My website
Monday, May 2, 2011
My wow moment
My wow moment was definitely when I finished my website and was checking the list to make sure I had included everything I needed. I realized how much I had learned and how many awesome resources I had right there on my site ready for me to use and refer back to. It also had to do with my uncle who is the principle at a Kansas high school and when I asked him what I needed to do by the time I graduate to separate myself from others who would also be applying for jobs. His answer was "have a website." I was so excited and I showed him mind and he said that it was great. I just needed to keep it going and I would have a leg up. That made me realize how important it was to keep my website upas continue my student career.I am very glad I took this class because I never would have figured out how to do it on my own. I no longer panic when asked to do something for class because I know I can do it. I not only learned how to use the resources assigned ti us in class but I Also learned how to discover new resources in my own and how to figure them out on my own. All thanks to ded 318! :-)
My website
My website
Podcast Favorites
I learned all kinds of things from listening to the different podcasts this semester. Anything ranging from iPad and smart boards in classrooms to pre-service teacher class structure. Every podcast I listened to had new information on technology and resources for education. I now have another source to turn to when looking for resources for while I'm in school and for when I'm doing the schooling. :-) it was really exciting to learn about the types of technology being introduced in elementary schools because when I first began this class I had the mindset that this wouldn't apply to my classroom because I'm an elem. Ed major. I have now learned how extremely wrong I was and how essential technology is in every class at every age!
My favorite podcast was by Conversations on EdTechTalk
The episode I reflected on was called Teachable Moments, it was all about those moments when it is necessary and appropriate to go off the lesson plan and outside the curriculum to discuss things that have been brought up. An common example of this is current events. Especially things like natural disasters. They talked about how important it was to keep it educational and age appropriate as well.
My favorite podcast was by Conversations on EdTechTalk
The episode I reflected on was called Teachable Moments, it was all about those moments when it is necessary and appropriate to go off the lesson plan and outside the curriculum to discuss things that have been brought up. An common example of this is current events. Especially things like natural disasters. They talked about how important it was to keep it educational and age appropriate as well.
Semester favorites
My favorite resource we used in this class is by far Animoto (link below). It was sleazy to use and so much fun. It was also quick to crete videos and can be used for all sorts of projects. It's also neat that you can browse videos already made by other members. I am excited to be able to use the Animoto for education. As a teacher you will be able to use it for free. I had an Animoto plus account for part of the semester to make some videos fir personal use and also for other class projects. It is really useful. Any age students could learn to use it as well as teachers using it to present material to the class as a way to implement visuals.
Animoto
Another resource I enjoyed using was voice thread (link below). Voice thread was another visual presentation that was simple to use and would be east to teach students to use. It was neat the you could put more than one persons voice and comments on them and you could even have a project where you could have parents view or comment on their students project from home.
Animoto
Another resource I enjoyed using was voice thread (link below). Voice thread was another visual presentation that was simple to use and would be east to teach students to use. It was neat the you could put more than one persons voice and comments on them and you could even have a project where you could have parents view or comment on their students project from home.
Twitter reflection
Follow me @mmketron
I did not have a twitter account before we had to have one for this class. Before I learned about them in class I thought they were kind of silly and just used to let people know you were standing in line for coffee and ten min. later you were drinking that coffee. After creating an account and using it just for professional and educational purposes I can see how it would be useful for educators. It is a great way to collaborate and communicate and share resources with teachers from all over the world. I will definitely be using it in my future. As of now however, I have not found many reasons to use my own but rather I can use it to learn about new resources from the people I follow's posts. This still we be useful in future blocks.
I did not have a twitter account before we had to have one for this class. Before I learned about them in class I thought they were kind of silly and just used to let people know you were standing in line for coffee and ten min. later you were drinking that coffee. After creating an account and using it just for professional and educational purposes I can see how it would be useful for educators. It is a great way to collaborate and communicate and share resources with teachers from all over the world. I will definitely be using it in my future. As of now however, I have not found many reasons to use my own but rather I can use it to learn about new resources from the people I follow's posts. This still we be useful in future blocks.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Reflection #12: k12 online echo: Remixing History- The Cigar Box Project
The Cigar Box Project
In this episode they interview the professional development teacher from a science school. Which is a school based on inquiry. There pillars of education include science, technology and outdoor education. I think it is so cool to be able to include outdoor education in the curriculum. I love the outdoors!
the school is in Canada and they do the cigar box project for history. The students (7 grade) study, analyze and collect documents and artifacts that they think shapes their history. Then they graphically design their own unique cigar box panels. By the end they get to build their own wooden cigar box creating their own historical artifact. This is really neat way to learn about their country's history! I think it is a lesson they will never forget!
In this episode they interview the professional development teacher from a science school. Which is a school based on inquiry. There pillars of education include science, technology and outdoor education. I think it is so cool to be able to include outdoor education in the curriculum. I love the outdoors!
the school is in Canada and they do the cigar box project for history. The students (7 grade) study, analyze and collect documents and artifacts that they think shapes their history. Then they graphically design their own unique cigar box panels. By the end they get to build their own wooden cigar box creating their own historical artifact. This is really neat way to learn about their country's history! I think it is a lesson they will never forget!
Reflection #11: parents as partners
What works and what doesn't
What works and what doesn't
Parents as partners is all about breaking barriers between parents and the public school systems and how to build the bonds between parents and their children's teachers. They talked about the book Building Parent Engagement in Schools by Larry Ferlazzo" The author was on the show and he talked about how this book is supposes to guide schools in changing parent participation or involvement into parent engagement. His book directly challenges the things teachers and schools usually do like making copies or chaperoning field trips. I think it is definitely something worth looking into. It is only 19.95 for the kindle version and according to the amazon reviews it is well worth it!
I really enjoyed learning about this book but I. Was not very impressed with the podcast series itself. The woman speaking was verify monotone and hard to hear/understand.
What works and what doesn't
Parents as partners is all about breaking barriers between parents and the public school systems and how to build the bonds between parents and their children's teachers. They talked about the book Building Parent Engagement in Schools by Larry Ferlazzo" The author was on the show and he talked about how this book is supposes to guide schools in changing parent participation or involvement into parent engagement. His book directly challenges the things teachers and schools usually do like making copies or chaperoning field trips. I think it is definitely something worth looking into. It is only 19.95 for the kindle version and according to the amazon reviews it is well worth it!
I really enjoyed learning about this book but I. Was not very impressed with the podcast series itself. The woman speaking was verify monotone and hard to hear/understand.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Reflection #10: Driving Questions
ipad in the classroom
In this episode, Kevin met with two teachers who had ipads in their classrooms. He asked what they thought of them, how they were changing instruction in the classroom and if they recommend them to other educators. you could tell that these educators were excited about using the ipads in their classrooms and had seen the differences they made in the instruction. They mentioned an app i hadn't yet heard about called "spellboard." The app lets the teacher enter in that weeks spelling words and it brings up the definitions and allows her to record her voice with the pronunciation of the words. Then the students can access that weeks words and practice writing them with their finger on the app. It also lets her make practice quizzes on the app as well! They talked about how ipads are cheaper than laptops and allow teachers to individualize the curriculum more than a laptop allows. They said the best way to figure out how to use them is to just take them home and play with one. Explore and experiment and figure out all the ways the are beneficial. I can say from experience that is true because i just recently got an ipad and that is how i have figured out everything about it, just play!
In this episode, Kevin met with two teachers who had ipads in their classrooms. He asked what they thought of them, how they were changing instruction in the classroom and if they recommend them to other educators. you could tell that these educators were excited about using the ipads in their classrooms and had seen the differences they made in the instruction. They mentioned an app i hadn't yet heard about called "spellboard." The app lets the teacher enter in that weeks spelling words and it brings up the definitions and allows her to record her voice with the pronunciation of the words. Then the students can access that weeks words and practice writing them with their finger on the app. It also lets her make practice quizzes on the app as well! They talked about how ipads are cheaper than laptops and allow teachers to individualize the curriculum more than a laptop allows. They said the best way to figure out how to use them is to just take them home and play with one. Explore and experiment and figure out all the ways the are beneficial. I can say from experience that is true because i just recently got an ipad and that is how i have figured out everything about it, just play!
Reflection #9: Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education
Reinventing education
Wow this video is really neat! It introduces yet another great, free resource for teachers. One aspect that really hit home for me was when he was talking about how this type of technology humanizes education and humanizes the classroom. That is something i worried about a lot when this class first started and we started covering all these different ways to incorporate technology. I think getting rid of the "one size fits all" lectures is a great idea and anything we can do to personalize and individualize our students curriculum should be done! There is also the option of working on this outside of class at your own time. This gives kids more practice time and the opportunity to feel more confident about their skills and understanding of the material. This resource also provides a ton of data about the students learning progress. This makes the time spent with individual students more productive and beneficial. You can actually see learning happening in the data! So cool!
Wow this video is really neat! It introduces yet another great, free resource for teachers. One aspect that really hit home for me was when he was talking about how this type of technology humanizes education and humanizes the classroom. That is something i worried about a lot when this class first started and we started covering all these different ways to incorporate technology. I think getting rid of the "one size fits all" lectures is a great idea and anything we can do to personalize and individualize our students curriculum should be done! There is also the option of working on this outside of class at your own time. This gives kids more practice time and the opportunity to feel more confident about their skills and understanding of the material. This resource also provides a ton of data about the students learning progress. This makes the time spent with individual students more productive and beneficial. You can actually see learning happening in the data! So cool!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Comics in my classroom
I will be the first to admit that I do not like comic books. I have always been an advanced reader and loved reading so i didn't understand why people wanted to read comic books. As a future educator i now understand that comics are a great tool to use for discouraged or struggling readers. They are also great for ELL's and visual literacy. I could also use them as a way to better understand books that are hard reads. Using comics in the classroom is something i need to continue to research about because i grew up disliking them and i know that my preferences are not going to be the same as my student's.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Podcast, Website & Blog Mid-term Critiques
Part 1: My peers had really good podcasts. They were about some of the resources we used in class like animoto and classroom 2.0 and they included a few resources that we had not covered in class like PBS teachers and 4teachers.org. There podcasts were appropriate length and i could hear them and understand them clearly. When i compare my own podcast to theirs I think that my voice was a little to quite and i was working so hard on talking slow and clear that it sounds really monotone and boring.
Part: 2 The two websites I critiqued were very well organized. Things were easy to locate and they were interesting. They both had good layouts and designs that made it easy on the eyes. It was nice that everything was easy to find because a lot of times people dont want to search for what the are looking for. The color choices and layout designs were well thought out and individual. After seeing the other two websites, i am glad i decided to change to another processor besides google sites because it allows me to do more with the layout of my pages. I also would like to add more information for future employers to look at rather than just class projects.
Part: 2 The two websites I critiqued were very well organized. Things were easy to locate and they were interesting. They both had good layouts and designs that made it easy on the eyes. It was nice that everything was easy to find because a lot of times people dont want to search for what the are looking for. The color choices and layout designs were well thought out and individual. After seeing the other two websites, i am glad i decided to change to another processor besides google sites because it allows me to do more with the layout of my pages. I also would like to add more information for future employers to look at rather than just class projects.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Fun with Text Reflection
Wordle
Using Wordle was definetely fun, it is something I will use personally use quite often on projects for classes. It is easy, creative, user friendly and the product looks a lot more complicated than it is! I can see showing it to the kids as something to use to describe themselves, or things they did during their summer or things like to do, or maybe even for vocab words. I have not however figured out how I would incorporate it into a lesson as a real learning too. Maybe it is just me but i have thought about it quite a bit and I cannot really think of a way to use it in my classroom. I am sure as the year goes on and i get deeper into my core classes I will realize a more benificial use for the Wordle tool at an elementary level, that is. I do love it myself though! Very fun!
Using Wordle was definetely fun, it is something I will use personally use quite often on projects for classes. It is easy, creative, user friendly and the product looks a lot more complicated than it is! I can see showing it to the kids as something to use to describe themselves, or things they did during their summer or things like to do, or maybe even for vocab words. I have not however figured out how I would incorporate it into a lesson as a real learning too. Maybe it is just me but i have thought about it quite a bit and I cannot really think of a way to use it in my classroom. I am sure as the year goes on and i get deeper into my core classes I will realize a more benificial use for the Wordle tool at an elementary level, that is. I do love it myself though! Very fun!
Reflection #8: (Podcast) Conversations
Conversations #89 Teachable Moments
Well at first I was going to change to a different podcast because it took a little while longer than normal to get to the topic. Now I am glad I stuck it out to listen to the whole podcast. Teachable moments, I learned, are not things that we fit into the curriculum or plan ahead for. They are just things that are so important they need discussed. Many times has to do with current events. For example, climate change is a good teachable moment that teachers could have taken advantage of many times this year with the Haiti earthquakes, the floods in Brazil or the 48 of 50 U.S. states with snow fall. The podcast wants to capitalize on these moments in this era of "no extra time." A few other teachable moments from recent current events are the shootings in Arizona and health care issues. They talked about how most of the time students are hearing about these things at home and school is where they can learn factual information about these topics. Some parents however would rather talk to their kids themselves about it rather then them learn about it at school. The problem is, how open do we get with the students? Also they talked about how experienced teachers are more likely to take advantage of teachable moments then new teachers because it is scary and easy to get off track. Also you don't know how far the kids will take some of the topics and it can be hard to get back to the curriculum. Or experiment teachers just recognize that the topic may be more important then the curriculum for that day. teachable moments, Ive learned is just all about you handle it and being flexible!
Well at first I was going to change to a different podcast because it took a little while longer than normal to get to the topic. Now I am glad I stuck it out to listen to the whole podcast. Teachable moments, I learned, are not things that we fit into the curriculum or plan ahead for. They are just things that are so important they need discussed. Many times has to do with current events. For example, climate change is a good teachable moment that teachers could have taken advantage of many times this year with the Haiti earthquakes, the floods in Brazil or the 48 of 50 U.S. states with snow fall. The podcast wants to capitalize on these moments in this era of "no extra time." A few other teachable moments from recent current events are the shootings in Arizona and health care issues. They talked about how most of the time students are hearing about these things at home and school is where they can learn factual information about these topics. Some parents however would rather talk to their kids themselves about it rather then them learn about it at school. The problem is, how open do we get with the students? Also they talked about how experienced teachers are more likely to take advantage of teachable moments then new teachers because it is scary and easy to get off track. Also you don't know how far the kids will take some of the topics and it can be hard to get back to the curriculum. Or experiment teachers just recognize that the topic may be more important then the curriculum for that day. teachable moments, Ive learned is just all about you handle it and being flexible!
Reflection #7: (Podcast) 21st Century Learning
21st Century Learning #148 1:1 iPads with Peter Smith
Peter Smith is the head of a Pre-k through 12th grade school. The school went from ancient technology to a 1:1 ratio of iPads per student. This is amazing to me and I was very curious as to how they managed it.
Luckily so were the hosts of the podcast. Peter told us about his school's discovery model approach. Rather than hand the iPads to the teachers a month in advance and say, "here, know everything there is to know about this by the time school starts," they gave them to the staff and the students and told them they were going to go about this together. They also brought in the parents for training sessions on how to use the device before they did the same with the children. They developed an entire learning community. I think that is so cool! Every student in the school had one but the Pre-k through 3rd grade students used them only in the classroom while the 4th and older grades checked them out at the beginning of the year and got to take them from school to home and back. The older students use them as daily organizers, to organize notes and they have email accounts in which the email some assignments to their teachers and receive them back with comments and grades that very same day. They also are used to individualize the curriculum based on each students needs. If a student is struggling with a certain concept, they will download apps to help them work on or understand that concept. All this is being done only 6 months into having iPads in the classrooms. The teachers also were supportive and cooperative in the change and i think that all has to do with the way the administration went about introducing this technology. As a learning community figuring it out rather than forcing them to do it alone. I not only would love to work in a school with this kind of technology integration but also this kind of administration and learning community! Props to Peter Smith!
Peter Smith is the head of a Pre-k through 12th grade school. The school went from ancient technology to a 1:1 ratio of iPads per student. This is amazing to me and I was very curious as to how they managed it.
Luckily so were the hosts of the podcast. Peter told us about his school's discovery model approach. Rather than hand the iPads to the teachers a month in advance and say, "here, know everything there is to know about this by the time school starts," they gave them to the staff and the students and told them they were going to go about this together. They also brought in the parents for training sessions on how to use the device before they did the same with the children. They developed an entire learning community. I think that is so cool! Every student in the school had one but the Pre-k through 3rd grade students used them only in the classroom while the 4th and older grades checked them out at the beginning of the year and got to take them from school to home and back. The older students use them as daily organizers, to organize notes and they have email accounts in which the email some assignments to their teachers and receive them back with comments and grades that very same day. They also are used to individualize the curriculum based on each students needs. If a student is struggling with a certain concept, they will download apps to help them work on or understand that concept. All this is being done only 6 months into having iPads in the classrooms. The teachers also were supportive and cooperative in the change and i think that all has to do with the way the administration went about introducing this technology. As a learning community figuring it out rather than forcing them to do it alone. I not only would love to work in a school with this kind of technology integration but also this kind of administration and learning community! Props to Peter Smith!
Classroom 2.0 Reflection
I dug around a bit on classroom 2.0 and I am very excited to have been introduced to this site. I think it will be very helpful in my beginning years as a teacher. The forum seems to be very popular and other teachers seem to respond quickly and eagerly. I think i would feel comfortable posting questions that i have in my beginning years on this site. Also I think it may come in handy if I need advice or information for projects in my blocks. That is why i joined the site, my membership is still pending though. I think it is neat that teachers can form groups on the site as well. I especially think that it would be neat to belong to a group of teachers from your own district. It is a good way to communicate and connect with co-workers.
EduTecher Reflection
Edutecher.net
So on Edutecher the first thing that catches my eye is edutecherTv. Sounds neat, so I click the link and it takes me to another page that has several video players titled on the side. I choose one called searchypants. In the video, I learned that this search engine is not only a safesearch but as a teacher, you can create your own customizable search engine for your classroom. You can even include links to the sites your students are using. This not only puts the teachers mind at ease, since it is a safe search site, but it also customizes your search engine to be specific to your class! How convenient!
I am also impressed with edutechertv in general. Many times, I get discouraged when I have to read a lot of Internet material. Watching and listening to the demonstration is much easier to understand than reading a lot of directions in text.
Because I enjoyed the edutechertv so much, I choose to learn about a second resource through the TV option. I watched a video about a site called Qwiki. It was also a really neat site. When you type a name or place into Qwiki search engine, the site it pulls up, reads aloud and gives a virtual definition of your search topic. Allowing you to pause and resume whenever needed. This would work really well for students who are struggling or just learning to read. It also had an option that let you switch from topic to topic within the pages. For example, in the demonstration he searched, "William Shakespeare." When the site was talking about his hometown, they clicked on the Q in the corner and the topic switched to the town rather that Shakespeare. Neat! I really like the reading aloud feature of this site.
The third resource I learned about through the "links" page on the site was called 21stCenturyLiteracy and it had all sorts of resources on bringing technology into the classroom. Including lots of video tutorials for using googledocs (free online tool) and ways to use googledocs in the classroom. They even have their own youtube channel. I think this would be a great resource for teachers trying to integrate technology into their lessons.
So on Edutecher the first thing that catches my eye is edutecherTv. Sounds neat, so I click the link and it takes me to another page that has several video players titled on the side. I choose one called searchypants. In the video, I learned that this search engine is not only a safesearch but as a teacher, you can create your own customizable search engine for your classroom. You can even include links to the sites your students are using. This not only puts the teachers mind at ease, since it is a safe search site, but it also customizes your search engine to be specific to your class! How convenient!
I am also impressed with edutechertv in general. Many times, I get discouraged when I have to read a lot of Internet material. Watching and listening to the demonstration is much easier to understand than reading a lot of directions in text.
Because I enjoyed the edutechertv so much, I choose to learn about a second resource through the TV option. I watched a video about a site called Qwiki. It was also a really neat site. When you type a name or place into Qwiki search engine, the site it pulls up, reads aloud and gives a virtual definition of your search topic. Allowing you to pause and resume whenever needed. This would work really well for students who are struggling or just learning to read. It also had an option that let you switch from topic to topic within the pages. For example, in the demonstration he searched, "William Shakespeare." When the site was talking about his hometown, they clicked on the Q in the corner and the topic switched to the town rather that Shakespeare. Neat! I really like the reading aloud feature of this site.
The third resource I learned about through the "links" page on the site was called 21stCenturyLiteracy and it had all sorts of resources on bringing technology into the classroom. Including lots of video tutorials for using googledocs (free online tool) and ways to use googledocs in the classroom. They even have their own youtube channel. I think this would be a great resource for teachers trying to integrate technology into their lessons.
Kan-Ed Reflection
This site is not only going to be useful in my classroom, is it extremely useful to me now as I progress through my courses in the education courses here at K-State. KERC and NetTrecker are both super helpful as I am learning how to align my lesson plans with the state standards. Aligning lesson plans will be something I will do for the rest of my career and it is important that I not only understand how to align my lessons but it is also important to know where to find resources to help me if I am having trouble doing so. Kan-Ed is a portal full of very valuable and essential resources. Thinkfinity is another resource from Kan-ed that I have already found useful. It has tons of lesson plans that you can narrow down by specific search options like, grade level, subject, type of resource and partners, which allows your search to include lesson plans from other approved sites! Kan-ed also provides links to online resources for and productivity tools for both teachers and students. Some examples of these resources and tools are Hertiage Quest, ProQuest and KidsInfoBits. I found myself very interested in KidsInfoBits and spent quite a bit of time exploring this resource. It is a search engine for grades K-6 and I absolutely love it! It is very user friendly and educational. It also has a "backpack" option which allows students to put an article into their virtual backpack so they can easily access it from home! How neat!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Animoto in my Classroom
We used Animoto last week in Ded 318. I really liked using it and it was extremely user friendly. It only took about 15 mins to upload pictures, choose a song and then hit create. Animoto created the video for you, including all the transitions and the timing. I did get to choose the order of the pictures though. I will definitely be using Animoto again.
Animoto could be used in the classroom in many ways. You could do lesson introductions with an Animoto video or even do lesson conclusions and reviews with Animoto. You could also put together class videos from field trips or special projects. The children could also use Animoto to create their own class assignments or projects. Its that easy!
Animoto could be used in the classroom in many ways. You could do lesson introductions with an Animoto video or even do lesson conclusions and reviews with Animoto. You could also put together class videos from field trips or special projects. The children could also use Animoto to create their own class assignments or projects. Its that easy!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Reflection 6: (Podcast) Teachers are Talking
Teachers are Talking Episode 18
In this episode, they had a guest speaker who teaches online classes to pre-service teachers (Dean). The podcast was about whether or not students benefit/learn from the online classes versus traditional classes. Dean talked about how they do most of their work online but they do have a traditional class once a month. The class he was teaching was a technology education class. One of the women said she did not think online classes were appropriate because some students need someone sitting next to them to show them how to do things. Me personally, I would call that hand-holding and say the student was just being lazy. Dean said that it had nothing to do with that persons learning style but rather their attitude and I have to agree with him. He also used the term lifelong learner. (Remember these are pre-service teachers were talking about) Dave said that a lifelong learner needs to be able to find resources on their own and learn to assist their own learning. Teachers make thousands of decisions per day, they need to be able to figure out the right solution by themselves because they will almost never have someone next to them to tell them how they should handle a situation in the classroom. Also since the class is a technology class I do not see anything wrong with it being an online class as long as the instructor makes themselves available for questions. The class also allows students to build their own professional network of support through things like Twitter, which we do in this class! Dean mentioned that there are some things that are better done in face to face classrooms and that is why he has them meet once a month for class. He says this also allows the students to work together face to face and builds more personable relationships for the online work. I think Dean’s class seems well organized and I think he seems like a pretty smart guy. I found myself nodding along with Dean every time he voiced his opinion! The only thing I disagreed with Dean about was the fact that the students enrolling in his course were not aware in advanced that it was an online course. I think students should definitely know that kind of information before deciding to enroll in the course. Dean didn’t really give a reason to why they were not told in advanced
In this episode, they had a guest speaker who teaches online classes to pre-service teachers (Dean). The podcast was about whether or not students benefit/learn from the online classes versus traditional classes. Dean talked about how they do most of their work online but they do have a traditional class once a month. The class he was teaching was a technology education class. One of the women said she did not think online classes were appropriate because some students need someone sitting next to them to show them how to do things. Me personally, I would call that hand-holding and say the student was just being lazy. Dean said that it had nothing to do with that persons learning style but rather their attitude and I have to agree with him. He also used the term lifelong learner. (Remember these are pre-service teachers were talking about) Dave said that a lifelong learner needs to be able to find resources on their own and learn to assist their own learning. Teachers make thousands of decisions per day, they need to be able to figure out the right solution by themselves because they will almost never have someone next to them to tell them how they should handle a situation in the classroom. Also since the class is a technology class I do not see anything wrong with it being an online class as long as the instructor makes themselves available for questions. The class also allows students to build their own professional network of support through things like Twitter, which we do in this class! Dean mentioned that there are some things that are better done in face to face classrooms and that is why he has them meet once a month for class. He says this also allows the students to work together face to face and builds more personable relationships for the online work. I think Dean’s class seems well organized and I think he seems like a pretty smart guy. I found myself nodding along with Dean every time he voiced his opinion! The only thing I disagreed with Dean about was the fact that the students enrolling in his course were not aware in advanced that it was an online course. I think students should definitely know that kind of information before deciding to enroll in the course. Dean didn’t really give a reason to why they were not told in advanced
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Reflection 5: (Podcast) It's Elementary #43 Interactive White Boards
It's Elementary #43
In this podcast, they discussed interactive white boards and the benefits and problems in the classroom. They talked about three types of boards; Smartboard, Eno board (I don’t know if that’s what they were saying or how to spell it but that is what it sounded like), and Promethean boards.
The Smartboard is touch sensitive and handy because you don’t have to travel from the computer to the front of the class for lectures. You can simply touch the internet controls from the whiteboard. I see this being helpful in middle school and high school when teachers do more front of the class lectures, but in grade school I don’t think it would get quite as much use. One teacher who has a smartboard in her kindergarten class says she likes it but instead of being tied to her computer like with a projector or powerpoint, she is now tied to the board. She also said that having a smartboard in her class makes it harder to avoid “taking charge” verses letting the kids lead their learning. The board does however record what is done on it so you can quickly find where you left off. The boards also can be installed to slide up and down. That way kids can view them from the seats or from sitting on the floor. The speakers of the podcast informed the caller of a took you can purchase that allows you to walk around the room and still be able to control the smartboard but it is very expensive. One common problem they discussed that I find a bit humorous is that they tend to have problems with subs who use dry erase markers on their smartboards! One difference between the Eno board and smartboard is that the Eno can function as a regular white board as well. The teachers who had them in their classroom said they were convinent but they questioned whether or not they were worth the cost.
As a side note the teacher who called in mentioned that her kindergarteners do not have desks or tables in the classroom, they always sit on the floor. I do not know how this can be beneficial to the students. How do they do any of their writing activities and assignments?
In this podcast, they discussed interactive white boards and the benefits and problems in the classroom. They talked about three types of boards; Smartboard, Eno board (I don’t know if that’s what they were saying or how to spell it but that is what it sounded like), and Promethean boards.
The Smartboard is touch sensitive and handy because you don’t have to travel from the computer to the front of the class for lectures. You can simply touch the internet controls from the whiteboard. I see this being helpful in middle school and high school when teachers do more front of the class lectures, but in grade school I don’t think it would get quite as much use. One teacher who has a smartboard in her kindergarten class says she likes it but instead of being tied to her computer like with a projector or powerpoint, she is now tied to the board. She also said that having a smartboard in her class makes it harder to avoid “taking charge” verses letting the kids lead their learning. The board does however record what is done on it so you can quickly find where you left off. The boards also can be installed to slide up and down. That way kids can view them from the seats or from sitting on the floor. The speakers of the podcast informed the caller of a took you can purchase that allows you to walk around the room and still be able to control the smartboard but it is very expensive. One common problem they discussed that I find a bit humorous is that they tend to have problems with subs who use dry erase markers on their smartboards! One difference between the Eno board and smartboard is that the Eno can function as a regular white board as well. The teachers who had them in their classroom said they were convinent but they questioned whether or not they were worth the cost.
As a side note the teacher who called in mentioned that her kindergarteners do not have desks or tables in the classroom, they always sit on the floor. I do not know how this can be beneficial to the students. How do they do any of their writing activities and assignments?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Reflection 4: (podcast) Tech Chicks #81
Tech Chicks-TCEA 2011
The Tech Chicks were at a Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference where they first talked about a few new Google apps coming out. The first one I am really excited about and can definitely see it being a great resource in the classroom. It is called Google Art and it lets you take virtual tours of museums and their artworks. I think this is so awesome. Not only could you take tours with your class of museums across the country you could use it as a refresher or to point out certain features of artworks in museums you visited with your class just the day before! It also has a personal gallery feature that lets you save pictures of specific pieces so you can easily access them when you need them. Also it lets you get closer to the pieces than you are allowed to in real life! How fun! Google Body Browser is another new app they talked about. This app allows you to look at a 3D model of the human body and peel back anatomical layers of the body. It also gives you a unique URL so you can share it with others and as a teacher you could send it to your students. Then they can see exactly what you are seeing or what you want them to see. I think this is a great resource for the classroom as well. However, I could see it being a distraction for the students since the idea of peeling back layers of the human body could definitely cause focus to be shifted off track.
One of the stations they had at the TCEA conference was called unpacking the standards. At this station the teachers sat down with the technology standards on the national and state level and broke them down and made them easy to understand. We have started doing that in one of my classes here at KSU also and I have learned through this that the standards aren’t as scary as they look and in fact they are my friend and guide! So I am sure that was very beneficial for the teachers at the conference. They also told us that the standards are more focused on choosing the right tool rather than navigating them all perfectly.
The Tech Chicks were at a Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference where they first talked about a few new Google apps coming out. The first one I am really excited about and can definitely see it being a great resource in the classroom. It is called Google Art and it lets you take virtual tours of museums and their artworks. I think this is so awesome. Not only could you take tours with your class of museums across the country you could use it as a refresher or to point out certain features of artworks in museums you visited with your class just the day before! It also has a personal gallery feature that lets you save pictures of specific pieces so you can easily access them when you need them. Also it lets you get closer to the pieces than you are allowed to in real life! How fun! Google Body Browser is another new app they talked about. This app allows you to look at a 3D model of the human body and peel back anatomical layers of the body. It also gives you a unique URL so you can share it with others and as a teacher you could send it to your students. Then they can see exactly what you are seeing or what you want them to see. I think this is a great resource for the classroom as well. However, I could see it being a distraction for the students since the idea of peeling back layers of the human body could definitely cause focus to be shifted off track.
One of the stations they had at the TCEA conference was called unpacking the standards. At this station the teachers sat down with the technology standards on the national and state level and broke them down and made them easy to understand. We have started doing that in one of my classes here at KSU also and I have learned through this that the standards aren’t as scary as they look and in fact they are my friend and guide! So I am sure that was very beneficial for the teachers at the conference. They also told us that the standards are more focused on choosing the right tool rather than navigating them all perfectly.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Reflection 3: (Podcast) EdTechWeekly #183
http://www.edtechtalk.com/
During the first half of the EdTechWeekly podcast they talked about a new program called Needlebase. I am not so sure I understand what Needlebase is or how it is useful. At first I thought this concept of technology was just above my head, but then the other three speakers seemed to be confused as well and they asked a lot of questions concerning the program’s purpose. From what I picked up about this program was that it records the things you look at, click on and go to while on the internet. I could see how this might be useful in the monitoring of students or children online but they talked about the millions of dollars going into research to create programs like this one. Why would they be spending that kind of money if for only one use? I can easily see this program being a tool for hackers and identity thieves, which also concerns me. Again, my interpretation of this program may be due to my lack of understanding technology.
During the first half of the EdTechWeekly podcast they talked about a new program called Needlebase. I am not so sure I understand what Needlebase is or how it is useful. At first I thought this concept of technology was just above my head, but then the other three speakers seemed to be confused as well and they asked a lot of questions concerning the program’s purpose. From what I picked up about this program was that it records the things you look at, click on and go to while on the internet. I could see how this might be useful in the monitoring of students or children online but they talked about the millions of dollars going into research to create programs like this one. Why would they be spending that kind of money if for only one use? I can easily see this program being a tool for hackers and identity thieves, which also concerns me. Again, my interpretation of this program may be due to my lack of understanding technology.
The next subject during the podcast was that even though graduation rates are rising, some are saying the students are not ready for life outside of high school. Whether it be college, trade school, or entering the workforce. I would have to say I 100% agree with this statement. I definitely did not feel prepared when I first came to college and I know most of my peers will say the same thing. The key to this issue in my opinion is that K-12 is focused too much on good grades and standardized test scores then developing problem-solving skills and higher level thinking. They talked about how some schools want to prepare kids for a certain skill, trade or degree while still in high school. I think this is the wrong solution. To me that is just like deciding someone’s future for them and I immediately picture the scene from Disney’s Ants, where they decide right after birth whether they will be worker ants or solider ants. A Harvard article stated that everyone should be taught the same things and be educated in all things and when they decide their own path, they can then further their knowledge in that area. One thing was said during the show that really bothered me, “We train some kids to get to work on time and we train others to tell people to get to work on time.” I guess there is some truth to that statement but for some reason it really angered me when he said it. I can’t really find words to explain why I was disturbed by this statement.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Reflection 2: Website: cyndidannerkuhn.info
While exploring the website, I watched all the videos on the homepage. I thought they were all really neat. My favorite videos were the ones with songs. “I need my teachers to learn,” and “Gotta keep reading.” They were both really neat, and while I knew the importance of reading, the video about technology really put into perspective the importance of understanding and using technology as a teacher. Again I am not very advanced when it comes to using technology and in fact I am probably below average. I didn’t even learn to type correctly until Jr. High School because our elementary school was very out of date. I feel uncomfortable with technology and I am not even sure I know how to correctly explore websites. This class is very important to me and I am very excited to learn how to better navigate the internet and become more comfortable with technology in general.
Reflection 1: Technology Bits, Bytes & Nibbles
The first article I read was “Kindergarten students use technology in the classroom.” When I was enrolling in this class I found myself wondering how useful it would be to my own future as a teacher. The reason being is that I plan on teaching Kindergarten and I was uncertain of how much technology I would really be using in a classroom of six year olds. After reading the article I realize that Kindergarteners are just as capable as any student to learn to use technology. Everything about the story surprised me. Not just the fact that the students were using the laptops and iPads but also that the school had provided such new technology to such young students. I am definitely excited about this information. I am not very good with new technology yet, but I am excited to learn about it in this course and learn to integrate it into my lesson plans and classroom as a future teacher.
Another article I read was, “Great examples of things possible with Storybird.” Before reading about it here, I had never heard of Storybird. After reading it on the blog and then exploring the Storybird website, I am very excited about it. I think it can be useful in many different ways inside the classroom. I could use it to liven up lessons with homemade stories that apply specifically to my classroom. I could also use it to create a story with my class, one that we could do together and the students could show off their creation online at home. I was a little surprised to see that using Storybird was free but because it is free I know I would be more willing to use it.
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