Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Educational Blog
PBS Teachers has a blog called Media Infusion where a couple different educators post entries about incorporating different technologies and media resources in the classroom. The post that I commented on was called "From Pens to Pixels: Publishing Student Work". This post discussed why it is a good idea for teachers to publish students work and some resources and sites that can be used to do so. I commented about the benefits of publishing students work that I have observed from my own experience as a student. I commented on the blog because I had never really thought of the benefit of publishing work was until I read this post and then I realized the benefits it has had just in my own work. I already wanted to use websites and blogs in my classroom but I am even more encouraged to use these now to publish student work. Also, I wanted to give people some real examples from my own life showing that publishing work really does encourage students to be better.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Reflection #7-12
#7 I was watching the television show Friends. I watching season two which was from 1995. On the show one of the characters got a laptop with a printer. The laptop was big and bulky, it was loud and slow. I thought this was very interesting because this took place only 15 years ago and today Ipod is coming out with a complete laptop that you can hold and touch smaller then a piece of paper. I just can't believe how quickly the technology changes, gets smaller, and better. I can't believe how much it has changed already in my short life so far. It makes me interested in how far technology can go in the rest of my life time. If I teach for only fifteen years I will have to adapt my teaching to as much change in technology that their has been since Chandler got a laptop on friends.
#8 In Special Needs in Education our professor doesn't hardly ever use technology to teach. He has hand written notes and lectures from these. He is also one of my favorite and best teachers. I just thought this was interesting because it shows that if you are a great teacher you can still be extremely affective without the use of technology. However, if this teacher already has a great impact without technology I wonder how much influence he could have if he incorporate it. I just don't want our teachers and myself as a future teacher to become to reliant on technology that we cannot be affective without it. Maybe we should focus on our teaching skills first and incorporate technology second.
#9 I found this article on MSN entitled 16 Year-Old Accuses Mom of Facebook Slander. The article basically says that this mom got onto her sons Facebook acount posted a few things and changed the password so he couldn't use the account anymore. The mom said she did this because he was posting inappropriate things. They wouldn't say what exactly he posted because he was underage but the mom did say that he wrote on his facebook that he drove home at 96 MPH because he was mad at a girl. The mother said he had previously been warned about using his facebook inappropriately. After the son realized he could no longer get onto his facebook he went to the court house and pressed charges against his mother on the grounds of slander.
OK WOW. I just can't believe that we are having these issues today. Parents today have to be constantly aware of what their child is doing online and what they are posting. I understand the frustration of the child but also know the need to protect your child on the Internet. With kids using the Internet more and more at younger ages the need to watch and protect your child has increased. Although there are many resources available on the Internet for children parents need to constantly be wary of the junk on the Internet as well, and what their children are saying about themselves. I just hope that this son doesn't win this case else parents will have a harder time in the future controlling their kids' Internet use.
#10 I ran across this amazing video on YouTube: Math Teacher Shadow Trick During Lecture. This is a math teacher who is giving a lecture with use of a computer and projector. During his lecture his shadow on the screen behind him starts moving differently than he is. The teacher finally catches his shadow and then ends up having a little fight with it. The shadow messes with things on his computer and when the teacher tries to shut off the computer the shadow throws the shut down box off of the screen. I thought this was not only funny but also showed the great advancement of technology. How crazy is it that someone that Peter Pan did in fairy tales actually can happen now using technology. I wish I knew how the teacher did it, I am sure it must be some 3D software or something. It is just crazy to me that as a teacher I have technology like that available to me to enhance my teaching. Just think other ways that a 3D software like that could be used. I could create 3D lesson plans that students would actively be involved with who knows that might be able to interact on the board from their own seats and see themselves moving on the actual screen. It is just an amazing video and I am just baffled by the places that technology can take us today and in the future.
#11 I found this article called Study: College Students are Internet-Addicted which basically says that a bunch of students were asked to give up all Internet and technology for one day and many of them showed signs of withdrawal much like they would with alcohol abuse. The article went on to say that many students felt lonely and disconnected from their friends and family while not using technology. This article was interestingly on the web which is merely feeding the addiction (if there is an addiction). The article also told of some extreme cases where people neglected their lives and children for the Internet. Although, I agree that we as a people are becoming reliant on technology I would not necessarily call it an addiction. Many of the things the students were having a hard time with was not being connected to their friends and family and in this case I would say they aren't addicted to technology but rather they miss their friends and family. I just don't understand because we are told how great technology is and how it can change everyone's life for the better but we can also become dependent on it. I just don't know where the line is and where it is not. We just need to stay connected to our world in other ways as well. Maybe on top of texting friends we also call them sometimes, and maybe even go see them. We just need to be well balanced so we use technology for good but don't freak out if the power goes out.
#12 Oregon became the first state to switch all it's technology usage and networking to Google. The article Oregon Brings Google Apps to Public Schools says that the state decided to do this to help prepare student's for the digital world in the work place and to save money. Google is offering all of their apps for free to the schools, worked with the state to make security tighter, won't advertise on the school used apps, and will take care of all of the maintenance. Basically the state thought that it was a great deal. They save money because they don't have to pay for servers, e-mail, class sites, or IT guys any more. Also this move helps the state promote digital learning to the extreme. Oregon has done it. As all states are looking at incorporating more technology in classrooms Oregon not only found a great easy way to do this they also are saving a ton of money in the process. I just think it is genius. A public school official called it a no brainier in the article and I agree with him or her. It is so simple, so beneficial, so cheap, and Google does all the work for them. It will be interesting to see how this works out for them in the future. I wonder if they aren't allowed to use any other software but what Google provides. If they cannot use anything else that might be frustrating. I want to see if any other states follow in Oregon's footsteps and fully immerse learning into technology as they are.
#8 In Special Needs in Education our professor doesn't hardly ever use technology to teach. He has hand written notes and lectures from these. He is also one of my favorite and best teachers. I just thought this was interesting because it shows that if you are a great teacher you can still be extremely affective without the use of technology. However, if this teacher already has a great impact without technology I wonder how much influence he could have if he incorporate it. I just don't want our teachers and myself as a future teacher to become to reliant on technology that we cannot be affective without it. Maybe we should focus on our teaching skills first and incorporate technology second.
#9 I found this article on MSN entitled 16 Year-Old Accuses Mom of Facebook Slander. The article basically says that this mom got onto her sons Facebook acount posted a few things and changed the password so he couldn't use the account anymore. The mom said she did this because he was posting inappropriate things. They wouldn't say what exactly he posted because he was underage but the mom did say that he wrote on his facebook that he drove home at 96 MPH because he was mad at a girl. The mother said he had previously been warned about using his facebook inappropriately. After the son realized he could no longer get onto his facebook he went to the court house and pressed charges against his mother on the grounds of slander.
OK WOW. I just can't believe that we are having these issues today. Parents today have to be constantly aware of what their child is doing online and what they are posting. I understand the frustration of the child but also know the need to protect your child on the Internet. With kids using the Internet more and more at younger ages the need to watch and protect your child has increased. Although there are many resources available on the Internet for children parents need to constantly be wary of the junk on the Internet as well, and what their children are saying about themselves. I just hope that this son doesn't win this case else parents will have a harder time in the future controlling their kids' Internet use.
#10 I ran across this amazing video on YouTube: Math Teacher Shadow Trick During Lecture. This is a math teacher who is giving a lecture with use of a computer and projector. During his lecture his shadow on the screen behind him starts moving differently than he is. The teacher finally catches his shadow and then ends up having a little fight with it. The shadow messes with things on his computer and when the teacher tries to shut off the computer the shadow throws the shut down box off of the screen. I thought this was not only funny but also showed the great advancement of technology. How crazy is it that someone that Peter Pan did in fairy tales actually can happen now using technology. I wish I knew how the teacher did it, I am sure it must be some 3D software or something. It is just crazy to me that as a teacher I have technology like that available to me to enhance my teaching. Just think other ways that a 3D software like that could be used. I could create 3D lesson plans that students would actively be involved with who knows that might be able to interact on the board from their own seats and see themselves moving on the actual screen. It is just an amazing video and I am just baffled by the places that technology can take us today and in the future.
#11 I found this article called Study: College Students are Internet-Addicted which basically says that a bunch of students were asked to give up all Internet and technology for one day and many of them showed signs of withdrawal much like they would with alcohol abuse. The article went on to say that many students felt lonely and disconnected from their friends and family while not using technology. This article was interestingly on the web which is merely feeding the addiction (if there is an addiction). The article also told of some extreme cases where people neglected their lives and children for the Internet. Although, I agree that we as a people are becoming reliant on technology I would not necessarily call it an addiction. Many of the things the students were having a hard time with was not being connected to their friends and family and in this case I would say they aren't addicted to technology but rather they miss their friends and family. I just don't understand because we are told how great technology is and how it can change everyone's life for the better but we can also become dependent on it. I just don't know where the line is and where it is not. We just need to stay connected to our world in other ways as well. Maybe on top of texting friends we also call them sometimes, and maybe even go see them. We just need to be well balanced so we use technology for good but don't freak out if the power goes out.
#12 Oregon became the first state to switch all it's technology usage and networking to Google. The article Oregon Brings Google Apps to Public Schools says that the state decided to do this to help prepare student's for the digital world in the work place and to save money. Google is offering all of their apps for free to the schools, worked with the state to make security tighter, won't advertise on the school used apps, and will take care of all of the maintenance. Basically the state thought that it was a great deal. They save money because they don't have to pay for servers, e-mail, class sites, or IT guys any more. Also this move helps the state promote digital learning to the extreme. Oregon has done it. As all states are looking at incorporating more technology in classrooms Oregon not only found a great easy way to do this they also are saving a ton of money in the process. I just think it is genius. A public school official called it a no brainier in the article and I agree with him or her. It is so simple, so beneficial, so cheap, and Google does all the work for them. It will be interesting to see how this works out for them in the future. I wonder if they aren't allowed to use any other software but what Google provides. If they cannot use anything else that might be frustrating. I want to see if any other states follow in Oregon's footsteps and fully immerse learning into technology as they are.
Monday, March 22, 2010
NU Educators Panel
Here are three questions that I plan on asking the NU Educators Panel:
1. Is technology becoming a crutch for teachers to rely on, and how can teachers incorporate technology in a way that does not overpower their own teaching?
2. How long did it take to become comfortable with teaching when you first started?
3. How hard was it to continually adapt to the new curriculum and technologies in the classroom?
1. Is technology becoming a crutch for teachers to rely on, and how can teachers incorporate technology in a way that does not overpower their own teaching?
2. How long did it take to become comfortable with teaching when you first started?
3. How hard was it to continually adapt to the new curriculum and technologies in the classroom?
Technology Project Plan
For my final technology project I plan on using k12lessonplans.com to create a classroom website, and I also plan on using a Flip Video to create a welcome clip to put on the homepage of my the website.
Here is my podcast made at vocaroo.com that has the details of my project.
Here is my podcast made at vocaroo.com that has the details of my project.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
"Caught on Video"
Bob Spankle's blog "Caught on Video" explores many of the endless ways a teacher might use a small portable video camera with a USB port in the classroom. His suggestions range from video yearbooks/memories to video grades and homework. Spankle obviously loves the idea of using a video camera in the classroom. Of course many of his ideas seem possible, but many of them seem over the top. I don't know how much I would ever use a video recorder on a day to day basis recording all student's activities and learning as Spankle suggests. This seems time consuming and impractical. However, using a video camera occasionally to capture presentations, or fun projects, is a fun way to keep record and review. Also I could see myself using video recorders to record messages home to parents, which would be more personal and less time consuming than typing weekly of monthly newsletters. Video clips could also be added to class websites, so students can review, parents can visually see what is going on in the classroom, and students get excited about seeing themselves on line. Spankle showed me an excitement for using video recorders which makes me want to use them but also that sometimes it would be impractical to use them all of the time.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Assignment #3
I used delicious to create a toolbox of different websites that I thought I might use as an educator. I included many websites that had resources for teachers and pre-made lesson plans. I also included some resources specifically for language arts teachers, and a few sites that I use a lot now and will probably continue to use as a teacher.
My toolbox
My toolbox is organized into tags. Almost all of the sites I added had a education and resource tag then they are further organized into calenders, grammar, lessons, English, art, activities, blog, collaboration and design. Mostly I choose these tags because they were suggested by delicious which means they are the most common associations with these sites.
I choose these sites because I thought they would be useful to me. Either the site offered some resources I could use in lesson planning, I used them frequently already, or they helped with classroom management. I tried to find some sites that specifically had resources for teaching Language Arts as well as general education. I also included one website dedicated to Christian teachers both in public and private schools because being a teacher is a minister as well as a vocation.
If I ever need a lesson plan, cannot figure out how to start a lesson, or need some quick information I will go to my delicious site and use one of the sites I have bookmarked. Also I can give my delicious site to fellow teachers in the schools I will be teaching so they can use these resources as well. I will probably share the calender sites and the web making sites with fellow teachers in order to help them better organize themselves and their students and I will probably use these sites as well. I will also use some of the creative sites by having students go on them and explore fun creative ways to create poetry and papers.
Three Sites I know I will use:
Spark Notes is a great resource for teachers and students alike. Although it does allow students to get away with not reading books, since it summaries each chapter, it is still a great resource. I love how easily it is organized with all the resources for the book you searched for right on the left. It provides character lists and descriptions, themes, chapter summaries and analysis, important quotes, key facts, etc. I could definitely use this resource in my future classroom. For instance if I am teaching The Great Gatsby. I can get onto Spark Notes and search for it then read over the plot overview, themes, key facts, etc. to familiarize myself with this information. each year instead of rereading the book every year. Plus I can have students fill out their own study guides then check their understand of the book against Spark Notes'. Also each study guide Spark Notes had also has a quiz. I could have my students take this quiz after reading the book to check their understand and to see if they actually completed their reading.
Guide to Grammar and Writing is a quick way to get your questions answered about grammar and writing. The website is very easy to use. Once you get to the site you can easily find what your looking for. For instance if say I need a refresher as to how to define a preposition I would simply click on word and sentence level scroll to prepositions and the site will take me to a page that has everything I could possibly ever want to know about prepositions. Also students could use this site to look at later at home if they cannot remember the what was taught in class and they need a reminder. The pages also have quizzes on the bottom, like the preposition one does, that I could have students take at the end of a preposition lesson to check for understanding.
K12 Lesson Plans is a site which allows teachers to easily create class websites. Making websites can be complicated as I learned the other day when we tried to make websites in class. Even with a website making tool it still can be complicated. However, k12 lesson plans makes it simple to create a class site. I had already wanted to create a website for my future classes but was intimidated to do so after our class on creating websites. It was frustrating and time consuming. Now I am sure that I can use K12 Lesson Plans to create a class website that my students will be able to access to see upcoming activities, assignments, etc. Also I can make this site available to parents so they can constantly stay involved in their child's learning.
My toolbox
My toolbox is organized into tags. Almost all of the sites I added had a education and resource tag then they are further organized into calenders, grammar, lessons, English, art, activities, blog, collaboration and design. Mostly I choose these tags because they were suggested by delicious which means they are the most common associations with these sites.
I choose these sites because I thought they would be useful to me. Either the site offered some resources I could use in lesson planning, I used them frequently already, or they helped with classroom management. I tried to find some sites that specifically had resources for teaching Language Arts as well as general education. I also included one website dedicated to Christian teachers both in public and private schools because being a teacher is a minister as well as a vocation.
If I ever need a lesson plan, cannot figure out how to start a lesson, or need some quick information I will go to my delicious site and use one of the sites I have bookmarked. Also I can give my delicious site to fellow teachers in the schools I will be teaching so they can use these resources as well. I will probably share the calender sites and the web making sites with fellow teachers in order to help them better organize themselves and their students and I will probably use these sites as well. I will also use some of the creative sites by having students go on them and explore fun creative ways to create poetry and papers.
Three Sites I know I will use:
Spark Notes is a great resource for teachers and students alike. Although it does allow students to get away with not reading books, since it summaries each chapter, it is still a great resource. I love how easily it is organized with all the resources for the book you searched for right on the left. It provides character lists and descriptions, themes, chapter summaries and analysis, important quotes, key facts, etc. I could definitely use this resource in my future classroom. For instance if I am teaching The Great Gatsby. I can get onto Spark Notes and search for it then read over the plot overview, themes, key facts, etc. to familiarize myself with this information. each year instead of rereading the book every year. Plus I can have students fill out their own study guides then check their understand of the book against Spark Notes'. Also each study guide Spark Notes had also has a quiz. I could have my students take this quiz after reading the book to check their understand and to see if they actually completed their reading.
Guide to Grammar and Writing is a quick way to get your questions answered about grammar and writing. The website is very easy to use. Once you get to the site you can easily find what your looking for. For instance if say I need a refresher as to how to define a preposition I would simply click on word and sentence level scroll to prepositions and the site will take me to a page that has everything I could possibly ever want to know about prepositions. Also students could use this site to look at later at home if they cannot remember the what was taught in class and they need a reminder. The pages also have quizzes on the bottom, like the preposition one does, that I could have students take at the end of a preposition lesson to check for understanding.
K12 Lesson Plans is a site which allows teachers to easily create class websites. Making websites can be complicated as I learned the other day when we tried to make websites in class. Even with a website making tool it still can be complicated. However, k12 lesson plans makes it simple to create a class site. I had already wanted to create a website for my future classes but was intimidated to do so after our class on creating websites. It was frustrating and time consuming. Now I am sure that I can use K12 Lesson Plans to create a class website that my students will be able to access to see upcoming activities, assignments, etc. Also I can make this site available to parents so they can constantly stay involved in their child's learning.
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