Week 8 Reflection

Using Video Media in the Classroom

What?

I thought that the educational simulations on National Geographic were awesome for classroom use. It's a great way to easily recreate an experience or trip, when an actual visit or experience might be too dangerous or costly to actually perform. It was fun exploring teachertube and finding so many great teaching videos that can be used to explain concepts and subjects to students.

So What?

It would be fun to have my students go on a virtual field trip one day to a volcano or a rainforest. I really liked the idea mentioned in class about bringing in something real to enhance the virtual field trip, such as a real starfish or perhaps a fossil of some sort. Kids love learning with visual, hands-on tools like that. It would be great to show different video clips from the web, such as the life cycle of a frog. The students can then go online and virtually disect a frog. It might be fun to do a spotlight on different countries and have students "travel" around to different countries (stations) and experience each culture, climate, etc. through a simulative video on National Geographic.

Now What?

I think that using such media in the classroom really helps children understand subject material in a fun, hands-on way. As teachers we need to keep up on technology and take advantage of the great educational resources that are available. It's important to bring education into reality for students to really understand what's being taught. For example, when teaching students about different environments, it would be very helpful to actually show students what each environment is like and use as many of the six senses as possible, to really bring home the lesson.

Millennial Generation Video

I really liked what one of the students said about not using credit cards in the future, but fingerprint scans instead, in order to prevent idenity theft, etc. It was funny when the students talked about their parents not having a clue on technology matters. My parents call my husband on a regular basis for tech support. I can see my own kids being even more tech savvy than my generation. My 4 year old is constantly on the computer, playing educational games and is already competent in using a mouse, printing, etc.

Educational Videos

Week 7 Reflection

Picasa

It's funny because I was just telling my husband that I needed some kind of program to edit my pictures, write text on them, and just make them look cool. And then in class we learned about Picasa! I love it, it's so user friendly, I've already downloaded it (for free) to my home computer and am now importing all of my pictures onto it.

I think Picasa would be a great tool to use in the classroom. Students can create sideshows, time lines, picture collages. It's simple to use, so students can learn how to crop, edit and add effects to photos they have taken with digital cameras. Students can also create a web album, with all of their photos in one place.

I'm excited to play around with Picasa a little more and become more familiar with it. I've already been having a lot of fun with my pictures! There really is an endless amount of projects that I can think of doing with this awesome program!

Here are some of my creations...

Week 6 Reflection

The Pros of Using Digital Cameras (digicams) in the Classroom:
There are a lot of great ideas out there for bringing digicams into the classroom. Using this media form is a great way to get students involved in fun and interesting projects. They can decide what they want to learn about or study, snap a picture and write a report on it.

Pictures can enhance almost any project. A science experiment of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly could be photographically documented at each and every stage of development.

I think that using digicams helps students to see and learn from the the world around them. For example, I did my slide show on shapes. I found shapes in unconventional places, which will help my students to start taking a closer look at the world around them. They can pick out a banana and identify it as a crescent shape. Doing projects like this, really encourages kids to get excited about learning in their everyday life.

Another great thing about using digicams is the ease of snapping a photo and then transferring the image straight to the computer. This makes it easier for students to edit photos for assignments or projects. It's also great for visual aids in presentations.

"top 10 things you don't learn about teaching in college" video
Love it! Very cute video. I will be taking some of those tips and storing them in my brain, such as believing a student when they say they really have to use the bathroom! I liked the one about hearing your last name so much, you'll want to change it.

"mash-up" video
Wow! That is really amazing how they remixed all those videos together to create a song! Very fascinating how the guy didn't have to do much, since they already flowed together so easily on their own (the videos). That might be a fun project for students to try.

Just a little shout out

Dan has been working for months on this new touch pad product for Dell's new laptop (the Latitude Z). It's called the EdgeTouch and it's a touch pad on the side of the monitor where you can control volume, access menus, etc. It is very cool and I am glad it is done too!! There have been many long nights that Dan has spent on this at work! I'm continually in awe of the stuff he can do. I did not realize that I was marrying a genius 6 years ago!

more links:

http://www.cirque.com/technologies/glidepath.aspx

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-latitude-z?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~ck=mn

Week 5 Reflection

Internet Safety

Why we should or should not use the Internet in education:

I wholeheartedly believe that there is a place for Internet usage in education, as long as educators take the time to properly implement Internet assignments and activities in a way that is safe for their students. I believe that the web can greatly enhance classrooms around the world. It would be unfortunate to ignore or shun this great resource that is available to us.

Why evaluate the sites we use:

It is crucial for educators, parents, and students to learn how to properly evaluate websites. There is so much content on the web today, with a large percentage being inappropriate for students. When students are given a research assignment, they need to have the tools to identify whether a website's information is academically legitimate. Teachers need to guide their students, by providing them with safe, reputable sites and educational resources.

Questions to ask when evaluating a site:
I really like Kathy Schrock's 5 W's of Website Evaluation. She gives five simple things to look for when evaluating a website. Such as; who, what, when, where, and why.

Here are some specific tips she gives:

Who wrote the pages and are they an expert?
What does the author say is the purpose of the site?
When was the site created?
Where does the information come from?
Why is this information useful for my purpose?

Teachers should instruct their students to use questions like these, every time they use a website for homework and various projects.

Ways to keep students safe while surfing:

A good idea for keeping students safe online is to provide them with several websites that have been pre-evaluated by their teacher. I've found uen.org and Pioneer Online Library to provide a wide selection of safe, educational recources for students to use. Students can find reliable search engines for research projects, such as EBSCO Host.

Educators can also help by teaching their students Internet safety guidelines and how to evaluate websites.

Parents should make sure to monitor their child's home computer time as well.

Week 4 Reflection

UEN Reflection
I was actually thinking of doing a similar scavenger hunt, like the one we did for this class, for my future students. It was the perfect way to become familiar with all of the resources that UEN has to offer. It was fun trying to find all of the different links and research tools. I thought of so many ideas that I can use as a teacher, it got me really excited!

I'm really looking forward to using the lesson plans on UEN for my future class. There are so many cute ideas for teaching curriculum. I like the fact that each lesson plan is age specific and totally detailed, with patterns to copy and templates to use. These lesson plans are really phenomenal!

The core curriculum for each grade was so helpful and eye-opening for me as a future educator. It listed specific activities and lessons to help teach each standard and objective for each age level and grade. I can see it really helping me as a teacher to make sure that I'm continually meeting the educational needs of my students.

I had a lot of fun with, "surf the ages". I was thinking of using this tool for a program where my students would divide into groups and relive different time periods. For example, some students could reenact the interviews from Sophocles and Euripides, after receiving the Dio Award.


I absolutely love the interactives that UEN has to offer. These educational games are perfect for young students during computer lab days. I really see myself using the interactives to help reinforce subjects I've taught, in a fun and interactive way. I really want my kids to be excited to learn. Plus, it will help young students refine simple computer skills.

Pioneer Library is awesome for helping students with research projects. It really is a better search engine for students, compared to Google search. It's much more relevant and specific to young students and it eliminates all of the "junk" that usually comes up in a standard Google search.

I am just thrilled with the wealth of resources on UEN's site! It's going to help me be such a better teacher. I'll be able to connect more fully with my students and help them to develop a real enthusiasm for learning.

Week 3 Reflection

Everything Google, Week 2

What?

Well, yet another awesome tool this week: Google Presentations! I really enjoyed doing the slide show on classroom rules. It was very easy to use and a great way to enhance lesson plans and educational material. It really enlarges words and images for everyone in the classroom to view clearly.

So What?
One of my professors said that 85% of children are visual learners. Google Presentations is such a great tool for teachers to really connect with students. I see myself using this tool in a way that will more effectively teach material to young students.

Now What?
I plan on using google presentations to create fun slide shows that will grab my student's attention while I am teaching lessons and giving lectures. Elementary aged children lose focus easily, so this tool will work wonders, I'm sure! I can also use this tool with my students, as they present group projects to the class. I'm excited to use this tool to tell stories and teach songs to my students as well.

Educational Video
This is the type of technology I plan on using as a preschool teacher. Using a favorite character to not only explain, but show how to stay healthy is a great way for young children to learn. It's fun, simple and will help children stay attentive.

Week 2 Reflection

Everything Google
I am so excited after class on Tuesday! I am in love with Google!! They have so many awesome tools to use and they're free! As a future educator I definitely plan on using Google tools.

I'm already familiar with Google calendar and I use it on a daily basis. However, it never occurred to me that I could also use it as a teacher! I plan on creating a class website for my future preschool, complete with Google calendar. That way parents can easily see upcoming field trips, holidays, etc. It's a great way to stay connected.

I was first introduced to Google Docs, during class this week. I had no idea that tool even existed! I am ecstatic to begin using it! I am always wanting to work on a paper at school, but can't access it from my files at home. Now I can keep all of my papers online wherever I go! The online collaborator is such a valuable tool for students. I plan to use Google docs to create parent newsletters for my future preschool.

'Pay Attention' Video
I was really moved by this video! It really made me think 'out of the box' as a future educator. It makes complete sense to use technology in the classroom today. I think that using podcasts, online videos, and even cell phones is the perfect way to reach students today. My only concern is making sure that students who don't have access to certain technology or can't afford cell phones or i pods, aren't excluded from assignments. It would be crucial for schools to receive funding for current technology and educational electronics.

As teachers, we need to make sure that our teaching methods evolve with our students. I found some sites online that I plan to use in my future preschool. For example, I found a video clip of Elmo from Sesame Street, explaining how to stay healthy during the flu season. There are so many great resources at our fingertips! It is crucial that educators continue to stay afloat of new educational technology that can enhance the classroom and the student experience.