Blog # 15: Last Blog Entry

I valued learning about new programs that have surfaced in the past few years. It still amazes me how much changes on a month-to-month basis with technology. I learned about how to honor copy right laws and this will be useful for my students and me. I feel that I have learned a lot of new information this semester and I know that I will need to hold on to my notebook from this class and revisit it when I become a teacher. There was so much to learn in such a short time but I now feel confident that I can figure out new programs as they come out.

Blog # 13-14

I completed a movie using imovie. This is my first experience with any movie making programs. I found imovie to be easy to use for a beginner. This is a fun and educational task that teachers can use in their classrooms. You can make one for your school or have students make one for an assignment. It will incorporate technology into your curriculum. I would recommend taking a tutorial on the program before you get started and make sure you understand the basics before assigning students this project. Getting the video footage onto your computer can be confusing so make sure you have the correct equipment to do so. Also if you are planning on using information form the internet on your video make sure you abide by the copyright laws and give credit to the sites you use.

In the article “Splicing Video into the Writing Process”, By Tammy Pandina Scot and Diane Harding there are helpful hints on how to incorporate California state standards into a video making lesson plan. This project gives students experience with technology and includes the student writing out scripts, chariters, and let them be creative. They will have to recall information learned in the classroom to make the script. They will have to pay close attention to details pulled from lessons to create a believable video. It incorporates group work and also interval work such as getting costumes or interviews completed. Students become engaged in a project like this because they are creating it from scratch.

Blog 12

Our group finished our outline for our video that we will make in IMOVIE. I have not worked with this program before so I am excited to see how it works. We have decided to show how the human heart works in our video. We will each make a cameo in the film and I will be a red blood cell. After the video is shot the really fun part begins. Each of us will get to edit the film footage for our own interpretation for the film. We will be able to add sounds and special effects to add excitement to the film. We will be start filming on Monday and hopefully get started on editing on Wednesday or next Monday. It will be fun to complete my first film and also learn how to use this new program. This will be something fun that I will be able to show the students I will be teaching. Students will love to make their own films and the will be learning how to use technology and study at the same time.

Blog #10

I learned how to set up a website that lets me save websites to it and information for class assignments that use the internet as an interactive tool in the classroom. I also evaluated three different software programs that could be used as learning tools in the classroom(DynoTech Software, Starfall, and Big Brains). I was also able to link the software to the Californian standards. This helped me become more aware of the standards for the different grade levels.
Filamentality Website: http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listlifeinka.html
Webquests are another tool to be used in a classroom. They are activities for students where the information is found on the web. They are not suppose to take up time searching on the web but use the information on the web to help bring students to a higher level of thinking. (Blooms Taxonomy). One way to ensure you are making a useful Webquest is to follow these guidelines FOCUS; Find great sites, Orchestrate your learners and resources, Challenge your learners to think, Use the medium, and finally Scaffold high expectations. Finding relevant sites is key to a good webquest activity. Many people use Alta Vista, Google, and Northern Lights. There are also search engines that help you search sites by grade and California standard. These make a teachers job a littlie bit easier when planning activities and making sure they are relevant to the curriculum. Webquests can take your students across the world. They can get up-to-date information about anything. You can visit sites that show current science information and prices for travel adventures. One of the major benefits of the Web is that is givers your students access to real-world information. It helps students deal with events that happened in the past, could happen in the future, or are happening right now in their own community. Webquests are fun for students somewhat in part due to how quickly the information can be accessed on the web. It can make the daunting task of writing a paper a little bit more palatable for the students.

Midterm

Our midterm covered just about what I thought it would. I missed the margins and text box and both items were due to lack of paying attention. I need to read the directions more closely. But I feel that our teacher properly prepared us for the test. She gave us clues this semester as to what to review and I did that. I feel that the assignments were very useful in studying for the test as well. I just went over past assignments and class notes and I feel that I did pretty well on the test.

Blog #8

Reading 1
The World Wide Web: Databases
Using a database to assist your classroom can be very helpful. In this article it talks about how you can use them to post homework questions to a database that is similar to a discussion board. I have used a system similar to this in one of my classes where we were required to summaries our readings each weekend. I think that this helped to ensure that the students were completing their reading assignment and also sometimes the discussions would go beyond the original question and this would show extended learning on the subject. Being able to communicate with your students from a computer allows more of a connection between teachers and students. If a student is sick or misses school they can still get the information that they missed by going to the classroom website. Security is always a question for these sites but if you are careful as to what information you include and do not post any identifying item online (use a pin name instead of a students real name) than you should be able to avoid and compromising of the site.

Reading 2
Database can be used in every subject that is taught. Any collection of data can be organized and put into a database. Depending on what kind of database you use will determine what the child can get with the information. If you use a classroom database in your science class the students would be able to see what results the other students got from their experiments as well as their own. When writing a paper you can use a database to organize facts that you come across in your readings. You can also have the students work as a group to complete the information for their database. This can teach them how to collaborate with their fellow students.

Reading 3
One thing about databases is that you can enter all your information and then have the computer manipulate it into very different conclusions. A lot of the time you will see connections that might of otherwise gone unnoticed. It is almost like you are working with the words best organizer as your work partner. You figure out what questions to ask and which ones are relevant and the computer organizes the information for you in a split second. Databases help students realize what information is important to a particular assignment. It helps them begin to sort information and pick out key points when they are gathering information.

Databases
When you look at the possibilities for using databases in a classroom they are endless. Not only can you track each current student you can also track how you are doing as a teacher year after year. Databases organize information that in the past would have taken hours or even days of work. You can even see how other teachers are doing in comparison to your class if they also post their databases. It is wonderful for collecting information on students before a parent conference or a meeting with principal for your review. Understanding that each year will be different when you teach, databases can help you see when you need to change your teaching strategies. You can keep track of the types of learners in your classroom and make sure you car using techniques that will create a community-learning environment for each student. Mainly a database will keep you organized so you and mineralize the time you spend on paper work. Any time that you are able to free up to spend with your students is necessary to try to accomplish. Databases also make it easy to learn about your students. You can look at their personal habits to see if there is any correlation between their work progress and say their sleeping habits or possibly the time of day they are in your class, and even medication the child is taking. You can make whatever alterations necessary to help insure the success of your classroom. You can be sure I will be using databases in my classroom to help me manage all my information.

Assignment #7

I learned a lot about the website and tool called Wiki. I can see how it can be a useful tool for students, teacher, and schools. The only problem is that there are a lot of places to leave a message for the other members on the site so communication can become muddled. Other than that it is great for editing papers that are written in a group format and setting up information websites. It has a user friendly format that I was able to understand very quickly.
Bridging the Digital Divide: A Building Block for Teachers By Colleen Swain and Tamara Pearson
Making sure technology is apart of student learning is a challenge that every teacher faces. Where to place the computers, when to use them, and how to get them are some of the main questions on everyone’s mind. Children are growing up with more computer knowledge than when I was a child. They can access computers in kindergarten and begin to use them for all kinds of learning experiences. From games on math to organizing your thoughts about something you learned, computers play an important role in out education system. Each school district has different obstacles to overcome. But the main one for most schools is insuring that there are enough computers and equal assess to them. In this article I thought it was a good idea to keep the computer labs open before and after school to allot more time for the children to use them. Especially in low income schools where many of the families do not have a computer at home for the children to use. School can be the only place for them to become familiar with technology. Getting parents involved in learning about computers with their children is another wonderful idea. Many parents do not use computers in their daily lives or understand how much can really be done on a computer. It is no longer just an office tool for bookkeeping it is an educational tool for life long learners.

Assignment #6

Once the initial fear of using Excel passed I found that I really liked it. It is easy to use and overall is a very organized program. I can see where Excel will assist me when it comes time to record my student’s grades. It will keep all their information current will minimal effort on my part. After completing the spread sheet you can change test scores without having to recalculate grades each time. The formulas are easy to remember and use. The Excel quiz was helpful and it gave me confidence that I do understand the basic knowledge of the program. I missed two on the test but went back and looked at what went wrong and now understand a little bit more. I look forward to using Excel in my classroom to help keep me organized.
Teaching Students to Use the Internet as a Research Tool
Learning how to search the web effectively is important to everyone who has a computer. Especially if you completely trust the sites you look up. Too many people do not understand how to make sure a site is trustworthy and they acquire misinformation. Using search engines that are unreliable is a common mistake many people make. A directory sounds like a good way to help students insure reliable resources when searching the web. Also, knowing how to read the URLs of any website is very important so you can see where your information is coming from. Using library resources and backing up claims with hard copy resources is always a good idea. When children complete research reports I will probably require some along with websites.

Assignment #5

PowerPoint can be used as a powerful tool in any classroom setting as long as the teacher is aware of the possibilities and limitations of the program. It can be used to address many of the multiple Intelligences, such as the visual learner, and the audio learner. When using powerpoint it is important to remember that it is an outline for your lesson not a replacement for a teacher. It can be used for an agenda for the day or as main ideas in a lesson. It can help students with note taking and staying focused. Powerpoint is also an organization tool in which you can save lesson plans for future review.

Bloom’s taxonomy is a great way for teachers to make sure their test questions are encouraging the children to access all the levels of understanding with any subject or project. In the reading is stated that many tests only hit upon the lowest point of understanding. Bloom called this Knowledge, the ability to recall information that has most likely been memorized. His areas of understanding goes from Knowledge, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and finally to Evaluation. I would have to agree that when students truly understand information they should be at the evaluation level and be able to debate the issue or idea. This is the level I aim to teach at. I want my students to comprehend and implement the information into their own lives.

Assignment #4

Teaching students how to gather data and be able to understand and use that data are difficult tasks. As a person who is inclined to search for the connections between these two I find it hard to instill this type of curiosity in children who do not already possess a natural instinct to do so. The nature trips out to the creeks are a great way to show these children the environment that surrounds them. Being able to use computers to organize their finding on these trips is a wonderful tool. Data is empty without organization and computers help us compare and learn from our findings. The type of mapping outline this author uses to help the children with their data is a tool that will help them not only in science but in all areas of their life. Teaching cause and effect is a major goal for teachers especially for the 6th grade age group. I am a visual learner and using mapping would help me to visualize the information and make the necessary connections to understand the experiment.

Assignments Blog #3

Oh, the Changes we’ve seen (Page 2)I can relate to how much has changed since 1976 because that is when I was born. I am a bit older than the average student nowadays and I do not have the same technology background as younger students. For one thing I did not have the use of the internet for writing papers in high school. Most of my papers were handwritten until I returned to school three years ago. (Page 3-4) I also can identify with this article that technology has its place in education but I don’t feel that it can replace group learning and one-on –one contact between teacher and student. I also can relate to using computers as a learning tool for areas that students are having a particular hard time with, because I am one of those students. I have learning disabilities and for me the computer has given me confidence I lacked as a youngster. Spelling has always been my weak point and with spell check and numerous spelling activities on the computer I have been able to write as I think. Before I would have to use only the words knew how to spell to express myself but not I feel free to use any word that comes to mind, I know the computer will make any corrections easier for me than in the past. (P 6-7) I really like all the interactive programs there are out there. I think using the real life scenarios is a wonderful tool. If students can see the outcome of their choices they are more likely to plan out (problem solve) each action. On Line Supplement. (P 7) Understanding that people need to become life long learners is a motto that I follow and hope to instill in the children in my classroom. Having technology become apart of this is important because learning throughout life , school into occupation, is a necessary component to instill in each individual. If we stop learning we stop growing, and with out grown the future would become very bleak. Also the idea of the two year classroom is very interesting. Many beneficial components occur when a student is able to transform into a mentor. Personal growth and self esteem are just two of the areas that would be positively affected. (P 9) I am interested to learn more about the ITC. I guess this reconfirms the idea behind this article. I am able to get information from the computer but now I look forward to going into class to discuss this article with my class. Information plus a classroom equal a well balanced education.
I have learned how to make a newsletter and that it is not as confusing as it originally sounded. I also learned how to use Rubistar and how much this tool will be beneficial to me as a teacher. (I know that I will need all the help I can get, especially in those first crucial years)

Assignments › Blog #2

I have been able to view and explore many new teaching tools this week. One of which was a website called Blackflip which I can see immediately how valuable it can be to me as a future teacher. Instead of letting the children “surf” the web I can have an approved list of sites that are relevant to the task at hand and therefore keep the children on track. In the reading assignment “Teaching Understanding” I was able to see many benefits that technology can bring to the learning experience. I can see how being able to look up reading material for different reading levels will directly effect and benefit a Special Education classroom. With having many different grades and levels of learning in the same classroom these tools will make is easier for me to fulfill all the different levels at the same time. The information about Netiquette I found especially interesting. I have used the internet in a work environment in the past so a lot of the information was not new to me but I have had many other people I come in contact with unaware of some of these rules. I did not know that chain mail was illegal (annoying yes but not illegal). Sometimes people forget how important Netiquette can be I will use the guidelines in all future email responses in school and in work situations. All in all this week I have learned a bit more about all the tools I will have access to in my future career as a teacher and some information that will also help me in my academic career.

ASSIGNMENTS › Blog #1

I learned the beginning stages of how to use a MAC. I have only worked on PC’s before. I also looked up what some of the differences there are between Mac’s and PC’s. It seems that Mac’s are all around a better choice if you are looking at buying a new computer. They don’t get viruses and they don’t seem to crash as much. They are a better system if you want to use your computer for music and video programs. I started to look at different MAC laptops to see if there were any that I could afford for this semester but I am still not sure. I looked into selling my PC laptop but I would not get very much for it as it is over three years old. The electronic age is hard to keep up with. It seems that the minute you buy something by the time you walk out the door it is already outdated. I have a feeling that the next generation of teachers will have to combat this and stay current with all new inventions in the computer world. They will help make our jobs easier and we will need to have this knowledge to be able to identify with the children that we teach. Children are being raised with this information before they even start school. If we don’t stay on top of it soon the Kindergartners will know more about technology than we will and I would not want that. I hope to become more familiar with MACs and the new computer systems as the semester continues.