Good-bye TPTE, Hello New Technology!

As this class comes to a close and we are making up our classroom websites, I am really excited about what all I have accomplished in this class. When choosing the 5 technology projects for my site, it was actually hard to choose which 5 I wanted! I have learned so much in this class, much more than I imagined I would.

At the beginning of the semester I ranked my computer skills a 2 out of 5 because I honestly only used the computer to write papers and get on Facebook. I would now say I'm a 4 out of 5. I feel like I will be able to use most of the projects we have completed in my future classrooms. Several times throughout the semester, people have been talking about putting pictures on the Internet, which of course I suggested using Picasa. Or if they were talking about making a study guide with a group I suggested using a Google document. I feel proud that I know what these things are now and know how to use them effectively.

As my journey in this class is ending, I know that it really isn't because there is so much more to learn as far as technology is involved.

Digital Story

This week I created a film using iMovie using digital images from Google. The video shows a list of animals using the entire alphabet, one animal per letter. I first saved each image onto my jump drive, then photoshopped the image to the correct size and clarity. After that I added them to iMovie and added effects and sound. Sounds simple, right?

iMovie is not hard to use, but I've never made a movie before so I had to figure it all out. Acquiring the images is the easy part. Google is a life saver because not only was I able to search images for each animal, but also for the letters like U, Y, Q, and N, which are hard to think of animals with names that start with those letters, I could search "animals that start with (letter)" and it gave me a whole list! I put the pictures into the movie after I resized each one. iMovie gives several themes you can choose from, but you don't have to use one. I chose the "film" them because I was creating a film and wanted it to seem like the film reel of pictures that had been taken from a safari. I added text to each animal that was easy to read and told the letter and animal name.

The hardest part was finding music that enhanced my story. I didn't want to use slow music because I wanted to create the feel of the safari and how fun and exciting it was. However, I also did not want to use music illegally. When making this movie I had the Lion King's "Circle of Life" song playing in my head. I knew that I couldn't use the entire song because of copyright laws, but I could use 30 seconds or less. So I downloaded the song from YouTube and cut it to the length I wanted. I put the beginning of the song at the beginning of my film. It sets the fun tone of the movie and would be great to show to kids because the Lion King is always a childhood favorite. After I cut that song, I used iTunes free music clips for the rest of the movie. The clip I chose was only 30 seconds long so I reused it several times to last the entire film. At the end of the film I added children clapping for fun and because I hope that's what children would do after watching this.

There are so many things that can be done with iMovie and shared on the Internet. I would definitely use this in my class to introduce a new topic or tell about a future field trip or simply for their entertainment. It wasn't very hard once I figured out the basics, and there are probably so many other things I could have done with this movie like adding a video or doing a voice-over. It was fun to make a movie out of digital images and I feel proud of my work.

Using Excel Spreadsheets

Here is an example of an Excel spreadsheet I created. It was created for 4th graders and allows them to practice finding x. I have seen the Excel program before because my Dad used it to show me how much money I needed for college! So, let's just say I haven't had a positive experience with it. This program can be very confusing, especially if you are not familiar with the program or have never used it before. 

 

I created a practice Excel spreadsheet by following the step-by-step instructions in our workbooks. Even with these instructions it was still hard to create the spreadsheet and I don't think I would have been able to make it at all without every detail of what to do. I believe that if I used this program more often then it would get easier, because it is all about getting in the swing of things and getting used to all of the functions. 

I don't think I would use this program in my classroom. I will be teaching elementary aged students and there are so many games and ways to practice math and other subjects on the Internet that I don't think it would be worth my time to create such a detailed practice for the students. I say that because the things that are online are very well thought out and have great graphics and a lot of practice questions. This kind of elaborate worksheet would take me at least an hour to re-create, probably longer.  

This program has practical implications for every day life, and I think it would be a great idea to teach this program to high school students. It can be used to work out finances, create a "To-Do" list, or do homework on. It is a program that is becoming more prevalent. I would like to learn more about the program, but I don't think I would use it in the classroom.

Inspiration Project

This week I worked with a software called Inspiration. This allows you to create a web-like device that can be used to talk about a specific topic. I used the topic of "Seasonal Activities". From there I broke it down into the four seasons and then three activities for each season. Inspiration allows you to use pictures and links to expand students' learning.

I really liked using Inspiration and would love to use it in my classroom. Instead of doing a basic worksheet or powerpoint I would use this to allow students to get the big picture. The pictures make it fun and informative. Inspiration lets you change colors of the background, the font size and style, and make the bubbles any shape you like. It also lets you add links to the words. I linked my main bubble to a website that tells about the temperatures and activities for each season.

This is the first time I have used Inspiration, so it was a little confusing at first. There is so much you can do with it, so it would take some practice to learn all of the details. I would love to be able to use Inspiration more so I could create fun learning opportunities for my students. I would definitely recommend this for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Animoto video to show my love for UT Football!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Scavenger Hunt

The best part of doing the digital scavenger hunt was thinking of creative ways to find the ABC's. We had to think of items that elementary age students would easily recognize within the University of Tennessee's campus. I think that this would be a really fun activity for students to do. It allows creative thinking and a way for students to interact with one another.

I think that one of the challenges that would arise with this activity would be the supply of cameras. Some schools may not have the supplies that are necessary. Also, when using cameras you have to be careful not to drop them. I think that with younger students it would be smart to have adults accompany the students and take the pictures that the students choose.

All-in-all this activity was very fun and I would love to use it in my classroom. It was like a field trip without leaving the school, and what kid doesn't love a field trip?

ABC Scavenger Hunt

Using Images in the Classroom

We used Picasa this week, which is like a photo album on the web. It is a good way for teachers to share their classroom activities with parents and other teachers. Picasa allows you to edit and share pictures. The most difficult part of this assignment was resizing the pictures to fit. Other than that, it was fun. This is not something I would expect my elementary aged students to be able to do, because I had difficulty with it. It does seem like a fun project for high school students to collect pictures that represent themselves or a subject they are learning about. In my classroom, I would take pictures of the students on field trips, fall festivals, or during assemblies. This would allow the parents to see all the fun activities their children are participating in. I think Picasa is great for the classroom for teachers or students to use. It is also fun to share your pictures with family members and friends so they can see all the fun that you, as a teacher, are having in your classroom.

A digital collection of flowers

Lesson Plans!

We have started our first lesson plan! My dad started teaching 3 years ago and talked about creating lesson plans and how much work they are for beginning teachers. I was confused because I thought, "How hard can it be to decide what you what to teach your students?" I was so wrong.

When creating your lesson plan, there are Tennessee State standards that must be followed. On the Tennessee standards website there are standards listed for each grade level and each subject within that grade level. In addition to the state standards, there are also standards for using technology. On this website it lists the different criteria for the grade levels also.

When beginning my lesson plan, I decided what grade I could be teaching and what subject. I chose second grade science and will be teaching the seasons. Next, I filled in Tennessee and NETS standards. The rest of the lesson plan consists of tools that will be used as well as step-by-step instructions for the teacher and students. By writing down the detailed instructions, I will be able to look back at this lesson plan one year later and know exactly what I need to do to get ready for this lesson. I also created a worksheet for students to fill out. Students will be using the internet and a book to find out information about the seasons across the United States.

I assumed that creating this lesson plan would simply be putting a worksheet together and giving it to the kids. One of the challenging parts in lesson planning is figuring out the best way for children to learn. I want to be able to provide my students with informative, fun lessons but still meet all of the necessary guidelines. I am excited about creating more lesson plans in the future and look forward to the time when I can just look back at lesson plans from the year before and know exactly what I need to do.

Web 2.0 Experience

This experience was extremely beneficial. I now have access to so many resources that I can use in my future classroom. I have learned about tools that make learning fun, such as Wordle. There are also tools for students to have direct contact with the teacher and homework assignments, like Glogster and Delicious. Prezi is a site that is beneficial to teachers because it makes presentations more exciting and interesting for the students. I know that I will use many of these sites in my elementary classroom. The great part about each of these tools is that they can be used from kindergarten all the way up to high school.

One down side of some of the tools we discussed is that they may be blocked by the school. If you use Delicious, there is an easy way for kids to get links to other sites that may be harmful or inappropriate. It would be nice if we, as teachers, could trust each of our students to do what is right and make the right decisions, but the fact is some students won't. In that case the teacher would have to do guided teaching when the students were using these sites.

This web 2.0 wiki has so much information on it. Knowing that technology is constantly changing I am excited to know that I have some of the most recent technological knowledge. It is exciting to know that I can teach other teachers about these tools also. Hopefully I can make learning more interesting for my students than when I was their age. I think the only question I still have wikis is: How can a wiki be deleted? My concern about this is because I don't want this wiki deleted so I can have access to this when I start teaching!

Using Web 2.0 Tools!

This week we are learning about tools on the web that can be used in the classroom. Today we talked about Wordle, Glogster, Animoto, and Twitter. I have only heard of Twitter, used to follow my favorite celebs! So I decided to learn more about Animoto. It is a tool used to create videos by using words, pictures, and sound. It is free for a 30-minute video, and all you need is an email account.

After I created an account, I decided to make a fun little video about my fiance' and myself throughout our years of dating. First, I decided on a background. There were cute hearts using pinks and reds, so of course I chose that! Then, I selected upload files from computer. I used Facebook to find pictures from the beginning of our relationship up until our engagement. I uploaded those pictures in order and the final step was to choose a song. Animoto had selected a song that it thought would be useful for my "Love" theme, so I trusted it's opinion. After finishing up my video, Animoto notified me via e-mail that my video was ready for viewing. It was just a fun little video that I used to learn more about this particular web 2.0 tool, but it was interesting to see how easy it was to make a video. Animoto gives you the option of subscribing for $3 per month in order to make longer videos.

I can definitely tell how teachers could use this in the classroom. It would also be fun to use on parent-teacher conference nights to show the parents what has been going on in the classroom. You could take pictures of field trips, class projects, the class pet, fall festivals, and field days. It is fun to use and a good tool to get to know. I would recommend this for teachers to use and familiarize themselves with.

Check out my LOVE video!

PBS Website

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (but mostly the good!) of a Web Site

I have just evaluated my first web site!

I evaluated PBS.org and specifically the teacher's section for grades K-2. Most of us have heard of PBS through television and have most likely watched some of their shows when we were younger. You'll be happy to know that the web site is just as good as the T.V. station. It incorporates interactive simulation through games and teacher utility through discussion boards and lesson plans.

When evaluating the site I was really glad we had the evaluation forms. It showed me exactly what to look for in a good web site. Things like author credibility, site biases, current information, and usability of this site are things that I might not think about when looking at a site. Sometimes, we assume that if it is on the internet then it must be true! That's false. So I'm really glad the form made me think about important information.

While looking for a site to evaluate, I was able to find several other interesting sites that I could use in a classroom. This activity was useful to not only evaluate one web site, but to also find several others that I can evaluate and use in the future. There are so many tools and authors out there who want to better us as teaching professionals. I will definitely use this web site in my own classroom. It had 95 pages full of fun games for kids to use. These games incorporated books that kids are reading in the classroom. I thought that was really nice and would make learning more fun. The discussion board was also full of input from other teachers who have used the site and had success. The discussions range from good to bad but they are also honest and valuable for hopeful teachers.

I had fun evaluating the web site and I'm glad I know what to look for in the future.

Visit the site!
http://pbs.org/teachers/classroom/k-2/reading/resources

TPTE 486

First time Wiki user!

Using the wiki for the first time was a little intimidating. Knowing that I was putting information on there that everyone could access and edit was a lot of pressure. As I began my wiki and learned how to format the picture and paragraphs, I feel like I have created a meaningful page that tells a lot about myself. The number one thing that went well with my wiki was the fact that I actually created a wiki! I had no clue what a wiki was until 2 weeks ago. It feels nice to know that I have learned something, although I'm not fully knowledgable yet, and that I am able to put it to use.

At first, my huge picture took up the entire page! Luckily my page is not all about my picture now. I also didn't know how to add links to my page, but now I have several. I still have some questions about wikis and what all can be accomplished by using them, but I also know that by the end of the course I'll be a wiki whiz!

This seems like a useful tool to use with my future students because I can get feedback from them and communicate efficiently. It gives students an opportunity to express themselves and show me their personal side. I hope to teach second grade, so I'm not sure how much they would be able to use them, but I do feel like students can benefit from wiki use. Wikis will also be useful for other professionals to communicate with each other. It is a good way for teachers to share lesson plans, informative articles, and inspiring books. I'm excited to see what technology is out there to use and better serve the classroom.
Wish me luck!
Erica