WOW! This video was so innovative and interesting. I think it is great that they are doing something like this and especially for Math. Math is a complex subject that some students just do not understand and it is important as teachers to make sure that the students that do not get it, get the extra help they need. Math builds off of simple concepts into complex ideas that are not possible to grasp without the basic math skills. As educators, it is hard to move on when a student or students are behind as well as other students who understand the concepts very easily. The use of these videos in the classroom is a great idea because it allows the teacher to work more closely with students and the best thing about it is students can work at their own pace that way you are not moving to quickly/slowly for your class. They mentioned having the students watch the lectures for homework and the homework or math problems they would normally do at home will be done in the classroom with the help of peers and the teacher. In educational psychology it is said that the student that teachers or describes the concept or idea understands it best. This is a great way to get the peers working together and able to teach the concepts to each other. It is also a great way that parents can get involved in their students school work. The students can show the parents what they are learning, you can recommend certain videos to have the parents monitor them as they watch them, you can even allow the parents to see the students progress throughout the year. As Salman discussed its benefits one thing that really caught my eye was the idea of teachers being able to monitor student progress even from the years before. For example, if Tommy is struggling in you Algebra class especially with fractions. You know that is something they should have covered the year before, so you can pull up his results and progress and see from the year before whether he understood it, where he struggled, when he began to struggle, or even if he struggled or not and may just need some refreshing lectures to bring it all back. I am extremely impressed with this use of video in education and I think it is great for all ages and learners. It is great for this generation as well because most students spend a great deal of time on the computer daily anyways.
One inspirational thing that I would like to end with was when Salman was discussing the words he received from an Autistic boy's mother. She said that he has struggled with math for years and have tried basically everything and up until trying this nothing worked. She said now he understands math and is right where he needs to be, no more falling behind. I think this is great to know that it could benefit students that are gifted, autistic, have learning disabilities, etc. I am so impressed and would like to see this in action to see how the teachers and students respond!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Podcast Reflection #9: 0071 TCT Sparking Their Creativity
This podcast was a great pick because it was full of internet resources and things you can do in the classroom to spark the creativity of your students. They started off by talking about how a young student was encouraged to spark his creativity by using different words, rather than the ordinary words. For example, instead of using the word old he used ancient. His teacher was proud of him for doing this so he asked him to read his story over the intercom at school to the principal. The student ended by thanking him (his teacher) and all other teachers who help students "find their spark, make their mark, and encourage them to dream big." This was the main inspiration behind the podcast and they discussed how this is something that should inspire teachers everywhere and that the mission of teachers should be to help students Find Spark, Make a Mark, and Dream Big! I think this is the best mission I have heard and it gives me great inspiration as a future educator to know that doing those three things can change a students life forever.
The TechChiks shared quite a few resources that I think will be great for the classroom. The first one is called Media College and it can be used for numerous projects but especially for film production. It has a number of tutorials to assist you in editing and making a video. The best part about this website is its FREE! The next website the ladies told about was Aviary which is a PhotoShop website that is also FREE! It allows you to edit photos, do touch-ups, add graphics and images, etc. It is something that could be used in the classroom for all students because it is easy and they will not have to pay at all! Next, the TechChiks talked about WebNote that allows you to take notes on your computer and add as a bookmark, that way if you want to share it you can. There is a drawback to this and that is there is no sign in name which means it is not secure. Our Courts could be one of my favorite resources I have discovered this year! It is a Civics website that was designed and created by Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner. It allows individuals, groups, or classes to play games and take test on Civics. Below I have listed four other resources that were talked about during the podcast. I think they are all worth looking at as I have explored all of them and they will be something I keep in mind when usingtechnology in the classroom.
The TechChiks also discussed their two favorite iPhone apps of the week. One was called Flashcard Touch that allows you to search Quizlet and download the flashcards made there right to your phone! The other app was called GorillaCam which gives you a number of tools for your built in camera on your iPhone.
The TechChiks shared quite a few resources that I think will be great for the classroom. The first one is called Media College and it can be used for numerous projects but especially for film production. It has a number of tutorials to assist you in editing and making a video. The best part about this website is its FREE! The next website the ladies told about was Aviary which is a PhotoShop website that is also FREE! It allows you to edit photos, do touch-ups, add graphics and images, etc. It is something that could be used in the classroom for all students because it is easy and they will not have to pay at all! Next, the TechChiks talked about WebNote that allows you to take notes on your computer and add as a bookmark, that way if you want to share it you can. There is a drawback to this and that is there is no sign in name which means it is not secure. Our Courts could be one of my favorite resources I have discovered this year! It is a Civics website that was designed and created by Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner. It allows individuals, groups, or classes to play games and take test on Civics. Below I have listed four other resources that were talked about during the podcast. I think they are all worth looking at as I have explored all of them and they will be something I keep in mind when using
The TechChiks also discussed their two favorite iPhone apps of the week. One was called Flashcard Touch that allows you to search Quizlet and download the flashcards made there right to your phone! The other app was called GorillaCam which gives you a number of tools for your built in camera on your iPhone.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Podcast, Website, and Blog Mid-term Critiques
I thought it was really cool to look at other classmates websites, blogs, and listen to their Podcasts. I learned a lot from listening to Corinna Hickels podcast. It was done really well and had a lot of information. As for the other classmate that I critiqued, she did not have hers uploaded so I was unable to listen to it.
I really liked looking at other peoples websites especially. I used Wix for my website but Corinna used Weebly. After looking at her website I am considering switching to Weebly. There are many different options that the two websites have to offer but I really liked the way Corinna's website looked. It was set up really nicely and it looked professional. The other girl I peer-critiqued used Google Sites which is what I started out using. Hers looked pretty good but she did not have much added to it. The only thing she has was the links to a few websites. For now her website looked good but from personal experience when you get to adding more and more to your website it begins to look sloppy. The only reason I say this is because Google Sites does not let you place your photos or links anywhere you'd like. It has let, middle, and right options and that is it.
As for the blogs everything was looking nicely. Corinna's blog was really interesting and she had it set up very well. She had all the blogs she needed, they were done professionally, and she had her page set up in a way that was easy to read and appealing to the eye. The girl that I critiqued as well had only two or three blogs which were very good she just did not have very many. I am interested to see how the websites and blogs end up with everything on them that is needed. I could tell that Corinna had spent quite a bit of time on her projects and she is doing great.
I really liked doing this critique so that I could get some ideas for my own website and blog. It is also nice to help others out with their work and let them know what we thought!
I really liked looking at other peoples websites especially. I used Wix for my website but Corinna used Weebly. After looking at her website I am considering switching to Weebly. There are many different options that the two websites have to offer but I really liked the way Corinna's website looked. It was set up really nicely and it looked professional. The other girl I peer-critiqued used Google Sites which is what I started out using. Hers looked pretty good but she did not have much added to it. The only thing she has was the links to a few websites. For now her website looked good but from personal experience when you get to adding more and more to your website it begins to look sloppy. The only reason I say this is because Google Sites does not let you place your photos or links anywhere you'd like. It has let, middle, and right options and that is it.
As for the blogs everything was looking nicely. Corinna's blog was really interesting and she had it set up very well. She had all the blogs she needed, they were done professionally, and she had her page set up in a way that was easy to read and appealing to the eye. The girl that I critiqued as well had only two or three blogs which were very good she just did not have very many. I am interested to see how the websites and blogs end up with everything on them that is needed. I could tell that Corinna had spent quite a bit of time on her projects and she is doing great.
I really liked doing this critique so that I could get some ideas for my own website and blog. It is also nice to help others out with their work and let them know what we thought!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Classroom 2.o
Classroom 2.o is a great website to use for more resources, podcast and tv shows that are full of resources, and it is an easy searching tool for teacher resources. One thing I liked best about this website was you could pick the host you like best on the Live TV Shows and watch only their episodes. You can also search the web easily by using the search tool on the left-hand side. It is narrowed by tool, subject, and area. This will be a benefit when you are in a hurry or want to narrow things down to a smaller more manageable list. This website is a social networking website but you must register for it and explain why and how you will use it. It is for educators and it allows you to discuss various topics with other educators, get advice, share resources, and compare lesson plans. You have your own page or profile page that allows you to make it your own and it will make it easier for you to find people you want to get advice or help from. Classroom 2.o is a great network to use for those people that like Facebook but may want to have a professional page as well. This is the place to go to do this and to meet other teachers just like yourself.
EduTecher
This website has many things to offer for educators looking for resources and to learn more everyday. The thing that I found was amazing and really will be beneficial to educators was the Conferences page. It has a list of upcoming conferences for educators to attend. This is great to have this as a resources because as educators we must constantly be learning new things and trying new ideas. Going to conferences allows us to do this and it is great to be able to go to the EduTecher website and have it right there for you. Another page that I thought was a great idea and the way it was set up was great, Links. This has a checklist for you to narrow down the resources you are looking for by subject and by age. I came across an awesome website using the links page and it is called 4Teachers. It has numerous ways of integrating technology into your classroom while teaching the subjects required. I thought this was really cool and you can get some great ideas from a website like this. Lastly, I found a website using the links page again called 21stCenturyLit. It is great for me because my emphasis is English and it is geared toward 7-12th graders which will also be a benefit to myself as I want to teach middle school as well. You have to register for this site but once you have you can share lesson plans, post lesson plans, comment, print, and download lesson plans and resources. I think this site will come in handy when I need some more ideas!
Kan-Ed Reflection
I explored the Kan-Ed website and realized there so many cool and beneficial resources for myself as a future educator and myself as a student now! I can even have my students use some of the resources available. The first website I explored was the Kansas Education Resource Center. It has a number of resources and offers great tips. For example, it gives you tips on teaching students with special needs and writing a lesson plan. It also has a break down of the standards, benchmarks, and indicators which is nice because they are so easy to locate on this site. I also looked at a really neat website called Financial Foundations for Kansas Kids. It is a GREAT place for students in the K-8 grades. It teaches them things about money and life in general. It is interactive and engaging for the students and I think the students (especially those in lower elementary) will really enjoy this and benefit from it. Lastly, I visited the World Book Student website which I can even use right now in my classes at Kansas State! Its amazing the resources out there! It has quizzes you can take to test yourself, extra information in certain subjects such as biology, news from around Kansas and the world, and even tips on how to research. It is great to know that Kansas offers things like this to teachers and students. I will definitely be using this to study and in my classroom when I'm a teacher.
Podcast Reflection #8: 0055ish TCT We Have Our iPhone 3GS's!
I picked this podcast to listen to because I am getting an upgrade on my phone in August so I wanted to see what the iPhone 3GS had to offer. I know it is not all that educational but I do know the iPhone has some really cool apps for teachers so I though why not see what else it offers. The Tech Chicks seemed really excited about getting the phones so I think I'm definitely going to get one! Is it August yet?! They talked about some of the features that it had that they liked. One of them was the compass which could be beneficial in many ways and a good survival tool. The screen is "oliofobic" described one of them which means it doesn't smudge with the oils from out fingers. The voice control is a really neat tool that allows you to just say "Call Mom" and it will call the number that is listed with Mom in your phone book. You can also say "play Good Morning Beautiful" and it will begin to play the song you stated as long as it is in your library. I think this is a really cool app to have! The camera on the iPhone is really good and it has a autofocus feature and a tap to focus app that will focus on a certain object. Lastly, they discussed the full typing keyboard that is new on the iPhone 3GS's and how beneficial it is.
After listening to the Tech Chicks rave about the iPhone 3GS's I cannot wait to get mine in August!
After listening to the Tech Chicks rave about the iPhone 3GS's I cannot wait to get mine in August!
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