Check out my project below. It is all about using MobyMax to increase standardized test scores.
Showing posts with label Tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tech. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Another great semester at MSU
Today is the due date for my final project for CEP 815: Technology & Leadership. This has been my favorite class so far in the MAET program at MSU, although I have learned so much throughout the entire program. I have one semester to go before finishing my Master of Arts in Educational Technology. CEP 815 focused on the practical aspects of how to lead change in an organization, particularly surrounding technology. The assignments and projects I have created will be useful for helping to make change a reality at my school and corporation. In all reality, I tend to be somewhat reserved when it comes to leading...I am fine if you put me in front of 100 elementary students, but talking in front of other adults makes me very nervous. I learned in CEP 815 that there is much more to leading than just public speaking and a charismatic personality. The concepts presented in the unit readings have helped to increase my confidence when sharing my ideas. For this final project, I brought together many concepts from throughout the course to create a proposed technology learning initiative. I am proud of the work I have created and want to present my ideas to the school board in the future. This project can be implemented for next school year.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
What Influences Student Success?
Here is my latest project for CEP 815: Tech & Leadership. This project focuses on the work of John Hattie.
Here is the link in case you can't see the embedded presentation below.
Here is the link in case you can't see the embedded presentation below.
Saturday, April 05, 2014
Observing ourselves with technology
I gave my students the opportunity to observe their own behavior this past week. We have been working on sight words quite a bit lately. Now that texts are getting a bit harder with less cvc words and more words that can't be sounded out, sight words need to be automatic when reading. I found a great way for kids to practice sight words at Teacher Tipster. (By the way, all of his ideas are great and I have used quite a few including Sight Word Jenga and Silly-brations, plus he is so fun! :D )
One Breath Boxes is my latest find. Check out the links below for more info.
I gave students the chance to practice with partners or in small groups. We practiced first together how to take turns. One person reads first and the other checks the words. If the person gets a word wrong, the checker has to stop them and tell them they missed a word. I made sure to emphasize that we all want to get all the words right, but if we miss one we want to know so we can fix it for next time. I then went around the room to record students practicing with each other. We then got back together as a group and watched/listened to ourselves. They had to follow along with the video/audio recordings to check if they were right. I had one student who kept saying 'came' instead of 'can.' When a friend or myself would stop to correct, he insisted that he did in fact say 'can.' Of course, we said "No, you said 'came.'" This goes back and forth for a while, until we pull out the video of him saying the words. Now the student can hear and see himself say the wrong word. "Oh! I guess I did say that!" That's what I love about using technology as a learning tool - it forces students to look at themselves. When we have knowledge of ourselves in the present, we can make a better attempt at improving for the future.
Breath Box #1 by First Grade
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Where does the time go?
It has been a busy two months since school started!
School - Parkside
My English Language Learners are doing a great job with their personal narrative digital projects. I will post a quick movie below about what they are working on. We are about half-way done :D
School - Michigan State University
I am also taking TWO classes online this semester!
CEP 800 Psychology of Learning Online & in other Environments
CEP 820 Teaching Students Online
Right now I am in the middle of a huge project to create my own online course. I am using the LMS (Learning Management System) Schoology. It offers a lot of cool features. My favorite feature is the ability for students to track their own progress in the course. My course is designed for English Language Learners in 4th/5th grade. This first module is focused on Non-Fiction Text Features. More to come about that later!
I will also post another project I recently finished about student misconceptions related to technology. A few of my students were kind enough to help me with this project :D Stay tuned for more cool stuff!
Multiple Learning Theories & Personal Narratives
Feedback from Professor Danah Henriksen:
Sara – You did an excellent job with this project – and presented a very in-depth and reflective look at the teaching/learning experience in your classroom dealing with the topic of personal narrative writing. Given the complexity of a topic like personal writing and the challenge of teaching it, I thought you did a great job of narrating the learning story in a clear but detailed way. The narrative arc of the story worked well, and I can tell that you put some thought into the structure (moving from the challenges associated with the topic to your own context and approach, and weaving learning theory throughout). The combination of cognitive apprenticeship and social/cognitive constructivist theory was effective, accurately applied and well presented. In fact, of all of the stories that I saw in the class, yours clearly demonstrated the best, most thoughtful and in-depth discussion of learning theory. It was clear that these theories were much more than window dressing in your project, but were very thoughtfully incorporated in ways that fit with specific goals in the narrative writing process. I also appreciated that you discussed each theory on its own terms, before entering into a context-specific look at how they fit into your story. So in terms of the narrative framing, the story was awesome. Technically speaking also, your project was very well crafted, and the production values were high-quality (good use of images to guide the story – and I liked how you kept the transitions moving to keep the story progressing). Very well paced and smoothly spoken narration. Audio quality for the narration was also clear and even, so there were no technical quibbles to detract from the telling of the story. So all in all, this was a really excellent presentation of your story of teaching and learning personal narrative writing in your classroom. I usually try to provide some constructive feedback for most projects that I see, but you have already hit all the marks for a superb digital story here. Well done!
Student Misconceptions about Technology
School - Parkside
My English Language Learners are doing a great job with their personal narrative digital projects. I will post a quick movie below about what they are working on. We are about half-way done :D
School - Michigan State University
I am also taking TWO classes online this semester!
CEP 800 Psychology of Learning Online & in other Environments
CEP 820 Teaching Students Online
Right now I am in the middle of a huge project to create my own online course. I am using the LMS (Learning Management System) Schoology. It offers a lot of cool features. My favorite feature is the ability for students to track their own progress in the course. My course is designed for English Language Learners in 4th/5th grade. This first module is focused on Non-Fiction Text Features. More to come about that later!
I will also post another project I recently finished about student misconceptions related to technology. A few of my students were kind enough to help me with this project :D Stay tuned for more cool stuff!
Multiple Learning Theories & Personal Narratives
Feedback from Professor Danah Henriksen:
Sara – You did an excellent job with this project – and presented a very in-depth and reflective look at the teaching/learning experience in your classroom dealing with the topic of personal narrative writing. Given the complexity of a topic like personal writing and the challenge of teaching it, I thought you did a great job of narrating the learning story in a clear but detailed way. The narrative arc of the story worked well, and I can tell that you put some thought into the structure (moving from the challenges associated with the topic to your own context and approach, and weaving learning theory throughout). The combination of cognitive apprenticeship and social/cognitive constructivist theory was effective, accurately applied and well presented. In fact, of all of the stories that I saw in the class, yours clearly demonstrated the best, most thoughtful and in-depth discussion of learning theory. It was clear that these theories were much more than window dressing in your project, but were very thoughtfully incorporated in ways that fit with specific goals in the narrative writing process. I also appreciated that you discussed each theory on its own terms, before entering into a context-specific look at how they fit into your story. So in terms of the narrative framing, the story was awesome. Technically speaking also, your project was very well crafted, and the production values were high-quality (good use of images to guide the story – and I liked how you kept the transitions moving to keep the story progressing). Very well paced and smoothly spoken narration. Audio quality for the narration was also clear and even, so there were no technical quibbles to detract from the telling of the story. So all in all, this was a really excellent presentation of your story of teaching and learning personal narrative writing in your classroom. I usually try to provide some constructive feedback for most projects that I see, but you have already hit all the marks for a superb digital story here. Well done!
Student Misconceptions about Technology
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Inspiring Passion & Curiosity with Technology
Technology allows me the affordance of easily exploring my interests, as well as investigating new ideas. I like dabbling in video/photo/audio editing, various kinds of digital design, as well as creating original materials for my class. I use a variety of bookmarking tools to help me keep track of ideas. The tech tools I regularly use are too numerous to mention in this post. Recent favorites include PicLits, WorkFlowy, TubeChop, PicMonkey, Weebly, and most recently DomoAnimate.
I am reminded of the recent phone interview I completed last fall for my first teaching job. We talked for a good 30 minutes and toward the end the principal asked me this question.
Interviewer: "What would you do if a student said your class was boring?"
Me: (Thinking) "Well, that's pretty much impossible!"
Interviewer: (Laughing) "That's the best answer we've heard all day!"
I love this true story because I think it really shows how I feel about what I do. It is not just some job, it is my life and passion. I am constantly striving to improve and grow. My students notice that and want to join me on our journey for knowledge! As educators, we are powerful forces demonstrating curiosity and an eagerness to learn, simply by personally modeling it. As the adult in the classroom, you are the role model for students about how to approach learning. Is it a chore, simply another task to be accomplished? Or is learning something that engages your mind and requires use of your unique talents? Every moment is an opportunity to learn something new about this amazing world we live in. My brain gets a happy feeling when I am learning, perhaps the sensation of synapses connecting in new and interesting ways. I love to learn and feel privileged that I get to share that learning with my students every day!
Technology is a vast playground of digital learning and educators have the responsibility to model and teach appropriate use of technology tools, allowing for student input and decision making along the way. Using technology is an incredible way to peak student interest about new ideas. Technology should not only be used by teachers for teaching students, but students should also be able to use technology tools to research interests and new ideas. Students should then be allowed to express their knowledge using technology. Teachers can give students the freedom to choose a technology tool to demonstrate content mastery. This gives students input and the ability to make decisions about their own learning. Teachers then take the role of an advisor or facilitator, guiding students on their personal journey of learning. There is no better job in the world in my opinion!
Please find below my something I created using something. It demonstrates the main ideas from this post. This was the first time I used DomoAnimate and am happy with the options available, as well as ease of use.
DomoNation.com:
Inspiring Passion & Curiosity with Technology by MrsGalbreath
Like it? Create your own at DomoNation.com. It's free and fun!
I am reminded of the recent phone interview I completed last fall for my first teaching job. We talked for a good 30 minutes and toward the end the principal asked me this question.
Interviewer: "What would you do if a student said your class was boring?"
Me: (Thinking) "Well, that's pretty much impossible!"
Interviewer: (Laughing) "That's the best answer we've heard all day!"
I love this true story because I think it really shows how I feel about what I do. It is not just some job, it is my life and passion. I am constantly striving to improve and grow. My students notice that and want to join me on our journey for knowledge! As educators, we are powerful forces demonstrating curiosity and an eagerness to learn, simply by personally modeling it. As the adult in the classroom, you are the role model for students about how to approach learning. Is it a chore, simply another task to be accomplished? Or is learning something that engages your mind and requires use of your unique talents? Every moment is an opportunity to learn something new about this amazing world we live in. My brain gets a happy feeling when I am learning, perhaps the sensation of synapses connecting in new and interesting ways. I love to learn and feel privileged that I get to share that learning with my students every day!
Technology is a vast playground of digital learning and educators have the responsibility to model and teach appropriate use of technology tools, allowing for student input and decision making along the way. Using technology is an incredible way to peak student interest about new ideas. Technology should not only be used by teachers for teaching students, but students should also be able to use technology tools to research interests and new ideas. Students should then be allowed to express their knowledge using technology. Teachers can give students the freedom to choose a technology tool to demonstrate content mastery. This gives students input and the ability to make decisions about their own learning. Teachers then take the role of an advisor or facilitator, guiding students on their personal journey of learning. There is no better job in the world in my opinion!
Please find below my something I created using something. It demonstrates the main ideas from this post. This was the first time I used DomoAnimate and am happy with the options available, as well as ease of use.
DomoNation.com:
Inspiring Passion & Curiosity with Technology by MrsGalbreath
Like it? Create your own at DomoNation.com. It's free and fun!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Tech Survey
I created a survey using Google Forms to share with my colleagues to learn about their current use of technology, as well as possible options for future technology professional development. Here is the link to the survey. Here is a short video about using Google Forms.
After reviewing responses from 15 colleagues, I noticed a few trends. My survey included questions about comfort level with different kinds of technologies. Most of my colleagues are pretty comfortable doing the basics on the computer including sending email and creating documents. Some of the more specialized tech tasks such as creating spreadsheets, posting to blogs or wikis, recording or editing audio/video, or collaborating online were less familiar to my colleagues. The majority of my colleagues also responded that they were unsure who to go to when faced with a tech problem. It is clear, however, that my colleagues believe technology can increase student learning and are eager to learn more about it themselves. My colleagues are especially interested in learning more about our Kunos and Google Play apps. All teachers at the elementary level received Kunos (Android tablets) in December, but our district has yet to offer any professional development regarding this new tech tool. Colleagues are also interested in ways that students can use technology.
We do our students a disservice if we are not training them how to use these modern tools. With this in mind, I plan to start a Tech Club for 4th and 5th graders at my school for the Fall. My hope is that students can become the "go-to expert" with a particular piece of software or app, even creating tutorials to share what they know with teachers and students.
With the information I gained from the survey, I will be planning technology professional development for my colleagues at my school starting this Fall. We will meet once a month before school to talk about specific software, apps, and interesting ways to incorporate technology into the classroom on a daily basis to maximize learning and minimize downtime. I am hoping that these meetings will help to alleviate some of the uneasiness and hesitation many of my colleagues have about technology. In the right hands, technology is an incredible tool for learning.
On a related note, I am quite excited for the Literacy Technology Education Conference (LTEC) tomorrow in Indy! This conference is part of Indiana DOE's Summer of eLearning initiative. Looks like they are offering some really great break-out sessions. I am hoping to come away from the conference with new tools and new ideas!
After reviewing responses from 15 colleagues, I noticed a few trends. My survey included questions about comfort level with different kinds of technologies. Most of my colleagues are pretty comfortable doing the basics on the computer including sending email and creating documents. Some of the more specialized tech tasks such as creating spreadsheets, posting to blogs or wikis, recording or editing audio/video, or collaborating online were less familiar to my colleagues. The majority of my colleagues also responded that they were unsure who to go to when faced with a tech problem. It is clear, however, that my colleagues believe technology can increase student learning and are eager to learn more about it themselves. My colleagues are especially interested in learning more about our Kunos and Google Play apps. All teachers at the elementary level received Kunos (Android tablets) in December, but our district has yet to offer any professional development regarding this new tech tool. Colleagues are also interested in ways that students can use technology.
We do our students a disservice if we are not training them how to use these modern tools. With this in mind, I plan to start a Tech Club for 4th and 5th graders at my school for the Fall. My hope is that students can become the "go-to expert" with a particular piece of software or app, even creating tutorials to share what they know with teachers and students.
With the information I gained from the survey, I will be planning technology professional development for my colleagues at my school starting this Fall. We will meet once a month before school to talk about specific software, apps, and interesting ways to incorporate technology into the classroom on a daily basis to maximize learning and minimize downtime. I am hoping that these meetings will help to alleviate some of the uneasiness and hesitation many of my colleagues have about technology. In the right hands, technology is an incredible tool for learning.
On a related note, I am quite excited for the Literacy Technology Education Conference (LTEC) tomorrow in Indy! This conference is part of Indiana DOE's Summer of eLearning initiative. Looks like they are offering some really great break-out sessions. I am hoping to come away from the conference with new tools and new ideas!
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Revising my Infodiet
Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching., a photo by deeplifequotes on Flickr.
Unfortunately, my current infodiet is minimal and not very diverse. It consists of a local news channel website, Facebook, and occasionally Twitter. This would be equivalent to eating only apples, bacon, and chocolate for every meal each day. While these are my favorite foods, I am missing some important vitamins and of course, variety and balance in my meals. To add a little color to my infodiet I decided to look for an assortment of people and organizations on Twitter that will expose me to new viewpoints and ideas, ones that I would not normally encounter.
The first group of new information sources I found all have to do with Google in some way. Recently our corporation purchased Android tablets for all the teachers and I am trying to learn as much as I can about them so I can share what I learn with my colleagues. I am now following @GooglePlay and @GoogleEduTeam to stay up to date with any new developments. Google Play is poised to come out with more education apps this summer. Here is an article with more information.
My next group of new resources is focused on general education and technology. They include @WeAreTeachers and @TheConsultantsE. These are two great resources for tech and teaching tips. I am most excited to start following Nicholas Provenzano @thenerdyteacher. He is the 2013 MACUL Technology Using Teacher of the Year and the 2013 ISTE Outstanding Teacher of the Year. I love the banner on his blog! It includes cartoon robots and the words teacher, leader, learner, and nerd. That pretty much sums up my career in education! Plus his most recent post is about Star Wars. What’s not to love?
The last group of new resources deal with language. Language is what I do in the classroom all day long and a new perspective would be helpful. I found @onestopenglish which provides frequent links to resources and professional development opportunities for English teachers. Finally, my goal for next school year is to get more parents and families involved at our school. Language can still be a barrier but I think @ColorinColorado will be able to help with that. Their updates provide resources tailored for language learners, but even cooler is their website: http://www.ColorinColorado.org/. This is a bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners and I am very excited to share this incredible resource with parents!
Revising my infodiet is something that I needed to do and something that needs to be done on a regular basis. In my ever searching journey to find truth AND meaning, I know that broadening my viewpoint and considering alternate possibilities is always going to be a positive part of my life. Knowing more about the world I live in, helps me to understand myself and my place in this world. I hope that I too can help to encourage and expand a community of thinking where learning is always valued.
Works Cited
Gee, J. P. (2013). The anti-education era: Creating smarter students through digital learning. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Martin, R. P. (2013, February 21). [Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.] [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr database.
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Pic Lits Screencast
Last week, I completed another successful MAET course with a 4.0! This week, I am excited to start CEP 812: Applying Educational Technology to Practice.
My first assignment asked me to consider well-structured and ill-structured problems I may face during the process of my teaching, as well as possible tech tools to help me with those problems. I immediately thought about writing, as it is the subject that my language learning students struggle with the most. I also thought about specific writing tasks that students are required to complete on their annual language proficiency test, LAS Links.
I decided to focus on writing to tell about a picture. Even though many of my students struggle with writing conventions as well, conveying meaning is one of the biggest challenges my students face when learning a new language, especially when writing. I consider this task an ill-structured problem, becasue beyond the rules of mechanics, there is no one way to write a sentence to convey meaning from a picture. Looking at a picture of a butterfly, one student may write about its wings. Another student may write about what it is eating. Another could write about where it may fly next. All of their sentences are about the picture, but the meaning they convey is different. That is why words and writing are SO powerful!
Check out my screencast about PicLits, a great digital tool to help your students practice sentence writing to tell about a picture. Find this amazing tool online @ piclits.com
My first assignment asked me to consider well-structured and ill-structured problems I may face during the process of my teaching, as well as possible tech tools to help me with those problems. I immediately thought about writing, as it is the subject that my language learning students struggle with the most. I also thought about specific writing tasks that students are required to complete on their annual language proficiency test, LAS Links.
I decided to focus on writing to tell about a picture. Even though many of my students struggle with writing conventions as well, conveying meaning is one of the biggest challenges my students face when learning a new language, especially when writing. I consider this task an ill-structured problem, becasue beyond the rules of mechanics, there is no one way to write a sentence to convey meaning from a picture. Looking at a picture of a butterfly, one student may write about its wings. Another student may write about what it is eating. Another could write about where it may fly next. All of their sentences are about the picture, but the meaning they convey is different. That is why words and writing are SO powerful!
Check out my screencast about PicLits, a great digital tool to help your students practice sentence writing to tell about a picture. Find this amazing tool online @ piclits.com
Monday, April 29, 2013
Final Reflection for CEP 811
“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti
It is such an exciting thought for me to know that learning will never end. Education is not confined to a book or a class, but extends to all experience. Learning is my fuel and it brings satisfaction, curiosity, and wonder to my life. Where will the journey of learning take me? What new and interesting ideas will I discover next? What kind of new technologies will help to expand my learning and the learning of my students? I do not know the answers to all of these questions, but I do know that the journey so far has been a fulfilling one. I know that the future quest for knowledge will be just as rewarding. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing my first two online courses this semester with CEP 810 and CEP 811. These courses have given me many things including new friends, new tools, and new ideas. More than anything, my online learning through MSU has renewed my deep love of personal learning. The new knowledge I have gained will not just stay personal, but has given me a reason to share what I have learned with my students and colleagues. What are some of the things I have learned during this course and what contributed to that learning?
One of the most important things I learned this semester is the incredible potential that the Internet affords for collaboration. With all the social media outlets available, connecting with others near and far has never been easier. Throughout this semester I participated in different kinds of social media, including email, discussion forums, blog posting and commenting, and Google Hangouts. In truth, I probably would not willingly choose to be a part of most online social networks. I tend to be a pretty private person and often try to avoid large social gatherings. This course has helped me to reach out to others for support and required that I rely on people outside of my normal circle of acquaintances. This has helped me to see first-hand the wealth of personal and professional contacts that can contribute to my own learning, not to mention the vastness of ideas and resources that I use on a daily basis in my own classroom and at home.
A major component of my classroom is using brain-based ideas and research to plan my lessons. The majority of resources used for these activities are found online. In addition, this course has deepened my understanding of the connections between the brain, learning, and technology through TPACK. I was briefly introduced to TPACK during an undergraduate technology course. Through the readings and videos this semester, as well as collaboration with peers for our group assignments, I now understand that to be the most effective teacher I need to address technology, pedagogy, and content in my classroom. I want to be the best I can be and TPACK, along with the NETS, CCSS, and other research-based resources, offers a workable framework to help guide and plan my lessons. I appreciate the structure that these resources provide while allowing me to teach these standards in a way that best meets the needs of my students.
Throughout the course, I have had the opportunity to create several meaningful instructional technology-based resources for my students. Over the past few weeks, I have implemented my "Can you hear it?" StAIR, "We know how to..." WebQuest, and my UDL enhanced lesson plan into my own classroom. These are useful tools that I created specifically for my students. I feel such a sense of pride when I see what I have created! It is even more rewarding when I see students engaged in learning with the resources I created! I know that in-depth tech-based projects will help my students practice and apply real world communication skills. My WebQuest and UDL lesson plan focus on students creating a how-to video. Each week since Spring Break we have focused on a specific aspect of our how-to writing project including brainstorming, planning, sequencing, writing, revising, editing, adding pictures and adding audio. Every week students are utilizing technology tools to enhance learning, while creating a meaningful product that demonstrates their knowledge. A few of my groups have already completed their projects! I am so pleased with their work! I will be sharing some of the finished videos with my principal and school board this week!
Here are the links to a few:
1st grade - I know how to tie my shoes.
2nd grade - I know how to make a book.
As I look to the future, I still have so much I want to learn about technology! This summer, I am looking forward to attending eQuip 2013. I went last year and it was a blast. I will also be attending a few Project Based Learning workshops, as I believe technology and PBL go hand in hand. I also have a personal goal of compiling a list of Google Play apps for my colleagues based on grade level and subject. We were issued Kunos in December, but unfortunately have not received any training. To help compensate, my second Tech Tuesday will be on May 21st and we will focus on how to use our Kunos for teaching and learning. I also plan to continue to update my Tech4Parkside website with more links and information for my colleagues. In addition, I would like to categorize my list of apps to match the four main areas of language acquisition and the specific skills tested on the LAS Links assessment. I am excited to put this list together because I know these resources will help my students increase their English proficiency. I want to offer my students a variety of opportunities to practice the communication skills they need to be successful. I am also excited about tinkering with MIT’s App Inventor this summer. I have always wanted to make my own apps and hopefully this summer I will!
I know that my learning does not end with CEP 811 this week. It will continue with CEP 812 next week, then CEP 822 later in the summer. I have been accepted into the MAET program and then eventually plan to pursue my Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at MSU. My learning is not isolated to formal schooling as I know the best way to learn is to experience. My goal is to continue to seek out new opportunities to grow as a person and as an educator.
It is such an exciting thought for me to know that learning will never end. Education is not confined to a book or a class, but extends to all experience. Learning is my fuel and it brings satisfaction, curiosity, and wonder to my life. Where will the journey of learning take me? What new and interesting ideas will I discover next? What kind of new technologies will help to expand my learning and the learning of my students? I do not know the answers to all of these questions, but I do know that the journey so far has been a fulfilling one. I know that the future quest for knowledge will be just as rewarding. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing my first two online courses this semester with CEP 810 and CEP 811. These courses have given me many things including new friends, new tools, and new ideas. More than anything, my online learning through MSU has renewed my deep love of personal learning. The new knowledge I have gained will not just stay personal, but has given me a reason to share what I have learned with my students and colleagues. What are some of the things I have learned during this course and what contributed to that learning?
One of the most important things I learned this semester is the incredible potential that the Internet affords for collaboration. With all the social media outlets available, connecting with others near and far has never been easier. Throughout this semester I participated in different kinds of social media, including email, discussion forums, blog posting and commenting, and Google Hangouts. In truth, I probably would not willingly choose to be a part of most online social networks. I tend to be a pretty private person and often try to avoid large social gatherings. This course has helped me to reach out to others for support and required that I rely on people outside of my normal circle of acquaintances. This has helped me to see first-hand the wealth of personal and professional contacts that can contribute to my own learning, not to mention the vastness of ideas and resources that I use on a daily basis in my own classroom and at home.
A major component of my classroom is using brain-based ideas and research to plan my lessons. The majority of resources used for these activities are found online. In addition, this course has deepened my understanding of the connections between the brain, learning, and technology through TPACK. I was briefly introduced to TPACK during an undergraduate technology course. Through the readings and videos this semester, as well as collaboration with peers for our group assignments, I now understand that to be the most effective teacher I need to address technology, pedagogy, and content in my classroom. I want to be the best I can be and TPACK, along with the NETS, CCSS, and other research-based resources, offers a workable framework to help guide and plan my lessons. I appreciate the structure that these resources provide while allowing me to teach these standards in a way that best meets the needs of my students.
Throughout the course, I have had the opportunity to create several meaningful instructional technology-based resources for my students. Over the past few weeks, I have implemented my "Can you hear it?" StAIR, "We know how to..." WebQuest, and my UDL enhanced lesson plan into my own classroom. These are useful tools that I created specifically for my students. I feel such a sense of pride when I see what I have created! It is even more rewarding when I see students engaged in learning with the resources I created! I know that in-depth tech-based projects will help my students practice and apply real world communication skills. My WebQuest and UDL lesson plan focus on students creating a how-to video. Each week since Spring Break we have focused on a specific aspect of our how-to writing project including brainstorming, planning, sequencing, writing, revising, editing, adding pictures and adding audio. Every week students are utilizing technology tools to enhance learning, while creating a meaningful product that demonstrates their knowledge. A few of my groups have already completed their projects! I am so pleased with their work! I will be sharing some of the finished videos with my principal and school board this week!
Here are the links to a few:
1st grade - I know how to tie my shoes.
2nd grade - I know how to make a book.
As I look to the future, I still have so much I want to learn about technology! This summer, I am looking forward to attending eQuip 2013. I went last year and it was a blast. I will also be attending a few Project Based Learning workshops, as I believe technology and PBL go hand in hand. I also have a personal goal of compiling a list of Google Play apps for my colleagues based on grade level and subject. We were issued Kunos in December, but unfortunately have not received any training. To help compensate, my second Tech Tuesday will be on May 21st and we will focus on how to use our Kunos for teaching and learning. I also plan to continue to update my Tech4Parkside website with more links and information for my colleagues. In addition, I would like to categorize my list of apps to match the four main areas of language acquisition and the specific skills tested on the LAS Links assessment. I am excited to put this list together because I know these resources will help my students increase their English proficiency. I want to offer my students a variety of opportunities to practice the communication skills they need to be successful. I am also excited about tinkering with MIT’s App Inventor this summer. I have always wanted to make my own apps and hopefully this summer I will!
I know that my learning does not end with CEP 811 this week. It will continue with CEP 812 next week, then CEP 822 later in the summer. I have been accepted into the MAET program and then eventually plan to pursue my Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at MSU. My learning is not isolated to formal schooling as I know the best way to learn is to experience. My goal is to continue to seek out new opportunities to grow as a person and as an educator.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Online Teaching Experiences
Teaching and learning are changing on a daily basis. New tools for collaboration and interaction are constantly being developed and released. The options are nearly limitless for educators looking to bring technology and online learning into their classrooms.
In my own classroom, I try to incorporate online learning experiences as much as possible. When I use digital tools, I find that my students are engaged in the content, curious about how the tools work, and eager to be a part of a collaborative community where they can demonstrate their knowledge. In the past, I have used a variety of Web 2.0 tools including WebQuests, educational gaming, as well as online research, and various other online projects. Because I have a very tight schedule during the day, it would be difficult to incorporate online discussions with experts and other students. Although I believe my language learning students would benefit from this kind of online interaction, timing and schedules would hinder this activity.
One online learning tool that I have yet to incorporate into my classroom is podcasting. My language learning students could greatly benefit from this kind of tool. Earlier in the year, we made audio recordings using SoundCloud. We recorded personal introductions, greetings, dialogue between partners, as well as some of our small group discussions. However, we have yet to post our recordings online for others to listen to. What I like about this kind of online learning experience is that my students can be consumers and producers. There is a lot of amazing content online created by students for students. But more importantly, my students can write, direct, and star in our own podcasts. This makes me think of some of the old radio programs that used to be on. I can envision using music and sound effects to make our stories come alive. When using only the audio component, students will have to really think about what should be said and what the audience can hear. I think podcasting can cover a variety of subjects and content matter, but for my students I would focus on writing, online research, speaking, listening, and digital citizenship.
To introduce podcasting to my small groups of students, we will first explore podcasts that other students have created. After we have explored good podcasts (and not so good podcasts), we will compile a list of things that should be included in our own podcasts such as clear speaking, manageable chunks of information, and a 2-3 minute time limit. I will demonstrate how to use recording software such as SoundCloud or Audacity, and we will work together to make a group podcast. Then I will break students into pairs and they will create their own script for an original podcast. We will share our creations with others and leave feedback for other projects.
Unfortunately, many of the links listed under Podcast/Videocast in Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline Companion Document were unavailable or outdated. I went searching online for information about podcasting and found a new helpful resources.
9 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids - Fun learning for kids, plus tips and talk for teachers.
Podcasts in the Elementary Classroom: Tools for Teachers and Students - some great tips and ideas for using podcasting in the classroom, as well as lots of external links to other resources.
In my own classroom, I try to incorporate online learning experiences as much as possible. When I use digital tools, I find that my students are engaged in the content, curious about how the tools work, and eager to be a part of a collaborative community where they can demonstrate their knowledge. In the past, I have used a variety of Web 2.0 tools including WebQuests, educational gaming, as well as online research, and various other online projects. Because I have a very tight schedule during the day, it would be difficult to incorporate online discussions with experts and other students. Although I believe my language learning students would benefit from this kind of online interaction, timing and schedules would hinder this activity.
One online learning tool that I have yet to incorporate into my classroom is podcasting. My language learning students could greatly benefit from this kind of tool. Earlier in the year, we made audio recordings using SoundCloud. We recorded personal introductions, greetings, dialogue between partners, as well as some of our small group discussions. However, we have yet to post our recordings online for others to listen to. What I like about this kind of online learning experience is that my students can be consumers and producers. There is a lot of amazing content online created by students for students. But more importantly, my students can write, direct, and star in our own podcasts. This makes me think of some of the old radio programs that used to be on. I can envision using music and sound effects to make our stories come alive. When using only the audio component, students will have to really think about what should be said and what the audience can hear. I think podcasting can cover a variety of subjects and content matter, but for my students I would focus on writing, online research, speaking, listening, and digital citizenship.
To introduce podcasting to my small groups of students, we will first explore podcasts that other students have created. After we have explored good podcasts (and not so good podcasts), we will compile a list of things that should be included in our own podcasts such as clear speaking, manageable chunks of information, and a 2-3 minute time limit. I will demonstrate how to use recording software such as SoundCloud or Audacity, and we will work together to make a group podcast. Then I will break students into pairs and they will create their own script for an original podcast. We will share our creations with others and leave feedback for other projects.
Unfortunately, many of the links listed under Podcast/Videocast in Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline Companion Document were unavailable or outdated. I went searching online for information about podcasting and found a new helpful resources.
9 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids - Fun learning for kids, plus tips and talk for teachers.
Podcasts in the Elementary Classroom: Tools for Teachers and Students - some great tips and ideas for using podcasting in the classroom, as well as lots of external links to other resources.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
StAIR: Can you hear it?
Here is my StAIR (Stand Alone Instructional Resource) for CEP 811. This resource is designed for students in Kindergarten & 1st grade focusing on phonological awareness, particularly short vowel sounds. Students can complete this activity independently.
I created this activity for my English Language Learning students. Many of them have a difficult time distinguishing the short vowel sound in words and in isolation. This resource will be used to support their phonological awareness in addition to other activities we do together during class.
You can also find this resource on MERLOT by following this link.
UPDATE 4-23-13: It has come to my attention (from some of my MSU classmates) that there are some glitches in my StAIR when viewed through the PowerPoint Web App. To avoid these glitches, I would recommend downloading the StAIR from Dropbox HERE. You will need PowerPoint to view. This version runs much more smoothly. Thanks!
I created this activity for my English Language Learning students. Many of them have a difficult time distinguishing the short vowel sound in words and in isolation. This resource will be used to support their phonological awareness in addition to other activities we do together during class.
You can also find this resource on MERLOT by following this link.
UPDATE 4-23-13: It has come to my attention (from some of my MSU classmates) that there are some glitches in my StAIR when viewed through the PowerPoint Web App. To avoid these glitches, I would recommend downloading the StAIR from Dropbox HERE. You will need PowerPoint to view. This version runs much more smoothly. Thanks!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wikispaces and Wikipedia
This week, I learned more about wikis. I have not used wikis in the past, but see the potential for collaboration with students and colleagues. Here is the wiki I created at Wikispaces for my school entitled tech4parkside. (This is a private wiki that requires you to be a member. If you would like to join this wiki, you can email me at mrsgalbreath27@gmail.com. I will send you an invitation). This will be a place for teachers and staff to share ideas about how they use technology for teaching and learning.
In addition, I was charged to create an article on Wikipedia for my school since it did not have one. I am used to html coding, so it took a bit of research to understand how to do the markups in Wikipedia. Once, I got the hang of it, I added that our school is K-5 and that it is located in LaGrange, Indiana. I also included 2 reference sites, as well as an external link to our school website. I also added 2 categories to the article: Elemenatary schools in the United States and Elementary schools in Indiana. The link to the article on Wikipedia can be found here. Please find the screenshot of my article below.
In addition, I was charged to create an article on Wikipedia for my school since it did not have one. I am used to html coding, so it took a bit of research to understand how to do the markups in Wikipedia. Once, I got the hang of it, I added that our school is K-5 and that it is located in LaGrange, Indiana. I also included 2 reference sites, as well as an external link to our school website. I also added 2 categories to the article: Elemenatary schools in the United States and Elementary schools in Indiana. The link to the article on Wikipedia can be found here. Please find the screenshot of my article below.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Evaluation of WebQuest
This is a WebQuest for students in grades 3-5, especially students who are still learning to communicate with the English language. This WebQuest allows students to create their ‘dream room’ with free online floor plan software, as well as share their creations with an oral presentation. There are no curriculum standards included with this WebQuest, however there are many curricular alignments to the Common Core State Standards addressing content in reading, speaking & listening, and language. A rubric is also included to evaluate student work and participation. In the conclusion section, there are also options for extension activities.
This WebQuest utilizes a variety of strategies to teach content about houses, rooms, furniture, and prepositions. Since there is a large emphasis on vocabulary, this WebQuest uses quite a bit of inductive learning by exposing students to specific words and examples which will then later be used for an assignment. In addition, this WebQuest helps students learn about vocabulary through scaffolding by modeling, listening, and repeating audio and video clips. The narrator says a word or sentence, and the student is expected to repeat. There are also interactive flashcards that allow the student to explore the vocabulary on their own. In addition, there is more vocabulary practice offered through interactive online games such as matching, word search, and hangman. All of these activities prepare students to apply what they have learned and memorized to produce writing. Allowing for collaboration, students write sentences together with a partner about their favorite room. After they have had time to work with a partner, students produce sentences on their own, and then orally present their writing. These strategies can be effective for learning vocabulary, however context is missing from many of these activities. Learning vocabulary words in isolation is not ideal, but students are at least able to apply what they know to their writing.
To teach the concepts in this WebQuest, many different kinds of technological tools are made available to students. There are a few audio clips, even some that allow students to record their own voice and listen to the playback. There are also many video clips that provide audio and visual stimulation to students. One video also reinforces spelling by writing the words out as the letters are named. Students are also able to play interactive vocabulary games, as well as use online floor plan software to design their favorite room. I believe, however, that this lesson could be completed without the use of technology. Students could practice the vocabulary with flashcards and play a memory game with their own cards. In addition, students could just draw their favorite room on paper instead of online. For this WebQuest, technology is an ‘add-on’ instead of a transformative tool.
The WebQuest is complete with all links currently functional. There are no visible flaws or missing images. The material appears to be up to date. Beyond listing the links, there are no credits or sources included.
This WebQuest could be improved in a number of ways. First, I think it is vital that curriculum standards are included. I would like to include Common Core State Standards for reading, speaking & listening, and language. The content is present but is not currently matched to standards. I also noticed that several links for videos include the British pronunciation for words. This will be confusing for my students who are still learning English. It would be more appropriate to find resources that use American English for my students. As is, I probably will not use this resource in my classroom, but after some tweaking I think this could be a fun and meaningful project for my students.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Evaluation of Learning Material in MERLOT
As part of CEP 811, I have to evaluate a resource found on MERLOT. Here is the resource I have chosen to review:
Quality of Content:
This resource provides vocabulary flashcards with high quality photographs. The flashcards are written correctly in a font easily read by young students. They also include the part of speech and definition if applicable. The flashcards are matched with the correct photographs and several tabs are provided to easily access vocabulary words at differing levels. This resource is educationally significant for English Language Learning students who are practicing basic and advanced vocabulary terms. In addition, this website was honored by the American Library Association in 2009 as a Great Web Site for Kids.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
This tool can be used in a variety of contexts, grade levels, subjects, and ability levels. The material can be useful at several stages during the learning process including explanation, demonstration, practice, and application. As part of the explanation stage of the learning process, it can be used during direct instruction as a resource for teachers to communicate with English Language Learning students. The flashcards can help students visualize a challenging word and may give teachers new ways to show a word and its meaning. Students can use these flashcards as a visual dictionary to look up unknown or difficult words to practice fluency. Some of the words contain an audio file so students can hear the word, as well. This resource can also help students apply their knowledge to new situations. Teachers and students can create their own visual dictionary with words they are currently studying. It can be a class or team challenge to figure out a way to visually depict the word and its meaning using drawings, photographs, or acting it out. This resource does not include objectives or learning goals, but can easily be adapted to meet the needs of any teacher, student, age, ability, and subject. The open-endedness of this resource means teachers can create their own assignments and projects using this tool as a resource.
Ease of Use:
The layout of the website is very user-friendly. When you first load the page, a random sample word is chosen and displayed in the center. There are four tabs at the top right side of the page that will take users to the four categories of words on the site: basic, easy, medium, and hard. When you click on a tab, the words in that category will appear below it. There is a scroll bar on the right hand side to scroll to the bottom so users can view all the words. Then you can click on a word or picture to see it displayed in the center. You can easily click between tabs and on different words without navigating away from the main page. There is no login or signup required to use this resource. This resource simply requires a computer connected to the Internet. The information is presented in a way that would be familiar and attractive to students.
Suggested Improvements:
One thing that I would like to see added to this resource is a search box that will allow you to look for a particular word. I would also appreciate more audio files connected to the words and pictures. In addition, I would prefer if the printed words were all lowercase letters instead of the first letter capitalized. Unless used at the beginning of a sentence, the majority of words listed on the site should always be lowercase.
I am excited about the prospect of creating a customized visual dictionary. Several hundred cards are available to print for free for bookmaking and other projects, as well. You can click which cards in the category you want to include when printing. This is a great resource that I have bookmarked and plan to use frequently in my class. The bright, colorful, lively photographs will make for interesting discussions with my students!
Free Printable Vocabulary Flash Cards with Photographs
On MERLOT here.
On the Web here.
Quality of Content:
This resource provides vocabulary flashcards with high quality photographs. The flashcards are written correctly in a font easily read by young students. They also include the part of speech and definition if applicable. The flashcards are matched with the correct photographs and several tabs are provided to easily access vocabulary words at differing levels. This resource is educationally significant for English Language Learning students who are practicing basic and advanced vocabulary terms. In addition, this website was honored by the American Library Association in 2009 as a Great Web Site for Kids.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
This tool can be used in a variety of contexts, grade levels, subjects, and ability levels. The material can be useful at several stages during the learning process including explanation, demonstration, practice, and application. As part of the explanation stage of the learning process, it can be used during direct instruction as a resource for teachers to communicate with English Language Learning students. The flashcards can help students visualize a challenging word and may give teachers new ways to show a word and its meaning. Students can use these flashcards as a visual dictionary to look up unknown or difficult words to practice fluency. Some of the words contain an audio file so students can hear the word, as well. This resource can also help students apply their knowledge to new situations. Teachers and students can create their own visual dictionary with words they are currently studying. It can be a class or team challenge to figure out a way to visually depict the word and its meaning using drawings, photographs, or acting it out. This resource does not include objectives or learning goals, but can easily be adapted to meet the needs of any teacher, student, age, ability, and subject. The open-endedness of this resource means teachers can create their own assignments and projects using this tool as a resource.
Ease of Use:
The layout of the website is very user-friendly. When you first load the page, a random sample word is chosen and displayed in the center. There are four tabs at the top right side of the page that will take users to the four categories of words on the site: basic, easy, medium, and hard. When you click on a tab, the words in that category will appear below it. There is a scroll bar on the right hand side to scroll to the bottom so users can view all the words. Then you can click on a word or picture to see it displayed in the center. You can easily click between tabs and on different words without navigating away from the main page. There is no login or signup required to use this resource. This resource simply requires a computer connected to the Internet. The information is presented in a way that would be familiar and attractive to students.
Suggested Improvements:
One thing that I would like to see added to this resource is a search box that will allow you to look for a particular word. I would also appreciate more audio files connected to the words and pictures. In addition, I would prefer if the printed words were all lowercase letters instead of the first letter capitalized. Unless used at the beginning of a sentence, the majority of words listed on the site should always be lowercase.
I am excited about the prospect of creating a customized visual dictionary. Several hundred cards are available to print for free for bookmaking and other projects, as well. You can click which cards in the category you want to include when printing. This is a great resource that I have bookmarked and plan to use frequently in my class. The bright, colorful, lively photographs will make for interesting discussions with my students!
Monday, March 18, 2013
How do you feel today?
Testing is finally easing up a bit which means I get to meet with some of my students again! I have two fresh students who are still learning the basics of English. This week we talked about feelings. We practiced dialogue, asking and answering questions, writing sentences, listening to each other, and reading feeling words and sentences. We also looked at our faces in the mirror and talked about how our face changes depending on how we feel. We can tell how others feel just by looking at their face. We also shared experiences that made us feel happy, sad, and mad. I used quite a bit of multimedia and technology tools for these lessons which I would like to share with you!
Free Google Play apps about feelings
AutismXpress
Glitchy, but has great cartoon faces. I used this app just as a reference when introducing the feelings. It includes some strange ones like gassy and hiccupy.
I Am Feeling
Lego-esque faces. Tap the face to choose how you feel. The first time you tap the face it says the feeling. The second time you tap the face it will choose it. Also includes "I don't know."
Face Read 1-Autism Series
Acutal kid faces. The audio is a bit choppy. Introduces the feeling by saying: "He is ____. Who is _____?" After introducing four feelings, it gives a quick quiz by asking "Who is _____?" Students can then tap the correct face. I like that this app uses questions as well.
Web Resources about feelings
123Listening - Feelings audio files
Great resources for listening activities. This page is all about feelings and emotions. Sometimes it is difficult for students to grasp the concept of dialogue. These short audio bits are great for demonstrating dialogue. Each set gets a little bit harder with more complex sentences.
Dream English: Feelings
This site is connected to 123Listening, but has some additional examples and songs. Geared toward younger students.
How Are You? web book
You can listen online, download the audio, download as a pdf, or print the book. I project it on the big screen and have students use pointers to read. The book also discussed the reasons behind why someone feels a certain way.
Feelings Content Trailer
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this entire site. If you have not used content trailers in your class before, please try it. They are quick videos to spark student interest in a topic. This one is focused on feelings and the tune is pretty catchy. The link above will open the .wmv file.
About Face game
Arthur PBS kids. Listen to a story and decide how the character feels. It reads the story for you. For my older students, I just turn the audio off and have them read it.
Do2Learn-The Feelings Game
This game uses actual photos of real people. There is an option at the beginning to use girl, woman, or man faces. I always choose the All Faces option. There are four parts to this game, each getting progressively harder.
I hope you enjoy these resources! It took me some time to compile this list. There are so many good ideas out there, but it was hard to narrow all of them down to focus on language learning. What resources do you use to teach students about feelings?
Free Google Play apps about feelings
AutismXpress
Glitchy, but has great cartoon faces. I used this app just as a reference when introducing the feelings. It includes some strange ones like gassy and hiccupy.
I Am Feeling
Lego-esque faces. Tap the face to choose how you feel. The first time you tap the face it says the feeling. The second time you tap the face it will choose it. Also includes "I don't know."
Face Read 1-Autism Series
Acutal kid faces. The audio is a bit choppy. Introduces the feeling by saying: "He is ____. Who is _____?" After introducing four feelings, it gives a quick quiz by asking "Who is _____?" Students can then tap the correct face. I like that this app uses questions as well.
Web Resources about feelings
123Listening - Feelings audio files
Great resources for listening activities. This page is all about feelings and emotions. Sometimes it is difficult for students to grasp the concept of dialogue. These short audio bits are great for demonstrating dialogue. Each set gets a little bit harder with more complex sentences.
Dream English: Feelings
This site is connected to 123Listening, but has some additional examples and songs. Geared toward younger students.
How Are You? web book
You can listen online, download the audio, download as a pdf, or print the book. I project it on the big screen and have students use pointers to read. The book also discussed the reasons behind why someone feels a certain way.
Feelings Content Trailer
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this entire site. If you have not used content trailers in your class before, please try it. They are quick videos to spark student interest in a topic. This one is focused on feelings and the tune is pretty catchy. The link above will open the .wmv file.
About Face game
Arthur PBS kids. Listen to a story and decide how the character feels. It reads the story for you. For my older students, I just turn the audio off and have them read it.
Do2Learn-The Feelings Game
This game uses actual photos of real people. There is an option at the beginning to use girl, woman, or man faces. I always choose the All Faces option. There are four parts to this game, each getting progressively harder.
I hope you enjoy these resources! It took me some time to compile this list. There are so many good ideas out there, but it was hard to narrow all of them down to focus on language learning. What resources do you use to teach students about feelings?
Monday, March 11, 2013
Marching onward
Last week we completed ISTEP Applied Skills. I worked with 3rd and 5th grade students, as many of my ELL students receive accommodations for testing. This includes having the test administrator read questions aloud in English and having extended time to complete the test. I have just a few makeups to finish this week. Next week we start IREAD 3. After all of this testing, I will have one week with my students before Spring Break. I have a couple things in mind already: SMART cookie celebration and brainstorm project ideas.
This last quarter, my students will complete a collaborative online project. During CEP 810 (which just finished last week), we created a SIG - Special Interest Group. Our group decided to focus on using Web 2.0 graphic organizers to plan and produce expository writing. You can find the link to our presentation here and well as our list of resources at diigo here. It was a lot of fun to work together on this project and I am looking forward to implementing these ideas into my own classroom. I have created a separate website to document the progress on our project (We Know How To...).
Looking ahead to summer break, I plan to organize and compile a giant list of resources for language learners that focus on all the tested skills on the LAS Links assessment. I made another separate website to keep track of that project as well (Tech4Language). I am very excited about undertaking these exciting projects and am looking forward to documenting what I learn, as well as what my students learn.
In addition, I am planning to put together a kind of SIG at my school focused around technology. I have created a basic survey here to gather information about the staff and their ideas about technology. My goal is to use this data to design technology based professional development for my colleagues.
I have lots of projects and ideas that I am excited about right now! Of course, there always seems to be other things that usually fill up my time. I just need to focus on school and work on extra projects when I can.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
LAS Links is done!
I am so happy to announce that we are finished with our LAS Links testing! It took five weeks to get all my students K-5 tested but we are now finally done! Now I will be moving on to ISTEP for the next two weeks, and then IREAD for one week after that. And then finally I will be back with my students. It has been too long! I miss all my kiddos! I am excited to try out some of the new technology I have been learning about with my online courses at MSU. One of my goals for integrating technology is to update this blog at least once a week with what I am teaching and what I am learning at MSU. My last blog post was back in October so I haven't done a very good job keeping this up to date. But I can make a positive change for the future. Blogging is a great way to document what I am doing and also helps me to reflect on my practice as an educator. Keep watching here for new updates, teaching resources, and ideas!
Friday, October 05, 2012
Tech Week & Leaves!
This week I introduced a few cool tech learning tools to my students. Third, fourth, and fifth graders worked on Pirate Pad. If you have ever used EtherPad or Titan Pad, Pirate Pad is pretty much the same. Here is the link to one of the 4th grade pads. It is an online collaborative writing platform. We were fortunate enough to have 3 laptops available for student use this week. The students thought it was so cool that we could write to each other and see what others were writing instantly. They thought we were "chatting" which made it even more fun. I am not sure how reliable Pirate Pad will be. We did have a few connection issues. I know Google Docs has a collaborative element, so I may try using that next time. With this one tech tool students were spelling, forming sentences, asking questions, rereading their own writing, reading others' writing, using capitalization/punctuation, practicing their typing skills, AND working together as a group. All that in one thirty minute session! That makes this teacher happy! :D
My intensive groups that I meet with several times a week created books this week. Each group had a different poem about Autumn. We worked on visualizing the words in the poem, and then illustrated the different lines of the poem. We will turn these into our first homemade books of the year! I love making books with my students! It is so personal and meaningful to them AND it gives me an opportunity to use my creative juices! We then used Sound Cloud to record our voices saying each line from the poem. I put their pictures together with their narration to make a movie. I have the Kindergarten movie done and am still working on First and Third Grades. I am so happy with how it turned out! I can't wait to show the kids on Monday! :D ( YouTube link: Leaves by Kindergarten )
First and second graders experienced Sound Cloud this week. On this site, you can record any sound and have it available immediately for playback. The possibilities are endless with this kind of application. Since it was their first time using this program, students simply introduced themselves. They got such a kick out of hearing their own voices! There was a lot of giggling! I will be using this tool to record student oral reading, discussions, even sound effects for books and stories.
Note: I used iMovie to create the videos. Apparently when putting a title slide at the end or beginning of a movie, you cannot change the background color. I wanted a white title slide at the beginning of the movie, but it would not let me change it from black. Hmmm....I like my customization iMovie! I could also create slideshows with SlideRocket or find another program that lets me do what I want! Anyway, it is all good! :D
Friday, August 17, 2012
School starts Tuesday!
Summer is coming to a close and the beginning of fall is right around the corner. I love this time of year. The days are becoming shorter and I can feel a hint of coolness returning to the air during the nighttime hours. Most importantly, school is starting back up and that gets me excited! Not only am I excited about teaching this year, I am excited about being a student again. I am starting online classes at MSU this fall for my Educational Technology Certificate. Over the summer, I have been learning about a lot of interesting tech tools and am excited to incorporate some of them into my lessons this year.
Tech tools to try:
Jing - make screencast/podcast tutorials
Skype - video chat with authors
Another year means another chance to use all those ideas I have been wanting to try but never got the chance to. I want to incorporate more Whole Brain Teaching methods, as well as SMART goal setting into my lessons. I love having students create learning goals for themselves. They take ownership of their own education and are motivated to succeed. SMART goals will offer more of a focus to our goal setting.
SMART =
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Here is my SMART goal for this blog:
I want to add a post to this blog each week of the school year. It will include student objectives, methods and resources used, as well as what could be improved for next time. Is my goal a SMART goal?
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