Tweet…Tweet

Ok, let's just say that I was not too excited when I saw that we were going to be required to open a Twitter account for this course.  I don't care who broke up with who or what someone thinks about the cold weather.  I had absolutely no clue about how great it can be for professional learning.  I thought this was going to be a quick, effortless assignment for the week so I decided to cross it off the list late Saturday night (great social life, huh?).  A good hour later, I was still there.  Was it effortless…absolutely.  Was it quick…no way.  It was so easy to sign up and create my account, but that was the end of the "quick" part. Follow, unfollow, tweet, retweet…I was hooked, checking out all the great resources that others were sharing.  I already have found a great blog to follow because of it!  We will see if this new found excitement fades away as the weeks roll on.  But even if my interest dies, I can say that this was one assignment that I was happy to have had.

The Benefits of Blogging

This week I have been doing a lot of reflecting on the way to use my classroom blog.  Up until this point, I have encouraged students to share the site with their parents and family member and to share their thoughts about the content of the post.  Starting this week, I will be having two students write their own posts about the classroom happenings that they choose to share.  I really think this may get some of the students who haven't spent as much time navigating the blog getting a little more involved and interested in the process.  I am also going to be taking some class time to make sure that students understand just how they can interact with the blog.  They may not always be able to have a response to the question that I pose or feel comfortable responding to it, however may not realize that commenting on the thoughts of others can be just as empowering and fun.  Besides just having students write posts, I also want to link student work to the blog so that student's feel pride in sharing their work with their families in a different way.

Wrapping Things Up...

I am looking forward to putting the finishing touches on my Pecha Kucha.  I really liked using the student illustrations for the images of my presentation.  I think it will increase student interest and draw them in because of the bright colors, connection to the illustrator, and content of the picture.  If it ends up working the way that I would like will determine if I use VoiceThread for a future class project that I have in mind.  I like the idea of using VoiceThread because a link can be shared on our class blog for parents and other family members to view.  If VoiceThread doesn't work, I am not sure what presentation form I will use instead because I like the idea of sharing with parents, but it may not be possible with the other choices. 

Overall, I am glad that I got to do more work/projects that I can take back to my class and use.  It has gotten a little frustrating with all the activities that we have done so far in the program that have no connection to our classroom and have no potential use.  VoiceThread, Prezi, and the information from Presentation Zen have been some of the most useful new tools.

Developing the Pecha Kucha...

I am looking forward to getting more of the details worked out for my Pecha Kucha.  I am glad that we were given the "ok" to use voices other than our own.  I think that being able to use my students' to create the audio could be a great way to spark student interest.  I am actually considering having student artwork be the images that I use for many of my slides as well.  I have looked around for images of Pilgrims and related topics, but haven't found a collection of 20 that i would like to use, so that is where the idea of using  student artwork came from.

I also really liked taking the time to explore and learn more about Prezi.  I always liked the presentation format that it uses when we looked at presentations that other classmates put together using the software for other classes, but hadn't taken the time to learn a new tool until this class made it mandatory.  I can see myself using this often to create presentations for my students much more than some of the other ones due to the creative flare and interest level that it will create.

Excited But A Bit Confused...

I have really enjoyed the information that is coming from Presentation Zen.  Both the video clips and chapters have had some great concepts for making the best presentations that leave a mark.  My husband is a guidance counselor at a middle/high school and came home one night this week and during our nightly, "What happened at your school today…" conversation, he told me how his team was going to be giving presentations to the district administrators about what sort of programs they run and set up and what services they provide.  I started to share some of the information that we have been learning about in class and how it might be a stronger way to make an impact on the people who, in the end, will have a huge hand in deciding if their work is provides enough value to keep them around.  The main points that I shared with him were to reduce the amount of text on their slides so that the audience members listened to them and didn't get stuck reading the slides instead (one of the main points that Garr has been bringing up).

However, as much as I can see this being a really helpful thing for him to apply in his presentations, I am having a hard time seeing how to apply it to the types of "presentations" that I use in my room.  When I am making a flipchart to present and practice information, I am thinking about making it as interactive as possible (if that is applicable) and to get straight to the point.  It will be an interesting process going through some of my flipcharts to see how to apply some of the things we are learning, but also know that some of them will just have to stay as they are.

Using Digital Story Telling

Starting this school year, our K4 through 2nd grade classrooms started using a new reading curriculum.  It is a very well thought out curriculum with some wonderful components to teaching the skills and concepts to be great readers…however, it only goes through 2nd grade.  So over the summer, my third grade team met to revamp our reading curriculum, from scratch.  We looked at all the resources we have gathered and used over the years and looked at the new Common Core to see what materials best fit these areas and standards that we need to be teaching.  We have found this process to be very exciting because we, ourselves, have found a new excitement and enjoyment out of teach reading again because it is fun, appropriate concepts, however, frustrated because of the lack of assessments that are here, ready to use.  We have spent a lot of time thinking about what we want to see from our students and discussing the fact that it isn't reasonable to expect that we create a brand, spanking new (traditional) assessment for each book/story/topic/skill, so threw around the idea of project based assessments.  This way, the framework can be applied to many areas of study, not just reading, and can allow students to show what they know in ways that they feel more comfortable doing and allow them to be more creative and individual.  Using digital story telling will be a great way to assess their knowledge and understanding in so many areas that we will have to sit down and look at the best places to use it.

Digital Storytelling

Until this class, I didn't really think of my material as "presentations," when that is exactly what it is.  I know that I am sharing and "presenting" information to my students, but I also have always attached the word "presentation" to the business or professional world.  Thinking about it in my classroom really made me see my materials through a different eye.

The materials that we had to read and look at this week really hit home in so many ways.  I don't think any of us could read this and not connect it to at least one situation in our life when we have experienced a poorly delivered presentation.  Hopefully, after this course is over, we all steer clear of presenting the evil "slideument."

There was a mix of opinion about how to use presentation software to share information, and even an opinion that it shouldn't be used at all.  Each article brings out interesting and valid points about why presentations should simplify their material, why presentations have simplified material too much, and even why presentation software should be banned all together.  I can't see our world moving towards the elimination of presentation software, but hopefully towards using it more effectively.

Wrapping It Up...

What I have taken away most from this class is how to look at my lessons.  I took a lot from looking at each of the learning strategies and finding new and easy ways to apply them, without having to reinvent the lesson.

When I evaluated the lesson that I modified for our final project, I found so many simple and quick ways to address the learning goals and student needs.  When I saw the reactions of my students when I taught the mini-unit to them and the pride that they seemed to feel as they took control of their learning made me so excited.

I look forward to looking at many other lessons and units in this same manor.  It isn't realistic to recreate and reinvent every bad lesson so that it can be great.  But we can adjust details of it.

Ways to Hold Students Accountable...

The three focus areas for this week really seem to be ways that we, as teachers, can give students more control of their learning, which, at the same time, holds them more accountable for their learning and contributions.


Testing Hypotheses…

I really like the idea of giving the students the privilege of setting the goal(s) and desired outcomes of a unit/lesson/activity.  Allowing them to have that control helps them develop a higher interest level in the activities and process, as well as for having a higher sense of accountability to accomplish the set goal(s).  Younger students would need a bit of practice doing this, but reviewing how to set learning goals and set learning objectives would be something that all students should review each year.  Reflection will also be a huge part of this process so that students can see what worked or didn’t work and be expected to look at what the causes may have been, as well as what changes may be needed for future success.  Understanding and having a purpose for what they are doing is a driving force for successful learning.

Homework and Practice…

Many schools are changing the way that both students and teachers use homework.  The validity of traditional homework is being questioned.  Homework at the higher grades is being used in the way that homework for primary grades has been being used for years…as effort and extra practice.  Homework can provide inconsistent and inaccurate feedback of a student’s understanding.  Factors of a student’s home life can also be contributors to poor homework performance, which isn’t always a fault of the student.  Simple, interactive homework opportunities, that could even be done at school during study halls, seem to be much more fulfilling and provide a much better picture of student understanding.  One great example would be to have students complete blog posts on a topic or on a choice of questions, similar to the homework we have for our courses, and expect interactions among peers by commenting requirements.  This would allow for students to contribute their thoughts and to have dialogue with each other, without a teacher directing it.

Similarities and Differences…

Discussion of similarities and differences occur constantly, sometimes formally, while others are informal. Organizers are often used in the younger grades, where higher grades may be expected to submit more written responses.  Using metaphors is something that I introduce to my students, but it can be a bit difficult for them to use as a tool to compare until late in the school year.  One tool that I really find useful for them to use is analogies.  We constantly use analogies to compare the similarities between things.  It really helps students understand the concept we are learning about or the function that is happening. One example I use in my class is to have students look at the levels of the human, and ask them how they levels of our school compares (ie: cells = students, tissues = classes, organs = grades, systems = schools, human body = district).

Cooperative Learning

I use cooperative learning quite a bit in my classroom.  The goal of the cooperative activity varies.  Sometimes it focuses more on the academic component and practicing a skill with one or more peers, while, for other activities, the goal is more to encourage and provide opportunity for students to work on social skills in an academic setting and communicating with others.  The reason this is important is simply to make other learning experiences more successful.  I often find that students come to my 3^rd grade room, not sure how to share and/or support their thoughts or ideas. The goal of a lot of my lessons is to get students talking so that their interests and ideas carry and direct the majority of our classroom conversations.

Reinforcing Effort

Reinforcing effort can happen in so many different ways, however, it is up to the teacher to determine which way works best and delivers the desired and appropriate message.  Reinforcement can come in the form of a sticker or high-five, it can be an example for others to follow, or even a follow-up question or response to a statement or question that a student may make.  There are times when we, as teachers, need to see the students as individuals and treat them as such (using the types of reinforcement that works best for him or her), however, it is also important to take time to see all of the students as a whole and also treat them as one unit. This may bring about another reinforcement strategy of using their peers to encourage or redirect their responses and actions.

Clay Shirky videos

When I watched the Clay Shirky videos, I had an extremely difficult time staying focused and being able to apply it.  They seemed to be disconnected from where my expectations thought the videos would be going.  I am person who likes simplistic vocabulary and they seemed to be a bit overwhelming with the amount that the viewer needed to keep track of. I had a hard time finding a connection to the school setting and experience, which is probably why I struggled to follow them.  Maybe, if I watch them at another time, when my world isn't totally focused on school (beginning of the year is so busy and demanding), then I might hear the big idea a bit more clearly.  However, in the mean time…I don't think that Clay Shirky is my cup of tea.

Concept Mapping Services

Bubbl.us, Webspiration, and Exploratree are all programs that provide users with a free service that allows them to create concept maps to use individually, or with cooperative groups where multiple users can access the document at the same time to edit work.  Projects can be saved to the user’s account.

Bubbl.us doesn’t provide templates for users to use.  Very little guidance is provided on how to use and manipulate the program. 

Webspiration seems user-friendly, for all ages, even thought there are versions designed that are more tailored to children, Inspiration and Kidspiration.  There is help provided to guide users on getting started and how to make the most out of the program.  Examples are also provided to help spark ideas.

Exploratree is similar to Webspiration because it provides examples and templates.  However, with Exploratree, users can edit the examples/templates to fit their individual needs. It is also possible to create your own map from scratch.  Exploratree is appropriate for all ages to use. 

I look forward to finding ways to use these services in my classroom.  I see them being great for discussions prior to lessons and adding ideas and thoughts as the unit goes forward.

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback...

I really enjoyed reading the article, Feedback That Fits.  As I read through it, I was pleased to identify situations where I can remember using some of these techniques.  However, I was really excited to read about how else I could be implementing some of the other feedback strategies that were shared.  I feel as though I had great instruction on giving feedback during my practicums during college (by cooperating teacher and the college instructor/observer).  I also feel that having numerous students with special needs in my classroom throughout the years has also lent itself to having strong feedback skills.  Often, when you have students who have special needs, you need to be prepared to let them share their thoughts and handle a correct or incorrect answer.  The same thought process on giving feedback needs to be the same no matter who the student or what the needs are.  Keep them encouraged and keep them thinking!

Advanced Organizers & Nonlinguistic Representation

This week's chapters and discussions brought out a few fun ideas that I would like to incorporate into the upcoming school year.  Our team is about half way through "creating" a reading/language arts curriculum based off of the new Common Core standards and about to start thinking about what we want our assessments to look like.  There is a big interest to do more project-based assessments because it results in  a much higher interest level and in turn, produces a much better product.  However, with testing being such  a highly regarded measure of comprehension and understanding, we will have to included standard assessments simply to give the students practice at completing them.  As I was reading through the chapters and thinking about some answers to the group response questions, I got some really fun ideas for assessment options.  I would really like to find an opportunity for our students to create a board game, produce a digital summary (digital storytelling) of a topic or story, and even make a scrapbook.

Using advanced organizers is also something that I know I use, but feel that I will be making a more concerted effort to focus on and use on purpose.  I wasn't aware of the wide variety of materials that were seen as, and can be used as, an organizer.  There are a lot of ways to edit and alter already created materials to fit the purpose of an organizer, and would produce a much stronger lesson and understanding by the student(s).

Good Reminders

This week's readings on the Internet had some great information about some of the best ways to teach students.  While reading the information, I found myself being reminded of some great teaching strategies that I will want to remember as the start of a new school year quickly approaches.  Making sure that instruction has several components to it (whole group, small/individual group, and projects) that are all focused around achieving student success and comprehension of material.

I definitely enjoyed reading "What Works In Classroom Instruction" much more than the reading on theory and analysis of research.  I found it hard to follow and stay focused on it, most-likely because of interest level of the two pieces.

I am interested in what this course has to offer and think that it fits in well to be taking it early in the school year so that new ideas can be implemented during the year.

Copyright and Safety

This week's topics brought a few interesting things to the surface that I was happy to be reminded or informed of.  The first is that even though I am working with a younger group of students and on school computers with filters and blockers, I still need to share some of the safety and privacy information with my students so they really understand why they need to be careful while they are on the Internet.  Since most of our activities in the lab are guided and focused, it doesn't take much for them to end up somewhere else.  

I also found it interesting to learn a little more about copyright.  This can be quite an in-depth topic and one that I don't know much about.  One point that I really found interesting was that most creators don't necessarily want the full and complete protection that copyright can give them.  They want overall credit and control, but also want to share their work with others and allow them to use it in appropriate ways and even for some modification to be allowed in certain circumstances.  

Exploring Tools

This week gave me another opportunity to explore some of the many tools that are available out on the web.  These tools are all great options for bringing in creative choices and alternative options for assessments and project based learning.  Many of the sites provided can be used with a variety of age levels.  There are a few that seem to be more appropriate for students who have had more computer experience or to be used in very small groups so that students don't get frustrated when needing help.  I am already planning on using Comic Life in my classroom for a variety of activities this year and am excited to see how the student react and feel about using programs like those we have looked at to show what they know.

I am also continuing to explore using the forms applications to create tests.  I have thrown the idea out to a teammate and will be putting together a few sample tests this week to share with my team.

Another thing to try

This week, the thing that I found myself most interested in happened more by chance than anything else.  As I was looking at a few of the already submitted website evaluations, I noticed that most of the other evaluations had been created with Google Forms (initiated by Zac).  I have to admit that at first I was a little hesitant to even look into doing it that way since we hadn't gone through any instruction on it, but it was super easy and user-friendly!  I instantly thought of how great this could be for saving paper at school and having students complete tests using Google Forms.  All the answers would end up on one spreadsheet, making scoring much quicker which would allow the teacher to spend more time on things that will benefit students.  Seeing scores that way will also allow the teacher to quickly see how students did on particular problems and if there is a need for reteaching or further instruction.

A New Beginning

With each new class that starts, I continue to feel a little more comfort and confidence with understanding and handling the work.  Now that we are into the 4th course of the program, it is becoming more and more obvious on how they build on each other.  Seeing the connections and having more background knowledge with concepts than I had with some of the other courses or topics makes it easier and easier to start applying the ideas to my own classroom and life.  Some of the topics that we will be covering this course will be really helpful with my younger age students.

During CEDO 515 I have enjoyed learning more about services that I can start to share with my students.  There are a lot of programs that can be implemented in a variety of ways and that are very appropriate for my third grade students to be exposed to.  Since starting this masters program I have been interested in getting our school more involved with the services provided by Google but this class has pushed that interest even further.  

I also enjoyed having the opportunity to become more familiar with spreadsheet software.  I am still not sure that this is something that my students need to be using, but feel much more educated on being able to support that opinion for future discussions.  

The software evaluation exercise was a good experience and helps me understand how to make more meaningful choices of future software that I chose to use.  I would also like to create an evaluation for students to supply feedback after using programs.

Integrating Technology

When it comes to integrating technology into a lesson, whether old or new, it definitely brings some new energy and excitement for teaching it.  The same can be said whenever an exciting new idea jumps into a teacher's head on how to teach a concept to his or her students.  For me, I feel that there is most-definitely a reason to keep a tight grasp on my level of excitement.  Control...plain and simple, control.  Call it paranoia, call it negativity, call it realistic, call whatever you want, but when you are up in front of 24 students and things aren't working, you will understand where I may be coming from. 

The first main area where control becomes a concern is with the reliability of our technology.  Planning a whole lesson, activity, or project around technology could be risky.  Internet connections, log-in issues, and software updates always seem to pop up around us and take time to fix (sometimes too long).  So the question when planning is, "How much "back-up" planning do I need to do if something doesn't work?"  By no means do I want to double-plan a lesson "just-in-case" something doesn't work, however, there have been more than enough times when things aren't working correctly and I felt as though I was standing there with a big spotlight shining on me while my brain quickly decided how we were going to switch gears.  It isn't that this is always a big deal, we are teachers, and this is what we do.  However, looking ahead at my class for next year, and knowing that I have several students who have needs that require a good deal of modification and who also don't always do well with sudden changes, it makes me a bit more cautious...or maybe nervous.

Being able to control things/fix things when issues come into play is the second area where control comes into play.  I completely understand that I am not the only teacher in my district, and while I may think that the issues that I may be currently experiencing are the MOST important and should be taken to the top of the to-do list, in the big picture, may not be.  But to a teacher who has spent time planning and organizing, prepping and building up his/her own excitement for the lesson, an unexpected technical issue can be a HUGE deal.  One of the current frustrations at our school is that the issues that seem to impact students the most, are put on the back burner, while the problems that, while very important, don't impact them as much, get taken care of with more immediate attention.  This is not to sound like a whiny teacher, but rather, one that would like a little information on why some of the problems that seem simple to solve, seem to take forever to actually get solved. 

I may have digressed a bit from the original question, and aside from the impression that the tone of this post may have given off, I really enjoy using and having my students use technology whenever possible and find it to supply great benefit to student learning.

InTime Lesson

The InTime Lesson that I looked at fits right in with a third grade science unit on relationships of living things.  It involves using KidPix Delux (or any other kid-friendly presentation software) with student groups who are each given a specific habitat and requiring them to do research, apply creative thinking to design a presentation, show their knowledge of a computer program (after being taught and given an opportunity to practice), and to apply the concepts that were previously taught to them during the whole class lessons.  I always feel as though I have to start from scratch and completely create a project in order to include technology in my lessons.  This site was a breath of fresh air because I was able to access well-written and thoroughly detailed plans that needed little or no adjustment to fit immediately into my current curriculum and plans.  I found this to be a very straight-forward, simplistic way to get help from other educators without having to sort through poorly written and confusing plans or plans that require many edits due to differences in curriculum and/or a lack of similar resources. 

Spreadsheets in the Classroom

It is a bit ironic that this is a topic of our class right now because over the last year or so, requiring the use of spreadsheets in the classroom (particularly third grade) has been an ongoing area of disagreement.  Our district has been looking at the technology standards and what activities are currently being done within our curriculum.  We are then going to look at the gaps and fill them in with activities that integrate technology into the curriculum.  Expecting third grade students to master the skill of using a spreadsheet is one that I don't necessarily agree with.  I know that more often than not, when students need to make and use a graph or set of data, it will be with computer software, however, I still think that there is a need for them to master using paper/pencil graphs and charts first.  Having to take the extra steps to organize, plan, and construct helps them understand the concept and process more than often comes with using software programs to do so.  This includes spreadsheets.  I can see how I could use a spreadsheet to have students look at going shopping on a budget.  But I would want them to be responsible for computing the math themselves, not just using the tools from the program.  I have also thought about having the students use a spreadsheet to fill in their reading calendars and even to set one up for the summer months.  As an adult myself, I don't finding myself using spreadsheets all that often, which is probably one of the driving factors to why I don't see it as one of the more necessary skills for my students to posses at this time in their lives.  With the amount of time that I am able to get into our school labs, working on spreadsheets falls far down the list.

Having High, but Reasonable, Expectations

There were several components of this week's class that I am interested in adding to my curriculum plans. Using online word processing tools are one of the biggest interests that I have.  My interest with incorporating this started when I was introduced to GoogleDocs during our first course, and after this past week, I am even more interested in trying to make it work.  My main concern with this is how to facilitate this, since a log-in is required for these tools and programs to work.  And as much as I am excited to get my kids started with this experience, I have to play "devil's advocate" and say that I have some concerns.  My biggest concern has to be with the fact that it isn't realistic or fair for me to expect all of my students and families to have a home computer with internet access.  Each year there are a few families in our grade that don't have these things available to them for instant or quick access.  I also don't think that it is fair to expect them to go to the library or other access site to do a home practice activity or other assigned task.  I hope that I will be able to sort out some of these conflicts as I develop ways to use them more clearly and define the objectives, as well as what options there are for students who may have access difficulties. 

Onto The Next...

As the start of a new class is upon us, I am refreshed and ready to dive into the new material.  I enjoy using technology with my students and being able to introduce and expose them to new experiences and opportunities for learning with technology.  However, since my kiddos are quite young and their experience with technology covers a huge range, it can be a bit intimidating to take on these type of activities and projects.  Right now, our school is looking at how technology can be integrated into science and social studies as we evaluate and redo the curriculum plans for those subject areas.  We have come up with some awesome ideas, now it just sitting down and getting the details and expectations worked out. 

I can think of numerous ways to integrate the tools that we looked at for creating graphics and developing presentations.  I am planning on taking a lot of time this summer to integrate a presentation program that was introduced by Kristy into reading activities that focus on characters and their traits or the story elements, along with others that come up throughout this course.

So Long, Farewell...

While I am appreciative to have had the experiences that this class offered, I cannot say that I will miss the pressures and anxiety of being so outside my comfort zone when it came to technology.  The amount of new vocabulary was the biggest cause for frustration because without it, you couldn't completely understand the concepts, but because there were so many new words, simply understanding their meanings became the primary focus. 

I am sure that in time some of the material will resurface and I will be able to pull from my background knowledge, created by this course. 

Back It Up!

There was a lot of new information that I got out of last week's class.  While  I was always aware of anti-virus software and the need for it, I don't know that I gave it the attention and appreciation that it deserved.  Back when I used a PC laptop, my understanding of what my responsibilities were for keeping my equipment safe and secure was very naive.  I had Norton Anti-Virus software installed on my computer and ran it weekly, and even had spyware software installed.  However, I don't think that I really understood what my responsibilities were, after the software had run and done it's job.  I absolutely have a better understanding of what my role is in keeping my computer protected and how that is supposed to work.

The one piece of information that I am really implementing into my life, effective immediately, are my backup procedures.  I have been doing a much better job backing up my documents and files on an external hard drive on a more regular schedule, as well as using an online storage service (Dropbox).  Using Dropbox has provided me with a huge sense of comfort, knowing that I can simply drag a document into the folder and the cloud technologies allow me to access that document instantly on any other computer that has Dropbox downloaded or has access to the Internet, so that I can log on to my account.  I am very grateful to have learned about these topics in more detail and at a time in my life where I can appreciate them and understand the impact of losing certain material.

A Mixed Bag...

Right now my feelings toward this class are quite mixed.  My comfort with technology has always been strong, just as long as the conversation didn't get too technical.  Well, guess what?  It got technical!  When the conversation turns from how to use it, to how it works, my stomach churns a little.  I have always learned as much as I could about the "how to use it" but shied away from learning too much about how the technology worked.  I want to clarify that this isn't because I don't want to know the specifics of how to the tools that I love using actually work, but more so because just becoming confident in using them is a process in itself.  Learning the components of a tool or piece of software, options I have with each, how to implement it in my class, is it a teacher tool, student/teacher tool, or a student tool, and countless other questions, plus the other day-to-day thoughts and concerns with my students and lessons.  I welcome the chance to learn more about the bones of the tools that I have come to love to use in my teaching, but also overwhelmed with the amount of new information that is constantly pouring into my brain.

The virus investigation was interesting for me because I am a Mac user who has been one of those people who thought, "it's a Mac, it can't get a virus."  It was shocking to see how many antivirus programs are out there for a computer that is pretty safe when it comes to viruses.   I also feel more knowledgeable when it comes to the amount of virus protection options there are for PC's, should we chose to purchase a PC the next time we are in the market.  Norton has always been the protection of choice, but looking back on it, mostly due to the lack of knowledge on other products and simply trusting the product without doing much additional research on quality, performance, or other options.

Back In The Day...

My memories of using computers in school don't appear until my 5th grade year.  Even then, the only true memory I have of using computers was when we would use KidPix software and create magical works of art on the screen (and of course, follow it up with the "KABOOM!" of the dynamite clearing tool).  Middle school is much of the same.  One research project comes to mind were we got to experience the new and innovative "Encrata" encyclopedia.  And of course, you can't forget the great "Oregon Trail" program.  That was the highlight of the 6th grade social studies curriculum.

When I was in 9th grade, my family got our very first computer.  It was quite the treat.  Again, I am very fuzzy on any of the specifics of the machine, other than it being a PC and that dial-up Internet brought the World Wide Web into our house.  Even through high school, there it doesn't seem that computers were used for much other than word processing and simplistic research.  Before I went to college in 2001, I got my own Dell desktop computer.  It was a great computer and I had very few problems with it until the 5th year I owned it.  By that time I was nearing the end of my college career and decided to move on to smaller and better.  My next computer was an HP laptop.  This machine was very dependable and served me well for many years and was my sidekick during two online courses (2000 and 2008).  Now knowing more about maintaining technology, it has become apparent that the lack of updating and other maintenance could have been much better and would have resulted in my computer(s) working better and longer.  My school district is a Mac school, so in the classroom and labs we have iMacs and several of the staff members (including myself) were given MacBooks to use.  With all the changes technology goes through, one can only guess at what comes next.

Where To Start?

My brain never has a shortage of awesome things that I want to implement into my teaching and/or classroom.  These ideas come from my own brain, through conversations with teammates and coworkers, through supplemental research, and now, from my Masters classes.

I have added a new component to my classroom blog by giving students another way of participating with it.  Since they still aren't ready to write entries that we will post to the blog, I have started putting up a "Question of the Day" several times throughout the week.  Students can go on the blog at home (which is encouraged) and can submit an answer for their peers and myself to see and possibly respond to.  If students don't have the ability to access the blog at home, they are able to go onto the blog during some of our computer time at school so that they can participate.

Since having my own experience with Skype this past week, I feel much more comfortable setting this up and using it in my classroom.  The simplicity of Skype makes it very easy to want to use because it doesn't take a lot of setup or time to learn how to facilitate.  During a recent committee meeting at our school that is focused around technology, a coworker suggested that we use Skype to broadcast our morning announcements.  This would bring a new and fresh way of delivering the announcements and add a new spark of excitement for the students.  I also feel that by allowing students to see those students who are participating in the announcements (ie: saying the Pledge of Allegiance, sharing Student Council information, and any other student participation opportunities) it will create a better sense of community throughout the school because students will be able to put a name with a face and feel a connection to each other.  I am excited to see if we can get this accomplished this year.

I would really like to find a way to use Google Docs with my students, but there are a few "privacy and privilege" concerns that need to be looked into carefully and then I will really look at how I want to use the tool (possibly for weekly spelling tests or spelling practice).

The Wonderful World of Technology

I always thought of myself as someone who was fairly knowledgeable and secure with my capabilities when it came to technology.  After Thursday night's class, I definitely took a step back and questioned how much I really knew.  While I am always looking for new ways to incorporate technology into the classroom, that search often includes blinders.  I look for things that are marketed towards schools, kids, and learning, instead of looking at technology options as a whole and asking how it can be tailored towards students.

In my classroom, I am extremely fortunate to have an Activboard to help facilitate instruction with the inclusion of technology on a daily basis.  We also have student response systems that can be used for tests, polls, and as another way for students to participate in class discussions.  These tools have opened up so many opportunities for my students.  We have also started a classroom blog and share the latest classroom updates and activities with our families.  The students have had a chance to participate by sharing photographs and quotes about certain activities that we have done.  Our goal is to start writing a weekly post about our week together so that they can see how the process develops and to experience writing through a different medium.  After being exposed to using Google Docs for class, I have developed a quick interest in looking into how I can use this within my own teaching.


Till next time...