Goodbye TPTE 486...

I am very sad to say that today was the last day of TPTE 486. I have really enjoyed this class this semester and unlike my other classes I looked forward to going to class. I think that I have learned so many great things that I will be able to use in my classroom one day. I have learned how to use many of Web 2.0 tools such as: Wordle, Animoto, VoiceThread, Blogger, Smilebox, and Wikis. I think that the best thing about this class was learning how to write a lesson plan, making the website and learning how to use some of the Web 2.0 tools. I do not think that I will use all of the tools but a lot of the tools I found very useful and easy to use. I know that the faculty is talking about getting rid of the lesson plan part of the curriculum but I think that this was a very important part of the class. It was my first experience writing  lesson plan so I thought it was good, but I know there were some in the class that have written many lesson plans so they did not find it very helpful. I also liked the fact we got to teach each other how to use the Web 2.0 tools. I found the presentations to be very helpful, but I also think that they took up a lot of class time sometimes as well. Some of the tools were much easier to explain to the class than others. The ones that were more advanced like Animoto and Prezi, it was very difficult to create one with the class and still have time to do our other classwork. Also, I know it was frustrating for some people who were prepared to do their project on a certain day but then their presentation day got pushed back. If we did multiple presentations in a day it was hard to finish what we needed to finish in class. There was also a lot of information given in class and we were not always sure what we needed to have done before the next class. When Dr. B created the blog about what we needed to do for each class it made it much easier to follow along. I also do not think that there really needs to be a day by day syllabus for this class because it was not always the right assignment on the right day. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and I thought that it was very useful and I learned a lot of very interesting tools that can be used in the classroom.

My Classroom Website

Developing the website has probably been one of my favorite things about this class. I had a lot of fun while making it and I know that I will continue to use it throughout my professional career. I learned how to create web-pages in this assignment and that is something that can be used not only in the classroom but also outside as well. I think that mostly everything with this assignment went well. It was very helpful that it was through Google and that we could update the page when and wherever we were. I must admit that it did distract me in a few of my other classes because I would much rather have been working on my website than paying attention to the lecture that day. Some things that I had a hard time with were trying to upload all of my projects from TPTE. All of the assignments that were done through Google, I had no problem with, but the other projects like with Inspiration were a little bit more challenging to put on. It was also a little difficult because you never knew which layouts had the breadcrumbs already in the template or not. Overall, I think that the website was a great activity and I will be using it throughout the rest of my college career as well as into my professional internship year. Hopefully when I get my own classroom I will also use it to interact with my students and parents.

Making Movies

Using iMovie we were to create a digital story that we could use in our classroom. My digital story is about World War II. The story is a journey through World War II from how the war started up until the time the war ends. I think that overall this project went well but it was also very frustrating. The main thing I was frustrated with was the fact that we could not work on the project at home. We were only able to use iMovie in the classroom. I had also never worked with iMovie so I did not exactly know how to use the program. I also had some frustration with my pictures not showing up the first time I created the movie. I did not pick the best topic to take my own pictures so I had to get all of the pictures from the Internet. Most pictures on the Internet are small and very blurry so I was not able to use those pictures and if I did the were not very clear in my movie. I think that the end product was well worth the time that was put into making the movie. I think that this is a program that I will use again in the classroom to help explain certain topics discussed in class. I think that the next time I use this program I will start the project on my computer and finish it on my computer so that I am able to work on it at home. I learned a lot while working on this project. I had never made a digital story before so by using iMovie I learned how to create this story and I also learned how to use all of the tools that are on iMovie. Overall, I think that I will use this program again, maybe not very often but it is definitely something I will use in my professional career.

Animoto

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Using the Web 2.0 tool was fun but a little frustrating at the same time. I cannot say that it is one of my favorite Web 2.0 tools. I think there are many different ways to use Animoto in the classroom but you have to be willing to put a lot of time and some money into it. The basic version of Animoto can be good for little presentations that will serve as an introduction to a topic. With the basic version you are very limited in what you can put in your video and the video itself can only be 30 seconds. Animoto is not an extremely hard tool to use so that made it easy to figure out how to use. The website basically gives you a step by step when you are creating a video so that is a very good thing, if you are trying to explain how to use the tool to the class. I do not think that some of the selections that they give you are very classroom related especially when it comes to the song choice. If you are wanting a song in your video there is a very limited selection of songs, and it does not allow you to pick which section of the song you would like to use. Throughout my experience with Animoto I learned how to use the tool and the different ways that it can possibly be used in the classroom. I think that next time I use this tool I will have my own pictures ready to use and try to find my own music as well. One way that I would like to use this tool in the classroom would be to make an introduction video about myself and about what to expect in the class. Overall, Animoto is not one of my favorite tools but I know I will find a way to incorporate it in my classroom.

learning new ways to EXCEL in the classroom

This past week we learned how to use Excel to make interactive spreadsheets to use in the classroom. This is a great tool that can be used in the classroom in order to give class quizzes or other informal questionnaires to your students. I thought that this activity went pretty well and I did not have many problems when creating the spreadsheet. The two things that you must be careful about are making sure you type in the right logic statement and making sure you unlock the cells the students will be asked the write in. If you do not unlock the cells then your students will not be able to write their answers, ultimately not being able to complete the quiz. The only thing I would change is that I probably should have completed the whole activity on the computer in the classroom. Going back and forth between older and newer versions can be a little difficult because they do not always have the same features in the same places. Overall, this activity went very well and I think that all teachers should learn how to make these spreadsheets. If you have access to computers in your classroom this is an easy way to give a quiz grade and get the responses and grade very quickly.

Parts of a Plant Cell

Creating digital diagrams through Inspiration has probably been one of my favorite things that we have learned so far. I think that there are many different uses for the classroom and they are very beneficial for the students as well as the teacher. Overall I think that the whole project went very well and I had a lot of fun creating the diagram. One thing that I had problems with is the connecting lines. They did not always go exactly where I wanted them and sometimes they looked like they were clustered together and not going to one exact point. I learned many things throughout this project. I learned how to use Inspiration and learned many different ways to use diagrams in the classroom. They can be used to teach a lesson, explain who you are, the rules of the class and can also be used for step by step instruction of a project or assignment. Up to this point in 486, Inspiration is my favorite tool to work with and I think I will find many uses for it in the future.

The Big Box of Smiles



Digital collage customized with Smilebox

Smilebox is yet another addicting tool that I can find a million uses for, in and outside the classroom. There are so many cool features that allow you to do things like make a scrapbook, invitations and slide-shows. Smilebox is a short cut for people who have always wanted to find the time to make a scrapbook for a certain occasion and just did not have the time or money to put into it. Smilebox also allows you to make your own invitations to any event, who ever said you had to go out and spend a ton a money on invitations that will, lets be honest, end up in the trash. It is so quick and easy and it allows anyone to use it as long as you have internet access and pictures on your computer. I did find however, that there is one drawback to using Smilebox; you are limited to the number of pictures you can use in some of the formats. I got a little frustrated with this because I would find a background that I loved but I was not able to put all of the pictures I wanted to use in that specific background. Overall, Smilebox is a really fun way to present information to the class, whether it be an invitation to open house or a scrapbook of a field trip taken, there are many ways it can be incorporated in the class.

Digital Scavenger Hunt

A few weeks ago we were told that we were going to go on a digital scavenger hunt with our group members. I was a little nervous about this at first because I did not know if we would have enough time in class to find all the items we needed as well as re-size all of our images. I had some trouble resizing images the week before when we had to make our web collections, so I was a bit skeptical. The scavenger hunt turned out to be a very fun activity and when it came time to re-size the pictures, I had some great group members who helped me figure out the right size.

I think that everything went very smoothly during this project and I would recommend doing it in a classroom setting for children. The only drawback to the project, if working with young children, is that you will have to have an adult with them to help them take pictures as well as walk around with them. Also, if you are wanting the children to put the pictures in a presentation they will need someone to help them re-size their pictures and place them in a PowerPoint. From this experience, I learned how to re-size images using many different tools, not just Photo Shop. There are many different websites, like Picnik that will allow you to crop the pictures and make them the exact way you need them to be. I do not think that I would do anything different next time I have to do a project like this. Everything went very smoothly and I think we had a lot of fun completing the project. Digital scavenger hunts can be used in many different ways in the classroom including: documentation of a field trip, to reinforce what is being taught in the classroom, and they allow the children to work in groups and learn how to work with one another.

Digital Collection

The Teacher's Life Line.....A Lesson Plan

When I first found out that I was going to have to write a lesson plan I was extremely excited. I thought to myself "how hard could it be". Boy was I surprised when I found out how much really goes into making a lesson plan. However, I really enjoyed planning a class period and what would go on in a lesson, but it did take a lot of thought and planning. I am so thankful that we were able to ask questions and get feedback because it helped me learn how an actual lesson plan should look when finished. The feedback from Dr. B worked really well and I think that it not only helped myself, but others in the class as well. One thing that did not work well for me was trying to complete the lesson plan, at the beginning,  without using an actual textbook. It was so much easier after I checked out a third grade textbook and found out what is really being taught about a subject. Everyone thinks they know how much is being taught about certain subjects or they know what is taught at a specific grade level, but we actually do not know exactly how much is taught. We know that the planets are taught in third grade but we do not know exactly how much is taught until we get an actual textbook regarding this age and subject.

Lesson plans will be used in my every day life, once I become a teacher. They are necessary for planning a classroom lesson. They allow you to stay on topic and it hows exactly what needs to be done and how you will get from one point to another. Lesson plans allow you to see the grade level standards that are expected and it allows the teacher to see what needs to be done, in order to get the students where they need to be.

Glogging and Blogging?

Glogster is a fun a creative way for teachers and students to make interactive posters. It allows the usage of text, pictures, videos and graphics. Students have the ability to collaborate with other students to complete a project that the teacher has given them. Glogs also make learning fun for students and might get them interested in a topic that they previously felt partial to. Teachers can also use glogs to present new information to the students. Presentations no longer need to be in plain PowerPoint form or on written notes, but they can be presented in a fun and exciting way. Hopefully by making the information a little more exciting the students will pay attention more and be excited about learning.

Here is an example of an all about me glog. 

love love love igoogle

I have never been exposed to iGoogle before until yesterday in class. This is such a wonderful tool to have access to on your computer. Since I have set iGoogle as my homepage, I have found it to be such a blessing. There are gadgets that you can put on your page, such as, a to do list and also it will allow to have your Gmail account open on the page. This is a great way to stay organized and it will also keep you up to date on the current news as well. You can have add a gadget that has the top news stories in the world and also one for the entertainment world. I just wanted to let everyone know how great this tool is and to encourage everyone to use iGoogle frequently!!

Wordy World of Wordle

Wordle is a Web 2.0 tool that allows you to create your own word clouds. Word clouds can be used in many different ways in the classroom. It is a fun and creative way to present information to your children in the class. If you have a younger class they are going to be more interested in the topic at hand if you present the material in a new and fun way. As a teacher, you can use Wordle to present your class rules, do an about me page, present a story/speech, list your spelling words. There are endless possibilities for the uses of Wordle and word clouds. Give your students a chance to speak their mind and let out a creative side.

Here is an example of an about me word cloud.

making the quest through the web

What are they? How are they used? Who can use them? What are they used for? These are many questions that went through my mind when I was first introduced to WebQuests. WebQuests are online projects that allow students to work in groups to reach a particular task. This week we were to collaborate with our group members in order to review a few different WebQuests. This activity made me realize what exactly these were and what they can be used for. Each member of the group had a particular task that they were responsible for reviewing in each WebQuest. My job, in particular, was the efficiency expert. My job was to review the site and to see if the project was using time efficiently. If the project took a long period of time to complete, I wanted to know if the children were getting a lot out of the material learned and was it worth our class time to complete. Some other things that should be looked at when deciding on what WebQuest to use are: does it allow for group collaboration, does it make children think at a higher level and not just writing down facts, and the overall look of the page is also important. This project really made me aware of what to look for in a good WebQuest and to know when you come across a bad one.

After we completed this project in class we were to go out and find our own WebQuest that we would like to use in our classroom. I was really frustrated when first looking for one because it seems like there are many out there that do not meet the expectations that we were looking for in class. The WebQuest that I finally found was "Help Frog and Toad". This particular WebQuest should be used in a first grade classroom and it collaborates English and Science. The children are asked to read Frog and Toad Are Friends and then to do research on both frogs and toads. This was a good WebQuest because to me it met all of the qualifications we learned about in class. The children are working with partners, they are using a good amount of time to research and talk about the subject at hand and the page is very appealing, it does not have many distracting aspects and it is easy to understand.

Overall, I think that WebQuests are a great tool for teachers at any grade level. They allow children to learn about a subject while discussing with their fellow classmates, as well as using tools on the internet. As teachers, we must also be aware that their are some WebQuests out there that are not very effective or efficient. Before we give any classroom a particular WebQuest we must first review the page and decide if it gets an A or an F. If given an A, then let your kids begin working and enjoy the fun!

to use or not to use....that is the question

On Monday, our class was told we were going to be evaluating a website that we could one day use in our classroom. This was a big project because we all want to have successful classrooms; therefore we want/need to pick the right tools to use. Each student was to pick a different website and complete the evaluation form given to us. I choose to evaluate starfall.com.

StarFall is a website that can be used in the lower grade classrooms. It is meant to help Kindergarten through second graders learn to read. I found this website to be very useful in the aspect of learning to read. There are many different links to different short stories and games that help children learn the basics about reading and phonics. There are also many other links that show fun ways for kids to read and ways to get them interested in reading. This site is very interactive and easy for children to navigate through. The font is large enough, the colors are bright but not distracting, and there is also sound to go along with many of the games. I think that if I end up teaching a younger classroom this website will definitely be one that will be used.

There are not only links to help children learn, but also links for teachers and parents. Teachers can get on and look at different curriculum's that could be used in the class. Parents and teachers can also download printable handouts that can be used at home or in the classroom. The only thing you need to have in order to download these files is Adobe Reader. One draw back of this website is that you need fast internet connection. If you have a slower internet connection, it might take some of the games and movies a little longer to download.

Overall this website is a great tool for young readers and if you would like to check it out the website is http://www.starfall.com/.

The Ups and Downs of Wikis

The world of the wikis is a very interesting and exciting one, but the journey to having one is a little more difficult. When I first heard we were going to have our own wiki I thought, "this could be fun". I soon found out that the "fun" of the wiki would quickly turn into frustration for me. I had a hard time trying to get things the way I wanted them and when it came time to add links and put in a picture, there were more problems. When I finally found out how to work the website and get things right, I was very relieved and thought this could be fun after all. I learned many things about wikis during this process, such as: they can be used as a collaborative workplace in your classroom, you can add links and pictures, there are many ways to set the safety features, and most of all, it helps your children with reading and writing. There are many different ways that you can use wikis to help your students in the classroom. I think the most important one is the fact that it will help them learn to read and write. Most of the time if you give them something to write about, like themselves, they will be more focused and want to do it. The same goes for reading, if the children are getting to read about one another then that might give them more of an incentive to want to do it. Some other ways of putting the wiki to use is to keep in contact with the families of your students and keep them up to date on what is going on in the classroom. If you have a classroom wiki that the parents have access to, they will be able to check in and ask questions as well. Before my next wiki I am going to familiarize myself more with the site and ask more questions about how some of the gadgets work. Hopefully, the next time I blog about wikis I will have much more knowledge and experience with one!

My First Blogging Experience

To be completely honest, I am very shocked that I am going to be a "blogger". I have always tried to stay away from creating one because I never knew what I would say and I really was nervous about it. I think that this experience will be a great one and it will teach me a lot about how to apply blogging in the classroom. I like to think that I know a thing or two about technology, but the truth is I really do not know all that much. This can be a very intimidating thing but I think with all the hands on activities it will make it much easier to understand. In this day and age, it is very important to know to use technology because everything is going to computer based programing. I am very excited to begin this semester and to explore the uses of technology.