As a teacher I think that my classroom will be a lot more enjoyable, effective and well managed if I use technology within my teaching style. I have so many ideas and plans for the future that will take this technology driven generation and show them how to incorporate writing, reading and communication into their lives effectively.
Kids love their phones and trying to keep them from using their phones in class is one of the hardest parts of classroom management. Why not create assignments that let them use their phones and the apps that are on them for educational purposes. This would mean that they could learn more about apps that are educational and we can get them to get more involved in writing, reading and researching on their 3G networks. I would really love to do journal entries via text messaging once in a while. I think the kids would have fun with that.
I hope that I can find fun and educational ways to use all of the skills that I have learned in this instructional media class this semester. I truly want to take advantage of technology and do whatever I can to get my students more involved in literature, poetry, reading and writing. If I can get every kind of learning style involved by using technology, than that is something I am going to take seriously so that I can have the most effective learning environment in my classroom that I can possibly have.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Lessons Learned
Out of all the readings, tests and videos my favorite one was "Did you know?" The information and music was so intense and interesting to read. I really think that I am going to use that clip for a lesson plan to show how important technology, reading, writing and education is for my students to be successful in the future. I can not imagine all of those statistics coming true in the future. Information and technology are circulating and progressing so fast. It is our responsibility to prepare our students for these changes.
I really enjoyed taking the UNI technology competency tests. I think that it is good to know where we stand, as teachers, with our skills and the technology in our classrooms. Now that I know what I am capable of and what I need to work on, it will only sets me in the right direction to be an even better teacher who has more skills to improve my classroom learning environment.
It is really important that all teachers are familiar with and use the NET standards in their classrooms. I think that it is true that education is moving more towards classrooms that are technologically driven. With that said, teachers need to start educating themselves to be able to keep up with the fast pass speed of technology because their students will be learning these skills at a young age and we have to keep up with them so that we can harness their skills to work for them in their educational experience. I think we should use these NET standards along with our State Core Curriculum standards and objectives in my personal opinion.
I really enjoyed taking the UNI technology competency tests. I think that it is good to know where we stand, as teachers, with our skills and the technology in our classrooms. Now that I know what I am capable of and what I need to work on, it will only sets me in the right direction to be an even better teacher who has more skills to improve my classroom learning environment.
It is really important that all teachers are familiar with and use the NET standards in their classrooms. I think that it is true that education is moving more towards classrooms that are technologically driven. With that said, teachers need to start educating themselves to be able to keep up with the fast pass speed of technology because their students will be learning these skills at a young age and we have to keep up with them so that we can harness their skills to work for them in their educational experience. I think we should use these NET standards along with our State Core Curriculum standards and objectives in my personal opinion.
Strengths and Weaknesses
After reading, testing and watching the videos for this assignment, I have realized that I have many strengths and weaknesses that I can work on when it comes to integrating technology into my lesson plans and classroom. The information that was given to me for this assignment has really opened my mind to how important it is to use technology and how this new generation of student will respond best to technology and assignments that use technology to incorporate or present the old information in a new way. My strengths are in researching information and finding credible sources, knowing the basics of computers, and communicating through technology. Like my students, I am addicted to constant communication through phone calls, text messaging, social networking and emailing. I have those skills down for sure!
I think that my goals will be to learn more computer programs thoroughly enough that I can design awesome assignments that my students can benefit from. I need to be comfortable enough with the programs that I can teacher the terminology and functions well enough for my students to turn around, take the information I have given them, and then use the software for their projects and assignments. My goal to integrate more technology in my classroom will be to create more assignments that involve using word processors, emails, text messages and blogging to turn in writing assignments. I have also been planning on using programs like powerpoint, picassa and photostory to create performance assessments for poetry units, novels and other English assignments. I think it would be awesome to have my students write in their journals one day and then text message me them on other days. That way they can text their entries to my email giving them a change up from writing these entries with paper and pencil. Just a fun idea.
I have already been looking on UEN for free credit hours I can take after I am a contract teacher. The teacher that I co-teach with right now has been looking them over with me and we are going to take a couple technology classes together. Under the Professional Development Course Catalog on the UEN website teachers can find many options to enhance their technical education. The classes I am interested in taking are: Advanced Powerpoint, Create Online Media, Create Online Video Tutorials/Screencasts, Digital Camera in the Classroom, and Digital Video Projects (UEN Classes). We have covered a lot of these techniques and information, but I think it would be cool to dig even deeper and get more ideas on how to use technology in the classroom. These free college credit classes will not only help me with my teaching but will move me towards a lane change on my salary schedule as a teacher. SCORE!!!!
I think that my goals will be to learn more computer programs thoroughly enough that I can design awesome assignments that my students can benefit from. I need to be comfortable enough with the programs that I can teacher the terminology and functions well enough for my students to turn around, take the information I have given them, and then use the software for their projects and assignments. My goal to integrate more technology in my classroom will be to create more assignments that involve using word processors, emails, text messages and blogging to turn in writing assignments. I have also been planning on using programs like powerpoint, picassa and photostory to create performance assessments for poetry units, novels and other English assignments. I think it would be awesome to have my students write in their journals one day and then text message me them on other days. That way they can text their entries to my email giving them a change up from writing these entries with paper and pencil. Just a fun idea.
I have already been looking on UEN for free credit hours I can take after I am a contract teacher. The teacher that I co-teach with right now has been looking them over with me and we are going to take a couple technology classes together. Under the Professional Development Course Catalog on the UEN website teachers can find many options to enhance their technical education. The classes I am interested in taking are: Advanced Powerpoint, Create Online Media, Create Online Video Tutorials/Screencasts, Digital Camera in the Classroom, and Digital Video Projects (UEN Classes). We have covered a lot of these techniques and information, but I think it would be cool to dig even deeper and get more ideas on how to use technology in the classroom. These free college credit classes will not only help me with my teaching but will move me towards a lane change on my salary schedule as a teacher. SCORE!!!!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Digital Cameras and Picassa
What?-
This week we discussed using digital cameras and picassa for our classes. Doc Waters also introduced the scavenger hunt around campus. This scavenger hung has us using digital cameras to take specific pictures and then alter them on picassa as directed.
So What?-
I liked learning how to use picassa because I think that I will have my students use it a lot when I assign them specific visual/technology assignments for class. I am really a fan of performance assessments and I know that using digital cameras and picassa will really come in handy for my students to use for these assessment. Another cool thing about using digital cameras and picassa is that I want to do a lot of photography with my Women's basketball team and classes so that they can remember moments in class and throughout their high school experience. I honestly think that these are two skills that I really need for the classroom and skills I need to teach my students so that we can make our classroom come alive on our website and visually in the the classroom.
Now What?-
I love classrooms that have pictures that document the progress of the class throughout the year. I want to take pictures so that I can document my classes on my walls. I will even have my students take the cameras and edit the pictures so that they can get more involved and it can be a classroom effort. These skills are going to be taught to all my students because they will be used in so many of my assignments and performance assessments. I think that teaching with technology will hopefully influence other teachers in the English department to get creative with their reading and writing assignments. I already have a digital story performance assessment in the making for my student teaching because it will go perfectly with my poetry unit! Can't wait!
This week we discussed using digital cameras and picassa for our classes. Doc Waters also introduced the scavenger hunt around campus. This scavenger hung has us using digital cameras to take specific pictures and then alter them on picassa as directed.
So What?-
I liked learning how to use picassa because I think that I will have my students use it a lot when I assign them specific visual/technology assignments for class. I am really a fan of performance assessments and I know that using digital cameras and picassa will really come in handy for my students to use for these assessment. Another cool thing about using digital cameras and picassa is that I want to do a lot of photography with my Women's basketball team and classes so that they can remember moments in class and throughout their high school experience. I honestly think that these are two skills that I really need for the classroom and skills I need to teach my students so that we can make our classroom come alive on our website and visually in the the classroom.
Now What?-
I love classrooms that have pictures that document the progress of the class throughout the year. I want to take pictures so that I can document my classes on my walls. I will even have my students take the cameras and edit the pictures so that they can get more involved and it can be a classroom effort. These skills are going to be taught to all my students because they will be used in so many of my assignments and performance assessments. I think that teaching with technology will hopefully influence other teachers in the English department to get creative with their reading and writing assignments. I already have a digital story performance assessment in the making for my student teaching because it will go perfectly with my poetry unit! Can't wait!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Internet Safety
What?-
This week we did an in class assignment on Internet safety. We discussed Internet safety that included topics such as Internet bullying, sexting and other cyber ethics. We also were briefly introduced to a future assignment that will have us produce our own cyber ethics pamphlet.
So What?-
I feel as though this was a very important subject to cover in our class because so much of education is handled and produced through the Internet and using computers. We need to set boundaries and rules for our students so that we can avoid problems and inappropriate behavior on the Internet. I feel like creating a pamphlet for our students and their parents will be very beneficial when it comes to future lab visits. If students know their boundaries and expectations while in the lab, than they cannot pull any excuses on breaking these boundaries and expectations that have been set before hand.
Now What?-
One of my biggest worries as a rookie educator is classroom management and discipline. It is hard to go from a free college classroom to a restricted high school classroom because I just naturally think that students can make good decisions because as college students we are mature and independent... I realize now, after being back in the high school scene, that high school students usually cannot make good decisions on their own. Therefore, since I will be forced to enforce strict rules and babysit my students every decision, I think that thinking through my cyber ethics and lab rules will also set standards for myself as the teacher to follow and only help me to realize how much I need to be alert. Another advantage to having set standards is that it will make our time in the computer lab more productive. If my students spend less time off track and have guidelines to keep them on track during our lab hours, it is only going to make them more effective workers. Even though I am in the classroom now co-teaching, I know that I still need to develop my own classroom rules and management techniques, this is one of the assignments I know I will continue to use and build on throughout my career and those are the assignments I value most.
This week we did an in class assignment on Internet safety. We discussed Internet safety that included topics such as Internet bullying, sexting and other cyber ethics. We also were briefly introduced to a future assignment that will have us produce our own cyber ethics pamphlet.
So What?-
I feel as though this was a very important subject to cover in our class because so much of education is handled and produced through the Internet and using computers. We need to set boundaries and rules for our students so that we can avoid problems and inappropriate behavior on the Internet. I feel like creating a pamphlet for our students and their parents will be very beneficial when it comes to future lab visits. If students know their boundaries and expectations while in the lab, than they cannot pull any excuses on breaking these boundaries and expectations that have been set before hand.
Now What?-
One of my biggest worries as a rookie educator is classroom management and discipline. It is hard to go from a free college classroom to a restricted high school classroom because I just naturally think that students can make good decisions because as college students we are mature and independent... I realize now, after being back in the high school scene, that high school students usually cannot make good decisions on their own. Therefore, since I will be forced to enforce strict rules and babysit my students every decision, I think that thinking through my cyber ethics and lab rules will also set standards for myself as the teacher to follow and only help me to realize how much I need to be alert. Another advantage to having set standards is that it will make our time in the computer lab more productive. If my students spend less time off track and have guidelines to keep them on track during our lab hours, it is only going to make them more effective workers. Even though I am in the classroom now co-teaching, I know that I still need to develop my own classroom rules and management techniques, this is one of the assignments I know I will continue to use and build on throughout my career and those are the assignments I value most.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Digital Stories
What?-
Dave and I dicussed and did some final adjustments to our script and plan for our digital stories. We didn't meet in class, but worked together through email and google documents.
So What?-
Learning how to put together a digital story is going to improve my teaching so much. I have all these ideas for future units and lesson plans, and now that I can create digital stories, I feel like my ideas are going to be supported so much more effectively for my visual learners. Teaching Enlgish is exciting because we get to read and discuss emotional topics. Digital stories are going to compliment these texts so well and make for an even more successful learning experience for all types of learners in my classes. I really think that I will use digital stories the most in my poetry units because imagery is such a huge element of poetry and being able to make those images come alive for my students is going to be such an awesome special effect and learning tool.
Now what?-
I am pretty set on having one fo my assessments for my classes be a digital story performance assessment. I really want to have my students create digital stories in small groups so that they can show what they got out of a novel, poetry or unit by creating a interesting digital story. This will not only help them to show their knowledge, but they will work on communication and group skills as well. I co-teach right now and students really love creating any kind of presentation in the computer lab. I feel like digital stories are so much more interactive and fun than a powerpoint or slide show so my kids will really love the assignment. Now that I have learned how to use the softwear, it will be that much easier to guide my students through a fun and creative assessment. I really just want to do my best to teach as many different kinds of discourse in my classroom, and technology is a huge tool for discourse in our present culture. Another great thing about this assignment has been bouncing ideas off of Dave. He is going to be a great teacher and we have a lot of the same interests within the English content. I hope to keep in contact with him throughout our careers because he will be such a great friend and influence in my career.
Dave and I dicussed and did some final adjustments to our script and plan for our digital stories. We didn't meet in class, but worked together through email and google documents.
So What?-
Learning how to put together a digital story is going to improve my teaching so much. I have all these ideas for future units and lesson plans, and now that I can create digital stories, I feel like my ideas are going to be supported so much more effectively for my visual learners. Teaching Enlgish is exciting because we get to read and discuss emotional topics. Digital stories are going to compliment these texts so well and make for an even more successful learning experience for all types of learners in my classes. I really think that I will use digital stories the most in my poetry units because imagery is such a huge element of poetry and being able to make those images come alive for my students is going to be such an awesome special effect and learning tool.
Now what?-
I am pretty set on having one fo my assessments for my classes be a digital story performance assessment. I really want to have my students create digital stories in small groups so that they can show what they got out of a novel, poetry or unit by creating a interesting digital story. This will not only help them to show their knowledge, but they will work on communication and group skills as well. I co-teach right now and students really love creating any kind of presentation in the computer lab. I feel like digital stories are so much more interactive and fun than a powerpoint or slide show so my kids will really love the assignment. Now that I have learned how to use the softwear, it will be that much easier to guide my students through a fun and creative assessment. I really just want to do my best to teach as many different kinds of discourse in my classroom, and technology is a huge tool for discourse in our present culture. Another great thing about this assignment has been bouncing ideas off of Dave. He is going to be a great teacher and we have a lot of the same interests within the English content. I hope to keep in contact with him throughout our careers because he will be such a great friend and influence in my career.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Copyright Response
What?
This week we learned about copyright laws and options. This assignment was a group assignment and we all studied a certain topic about copyright and then shared the information.
So What?
This is a very important lesson for future teachers because we will be dealing with a lot of information when we are teaching in our classes, and we need to know how to properly and rightfully present the information we use. Copyright and plagiarism is a very serious situation when it comes to presenting and using information that is not ours. As teachers we need to show our students how to give credit to the source and present information without breaking laws. Knowing correct copyright laws is crucial to presenting efficiently and safely in our classrooms.
Now What?
I know that learning all of this copyright information is going to change my teaching dramatically because I will have to be more efficient in citing my sources and information when presenting it, as well as making sure that I have credible sources. Making sure that I cite things correctly and do not break any laws will take a lot more time than just throwing slides and information together without working about copyright. This will be a pain in the ass, but in the end it will be a lot more beneficial and safe for my classroom. Teaching by example is one of the best ways to teach, and if my students can see me citing and presenting information correctly hopefully it will carry over for them.
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