At the beginning of the semester, I wrote that technology should play a significant role in the elementary classroom. My view on that has definitely not changed. If anything, it has intensified. I had no idea ow many different ways and resources were available to integrate technology into the classroom. There are the obvious ones, such as interactive whiteboards, computers and such that I will definitely use. There are also technologies such as podcasts, wikis, blogs, video cameras, and all of the Web 2.0 tools that are available. I didn't even think of using theses types of resources in an elementary classroom before taking this class. Now I have many ideas on how to incorporate these into my class and I can't wait until I have my own classroom to do just that!
I also wrote at the beginning of the semester that one of my goals is to keep up with new technologies and model correct usage for students. At first, I thought this would be very difficult. After taking this class, I realize that while it may be somewhat time consuming, it is not too hard and is actually very fun! I had so much fun learning about new technologies this semester and I want to keep on learning in the years to come. I especially loved learning about the SMART Board. I have realized even more how valuable a resource it is in the classroom. It makes integrating technologies more seamless. Not only do students love it, but it is very effective.
NETS
The NETS-T that I was focusing on this semester was 3.a.: "Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." I feel so much more fluent in using technology in the classroom after taking this class. First of all, I had never seen a SMART Board before this semester. Now, I love using it and I have successfully used it for lessons in two of my other classes here at NU. The school where I will be student teaching next semester has ActivBoards and I am excited to be able to use that as well. Now that I know how to use the SMART Board, I will be able to transfer my knowledge to the use of the ActivBoard. I also did not know about many of the free tools that are available on the internet. Now that I do know about them and know how to use them fairly fluently, I want to incorporate them into my teaching. One of the things I really want to do in the 2nd grade class is use podcasting. I think the students will love this and I am fluent enough to be able to use it in my teaching.
The other NETS-T , 2.a., that I was working on this semester also fits into this: "Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." I think technology is a great way to make learning relevant for students. This is especially true for the students that I will be teaching because they are all digital natives. Besides using the interactive whiteboard, I want to incorporate podcasting, wikis, power points, and videos into my teaching. I think this motivates students more because they feel that it is relevant and that their audience is "real." One of the things I really want to do is buy a Flip and use it in my teaching. I want to be able to videotape the students at the beginning and end of the year to show them their progress. I also want to videotape students doing certain assignments. Not only is this a unique way of assessing them, but it makes the experience relevant and fun for the students. I can't wait to have my own classroom and use technology as much as possible!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Reflection #11
For my reading class, I presented a lesson I created about rhyming. I used the SMART Board presentation that I made as part of my technology project. It was so nice to be able to use what I created right away for another class. This just shows that technology is applicable and practical even now. I can't wait until I have my own class where I can use technology. After I presented, I realized again how much the SMART Board can aid a lesson. So much of what was in my lesson plan would not be possible or would be much more difficult without the SMART Board to use. Not only that, it gets the students interested and involved in a unique way. Another benefit of using the SMART Board for a lesson is that the outline of my lesson is right there for me. I don't have to have a sheet of paper to look at because the next slide is what is coming next. Even though it takes more work before the actual lesson to get the SMART lesson ready, it is so worth it because it engages students and lets the lesson flow a lot better.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Reflection #10
For one of my classes, I created a SMART Board presentation about butterfly metamorphosis. I had to present the lesson, which I created for a 2nd grade class, to our class, Instructional Design. The lesson had to be about 30 minutes long. I had so much fun creating the lesson with the SMART Software. I was able to link a time lapse video from YouTube showing a butterfly turn into a caterpillar, and have students move pictures to the correct spots to create an accurate representation of metamorphosis. I used many other features of the SMART Software also. What I realized from creating and presenting this lesson is that the SMART Board is a great way to aid the teaching of a lesson. It holds students' interests and allows everyone to participate in the lesson. I also realized that although it takes a lot of time in advance to create the lesson for the SMART Board it makes running the lesson very smooth. Everything I needed was already on the board so I didn't have to worry about getting anything else together. The whole thing was a great learning experience and I really enjoyed it!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Assignment #4
Description
For my technology project, I created a lesson on the SMART Board. The lesson is about rhyming with words that are spelled differently and goes along with the book Jesse Bear, What will you wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom. The first page is my anticipatory set. Students have to put different articles of clothing into groups. This is to convey that we wear different things for different purposes - just like Jesse Bear does in the story. At this point, I would read the book to the students. The next page in the presentation is practice with rhyming. The students click on an object, listen to its pronunciation, then match it with words that rhyme. After that, the students get more practice with rhyming by looking at two words that are spelled differently and deciding if they rhyme. Next, the students play rhyming memory. There are eight different pairs of rhyming words. Students will try to find and match all eight pairs. On the next page, the class will create their own poem following the pattern in Jesse Bear. Then next two pages are electronic versions of the final draft of the poem that the students will create individually.
List of Features
Along with all of the basic features, such as changing font style, size, and color; changing backgrounds; inserting clipart; using the pens; grouping and ungrouping objects; and ordering objects (sending to front and back), I used several additional features:
editing an interactive SMART activity - memory
screen shade
magic pen - spotlight
link - objects linked to other pages in project
podcasts - sound clips linked to multiple objects in project
reveal feature with eraser
I had so much fun creating this project! I learned a lot by using the SMART software and creating the lesson/presentation. I definitely learned more that I would have if I had simply read about how to use the SMART Board. I love using all of the features on the SMART Board. I feel much more confident using it and its features now that I have made this lesson. It was fairly time consuming creating this lesson because of all of the different features I used. But the advantage is now that I have it created, it is always there and I can use it again. I also learned a lot in creating it and will be able to do it faster in the future. I think it is a great way to involve kids in the lesson. They are more interested because of the technology and that makes them more interested in the lesson as a whole. It is also a great way to indirectly teach students how to appropriately use technology because they are being exposed the SMART Board.
This project means a lot to me. I put a lot of time and work into it and I am very happy with how it turned out. I will be able to use it for my Reading Methods class on Thursday and hopefully with a class of real students someday! Hopefully the students will have as much fun participating in the lesson as I had creating it!
NETS
This project covers many NET Standards for both teachers and students.
NETS-T:
1.a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
This project models creativity in the way it is created because of all the different features it has. It also promotes students to be creative because of what students are required to do. This is not a lesson where students sit and listen, but a lesson that requires students to use creative and innovative thinking and participate in the lesson.
2.a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
This project is a relevant learning experience that mainly uses a specific digital tool - the SMART Board. It is relevant because it ties into a book the students would be doing in reading. I think it is also relevant because it incorporates relevant technology that the students would be interested in and have fun with. This lesson promotes student learning because it requires their active participation in the lesson. For most of the lesson, students would be at the SMART Board manipulating objects themselves.
3.a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
This is the NETS-T that I have been working on this semester and it applies to this project also. I have definitely become more fluent at the SMART Board by creating this lesson. I learned a lot about the software and the different features that it has. I also feel a lot more competent about using the SMART Board in the future. I think that my knowledge will also transfer to using the ActivBoard because I understand a lot better about how interactive whiteboards work in general. This will be very helpful because the classroom where I am student teaching has an ActivBoard in the classroom.
NETS-S:
2.a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers employing a variety of digital environments and media.
This lesson, based on the SMART Board, requires students to interact and collaborate with each other throughout the lesson. For different parts of the lesson, they have to work with each other to figure out the answers to certain questions in the lesson. At the end of the lesson, they will be publishing their own version of what was on the board.
6.a. Understand and use technology systems.
This lesson promotes student understanding and gives students the opportunity to use the SMART Board. The lesson requires extensive student participation and interaction with the board. This gives them a chance to use the technology which leads to greater understanding.
For my technology project, I created a lesson on the SMART Board. The lesson is about rhyming with words that are spelled differently and goes along with the book Jesse Bear, What will you wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom. The first page is my anticipatory set. Students have to put different articles of clothing into groups. This is to convey that we wear different things for different purposes - just like Jesse Bear does in the story. At this point, I would read the book to the students. The next page in the presentation is practice with rhyming. The students click on an object, listen to its pronunciation, then match it with words that rhyme. After that, the students get more practice with rhyming by looking at two words that are spelled differently and deciding if they rhyme. Next, the students play rhyming memory. There are eight different pairs of rhyming words. Students will try to find and match all eight pairs. On the next page, the class will create their own poem following the pattern in Jesse Bear. Then next two pages are electronic versions of the final draft of the poem that the students will create individually.
List of Features
Along with all of the basic features, such as changing font style, size, and color; changing backgrounds; inserting clipart; using the pens; grouping and ungrouping objects; and ordering objects (sending to front and back), I used several additional features:
editing an interactive SMART activity - memory
screen shade
magic pen - spotlight
link - objects linked to other pages in project
podcasts - sound clips linked to multiple objects in project
reveal feature with eraser
I had so much fun creating this project! I learned a lot by using the SMART software and creating the lesson/presentation. I definitely learned more that I would have if I had simply read about how to use the SMART Board. I love using all of the features on the SMART Board. I feel much more confident using it and its features now that I have made this lesson. It was fairly time consuming creating this lesson because of all of the different features I used. But the advantage is now that I have it created, it is always there and I can use it again. I also learned a lot in creating it and will be able to do it faster in the future. I think it is a great way to involve kids in the lesson. They are more interested because of the technology and that makes them more interested in the lesson as a whole. It is also a great way to indirectly teach students how to appropriately use technology because they are being exposed the SMART Board.
This project means a lot to me. I put a lot of time and work into it and I am very happy with how it turned out. I will be able to use it for my Reading Methods class on Thursday and hopefully with a class of real students someday! Hopefully the students will have as much fun participating in the lesson as I had creating it!
NETS
This project covers many NET Standards for both teachers and students.
NETS-T:
1.a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
This project models creativity in the way it is created because of all the different features it has. It also promotes students to be creative because of what students are required to do. This is not a lesson where students sit and listen, but a lesson that requires students to use creative and innovative thinking and participate in the lesson.
2.a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
This project is a relevant learning experience that mainly uses a specific digital tool - the SMART Board. It is relevant because it ties into a book the students would be doing in reading. I think it is also relevant because it incorporates relevant technology that the students would be interested in and have fun with. This lesson promotes student learning because it requires their active participation in the lesson. For most of the lesson, students would be at the SMART Board manipulating objects themselves.
3.a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
This is the NETS-T that I have been working on this semester and it applies to this project also. I have definitely become more fluent at the SMART Board by creating this lesson. I learned a lot about the software and the different features that it has. I also feel a lot more competent about using the SMART Board in the future. I think that my knowledge will also transfer to using the ActivBoard because I understand a lot better about how interactive whiteboards work in general. This will be very helpful because the classroom where I am student teaching has an ActivBoard in the classroom.
NETS-S:
2.a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers employing a variety of digital environments and media.
This lesson, based on the SMART Board, requires students to interact and collaborate with each other throughout the lesson. For different parts of the lesson, they have to work with each other to figure out the answers to certain questions in the lesson. At the end of the lesson, they will be publishing their own version of what was on the board.
6.a. Understand and use technology systems.
This lesson promotes student understanding and gives students the opportunity to use the SMART Board. The lesson requires extensive student participation and interaction with the board. This gives them a chance to use the technology which leads to greater understanding.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Kidspiration and Webspiration
Today in class we played with two related programs. Kidspiration is a program that you have to pay for that is then downloaded to the computer. It is a great tool for kids to use. It is very kid-friendly: the toolbars are fun and easy to use for kids. It also has a way for teachers to see what the kids have done. There are also pre-made activities for kids to do in several subject areas. One of my favorite tools on Kidspiration is the idea web. You can link idea bubbles and such to make a web. Webspiration has this same tool (making idea webs) but geared for older people. I would definitely use this site for making idea webs. It is much easier and more fun than writing it on paper!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Reflection #9
Last week, I was able to meet my future cooperating teacher and observe her class. I am so excited! I will be student teaching in a 2nd grade class. The class is dual language, so half of the subjects are taught in Spanish. That means I need to brush up on my Spanish! I am so excited to be able to use my Spanish and I think it will be a great experience. I will be teaching Science and Social Studies in Spanish along with reading and writing. Math is taught in English along with more reading and writing. Observing reading and Social Studies in Spanish was a great experience. It made me realize that I can teach lessons in Spanish... I will just have to work a little bit harder than I would in English. I can't wait to start student teaching and teaching in Spanish!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Word, Excel & PowerPoint
Features I use:
Word
font
margins
graphs and charts
tables
clip art
inserting pictures
highlighter
lists (numbered and bulleted)
alphabetizing
creating links
Excel
lists
computations
ordering (by alphabet and numbers)
graphs and charts
clip art
Power Point
backgrounds
animations
font
clip art
pictures
creating links
Project #1
To learn how to use PowerPoint, I would have my students pick a topic to research and create a PowerPoint presentation to show what they learned. This project would look a lot like the one the 3rd grade teacher told us about, but I would make a list of features that the students would be required to use to ensure that they were actually learning to use it.
Project #2
To learn how to use Word, I would have students write a few sentences in Word. They would need to double space the sentences and change the color, font, and size of each sentence. This would be for younger kids to introduce the basics of using Word.
Project #3
To teach older kids how to use Word, they would write a short story. I would have specifications that the students would have to follow, such as margins, font size, line spacing, etc.
I was trying to think of a project I could have students do to learn how to use Excel, but I don't feel like I know it well enough to teach how to use it.
Word
font
margins
graphs and charts
tables
clip art
inserting pictures
highlighter
lists (numbered and bulleted)
alphabetizing
creating links
Excel
lists
computations
ordering (by alphabet and numbers)
graphs and charts
clip art
Power Point
backgrounds
animations
font
clip art
pictures
creating links
Project #1
To learn how to use PowerPoint, I would have my students pick a topic to research and create a PowerPoint presentation to show what they learned. This project would look a lot like the one the 3rd grade teacher told us about, but I would make a list of features that the students would be required to use to ensure that they were actually learning to use it.
Project #2
To learn how to use Word, I would have students write a few sentences in Word. They would need to double space the sentences and change the color, font, and size of each sentence. This would be for younger kids to introduce the basics of using Word.
Project #3
To teach older kids how to use Word, they would write a short story. I would have specifications that the students would have to follow, such as margins, font size, line spacing, etc.
I was trying to think of a project I could have students do to learn how to use Excel, but I don't feel like I know it well enough to teach how to use it.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Reflection #8
For one of my classes this week, I had to write a test, give the test to students, grade the test, and then analyze the test. I didn't think that it would be that difficult and I thought I would enjoy grading the test. I learned a few things from writing and analyzing the test. First, it is time consuming to write a test and not very enjoyable. I thought it would be fun to grade the tests and the first couple were fun to grade. After that, all of the questions started to blur and it became very monotonous. I then realized why it is so important to grade one page or one question all at the same time. I found myself having to go back to tests I had already graded and review how I had graded certain questions to make sure I was grading consistently. I realize it is not just a matter of deciding to grade consistently, but it is something that needs to be constantly worked on.
I will definitely not do an analysis for every test I give. I will do part or all of the process for major tests, such as unit tests, mid-year tests, and end of year tests, because the information and insight gained from this type of analysis is important for a teacher. This analysis is less applicable for elementary, because I will never give letter grades, but, nevertheless, the information gleaned is valuable.
I will definitely not do an analysis for every test I give. I will do part or all of the process for major tests, such as unit tests, mid-year tests, and end of year tests, because the information and insight gained from this type of analysis is important for a teacher. This analysis is less applicable for elementary, because I will never give letter grades, but, nevertheless, the information gleaned is valuable.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Blogs for Educators
The first blog I looked at was Adventures in Educational Blogging. I found many of the posts to be interesting and informative. One specific post I looked at was called "A Better Model for Tech Professional Development." The second blog I looked at was Emerging Internet Technologies for Education. I liked this blog because it had a lot of ideas for using technology in education. One specific post I looked at was titled "10 Free Educational Game Sites."
Blog Entry #1
This blog entry was about a school providing classes for the teachers, specifically technology classes. It was really encouraging to see that people are thinking about the types of classes that are offered to teachers. I really hope that the school I am at offers technology classes to teachers. I know the basics of most things, but the specific technology varies so much that it would be great to get the specifics of how that school's technology works. After reading this post, I also realized how beneficial the classes can be even if you already know something about the technology. Previously, I may have been one of the teachers who would not attend a class, but I realize that even if you already know something about it there is always more to learn!
Blog Entry #2
This post was about 10 websites with educational games. The blogger went through and looked at them personally to assess their educational value. Because another teacher looked at these sites, I would be more likely to trust that they were actually beneficial than sites just coming up on a web search. These sites are definitely something I would use in my teaching. I think online educational games are a great way for students to learn when used appropriately. Students love playing games online so what better way to reinforce what they are learning? I think websites are also a great tool for kids who need extra help in a certain area and also for kids who excel in a certain area. Providing kids with websites to help in an area can provide what they need that may be different than what the teacher is doing with the whole class.
Blog Entry #1
This blog entry was about a school providing classes for the teachers, specifically technology classes. It was really encouraging to see that people are thinking about the types of classes that are offered to teachers. I really hope that the school I am at offers technology classes to teachers. I know the basics of most things, but the specific technology varies so much that it would be great to get the specifics of how that school's technology works. After reading this post, I also realized how beneficial the classes can be even if you already know something about the technology. Previously, I may have been one of the teachers who would not attend a class, but I realize that even if you already know something about it there is always more to learn!
Blog Entry #2
This post was about 10 websites with educational games. The blogger went through and looked at them personally to assess their educational value. Because another teacher looked at these sites, I would be more likely to trust that they were actually beneficial than sites just coming up on a web search. These sites are definitely something I would use in my teaching. I think online educational games are a great way for students to learn when used appropriately. Students love playing games online so what better way to reinforce what they are learning? I think websites are also a great tool for kids who need extra help in a certain area and also for kids who excel in a certain area. Providing kids with websites to help in an area can provide what they need that may be different than what the teacher is doing with the whole class.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Reflection #7
A couple days ago, I was able to volunteer in a 3rd grade classroom. It was so much fun! I graded math tests, helped students with their math homework, and graded math homework. My favorite part was being able to interact with students. It was great to be in the classroom and around students again. It was also great to watch the teacher and see how she runs her classroom. She also has an ActivBoard so it was great to see another teacher use it in the classroom. I noticed that it definitely held the students' attention. The teacher had all of the students come to a carpet in front of the board which was very helpful for getting the students focused and involved. I feel that when I spend time interact with students, I am able to refocus on why I want to be a teacher. I can't wait until I visit the classroom again!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Technology Project Plan
My project is creating a lesson plan using SMART Notebook and the SMART clickers about ryhming words. The lesson will be interactive with soundclips and games. Check out my soundclip to hear about it!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Online Learning Experience
“What Did You Do in School Yesterday, Today, and Three Years Ago?”
This "class" is about using technology to create a digital archives of everything you do in school and in life, for that matter. The teacher of the course uses a field trip as an example. He takes a group of high school students to Virginia to visit historical sites. He points out that all of the students have phones with recording capabilities and cameras and they are not taking advantage of that technology. The students start using their gadgets for meaningful use, but soon return to the frivilous uses. This is an important distinction that the teacher makes. The students have all these gadgets (phones, cameras, MP3 players, etc) that are disruptive by themselves but can be used for good. As a teacher, it is our job to make sure we are making meaningful use out of otherwise frivilous actions (such as texting) with technology.
I really like many of the ideas that he presents. One of the ideas that I really like is using a personal network to gather and organize knowledge (such as iGoogle). I have looked at this in class when we were learning about web 2.0 tools, but I realized even more how usefoul it can be. Another thing this teacher advocated was using a blog for the students' homework - even going as far as saying not to use paper. Also, he doesn't have students read text books, but they download podcasts and listen to them on their music devices. I would not be able to implement all of this at an elementary level, but I can definitely use some of the ideas.
“Never Too Young”
This is a "class" directed toward elementary teachers. The point of this class is to show that technology can be used even for the youngest students. The teacher of this class talks about three specific technology tools to use in the elementary classroom. The first tool is Voicethread. This is basically a way to create podcasts, but it is made specifically for teachers. Because it is for teachers, there is built-in security that makes it appropriate to use for students. Voicethread can be set up for the teacher to use or for each student to have their own account under the teacher (this costs more money). I really like the idea of using this in the classroom, especially for kids who cannot express themselves in writing yet.
The second tool she talks about is Dipity. I had never heard of this tool before and it is really cool! This is a tool that lets you create an electronic timeline that is great for teaching the kids ordering and organization. This tool allows you to create your timeline, add events, then link objects to each event. A really neat feature of Dipity is that you can switch the view from a timeline view to a flip book view with is great for the younger students. I would love to use this for my students and I know that it would fit perfectly with the EALRs for ordering and time lines.
The last tool this class talks about is blogging. We have talked a lot about how to use blogs in the classroom already and this class talked about much of the same information. There are a few of her ideas that I really like. One of her ideas was having students create a virtual tour of their neighborhoods and posting it on the blog. This would involve using a video camera and uploading it. By posting it on the blog, it allows other members of the class to see it and post feedback. This is a great activity to incorporate into the unit on community and neighborhoods. The other idea that I really liked (and that we have talked about in class) was using a blog as a running commentary of what is going on in the classroom.
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This "class" is about using technology to create a digital archives of everything you do in school and in life, for that matter. The teacher of the course uses a field trip as an example. He takes a group of high school students to Virginia to visit historical sites. He points out that all of the students have phones with recording capabilities and cameras and they are not taking advantage of that technology. The students start using their gadgets for meaningful use, but soon return to the frivilous uses. This is an important distinction that the teacher makes. The students have all these gadgets (phones, cameras, MP3 players, etc) that are disruptive by themselves but can be used for good. As a teacher, it is our job to make sure we are making meaningful use out of otherwise frivilous actions (such as texting) with technology.
I really like many of the ideas that he presents. One of the ideas that I really like is using a personal network to gather and organize knowledge (such as iGoogle). I have looked at this in class when we were learning about web 2.0 tools, but I realized even more how usefoul it can be. Another thing this teacher advocated was using a blog for the students' homework - even going as far as saying not to use paper. Also, he doesn't have students read text books, but they download podcasts and listen to them on their music devices. I would not be able to implement all of this at an elementary level, but I can definitely use some of the ideas.
“Never Too Young”
This is a "class" directed toward elementary teachers. The point of this class is to show that technology can be used even for the youngest students. The teacher of this class talks about three specific technology tools to use in the elementary classroom. The first tool is Voicethread. This is basically a way to create podcasts, but it is made specifically for teachers. Because it is for teachers, there is built-in security that makes it appropriate to use for students. Voicethread can be set up for the teacher to use or for each student to have their own account under the teacher (this costs more money). I really like the idea of using this in the classroom, especially for kids who cannot express themselves in writing yet.
The second tool she talks about is Dipity. I had never heard of this tool before and it is really cool! This is a tool that lets you create an electronic timeline that is great for teaching the kids ordering and organization. This tool allows you to create your timeline, add events, then link objects to each event. A really neat feature of Dipity is that you can switch the view from a timeline view to a flip book view with is great for the younger students. I would love to use this for my students and I know that it would fit perfectly with the EALRs for ordering and time lines.
The last tool this class talks about is blogging. We have talked a lot about how to use blogs in the classroom already and this class talked about much of the same information. There are a few of her ideas that I really like. One of her ideas was having students create a virtual tour of their neighborhoods and posting it on the blog. This would involve using a video camera and uploading it. By posting it on the blog, it allows other members of the class to see it and post feedback. This is a great activity to incorporate into the unit on community and neighborhoods. The other idea that I really liked (and that we have talked about in class) was using a blog as a running commentary of what is going on in the classroom.
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Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Reflection #6
I loved playing with the Flip Videos in class today. After having that experience, watching the videos in class, and reading the article, I have a better understanding about how useful a tool like the Flip can be in a classroom. I love that it is so easy to use and basically all students would not have a problem operating a Flip. I would love to buy a Flip for my personal use and then use it in my classroom eventually. I definitely cannot afford to buy one for each of my students, but I would love to have one that I use in my classroom. I could have each of the students record at the beginning and end of the year, have it as one of the stations for a subject and have each student record a short piece... the options are endless! I'm am definitely going to look into buying one!
Caught on Video
In response to "Caught on Video"
I really liked this article. I had never thought of using video in my classroom like that. I think if it were possible (and maybe someday it will be) to give every student and teacher a small video device, it would be awesome. I really like the idea of having students record on video what they are doing in the classroom. I think this would definitely give parents a better idea than how the students are doing. By doing that, a lot more pressure and accountability would be put on the teacher in the classroom because parents would be watching. This would also put more pressure and accountability on the students. Instead of the teacher giving a grade/report of how and what the students do in the classroom, the parents would actually see this through the video. I think this would be very beneficial, but also cause some interesting situations. I know that many times elementary teachers will give a slightly (or maybe not so slightly) higher grade than the student's work actually warrants mainly because of pressure from parents. If the parents actually saw what was going on with their student in class, they might respond differently. Like the author said, I think this would further expose and challenge letter grades. Along with that, recording students throughout class sessions would be a great tool to have at parent teacher conferences. Showing them a video would be so much more effective than trying to tell them what and how their students are doing in class.
There is another side of using a video device that I believe would be completely positive. I think students would be more motivated to learn. Students are so entrenched in technology that they would no doubt love the opportunity to record what they do in class and as homework. Students would be more motivated to do well in class because their parents will see the video and be more motivated to complete their assignments because they get to videotape it! I think it is a great way to integrate technology into the classroom and allow kids to learn through technology while having fun.
Even though I'm sure my school will not be able to put a video device into the hands of every student, I would love to bring my own video device to class for the students to use for various tasks. I would also definitely use it for parent teacher conferences. I love that idea!
I really liked this article. I had never thought of using video in my classroom like that. I think if it were possible (and maybe someday it will be) to give every student and teacher a small video device, it would be awesome. I really like the idea of having students record on video what they are doing in the classroom. I think this would definitely give parents a better idea than how the students are doing. By doing that, a lot more pressure and accountability would be put on the teacher in the classroom because parents would be watching. This would also put more pressure and accountability on the students. Instead of the teacher giving a grade/report of how and what the students do in the classroom, the parents would actually see this through the video. I think this would be very beneficial, but also cause some interesting situations. I know that many times elementary teachers will give a slightly (or maybe not so slightly) higher grade than the student's work actually warrants mainly because of pressure from parents. If the parents actually saw what was going on with their student in class, they might respond differently. Like the author said, I think this would further expose and challenge letter grades. Along with that, recording students throughout class sessions would be a great tool to have at parent teacher conferences. Showing them a video would be so much more effective than trying to tell them what and how their students are doing in class.
There is another side of using a video device that I believe would be completely positive. I think students would be more motivated to learn. Students are so entrenched in technology that they would no doubt love the opportunity to record what they do in class and as homework. Students would be more motivated to do well in class because their parents will see the video and be more motivated to complete their assignments because they get to videotape it! I think it is a great way to integrate technology into the classroom and allow kids to learn through technology while having fun.
Even though I'm sure my school will not be able to put a video device into the hands of every student, I would love to bring my own video device to class for the students to use for various tasks. I would also definitely use it for parent teacher conferences. I love that idea!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Assignment #3
Intro to toolbox
I worked with Heather on this assignment and we used Delicious.com for our toolbox.
delicious.com/heatherandteixeira
We chose delicious because of its practicality. We liked that you can go back anytime and access your websites, even if you forget what the website was. By typing in tags that you used, you can find all of your websites that you tagged with that word. A couple things I really like about Delicious is that you can see how many people tagged a particular website, this shows you its popularity, and you can search for other sites that people have marked with tags similar to yours. This is a great tool for future resources and when I am in a classroom and can find websites that other users have found helpful. Our toolbox is organized by the tags. You can also change the order between date added and alphabetically. Here are a few of my favorite websites.
Spanish Dict
I chose this website, because I would love to be an ESL teacher or even teach Spanish someday. This is a website that has a Spanish/English dictionary and translator. I have used translation sites before, but I really like this one. Instead of just translating whatever word you type in, this website gives the part of speech, the correct usage or usages, and examples of each. I would use this in my classroom in a couple different ways. First, I would have a "word of the day" and students would use this website to find the definition and then use the information provided to use the word in their own sentence. Second, this would be a great resource for students as they do in class work or even homework. I think having the students look up a work or looking it up as a class is much more effective than simply telling them the definition. When they have to look it up, they are much more likely to remember it. I believe a paper dictionary does much the same thing, but students are more motivated when they can use technology.
Dave's ESL Cafe
Again, I want to be an ESL teacher someday, so I really liked this site. I wish I had known about it when I taught English in Chile for 7 months. This site has great lesson ideas, teaching tips, and job postings for teachers. One of my favorite features is the "Idea Cookbook." This is a place where teachers post fun/different ways they teach a certain topic. There is everything from worksheets to games. It also has a lot of great information for students. There is a place where they can get help with their homework, take practice quizzes, look up any topic to get more information, and read up about idioms. I would use this as a teacher to get ideas for teaching different topics. I think this is especially important for ESL classes because you have to find a way to connect what you are doing to prior learning. I would also direct students to this site if they need extra help and also if they finish work early because they can take practice quizzes, enter a student forum or explore different idioms.
The History Channel
I this website because it could be used as a great tool in the classroom, but it is not your typical educational site. This site is a great resource for a history class. It has articles, pictures, episodes, and shorter videos about countless historical topics. One of my favorite features is its list of holidays. You can click on a holiday to learn all about the holiday and find out about its history. As a teacher, I would use this for personal research and I would also have it listed as a website that my students can go to for research. I think students will like using this site because it is a visual appealing site and doesn't look like typical sites for students to find information. I also really like the selection of videos. I will definitely use these in my classroom someday (they would be perfect for anticipatory sets).
Learn to Read with Phonics
This site is perfect for a reading lesson. It has help for kids who are preliterate, just learning to read, and already reading. There are fun activities and games that incorporate phonics and reading. What I really like about it is that many of the activities have an auditory element so kids actually hear the sounds as they are playing the game. This involves visual, audio, and kinesthetic and that helps kids learn better. I would use this in a reading class as one of the stations that they do. I would also use it for kids who are struggling or who finish their work early as reinforcement.
I worked with Heather on this assignment and we used Delicious.com for our toolbox.
delicious.com/heatherandteixeira
We chose delicious because of its practicality. We liked that you can go back anytime and access your websites, even if you forget what the website was. By typing in tags that you used, you can find all of your websites that you tagged with that word. A couple things I really like about Delicious is that you can see how many people tagged a particular website, this shows you its popularity, and you can search for other sites that people have marked with tags similar to yours. This is a great tool for future resources and when I am in a classroom and can find websites that other users have found helpful. Our toolbox is organized by the tags. You can also change the order between date added and alphabetically. Here are a few of my favorite websites.
Spanish Dict
I chose this website, because I would love to be an ESL teacher or even teach Spanish someday. This is a website that has a Spanish/English dictionary and translator. I have used translation sites before, but I really like this one. Instead of just translating whatever word you type in, this website gives the part of speech, the correct usage or usages, and examples of each. I would use this in my classroom in a couple different ways. First, I would have a "word of the day" and students would use this website to find the definition and then use the information provided to use the word in their own sentence. Second, this would be a great resource for students as they do in class work or even homework. I think having the students look up a work or looking it up as a class is much more effective than simply telling them the definition. When they have to look it up, they are much more likely to remember it. I believe a paper dictionary does much the same thing, but students are more motivated when they can use technology.
Dave's ESL Cafe
Again, I want to be an ESL teacher someday, so I really liked this site. I wish I had known about it when I taught English in Chile for 7 months. This site has great lesson ideas, teaching tips, and job postings for teachers. One of my favorite features is the "Idea Cookbook." This is a place where teachers post fun/different ways they teach a certain topic. There is everything from worksheets to games. It also has a lot of great information for students. There is a place where they can get help with their homework, take practice quizzes, look up any topic to get more information, and read up about idioms. I would use this as a teacher to get ideas for teaching different topics. I think this is especially important for ESL classes because you have to find a way to connect what you are doing to prior learning. I would also direct students to this site if they need extra help and also if they finish work early because they can take practice quizzes, enter a student forum or explore different idioms.
The History Channel
I this website because it could be used as a great tool in the classroom, but it is not your typical educational site. This site is a great resource for a history class. It has articles, pictures, episodes, and shorter videos about countless historical topics. One of my favorite features is its list of holidays. You can click on a holiday to learn all about the holiday and find out about its history. As a teacher, I would use this for personal research and I would also have it listed as a website that my students can go to for research. I think students will like using this site because it is a visual appealing site and doesn't look like typical sites for students to find information. I also really like the selection of videos. I will definitely use these in my classroom someday (they would be perfect for anticipatory sets).
Learn to Read with Phonics
This site is perfect for a reading lesson. It has help for kids who are preliterate, just learning to read, and already reading. There are fun activities and games that incorporate phonics and reading. What I really like about it is that many of the activities have an auditory element so kids actually hear the sounds as they are playing the game. This involves visual, audio, and kinesthetic and that helps kids learn better. I would use this in a reading class as one of the stations that they do. I would also use it for kids who are struggling or who finish their work early as reinforcement.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Reflection on ActivBoard
I really enjoyed going into the classroom and see how an elementary teacher uses the ActivBoard. I've watched other elementary teachers use it before, but she is definitely the most knowledgeable and uses it seamlessly in her classroom. I really like that she uses it a lot but makes sure that learning is the focus of the lesson, not the board. I really liked all of the ideas she gave us for using it in the classroom. I think my favorite features were the Clickers, the stoplight, and the class timer. I really like using the Clickers in the classroom. I think it is a great way to get the students involved and also for the teacher to receive instant feedback on her teaching. I think the stoplight and the class timer are very fun and effective ways to manage the class. It seems like the board makes teaching more fluid (over time) and also engages the students more. The more I learn about interactive whiteboards, the more I want one in my classroom!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Reflection on SMART Presentation
I really enjoyed having the speaker in class last night. It was great to see him use the SMART Board in ways that we have not seen yet. I also liked using the Clickers. I would definitely like to use those in my class someday. Even though we can learn about the SMART Board on our own, I think it is so much more effective to watch someone use it. I definitely learned a lot more than I would have on my own. I especially liked seeing how he layered different things to get the effect of "throwing away" different words or phrases and how he used white text on white background then revealed it with a different colored bar. The presentation definitely inspired me to learn more about using the SMART Board.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Reflection #5
As I am making my way through the Ed. Program, sometimes it seems that I will never be a real teacher. I know that is what the end result will be, but when I am doing homework and projects, it is sometimes hard to picture myself as a "real" teacher. This week and weekend were encouraging because I was able to be in a classroom and have some time with real students. When I get in front of a group of students, I remember why I want to be a teacher. I love interacting with students and being able to answer their questions. We all want to be teachers because of the students. When I serve in youth group I am reminded of this as well. We go through all of these classes because they will help us become better teachers. I know I can lose sight of the end goal and the reason I am doing it in the first place, so I thought I would share that encouragement with all of you. Remember why you want to be a teacher and think of all the students we will get to impact someday!
Reflection #4
I was able to go to a music educator's workshop this weekend for one of my classes and it was so much fun! I learned a lot about different ways to teach music in the classroom. Even though this workshop was geared specifically toward music educators, I definitely got a lot of ideas that I could in a regular classroom as well. What made the workshop so much fun was that we got to "play" with all of the music stuff. The instructors did not just give a lecture and have us sit and listen, we actually got to be the students and participate in all of the activities that we could use for our students. I got to play the recorder, the xylophone, a donkey's jaw, and several different types of drums. I learned several different mallet games, how to play and dance a Hebrew song, and how to play the drum and dance to Afro-Peruvian music. It was so much fun and I can't wait to see how I can incorporate the ideas into my classroom someday!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Reflection #3
Today I observed a 1st grade math lesson. The teacher used an Active Board as part of the lesson. It was great to be in an actual classroom and see how the teacher, students, and the Active Board all worked together. The students were making a table to solve simple addition problems. The teacher had a template pre-loaded into the software that she pulled up to use with the class. We have been talking about how we can use interactive white boards in the classroom so it was really nice to see one actually being used in the classroom. I realized even how effective they are in the classroom. It was so much faster than using a regular white board and the students seemed to like it and be captivated simply it is a technological novelty (the school just got them this year). I really hope I have an interactive white board in my future classroom!
Assignment #2
My activity is about the Flags of Europe. It includes both an activity and a quiz.
This activity covers a couple NET Standards for teachers. The first one is 2.a. which says, "Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." I didn't design this activity (or "learning experience"), but I did have to adapt it to fit my needs. I knew I wanted to use it for my activity, but I had to work with it and adapt it to fit what I wanted to do. It definitely incorporates digital tools because I am using a SMART created activity and I had to use MS Power Point to adapt it. There are different points in the activity for students to be creative using the SMART Board. The second NETS-T this activity covers is 3.a which says, "Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." Although I have not fully achieved this standard, this activity helped me become more fluent with technology, specifically the SMART Board. It was great being able to play with the SMART Board and use it to "teach" something, even though we are only doing it for fun. I definitely have a better understanding of how the SMART Board works and how I can use it in the classroom. This activity also helped me become more fluent at Power Point. I haven't used Power Point in so long that I forgot some of the features and this activity gave me the chance to refresh my knowledge of how it works. I also love how you can use Power Point and the SMART Board together.
There are also a few NET Standards for Students this activity covers. The first is 3.b. which says, Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media," and 3.d which says, "Process data and report results." If I were to use this activity in a classroom, each student would pick out a European country flag to research and report on using technology. For example, the students would research the meaning behind the flag of Estonia, when it was adapted as the country's flag, etc. and create a report using Power Point, or by publishing it on a blog. By doing this, the students are meeting those two standards. The other standard that fits into that is 6.a. which says, "Understand and use technology systems." The students have to understand and be able to use technology systems to participate in the class activity and even more so to complete their research and do their report. Having an understanding and ability to use technology are fundamental to this activity.
I really hope I have a SMART Board in my future classroom because I think it really improves student learning. First of all, students are immersed in technology in their everyday lives. They are used to using technology so it is "cool" when they come to class and get to use new technology like the SMART Board. Students' minds are wired for technology, so using the SMART Board helps to teach them in a way that they better understand. Another reason is that using the SMART Board is easier and much more effective for the teacher. If I had a SMART Board, I wouldn't have to worry about turning my back to my students and writing something on the regular white board. I can have everything already prepared and loaded into the program and pull it up when I need it. I can write on the SMART Board when I need to and prepare interactive activities for my students that will keep them engaged more. I also think the whole class can participate more with a SMART Board. Because it is at the front of the class and everyone can see it, everyone can contribute. This is even more true if the Clickers are available to use with it. I would love to have a SMART Board in my future classroom.
This activity covers a couple NET Standards for teachers. The first one is 2.a. which says, "Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." I didn't design this activity (or "learning experience"), but I did have to adapt it to fit my needs. I knew I wanted to use it for my activity, but I had to work with it and adapt it to fit what I wanted to do. It definitely incorporates digital tools because I am using a SMART created activity and I had to use MS Power Point to adapt it. There are different points in the activity for students to be creative using the SMART Board. The second NETS-T this activity covers is 3.a which says, "Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." Although I have not fully achieved this standard, this activity helped me become more fluent with technology, specifically the SMART Board. It was great being able to play with the SMART Board and use it to "teach" something, even though we are only doing it for fun. I definitely have a better understanding of how the SMART Board works and how I can use it in the classroom. This activity also helped me become more fluent at Power Point. I haven't used Power Point in so long that I forgot some of the features and this activity gave me the chance to refresh my knowledge of how it works. I also love how you can use Power Point and the SMART Board together.
There are also a few NET Standards for Students this activity covers. The first is 3.b. which says, Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media," and 3.d which says, "Process data and report results." If I were to use this activity in a classroom, each student would pick out a European country flag to research and report on using technology. For example, the students would research the meaning behind the flag of Estonia, when it was adapted as the country's flag, etc. and create a report using Power Point, or by publishing it on a blog. By doing this, the students are meeting those two standards. The other standard that fits into that is 6.a. which says, "Understand and use technology systems." The students have to understand and be able to use technology systems to participate in the class activity and even more so to complete their research and do their report. Having an understanding and ability to use technology are fundamental to this activity.
I really hope I have a SMART Board in my future classroom because I think it really improves student learning. First of all, students are immersed in technology in their everyday lives. They are used to using technology so it is "cool" when they come to class and get to use new technology like the SMART Board. Students' minds are wired for technology, so using the SMART Board helps to teach them in a way that they better understand. Another reason is that using the SMART Board is easier and much more effective for the teacher. If I had a SMART Board, I wouldn't have to worry about turning my back to my students and writing something on the regular white board. I can have everything already prepared and loaded into the program and pull it up when I need it. I can write on the SMART Board when I need to and prepare interactive activities for my students that will keep them engaged more. I also think the whole class can participate more with a SMART Board. Because it is at the front of the class and everyone can see it, everyone can contribute. This is even more true if the Clickers are available to use with it. I would love to have a SMART Board in my future classroom.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
NETS-T Update
The NETS-T that I am focusing on this semester is 3.a. "Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." At the beginning of this class I realized that I wanted to incorporate technology into my classroom and teach my students how to effectively use technology. However, I didn't have the knowledge to do that before taking this class. By learning how to use HTML, how to use the SMART Board, how to make a website, how to use a Blog, etc I am becoming fluent in technology that is commonly used today. Even more important, I am becoming fluent in technology that I want to incorporate into my teaching and pass onto my student. I definitely need to know how to use technology in different situations in order to transfer the knowledge to my students. After all, it is difficult to teach what one does not know how to do. I already feel much more comfortable, or fluent, using technology than I did at the beginning of the semester. Before this class, I had never seen a SMART Board in action, never used HTML, and had never created a blog or website. Now I have done all of that. And although I am not completely proficient, I have definitely developed a working knowledge and could transfer that knowledge to someone else. That directly fits with my NETS-T for the semester.
Monday, October 5, 2009
HTML and Weebly
I really liked using HTML. It was very meticulous, but I thought it was fun because it made sense to me. I like that I know how to do HTML now. I don't think I would want to use it to completely create a functional website because it is very time consuming, but I thought it was fun nevertheless. I also liked using Weebly to create a website. It is definitely more practical for actual use than HTML. It is very easy to use, but you do have to be willing to use only the features they provide. It was kind of frustrating at times, because I couldn't do exactly what I wanted. This is because there are certain things the website provides and that is all you can use. I would still use Weebly because it is definitely easier, and cheaper, than creating my own website (which I would never do).
Click to visit my new website: http://mrstlc.weebly.com/
Click to visit my new website: http://mrstlc.weebly.com/
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Reflection #2: Music Methods
For music methods on Monday, we went to our professor's music classroom at Lakeview Elementary. I definitely liked being in the actual classroom instead of our room at Northwest. There was music stuff everywhere and the classroom was decorated with all things music. We talked about rhythm and how to incorporate rhythmic activities into a regular class and how it would be beneficial for subjects besides music. I loved a few of the activities we did and I will definitely use them someday. I can see how they would be helpful for other subjects, especially math. Another thing I noticed was that technology was a significant part of the activities we did. We used the Active Board for several things and it made the activities more fun. I can see how kids would be more motivated to participate because they would get to use the Active Board. I never thought about technology being part of even a music class. It's amazing how technology can be integrated!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
School Website
I went to the school website, Woodin Elementary, where I hope to teach. The home page is pretty good, even it it does look a little outdated as far as the design goes. The home page has the basic information, such as address and hours, and also a school calendar, newsletter, district news and community happenings such as road construction. I like the homepage because it is not too crowded and has helpful information.
I was pretty disappointed with the rest of the website. Only one or two of the classroom pages had anything on them and the rest of them were "under construction," in other words, they were blank. The pages that did have something on them basically said "Welcome to my class" and that was it. No links or homework or anything. Many of the other pages of the website, such as the message board, were "under construction" as well. The good thing was that all of the health related links were active such as when to stay home, common childhood illnesses, and immunizations.
I think the school and the teachers can do a lot more with the website. It could be a very useful tool for the teachers to communicate with their students and the parents, but instead it is "under construction." Considering how much time people spend online, this is a valuable tool that is not being used to its full potential.
I was pretty disappointed with the rest of the website. Only one or two of the classroom pages had anything on them and the rest of them were "under construction," in other words, they were blank. The pages that did have something on them basically said "Welcome to my class" and that was it. No links or homework or anything. Many of the other pages of the website, such as the message board, were "under construction" as well. The good thing was that all of the health related links were active such as when to stay home, common childhood illnesses, and immunizations.
I think the school and the teachers can do a lot more with the website. It could be a very useful tool for the teachers to communicate with their students and the parents, but instead it is "under construction." Considering how much time people spend online, this is a valuable tool that is not being used to its full potential.
Beginning of Semester Reflection
Technology should have a significant role in the K-12 classroom because it plays a significant role in students' lives. As teachers, we should be reaching our students in the best possible. In this generation, that means using technology. Technology should not rule the classroom, but should be successfully and seamlessly integrated so that it plays an important role in conveying information and checking for understanding. There are still some things that should be done the "old-fashioned way." Students should still have to memorize math facts and state capitals, not always referring to the calculator or the Internet. But instead of having a student write an essay and turn it in on paper, that student could publish it in a blog or wiki.
I know this will make my life as a teacher more difficult because I will have to learn how to use and effectively teach using technology. Because of that, technology should be part of my life as a teacher. I will need to model the correct way to use technology to my students. All of that said, technology should be used in balance. It should not take over the classroom nor should it be ignored. It should definitely be used in the classroom because no one can deny its effectiveness.
I know this will make my life as a teacher more difficult because I will have to learn how to use and effectively teach using technology. Because of that, technology should be part of my life as a teacher. I will need to model the correct way to use technology to my students. All of that said, technology should be used in balance. It should not take over the classroom nor should it be ignored. It should definitely be used in the classroom because no one can deny its effectiveness.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Reflection #1: Web 2.0
I had so much fun in class on Wednesday playing with all of the Web 2.0 tools. I had no idea that there were so many different useful tools available for free. Not only are these tools easy and fun to use, but they could also be used effectively in a classroom. One of the tools I played with was Imagination Cubed (http://www.imaginationcubed.com/). It is a site that allows you to draw whatever you want and even invite other people to come draw with you. This could be used in a classroom to help students practice teamwork and could also be used for math as there is a grid background.
I was also able to experiment with iGoogle. I already use Google for mail and searching, and this is a great addition. It allows you to put everything you use in one spot so you don't have to jump from site to site. This would also be a great tool to have on the main page when students sign onto the computers. Then they would have all the resources the teacher wants them to use in one place.
I was also able to experiment with iGoogle. I already use Google for mail and searching, and this is a great addition. It allows you to put everything you use in one spot so you don't have to jump from site to site. This would also be a great tool to have on the main page when students sign onto the computers. Then they would have all the resources the teacher wants them to use in one place.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Assignment #1 (NETS)
NETS for Teachers:
The NETS-T that I would like to focus on the most this semester is 3.a.: "Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." I have a working knowledge of technology in general, but I do not have an in depth knowledge of many aspects of technology. This standard is important to me because I want to have enough knowledge and understanding that I can incorporate technology into my lessons in the future to more successfully engage my students. This standard is important for my students because I will be able to more successfully engage them and hopefully make learning more fun. It is also beneficial to them because I will be able to pass on my knowledge by teaching them. I know that the knowledge I have applies to some extent the the new technologies we are learning about. I want to apply what I already know to gain better knowledge and understanding in the areas that I am not so familiar with.
I plan on improving in this area in several different ways. First, I will work on it through my blog. This is the first blog I have done and I have already learned a lot. Right now, I am only taking advantage of the basic features of what a blog can do. Throughout the semester, I want to stretch myself in the use of my blog. Second, I want to increase my capability on the SMART Board. With the little knowledge and understanding that I have, I can already tell that it is a great tool to promote student learning. I know that the more I understand how to use the SMART board, the more I will be able to use it in the future. Finally, I want to incorporate this standard into my technology project. NETS-T 2.a. also fits into this: "Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." Personally, when my professors use some element of technology in their teaching I am much more interested in what is going on. I know this will be even more true for my students because they have been and will be even more saturated in technology than I was growing up. Because of that, my goal is to incorporate the use of technology as much as I can and I want to develop that as much as I can this semester.
NETS for Students:
The NETS-S that I think is important for the students that I plan to work with is 2.b.: "Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats." I think this is so important because communication through technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Students often know how to use the technology but not how to use it for a specific purpose such as communication to a specific audience. There are a few ways I want to incorporate this standard into my teaching. First, I want each student to create a blog or contribute to a class blog. In creating the blog for this class, I have realized how valuable a tool that can be for students. I love that the audience is genuine and I think that gives students more motivation. Second, I want to have a class wiki that all students contribute to. Along the same lines as the blog, this gives them a sense of real purpose and audience. Third, I want my class to connect with a class from another part of the country (or even another part of the world) via Skype or a similar program to work on a project together. This is a great way for students to work on communication via technology and also ties into NETS-S 2.c. and 2.d.: "Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures" and "contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
The NETS-T that I would like to focus on the most this semester is 3.a.: "Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." I have a working knowledge of technology in general, but I do not have an in depth knowledge of many aspects of technology. This standard is important to me because I want to have enough knowledge and understanding that I can incorporate technology into my lessons in the future to more successfully engage my students. This standard is important for my students because I will be able to more successfully engage them and hopefully make learning more fun. It is also beneficial to them because I will be able to pass on my knowledge by teaching them. I know that the knowledge I have applies to some extent the the new technologies we are learning about. I want to apply what I already know to gain better knowledge and understanding in the areas that I am not so familiar with.
I plan on improving in this area in several different ways. First, I will work on it through my blog. This is the first blog I have done and I have already learned a lot. Right now, I am only taking advantage of the basic features of what a blog can do. Throughout the semester, I want to stretch myself in the use of my blog. Second, I want to increase my capability on the SMART Board. With the little knowledge and understanding that I have, I can already tell that it is a great tool to promote student learning. I know that the more I understand how to use the SMART board, the more I will be able to use it in the future. Finally, I want to incorporate this standard into my technology project. NETS-T 2.a. also fits into this: "Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." Personally, when my professors use some element of technology in their teaching I am much more interested in what is going on. I know this will be even more true for my students because they have been and will be even more saturated in technology than I was growing up. Because of that, my goal is to incorporate the use of technology as much as I can and I want to develop that as much as I can this semester.
NETS for Students:
The NETS-S that I think is important for the students that I plan to work with is 2.b.: "Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats." I think this is so important because communication through technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Students often know how to use the technology but not how to use it for a specific purpose such as communication to a specific audience. There are a few ways I want to incorporate this standard into my teaching. First, I want each student to create a blog or contribute to a class blog. In creating the blog for this class, I have realized how valuable a tool that can be for students. I love that the audience is genuine and I think that gives students more motivation. Second, I want to have a class wiki that all students contribute to. Along the same lines as the blog, this gives them a sense of real purpose and audience. Third, I want my class to connect with a class from another part of the country (or even another part of the world) via Skype or a similar program to work on a project together. This is a great way for students to work on communication via technology and also ties into NETS-S 2.c. and 2.d.: "Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures" and "contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
Assignment #1 (Article from database)
In response to "Embracing emergent technologies and envisioning new ways of using them for literacy learning in the primary classroom" by Sue Halsey
https://acts.northwestu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://firma.northwestu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true%26db=eric%26AN=EJ832191%26site=ehost-live
Summary:
This article is written by a primary school teacher, Sue Halsey, in New Zealand. Halsey writes about her experience over the school year as she not only integrated technology into her classroom, but made it one of the focal points of her literacy curriculum. Throughout the article, Halsey argues that technology cannot be ignored by teachers. Instead, technology must be embraced in the classroom because students are surrounded by technology throughout the rest of their day. Her main goals for the year were student motivation, metacognition, bringing the world into the classroom, and taking students' learning out into the world.
Halsey and her students created a website which they used in several different ways throughout the year to promote literacy. The first thing Halsey and her students did was create a podcast. This podcast was done every Friday. First, the whole class would discuss what they had learned throughout the week. Second, two students write, re-read, edit, and record their podcast. This is then posted to the class website. Throughout this process, students are practicing their writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills. One of the biggest benefits to this is that the students have genuine audience (outside their classroom), and therefore purpose, which motivates them to do even better.
The second component the class added to their website was "Exciting Writing." This portion of the website is used to display all of the students' writing. Halsey believes that the main benefit to this is that it provides students with a real purpose and audience to write for. Because of this, she saw an improvement in her students writing. Parents also love this because they can go online and see their students' work.
"Events" was the next component added to the website. "Events" contains all of the memorable events from the classroom recounted by the children. Not only does this give them more practice writing, but allows them to reflect on previous learning.
Two other components added to the website were "Word Power" and "Book Reviews." Both of these components are meant to encourage improved literacy and student initiative. In "Word Power" students list any words they find interesting from the things they read. This creates their own word bank and thesaurus that they can use when they write. "Book Reviews" is a place where students can post reviews on the books they have read, but the students have to initiate it. Halsey will not approach the students and convince them to write a review, but the students have to come to her and ask to post one. Halsey says it is so rewarding when a 6 year old runs up to you excited about a book he/she has read and wants to post a review. This system also encouraged reading and discussion about books between students.
Although it is a lot of work, Halsey believes that it is worth it. Despite criticism from some of her peers, she reminds herself that her students are indeed becoming literate in a way that will strongly benefit them in the future. She understands that there is a balance between using printed material and web-based material and has designed her program around that. She concludes her article by stating that many teachers take to much time to research an aspect of technology to determine if it is really beneficial for their classroom instead of taking the advice from other teachers who are already implementing it in their own classroom. After all, wouldn't that time be better spent actually using the technology and using it to educate students?
Reflection:
There was plenty of useful information in this article. First of all, I really liked reading through everything that Halsey has done with technology in her classroom. We have been learning about different components and strategies for implementing technology as teachers, but it really helped me to see how technology can be seamlessly integrated into a class and not just added on top of everything else. I liked the real-life examples and the testimony of how it actually worked in the classroom.
Another thing I learned that I had not thought about is that using technology in the classroom is very beneficial outside the classroom as well. This is true in a coupe different ways. First, the students love having a real purpose and a real audience. Halsey noted that this motivated her students more than anything. The students could access their website, and therefore their work, from home or anywhere else for that matter, and show it to their friends and family. This brings me to the second point. Because Halsey used technology in her classroom, parents benefited from it as well. Parents could go to the website and watch the podcast to find our what their child had done in class that week. The parents could also go onto the website with their children and see all the work they have been doing. Even further than that, links to the children's work could also be sent to grandparents and other family or friends that wouldn't get to see it otherwise.
The motivation factor and the benefit of global access were the two things I learned and appreciated the most from this article. I also realized that integrating technology does not have to be extremely difficult. The teacher was able to do all of this from the creation of one website. Yes, it does take time and work, but when the students are motivated to learn and are having fun at the same time it makes it all worth it.
https://acts.northwestu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://firma.northwestu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true%26db=eric%26AN=EJ832191%26site=ehost-live
Summary:
This article is written by a primary school teacher, Sue Halsey, in New Zealand. Halsey writes about her experience over the school year as she not only integrated technology into her classroom, but made it one of the focal points of her literacy curriculum. Throughout the article, Halsey argues that technology cannot be ignored by teachers. Instead, technology must be embraced in the classroom because students are surrounded by technology throughout the rest of their day. Her main goals for the year were student motivation, metacognition, bringing the world into the classroom, and taking students' learning out into the world.
Halsey and her students created a website which they used in several different ways throughout the year to promote literacy. The first thing Halsey and her students did was create a podcast. This podcast was done every Friday. First, the whole class would discuss what they had learned throughout the week. Second, two students write, re-read, edit, and record their podcast. This is then posted to the class website. Throughout this process, students are practicing their writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills. One of the biggest benefits to this is that the students have genuine audience (outside their classroom), and therefore purpose, which motivates them to do even better.
The second component the class added to their website was "Exciting Writing." This portion of the website is used to display all of the students' writing. Halsey believes that the main benefit to this is that it provides students with a real purpose and audience to write for. Because of this, she saw an improvement in her students writing. Parents also love this because they can go online and see their students' work.
"Events" was the next component added to the website. "Events" contains all of the memorable events from the classroom recounted by the children. Not only does this give them more practice writing, but allows them to reflect on previous learning.
Two other components added to the website were "Word Power" and "Book Reviews." Both of these components are meant to encourage improved literacy and student initiative. In "Word Power" students list any words they find interesting from the things they read. This creates their own word bank and thesaurus that they can use when they write. "Book Reviews" is a place where students can post reviews on the books they have read, but the students have to initiate it. Halsey will not approach the students and convince them to write a review, but the students have to come to her and ask to post one. Halsey says it is so rewarding when a 6 year old runs up to you excited about a book he/she has read and wants to post a review. This system also encouraged reading and discussion about books between students.
Although it is a lot of work, Halsey believes that it is worth it. Despite criticism from some of her peers, she reminds herself that her students are indeed becoming literate in a way that will strongly benefit them in the future. She understands that there is a balance between using printed material and web-based material and has designed her program around that. She concludes her article by stating that many teachers take to much time to research an aspect of technology to determine if it is really beneficial for their classroom instead of taking the advice from other teachers who are already implementing it in their own classroom. After all, wouldn't that time be better spent actually using the technology and using it to educate students?
Reflection:
There was plenty of useful information in this article. First of all, I really liked reading through everything that Halsey has done with technology in her classroom. We have been learning about different components and strategies for implementing technology as teachers, but it really helped me to see how technology can be seamlessly integrated into a class and not just added on top of everything else. I liked the real-life examples and the testimony of how it actually worked in the classroom.
Another thing I learned that I had not thought about is that using technology in the classroom is very beneficial outside the classroom as well. This is true in a coupe different ways. First, the students love having a real purpose and a real audience. Halsey noted that this motivated her students more than anything. The students could access their website, and therefore their work, from home or anywhere else for that matter, and show it to their friends and family. This brings me to the second point. Because Halsey used technology in her classroom, parents benefited from it as well. Parents could go to the website and watch the podcast to find our what their child had done in class that week. The parents could also go onto the website with their children and see all the work they have been doing. Even further than that, links to the children's work could also be sent to grandparents and other family or friends that wouldn't get to see it otherwise.
The motivation factor and the benefit of global access were the two things I learned and appreciated the most from this article. I also realized that integrating technology does not have to be extremely difficult. The teacher was able to do all of this from the creation of one website. Yes, it does take time and work, but when the students are motivated to learn and are having fun at the same time it makes it all worth it.
Generation IM
In response to "Generation IM" by Scholastic http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749836
I really enjoyed reading this article and there were a few things I learned from it. First of all, I did not know that 67% of preschoolers use computers. I think that demonstrates how much our culture is saturated with technology. Second, I did not realize that the aspect of computers that children like the most was creating their own content. I had the opinion that children waste too much time on the computer because I thought that they were playing video games or taking surveys on MySpace most of the time. Now that I realize that creating their own content is what is so appealing and what children spend the most time doing, I think time on the computer is more productive.
This notion can be taken advantage of by teachers to use in the classroom. If students love creating their own content on the computer, let them learn and show their knowledge of the content areas by creating their own content. I really liked all of the stories in this article that gave examples of teachers doing just that. By appealing to that nature in students teachers could be much more effective and inspire students to learn.
I really liked the "7 Ways to Bring Today’s Tech into your Classroom" that was at the end of the article. I did not know that all of those resources were available to teachers to use in the classroom. I really liked the ideas and the specific ways to incorporate those ideas into the curriculum. I will definitely be taking advantage of those in the future.
I really enjoyed reading this article and there were a few things I learned from it. First of all, I did not know that 67% of preschoolers use computers. I think that demonstrates how much our culture is saturated with technology. Second, I did not realize that the aspect of computers that children like the most was creating their own content. I had the opinion that children waste too much time on the computer because I thought that they were playing video games or taking surveys on MySpace most of the time. Now that I realize that creating their own content is what is so appealing and what children spend the most time doing, I think time on the computer is more productive.
This notion can be taken advantage of by teachers to use in the classroom. If students love creating their own content on the computer, let them learn and show their knowledge of the content areas by creating their own content. I really liked all of the stories in this article that gave examples of teachers doing just that. By appealing to that nature in students teachers could be much more effective and inspire students to learn.
I really liked the "7 Ways to Bring Today’s Tech into your Classroom" that was at the end of the article. I did not know that all of those resources were available to teachers to use in the classroom. I really liked the ideas and the specific ways to incorporate those ideas into the curriculum. I will definitely be taking advantage of those in the future.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
SMART Boards in the Classroom
In response to "Smart Practices: Millennial Education" by Jane Chamberlin Grove
http://downloads.smarttech.com/media/education/pdf/ieSummer07.pdf (page 16)
This article is about a district in Nebraska that uses SMART Boards extensively in their classrooms, but it all started with one teacher. Katie Morrow, the elementary technology teacher, first saw the SMART Boards at a technology conference in 2001. She requested a grant to get a SMART Board and as soon as other teachers saw how helpful the interactive whiteboard was in the classroom, they were asking for one as well. Now every school in the district owns SMART Boards and technology is integrated into other subjects using the interactive white board. Their goal is to prepare students more effectively for the workforce. Since more and more jobs revolve around the use of technology, this Nebraska district wants to prepare their students and teach them how to effectively use technology. They use the SMART Board extensively to help achieve this goal.
I did not realize all of the benefits of having a SMART Board in the classroom. I knew it would be useful for engaging students and showing the students all at once how to do something, but its benefits go far beyond that. Morrow uses the SMART Board with her students even before they can read and write. The SMART Board enables her to model behavior for her students all at once and not have to walk around the class to each student's work station. Morrow can even record her own voice giving instructions and link it to the page so that if the students forget what they are supposed to do they just click on the picture of their teacher and hear it again.
My favorite part of the article was about the project that the older elementary students do. They create a news broadcast using the SMART Board that is played on the local cable news at the end of the school year. The students do all of the video compiling and editing complete with music and graphics. With the use of the SMART Board, all of the students can participate whereas all of the students could not fit around one computer screen and play an active role in the project. Not only does this educate the students in technology, but they are writing scripts and reports, giving oral presentations, and learning to work together as a team.
SMART Boards have so many uses in the classroom. I think the integration of subject areas is probably the greatest attribute. Students can learn their content areas through the use of technology. Not only does this better prepare students for the future, but it also holds their interest and they have fun with it. I definitely want a SMART Board in my classroom when I am a teacher.
http://downloads.smarttech.com/media/education/pdf/ieSummer07.pdf (page 16)
This article is about a district in Nebraska that uses SMART Boards extensively in their classrooms, but it all started with one teacher. Katie Morrow, the elementary technology teacher, first saw the SMART Boards at a technology conference in 2001. She requested a grant to get a SMART Board and as soon as other teachers saw how helpful the interactive whiteboard was in the classroom, they were asking for one as well. Now every school in the district owns SMART Boards and technology is integrated into other subjects using the interactive white board. Their goal is to prepare students more effectively for the workforce. Since more and more jobs revolve around the use of technology, this Nebraska district wants to prepare their students and teach them how to effectively use technology. They use the SMART Board extensively to help achieve this goal.
I did not realize all of the benefits of having a SMART Board in the classroom. I knew it would be useful for engaging students and showing the students all at once how to do something, but its benefits go far beyond that. Morrow uses the SMART Board with her students even before they can read and write. The SMART Board enables her to model behavior for her students all at once and not have to walk around the class to each student's work station. Morrow can even record her own voice giving instructions and link it to the page so that if the students forget what they are supposed to do they just click on the picture of their teacher and hear it again.
My favorite part of the article was about the project that the older elementary students do. They create a news broadcast using the SMART Board that is played on the local cable news at the end of the school year. The students do all of the video compiling and editing complete with music and graphics. With the use of the SMART Board, all of the students can participate whereas all of the students could not fit around one computer screen and play an active role in the project. Not only does this educate the students in technology, but they are writing scripts and reports, giving oral presentations, and learning to work together as a team.
SMART Boards have so many uses in the classroom. I think the integration of subject areas is probably the greatest attribute. Students can learn their content areas through the use of technology. Not only does this better prepare students for the future, but it also holds their interest and they have fun with it. I definitely want a SMART Board in my classroom when I am a teacher.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
"Turning On the Lights"
In response to "Turning On the Lights" by Marc Prensky
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/mar08/vol65/num06/Turning_On_the_Lights.aspx
In this article, Prensky argues that schools do not take advantage of technology to educate students. Instead, schools and teachers feel technology is a threat to learning. I agree with some of his reasoning but also disagree with some.
I think technology should be more incorporated into the curriculum than it currently is, but I do not think that other required subjects should be dismissed. For example, history is still important for students to learn because it educates them on the past and can be important to know for the future. After all, "History repeats itself." Math is equally important. When I was in school, my perception of math was, "Why do I have to learn this stuff? I will never use it!" I can easily say that I was not a fan of math. However, I have to admit that I have used the math I learned in school. Whether it is quickly estimating my bill at the grocery store, figuring out the price of a sale item at a department store, or deciding if a couch will fit into my apartment, basic algebra and geometry are useful. That is not to say that teaching kids math about space is not a good idea, but they need a balance. Also, algebra and geometry are an important foundation for higher levels of math.
Over all, I think Prensky has some great ideas about how technology could be effectively incorporated into the classroom. For example, I think connecting a Spanish class with kids from South America is a great idea. (How a teacher would organize and implement this is another issue.) However, I think some of Prensky's ideas are a bit extreme. From my perspective, he represents one extreme which is not any more correct than the extreme that argues that technology should have a very minimal role in the classroom. As is usually the case, the most effective scenario lies in the middle where balance is the goal.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/mar08/vol65/num06/Turning_On_the_Lights.aspx
In this article, Prensky argues that schools do not take advantage of technology to educate students. Instead, schools and teachers feel technology is a threat to learning. I agree with some of his reasoning but also disagree with some.
I think technology should be more incorporated into the curriculum than it currently is, but I do not think that other required subjects should be dismissed. For example, history is still important for students to learn because it educates them on the past and can be important to know for the future. After all, "History repeats itself." Math is equally important. When I was in school, my perception of math was, "Why do I have to learn this stuff? I will never use it!" I can easily say that I was not a fan of math. However, I have to admit that I have used the math I learned in school. Whether it is quickly estimating my bill at the grocery store, figuring out the price of a sale item at a department store, or deciding if a couch will fit into my apartment, basic algebra and geometry are useful. That is not to say that teaching kids math about space is not a good idea, but they need a balance. Also, algebra and geometry are an important foundation for higher levels of math.
Over all, I think Prensky has some great ideas about how technology could be effectively incorporated into the classroom. For example, I think connecting a Spanish class with kids from South America is a great idea. (How a teacher would organize and implement this is another issue.) However, I think some of Prensky's ideas are a bit extreme. From my perspective, he represents one extreme which is not any more correct than the extreme that argues that technology should have a very minimal role in the classroom. As is usually the case, the most effective scenario lies in the middle where balance is the goal.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
My Story
5 years ago if you had asked me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I would not have answered "teacher." Today, I am 1 school year away from graduating with a bachelors in Elementary Education and I am so excited! So how did I get from that point five years ago to where I am today? It took a trip around the world and teaching in a foreign language to convince me, but here I am.
After I graduated high school I went to Chile for eight months on a mission internship. I knew where I was going and when, but I had no idea what I would be doing. My main task while I was there turned out to be teaching English at a primary school. I taught 12 different classes once a week. The students ranged in age from preschool to 4th grade. I was given no materials or guidelines on what I was to teach. This sounds daunting, difficult, and scary - and it was. But in spite of all of that, it was fun and I loved it. The kids were very receptive, for the most part, and eager to learn. My favorite part about teaching there was seeing the look on the kids' faces when something finally clicked. They would put words and phrases together in broken English and I loved the sound of it!
When I returned to the US, I decided that I wanted to become an official teacher and that is what brought me to Northwest University and to this class. I chose NU because it is close to where I grew up and has married housing for my husband and I (very important!).
When I graduate, my perfect job would be teaching 3rd or 4th grade in a bilingual classroom. I want to teach that grade because they were my favorite classes when I was teaching in Chile. I love that age because they are very receptive, are old enough to do more activities, and they still like their teacher!
After I graduated high school I went to Chile for eight months on a mission internship. I knew where I was going and when, but I had no idea what I would be doing. My main task while I was there turned out to be teaching English at a primary school. I taught 12 different classes once a week. The students ranged in age from preschool to 4th grade. I was given no materials or guidelines on what I was to teach. This sounds daunting, difficult, and scary - and it was. But in spite of all of that, it was fun and I loved it. The kids were very receptive, for the most part, and eager to learn. My favorite part about teaching there was seeing the look on the kids' faces when something finally clicked. They would put words and phrases together in broken English and I loved the sound of it!
When I returned to the US, I decided that I wanted to become an official teacher and that is what brought me to Northwest University and to this class. I chose NU because it is close to where I grew up and has married housing for my husband and I (very important!).
When I graduate, my perfect job would be teaching 3rd or 4th grade in a bilingual classroom. I want to teach that grade because they were my favorite classes when I was teaching in Chile. I love that age because they are very receptive, are old enough to do more activities, and they still like their teacher!
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