What: This class has taught me a lot of useful information regarding technology in the classroom. From the first day of working with Google, to ending with digital stories, I feel more competent in technology and using it as an educator. One of my favorite things to do was the podcasts and vidcasts. I not only found them fun to d, but they are also very useful in the classroom and for students.
I also liked learning how to set up our classroom sites. It is a great tool to keep and add more stuff to as I learn. It is something I will use in my classroom and a great resource for parents and for students.
So What: This class is important to take because technology is a big part of the future. We need to incorporate it into our classroom to prepare our students for the future that awaits them. The jobs that will be available to them have not even been created yet, because technology is constantly evolving.
It is important to use it in the classroom, but to also have students use it to become more familiar with it. Many teachers do not think it is important and do not use it. By doing this, they are depriving their students of the full education they deserve.
Now What: I plan on taking much of the information I have learned and using it to my advantage and to my students' advantage as well. The tools and resources that were given and taught in this class are benficial and are there to help teahers and students. Therefore, I plan on being the best teacher I can, and to do this, I will use technology in my classroom.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Reflection
What:
This week we continued to learn about Digital Stories. Digital stories are great tools for the classroom and can be used for many different things. For example, they can be used as an attention grabber, give information to the students about a topic, or assign a project for the students to complete.
This week we discussed the different tools available for creating a digital story. There are many out there. Most of which I have heard of before, but some I have not. I do not have a Mac, so I will not be using that tool. Though I have heard of many of the tools available for us to use, I have only used one, and am not familiar with it. But, they are great to have for digital stories and other things as well that can be used in the classroom.
So What:
Obviously digital stories are beneficial. There are many different aspects that make them great resources for the classroom. But if we do not know how to create them, they won't help us! That is why it was impornat this week to learn te basics and the programs available for teachers to use.
Also, I am glad we learned more about them because, like I previously said, I am not very familiar with the programs. But this class, and group members, have shown me how to use them and I am becoming more familiar with them.
Now What:
Now that I have a better understanding of the programs and resources, I am better able to create a digital story. They are great for the classroom, and if it were not for this class, I most likely would not have ever used them in my future classroom.
Also, the programs and other tools we have learned about in class regarding digital stories will be useful in other capacities as a teacher. Now that I know how to create them, I will make sure I do to bring the best experience to my students.
Video Reflection:
I find the "Did You Know" videos to be very interesting. The facts always impress me and I find them truly incredible. Like the one that states China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world. And that India's IQ percentage blows the U.S.'s away. That just proves the education in these countries is on a completely different level than it is here. They are preparing the children for the technological world they are part of. We need to better teach and prepare our children to be ready for the jobs that will be needed as they get older.
This week we continued to learn about Digital Stories. Digital stories are great tools for the classroom and can be used for many different things. For example, they can be used as an attention grabber, give information to the students about a topic, or assign a project for the students to complete.
This week we discussed the different tools available for creating a digital story. There are many out there. Most of which I have heard of before, but some I have not. I do not have a Mac, so I will not be using that tool. Though I have heard of many of the tools available for us to use, I have only used one, and am not familiar with it. But, they are great to have for digital stories and other things as well that can be used in the classroom.
So What:
Obviously digital stories are beneficial. There are many different aspects that make them great resources for the classroom. But if we do not know how to create them, they won't help us! That is why it was impornat this week to learn te basics and the programs available for teachers to use.
Also, I am glad we learned more about them because, like I previously said, I am not very familiar with the programs. But this class, and group members, have shown me how to use them and I am becoming more familiar with them.
Now What:
Now that I have a better understanding of the programs and resources, I am better able to create a digital story. They are great for the classroom, and if it were not for this class, I most likely would not have ever used them in my future classroom.
Also, the programs and other tools we have learned about in class regarding digital stories will be useful in other capacities as a teacher. Now that I know how to create them, I will make sure I do to bring the best experience to my students.
Video Reflection:
I find the "Did You Know" videos to be very interesting. The facts always impress me and I find them truly incredible. Like the one that states China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world. And that India's IQ percentage blows the U.S.'s away. That just proves the education in these countries is on a completely different level than it is here. They are preparing the children for the technological world they are part of. We need to better teach and prepare our children to be ready for the jobs that will be needed as they get older.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Video Reflection
This video was a digital story on America's historic moment of walking on the moon and other space voyages. I thought this digital story was very well done. The music was appropriate and the voice was clear. The pictures were also spaced out at a good speed. I was able to look at them and take in what I was seeing before the picture changed. I liked that the creator used the real voices of JFK and the men on the moon. It creates a sense of authenticity that you can't get from someone just reading it. The video also explored the different disasters that happened with space crafts and voyages. It showed pictures of these people and made it more real for the viewer. This is the type of digital story I hope to be able to create. It was not only well done, but was interesting as well. It grabbed my attention and then taught me information as well.
Digital Story Relfection
What: This week we learned about Digital Stories and saw many examples of them. Digital stories are great ways to get the students interested in a subject and introduce it to them. It also allows teachers to be creative and put in what they want, instead of finding a source somewhere that only has some information pertinent to what will be taught.
By viewing the examples, I was able to get a good idea of positives and negatives aspects to creating digital stories. For example, the music plays a big role in the digital story. If the music is too distracting, the students will be too busy listening to it and not taking in the content of the story. Also, if this music is not appropriate for the topic, it can also be offensive and distracting. I also learned about different sound effects that are fun and useful, but that should be used sparingly. There are also different programs available to use when creating a digital story.
So what: Digital stories are great in teaching. Like I previously said, they can get students engaged in the subject and content that will be taught. Also, though they can be short, they still provide students with information that can be useful to the content. For example, one of the digital stories that was shown in class was on the Holocaust. I am a history major, and I got a lot from watching that video. I think in certain areas of history, like the Holocaust, a video can teach and show more than just a lecture.
Also, digital stories are very differentiated. They are great for different learning styles and allow many students to be engaged and participate. They are fun ways to introduce the content that will be taught.
Now what: I enjoyed the class on digital stories. Though there were some that I found boring or useless, I believe that is up to the creator of the story. In my classroom, I want the digital stories to be interesting, and varied. There are so many topics in history that can be better taught with pictures and music. I will not use it too often, but enough that my students truly enjoy them and get something out of them.
I also want to provide learning for a wide variety of learners, and I believe that digital stories helps me reach this goal.
By viewing the examples, I was able to get a good idea of positives and negatives aspects to creating digital stories. For example, the music plays a big role in the digital story. If the music is too distracting, the students will be too busy listening to it and not taking in the content of the story. Also, if this music is not appropriate for the topic, it can also be offensive and distracting. I also learned about different sound effects that are fun and useful, but that should be used sparingly. There are also different programs available to use when creating a digital story.
So what: Digital stories are great in teaching. Like I previously said, they can get students engaged in the subject and content that will be taught. Also, though they can be short, they still provide students with information that can be useful to the content. For example, one of the digital stories that was shown in class was on the Holocaust. I am a history major, and I got a lot from watching that video. I think in certain areas of history, like the Holocaust, a video can teach and show more than just a lecture.
Also, digital stories are very differentiated. They are great for different learning styles and allow many students to be engaged and participate. They are fun ways to introduce the content that will be taught.
Now what: I enjoyed the class on digital stories. Though there were some that I found boring or useless, I believe that is up to the creator of the story. In my classroom, I want the digital stories to be interesting, and varied. There are so many topics in history that can be better taught with pictures and music. I will not use it too often, but enough that my students truly enjoy them and get something out of them.
I also want to provide learning for a wide variety of learners, and I believe that digital stories helps me reach this goal.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Video Reflection
The video this week was about the common mistakes people make when creating power-points. I found it to be very funny. Mainly because I have seen many presentations that have a lot of these common mistakes. ome of them include spell check, too many words on one slide, colors that make it hard to read. This is something that needs to be taught to students, otherwise they do not know they are doing anything wrong. When creating an activity that helps students learn about power-points, I think it is important to include the simple rules that tend to be left out.
Reflection
The tool that I have chosen to use in my classroom is video conferencing. I am a history education major and a part of the curriculum is geography. I think a really fun and educational activity for your children and my students would be the opportunity to video conference with someone else in the United States and in another country. It would allow the students to not only learn about and use this form of technology, but also learn about the different region, culture, language, foods, cities, etc., that are all over the world. It opens the students minds and helps them realize that there is so much more out there besides the city they live in. There are so many different kinds of people and places out there that they can learn about by participating in this activity. These are the many wonderful pros of this activity.
A few of the cons would be the unpredictability of what will be discussed. There will be times where the students can ask questions to the person on the other side of the video conference, and though I will not allow inappropriate comments, there may be questions and comments that were unexpected. Another con of this activity could be the possibility of technological difficulties. But, unfortunately, this is the case in many activities that deal with technology.
Overall, this activity would be very beneficial and one I that I believe will teach students more than a textbook or lecture can. The opportunity to talk to someone and learn about someone who lives somewhere else in the world is one that can impact a student and should not be missed.
The next tool I hope to use in my classroom is digital cameras. Cameras are a great way to portray a student's life. For one of my lessons, I want the student to create their own history. They will accomplish this by taking pictures of things they believe to be important and pertinent to their lives and then create a power-point slide show. This is a great way to familiarize students with how to use digital cameras and downlaod the pictures to a computer. Also, it allows them to explore their creative side and what they think had made up their history ths far in their lives.
A negative with this activity will be the need of digital cameras for those students who do not own them. But overall, it is a great activity that I hope the students will be excited to participate in.
Educational Video:
A few of the cons would be the unpredictability of what will be discussed. There will be times where the students can ask questions to the person on the other side of the video conference, and though I will not allow inappropriate comments, there may be questions and comments that were unexpected. Another con of this activity could be the possibility of technological difficulties. But, unfortunately, this is the case in many activities that deal with technology.
Overall, this activity would be very beneficial and one I that I believe will teach students more than a textbook or lecture can. The opportunity to talk to someone and learn about someone who lives somewhere else in the world is one that can impact a student and should not be missed.
The next tool I hope to use in my classroom is digital cameras. Cameras are a great way to portray a student's life. For one of my lessons, I want the student to create their own history. They will accomplish this by taking pictures of things they believe to be important and pertinent to their lives and then create a power-point slide show. This is a great way to familiarize students with how to use digital cameras and downlaod the pictures to a computer. Also, it allows them to explore their creative side and what they think had made up their history ths far in their lives.
A negative with this activity will be the need of digital cameras for those students who do not own them. But overall, it is a great activity that I hope the students will be excited to participate in.
Educational Video:
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Video Reflection
literacy, sharing, collaboration, creativity and give students an audience.
The video this week was about blogs and the benefits of allowing the students to use them. It allows students to collaborate with each other. It also help students with literacy and creativity. Another great aspect of blogs are that they give students an auidence. They are great ways to get students engaged in using technology. I have had to use them in a few of my classes and they are fun ways to do reflections, and I think that is something I will try to carry over into my class.
The video this week was about blogs and the benefits of allowing the students to use them. It allows students to collaborate with each other. It also help students with literacy and creativity. Another great aspect of blogs are that they give students an auidence. They are great ways to get students engaged in using technology. I have had to use them in a few of my classes and they are fun ways to do reflections, and I think that is something I will try to carry over into my class.
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