Tool #5

This is a comic strip I made on www.makebeliefscomix.com which was easy to use and fun to do. http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=2906718C755527 I wish there was a way to save the comic strip in a file so students could create a portfolio but it is still a beneficial program for students to demonstrate learning of a concept through creation of a comic strip. I think this would be particularly useful to have characters talk about a famous person in social studies or even a concept such as cause and effect or inference. By the way, the YouTube tutorials that accompany the different websites/applications are tremendously helpful and make using these programs so simple. I was all set to create a book on Tikatok when I went to register and found this: Why can’t I join the Tikatok Educator Program? I can’t find the register link. The Tikatok Educator Program closed effective June 11, 2012. We are no longer accepting new educator or homeschool educator registrations. topWhat happened to my educator account? The Tikatok Educator Program closed effective June 11, 2012 All educator, homeschool and student accounts were deleted along with the books saved under these accounts. topWhat happened to my student’s accounts? Tikatok.com closed its educator program effective June 11, 2012. All educator, homeschool and student accounts were deleted along with the books that may have been saved as part of these accounts. I guess I will try a different application as Tikatok has become less educator friendly. When one door closes another opens: Storybird does have a teacher classroom account. I will try it out and report my findings. I am pumped once again. Storybird is awesome, easy to use and will be great for reluctant writers that need a prompt to inspire them. This is an easy way for students to write a short story and the artwork is cool and varies greatly. There is something for everyone. It also allows students to read other stories including their classmates. Check out the story I wrote: All aboard the Dream Machine. on Storybird

Tool #4

I created the document below on Google documents and sent it to my third grade team as well as my principal. I plan to use it to get to know more about my students in the first few weeks of school. Expectations of the third grade school year from a student perspective Hello everyone. As you work on these questions, please remember that there are no right or wrong answers. This is how you feel and each person’s feelings should be respected. It is okay to feel differently than other people, in fact, it is what makes you special, but please respect your classmates, your teachers and the Woodview community. Your responses will better help us make your learning experience enjoyable as well as productive and fulfilling. What did you do this summer? How do you think you can use what you did this summer in school? What do you hope to learn during the third grade school year? Did you know that students like to learn in different ways. For example, some like to use music or art to show what they know. Others like to write poems or short stories. Still others like to use computers to create projects that demonstrate understanding. How do you like to learn? You can choose more than one answer and you do not have to use the choices above. By understanding how you like to learn, we can tailor lesson plans to keep you interested. What type of activities do you like to do for fun? Do you play sports, sing in the choir, visit the library or some other activity? What would you like to do at recess when we use the field? What rules/behaviors do you think are important for us to be successful in the classroom? What rules/behaviors do you think are important for us to be successful while walking in line? What rules/behaviors do you think are important for us in the cafeteria? What rules/behaviors do you think are important for us during recess? Sometimes, students get to be involved with independent projects. Examples of this include book club, computer time, using i touches in the library and many more. What types of projects would you like to do? Are you interested in having your own webpage to share your thoughts with each other on the computer? What would you do if we had a class webpage? Why do you think it is important for you to share what you learn at school with your family at home? How can your family help you? Is there something you are really good at that you would like to teach the class? I have sent a Google form to my third grade teammaters that can be found at the following link: Briefly discuss how you can use the tools in Google Apps with your team or department. How can you incorporate Google Apps as a tool in your classroom? Which tools are you excited about using with students? I love the Google forms as I like to create assessments with different types of questions (I don't like to use only multiple choice, choose from a list or essay questions) a combination of different questions is preferable. I also think the Google drawing will be effective for my students that may better express themselves through art rather than the written word. After exploring the public templates in Google docs, I think Google is going to be a more effective method for my students to create the school newspaper as opposed to using word. Having one document and giving access to the students allows me to see each version but does not cause confusion with different documents "floating" around.

Tool #3

Visit several of the video hosting/streaming sites mentioned above. Share with your readers which sites you found most useful for your content and why. I have been a fan of Teacher Tube because I feel the videos are more relevant to educational purposes and are less likely to contain spam or inappropriate material. I am more likely to find curriculum material and have been successful in finding engaging videos across the curriculum. Discovery Education has been a useful video site for years especially when students are researching science or social studies projects. For example, students have frequently found useful information about animals and planets when researching those topics. They also used the site to determine why Pluto was no longer a planet (this bugged them to no end and I loved watching them debate why it should or should not be a planet). Using any of the video resources mentioned above, find and select two videos that may be useful resources in your classroom. Here are two videos I will use in the classroom. The first one, from Discovery Education, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie is great for demonstrating repeated cause and effect actions.

http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=D59C8AAB-207F-4417-8555-E4C0EB7124C6



The second video, from Brainpop discusses strategies for good reading skills. The characters are entertaining to the students and a quiz is available for students to take after the video concludes:

http://www.brainpop.com/english/studyandreadingskills/readingskills/

Articulate what you learned about copyright and fair use. What was new to you?


I learned that certain criteria allow for copyrighted items to be used.  I also confirmed that attribution is essential for fair use of works when permitted by the creator.  I learned that copyright lasts past a person's life time and passes on to their family.


Create a Dropbox account and add some files to it  How could you use this tool in your classroom?


Since Dropbox can be used on any computer/i touch/i pad, it is a great tool for research projects for my students.  Students can go to designated websites or photo sharing sites to create technology projects, research ideas and demonstrate understanding of the curriculum.  It allows teachers to give students freedom to explore while protecting them from spyware and inappropriate material which is always a concern for me.


If you Give a Mouse Video


Brainpop Video

Tool #2

I really enjoy reading and commenting on other blogs. I always find at least some useful information and often times a critical component to improve my own teaching skills. I was taught very early in my teaching career by my mentor to take a little of each teacher you interact with and shape it into your own style. Participating in a PLN is vital to add things that may never have come into your mind otherwise. Points that stood out to me from commenting was the common theme of motivating students. Tara presented an excellent video by a student presenting to teachers in Dallas. This student was eloquent charismatic and had the teachers in the palm of his hand. His future teachers have a big responsibility to foster his excellent public speaking skills as well as his heart. We also have this moral responsibility to do this for each and every student and to block out any distraction in our own professional as well as personal lives. I am open to sharing my thoughts but I am protective of my thoughts against the "Darth Bloggers" of the world as mentioned in this tool. I take criticism very harshly often to the point that it will bring me down and I need to put this aside and keep going like I do in the classroom. It is different to share thoughts on blogs as opposed to with teammates because the tone is easier to read in person. Also, you have a closer professional relationship most of the time with your teammates and a common interest in bettering students' lives. Responding to blogs requires tact and writing in a way that prevents misunderstanding or undue/harsh criticism. I always think back when I wrote an e-mail to a friend in college which they totally took in a way I did not mean and how that made them feel. I have tried to choose my wording carefully in the 20+ years since that experience. A blog I plan to use in the future is called Free Technology for Teachers. I want students to have access to as many tools as possible but cannot afford nor do I expect the school/district to pay for applications for the computers/I touch's. This blog presented several different applications which I found useful and I am sure will continue to do so.

My Voki

Well, I'm back. Getting ready for professional development this summer and the first step is to create a blog. Thankfully, I have one. Looking forward to learning new ways to make technology engaging.

Technology Exploration

I was reviewing the technology uses for students and I keep thinking, "Why do most of these cost money?". In a time when every penny counts, shouldn't we find ways to get students on these great programs without hurting the school or a teacher's budget. I guess I am ranting, but I was all excited about xtranormal for my students and it would end up being twenty bucks a month.