Video Conference with Dr. Pierce

Today I got to "meet" Dr.Pierce online and I thought I was finally going to see the man behind the class that has taught me so much about technology... but his webcam wasn't cooperating so I only got to hear his voice. I am so thankful for all the new tools I am taking with me from this class that I can use to better my own classroom. Even though the class was challenging at times - it was worth the effort I put in for the gains I got out. Thanks Dr. Pierce!

Video Conference Software

I thought I was pretty attached to SKYPE since I was able to keep in contact with my family and friends while I was vacationing out of the country using it... but after downloading Google Voice and Chat I was persuaded to start using it as my video "chat" of choice. My executive summary document and my google presentation links explain my reasoning :)



http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgfnxd9n_17g8chj6kv

Island Lessons and Google Site

I recently travled to four islands (San Juan, St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Maarten) and I incorporated my trip into lesson plans for my third grade students. I used CSO's from Math, Science and Social Studies to share my experiences with my students.

See "Great Stops on the Web" for links to my lesson plans

Social Networks

I did a lot of reading online to enhance my knowledge of social networks and how they can be used in the classroom setting. Along the way I also found articles to dicriminate between web 1.0 and web 2.0 (which in my opionion seems to be a very blurry line). Web 1.0 in my understanding is the internet before 2004 whereas most of the online sites were just places you could go to "get" information or things. The internet of today is considered Web 2.0 because instead of being a "visitor" you have so many opportunities to "participate" and shape the online world. Social networks are a part of Web 2.0 because they are so interactive and there are countless ways for individuals to share information, pictures, videos, lesson plans, and so much more.

I believe schools should use social networks because it opens so many doors and opportunites for us as educators and for our students. As educators we can "beg, borrow, and steal" ideas from other educators to improve our instrustional techniques. I know as a fairly new teacher (6 years) I would love to hear and see the expertise of seasoned educators. Social networks not only would allow me to access the teachers in my county, but also teachers throughout the entire state, country, and essentially even the world. The students could also share information, ideas and work with other students throughout the world. Can you imagine all the life experiences students from Japan or Ireland could share with my students in Mannington, WV and vise versa?? It gives me goosebumps to think of how enriching social networks could be to our childrens' education.

Filters would be essential in a classroom for social networking. It is our job to protect our children and even though the internet is a valuable tool it can also be a dangerous one. 1 in 7 children who use the internet will be a victim of online predators - that is why filters, education about the internet, and guidance are so important. Educators should also have filters to ensure professionalism during the school day.

My survey was at Blackshere Elementary School in Mannington, WV. Blackshere is a Pre-K through 4th grade school. At this point the only social network that is school-wide is the state email system where you can send out vast emails or individual messages. It is used mainly to inform and share information without much interaction. At this point social networks such as Facebook, U-Tube, and MySpace are prohibited. However, I did find teachers at Blackshere that were using social networks to improve their teaching. Several teachers have used Teacher Tube to enhance their knowledge or curriculum and one teacher has a blog that he shares with parents and other educators where they can interact with one another.

My overall opinion based on my research and knowledge is that with filters and education social networks would be a great technological tool to have in our classrooms to enhance our teaching skills and to enrich our students' academic experiences.

Bibliography:

Willard, N (2006,4,12). Schools and Online Social Networking. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from Education World Web site: http://www.education-world.com/a_issues/issues/issues423.shtml

Hargadon, S (2008,11,01). Thoughts on Social Networking in Education. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from Steve Hargadon Web site: http://www.stevehargadon.com/2008/11/thoughts-on-social-networking-in.html

Andrews, R (2007,04,19). Don't Tell Your Parents: Schools Embrace MySpace. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from WIRED Web site: http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/04/myspaceforschool

Krishnan, G (2007,08,27). Social Networking in Education. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from Simply Speaking Web site: http://simply-speaking.blogspot.com/2007/08/social-networking-in-education.html

Nightingale, J (2008,05,06). Alternative social networking: Overprotection or necessary control. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from guardian.co.uk Web site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/06/link.link18

Peer Evaluation

I decided to evaluate Tyke Foster's blog and found it very interesting. He has done a phonominal job of linking his assignments without huge url's attached and his work is very efficient. The only problem I found was there weren't any postings after February 19th. I can relate since I have also been way behind!

Podcast

I was excited about the podcast assignment because I have really enjoyed broadening my technology horizons in this course. I have heard of podcasts but haven't ever attempted (or had a reason) to do one on my own. I would use this in my 3rd grade class in several ways -- I think it would be a wonderful tool for students who needed to review a concept or who were absent during a lecture. It would also be a great station for extending a lesson we have learned in class for students who need enrichment. I could find activities or lessons and the students could listen to them to expand their knowledge of the subject. It would also be helpful to students who needed oral directions or who were auditory learners. All in all I think this is an excellent technological tool to have in any classroom!

Links to my lesson plan, rubric, and podcast can be found below:

http://jmandgw.podbean.com/medias/web/aHR0cDovL21lZGlhNy5wb2RiZWFuLmNvbS8xMzEyMDQvdS9Qb2RjYXN0UmVjb3JkaW5nLm9nZw/PodcastRecording.ogg

KML

I don't know if I am making this assignment harder than it needs to be but it seems very complicated and I'm not sure if what I did was correct. I've been working/changing/rechanging things on the spreadsheet for about 3 days. When I published it - it was really neat to see the globe rotate and zoom in on my placemarks but I'm not sure that is what the assignment was for?? I also noticed when it zoomed in a lot of my placemarks landed in the ocean! I need to revamp my placemarks to be more precise!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pSNEQSH_-YaHUfTvf6tS5AQ

Google Map

Google Maps is a great tool to use in the classroom - you can mark all the places you've studied throughout the year, mark where important people were born or died, mark historic sites and so much more! I enjoyed this assignment very much and plan to continue to update my map :) For some reason I haven't figured out how to link my map to my blog - but the address is below if you want to cut and paste it!


http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=116961652604303731204.0004633b4db406223d9f2&ll=51.944265,-52.734375&spn=51.482747,145.019531&z=3

Image Capture

I found the Image Capture assignment really interesting. I didn't know that it was possible to crop and edit an image to what you want it to be. I found lots of images through Google that I could use in my classroom and then I edited them in paint. I could use these cropped images to create worksheets, tests, flashcards, study guides or most likely I would use it on the mimio board (interactive white board) with my students. I found my image using google and then edited it in paint (which took quite a long time) and then saved it in my google docs as a jpeg file so that I could link it easily to my blog.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgfnxd9n_6g2srw3hk

Desktop Graphic

Creating a graphic was a little difficult for me because I was confused on what exactly to create. I use a lot of Venn Diagrams with my students to compare and contrast, bar graphs and pie graphs to show data collected, and KWL charts - but I wasn't sure if that was what the assignment called for. I wanted to create something that I could use with my students now - since they have been sharing this experience with me so far. I looked at several (hundred) online graphic sites and found a lot of cool things I could use to make my assignments more exciting. Like "fire words" that I could use with my volcanoe unit and interactive spinners to use on probability problems. If I had the time I could actually incorporate graphics into every lesson! I think graphics could make learning more exciting for students, give them a better visual, and I think help make learning more interesting to them. I would love to see students incorporate graphics - it would show if they truly understand what is being taught "a picture is worth a thousand words" :)

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgfnxd9n_2gvfbcshq

Reading: Edgar Dale's Cone of Learning

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgfnxd9n_1hm2p2nhg&hl=en

FTP

I spent several hours last night working on my FTP assignment - but haven't quite figured it out yet. I believe my Explorer 7 is preventing me from opening my FTP, but I could be mistaken?? I will continue to work on it and LEARN to figure out these technological glitches :) After much work and consulting... I think I finally posted to my FTP sight... I need more practice with this!

www2.fairmontstate.edu/users/jmorris/jdiary.doc

Resume

My resume is a work-in-progress. I will continue updating it as I go along. I was surprised at how easy it was to upload a template, attach it in GoogleDocs and make it my own. This is a very efficient way to send a resume online or to burn it to a thumb-drive or disk. I think an employer would be impressed if you handed them a thumb-drive or gave them a web address to view your resume. I'm learning a lot!

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgfnxd9n_0rdxjrzfw

Who Are You??

I truly enjoyed making my "Who Are You?" video! Photo Story is an awesome technological advancement :) It was a lot of fun looking through my old pictures and creating a story of my life. I added music and a voice-over which made a huge difference in the quality of the video. This would be an excellent way for my students to tell me about themselves or for me to introduce myself to them at the beginning of the year. I will definitely use this!

Creating My First Blog

I am currently working my way around my new BLOG and have learned a lot of new and exciting things about the web! I was able to create a profile (I plan to add a picture tonight) and to post a few blogs about the assignments I am completing. I still need to find out how to add "gadgets" so that I can add my links list. I will do more research and hopefully have it under control by tomorrow!

Skype

I really enjoyed Skyping today! I had my 3rd grade class Skpe Professor Pierce's class and it was very exciting for my students to all say hello to his college students and vice versa. I am planning on borrowing our schools camera so that we can see and hear who we are talking to! When I first tried this assignment I did not have a microphone... I kept trying to talk into my computers speakers (without success). Now that I have a microphone and have navigated through Skype's sight I feel confident that I will use this with my students... I would love to have "Skype" Pals instead of Pen Pals. Now that would be GREAT!

Gmail assignment

I was very successful in completing the Gmail assignment (which was a boost to my self-esteem) and am very excited about it! I am planning on letting my aol account go and switching to Gmail for all my email :)

When I started this class I thought it would be simple... I have always considered myself technologically sound and up to date with the latest and greatest gadgets, but boy was I mistaken! It took me the first week to figure out blackboard vista/the syllabus/course assignments/and how to get to all of the information I needed just to get started! I am a public school teacher - and I also tutor - so this will be a challenge for me ... but I have always loved a challenge :)