all of it, or just pop in when you have time.

Some of the vendors even have drawings for freebies (which is always nice)


Some of the sessions are from or based-on sessions from the live FETC event just held.

What a great way to learn and connect and get new ideas and resources for your teaching.

Don't forget about TeachMeet New Jersey this weekend too!

Cosketch - online virtual white board you can share with others

Cosketch is an online, virtual, free white board that you can share with others. It is very easy to use and there is no registration required. There is even a bookmarklet available to allow you to insert your drawings into website forms.

To use Cosketch , you go to the site, click "start here" and it takes you to the work page. The web address is unique to that sketch and you share that with whomever you want to see the sketch.

Then, you start drawing. There are lines, curves, circles, rectangles, text and multiple colors.

This is great for teachers working online with students, students collaborating on work, and even professional development.

MEDtropolis - health information and Virtual Body

MEDtropolis is a very interesting site that I found a few years ago. The site tagline is "A webspace built for the latest health information that will educate and entertain kids and adults alike."


The site has information about different medical topics, such as bariatric surgery, diabetes and more.


But, the really cool part of the site is the Virtual Body. The Virtual Body is literally a virtual tour of the human body. You can explore the Brain, Skeleton, Heart, and Digestive tract. Each part can be explored and manipulated and some sections even have narrated tours.

In some parts, as you move your mouse over certain parts of the system, notes and information will come up on the screen. I think that it would be suitable for grades 7-12.

I found it easy to use and a great resource for students.

50 Amazing Museum Exhibits You Can Enjoy Online

50 Amazing Museum Exhibits You Can Enjoy Online is a site with a list of 50 different museums and exhibits that can be viewed online. The list is separated by categories - Art and Culture, History, Natural History, and Science and Technology - and includes links to such museums as the Louvre, Museum of Modern Art, Colonial Williamsburg, National Museum of Natural History, and NASA. 

These sites can be used as virtual field trips and as ways to explore different concepts and topics without leaving the class room.