1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox? Briefly describe a particular activity that you will plan for your students using at least one of these new tools.
Among all of the tools that I learned about and explored, I am most excited about using Skype with my sister-in-law in Tennessee and her first grade class! I think it will be a fun and interactive way to teach kids about climate and weather.
2. How have you transformed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom? How has your vision for your classroom changed? Are you going to need to make any changes to your classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner?
I think that more than ever, do I understand the weight of the importance that technology has on kids these days. I look forward to using more of an interactive learning approach in my curriculum as well as "letting go of the reigns" a little bit to enable the "choice and decision" making, with of course, a few rules and guidelines.
3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I think that I was surprised at how much I thought I knew and finding out how much there really is out there. I felt confident starting my blog, making it all cutesy, and navigating known websites. Once I dove in, I relaized that there was SO much more than I was ever aware of! To my shock, some of it was a little difficult at first, until I felt comfortable and got the hang of it. Overall, I enjoyed the process and I look forward to utilizing new ideas in my classroom!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tool #10 - Underneath it All - Digital Citizenship
Discuss at least three things you would want to make sure your students understand about being good digital citizens.
I think this tool was so helpful, not only to my students, but to me as well. It was nice to be reminded of these things as it is easy to forget them in my day to day technological quests!
-Following the Golden Rule of "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." This is something that I try to live by daily and I think is important that children grow up with as well. As we all know this usually applies to friendships, but it's important use this application with everything in life- even technology!
-Realize that whatever you put in the computer it is there for the world to see. Nothing is really ever "deleted." This is definitely something that I learned recently myself and is extremely valuable information.
-If you use another's idea, always give credit to that person. Give credit where it is due! Hey, you want credit, too?
-NEVER give your password to your friends. Kids love to tell each other everything. This is something that may be difficult, but they will learn soon enough the importance of this!
-Ask parents/adults before visiting websites. The kids that I have taught in the past have been really good about asking permission about a website before they click. That is my policy in my classroom.. If I have never been to the site, you do not have permission to be there.
Share at least one of the resources mentioned above or on the Ed Tech website that you plan to use instructionally.
Brain Pop - this is such a great resource to seamlessly integrate technology into the classroom! The kids love it and it also offers things for those who need things to be a little more difficult. It holds accountability because the kids can take a quiz using their activities - which then can be used a grade in the grade book! I will use this as an enrichment to my curriculum that I am doing already. This website is easy to access at home, too!
Explain briefly how you would "teach" the idea of digital citizenship to your students.
Ok, so I started typing up how I felt about teaching this idea to childen and kind of hit a wall. I started writing about how setting boundaries for kids is so important. It teaches them when to stop and when it is appropriate. The more I thought about what I was typing, I began to confuse myself. If you set too many boundaries, kids become "boxed in" learners and tend to stick with what is easy. They often will become casual learners where leaving this box is scary and frowned upon. I want my kids to feel like they have a certain freedom when exploring technology. It is such an amazing feeling to watch these kids explore technology. Their eyes are opened to such a new world, and almost immediately, they become entranced.
Don't get me wrong, first graders still must have a set of guidelines and ideals that they must abide by. Our librarian, Karen Harell, does a fabulous job at teaching the kids about "recommended" sites and sites that should not be visited. I have to borrow a quote from Theresa's blog.. "If in doubt, I ask! That is what I encourage my kids do too. If you guide them as they are learning, and give them pointers to teach to that moment, then the process of validity becomes seamless in their search for knowledge." I couldn't have said it better!
Theresa Trevino answers this question how all of us wish we could! Check out Theresa's blog to see her answer!
Explain briefly how you plan to share the idea of digital citizenship with your parents.
I think that Back to School night is a great way to communicate this to parents. I also think that possibly speaking about digital citizenship at conferences and having some kind of form that parents must read and sign would hold them accountable for being aware of the procedures. We might also add blurbs to our blogs and newsletters and present them as "tips" to parents on a regular basis!
I think this tool was so helpful, not only to my students, but to me as well. It was nice to be reminded of these things as it is easy to forget them in my day to day technological quests!
-Following the Golden Rule of "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." This is something that I try to live by daily and I think is important that children grow up with as well. As we all know this usually applies to friendships, but it's important use this application with everything in life- even technology!
-Realize that whatever you put in the computer it is there for the world to see. Nothing is really ever "deleted." This is definitely something that I learned recently myself and is extremely valuable information.
-If you use another's idea, always give credit to that person. Give credit where it is due! Hey, you want credit, too?
-NEVER give your password to your friends. Kids love to tell each other everything. This is something that may be difficult, but they will learn soon enough the importance of this!
-Ask parents/adults before visiting websites. The kids that I have taught in the past have been really good about asking permission about a website before they click. That is my policy in my classroom.. If I have never been to the site, you do not have permission to be there.
Share at least one of the resources mentioned above or on the Ed Tech website that you plan to use instructionally.
Brain Pop - this is such a great resource to seamlessly integrate technology into the classroom! The kids love it and it also offers things for those who need things to be a little more difficult. It holds accountability because the kids can take a quiz using their activities - which then can be used a grade in the grade book! I will use this as an enrichment to my curriculum that I am doing already. This website is easy to access at home, too!
Explain briefly how you would "teach" the idea of digital citizenship to your students.
Ok, so I started typing up how I felt about teaching this idea to childen and kind of hit a wall. I started writing about how setting boundaries for kids is so important. It teaches them when to stop and when it is appropriate. The more I thought about what I was typing, I began to confuse myself. If you set too many boundaries, kids become "boxed in" learners and tend to stick with what is easy. They often will become casual learners where leaving this box is scary and frowned upon. I want my kids to feel like they have a certain freedom when exploring technology. It is such an amazing feeling to watch these kids explore technology. Their eyes are opened to such a new world, and almost immediately, they become entranced.
Don't get me wrong, first graders still must have a set of guidelines and ideals that they must abide by. Our librarian, Karen Harell, does a fabulous job at teaching the kids about "recommended" sites and sites that should not be visited. I have to borrow a quote from Theresa's blog.. "If in doubt, I ask! That is what I encourage my kids do too. If you guide them as they are learning, and give them pointers to teach to that moment, then the process of validity becomes seamless in their search for knowledge." I couldn't have said it better!
Theresa Trevino answers this question how all of us wish we could! Check out Theresa's blog to see her answer!
Explain briefly how you plan to share the idea of digital citizenship with your parents.
I think that Back to School night is a great way to communicate this to parents. I also think that possibly speaking about digital citizenship at conferences and having some kind of form that parents must read and sign would hold them accountable for being aware of the procedures. We might also add blurbs to our blogs and newsletters and present them as "tips" to parents on a regular basis!
Tool #9- Incorporating Classroom-Based Devices as Tools for Learning
Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective?
Kids these days are growing up in a world that DEPENDS on technology. If we can integrate technology into education and content objectives, this will hopefully make it even esier for them to adapt and transform to an environment that seems to change everyday!! It seems to me that technology is different each time we approach it; there is ALWAYS something new and cool!
Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers?
I am a FIRM believer in establishing routines and independence at a young age. Holding children accountable for their own learning is one of the most empowering tools you can give a child. They can create their own sense of responsibility and accountablilty if you allow them to explore the experience of being able to make their own choices and self monitoring their progress!
Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
Brainpop.com is a wonderful interactive website that integrates Bloom's Taxonomy to create the level that is most appropriate for the learner. Most of the Texas TEKS are present on this website and the kids find it fun and entertaining! It is VERY grade level appropriate and provides a wealth of information!
We use Words Their Way for our word study and have found that Spellingcity.com is a great tool for parents and kids at home. It was not on the list, but I have heard so many great things from parents how their kids love coming home and playing on this site. We have been using this website for 3 years at RCE and we think it is a very useful tool!
We use both of these websites in stations. If they are visiting the computers as a station, they have the choice to visit these sites. Also, the iTouch has an app for brainpop that could be used as well.
As far as accountablity, after eaach unit in Brainpop is taught, kids can take a quiz over the material they have learned. Spelling city is obviously a tool that will help a student excel on a spelling test!
List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
Houston Zoo (Helps navigate when you are at the zoo, but also gives animal specifications. It also helps with the Map skills and reading a map with cardinal directions.) We visit the Houston Zoo each year and this app will be a HUGE success with my children.
Funny Flash (This one is neat because it morphs animals and then spells them out verbally and in print.) This will be a great app for those ESL students.
Math Drill (Addition & Subtraction - primary grades.) Awesome for students learning their math facts!
Louvre Our art teacher will love this, I will share with Ms. Lehman. The only issue is that you need to connect to WiFi.
NASA Some of my colleagues participated in a NASA webinar and found it fascinating. I would like to participate in this in the upcoming year.
Sight Words (Great way for students to learn their sight words.)
Tic Tac Toe (Just for fun! My kids especially LOVE playing this.)
The Weather Channel (Keep current with weather conditions anywhere. Goes well with our Seasons/Graphing Weather Unit.)
What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station.
I am already using the iTouches during both math and literacy stations. I plan to use them for self guided projects with my gifted learners as well as to differentiate learning. I love the Brainpop app and plan to add this to my apps on the iTouches. The sight word apps will be used for my ESL students to reiterate English language verbiage to their internal repertoire of knowledge.
Kids these days are growing up in a world that DEPENDS on technology. If we can integrate technology into education and content objectives, this will hopefully make it even esier for them to adapt and transform to an environment that seems to change everyday!! It seems to me that technology is different each time we approach it; there is ALWAYS something new and cool!
Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers?
I am a FIRM believer in establishing routines and independence at a young age. Holding children accountable for their own learning is one of the most empowering tools you can give a child. They can create their own sense of responsibility and accountablilty if you allow them to explore the experience of being able to make their own choices and self monitoring their progress!
Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
Brainpop.com is a wonderful interactive website that integrates Bloom's Taxonomy to create the level that is most appropriate for the learner. Most of the Texas TEKS are present on this website and the kids find it fun and entertaining! It is VERY grade level appropriate and provides a wealth of information!
We use Words Their Way for our word study and have found that Spellingcity.com is a great tool for parents and kids at home. It was not on the list, but I have heard so many great things from parents how their kids love coming home and playing on this site. We have been using this website for 3 years at RCE and we think it is a very useful tool!
We use both of these websites in stations. If they are visiting the computers as a station, they have the choice to visit these sites. Also, the iTouch has an app for brainpop that could be used as well.
As far as accountablity, after eaach unit in Brainpop is taught, kids can take a quiz over the material they have learned. Spelling city is obviously a tool that will help a student excel on a spelling test!
List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these stations?
Houston Zoo (Helps navigate when you are at the zoo, but also gives animal specifications. It also helps with the Map skills and reading a map with cardinal directions.) We visit the Houston Zoo each year and this app will be a HUGE success with my children.
Funny Flash (This one is neat because it morphs animals and then spells them out verbally and in print.) This will be a great app for those ESL students.
Math Drill (Addition & Subtraction - primary grades.) Awesome for students learning their math facts!
Louvre Our art teacher will love this, I will share with Ms. Lehman. The only issue is that you need to connect to WiFi.
NASA Some of my colleagues participated in a NASA webinar and found it fascinating. I would like to participate in this in the upcoming year.
Sight Words (Great way for students to learn their sight words.)
Tic Tac Toe (Just for fun! My kids especially LOVE playing this.)
The Weather Channel (Keep current with weather conditions anywhere. Goes well with our Seasons/Graphing Weather Unit.)
What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station.
I am already using the iTouches during both math and literacy stations. I plan to use them for self guided projects with my gifted learners as well as to differentiate learning. I love the Brainpop app and plan to add this to my apps on the iTouches. The sight word apps will be used for my ESL students to reiterate English language verbiage to their internal repertoire of knowledge.
Tool #8- Taking a Look at the Tools
After watching the videos/tutorials, list two to three things you learned about the device(s) that will be in your classroom this fall.
After watching the videos, the first thing that stood out to me was not really a surprise, but more of a "now, why are they deciding to do that?" I knew that 1st graders were not going to be receiving iPads, but getting 2 more iTouches. Getting the 2 new iTouches is fabulous, but I think that the younger kids need the iPads so that they can have a bigger screen. When they use the iTouches, often the kids that have trouble with fine motor skills, really struggle with math facts, sight words, or any other game. I know that my kids last year really did enjoy the iTouches, so 2 more will be great!
Also, it will be SO nice to have the 5 Dell minis! There is so much that we can do with these! The possibilities are endless! These will be wonderful when we complete our Presidential research project!
How do you plan to manage the device(s) in your classroom? Do you have ideas/suggestions that others may find useful?
As of right now, I have specified drawers that each iTouch "lives" in. The kids were really good about putting them back where they belonged. This year, with 2 more iTouches, I will most likely label them with a number or letter so that I (and the kids) can keep track of them at all times.
While reading Lou Ann's blog, I saw that there is an app for Brainpop,Jr. This is a FABULOUS site that the kids just adore. We could download this app and this would be a great learning tool for workstations or extra time!
After watching the videos, the first thing that stood out to me was not really a surprise, but more of a "now, why are they deciding to do that?" I knew that 1st graders were not going to be receiving iPads, but getting 2 more iTouches. Getting the 2 new iTouches is fabulous, but I think that the younger kids need the iPads so that they can have a bigger screen. When they use the iTouches, often the kids that have trouble with fine motor skills, really struggle with math facts, sight words, or any other game. I know that my kids last year really did enjoy the iTouches, so 2 more will be great!
Also, it will be SO nice to have the 5 Dell minis! There is so much that we can do with these! The possibilities are endless! These will be wonderful when we complete our Presidential research project!
How do you plan to manage the device(s) in your classroom? Do you have ideas/suggestions that others may find useful?
As of right now, I have specified drawers that each iTouch "lives" in. The kids were really good about putting them back where they belonged. This year, with 2 more iTouches, I will most likely label them with a number or letter so that I (and the kids) can keep track of them at all times.
While reading Lou Ann's blog, I saw that there is an app for Brainpop,Jr. This is a FABULOUS site that the kids just adore. We could download this app and this would be a great learning tool for workstations or extra time!
Tool #7- Reaching Outside your Classroom: Online Digital Projects
After visiting the resources regarding online digital projects, design a collaborative project with another classroom.
Ok, so I can't take full credit of this activity, but I saw this posted on the 11 tools website, and thought that I could adapt this experience to our classrooms needs.
I have heard so much about Skype lately, and how fun it is to connect with people that you may not see every day. Zac's sister in law is a teacher that lives in Knoxville and I thought that this would A)be a great experience for the kids to understand differences and similarities in weather patterns, and B) to get the oppurtunity to stay in touch with my future sister in law! Since I won the Playnormous iMac.. this would be great!
Unit- Weather and Seasons
Objective:TLW understand that the weather changes through the season in different ways in Texas and Tennessee.
*Implementation would begin on the first day of fall and continue through December as we would incorporate this into our everyday calendar activities.
*I could see using united streaming and youtube on google docs to send videos of the different weather. We could Skype each other and the kids could ask and answer questions in both classrooms. What a cool way to communicate! can see and read about the kids reflections about weather here and there.
Ok, so I can't take full credit of this activity, but I saw this posted on the 11 tools website, and thought that I could adapt this experience to our classrooms needs.
I have heard so much about Skype lately, and how fun it is to connect with people that you may not see every day. Zac's sister in law is a teacher that lives in Knoxville and I thought that this would A)be a great experience for the kids to understand differences and similarities in weather patterns, and B) to get the oppurtunity to stay in touch with my future sister in law! Since I won the Playnormous iMac.. this would be great!
Unit- Weather and Seasons
Objective:TLW understand that the weather changes through the season in different ways in Texas and Tennessee.
*Implementation would begin on the first day of fall and continue through December as we would incorporate this into our everyday calendar activities.
*I could see using united streaming and youtube on google docs to send videos of the different weather. We could Skype each other and the kids could ask and answer questions in both classrooms. What a cool way to communicate! can see and read about the kids reflections about weather here and there.
Tool #6- Using Web Tools to Promote Discussion in and out of the Classroom
Choose at least two of the tools from the above list. Create an account for each.
Embed the sample (preferred) or link to the URL.
Use each of the tools you choose to create a sample of how you would use it in your classroom.
Twitter: meredithlouise1
Facebook: Meredith McKim
Google Docs: Standard District Login / GMAIL account
Share your thoughts on how you see the tools being integrated into your classroom. How do you see them encouraging participation?
Today's Meet- I think this is a really great tool. While I was perusing Helen Ann's blog, I noticed her idea with this tool. I think that her idea using Today's Meet is awesome! She suggested using it as a forum of discussion after Meet the Teacher or Back to School Night. This way, parents have the ability to ask questions in a chat sort of way with out TONS of emails being sent back and forth. I will DEFINITELY use this tool this year!
Twitter- I think that twitter is such a popular trend right not that this tool could be a great way to communicate little blurbs and reminders to parents! It's almost like a text message without giving out your phone number. I think that with most parents having iPhones or smartphones, this would be an easy way to communicate!
Embed the sample (preferred) or link to the URL.
Use each of the tools you choose to create a sample of how you would use it in your classroom.
Twitter: meredithlouise1
Facebook: Meredith McKim
Google Docs: Standard District Login / GMAIL account
Share your thoughts on how you see the tools being integrated into your classroom. How do you see them encouraging participation?
Today's Meet- I think this is a really great tool. While I was perusing Helen Ann's blog, I noticed her idea with this tool. I think that her idea using Today's Meet is awesome! She suggested using it as a forum of discussion after Meet the Teacher or Back to School Night. This way, parents have the ability to ask questions in a chat sort of way with out TONS of emails being sent back and forth. I will DEFINITELY use this tool this year!
Twitter- I think that twitter is such a popular trend right not that this tool could be a great way to communicate little blurbs and reminders to parents! It's almost like a text message without giving out your phone number. I think that with most parents having iPhones or smartphones, this would be an easy way to communicate!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tool #5- Producing with Web 2.0 Tools
Use at least two of the tools above to create products. Think about your content. Create a “set” for one of your lessons! Or, consider providing the site as a choice for your students to create products. Make a model for a student created product.
Describe for your readers how you think each tool can be incorporated into your classroom - how you could see the tool being used by you instructionally and your students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or topic in your classroom.
I LOVE Wordles!! We did this as a class in the computer lab with our book buddies last year! The kids love them. I thought this one was pretty fitting for right now. :)
As far as incorporating this into a lesson or into my classroom, I think this would be a fabulous "getting to know you" activity for the beginning of the year. Since we will have the minis, we could definitely do this as a class. Each child come come up with a list of words that describe him or her. You could even create a list so that they can simply answer the questions. We could hang these up in the classroom all year long!
I also really like Animoto. This past year, our first graders completed a Presidential research project where they chose a president that they knew little about. After completing the BIG 6 reseach model, the kids created trading cards that we converted into an Animoto! Way cool! We also utilized Big Huge Labs as a website to help us with our trading cards.
iMovie- At the end of the school year, first grade teachers have created 20 minute iMovies that contain pictures of the entire school year. They turn out amazing and we give them to each of the kids as gifts. This is a fabulous tool that is easy to use once you get the hang of it! We plan on continuing this little tradition because we hear great feedback from parents and kids! :)
Describe for your readers how you think each tool can be incorporated into your classroom - how you could see the tool being used by you instructionally and your students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or topic in your classroom.
I LOVE Wordles!! We did this as a class in the computer lab with our book buddies last year! The kids love them. I thought this one was pretty fitting for right now. :)
As far as incorporating this into a lesson or into my classroom, I think this would be a fabulous "getting to know you" activity for the beginning of the year. Since we will have the minis, we could definitely do this as a class. Each child come come up with a list of words that describe him or her. You could even create a list so that they can simply answer the questions. We could hang these up in the classroom all year long!
I also really like Animoto. This past year, our first graders completed a Presidential research project where they chose a president that they knew little about. After completing the BIG 6 reseach model, the kids created trading cards that we converted into an Animoto! Way cool! We also utilized Big Huge Labs as a website to help us with our trading cards.
iMovie- At the end of the school year, first grade teachers have created 20 minute iMovies that contain pictures of the entire school year. They turn out amazing and we give them to each of the kids as gifts. This is a fabulous tool that is easy to use once you get the hang of it! We plan on continuing this little tradition because we hear great feedback from parents and kids! :)
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