Monday, January 30, 2012

Project #5

Google Presentation




I enjoyed making this presentation. Picasa was a huge help when it came to editing my pictures. I also love the collage feature on Picasa which I used to make some of my slides, including my travel slide, more fun and creative. Hope you enjoy!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Blog Assignment 4

The Benefits of Podcasting in The Classroom

This video talked about the benefits of using podcasts in the classroom. Podcasts keep children interested in learning. Sometimes the "chalkboard-lecture" way of teaching can get boring and cause children to tune out on the lesson. Podcasts are an interactive way to keep them entertained and tuned in to the lesson at hand. Children also benefit from making podcasts. It's fun for them and allows them to use their creativity. Podcasts are also useful when it comes to children being absent from school. The teacher can put their lectures online and the child can watch them so they will not get behind in school.

Eagle's Nest Radio and Podcasts

I loved listening to the podcasts made by these third graders! They really did their research on things and I love the idea of kids teaching adults something! I also read some posts by their teacher. She really allows the children to explore their creativity and use their imaginations. She has truly found ways to make learning fun. The kids were so professional in their podcasts and I loved how they played around with their voices and with sound effects. I also feel that podcasts will help children to remember information better and not just listen to a boring lecture and then ten minutes later forget what they have heard.

Judy Scharf Podcast Collection

I learned a lot about podcasting from Judy Scharf. She gave great tips on how to make podcasts, why to make them, and all the benefits of using them in the classroom. I am seeing now just how helpful and amazing podcasts can be in the classroom. Children's creativity needs to be nurtured and displayed and this is a perfect way to do that. Podcasts give kids a chance to learn in a different way and also to relay what they have learned into their own words which helps other kids their age to better understand different lessons.

I definitely plan to use podcasts in my future classroom. It's such a great way to give your students a voice and be proud of the work they have done. I look forward to making my own podcast. I found this website which also gives some great tips for teachers wanting to start using podcasts in their classroom. Also, under "Lesson Resources" it lists some great links to other websites about using podcasts in the classroom.
Podcasting in The Classroom

old fashioned microphone with a sign that says on the air

Blog Assignment 3

Technology In Special Education

I really enjoyed this video. I had never considered the role technology could play in the learning processes of students with special needs. It's so wonderful that students who either can't speak or have trouble speaking are now given a voice through the use of technology. Special education teachers are able to effectively communicate with their students and build stronger deeper relationships with them. The students on the video were so engaged and seemed to really be enjoying learning. Technology gives special needs students more opportunities and helps prepare them to have a more active role in mainstream society. I think the use of technology will also help to improve the self-esteem of special needs students as well as give them more independence. In my future classroom, when dealing with special needs students, I plan to use technology to teach them more effectively and help them to enjoy what I am teaching them. Technology will help me communicate with students who have trouble speaking, electronic books will help those with difficulty reading, hearing aids and visuals such as powerpoints will help those with hearing problems. There are countless ways in which technology can aid students with special needs and the educators that are teaching them.

How the iPad Works with Academics for Autism
Apps for iPads That Assist Students With Special Needs

It was awesome to see the possibilities the iPad offers children with Autism and special needs. After exploring many different apps available for helping with the education of students with special needs, I was very interested in the app, "Language Builder". Basically, the app displays a photo depicting a scene. For example, a photo might show a girl petting a dog. You then have a few options. There are three levels of hints you can choose from to help the user describe the photo. Level one displays a sentence that has left out a few words such as: "The girl is ________ the _______. The student can then fill in the words that describe the depicted scene. Level two shows only the beginning of the sentence and level three shows no sentence but a voice speaks that asks the student to form a sentence about the photo and gives them one or two words to include in their sentence. One of the coolest options available with this app is the ability to record the student's sentence as they say it aloud. The spoken sentence can be saved as an audio file and played back along with the picture it is associated with. The teacher can play back the student's sentences and focus on the areas of speech the student is struggling with. This app engages the student,allows for creativity and helps the teacher see if the student effectively understands the action or situation depicted in the picture (comprehension). This app would be great for many areas of special needs,including those with speech impairments and Autism. There are endless possibilities from the iPad to aid in the education of children with special needs and I am thrilled to know I will have so many resources at hand.
language builder app for iPad

Gary Hayes Social Media Count

Wow! Once again, I have been shown just how huge technology is. People are constantly tapping in to the internet whether it be through Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and so on and so on. I think this media count shows that technology has become a priority in many people's lives, including those of our future students. We have to find new and interesting ways to make learning fun and technology can definitely help to do that. Kids would much rather check their Facebook or play a game online than learn their multiplication tables. However, technology offers the opportunity to teach things like multiplication tables through the use of an interactive game on a computer, smartboard, iPad, etc. As future teachers, we have a responsibility and a necessity to learn and stay up to date on ever changing and growing technology. We need to "speak the same language" as our students and stay on their level so we can teach them effectively and keep them engaged. We can't effectively teach our students if we don't teach them at a level they can learn on. Technology is growing at a rapid rate and we have to keep up. Our students shouldn't have to teach us how to do something we should be teaching them. However, after teaching our students the basics of technology, then I think it would be great to let them explore and show us the new things they have discovered. Social media sites have taken over and we have to find a way to keep our students interested in learning. Technology is a great tool to help us do this!

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

This video showed some of the negative aspects of technology. As with anything,though, there is usually a positive and a negative side. One major point that stood out to me was the fact that people don't tend to read books for pleasure as much anymore. This could partially be due to the overwhelming use of technology. However, we must try to find the positives. In this case, students could read electronic books. This way they are still reading books, just using the method of technology to do so. I think the goal is to figure out how to combine technology with the traditional methods of teaching that are still effective. Teachers and other heads of education must try to work with technology rather than against it. Technology is too big of apart of our student's everyday lives to try to completely cut it out of the schools. Teachers are still teaching their students, just with different methods. Another problem technology poses is the practice of texting and social networking during class, however, if the teacher is engaging the student effectively and using things like technology to keep things fun and interesting, then the student might not be as tempted to stray away from the teaching. Technology can help to keep the interest of the student up. Students will have to use technology in their careers one day as well as in their daily lives so we need to prepare them properly!

I came across this website and thought it gave some great rules for the use of technology in the classroom. Check it out :) (I explored the rest of the website too, it had some great ideas and information about the use of technology in schools.)
The 7 Golden Rules of Using Technology in Schools

Friday, January 20, 2012

Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know?

This video blew my mind. I knew that technology had come a long way but I had no idea just how much! We are living in an era of information overload. The job market has also come a long way. I found it interesting that we are training students for jobs that do not even exist yet. Everything seems to revolve around technology and electronics. Social networking has taken over. People rarely talk face to face anymore. Most conversations are done through text, twitter, facebook and so on.
Another interesting point covered was that Americans don't seem to value education the way other countries do. When we have a question we tend to just "ask" google instead of an educator. This video raised a lot of important points. As a future educator there is a responsibility to be technology literate and to keep abreast of the ever changing advances. We can't help and teach our students until we help and teach ourselves.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

This video showed the need for change and growth in American Education. There are so many new and amazing advances in technology that would be extremely beneficial to educators and students. I found it interesting how they showed the fact that Mr. Winkle noticed change everywhere BUT in the schools. Although many schools are taking advantage of the new technology, many still remain in the dark ages of education.
I think there is a refusal to change in some schools. Many feel we have made it this far using the old methods so there is nothing to change. I also wonder if many educators don't want to take the time to learn the new technology. This resistance to change hurts the student. If we want our students to succeed in the real world one day then we must prepare them. Technology is a part of our lives and we don't want to send our students out into the world feeling lost and confused the way Mr. Winkle did.

Sir Ken Robinson: Schools Kill Creativity

I really enjoyed this talk by Sir Robinson. He is so right about the fact that many schools and teachers do not nurture a child's creativity. Everyone learns differently and as educators we need to figure out a child's natural abilities and help them to explore them. The focus in schools is not on the arts. Children are taught to be focused on other subjects like math and science. When a child does not do well in such subjects they are often made to feel like they are not smart enough, have a learning disability, or won't succeed. Instead of being taught to learn from our mistakes we are taught that it is wrong to be wrong! I think technology can play a huge part in fostering a child’s creativity. There are so many options and possibilities provided by technology and it also makes learning fun!
Sir Robinson says everyone is born with creativity but we have to use and develop our creativity to keep it alive. Every person has a passion. Some are good at math others are amazing dancers. We have to focus on all the subjects so that each child can find an area to shine in. Every child should feel important and good at something. As Sir Robinson said, “we should be learning with our whole bodies and not just our heads.”

A Vision for 21st Century Learning

This video, though short, packed a punch! The idea here is to engage the student and to make learning so fun and interactive that the student does not even realize they are learning. Many students associate the word learning with boring and how can we blame them? What child, especially in this age of technology, wants to sit in a desk for hours at a time and be bombarded with facts and figures that they are expected to memorize and then be tested on? Once tested on a subject, does the student even remember what they have been taught? I know that I find myself forgetting many things I learned in grade school. It was not until college that I began to have a passion for learning. We are living in a digital age. People spend the majority of their time on computers, cell phones, and other devices. Children spend their free time playing video games and social networking. If technology is what is keeping a child engaged then does it not make logical sense to teach them in a way that is familiar and entertaining for them? I think it makes perfect sense. The video game demo they showed on the video was amazing. Even as an adult, I found myself completely entrapped in the digital adventure through the city of Rome. Think of the possibilities that technology offers education. I, as a future teacher, want my children to not only enjoy their learning experience but also to REMEMBER what they have learned. Teachers have a responsibility to prepare their students for the world and future ahead of them.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Wow! Vicki Davis is truly an amazing teacher! She is taking full advantage of the ever expanding world of technology and passing what she learns on to her students. She takes the time to learn new and interesting ways to incorporate technology into her classroom. She has definitely found a way to engage her students and keep them interested. I also like how she has her students learn things on their own and even teach her some new things. This allows the student to feel accomplished, proud of themselves, and learn problem solving skills. I admire the fact that she does all this from a rural town in Georgia where most people would not think would be so up to date with technology.
It's amazing that her class is connecting to people all over the world and they even took a trip to the middle east. Vicki Davis seems to really care about her students and wants them to succeed and perform to their full potentials. She focuses on her students' individual strengths and teaches based on them. This is something I am passionate about. I believe each student should be encouraged and allowed to excel in something whether it be Math, Science, Art, etc. I think all teachers could take a note from her teaching process. I know that I will carry what I have learned in to my future classroom. I explored the edutopia website and found it very interesting. I came across this video and it was another great example of how one school is integrating technology into their learning environments. An Introduction to Technology Integration

cartoon depicting the perfect online teacher

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Project 2

Wordle

Kate's Wordle

This wordle was so much fun to make. Even though I do not have a Mac, I decided to follow the instructions for taking a screen shot of my wordle on my P.C. It was actually easier than I thought and now I know what the button labeled "prt sc" (print screen)on my keyboard is used for. See, learning can be fun!

Blog Assignment 1

A Little About Me
My name is Kate Fail and I am 23 years old. I was born and raised here in Mobile. I enjoy the simple things in life like spending time with family and friends. Although I occasionally enjoy going out and having a good time, I am just as content to stay home, cook, and watch a movie. I love to read and also enjoy cooking. I love random road trips and can't wait until the day that my trips are to places outside of the United States. There are so many places I want to see and I fully intend to do so. I work at U.M.S Wright Preparatory school at their after-school daycare program. I work with K-4 through Fifth grade and love every minute of it (well almost every minute!).

I am blessed with an amazing family. My father is a Methodist minister and the hardest worker I know. His compassion for people and his passion for helping others is an inspiration to me. My mother is also an amazing person. She is definitely my role model for the type of mother and wife I wish to be one day. I also have an older sister. Her career is in social work and she also shares my family's passion for helping others.

Kids are my passion and the driving force behind my decision to become a teacher. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in First grade. I want to be a teacher that my students remember in a positive way. I want to make an impact in their lives and I want them to enjoy learning and to crave new knowledge. I love the huge part technology is starting to play in the schools and am very interested to learn new techniques and ideas that I will carry into my future teaching career. I came across this quote the other day and it says a lot about my teaching philosophy I touched on above.

"Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it." -- William Haley

I love learning and want my students to see the importance of learning new things. I don't want school to be a burden on them but rather a joy.


Randy Pausch

I learned a lot from Randy Pausch’s video on time management. I have always struggled with being a procrastinator. Randy Pausch mentions that we rarely ask the question of why we are doing something. Normally I just do something because I know I have to but I almost never take the time to figure out why I need to do something. Of course I know I complete an assignment so that I gain the points and don’t fail the class but I need to consider the bigger aspect of why I am given certain assignments to complete. I also learned from the video that I can’t change my ways instantly. I have to work at it and with time I will be able to put my procrastinating ways behind me. I just think it’s smart to realize and consider that you can’t change overnight and that it takes work and practice. I also like that he mentions that it’s okay to fail sometimes and that with each mess up comes a learning experience as well. I think as future teachers we also need to remember that our students are human and will mess up sometimes but that we are there to get them back on track. Randy Pausch is even more of an inspiration to me after learning that he suffered from pancreatic cancer but even after being told he would only live for another three to six months; he remained upbeat, positive, and continued to teach. His passion for life was remarkable. I had never heard of Randy Pausch before but I enjoyed his video and plan to watch some more of his talks.

quote by Randy Pausch