Technology Article #2: Mapping Our World

On the class website I found a link to a website called "Mapping Our World". This is a great geography activity for studying different types of maps. This website uses three different lessons to introduce different types of maps to students. The website for this activity is: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/mapping_our_world/mapping_our_world/l/home/index.htm

Lesson 1: In this lesson, students see different views of the globe (Asia, Europe/Africa, Australasia, and North America). Students can tilt the globe to see how many continents can be seen from different angles for each view of the world. The students can also flatten the globes to see the different maps.

Lesson 2: Students learn the difference between the Mercator and Peters maps. This activity allows students to hear positive and negative aspects of both maps. Students even get to vote on which map they think is most accurate! This lesson also provides map statistics. Students can merge different maps to compare the sizes of continents using different map views. Students listen to characters from around the world who want to travel to different countries, then they choose which map would work best for each person.

Lesson 3: Students place country flags on maps using different views of the world. They can also compare land sizes (how many times will some countries fit into others) based on the Mercator and Peters projections. It also has an activity for students to look at a number of different maps and pirates ask five yes or no questions about each map. After all five questions have been answers, another pirate who is on the plank uses the students' answers to determine the type of map. If all five questions are answered correctly, the pirate is fine. However, if any question is answered wrong, then the pirate must "walk the plank".

This is definitely a great educational website. I would highly recommend this activity to any elementary geography teacher!

Technology Article #1: LunaPic Online Photo Editor

While I was researching tools to become an "expert" on, I came across an absolutely INCREDIBLE photo editing tool. The Google search engine found the website http://www.lunapic.com/editor/. The website is a great resource for editing photos and slideshows, and creating collages. Perhaps one of the best aspects about this tool is that there are ample tutorials and it is 100% user-friendly.

The most difficult process this tool requires is uploading a photo (which is fast and easy). Once the photo is uploaded to the page, all the user has to do is click on any effects or animations they would like to add. It is also easy to undo any changes.

When it comes to photo editing, this website can not only do the basic tasks such as changing the size and color (sepia and black and white) of pictures, but it also provides users with a choice of over 31 photo effects, at least 28 animations, and the addition of a border. Some of the effects include: color or black and white pencil sketch, implode/explode, blend two images, coloring book, and many more options. Some of the animations include: the Andy Warhol effect, sparkle, glitterize, floating hearts, scanning, snowfall, zoom in/out, and numerous other fantastic animations.

Here is an example of what I created using the LunaPic Online Photo Editor:

After experimenting with this website, I have decided that I would be very interested in using this tool to edit more photos in the future. I feel very comfortable with using it and I believe it provides quality editing techniques. This tool would also be a great resource for my future class to use for art projects. The students would love it!

My Beliefs

I have always thought it is good to use technology in the classroom, although it can be frustrating to learn how it works. During my field, I learned that students absolutely love hands on learning, and technology is a great way to accomplish this task. The students absolutely loved doing a webquest. I think it is a great way to get them excited to learn new material.

Although I am all for using technology, I do not think it is necessary to use it all the time. Some people seem to believe that technology is the best way to learn just about everything. While technology is definitely a great resource, I believe that there are other great methods to teach students new concepts that are also beneficial. My field experience also taught me that technology rich lessons take a lot of time to prepare, which is another reason I do not believe in using it in the majority of lessons. When I become a teacher, I will not have a lot of extra time on my hands, and it is important to prepare good lessons in a decent time frame. I will use technology in my classroom, but not to teach every concept.

Lessons Learned

After reading the articles and watching the movies, I learned that technology is growing exponentially these days. Within the last few years, we have gotten to the point where we can use whatever, whenever, and wherever (WWW). Technology has improved leaps and bounds over the years which is both beneficial and worrisome.

Most of the world uses technology on a daily basis whether it be the internet, cell phone, or other hand held devices. We now have the ability to access any type of information at any given point throughout the day. This can be great for both school and business purposes. Many teenagers use the internet to do research for papers or complete online assignments. The concern with this WWW technology is that it also creates distractions. One example of a distraction is Social Networking. Because many teens have access to the internet through phones, they can access social networks such as Facebook or MySpace during class. They can also chat online. In the "Teens Disconnect" article, it states that most teens use abbreviations when they have online conversations and the majority of them believe that this does not influence their formal handwriting. However, research shows that sometimes the words or abbreviations used in these online conversations tend to slip in with their formal writing. It is important for today's parents and teachers to help young people use technology wisely and not let it consume their lives.

Strengths and Weaknesses

After reading the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), I have learned that my strengths include: a basic understanding of technology, finding age appropriate uses for technology in the classroom, and using technology to collaborate with peers. Although this website has been beneficial in pointing out my strengths, it also shows areas that need improvement. The UNI surveys showed me that I have A LOT to learn about technology. For most of my answers, I marked that I was at the "Novice" level, which means I have a basic understanding of technology usage. According to UNI, I am good at communicating electronically (example: e-mail or chat), finding useful web resources for research, and I can use informational and reference sources such as CD-Roms. The area that stuck out to me most that I would like to improve in is Audio/Visual usage. I would like to gain a better understanding of how to use Windows Moviemaker so that I can make short, educational, videoclips for my students. I would also like to become more familiar with the 2007 version of Microsoft Powerpoint.

After reviewing the NETS and taking both UNI surveys, I would say that I have an okay knowledge of technology. On a scale from 1-10, 1 being no knowledge of basic technology and 10 being complete mastery of complex technology, I would mark myself as a 5. To me this means I either know how to use basic technology or I could figure out how to use the basic functions of simple to moderate technologies with minimal problems.

For my first year of teaching I have two goals: Develop a basic understanding of Windows Moviemaker and become very familiar with Microsoft Office Powerpoint 2007. The following tutorials will help me develop a better understanding of both of these programs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8DOmXMAuIE (Microsoft Office Powerpoint 2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DHFKVzG8Zw&feature=related (Windows Moviemaker)

The reason I chose these two programs is because they are widely used in schools. I would like to use them every now and then in my own classroom, but I definitely need to improve my limited skills with these programs.

Journal #13

Last Monday we met with our groups again to continue working on our Webquest. Originally my group chose to focus on how immigrants affected the post-Civil War economy. However, we met again today to complete our Webquest and realized that we were not accomplishing much with that standard so we chose to focus on Ancient Egypt instead.

It was kind of hard to change our Webquest so close to the deadline, but we did not have much of a choice. We came a long way today. Hopefully we can finish the project tomorrow!

Just like I said in my last post, when I have my own class, I will not create my own webquest. I will use other people's webquests to help my students further their education. Teachers do not have time to create webquests!

Journal #12

During class last Monday I was able to check my grade with Dr. Waters and work with my group on our webquest assignment. After talking with Dr. Waters, I was relieved to learn that I currently have an "A" in the class.

As far as the group project goes, it is coming slowly but surely. We're still trying to find websites we would like to use for the webquest. We did that the previous week, but we would like to find better websites to match our standard and objective.

After working on this project, I have come to realize that instead of creating a webquest for my own students, I would like to use one of the following options:

1) Provide students with a short list of websites to go to for information

2) Find a webquest that someone else has already created

The reason I would choose one of those options over creating my own webquest is that it takes too much time that I won't have when I am a teacher. It would be so much easier just to tell students which websites to visit or direct them to another teacher's webquest.

Journal #11

Last week was our first week back in class from field. We got into groups to start our Web Quest project. My group chose to gear our webquest towards 5th graders. Our content area is Social Studies and we are focusing on standard 4, objective 4. Standard 4 states, "Students will understand that the 19th century was a time of incredible change for the United States, including geographic expansion, constitutional crisis, and economic growth." Objective 4 says students should be able to: "Understand the impact of major economic forces at work in the post-Civil War." As a group, we came up with the following questions to focus our webquest on:

1) Why did new immigrants affect the economy of post-Civil War U.S.?Why did new immigrants affect the economy of post-Civil War U.S.?

2) How did new immigrants affect the economy of post-Civil War U.S.?

3) Why did People immigrate to U.S.?

4) How did People immigrate to U.S.?

5) How did immigrants find work and food?

I think webquests are good because it allows students to have a "hands-on" learning experience. I also realize it takes a lot of time to put a webquest together. When I have my own classroom, I would love to allow my students to use a webquest if resources are available. After my own field experience and listening to other members of my cohort share their stories, I learned that it is not always easy for students to have access to technology. However, I will do my best to make sure my own class will have experience with webquests because in my opinion, this is an excellent way for students to learn new concepts. During my field experience, I noticed that students are easily engaged when they have the opportunity to do their own research. Webquests allow students to learn about anything they are interested in by going to various websites. In my field experience, the students I worked with absolutely LOVED using the internet for research. It is very important to make sure students only go to the designated websites.

Technology Interview Reflection

1. What did you learn from the interview?

I learned that the Technology Specialist is a very busy man. In fact, when my cooperating teacher emailed him to see if we could schedule an interview with him, he requested that Rebecka and I contact the other student teacher's who had already interviewed him and learn about the school's available technology that way. Thankfully, the other student teachers were very cooperative and emailed their interview to us. Unfortunately, they have a different technology instructor and she required different questions. However, we did our best to make do with what was given to us. We did not want to cause any complications for the technology specialist.

2. How will this experience affect you as a teacher?

When I am a teacher, I will do my best to become more familiar with the various technologies provided by the school. The school I was at had portable computer labs. Teachers were allowed to check out mac laptops for their students to work on. There were almost enough macs for each student to have their own. The only problem with using the laptops was, neither Rebecka nor myself were too familiar with macs. Prior to teaching one of our lessons, we had to ask one of the students to show us how to open up the word processor. We also had a problem with setting up the computers to print to the classroom printer. We were not able to figure that out so we had to send the students' work to the teacher workroom printer.

3. How did this experience change your views about the use of technology?

This experience has showed me that technology can be useful and challenging at the same time. The students loved watching video clips, looking at pictures on the overhead projector, doing webquests, and typing their assignments on the laptops. The students learned a lot from the pictures the numerous pictures that were shown on the overhead. They also were fascinated by the air raid video clip from, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". We ran into a few challenges because sometimes technology didn't work the way we wanted it to. For example, one day we wanted to show them a video clip of a reader's theatre, but for some reason we couldn't get the video clip to play. We also had a little bit of trouble with figuring out how to use the macs, but we were able to overcome those challenges with some guidance.

I also learned that lessons involving technology generally take longer than direct instruction lessons. It takes a lot of time to get the students prepared with the necessary materials, such as computers. Giving the instructions and showing the class exactly what is expected of them is also time-consuming and can test your patience. Students can get really excited when they get to use technology which is good, but sometimes they tend to get off track because they are so excited and it can be very difficult to keep all of your students on track.

Overall, my technology experience was not too horrible. I liked that the students were excited to use technology for educational purposes. In my opinion, technology does not need to be used all the time. It is important to find a balance between when technology should and should not be used in the classroom.

Journal #10 Fieldwork Week 3

This week was so much fun! We got to finish teaching our World War II Unit. Last week we taught the students about various factors that contributed to WWII such as economics, tyranny, and invasion. We also taught them about the different technologies that were used in WWII.

For one of our assignments, the students were divided into groups and given a picture that showed a type of technology used during the war. As part of the activity, the groups discussed what the technology was, and how it was used. They also had to put their thoughts down on paper. The class really enjoyed this assignment. This experience has taught me that most students love hands-on learning. In my own classroom, I will do my best to provide my students with as many hands-on learning activities as possible to ensure my students are having fun while learning new, challenging concepts.

Here are some examples of the students' work:

On the last day of field, the class threw a surprise party for Rebecka and I. Many of the students gave "speeches" to tell us how much they enjoyed having us as their student teachers. Looking back on this entire field experience, I learned that the MOST important part of being a teacher is showing your students that you love them. During field, I tried really hard to get to know each student. I wanted each of them to know that I cared for them. When I have my own class, I will make it a point to show each student that they are important to me. I strongly believe that by showing them I care, they will have the desire to learn and become successful in their schooling, just as the students in my field experience have done. The saying is very true that "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Here are some of the cards the students made for us:

Journal #9 Fieldwork Week 2

This week we finished teaching our WWII lessons. It was such a great learning experience. I had so much fun practicing the different teaching methods I have been learning in school. In fact, one day we used the Synectics model for our lesson and our field supervisor was so impressed with the way the lesson was presented, she cried tears of joy!

I've also been learning different management techniques. I've learned that I need to give very detailed instructions before the students start their assignments, or it can create a lot of confusion. My partner and I decided we wanted the students to perform a reader's theatre. For our last lesson, we had them write their reader's theatres with their groups, and the entire class was confused on how to write them and ended up not writing anything for a long time. When they got back from recess, we gave them an idea on how to write the reader's theatre, and every group except one was able to complete the assignment. Tomorrow I am going to work with that group and help them write their reader's theatre while the other groups are practicing to theirs.

We also taught our "Technology Rich" lesson this week. Each of the students enjoyed doing a webquest where they learned about the technologies of WWII.

It has been so fun working with these students. I'm so sad that this week is our last week with them!

Journal #8: Fieldwork Week One

The first week of fieldwork has gone by so fast! I absolutely LOVE working a 6th grade classroom. The students are absolutely wonderful! It has been so much fun getting to know both our cooperating teacher and his class. Our teacher always finds ways for us to help in the classroom. We get to help the students with their schoolwork, take them to P.E./recess, and grade MOUNTAINS of assignments.

Last week Rebecka and I had some time to prepare for our lessons. Luckily, she had designed these lessons earlier this semester for Curriculum Design and Assessment so all we had to do was make some minor adjustments. I am so excited to actually put what I have learned throughout the semester to use.

Our lessons are geared towards Social Studies but we also get to include technology and creative arts in them. Before we went into the class, I was a little nervous about how we were going to go about these lessons simply because our cooperating teacher is a core teacher, not a Social Studies teacher. He wanted us to teach about WWII and suggested we used the Language Arts time to teach our lessons.

Although I am excited for this week, I am somewhat nervous because our supervisor will be there for our first lesson!

Journal #7

Last week in class we turned in our Digital Stories and continued to work on our personal webpage. I was glad to have teh digital story done and turned in. I don't think I will have my future students make their own digital stories simply because they take so much time to put together.

I do like the idea of having a class webpage. I think it's a great way to keep parents notified of important dates. I also like being able to post homework assignments, and providing a description for each assignment. This way, the parents and students always know what they can expect to learn in class that day, and they can also be aware of how much time they will need to spend on assignments for school. I would definitely love to use this in my classroom!

Journal #6

This week has probably been my favorite class period so far this semester. We learned how to add the google calendar, assignment, and announcement pages to our website. I spent the entire class period working on the calendar because I had so much fun with it! I absolutely LOVE this feature and would definitely use it my future classroom. The google calendar and the class webpage is a great way to let students/parents become aware of important events and dates. I also love that we can add descriptions to assignments and events. This feature is absolutely fantastic!

Journal #5

Last Monday we continued to work on our digital videos. Fortunately, Rebecka and I were able to work through ours with minimal amounts of trouble this week. In fact, we are almost done with our video! I am excited to see the outcome because we put forth a lot of effort into finding the right pictures, music, and voice recordings. Now that we have all of our sounds and pictures in Photo Story, we just have to work on making everything come together to show the effects of child labor in the early 1900's.

Journal #4

This week in class we started working on putting our story board together. I realized that creating a digital video takes a lot of work. It was hard to find free music to download (the different copyright laws for the various websites are what make the process complicated). My partner and I did not have too much luck with the music. Hopefully we can find something soon! I hope that we can get this video done with little stress and use it during our field experience.

Journal #3

This week in class we talked about Digital Videos. Digital Videos have many purposes. For this class, Rebecka and I have teamed up in hopes that we will be able to use our video regarding Child Labor for one of our sixth grade Social Studies lessons during our field experience. This experience has helped me to realize that although these videos require A LOT of time and planning, they can be very useful with helping students to truly understand the effects of different events throughout history.

Journal #2

This week in class we set up our personal webpage. I had some trouble with getting my page formatted in an appealing manner, but after a little bit of time was able to work through the major bugs. In my opinion, personal webpages are good for businesses, but not for the classroom. Internet websites can easily be accessed by anyone, and anything school-related should be kept between educators and those who attend that particular school. I believe that blogs are better because they are more private, and parents can provide feedback. It is very important for parents to have input in their childs' education.

Technology in the Classroom

This week in class was a real eye-opener to the world of technology. Dr. Waters taught the class about a few absolutely amazing ways of how we can incorporate technology into our classroom. The main tools we learned about were Gmail, Facebook, and Blogger.

From what I understand, Gmail is mostly good for email and collaboration with other teachers. The main concepts we focused on were Gmail chat and my personal favorite, the collaboration tool. It was good to learn how to chat because in my own classroom, I will need to talk to other faculty members and I will not always have time to walk around and find them. Using chat tool is a very convenient way to communicate with people. I was extremely fascinated with the idea of online collaboration. When I become a teacher I will definitely need input from more experienced staff members to help me with lesson plan ideas. I am definitely excited to use this tool. The best part about this tool is that I can post my ideas and the rest of the faculty can review and add their thoughts to what I have written when it is convenient for them. By using this collaboration method, I will be able to learn from others and become a better teacher.

I was absolutely shocked when Doctor Waters said that everyone is REQUIRED to setup a Facebook account. I have always thought of the network as something to do for fun and never as a way for teachers to communicate with parents and/or students. I have had my Facebook page for a couple of years now so I have a good feel for how the website works. It is definitely a good way to communicate with people. One of my concerns with using this in my classroom is that parents will not want to setup an account due to all of the problems social networks can cause. However, for those who feel comfortable with using this, it can be a good way to let students or parents know about different assignments. It can also bee used to address any concerns about the class.

The best part of class was when we set up our personal blogs. My only previous experience with blogging has been reading my friends' and family members' blogs and I never considered creating one for myself. However, when Monday rolled around and we set up a blog for our class I became so enthralled with the idea of blogging and decided to create a personal blog as well. I strongly believe that blogging will be the most beneficial way to give parents up-to-date information with what is going on in class. When I have my own classroom, I will create a class blog that will be updated weekly to let parents and students know what assignments are due and I will post detailed instructions on how to complete them. I will also post class events such as parties and field trips. Another feature I like about Blogger is that parents are not required to have their own blogger to view my page like they would have to with either Gmail or Facebook. I am definitely excited to learn more about blogging!

Instructional Media

Can I just say that I am WAY excited for this class? I am so excited to learn about communication through technology. We are going to learn how to blog, use Gmail, and my favorite, FACEBOOK! I don't know very many people who can say their class requires them to set up a facebook account. :-)