This class has introduced me to tons of technology and how to use it. Whereas some of the things we learned about I had been familiar with for some time (cell phones, iPods, etc), I never thought about how they could be useful in the classroom. Not only did I learn how to incorporate new technology in the classroom from a teacher’s point of view, but as a student as well. I’m happy to have some alternatives to using power point all of the time. Google Docs was something that I had used before, but I was unaware of all the capabilities. Uploading a document into Google Docs is a much easier method of collaboration than emailing the document back and forth, especially if you are working with more than one person. The only downside to using Google Docs is that I still have trouble with the format when I try to turn it into a Word Doc.
Perhaps the most important thing I have learned from this class, is that it is imperative to stay up to date with the latest technology and to incorporate it into the classroom environment as best as possible. It is unreasonable to use all of the available technology, or to use technology for every assignment. However, it is appropriate for many assignments/lessons, and should be used when possible. Incorporating technology in the classroom is the only way that educators will be able to excite their students about learning and encourage them to explore on their own. Teachers cannot expect students to come to school and only use a pencil and paper when they have their cell phone, laptops, and iPods in their backpacks. I’m exciting to be able to begin applying everything I’ve learned in the classroom!
Today we were introduced to Flickrvison and Twittervision. They both give constant updates of photos or tweets that are being posted and where they are being posted from. It is a neat concept, but it also made me a little uneasy. It felt weird to know what somebody in Asia was posting at that exact moment.
I have used Skype before to communicate with a friend after he was stationed overseas. Skype allows you to communicate with people no matter where they are for free, which is much better than paying for an overseas call from a cell phone. It allows you to video call and IM as well. Skype could be a useful tool in the classroom as well as for personal use. Students could have “pen pals” from anywhere in the world. Skype offers students the opportunity to communicate with “pen pals” by voice and video as opposed to the old fashion way of writing. It is a more immediate form of communication, so students aren’t waiting days or weeks for letters. Using something like skype to communicate with students from other countries would be a great way for children to learn about other cultures and traditions. It could even be used in a language class so students could speak to others who are from a country where the language is regularly. Not only are there all of these educational benefits, but it would also offer students the opportunity to make friends with people who they may not have met otherwise.
Here is some information about the FLIP Video camera and how you can use it in your classroom.
Here is the YouTube video on how to use the FLIP Video.
Today we learned how to use VoiceThread. It is similar to PhotoStory. You can see what I created by visiting my Products page.
Today we also explored Twitter. Despite its popularity, I have never used Twitter before, nor do any of my friends. I had an idea of what Twitter was and what it would be like, but I went into with an open mind. To be honest, I didn’t find that Twitter had may benefits. I could see how people might like getting instant news updates, but those can usually be sent to your cell phone, email, or homepage, without Twitter. Personally, I find Facebook status updates annoying enough, and I get those from people I know and care about. I just don’t have any interest to see what celebs are doing every second of their lives as well.
Yesterday we discussed the 21st century skills and how important it is to include them in the classroom. Today’s students are using technology that didn’t exist when I was in school. A lot of kids have their own laptops, iPods, cell phones, etc. Instead of going to the library for information, they go online. They listen to books and Podcasts instead of reading articles. As teachers it is important that we utilize these tools so that we keep our students’ interest. It is amazing to think of all the new technology that has been developed even since I was in high school. The video I watched was “A Vistion of K-12 Students Today.” It really shows how students use technology and how often.
1) 9th Grade: English
SOL 10.3 The student will read, comprehend, and critique literary works.
Verbs: Read, comprehend, critique
Nouns: Literary works
2) Essential Questions:
1. What are the components of an epic, such as The Odyssey?
2. What were the similarities in theme of the two hero stories, Story 1 and Story 2?
3) Teaching Strategies:
1. Read the stories were read over a series of class periods. After each section of reading, have students make predictions about what will happen next in the story, and why they made that prediction. (Make predictions, draw inferences, and connect prior knowledge to support reading comprehension.)
2. Students could web the events/themes/plot points of each story. They would then compare the two story webs to compare the similarities and differences of the story structure and components. (Explain similarities and differences of techniques and literary forms represented in the literature of different cultures and eras.)
3. Students could write their own narrative based on literary components found in the two stories. (This could be used as a type of assessment).
4) Technology
1. Students could use a program, such as Webspiration, to organize/web the stories and/or their ideas.
2. Using Hero’s Journey, students could map the components of the heroes in the stories read in class as well as the characters they create.
3. Instead of writing they typical narrative, students could use a program like Comic Creator to tell their own stories.
Yesterday we learned how to use GIMP and Photo Story. GIMP was frustrating to learn, but I think the more I play around with it the easier it will get. Photo Story was pretty easy to use, and is another alternative to PowerPoint to share information. After the photo story was finished we uploaded the final product to Vimeo. Click here to see what I created!
I also was able to create a cartoon using GoAnimate. Click here to see what I created!
When I first started using Prezi today, I had no idea what I was doing and nothing seemed to do what I wanted it to do. But after playing with it for a while I started to understand how to manipulate the text and pics to get them do to what I wanted. Prezi is a fantastic alternative to PowerPoint, something that we have all used to the point of exhaustion. After learning how to use Prezi I think it may even be easier to insert media and organize information. The seemingly infinite amount of space allows Prezi users to organize information without having to confine it to space allowed by slides in PowerPoint. Prezi also offers animation, to an extent. Entries are able to be flipped and zoomed in/out on. Where it may not sound like much, it is fun to watch and is visually pleasing, without the annoying transitions and sound effects offered by PowerPoint. You can see what I developed today by clicking here.
Both the affirmative and negative positions in today’s debate on whether detailed lesson plans are necessary raised some interesting points. I think it is important to question how and who a detailed formatted lesson plan benefits. One benefit of a detailed formatted lesson plan are that the plan would be easy to share with other teachers/parents/admin. Another benefit would be that the lesson would be prepared in such a way that it would be easy to refer back to in the future to use again. However, these plans, that are usually no less than 4-5 pages, can be time consuming to write.
There is no doubt that it is necessary for teachers to have some sort of plan before walking into the classroom. However, taking the time to write a detailed formatted lesson plan may not always be a practical expectation. A high school teacher may only have to write one lesson plan a day, since they usually teach the same lesson to several sections. But while they only have to write one a day, they usually have a considerable amount of additional work to do (grading paper, gathering lesson materials, meeting with students, etc.). Elementary teachers may be under even more time restraints, considering they need several new lesson plans every day. In most situations I think as long as a teacher has some sort of plan, that he/she understands, and that students respond to, that is enough.
But I guess it boils down to what works best for each individual, and where each individuals priorities are. Perhaps some teachers feel the need to have detailed formatted lesson plans in order to feel organized and prepared, whereas others are comfortable only going off some bullet points or highlighted notes.
Learning how to use Google Docs was very helpful! It will be a great tool to use when sharing information with group members, editing papers, and accessing information. Not having to save documents to a flash drive or email them to myself will save time and be more convenient to access. Now that I know how to use it properly I’m sure I’ll use it for all my future classes!
Some other resources we looked at today included ReadThinkWrite, MyWebspiration, Kidspiration, and Inspiration. ReadThinkWrite offers a variety of tools including graphic organizers and lesson plans on how to use them. Kidspiration/Inspiration is a brainstorming/webbing tool that students can use to organize their ideas and information they gather. Another online tool we were introduced to was Wordle, which allows users to make “word clouds,” like the one below. As an English teacher this could be a neat tool to use to introduce vocabulary, or for students to have a visual representation of recurring vocab or themes.
