Robin Sellers teaches the following courses via the Internet through colleges and universities worldwide. Click the course titles at the bottom of each course description to learn more about these courses and see where they are offered in your area.
Web 2.0: Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts
In this course, you'll learn how to create, manage, and promote your own blog, wiki, and audio and video podcast. Each of these amazing Web 2.0 tools gives us a chance to interact, share ideas, and collaborate with others from home, at work, or in a classroom.
You'll begin by developing a plan for the content, setup, and long-term maintenance of a blog, and then you'll use free blogging software to put that plan into action. Next, you'll discover how you can use wikis to facilitate group collaboration. You'll practice editing a wiki, and then you'll create your own. After that, you'll learn how to record a professional-sounding audio podcast with a very simple recording tool you already have. You'll edit the file with another free software program, add music to it, and then post it online for others to enjoy. Finally, you'll find out how to record a video podcast. You'll use pre-recorded video to learn the editing process, and then you'll apply what you've learned to your own video file. You'll edit it, add special effects, drop in a podcasting-safe music file, and then publish it online.
Through hands-on exercises, you'll discover the benefits of using free Web 2.0 tools like Blogger, Wikispaces, Audacity, and YouTube. Guided by an expert instructor, you'll find that creating Web 2.0 tools is much easier than you ever imagined. And by the end of this course, you'll be amazed how much you've accomplished.
Whether you want to use Web 2.0 tools for personal, business, or educational projects, this is the course for you!
Creating a Classroom Web site
Learn how to create a classroom Web site in this fun, easy-to-understand course for teachers. In no time, you'll build a site with text, images, animations, tables, links, and more. Then you'll create a WebQuest and a blog to add to your site.
You'll also learn how students can use site builders to create their own Web sites in minutes. As we move along, you'll be amazed by how simple creating a classroom Web site can be and all the ways in which having one can make you a more effective and dynamic teacher.
By the end of this course, you'll have your own published classroom Web site, and you'll feel energized by your great new teaching tool!Creativity will abound in your classroom as you tap your students' hidden talents. Learn how to use creativity to teach reading, writing, visual arts, performing arts, social studies, science, mathematics, and physical and health education. Develop creative new approaches to field trips, learning labs, activities, exercises, assignments, and evaluation methods. Think beyond the textbook and challenge your students by making your classroom a creative classroom!
Integrating Technology in the Classroom
In this professional development course for teachers, you'll learn the secrets of technology integration in the classroom, gaining the skills educators need to use tools such as wikis, podcasts, and blogs effectively. You'll discover simple ways to integrate technology to enhance your subject material and meet your course goals. We'll explore quick-and-easy, standards-based solutions for more interactive lesson plans, exciting WebQuests, and challenging assignments. We’ll also unleash the power of Web resources, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
You'll learn how to design your presentation station, identify kid-friendly Internet search tools, teach keyboarding and word processing, and develop standards-based, integrated lesson plans in reading, writing, science, math, social studies, music, and art. We'll delve into ways to reach special needs, GATE, and bilingual learners. Finally, we'll look at computer ethics and the future of technology in the classroom.
Whether you’re new to the integration process or already use emerging technologies in your classroom, this course is a must for all of today's teachers who often have to produce more and more in less and less time. By the end of our time together, you'll have a treasure of ideas for integrating all types of technology into your lesson plans across the curriculum! Join us for an exciting and fun-filled tour of the technology-friendly classroom. Educational technology is advancing at an astounding rate, offering today's busy teacher quick and easy solutions for more interactive lesson plans, exciting WebQuests, and challenging assignments.
Microsoft Excel 2007 in the Classroom
Learn the basics of Microsoft Excel 2007 in this professional development course for teachers, and get the training every teacher needs for using and teaching this powerful program effectively in the classroom. This unique online workshop is packed full of tips, shortcuts, and lesson plan ideas.
First, we'll cover all the important Excel fundamentals: Using tabs, formatting cells and worksheets, inserting formulas for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and creating colorful charts and graphs. Then we'll move on to more advanced Excel features such as sorting and analyzing student test data for differentiated instruction, writing powerful mathematical formulas, and using Excel to automatically calculate student averages and other statistics. You'll finish the course by creating a customizable grade book that you can use in your own classroom.
Throughout the course, we'll explore standards-based lesson plans and activities that allow you to pass your Excel knowledge on to your students, no matter what grade level you teach. By the end, you'll have a solid understanding of Excel, and a wealth of ideas for integrating this technology into your lesson plans across your curriculum.Discover the power and creativity that technology can bring to your classroom as we look at basic integration, subject-specific activities, and smart ways to make your integration seamless. Take your teaching to another level with these fun new ways to incorporate technology into your lesson plans.
Microsoft Word 2007 in the Classroom
Mastering Microsoft Word can make you a more productive and creative teacher. You'll learn how to create, open, edit, and save documents, as well as how to create tabs, margins, and spacing. Then you'll make your classroom documents come to life. You'll add borders, clip art, and WordArt. You'll even insert shapes, pictures, tables, and complete a host of other exciting tasks that you can teach your students. As you get more familiar with this program, you'll find that it enhances your teaching in ways you didn't think possible, and you'll have a host of ideas for curriculum-related classroom projects.
As we walk through our virtual tour of Microsoft Word, you'll encounter a lot of program features you may not have known about—features that enable you to control document presentation, stay organized, and keep your students inspired and excited. You'll even produce templates that you can use for classroom tests, create a classroom poster, and use Word's table tools to create a class grade roster.
Using the Internet in the Classroom
Harness the power of the Internet to make your textbooks and lessons come alive! Teach your students how to locate and evaluate Internet resources. Improve the caliber and amount of discussion through the use of e-mail and discussion boards. Learn how to safeguard your students and their personal information while they are using the Internet. The Internet can make teaching easier--this course will show you how.
The Creative Classroom
Creativity will abound in your classroom as you tap your students' hidden talents. Learn how to use creativity to teach reading, writing, visual arts, performing arts, social studies, science, mathematics, and physical and health education. Develop creative new approaches to field trips, learning labs, activities, exercises, assignments, and evaluation methods. Think beyond the textbook and challenge your students by making your classroom a creative classroom!
Copyright. Robin Sellers 2008-2011.