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.
.
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.
.
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.
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