A Class of Bloggers!

Well, I was checking out everyone's blogs and was really impressed. I don't think I saw one that I didn't learn from. Most people introduced their blog saying it was the first one they have ever done....we sure have come a long way.

All Good Things Come to an End

Well, five weeks have past and class is wrapping up. This has been a very intense five weeks. It was my first online class as well as being scrunched into a summer time-line! Did I learn a lot, absolutely. Googledocs, igoogle, Prezi, Jing, Glogster, Screenshots, Letterpop, these are all things that I am taking with me. I also got a chance to improve my collaboration skills. My group members, Sally, Pam, and Canaan were wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better team, Generation Text! It was a pleasure to work with them for the past 5 weeks and even nicer to have each other for support. I definitely have a different perspective on technology in the classroom. The generation of young kids today need it. It is up to us as teachers to find a way to bring it into the classroom. There are a myriad of ways, it just takes practice and planning. I, for one, am excited to think about how my future classroom will be, a 21st century classroom!

WOW, I Had Fun!

Here is a link to my WOW project.

I did my presentation on collaborative tools in the classroom. It's ironic, I came into this course not ready to embrace technology but had a ball with this assignment. I realized that I can figure anything out. Watch enough tutorials and there is no way you can fail. I had lots of fun with sites such as Cosketch, The Cutest Blog on the Block, glogster and more. It is so refreshing not to be intimidated anymore! That is not to say that figuring out some things didn't take me hours but I did it in the end.

Glogster...What Fun!

For one of my class projects, I had to investigate collaborative tools in the classroom. One of the tools was Glogster, which is basically an online poster web page. I can't tell you how much I wish this was around when I was a teenager. Not that I didn't enjoy it now(I did!) but to be a teen and have access to such cool tools!! You can't tell by my picture but the butterflies actually fly. There is so much that can be done. I can see using this in the classroom in many ways. What wonderful ways there are today for kids to get creative!

A link to my first Glog.
http://hedderheather.glogster.com/heather-stellas-first-glog/

Who Doesn't Love to Draw??

This is from a cool site called Cosketch. It is a free online collaborative whiteboard. Students can use it to sketch, brainstorm, collaborate on an idea or even draw on downloadable maps! I might not be the best artist but I sure had fun.

Kidspiration Was My Inspiration!

For my class project, I had to use a mind-mapping tool to help students organize information for a lesson I am teaching. The lesson is on Pioneer days. I used Kidspiration, downloading it for a free 30 day trial. It was very easy to use. I went to the social studies section and chose a diagram for "A Time From the Past". The diagram was set up pretty basic but was so easy to change. I was able to add new text, pictures, arrows, cells for more information and much more. It was a breeze to figure out. I would use this to help my students organize their information and to be able to see it in specific categories. This would be something that I could pass out at the beginning of the lesson to help students to visualize what is to come or I could hand it out at the end of a lesson with blanks for them to fill in. I have much more exploring to do on Kidspiration but am now able to see all the amazing tools that there are to help you teach. The graphics alone will help to pull the students in and it is a great way to keep them organized.

A Newsletter Home...How Simple!

My son's first grade teacher this year did not like parent participation in her classroom. The other teachers, however, embraced it by having parents in to help with reading groups. I found this incredibly useful but respected his teacher's decision. Yet, she never sent home newsletters or anything of the sort except for an occasional note. I would have to piece all of his assignments together and interrogate my 7 year old just to figure out what they were doing. After doing this assignment with my group, to create a newsletter that we would use in our classroom, I know for sure that this is what I will do as a future teacher. Collaboration is so important between a teacher and parents. Kids do not stop learning when they leave the classroom and it would be nice to have everyone on the same page. It is also important that parents know what is going on to guide their kids in the right direction. I can understand where twenty sets of parents involving themselves in your classroom would not be productive but a simple weekly or annual newsletter to keep parents informed and involved would make all the difference. Something weekly could even have their homework assignments on it, projects coming up, clubs to sign up for, all things that would help a parent keep their kids on track. As I said before, I will definitely use this in my classroom. Just to develop the perfect template that can be used over an over, would be so simple. I love it.

I Give Engrade an "A"

Today, I signed up for the free program at engrade.com, a software application that helps teachers keep student records and track their progress. How simple it was! I just love how easy and organized everything is becoming. This is definitely something I will use as a teacher. Instead of having that big-black book with a million erase marks tearing it up, it can be neatly organized online. There is a section for everything such as grades, attendance, comments and even a calendar. I thought it was interesting that there was even a option to have the lowest grade dropped. Because I am not in a classroom yet, I'm not really sure how I would improve the software. I'm sure, once I am able to use it for real, things will need adjusting but I like the idea. I can't imagine, in this day and age, not taking advantage of these options.

Here is a link to my engrade classroom.

Quote of the Week

A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image. ~Author Unknown

4-Stage Model for Self-Evaluation...how to involve students step-by-step!

In the article STUDENT SELF-EVALUATION: WHAT RESEARCH SAYS AND WHAT PRACTICE SHOWS
by Carol Rolheiser and John A. Ross, I was particularly interested in the section about 4-Stage Model for Self-Evaluation. The 4 stages are a way to teach students to self-evaluate. First, the student is to define the criteria that will be used to judge his/her work. Here it is important to involve the students in the process. Next, the student must apply the criteria to his/her own work. It is important that the teacher give examples of how this is done. Stage three is the most important, the teacher must give the student feedback on his/her self-evaluation. Let them know that they are doing it right. It's not just some form to fill out but a way to challenge yourself. Finally, the teacher is to help the student develop goals and an action plan. This is so that the student can look back at his/her work to see what could have been done differently and how to do better in the future. I think this is really important in having each student take responsibility for his/her own work. So many times, kids can get by when working with others or by guessing well on tests but this ensures that each student knows what is expected of them and what they need to do to get it done.

A Good Teacher Incorporates All!

It is very important for all teachers to be familiar with all the different teaching strategies. The four main ones are Social, Information Processing, Personal and Behavioral . A teacher might lean towards one model but a good teacher will incorporate all models to reach each child. This will help me greatly when planning lesson plans. Did I meet all models, how can I change it?

9 Rules for Good Technology

I loved the paper by Stephen Downes, 9 Rules for Good Technology. He starts by saying that technology employed in the classroom must be "widespread and easy to use. A learning simulation, a conferencing tool, a student record keeper - these tools ought all to be as easy to use as a television, a telephone and a notebook". Basically, we need technology, just not stupid technology! We need technology that does not distract from teaching and learning.

His 9 rules are as follows:

1. Good technology is always available.
2. Good technology is always available.
3. Good technology is always connected.
4. Good technology is standardized.
5. Good technology is simple.
6. Good technology doesn't require parts.
7. Good technology is personalized.
8. Good technology is modular.
9. Good technology does what you want it to do.

I love this because I am enjoying all the different technologies that we are learning about but they do seem daunting to implement. When you think about the average classroom, it is a nightmare to think about wheeling in the one overhead that everyone shares, the millions of wires to connect, the dinosaur computers, systems failing and everything else that can go wrong. But what Mr. Downes proposes is "technology which works mostly by itself, which does not require a Master's degree to operate, and which does not distract from teaching and learning". This is our goal.

LoTi in the Classroom

What an amazing classroom. Now this is a teacher who has embraced technology! As the student said in the video, this allows each child to decide not if they are going to do an assignment but how and when to do it. Not only does this inspire learning and creativity but also responsibility. By allowing the student to view all that is expected but leaving it up that individual on how and when to do it, this is preparing him for what life is like after graduation. The different features such as Note Taking, that keeps track of where information is found, is brilliant! The fact the student could email scientists all over the world and even Skype with them is so rewarding. I really do wish this was my classroom when I was younger. I guess it just gives me incentive for when I become a teacher. Yet, as amazing as it all sounds, it would require computers for all students in the classroom. When will this be a reality? I hope soon.

A Slideshow No More

Well, it almost didn't happen. I was able to create my first slide show on Picasso.com but getting it onto my blog was another story. I tried a million different ways and finally it worked in the most unobvious way! Yet, there it is on the right hand side of my blog!

NETS in the classroom...you BETS!

Teachers must model creative and innovative thinking. We are an example for our students, if we don't embrace it, why would they? As teachers, it is up to us to keep changing and growing yet that is hard to do when the school you are teaching in does not as well. There needs to be a continual self-renewal of the teaching profession which has the school behind it 100%. This means training, seminars, more technology available, everything we need to compete in the 21st century. I have a friend who is a teacher. When I told her of the emphasis put on technology in all my classes, she told me not to worry about it, that no one had time to really use it anyway. The sad part is that she is a fantastic teacher, she just doesn't have any support from her school to do anything differently. Schools and communities need to realize that we are innovative professionals preparing our students for a global and digital society, we all need to get on the same page.

I love Blixy.com!

Create your word widget and more at Blixy.com!

Motion-Clock-3

Get a motion clock and more at Blixy.com!

Quote of the Day

"We must prepare young people for living in a world of powerful images, words and sounds."

Unesco, 1982

Catching Up to Literacy in the 21st Century!

Well, it is no longer enough just to be able to read the printed word, we now need to be able to interpret the images of a multimedia culture and express ourselves in many different media forms. So it is up to us to prepare our young students for this new century. The problem is that our young students are more tech savvy than us old teachers are! We have to arm ourselves with the proper knowledge to teach this new form of "literacy." It used to be the teachers job to teach students facts but now anyone can find any information needed with the click of a button. What students need today is to learn how to find what they need to know when they need to know it-- and to have the higher order thinking skills to analyze and evaluate whether the information they find is useful for what they want to know. After viewing the many videos posted by Dr. Smirnova, I really see the importance of engaging our students in technology. How can I do that when I am scared to turn on my computer?? It is up to us as educators to educate ourselves on a daily basis and to keep up if not ahead of the students that we want to teach. It is sad to think that America is falling behind in so many things but especially in technology and in education.

Exploring Webex

My classmates and I had our first meeting on Webex. I would like to say that it was smooth sailing but anything new takes a while to get used to. Last semester we used Illuminate Live but now the University has switched over to Webex and we are the first to use it. I have to say, after our in-class meeting on how to use the site, I walked out a bit nervous. Yet, when our group met online for the first time, it went relatively smooth. The problems that we did encounter were major echoes and just not knowing how to conduct a lot of work on the site. That said, I am ready to tackle it and see where we can go with it. I have to remember that the more I do with technology, the easier it will become.

Why Do You Do What You Do??

I love this website, WDYDWYD, and have really enjoyed seeing what my classmates have posted.
I decided to post a picture of my kids with their future graduation dates because they are why I do everything!

Quote of the Day

“I think we’re in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven’t seen since Greek civilization.” Andrea Lunsford, a professor of writing at Stanford University.

For Lunsford, technology isn’t killing our ability to write, it’s reviving it—and pushing our literacy in bold new directions.