How do you feel about it?

It's almost over, this semester I'm talking about. I must admit I am thoroughly looking forward to Winter break. However, as a whole I did enjoy my first semester here at Stockton. It was a lot of work. Probably more reading, writing, projects and presentations then I was prepared for but we are in the home stretch.

This technology class was a struggle from the beginning for me, but I think I enjoy a challenge. I would recommend this course to just about everyone. There are so many things I learned about that I never knew existed or even heard of before walking into INTC 3610 with Professor Ross. 

 

• After taking this class I think my views of technology have changed as well as my opinion of technology in the classroom. 
• I think I will be much more open to learning new things in the future and finding ways to implement my new skills as an educator. 

Just to recap here’s what we did…

1.     Created a new email address in Google

2.     Made up a portfolio using Google Sites

3.     Set up a Blog

4.     Learned how to use Wimba

5.     Reflected on articles relating to our field of study and technology

6.     Learned how to use Google Docs

7.     Made quizzes and answer sheets

8.     Made a Smartboard lesson

9.     Learned about QR Codes

10. Worked with Jing

11. Learned about screen casting

12. Learned about Creative Commons

13. Made a pechakucha using PowerPoint

14. Learned how to use PhotoStory to create a digital story

15. Voice Thread

16. Prezi

17. Posterous

18. Google Earth

19. Animoto

20. Wikispaces

21. Edmodo

·        There is still more to come!

·        Unbelievable? That’s how I feel.

ü  I highly recommend if you are going into the teaching profession and you have not used any of these applications familiarize yourself now. 

ü  It is better to be confused and unsure now, before you have a bunch of students staring up at you expecting you to have all the answers.

·        Chances are you won’t have all of the answers, but hopefully you will know where to find them!

I think this is a shirt we would all be proud to wear :)

Did you ever tell a digital story?

It can be a lot of fun for you and your students to create a Digital Story using PhotoStory.

This is what it will look like when you begin.

There are a variety of videos to help you learn how to create your first story. 

Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it!

With PhotoStory you can...

• Choose the pictures for your story
• Narrate your Story (re-narrate your story if you need to)
• Add background music 
• Save and publish it
• Then show everyone!

-For younger students this can be a really entertaining and fun lesson.

Or

-Maybe you just want to be able to hold their attention for a little bit longer.

-For older students I would suggest teaching them how to make their own and keep it as something they can treasure forever. 

Are you prepared to teach the 21st Century student? 

If not, this is just one idea to make your classroom a better fit for them!

Social Media

How do we manage to keep our students focused on the material we have to cover in such a short amount of time with so many distractions around them?

One article we read, “Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom” gives us some insight on both sides of the fence.

However I don’t think we have to pick a side! Why can’t we be right in the middle? Or on top of the fence?

The article discusses the Pros and Cons of Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter in the classroom. In my opinion, the majority of students are already aware of and using these sites that are so easily accessible. So I believe we should incorporate social media into our lessons to some extent. No, I am not saying our students should be online all day every day, but it’s there, so let’s use it to our advantage.

Lessons

One: use your resources!

Two: use them responsibly.

Three: show others respect.

Four: hold yourself accountable for what you write and publish online and in life.

So what do you think? Are student’s texting and tweeting too much? I believe there is a way we, as educators can take the ball back into our court and use these social media resources to reach our students on their level. 

Edmodo is a topic a group of my peers covered in their presentation. They compared it a lot to how Facebook and other networking sites operate. I think this could be a great alternative to look into for your classroom or school district. It is basically a way for students, parents and teacher to be able to communicate all in one place about things such as assignments, homework, exams, progress, missing work, extra help available or anything you, your students or their parents want to discuss. Very cool!

Thank you Kyle and Julia for giving us some insight about Edmodo and how educators may like to use it in their classes. 

Technology has really come to the rescue!

             I never thought I would hear myself saying this, "Technology has really come to the rescue!"

Lately with the problems we have had with the weather, technology has allowed us to stay connected. Whether you lost power or the roads were too unsafe to commute to school we still had email, Wimba and smart technology to keep us connected.

For example:

1. Last week we experienced a disaster, hurricane Sandy. Our school closed down for a few days while President Obama, the states, local government and the weather advisers were determining how severe the storm was going to be and how to handle the aftermath. However, our professor was able to stay in contact with us and keep us updated with the work we needed to complete for our upcoming classes.



2. This week we are experiencing our first snow fall of the season and the roads are unsafe for everyone to be driving around as per usual. Fortunately for those of us who did not lose power, suffer any major damages or losses we were able to communicate via Wimba. With our headsets we are able to hold class virtually, this means everyone can stay in their house or wherever they are safe to avoid hazardous roads. (You can read all about Wimba in my previous blog post.)



3. I have been able to stay in close contact with my classmates and partners of projects and presentations we are working on as our school has been out of commission. We have been able to use various aspects of the web to send each other our ideas and progress.

What in the world is Wimba?

Wimba is a tool I have learned about in my technology course that has allowed me to communicate with my instructor and classmates virtually. Through Wimba we can all be in different places around the world but once we log into the Wimba classroom we are all together. I think this is a unique tool and have enjoyed using it so far. Although we have experienced some technical difficulties along the way, I think as a whole my experience with Wimba has been a positive one. 

One of the most amazing things I discovered about Wimba was the ability to "Share" your screen. This gives you access to show others in your classroom exactly what you are viewing from your computer screen to theirs. This is helpful when presenting an idea to others, not only can you talk to them about the material but you can also place it right in front of their eyes!

 

Although I am a little nervous to present my topic to my classmates, it is not nearly as stressful as preparing for a live classroom presentation. I think this a great tool for students who have a fear of speaking in public. Students no longer have to get up in front of their peers or professor. Instead they can talk through their headset, show images and videos virtually and never actually see the person face to face. You can use this tool from the comfort of your own home!

               

Does this sound interesting to you? 

Well get going, give Wimba a try! 

Once you get started the possibilities are endless. 

Animoto

So what is Animoto and how can I use it in the classroom?

This is the video I watched that showed me how to use Animoto in just 60 seconds!
* Maybe it can inspire you as well. 

Have you ever thought about assigning a video project for your students and worried about how much class time it would take up? Well fear no more because Animoto is here! All you will need is a digital camera or photos you find online, a computer and an Animoto account for educators and in a few easy steps you and or your students can create a video that is unlike any other. With Animoto you can create a video that is 100% unique to you. 

I have found countless web pages that easily demonstrate how to create an account and then once you have the account how to make as many videos as you like using pictures, text and music. 

Once you create your video and submit it to Animoto they will email you the finished product. However if you are unhappy with the outcome you can edit it and Animoto will generate a new video as well as save the original one. You can easily share your video online and let others enjoy the masterpiece you created.  

I have read many ways in which teachers have used this product in the classroom. It can be a lot of fun for back to school nights, for parents to visualize what their children are learning. It can also be used in a variety of subject matters such as Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math. 

Think creatively and explore all Animoto has to offer and you can become an

I have been assigned Animoto as my screen-casting project with Tiffany and we have learned a lot along the way. I think Animoto is an awesome tool to get kids excited about the content you are going to cover. This will eliminate boring them with the same old slide shows or lecture and note taking type of lesson most of us are used to. Here you will find the scoop.it account we created for our Animoto project. This is where we gathered some of our favorite sites and videos about Animoto so it is more convenient for you to view. 

This is the first video I saw about Animoto and why I became excited about it...education video 

Here are some of my favorite ways teachers say they use Animoto...

- Can create a 30 second public service announcement.

- Summarize the main idea of a story with images and words in 30 seconds or less.

- Create video flashcards for vocabulary words.

- Great for brainstorming!

- Present wonderful end of the year videos.

- Have students create a 30 second video about themselves at the beginning of the year so that everyone can get to know each other.

- Great way to introduce a new learning concept to students.

- Have students create a short photo brochure of a country you are studying.

- Students can create video flashcards to help memorize multiplication facts.

- Have students create 30 second news briefs about historical news events, natural disasters, or any event that ties into curriculum.

- Students can create short videos showing the steps they took in completing a Science Project. This would highlight the Scientific Process and they can share their work with the other students in the classroom.

QR Codes

         What are QR Codes?

 

QR stands for quick response and originated in Japan and has recently become more popular in the Middle East, Europe and America. These codes are used in a multitude of places and are popping up more and more all around us. They are used as store front schedules, links to web pages and for marketing on items such as business cards.  I recently saw that my local pharmacy was using the QR code on their business card. Even my current job Carrabba's Italian Grill is using QR codes to help people in their wine selection for a fun night out on "Tasting Tuesdays." I have even imbedded one onto my webpage where you can scan the QR code and find yourself right in my blog. Maybe that’s how you got here today!  Websites such as qrstuff.com and qrcode.kaywa.com will allow you to generate your own QR Code as well.

  

It is absolutely fascinating and can be a lot of fun for everyone, especially students. I know this because I am currently a student and my professor had us go around the classroom with our smart phones or I Pads and use our QR scanners to learn more about these unique codes. The reason I say they are unique is because they are like nothing else. Compared to the standard barcode it can hold about 7,089 numerical characters and 4,296 alphanumeric characters, where the barcode only uses 12.

                                                             

But how can QR codes be used in the classroom? They can be used to play trivia games, go on treasure hunts or use a YouTube channel. I hope you can have as much fun as I did with the QR Codes and I am sure now that you are aware of them you will be seeing them all over the place. Good luck and enjoy using them as a new teaching tool in your classroom.

                      

Is the Smartboard smarter than you?

I am not really sure what to think. There are all of these new technologies around me and I feel like I am lost in another planet. Although I can see the positives of technology in the classroom I really can, I just feel as though it is being over used. Some of the older methods of teaching are still valuable and work well. I know we are at a time when children are immersed in technology but maybe school is the place where we can show them other ways of learning.



 

When I was in school my teacher wrote on the chalk board and I took notes. When I was in school my teacher designed activities for me to interact with my peers, for us to help and learn from one another. When I was in school my teacher taught! It seems like now teachers and schools are relying too heavily on technology to take the wheel and for teachers to take the passenger seat and students, well their stuck in the back with their headphones on and their eyes locked on a screen. And for some students this might work, it might work well, but what about for the others. The others like me, who feel lost and afraid of things like Wimba and the Smartboard.

 

In the classroom the teacher needs to be in control. Classroom management is one of the most important things I have learned about as an education major. Are we using technology to manage our classroom for us? Are we supposed to keep our students entertained or enlightened? I am still really leery of how far technology has made its way into the classroom. Maybe it is for the best and I am just taking too long to jump on board.

 

I hope by the end of this semester I am less afraid and more motivated to use technology as a positive learning enhancer in my classroom.



Children Doing BIG Things!

Take the time to watch this short video. If you have never seen it before I can almost guarantee you it will move you in some way.VIDEO

The girl who silenced the world for five minutes!

Her name is Severn Suzuki. At the age of 12 she delivered one of the most remarkable speeches of all time, at a UN meeting, at the Earth Summit in 1992. When Suzuki was nine years old she founded the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO). ECO is a child organization dedicated to learning more about the environment in order to teach other children about what is happening in the world. It is now 2012. Is it true for me to say that the topics she discussed then are still relevant today? I think yes! It has been twenty years, what will it take to make a change? Will our leaders make a change? Will other children rise and speak up to make a change? Children are our future and they are going to be here long after we are gone. Is it fair for us to leave them with the mess generations from the past and present created?

What I am most amazed with is how this young girl had so much courage to speak up! She spoke in front of adults from all over the world about the sad truths of our planet. Do children today still care about our planet? I don’t really know. What do you think?

                   

In case you’re wondering what she’s up to nowadays, she graduated from Yale in 2002, and now she’s an environmental activist, and even had her own show for children on Discovery. She was involved in an internet-based think tank which was used as an advisor for Kofi Annan, but the project was disbanded when she continued her education.  

Day One

Today was my first day in Instructional Technology for K-12 Teachers. In the beginning of the class I was quite overwhelmed and to be honest I am still nervous about the amount of technology we will be using because much of the things we discussed tonight I have never heard of before. As the class continued I started to relax a little bit at a time. Susan Ross is very knowledgeable in her field of technology. I am looking forward to learning from her and being able to put what I learn to use today and in the future. I am aware technology is all around us and I am beginning to accept that there is no escaping it. Before tonight I would never have thought I would create a website or ever write a blog. However, now that I have I know I can. This excites me to think of all the new doors that will open for me as I become more comfortable with the technology our world has to offer.