Closing Post Final Reflection

Coming into this class I thought that I was technologically literate, however I found out that I was not. I learned many useful skills throughout this class that can help me develop as a teacher. One of the things that I learned is how to make a blog and use it to blog. Blogs will be helpful for my future students to use either to learn something about someone else in another country or to publish their work. These are just two of the ways my students could use blogs. I can also keep a blog as a teacher to inform parents and guardians of what was done in class that day. Another thing that my future class could use is comments4kids and comments4teachers, where they comment on other children's blogs and other teacher's blogs. They can learn more from these other people and learn more about their cultures since they can live anywhere. Another tool I could use as a future teacher is iTunesU to put up homework assignments and lessons for students who missed class or students who want to go back and listen again. Also, parents or guardians could get on it to see what their child did that day. One more tool that I learned about is ALEX, which stands for Alabama Learning Exchange. This website has a lot of useful tools for teachers from lesson plans to a personal workspace. This class introduced me to many tools that I can use in my future classroom.

I am much more technologically literate now than when I started the class. On a scale of low, some, medium, good, and great, I would say that I am good with technological literacy. I am not quite great or know all that I can use in my future classroom. However, I am going to keep working to get to this point as I continue through school and become a teacher. Technology is always changing, so to keep up with it I will continue to research and expand my knowledge of technology. I will do this by using the tools that I already know and learning more about these tools and learning new tools. I will keep moving forward just like technology moves forward everyday.

Interview Videocast

Podcast

http://edm310podcasts.blogspot.com/2010/04/laptops-and-computers-in-classroom.html

7th Graders PLE

Welcome to My PLE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEls3tq5wIY&feature=player_embedded

This is a video about a 7th graders PLE. Her PLE is very put together and professional even though she is only in 7th grade. She enjoys learning this way because it gives her freedom and a way to make things more interesting. I learned a lot about PLEs from hers and how to make mine better than it is now. She did a great job with her PLE.

PLN Wordle

Substantive Presentation

Teaching Presentation

This is a presentation that could be used in a Kindergarten classroom to help students learn how to rhyme.

Computer Labs in Schools vs Laptops per Student

Advantages to Computer Labs

• Technical assistance in the lab
• Computers are monitored
  
• Allows more students simultaneous access as opposed to one computer in each classroom

Disadvantages to Computer Labs

• Time in lab is limited
• Have to schedule time in lab
• Have to get all the students and their supplies together to walk across the school to the lab
• Students may forget something they need
• Have to plan projects ahead during class time then wait for lab time

Advantages to Laptops

• Portable within the school and outside the classroom
• Portable for field trips and investigations
• Provides immediate data processing and graphic feedback
• Immediate feedback and analysis allows next-step decision making in the field
• Allows file-sharing
• Facilitates group work and collaboration
• Generates reports and presentations
• Flexible and inventive uses
• Access to expert resources on the Internet or through e-mail

Classroom Management Techniques while using Laptops

• Do not tolerate the misuse of laptops
• Designate "Think Time" or "Lids Down" time when students must direct their attention to the teacher or facilitator
• Plan ahead for re-charging batteries
• Install identical software programs
• Set up shortcuts to software programs
• Ask students to save files in a specific directory
  

Google Earth Trip Tour

TimeToast Timeline

Wordle

Skype

I have used Skype many times in the past. I used to use it to talk to my fiancee when we lived in two different states. Now I use it to talk to all my family and friends back home. Skype is a great tool that can be used in many different ways. It can be used outside the classroom for personal use or it could be used in the classroom for educational purposes. Teachers can use it in many ways. One way is to talk to another class in another state or even country to learn about them and the cultures. Another way is to have another teacher teach the students something over it, so that the students can get a new perspective on what they are being taught. Skype can be used in many ways and is an excellent tool for any teacher to use.

Favorites Survey

What is your favorite color?
Green-4
Red-2
Pink-3
Blue-2
Purple-1
Yellow-1

What is your favorite type of food?
Steak-1
Seafood-4
Salad-4
Chicken-3
Mashed Potatoes-1

What is your favorite household pet?
Dog-10
Snake-1
Squirrel-1
None-1

What is your favorite wild animal?
Monkey-4
Snake-2
Tiger-3
Lion-1
Koala-1
Giraffe-2

What is your favorite age group of children to work with?
Infancy (Birth to 2 years)-1
Early Childhood (2 to 6 years)-3
Middle Childhood (6 to 10 years)-3
Early Adolescence (10 to 14 years)-3
Late Adolescence (14 to 18 years)-3

What is your favorite subject to teach?
Art-2
English-4
Math-4
P.E.-1
Science-2

What is your favorite video game system?
Nintendo Entertainment System-1
Wii-9
XBOX 360-1
None-2

What is your favorite type of music?
Alternative-1
Country-6
Mixture of types-2
Rock-4

What is your favorite type of movie?
Animated-1
Comedy-8
Drama-3
Suspense-1

Personal Learning Network

A.University of South Alabama-College of Education
1.Dr. Juarez
2.Dr. Strange
3.Mr. Sullivan
4.Mrs. Sparks
5.Jayne Kennedy

B.Community
1.Mrs. Sands
2.Mrs. Richardson
3. Mrs. Merker

C.Twitter
1.Karl Fisch
2.Kelly Hines
3.Edutopia
4.Wendy Drexler
5.Karl Fisch

D.Internet
1. http://alex.state.al.us/index.php
2. http://www.alsde.edu/html/home.asp
3. http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.aspx
4. http://www.avl.lib.al.us/
5. http://www.asc.edu/aboutasa/index.shtml
6. http://accessdl.state.al.us/

The Zax by Dr. Seuss

This video by Dr. Seuss has a very important lesson behind it. The lesson is that change happens all around you, so you need to be comfortable with change in life. You need to incorporate change into all aspects of your life. The world cannot stand still even if you do. So you need to change right along with it and not be bypassed by it.

PS 22 Video
http://is.gd/3WVnq

This video showed how talented these children are. It is important for students work to be posted on blogs or other things because it shows off their talents. If these students had not had their video up then the singer of Fleetwood Mac would not have seen it. This means that they would not have been invited to sing the song at the show in Madison Square Garden. Which means they would have missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime.

Dear Kaia

Dear Kaia:Voicethread and Video by Mr. Chamberlain's Class
http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/dear-kaia-voicethread-and-video.html

This post shows how technology is being used by younger and younger children everyday. These students were doing comments4kids when one of the fathers said that the girl could not read so they made her a video and voicethread for her comments. This also shows how teachers can incorporate technology into their classroom to keep their students connected with people all around the world.