11 Tools Reflection

My favorite technology tools were "Word it Out", "Photostory", and "Google Docs". I plan on having my students use "Word it Out" when learning new sight words and other vocabulary. It can even be placed as an activity in my literacy workstations. Photostory can be used to wrap up any unit and have the students complete a story showing what they learned as a project grade.
After this exploration with the 11 tools, I immediately thought about how soon I want to introduce small components of technology to my students in order for them to be successful with the more difficult task that they will have to be responsible for independently. I have thought of rules and adjusting classroom managment strategies when teaching technology, because in the past I have realized how overwhelming it can be to introduce new technology concepts to an entire class, with just one teacher. So many students have different questions, problems, concerns and issues during a technology lesson that it requires more than just patience to successfully teach each student. So there is alot to be proactive about as the technology enhances in the classroom. I am always prepared to expect the "unexpected" so the only thing that I really can say that was unexpecting, was the time frame and difficulty in setting up. In each lesson I had to think of all the ways I could better prepare the students to understand it in the easiest way possible. This was truly a learning experience and I am so excited to show my new students.

Tool #11: Digital Citizenship

I would want to make sure my students understand safety, etiquette, and appropriately researching information from credible sources. Safety is important because there are so many internet predators waiting to take advantage of vulnerable users for so many different reasons. It is important that students know not to easily provide personal information such as address, phone numbers, full name etc. Our district has provided many safety measures in blocking certain sites that are not useful in the school environment, but students should still be aware of the importance of safety as they venture outside the school environment to use the web for other reasons. As students inquire and ask questions about so many different things, it is always suggested to research a certain topic, and students should be aware of how to find credible information from the web. Many times search engines lead researchers to commentary pages, blogs, and other places that are meant for commentary on a particular topic and students may not understand that those are not credible sources. So it is important for teachers to take time to model how to use credible sources. Etiquette is also important. Showing respect to other users that you interact with in your technology experience makes it easier, enjoyable and creates more opportunity to learn and grow.
In teaching digital citizenship I would introduce all important aspects of it slowly in order for every student to fully comprehend its meaning. I would discuss ALL the most important aspects of digital citizenship and then seperately model and teach each one through hands on examples in mini lessons. Examples can be shown through several kid friendly websites on an LCD projector and allowing students to participate in mini-lesson quizzes to assess their knowledge. Each lesson would be closed with a circle time discussion sharing what was learned as well as tackle any questions and concerns.

Tool #10: Exploring Mobile Technology and Apps

One of the free educational applications that I reviewed was the Google Earth Application. This application allows you to search locations and landmarks worldwide. It serves as an interactive map and can definitely be utilized in social studies as students are learning about a variety of places around the globe. Another application that is similar is the USA Factbook application that also allows you to view highways, states and other places in the U.S. It also provides facts that can be helpful when learning about specific U.S states and landmarks.
Another free application I had a chance to review was the Hear Planet. With this one you can choose a specific location and retrieve information about it and the information can be read to you through audio. This application allows you to learn history about a specific place worldwide along with demographics, ammenities and businesses. This is another application that can be used in the classroom in the area of history, economics, and geography.
With using the ITouch in the classroom, depending on the applications downloaded, it can be used for any concept or subject area. I witnessed others who own an ITouch use it for reading and downloading books, reviewing the alphabet and sounds with their younger children, and with the above mentioned applications, it can definitely be used to review and study several science and social studies concepts such as states, landmarks, landforms, planets, etc. I am so excited to introduce the ITouch to my students!!!!!

Tool #9: Sharing Information through Jing and Skype

I have witnessed professors in college and grad school utilize programs where they use technology to explain specific lessons without having to actually be in front of the classroom. I have even been assigned homework where I would have to listen to the professor explain something as I viewed a close up of them explaining the lesson hands on with paper and pencil and even step by step from the computer screen. I have always thought that to be such a cool and convenient way to teach. Being introduced to Jing is so needed for both teachers and students and is such an innovative way to get students excited about participating and learning. I would use Jing in the classroom to have students read stories aloud on the computer in order for both them and the teacher to monitor reading skills such as fluency and the use of strategies when breaking words apart. As other teachers who have already fell in love with Jing and like to refer to it as a verb, I would definitely find myself doing the same, asking students to 'Jing' a story or even a math problem for others to view and comprehend. Having Screencast allows students to share feedback with projects that they have created and it is a home to store all videos, images and pictures. Any projects created with Jing, Photostory, or downloaded videos can be stored with Sreencast and aimed for others to view and discuss. This is a great collaboration tool for projects in and out of the classroom.
Skype is a great way for quick and easy collaboration and communication. It provides a variety of ways to communicate with anyone and is the closest thing to being face to face. Skype can be used for team meetings, parent conferences, and even student conferences in discussing so many different educational ideas and concerns. Students can communicate with other students from different cultures across the world without being limited to just reading about the culture. They now have the opportunity to rid of the old fashion pen-pal style of communicating with foreign students but can communicate with them live. I love that it is free and can be used on devices such as your mobile phone, computer, and even the T.V. With Skype, lack of communication should be a thing of the past. I think kids will definitely enjoy the video calling and it would motivate a system of open communication amongst teachers and students.

Tool #8: Video Resources

I am no stranger when it comes to utilizing videos in the classroom. Videos provide an avenue for different types of learners to grasp the concept or lesson being taught, and is a great way to review learning. I often use United Streaming or Discovery Education, but I recently became aware of how useful Teacher Tube is. One video I chose to upload displays great pictures of landforms across the world and can provide some real world visuals for students to view as they learn about water and land. The other video I chose to upload invites children to create dolls that embrace the differences amongst them. It discusses the importance of respecting others despite differences. This is an important video that can be viewed by students at the start of the school year when establishing rules. Students need to understand that they are all different in their own unique way and those differences must be respected. I found the first video by typing 'landforms' in the search bar in Teacher Tube and the second video was found by accident as I was looking for an addition rap, but I'm sure you can type in respect or something to that nature to recover the video.

Tool #7 : Digital Story Telling

Creating a photostory was easy and fun. It's a great way to reflect on a variety of experiences in the classroom and outside the classroom. Students can even retell stories read in the class for higher level thinking activities. I chose to create a photostory of my students (during my first year teaching) participating in different activities during our "Insect Unit". They were able to go on an insect hunt, read about several different insects, journal what they learned, build and create thier own insects with different materials, and even observe insects in the classroom as they went through the life cycle. There are so many ways photostory can be utilized in the classroom and the students will truly enjoy putting one together and appreciating the time and effort put into their finished products.

Tool #6: Wikis

I was able to create a Wiki Account with WikiSpaces.com, and it seemed quite similar to setting up a Blog. To get a feel of how to use my Wiki Account I began by creating a new page and created a random fictional story. I could share the story with my students during a writing lesson and aim at adding details in writing pieces. This tool would be awesome for students to help edit and revise writings, share ideas about their writings, as well as creating class stories and books with the participation of the entire class. This would be a great step in the process of publishing a class book. Writing isn't the only way to incorporate Wiki, there are so many other ways students and teachers can share ideas, all with the simple clicks of save and edit.

Tool #5: Tagging and Social Bookmarking

Diigo and Delicious are two very resourceful bookmarking tools that easily allow users to navigate through a variety of websites that may be particularly interesting and share those interests with others. I chose to sign up with Diigo, as it seemed to have more to offer. The way it allows you to research and share knowledge, and comment about the content in specific sites that you have found,can become a great source for communication amongst students in the classroom. For example, if a unit on insects is the focus, students can research different insect websites that are interesting and highlight cool facts that they have found and create a social group with other classmates about their findings, and the class members will also be able to view the higlighted information that each person found interesting.
Some of the websites I discovered and will be great resources for future use included:

http://home.comcast.net/~sharov/3d/virtual.html
(the tag for this site was insects)

http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/FamousInvention.htm
(the tag for this site was inventions)

Tool #4: Google Tools

Wow!!! I love Google Docs. Google Docs is an easy way for students, teachers and friends to share documents and media while having the opportunity to view and edit the document if necessary at the same time. So many writing projects can be explored in an easy and timely fashion with this resource.
With Google reader I also love the fact that it is an easy way to share ideas and content. The great feature here is that any on-line resource you subscribe to, all the new updates come to you. I imagine using Google Reader in Social Studies and History in order to keep up with world news and events and allow students to make connections with specific concepts in Social Studies that is of focus for that particular week.

Tool #3: Image Generators and Mashups

The websites I used to create my word cloud and virtual book are great tools that can be implemented in the classroom. The 'Word it Out' website was fun and easy and can be used to reinforce any Language Arts concept. Some ideas that came to mind as I created a word cloud about 'who I am' using adjectives, included: students creating a list of sight words or spelling words, new vocabulary learned from a new theme, listing verbs, listing nouns, writing words that are synonymous to add or subtract. The ideas could go on and on regarding ways to use 'Word it Out'. I love it.
Using Bookr was a trial and 'ewww', ooops I mean 'error', experience. It took quite a while as I had to make sure my pictures appeared on the correct page of the book and were formatted to the page correctly. I aimed at finding my own pictures after signing up for a Flickr account but was NOT successful at transferring the pictures I really wanted to use when creating my book. Instead I used tagged pictures from others who had a Flicker account to create my book. I had fun creating a book about something I'm soooo passionate about :-). Students will absolutely love creating a book on a variety of subjects/concepts, and it makes a great 'Project Grade'.


Credits:
Virtual Book created using: Bookr
Word Cloud created using: Word it Out

Tool #2: Online Learning Community

Building and online learning community opens up a plethora of opportunities for educators across the spectrum to collaborate and become creators of powerful technology resources that will aid in the growth of our students' learning possibilities. The best part is learning and growing 'together' and the convenience of sharing on-line. It is quite exciting to be able to witness the foundation being set forth, and the craving I and so many others share to move students closer to success through a variety of technology possibilities.
As I reviewed the comment advice regarding commenting on other blogs, one major suggestion that stood out to me included the point made about 'Writing a Meaningful Comment'. I believe this is so important in order to truly gain knowledge about helpful technology resources and ideas. Meaningful comments give all readers advice, ideas, and suggestions on great technology tools, what works and what doesn't, and how to move forward with utilizing the best sources that will capture the needs of the educator and student.

Tool #1: Setting Up

The beginning process of Tool #1 was fairly easy. It required following some basic step by step instructions that included creating a Google account where you post bits of infomation about who you are and then I was able to link into the Blogger website to begin setting up my Blog account. All those steps have led me to where I am now..... BLOGGING