Exit Slip 10/28

Today in class I learned that in ones google tools one create a survey and get bar graph results. We also learned about Elluminate, which I didn't know about. It is a very neat online collaboration tool that is synchronized. It was a good reminder to hear that we are suppose to spend 3 hours studying for everyone hour in class.

Rethinking Education Ch.7

This chapter address how and what education will gain and loses by incorporating the changing technologies. There is a lot of things to be gained by having technology in the classroom. First of all it is more engaging for students and help them want to do their work. It allows in depth study; it is difficult for teachers to reach every little part of a subject and having access to the internet allows student to discover on their own. This means that students and even parents are becoming more accountable for learning. I think this is a great thing because when you are in control your more likely to be more personal and learn what applies to you more than if you were just getting an overview. Also, thechnolgy personalize education, which helps with the wide diversity of students and student thinking. It provides variety in the classroom by enable many different interactive activities. Students can play computer cames, watch videos, listen to podcasts, and much more. It is also assiting teachers in more individual learning, which has been proven to very benefical to students. I believe with all these new developments it is still important to teach students about the basics with and with out technology ; because if something goes wrong they are going to need the means to get along without technologies. In the end it is also important to teach each student about the knowledge behind technology and even a bit about how it works. I think as long as students understand these thing it will be an even better reason to incorporate technology into a classroom. I will definetly use technology in my classroom to reach all students but I think teaching the background is also extremely important.

Ch. 8 BWP

This chapter talked about all th different ways publishing has developed and now it is much easier and there is a wider variety. The first thing that was addressed was podcasting, which at first I didn't really know what is was I just thought it as internet rado. After reading it seems like podcasting is a relatively simple process that can be used by pretty much anyone. What I like about it is can talk about anything, use it is many manners, and it doesn't have to be polished like a radio show. The reading then addressed video publishing which is something I nevery attempted but I think it could be an awesome learning tool. To me it is amazing how many different people use youtube and create their own videos. The problem with youtube is that anyone can access it and that can be a problem for student learning, as an alternative they have created a website called TeacherTube.com. All one needs to do this type of thing is just a camera. To go along with video publishing people can now do live streaming in which there video is shown online as they are recorded.  Before this class I didn't know anything about screencasting and how to do. It seems like a great way to show how to do something without having to repeat oneself. It is information one can record and use over and over again.
I think it would be really fun to use podcasting in the classroom by having my students do a variety of projects with it. Students could do their own radio show talking about what we have learned, do interviews, and oral projects. As a teacher I could record lessons and talk about teaching for other teachers. I would also like to use video publishing so my students can create their own videos. I know when I was a kid I loved doing video projects. They can video tape reenactments and have their own news show. Also, I  can video tape my own lessons for review.

Ch. 6 Rethinking Ed.

This chapter touched on the many aspects of education. It talked about the three main eras and each thing that infulenced them. The things that influence one's education are constantly swinging back and forth. It started out with parents who decided what their children would learn and either taught the children themselves of found an appreticeship. Horace Man then came into play and decided that children should be required to attend school to learn american values and english. This meant that the government was in charge of education for all children. The government started doing such things as standardized testing. It has made a strong strong impact on education by creating laws, standards, and eventually requiring for school to let special ed students in schools. Another sector is the individual, people started taking control of their own education. There are now many resources a person can use to educate themselves. They can research on the internet, by educational programs, go to learning centers, and many other options. For a while it was just the government impacting education but currently the individual and parents are playing a bigger role. People are now seeking out their own education with out being told to because they know they need to be knowledgeable for such things as their future career. Parents are now investing more time into their childs education. Some parents are now home schooling their children allowing them to have a lot of control. Other parents are going to more school events, checking in with teachers, and practing what is done at school at home. I thought it was very intresting how has swung back and forth in the area of who is in control. I think it is important to know this because as a teacher I believe your style changes a little depending on who is in control. When parent are involved a teacher has to keep them up to date and for the government a teacher has to pay attention to the requirements. For the individual the teacher can supply that person with informations and activiities to use. I will use this knowledge in my future classroom by making sure I incorporate each aspect. I will follow the teaching standards but also thing of the students and parents. I will keeep the parents up to date and give them material to work on with their children. Also, I will try my be to pin point those students who are taking charge of their education and try to help them in that process.

Exit Slip 10/21

Today in class I learned what a jigsaw was for discussion and a summary frame. I really liked the idea of a jigsaw because it creates two small discussion; one where everyone is doing the same topic then in the second group one person from each first group forms a group and reports what the first group talked about. We also learned how to lock objects and group objects on the SmartBoard. The infinite cloner is allows a trick fro SmartBoard I would use in the future to make obects to be multiple. I thought it was a good tip to know about formating, I didn't think of having high contrast and thought that 36 font would be too big (but 36 font is ideal). I learned the 6 by 6 rule, 6 lines of text and 6 words per line.

Ch.7 BWP

This chapter was all about the website Flickr.com, a photo publishing website. It is a great way to share events and what is going on in one’s life and even in a classroom. There are some risks with a tool like this because it is an open tool that anyone can look at or post anything thing; you don’t want students stumbling upon something inappropriate. A down side is you can do photo editing on the website, so you have to do that before you post your pictures. You can tag your photos and connect them to other people’s photos.  Some of the ideas to use Flickr.com in the classroom were really neat. I thought a virtual field trip would be really fun because you can show students so many things and place they can’t physically go to or would be too far or too expensive to go to in person. I also liked the idea of illustrating poetry because that can sometimes be a difficult concept for students to grasp. I really like how it can connect people from around the world. It would be very interesting to look at another person’s travels and share them with a class because a teacher can’t travel and get pictures from everywhere. For geography one can use it with Google Maps and Google Earth to connect pictures with location.  I also think it would be a good way to share classroom events and happenings with parents. The photos one places on Flickr.com can be organized and commented on.  In the examples of people who use Flickr.com in the classroom one teacher used it a prompted for writing assignments.

I absolutely loved some of the use and ideas for Flickr.com in the classroom. I will definitely use it for writing prompts because I think creative writing is great to have students do. I love the idea of share pictures from around the world and think it will be great for geography. I think it would also be great to share events with parents and let them comment on the pictures to get feedback and keep them updated.

Ch. 5 Rethinking Education

                 This chapter discussed the many different parts or seeds of education, there are many different ways and place to learn depending on one’s needs and age. The first part addressed was home schooling. I did not realize that so many children were being home school and the estimated increase of  29% in 4 years is amazing.  I think that is great that parents want to teacher their children at home but at the same time I think they need to be taught by others and at home. My belief is that a child needs to be in a classroom at least part of the time because it is a social as well as academic learning tool. It was interesting to read the example of how it could be beneficial to future families and I agree that under certain circumstances home schooling is beneficial. The main thing is that the parents need to be able to have an extreme amount of influence and the ability to socialize their children. Next, the chapter addressed work place learning. Technology and the knowledge needed in the workplace is constantly changing and even if one goes to school and learns everything in a couple of years they will have to learn more things. This makes workplace learning vital to employees to keep up and a way for companies to avoid constantly rehiring. I thought it was neat how they are developing games for training like they do for children.  The reading also addressed distance education which seems to become more and more common. It enables teachers to teach students from all over the country things that they normally wouldn’t be able to learn. It also enables schools that don’t have funding or the ability to have certain class to make those classes available. Adult learning is also another part of education. It is a great part of lifelong learning and it is more beneficial now days because people are living longer.  I think in some situations learning centers are very beneficial because some students have trouble learning in schools and learning centers are a great assistive tools. I went to a learning center and they are a great way to fill the gaps in education. I like the idea of educational videos, television, and computer games because they are a great supplement to learning. Every child learns differently and this enforces what they learn in a variety of manners.

                In my own classroom I will use many of these tools.  I will definitely use educational computer games and videos in my classroom. I will also give recommendations to learning centers if requested or demined necessary. I also will be more informed about homeschooling for parents who are inquiring.  

Ch. 6 WPB

The reading had a great point the web is no longer just a resource it is a social tool. Pretty much anything you do these days on the web is a social thing. There is email, facebook, blogs, twitter, Wikipedia, and much more. If you think about it even search engines are a social because they display what others have been searching for and recommend websites from a variety of people. YouTube is even a social thing because you post a video, view comments, post comments, and watch other people’s connections.  Now that I think about it I am having trouble of thinking of something that is not a social thing in some aspect. The chapter said the a students work is now becoming a shared thing no matter what you do because if you think about every source they uses is from a variety of things and they can use the social web to get information.  

There are so many social parts to the web but some of them just seem ridiculous to me. I have a facebook and a delicious but that is about it. I just feel that is would be too much for me to keep up with; I can barely keep up with my facebook any more, I check it about one a day on my iPod touch and then I am good. I have several friends that have a twitter and they have been trying to get me to join them but I looked at theirs and I just can’t see myself doing it.  I don’t feel the need to know what someone is doing every single day, when I can barely keep up with myself.  I’m sure for certain people it would be interesting because they put only important things. But some people tweet everything and I have no need to know that you are eating a cookie or something trivial. I have a friend that gets the tweet sent to her phone and though it is a really neat idea it would drive me crazy.   I do on the other hand really like social booking because I think it can be very beneficial and is an important resource. I am a favorites-aholic if I have to go to a page often I mark the page but that get so messy. There is absolutely no organization and I end up forgetting what things are for.  My social booking account keeps everything organized and allows me to mark sources so I know what they are in the future.

In a future classroom of mine I will definitely use the social web but that will most likely not include twitter. I will use social bookmarking to manage my resources and I think it will be important to start older students doing the same thing.  Also, I think using blog and wiki will be beneficial to my students.

Ch. 4 Rethinking Education

This chapter talks about the changes that have had occurred in American life that the authors believe have affect the changes in the American school system. The major changes that are address are the invention of the printing press, the reformation, the American Revolution, and the industrial revolution.  The printing press enabled wide spread knowledge, more writers, and more things recorded than just remember. At first I was like “why the printing press? It is so outdated;” but after thinking about it I realize why. I was the first way to write without doing everything by hand and as time when by the idea was expanded and modified; now we have computers to do our writing more efficiently. The printing press was just one of the first stepping stones.  The reformation changed schools by causing religious groups to think about education and religious education. Massachusetts Act of 1647 was creating to say that town of 50 families or more had to hire a school master. I thought this was very interesting and probably cause some problems because before it was the parents’ job to educate their children. During the American Revolution political minds had the idea of popular education because they were able to get an education in Europe and they wanted to carry that over to America.  The industrial revolution brought about state provided school, which lead to a serious decrease on depending on parents. I think is a good and bad thing because I think it is an important thing for parents to be involved in schooling but I think it is a part of education that is coming back.

I will use my new found knowledge in my class room many different ways.  I think it will be important to teach my student about the changes in technology and the events that got us to this point so they have more appreciation for what they have access to and hopefully that will help them want to learn more with technology. Also, I realize that one type of technology or way of doing things doesn’t work for every one; so I will use many different forms of teaching and technology in my classroom.

Exit Slip 10/7/10

I think the discussion group taught me that many technologies and parts of teaching are not perfect. Every student is so different that there is usually a flaw in a technique. That is why as a teacher one needs to use multiple strategies and technologies to reach every student. I also learned what was meant by graded schools, I thought it was letter grades not placing students in grades based on their ages. I learned about scratch and I like how students can access it from home online and have fun learning through a game.

Ch. 5 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts

When I saw the chapter title was RSS, I was very confused because I had never heard of it before.  Reading this was kind of hard for me because if seemed to have a lot of terms I did not know; I’m the type of person that has trouble learning things I just read. I feel like I got a good understanding though and I think once I use the tool I will be fine. I was very glad to hear that there was an easier way of going through a billion websites; it is amazing how you can go to one website and read about many different ones all at once. It would be so difficult for a teacher to do so and knowing this it makes me more confident in my overall ability to check resources. It is super helpful how one can track many feeds of daily information from many sources, like blogs, newspapers, and more.  I looked a google reader and watched the informative video. It seems to be very easy and straight forward; it is nice how you can use it on any computer. I like how once you subscribe to a site it tells you when there are new posts and marks off when you have read them.  I love how you’re pretty much always getting the latest news because it is telling you when the site has updates.

I think this can be a great tool for student to monitor the sites they use and could be used for projects.  For example if they have to write a research paper they could mark sites and read them when they are updated to get the latest information. It can be a great personal and educational tool. I think it will be very helpful to me as well because I can bookmark many sites that have to do with my teaching. Through these sites I can be up to date on teaching ideas, techniques, news, and much more.  RSS will allow me to be a very up to date teacher and give my students a wealth of knowledge.

Ch. 4 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts

I found the information about Wikipedia very interesting because I always disregarded it as a bad source. Throughout high schools every teacher I had told me that it I was not allowed to use it and that it was an unreliable source. I was told it was unreliable because it was able to be accessed by any one and they could make things biased or out up the wrong information.  So I thought for a very long time like the reading said that it was more like wackypedia. This reading reassured me that Wikipedia was not a bad thing; it was meant to be and is a place to find the “sum of human knowledge.” Everyone in the world knows something that someone else doesn’t know about and Wikipedia and other wikis allow people to openly share their knowledge.  It shows that collectively people can produce high quality information. One can get information about places, people, technologies, news, and pretty much anything you can think of.  The article said that it is a great starting point; I will definitely use it in the future but I will also use additional sources. Wikis are an amazing thing that allows anyone to collaborate together and share information and thoughts.  I never really thought about using a wiki in a classroom yet alone my everyday life. Until I took this class I didn’t even know that you could create your own or that any other one was out there, I seriously thought Wikipedia was the only one. One concern I had that the chapter addressed was preventing other people from putting information on a class wiki. I thought it was a really good idea to make it a class project to check the wikis’ information. Students can use a wiki to display their research, do a project, do a review of material, and just plain display information. I think it is neat how one can link other tools to a wiki like blogs and podcasts, which can help enhance student learning. One thing that it was used for that I would like to incorporate into a classroom would be to use a blog as a travel journal where I can display memories, photos, and video. I want to have a younger elementary school class and I think it could be hard to incorporate a wiki, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try. I think I could definitely use the travel wiki in my classroom because it could be a great way to share experience and teach the children about different places. Also, it could be turned into another parent resource with link to class information and if the parents came into the classroom they could share with other parents what they thought.