Now it is that time in the semester when all culminating projects and presentations are due. On Monday, we are going to present our final projects. I am looking forward to presenting mine, because the technology that I used is relatively new to me. I decided to do a webquest on using scrapblogs and glogster. A webquest is an online tool where students are given some sort of a problem to solve or are taken on an adventure. I decided to send students on a digital scavenger hunt by exploring scrapblogs and glogster. These are tools that students can use to create products. A scrapblog is similar to a scrapbook, but it is done online and contains both images and written text. Glogster is used to create posters or drawings. For my project, I focused on the topic of Emotional Literacy, since many people in our class are in the Literacy program. I selected a topic which many people in my class would have a background in. I chose the layout of a webquest, because this is something that I have ben wanting to tackle. I did one years ago, but was not given the proper tools on how to create one and incorporate it into a lesson. By using the tools that Dr. Smirnova provided, I gained a much better understanding of exactly what a webquest entails. It is a tool which is designed to take students on some sort of adventure. Although there were some technological glitches while the presentation was happening, I am still happy that I was able to conquer a technology that was new to me and share it with my classmates. This is the link to my project: http://zunal.com/process.php?w=92931
So, the end of the semester has come. I feel as though it has been a whirlwind with a lot of new knowledge gained. I can't believe that it is over already. At the beginning of the semester, I felt a little bit overwhelmed, but it all came together. I was nervous as to how I would do with keeping a blog, because I've never done one before. I mean, I've never even kept a journal before and thought that it would be difficult. Instead, it's sort of therapeutic because it allows me to put my thoughts into writing. I feel as though I have learned so many new tools which I will definitely use with my future students. I have already begun to share my knowledge gained from this course with other teachers and friends. I greatly look forward to continuing to build my knowledge of classroom literacy and technology and I intend to add any new information to this blog.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Qwiki
Dr. Smirnova just presented us with a new website called Qwiki. This website is pretty cool. It is like an online powerpoint, but jazzed up quite a bit. Infact, although it uses slides, it reminds me more of a video type format to use. Dr. S. chose the topic Green Revolution. For myself, if I were to use this website, I think I would like to use it for Social Studies- maybe when teaching the American Revolution or even topics such as the the journey along the Underground Railroad. I think this would be a GREAT tool to use for Social Studies. It gives students a visual and has the audio at the same time. I would then supplement this with a video about the particular subject. Maybe I would begin the lesson with a video and then use this website as a conclusion piece. I think it would work very well. I liked the website overall. The only thing that I wish was different would be if the teacher could record the audio. It seems as though the computerized woman's voice is all that is available. That is a minor adjustment that I think the website should consider.Other than that, I liked the website and would use it in a classroom.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Pogo Board
Our professor posted a video online which introduced us to a software called Pogo Board. I think that this would be a GREAT tool to use in the classroom with students. Many of today's classrooms are inclusion classrooms, meaning that there are students with specific special needs in the room (for at least part of the day). I think that this program would be good to use because it is both visual and auditory. There will be students in the classroom who definitely could benefit from using both styles to learn. In fact, many students do it everyday without even realizing it. The pogo board software would also be very useful in a special education classroom, especially one that has students who are on the Autistic Spectrum. I have worked with many students who are on the Spectrum. Most of them use a PECS system or dynavoxes to interact with the people around them. I think that this software would be a wonderful tool to use with the entire class. I think that it would give students more opportunities to speak and communicate with their peers; students whom may have otherwise been too shy or did not know how to communicate. I think that this will be a helpful tool to use. It is a software that helps students communicate with the people around them, and teaches Literacy at the same time. Students can use the words and phrases (found under each picture) to create their own sentences. From what I understand, the teacher also has control of what words and sentences are found in the software. I look forward to further exploring this software.
This is the link. Check out the video and let me know what you think about the software. http://www.pogoboards.com/VideoTutorials.aspx?name=helpvideos
This is the link. Check out the video and let me know what you think about the software. http://www.pogoboards.com/VideoTutorials.aspx?name=helpvideos
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Are we ready for the future classroom?
I just recently read an article titled 21 Things That Will Be Obsolete by 2020 by Tina Barseghian. It speaks about what she believes our classrooms will look like in the year 2020. There are a lot of things in this article that I agree with, but frankly there are many that I do not. I have chosen to share my views on what I think the top 5 pieces of this article are:
1. Desks- Do I see us moving completely away from desks? No. I see us moving toward tables and desks that allow students to interact, but I do not foresee us completely doing away with desks. After all, where would we put our books or computers? Maybe by the year 2020 the tables and desks will have the computers built right into them. Who knows?
2. Computers- That is, large computers and computer screens. I see this disappearing by the year 2020. Even today there are not many left because much of what we use now is through smart phones or other smart technologies.
3. Schools- I do not see schools disappearing within the next ten years. However, I think the line between school and home is going to become fuzzy because students will do most of their work on the computer. I think that students will be expected to do a lot more independent learning from home and then come into school to teach the rest of the class.
4. Parent- Teacher Night- Unfortunately, this may be something that disappears within ten years. I say this because I have witnessed conference nights where parents are busy working and trying to make ends meet and do not make it to the conferences. I hope that in the next ten years, our economy improves but we still need to be prepared in case it doesn't. I also say this because we are expecting that by 2020 most schools will have advanced computer technology. Well, guess what? The parents of our students are going to be the taxpayers paying for these advances so that their children can receive a good education. Although I feel as though parent- teacher night may disappear, I think that it may become easier to communicate with parents. When we begin teaching, our students' parents will be from this generation. We grew up in a society that was technologically literate and know how to use many of the communication tools that the internet offers.
5. Paper- Yes, I do believe that paper will significantly decrease by 2020. Students will be used to learning on computers. However, I do not wish to completely eliminate the use pf paper. I want my students, for instance, to know how to write and not just know how to type. I think that writing is a fundamental part of learning. You remember what you write down. I think that it is important to find a balance between using pen and paper and using the computer to teach and to learn.
What do you think?
1. Desks- Do I see us moving completely away from desks? No. I see us moving toward tables and desks that allow students to interact, but I do not foresee us completely doing away with desks. After all, where would we put our books or computers? Maybe by the year 2020 the tables and desks will have the computers built right into them. Who knows?
2. Computers- That is, large computers and computer screens. I see this disappearing by the year 2020. Even today there are not many left because much of what we use now is through smart phones or other smart technologies.
3. Schools- I do not see schools disappearing within the next ten years. However, I think the line between school and home is going to become fuzzy because students will do most of their work on the computer. I think that students will be expected to do a lot more independent learning from home and then come into school to teach the rest of the class.
4. Parent- Teacher Night- Unfortunately, this may be something that disappears within ten years. I say this because I have witnessed conference nights where parents are busy working and trying to make ends meet and do not make it to the conferences. I hope that in the next ten years, our economy improves but we still need to be prepared in case it doesn't. I also say this because we are expecting that by 2020 most schools will have advanced computer technology. Well, guess what? The parents of our students are going to be the taxpayers paying for these advances so that their children can receive a good education. Although I feel as though parent- teacher night may disappear, I think that it may become easier to communicate with parents. When we begin teaching, our students' parents will be from this generation. We grew up in a society that was technologically literate and know how to use many of the communication tools that the internet offers.
5. Paper- Yes, I do believe that paper will significantly decrease by 2020. Students will be used to learning on computers. However, I do not wish to completely eliminate the use pf paper. I want my students, for instance, to know how to write and not just know how to type. I think that writing is a fundamental part of learning. You remember what you write down. I think that it is important to find a balance between using pen and paper and using the computer to teach and to learn.
What do you think?
Using Tablets to Engage Students
This is something that I have been wondering and felt the urge to write a blog about. There is so much hyper right now surrounding the new ipads that Apple has introduced to the world. Incase you don't know, the ipad is a flat, fairly large tablet with a touch screen that allows access to the internet as well as other regular xomputer functions. So...I have been wondering for quite some time: How affective are the ipads? Are the ipads good to use in schools with students? Being that I am curious, I decided to type this question into my web browser. I cam across a video posted by ABC news that shows how using ipad tablets can help students with special needs. It seems to me that the ipad can be used as an updated/ upgraded PECS system, and possibly even serve as a communication device in the future- kind of like today's dynavoxes.
I do foresee many schools moving toward this in the future, because right now we are using smart boards. Smart boards are compatible with the ipad. However, economic growth will need to significantly increase before we see most of the school districts across the country being able to afford this new technology. It's an interesting concept and videos such as this one show me that the technology that we use with students will be affective. It just depends on how much access to and practice with the technology we have.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Parent Newsletter
So Here I am. I'm sitting at the computer, looking at all of the assignments that we have done this semester and all the new tools that I have learned about. With the exception of our final projects, the semester is almost done. I think that I have learned a great deal this semester and enhoyed sharing all that I have learned with professionals in the education world. Most o them have found these technologies to be interesting and innovative. But, I am still trying to figure out how I would write a letter home to parents, explaining all of these wonderful, new technologies. Writing a parent letter is something that I find to be somewhat difficult. Although I have already done so in the past, it is still tricky for me because I need to know the level of parents' understanding of what I am telling them. It is sometimes hard for me to use simpler language, but still get my point across and sound professional. Does anyone else feel the same way? I like that our challenge as a group this week is to write a parent letter, because I could use some extra practice. It gives us the chance to put our minds and thoughts together to colllaborate on what to write. When our group has finished the letter, I will post the link.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Mind Map
Mind Maps are very useful tools when it comes to students' learning. Mind maps are graphic organizersGraphic organizes help students to map out a specific theme or idea. In this case, I chose to do a mind map about The Water Cycle. I had trouble with some of the websites provided, so I tried the site Mindmeister. I liked some featured of this website but not other I liked that the text was easy to type in and that you could move the text boxes to anywhere on the page. However, I wanted to import pictures and make the mind map more visually appealing. I was only able to find two pictures! I think that for a topic such as the water cycle, the more pictures that you have, the easier it is for students to remember the process. I think that the website that I used was okay, but not great. There are much better websites out there to use for creating graphic organizers. Now I just need to find them......
My mind map: http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show/91706232
My mind map: http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show/91706232
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Assessment and Grading Made Easy
Much of what we covered this week during our own time had to do with Assessment and Grading. The previous blog post spoke about Engrade, which I found to be a very easy tool for teachers to create assessments and keep a grade book. We were also provided other resources and reading materials to try this week including: Flubaroo, Socrative, and Schoolology. Before posting my responses to these grading websites, I want to share with you what I learned about assessment.
There are three kinds of assessment: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Diagnostic Assessment refers to what teachers may call fishing for prior knowledge. We do informal tests or activities to see how much a student knows about a topic before we delve into the main teaching. This is where teachers learn what students already know and where they should begin the lessons.
Next is formative assessment. Formative assessments refer to informal assessments that generally occur throughout the lesson. Often, this is in terms of questions asked by the teacher to the students. It can also be questions that the students ask the teacher in order for them to fully understand the material. Formative assessments may also be in the form of whole group or even small group discussions where students listen to varying opinions about the topic.
Finally, Summative Assessments are done at the end of a lesson or at the end of a unit. They are questions that ask students to display what they have learned either during a particular lesson or at the end of the unit. Oftern, summative assessments cover large areas of information and students are provided materials to study from.
When the assessments are done, it is key that teachers keep track of students' grades. Flubaroo and Socrative are websites that teachers use to generate assessments and keep track of students' grades. Although similar, each one has different characteristics that make them stand out. For instance, Flubaroo provides teachers with a spreadsheet. It automatically calculates the points that students received and their percentile for a particular assignment. It also highlights in orange which questions students received less than 60 percent on. This makes it easy for teachers to notice which questions students struggled with. Socrative is an interactive website that allows teachers to generate assessments. Socrative is software that runs on any device- whether it is a computer, a smart board, or even a smart phone. Students can access socrative.com and interact with their teacher via the website. When doing activities, the information that students understand and complete can be portrayed through a chart. This allows the teacher to see how well students understand the material. The graphic information is immediate for the teacher to see because it is sent directly to the device that the teacher is using. This is wonderful because the teacher will see if the students are understanding the information.
Schoolology is a bit different. This website is for teachers only. It is a social networking site where teachers can come together to discuss topics in education. The website allows the user to create a profile, associate themselves with a school and create their own course. To me, it looks as though the website would be useful when setting up and teaching professional development courses dedicated to assessment and grading. I think that websites like this are important, because they serve as a springboard for teachers to post their ideas and promote collaboration among teachers. I think that using this website would be a good place for teachers to share their assessment questions and ideas with other teachers. If possible, I would suggest even adding a video option to this website, this way teachers could speak directly to each other.
Overall, I learned a lot from these tools tonight. I still think that the easiest assessment and grading website to use is Engrade. I will keep these other tools in my repertoire, however, and plan to explore them further. Seeing new and different ways of assessing students and grading students is important for me because I like to see which options I have that keep things simple yet are still engaging to the students.
There are three kinds of assessment: diagnostic, formative, and summative. Diagnostic Assessment refers to what teachers may call fishing for prior knowledge. We do informal tests or activities to see how much a student knows about a topic before we delve into the main teaching. This is where teachers learn what students already know and where they should begin the lessons.
Next is formative assessment. Formative assessments refer to informal assessments that generally occur throughout the lesson. Often, this is in terms of questions asked by the teacher to the students. It can also be questions that the students ask the teacher in order for them to fully understand the material. Formative assessments may also be in the form of whole group or even small group discussions where students listen to varying opinions about the topic.
Finally, Summative Assessments are done at the end of a lesson or at the end of a unit. They are questions that ask students to display what they have learned either during a particular lesson or at the end of the unit. Oftern, summative assessments cover large areas of information and students are provided materials to study from.
When the assessments are done, it is key that teachers keep track of students' grades. Flubaroo and Socrative are websites that teachers use to generate assessments and keep track of students' grades. Although similar, each one has different characteristics that make them stand out. For instance, Flubaroo provides teachers with a spreadsheet. It automatically calculates the points that students received and their percentile for a particular assignment. It also highlights in orange which questions students received less than 60 percent on. This makes it easy for teachers to notice which questions students struggled with. Socrative is an interactive website that allows teachers to generate assessments. Socrative is software that runs on any device- whether it is a computer, a smart board, or even a smart phone. Students can access socrative.com and interact with their teacher via the website. When doing activities, the information that students understand and complete can be portrayed through a chart. This allows the teacher to see how well students understand the material. The graphic information is immediate for the teacher to see because it is sent directly to the device that the teacher is using. This is wonderful because the teacher will see if the students are understanding the information.
Schoolology is a bit different. This website is for teachers only. It is a social networking site where teachers can come together to discuss topics in education. The website allows the user to create a profile, associate themselves with a school and create their own course. To me, it looks as though the website would be useful when setting up and teaching professional development courses dedicated to assessment and grading. I think that websites like this are important, because they serve as a springboard for teachers to post their ideas and promote collaboration among teachers. I think that using this website would be a good place for teachers to share their assessment questions and ideas with other teachers. If possible, I would suggest even adding a video option to this website, this way teachers could speak directly to each other.
Overall, I learned a lot from these tools tonight. I still think that the easiest assessment and grading website to use is Engrade. I will keep these other tools in my repertoire, however, and plan to explore them further. Seeing new and different ways of assessing students and grading students is important for me because I like to see which options I have that keep things simple yet are still engaging to the students.
Engrade
I just opened an account with the free online grading software entitled Engrade. I am currently a substitute teacher, so I decided to create my own class on the website and my own fake assignments.
To tell you the truth, I never thought that online grading could be so easy! I really like this website and will definitely be keeping it as a resource for myself. The website is extremely easy to navigate and easily allowed me to put students grades in. I liked that the website served as more than one purpose. While navigating the site, I also explored creating my own assignments and quizzes that I could share with and use with students in the future. It also provides a seating chart where the teacher can move the names of the students. This is helpful, because sometimes it is difficult to come up with a seating chart. I would absolutely recommend this site for classroom teachers to use.
I think that students and parents would find this website helpful. Students and parents are provided the access codes and can easily access important grades and assignments. I think that the website is easy to navigate and that parents would not become frustrated when searching for their child's grades. I like that the website had a 'discussions' spot where students and parents can leave messages for the teacher. This is a great way to easily keep in contact with the students and parents on a daily or weekly basis.
I would suggest having a tab where teachers could link classes together. For instance, many classrooms are inclusion classes. In upper elementary or middle school grades, sometimes the special education students are pulled into another classroom for part of the day. If teachers can have those students on the same grade book list as the other students, it would make life easier for the teachers. There would be less grade books to deal with. Also, there would be less confusion for the students as far as receiving access codes. Overall, I think that the website is wonderful and I will definitely be looking to use it in the future.
To tell you the truth, I never thought that online grading could be so easy! I really like this website and will definitely be keeping it as a resource for myself. The website is extremely easy to navigate and easily allowed me to put students grades in. I liked that the website served as more than one purpose. While navigating the site, I also explored creating my own assignments and quizzes that I could share with and use with students in the future. It also provides a seating chart where the teacher can move the names of the students. This is helpful, because sometimes it is difficult to come up with a seating chart. I would absolutely recommend this site for classroom teachers to use.
I think that students and parents would find this website helpful. Students and parents are provided the access codes and can easily access important grades and assignments. I think that the website is easy to navigate and that parents would not become frustrated when searching for their child's grades. I like that the website had a 'discussions' spot where students and parents can leave messages for the teacher. This is a great way to easily keep in contact with the students and parents on a daily or weekly basis.
I would suggest having a tab where teachers could link classes together. For instance, many classrooms are inclusion classes. In upper elementary or middle school grades, sometimes the special education students are pulled into another classroom for part of the day. If teachers can have those students on the same grade book list as the other students, it would make life easier for the teachers. There would be less grade books to deal with. Also, there would be less confusion for the students as far as receiving access codes. Overall, I think that the website is wonderful and I will definitely be looking to use it in the future.
Monday, March 28, 2011
comparing technologies
I have taken a look at three different powerpoint presentations which suggest ways to use specific technologies in the classroom.
The first one, Wordle, creates posters using words. The posters can be about any topic. Students can compile the words onto the poster and create the layout. This can be done as a whole- class project, but certainly works well with individiual projects. There are several suggestions. I would suggest using Wordle to even introduce a unit. Give students the vocabulary words on Wordle, have them tell you what they think they mean and what they think the unit will be about; then have them revisit the website after the unit is completed to assess how much information they gained.
The next is using a visualizer in the classroom. By doing so, students can create short movies and creative pictures. Visualizers also work well when showing things with specific patterns, such as magnetic fields. It CAN be used with a smart board. By allowing this, students can create their works, then have them displayed on the smart board. What's good is that teachers can learn how to display the child's work on the smart board and add new text/ designs to it to further enhance students' learning and understanding. If I understand it correctly, a visualizer seems to be a modern- day projector, that now is digitally enhanced.
The last presentation that I viewed is using audio in the classroom. There s so much to do with audio in the classroom. Students/ teachers can add audio sounds and music to presentations, students can listen to songs that pertain to something being taught in ELA. Students can generate their own lyrics for the songs. Audio can be used to express emotion and set the scene for what you are about to teach the students. Students can also use audio to express themselves creatively and emotionally. There are endless uses for audio in the classroom.
I am glad to see that these three technologies are becoming more prominent in classrooms today. It makes learning much more interesting and fun. I believe that these tools allow students to be hands- on. They create their own work- work that they can be proud of. The end products when using these tools are products that relfect who the students are and the dynamic of the class as a whole.
The first one, Wordle, creates posters using words. The posters can be about any topic. Students can compile the words onto the poster and create the layout. This can be done as a whole- class project, but certainly works well with individiual projects. There are several suggestions. I would suggest using Wordle to even introduce a unit. Give students the vocabulary words on Wordle, have them tell you what they think they mean and what they think the unit will be about; then have them revisit the website after the unit is completed to assess how much information they gained.
The next is using a visualizer in the classroom. By doing so, students can create short movies and creative pictures. Visualizers also work well when showing things with specific patterns, such as magnetic fields. It CAN be used with a smart board. By allowing this, students can create their works, then have them displayed on the smart board. What's good is that teachers can learn how to display the child's work on the smart board and add new text/ designs to it to further enhance students' learning and understanding. If I understand it correctly, a visualizer seems to be a modern- day projector, that now is digitally enhanced.
The last presentation that I viewed is using audio in the classroom. There s so much to do with audio in the classroom. Students/ teachers can add audio sounds and music to presentations, students can listen to songs that pertain to something being taught in ELA. Students can generate their own lyrics for the songs. Audio can be used to express emotion and set the scene for what you are about to teach the students. Students can also use audio to express themselves creatively and emotionally. There are endless uses for audio in the classroom.
I am glad to see that these three technologies are becoming more prominent in classrooms today. It makes learning much more interesting and fun. I believe that these tools allow students to be hands- on. They create their own work- work that they can be proud of. The end products when using these tools are products that relfect who the students are and the dynamic of the class as a whole.
Creativity
What is creativity? This is a question that we were asked in class tonight...and I think that it's an important one. Creativity to me is the ability to freely express oneself. When I see the word creativity, my mind automatically jumps to art, music, theater, and dress. I think that these are ways that people express themselves. My family and my best friends are people that I consider to be very creative. My mother always liked art as a young child and used her interest in art to become a master hairstylist. My best friend (A) is an artist who consistenly expresses her creativity through not only her art, but also her clothes and different hairstyles. My best friend (M) is a playwright who uses her creativity of words to write her plays. Not only does this involve creativity of words, but I presume it also involves envisioning who would be a good choice to play the part of her characters if they ever came to life on the stage. My best friend (S) is an artist, photographer, and actress. All three of these qualities together require a lot of creativity. I, myself, am a quiet person who expresses myself through my passion for teaching, music, and the arts.
I think that these are mostly intrinsic abilities that flourish when provided the appropriate environments. Since the time that I began school until now, I feel as though schools have made some strides in allowing students' creativity to develop, but there is not nearly enough that has been done. In class tonight, someone stated that schools right now teach the academics so that students can get into college. This is wonderful, yes, but I feel that along with academics, we need to provide students with environments that allow creativity to flow. I say this because as an educator, I recognize that students are more attentive when they are given the opportunity to creatively express themselves. If lessons capture students' interests, they are more likely to retain the information. As a personal note, I played the violin for 12 years in a district that had no string program. That was my passion. It still is. It taught me a lot of discipline, but I always wished that teachers could have brought more music into the classrooms that I was in. I always had a very hard time with Math right from the beginning, but playing the violin helped me to get a better handle on it because it taught me rhythm and timing. Unfortunately, creativity comes with a price. Technology is coming about so quickly now that people are starting to lose their creativity. Technology is wonderful, but when I am in the classroom, I try to have my students use the technology, but still do activities where they need to think and create their own projects/ pictures/ diagrams/ presentations, etc.
I am really looking forward to using the tools that I have learned in this class in my own classroom. I think that tools like these will help school districts to see that not all computer programs that will enhance students' creativity are expensive. Maybe then (I can only hope) some people will realize that BOTH academics and creativity are important.
Until next time...
I think that these are mostly intrinsic abilities that flourish when provided the appropriate environments. Since the time that I began school until now, I feel as though schools have made some strides in allowing students' creativity to develop, but there is not nearly enough that has been done. In class tonight, someone stated that schools right now teach the academics so that students can get into college. This is wonderful, yes, but I feel that along with academics, we need to provide students with environments that allow creativity to flow. I say this because as an educator, I recognize that students are more attentive when they are given the opportunity to creatively express themselves. If lessons capture students' interests, they are more likely to retain the information. As a personal note, I played the violin for 12 years in a district that had no string program. That was my passion. It still is. It taught me a lot of discipline, but I always wished that teachers could have brought more music into the classrooms that I was in. I always had a very hard time with Math right from the beginning, but playing the violin helped me to get a better handle on it because it taught me rhythm and timing. Unfortunately, creativity comes with a price. Technology is coming about so quickly now that people are starting to lose their creativity. Technology is wonderful, but when I am in the classroom, I try to have my students use the technology, but still do activities where they need to think and create their own projects/ pictures/ diagrams/ presentations, etc.
I am really looking forward to using the tools that I have learned in this class in my own classroom. I think that tools like these will help school districts to see that not all computer programs that will enhance students' creativity are expensive. Maybe then (I can only hope) some people will realize that BOTH academics and creativity are important.
Until next time...
My Voicethread
This is my voicethread- a completely new technology to me. I really liked playing around with the voicethread. I think it is something that I will be able to use in my classroom for just about any subject. The voicethread allowed me to choose a topic and orally comment on why I thought that this topic is relevant/ important. It also allows you to type a comment, although I chose to stick with voice. I like the fact that now anyone who views the voicethread can add their own commentary. Unlike some other tools, you do not have to own the product to comment. I think this is great, because when using this tool with students it would allow them to comment without having to go through a lot of steps. I chose Respect because this is one of the most important things to teach right at the beginning of the year. Many of the classrooms that I have subbed in have become so bogged down with focusing on state tests and other things that they do not have the time to teach about some important things such as Respect. I have seen that many students today do not know what repest is and what it means to be respectful of others. When I get my own classroom, this will be one of the first things that I teach at the begining of the year. The picture that I chose is c/o slumdogging.com. It serves as a good tool for teachers to use as a guide- both for themseleves as well as for their students. Here is the link to my voicethread (I had trouble embedding it.):
http://voicethread.com/share/1883666/
http://voicethread.com/share/1883666/
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Webquests
This week we explored webquests together as a small group. I think that webquests are interesting because they provide lots of information in small, easy to read bits which is integral in students' learning. This week we looked at webquests on constructivism and collaborated as a group on creating a powerpoint, visual display, and lesson plan on how constructivism is brought into the classroom. Constructivism is when students are in charge of the information that they are provided. In other words, they are in charge of their own learning. I think that when given the right tools and guidance, constructivism can significantly increase students' learning. Through reading the information for class this week, I realized that not all scholars agree. Some people think that students cannot and should not be in charge of their learning and that the teachers need to be their sole source when it comes to learning. I like to think that students and teachers work together to learn and grow. I definitely like the idea of constructivism in the classroom and I also intend to use the webquest tool as well as many of the tools that we have learned about so far. What about you? Do you agree with Constructivism in the classroom?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Digital Storytelling: My Amazing Amazon Adventure
Digital Storytelling: Telling a story, making a point by using technology.
I chose to talk about my Amazon adventure because I find that the rainforest is a large topic in Science. As a substitute teacher, I have worked with many classes who were learning about the rainforest and the wildlife that lives there. Each time, I tell the students about my adventure there and they become very interested in me telling them what I saw and the new things that I learned. I am extremely protective of the items that I got when on the adventure. However, the use of digital storytelling allows me to share these items with the students without having to bring them to school and worry that they will get ripped or broken. In this case, I would use digital storytelling to teach students about the Amazon and to show them how anoher culture lives. However, digital storytelling can be used for just about any topic. It is a fun way to get to know your students and for the students to get to know you as the teacher.
I chose to talk about my Amazon adventure because I find that the rainforest is a large topic in Science. As a substitute teacher, I have worked with many classes who were learning about the rainforest and the wildlife that lives there. Each time, I tell the students about my adventure there and they become very interested in me telling them what I saw and the new things that I learned. I am extremely protective of the items that I got when on the adventure. However, the use of digital storytelling allows me to share these items with the students without having to bring them to school and worry that they will get ripped or broken. In this case, I would use digital storytelling to teach students about the Amazon and to show them how anoher culture lives. However, digital storytelling can be used for just about any topic. It is a fun way to get to know your students and for the students to get to know you as the teacher.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Professional Development Session
I just attended a professional development session that was put on by Dr. Smirnova and some of her colleagues. The topic of the session was Integrating Technology For Lifelong Learning- the International Writing Exchange. Unfortunately, the session was cut short due to technological glitches, but nevertheless it was still a great opportunity to interact with people from all over the world. Dr. Smirnova was talking about another conference that she attended where they taught teachers how to enhance students' learning of language. Dr. Smirnova was looking to share this information with us when the technology started to show glitches and break up.
I am looking forward to learning about the information that Dr. Smirnova and her colleagues put together because writing is probably the most important part of education today. As a teacher, it is important to share with all students and their families the importance of written language and how we can master the difficult task of teaching students to write properly, while making it engaging, creative, and fun. During the session, the presenters shared a link with us which describes the International Writing Exchange and has different workshops that teachers can attend to further their understanding of teaching students how to write.
I am looking forward to learning about the information that Dr. Smirnova and her colleagues put together because writing is probably the most important part of education today. As a teacher, it is important to share with all students and their families the importance of written language and how we can master the difficult task of teaching students to write properly, while making it engaging, creative, and fun. During the session, the presenters shared a link with us which describes the International Writing Exchange and has different workshops that teachers can attend to further their understanding of teaching students how to write.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Videos for Integrating Technology into the Classroom
I think that these videos just go to show how important technology has become to our schools. I thought that these videos were interesting and made some valid points, especially the fact that they discuss the use of technology with special education and inclusion students. With so many students being classified today it is important for all teachers- general ed and special ed to figure out the BEST way to teach these amazing children. In order for this to happen, teachers must know what technologies are available to them and to their students. Technology training and the communication that goes along with it needs to extend beyond using a classroom computer. What about technologies that students who have disabilities can use? In order to teach and communicate with these students, teachers must know how that technology works. All students deserve the chance to learn and in order for teachers to reach all of their students, they must know the technology.
Here are some videos, courtesy of Youtube, that I found helpful and interesting and I hope that you gain information from them as well.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tools For Collaboration
I was just introduced to three new collaborative tools that I feel make are very good for teachers to be aware of. We all know that teachers provide guidance and ideas for their students, but how often do they guide their peers? How often do teachers get together and collaborate on ideas? Hopefully frequently. These three new internet websites are easy to use and are good tools for teachers to use when collaborating with each other. The beauty of the internet is that teachers do not have to be in the same school to collaborate with one another. Who knows, they may not even be in the same country!
The websites that I explored are: Integrating-Technology.com, supercoolschool.com, and Google For Educators.
Integrating Technology: Before logging in, this website offers a video about synchronous (all people participate in discussion together) and asynchronous (people complete tasks individually, then come together to discuss what they learned) forms of communication. This website allows you to join and to take part in synchronous discussions with educators throughout the country. I think that this is a great way for educators to bounce ideas off of one another and to see different points of view on the same topic.
SuperCoolSchool: I am amazed at the idea of this website. It seems as though the traditional classroom is disappearing and the virtual classroom is becoming more of a reality. I like the ideas presented on this website, although I think that it is a little bit ahead of it's time because right now we are in- between traditional and virtual classrooms. With this website, teachers can set up their own virtual classrooms where they invite people to listen to their presentations and participate in group activities and discussions. Personally, I think that this website should be tried with teachers only first, then once teachers master it, branch out and invite our students to participate. I see this website as our future in education.
Google For Educators: This website is a good tool for integrating ideas into our curriculum. For example, there is a post for using Google Earth in Science lessons. The website allows you to join and search for groups, as well as post questions on the discussion board. This is a resource that I will reference in the future.
It's amazing to think how far technology has come when it comes to education and even more crazy to sit back and realize how fast all of the new technology is changing. I think that websites like these are a comfort zone for teachers because they allow us to come together and explore all of these new tools together; as well as discuss any changes that would need to be made when using these with our students.
The websites that I explored are: Integrating-Technology.com, supercoolschool.com, and Google For Educators.
Integrating Technology: Before logging in, this website offers a video about synchronous (all people participate in discussion together) and asynchronous (people complete tasks individually, then come together to discuss what they learned) forms of communication. This website allows you to join and to take part in synchronous discussions with educators throughout the country. I think that this is a great way for educators to bounce ideas off of one another and to see different points of view on the same topic.
SuperCoolSchool: I am amazed at the idea of this website. It seems as though the traditional classroom is disappearing and the virtual classroom is becoming more of a reality. I like the ideas presented on this website, although I think that it is a little bit ahead of it's time because right now we are in- between traditional and virtual classrooms. With this website, teachers can set up their own virtual classrooms where they invite people to listen to their presentations and participate in group activities and discussions. Personally, I think that this website should be tried with teachers only first, then once teachers master it, branch out and invite our students to participate. I see this website as our future in education.
Google For Educators: This website is a good tool for integrating ideas into our curriculum. For example, there is a post for using Google Earth in Science lessons. The website allows you to join and search for groups, as well as post questions on the discussion board. This is a resource that I will reference in the future.
It's amazing to think how far technology has come when it comes to education and even more crazy to sit back and realize how fast all of the new technology is changing. I think that websites like these are a comfort zone for teachers because they allow us to come together and explore all of these new tools together; as well as discuss any changes that would need to be made when using these with our students.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Team Education Innovation Toolkit
When presented with the idea of completing a teacher toolkit with my team (Team Education Innovation), I at first felt a little bit overwhelmed. However, once beginning the project, I did have fun completing it. The teacher toolkit allowed me to explore many websites related to Literacy that I did not know about or did not know that much about before. It even allowed me to see ways that I can connect Literacy to different subjects. As the semester progresses, we can add more websites and useful tools to our toolkit.I have found websites and lesson ideas that are suitable for young students as well as older students. Since I now know that creating a toolkit is not as intimidating as I originally thought, this is something that I will definitely keep up and use in the future.
Until next time...
Until next time...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Benefits of Blogging in the Classroom
"What is real learning? This is when students are more engaged in learning activities in which they take ownership." When reading the assignment for this week, this quote stood out to me. Learning is when children can explore and expand their zone of proximal development (the space in between what they already know and what they are capable of learning with guidance from a more experienced person). Nowadays, more and more schools are having children write their own blogs. You may ask: "What are the benefits?" "How will this help children to learn?
Keeping a blog allows students to take control of what they are learning. I have learned that Blogs are basically electronic journals where students can type reflections, create discussion questions, and even add videos or images that they feel relate to their topic. Blogs give students a choice of what to reflect on and allow them to see what they may need to improve. Along with reflections, blogging expands students' Literacy because not only will they read and write in their blogs, they will also read the blogs of their peers and post comments for their peers to read and to discuss with each other.
According to David Wetzel,there are several benefits to using blogs in the classroom environment. First, they allow students to increase collaboration and discussions with each other. Not only can students read blogs that their classmates wrote, but students can also access blogs that other children all over the world have written. Students will then be able to read about and discuss any similarities or differences that they may have with people all over the world.Next, it is suggested that blogs allow for continual learning. Students can find information for their blogs in magaines, encyclopedias, informational books, the internet, etc. There is endless information that students can use to create and keep up with their blogs. After finding the information, students can then create their blogs and teach their peers. The benefit that I find to be the most important is differentiated instruction. Blogging allows students to be creative- from the style of writing that they use to the text format to the template and pictures that they add. It allows students to have their creativity infiltrate into their writing.
Aside from increasing students' writing skills, reading skills, and peer collaboration, blogs allow the teacher to see if students fully understand what it is that they are learning. They are a good way for teachers to see what information students are retaining or where there may be confusion.
All in all, I think that allowing students to write blogs will be beneficial. They allow students to be creative, making them more fun and intriguing to write.
Until next time...
Keeping a blog allows students to take control of what they are learning. I have learned that Blogs are basically electronic journals where students can type reflections, create discussion questions, and even add videos or images that they feel relate to their topic. Blogs give students a choice of what to reflect on and allow them to see what they may need to improve. Along with reflections, blogging expands students' Literacy because not only will they read and write in their blogs, they will also read the blogs of their peers and post comments for their peers to read and to discuss with each other.
According to David Wetzel,there are several benefits to using blogs in the classroom environment. First, they allow students to increase collaboration and discussions with each other. Not only can students read blogs that their classmates wrote, but students can also access blogs that other children all over the world have written. Students will then be able to read about and discuss any similarities or differences that they may have with people all over the world.Next, it is suggested that blogs allow for continual learning. Students can find information for their blogs in magaines, encyclopedias, informational books, the internet, etc. There is endless information that students can use to create and keep up with their blogs. After finding the information, students can then create their blogs and teach their peers. The benefit that I find to be the most important is differentiated instruction. Blogging allows students to be creative- from the style of writing that they use to the text format to the template and pictures that they add. It allows students to have their creativity infiltrate into their writing.
Aside from increasing students' writing skills, reading skills, and peer collaboration, blogs allow the teacher to see if students fully understand what it is that they are learning. They are a good way for teachers to see what information students are retaining or where there may be confusion.
All in all, I think that allowing students to write blogs will be beneficial. They allow students to be creative, making them more fun and intriguing to write.
Until next time...
New Approach to Learning
In classrooms today, I have seen many new techniques for teaching being implemented. I feel as though right now is sort of an experimental time in education because we are figuring out how to bridge the gap between a classroom where the teacher is in total control and a classroom where the students control their learning process. The pyramid shows the retention rates for passive teaching methods (teacher is in control) and participatory teaching methods (students participate in discussions, conferences, teaching peers etc.). The pyramid clearly indicates that students have a much higher retention rate when they are involved in the lessons. Having done several classroom observations, I find that this is true. The passive teaching style is often only targeted for one group of students and will not reach many of the students in the class. This style often is geared for the more advanced students who do not need futher practice or even further explanation. However, participatoy teaching methods allow all students to be involved in the lessons. All students are guided by the teacher and participate in discussions and collaboration with peers. This piques students' interests and maintins their attention, therefore increasing their retention rates. Also, this method teaches students to listen to others before providing input and learn how to communicate effectively.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Cyber Safety Webquest
I read a webquest the other day about cyber safety. I feel as though this is an extremely imporant topic for people, not just educators, to be aware of. I felt as though the webquest was full of information, but a little bit overwhelming because there were so many tabs to click on. I felt that this may deter some parents from fully reading and understanding the information. I like the idea of a webquest and the fact that we need to collaborate with our group members to create a powerpoint and a poster about the steps to prevent and be aware of cyber bullying. I feel as though I have aken on a large responsibility within my group and at this point have done much of the work. So far, I have begun the poster and powerpoints for this week's projects. I do enjoy learning about new tools and coming up with creative ways to create new powerpoints and visually appealing things such as posters. I do wish at this point that it would be more collaborative so that we all could bounce the ideas off of one another. I have learned a lot this week both about cyber bullying as well as about using new technologies such as google docs to create powerpoints and posters. I am really looking forward to using these in the classroom because I now have seen first- hand how fun and inviting they can be, yet they still give you a lot of content at the same time.
Update: Here are the finished powerpoint and poster links on Internet Safety:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0Ac499uaLNr8FZGZ2cTg2cXRfMmdueHAzZGNk&authkey=CIPW-NUK&hl=en
https://docs.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1_DyKQvLaEidoZaiJQ1OgxZv0bEkGPNPZA8WjPKXE4Vg&hl=en
Update: Here are the finished powerpoint and poster links on Internet Safety:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0Ac499uaLNr8FZGZ2cTg2cXRfMmdueHAzZGNk&authkey=CIPW-NUK&hl=en
https://docs.google.com/drawings/edit?id=1_DyKQvLaEidoZaiJQ1OgxZv0bEkGPNPZA8WjPKXE4Vg&hl=en
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Cyber Safety LetterPop
So last night I saw an extra credit assignment posted and decided that I was up to giving myself a challenge. This is a newsletter that I created for parents about Cyber Safety. I used the readings that the class was provided as well as internet resources for the pictures. Let me know what you think:
http://letterpop.com/newsletters/?id=184443-0a5c88
http://letterpop.com/newsletters/?id=184443-0a5c88
smartboard session
So...the other day I atttended a seminar on how to use a smartboard. Although I am constantly exposed to a smart board, I have never been allowed to use one in a school before because I did not have the proper training. I am ectatic because I now have a certificate that shows my completion of basic training in smartboard use. I never knew that there were so many functions that the smart board has. Did you know that you can use your fist to erase on the smart board, or write with basically any object if you lose one of the smart board pens? Something that I found particularly interesting was the fact that you can write something on the smartboard and then convert it to text; as well as the fact that the smart board stores information and pictures that you choose from the internet. This makes lessons easier for teachers to plan and far more interesting for students to follow. I thought that the seminar went well and that it taught me a lot about a technology that I had been exposed to but was never before allowed to use. I am very excited t present the schools with my certificate and begin practicing the use of the smart board so that I can further enhance my lessons with smart board activities.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Internet Safety
Today I read through several new course readings about internet safety and knowing how to protect yourself and others on the internet. I felt as though these reads were extremely important because it is all too common today to fall victim to identity theft or other criminal activity because of information posted on the internet. Although I am on a social networking site, I am extremely careful as to what is posted. I do not give out any personal information other than my name and interests because it is scary to think of who may be reading or recording this information. I have known a few people who have become victims of identity theft because they possibly gave out too much information. I learned a lot about programs that I did not know before. I never knew that by using websites, the internet uses the cookies to track what sites you go to. I thought that this was just something that came with upgraded service systems. I also never knew that cookies could be something good. They help to show places or sites that you may like to visit based on your previous searching. I always heard that cookies were bad and gave your computer viruses and that you can disable cookies. I wish that I would have known this a long time ago. It would have saved me a lot of time and money. I find it bewildering when I see that people have posted their email addresses, phone numbers and even home addresses on social websites. It scares me to think that these people do not know the danger that they are putting themselves into. As teachers it is very immportant to be aware of dangerous websites because these can damage the computers and hinder our students' learning. Although many schools have blocks on outside websites, they are still not completely safe and students need to know how to safely access the information that they are searching for. I hope that teachers stay up to date as for how to protect themselves and their students in an ever- changing digital world.
My Digital Footprints
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA3SooifUz0&hl=en_GB&fs=1
This is a video that I created depicting my digital footprints. By completing readings from my technology course, I learned that digital footprints are trackings that show what websites we visit and how often. These footprints make it easier to search for things because they allow the internet to provide us with suggestions as to what we may like or may wish to search for. It is important to be aware of what digital footprints you leave behind in space because websites may gain access to some of your information or you may get suggestions from websites that you do not care for. I hope that you enjoy the video. My main digital footprints include blogger, youtube, facebook, and aol as well as any information about music websites because this is a big interest of mine.
This is a video that I created depicting my digital footprints. By completing readings from my technology course, I learned that digital footprints are trackings that show what websites we visit and how often. These footprints make it easier to search for things because they allow the internet to provide us with suggestions as to what we may like or may wish to search for. It is important to be aware of what digital footprints you leave behind in space because websites may gain access to some of your information or you may get suggestions from websites that you do not care for. I hope that you enjoy the video. My main digital footprints include blogger, youtube, facebook, and aol as well as any information about music websites because this is a big interest of mine.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Skype
I attended our college's first skype session with Russia. This is just some news coverage of myself and our professor from Russia- Dr. Olga Lomakina speaking about the experience. It was a great learning opportunity for me because we got to speak directly to Russian students and we found out that their interests and likes are incredibly similar to our own. I think that this would be a very good tool to use in our classrooms because it was give our students a chance to brainstorm questions to ask the students in another country; and would also allow them to learn about a different culture. I can't wait to do this again! Incase the story is no longer up when you click the link, the title is: HV students chat with Russian counterparts.
http://www.news12.com/index.jsp
http://www.screencast.com/users/Pedagogy21/folders/Jing/media/03cdf08e-2d8b-4b54-a056-077a279d46d1
http://www.news12.com/index.jsp
http://www.screencast.com/users/Pedagogy21/folders/Jing/media/03cdf08e-2d8b-4b54-a056-077a279d46d1
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
My Letterpop Newsletter
This is the 'newsletter' I created about a week or two ago about google docs. Again, this was a new website for me. I hope that you like it. It was pretty easy to search the website, choose a templeate and upload a picture to it. I do not know how to enlarge the photo, so I provided the link so that you can easily read the text.
http://letterpop.com/newsletters/?id=182792-a727ba
http://letterpop.com/newsletters/?id=182792-a727ba
Monday, February 21, 2011
Reengergizing the run- down teacher
Most of us are at the very beginning of our teaching careers. Most, if none, of us have ever taught an online course. When you begin teaching and find yor niche, that is wonderful. However, what do you do after you have been teaching for a while and things seem to become monotonous? How do you maintain students' interests when you yourself are not interested? The solutions offered are for both traditional classroom teachers and online course facilitators. I just read an article which offers some solutions to teachers.
One solution is to collaborate with other teachers. Collaboration allows for new, fresh ideas to enter one's mind. People who collaborate often take an idea given to them and mold it to fit their personal needs and the needs of their students. Another solution is to attend free webinars or seminars on the content that you teach.Professional development greatly enhances the teaching tools that one learns to use within the classroom. When using online resources, use a microphone to ask students individual questions or even post videos for them to watch. Have students experiment with and use the web 2.0 tools discussed in the previous blog entry. Ask students to state how they found these tools to be useful and anything that they would change. Then, the teacher can make modifications for next time. Do not become overwhelmed by trying to complete everything at once. This is difficult for me, because as soon as I am given an assignment, I am eager to start it that day. Too much at once will become overwhelming and as a teacher you will tire your brain. Reserve time for yourself. If you teach an onine course, do not access the course information on the weekend because you will need this time to take a break and clear your mind this way it is fresh when you resume on Monday. Lastly, establish when your students and colleagues are able to reach you and where the best place for them to reach you will be. Do you prefer meeting online via webex, gtalk, or email? Do you prefer to meet in person? Do you prefer a phone call? This is very important and is up to you.
Until next time...
One solution is to collaborate with other teachers. Collaboration allows for new, fresh ideas to enter one's mind. People who collaborate often take an idea given to them and mold it to fit their personal needs and the needs of their students. Another solution is to attend free webinars or seminars on the content that you teach.Professional development greatly enhances the teaching tools that one learns to use within the classroom. When using online resources, use a microphone to ask students individual questions or even post videos for them to watch. Have students experiment with and use the web 2.0 tools discussed in the previous blog entry. Ask students to state how they found these tools to be useful and anything that they would change. Then, the teacher can make modifications for next time. Do not become overwhelmed by trying to complete everything at once. This is difficult for me, because as soon as I am given an assignment, I am eager to start it that day. Too much at once will become overwhelming and as a teacher you will tire your brain. Reserve time for yourself. If you teach an onine course, do not access the course information on the weekend because you will need this time to take a break and clear your mind this way it is fresh when you resume on Monday. Lastly, establish when your students and colleagues are able to reach you and where the best place for them to reach you will be. Do you prefer meeting online via webex, gtalk, or email? Do you prefer to meet in person? Do you prefer a phone call? This is very important and is up to you.
Until next time...
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is any technology that allows a person to interact with other people. Web 2.0 includes the use of blogs, Google docs, and interactive sites such as webex.
As you know, a blog is basically an online journal. Webex is a website that is interactive. It is a website which schedules meeting times and allows you to see and hear the people that you are meeting with. The video below explains google docs.
All of these technologies can certainly be used in the classroom. Blogs are good ways for students to keep track of what they are learning. Students can keep track of any data or new information that they collect on google docs and use webex to share their information with the class, or maybe even other students in the school who are in a different classroom.
As you know, a blog is basically an online journal. Webex is a website that is interactive. It is a website which schedules meeting times and allows you to see and hear the people that you are meeting with. The video below explains google docs.
All of these technologies can certainly be used in the classroom. Blogs are good ways for students to keep track of what they are learning. Students can keep track of any data or new information that they collect on google docs and use webex to share their information with the class, or maybe even other students in the school who are in a different classroom.
What makes technology good?
According to Stephen Downes, there are nine possibilities which indicate good technology.
1. Technology is always available Good technology will automatically be found in the classroom and the teacher does not have to wait and sign the technology out so that they can use it. In my opinion, smart boards and computers are generally good technology because many classrooms have them readily available.
2. Good technology is always on Much of the technology today uses a lot of energy and takes a long time to start up. This wastes precious classroom time. If technology that takes only a few seconds to start up becomes more common, this will increase the amount of time that teachers can use it with their students.
3. Good technology is always connected This goes along with number 2. If the technology is connected, teachers can spend more time using it with their students rather than wasting time setting it up.
4. Good technology is standardized Technology should be universal, meaning that we should be able to access our information from any computer as well as share information from any computer. Some programs only work on certain computer brands, but if those programs help to improve technology, they should be able to work on all computers.
5. Technology is simple I need technology to be very simple, otherwise I become frustrated very quickly. I need to know right away how to access the main functions of the computer that I use daily. If those functions are not there or are not easily accessible, I will not buy that computer. In order for me to use the technology, it must be very easy to work with.
6. Good technology doesn't require parts Along with being simple, my technology must not require parts, otherwise I do not know how to work it myself. If this is the case, I will bring it to someone who does know how to work the parts and will have it fixed. I, however, do not feel comfortable at all when technology is complicated and has many parts to it.
7. Good technology is personalized The use of emails, blogs, PLE's, and personal web pages has allowed technology to become more personalized. The most common form of personalization today is probably the email address. Nearly everyone who is around technology has a personalized email address or screename which reflects that person's personality in some way.
8. Good technology is modular It can be built in a variety of different ways and constantly improved from one model to the next. For example, one laptop may not have something that the next version of that same laptop will have. The new version will therefore be faster and have higher picture quality, for example.
9. Good technology does what you want it to do I don't know how many times over the course of my college years I have found myself in an argument with my computer because it won't do what I need it to do. Good ttechnology will not have these glitches.
Until next time...
1. Technology is always available Good technology will automatically be found in the classroom and the teacher does not have to wait and sign the technology out so that they can use it. In my opinion, smart boards and computers are generally good technology because many classrooms have them readily available.
2. Good technology is always on Much of the technology today uses a lot of energy and takes a long time to start up. This wastes precious classroom time. If technology that takes only a few seconds to start up becomes more common, this will increase the amount of time that teachers can use it with their students.
3. Good technology is always connected This goes along with number 2. If the technology is connected, teachers can spend more time using it with their students rather than wasting time setting it up.
4. Good technology is standardized Technology should be universal, meaning that we should be able to access our information from any computer as well as share information from any computer. Some programs only work on certain computer brands, but if those programs help to improve technology, they should be able to work on all computers.
5. Technology is simple I need technology to be very simple, otherwise I become frustrated very quickly. I need to know right away how to access the main functions of the computer that I use daily. If those functions are not there or are not easily accessible, I will not buy that computer. In order for me to use the technology, it must be very easy to work with.
6. Good technology doesn't require parts Along with being simple, my technology must not require parts, otherwise I do not know how to work it myself. If this is the case, I will bring it to someone who does know how to work the parts and will have it fixed. I, however, do not feel comfortable at all when technology is complicated and has many parts to it.
7. Good technology is personalized The use of emails, blogs, PLE's, and personal web pages has allowed technology to become more personalized. The most common form of personalization today is probably the email address. Nearly everyone who is around technology has a personalized email address or screename which reflects that person's personality in some way.
8. Good technology is modular It can be built in a variety of different ways and constantly improved from one model to the next. For example, one laptop may not have something that the next version of that same laptop will have. The new version will therefore be faster and have higher picture quality, for example.
9. Good technology does what you want it to do I don't know how many times over the course of my college years I have found myself in an argument with my computer because it won't do what I need it to do. Good ttechnology will not have these glitches.
Until next time...
THE BIG QUESTION
What should we learn? In other words, what are the most important tools needed for a person to learn today via a computer? The suggested tools were: blogs, Jing, a search engine, a video camera, webinars, screencasts, etc. I think that this list is great. I think that it is important to start with just the basics. I would also add word processing, general use of smart boards, and and digital uploading of pictures from a camera.
The Personal Learning Environment
I just finished watching a video on what is called the Personal Learning Environment (PLE). What I took away from the video is that personal learning environments are websites created by a person for a specific purpose. For example, a person may be an expert in one field of study and will set up a personal learning environment for their peers to access information from. The person who sets up the website can manage what is posted on there and who they send information to. People can take information from their facebook, twitter, secondlife, and blog accounts and post it to their PLE. This allows the reader to access a mountain of information which they may find to be useful. The PLE is a network where people can access information and interact with each other. It allows the learning process to go from being a straight line (where all you do is absorb information) to expanding and covering a much more in- depth understanding of the material and how the material can be used.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
My scrapblog
This is a scrapblog that I created last semester. It was a totally new technology to me. My topic was Emotional Literacy. Just click through the gallery or press the play button. I hope you enjoy and can learn from it. Any comments or feedback is welcomed :-)
http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/vw_full.aspx?sbid=2836102
http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/vw_full.aspx?sbid=2836102
My new wiki/ A new age of technology
I just figured out how to create my own wiki! This is pretty cool. I am starting to feel a little bit better now that I am somewhat getting a handle on all of this new technology.http://teameducationinnovation.wikispaces.com/
It's really amazing to think how far technology has come. Tonight, I began reading a book titled Beacons in the Night which is a true story of the adventures that one soldier faced when entering war- torn Yugoslavia during World War II. In the book, this soldier is worried because he is a parachute jumper and has to protect all goods that are dropped to the ground- including the radios. He was worried because the radios were glass and if they were broken after being tossed out of the plane, soldiers would have no form of communication with their other military comrades. It's amazing to thik how far technology has come in what is relatively a short time period. With the internet, communication is almost instant and the technology that can instantly be accessed is fascinating.
From (Then):
To (Now):
To (future):
It's really amazing to think how far technology has come. Tonight, I began reading a book titled Beacons in the Night which is a true story of the adventures that one soldier faced when entering war- torn Yugoslavia during World War II. In the book, this soldier is worried because he is a parachute jumper and has to protect all goods that are dropped to the ground- including the radios. He was worried because the radios were glass and if they were broken after being tossed out of the plane, soldiers would have no form of communication with their other military comrades. It's amazing to thik how far technology has come in what is relatively a short time period. With the internet, communication is almost instant and the technology that can instantly be accessed is fascinating.
From (Then):
To (Now):
To (future):
Saturday, February 19, 2011
I guess I'm No Computer Genius
http://oc.course.com/genius2/genius_flash_nt.cfm?ISBN=978-1-4239-1180-7&project=1
I guess I am not a computer genius. Well, that is of no surprise to me, but I have learned a lot even from just taking this little quiz. I think that is the reason for me taking this course. Technology is necessary to survive in today's world and I want to be able to help my students the best that I can...and that means it's time to brush up on my technology skills. I'm glad that many people in this course feel the same way. Until next time...
I guess I am not a computer genius. Well, that is of no surprise to me, but I have learned a lot even from just taking this little quiz. I think that is the reason for me taking this course. Technology is necessary to survive in today's world and I want to be able to help my students the best that I can...and that means it's time to brush up on my technology skills. I'm glad that many people in this course feel the same way. Until next time...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Reching beyond the classroom
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Finally!
I have FINALLY figured out how to add some pictures and videos as well as music to this blog! I'm really excited about that. I hope that you can read, listen, watch, and enjoy this blog site as I try my best to keep up with a technology that is completely new to me :-)
Monday, February 14, 2011
Weeks 3 and 4 of this course
I feel as though weeks 3 and 4 of this course have been going pretty well. I feel as though it is starting to come together, slowly but surely. Last week, I spent most of my time working on the blog. Our group session tonight went very well. We discussed our opinions on the different technologies coming out now and how we would use them in our classrooms. This week's readings focuses on the use of google docs. I found that this tool can be wonderful, but I don't think that it would fit the learning needs of all students. I think that this would be perfect for a student in middle or high school who learns new things easily and does not need constant teacher supervision. What about students who have higher needs than the other students? How would the use of google docs help them? Frankly, I don't think that it would. I'm not saying to not use this tool; I am just saying to be aware of the learners in your classroom and use a tool that would work for them.
Here is my reflection for the last 2 weeks:
Reflection:
Bloom's Remembering: What did I do?
Student Reflection: What was the assignment? When was it due? Did I get it turned in on time?
Bloom's Understanding: What was important about what I did? Did I meet my goals?
Student Reflection: Do I understand the parts of the assignment and how they connect? Did my response completely address all parts of the assignment? Do I see where this fits in with what we are studying?
Bloom's Application: When did I do this before? Where could I use this again?
Student Reflection: How was this assignment similar to other assignments? (in this course or others). Do I see connections in either content, product or process? Are there ways to adapt it to other assignments? Where could I use this (content, product or process) my life?
Bloom's Analysis: Do I see any patterns or relationships in what I did?
Student Reflection: Were the strategies, skills and procedures I used effective for this assignment? Yes.
Do I see any patterns in how I approached my work - such as following an outline, keeping to deadlines? Yes- I keep on top of deadlines and try to get started early so that I can tweak my projects as the week progresses.
What were the results of the approach I used - was it efficient, or could I have eliminated or reorganized steps? I find my approach to be affective. It's what works for me. Some people don't like to do things this way, but this is how I learn the best.
Bloom's Evaluation: How well did I do? What worked? What do I need to improve? I need to improve on sprucing things up. The content is there, just making things more visually appealing would be nice.
Student Reflection: What are we learning and is it important? Yes, learning about technology is important because we need to know about what we teach our students to use.
Did I do an effective job of communicating my learning to others? No. I will use the discussion forum more often from now on.
What have I learned about my strengths and my areas in need of improvement? How am I progressing as a learner? I am progressing well, I think. I have a very good work ethic and get things done early, but I need to have more patience when awaiting replies from others, especially when they answer questions that I may have had.
Bloom's Creation: What should I do next? What's my plan / design? I plan to continue working on the blog and figure out how to add more features.
Student Reflection: How can I best use my strengths to improve? I can use some of the new technologies to help me further understand how technology works and what it can be used for.
What steps should I take or resources should I use to meet my challenges? Use the discussion forum and my peers for help with any encountered problems.
What suggestions do I have for my professor or my peers to improve our learning environment? It's a little bit overwhelming. Make sure what is expected of us is clearly stated and that the links work.
How can I adapt this content or skill to make a difference in my life and my future/current classroom? I will definitely be using this knowledge in my classroom. I've already begun to tell other teachers about it actually. I will be planning interactive lessons and will most likely have my students create their own blog, even if they use their written journal entries and enter them into the computer as a blog.
As for me with the technology, I am becoming more comfortable. I am having trouble embedding videos and using pictures on my blog, though. I would like to spruce it up a little bit! I hope that you are all doing well with the semester and that things are starting to come together for you.
Until next time...
Here is my reflection for the last 2 weeks:
Reflection:
Bloom's Remembering: What did I do?
Student Reflection: What was the assignment? When was it due? Did I get it turned in on time?
Bloom's Understanding: What was important about what I did? Did I meet my goals?
Student Reflection: Do I understand the parts of the assignment and how they connect? Did my response completely address all parts of the assignment? Do I see where this fits in with what we are studying?
Bloom's Application: When did I do this before? Where could I use this again?
Student Reflection: How was this assignment similar to other assignments? (in this course or others). Do I see connections in either content, product or process? Are there ways to adapt it to other assignments? Where could I use this (content, product or process) my life?
Bloom's Analysis: Do I see any patterns or relationships in what I did?
Student Reflection: Were the strategies, skills and procedures I used effective for this assignment? Yes.
Do I see any patterns in how I approached my work - such as following an outline, keeping to deadlines? Yes- I keep on top of deadlines and try to get started early so that I can tweak my projects as the week progresses.
What were the results of the approach I used - was it efficient, or could I have eliminated or reorganized steps? I find my approach to be affective. It's what works for me. Some people don't like to do things this way, but this is how I learn the best.
Bloom's Evaluation: How well did I do? What worked? What do I need to improve? I need to improve on sprucing things up. The content is there, just making things more visually appealing would be nice.
Student Reflection: What are we learning and is it important? Yes, learning about technology is important because we need to know about what we teach our students to use.
Did I do an effective job of communicating my learning to others? No. I will use the discussion forum more often from now on.
What have I learned about my strengths and my areas in need of improvement? How am I progressing as a learner? I am progressing well, I think. I have a very good work ethic and get things done early, but I need to have more patience when awaiting replies from others, especially when they answer questions that I may have had.
Bloom's Creation: What should I do next? What's my plan / design? I plan to continue working on the blog and figure out how to add more features.
Student Reflection: How can I best use my strengths to improve? I can use some of the new technologies to help me further understand how technology works and what it can be used for.
What steps should I take or resources should I use to meet my challenges? Use the discussion forum and my peers for help with any encountered problems.
What suggestions do I have for my professor or my peers to improve our learning environment? It's a little bit overwhelming. Make sure what is expected of us is clearly stated and that the links work.
How can I adapt this content or skill to make a difference in my life and my future/current classroom? I will definitely be using this knowledge in my classroom. I've already begun to tell other teachers about it actually. I will be planning interactive lessons and will most likely have my students create their own blog, even if they use their written journal entries and enter them into the computer as a blog.
As for me with the technology, I am becoming more comfortable. I am having trouble embedding videos and using pictures on my blog, though. I would like to spruce it up a little bit! I hope that you are all doing well with the semester and that things are starting to come together for you.
Until next time...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My Picasion Experiment
This is my picasion experiment. I really enjoyed this assignment but I had a very difficult time with it at the same time. I think that it's a fun idea, but there were a lot of glitches that I had both when creating it and when trying to post the assignment. I was trying to take a screenshot this way I could show the team's business card as well as a few other pictures, but did not have success in figuring this task out yet. I thought that the business card would be a great thing to show- representing the unity of the team- but it did not work out that way. I'm still very new to this technology and even had difficulty when posting the assignment for a grade. This is an assignment that I would do with my future students, but only after I have had a lot more practice with it. After all, practice makes perfect. I hope it gets easier as the semester continues on. I wish you all luck.
http://picasion.com/i/18Igf
http://picasion.com/i/18Igf
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
This Week's Reflection on Google Tools
This week was all about familiarizing myself with new technologies that I have never used before...including this blog. I have begun to familiarize myself with webex, wiziq, gtalk, and gmail. So far, they are all a work- in- progress for me. When meeting in our groups last week, my group and I spent over an hour trying to figure out the technology before even getting to discuss the week's assignments. It is a little overwhelming, but I hope that it will come together in the newr future. I am enjoying learning about these new tools, however. I find it fascinating that we can work in groups online and see each other/ talk to each other. The same goes for the online whole group meetings. I am looking forward to the rest of this semester.
Until next time...
Until next time...
Education 1.0 vs. Education 2.0
Education 1.0:
chalkboards
desks
teacher- led lessons
projectors
VCR's
A classroom where students filed into rows each day, lugged heavy textbooks, and watched slides on a projector screen. If students watched a movie, the teacher would sign a tv out, wheel it to their classroom, and play a video tape in the VCR player. Learning was led by the teacher and there was minimal discussion allowed in the classroom. Students were expected to work independently.
Education 2.0:
white boards
smart boards
computers
laptops
collaborative groups
This classroom is an inviting environment where students use the technology around them to learn and interact with their peers. Students often collaborate with their peers and most no longer sit in rows. It is expected that students participate in collaborative projects. When students today go up to the board, they either write on a white board, or use the electronic pens to write on the smart board screen. To watch a video today, the teacher will place a DVD into the computer which is hooked into the smart board. There is no longer the need to find a tv and bring it to the classroom. Rather than watching slides on a projector screen, students can use computers to find pictures on the internet and create their own slide shows and powerpoints. The classroom is interactive and students are expected to be as involved in the lessons as the teachers are. This classroom provides students with many different ways to learn and promotes self- confidence within students. It is a much more interactive classroom where students receive information immediately. It is important for teachers to find new ways to challenge students in this classroom. What may have worked in previous classrooms will most likely no longer challenge students who go to school in an Education 2.0 classroom.
Until next time...
chalkboards
desks
teacher- led lessons
projectors
VCR's
A classroom where students filed into rows each day, lugged heavy textbooks, and watched slides on a projector screen. If students watched a movie, the teacher would sign a tv out, wheel it to their classroom, and play a video tape in the VCR player. Learning was led by the teacher and there was minimal discussion allowed in the classroom. Students were expected to work independently.
Education 2.0:
white boards
smart boards
computers
laptops
collaborative groups
This classroom is an inviting environment where students use the technology around them to learn and interact with their peers. Students often collaborate with their peers and most no longer sit in rows. It is expected that students participate in collaborative projects. When students today go up to the board, they either write on a white board, or use the electronic pens to write on the smart board screen. To watch a video today, the teacher will place a DVD into the computer which is hooked into the smart board. There is no longer the need to find a tv and bring it to the classroom. Rather than watching slides on a projector screen, students can use computers to find pictures on the internet and create their own slide shows and powerpoints. The classroom is interactive and students are expected to be as involved in the lessons as the teachers are. This classroom provides students with many different ways to learn and promotes self- confidence within students. It is a much more interactive classroom where students receive information immediately. It is important for teachers to find new ways to challenge students in this classroom. What may have worked in previous classrooms will most likely no longer challenge students who go to school in an Education 2.0 classroom.
Until next time...
3 Technological Literacies
When learning about technology for the classroom, there are three main literacies that are in effect: Computer Literacy, Information Literacy, and Integration Literacy.
Computer Literacy is a person's ability to use the computer, understand how it operates. Most students today come to school knowing how to operate a computer. In fact, many of them know how to do this better than you or I can.
Information Literacy gives us the tools to use and locate information on the internet and clearly organize this information. With this literacy, students can create their own webquests. The video Information Literacy uses the acronym DISCOVER to describe the process of information literacy:
D-define
I-inquire
S-search
C-collect
O-organize
V-verify
E-express
R-reflect
This acronym can be helpful to students when using the internet to find information and create their own projects. The teacher would first explain each step and what is expected of the students. Each step will have more than one component. For example: For Define, students must write who, what, why, where, or when. It may be easiest if the students were provided a chart with the acronym where they could write down their findings next to each word. Information Literacy is helpful to both the teacher and students because it allows them to look at what websites are of use to them. After the DISCOVER process has been completed, the students can create a webquest which would provide visuals, some text, and links to the useful websites about their given topic.
Integration Literacy is using technology to further enhance the learning of students. This literacy uses every form of technology possible where text can be created- including cell phones. Integration literacy is a student- based approach, meaning that the classroom teacher is not the only person leading the lessons. Students can help other students and serve as peer facilitators, or the computer can even provide students with much of their learning. Integration Literacy is geared to involve all learning styles- from visual to auditory to textile. It allows students to explore on their own or work collaboratively in groups, then discuss with the rest of the class what they have learned. Sometimes, students even surpass what the instructor already knew how to do and therefore can teach their teacher something new about technology.
I have heard people say that technological literacy is the literacy of tomorrow. Guess what...It's not. It's the literacy of now and today's teachers must know how to work with the literacies that are all around us. If the students know more about this topic than you do, that's okay. Give that student the opportunity to collaborate with and teach you. You learn just as much from you students as they do from you.
Until next time...
Computer Literacy is a person's ability to use the computer, understand how it operates. Most students today come to school knowing how to operate a computer. In fact, many of them know how to do this better than you or I can.
Information Literacy gives us the tools to use and locate information on the internet and clearly organize this information. With this literacy, students can create their own webquests. The video Information Literacy uses the acronym DISCOVER to describe the process of information literacy:
D-define
I-inquire
S-search
C-collect
O-organize
V-verify
E-express
R-reflect
This acronym can be helpful to students when using the internet to find information and create their own projects. The teacher would first explain each step and what is expected of the students. Each step will have more than one component. For example: For Define, students must write who, what, why, where, or when. It may be easiest if the students were provided a chart with the acronym where they could write down their findings next to each word. Information Literacy is helpful to both the teacher and students because it allows them to look at what websites are of use to them. After the DISCOVER process has been completed, the students can create a webquest which would provide visuals, some text, and links to the useful websites about their given topic.
Integration Literacy is using technology to further enhance the learning of students. This literacy uses every form of technology possible where text can be created- including cell phones. Integration literacy is a student- based approach, meaning that the classroom teacher is not the only person leading the lessons. Students can help other students and serve as peer facilitators, or the computer can even provide students with much of their learning. Integration Literacy is geared to involve all learning styles- from visual to auditory to textile. It allows students to explore on their own or work collaboratively in groups, then discuss with the rest of the class what they have learned. Sometimes, students even surpass what the instructor already knew how to do and therefore can teach their teacher something new about technology.
I have heard people say that technological literacy is the literacy of tomorrow. Guess what...It's not. It's the literacy of now and today's teachers must know how to work with the literacies that are all around us. If the students know more about this topic than you do, that's okay. Give that student the opportunity to collaborate with and teach you. You learn just as much from you students as they do from you.
Until next time...
Monday, February 7, 2011
Overwhelming!
You have to forgive me, this is the first time that I have ever tried to maintain a blog. The course that I am enrolled in is an online Literacy and Technology course and we met for the firs time online tonight. We each have a headset and do actually get to speak with each otherwhile the class is going on, which I think is pretty cool We have had all week to visit and set up websites with wiziq, a wiki, wdydwyd, and now a blog- to name just a few. It is a bit overwhelming to take in all of this information at once. I hope that I am not the only one who feels this way, but it is all brand new to me. Just by going through the course material this week, I have realized that I am a person who needs to write things down in order for me to fully understand and remember material. Some people are auditory learners,and I always say that they are lucky because all that they have to do is listen. For me, I must write things down. I think that this revelation is great, because I've realized how often I carry that over to other tasks throughout my day. Learning about all of these new technologies is very cool and I am intrigued to see what will be coming next and how I can use this technology in my classroom. Although overwhelming at first, I think that this course will serve as a wonderful benefit in the future because I will understand how to apply the technology around me and make it relevant to what my students are learning.
Digital Students
The previous blog details how the NETS standards are being used in schools today. In this blog, my goal is to discuss how students today are different than previous generations: They are digital; and how teachers today can attain these NETS standards.
There is no doubt that the world of education has drastically changed from even that of seven or eight years ago. Today, most school districts- even poorer, urban schools that I have sent significant time in have at least three or four computers in every classroom. I have been in classrooms where students under the age of ten years old have cell phones, PSP's, and ipods, among other electronic gadgets. Technology has certainly changed the way that learning occurs in today's classrooms. With the excetion of only a few school districts, most have the use of smart board technology. Introducing smart board to the classroom has been a major change in the way that teachers teach and students learn. I can remember being either a freshman or sophomore in high school and being introduced to a smart board. We thought it was amazing! But, that was the first and last day I had ever seen a smart board until a little over one year ago. It is now about eight years since my first introduction to the device. Today, it is almost unheard of for students to not know what a smart board is. Students are being introduced to this technology in Kindergarten and use it all the way through high school. Advances in technology mean that students are consistently exposed to information that is colorful, fast- paced, and interactive. So how do we as teachers come up with this?
Just as there are NETS standards for students, there are also NETS standards for teachers which help us to incorporate this wonderul new technology into our lessons.Teachers create lessons often by using the technology for themselves first. (The internet is a great source to find new ideas.) After searching for ideas, teachers then use videos, powerpoints, graphs, charts, pictures, etc. to show students visual representations. After completing the lessons, the teacher may have students work collaboratively in groups to look up more information. Or, if the teacher knows that students have access to computers at home, they may have student submit assignments online. If this is the case, the technology can also be used as a tool to communicate with students' family members and provide feedback for each individual student.
As stated in my previous blog entry, I believe that the most important thing that a teacher can do when working with technology (or in general) is remain informed. Attend training and informational meetings. The more that we know, the more we can help to guide our students.
Until next time...
There is no doubt that the world of education has drastically changed from even that of seven or eight years ago. Today, most school districts- even poorer, urban schools that I have sent significant time in have at least three or four computers in every classroom. I have been in classrooms where students under the age of ten years old have cell phones, PSP's, and ipods, among other electronic gadgets. Technology has certainly changed the way that learning occurs in today's classrooms. With the excetion of only a few school districts, most have the use of smart board technology. Introducing smart board to the classroom has been a major change in the way that teachers teach and students learn. I can remember being either a freshman or sophomore in high school and being introduced to a smart board. We thought it was amazing! But, that was the first and last day I had ever seen a smart board until a little over one year ago. It is now about eight years since my first introduction to the device. Today, it is almost unheard of for students to not know what a smart board is. Students are being introduced to this technology in Kindergarten and use it all the way through high school. Advances in technology mean that students are consistently exposed to information that is colorful, fast- paced, and interactive. So how do we as teachers come up with this?
Just as there are NETS standards for students, there are also NETS standards for teachers which help us to incorporate this wonderul new technology into our lessons.Teachers create lessons often by using the technology for themselves first. (The internet is a great source to find new ideas.) After searching for ideas, teachers then use videos, powerpoints, graphs, charts, pictures, etc. to show students visual representations. After completing the lessons, the teacher may have students work collaboratively in groups to look up more information. Or, if the teacher knows that students have access to computers at home, they may have student submit assignments online. If this is the case, the technology can also be used as a tool to communicate with students' family members and provide feedback for each individual student.
As stated in my previous blog entry, I believe that the most important thing that a teacher can do when working with technology (or in general) is remain informed. Attend training and informational meetings. The more that we know, the more we can help to guide our students.
Until next time...
The 6 NETS Standards for students
As a teacher, it is extremely important to know your states' standards and what studrnts are expected to learn throughout the year. It is our job to make sure that the standards are being met and the annual goals achieved for each student. I will list the NETS standards for you and discuss which ones I have effectively seen implemented in the classrooms that I have been in.
1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Collaboration andCommunication
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Creativity and Innovation: I have seen this standard practiced in many classrooms. It asks students to take something that they already know and develop new ways to display the information. Two of the best examples come from my own experience a a child in school. In the 5th grade, we were learning about the Industrial Revolution. We learned that this was a time period in American History in which many new inventions came to be. After learning about these new inventions, our teacher asked us to create our own invention and present it to the class. Back then, we used chalk boards in school and since I have pined to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, I developed a board that would use paper rather than chalk and would scroll up and down. This way, teachers would not have to rewrite their notes every year. My second example was for Science. We learned about Recycling and deforestation. We were told to write a book report on the importance of Recycling and to come up with a creative way to present the information to the class. Being that I was always shy, it was obvious that the best way for me to present the information was by changing the words to the song Achy Breaky Heart to fit the topic of pollution and singing the new lyrics in front of the class via a karaoke machine. Much of the information to do these two projects was found by using the internet.
2. Communication and Collaboration: I have not yet witnessed this being done in elementary schools, but I am just becoming familiar with what this standard expects students to do. It expects students to be able to communicate and collaborate with each other via technology. In my college course, we are just learning how to use webcams and other sites to interact with our peers and collaborate on group projects. I do believe, however, that teachers need more training before this can effectively be done in the elementary classrooms.
3. Research and Information Fluency: I believe that this standard is one of the most widely used standards in classrooms today. This standard expects students to inquire, gather information, organize information, and evaluate information by using technology. Students today are often given projects or topics that the teacher knows a computer will be needed for. Students may be given a research topic about a person or a country and may be provided a list of educational websites where the information can be found. Students will then go to these websites, find the informaion that they are looking for, organize the information and evaluate whether or not the website was helpful in attaining their goal. Often, this information gathered will then be typed into a report to be handed in to the teacher.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Standards 3 and 4 go together. For standard 4, however, students will be the ones determining which websites to use. Students will need to figure out which websites have the most accurate information and how they know this to be true. Again, this standard is widely used, because within this standard, students can conduct research and experiments. Technology can be used to keep track of data that students gather from their experiments over a given period of time. Here, students also use graphs, charts, or maps to display their problems and data.
5. Digital Citizenship: I believe that this is the most widely used standard today. In every single classroom that I have been in, students look forward to going on the computer. Often, it is an extrinsic reward that students receive for doing well in school. Students also enjoy using newer tchnologies such as smart boards. I have observed classroom teachers who use smart boards with their classes. If the teacher asks for a volunteer, nearly all hands race up into the air. Students like being able to move what they see on a screen. Students also enjoy sharing computers and working together to find information on the internet and then sharing what they learned with the class.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts: In classrooms today, students know many of the terms and concepts about computers. However, students do not always know how to effectively use these things. I think that this may be difficult for some of the teachers to explain to their students, which is why it is only starting to take off in the classrooms. Although, it is definitely there, many more teachers need to be trained on how to use this standard within their classrooms.
I feel as though I am prepared to meet most of these standards. I do need more training with some of the newer technology, such as the smart boards. Once I have been trained on how to use these tools, my lessons for students will be even more intriguing and innovative. They will not only engage students in listening to me. They will allow students to use the technology to explore on their own and share with the rest of us what they learn. In order for students to receive the most out of using the technology, teachers must be very knowledeable about how the technology works and what their puropse is for using it at any given time.
Below is the link for the NETS standards:
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Collaboration andCommunication
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Creativity and Innovation: I have seen this standard practiced in many classrooms. It asks students to take something that they already know and develop new ways to display the information. Two of the best examples come from my own experience a a child in school. In the 5th grade, we were learning about the Industrial Revolution. We learned that this was a time period in American History in which many new inventions came to be. After learning about these new inventions, our teacher asked us to create our own invention and present it to the class. Back then, we used chalk boards in school and since I have pined to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, I developed a board that would use paper rather than chalk and would scroll up and down. This way, teachers would not have to rewrite their notes every year. My second example was for Science. We learned about Recycling and deforestation. We were told to write a book report on the importance of Recycling and to come up with a creative way to present the information to the class. Being that I was always shy, it was obvious that the best way for me to present the information was by changing the words to the song Achy Breaky Heart to fit the topic of pollution and singing the new lyrics in front of the class via a karaoke machine. Much of the information to do these two projects was found by using the internet.
2. Communication and Collaboration: I have not yet witnessed this being done in elementary schools, but I am just becoming familiar with what this standard expects students to do. It expects students to be able to communicate and collaborate with each other via technology. In my college course, we are just learning how to use webcams and other sites to interact with our peers and collaborate on group projects. I do believe, however, that teachers need more training before this can effectively be done in the elementary classrooms.
3. Research and Information Fluency: I believe that this standard is one of the most widely used standards in classrooms today. This standard expects students to inquire, gather information, organize information, and evaluate information by using technology. Students today are often given projects or topics that the teacher knows a computer will be needed for. Students may be given a research topic about a person or a country and may be provided a list of educational websites where the information can be found. Students will then go to these websites, find the informaion that they are looking for, organize the information and evaluate whether or not the website was helpful in attaining their goal. Often, this information gathered will then be typed into a report to be handed in to the teacher.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Standards 3 and 4 go together. For standard 4, however, students will be the ones determining which websites to use. Students will need to figure out which websites have the most accurate information and how they know this to be true. Again, this standard is widely used, because within this standard, students can conduct research and experiments. Technology can be used to keep track of data that students gather from their experiments over a given period of time. Here, students also use graphs, charts, or maps to display their problems and data.
5. Digital Citizenship: I believe that this is the most widely used standard today. In every single classroom that I have been in, students look forward to going on the computer. Often, it is an extrinsic reward that students receive for doing well in school. Students also enjoy using newer tchnologies such as smart boards. I have observed classroom teachers who use smart boards with their classes. If the teacher asks for a volunteer, nearly all hands race up into the air. Students like being able to move what they see on a screen. Students also enjoy sharing computers and working together to find information on the internet and then sharing what they learned with the class.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts: In classrooms today, students know many of the terms and concepts about computers. However, students do not always know how to effectively use these things. I think that this may be difficult for some of the teachers to explain to their students, which is why it is only starting to take off in the classrooms. Although, it is definitely there, many more teachers need to be trained on how to use this standard within their classrooms.
I feel as though I am prepared to meet most of these standards. I do need more training with some of the newer technology, such as the smart boards. Once I have been trained on how to use these tools, my lessons for students will be even more intriguing and innovative. They will not only engage students in listening to me. They will allow students to use the technology to explore on their own and share with the rest of us what they learn. In order for students to receive the most out of using the technology, teachers must be very knowledeable about how the technology works and what their puropse is for using it at any given time.
Below is the link for the NETS standards:
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
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