Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
My Ideal Job
My ideal teaching job would be in a 4th grade classroom with 25 students in a lower socioeconomic neighborhood with high diversity. Technology available of course! Outside of content, I would teach “I Can”. I often hear from other teachers that their students can’t do what my students do because they are ELL or they don’t’ have a computer at home. I want to show those students that they can! And I want to show those teachers who say they can’t, that they can!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
iMovie Ideas
Ten Ideas for Using iMovie at the Lower Elementary Level
Cool Ideas from Springfield Public Schools in Illinois
Apple Digies has the following Award Categories
Award Categories. Many of these can be created using iMovie
# Best Group Video
# Best Comedy Video
# Best Digital Still Image
# Best Community Promotional Video
# Best Digital Animation
# Best Music Composition
# Best Digital Still Picture
# Best Curriculum Related Video
# Informational Video
# Open Submission
# Digies Logo Design
50 Classroom Uses and Tips for iMovie (but there are only 5 :o)
Some VERY cool ideas from Laptop Focus Group USD #352 in Goodland, KS
1. Students create Public Service Announcements (PSA's)
Cool Ideas from Springfield Public Schools in Illinois
Apple Digies has the following Award Categories
Award Categories. Many of these can be created using iMovie
# Best Group Video
# Best Comedy Video
# Best Digital Still Image
# Best Community Promotional Video
# Best Digital Animation
# Best Music Composition
# Best Digital Still Picture
# Best Curriculum Related Video
# Informational Video
# Open Submission
# Digies Logo Design
50 Classroom Uses and Tips for iMovie (but there are only 5 :o)
Some VERY cool ideas from Laptop Focus Group USD #352 in Goodland, KS
1. Students create Public Service Announcements (PSA's)
Kidcast #58 - The Medium Is Not the Message by dschmit
I was very excited to listen to Dan's message (again :o). This is one of the most powerful reasons I am very excited about my new job next year. For the last 3 years I have been teaching "computer" or "technology" to K-5th graders in a pull out specialist classroom. There has been very little colaborative work between me and the regular classroom teachers. I have a good idea of the concepts they are teaching in class and I have designed "projects" centered around those curricular areas. And that is what I called integration.
However, I focused mainly on teaching the software and a key element of technology education was missing from what I was teaching. Making it real. Sure they had a pretty neat project by the time they were done. But because of time we never got to the important part. Now that we created it, how do we present it? How do we share it? Why do we share it? The only audience my students performed for were me and themselves. In many ways we were just mass producing projects. The focus wasn't the content, it was creating the projects.
Next year I have the opportunity to work in collaboration with teachers on using technology in the classroom. This brings a fantastic opportunity for the content to be the focus and the technology skill acquired are secondary. They will learn how to use technology how I have learned to use technology. By doing.
Having the ability to have the time and an audience will be powerful. Teaching presentations skills with technology as a tool to enhance the presentations will be a huge shift in how I work with students and what I work with them on. Podcasting is one of those things I would like to do.
However, I focused mainly on teaching the software and a key element of technology education was missing from what I was teaching. Making it real. Sure they had a pretty neat project by the time they were done. But because of time we never got to the important part. Now that we created it, how do we present it? How do we share it? Why do we share it? The only audience my students performed for were me and themselves. In many ways we were just mass producing projects. The focus wasn't the content, it was creating the projects.
Next year I have the opportunity to work in collaboration with teachers on using technology in the classroom. This brings a fantastic opportunity for the content to be the focus and the technology skill acquired are secondary. They will learn how to use technology how I have learned to use technology. By doing.
Having the ability to have the time and an audience will be powerful. Teaching presentations skills with technology as a tool to enhance the presentations will be a huge shift in how I work with students and what I work with them on. Podcasting is one of those things I would like to do.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
PodCast Ideas
1. Poetry
2. Fluency
3. Classroom Newscasts (instead of a news letter)
4. Kids created newscast
5. from Dan Schmidt via twitter: Record young children telling jokes.
6. Write and record Seuss type poems.
7. Buy Dan Schmidt's books :o) He's a "god"!
8. Podcast Wordless picture books.
2. Fluency
3. Classroom Newscasts (instead of a news letter)
4. Kids created newscast
5. from Dan Schmidt via twitter: Record young children telling jokes.
6. Write and record Seuss type poems.
7. Buy Dan Schmidt's books :o) He's a "god"!
8. Podcast Wordless picture books.
9. Interviews (prewriting includes researching the person and coming up with questions. Good editing work here, too).
10. a story modeled after _This American Life_ on NPR (my fav)
10. a story modeled after _This American Life_ on NPR (my fav)
| 11. 10-11News: Some students at Grand Island Central Catholic contribute podcasts to our www.gieveryday.compage. We love it! Check it out. |
12. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
Comic Life Ideas
1. Cereal Box Biography
2. All about me pages
3. Dinosaur Fact Sheet
4. What I did this summer
5. Story of an Explorer
6. State Report
7. Space/Solar System Report
8. Character from literature facts sheet
9. Characters, Setting, Plot, etc. visual representation.
10. 8 of me. Have students use template R and have students put in 8 pictures of them (perhaps each different having been modified by an outside program or they can make them 8 different ways inside of Comic Life) Then they can add captions about themselves.
11. Make a comic with characters, setting and plots. Take photos of students acting out the different scenes.
12. from twitter: j_allen "One of our industrial tech teachers used Comic Life for students to create safety posters."
13. Poetry about a picture
14. Parts of speech describing the picture (nous, verbs, adjectives, etc.)
15. Fractured Fairy Tales
16 From twitter lllong "One of our foreign language teachers uses Comic Life for vocab"
17. From twitter llong "5th graders used it in their Diseases unit in science - good fun!"
18. From Facebook: Diane Marie Willadsen: "We created a state symbol page. Students went out and captured pictures then added labels."
19. From Facebook Diane Willadsen: "At the end of the year, students created a memory page using pictures of classmates then adding labels saying what they were good at in school."
20. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
2. All about me pages
3. Dinosaur Fact Sheet
4. What I did this summer
5. Story of an Explorer
6. State Report
7. Space/Solar System Report
8. Character from literature facts sheet
9. Characters, Setting, Plot, etc. visual representation.
10. 8 of me. Have students use template R and have students put in 8 pictures of them (perhaps each different having been modified by an outside program or they can make them 8 different ways inside of Comic Life) Then they can add captions about themselves.
11. Make a comic with characters, setting and plots. Take photos of students acting out the different scenes.
12. from twitter: j_allen "One of our industrial tech teachers used Comic Life for students to create safety posters."
13. Poetry about a picture
14. Parts of speech describing the picture (nous, verbs, adjectives, etc.)
15. Fractured Fairy Tales
16 From twitter lllong "One of our foreign language teachers uses Comic Life for vocab"
17. From twitter llong "5th graders used it in their Diseases unit in science - good fun!"
18. From Facebook: Diane Marie Willadsen: "We created a state symbol page. Students went out and captured pictures then added labels."
19. From Facebook Diane Willadsen: "At the end of the year, students created a memory page using pictures of classmates then adding labels saying what they were good at in school."
20. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
PhotoBooth Ideas
1. Easy way to have a student take a picture of themself and use it in a variety of forms of software
2. Write a descriptive paragraph about themselves
3. Insert it into a All About Me book
4. Insert into Comic Life and create a comic about themself
5. Easy way to take a picture and then put into Photoshop for photoshop editing
6. Using the backgrounds they could tell a story about when they were "under the sea" or in Paris, etc.
7. From twitter: j_allen "We used Photo Booth to create characters for fictional writing."
8. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
2. Write a descriptive paragraph about themselves
3. Insert it into a All About Me book
4. Insert into Comic Life and create a comic about themself
5. Easy way to take a picture and then put into Photoshop for photoshop editing
6. Using the backgrounds they could tell a story about when they were "under the sea" or in Paris, etc.
7. From twitter: j_allen "We used Photo Booth to create characters for fictional writing."
8. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
iTunes Ideas
1. iTunes U
2. Grammar Girl
3. Reading Fluency
4. iTunes as a resource for social science / history / geography lessons -- you can find music from a particular country or region or historical period to play as students come into class. This kind of scene-setting also works for novels set in places or decades unfamiliar to students.
5. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
2. Grammar Girl
3. Reading Fluency
4. iTunes as a resource for social science / history / geography lessons -- you can find music from a particular country or region or historical period to play as students come into class. This kind of scene-setting also works for novels set in places or decades unfamiliar to students.
5. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
iPhotos Ideas
1. Tour of the school
2. Figurative language describing picture
3. Poetry using pictures
4. Life cycles of the butterfly using pictures
5. Talk about the seasons using pictures
6. Sequencing using pictures
7. Descriptive paragraphs
8. All about me with photos (things I like, characteristics, etc)
9. Character perspective letter
10. Author or character cards with stats
11. Pictures of clouds... write descriptions
12. Simple machines...write descriptions
13. Pictures of Nebraska and write about Nebraska
14. Rocks and Minerals write about them
15. Narratives about the picture... write the story that goes with the picture
16. Tyler's blog bringing photos into the mix with different writing exercises
17. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
2. Figurative language describing picture
3. Poetry using pictures
4. Life cycles of the butterfly using pictures
5. Talk about the seasons using pictures
6. Sequencing using pictures
7. Descriptive paragraphs
8. All about me with photos (things I like, characteristics, etc)
9. Character perspective letter
10. Author or character cards with stats
11. Pictures of clouds... write descriptions
12. Simple machines...write descriptions
13. Pictures of Nebraska and write about Nebraska
14. Rocks and Minerals write about them
15. Narratives about the picture... write the story that goes with the picture
16. Tyler's blog bringing photos into the mix with different writing exercises
17. Others? Please comment to contribute to the list!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Rededication
I am rededicating this blog. Today I embarked on a new adventure. 1st I started my first class towards my phd. It's the Nebraska Writing Project Technology Institute. Also, I started my new job as a part time tech. integration specialist at my school. Really the job doesn't begin until August when the teachers and students all come back to school, but I'm trying to get a head start. Therefore, I'm rededicating this blog as a blog to think and reflect on my journey as a first time tech integration specialist. There will be ups... and there will be downs... Let's just hope there are more ups than downs! Wish me luck!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Ever Wonder
Ever wonder how you got where you are? Almost every day someone who is supposed to know more than me...who's been in the position many more years than I have, asks me a question... And I know the answer... It's odd. How did I become the "expert"? The person they come to ask? I didn't ask to become a leader. I honestly don't know how I became one. But, I have to be honest with myself. I have become a leader, whether I wanted to or not!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Words on My Board
I teach computer to K-5th graders. Today...as I'm erasing my white board...I am wondering about what I'm teaching. In the last two weeks the following words have been erased from my whiteboard:
Space, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Weather, Water Cycle, Cloud, Tornado, Hurricane, Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Stratus, Cirrus, Cirriocumulus, Mammal, Bird, Reptile, Amphibian, Fish, Invertebrate, Rocks, Minerals, Crystals Sedimentary, Metamorphic, Igneous, Sandstone Shale, Limestone, Chalk Granite Basalt, Obsidian, Pumice, Coal, Marble, Slate, Quartzite, Quartz, Feldspar, Mica, Calcite, Halite, Talk Galena, Pyrite, Copper Sulfide, Sulfur, Simple Machines, Lever, Pulley, Wedge, Wheel and Axle, Inclined Plane, and Screw.
Intersting words for a computer lab...don't you think?
Space, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Weather, Water Cycle, Cloud, Tornado, Hurricane, Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Stratus, Cirrus, Cirriocumulus, Mammal, Bird, Reptile, Amphibian, Fish, Invertebrate, Rocks, Minerals, Crystals Sedimentary, Metamorphic, Igneous, Sandstone Shale, Limestone, Chalk Granite Basalt, Obsidian, Pumice, Coal, Marble, Slate, Quartzite, Quartz, Feldspar, Mica, Calcite, Halite, Talk Galena, Pyrite, Copper Sulfide, Sulfur, Simple Machines, Lever, Pulley, Wedge, Wheel and Axle, Inclined Plane, and Screw.
Intersting words for a computer lab...don't you think?
Main Accomplishments
Last year my biggest accomplishment, the one thing I felt most proud of, was having 1st graders create powerpoints. I never thought I would ever in my life be doing powerpoint with 1st graders.
This year, I already know what my main accomplishment is, the one thing I feel most proud of. Once again it has to do with 1st graders. My 1st graders a couple of weeks ago posted their animal habitat movies onto docushare so that they can share them with their friends and family.
I really love student docushare. I often want to share my students work with their family, but posting it all on the school webpage is too time consuming for 650 students. This makes it so easy for the student to upload their own document and then if they choose to share it, they can.
I've had more parents comment on their students work this year. I think what excites me most is the thought that if they can do this in 1st grade, what will they be able to do if I'm still working with them when they are 5th graders? I've noticed, this being my third year, that all the work is paying off. The students are able to get through projects faster. What used to take 8 weeks is only taking 5 or 6 because the foundation is built and all we have to do is build on that foundation.
I think the most important thing I "taught" this year was the students user name and password. They use it every time they come into class. A great number of my 1st Graders have it memorized (along with my 2nd-5th graders). I have saved so much time next year. It took me a long time to teach it this year, but the reward will come next year.
Other things this year have been hugely positive. Having my Kindergarteners for 50 minutes this year has been fantastic! First of all, I haven't had a single student in tears because they didn't have enough time to finish a project. I has given them time to "play" and "experiment" with the computers, which wasn't a luxury they had before. They have learned so much this year through the extra 5-10 minutes at the end of class when they are done with the project for the day when they can just explore. What I worry about now is what do I do with them next year. I will need to find ways to challenge them along with all of my students.
This year, I already know what my main accomplishment is, the one thing I feel most proud of. Once again it has to do with 1st graders. My 1st graders a couple of weeks ago posted their animal habitat movies onto docushare so that they can share them with their friends and family.
I really love student docushare. I often want to share my students work with their family, but posting it all on the school webpage is too time consuming for 650 students. This makes it so easy for the student to upload their own document and then if they choose to share it, they can.
I've had more parents comment on their students work this year. I think what excites me most is the thought that if they can do this in 1st grade, what will they be able to do if I'm still working with them when they are 5th graders? I've noticed, this being my third year, that all the work is paying off. The students are able to get through projects faster. What used to take 8 weeks is only taking 5 or 6 because the foundation is built and all we have to do is build on that foundation.
I think the most important thing I "taught" this year was the students user name and password. They use it every time they come into class. A great number of my 1st Graders have it memorized (along with my 2nd-5th graders). I have saved so much time next year. It took me a long time to teach it this year, but the reward will come next year.
Other things this year have been hugely positive. Having my Kindergarteners for 50 minutes this year has been fantastic! First of all, I haven't had a single student in tears because they didn't have enough time to finish a project. I has given them time to "play" and "experiment" with the computers, which wasn't a luxury they had before. They have learned so much this year through the extra 5-10 minutes at the end of class when they are done with the project for the day when they can just explore. What I worry about now is what do I do with them next year. I will need to find ways to challenge them along with all of my students.
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