HTML Class #4

So we were introduced to many free online places to create websites. I already have a class website but it is not very functional. I have the kids use it to go to links and the parents can reference it for curriculum, but I do not have any kids projects or pictures. I want to stay away from the pictures, but would like to add something where the kids can post projects. I would like it to be password protected so just parents could get into see it. I have to think about how to redesign what I already have. I will have to do something different, I am not sure what to do yet. In the end I am hoping to have a website that is going to be useful to kids and parents in my class.

HTML Class #3

It was really cool looking at all of the JAVA sites to see what is out there to use. I also like looking at HTML and trying to figure out what it is going to look like before you actually do the project and then changing it to look different. CSS are also very interesting. It is just a matter of keeping things organized. When designing a web page you need to have a clear plan otherwise it could go very wrong. I learned that by listening to my classmates presentations and seeing some very BAD websites. It should have been titled "What not to do when designing a website." I also found the articles/tutorials on Google sites interesting and look forward to seeing what we are going to do with that.

HTML Class #2

So I am finding HTML to be very interesting, it is just a matter of keeping track of what I have put in. It was very interesting looking at good websites versus bad because as I am designing my own these are important things to keep in mind. The more that I learn about HTML the more I want to explore other pages. The pizza activity was interesting as well because you didn't have to think about writing code but you got to see what happens when you add things to the page. We will see what happens when I try to add a table to my resume...my thoughts may change :).

HTML Class #1

So, I cannot believe that I just worked in HTML!!! We began by doing the group project which it really helped to have people there to troubleshoot with. We used many resources and I think did a pretty good job on our first try at HTML. Considering that we didn't meet face to face for the first class. Then, before I lost things, I started my resume. It went a lot faster than I thought, but the practice today was really helpful. I can see now that the best way to learn HTML is to practice. I never thought hat I would get it this fast. So far, so good (I hope)!

Research for Project

Well, the process has begun. It started with the letter home. I got a lot of reaction from the parents, both positive and negative. Some parents were thankful and others questioned how their child was going be be used in my research. It the end it all worked out and I began my research about two weeks ago. So far it is going good, the kids are still doing word sorts the traditional way and there are some that are becoming bored with the whole process. It will be very interesting to see what happens when I bring in the SMART board. The children already love it when I use it in other subjects, so we will see how they react when they are going to use it for word sorts.

Stats Class #6

Well, I survived. It was difficult, but I did it. It is strange because going into the final I thought that I was in pretty good shape, but then I was asked to recall things from the beginning of class. Thank goodness for the notes, because I would have been lost without them. I can understand why we need to learn about stats, especially since we have to write an action research project, but it really did stretch me. What can I take away for this class? The ability to understand research articles and understand what my research will mean to me.

Stats Class #5

Well I am back to having my head spin. All the things that we have discussed in the past few weeks leave me in the dust again. I was happy that the last benchmark was a group one because it is nice to discuss ideas and thoughts with a partner, especially since everything is so foreign to me. I thought that I was on the right track, but now I am not so sure. One class to go, I think that I can make it through. I know that if I didn't have my notes to refer to I would really be sunk.

Stats Class #4

I was not there for much of class on Thursday due to the fact that I had curriculum night at my school. However, the short time I was there was reaffirming. I am beginning to feel comfortable with the stats "lingo". It really helps to have activities to do to apply what is being taught to real life situations. It is also helpful to work with the people in my group because sometimes they can explain it to me in a way that makes me understand. I have applied this to my class and have tried to use my high math students to be helpers for those who may struggle with a concept. The advanced students feel important and the strugglers appreciate the different point of view.

Stats Class #3

So, I will be he first one to admit that I am understanding things a little better this week. However, I feel a lot of my success is due to excel and using my notes. The more I seem to practice things, the better I am getting at understanding. I can see how everything is building on each other. I still admit that math is something that I am not good at, but thanks to excel, I feel pretty good. My group completed our project. It threw me for a loop because the data seemed to confuse me, but in the end we worked it out!!

Stats Class #2

So, I have now completed week two of stats class and I am not feeling much different. All I have to say is Excel is awesome! We went through how to calculate Standard Deviation in class and I understood the process (for the most part) but loved it when Excel did it the easy way. I feel good that I know how to do it both ways, but I am still nervous about the tests that we are supposed to take each week. I got through the first one, thanks to notes! I will continue to have an open mind, but know that math is always a struggle for me. My study group got a great start on our project, again Excel is awesome!!

Stats Class #1

This is the class that I have been dreading since the beginning. As far as math goes, it is not something that I have ever really been good at. What is going to be hard for me is to keep the terminology straight. I want to learn how to understand how to read research, but I am a little unsure about the quizzes. Quizzes always scare me, especially trick questions, which I have a feeling there will be a lot of. Luckily, my group mates are very helpful and we will all help each other through this.

Next Step for Action Research

I finally got over the hump and have a great start on my action research project. My goal is to now complete my article reviews so I can get started on my chapters. I am also looking forward to the implementation of my project to see if the SMART board helps the children with the word sorts. The whole process amazes me because I have gone from not knowing left from right to feeling like I am in a good place. It was a lot of work, however, I really feel ready to go. I went through a lot to get there, but have plenty more to go!!

Action Research

So this is the part that I have been dreading the most...starting the action research project. I came up with what I wanted to do pretty quick (using interactive whiteboards with spelling instruction), however now I am really struggling with how I am going to implement my project. It is difficult because I cannot have a control group within the class because it is not fair to only let a few kids use the board and not others. I was thinking of having a teacher that doesn't have a SMART board be my control group to see if there would be a difference in scores. I also think that is going to be difficult to really prove that it was the SMART board or lack there of that made a difference in the scores. I was leaning towards doing something about their overall attitudes towards spelling being different because they are using the SMART board, or if their creativity increases on certain activities because they are using technology. I know what my assessments are, I am just unsure how to implement the whole thing. Reading some articles has helped, but I still need to really think about how this will work in my situation.

Reflection on CEDu521

This course has helped me to become much more organized when thinking about how to plan an entire unit. It has also gotten me to think a little more about how students, even my third graders, can have a huge role in their own learning process. This course was perfect for me because I had just switched to third grade and spend most of my year putting things together. It really helped me to sit down and plan out a unit so that next year when that unit comes around again, I will feel much more prepared. I am looking forward to sharing my unit with other teachers in the district. This was a great way to organize activities and resources. It is easy to follow, laid out nicely, and even has room for teachers to do their own thing with it. I have worked really hard on this unit and I am looking forward to trying more of them. There was a lot covered in a little time, which was fine for me because I am familiar with unit planning, but to someone who is not, the course may have been overwhelming. The resources are very clear and easy to follow. I enjoyed this class because this is something that I can use in the future.

Professional Development

I think that providing professional development for teachers is one of the most important and most difficult things to do. From an elementary perspective, we teach all four main subjects along with other things like handwriting and keyboarding. Our curriculum changes about every 7 years (it used to be less than that) so we as elementary teachers had to spend a lot of professional development time learning the new curriculum. Most of the time our professional development classes happen after school when teachers have other things to do. The classes that are provided in my district are wonderful, but it really is a time commitment to take them. In order to have successful professional development a district should provide many choices for their teachers. I also think that week long inservices in the summer are very beneficial because there may not be as many conflicts over the summer months and you can learn a lot with some choice. Districts should also provide time during the year for teachers to get together an share ideas that have been successful for them.

Differentiation

My role as an elementary teacher has always been to meet the needs of all the kids in my class. No two children are the same. For as long as I can remember, I have been adjusting my lesson to meet the needs of different students. All my students read at the level that they are comfortable at and are even spelling at their level. I have never had a student who is ELL, but that does not mean it is not possible. I find that when I differentiate, I do without thinking. A lot of times it is driven by the students. They always ask can I do more than that or can I do this? The hardest part about differentiation is assessing kids to find their reading level or spelling level. By the time I get through one assessment and figure out the numbers it is time to give it again. Sifting through the data and what it means is the most time consuming part.

Student-Centered Assessments

In Third Grade we have many opportunities to assess children. We give them a big reading assessment, spelling assessment, and math assessment through out the year. These are not student-centered. However, throughout the year, the children have many opportunities for self and peer-assessment in all subject areas. In ELA, we learn how to peer-edit each others work and give them feedback. We also talk about being active readers and being able to assess what we have learned by reading a certain book. In Science and Social Studies, the kids have the opportunity at the end of our units to select a project of their choice to present to the class. So, what I am trying to get at here is that student-centered assessment is something that can be done at any age. There needs to be a lot of guidance and modeling a first, but I really have the opportunity to lay the ground work for their future in education. When kids get a say in what they are doing, they take more responsibility for it and take a lot of pride in their work.

Digital Divide

One issue that I have with my class is teaching kids how to gather and use reliable resources. Nowadays, even Third Graders, want to "Google" things when they don't know the answer. In some ways I think that it is cool that they want to find answers, but I think that it is my job to teach them that there are many more ways to find answers to questions. Also, they need to learn that all that they read on the Internet may not be trustworthy. The other issue that I have in class is computers. I have three in my class that run on OS 9 which is perfect for word processing, but since I part of my ELA time is Project Based, many kids can be working on a project and we don't have enough computers in the class. I can't just let them into the computer lab unsupervised, but at the same time they are so into finishing what they started, they have difficulty sharing our computers.

Project Based Learning

Project based learning is a great way for kids to have a say in how they learn different concepts. For example, in my class we have readers workshop. Each week I introduce or refresh their memories on an active reading/thinking strategy. Then instead of assigning the whole class a story to read, I let them practice that strategy with in their own way. Some kids turn to chapter books, other kids are drawn to non-fiction, and other are even using sports magazines. Any way you look at it they are practicing what I taught them but they are doing it in a way that is most comfortable for them. They really look forward to this time because it is something that they feel they have a say in. This is also a good model for differentiation because my high readers are choosing books that the lower readers could not handle and the boys are choosing stories that girls may not necessarily choose. In my book project based learning in a reading curriculum is a win-win situation. I am getting in the modeling that I need and then they are practicing it in their own context.

Digital Storytelling Class Project

Let me start by saying that at first, I thought digital storytelling might be impossible with Third Graders. The time it would take to teach them how to do the research for a topic, organize their story, and then work on their final presentation would take weeks. Then it occured to me that they already know how to do this, just not on a huge professional scale. They know how to use a program called Pixie which has as many features as an adult software program, it is just made for kids. As far as the research, why not use information that we are gathering as a class? So, my idea for a project that I could implement with my class is to have the kids make a digital story about each region of the United States. We are learning about the regions in Social Studies so they already know some basic facts, but this would allow them to apply what they have learned already in class. They could also choose to research something that may have interested them in that specific region. This project would use Bloom's skills of: Analysis- arranging their ideas; Application- making connections with what we learned about it class; and Comprehension, summarizing what they learned in their own words. I think that doing this project with Pixie, the kids are learning compuer skills that be translated to more difficult programs as they go along in their school careers.

Podcasts

Many topics were covered in class this week, but I really enjoyed learning about podcasts. I have never really had an interest in podcasts. Check out the one that I created in class on my sidebar!! We did get to explore some Web 2.0 tools that can easily help you create a podcast and that sparked my interest. I think that I could use podcasts with my class. I could have the kids read a piece of writing that they have created and post a link to their podcast. They could also do a project with their first grade buddies that could also be published. It would be so beneficial for the kids because they can practice their speaking and reading skills and it is a great way to communicate with parents what is going on in our class. There would also be a possibility for me to use a podcast as a monthly newsletter or update for parents. Something new that I think could have multiple uses.

Elements of Digital Storytelling

I think that the 2 elements of storytelling that would be best applied in my classroom are economy and pacing. Economy because my kids are in third grade. Their attention span is far beyond that of a kindergartner, but they still need things to keep their interest. I would also stick to only the bare minimum and most important points so that they are not overwhelmed with too much information.

I would also have to consider pacing. Too fast, and they will get lost; too slow and they will be bored. If I combine both of these elements, I could produce a successful digital story for my class.

Voicethread Digital Story

In class, we had the opportunity to explore Voicethread and create a digital story. My group did our voicethread on 80's television. I thought that I was very easy to use and a great way to organize pictures. One thing that I did not like was that there wasn't a flow. You had to make individual comments for each picture, you couldn't have the pictures just flow with the words. I also didn't like the fact that when people make comments, they automatically play after your comment. It makes it a bit confusing to follow the story. There was also no opportunity to add a music clip to the background which would have been nice in our MTV portion of the story. It hard for me to say how I would use this with my class. With third grade, we use a program called Pixie where we have made a slide show, but it is more kid-friendly. I just think that the fact we are starting to make slide shows in third grade will help them for projects in the future and eventually by fifth grade they may be able to do a voicethread. The time is such an issue with all of the curriculum that we need to get in, but it helps when it is integrated into the curriculum.

Digital Storytelling-Week 1

I can see using digital storytelling in my classroom in Social Studies. We learn about the five regions of the United States. There is tons of information to learn about because in each region is so unique. Right now we are covering the western region and I could see storytelling about the 49ers, The Oregon Trail, Yellowstone, or even Death Valley. I could even do one for each state in the region that would highlight some important ideas about the state. That would be 50 digital stories...so maybe I could pick one or two from each region.

Rubrics/WebQuests

For our last week of class, we learned about a great site that creates rubrics for you and we got to investigate/evaluate some WebQuests. The rubric creator was a great tool, especially if you are not used to or have never create a rubric before. I am one of those people :). Being an elementary teacher, and teaching Kindergarten previous to this year, I have not had a use. However, now teaching Third Grade, I can see a few projects down the road that these would be useful for. Not just for the kids to see that the expectations are clear but for the parents who are helping the kids.

We also talked about WebQuests and explored so great resources for them. I found some that would be great to use in my curriculum. My favorite one was a project about investigating the midwest region and picking a state to move to in that region. What a great hands on experience for the kids to use to apply their knowledge about what we are learning in Social Studies.

Another thing that I found very useful in class this week was the sharing of each groups Internet saftey/Cyberbullying lesson plans. All of them were very well thought out and easy to implement.

Internet Safety/Cyberbullying

In class this week we had discussions about cyberbullying and Internet safety. After talking about what they are, an important question was asked-when are kids taught about Internet safety? With all there is to cover in the curriculum, I think that both of these topics are passed over in schools, when it should be something that students and parents are aware of. Children are surrounded by technology at very early ages. I think that the sooner you teach them about Internet safety the better. We can lock down computers and put up filters, but I think it is more important to teach children what to do when something goes wrong rather than try to protect them from everything. I also think another important piece to the puzzle is to teach the parents how to monitor Internet usage and teach their children to be proactive rather than reactive about the Internet. Again, the issue to train parents is time. There is a lot of information out there for kids and parents. What I would like to do is add a blurb in my monthly newsletter about the importance of educating children on Internet safety and guide the parents to my web site for links that will help them to discuss the topic at home with their children. Our study group developed a lesson plan that I can use with my class. I really want to give it a try with my students, it should be very useful. Thanks to my group for stepping outside their boxes to create an elementary lesson!!

Class 2- Filimentality/Online Quizzes

This week we took more time to examine websites that would be a useful resource for lesson plans and interactive materials. I always like to look at these sites because I can explore all subject areas. I always come upon really neat ideas, but the problem that I find is that after that night of class I forget about them. I have so much to teach and I am just getting to know the third grade curriculum so it is hard for me to look into what I am going to do in the future. I have learned to look for things that I have already covered so that I can use it to enhance my lessons for next year. This is where my Delicious account will come in handy. We also took a look at some online quiz resources. This is not something that I could use with my class, but it was sure fun to explore and see how people spend their time creating quizzes. Do we really need to make a quiz about what we should wear that day?! I learned our society is quiz happy :).

CEDu525 - Session 1: Thinkfinity/Scavenger Hunts

For our first class this week, we talked about and explored Thinkfinity.org and Internet scavenger hunts. Thinkfinity is a great resource for educators to find lessons from very reliable sources. Since I teach 3rd grade and I teach all subject areas, it was very easy for me to find lesson plans. I just started with Language Arts and spent 2 hours on that alone finding great ideas! I also like it because you learn some pretty cool resources. For example, I did not know of a website called read, think, write. There are tons of activities and cool things that I discovered just from that source. I just started with one subject area, I can't imagine what is out there for the other ones! I always feel like I have to be careful when selecting a lesson plan because it may sound great, but I really like to make sure it aligns with my curriculum.

We also discovered Internet scavenger hunts. I think that this is a really neat way for kids to get a lot of information in a short time. They are also doing it on their own so they can feel responsible for their learning. I also like how they can also take kids off to different places if they find something that really interests them. I just began teaching the 5 regions of the US and I was struggling with what info to give the kids and how much to give them. By doing a scavenger hunt, the kids can learn a little about each state in that region as well as use that info as a springboard to new information.