Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thing 20
As I mentioned in Thing 19, I showed a few podcasts to the students from your wiki. At that time, the students were not interested in them. However, now that I have downloaded iTunes and viewed many different podcasts, I think this will change. I viewed many educational podcasts with music and videos which I think would capture their attention and entertained them at the same time.
Podcasts my students would enjoy:
Crazy Dave's Kids Show
Storynory
MathtrainTV
World News For Children
I think my students would enjoy creating podcasts now that they have had more exposure to them. Students like working with each other on projects. Being able to add music or sound effects would create additional fun and motivation for the students. Podcasts give every student a voice in the classroom. Some students enjoy listening to their own voice while others do not. After some practice and hearing their own voice multiple times, I think all students would become comfortable with it after a while. Of course, podcast would also give the students practice with writing, creating, recording and sharing. Students haven't created podcast for me yet, but I think podcasts would be good for most any subject. At our school, we are trying to get the students to read more. The first thing that comes to mind is book reviews. If the students listen to summaries of different books, they may be more interested in reading them. Another thing I thought of might be to podcast with our partner classes about an activity we did together.
I usually take educational science field trips with my class each year. Each student could do a podcast of something new they learned while on the field trip.
Podcasts I could use professionally:
Teaching With SMARTBoard
Middle School Matters
Science On The Wildside Show
Terra The Nature Of Our World
Discovery
The Saint Cast - Catholic Saints On Call
Podcasts I could use personally:
20 min. Yoga Session
Start Cooking
Photoshop for Digital Photographers
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thing 22
I have explored many links on your wiki. Thanks for the wealth of information!
I registered on Michigan LearnPort many years ago. I have used this site for a number of years. Every year, we need to take the Bloodborne Pathogens online class so I have some experience with Michigan LearnPort. I have also listened to a webinar using this site. We also need to take an additional online class as part of the state requirements. I chose to take this class because I learned so much more about technology in the last class than I knew before. In the future, there is a possibility that I may use Michigan LearnPort to fulfill this requirement.
I checked for courses listed in Michigan LearnPort and found a few on technology which I may be interested in. The CPR class may be another possibility.
There are definitely advantages to online classes. I don't have to drive somewhere at a specific time to attend class, and I can save money on gas. Also, I can do the class at my own pace. However, you must be motivated to get the class done in time. I have to admit that most of this class was done in my PJS comfortably sitting in my lazy boy chair.
There is one major disadvantage: not being able to communicate face to face with the instructor teaching the class. I think I learn better this way. It does help though when your co-workers are also taking the class. If needed, you can ask them for help.
What kind of professional development classes would I like to see? I would be interested in technolgy classes. I would also like to take some classes that have to do with science. Maybe a class on discovering ways to motivate students as this is always a problem. I would like to find even more methods to teach science. Technology will help some.
I have to admit that this class was much easier for me that the "11 Things" class. Having gained experience from the last class definitely helped me with this class. It feels good to have more self-confidence with technology. Thanks for sharing your expertise! I have definitely learned a lot from you. I especially liked the
photo-editing sites, YouTube and other related video sites, and learning how to add video to my wiki. What a great class!
I registered on Michigan LearnPort many years ago. I have used this site for a number of years. Every year, we need to take the Bloodborne Pathogens online class so I have some experience with Michigan LearnPort. I have also listened to a webinar using this site. We also need to take an additional online class as part of the state requirements. I chose to take this class because I learned so much more about technology in the last class than I knew before. In the future, there is a possibility that I may use Michigan LearnPort to fulfill this requirement.
I checked for courses listed in Michigan LearnPort and found a few on technology which I may be interested in. The CPR class may be another possibility.
There are definitely advantages to online classes. I don't have to drive somewhere at a specific time to attend class, and I can save money on gas. Also, I can do the class at my own pace. However, you must be motivated to get the class done in time. I have to admit that most of this class was done in my PJS comfortably sitting in my lazy boy chair.
There is one major disadvantage: not being able to communicate face to face with the instructor teaching the class. I think I learn better this way. It does help though when your co-workers are also taking the class. If needed, you can ask them for help.
What kind of professional development classes would I like to see? I would be interested in technolgy classes. I would also like to take some classes that have to do with science. Maybe a class on discovering ways to motivate students as this is always a problem. I would like to find even more methods to teach science. Technology will help some.
I have to admit that this class was much easier for me that the "11 Things" class. Having gained experience from the last class definitely helped me with this class. It feels good to have more self-confidence with technology. Thanks for sharing your expertise! I have definitely learned a lot from you. I especially liked the
photo-editing sites, YouTube and other related video sites, and learning how to add video to my wiki. What a great class!
Thing 21
Wow, what a wealth of information on the web! After exploring the various sites I will definitely be using numerous videos in my classroom teaching. The videos could be used to reinforce what is being taught to the students.
I know that my students go to YouTube to watch videos and even post them. They see it as entertainment. There were some good videos on YouTube and TeacherTube as well as the other sites. I liked the fact that you can search for different topics to find the videos you want more quickly.
However, Science Hack at http://sciencehack.com/ was definitely my favorite site. Besides being informative, and in some cases humorous, I liked the fact that every video is screened by scientist to verify the accuracy and quality. Since I teach four science classes, this site would be very valuable to me. This site includes all areas of science I can use a lot of the nature and Earth Science videos, but when I looked under Chemistry and Biology, most were too advanced for my middle school students. The rewards for using videos are that the students have a visual aid which many students need, and they provide great reinforcement for the topic being studied. Of course all videos would need to be screened by the teachers before using them, otherwise, they may be inappropriate for the students to view.
Students enjoy making videos because it allows for creativity and everyone has a voice. Another problem is that students could post their videos on YouTube without the teachers knowledge if they saved the video on a flash drive, This could create problems because of privavy issues and trust.
Although YouTube is blocked at our school for student use, my computer can access it so this will not be a problem. Therefore, I shouldn't ever need to download a video using the free websites you provided. I did try the download anyway but as you said may happen, they were busy. Since I'm doing this on a snow day, I wanted to get as much done in this class as possible. I will try again later as I would like to see if I can get a video to download.
Embedded below are some videos which I liked:
What Will Happen to the Earth When the Sun Dies?
What Causes Earth`s Seasons?
Space Toilet
Volcanoes
I know that my students go to YouTube to watch videos and even post them. They see it as entertainment. There were some good videos on YouTube and TeacherTube as well as the other sites. I liked the fact that you can search for different topics to find the videos you want more quickly.
However, Science Hack at http://sciencehack.com/ was definitely my favorite site. Besides being informative, and in some cases humorous, I liked the fact that every video is screened by scientist to verify the accuracy and quality. Since I teach four science classes, this site would be very valuable to me. This site includes all areas of science I can use a lot of the nature and Earth Science videos, but when I looked under Chemistry and Biology, most were too advanced for my middle school students. The rewards for using videos are that the students have a visual aid which many students need, and they provide great reinforcement for the topic being studied. Of course all videos would need to be screened by the teachers before using them, otherwise, they may be inappropriate for the students to view.
Students enjoy making videos because it allows for creativity and everyone has a voice. Another problem is that students could post their videos on YouTube without the teachers knowledge if they saved the video on a flash drive, This could create problems because of privavy issues and trust.
Although YouTube is blocked at our school for student use, my computer can access it so this will not be a problem. Therefore, I shouldn't ever need to download a video using the free websites you provided. I did try the download anyway but as you said may happen, they were busy. Since I'm doing this on a snow day, I wanted to get as much done in this class as possible. I will try again later as I would like to see if I can get a video to download.
Embedded below are some videos which I liked:
What Will Happen to the Earth When the Sun Dies?
What Causes Earth`s Seasons?
Space Toilet
Volcanoes
Thing 15
I did Thing 15 a while ago, but I thought I would share this with everyone. I added information about great areas for recreation to the M!ch!gan page on the states wiki. Feel free to check it out at:
http://mcisd21.wikispaces.com/M%21ch%21gan
http://mcisd21.wikispaces.com/M%21ch%21gan
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thing 19
I checked out your wikispace under 10 Podcast For Teachers and Kids Solastic.com and listened to some podcast under 60 second science. These podcast included:
Short Sleeves in Hospitals Don't Beat Bacteria
Ancient People Played Lots of Games
Babies Think Large Means Dominant
Teaching Bankers About Climate Change
I tried downloading iTunes twice from the link you provided on Thing 19 on my home computer. Even though it said that it downloaded successfully both times, a message comes up that said some files were missing. My husband also tried with the same results. Do you have any idea why this message gets popping up? I will try to load iTunes up on my school computer and check out some podcast then. Hopefully I will be successful.
I liked the fact that the podcasts were short and to the point. This makes it easier to capture the full attention of the audience. I also like the fact that for my convenience, I can listen to podcast whenever I choose.
I let my students listen to the podcasts I mentioned above. They had never listened to one before and didn't seem particularily interested in them. I think if video had been included, they might have liked them more. When I asked them if they would prefer making a podcast as a means of assessment or a written assignment, they seemed a bit more interested. I'm sure if students were allowed to use video and images of themselves, they would enjoy creating a podcasts. Students at this age love seeing images of themselves at this stage in their life. Podcasts could also bring out their creativity.
As far as making my students aware of high quality podcast, I guess the best way would be for the teacher to search ahead of time. I googled for high quality podcast and found Apple's iTunes and Education.Podcast.com. Both had an education link to choose. There were good podcast under Steve Spangler Science and PBS American Experience.
Even though podcast without video may not be as entertaining to students, listening to them could help improve their listening skills. I could have students do podcast of books they have read. Listening to these podcast may encourage other students to read the book. We are always looking for ways to encourage the students to read more. Since I teach mostly science, I could look for topics related to what I'm taching and use them in class. Maybe I could put a podcast on my wiki for students who are absent. They could listened to what they missed in class that day.
There are some issues we will have to deal with. Although most students have the internet at home, some do not. This would may it difficult to give an assignment on a podcast. A podcast would also be a problem for hearing impaired students. Another issue is that podcast are not designed for two way interaction or audience interaction. I guess students could listen to the podcast and then have a class discussion or write s paper voicing their opinions of the podcast. The quality of the speakers voice, speech patterns, and intonation may not be the same. This is a very important issues as students do not like to listen to unclear speech and the same monotone throughout the lecture.
Short Sleeves in Hospitals Don't Beat Bacteria
Ancient People Played Lots of Games
Babies Think Large Means Dominant
Teaching Bankers About Climate Change
I tried downloading iTunes twice from the link you provided on Thing 19 on my home computer. Even though it said that it downloaded successfully both times, a message comes up that said some files were missing. My husband also tried with the same results. Do you have any idea why this message gets popping up? I will try to load iTunes up on my school computer and check out some podcast then. Hopefully I will be successful.
I liked the fact that the podcasts were short and to the point. This makes it easier to capture the full attention of the audience. I also like the fact that for my convenience, I can listen to podcast whenever I choose.
I let my students listen to the podcasts I mentioned above. They had never listened to one before and didn't seem particularily interested in them. I think if video had been included, they might have liked them more. When I asked them if they would prefer making a podcast as a means of assessment or a written assignment, they seemed a bit more interested. I'm sure if students were allowed to use video and images of themselves, they would enjoy creating a podcasts. Students at this age love seeing images of themselves at this stage in their life. Podcasts could also bring out their creativity.
As far as making my students aware of high quality podcast, I guess the best way would be for the teacher to search ahead of time. I googled for high quality podcast and found Apple's iTunes and Education.Podcast.com. Both had an education link to choose. There were good podcast under Steve Spangler Science and PBS American Experience.
Even though podcast without video may not be as entertaining to students, listening to them could help improve their listening skills. I could have students do podcast of books they have read. Listening to these podcast may encourage other students to read the book. We are always looking for ways to encourage the students to read more. Since I teach mostly science, I could look for topics related to what I'm taching and use them in class. Maybe I could put a podcast on my wiki for students who are absent. They could listened to what they missed in class that day.
There are some issues we will have to deal with. Although most students have the internet at home, some do not. This would may it difficult to give an assignment on a podcast. A podcast would also be a problem for hearing impaired students. Another issue is that podcast are not designed for two way interaction or audience interaction. I guess students could listen to the podcast and then have a class discussion or write s paper voicing their opinions of the podcast. The quality of the speakers voice, speech patterns, and intonation may not be the same. This is a very important issues as students do not like to listen to unclear speech and the same monotone throughout the lecture.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thing 18
I'm really glad widgets were included in this class. I always had to have someone help me with this; now I know how. I already had a clustrmap on my wiki so I didn't add it to the blog. On my wiki, I also have a SnapGrade and a clock widget. The students enjoy seeing who viewed our wiki outside of the school families. I can see
how many families are viewing the wiki by looking at the size of the dots. Students can name the different states where dots are showing on the map.
I have a link to our school website on my wiki, but I could have put a widget on instead. Parents are able to go right from the wiki to the website to find out any information they need. Parents are also able to view their child's grades. Students can view their own grades as well.
Since I wasn't that familiar with widgets before, I'm not sure what widgets I would like..... any suggestions. I plan on adding a weather widget to my wiki. Teaching science, I sometimes take my students outdoors so it would be nice to see the temperature. It was interesting to see some of the widgets available to me. I saw some science widgets I would like to add to my wiki.
I also saw the collection of widgets from PBS. I could definitely use the activity packs for more than one subject. Do you have to create an account before you can embed the widget?
If widgets provide fun for the students, they will like them. Also any widget that flashes attracts their attention.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Thing 13
I must say, I enjoyed doing Thing 13. I probably spent more time than was needed to do this assignment. It was actually fun being able to enhance the images using the different features available. I think students would enjoy using photo editing sites on assignments they do.
I would like the students to work in groups to create their own Health Magazine. Each student would need to complete three pieces of work – an article, an advertisement, and a letter to the editor expressing an opinion about a particular health issue – to be included in the magazine. Students can choose from a wide variety of health related topics. All images, pictures, advertisements, editorials, and articles in the magazine should promote a positive body image and healthy eating and fitness habits and be free of stereotypes. The magazine will also include a biography page about each author. Of course, the magazine would also need an eye-catching, colorful, and attractive magazine cover, as well as a table of contents. The students could use the photo editing sites to create an attractive magazine cover, as well as edit the images throughout the magazine. The students could also enhance a picture of themselves which they will include on their biography page. I think the students would enjoy editing the photos as much as I did. We could use the computer lab to work on this assignment.
When exploring the photo editing sites, I discovered that the students could also make movie posters, turn a picture of themselves into a poster, or even use photos of themselves and their friends to make card games. This sounds like fun!
As far as outside of the classroom, I could use photo editing sites to enhance any pictures I took. I know it made a lot of difference when I edited the picture of the chipmunk for Thing 13. The picture was so much brighter and colorful. Instead of deleting a drab image, you could enhance it and keep it. It was fun to see the different possibilities to display your images to make them more interesting.
Dumpr - Photo Fun
I used http://www.dumpr.net/ to create this photo.
I would like the students to work in groups to create their own Health Magazine. Each student would need to complete three pieces of work – an article, an advertisement, and a letter to the editor expressing an opinion about a particular health issue – to be included in the magazine. Students can choose from a wide variety of health related topics. All images, pictures, advertisements, editorials, and articles in the magazine should promote a positive body image and healthy eating and fitness habits and be free of stereotypes. The magazine will also include a biography page about each author. Of course, the magazine would also need an eye-catching, colorful, and attractive magazine cover, as well as a table of contents. The students could use the photo editing sites to create an attractive magazine cover, as well as edit the images throughout the magazine. The students could also enhance a picture of themselves which they will include on their biography page. I think the students would enjoy editing the photos as much as I did. We could use the computer lab to work on this assignment.
When exploring the photo editing sites, I discovered that the students could also make movie posters, turn a picture of themselves into a poster, or even use photos of themselves and their friends to make card games. This sounds like fun!
As far as outside of the classroom, I could use photo editing sites to enhance any pictures I took. I know it made a lot of difference when I edited the picture of the chipmunk for Thing 13. The picture was so much brighter and colorful. Instead of deleting a drab image, you could enhance it and keep it. It was fun to see the different possibilities to display your images to make them more interesting.
Dumpr - Photo Fun
I used http://www.dumpr.net/ to create this photo.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Thing 12
I have never been to flicker before, and I was amazed at how many photos there were. I added a photo of a lotus and a water lily. When I went to see if others had added these, there were thousands of them.
I think this site would be very beneficial for student projects. They could use the pictures for PowerPoint presentations, PhotoStory, or even in a paper they're writing. As for myself, I often use google images when I'm looking for a picture of something I'm teaching in Science. Flicker would be another option for me as well as for other teachers teaching different subjects. I noticed that any photo you can view can be added to your favorites so it is easier to find them when needed. I could also add pictures to flicker that I've taken for a specific reason to use in class. I would need to think of a very unique tag to accompany them so I could find them quickly.
I noticed in the photo I submitted, it said: all rights reserved. I don't remember adding that to the photo so I assume it is automatic. I noticed on other photos that were submitted as well as on the Creative Commons area of Flicker, when you clicked on the photo, there were alternatives to full copyright. There were different types of licenses: Attribution, Attribution-NoDerivs, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs, Attribution-NonCommercial, Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike, or Attribution-ShareAlike. I know to avoid problems, you need to follow the rules stated under the different type of license. I'm kind of paranoid when it come to using other photos. Maybe you could explain these different licenses to me in a simpler way.
I think this site would be very beneficial for student projects. They could use the pictures for PowerPoint presentations, PhotoStory, or even in a paper they're writing. As for myself, I often use google images when I'm looking for a picture of something I'm teaching in Science. Flicker would be another option for me as well as for other teachers teaching different subjects. I noticed that any photo you can view can be added to your favorites so it is easier to find them when needed. I could also add pictures to flicker that I've taken for a specific reason to use in class. I would need to think of a very unique tag to accompany them so I could find them quickly.
I noticed in the photo I submitted, it said: all rights reserved. I don't remember adding that to the photo so I assume it is automatic. I noticed on other photos that were submitted as well as on the Creative Commons area of Flicker, when you clicked on the photo, there were alternatives to full copyright. There were different types of licenses: Attribution, Attribution-NoDerivs, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs, Attribution-NonCommercial, Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike, or Attribution-ShareAlike. I know to avoid problems, you need to follow the rules stated under the different type of license. I'm kind of paranoid when it come to using other photos. Maybe you could explain these different licenses to me in a simpler way.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thing 17
Wikis versus Blogs:
Wikis like blogs are collaborative websites and are accessible from any computer with Internet access. When setting up a wiki, you must choose an option: public, protected, or private. If you choose public, everyone can view and edit. The protected option allows everyone to see but only members can edit. The private option allows only wiki members to view and edit.
To protect information on a wiki, users must first log in. At that point, they are then able to add to and edit the wiki. A wiki provides users with both author and editor privileges. Unlike a blog, a wiki can have several pages, so the students can have several pages to work on, either individually, or in groups. The history feature allows you to easily keep up on what was changed and by whom. Wikis are able to incorporate sounds, movies, and pictures.
Wikis are a great tool to use in the classroom. Once you have signed up for a wiki, they do take a lot of time to set up. Once you have it established though, it is pretty easy to keep up and add different features. I love my wiki and use it everyday. It is a great communication tool!
A blog is an online journal which alerts those who have subscribed to the blogs content. Visitors can read postings and submit comments. Bloggers are able to edit or delete posts.
The wiki discussion tab would be great for answering questions about projects that the students are working on as well as letting the teacher know of any problems they are having. Class time is limited and this would solve the problems while still answering the students comments and questions.. Students could check the wiki to communicate with the teacher. I am thinking of using this when my sixth grade students work on the Science Olympiad, The wiki would also be nice to brainstorms ideas and create study guides. Each student could contribute to the study guide. Notes could also be put on the wiki. I have used literature circles in my classroom which might also work well on the wiki.
I think blogs would be good for classroom book discussions. I could ask questions from the story as well as asking how the story relates to their own life. I would ask how different sections of the story are related/connected to each other. Many students read the story but miss the meaning the author intended to convey. By asking students what the author intended to convey in certain paragraphs, the students who understood could help other students.
Wikis must be monitored often so inappropriate content is not allowed. This could be very time consuming. Members must be added to the wiki so they are allowed to add/modify content. Rules must be discussed before allowing students to use the wiki. It may be difficult to get all students to participate but once they do,all students have a voice in the classroom. Students could be taken to the schools computer lab so the teacher can monitor their progress.
Wikis like blogs are collaborative websites and are accessible from any computer with Internet access. When setting up a wiki, you must choose an option: public, protected, or private. If you choose public, everyone can view and edit. The protected option allows everyone to see but only members can edit. The private option allows only wiki members to view and edit.
To protect information on a wiki, users must first log in. At that point, they are then able to add to and edit the wiki. A wiki provides users with both author and editor privileges. Unlike a blog, a wiki can have several pages, so the students can have several pages to work on, either individually, or in groups. The history feature allows you to easily keep up on what was changed and by whom. Wikis are able to incorporate sounds, movies, and pictures.
Wikis are a great tool to use in the classroom. Once you have signed up for a wiki, they do take a lot of time to set up. Once you have it established though, it is pretty easy to keep up and add different features. I love my wiki and use it everyday. It is a great communication tool!
A blog is an online journal which alerts those who have subscribed to the blogs content. Visitors can read postings and submit comments. Bloggers are able to edit or delete posts.
The wiki discussion tab would be great for answering questions about projects that the students are working on as well as letting the teacher know of any problems they are having. Class time is limited and this would solve the problems while still answering the students comments and questions.. Students could check the wiki to communicate with the teacher. I am thinking of using this when my sixth grade students work on the Science Olympiad, The wiki would also be nice to brainstorms ideas and create study guides. Each student could contribute to the study guide. Notes could also be put on the wiki. I have used literature circles in my classroom which might also work well on the wiki.
I think blogs would be good for classroom book discussions. I could ask questions from the story as well as asking how the story relates to their own life. I would ask how different sections of the story are related/connected to each other. Many students read the story but miss the meaning the author intended to convey. By asking students what the author intended to convey in certain paragraphs, the students who understood could help other students.
Wikis must be monitored often so inappropriate content is not allowed. This could be very time consuming. Members must be added to the wiki so they are allowed to add/modify content. Rules must be discussed before allowing students to use the wiki. It may be difficult to get all students to participate but once they do,all students have a voice in the classroom. Students could be taken to the schools computer lab so the teacher can monitor their progress.
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