Week Eight: Security

   Well this is my last week for my Educational Technology class, and this week we has a lesson on Security on your computer. Trojans, Worms, Viruses, Etc have you heard of these? I'm sure you have and when you think of  them they make you feel worried. I know they made me feel worried inside. This week we had to read over information from two different sites http://computer.howstuffworks.com/virus.htm and http://www.albion.com/netiquette/. These sites are very helpful if you are unfamiliar with security issues on your computer. 

    In the past I have had some issues with viruses and Trojans on my personal computers. I have had to clear my computers off before so that they would work properly, and for anyone who knows or has been there it an be a real pain.I lost a lot of my media from pictures, music, papers, school work, etc. However, after I  cleared off my computer it worked just like it was brand new. So a tip I would like to give to everyone is make sure your antivirus software is up to date because they are crucial. If you use your computer for shopping, gaming, research, and everything else, then without protection a HACKER or VIRUS can destroy your computer. With a hacker they can access all of your personal information on your computer and steal your identity. So keep your self protected. 

   For the class I really enjoyed all the information I learned through the Tech Explorations, discussion boards, and of course Blog entries. This class has definitely opened my eyes to new technology options and helpful tools in the classroom. I can't wait to start teaching so that I can use the information that I learned about.  
        

Week Seven: Web 2.0

This week we were assigned to pick a Web 2.0 tool that we would we use in the classroom. The tool I choose is Discovery Education http://www.discoveryeducation.com/. This tool isn't just for educators it's also for students and for parents. With the resource you can get involved in all different content areas. For teachers it's an excellent tool to have with making lesson plans and developing creative activities for the students. For students it is an excellent tool to help them homework in the area they are having trouble with (math, science, social studies etc). They can also play games and explore different activities. For parents it is a resource to get kids motivated with the motivation station, or helping with homework when they need it, or to just give activity ideas to parents for fun family gatherings. So all around this tool is great for everyone.

This week we also were assigned the research of the Dana Foundation at http://www.dana.org/. This site is phenomenal with all the information and articles available on the brain and what it does for our learning. After reading all kinds of essays and publications I was intrigued to think about all the different ways to teach students. In one of the articles it talked about art and cognition and how dancing can contribute to a lot a learning. Which really touched my heart because I have always enjoyed dancing and the different forms there are of it. There were a lot more articles that were interesting so if you would like to learn about the brain and how you learn I would definitely visit the Dana Foundation website. 

For our Tech Explorations we had to search a few different resources on the web. The one that I enjoyed the most looking at was Historypin at http://www.historypin.com/ . This resource is so fascinating because it's all about history. In this resource you can search pins all over the world. On the site you can also search history with the date, the place or origin, or the name of the event. There are also tours and collections that people have created to share information about a specific events. Also you can create you own collections and tours if you would like. This resource is an excellent tool for history/social studies teachers, because they could assign a project where the students get on the Historypin site and create their own collection on an event in history that intrigues them.

I hope you all enjoyed my blog this week and learned some interesting information like I did.

Week Six: WebQuest

This week we were asked to search WebQuests; for anyone who doesn't know what they are you can find a great detailed definition and samples at this website http://webquest.org/ . However, a brief explanation would be it is a lesson created on the internet for teachers, and students to learn information using links to the internet and various programs. 

I have mentioned before that I am not a teacher yet however, when I become one Shark week will be a lesson I teach no matter what grade level I am in. As you all know on the discovery channel Shark Week is coming up and is the 25th anniversary. So for the WebQuest I chose to evaluate is http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/sessions/sharks/index.html. This WebQuest is about Sharks, the content and lesson is created for younger students grades 2nd - 5th. It is also colorful, creative, and engaging to the students.After reviewing and evaluating the WebQuest I concluded that the lesson and layout was easy and understandable. Which was a main concern of mine. When I was researching WebQuests a lot of the ones I looked at were extremely wordy and confusing, so for younger students you can't have that. It needs to be straight forward and understanding.  That's why I chose the one above. 

The next assignment we were asked to do, was to create our own WebQuest so with me being obsessed sharks right now I decided to create my WebQuest on Sharks also. I know my creativity didn't expand to much, but I couldn't help it. So here is a link to my WebQuest, http://questgarden.com/147/21/6/120806132022/. If you view it yes I know it is not as glamorous as the one above but I think it is rather good for my first WebQuest. The program I used to create my WebQuest was QuestGarden, it allows you to create a WebQuest step by step. Although it's step-by-step I still found it confusing. It was hard to understand what information was needed for each section, and then by the end I wasn't sure if I had all the information I needed to put in there, or if it looked okay. So I tweaked it a little bit and hopefully people who review it like and understand it. 

This week there were no Tech Explorations so I am sorry I can't share any with you but next week I'm sure there will be some interesting ones to search and look at. Hope you enjoyed my WebQuest and blog. Cya next week. 

Week Five: Visual Learning

This week was all about the visual learning of students. We discussed two separate topics one was on the Visual learning of students we watched a video of Martin Scorsese http://www.edutopia.org/martin-scorsese-teaching-visual-literacy  talking about how visual learning is something he is passionate about.We also looked at many resources for visual learning such as Flickr, PicLit, and Photopeach. They are all resources available to everyone who wants to create a visual literacy. Another discussion we had was about the Appropriate Usage Policies of the schools we are teaching in or near. This policy is a statement that guides the students through the right way of using the internet and computers at the school.  It is a policy that most schools have students and faculty sign so they are fully responsible for their actions. 

In our Tech explorations this week we explored several different resources some that I have never heard before. One that what new to me that I enjoyed exploring was Math Dictionary http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html 

This resource is great for Kids it's every math term explained in a simple yet accurate way. So simple for kids to learn and enjoy while learning too, because it's not just plain text its pictures and colorful explanations.

Another tech exploration that I had never heard of before and I enjoyed looking through it was the Spicynodes.  http://www.spicynodes.org/

 This resource is a concept mapping resource but with so much more creativity. It is a fun source and allows students to become creative in their own way. There is no holding the students back their creativity can sky rocket. In the resource individuals are able to map their concepts with multiple designs and templates made available for them. 

Overall this week has taught me a lot about  visual learning for students and  the resources available to make it happen. If you are a teacher or if you have a child that need visual learning activities or tools then view the sites above because they are a big help.
 

Week Four: PowerPoint Presentations

          Well this week we have been talking about power point presentations. I am not currently a teacher but when I become one I would like to give a  presentation on the safety of wearing your seat belt in the car. Students know that it's the law but they don't know why. So I would like to show them the important factors that come with wearing a seat belt and what it can do if you don't wear it. I had to create this power point when I was studying in my undergrad on safety so I could use the same PowerPoint however, I would just have to change a few things in the presentation. Something I would change would be the graphics of the presentation. There are some graphic pictures that wouldn't be appropriate for students to view. So I would take them out and replace them with pictures that were acceptable. Also I would hope that students would respond in a positive way, after learning why it is important to be safe is important and once they know that I hope they would act accordingly.
      Some other things that we talked about this week was TED. TED is a source of presentation given by people on topics ranging on a wide perspective. The topic I chose was "gaming to re- engaging boys in learning" given by a lady named Ali Carr-Chellman. She talks about how boys are culturally different than girls in the classroom. They enjoy games and sports and the classroom isn't based around that. She goes into statistics and reasons why boys need to be involved and we should do that by generating video games to capture their attention. If you haven't seen it you should watch it.  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ali_carr_chellman_gaming_to_re_engage_boys_in_learning.html
     Other topics we covered in our tech explorations were Story bird which was an amazing site where you could create your own virtual story. An excellent source for children who want to share their creativity.         
    Another exploration we did was Ispeech where you can take text and have someone verbalize it for you. This site also has a mobile app that will read your text message and emails on your phone out loud while your driving so you can drive safely.
     We also looked at the website where you can create comics by taking photos and text and with a click of a button you have a comic. I personally thought this source was excellent a fun looking for all ages. Especially for boys, because boys always love comics it is something that can catch their attention and keep their interest in the classroom during the lesson. http://plasq.com/education/
 So overall I would say this week has been successful in learning the different aspects of PowerPoint presentation in what to do and what not to do, and all the other explorations from this week.

Week Three: Word Processing & Assistive Technology

When I started reading and researching for week threes assignments I was relieved to see it was about word processing and Desk top publishing, because that is what I am familiar with unlike last weeks when I was lost in all the spreadsheets and databases.
This week we researched Technology in the classroom and how word processing can  be used in all aspects. it can be used to create newsletters, calenders, event flyer's, and much more. When looking for a document to share on my blog, I didn't have much to choose from because I am not a teacher yet, so I don't have any newsletters or calendars made for students. So I made one...

This event flyer is a Fall Festival Flyer that I made to announce an event that we might have at our school, welcoming parents and students back from the summer.  The flyer I feel is eye appealing, and straight forward. however, on my blog it looks blurry and I apologize for that.

Other things we learned about this week were Blooms Technology Pyramid and how it was filled with all types of technology to assist people. A great website for that is http://digitallearningworld.com/blooms-digital-taxonomy-pyramid. If you haven't looked into the pyramid you should especially if you are going to be a teacher.
In our Tech Explorations we looked at different assistive technology devices that are available. Like PowerTalk, ZOHO, and many others. Technology and tools that turn text into audio. So for individuals who have trouble speaking out loud, reading, or just want to multitask and listen to text while they are doing something else; these are some great resources available to do that. Another Exploration we looked at that I highly recommend any teacher or educator to look at and bookmark in their computer. http://www.4teachers.org/tools/ This site is wonderful, it has so many tools and features that are easy to use and quick to access. If you are an educator and haven't viewed this website you should go there immediately!
That's all that we did this week and I learned a so much. Can't wait to see what next week has to offer!

Week Two: Using spreadsheets and databases in the classroom

          After researching databases and spreadsheets used in the classroom, I came across this site  http://alicechristie.org/edtech/ss/. This site is wonderful in showing how spreadsheets and databases have been put to use in K-12 classrooms. It's multiple sites all linked together in this site, each of the other sites are ways teachers and students have put to use spreadsheets in the classroom.  The site also gives you online lessons using spreadsheets, interactive data, and other resources.

        Something I found that surprised me about spreadsheets is that they can be used for anything.I already knew they could be used in math lessons, but to be used in science and language arts really surprised me. Using a spreadsheet for vocabulary words is a wonderful idea. It allows students to view the words and organize them in a way that they can understand better. If anything helps a student learn better I think is a wonderful tool. Also to use the spreadsheets in science is wonderful too, because it gives science a new perspective. It allows students to take their data they have collected put their hypothesis and conclusion into their spreadsheets and chart their work.

         When I was in school I didn't use spreadsheets often but when I did it was more for my business classes and math classes. In my school technology wasn't available like it is today. In my high school we only had computers in our library and technology labs. We didn't have access to them everyday. So or us to use a spreadsheet it was a project that we maybe worked on for a few weeks in that particular year. I remember in one of my algebra classes having to do a spreadsheet. I'm not exactly sure what the topic was, but I remember being very unfamiliar with spreadsheets, because it was something I didn't use often. Now classrooms and teachers are starting to use them at a very young age, and I feel that is excellent. Spreadsheets can be extremely helpful in the learning process. So starting students off early and making them familiar with the resource will help them in their future learning.

Week One: Technology in the Classroom

      In this first week of class I have learned so much about technology that can be used in the classroom. Technology such as wiki's, podcast, and eBooks. all great resources that can be used to enhance students learning. I am not a Teacher yet, but after researching these different types of technology I realized that there are two sources that I would use immediately in the classroom. Those two resources are Tumblebooks and a classroom web page. For those of you who don't know what Tumblebooks is it is a website available for teachers and schools to use on their computers systems. It is a site that has numerous ebooks for students to listen to and follow along with. If a teacher has students whose reading levels are low Tumblebooks is an excellent source for them.
     In my future classroom some of the ways I would implement these two resources would be to have my web page set up from day one where students would receive their username and password for access to their grades, also I would allow parents access to their child's grades and progress through out the year. The web page would also have weekly schedules, project outlines, and classroom notes available. The webpage would also be very easy to navigate through for anyone that might not familiar with the internet.
        The other resources I would use is Tumblebooks this resource is for all ages, it allows teachers to monitor students progress in reading. Tumblebooks allows teachers to create lesson plans, quizzes, and projects all on the site. In the classroom I would allow students to get on the computer daily for their literature/ reading time to read and listen to books, once they have finished a book a quiz would be available to take over the book so that I knew they read the book and understood it.
      Some challenges that I might face would be keeping the website updated as many teachers I'm sure know  there is a lot to keep up with and a website is something that takes dedication. With the one I would have I would want my students to be involved with the website, help keep it maintained through out the year and help me keep it creative. Another challenge I might face with the Tumblebooks site is students not wanting to stay focused while listening to the books, or they become bored with them, though with the quizzes they might take them more serious than just reading.