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.

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.

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.

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. :)

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!

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.