Riding the Ski Lift...

Today was our first face-to-face meeting and it was a good one! I was amazed at how quickly the 4 hours flew by. After discussing the upcoming projects required in this course, I was struck by a metaphor that Dr. Smolka used. In the midst of her story she asked if we felt as though we were "...riding the ski lift up the mountain...". This struck me in two ways. First, I have been dying to go skiing and it has literally been constantly on my mind and second, I could literally feel myself in that situation with all the butterflies inside. 

On the way home I began thinking. You don't climb on a ski lift unprepared. You spend time purchasing the clothing and equipment to protect you for your decent down the mountain. The same should apply to the upcoming projects. So, with butterflies in my stomach and the motivation still surging I stopped and bought a microphone. I decided to purchase the headset so that I would be able to multi-task with headphones and a microphone. Knock out two birds with one stone :). 

Next, I began practicing on the 'bunny slopes' (i.e. playing around with some of the programs). I feel like I have a handle on Jing and have already begun thinking of ways to use it in the classroom as well as with this course. Since I am the least knowledgeable about Windows Movie Maker, I also decided to play with it and see if I could make a movie just for fun. I got pretty good and the dragging and dropping. I even figured out how to split a frame, cut a section smaller, and add extras like animations and titles. However, as luck would have it, right as I was pressing play to preview my masterpiece, it froze. After waiting patiently for a minute...it played!!! It was MUCH easier than I thought it would be!!!!! Now that I know how simple it can be I cannot wait to begin using this with my students. 

Put me on the ski lift, I am ready for some blues! (Notice how I didn't say and black diamonds...not that confident yet) I am looking forward to all of the new programs that I will learn this semester. As I was telling a classmate this morning, I am excited because this course will force me to learn many of the programs that I have wanted to try for a while, but have just been to scared or busy to try. 

Topic 20: Final Reflections

I think that there were numerous areas of this course that I found to be beneficial. In the content, I enjoyed learning about the amazing amount of technology that is available to students. I thought that the way that the textbook organized the examples of the software/types of technology into reader friendly tables was very helpful. I gained a lot of knowledge from the chapters. The most beneficial part of the structure of the class was the flexibility that it provides. I think that it was very helpful to have an entire week to work on activities. That way we can work around our already hectic teacher schedules.

I did think that certain parts of the course did inhibit my learning. The textbook is packed with information and vocabulary. It was very difficult to be able to understand all of the technologies that were mentioned, especially when the reference in the book was so short. I think that this was one drawback of the online course versus a face-to-face course where questions could be asked and the terms better defined. While I LOVED the flexibility that the online class offered it did have its drawbacks. It was hard for me to understand the format of Blackboard and navigate to the assignments in the beginning. It is difficult to understand and connect ideas on concepts in the different areas of the Blackboard site. For example, the description of the activity was in the course documents but you have to submit it in the assignments area. Also, the functions operate differently in different parts of the site. When you attach a file to a message or discussion board, it is not the same way that you attach a file in the assignments section. Unfortunately I learned that out from experience.

Even with some of the difficulties I really enjoyed this class. Technology and education are the two things that I am most passionate about. I am very excited to learn about how those two relate and improve the quality of learning for our future generations.

Topic 19: Document Cameras

I was sent a GREAT link to all kinds of different ways that you can use the document camera, some of these we've seen...some are new! I thought I'd share my faves to remind you that the document camara can be SO much more than a place for you to work out problems on the "big screen", :)

• training or initial introduction to any other piece of equipment everyone can use, but can't gather around to see easily
  


• Students can draw the background scenery for a play or skit they will perform in class. Move your projector at a 45 degree angle to the white board. Project the drawing onto the white board, angling it behind the actors. The image will naturally distort, but the overall effectiveness is well worth it.
  


• In math problem-solving use the doc camera to take a photo of a problem and solution (use a kid's). Put it in your teacher blog and have students individually respond to the query: How might the writer have arrived at this solution?

Some videos that were found on document cameras/document readers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaixlM5PFAM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcBiUDTdkoQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OtigNJ5rFA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhaPsLwUurI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtMGFsuy_4M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4fpOf6zUOQ&feature=related

Topic 18: My Journey in Education

This week I have been thinking a lot about the journey that I have taken in my career toward becoming a Master Technology Teacher. I wanted to share some of my thoughts on that journey with you.

My undergraduate studies were pursued at the University of Texas at Dallas. My work ethic and dedication to learning continued to expand as I was given a buffet of classes to sample. After two years, I found myself sitting in an organizational behavior business course realizing that I had no passion for any of the concepts being taught by the professor. I began searching for that spark in learning that motivated me for all those years. I soon experienced it in an educational psychology course and found myself striving to learn more. As I continued to enroll in education courses, I realized this is where my heart thrived. From the cognitive developments to the intervention methods that improve struggling students, everything in education inspired me to learn more. I graduated with a major in interdisciplinary studies, a certification to teach elementary education, and a dedication to make a difference in the lives of children.

Attending the Texas Computer Education Agency Conference in February of this year opened my eyes to the growing industry of educational technology. I arrived at the conference with a basic understanding of technology use in schools and left thriving on my newly obtained skills, yearning to share everything with my co-workers, and eager to learn more. I have observed first hand how technology related lessons can not only motivate but inspire students to become active, engaged learners who problem solve and use higher order thinking. Students in my class have used applications like PowerPoint, Photo Story, and Study Island to construct tangible representations of their knowledge. Because of their passion to create technology based projects, my students have become known as the ‘tech-ie class’ according to Debra Chisholm, the principal of my school.

Topic 17: Show me the Money!

One of the greatest problems with technology in the classroom is how to fund it. I know that personally I will learn of all these amazing programs and lesson plans that incorporate technology but become very discouraged when I realize that I cannot do them because of lack of resources. There are numerous ways to get technology into the classroom, and while many resources are free, there are still some things that you have to have. For example, my elementary school is one of the largest in my district. We have 6 sections in almost every grade level and yet we share ONE digital camera between the entire school.

I have found that grants are my friend. I have written numerous grants to receive extra resources for my classroom. I have receieved a class set of flash drives, a digital tablet, and a bunch of reading resources. I am always on the look out for new companies and opportunities to apply for items I need in my classroom...especially technology.

My favorite and most used grant company is Donors Choose. It is a non-profit organization that works to connect companies and private individuals willing to donate money with teachers who need help in their classroom. They cooperate with several companies in offering supplies. Basically anything that you could possibly need can be found in their supply database. Then anyone wanting to donate can read about your class, what you are asking for , and donate money right there on the website in a safe and secure manner.

Here is a website that lists numerous grants that are available to teachers:
Big Deal Book of Technology
Teachers Count
>>>Entire list of websites to search

Topic 16: Big Huge Labs

I love searching the Internet to find fun resources that I can use in my classroom. I actually came across Big Huge Labs a while ago but forgot about it in the craziness of the new school year. Big Huge Labs is a free website where you can create fun and interesting things out of your digital pictures. You do not have to register to use many of the features however if you do create an account you can save your projects to the site. Also, if you have a facebook account you can easily register through that login information.

I have played around with the site with some of my personal pictures and it is addicting. I took some time out today to think of numerous ways that I could incorporate the features offered on this website into classroom lessons:

Motivator: You can use pictures taken of your class during the year to create motivational posters for the students to read. Another great idea is to have students create a poster with a character from a story they have read. They would need to analyze the traits of the character to create a descriptive poster of that characters personality.

Photobooth: Students can work on sequencing events with this feature. They need to put pictures in the order that they occurred. It would work really well with timelines in history or steps of the scientific process.

Magazine Cover/Movie Poster: The first idea that came to me would be to create a fun book review. The students would need to identify the story elements, such as main characters and plot, and then translate that into the project.

Badge Maker: Create badges for important accomplishments. We are currently working on memorizing our multiplication facts and the students would be very excited to get a 'Multiplication Master' license. I created an example using my dog but imagine how excited students would be to have this laminated with their own picture on it. *TIP: In order to avoid the hassle of permission forms and student pictures, have your kids create their own Mii (a cartoon image of themselves) at http://www.makewee.com/.

Calendars, CD covers, Billboards, and so much more! The possibilities are endless for the ways that you can use these in the classroom. Explore, Play...Enjoy!

Topic 15: PhotoStory

If you have never used PhotoStory before, you need to try it!!! PhotoStory is a program by Microsoft that you can download for free online. The software was developed to create animated slideshows that can be saved and viewed as a movie. However the uses of this program for use in the classroom are endless.

The reasons to use PhotoStory are similar to those of using a PowerPoint presentation. They can convey information in a visual manner to reach students. They can also be played with recorded narration, animated effects, and background music. This provides a much more interesting and engaging presentation for students. A PhotoStory will also play in a movie format instead of a timed or clicked advance like the PowerPoint presentations.

I have used PhotoStories to capture important events that my class has experienced. PhotoStories are a great resource to use create slideshows from field trips, school events, or information for parents. I also like to convert PowerPoints that students create into PhotoStories to post on my class website.

Another great way to use them is as an assessment tool. One teacher that I observed used it to check understanding of her class on landforms. She created a partially completed PhotoStory by uploading pictures of different landforms that the students should know. Then she saved it as a 'Working Project'. Next she had each child open the file, label each picture with the correct name using the title feature, re-order the slides so that they were in alphabetical order, and save it as their name for the teacher to grade.

One of my favorite ways to use this program is by creating digital class books by scanning drawings that students have made to create more authentic pictures that they can narrate. My class created a movie last year on Earth Day. Each student was asked to think of a way to conserve energy and illustrate it on paper. I scanned in the pictures, had each student narrate their tip for saving energy into the microphone, and then placed them together in a digital class book.