In class today we learned about WebQuests. In my understanding, a WebQuest is a safe site that students can go to learn about different topics assigned by the teacher. The creator of the WebQuest has already searched the web for reliable and safe sites and compiled it together into a WebQuest where parents can feel safe that their child is able to use as a tool to search the Web. In addition to the student links (which could include assignments, reviews, assessments, games, etc...), the WebQuest would also have a section for teachers, where they would be able to find lesson plans, other links and fun ideas to use to supplement the unit. Each page of the WebQuest all link back to its home page.
I believe that this will be a valuable resource for students and their parents because it will allow a safe environment for the students to research the Internet. It will also be a great place for teachers to outline the assignment in a format that will communicate to the parents what is expected of their child. The student will be able to know what is expected of them in order to complete the assignment. All they have to do is go to the WebQuest and they'll be able to find everything that is required and will also find a Rubric with how they will be graded for completing their assignment.
I look forward to learning how to create one of these WebQuests as I work together with my pod. I hope that I will be able to fully learn how to create one of these tools and will feel comfortable creating one of my own in the future.
VIDEO REFLECTION:
I wasn't able to link to this weeks video through the class website on week 9. However, I found a few different video's on YouTube that had this name on them that I watched. They talked about how Microsoft has invented a touch screen tabletop computer that is able to know when devices (such as a camera, telephone, video camera, credit cards, etc...) have been placed on it and will be able to detect the information that is on it without plugging anything into the tabletop computer. They mentioned that this computer is being introduced to large corporate businesses and casino's for now, but they anticipate a day when everyone will have one of these in their homes. I'm continually amazed at the technologies that are being invented and how they will change the world. I look forward to seeing this new idea as well as the many other new inventions coming our way.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Week 7 - PDP - My Beliefs
After reading the Millennials article, completing the UNI and NETS*T questionnaire and re watching the "Shift Happens" video, I believe that technology will play a huge part of my students education. I also realize that I am only on the starting path of being able to understand technology enough to keep up with my students. I need to be continually seeking more experiences, training, and knowledge to help me be an effective teacher.
In the video "Shift Happens" it mentions that we are currently preparing students for jobs that don't even exist and that they will be using technologies that haven't even been invented yet. It also mentions that the amount of new technological information is doubled every 2 years. This means that by the time a college student is a junior, technology will be twice as much as it was when they started school as a freshman. Therefore, my kindergarten students need to start as early as possible on their path of technology so that they can not be "left behind". They need to understand why computers and technology will play an important part of their education. As their teacher, I need to know how to start my students on this journey and give them as many experiences as possible.
In the video "Shift Happens" it mentions that we are currently preparing students for jobs that don't even exist and that they will be using technologies that haven't even been invented yet. It also mentions that the amount of new technological information is doubled every 2 years. This means that by the time a college student is a junior, technology will be twice as much as it was when they started school as a freshman. Therefore, my kindergarten students need to start as early as possible on their path of technology so that they can not be "left behind". They need to understand why computers and technology will play an important part of their education. As their teacher, I need to know how to start my students on this journey and give them as many experiences as possible.
Week 7 - PDP - Lessons Learned
After completing the reading assignments and watching the digital stories listed on the assignment it made me realize even more that teachers we need to keep up on technology and find ways to bring technology into the classroom experience as much as possible. One concern that I have after my reading assignment is that I fear that too many students are becoming more and more lazy and want things to be handed to them. Many comments were made by students about how they wanted the school systems to provide them with laptops that have their textbooks already downloaded onto them so that they didn't have to carry any books. They also made comments about how they wanted computers that were voice activated and touch-screens because they didn't want to type.
Overall I feel that educators need to attend technology classes on a regular basis so that we can not only keep up with our students, but be one step ahead of them and be ready to help them receive the best education possible. We need to be open minded and willing to learn and try new things. We can't let our fear of computers keep us from being willing to learn more and integrate technology into our lessons as much as possible.
Overall I feel that educators need to attend technology classes on a regular basis so that we can not only keep up with our students, but be one step ahead of them and be ready to help them receive the best education possible. We need to be open minded and willing to learn and try new things. We can't let our fear of computers keep us from being willing to learn more and integrate technology into our lessons as much as possible.
Week 7 - PDP - Strengths & Weaknesses
After reviewing the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and completing the UNI Preservice Teacher Technology Competencies questionnaire, I've discovered that I border between novice and apprenticeship in my technology understanding and practices. Some of my technology strengths include: I have had a lot of experience on computers and feel very comfortable with basic computer programs and operations. I am a quick learner and am not afraid to learn and try new things. I like to find ways to apply what I learn into my everyday life. Some of my weaknesses include: my technology skills are limited to the programs that I've worked with in the past and I have limited experience with the vast amounts of technology available for educational purposes. I am also intimidated by technology and often feel inadequate in my abilities because of the ever changing industry.
To help me gain more technology skills, I found several websites that are designed to help teachers know how to integrate technology in the classroom and provide hands-on training and experiences. One of the sites I enjoyed looking at was http://www.4teachers.org/. This site has a lot of information that I'd like to investigate further. Some of the things it includes are games, learning resources, training video's and basic technology information. The other site I really enjoyed was www.msaveryslinks.bravepages.com/tech.htm. This site has some great links to other important educational websites that would be helpful in the classroom. It also gives information for teachers to gain training in excel, power point, and other basic computer programs. In addition to these websites and many others, I'd like to attend community and district classes to help me keep my skills constantly improving in the technology industry.
Some of my goals as a teacher are to always be seeking out these training experiences so that I can find new ways to bring technology into my classroom. I also need to not underestimate my students abilities (or my own) and provide opportunities for all of us to be exposed to computers as much as possible. I know that as I become familiar with these websites and the many others that I looked at, attend training meetings, community classes, and workshops and always look for ways to improve my technology experiences and knowledge, that I'll be able to keep improving my knowledge of technology in the classroom and in turn, help my students be able to start on their path towards technology and computers.
To help me gain more technology skills, I found several websites that are designed to help teachers know how to integrate technology in the classroom and provide hands-on training and experiences. One of the sites I enjoyed looking at was http://www.4teachers.org/. This site has a lot of information that I'd like to investigate further. Some of the things it includes are games, learning resources, training video's and basic technology information. The other site I really enjoyed was www.msaveryslinks.bravepages.com/tech.htm. This site has some great links to other important educational websites that would be helpful in the classroom. It also gives information for teachers to gain training in excel, power point, and other basic computer programs. In addition to these websites and many others, I'd like to attend community and district classes to help me keep my skills constantly improving in the technology industry.
Some of my goals as a teacher are to always be seeking out these training experiences so that I can find new ways to bring technology into my classroom. I also need to not underestimate my students abilities (or my own) and provide opportunities for all of us to be exposed to computers as much as possible. I know that as I become familiar with these websites and the many others that I looked at, attend training meetings, community classes, and workshops and always look for ways to improve my technology experiences and knowledge, that I'll be able to keep improving my knowledge of technology in the classroom and in turn, help my students be able to start on their path towards technology and computers.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Week 6 - Pro's & Con's of Creating Digital Stories as a Group
Some of the Pro's from working on digital stories as a group:
1. There are more people to share the workload with for gathering information, pictures, music and writting the text.
2. The creativitiy is better when you can work with other people to formulate the story that you are trying to create.
3. There are other people to turn to when you don't understand how the program works to figure it out.
Some of the Con's from working on digital stories as a group:
1. It's hard to make the workload even since a good portion of the time in making a digital story is the actual computer work to edit it all together.
2. Only one person really gets to do the editing portion (which is a good portion of the work). In my group, I've done all of the computer work. I'm not upset by that because I'm learning how to operate the program and will feel much more comfortable with the steps involved and look forward to creating other digital stories in the future. However, the rest of my pod members only understand the pre-stage work in creating the digital stories and won't have the wonderful experience of actually creating the story. All the other members of my pod have done their "part" and helped as much as possible, but ultimately, the final product rests on the editing.
I'm very glad that I've been able to learn the steps to create a digital story and look forward to making other stories/movies for educational purposes and personal needs. This is a wonderful tool that has a place in the classroom. If I could make one recommendation for this assignment in the future, it would be great to have each member make their own digital story after the group project is complete so that each member can experience the whole process and have a desire to want to use this tool again in the future.
VIDEO REFLECTION:
I tried on multiple occasions and on different computers to view this video but couldn't ever get it to work. For some reason it wouldn't download. I did find a movie on YouTube titled "Millenial Generation" that was produced by Motorolla about Media Mobility. It showed different students giving their opinion about about why they think it's important to have their cell phones be their media source that they can have with them at all times. It was a good reminder to me on where we could be heading and why others feel this is something so important. To me, my cell phone is just used as a phone. I haven't really jumped on the I-Pod movement or felt a desire to carry my pictures with me on my phone. I guess that I'm behind the times when it comes to that.
1. There are more people to share the workload with for gathering information, pictures, music and writting the text.
2. The creativitiy is better when you can work with other people to formulate the story that you are trying to create.
3. There are other people to turn to when you don't understand how the program works to figure it out.
Some of the Con's from working on digital stories as a group:
1. It's hard to make the workload even since a good portion of the time in making a digital story is the actual computer work to edit it all together.
2. Only one person really gets to do the editing portion (which is a good portion of the work). In my group, I've done all of the computer work. I'm not upset by that because I'm learning how to operate the program and will feel much more comfortable with the steps involved and look forward to creating other digital stories in the future. However, the rest of my pod members only understand the pre-stage work in creating the digital stories and won't have the wonderful experience of actually creating the story. All the other members of my pod have done their "part" and helped as much as possible, but ultimately, the final product rests on the editing.
I'm very glad that I've been able to learn the steps to create a digital story and look forward to making other stories/movies for educational purposes and personal needs. This is a wonderful tool that has a place in the classroom. If I could make one recommendation for this assignment in the future, it would be great to have each member make their own digital story after the group project is complete so that each member can experience the whole process and have a desire to want to use this tool again in the future.
VIDEO REFLECTION:
I tried on multiple occasions and on different computers to view this video but couldn't ever get it to work. For some reason it wouldn't download. I did find a movie on YouTube titled "Millenial Generation" that was produced by Motorolla about Media Mobility. It showed different students giving their opinion about about why they think it's important to have their cell phones be their media source that they can have with them at all times. It was a good reminder to me on where we could be heading and why others feel this is something so important. To me, my cell phone is just used as a phone. I haven't really jumped on the I-Pod movement or felt a desire to carry my pictures with me on my phone. I guess that I'm behind the times when it comes to that.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Week 5 - What are the Pro's & Con's for Digital Stories?
Some of the Pro's of Digital Stories are:
1. By knowing how to make Digital Stories, I'll be able to make movies that match the curriculum and support the ideas that I'm trying to teach. I'll also be able to make age appropriate movies for the grade that I'm teaching.
2. Because children learn best from hands-on and visual learning experiences, digital stories are a great way to reinforce a subject that is being taught. The students are more likely to remember the material presented and find a connection to it when they can see it in a digital story format. They will enjoy their learning experience more when they can "see it" in action as well.
3. There are a wide variety of digital stories available for educators on the Internet that are easy for the teacher to download and include in their lesson plans.
Some of the Con's of Digital Stories are:
1. As I've been starting to learn more about digital stories, I've realized that it is a very time consuming process. Finding the right pictures to go along with the text and music takes a lot of time to complete. Because so much time goes into making a digital story, I would probably only spend the time to make a digital story for the larger more important units that I couldn't already find a digital story for.
2. Because digital stories are so widely available to download off the Internet, teachers could get caught up in using movies that don't really teach the curriculum or fit the subject being taught just because it was an entertaining video.
Video Reflection:
What I really enjoyed about both of these movies is that they were able to present a lot of information in a very short amount of time in a way that was very interesting. In the movie "Did You Know" they gave a lot of questions and facts. I found myself answering questions that they posed and being surprised when the answer I thought would be right wasn't right at all. It made me realize that America isn't as advanced as I thought we were in comparison to the rest of the world when it comes to technology. I liked how they were able to do all of this without any spoken words and just written text and background music.
1. By knowing how to make Digital Stories, I'll be able to make movies that match the curriculum and support the ideas that I'm trying to teach. I'll also be able to make age appropriate movies for the grade that I'm teaching.
2. Because children learn best from hands-on and visual learning experiences, digital stories are a great way to reinforce a subject that is being taught. The students are more likely to remember the material presented and find a connection to it when they can see it in a digital story format. They will enjoy their learning experience more when they can "see it" in action as well.
3. There are a wide variety of digital stories available for educators on the Internet that are easy for the teacher to download and include in their lesson plans.
Some of the Con's of Digital Stories are:
1. As I've been starting to learn more about digital stories, I've realized that it is a very time consuming process. Finding the right pictures to go along with the text and music takes a lot of time to complete. Because so much time goes into making a digital story, I would probably only spend the time to make a digital story for the larger more important units that I couldn't already find a digital story for.
2. Because digital stories are so widely available to download off the Internet, teachers could get caught up in using movies that don't really teach the curriculum or fit the subject being taught just because it was an entertaining video.
Video Reflection:
What I really enjoyed about both of these movies is that they were able to present a lot of information in a very short amount of time in a way that was very interesting. In the movie "Did You Know" they gave a lot of questions and facts. I found myself answering questions that they posed and being surprised when the answer I thought would be right wasn't right at all. It made me realize that America isn't as advanced as I thought we were in comparison to the rest of the world when it comes to technology. I liked how they were able to do all of this without any spoken words and just written text and background music.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Week 4 - Digital Stories
I'm excited that we will be learing how to create digital stories in this class. I love this medium of teaching students about different topics. I'm a very hand's-on visual learner. The more experience I have with the topic, the better I learn and remember it. I look forward to being able to create my own digital stories to enhance my lessons.
I was originally excited to learn about TeacherTube and be able to access these wonderful resources. However, I'm sure that there will be many topics that I don't find the perfect video to support my lessons. By knowing how to make my own digital stories, I'll be able to produce my own video's that are age appropriate and engaging.
I have to admit, that since I don't know the steps involved in making the video, I'm a little overwhelmed at knowing how to do it. I look forward to working with a group for my first experience and being able to learn together and help each other with our production. I would hope that as a teacher, I'll be able to work with the other teachers in my grade to produce these educational video's that will suppliment our lessons. This will be a good experience to help me be able to work with others to make a digital story.
Video Reflection:
I enjoyed watching the NASA video assignment this week. I especially liked how they were able to help produce emotion by the music, information presented and pictures that they selected. It was a good example to watch as a preliminary experience before getting into our own digital story that we will be creating in our class.
I was originally excited to learn about TeacherTube and be able to access these wonderful resources. However, I'm sure that there will be many topics that I don't find the perfect video to support my lessons. By knowing how to make my own digital stories, I'll be able to produce my own video's that are age appropriate and engaging.
I have to admit, that since I don't know the steps involved in making the video, I'm a little overwhelmed at knowing how to do it. I look forward to working with a group for my first experience and being able to learn together and help each other with our production. I would hope that as a teacher, I'll be able to work with the other teachers in my grade to produce these educational video's that will suppliment our lessons. This will be a good experience to help me be able to work with others to make a digital story.
Video Reflection:
I enjoyed watching the NASA video assignment this week. I especially liked how they were able to help produce emotion by the music, information presented and pictures that they selected. It was a good example to watch as a preliminary experience before getting into our own digital story that we will be creating in our class.
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