Multicultural Glog!

http://kpludwig.edu.glogster.com/ludwigglog/

Scenario

I knew that I wanted to be an educator my sophomore year of high school. I went with my high school class to an inner-city day care and worked with some kids on their school work and played with them at recess. At the end of the day, the little girls hugged me so tightly and said "You are my bestest friend". I knew after that day that I needed to work with kids and felt very much called to do so. As I have continued my education at Kansas State University, I have chosen to concentrate in English as a Second Language. I have never felt so at home or motivated to work on my future as I have in Block A. I am certain that education is what I want to do with my life. I am, however struggling with certain areas of my career choice. I am worried that number one, my content expertise in math and science is not strong enough to be a sufficient teacher. I also am worried that I will want to care a little too much about students, and therefore not have all of my attention and focus on the curriculum. 

In three to five years, I see myself in Kansas City, Kansas. Teaching second graders and coaching Bishop Miege volleyball. In order to do so, I need to continue to work hard in my blocks, gain more hours of experience in the classroom. I also need to work on my lesson planning and implementation. 

In a new software implementation, I would make sure to practice and read as much about it as possible. I can also view tutorials online and make sure that I have mastered the software enough to help my fellow colleagues out in their learning of the software. 

The more that I learn Response to Intervention and Assistance technology, I think that technology in the classroom is necessary. iPads have several programs for autistic children all over the spectrum. These programs can allow students with mental and physical disabilities to participate in the general education classroom and associate school with an accepting and warm environment.

By pointing out how much this technology can help students in the classroom is how I would allow my fellow faculty members to implement it in their classrooms.

In my classroom, I plan on implementing Animoto, Glogster, and blogs. This will allow for students of all ages to use a creative outlet and find ways to make assignments and lessons more fun in the classroom. This can also be a great way for students to work collaboratively and creatively in the classroom.

My Wow Moment

My 'wow' moment was implementing an animoto video in to my micro teaching lesson.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

My class and teachers were extremely complimentary of my implementation of technology within my lesson. It was at that moment that I realized how much I enjoyed teaching in general, and also how I was actually capable of using technology in the classroom. I was never very "good" at using the most up to date technological programs and with the help of animoto, I was able to do so. I am so thankful for these resources that I will continue to use throughout my teaching career.

Podcast Favorite

I really really enjoyed the Tech Chicks podcasts. They always had fun things to discuss and great resources to share. I also really enjoyed how they moved their podcasts around to different places around their Texas town. They would have podcasts at restaurants (Chick-fil-a) or be fitting an hour of technology talk in during their daughter's karate practice or gymnastics meet. This made me realize that these two women truly enjoyed what they do in sharing out resources. They took time out of their busy mom lives to focus on technology in education and vice versa. I liked how the tech chicks also made their resources relevant to teachers and students alike. They always came up with fun activities and lessons for teachers to use. I really enjoyed listening to the Tech Chicks podcasts!

Semester Favorites

When I think about my semester favorites, two specific things come to mind. Glogster and animoto. These two resources were extremely helpful in making creative and fun projects. Before educational technology class, I was very unsure about my abilities as a technology educator and student. In today's times, technology is changing so much and so rapidly that I felt very overwhelmed to start out this whole course. With animoto and Glogster, two of the resources which came in at the beginning and at the end of the semester. I found these two resources not only extremely easy to use, but also a wonderful creative outlet for pre-service educators like myself, but also for young students in my future classrooms. I used an animoto video (see below) in my micro-teaching lesson to incorporate the importance of adjectives in a third grade language-arts lesson. This was such a great spark plug for my student's brains to get going, rather than having written objectives up on the board. This was also a great way for myself as a teacher to get my creative juices flowing and allow for some time for me to get my thoughts together. The Glogster seemed very intimidating to me at first when I learned how much we needed to put on it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was very easy to use, and would also be easy for young students, even first or second graders to use this resource as a creative way to do a research based project. This could also be a great template for teachers to start a lesson by sharing pictures, videos, and resources for students to explore. This seems so much more exciting for students rather than opening a book and reading content objectives from a chapter book. 

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Podcast #12: iPads in the classroom

I have heard several podcasts about the use of iPads in the classroom. At first, before block A I thought that this was an outrageous idea and that students, young students especially did not have any place in having iPads in the classroom. I thought that this would be a distraction and not have a place in the classroom for young learners. Although I still feel that it is necessary for students to have hard backed books to read, write, and complete assignments in; my opinion on iPads in the classroom has completely changed since I first heard about the idea. Especially after learning about RTI (response to intervention) and AT (assisting technology) for young exceptional students in the regular classroom, I was sold on the idea of implementing this technology in the classroom. I have seen students who were unable to turn a page in their whole lives due to physical illnesses do so using an interactive book on an iPad. There are also several programs that are used to work with autistic children in the classroom. This allows students to communicate what they need and want without becoming frustrated and give up. Also, being an ESL concentrated future teacher, I have found that the use of technology with translation, research based cultural projects, or even simple day to day conversations, classroom environments are more and more accessible and efficient. These reasons alone made me very "pro iPad" for the classroom and I hope to have the chance to use this technology to help to teach my future students.

Podcast #11: The Chicks at the Chick (fil-a)

In this podcast, the tech chicks share several resources at their local chick-fil-a restaurant. They share that CIO's need to keep in mind that if they don't keep technology in their implementations, that their programs will not succeed. The tech chicks also share how this is very similar and parallels to technology and education in general. If you (teachers and leaders) do not implement these new changes and practice what is new, then the small steps will never be taken for improvement. The tech chicks also talk about how like technology, teaching can be frustrating and lessons do not always go the way that teachers anticipate. This is a very good comparison to make because it is very true. The tech chicks describe that just because you do not understand something right away, doesn't mean that you as a student or teacher need to give up. It was helpful and inspiring, with all of the end of the year craziness going on, to hear these words or wisdom and keep pushing through to learn more not only about technology, but about teaching in general. These women do a great job of sharing their insights about teaching and learning, and also finding ways to make it relevant for future teachers.

Challenge Based Learning Reflection

I was so impressed after watching the video of young Australian students who just wanted to make a difference in the world. This was such a great, inspiring video to watch. I really think it is important for our generation to learn about how we can make small changes in our daily lives to improve the conditions of the world. Our group chose to do a prezi on hybrid cars. This was a very informative and fun project to take on. I learned several new facts about hybrid cars that I had no idea about before. Our prezi was created in our group and was very effective and efficient in getting our information on our presentation and setting up the route to share with the class.

I have found prezi to be such a beneficial resource to use in all of my Block A classes, and have since used it for two presentations. It is a very visually pleasing form of presentation that makes for a creative and fun way to share information with classmates. I had a great time in creating my groups Challenge Based Learning project!

Origional Google Map!

View My Favorite Places (Home Sweet Home) in a larger map

Practice Google Map

View Manhattan Kansas in a larger map

Podcast #10: Skyping in the Classroom

In this podcast, I learned about how Skype is being used in educational settings. Teachers are able to log in to an educational account and incorporate Skype with their students in the classroom. I think this is a wonderful tool to use in the classroom for many reasons. First of all, as an  ESL concentrated pre-service educator, I think that this would be such a neat tool fol CLD students to Skype with their family members, or even previous classroom in their native language. This would allow them to feel comfortable in the classroom and also give the other students a chance to get to know and appreciate their culture. Also, this could be a great tool for collaborative lessons with other schools in the district. For example, students could have a large discussion over a topic, or share files with other classes through Skype to complete assignments or projects. This is also a good way for different classes to do research based projects and share their findings through the use of Skype. I think that this is an extremely beneficial tool to use in the classroom.
 

Twitter Reflection

I have been using twitter for several months now and have always seen it as a social networking tool. I enjoy seeing what my close friends and favorite celebrities are up to. I never thought about educational twitters until this class. As I searched for educators to follow, I was amazed at how many educators tweeted valuable resources everyday, especially ones in my area of concentration (English as a Second Language) At first, I added these educators on my existing twitter account, but quickly realized I wanted to have a separate education account to keep my resources separate from the daily tweets of my friends. I am very happy to have found such a valuable resource in a fun social tool.

Podcast #9: K12 Online Echo: Remixing Histroy--Cigar Box Project

In this podcast, Neil Stephenson shares his philosophy on mixing up or implementing inquiry based work. These strategies are effective especially in History lessons K-12; so that students can be come creators of knowledge not just producers of knowledge. He shares a history lesson that he taught to his classes called the Cigar Box Project. In this project, he had students do research, collect historical images and wrote scripts, peer edited their scripts and collected images. Through this project, the students were able to do research on their computers and use technology to find historic images as well as have a tangible historical tool to use in presenting their projects. They used the cigar boxes as tools to share a story, and answer a question about Canadian histroy.

I personally think that this is a wonderful lesson to use in the classroom. It sparks student's interests about history and learning because they are able to be creative and use their outlets in the classroom to share with their fellow classmates. This is such a great way to use technology in the classroom to create a fun, 'remixed' lesson. I will definitely look into doing something creative like this in my future classroom.

EduTeacher Site Reflection

From the very beginning, I really liked how the eduTeacher website was set up and aesthetically pleasing. There is bulletin board on the right side of the site that has the most recent links, resources, and a newsletter that provides current information about eduTeacher.
With my concentration being in English as a Second Language, I was able to find several different tools that are going to be extremely useful in my lesson planning, assessments, and interactive lessons in the classroom.

60 Second Recap  
This site is a great tool for students to assess their knowledge of language, vocabulary or a subject in a quick minute. It is convenient and fun for students to use.

Ahead  
Ahead is a very fun site for students to create videos, using photos and text. This is a fun creative way for students to complete assignment and also a good way for teachers to introduce or facilitate a lesson.

Answer Garden
Is a nice feedback tool that teachers and students can use for brainstorming, mind-maps, and assessments.

Classroom 2.0 Site Reflection

Classroom 2.0 is a website that allows teachers to join as a social network to allow them to access any different resources filled with videos, live stream podcasts, links, photos and much more.
Personally I felt as if classroom 2.0 was a little cluttered and not easily navigated. I am not a very technologically savy

Podcast #8: Friends Don't Let Friends Use Internet Explorer, Ever!

Interesting views on how Internet Explorer is going "out of style fast". This podcast includes many different statistics and opinions on Internet Explorer and how it is quickly becoming outdated. For me, this is so interesting because the use of internet in itself is complicated enough. I get worried that sometimes technology is becoming way too advanced, and will soon become an elitist group of people that are creating, generating new websites, ideas, widgets, Internets, and much more. As a future educator, I worry that I will not be able to keep up with the changing times of the internet and in turn not be able to give my students the opportunity to use it as we learn together.

Podcast #7: Learning in Hand #23 Organizing Voice Memos

This podcast was extremely beneficial for teachers because the use of voice memos transferred from recording devices into iTunes was discussed in full.
This is a good way for not only teachers but students to access recordings, implement them into projects, assignments, and share them with classmates.
Also, if students were absent or sick for an extended period of time, teachers or fellow classmates would be able to share with the student what they missed and how they can make their assignments up through a personal voice note.
It is also a good way of documenting classroom participation, absent or tardy students, disciplinary problems, etc...
Overall learning in hand was a very helpful and useful podcast.

Kan-ed Reflection

I do not think that I could have found a website to be more resourceful than Kan-Ed. I had heard of Kan-ed before, but never really took the time to look into what it had to offer. I am relieved to have discovered such a jackpot website for lesson plans, standards, and activities.
Kansas Education Resource Center or KERC is such a wonderful outlet for lesson planning. Especially because we are starting to do our "Chunks" in Core Teaching Skills and several of my classmates and I are having a hard time using 'more with less' in our descriptions of the standards, benchmarks, indicators, etc. KERC is so great because it has all of the subjects needed for elementary teachers aligned with all of the Kansas Standards. I will most definitely be using KERC as a resource while planning my future lessons.
netTrekker was another great outlet that I discovered that has an infinite amount of lesson ideas, assessments, quizzes, and interactive activities for teachers to use and incorporate in the classroom. I know personally I have been worried about what specifically I will have to teach, and how I can do so in a fun, interactive way. netTrekker most definitely answered several of my lesson idea questions and will be a resourceful tool in my future brainstorming sessions for lessons.
Thinkfinity is a great resource for teachers to join blogs, find widgets, and current resources that are applicable to everyday life. For example, each day there is a link that shows you the day in past history, and how to incorporate this day into your lessons. I think I will find this site more useful when I am actually in the classroom teaching rather than still in my education blocks.

Kan-ed is truly a wonderful resource that I will be using from now and through my teaching career.

My Avatars!

 

Podcast #6: Various NEIT 2010 Reflection, Global Education, Conference, and FocusManifest.com

In this blog, three technology experts are discussing Google docs and how iPads are being used to edit files, and use as a word-based word documents.
Taking notes, using functions throughout the days are also qualities of the iPads within the schools. Typing on the iPad is if someone did not learn how to touch type, they are much more comfortable on the iPad.
They also discussed the difference of touch screen mobile phones and how surprisingly easily they are working to edit and create documents.

The evidence that iPads are becoming more and more useful in the classroom keep showing up in almost each podcast I am listening to. The endless possibilities of using the iPad for language, special education, person first languages and functions, international connections, etc...are only a tiny tiny part of all that the iPad has to offer.

Learning how to type on the iPad is also a feature that can allow students to upload, edit, and create documents for projects and assignments. Students who have writing problems or learning disabilities can assess their prior knowledge on iPads, create study guides, or even research information. Over all I think that the iPad if available to teachers can and should be utilized in the classroom as much as possible.

About Me Animoto

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Animoto Reflection

Usually when entering into a new technological adventure, I am a little weary of my understanding of what I need to be doing, and how quickly I could catch on.

When I first saw the Animoto videos, I was very intimidated by how fancy and well put together they looked. I was nervous that I was not going to be able to understand exactly how to do these small projects.

Thankfully, to my surprise, I was able to catch on relatively quickly to the Animoto videos and create a couple extra projects that I am excited about.

 Along with my 'About Me' and 'My Philosophy' videos, I also made a sweet (if I do say so my self) slide-show of some of my sisters' wedding photos. I also was able to compile some volleyball action photos to make a fun 30-second slide show. I am excited about this new discovery and look forward not only to use it in my courses at Kansas State, but also in my future classroom. :)

This will be such a useful tool in grabbing my students attention about subjects by using interactive pictures, songs, and templates that are more exciting than a standard slide show. Animoto is also simple enough to where young students can use it in groups for assessment over a lesson, or just for fun in the classroom. 

Podcast #5: Learning in Hand #24 Project Based Learning

 

Tony Vincent describes applications on iPods that allow for maximum technology-based application in the classroom. Through podcast, websites and apps, students are given resources that will aid in their interest of subjects, and allow for more exciting lessons. 

Tony shows a United States Government slide show with pictures and narration example that a teacher could implement in his/her classroom. This slide show was created with the SonicPics apps. He was able to create a 5 minute slide-show with 4 main concepts and open ended questions. Using these project-based learning strategies can spark students interest and also give them a model of what they themselves will be doing for the lesson.

Tony does a great job in showing how the apps work, and giving step by step directions for teachers to access and apply these concepts in their own classrooms. I, personally was not aware of these applications, and sparked several creative ESL lessons from simply watching this podcast. Using visual audio presentations can allow for students of all different learning types to be catered to, and understand the assignment more thoroughly.

Tony's discussion about the importance and applicability in the classroom through technology and apps is something that I completely agree with. Students who take advantage of these in the classroom through project based learning will be able to understand and apply their knowledge of technology in most all of their courses.

This podcast was extremely helpful in understanding the benefits, and true necessities of implementing more technology based facilitation in the classroom.

Podcast #4: 0079 TCT Your name? Yeah, it's not in this podcast. So Listen

Helen and Anna discuss several different resources for teachers!

Streamlining real time goals in the classroom and contextualizing them for the technology savvy generation. Many of these applications allow students to do more hands on learning.

Tech Forum: Presentation on mobile devices in the classroom. Using cell phones and websites in the classroom vs. banning them.

Apps such as: Education Jargin Generator, iTunesU, several websites. These apps are more teacher based resourced rather than

Science Geek was a website that was mentioned as a resource for teachers to use for science projects, lesson ideas, and jump start students in being interested in science.

One Word is a website that allows for a jump start brainstorming site where teachers can set up and students can participate in a one-minute blog or sentence splash that students can use as prompts. Getting students to just write the first thing that comes to their minds is also a good way for teachers to use to assess students' knowledge on a certain set of vocabulary words. 

Four firefox add-ons instructify.com

Ad block plus--removing ads from pages: this would be beneficial for students to stay on task and not be distracted from all of the ads on the websites they use.

Image Zoom--re-size a picture and zoom in would be beneficial for students who need a little help from glasses or contacts and is easy right on the page to enlarge the image.

Dictionary tool-tip--double click on any word and a dictionary and thesaurus entry will show up. This is very helpful for visual learners who need to see the words in order to understand and

Pronounce--an add in that will pronounce words that the students do not know how to pronounce them. This tool would be extremely beneficial to ESL (my concentrations) classroom when phonemes get misconstrued and language aid is needed. I would love to use this in my classroom.

All of these resources discussed in the podcast were extremely helpful and beneficial for future teachers. I look forward to bookmarking them and saving them to use in my future teaching lesson planning, micro-teaching, and implementing in my future classroom. I enjoyed very much how they brought out the positive and negative aspects of all of these resources and use their prior experiences to aid in our discovery of new applications! :)

Podcast #3 : #148 iPads with Peter Smith

Peter Smith is the Middle School head at St. Andrews in Savannah, Georgia. In this podcast (148) he discusses about how his school has been upgrading their technology by integrating; iPads, interactive white boards and a complete instructional over-hall. 100 mac books 40 iPads.

iDiscover is the name of the program and was initiated in June and  implemented in August. The school owns all of the devices and have technology packages. They use these additions as library books, renting them out and updating them. Overall the Discovery method was most important in this implementation of the iPads. The recognition that technology is constantly changing, and sometimes mistakes will be made in using these technologies is necessary in order for everybody to be on board and for the overall implementation to be a success. 

I think that the implementation of this discovery package is a huge step for St. Andrews Middle School. Personally, I was a little skeptic of the size of the steps taken from having access to 6 to 7 PC machines, to having a technology package full of macbooks, iPads and a google amount of applications to use in the classroom.

The fact that this school has been able to implement these technologies and allow the students and parents to meet at an understanding in using them academically is quite an accomplishment for having only two months to prepare. I really think it was important for the school and students to be on board that these tools are just that--technologies to aid in learning rather than entertainment devices. The no game policy went over better than I had expected it to with these young students. 

Many of the applications seem extremely beneficial and can be used in countless ways in the classrooms. From ABC's to stock market simulations, the iPads and macbooks have raised the curriculum standards within St. Andrews. As a teacher, I would be very excited to use this discovery program because it allows for students to be trained as young as kindergarten in technology and its' endless uses in the classroom.  

Just as I was trained to read out of books and answer questions on paper, these students will be able to grow up using these technological advances so that school work on sick days is not as overwhelming, and they will still be able to actively participate in their classrooms. 

I think that St. Andrews is right on track to making its necessary advances in technology and in turn in their academic progress.

Fun with Words Reflection

I did not think that there would be such an extensive and creative tool for using the fun with words resource. I had such a good time customizing my wordles and making them visually attractive and interesting. I think that this is a great tool for teachers to use with their students in reviewing vocabulary, unit reviews, or having a wordsplash over a new subject or idea. It most definitely grabs students' attention and can be a fun interactive way to incorporate technology into the classroom as well.

Here are my fun with words creations...

Reflection 2-CDK's Education Technology Place

 :This is my personal reflection on CDK's Main Site...it opened my eyes to several different resources that I look forward to using as the semester, and my teaching career continues on!

CDK's Ed Tech Place-All you need and more!

I really enjoyed all of the different types of videos on the website. My personal favorites were the “flash mob” reading dance and the second language learner facts. My concentration within the Elementary Education program here at Kansas State is ESL (English as a Second Language). These facts were helpful to solidify my area of concentration and allow me to learn more about how I can incorporate other languages into my classroom, as well as support my second language learner’s native language or L1.

Also very helpful on this website are the links that go straight to the Kansas State essentials for future educators. Having these accessible to us, as students will be extremely beneficial in working on assignments for not only this course, but also the college of education in general. I look forward to exploring this website and building upon my prior technological foundations. 

I didn't realize that the digital footprint and technological resources could be so applicable for an elementary teacher. I feel as if I have had a huge wake up call on our society today and how much we rely on technology in the classroom. The reality of it is that everyday people are taking bigger and bigger strides in technology. We as teachers need to keep up and be able to facilitate our new discoveries in the classroom. I am most excited about learning how we can allow our students to blog and use technology as a familiar and comfortable source for them and also assess their learnings at the same time. How cool is that?...Very! I am excited to continue to learn about how technology can open doors for us as educators and our students as learners in a technological society. 

Check out some of my favorite videos!

                                                          Very fun video!

My Favorite!

Reflection 1-Technology Bits, Bytes, and Nibbles

I have recently started to open up my mind and  eyes to new blogs and websites for my DED  318 class. Here are some of my initial reactions... :)

Tennessee Schools requiring iPad: Crazy, huh?

I am very shocked to read about this story. I personally can see many pros and cons about this bold and technological move. Fourth graders using iPads seems to me a little risky and distracting. But then again, with all of the advances being made month to month, and our society becoming more and more aware of the need to ‘keep up with the status quo’ I can understand where the administration came to the conclusion to implement this requirement within it’s school system. I also found myself surprised to read about a Tennessee school implementing such an advanced technological requirement—this is probably due to the fact that I have grown up and gone to school in Kansas my entire life.

I think my stereotypical mindset was that this type of program would first be started on the East or West coast—somewhere that takes risk and starts trends traditionally in our country’s society today. This article has helped me to open my eyes and mind to the reality that the world is continuously changing and a more rapid pace everyday; and because of the change of pace, schools nation wide have jumped on the fast track to technology in the classroom.

Angry Birds—Valentines Edition: Look at me!

            After clicking on the link to the video, I found it to be weirdly familiar. Then I realized that my seven and six-year-old cousins were the ones who first showed me this YouTube link. They also play angry birds on their parents’ phones more often than I do on my phone and ipod touch. The entertainment is what excites them the most about the game, but taking a step back and reflecting on my little cousins being so comfortable with technology at such an early age is very thought provoking. At seven, I could maybe get on my tiptoes to put a VCR video (Disney, of course) into the VCR player. I most definitely could not have used a touch screen smart phone to try and smash as many green piggies as possible. This makes me think about how much I will have to learn not only to teach my future students, but also to keep up with their pace and style of learning.  


These articles were found on Bits, Bytes, & Nibbles :)