Wiki Pages

I really think I could learn to enjoy the wiki pages. Even though we didn't have to go very in depth with the site, it seems like it could be useful to make an organized collection of teaching sources, videos, websites, ect. Instead of loading up my personal website with links and videos, it makes complete sense to make a collection of other materials on the wiki site that I can refer to. It's also great because similarly to a google doc, I can invite other people to edit it, and can also hold discussions on it. The widget button can also be very useful because it seems like you can insert/embed pretty much anything into the site. The pages that can be created seem almost like folders to me. I would consider them almost a filing system for all of my information that I want to keep easily accessible. I haven't worked too much with my wiki yet, but I think I will definitely use it in the future!

I can't really see myself using this in any way with my students...maybe the only possibility would be to allow each student to have their own page where they could post work on the same wiki. I think the other technologies we have explored are more useful for group work. I think the wiki site will be mostly for my use, possibly because I will be teaching elementary school and I don't think wikis could be used very much in my grade levels.

Click HERE to view my Wiki!

Technology of Choice Week 6- Prezi

This week I decided to explore Prezi. I have seen many people use Prezi before, and have always thought their presentations looked very professional, but also difficult. The way Prezi works is that you can post content on a single wall, adjust the sizes of the content, and then create a path which is similar to a slideshow. Instead of playing the slides one by one, Prezi zooms in and out of the media on the wall, and it seems like a camera is moving from content to content.

For a website that creates presentations that are so fun to watch, it is very simple to use. I was intimidated by it before because I hadn't had much experience creating presentations other than PowerPoints. After having this class for 6 weeks though, I thought I could probably give it a try...and it was one of the most simple sites I have used!

I think Prezi would be perfect for doing either a picture or text "slideshow" but is not good for lots of text. It would be a great site to use for visual learners, because the movement and creative layout of the website will most definitely keep students attention better than a simple PowerPoint. It's a fun site to use, and easy enough for children to use and create presentations. It would also give a unique spin to presentations that would normally being boring and visually uninteresting to watch.

Click HERE to look explore Prezi and try making your own!

Photo Show

This week, I created a photo show using photoshow.com. I created a show about the year my service dog in training, Mango, spent with me learning how to be an assistance dog. I really liked this site! It is quick and simple to use, and seems very user friendly.

I think this particular site would be very useful in a classroom. The simplicity of the website would easily allow younger students to navigate and create their own stories. Using this site would allow students to bring their own personalities and lives into the classroom by sharing their own personal photos. They could, for example, do a slideshow of pictures with captions from their summer vacations, a class project with photos from a field trip, a class slideshow using pictures from the entire year of school, or they could even start learning how to use sights that allow use of licensed pictures and do a project with photos and captions instead of or in addition to a written paper. One of the most positive things about this website is that the subject that the student is presenting on is not limited to actual pictures, they could use other images also to create a presentation about any subject. The only negative thing about this website is that you only are allowed access to your video for one month after creating it, unless you pay for the upgrade. That also goes for the special effects they have; they are limited unless you pay for use of the site.

Overall I think this project was very successful, and could be used in almost any grade level for projects.

Click HERE to view my photoshow!

What a struggle!

So the actual technology of the Lesson Plan and the VBlog I thought were pretty simple...getting them to save to the wiki site...whole different situation! Moral of the story; Don't ever count on an internet connection...it might just fade in and out when you're trying to get something uploaded.

Technology Lesson Plan

As I'm sitting here trying to put the finishing touches on my lesson plan using Google Earth, I have an audience. The children that I'm a nanny for (twin 6-year old boys and a 4-year old girl) are watching over my shoulder, and asking to go "underwater and to the moon" because I showed them the google earth program.

I usually save my homework for early mornings when they're sleeping and at night when I'm home, but events this morning made me want to take out my newly discovered program and share it with them. The boys were playing their Wii and I heard one of them yell "I learned how to do the jump!". Well, I thought it would be sad if all they were learning during the summertime was how to operate useless games. I asked them if they wanted to work on my computer with me, and they were a little apprehensive at first. Then I pulled up the program, and they were really excited to see that it was very similar to a video game! I showed them things like the street view of their house, underwater shipwrecks, and spots on the moon where people have landed. They were very engaged as we sat there for at least a half hour (a long time for them to sit still!)

After sitting with the boys, I realized that these technologies are very applicable to education. So, reluctantly, I'll admit it; I'm coming around to the idea of more technology in the classroom.

4 day school weeks...who really benefits?

I have already posted this link (http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-06-04-shorter-school-week_N.htm?csp=usat.me) to my twitter (never thought I would say that) but I can't believe this is a growing trend to cut costs. I have been following several education blogs, and they all seem to be saying the same thing; four day school weeks are a growing trend as one of the only ways left to cut budgets. I still can't believe this. In a time when the U.S. is competing with so many nations, how can we afford to educate our kids less? It's not even the matter of competition with other nations either, it's within our own. These days it's nearly impossible to find a decent job without college, and even then the job hunt isn't that great. Why would we give some students the disadvantage?

The article talks about evidence of children improving their test scores...but who is actually evaluating these 4-day weeks? Is it the teachers who actually see the progress of students, or is it people who simply administer tests and count numbers? As educators, we all know that a student should not be measured by a number. Maybe a student struggles with reading comprehension, but is insanely artistic. Maybe a student needs to work on drastically improving their social skills before addition and subtraction can even enter their mind. Maybe a student scores almost perfectly on these exams, but isn't able to express him/herself in any other way except the numbers that are printed on their exams because all of the school's short 4-day classes are geared towards teaching only the material will be tested. When does individuality and creativeness trump AYP, or will it never? Standardized tests may prove that students are being better educated...but then again, it could be that they are just learning what bubbles to fill in.

If these test administrators truly believe that students are getting enough formal education in 4 days, then why can't the 5th day be used for performing arts, gym, foreign language, etc.? It seems that when trying to cut budgets, the definition of education is becoming a much more well-defined term. In my opinion, education should be a much looser term where formal education is of course taught, but where students also have the option of expanding their interests to more than a bubble sheet. How are kids going to find things to be passionate about if art, music, sports, etc. are slowly taken out of public schools, the only place that many students are able to be introduced to them?

How Can I stay Healthy?

Here is my slideshow with voice with the VoiceThread Program

Creating Slideshows: BBP

This is my Slideshow I created with Zoho. I'm not sure why the pictures aren't positioned how I would like them...but I'm working on fixing the alignment of everything! All the info is on there, so for now just pretend everything is evenly spaced and centered :)

Exploring Google Docs

I never thought I would say this about a technology used in this class...but I love google docs! I think they could be applicable in almost any classroom, office, group, or just as an exchange of ideas/plans between friends and family. They bring peer editing and revising to a whole new level, and make the convenience factor so much higher! The most positive things I can see about google docs are:

-They can be edited/revised from anywhere, anytime.

-Anyone who is invited to can edit it, whether it's two people or 15.

-It has almost all of the applications of a regular word document.

-No need to keep printing out copies for people to edit, they can do it directly.

-They can be used as an organizational tool.

I love having the ability to send something to a person and have them be able to send it right back to me without having to save draft after draft, all the editing builds into one document. In a classroom, this can be very useful to use as a peer editing tool. Not only does a google doc give students the ability to help each other with their work and gain new ideas on how to organize papers, but it allows them to do it outside of the classroom. This can mean more time for instruction in-class, because peer-editing could be assigned as homework. (I realize that students socio-economic status must be considered though, because all students may not have a computer or internet at home. This is a perfect opportunity though to introduce them to computers at the public library that can be used for free). This may be an easier way for some students to edit papers also, because in addition to giving verbal feedback, they could take their time and edit their own comments before they save them, whereas writing comments are usually permanent. It also allows students to highlight the changes they have made so the writer has the option to use or not use their suggestions.

The only downfall I can see of the google doc is that anyone could have the power to "destroy" the work. This could happen by deletion or by addition of inappropriate materials. Students would have to learn to make sure they have not just taken the changes of their peers at face value; they need to learn how to evaluate and properly consider the changes.

Discovering a new Technology

For the assignment this week of exploring a new technology, I decided since I'm in this class to learn as much as I can about new things I should dive into something I have little experience with. I also thought that since I have been very negative about certain websites in the past, I should give one a chance and try to find benefits to it. My choice? Google Earth. Now, I realize you might be asking "why would anyone feel negative towards this website?". Well, I guess I'm a little (ok, a lot) behind the advancements of internet technology, and am quick to brush them off and judge them as something useless or even harmful. There are so many negative reports about how internet technology is invasive and can give personal information to strangers so easily. This is why I freaked out when I realized that Google Earth could literally show almost any image of anything on this planet; seriously, when you think about it, it sounds crazy and invasive (to me anyway). Since I am a very private person, the thought of my house or apartment complex being shown to anyone with just a click of a button without my permission seems strange.

My feelings aside on this issue, I decided to download the newest version of Google Earth and the plug in and play around with it. I also did some research (of course with google, who else?) and learned that this program is probably one of the most useful learning tools on the internet today! It is not simply plugging in an address to look at a building, this can bring you a whole 3D version of anywhere you could possibly want to travel! I "flew" everywhere from the Eiffel tower, to the Rocky Mountains, to my cabin up north...all within minutes! I also explored underwater, visited the moon, watched the sun set in California...really Google, are you kidding me? How did I not know this existed before?

I don't even know where to start explaining how I could use this in my classroom. In regards to the TPACK model, Google Earth could easily be incorporated into lessons that include all three components. Take for example going "hiking" in the Grand Canyon; The visual images and exploring could easily be used to supplement classroom materials that the students are learning about mountains, valleys, etc. The images could be incorporated before, during, or after, depending on the students and lesson (and how much of a "wow" factor) the images are. The images and exploring could also be used in forms of assessment. For example, if you're trying to assess how well the students know significant buildings/monuments across the world, you could show images of, let's say, the Washington Monument, The Eiffel Tower, Greek Statues, and more to see if they can identify them.

Google Earth can also be used in lessons that are teaching the placement or navigation of countries. In the features, you can make a "map" and travel to certain places in a certain order. You can also design your own buildings; anywhere you want. This would be great for possibly a high school architecture class.

The possibilities seem endless with this program! I know it is something I will definitely get to know when I have the time, and learn how to navigate it properly so I can make use of it someday in my own classroom.

Edited Photos/Screenshot

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50794101@N05/show/

Here is the link to a slideshow of photos I have edited in the Digital Imaging lab.

Twitter...Yay or Nay?

After having twitter for a few weeks...well, I guess I'll just give my honest opinion; I think it's probably the most ridiculous thing anyone's ever created. I have yet to use it in a productive way, and I really think the whole idea of "updating" is a waste of time. A lot of my bad feelings are possibly because of the way I've seen it used though, with people updating a ridiculous "tweet", and people who are updating their site probably more times than they've walked outside during the day. I don't care where anyone is going, when they're going somewhere, or any of the other "w" questions that users of twitter seem to answer. It honestly seems like a stalker's heaven. The only productive way I can see this website being used is if people are posting links to useful websites, or possibly a newscast updating with new "news". But even if these educational/useful things are being posted, I still don't want to take the time to check twitter, because it seems like a big waste of time. I would rather pick up a newspaper and read to see what's going on in the world, or call someone to see what their plans are for the night. I can see the argument when people say that it gets "right to the point" of what you are looking for, but doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of incidental learning? If I'm looking for a news feed about middle eastern affairs, then that's great. But if that's all I'm looking for, I'm going to miss that really important story about events in Africa or South America that I wasn't necessarily looking for, but still should be informed about and would have if I picked up a newspaper or even turned on CNN. I know there are many valid arguments about the positive use of twitter, but it is one site that I won't be visiting too often. All of the other sites we have been using so far I think are great tools, but I highly doubt twitter will become a part of my favorites list.

This is a photo I Licensed with Creative Commons

Wedding at the Vineyard
Originally uploaded by SarrahGani

This is one of my first uploads to flickr. I took this picture at a wedding I went to at a Vineyard a few weeks ago.

Photos in the Classroom

Double Rainbow
Originally uploaded by flopper

I think pictures are a great technology to use in the classroom. Not only are they a great way to share images that children see on a daily basis, but are a perfect way to bring animals, countries, people, and much more into the classroom that the students rarely or never get a chance to see. Images from across the world, or even just from several cities over, may seem foreign to students who don't have the opportunity to see them, so bringing those objects in with pictures gives a simple idea of what the object looks like and its relative size/habitat. I think this can be especially useful for at risk students in cities who have the disadvantage of not being able to travel out of the inner city. These students may have a harder time identifying with objects that appear on tasks such as standardized tests, that ask them questions about plants, animals, or other things that they are not familiar with. The same goes for children who live in rural areas and are not able to picture what a skyscraper looks like, or what sitting in traffic is. By using pictures along with explanations and questions, children can see almost anything they want to and get the opportunity to experience things they would not otherwise have access to.