I think this is an interesting week. I have never used a social website before. My own children have and of course my students do. To be honest, I just never seemed to find the time to set one up. Or maybe I did not understand the importance of what they can offer. Whatever the reason, my thinking on social websites is definitely starting to change. Thanks to this class, what happened to me this week and the videos that we have available to us.
The funny thing that happened earlier today. My son who is 21 is living in Boston for this summer. I have been trying to call and text him the past few days. We are leaving soon to go on a family vacation and we need to connect a pick up time. I asked my daughter if she had heard from him. She said "no, but I will check his face book". I am thinking ok...why would that be necessary. Well two seconds later she tells me "he has lost his cellphone". He had posted that on his face book account. Thankfully my daughter posted a note that I needed to schedule a pick up time. Another two seconds later and my problem was solved. My son was just fine, and we had a scheduled time that I could pick him up. This was all possible to a social networking site. No phone, no e-mail, no texting...just posting to Facebook. It is weird that this would happen on this particular week of class when we are talking about social websites.
Anyway, I am really starting to turn a corner on this particular issue. After reading and watching the videos of this week, I no longer feel that is a waste of time. I can see the potential that it has to offer our students and our own children. Of course it is necessary to find that balance that we are all looking for but that is not any different from eating too much, watching too much tv and any other types of behavior that might not be healthy.
pros and cons of social networking sites in the classroom environment.
Video Educational benefits of social networking
The networking that happens or can happen in social networking sites is just amazing. If you have a student who is interested in video production for example, they have the opportunity to reach many other students or websites that could be of benefit. The same goes for students that are looking into particular colleges or universities. They have the potential to reach many students who might be attending those schools and or graduated from them. My feelings are that as long as the student is able to handle the time management of using these sites and they are not following behind on other tasks it can really be a great experience and opportunity to reach a much larger community.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Week Four - PBS Video
Wow - Cool video. I liked the interview with Dr. Rhoten. "Interest driven learning" way cool. Learning not education, leaner centered not institution. What a new way to think about how and what we do with our students. Making the education include more of a personal experience that the students can relate to. What can digital media learning tools do to help facilitate education. Allowing the students to use these digital tools to get to the content of what they need to understand.
Dr. Mimi Ito helped me to understand that the socialization that happens when students use Facebook or other social resources is not as bad as we sometimes hear. Of course parents want to make sure that their children do not spend all day on line. But, we need to find that balance of helping our kids to use social resources in a way that will help to education them. Dr. Mimi explained that being "on line" is not really a waste of time. That friendship driven activities can be a positive experience. Our goal as teachers is to be more active in finding ways to include this type of media in our lessons.
Dr. Pinkard interview was really eye opening. A special place for students to be inspired to create and publish, record their own work. The technology was available and the place to be was available for these students. A special place for 9th and 10th grades, that have the opportunity to use digital media in a way that was not available when you are in the classroom. The students have the chance to become the teachers as they move through this program. Wow.. this is so different from what I have ever seen. I would love to see this type of environment in the high schools in NH. To me this type of environment creates so much trust between the students and the mentors. Sometimes I think this is why so many teachers have a hard time with allowing students to use computers or other technology in the classroom. They are slightly afraid of losing control of the class. We need to let go of this fear and allow our students to move in the direction that will them to create their own personal experience.
Dr. John Seely, "Allowing the students to be creative and using technology to help them measure their own personal progress". Amazing. Again, we have seen time and time again that students do want to learn, but that the learning needs to be on their own terms and we need to really re-think our classroom and how we are relating to our students. We can use the technology to help our students check their own progress and create their own journey so to speak.
Education world This is a great article that has ideas and suggestions for different grades of using technology.
Video This is a short video on using active boards in the classroom. Pretty cool as well. I have never used this board but really like to.
Dr. Mimi Ito helped me to understand that the socialization that happens when students use Facebook or other social resources is not as bad as we sometimes hear. Of course parents want to make sure that their children do not spend all day on line. But, we need to find that balance of helping our kids to use social resources in a way that will help to education them. Dr. Mimi explained that being "on line" is not really a waste of time. That friendship driven activities can be a positive experience. Our goal as teachers is to be more active in finding ways to include this type of media in our lessons.
Dr. Pinkard interview was really eye opening. A special place for students to be inspired to create and publish, record their own work. The technology was available and the place to be was available for these students. A special place for 9th and 10th grades, that have the opportunity to use digital media in a way that was not available when you are in the classroom. The students have the chance to become the teachers as they move through this program. Wow.. this is so different from what I have ever seen. I would love to see this type of environment in the high schools in NH. To me this type of environment creates so much trust between the students and the mentors. Sometimes I think this is why so many teachers have a hard time with allowing students to use computers or other technology in the classroom. They are slightly afraid of losing control of the class. We need to let go of this fear and allow our students to move in the direction that will them to create their own personal experience.
Dr. John Seely, "Allowing the students to be creative and using technology to help them measure their own personal progress". Amazing. Again, we have seen time and time again that students do want to learn, but that the learning needs to be on their own terms and we need to really re-think our classroom and how we are relating to our students. We can use the technology to help our students check their own progress and create their own journey so to speak.
Education world This is a great article that has ideas and suggestions for different grades of using technology.
Video This is a short video on using active boards in the classroom. Pretty cool as well. I have never used this board but really like to.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Week Three - Chapters One and Two - VLC
Wow - First of all I have never "downloaded" a book to read off of the computer. I have to say...it really was neat. A very nice experience. Maybe I will look into a Kindle or something.
I liked the chapters in this book. I feel they provided both the good and bad about on-line learning. In the first chapter they talk about how the community of the on-line class can be engaging if designed correctly. I once took a class at UNH and it was on-line. I did not mine the class at all, but I never had any interaction with other students. I watched videos of the professor and just submitted my assignments. To me this is not a "community" at all. I like how this class is run. By posting to our classmates blogs, we get a chance to communicate with them. In the chapters on VLC, it speaks how important it is to develop the "community" within the class. I agree with this.
It is great that they spent time researching VLC. In the chapter they tell us they did not have trouble finding these types of environments. Whenever I have thought of VLC I was not thinking of some of the examples that they gave. "gamers, do- it-yourselfers and or famlies..just to name a few. I honestly was thinking more of the traditional classroom, or on-line environment. I like the point that tells us people naturally want to connect with others. VLC give people a chance to do this, in at a level that is mind blowing.
The lessons to educators really hit home to me. To trust that learners will make good decisions for themselves about their learning. Wow..This is what we want right? As a teacher you want your students to develop their own learning. But, it can be hard to kinda give up that control. Or feel that we are giving something up. The plus side is that when we do we build a relationship with our students that is based on "trust". Trust that they will make good decisions and trust that they will be working on "their learning". Another plus, is that with technology it really does allow students to work at their own level. Whatever that level is.
What we have to realize is that VLC are not going away. They can be small, just a group of students in your classroom working together on a project, they can be large or some place in the middle. This is the "turf" that our students today want to work in. These are "tech" kids. We will always have the plus side and the negative side. As teachers we need to develop our lessons to include technology that can create a positive learning environment.
I liked the chapters in this book. I feel they provided both the good and bad about on-line learning. In the first chapter they talk about how the community of the on-line class can be engaging if designed correctly. I once took a class at UNH and it was on-line. I did not mine the class at all, but I never had any interaction with other students. I watched videos of the professor and just submitted my assignments. To me this is not a "community" at all. I like how this class is run. By posting to our classmates blogs, we get a chance to communicate with them. In the chapters on VLC, it speaks how important it is to develop the "community" within the class. I agree with this.
It is great that they spent time researching VLC. In the chapter they tell us they did not have trouble finding these types of environments. Whenever I have thought of VLC I was not thinking of some of the examples that they gave. "gamers, do- it-yourselfers and or famlies..just to name a few. I honestly was thinking more of the traditional classroom, or on-line environment. I like the point that tells us people naturally want to connect with others. VLC give people a chance to do this, in at a level that is mind blowing.
The lessons to educators really hit home to me. To trust that learners will make good decisions for themselves about their learning. Wow..This is what we want right? As a teacher you want your students to develop their own learning. But, it can be hard to kinda give up that control. Or feel that we are giving something up. The plus side is that when we do we build a relationship with our students that is based on "trust". Trust that they will make good decisions and trust that they will be working on "their learning". Another plus, is that with technology it really does allow students to work at their own level. Whatever that level is.
What we have to realize is that VLC are not going away. They can be small, just a group of students in your classroom working together on a project, they can be large or some place in the middle. This is the "turf" that our students today want to work in. These are "tech" kids. We will always have the plus side and the negative side. As teachers we need to develop our lessons to include technology that can create a positive learning environment.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Week three - Thoughts on A Portal to Media Literacy Video
This was an amazing video - I was first impressed that he was a professor of cultural anthropology. He started out by speaking about the portal or area that is designed to bring students together to work. The traditional class in a typical college or university. He stressed that the room was not set up to include discussions in the classroom. The room is set up for the the expert and or authority was at the front of the room He surveyed his students to ask what they were doing while the class was happening. The survey showed that they were not engaged in their education, but looking at their e-mail or other internet site. I like how he addressed that "something was wrong and we needed to do something else".
He talks about the crisis of significance, the students really only want to know how many points are on a test, how long does a paper need to be, these types of questions. They are almost telling us, we want our learning to stop or just get to a specific point. They are not finding meaning in their education. Only looking at what their grade will be. I see this type of behavior so much in high school. So many of my students are stressed out about their GPA because they are or soon will be applying to college. Colleges and many of the scholarships have become so competitive that our high school students end up spending their last years of high school worried about their grades. I have even seen students not sign up for classes that they are interested in because they want to meet the college or university recommended classes to take in high school. I think it is sad, that they feel they need one more year of science and do not have room for a pottery class or something that they are really interested in.
I did like the quote from Barbara Carson " Students learn what they care about, from people they care about and who, they know, care about them" Wow.. For those of us who have children in our lives, our own or somebody else s this is an amazing quote. We need to care about these children to help them better learn. We also need to learn how to use the media to help our children educate themselves and not just entertain themselves. I try really hard in my classroom to always find ways students can use the technology in an educational manner. I was glad to hear him speak of the importance of this. I am also glad that I really do this. It takes me longer to find interesting things/activities online. It is much easier to just assign the questions at the end of the chapter. But, I can see that this can help to make a difference in my students education.
I really think his idea on creating platforms for participation is so important. Getting the students involved in a digital way to help them digest material is so important. I found this website called "captivate" http://www.adobe.com/products/captivate.htmlhttp://www.adobe.com/products/captivate.html. I am not sure of all of the ins and outs of this software, but it looks like you can have very interactive power point type of presentations. You can also include narration and up load videos. oh, and you can use a drawing tablet and write on your presentation as it is happening. I think it is important for teachers to bring the "playing field" of education to the students level. We live in a digital cultural and have digital students. We need to meet them on their turf.
He talks about the crisis of significance, the students really only want to know how many points are on a test, how long does a paper need to be, these types of questions. They are almost telling us, we want our learning to stop or just get to a specific point. They are not finding meaning in their education. Only looking at what their grade will be. I see this type of behavior so much in high school. So many of my students are stressed out about their GPA because they are or soon will be applying to college. Colleges and many of the scholarships have become so competitive that our high school students end up spending their last years of high school worried about their grades. I have even seen students not sign up for classes that they are interested in because they want to meet the college or university recommended classes to take in high school. I think it is sad, that they feel they need one more year of science and do not have room for a pottery class or something that they are really interested in.
I did like the quote from Barbara Carson " Students learn what they care about, from people they care about and who, they know, care about them" Wow.. For those of us who have children in our lives, our own or somebody else s this is an amazing quote. We need to care about these children to help them better learn. We also need to learn how to use the media to help our children educate themselves and not just entertain themselves. I try really hard in my classroom to always find ways students can use the technology in an educational manner. I was glad to hear him speak of the importance of this. I am also glad that I really do this. It takes me longer to find interesting things/activities online. It is much easier to just assign the questions at the end of the chapter. But, I can see that this can help to make a difference in my students education.
I really think his idea on creating platforms for participation is so important. Getting the students involved in a digital way to help them digest material is so important. I found this website called "captivate" http://www.adobe.com/products/captivate.htmlhttp://www.adobe.com/products/captivate.html. I am not sure of all of the ins and outs of this software, but it looks like you can have very interactive power point type of presentations. You can also include narration and up load videos. oh, and you can use a drawing tablet and write on your presentation as it is happening. I think it is important for teachers to bring the "playing field" of education to the students level. We live in a digital cultural and have digital students. We need to meet them on their turf.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Week Three - Choice of Blog
By spending the last two weeks reading about all the ways and reasons why we need to include/increase the use of technology in the classroom, I decided to do a bit of research and come up with some tools that are free and out on the web. Both of the resources that I found have the benefit of students working together as in a group or solo.
The first one I will talk about is called writeboard.com. This is the link - http://writeboard.com/
I plan on using this tool this school year. This software allows students to work together on a text document. What happens is each write board (or project) is given a URL. The students are able to work on this document at school and or at home. The best part of this is that you get to see how many times each student edits or changes the document. That way you can tell that everyone in the group is working. You are able to see if a student makes a big change or a small change. You can also leave comments to help the students complete the task. Because the students can log into the write board at any time/place. You will not have the issues of students being out sick and not pulling their own weight on a project. You will also not need to worry about the document getting lost or who has it. Take the quick tour when you go to the website. It really helps to explain the program.
The second tool I think I will use is called prezi this is the link http://prezi.com
This tool really will take away from the traditional poster board project. It is used to make a presentation. Students can use it solo or in a group situation. It is pretty easy to use and allows you to upload pictures and video. It has built in templets and the ability to change color/size of font. The coolest part of it is that you create a "path" on the order of what you want to be displayed. Prezi also has quick tour that you can take and it is really helpful.
The learning curve on both of these tools is very small. They are very easy to learn in just a couple of minutes. I just think the students will really have fun with them and will be able to use them in many different types of classes.
The first one I will talk about is called writeboard.com. This is the link - http://writeboard.com/
I plan on using this tool this school year. This software allows students to work together on a text document. What happens is each write board (or project) is given a URL. The students are able to work on this document at school and or at home. The best part of this is that you get to see how many times each student edits or changes the document. That way you can tell that everyone in the group is working. You are able to see if a student makes a big change or a small change. You can also leave comments to help the students complete the task. Because the students can log into the write board at any time/place. You will not have the issues of students being out sick and not pulling their own weight on a project. You will also not need to worry about the document getting lost or who has it. Take the quick tour when you go to the website. It really helps to explain the program.
The second tool I think I will use is called prezi this is the link http://prezi.com
This tool really will take away from the traditional poster board project. It is used to make a presentation. Students can use it solo or in a group situation. It is pretty easy to use and allows you to upload pictures and video. It has built in templets and the ability to change color/size of font. The coolest part of it is that you create a "path" on the order of what you want to be displayed. Prezi also has quick tour that you can take and it is really helpful.
The learning curve on both of these tools is very small. They are very easy to learn in just a couple of minutes. I just think the students will really have fun with them and will be able to use them in many different types of classes.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Week 3_Save the Blueberries video podcast
Hi -- I have added a video clip to this podcast. I took pictures in my backyard with a digital camera. I used Imovie to create a video that I thought would work well.
http://mariel43132.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-17T08_47_54-07_00
http://mariel43132.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-17T08_47_54-07_00
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Hi - I spent today working on my Podcast. I am going away in a few weeks and wanted to get this project pulled together. This is the first time I ever made a Podcast. I have to say for the most part it was pretty easy. I used Garage Band to create the podcast. I used this software because I have it on my computer and I will have it available to use in the fall for my classes. I used podomatic to publish the Podcast to this blog.
The podcast is about how my husband and I have tried to keep the birds from eating all the blueberries off of our blueberry bushes. I was able to add music to this Podcast. I added the music from my Itunes.
Hope you like it..
Thanks - Maureen
http://mariel43132.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-16T11_14_20-07_00
The podcast is about how my husband and I have tried to keep the birds from eating all the blueberries off of our blueberry bushes. I was able to add music to this Podcast. I added the music from my Itunes.
Hope you like it..
Thanks - Maureen
http://mariel43132.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-16T11_14_20-07_00
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Week 2 - Reflections on this class
I was looking for a class to take this summer that would help me to include more technology into the classes that I teach. I am lucky enough to have all of my classes in one classroom. I am also lucky that I have 25 Macs that can also run on a PC Platform. I have a projector and was given a laptop at the start of the school year. So you can see, I was all set up with having the technology... I just needed ideas to help me create lessons that I would use technology. You see I honestly feel that I can not have my students sitting in front of computers and not using them. I want to provide as many opportunities as I can for them to use the computer in learning situations. This is why I took this class.
Last school year I did use Moodle for reflective writing assignments and used Skype not only in a group project, but also as virtual field trips. I also included a video project that my Marketing students developed to show the eight steps of a sale. I think I did ok for the most part. But, I really want to try and do better. My students have such strong technology skills. The district I work in is pretty well off and many of the students bring in their own laptops and or Ipads. I have to keep up with them and understand what it is they are using for fun and try and see how I can use that in a classroom environment.
The first two weeks of this class have been very exciting. My mind is just spinning as how I can use what I have learned so far into my classes. I really love the vides on wikis, blogs and skype.. I think this would be great to show many of my freshman students. I also love the articles, I and can honestly say I am very interested in starting the projects. I already have an idea for the Podcast. I have never done a Podcast, but I am excited to learn. Maybe I might do my project using that tool. I am thinking of having my Marketing students create Podcasts for products we sell in the school store or even maybe public service announcements. Hey, I might even have one of the foreign language teachers have her students create the same Podcast in Spanish or French...
As you can see my mind is just rambling....I am thinking I might need to take this same course each summer just to keep up with what is available! I found this article on why teachers should use technology in the classroom. http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2007/0614-technology-classroom.php
I also found this great video on The vision of K-12 students today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8
Last school year I did use Moodle for reflective writing assignments and used Skype not only in a group project, but also as virtual field trips. I also included a video project that my Marketing students developed to show the eight steps of a sale. I think I did ok for the most part. But, I really want to try and do better. My students have such strong technology skills. The district I work in is pretty well off and many of the students bring in their own laptops and or Ipads. I have to keep up with them and understand what it is they are using for fun and try and see how I can use that in a classroom environment.
The first two weeks of this class have been very exciting. My mind is just spinning as how I can use what I have learned so far into my classes. I really love the vides on wikis, blogs and skype.. I think this would be great to show many of my freshman students. I also love the articles, I and can honestly say I am very interested in starting the projects. I already have an idea for the Podcast. I have never done a Podcast, but I am excited to learn. Maybe I might do my project using that tool. I am thinking of having my Marketing students create Podcasts for products we sell in the school store or even maybe public service announcements. Hey, I might even have one of the foreign language teachers have her students create the same Podcast in Spanish or French...
As you can see my mind is just rambling....I am thinking I might need to take this same course each summer just to keep up with what is available! I found this article on why teachers should use technology in the classroom. http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2007/0614-technology-classroom.php
I also found this great video on The vision of K-12 students today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8
Monday, July 11, 2011
Week 2 Blog - Chapter One
This was a good chapter. I like how it starts out by asking us to think back to when we were in school. I can think back to chalk boards, slanted desks, metal lunch boxes and classrooms having hard wood floors. I remember the start of every school year included a package of 8 crayons and a black and white notebook. What is also strange is that I walked to school with my two sisters. We walked over 2 miles each way! This is all so different from today. Today school starts with a supply list from the school and a debit account number to pay for lunch.
I am always amazed how technology continues to change. I grew up in a house that had one telephone and it was a party line ( we shared a number with our neighbor). Today, I have five phone numbers that are associated with my home. Is this crazy or what?? This good news is that for the students in school today, they have always been around technology. Of course it has become faster, smaller and you can go more with it, but they have always had it. I remember first using a word processing program. I thought it was the coolest way to journal (instead of using a notebook). Technology has moved beyond that to blogging.. The blogger survey table on page 15 shows us that the major reason people blog is "to express yourself creatively". Wow. What is so great is that you get feedback from others. This gives us the opportunity to stay in touch with families, but also to expand our world far from our own neighborhood.
As chapter one tells us that by using current technology we give our students the opportunity to to see and learn in an environment that they are used to. They will need to have strong technology skills in order to meet employer expectations in their career fields. We as educators need to include as much technology as we can in our lessons...Our students are used to working and learning in an virtual environment by keeping ourself up to date on what is available to use in the classroom, will only have a positive outcome for our students.
I found this website that listed the technology skills students need - It is pretty interesting.
http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/what-tech-skill-do-all-students-need.html
I also found this article on how early should your child use technology. It starts at age one!
http://familyinternet.about.com/od/introtofamilycomputing/a/growthchart.htm
I am always amazed how technology continues to change. I grew up in a house that had one telephone and it was a party line ( we shared a number with our neighbor). Today, I have five phone numbers that are associated with my home. Is this crazy or what?? This good news is that for the students in school today, they have always been around technology. Of course it has become faster, smaller and you can go more with it, but they have always had it. I remember first using a word processing program. I thought it was the coolest way to journal (instead of using a notebook). Technology has moved beyond that to blogging.. The blogger survey table on page 15 shows us that the major reason people blog is "to express yourself creatively". Wow. What is so great is that you get feedback from others. This gives us the opportunity to stay in touch with families, but also to expand our world far from our own neighborhood.
As chapter one tells us that by using current technology we give our students the opportunity to to see and learn in an environment that they are used to. They will need to have strong technology skills in order to meet employer expectations in their career fields. We as educators need to include as much technology as we can in our lessons...Our students are used to working and learning in an virtual environment by keeping ourself up to date on what is available to use in the classroom, will only have a positive outcome for our students.
I found this website that listed the technology skills students need - It is pretty interesting.
http://www.doug-johnson.com/dougwri/what-tech-skill-do-all-students-need.html
I also found this article on how early should your child use technology. It starts at age one!
http://familyinternet.about.com/od/introtofamilycomputing/a/growthchart.htm
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