week 14 PLE

I completed the Course Evaluation on Route Y, the course feedback survery, and told Nicky the only thing that was missing from my grade.

and I already posted my reflection.

Internet Safety Reflection

1. I chose to read the article “Mixed Signals” from June of 2001in the Ensign. This is a quick guide to the appropriateness of the media that we are using. The message is that the Bretheren of the Church are warning us to be careful of what we choose to participate in with music, the interenet, and television and movies. They say that our choices can either be uplifting to our souls, or damaging depending on the content of each.

2. I watched the ikeepsafe videos, all of the netsmartz videos, most of the PBS documentary videos, and Katie’s story on webwisekids. All of these dealt with some aspect of internet safety, whether it be not giving out personal information, not meeting strangers online or in chat rooms, cyber bulling, and inappropriate material. All of these were very informational and made me realize how easy it is to get information about a person if they want to online. If our kids are not being safe on the internet, they can willingly or unwillingly be putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation.

3. I took away a lot of very useful information from the videos and the articles. First of all, I was shocked that is was so easy to accidentally give out too much information. I think for this reason we need to be very explicit with the students about what they should not post, such their names or even gender. I was also impressed by the sheer number of youth that are participating in these activities. So many children are on social networking sites and chat rooms and spend SO much time on them. I think that we should counsel them to not spend too much time engaged in these activities. Many of the articles stressed the point that the internet is a great tool. It can be a great resource to have and use, if it is used properly. I think we really need to remember that as teachers. We need to give our students opportunities to be on the internet, but stress to them the importance of being responsible on it. If they are taught well enough, then the internet will be a great activity to use in our classrooms.

4. I shared the information I have learned with a mother of 10 children. She has one child still at home and several grandchildren that come and visit on a regular basis. Most specifically, we talked about preventative measures that could be put on the computers to help protect children from inappropriate material and too much access to the internet. This was something that this mother has really taken seriously. She told me that several years ago she looked into the best way to take preventative meausures for these dangers. As a result, she has filters placed on the internet and a password required for logging onto the computer. That way she knew who was on the internet and when because these were the only computers in the house; there were none allowed in the bedrooms or private rooms. She is just as concerned about these issues for her grandchildren as she is for her children and is going to keep all these measures on the computers for them. She was very informed. I was surprised at how big of an issue this was to her, and I was glad because I think it should be for every parent.

TPACK Report

week 12 PLE - Summary

I read the article “Early Connections: Technology in Early Childhood Education”. One of the first things that I realized is that using technology to enhance lessons is helping the students learn in an abstract way. They are learning curriculum through another activity and not explicit instruction. Abstract learning is an important developmental and cognitive skill for young children to learn. This is another reason that technology is so useful in the classroom.

Another thing I realized is that technologically enhanced lessons can be a social interactive activity. The article gave an example of how 2 or 3 chairs could be placed at a computer at a time. This would allow the students to interact with each other as they determine answers and solutions for the activity that they are working on. This is a valuable way to get the students to converse and create open communication between their peers, another very important developmental milestone in early childhood.

Going along with the previous information, I also learned that it is important for a teacher to create a classroom environment that is technology friendly and encourages more social interaction. The website mentioned that an example of this would be to place the computers in an open and big enough area for many students to congregate and work together. If smartboards are being used, there should be plenty of floor space in front of them to accommodate the entire classroom.

One important thing to note is that teachers should teach safety with the technology that they are using. This should include telling them to not sit too close to the monitor, have good posture, get up and walk around when they have been using technology for a long time, and not overcrowding an area. If all of these are taught, it will be a much more effective and rewarding technological experience.

readings notes

5 ways for young children to use technology
- make and display a graph
- explore with digital tools
- tell a story in pictures and words
- write, record, and revisit
- share and document learning

collaboration is important. make it interactive.

Week 11 PLE

I watched both videos, the Bookends of War and Inside Kapunahala.

I have always thought that using technology in assignments and activities in the classroom would be enjoyable for the children, but these videos confirmed that. When technology was used to enhance the activity, the children were much more engaged in and focused on the activity. Because they were so much more focused on the activity, there was less problems of off task behavior for the teacher to worry about. They were more engaged because using technology is not something that students are used to doing in all their schoolwork, so it captures their attention more. I think it prevents the students from becoming bored because it allows them a new, more fun way to learn the information that they are studying. This just shows how important it is as a teacher to incorporate in some way technology into our lessons. Not only will it enhance the activity and make it better and easier to learn from, but it will keep the students more engaged which in turn creates a more harmonious classroom.

Lesson Plans

Math Lesson Plan:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dv744rq_8fgztspcb

Science Lesson Plan:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dv744rq_7gbx63pgs

Language Arts Lesson Plan:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dv744rq_6gn4h82hj

Week 10 PLE

I watched all three of the videos and I thought they were very helpful examples of how to teach with technology in the classroom. We have been learning all these things this whole semester, but it was particularly helpful to see real like examples of teachers using it in their classrooms. I think most profound for me from these videos was learning that young students, even in kindergarten, are not too young to learn how to use the computers, use technology, and even learn about copyright issues. This has always been a concern for me, because I ideally would like to teach kindergarten and I always wondered how many of the activities we do in class I could actually use in my classroom. The example of the students using cameras was a great example. Kindergarteners are totally able to use cameras, and many times they love doing so. This would be a great activity to get them excited about the lesson and and will enhance the activity through using technology. I also like that they taught the students about copyright issues. The generation of students we will be teaching will be using technology so much throughout their schooling that the sooner they start to learn about these issues, the better.

Week 9 PLE

I completed both the midcourse evaluation and the informed consent pages.

I was surprised that there was not a whole lot of technology in the first grade classroom that I interviewed. I guess I have become so accustomed to the fact that if I need to access Google Earth or any other tool, I just need a laptop and will be able to do so. It is different when we are actually in the classroom. Many schools are using fewer and fewer computers, and when you have 20+ students, it gets harder to allow them all ample access to the computers. This interview made me realize how valuable computers really are. The more there are in the classroom, the better. Everything that we have been learning in this class, we have done on the computer. Without access to many computers, it will be hard to implement these skills we are learning into our own classrooms. That worries me, but I suppose there is always a way to make something work.

ECE technology inventory interview

I was able to interview Ms. Alius who teaches 1^st grade at Meadow Elementary in Lehi, Utah. She described to me the technology that she had in the classroom. Her classroom has two computers in it, which the students take turns on. There is also an overhead projector to use, her own digital camera that she uses for class projects (the school does not provide her with one), and she can get a television and DVD player when she needs one, she just has to check it out from the office. Ms. Alius also has her own personal computer to use at her desk in the classroom.

I asked Ms. Alius what technology she wished that she had in the classroom. She said that it would be very helpful if she had more computers to use. With only two in the classroom, each students has a very limited amount of time on them, which is unfortunate because they can be used for such great benefit in lessons and other areas of the curriculum. She also wishes that she had a Smart Board. This is a program that projects onto the white board and then allows people to interact with it directly on the board, kind of like a touch screen for the white board. She said that this would be every beneficial to have in the classroom.

Ms. Alius admitted that she didn't use technology to prepare for her lessons as much as she should. Because she is in the first year of teaching, her mentors help her come up with a lot of the lessons that she does and prepares. However, she did say that from time to time she will use the internet to search lesson plan ideas, especially on websites that host teachers to upload their lesson plans according to grade and topic, which she says is a great resource.

I asked Ms. Alius what her favorite technology item to use in the classroom is. Her response surprised me. She said that the computers and internet are such as great resource for her students. She says that with these tools, the teacher and students can do all the activities that we learn about in this class. Without computers, the technology options would be greatly reduced. She says that she needs those computers whether it is to have them look up pictures, practice their typing skills, or for other purposes. That is why she would love more computers in the classroom.

Week 8 - Science Activity Analysis!

I commented on the actual voicethreads for Natalie, Whitney, and Ashley in my group.

I really enjoyed learning about the different science tools in technology that are available to teachers. I particularly thought that Kidsperation is a fantastic tool that I could use in my classroom to teach various subjects, notably science. I will be teaching the very young grades, and Kidsperation I think caters more to the younger grades than the upper. There are engaging activities on it that make the work seem like fun, or even like a video game, for the students, even though they are learning at the same time. This is why the science lesson activity I planned would be especially useful in my classroom; the students would look forward to this activity because it seems like fun to them. However, the only downside of this activity would be the fact that many computers would be needed in order for the whole classroom to complete the assignment at the same time, which is the most ideal situation. It could be hard to schedule computer lab time into the day in order for all the students to have a computer. Other than that one obstacle, I think this would be a valuable activity in the classroom and would be very enjoyable for both the teacher and the students.

Science Technology

Science Challenge Preview

For this unit, we will be studying different animals. The ultimate goal will be for the students to be able to determine between reptiles, mammals, and carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. During the week, each day we will study one of the above categories. On Friday, after we have learned about omnivores, is when we will use a technology-enhanced activity as a cumulative review of what we have learned throughout the week. I will have my class log onto kidsperation in the computer lab. They will click on the science section and then go to the activity to write about animals. From that section, they will identify the following animals from the left side of the screen: dog, dolphin, tiger, rabbit, bear, and lizard. After they click on each animal, a screen will pop up that allows them to type facts about that animal. On the board I will write the words reptile, mammal, carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore. I will also have a bank of words on the board for them to copy with descriptive words such as plants, meat, berries, jungle, woods, etc. These words will be used to describe the eating habits, habitats, and characteristics of these animals. After the students locate each of the animals from the list on the left, they will practice their typing skills to write in the information about them, labeling and describing them correctly from what we have studied all week..During this activity, I will be walking around, supervising their progress, reminding them of the words, and answering questions.

a) The content my lesson is focused on comes from Standard 3, Objective 2a) Observe, describe, draw, and compare familiar animals. This comes from the Utah state science core.

b) The teaching pedagogies being used are observing, classifying, and processing data through describing relationships (comparisons). I will observing the students as they are working on the labeling activity. This is significant because I am letting it do it on their own without interfering, unless I need to. The students will be classifying the animals based on the material that we have studied all week. They will be processing data through comparing the animals to discriminate between the various categories they are trying to identify.

c)The technology I will be using is kidsperation. This is a great fit for my class because it especially is friendly for young grades, and mine is kindergarten. It allows the students to identify through pictures of the animals and is an easy way to introduce typing skills.

d) This material is represented through kidsperation in a way that is going to make is very easy for the students to do and complete. It is going to make this activity easier for the students to understand because it uses pictures. These pictures will help the students make connections between the present activity and the pictures that they were shown throughout the weekly lessons. When they make that connection, it will be easier for them to remember the information and proper label that should be given to the animal.

Virtual Tour Final Response

I was able to comment on Ashley, Natalie, and Whitney's virtual tours.

I think that a virtual tour has some redeeming qualities in the classroom, as well as some challenges. First of all, it is a great tool to use in showing context of location. It is even better that it is possible to add pictures, text, and videos to a certain location that would help teach a topic further. This is important for young students because it helps them make connections to locations or people in relation to where they are on the map. I would have loved something like that in elementary school.

However, this would be a challenging project to do in my future classroom. This required a lot of technical skill and work to put the project together. Since I am going to be an early childhood teacher, the highest grade that I will teach will be 3rd, but mostly likely I will have a younger classroom. I don't believe most young students would be able to complete a project such as this. If I were to use this in the classroom, I would have to put it together and then show the class the finished project. I also think it would be too advanced for them to do activities at each pin, unless I made them much simpler. I would need to find some accommodations for this before I used it in my future classroom.

Google Earth Virtual Tour - Climates and Animals

Google Earth Tour Plan

For this virtual tour, I am sticking to second grade core curriculum, since that is the general age of students that I will be teaching. I will be doing:

Health education, 2nd grade
Standard 3: Students will develop an understanding of their environment
Objective 2c) Describe how weather affects people and animals

I thought this would be a fun virtual tour to do with second graders because the content is something that they can relate to. Most young students appreciate animals. By showing animals in different climates, and how their bodies are adapted to these climates, it allows the students to learn a lot about climates themselves. This shows how weather affects people and animals. The representation of this topic is going to help the students learn better because they will be able to see pictures of the different climates, combined with videos of the climates and animals interacting. This will help them make a visual connection to what they are reading and learning. I think this will be a very valuable tool, as well as engaging, to use in the classroom that the students will really enjoy.

Google Earth Planning Table

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Rocky Mountains, Utah	Journal entry on hands and feet and the purposes of their shapes	picture and video of the mountain goat
2.Costa Rica, Tropics	Journal entry on camouflage	Picture and video of the red eyed tree frog
3.Egypt, Africa Desert	Journal entry on transportation	Video and picture of camels
4.Arctic, Tundra	Journal entry on why it is important to protect certain animals, like the polar bears	Picture of Polar Bear

Digital Storytelling Difficulties

I think that doing a digital storytelling project in school would be such a useful and effective project. However, there will be some difficulties in doing so. Especially for younger grades. Very young grades may have difficulty doing the project on the computer. They are still too young to have taht technological knowledge and ability. One way around this would be to brainstorm with the class instead about what should be in the story, what pictures and music should be used, etc., and then the teacher puts it together before showing the final product to the class. Also, if the teacher intends for the class to each do their own video, or even work in small groups, she will have to figure out how to allow enough computer time for them all to put their videos together. She will have to make sure the computer lab is available or send groups to the classroom computers in increments throughout the day. Because this is such a fun project, the teacher will have to give very specific instructions of what is allowed and what she wants the students to produce. Otherwise, there is a lot of potential for students to take too much creative liberity and deviate from the intended lesson objective. In all though, I think this would be a great classroom project!

TPACK

TPACK stands for technological pedagogical and content knowledge. This is made up of three different areas or knowledges. Technological is the knowledge dealing with technology, pedagogical is knowledge about different teaching styles and methods, and content knowledge is knowledge about a speicifc area of study, a specific event, or topic. When all of these are combined, we get TPACK. This will be an important concept for us to remember throughout this class because everything we create and do for our students in this class should be useful. We need to pedagogically teach specific content through technology. If we don't learn how to properly work techonology, we will not be fulfilling one of the areas of TPACK and we will be missing out on great pedegogical opportunities. Techonology can be such a great and helpful tool in the classroom. It is a type of teaching method, which means that it is an important part of TPACK. It is important for a teacher to completely understand this concept so that she can best form a lesson plan that is content specific, pedagogically and technologically appropriate.

Digital Story - Biography of JFK

Digital Storyboard Screenshots

My video is a biography on John F. Kennedy. I tell about the major life facts of Kennedy, basic facts such as when he was born, married, elected president, etc. The video is full of images from Kennedy's life. This would be a very valuable way of teaching about different presidents of the United States, which is an important thing to learn in elementary school. Movie presentations of a persons life allows the students time to relax but still be engaged in the the content as they watch and learn. Also, an teacher can make information in the film more or less detailed, depending on the age group of the intended audience. This allows the teacher to customize what is included in the short film she makes to cater to the needs of her students and be most effective in her teaching. Since most young students enjoy watching movies, this will be a good way for them to be interested in the material and still learn from the content.

skype picture

My Own Website!

The most helpful and useful tool I learned this week was definitely the fact that I learned how to make my own website. I had no idea that it was so easy to get your own free website. This will be such a valuable tool to have in the classroom. It makes it so easy to communicate with the parents and get information to them, as well as helpful for the students to follow along with class requirements and events. It was so great, although at times stressful, learning how to link so many tools onto the website. Now that I know how to do that, though, I will be able to do things so much easier and faster on my own. I am excited to work on my website and to continue to learn and improve on it so that I can do my very best in bringing and using these tools to my classroom and my students.

My Technology Background and Experiences

I have very little technology knowledge. My brothers are all very good at doing things on the computers, but I always let them do things for me, without teaching me. I regret that now. I know how to do very basic things on Word and Excel. I have a blog and regularly post on that, as well as a Facebook. Those, however, are really the only technological things that I know how to work. I am really excited to learn more about everything though because I know that I will need these skills in my classroom.