11 Tools Reflection

Wow...that was an amazing package of learning Tools.  We have come a long way...teaching has had to progress, keep up with the modern and techno world.  As with all technology, it can be used in a balanced way to engage students in learning as well as help them be prepared for their future which will have all the more "gadgets and apps" to work with.  I learned that technology is really having a big impact on education and in the classroom. There are so many creative ways to instruct, enhance and produce products with all these applications.  "I-touch, Chat and Tools" are just some of the lingo that is becoming prominent in our modern world of language.  Some of the tools I will be using are e-books, Wikis, itouch and schooltube...there are so many to chose from it's kind of hard to decide where to start first...but I think this will also be excellent when teams are preparing for their grade level. It is fascinating how advanced technology has emerged and it's impact on the classroom.  I think a balance of  "old school" and technology is ultimately important in keeping kids enriched and well rounded.  Looking forward to seeing all this unfold!

Tool 9

A screencast in jing could help you write curriculum in collaboration with other teachers and Specialists...how convenient and wonderful to generate variety of ideas and documents.  It could also be used to capture video footage of real life teachable moments.  For example, one could demonstrate a concept by capturing video of an actual event  happening on campus that reflects the learning at hand.

Skype is a really cool teleconferencing tool!  I can see it being used for book clubs communicating between campuses. Students could discuss books with classes from another school just like Oprah's real life Book Clubs. Another neat manner to use Skype would be to create field trips communicating with others from another Country..."Ok class, are we ready for our field trip to England?"...and there you are receiving cultural exchanges from a class in Manchester.
This would be wonderful to have an "author's visit" via skype rather than a physical visit to the campus.

These tools are truly remarkable.

Tool 11

Three things students should understand about digital responsibility is to be careful not to give out any personal information that a stranger could use for harm.  To be respectful and be aware that everyone has an opinion that is valid and may differ from yours. Finally stay away from bullying as cyber bullying not only is wrong but that it is easily traceable and never tolerated. 
One of the ways I would introduce and present Digital Responsibility would be through key points from i-safe which is an excellent resource regarding being responsible and focused when using technology.

Tool 10

The free educational apps that I reviewed for this tool are "Constitution for iphone and ipod touch" by Clint Bagwell Consulting.  The other app is called "History: Maps of World" by Seung-Bin Cho.

The first app is compatible with 5th grade Social Studies Curriculum in that you can search and review the Constitution by Article or Amendment.  It also contained images of the original document and bios of the signers. This is also a way to practice locating important information, practicing note taking and or finding evidence to support text.  This was fairly simple and quick to load.

The second app on Maps is cool because you may search maps by categories and era so one can really see a progression of change and progress of civilization. It may be a bit slow to load however it is a no nonsense tool.

Tool 7

I really enjoy photo story because I think it is a nice, clean addition to any lesson in adding visuals to learning content.  In my photo story telling I chose to display several different flags from around the world as part of a geography lesson one could use in Social Studies content. 

Tool 8

I embedded "I gotta a feelin" and "Roanoke Reading" from School Tube.
I think uploading videos is a great way to get kids interested in receiving and presenting information.
This totally adds to the learning environment by incorporating technology that kids will really get a kick out of seeing what others have done and be encouraged to learn the subject at hand and even create their own videos.  The  " I gotta a feelin"  video will help remind kids generally what to do to take a test and the humor helps kids release any anxiety they may have before, say, TAKS Testing or any type of Test.
The "Roanoke Reading" will role model team work and cooperation among students as well as dramatization to enhance learning and reinforce the key concepts about the lost Colony of Roanoke.

SchoolTube - Roanoke Reading

SchoolTube - Roanoke Reading

SchoolTube - I Gotta A Feelin'

SchoolTube - I Gotta A Feelin'

Tool 6

Wikis are a really cool way to help kids learn using technology.  I can see Wikis being utilized in a class "Book Club" setting.  Students can share questions and comments about the book with in the classroom, with in a grade level and even with students from another campus. It could be used with other States and even Countries however staying with in the school District is prudent  because they stay with in the District rules and guidelines for technology usage.  The questions and answers, the blogging, reports, created posters and even short videos to share thoughts and ideas regarding literature. 

Tool 5

The two tags that I used were Art and Education.  For Art I visited http://www.tagxedo.com/ This site will help you make tag clouds into art!! The second site I visited via tag Education and ultimately joined was the New York Times Newspaper that has articles about education in it...as well as Daily Headlines.
The site is http://www.nytimes.com/


Using Tags is a helpful way to speed up locating websites one is interested in.  Tagxedo is a neat site for kids to use to help them remember specific characteristics of a subject.  For example their was a word cloud shapped as President Lincoln that had key words and concepts for studying Lincoln.

Tool 4

I created a document in Google Docs and it was very easy.  I shared the document with my team memeber, Joyce Clough.

This tool is neat because it's a quick way to share and have access to other blogs and web-sites to further enhance communication between educators and get ideas for lessons and such.  This was effective because it is fairly easy to set up and locate your who ever you want to subscribe too.

Tool 3

I can see how creative we can get using the photos and gadgets...I can see kids creating their own stories, poems and labeling with terms and characteristics of a concept using this app.


This is great for language acquisition as well.

Cool!

Tool 2

Personal Learning Network is a great way for educators to collaborate and learn from each other. One can have access to ideas and information at the touch of a finger rather than the limitation of having to coordinate a time where people can gather for an official meeting.




The 5 people I made comments on their blogs were Monique Rice, Elane Burleson, Pricsilla Garza, Julie Weisher and Julie Baggerly.

Tool 1

I was not sure what to expect...but I like the idea of learning how to use technology for my students in the classroom. I think it is great for kids to be able to express themselves and apply what they have learned in a personal way through journal blogging