While reading the articles and watching videos I was struck by the overwhelming amount of information and technology we have at our fingertips. I hardly remember a time we didn't have a computer at our home. I do however remember having to use an actual encyclopedia to work on assignments we had for class. Students in this day and age rarely have that experience. They know that they can find the answer to just about any question they have in seconds. I loved the article about the New WWW whenever, whatever and wherever. It really painted an accurate picture of students these days. We really have unlimited access to anything and everything, even in the most remote places. If one wants to get away from technology it will be more difficult then not.
I loved watching the videos and reading about how teachers are currently integrating technology into their classrooms. The possibilities are endless. Although funding is tight for many schools across the country there are free resources online that can be used just as effectively as the tools that cost hundreds of dollars. It was obvious to me as I was doing this research that students are very connected to the world through technology. If we do not utilize this as teachers we are missing out on huge opportunities. Field trips are expensive, and because of that they are often cut from the budget. This does not mean though that the students can't experience the outside world. Just look at GoogleEarth. You can pull up a satellite picture of anywhere in the world anytime. The possibilities of technology are endless.
It is imperative that we as teachers are able to speak the language of the students. We need to understand how they use technology and what they use it for. We need to utilize the time they spend on the web and show them how to learn using it. We need to take into account social media. We need to teach them the difference between personal and professional writing. In my opinion our students deserve to have teachers who understand technology and enjoy it like they do. They should be able to use technology to learn and to show what they know, because it will help them in their future. After reading these articles and watching the movies I understand on a deeper level just how important it is for us as future teachers to realize that technology isn't going to go away. We can either fight it and lose or join forces with it and in turn benefit the lives of our students.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
"My Beliefs"
I believe that technology integration is imperative. Teachers that refuse to use it in their classroom will quickly become obsolete. The UIN survey stresses the importance of not only designing authentic learning activities, but also spending the time to reflect and make educational decisions regarding technology. If we do not practice that ability now we will not have the time to when we actually hit the classroom. Our students deserve to have teachers who are proficient in the NETS*T Standards, and if they are not yet that should be one of their focuses during their training. Technology is not going to become easier to understand if it is ignored. You have to experiences it first hand before you teach it. All future teachers should have a spirit of discovery when it comes to technology, because that spirit will benefit their students when they enter the classroom.
Our students are growing up in this world, and when they are our age it will be even worse. By that time we will probably be used to having constant information all day everyday. In my mind this is not a healthy thing. Attention spans are becoming shorter, kids are used to being entertained all day, and since schools do not have funding they are lagging behind. Students are becoming bored quickly and losing their interest in learning. If we want to be able to effectively combat this technology needs to be used constantly. Students need to have opportunities to explore and use their skills in ways that are not mind numbing and useless. We as teachers need to show them how to use these technologies to learn, and we need to make them excited about that ability. There are so many resources available to us as teachers we just need to take advantage of them. If we want to reach our students we need to use technology. It is a huge part of their world.
One of my favorite points from the article is that many children believe that having the latest technology will make them happy, but we as adults know that it will not. We as their teachers owe it to them to help them understand this. By the time we are actually in the classroom they may have already developed this mindset. We need to give them opportunities to see that serving and engaging in personally meaningful actions are where true happiness are. We cannot let the cycle of constant entertainment destroy their natural curiosity and ability to learn. We are on the front lines and if we do not accept the responsibility who will? Our students deserve the best and the best for them is to use the technology they love to teach them the information they need to know.
Our students are growing up in this world, and when they are our age it will be even worse. By that time we will probably be used to having constant information all day everyday. In my mind this is not a healthy thing. Attention spans are becoming shorter, kids are used to being entertained all day, and since schools do not have funding they are lagging behind. Students are becoming bored quickly and losing their interest in learning. If we want to be able to effectively combat this technology needs to be used constantly. Students need to have opportunities to explore and use their skills in ways that are not mind numbing and useless. We as teachers need to show them how to use these technologies to learn, and we need to make them excited about that ability. There are so many resources available to us as teachers we just need to take advantage of them. If we want to reach our students we need to use technology. It is a huge part of their world.
One of my favorite points from the article is that many children believe that having the latest technology will make them happy, but we as adults know that it will not. We as their teachers owe it to them to help them understand this. By the time we are actually in the classroom they may have already developed this mindset. We need to give them opportunities to see that serving and engaging in personally meaningful actions are where true happiness are. We cannot let the cycle of constant entertainment destroy their natural curiosity and ability to learn. We are on the front lines and if we do not accept the responsibility who will? Our students deserve the best and the best for them is to use the technology they love to teach them the information they need to know.
"Strengths & Weaknesses"
I love technology, and in my opinion that is one of my greatest strengths when it comes to technology integration. The new tools that are coming out on the market excite me and ever since I decided to become a teacher I have been thinking about ways to integrate the new technology into the classroom. I have experience using both a Mac and PC, and understand the basics of how each computer works. I have used many audio and visual applications/programs, and have many ideas about how those programs can be integrated. I have a willingness to explore and try new programs, and I know that will benefit my future students. I believe that my excitement about technology will be a connection point between my students at I.
After taking the UNI survey and looking over the NETS*T standards I discovered that because I have not actually designed learning experiences for students I am at the apprentice level for most of the sections. I have had a lot of experience using all types of technology, but I have not actually be able to design many lessons for students. This is one area that I would consider a weakness. I understand technology, but being able to use it, and being able to teach with it are two very different things. One of my goals is to strengthen my practical knowledge about how I can effectively use technology in the classroom. A source of information that can help me to strengthen this area is the podcast series Technology 4 Teachers. This is a podcast series containing audio, video and a blog with information about technology and teaching and practical ways those two connect. It is created by a teacher who knows first had what it is like. Another source of information I found is a website (http://www1.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/tech/proj_plan.html) that contains a step by step guide to creating a technology rich unit.
Another one of my weaknesses is the fact I know very little about the adaptive assistive devices for students with special needs. I have not had the chance to see these devices in action, and I know very little about what is available. I know that every year while I am a teacher there will be students with special needs so one of my goals is to become more familiar with the technologies that are available to help. One resource that is available to help me learn more about this area is http://www.closingthegap.com/ This site is all about the assistive devices and they even have periodic webinars and conferences. There is also a podcast series that goes by the same name, Closing the Gap, that is another resource. There are many sites and places online available to visit like http://www.tamcec.org/, where I can go to learn more about these assistive technologies.
After taking the UNI survey and looking over the NETS*T standards I discovered that because I have not actually designed learning experiences for students I am at the apprentice level for most of the sections. I have had a lot of experience using all types of technology, but I have not actually be able to design many lessons for students. This is one area that I would consider a weakness. I understand technology, but being able to use it, and being able to teach with it are two very different things. One of my goals is to strengthen my practical knowledge about how I can effectively use technology in the classroom. A source of information that can help me to strengthen this area is the podcast series Technology 4 Teachers. This is a podcast series containing audio, video and a blog with information about technology and teaching and practical ways those two connect. It is created by a teacher who knows first had what it is like. Another source of information I found is a website (http://www1.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/tech/proj_plan.html) that contains a step by step guide to creating a technology rich unit.
Another one of my weaknesses is the fact I know very little about the adaptive assistive devices for students with special needs. I have not had the chance to see these devices in action, and I know very little about what is available. I know that every year while I am a teacher there will be students with special needs so one of my goals is to become more familiar with the technologies that are available to help. One resource that is available to help me learn more about this area is http://www.closingthegap.com/ This site is all about the assistive devices and they even have periodic webinars and conferences. There is also a podcast series that goes by the same name, Closing the Gap, that is another resource. There are many sites and places online available to visit like http://www.tamcec.org/, where I can go to learn more about these assistive technologies.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Reflection Week #13 - Digital Story Service Learning Reflection
Our field work experience was completed at Windsor Elementary. The school is a Title 1 school in a medium to low socioeconomic area and 61% of their students are on free or reduced lunch. There are about 585 students who attend school there ranging from kindergarten to 6th grade. We were put in a fourth grade classroom with Mrs. Tiffani Ericksen. There are 28 students in her class - 15 female, 13 male. 43% of the students are Hispanic English Language Learners and the remaining 57% are Caucasian.
Our relationship with Mrs. Ericksen, our cooperating teacher, was a great one. She said multiple times that she wanted this to be a good experience for us, and she really made it fun. She was very flexible with our crazy schedules, and allowed us to really feel comfortable in the class before we began teaching. She was very open and honest with us, and gave us many resources like websites and books. We learned a lot from her, and know she will be a resource that we can go to in the future.
Mrs. Ericksen’s reaction to our lesson and the technology we used was very positive. After we finished the lesson she made a point to come up to us and let us know her thoughts. She had a couple of suggestions for improvement, but most of those were in regards to classroom management. She really liked how we integrated technology, and said over and over how lucky she felt to have an ELMO in her classroom.
The Digital story piece of our lesson was very well received by the students and our teacher. It was a great introduction to our unit on Native Americans. Mrs. Ericksen also seemed to really like the time we took to show her how we created our digital story. She was a very tech-savy teacher so it didn’t take much time for us to show her how to create it. She had a Mac which has the program we used, iMovie, which made the training session something that was more beneficial to her. She had never used the program before, and our training opened up a new technology tool for her.
I don’t know that Mrs. Ericksen will ever use the skills that we taught her to create a Digital Story. She has been teaching for quite a few years and seems to know what she likes to use. She doesn’t seem like a teacher who will want to spend time outside of contract hours creating something that will only take up a few minutes in class. The time we spent creating our Digital Story was beneficial for us as future teachers. It provided us a way to introduce our unit using technology, and it really got the students engaged. It taught us great technology skills that we can pass onto our students, and is something we will have as a resource. I just don’t feel that it was extremely practical though because the two minutes it took up in class was only a fraction of the time it took to create it. It would be more useful if it was to be used over multiple years.
Overall the service learning experience was a good one. We enjoyed creating the Digital Story, and learned a lot about the technology in the process. The video got the students engaged in our unit, and opened up new teaching possibilities for us and our cooperating teacher. It may not have been extremely practical because of the amount of work it took to create a good video, but I can definitely see the purpose behind the project. I can see myself using this type of technology integration as both an in class video or as an assignment for the students to create. It is a fun way to learn that connects what the students see outside of the classroom to what they are learning in the classroom.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Reflection Week #12 - Field Work 3
Our field work is now complete. It was an amazing experience that provided so many learning opportunities and fun memories. I will never forget the lessons I was able to learn, and will take the resources I have found and continue using them in the future.
This week we were able to teach our cooperating teacher how to create a digital story. She wasn't very keen on actually creating one herself, but I believe she was thankful for our willingness to show her how. As teachers we have to be creative in the approaches we take to learning, and we need to cater to all learning styles and all students individually. Technology is often one of the common ties that all students connect to. Digital stories are one way we can integrate technology, and we were able to give that resource to our cooperating teacher. I know that if she ever wants to create one in the future she will know how, and will also know that she can contact us if she has more questions about how to create them. We were able to develop a great relationship with our teacher, and I know we will be resources for each other in the future.
I had never really had the opportunity to spend a large amount of time in a classroom before, and it was a blast. I loved getting the chance to get to know the students individually, and spend time teaching them. It was great being able to apply what we had been learning all semester at UVU in a real classroom setting. Theory is important to know, but until you have the chance to apply it in a real life situation the learning is not complete. I believe we were able to solidify what we have been learning by using it over the past three weeks. I will take this experience with me into the future and will use it as a foundation for the semesters to come.
This week we were able to teach our cooperating teacher how to create a digital story. She wasn't very keen on actually creating one herself, but I believe she was thankful for our willingness to show her how. As teachers we have to be creative in the approaches we take to learning, and we need to cater to all learning styles and all students individually. Technology is often one of the common ties that all students connect to. Digital stories are one way we can integrate technology, and we were able to give that resource to our cooperating teacher. I know that if she ever wants to create one in the future she will know how, and will also know that she can contact us if she has more questions about how to create them. We were able to develop a great relationship with our teacher, and I know we will be resources for each other in the future.
I had never really had the opportunity to spend a large amount of time in a classroom before, and it was a blast. I loved getting the chance to get to know the students individually, and spend time teaching them. It was great being able to apply what we had been learning all semester at UVU in a real classroom setting. Theory is important to know, but until you have the chance to apply it in a real life situation the learning is not complete. I believe we were able to solidify what we have been learning by using it over the past three weeks. I will take this experience with me into the future and will use it as a foundation for the semesters to come.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Reflection Week #11 - Field Work 2
This week has really been a fun week in our field work. We have gotten the chance to see quite a bit of technology used in the classroom and it has been fun to see the students reactions. We also got the chance to show our digital story and use technology with the students which was a great experience.
One particular lesson that we had the chance to observe was a lesson our cooperating teacher did on arrays in multiplication. She integrated technology by using her ELMO to do a couple examples and have the students write definitions and then she used a website to illustrate what she was talking about. The students seem to pay attention more when she is using technology to teach, and it was fun to watch their excitement as she used the website. It is obvious that the need for technology in the classroom is huge! Technology is such a important part in their lives and when it is used in the classroom it really seems to make them more excited to learn.
This week we started our unit. To introduce our topic we showed the class our digital story. They were very excited to be watching a movie, but were bummed that it wasn't longer. After it was over one of the students, not used to watching that type of thing in class, said, "well that was weird." It was funny to see their reaction to the video, but overall I think it really go them excited to learn about Utah's Native Americans. We also used the ELMO for our lesson which worked really well! I hope that in the future I will have access to technology because it really enhances the students' experience and helps them to learn. Being in the classroom has really shown me the importance of using various types of instruction so, as teachers, we can reach all of our students.
One particular lesson that we had the chance to observe was a lesson our cooperating teacher did on arrays in multiplication. She integrated technology by using her ELMO to do a couple examples and have the students write definitions and then she used a website to illustrate what she was talking about. The students seem to pay attention more when she is using technology to teach, and it was fun to watch their excitement as she used the website. It is obvious that the need for technology in the classroom is huge! Technology is such a important part in their lives and when it is used in the classroom it really seems to make them more excited to learn.
This week we started our unit. To introduce our topic we showed the class our digital story. They were very excited to be watching a movie, but were bummed that it wasn't longer. After it was over one of the students, not used to watching that type of thing in class, said, "well that was weird." It was funny to see their reaction to the video, but overall I think it really go them excited to learn about Utah's Native Americans. We also used the ELMO for our lesson which worked really well! I hope that in the future I will have access to technology because it really enhances the students' experience and helps them to learn. Being in the classroom has really shown me the importance of using various types of instruction so, as teachers, we can reach all of our students.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Reflection Week #10 - Field Work 1
This week my partner and I started our field experience. We are working at Winsor Elementary school in Orem in Mrs. Ericksen's 4th grade class. It is so fun to be able to be in the classroom practicing what we have been learning these past months. It is so exciting to be working with the kids and helping them to learn. We are now in the real world!
The classroom we are in doesn't have a ton of technology, but it has more than most of the classrooms I have been too. There are 4 mac laptops for student use, but as far as I have seen the teacher does not utilize those. One piece of technology that is amazing that Mrs. Ericksen has already used multiple times is an Elmo. It is a camera that projects what is put underneath it. It is seriously one of the coolest pieces of technology I have seen, and the students love it. Our teacher used it to grade a math worksheet with the students and she was able to show them exactly what their pages should have looked like. You could tell that the students really liked it as well. It is something that drew their attention to her. My partner and I are hoping to be able to utilize it during our unit.
When talking to our instructor she stated that she has only had the Elmo for about a year, and that they were really lucky to receive it. I know that funding is always tight in elementary schools, and I hope that when I become a teacher I will have some access to technology. It is such a huge thing in the lives of all students today that it is really important to use!
The classroom we are in doesn't have a ton of technology, but it has more than most of the classrooms I have been too. There are 4 mac laptops for student use, but as far as I have seen the teacher does not utilize those. One piece of technology that is amazing that Mrs. Ericksen has already used multiple times is an Elmo. It is a camera that projects what is put underneath it. It is seriously one of the coolest pieces of technology I have seen, and the students love it. Our teacher used it to grade a math worksheet with the students and she was able to show them exactly what their pages should have looked like. You could tell that the students really liked it as well. It is something that drew their attention to her. My partner and I are hoping to be able to utilize it during our unit.
When talking to our instructor she stated that she has only had the Elmo for about a year, and that they were really lucky to receive it. I know that funding is always tight in elementary schools, and I hope that when I become a teacher I will have some access to technology. It is such a huge thing in the lives of all students today that it is really important to use!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Reflection Week #9 - Digital Story 3
What? This week my partner and I were finally able to get started on our digital story. We met with our teacher and now have the topic of Utah's Native Americans. We spent our entire class period finishing our storyboard and compiling information.
So What?Now that we have a direction for our digital story we are able to start working on the actual video. We will be using it as an introduction to our unit on Native Americans. It is nice to finally know the direction and be able to look for pieces we want to include. I am excited about our topic and I think that we will be able to create a great digital story on it. I just hope we have enough time to do it justice. I cannot wait to finish it up and show it to our elementary class and see what their reaction to it. We are lucky to have a teacher who has access to some technology. Every other classroom I have been in since starting school at UVU has lacked in technology so I am excited to get to possibly use some of what is available.
So What?Now that we have a direction for our digital story we are able to start working on the actual video. We will be using it as an introduction to our unit on Native Americans. It is nice to finally know the direction and be able to look for pieces we want to include. I am excited about our topic and I think that we will be able to create a great digital story on it. I just hope we have enough time to do it justice. I cannot wait to finish it up and show it to our elementary class and see what their reaction to it. We are lucky to have a teacher who has access to some technology. Every other classroom I have been in since starting school at UVU has lacked in technology so I am excited to get to possibly use some of what is available.
Now What?
The technology used to create a digital story can be advanced or simple, but I believe it is important to create. They are a new and fun way to grab a students attention. Digital stories are similar to trailers for movies. They are a snippet of information that introduces the rest of a unit or lesson. Movies are a huge part of our students lives, and I think using digital stories is a way to connect the information we are learning about to something they enjoy. I have made videos before and have some experience in creating things like digital stories and I hope that my experience and practice will help my future colleagues and students. I am looking forward to teaching our cooperating teacher about how to create a digital story and I hope she will use the technology in the future. We need to use creative ways to reach our students, and digital stories are just one of the tools we can use.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Reflection Week #8 - Digital Story 2
What?
We are currently working on our Digital Story assignments that we will use during our Field Work experience.This week we spent our time in class learning about the different copyright laws that our country has, and how they have evolved as our world has changed.
So What?
In our world right now there are millions of resources available at our fingertips. It we are wanting more information on any topic all we have to do is log onto the world wide web, search for info, and almost instantly it is there before our eyes. Not only do we need to learn how to discriminate between what is true and false, but we need to know how to correctly credit the source of the information we find. Our class today taught me a lot of information I did not know about various copyright laws. Our exploration and collaboration taught me things that will be extremely helpful not only right now as I am working on my digital story, but it will be helpful later on when I am looking for sources and things to use as I am a teacher.
We are currently working on our Digital Story assignments that we will use during our Field Work experience.This week we spent our time in class learning about the different copyright laws that our country has, and how they have evolved as our world has changed.
So What?
In our world right now there are millions of resources available at our fingertips. It we are wanting more information on any topic all we have to do is log onto the world wide web, search for info, and almost instantly it is there before our eyes. Not only do we need to learn how to discriminate between what is true and false, but we need to know how to correctly credit the source of the information we find. Our class today taught me a lot of information I did not know about various copyright laws. Our exploration and collaboration taught me things that will be extremely helpful not only right now as I am working on my digital story, but it will be helpful later on when I am looking for sources and things to use as I am a teacher.
Now What?
I did not realize that so many copyright existed, and because I was not aware I believe that many of my future students will not be aware of the laws either. Because I plan to use projects where students get information from the internet and make it into something new, I think that it is important that I teach these copyright laws to my students. We live in such an amazing collaborative time period, and I want my students to be apart of that environment legally. If students do not understand the laws it is more likely that they will unintentionally not follow them. Having this new information about the laws will not only help me make sure that my students are not breaking the copyright laws, but I will be able to help my colleagues make sure they are not breaking them as well.
I did not realize that so many copyright existed, and because I was not aware I believe that many of my future students will not be aware of the laws either. Because I plan to use projects where students get information from the internet and make it into something new, I think that it is important that I teach these copyright laws to my students. We live in such an amazing collaborative time period, and I want my students to be apart of that environment legally. If students do not understand the laws it is more likely that they will unintentionally not follow them. Having this new information about the laws will not only help me make sure that my students are not breaking the copyright laws, but I will be able to help my colleagues make sure they are not breaking them as well.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Reflection Week #7: Digital Story 1
What?
This week we began learning about Digital Stories. We also spent time learning about story boarding and how we can do that for our own digital story.
So What?Digital Stories are an amazing way to get students excited about a topic that they are required to learn about. They are powerful emotional ways to connect students to the information that they will be learning. Story boarding is actually useful in my life right now as well as in the future. It is a great pre-production step. It is a visual way to set up what I will be doing with a task. Whether that is making a vidcast/poscast or creating a lesson plan, knowing the basic outline will make the task so much easier.
This week we began learning about Digital Stories. We also spent time learning about story boarding and how we can do that for our own digital story.
So What?Digital Stories are an amazing way to get students excited about a topic that they are required to learn about. They are powerful emotional ways to connect students to the information that they will be learning. Story boarding is actually useful in my life right now as well as in the future. It is a great pre-production step. It is a visual way to set up what I will be doing with a task. Whether that is making a vidcast/poscast or creating a lesson plan, knowing the basic outline will make the task so much easier.
Now What? Digital stories are an amazing resource. Once you create one, especially if it is about history, it will be useful for years to come. If I use them collaboratively I will only have to create a couple a year, and by sharing with colleagues I will have even more to use with my students. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and when combined with powerful music that picture is worth even more. Our students are tech junkies. They have grown up in a time where technology is readily available constantly. Their attention spans are not the greatest because of this, and digital stories are a way of taking that technology they love and using it to teach them. I can just see students loving these videos, and I can also see them loving creating them. It is unbelievable what kids can do with technology these days, and I cannot wait to give them an assignment and see what they come up with. Technology can either be our biggest downfall or asset as teachers, and I believe that using digital stories will help technology become on asset of mine.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Reflection Week #6: Vidcasts
Events Leading to Self Government in the United States
EDEL 3250: 01
Jason Biggs, Lindsay Farnworth
Our Vidcast connects to the NETS and INTASC standards. Some specifics on how they fit in follow. National Educational Technology Standards 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. INTASC Standard 2: Planning curriculum and designing instruction to enhance student learning, c. Design and articulate instruction aligned with Utah Core Curriculum standards.
One potential drawback to our Vidcast is that it is currently in YouTube. Many schools will not allow YouTube videos at their schools. This would make it difficult to view it in the classroom or to post it at school. Another drawback is that the background music is barely noticeable in some parts and more obvious in others. To make it more interesting we would increase the volume of the background music and leave more time for the music to shine through with no narration over it.
The future plans for our series would be to create more Vidcasts about the history of the United States. These Vidcasts provide a great overview of the significant events and show students how everything fits together. Some possible topics would be: The Declaration of Independence to The Constitution and The Constitution to the Civil War, etc.
EDEL 3250: 01
Jason Biggs, Lindsay Farnworth
Our podcast addresses the 5th grade standard 2: Students will understand the chronology and significance of key events leading to self-government; Objective 1: Describe how the movement toward revolution culminated in a Declaration of Independence. We chose this topic because it is one of the core curriculum requirements for the grade we were interested in, and it also seemed to fit the assignment. We did a sequential display of key events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence and self government are things that every person living in the United States should know about. We couldn’t think of a better topic than this to share with students. If students can understand how important these things are then hopefully they will be more prone to finding motivation to understand them as well as be interested in getting involved later in their lives. Our Vidcast connects to the NETS and INTASC standards. Some specifics on how they fit in follow. National Educational Technology Standards 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. INTASC Standard 2: Planning curriculum and designing instruction to enhance student learning, c. Design and articulate instruction aligned with Utah Core Curriculum standards.
One potential drawback to our Vidcast is that it is currently in YouTube. Many schools will not allow YouTube videos at their schools. This would make it difficult to view it in the classroom or to post it at school. Another drawback is that the background music is barely noticeable in some parts and more obvious in others. To make it more interesting we would increase the volume of the background music and leave more time for the music to shine through with no narration over it.
The future plans for our series would be to create more Vidcasts about the history of the United States. These Vidcasts provide a great overview of the significant events and show students how everything fits together. Some possible topics would be: The Declaration of Independence to The Constitution and The Constitution to the Civil War, etc.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Reflection Week #5: Vidcasts
What?
This week we learned about vidcasts and some of the tools that we can use to create them. Our assignment is to create a simple first level vidcast with a partner using one of the tools we learned about.
So What?
I will admit that I am kind of a tech junkie. I love discovering new tools and used to do it all the time, but now that I am super busy with school and working, I haven't had time to find new tools as much. I loved learning about the vidcasting tools that we talked about in class because two of them were new to me. I have always wondered how to capture video of what is on your screen because I watch tutorials that do that all the time. I love that Jing is a free tool that allows me to do that! I spend a lot of time on the web and I like creating things like sideshows for friends and family members. The tools we learned today will help me to more efficiently do the things I love. :) They will also help me to be a better student and teacher. I will be able to use this knowledge on projects to make them more interesting and professional.
This week we learned about vidcasts and some of the tools that we can use to create them. Our assignment is to create a simple first level vidcast with a partner using one of the tools we learned about.
So What?
I will admit that I am kind of a tech junkie. I love discovering new tools and used to do it all the time, but now that I am super busy with school and working, I haven't had time to find new tools as much. I loved learning about the vidcasting tools that we talked about in class because two of them were new to me. I have always wondered how to capture video of what is on your screen because I watch tutorials that do that all the time. I love that Jing is a free tool that allows me to do that! I spend a lot of time on the web and I like creating things like sideshows for friends and family members. The tools we learned today will help me to more efficiently do the things I love. :) They will also help me to be a better student and teacher. I will be able to use this knowledge on projects to make them more interesting and professional.
Now What?
I hope my future students will consider themselves lucky because I love technology, and I know that I will use it in my classroom as often as possible. I love the endless ways vidcasting and podcasting can be used. Not only can they be used as a fun creative assignment for students but they can be used by me to introduce a topic or a unit. When video is combined with music it creates a powerful emotional response and I know that using vidcasts and digital stories will help the students to become more excited about what they will be learning. I also love the possibilities for assessment that they contain. Why use a paper and pencil test when you can have your students create a vidcast to show what they have learned? Technology is an everyday part of life for students in this day and age, and unfortunately a lot of classrooms are still stuck back in the middle of the 20th century. I hope that I will be able to have the resources available in my classroom so students will be able to engage with technology on a daily basis. Students deserve to have an instructor that understands and uses technology because it is something they are so connected to. I have learned a lot of the things that I can do to integrate technology, and where the resources are available I will use them often.
I hope my future students will consider themselves lucky because I love technology, and I know that I will use it in my classroom as often as possible. I love the endless ways vidcasting and podcasting can be used. Not only can they be used as a fun creative assignment for students but they can be used by me to introduce a topic or a unit. When video is combined with music it creates a powerful emotional response and I know that using vidcasts and digital stories will help the students to become more excited about what they will be learning. I also love the possibilities for assessment that they contain. Why use a paper and pencil test when you can have your students create a vidcast to show what they have learned? Technology is an everyday part of life for students in this day and age, and unfortunately a lot of classrooms are still stuck back in the middle of the 20th century. I hope that I will be able to have the resources available in my classroom so students will be able to engage with technology on a daily basis. Students deserve to have an instructor that understands and uses technology because it is something they are so connected to. I have learned a lot of the things that I can do to integrate technology, and where the resources are available I will use them often.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Reflection Week #4: Podcasts
What?
This week we learned about pod casting and how to create podcasts. Our assignment is to make a one minute public service announcement podcast, and put it onto our classroom website.
So What?
At first I did not think that something like this would be applicable in my life right now, but I then realized that just a little while ago this information would have been extremely useful. I was attempting to post an audio clip to my personal blog and had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get it done. It would have been awesome to have this information then. I never realized how often I use and listen to podcasts. I frequently watch and listen to things online and never knew they were considered podcasts. I know that my students will probably know how to create podcasts before they come into my classrom. I love how simple it is to create and share podcasts and I can't wait to use it to collaborate and create audio for the web.
This week we learned about pod casting and how to create podcasts. Our assignment is to make a one minute public service announcement podcast, and put it onto our classroom website.
So What?
At first I did not think that something like this would be applicable in my life right now, but I then realized that just a little while ago this information would have been extremely useful. I was attempting to post an audio clip to my personal blog and had to jump through a bunch of hoops to get it done. It would have been awesome to have this information then. I never realized how often I use and listen to podcasts. I frequently watch and listen to things online and never knew they were considered podcasts. I know that my students will probably know how to create podcasts before they come into my classrom. I love how simple it is to create and share podcasts and I can't wait to use it to collaborate and create audio for the web.
Now What?
This another technology that I can see myself using to make an assignment in my classroom more fun and interactive. I think it would be so cool to have student create podcasts as an assignment and then have them share with class what they created. It can be useful in so many areas, like social studies, science, language arts, etc. It is not only a great tool for an assignment but for collaboration as well. As instructors we can create these audio files for various assignments and then share them with each other. I think using one of these audio clips to introduce a unit would be much funner then the usual way of just talking about it. :)
This another technology that I can see myself using to make an assignment in my classroom more fun and interactive. I think it would be so cool to have student create podcasts as an assignment and then have them share with class what they created. It can be useful in so many areas, like social studies, science, language arts, etc. It is not only a great tool for an assignment but for collaboration as well. As instructors we can create these audio files for various assignments and then share them with each other. I think using one of these audio clips to introduce a unit would be much funner then the usual way of just talking about it. :)
Monday, September 13, 2010
Reflection Week #3 : Google Part 2
What?
This week we learned about Google sites. Our assignment for the week was to spend time setting up and designing our own classroom website.
So What?
Google has a myriad of tools available for convenient use. Google sites is one of those amazing tools. I love how easy it is to customize and add information. It is a tool for communication that is adaptable to just about any use out there. It can be used to connect people who are fans of an musician, or even those entering the field of education. The possibilities.
To be honest I am not sure what other ways Google sites can be used in my life right now. I don't have much use for it in my current education except as a storage device, and there isn't really a need for me to create something to connect individuals. I know that it will be extremely useful in my future though as I need a place to be able to share information with my colleagues, my students and their families.
Now What?
This technology is something that I wish I would have had when I was in elementary school. I remember having class newsletters, but never did we really have something that made it easy to communicate with our teacher. I love the ease of use and the ability it provides for the instructor to pass information onto colleagues, parents and students. There are so many possibilities and I cannot wait to use this in my own classroom.
I also love that this is something that I can also ask students to create if I teach an upper level class. I can see this being such a fun way for them to show the things that they have learned. Students get used to creating boring, typical assignments and this is an assignment I can see myself using to get my students excited about the learning process!
This week we learned about Google sites. Our assignment for the week was to spend time setting up and designing our own classroom website.
So What?
Google has a myriad of tools available for convenient use. Google sites is one of those amazing tools. I love how easy it is to customize and add information. It is a tool for communication that is adaptable to just about any use out there. It can be used to connect people who are fans of an musician, or even those entering the field of education. The possibilities.
To be honest I am not sure what other ways Google sites can be used in my life right now. I don't have much use for it in my current education except as a storage device, and there isn't really a need for me to create something to connect individuals. I know that it will be extremely useful in my future though as I need a place to be able to share information with my colleagues, my students and their families.
Now What?
This technology is something that I wish I would have had when I was in elementary school. I remember having class newsletters, but never did we really have something that made it easy to communicate with our teacher. I love the ease of use and the ability it provides for the instructor to pass information onto colleagues, parents and students. There are so many possibilities and I cannot wait to use this in my own classroom.
I also love that this is something that I can also ask students to create if I teach an upper level class. I can see this being such a fun way for them to show the things that they have learned. Students get used to creating boring, typical assignments and this is an assignment I can see myself using to get my students excited about the learning process!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Reflection Week #2: Google Part 1
What?
This week we spent time learning about some of the tools that Google has to offer. We are currently working on doing collaborative research for a Digital Story. A lot of what we learned was more of a refresher for me because I have been using Google Documents for a while now.
So What?
The work that Google has done to create free resources like Google Docs is astounding. The programs are the more useful than any other tool I have found on the web. It is such a benefit to be able to simultaneously work on an assignment or lesson plan without having to be in the same room or even area. I love that these documents can be accessed from anywhere that you can get the internet, and that they function just like other expensive word processing programs. I am extremely busy this semester with leadership responsibilities on top of school work. These resources have been a significant stress reducer because I don't have to worry as much about finding time to meet face to face with group members.
The Google resources will also be so helpful in the classroom. Having the ability to post not only a calendar but documents online will be such a great communication tool. Students in this day and age love technology, and they know a lot more about it at their age then I sure did, but I know that using these types of tools to integrate learning will help keep their interest and make learning fun. Using these resources to collaborate with colleagues will also be a huge asset. When we use this in our team we will be able to share documents and ideas easily and efficiently.
Now What?
The Google tools are ones I'm sure that my students will love as much as I do. Their ease of use and ability to collaborate is something that makes group work so much easier. I can't wait to create group projects where the students can use these online tools to work together to discover information about things we are learning in class. Not only can they use resources like Google Docs, but they will be able to watch videos created about the subject on You Tube, or play games on sites like PBS. The Internet is filled with amazing opportunities to learn, and by teaching students how to use it effectively it will be a resource they can always use.
I can't wait to see how technology changes in the next two years. There is so much growth that is happening in the technology world that is currently that is not only amazingly advanced, but they are creating tools that will be an asset in the classroom. Google is constantly creating new tools that students become familar with almost instantly. Just think how their learning will be enhanced when they are given the opportunity to complete assignments using the tools they enjoy using. I love technology and it has always been a huge part of my life so I understand the hold it has on kids today. In the future I can see myself being a teacher that makes technology integration an important piece in the classroom. I think it is so fun discovering new tools because it gives me new ideas on how it can be used in the classroom. I love the ease of being able to store those ideas in a place, like Google Docs, that a few years from now will still (hopefully) be available online.
This week we spent time learning about some of the tools that Google has to offer. We are currently working on doing collaborative research for a Digital Story. A lot of what we learned was more of a refresher for me because I have been using Google Documents for a while now.
So What?
The work that Google has done to create free resources like Google Docs is astounding. The programs are the more useful than any other tool I have found on the web. It is such a benefit to be able to simultaneously work on an assignment or lesson plan without having to be in the same room or even area. I love that these documents can be accessed from anywhere that you can get the internet, and that they function just like other expensive word processing programs. I am extremely busy this semester with leadership responsibilities on top of school work. These resources have been a significant stress reducer because I don't have to worry as much about finding time to meet face to face with group members.
The Google resources will also be so helpful in the classroom. Having the ability to post not only a calendar but documents online will be such a great communication tool. Students in this day and age love technology, and they know a lot more about it at their age then I sure did, but I know that using these types of tools to integrate learning will help keep their interest and make learning fun. Using these resources to collaborate with colleagues will also be a huge asset. When we use this in our team we will be able to share documents and ideas easily and efficiently.
Now What?
The Google tools are ones I'm sure that my students will love as much as I do. Their ease of use and ability to collaborate is something that makes group work so much easier. I can't wait to create group projects where the students can use these online tools to work together to discover information about things we are learning in class. Not only can they use resources like Google Docs, but they will be able to watch videos created about the subject on You Tube, or play games on sites like PBS. The Internet is filled with amazing opportunities to learn, and by teaching students how to use it effectively it will be a resource they can always use.
I can't wait to see how technology changes in the next two years. There is so much growth that is happening in the technology world that is currently that is not only amazingly advanced, but they are creating tools that will be an asset in the classroom. Google is constantly creating new tools that students become familar with almost instantly. Just think how their learning will be enhanced when they are given the opportunity to complete assignments using the tools they enjoy using. I love technology and it has always been a huge part of my life so I understand the hold it has on kids today. In the future I can see myself being a teacher that makes technology integration an important piece in the classroom. I think it is so fun discovering new tools because it gives me new ideas on how it can be used in the classroom. I love the ease of being able to store those ideas in a place, like Google Docs, that a few years from now will still (hopefully) be available online.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
My Education Hero
There are a lot of people I look up to in the field of education. Past teachers, current teachers, and friends all grace my list, but there is a teacher that stands out as one I strive to be like one day. I don't know him personally, but I watched a movie on his story, and hope to read the books he has written. His name is Ron Clark. I still remember the first time I heard of him. I just happened to turn on the television to the premier of the movie, "The Ron Clark Story." The movie is about a small part of his life as an educator, and is one of the most inspiring films I have ever seen. Watching the movie was the first time I realized how much of a difference one teacher can make in the lives of their students.
Ron isn't a typical educator. He doesn't settle for second best, and uses art integration and innovative techniques to help his students learn. He truly has a passion for teaching and believes that all students have the ability to succeed. He isn't afraid to take risks, and will do just about anything to help his students understand and love the material he is teaching. He integrates art into the classroom with just about everything he does, and he helps the students develop a passion for learning, all while maintain a respectful environment. His techniques are ones that I hope to be able to apply in my classrooms. I want to develop the ability to come up with creative ways to teach subjects that were once dry and boring. It's amazing what one person can do to change a life, and like Ron, I want to be that person in the lives of my students.
Ron isn't a typical educator. He doesn't settle for second best, and uses art integration and innovative techniques to help his students learn. He truly has a passion for teaching and believes that all students have the ability to succeed. He isn't afraid to take risks, and will do just about anything to help his students understand and love the material he is teaching. He integrates art into the classroom with just about everything he does, and he helps the students develop a passion for learning, all while maintain a respectful environment. His techniques are ones that I hope to be able to apply in my classrooms. I want to develop the ability to come up with creative ways to teach subjects that were once dry and boring. It's amazing what one person can do to change a life, and like Ron, I want to be that person in the lives of my students.
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