I thought tonight's class was a lot of fun. I like the convenience grading software provides. I can see how it could save a tremendous amount of time and the program seemed very easy to navigate. There were things about the program I would change ie: I would have more options in the gradebooks like making parts available rather than all or nothing.
I also enjoying playing with Kidspiration. I really like how it's so visual and colorful and it's super easy to change things around. I also really like how with the click of a button you can go from a visual, pictoral view, to a verbal outline view. I think kids would have a very easy time adjusting from using this program to applying the writing concepts to actual paper.
25 November, 2008
17 November, 2008
Safety Issues
I think one of the most prevalent safety issues regarding children and the Internet are online networking sites like myspace and facebook. I have nothing against either of these (I have accounts with both, hehe) but I think children/young adults don't fully comprehend how important it is to be careful with these kinds of sites. I think kids have no clue the effect posting pics and becoming friends with strangers can have on their lives. I think children should be informed and kept accountable with sites like these so as to prevent predators.
I also think that, in general, children's Internet usage should be monitored. It's way too easy to come across information, pictures, etc that children should not see. To deter this, I think kids should be monitored and be taught proper usage/search habits.
Also, this may seem kind of silly, but it seems to me like there is an alarming amount of time spent online by kids. In my opinion, there are far better things to be doing with your time than sitting on your bum in front of a computer. So, even though it's not a "safety" issue, I think it's an Internet issue that needs to be addressed. Even if kids are playing educational games, it's still better for them to be out and about playing and using their imaginations. I think that when you look at Internet usage long-term, it could easily become a health issue for kids because they're inactive for long periods of time daily.
I also think that, in general, children's Internet usage should be monitored. It's way too easy to come across information, pictures, etc that children should not see. To deter this, I think kids should be monitored and be taught proper usage/search habits.
Also, this may seem kind of silly, but it seems to me like there is an alarming amount of time spent online by kids. In my opinion, there are far better things to be doing with your time than sitting on your bum in front of a computer. So, even though it's not a "safety" issue, I think it's an Internet issue that needs to be addressed. Even if kids are playing educational games, it's still better for them to be out and about playing and using their imaginations. I think that when you look at Internet usage long-term, it could easily become a health issue for kids because they're inactive for long periods of time daily.
04 November, 2008
Project Plan
For my technology project, I would like to create a fairly specific website. If using this in a real classroom, I would have it as a link on my class website, but for this particular project, I will make it a site of it's own. This site will be the central point for a combination of Holiday activities. First of all, it will be a planning site for our Holiday party. I will have links to wiki's where parents can sign up for the area they would like to volunteer in for the class party (ie: decorations, snacks, etc), and wiki's where kids can sign up for areas they would like to help in as well (ie: set up, clean up, etc). During the party, of course there would be games, so I would have a few polls where kids could vote on which games they would most like to play or crafts they would like to make. I would incorporate the winning ideas into the party.
The second part of the Holiday activity would be a Holiday project for the kids. I would give them options on what they would like to do for their project, but let them know that the project must be uploaded onto the class website. So, they could create their own Christmas carol, record it, and post it to, or they could create a Holiday skit and make a video, or they could write about a Holiday memory they have, or write a Holiday poem. Each of these things would need to be uploaded onto the site. I would give the kids the option of working individually or in groups, but in a group there couldn't be any more than four children.
The final phase of the website would come in during the Holiday party. The parents and kids would have all completed the tasks they agreed to do on the wiki's and we would have played our games and made our crafts, but the party's finale would be showing and/or playing each of the kids' Holiday projects they had posted. In this way, the kids can see what the other students were able to accomplish, and the parents would be super impressed with their children's learning.
The second part of the Holiday activity would be a Holiday project for the kids. I would give them options on what they would like to do for their project, but let them know that the project must be uploaded onto the class website. So, they could create their own Christmas carol, record it, and post it to, or they could create a Holiday skit and make a video, or they could write about a Holiday memory they have, or write a Holiday poem. Each of these things would need to be uploaded onto the site. I would give the kids the option of working individually or in groups, but in a group there couldn't be any more than four children.
The final phase of the website would come in during the Holiday party. The parents and kids would have all completed the tasks they agreed to do on the wiki's and we would have played our games and made our crafts, but the party's finale would be showing and/or playing each of the kids' Holiday projects they had posted. In this way, the kids can see what the other students were able to accomplish, and the parents would be super impressed with their children's learning.
Shortcuts?
I've been sitting at my desk for about a half hour now, trying to come up with tricks I use in Microsoft Office programs that you might not know about, however, I'm just going to have to be honest...I just know how to do what I need to get done. I have no clue what kinds of shortcuts there may be, or options you can manipulate, etc. I know how to type, and I know how to use spell check, and then how to print. That's all you really need, right? But, in order to feel like I've completed this assignment, I'll make a list of the few features I use, but am fairly confident every five year old in America knows!
*ctrl + p to print
*ctrl + c to copy text
*ctrl + v to paste text
*shift and then arrows to highlight text
*ctrl + arrows to jump cursor by word sections
I'm guessing that tonight in class I'm going to become informed on all kinds of quick little shortcuts that I can use to expedite and improve my Office abilities.
*ctrl + p to print
*ctrl + c to copy text
*ctrl + v to paste text
*shift and then arrows to highlight text
*ctrl + arrows to jump cursor by word sections
I'm guessing that tonight in class I'm going to become informed on all kinds of quick little shortcuts that I can use to expedite and improve my Office abilities.
28 October, 2008
Online Learning Experience
I listened to H. Songhai and his discussion, "What Did You Do in School, Yesterday, Today, and Three Years Ago?"
This short talk was quite fascinating. H. Songhai took a short trip overseas and used various methods of technology to document his trip. Upon returning to the States, he led a small group of high school students on a sightseeing trip. He was shocked and saddened to see that the kids walked around all day texting friends and listening to their iPods, but not using any of these tools to document what they were seeing and experiencing. So, one morning he shared with the students how he used his phone and iPod to document his trip. It seemed to surprise the students that they could use their gadgets for learning. This sparked H. Songhai's thinking.
As the new school year started, H. Songhai began teaching his students how to incorporate technology into their learning. He ditched paper in his classes, and hasn't fused a single piece for the last three years. All students keep up a blog to record their learning and post assignments. He calls these learning tools, "Personal Learning Networks" and has students use sites like iGoogle, Google Reader, Skype, twitter, Project Gutenberg, and Google Notebook. He is of the belief that sites like this help a student learn and grow. If a student starts a blog upon entering ninth grade, by graduation, the students will have a blog that forever documents their growth, teacher's involvement in the learning, and what exactly the student learned. He compared this to his own high school and college learning experiences. Besides his diplomas, what proof is there that he learned anything?
H. Songhai has given all his students complete freedom to take pictures, get online, download material using whatever device they have, etc during class. Each of these show the students the possibilities they have in learning. His hope is that they can take this information and apply it to their everyday lives, that they wouldn't spend all their time texting and listening to music when they can be using these same tools to expand their minds and grow.
It's just absolutely incredible to think of teaching for 3 years without using a single piece of paper! It makes so much sense though; if you think about the amount of paper you find of the floor or in the garbage, you might as well just use the Internet. I think it's very cool to hear that about a teacher showing students how to incorporate technology and learning into their everyday life. I had never thought of using screen capturing tools to archive information or use on blogs, mashups, slideshows, and class projects.
This short talk was quite fascinating. H. Songhai took a short trip overseas and used various methods of technology to document his trip. Upon returning to the States, he led a small group of high school students on a sightseeing trip. He was shocked and saddened to see that the kids walked around all day texting friends and listening to their iPods, but not using any of these tools to document what they were seeing and experiencing. So, one morning he shared with the students how he used his phone and iPod to document his trip. It seemed to surprise the students that they could use their gadgets for learning. This sparked H. Songhai's thinking.
As the new school year started, H. Songhai began teaching his students how to incorporate technology into their learning. He ditched paper in his classes, and hasn't fused a single piece for the last three years. All students keep up a blog to record their learning and post assignments. He calls these learning tools, "Personal Learning Networks" and has students use sites like iGoogle, Google Reader, Skype, twitter, Project Gutenberg, and Google Notebook. He is of the belief that sites like this help a student learn and grow. If a student starts a blog upon entering ninth grade, by graduation, the students will have a blog that forever documents their growth, teacher's involvement in the learning, and what exactly the student learned. He compared this to his own high school and college learning experiences. Besides his diplomas, what proof is there that he learned anything?
H. Songhai has given all his students complete freedom to take pictures, get online, download material using whatever device they have, etc during class. Each of these show the students the possibilities they have in learning. His hope is that they can take this information and apply it to their everyday lives, that they wouldn't spend all their time texting and listening to music when they can be using these same tools to expand their minds and grow.
It's just absolutely incredible to think of teaching for 3 years without using a single piece of paper! It makes so much sense though; if you think about the amount of paper you find of the floor or in the garbage, you might as well just use the Internet. I think it's very cool to hear that about a teacher showing students how to incorporate technology and learning into their everyday life. I had never thought of using screen capturing tools to archive information or use on blogs, mashups, slideshows, and class projects.
25 October, 2008
SMARTBoard
After Tuesday's class, I've come to appreciate the SMARTBoard even more. I thought I had discovered a lot of cool features, but seeing everyone else's presentations made me realize how much more I can learn. It also made me realize how much more I need to keep track of. For instance, on the last slide of my presentation, I was looking at the board wondering why there was a big magnifying glass at the bottom...the class had to remind me to use to the glass in order to illuminate the answers!
It's little glitches like that which make technology in a classroom a gamble, however, it also makes learning so much fun and that much more memorable. I think a SMARTBoard is an excellent way to get kids involved in the learning and eager to participate in classroom learning.
It's little glitches like that which make technology in a classroom a gamble, however, it also makes learning so much fun and that much more memorable. I think a SMARTBoard is an excellent way to get kids involved in the learning and eager to participate in classroom learning.
21 October, 2008
Reflection #5
After discussing my greatest challenge with technology and education, I've started to think about mistakes I will make as a teacher. What will I do when I have a whole lesson using some form of technology, and it doesn't work? Or the computer is down, etc? How will I handle it? How long should a teacher spend trying to teach something before finally improvising or moving on to the next lesson?
I know that as a teacher, there will be many many times things do not go according to plan, or how I wish they could have gone. However, the important thing is that the kids still learn. So, when these things happen, I think it could be helpful to think of way to turn the mistake into a teachable lesson for the kids. For example, let's say I have a power point on zoo creatures and it isn't working when I need it. I try for a few minutes to fix the unknown problem, but it just isn't coming together. I could turn it into a teachable moment and talk about how sometimes technology just doesn't work, or the importance of having multiple copies of a document, or thinking ahead and creating a plan B. These are a few ideas.
Overall, I want to be a teacher that expects the best, but prepares for turning the worst into the best :-)
I know that as a teacher, there will be many many times things do not go according to plan, or how I wish they could have gone. However, the important thing is that the kids still learn. So, when these things happen, I think it could be helpful to think of way to turn the mistake into a teachable lesson for the kids. For example, let's say I have a power point on zoo creatures and it isn't working when I need it. I try for a few minutes to fix the unknown problem, but it just isn't coming together. I could turn it into a teachable moment and talk about how sometimes technology just doesn't work, or the importance of having multiple copies of a document, or thinking ahead and creating a plan B. These are a few ideas.
Overall, I want to be a teacher that expects the best, but prepares for turning the worst into the best :-)
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