Journal 6a-Inspiration/ review

I like this program very much.  It is easy to follow and a great tool for outlining projects.  I enjoyed the fact that it is so simple to change/add/delete facts. I like the fact that images can be added to demonstrate a point. Another nice feature is that you can link it to websites that are relevant to your subject matter.  When teaching, I could follow the diagram and to demonstrate or to go further into detail, I would click on the link and we could navigate the attached web site.  I would incorporate this program into many types of lessons.  I would use the tree function to dissect characters in stories or plays. I would use it to outline stories and then perhaps compare and contrast two of them based on the diagrams. I would use this tool for outlining steps in projects to be completed in an orderly fashion. It could be a great tool in history lessons!

Most definitely benefitting visual learners.  I did not need to use Atomic Learning for this program, which indicates how easy it is to use!

Journal 6B-I Movie and review

I found i Movie to be fairly complicated and time consuming; especially the sound track application and editing.  That was a nightmare.  None the less, it was fun to use.  Seems like a contradiction but it's not.  The effects are fun to play with and match up.  It's very creative and unique to each user.  I think kids could behave a great time researching topics and accessing images from the web to make a movie.  They'd have a lot of fun creating personal statements with regard to assigned subject matter.  It would integrate learning styles nicely, as students would pick a topic, gather data from the internet and draw out a storyboard/presentation goal, perhaps with an outline.  i Movie could be used as a collaborative activity building cooperation/negotiation skills.  It would also help kids cope with frustration and anxiety, as the soundtrack application is a monster!!  as a teaching tool/aid, I personally would need a bit of practice, because I am quite the technophobe....BUT, I am an artist and a great believer in delivering a memorable message.  I would greatly enjoy making movies to help express academic goals and generate conversation, debate and perhaps a few laughs.  A good "spoon full of sugar" so to speak....for issues like.....geometry.  Naturally, being the techno non-geek that I am, I used Atomic learning and thought it was "the bomb", pun intended.  LOVE IT!  It took me through with care and baby steps.  I didn't have time to use it when I created my movie in class, but got a chance to check it out later.  Great site.

Journal 8: A " fantastic Super" Use of Technology: Closing the Digital Dlivide By Diane Curtis

     My first observation when reading this article is that this school has a savvy grant writer!  How fantastic to have been given wireless laptops, computers in every room, a wonderful array of software and internet access devices to loan to families who do not own a computer.  I like the fact that the grant was contingent on using a "power to learn" approach which addresses the fact that kids learn differently, and taylors various learning plans to address this.

     I'm also a big fan of having a transparent classroom.  I like the fact that Eveleigh has created a web page outlining the days activities for parents.  Parental involvement is a vital component to a students success in class.  I also like that this web page not only informs parents as to what's going on in the classroom, it also provides parents with learning resources on the web.  This is a great way for parents to be involved with their kids learning and have fun doing it!  Another thing that I really like is that teachers, parents and administrators easily converse using e-mail and parents know what is expected of their children by reading e-mailed homework assignments.  AlthoughI still think that it's important for  students to have a homework folder or planner to bring home so that they are directly accountable.

     Lastly, I like the way that the school fosters an environment of professionalism, collaboration and mentoring.  Providing teachers with an office boosts moral and helps with organization and expediency.  Collaboration is important!  I've worked with many teachers who've bemoaned the time and effort required to "recreate the wheel".  I've suggested central curriculum storage for use by all.  It just makes sense.  Even more so to do it digitally.  I also like that the ones who spend more time generating curriculum are paid more.  I have seen the benefits of mentoring.  At Mesa Elementary in Boulder CO a new second grade teacher was paired with a "seasoned" teacher as her mentor. Their classrooms were joined by a common door.  The new teacher went to her mentor often, sometimes during class, for help in teaching a lesson or how to properly finish a project. 

     My first question is: What do you do if you teach in an underfunded district which does not have these resources and  the faculty and administration were in favor of having it?   This article opened my eyes to the power of grant writing.  That is a muscle I would exercise. Second question:  Is this a viable model considering all the "old school" teachers (many schools I've worked or subbed in had a lot of teachers over 50 who admitted to being techno-phobes)?  My answer is yes, but only by clearly stressing the benefit of how ultimately it would make teaching easier and more effectively engage students.  I think that implimentation at an "old school mentality" school would also require some "techie" mentors who would provide extensive support and inservices. 

     

Journal 7: Wiki (web 2.0 tool review)

Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content.  It has hyperlinks imbedded within the text to lead users to more detailed information or the source of a piece of information.  It is an easy, collaborative tool.  Anyone can edit it, add to it etc., which is good news for those of us who value simplicity.  Wikipedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from around the world and is one of the largest reference web sites. Every day tens of thousands of people edit and create thousands of new articles to augment the knowledge held by the Wikipedia encyclopedia. I had never heard of this before.  I knew about Wikipedia, but not the source.  When we went to San Marcos' Wiki I was floored at the resources available. There is a reference book called The Wiki Way which gives lots information on how to create a space. I went to Wikispace where you can create and find different Wikis.  There is one called  CodeBlue listing websites dealing with the body systems, targeting six graders. Super fun resource. I am definitely going to use this tool as a resource for lesson plans.

 I read quite a few  comments by educators about the Wiki and was suprised to find that they are having their students create them and evaluate each other's work.  The educators used this technique with groups of students as a  collaborative classroom activity.  They said that they enjoyed the fact that they could see how the groups went about solving or presenting a problem/piece of information.  What's really nice is that the teachers who were unsure, yet wanted to create a Wiki for a class project, had a place to go to ask other, more experienced teachers how to implement it. Really good support forum.  I had no idea all of this existed!