I believe it is my responsibility to incorporate technology in the classroom, it is so important. The benefits to myself and my students are plentiful.
Technology will make several of my tasks more efficient. I will be able to analyze scores, compare data and then share this with administration and parents. I will be able to link to on-line learning sites and share this information with my students on an IWB or classroom computers. I can expose my students to opportunities via virtual field trips in the classroom instead of all the planning that an actual field trip would require. I can divide my class into centers, while some students are engaged in computer aided instruction, I am able to work with individuals or small groups on other content areas. I believe technology will allow me to be more creative with my lessons as well as my students' assignments. I am convinced that videos and interactive materials will engage my students more and allow them more opportunities to excel and express themselves as learners, this is a benefit to both of us. I'm a believer that when students are engaged and the learning is varied and fun, there will be less discipline issues in the classroom; technology will help create this learning environment. Technology will allow students variety. A shy child may shine when he/she completes an assignment with a flip camera instead of standing in front of the class sharing a report. In this example, there is more learning going on, it's not just researching a topic and writing a report. Students will become more familiar with technology and will be better prepared for their future.
Challenges???? Of course there will be some. I do not know where I will be teaching, perhaps current technology will not be supported. Funding may not present for IWB's, video cameras, software and tech support. I need to be able to incorporate technology into my lessons in a balanced way, not just for the sake of throwing in something techy. A personal challenge is RELAXING, but I think I'm getting there! I realize that students will push the wrong button or navigate from where they are suppose to be, or a website may be having issues. I need to become more familiar with the programs and anticipate where students may wander so that I can help keep them on track.
What lessons will I take with me? With respect to the Smartboard, I will take advantage of the software, and not just use it as a fancy overhead projector. I will provide table work while others are at the IWB. I will keep my digital portfolio current and will also maintain my Diigo social bookmarking site. I would like to incorporate technology into student assignments, such as creating videos. I am excited about creating a classroom site for parents and students to visit. Another important lesson I've learned is that there are great free resources that I can use, especially if my future school does not have funding to purchase certain programs. Last but not least, there are a lot of great videos on YouTube and the tutorials have helped me a lot.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Week 13 A Reflection On My Classmate's Online Presentations
GREAT job everyone! I watched/listened to quite a few presentations, they were awesome. The content and ways in which everyone chose to present their information was great.
The first presentation I chose to reflect on was Paula's voice blog video. I thought you did a great job speaking, it was at a great pace to understand what you were talking about. I loved the article, I can totally see how a voice blog would be effective with foreign languages. Personally, I did not practice speaking French nearly enough when I was a student. As a result, I did not have the confidence to carry on a conversation. I also think my listening skills would have benefited from the voice blog assignment. This also brings up another point from your presentation, a voice blog will decrease the pressure because you are speaking without an audience, even though your teacher will be hearing your words. Great job Paula!
I also enjoyed what I learned from Sarah's Skype presentation. The foreign language video works well with Paula's video presentation. I think his advice to start across the hall and work from there is good advice. The idea of having a student Skype from a trip, as long as the student has the ability to do so, would be a neat extension to a classroom activity. Using skype to present reports and virtual field trips sounds like a great opportunity to expose children to wonderful things without having to leave the classroom. This is along the same line as my article, Through the Buscope. I enjoyed it, thanks Sarah!
Julie's presentation about video games was also great. As a parent, my 7 & 9 year old boys each have a Nintendo DS, my 4 year old has a Leapster. The learning games are great. I'm not sure they even think about what skills they're practicing or learning, they're just playing. Take a look at the Christmas Wish Book's, from little on up, it is full of educational learning games and software. Like all "good" things, I am a firm believer in balance. So I appreciated that this article keyed in on the fact that classroom games need to be well constructed and meaningful. Video games are so important to kids ( and many adults ) so it seems like a great way to engage children. It totally makes sense that CAI programs can serve to motivate and challenge students while also increasing their curiosity and helping to learn fantasy. I've heard the reports about physicians before, that's is very interesting!
The first presentation I chose to reflect on was Paula's voice blog video. I thought you did a great job speaking, it was at a great pace to understand what you were talking about. I loved the article, I can totally see how a voice blog would be effective with foreign languages. Personally, I did not practice speaking French nearly enough when I was a student. As a result, I did not have the confidence to carry on a conversation. I also think my listening skills would have benefited from the voice blog assignment. This also brings up another point from your presentation, a voice blog will decrease the pressure because you are speaking without an audience, even though your teacher will be hearing your words. Great job Paula!
I also enjoyed what I learned from Sarah's Skype presentation. The foreign language video works well with Paula's video presentation. I think his advice to start across the hall and work from there is good advice. The idea of having a student Skype from a trip, as long as the student has the ability to do so, would be a neat extension to a classroom activity. Using skype to present reports and virtual field trips sounds like a great opportunity to expose children to wonderful things without having to leave the classroom. This is along the same line as my article, Through the Buscope. I enjoyed it, thanks Sarah!
Julie's presentation about video games was also great. As a parent, my 7 & 9 year old boys each have a Nintendo DS, my 4 year old has a Leapster. The learning games are great. I'm not sure they even think about what skills they're practicing or learning, they're just playing. Take a look at the Christmas Wish Book's, from little on up, it is full of educational learning games and software. Like all "good" things, I am a firm believer in balance. So I appreciated that this article keyed in on the fact that classroom games need to be well constructed and meaningful. Video games are so important to kids ( and many adults ) so it seems like a great way to engage children. It totally makes sense that CAI programs can serve to motivate and challenge students while also increasing their curiosity and helping to learn fantasy. I've heard the reports about physicians before, that's is very interesting!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Technology Notebook Project
Hello all!!! If you would like to view my notebook presentation, please navigate to our Moodle page and click on the link. Josh's notebook project is there as well.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Week 12 Interactive White Boards
I like the IWB for classroom instruction. It is a great tool, with nice software functions as well as the ability to link to your pc so you can utilize other software and online supplements to your lesson. I've had the opportunity to observe a 4th grade teacher tap into the potential of the IWB in her classroom. She utilized the capabilities so effortlessly, it truely looked like an extension of her and the focus was on what she was teaching, not this cool board in front of the class. The students used the IWB with ease as well. The students really enjoyed going to the IWB and participating. After seeing this, I was surprised that my first encounter did not go as easily as I had expected it to. There is a learning curve and I will definitely need to practice so that the focus is on my content, not on the IWB.
I don't like the set up in our classroom, the projector can be blinding and I was surprised how differently the screen looked when I was using it as a teacher versus viewing it as a student. I liked having the screens that I planned visible, it helped me as a teacher to make sure I was covering what I had planned. I felt a bit anxious moving around between screens and links to videos and songs however. I imagine that with practice this feeling will subside and I'll be able to tap into more of what the IWB has to offer.
I would definitely welcome one in my future classroom. I believe it provides one more tool in my tool belt to help my students learn and excel. I like the interactive functions. I see the IWB making classroom functions more efficient. For example, as a class, we could take notes or complete a diagram and then take a picture of it and print it out for later reference. The IWB is a tool and if used when appropriate, I believe students will benefit as well. I would not solely use the IWB, like many great tools, it has its place and it should be used to complement instruction. I believe students will be more engaged. There are many interactive possibilities that I don't see how a student wouldn't be more engaged. It's new and exciting, kids love that.
I don't like the set up in our classroom, the projector can be blinding and I was surprised how differently the screen looked when I was using it as a teacher versus viewing it as a student. I liked having the screens that I planned visible, it helped me as a teacher to make sure I was covering what I had planned. I felt a bit anxious moving around between screens and links to videos and songs however. I imagine that with practice this feeling will subside and I'll be able to tap into more of what the IWB has to offer.
I would definitely welcome one in my future classroom. I believe it provides one more tool in my tool belt to help my students learn and excel. I like the interactive functions. I see the IWB making classroom functions more efficient. For example, as a class, we could take notes or complete a diagram and then take a picture of it and print it out for later reference. The IWB is a tool and if used when appropriate, I believe students will benefit as well. I would not solely use the IWB, like many great tools, it has its place and it should be used to complement instruction. I believe students will be more engaged. There are many interactive possibilities that I don't see how a student wouldn't be more engaged. It's new and exciting, kids love that.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Week 8 Video Project and Video in the Classroom
Through out the entire PSA project, I was pretty excited. During the prep class, I was fascinated with all the cool ways you could manipulate video and sound. At the same time, I was suprised with the amount of work that goes into editing. Our group worked really well together. Prior to the filming & editing class, we communicated real well and constructed a strategy. Initially I was hesitant of the storyboards, I questioned how useful they would be, but while filming and editing, I found them to be VERY valuable. Our initial planning and preparing of our storyboards helped us to stay on track, take specific video & to focus on our message. During filming, our individual personalities complimented one another, from our actress, to our videographer and the producer. The software was completely new to 2 members of our group, and yet we all had an opportunity to edit and work our video into the great finished project that we envisioned. I think one could spend a ton of time playing and tweaking in Moviemaker, in that respect it's kind fun but kind of challenging since the goal was to finish the project in 1 class. We had a great piece of music at our disposal, in just a few minutes time we used Audacity to speed it up to match our video, a little repeat at the end and viola...good java tunes. If only the music would have imported into our video without frustration, I'd say there were no issues. I'm excited to see the complete finished project.
With respect to video in the classroom, I do think it has value. There is value in making learning fun, and children LOVE to see themselves in video. Creating a video also teaches responsibility to portray the facts accurately & it can serve as a motivator to conduct research prior to creating a video. Furthermore, through video, a shy child can gain confidence and can shine in the classroom.
What does it teach students? I think for students creating a video, they see a different avenue for learning and documenting information other than paper and pencil. I think it encourages interaction and engagement in the subject at hand. It also allows them to showcase their creativity. Also, when I reflect on the Educause readings, specifically, the part about kids believing what they read on the internet even if it's not from a creditable source, I also think kids believe what they see in video and on tv. When students create a video, they can see how you can be truthful, and well informed and create a video that is factual, and on the flip side, they can see how you could do just the opposite. Perhaps, in doing so, students would start to question the validity of what they see and read.
Once concern I have about incorporating video in the classroom is the editing component. There's a lot of work that goes into editing such a small clip. I'm wondering how possible it is to have students produce and edit video, with the time constraints that exist in the curriculum. Perhaps I will need to do most of the editing or the degree to which their videos are edited will be different from what we did in our PSA project. I guess this would be the challenge I may face in doing the video project. In my classroom I would use video to make the learning authentic. For example, if we're discussing seasons and changes in fall, I could have students capture video of a change they witness. Perhaps a student would film some Canadian Geese. That student could then find some interesting facts about that animal and create a video. He/she may address migration, the resident population, geography and temperature changes etc, these would be the learner outcomes. These videos could be used as a learning center, so all students would circulate through and learn how other students captured the changes in the season. Multiple disciplines, intelligences and levels of thinking would be incorporated into this project. The student will work on language arts skills (researching, reading, writing, speaking), science (habitat, adaptations, migration, temperature), technology (filming and editing), social sciences etc.
With respect to video in the classroom, I do think it has value. There is value in making learning fun, and children LOVE to see themselves in video. Creating a video also teaches responsibility to portray the facts accurately & it can serve as a motivator to conduct research prior to creating a video. Furthermore, through video, a shy child can gain confidence and can shine in the classroom.
What does it teach students? I think for students creating a video, they see a different avenue for learning and documenting information other than paper and pencil. I think it encourages interaction and engagement in the subject at hand. It also allows them to showcase their creativity. Also, when I reflect on the Educause readings, specifically, the part about kids believing what they read on the internet even if it's not from a creditable source, I also think kids believe what they see in video and on tv. When students create a video, they can see how you can be truthful, and well informed and create a video that is factual, and on the flip side, they can see how you could do just the opposite. Perhaps, in doing so, students would start to question the validity of what they see and read.
Once concern I have about incorporating video in the classroom is the editing component. There's a lot of work that goes into editing such a small clip. I'm wondering how possible it is to have students produce and edit video, with the time constraints that exist in the curriculum. Perhaps I will need to do most of the editing or the degree to which their videos are edited will be different from what we did in our PSA project. I guess this would be the challenge I may face in doing the video project. In my classroom I would use video to make the learning authentic. For example, if we're discussing seasons and changes in fall, I could have students capture video of a change they witness. Perhaps a student would film some Canadian Geese. That student could then find some interesting facts about that animal and create a video. He/she may address migration, the resident population, geography and temperature changes etc, these would be the learner outcomes. These videos could be used as a learning center, so all students would circulate through and learn how other students captured the changes in the season. Multiple disciplines, intelligences and levels of thinking would be incorporated into this project. The student will work on language arts skills (researching, reading, writing, speaking), science (habitat, adaptations, migration, temperature), technology (filming and editing), social sciences etc.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Week 6: Educause Reading
On one hand, I thought the Net Geners would really embrace a lot of technology in their learning environment. However, when given more thought, I was not surprised by some of the data. Specifically the Net Gen's requirements for tech in the classroom; technology needs to be engaging and applicable, not just "be there". Also, I constantly have the social nature of the Net Geners in my thoughts. We have read that this generation is very social, they don't view technology as technology, but rather a way of doing things and communicating. For that reason, if technology enhances their learning experience, then that is great. If the technology does not enhance their learning experience, their attention is lost. The learning experience takes advantage of the professor and his/her level of expertise. It makes sense that certain majors would expect more technology in their classroom than others, such as engineering. What did surprise me however was the "underrating" of skills. The reading suggested that although students believe themselves to be skilled in certain applications, in fact, they have just basic skills. They do not utilize the advanced functions of their applications, and therefore, more IT skills need to be developed at the university level. In addition, the expectations of technology may hinder the Net Geners ability to methodically work through challenges and thus affect their problem solving abilities. Additional questions I would include in the survey...good question. I guess I 'd be interested to know what types of learning experiences they think they would benefit from that incorporated technology.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Week 6 Copyright
Copyright for teachers??? It seems a bit scary to me, because it is so grey & so very new to me. It also pushes me outside of my comfort zone because legal writing can be so difficult to understand, and when consequences are attached to "not knowing" it is a scary thing. I will absolutly need to become more educated and more aware of materials that I am choosing to use. When I completed my undergrad. I do not ever recall hearing about copyright infringement in the classroom, we simply attached a works cited document, used materials we needed in class and went on with it. What I have walked away with is a greater appreciation and respect for copyrighted materials. I cannot copy something without permission and use it over a long term period. I need to be deligent of fair use, watch how much of the copyrighted material I use and how I use it. I need to be aware of changes that I make, and how much choices affect the market place. It appears that "for educational purposes" lessens the stress level somewhat but not totally.
I don't know ways that copyright laws have been violated in schools, I know movies are shown, but I don't know if permission was requested prior to the showing. I would imagine if a substitute pops in a movie, permission likely was not requested. Perhaps modifying the lyrics to a popular tune, to aid in the learning/memory process, would have been an infringement. Out of schools, again, I don't know if permission was requested, but I've been in churches that also show movies for kid's night or show clips during Sunday school.
I absolutly believe it is my job to teach copyright respect to my students and I think the best way to do that is to lead by example. This could be sticky at times. It's like telling your toddler to never lie to mommy, but then you get caught in a white lie...life is not always black and white, so why do I wish copyright was a little less grey ?!?!?! I would not teach my students copyright respect by pointing out everytime I use something that is or is not copyright protected, but rather on occassion toss it out there and remind them to also be respectful. When addressing assessments, part of the rubric could specifically address copyrighted material. Researching materials, and creating presentations would be a good time to work with students on copyrighted materials that they may wish to incorporate into their graded projects. NET-S standard Digital Citizenship addressess copyright issues, specificially 5.a. "Students advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology."
I don't know ways that copyright laws have been violated in schools, I know movies are shown, but I don't know if permission was requested prior to the showing. I would imagine if a substitute pops in a movie, permission likely was not requested. Perhaps modifying the lyrics to a popular tune, to aid in the learning/memory process, would have been an infringement. Out of schools, again, I don't know if permission was requested, but I've been in churches that also show movies for kid's night or show clips during Sunday school.
I absolutly believe it is my job to teach copyright respect to my students and I think the best way to do that is to lead by example. This could be sticky at times. It's like telling your toddler to never lie to mommy, but then you get caught in a white lie...life is not always black and white, so why do I wish copyright was a little less grey ?!?!?! I would not teach my students copyright respect by pointing out everytime I use something that is or is not copyright protected, but rather on occassion toss it out there and remind them to also be respectful. When addressing assessments, part of the rubric could specifically address copyrighted material. Researching materials, and creating presentations would be a good time to work with students on copyrighted materials that they may wish to incorporate into their graded projects. NET-S standard Digital Citizenship addressess copyright issues, specificially 5.a. "Students advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology."
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