I have been making my posts to the children's' blogs but did not realize that we needed to post about them. Here is my posts about the blogs I have had the pleasure of seeing.
Week 4
I got to post on a 5th graders blog named Jackie. Her class used photoshop and the tools in it to create fun pictures. She said the project was fun and it looks like she really enjoyed it. I like this project because it is just a goofy way to let kids explore using photoshop and also practice using their blogs.
Week 5
In week 5 I got to check out a classroom blog. They used a website they called HeroMachine to design super heroes that had characteristics that matched up with the planets. Then they challenged the people that read their post to guess which super hero matched each planet. I like how they have to have knowledge about the planets to make the super heroes to match them. Very creative way to help the students learn about the planets.
Week 6
This week I got to see a video of a young girl from New Zealand. She is discussing things that she enjoys in a video. She enjoys art and swimming. I love that her teacher commented on her post. This blog was cool for me to see that young students are recording videos and posting them on their blogs. Kids are so smart! :)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Feb 21
~Dr. Christie's Site~
I spent a lot of time looking at and learning from Dr. Christie's site. It was very informational and helpful for me, as a future educator. She has so many resources to use technology in the classroom. I love that she has made it a point to help educators teach our students using technology. Our assignment ask us to choose one thing on her site and write about how we could use that as teachers but I was really interested in a bunch of ideas on her site.
One thing that I found that was very appealing and useful was her electronic portfolio web. It was just a fun way to see this information presented like that and to see the useful resources and material that Dr. Christie uses. I will use this example and electronic portfolios for my classroom and put them in my PLN for this class.
Dr. Christie tells us so many ways to use technology in the classroom. I love how she used digital photography and media. She even has her own image essay, which I think would be great for children to create. I listed to one of the podcast that she has posted from a classroom in AZ. It gave me some great insight into using podcasting in my classroom. It is wonderful how she gives resources to help us learn how to use these tools and implement them into our classes.
One of my favorite ideas on her site was the Caldecott Honor KidQuest template. What an awesome site that they have created to help the children interact and enjoy the assignment. :) If every assignment were that interesting and interactive then students would love learning. It is wonderful that Dr. Christie does workshops to help educators help students learn. I recommend that any teachers or future teachers check out her site and the resources she has provided.
~Using iTunes & iPods~
I hope that South will incorporate the use of iTunes U more. I think that the way other colleges and schools are using iTunes U is awesome. It is such a fun and modern way to incorporate school into everyday life. Students can have lectures, notes, pictures, etc. at their fingertips all the time. At these schools that have utilized the iTunes U, the students have access to so much information. I believe it makes it easier for students if they have all these resources on their iPod. I think that students would be so much more prone to listen to a lecture or podcast outside under a tree before they would in a stuffy library on a computer.
The way these colleges are using the iPod is so great. They are turning a fun experience into so much more. You can now learn and it will be enjoyable. I would love to try to utilize this process in my classroom. Even if I just do podcasts or allow my students to do podcasts and then upload them onto their iPods. If they do not all own an iPod, I could just show them how it works and how they can use them for when they do get one, someday. I could upload pictures and so much more information for my students that would be helpful. I would love to use this in the classroom.
There are so many ways to utilize an iPod! I think that a lot of people focus on only the listening to music on an ipod. Although that is very enjoyable, iPods can used for numerous things. They can be used for recording notes, listening to lectures, studying foreign languages, etc. After reading a study done by Duke University, I really can see the great importance of an iPod. I love that something so entertaining can be used to further education as well.
Duke issued each incoming Freshmen in 2001 an iPod. They studied the usage and value of the iPods. For the most part the iPods helped in the students education. They were a great tool for listening to lectures and other things. Even thought their were some problems with the iPods, I think that they were a great benefit. I think now with even more advanced iPods, they could help in the classroom even more.
I found a pretty cool website for the "new iPod owner"! Most of the tips on this site are really basic. I think that it could be really helpful to someone who has never owned an iPod or someone who is not so savvy with technical stuff. It gives you tutorials for many issues you may come into with using your iPod.
I spent a lot of time looking at and learning from Dr. Christie's site. It was very informational and helpful for me, as a future educator. She has so many resources to use technology in the classroom. I love that she has made it a point to help educators teach our students using technology. Our assignment ask us to choose one thing on her site and write about how we could use that as teachers but I was really interested in a bunch of ideas on her site.
One thing that I found that was very appealing and useful was her electronic portfolio web. It was just a fun way to see this information presented like that and to see the useful resources and material that Dr. Christie uses. I will use this example and electronic portfolios for my classroom and put them in my PLN for this class.
Dr. Christie tells us so many ways to use technology in the classroom. I love how she used digital photography and media. She even has her own image essay, which I think would be great for children to create. I listed to one of the podcast that she has posted from a classroom in AZ. It gave me some great insight into using podcasting in my classroom. It is wonderful how she gives resources to help us learn how to use these tools and implement them into our classes.
One of my favorite ideas on her site was the Caldecott Honor KidQuest template. What an awesome site that they have created to help the children interact and enjoy the assignment. :) If every assignment were that interesting and interactive then students would love learning. It is wonderful that Dr. Christie does workshops to help educators help students learn. I recommend that any teachers or future teachers check out her site and the resources she has provided.
~Using iTunes & iPods~
I hope that South will incorporate the use of iTunes U more. I think that the way other colleges and schools are using iTunes U is awesome. It is such a fun and modern way to incorporate school into everyday life. Students can have lectures, notes, pictures, etc. at their fingertips all the time. At these schools that have utilized the iTunes U, the students have access to so much information. I believe it makes it easier for students if they have all these resources on their iPod. I think that students would be so much more prone to listen to a lecture or podcast outside under a tree before they would in a stuffy library on a computer.
The way these colleges are using the iPod is so great. They are turning a fun experience into so much more. You can now learn and it will be enjoyable. I would love to try to utilize this process in my classroom. Even if I just do podcasts or allow my students to do podcasts and then upload them onto their iPods. If they do not all own an iPod, I could just show them how it works and how they can use them for when they do get one, someday. I could upload pictures and so much more information for my students that would be helpful. I would love to use this in the classroom.
There are so many ways to utilize an iPod! I think that a lot of people focus on only the listening to music on an ipod. Although that is very enjoyable, iPods can used for numerous things. They can be used for recording notes, listening to lectures, studying foreign languages, etc. After reading a study done by Duke University, I really can see the great importance of an iPod. I love that something so entertaining can be used to further education as well.
Duke issued each incoming Freshmen in 2001 an iPod. They studied the usage and value of the iPods. For the most part the iPods helped in the students education. They were a great tool for listening to lectures and other things. Even thought their were some problems with the iPods, I think that they were a great benefit. I think now with even more advanced iPods, they could help in the classroom even more.
I found a pretty cool website for the "new iPod owner"! Most of the tips on this site are really basic. I think that it could be really helpful to someone who has never owned an iPod or someone who is not so savvy with technical stuff. It gives you tutorials for many issues you may come into with using your iPod.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Valentine's Day Post
"What I've Learned This Year"
Mr. McClung's blog post was very helpful for future and present teachers. We really have no idea what to expect as future educators until we are actually in the position. I like the tips that he has given us to follow before we get into the classroom. Some of the tips seem very simple and seem like common sense but I think we too often forget about the simple things. All these things are very important and vital for running a classroom. I like that Mr. McClung realizes that you have pay attention to your classroom and teach for each class individually. You can't be completely focused on what you are teaching but on what the students are learning.
He states that you must be flexible and know that all of your lessons are going to be perfect. Sometimes they will go smoothly like you planned and sometimes they wont. I think that this is great for him to say because we do want things to go perfectly but we need to be realistic and know that they won't always. Keeping communication open and being involved with the other staff members is very important. As educators we should have high expectations for our students but our reaction if they don't achieve what we expect must be positive. We must reinforce that they try again and they are not a failure for now achieving the goal we have set.
His advice is really great. I like that he encourages us to use technology and not be afraid to learn how to use it. We need to learn so that we can educate our students even more. One of the most important things that he says are the last two points. We must listen to our students. These children must be heard. Some of them have no one that will listen to them and we need to be that person. We can't love them and teach them like they deserve if we don't even know them. I desire to know my children well and learn what I can do to teach them to the best of my ability. Mr. McClung also says that we should continue to learn!!! Sooooo true. We must desire to learn like we desire for our children to learn. To be a teacher, I think, you must have a passion to learn. :)
Wikipedia
I have actually read about the unreliable source that wikipedia can be prior to this blog assignment. I cannot remember where I read about this issue but I know it was about 2 years ago that I heard of it. The scanner is a pretty cool invention though. I love that not only can you see that the entries have been tampered with but you can also see who tampered with them. It is amazing to me that huge corporations would be deceitful and change information on wikipedia themselves.
Personally, I don't find it a reliable source at all. The fact that anyone can edit or change the information is proof that it is not a trusted source. I have actually watched a friend of mine edit some information on wikipedia. Since my freshmen year at South I have been told never to use wikipedia for any research reports or papers that I had to turn in to my professors. There are so many other sites that are reliable and I think that we should just use those. :)
Mr. McClung's blog post was very helpful for future and present teachers. We really have no idea what to expect as future educators until we are actually in the position. I like the tips that he has given us to follow before we get into the classroom. Some of the tips seem very simple and seem like common sense but I think we too often forget about the simple things. All these things are very important and vital for running a classroom. I like that Mr. McClung realizes that you have pay attention to your classroom and teach for each class individually. You can't be completely focused on what you are teaching but on what the students are learning.
He states that you must be flexible and know that all of your lessons are going to be perfect. Sometimes they will go smoothly like you planned and sometimes they wont. I think that this is great for him to say because we do want things to go perfectly but we need to be realistic and know that they won't always. Keeping communication open and being involved with the other staff members is very important. As educators we should have high expectations for our students but our reaction if they don't achieve what we expect must be positive. We must reinforce that they try again and they are not a failure for now achieving the goal we have set.
His advice is really great. I like that he encourages us to use technology and not be afraid to learn how to use it. We need to learn so that we can educate our students even more. One of the most important things that he says are the last two points. We must listen to our students. These children must be heard. Some of them have no one that will listen to them and we need to be that person. We can't love them and teach them like they deserve if we don't even know them. I desire to know my children well and learn what I can do to teach them to the best of my ability. Mr. McClung also says that we should continue to learn!!! Sooooo true. We must desire to learn like we desire for our children to learn. To be a teacher, I think, you must have a passion to learn. :)
Wikipedia
I have actually read about the unreliable source that wikipedia can be prior to this blog assignment. I cannot remember where I read about this issue but I know it was about 2 years ago that I heard of it. The scanner is a pretty cool invention though. I love that not only can you see that the entries have been tampered with but you can also see who tampered with them. It is amazing to me that huge corporations would be deceitful and change information on wikipedia themselves.
Personally, I don't find it a reliable source at all. The fact that anyone can edit or change the information is proof that it is not a trusted source. I have actually watched a friend of mine edit some information on wikipedia. Since my freshmen year at South I have been told never to use wikipedia for any research reports or papers that I had to turn in to my professors. There are so many other sites that are reliable and I think that we should just use those. :)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Podcasting Potential
I really look forward to doing my very own podcast with my group members. Through reading and viewing a couple of the sites that were posted on our blog assignments I learned even more about podcasting. The benefits of podcasting that I can implement in my future classroom are really neat. Through using the fun tool of podcasting my students can learn better and have fun doing it! Using podcast is an easy way for students these days to learn, since they are familiar with this type of learning. Through them learning this way it promotes creativity and innovation, it is an effective way for students who may have been absent to learn, and also parents can see and hear what their children are learning.
One of the sites posted on our blog assignment brought me to a site that discussed "100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn & Study Better"! This was an awesome article and had so many useful tips for using your iPod to make studying and learning easier and more fun. I was amazed at all the applications that can be downloaded to your iPod that can help in the education process. You can download sparknotes, charts, graphs, tutorials, foreign language apps, and even dictionaries on your iPod. I feel like as educators we need to think of EVERY possible way to keep kids interested and if they love to use iPods then put the information they need on their iPod. This is so exciting to me because I know that steps like these are helping kids to learn and get pumped up for what we are teaching them.
I also read the basic of creating a podcast and hope that this will help me in doing my own podcasts. I would love to be able to use this tool in my future classroom so I am going to try my best to learn what all I can about podcasting through this class. I know that it will take trial and error and I will probably fail many times before I get it right but that is what this class is about..experience! :) Have a blessed weekend!
One of the sites posted on our blog assignment brought me to a site that discussed "100 Ways to Use Your iPod to Learn & Study Better"! This was an awesome article and had so many useful tips for using your iPod to make studying and learning easier and more fun. I was amazed at all the applications that can be downloaded to your iPod that can help in the education process. You can download sparknotes, charts, graphs, tutorials, foreign language apps, and even dictionaries on your iPod. I feel like as educators we need to think of EVERY possible way to keep kids interested and if they love to use iPods then put the information they need on their iPod. This is so exciting to me because I know that steps like these are helping kids to learn and get pumped up for what we are teaching them.
I also read the basic of creating a podcast and hope that this will help me in doing my own podcasts. I would love to be able to use this tool in my future classroom so I am going to try my best to learn what all I can about podcasting through this class. I know that it will take trial and error and I will probably fail many times before I get it right but that is what this class is about..experience! :) Have a blessed weekend!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
