The amount of information that is readily available to all is just astounding. The information that I have learned in this class, has been amazing. To be honest, I am not sure yet of my plan of attack for this coming school year. I have so many new ideas of ways that I can incorporate technology, I don't even know where to start! Choosing one new technology per unit is going to be my goal. So for each new unit of study, modify a previous assignment, or totally create something new to expose my students to as much technology as I can, and get their feedback on what they like and do not like. In the future I see podcasts, voki's, wiki's, flickr, blogs, the list is just endless.
Spreading the word on all of the amazing technology should not be too difficult. I know within my department at school we do a lot of sharing of ideas. We are constantly bouncing things off of each other, so hopefully others will get on board as well. I have seen a general shift over the past couple of years and I do think that educators are making an effort to keep up with our students ever changing technology needs!
The internet is a great resource and we must make an effort to utilize it to it's fullest potential.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Thing 22
What could be better than doing PD in your PJ's??? I think that online learning is great for continuing education. I was at the MI-Champs conference this summer at the Wayne RESA and they gave us a plethora of online learning options. There are so many that are readily available, and most are free which is a plus. I took a course through Michigan LearnPort and I thought that it was great. It was a very user-friendly site, it is totally self paced so you can move as quickly or slowly as you would like, which is nice, all the while gaining new knowledge and pd hours. And really there is so much for educators to keep up with, there is so much happening with technology and so much for us to share with our students, we have to stay on top of things and online learning is a great way to do that.
Thing 21
The possibilities for video's in the classroom is endless. They can be a great compliment to your curriculum to mix things up a little bit. They can be used to enhance your teaching or for research purposes. I think that they only concern would be that students would look for inappropriate content, but isn't that the issue with anything or everything?
The only negative with videos, and it is not even really a negative, is that there are so many out there to use that it is hard to find the time to do searching!
I am sharing a couple of environmental videos, not only do I enjoy teaching English, I also try to make students aware of their impact on the environment.
The only negative with videos, and it is not even really a negative, is that there are so many out there to use that it is hard to find the time to do searching!
I am sharing a couple of environmental videos, not only do I enjoy teaching English, I also try to make students aware of their impact on the environment.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Thing 20
I really hope that my students enjoy creating podcasts!! I have thought about a couple of different lesson where I would like them to create their own. For example, after completing an independent novel they could create a podcast focusing on a particular aspect of the novel, characterization, setting, climax, etc. Create the podcast and then post to a class wiki for all to listen!
I would imagine that my students would love listening to podcasts, I am sure that some of them already do on their own time!
A couple I would use in the classroom would be:
Poetry Foundation
Podictionary
One Minute Vocab-Princeton Review
Grammar Girl
On a personal level I would subscribe to podcasts about cooking, design, kids, health, etc. The list is endless!! A couple that I enjoy...
cooking: Jamie Oliver
design:Etsy
knitting:Never Not Knitting
I could go on forever but I will not bore you with all of my wacky hobbies!
I would imagine that my students would love listening to podcasts, I am sure that some of them already do on their own time!
A couple I would use in the classroom would be:
Poetry Foundation
Podictionary
One Minute Vocab-Princeton Review
Grammar Girl
On a personal level I would subscribe to podcasts about cooking, design, kids, health, etc. The list is endless!! A couple that I enjoy...
cooking: Jamie Oliver
design:Etsy
knitting:Never Not Knitting
I could go on forever but I will not bore you with all of my wacky hobbies!
Thing 19
Between this online course and the MACUL conference I attended today and yesterday I have listened to a ton of podcasts!!!! One that I really like in particular is the Princeton Review vocab minute. These are quirky, and fun and would be a good starter for my class. I can see myself playing these right after the bell rings, having students pulling out key words, discussing, etc.
I also enjoyed the poetry foundation podcasts, these would be great to link to the school library, or to play one day a week for a couple of minutes to expose our students to more poetry, something that students always seem to find daunting.
On a personal level, I enjoyed listening to the children's stories, what a great thing to save on your ipod and then play in the car! I am the minority and do not have a dvd in my car so I am constantly looking for new ways to entertain my 1 and 4 year old while traveling!
I digress...In my opinion I think that students are going to love creating podcasts. They seem to really "kick things up a notch" when they know they are going to be seen or heard by a public audience. I think that it will be a fairly simple process to lead them to quality sources using itunes. Our kids are so tech savvy these days, that I have found if given adequate time to complete a technology task, most seem to do very well.
I plan to use podcasts in my classroom for book talks, and reports and posting to a class wiki?! I am hoping for the best and am anxious to try them with my kids!
I also enjoyed the poetry foundation podcasts, these would be great to link to the school library, or to play one day a week for a couple of minutes to expose our students to more poetry, something that students always seem to find daunting.
On a personal level, I enjoyed listening to the children's stories, what a great thing to save on your ipod and then play in the car! I am the minority and do not have a dvd in my car so I am constantly looking for new ways to entertain my 1 and 4 year old while traveling!
I digress...In my opinion I think that students are going to love creating podcasts. They seem to really "kick things up a notch" when they know they are going to be seen or heard by a public audience. I think that it will be a fairly simple process to lead them to quality sources using itunes. Our kids are so tech savvy these days, that I have found if given adequate time to complete a technology task, most seem to do very well.
I plan to use podcasts in my classroom for book talks, and reports and posting to a class wiki?! I am hoping for the best and am anxious to try them with my kids!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Thing 17
Wiki's seem pretty cool! I can see there many uses when working on group projects. Grouping students together, and letting them work together and make changes together, what a great new way of doing collaborative work! Students seem to feel a little bit more free to open up when they are in front of a computer and so this may help group situations become a little bit more interactive in that they are not afraid to share their ideas.
The wiki seems to be more of a "group" experience opposed to a blog which could still be pretty solitary. The only problem I see with the wiki is students putting up inappropriate material, but that could easily be monitored with careful monitoring of the site, and honestly I rarely find that this is a problem.
I am excited to have started my wiki, and I can't wait to use it this year! I am thinking about book discussions, or group projects corresponding to novels we are reading? Not sure yet....
The wiki seems to be more of a "group" experience opposed to a blog which could still be pretty solitary. The only problem I see with the wiki is students putting up inappropriate material, but that could easily be monitored with careful monitoring of the site, and honestly I rarely find that this is a problem.
I am excited to have started my wiki, and I can't wait to use it this year! I am thinking about book discussions, or group projects corresponding to novels we are reading? Not sure yet....
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thing 13
Photo editing in the classroom could be used in a variety of ways. I can see using it with Digital Stories, power point presentations, as well as any other project where visuals are needed. What a great way for kids to explore and use their personal pictures as well.
Thing 12
My family has had a Flickr account for some time now to share family photos and I love it! It is very user-friendly and an easy way for family and friends to access photos. I have also used Flickr in the classroom, one example is I pulled up a couple of random photos and projected them for the class to see. Then as their journal entry for the day they had to write what they saw in the picture and then describe it to a partner (who did not look at the photo), and try to paint a mental picture for their partner. The class responded very well, and seemed to enjoy the activity. I also have plans to use Flickr as one of my opening day activities. I am still ironing out the parts of that yet but I am super excited!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thing 11
Slide Share seems to have good potential. I could see myself integrating part of our Senior Advocacy Project into Slide Share. Students could share their final presentations with the world!!! The idea of they project is to reach as many people as possible so this is definitely something to think about for this next school year.
It also seems that Slide Share would be a good way to find presentations to present to your students as part of a lesson. I try to incorporate as many different things as possible and this may be a good resource.
It also seems that Slide Share would be a good way to find presentations to present to your students as part of a lesson. I try to incorporate as many different things as possible and this may be a good resource.
Thing 10
I happen to think that Google docs has tremendous potential for an English teacher. I envision students writing rough drafts, saving and sending them to me for editing. I envision seniors working on research papers working on them at school as well as at home. That was my biggest challenge last year with research papers was that either students didn't want to work at home because then they couldn't work at school or vice versa.
The biggest obstacle that I see at our school is email blockage. Even though there are many free email providers that you can use, email is blocked at our school and students are not given a school email. So...I am not really sure how we can get around that road block? Any suggestions...
If we can somehow get the students to be able to create an email account if they do not already have one, I see myself using this very frequently.
Also, talk about going green, think of how much paper you would save!!!!
Oh another idea! Peer editing!!! That would be amazing :) Seniors creating surveys for their senior advocacy project!
I could go on about the possibilities forever.....
The biggest obstacle that I see at our school is email blockage. Even though there are many free email providers that you can use, email is blocked at our school and students are not given a school email. So...I am not really sure how we can get around that road block? Any suggestions...
If we can somehow get the students to be able to create an email account if they do not already have one, I see myself using this very frequently.
Also, talk about going green, think of how much paper you would save!!!!
Oh another idea! Peer editing!!! That would be amazing :) Seniors creating surveys for their senior advocacy project!
I could go on about the possibilities forever.....
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thing 8
Social bookmarking seems amazing! Very easy to use, and what a wonderful organizational tool, something that I love :) So often I am looking for lesson plans or ideas, I visit a thousand website find bits and pieces that I like from various sites but then have no idea how to get back to the sites I previously visited! So...this tool is perfect, now one less thing to try to remember, I just have to click a button!
I also love the idea of sharing. Isn't that what teaching is all about? If you find something good, share it! I see this being a very useful tool for keeping track of lesson plans and ideas. It also seems like you could tag sites for students to look at when working on a research project or starting a new unit and you have sites that you want to share with them. We shall see....
I also love the idea of sharing. Isn't that what teaching is all about? If you find something good, share it! I see this being a very useful tool for keeping track of lesson plans and ideas. It also seems like you could tag sites for students to look at when working on a research project or starting a new unit and you have sites that you want to share with them. We shall see....
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thing 5
Web 2.0 seems to be a complex explanation for where education, politics, family and social life is headed...in a networked world! Now more than ever we are so interconnected with family, friends, co-workers, and students that this seems to be a natural progression. There has been a definite shift in education, or at least the shift is in progress, and it may take time for all districts to keep up, but if we would like the students that are graduating from our schools we needs to focus on these technological advances.
As I stated in my last entry we are no longer just in a pencil and paper world. We needs to expose and educate our students on the happenings in technology. I know that many of our students do not have the resources at home to find out about what the world has to offer, so it is our job to try to do so.
A couple of the main points that stood out to me when listening and reading about web 2.0 were, collaboration seemed to be a word that kept popping up, as well as innovation and creativity. So many of our students are hesitant to collaborate as well as be creative. So if we give them an outlet for creativity, such as a blog, maybe they could gain some confidence in their thoughts and their opinions therefore not be so hesitant to collaborate with other students.
As I stated in my last entry we are no longer just in a pencil and paper world. We needs to expose and educate our students on the happenings in technology. I know that many of our students do not have the resources at home to find out about what the world has to offer, so it is our job to try to do so.
A couple of the main points that stood out to me when listening and reading about web 2.0 were, collaboration seemed to be a word that kept popping up, as well as innovation and creativity. So many of our students are hesitant to collaborate as well as be creative. So if we give them an outlet for creativity, such as a blog, maybe they could gain some confidence in their thoughts and their opinions therefore not be so hesitant to collaborate with other students.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thing 4
The possibilities for students and educators seem to be endless. There is an overwhelming amount of information and knowledge that is our responsibility to pass onto our students. With that being said I do believe that there needs to be a shift in how curriculum is implemented. There is a remarkable difference from when I was a student to my students that I currently have in class. The skills they possess as well as their style of learning is different. I am constantly looking for new ways to keep them engaged and interested in the curriculum that we must implement. Being a Resource Room teacher, focusing in Literature I do find it challenging to present material in a way that students find interesting.
Sweden and other countries mentioned that have made textbooks to be more concise seem to be in tune with what our current group of learners need. So often when students are presented with an enormous amount of information, they are instantly overwhelmed. This generation of students likes things to be kept simple and streamlined.
As educators we must find ways to keep technology constantly integrated into our classroom, and make it a part of our curriculum. So often the challenge in this is a lack of resources. Hopefully our legislators will soon discover that the current basic needs of a classroom are larger than a pencil and piece of paper, it is technology!
Goals in teaching need to be shifted to encompass learning beyond the classroom, building community within schools and the community in which we live, and to be a part of the global world. We seem to be self-centered in the respect that we neglect to integrate the teachings of other cultures and what they value.
Self-confidence also needs to be brought back into our teaching curriculum so that our students feel empowered to be independent thinkers and feel self-confidence in the classroom and with the material that they present to us. Self-confidence can only lead to creativity.
Sweden and other countries mentioned that have made textbooks to be more concise seem to be in tune with what our current group of learners need. So often when students are presented with an enormous amount of information, they are instantly overwhelmed. This generation of students likes things to be kept simple and streamlined.
As educators we must find ways to keep technology constantly integrated into our classroom, and make it a part of our curriculum. So often the challenge in this is a lack of resources. Hopefully our legislators will soon discover that the current basic needs of a classroom are larger than a pencil and piece of paper, it is technology!
Goals in teaching need to be shifted to encompass learning beyond the classroom, building community within schools and the community in which we live, and to be a part of the global world. We seem to be self-centered in the respect that we neglect to integrate the teachings of other cultures and what they value.
Self-confidence also needs to be brought back into our teaching curriculum so that our students feel empowered to be independent thinkers and feel self-confidence in the classroom and with the material that they present to us. Self-confidence can only lead to creativity.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thing 3
This is my first post as a blogger, how exciting!!! I have been a blog reader for some time now, the blogs that I read are typically relating to design, gardening, home improvements, and crafting ...things that I enjoy working on in my spare time.
I think that educational blogs are an amazing idea, for both teachers and students. It is slightly intimidating to put your thoughts out for the world to view, but I think that it is a great way for teachers to share thoughts and ideas that may be useful to others.
I hope to learn a lot from fellow bloggers and to incorporate this into my teaching style.
I think that educational blogs are an amazing idea, for both teachers and students. It is slightly intimidating to put your thoughts out for the world to view, but I think that it is a great way for teachers to share thoughts and ideas that may be useful to others.
I hope to learn a lot from fellow bloggers and to incorporate this into my teaching style.
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