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!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
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.
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