Online Application Review

I looked at Picnik. This is a photo editing site. I would recommend this for teachers. The positives are that Picnik is free. You can edit red eye, make collages, change lighting, and even share the photos with others. Picnik is set-up so you can easily share them on flickr, picassa, twitter, facebook, and more. I think that in terms of having students use the program it is a good one. The site is easy to navigate. Students will be able to edit their own photos easily and then share them.

There are some negatives of Picnik also,but I don't think they outweigh the positive. The biggest problem I had with Picnik is that a lot of the cooler features are part of the premium so you have to pay more to upgrade. What is offered for free is enough for students to get started. I think that it would need to be discussed that students are not going to share the photos on Twitter or Facebook without permission. I think this could become a problem with older students so it is good to know that the options are there.

The second application I looked at was Zoho Office Suite. I looked at the calendar application because I really felt that this would be helpful to many teachers. I like the calendar. You can view by day, week, or month. Another feature is that you can share what you put into the calendar. There is a specific place where you can put the email of people who you want to remind of the event in your calendar. I think this would be good for things like grade level meetings, conferences, etc. Teachers can use this tool together to help each other. I also like that you can add little information or a whole description. Overall, I really like Zoho Calendar.

I also looked at the Zoho Writer. Zoho writer works similar to Microsoft Word. You can write a document, add images and links also. Your document can be saved to Zoho Writer or to a drive. With Zoho Writer you can change the font size, type, color, and more. Zoho Writer also has word count, spell check, a thesaurus, which are good features when teaching students how to write papers. I think that it would be a good way for students to type for free if you do not have access to Word at your school, but I think that Microsoft Word is still better because this will be used in the real world. It's probably best to expose children to both.

D/B13

I was amazed by the advanced performance tracking. Tbe book gave the example of tennis. The system gives you feedback when you put on a body glove. What really amazed me was when you put on the thicker glove to help more. With this the glove lets you feel what you need to change to make your serve better. This seems crazy to me! Then, as you go the glove slowly works less as your muslce memory grows. I just think the potential of this is incredible. If you are an athlete of any sort this could help. I also think that as an elementary teacher this is interesting. I don't see how I would use this in my room, but I do see where potential of this is. For example, when Pre-K teachers (or even older grades) show kids how to hold a pencil something like this would be amazing. In my room, we talk about how to hold your book and how to sit when partner reading. Something like this might help with that. I'm reaching a bit here, but I just think the potential with this type of technology is greater than just with sports. That's why this really stood out to me.

My favorite task we've done this year is the screencast. I can really see myself using this in my classroom. I think this will really make a difference because when we go to the computer lab I can project the screencast to begin while I walk around and help those that need it as they watch. This will take some testing out to make sure things go at a good speed. After a couple times in the computer lab I will know which students need help so I'll be able to help faster. Having the screencast will make it so students can watch as they also click and do what is happening. Then, I am free to move around. Normally, I am back and forth a hundred times between my computer to the students and it goes so slowly.

D/B12

Two things that I would add to my classroom teaching from chapter 30 are using more audio and better graphics. I really took from the book that extras are not needed unless they go with the learning. In my classroom, we talk about diagrams. We actually work with "what is a diagram? How is this different from a picture? How is this different than just words?" I really like that the book goes into detail about not having the extras. Thinking about this and being honest with myself I think I've added these details before thinking it would "catch their attention" but probably didn't. One of the lessons I do with the interactive whiteboard is when I have students sort words by patterns. I now think adding sound to this will help if they are the right sounds. I want to find a way to add the sounds of the letters in the pattern. This way as students read the words they can then push the sound button to see if they hear the same sound. If this is the case partway through the year students can work in a small group at the board without needing help. The audio would help them to focus and gain their longterm memory.

I also want to work on using better graphics. I really want to focus this year when setting up my classroom to make sure any visuals have a focused goal. I also want to make sure when using my interactive whiteboard I don't have extras that are not going to help with learning. I think really thinking through what I put on each "slide" of my whiteboard will help learning. I also like that they said using graphics that show motion are helpful. I think this can help even when teaching math. I really think this will help when teaching subtraction. In third grade students can subtract, but need help with this still. I've shown pictures to show things being taken away, but using arrows will help with this too.

Websites

Here is a link to my website. I created a site that would be an introduction to the class at the beginning of the year.

Screencast

I've created a screencast that I would use as part of a writing unit. After writing, revising, and editing my students will be ready to "publish" their writing by typing it on the computer. We have Microsoft Word at the school. This is an introduction on how their stories and essays should look. I have never done anything like this before. I tried to make this something usable in my classroom. The students have done very little typing before they come to me in the school setting. Some students have done a bit in Second Grade, but most have not done any type of formatting so I tried to do simple things. I know that I would have to go around and go back over concepts one on one with students, but I do think this would help them get started.

D/B11

When looking at the competencies of the instructor (2003) on page 275, I see my strengths as continuosly updating my profession, complying with legal and ethical and legal standards, and planning well. I am very good at working with my curriculum and finding ways to add to this so I'm teaching the students the best I can.
What I want to become better at is using media and technology to enhance learning and performance. I want to use the computer lab even more than I did before and more effectively. I really want to try doing a wiki with my class. I will have to really think about how I am going to do this. I also want to teach my students using technology more in small groups. I use my SMART Board for whole class work, but I want to push myself to use this for small groups too by placing my small group table near the SMART Board.
I also want to work on improving my organization. I am very structured, but not organized. For example, I do the same thing at the same time in my class (structure), but I have a messy desk and things in piles. I want to work on using technology to help me organize what I usually have piled up. I now know new ways to save websites (that will take away all my post-its).
I also want to improve my feedback skills. I try very hard to write comments on students tests and papers so that they know I'm really reading everything and thinking about their learning. This can be difficult though. I want to improve how I give feedback to little assignments in my classroom. For example, my students have math folders where they keep all math work. It takes me so long to grade these, which makes me not want to even collect them. I find myself just writing stars on papers and I want to find ways to look these over closely and save time.

D/B10

I noticed that in all three contexts (business, P-12, higher education), instructional design is used as a way to educate. In business, trainings are used and can be looked at as distance learning. In P-12 education distance learning is also used. Students can complete assignments online. In higher education you are forming the programs to be used for distance learning. I definitely think distance learning is going to continue to grow and this will be used more and more in business, P-12 education, and higher education. Another similarity I see is the ability to work together even though things are done on line. In chapter 22 there was a lot of talk about advising and consulting. This has to be done in order to be effective. In P-12 education I see people learning to use the technology together. This can be through the design side of things or through using the media. I definitely think that in P-12 education students will learn how to work together, as well as teachers who are creating the lessons. In business, there has to be an ability to work in groups also. People need to be able to work on the same project.

I think that K-12 education can learn from business by adding more trainings that are online. I think this would be very helpful. Right now I have two trainings a year online - bloodborne pathogens and hazard training. I think that more educational concepts could be used in online training. This would save time and probably money. One thing my district has started to do is start online surveys after every PD you fill out, I have liked this much more than filling out the survey by hand. It takes up less time and I can do this the next morning instead of after sitting through a 2 hour professional development after teaching all day. I'm much more likely to give feedback that way also. I wish the district would take this idea and use it in different ways.

D/B9

I have found the technology related tasks to be easy to figure out for the most part. I like that we are able to ask and answer each other's questions through the discussions. This was helpful even when I wasn't always asking because I might have the same problem later when I tried something.
I also like that a lot of what we are doing I have never done before. It's new to me so I feel it's a good use of my time. A lot of the tasks can so easily be adapted to the classroom, which is a huge benefit. I cannot stand doing work for something I'll never use. I think the blog, wiki, photo sharing, google map all can be used at almost any grade level. A lot of what we've gone over seems so flexible to me. What I mean is, I can use this now as a classroom teacher and in the future with almost any role I may have.
This semester is my first to the program and I really like the set-up of this class. I don't feel overwhelmed because everything is laid out completely each week. This has helped me a lot. The weeks are written in a way that you just have to follow the steps and then play with the tasks however works best for you. I like that we get lots of choice on what we do (what our map is of, what RSS feeds we look at, etc). I think that it is also helpful to have discussion areas already set-up for the week's tasks. This makes it a lot easier to feel like you can ask questions.

D/B8

In Trends and Issues I really began to see where my district got some of its ideas. The figure on 21.2 first peaked my interest, but as I began to read I really noticed a correllation between what the book was saying and what I've noticed the last couple years in my district. We have started to align everything in the district to meet the state's grade level content expectations (glce). This summer I worked with the math team to create district-wide math tests to be used after each chapter. We also went through all the curriculum and matched this to dates so every teacher knows exactly what to teach each week and what will be assessed after this. The district is pretty big so this is a big deal to have every teacher going over the same lesson in all 16 elementary schools during the same week.
Something I found interesting is when the book explains double loop learning. I really like the idea of asking why something did not work and not just what didn't work and how to fix the problem. This can be related to smaller things than a whole district needing to change even. After given a test it is good to ask why the students didn't get a concept, not just what I need to do differently. If I consider the why I'm sure I'll go through a deeper thought process, which will help. I even have to remember to ask why when student's behaviors change and not just what changed and how I'm going to react to the change.

D/B7

I like the idea of having students work as a team on a project. I know the book wasn't talking about third graders doing this, but I think to have the students do a wiki would be great. I think this would be a good step for younger students to get an idea of how to work together and how to build something through technology. I think this would especially be helpful if it was then presented to the class and everyone learned from the presentations. I've never had students do a project together on the computer. I have only had them do independent work on the computer so showing them how to collaborate through using technology would be a good step for me to take with my students.
The book talks about making a prototype. I feel like I do this all the time with my students. They often need an example of what I want. It would be great to have a format of what I want for students to do on the computer and teach them how to edit this and make it their own. For example, typing our essays is a big deal. When we start this I have to teach them a few basics of typing, but if I had a prototype made they would be able to edit this so that everything looked right. For example, I would have a place for a title and then they would edit this. Next, they would have a place formatted for the essay and they just have to change the words and font. Some students want to leave ten spaces between sentences while others leave nothing. A prototype would help with all the little aspects. I think this would be very helpful because I usually have to go back through each one with them to do this, which takes a lot of time. The prototype would save me a lot of time, and the students.

Google Map and Lesson Overview

I made this map to be used as an introductory lesson for Michigan Geography. I also wanted to include some parts of my life into the map. At the beginning of the year I like to have the students get to be a part of who I am. I would first show the map and let them just look for a few minutes (using the interactive whiteboard). I would then go over the idea we live in Michigan, which is a one of the States in our country. Next, I would tell them we are going to look at where Kalamazoo is. I would have a student come up and click on the little tour of Kalamazoo, Lansing (the capital), and Eaton Rapids (my hometown). We would discuss what a capital is at this time also. Next, we would cover the Upper and Lower Peninsulas and I would briefly go over what a peninsula is. After this we would begin looking at the five great lakes. I would explain that not all the lakes touch Michigan. We would discuss why Michigan is called the Great Lake State. I would then show the video that is embedded into Lake Michigan to wrap-up the lesson. I also think the video is good because it shows lots of different parts of Michigan, which we will be studying the rest of the school year.

View Michigan in a larger map

D/B6

I think HPI can be used at my school to train us in things like blood borne pathogens and hazordous training. Tasks that need to be taught, but aren't necessarily teaching me how to teach. I can learn new concepts through HPI, but I think on the job training is also important. I think most of what is learned about effective teaching comes from experience with actual kids. You realize how different and unpredictable people think at times. I can still be amazed at how students come up with answers.

The book explains that incentives and giving feedback increase performance. I agree with this. I try to write comments on papers whenever possible. This can be time consuming, but when there is a little note they tend to try harder. For example, if I write "good" on a test I will get a different result if I say "Good! I'm happy to see you took your time taking this test!" Just that little difference can change the outcome of the next test. They see that I really am investing myself into their learning. I also think everyone needs incentives of some kind. I would not take this class if I didn't get something out of taking the class. I want the credit and I want to receive a new degree when I've completed all courses. I want the knowledge I'm gaining so I can do better in my job now.

The podcast I chose is one that shows Daily 5. I chose this because I do Daily 5 in my classroom too. I've read the book, but I wanted to see a different take on how to organize my classroom and reading groups. I actually really like a lot of the ideas. It was nice to see that the teacher explains that she only does three of the groups. I do all five, but last year found one to not be working the way I wanted. It was one of the groups she also took out so it is making me rethink my strategy for this coming year. I really liked a lot of the ideas the teacher had. I also chose this podcast because it came from a teacher and not an author or someone who hasn't worked with kids in years. I think podcasting would work really well as a way to introduce ideas and share ideas during professional developments. I would love to see podcasts of teachers doing small groups in my school district. I would know they had the same expectations and same curriculum as me, but would get to see how they organize things and why. This would be very beneficial.

D/B5

I think the web and Internet will have an impact in all three areas: K-12 education, higher education, and adult education.

In grades K-12 I do not think that the Internet or Web will ever take the place of the teacher completely. I don't think students will all stay home and learn from their computers the way we are doing now. Students will always go to school and interact in person with peers and teachers. I believe this is fundamental to bringing children up socially. I think teachers will use the Internet for drill practice (as stated in the book), for research, and for typing/computer skills. I do all three of these in Third Grade with my students. Although, this is not done daily. My students research about once a week using the Internet. I think this could eventually be changed to students researching more often. I'm assuming at the middle school and high school levels research is done more often and taught using the Internet as well as other resources. I also think that wikis, blogs, and other programs will be used more and more as time goes. I don't' think this is going to happen over the course of only a couple years though. Until this class I have never had to create a blog or wiki. If the teachers don't know how to do these things then they are not going to use them to teach with.

This class is an example of how higher education will be changed. We don't even have to go to campus once all semester for this class. I know many, many people from teachers to nurses to business majors who take online classes for their masters. I love this type of learning. Students are able to work from different locations and when they want to work. I also think the Blackboard system works so well. I was nervous at first it would be confusing, but it really isn't.

I think that adult education will be changed a lot due to the Internet and Web. Adults will like the opportunity to do more at home or at their own pace. The Internet allows for this more. Workforces can train people easier using online programs. They can have the whole office take online tests and have their grades sent in automatically. I really do think that the Internet will be used heavily in education, but I don't think it will ever take over completely.

Podcasts on Daily 5

I have linked to a site with multiple podcasts. I chose this because it has an actual teacher doing the podcast. She explains how she sets up the Daily 5 in her classroom. She has another podcast that shows how she goes about setting up her classroom. This gave me some great ideas on how to add little areas to my classroom.

This is from Elementary Teacher Resources. The site actually has a lot of information for elementary teachers, not just through podcasts. There are even links to other sites. I really enjoyed sifting through all of the information.

http://elementary-teacher-resources.blogspot.com/

Static Image, Video, GoogleMap

This is the front cover of the book Daily 5: Fostering Independence in the Elementary Grades. I use the ideas in this book in my classroom for small groups in Language Arts. It has been a great resource for me.

This is a video that shows Daily 5 in action.



View Larger Map


This is my school.

D/B4

I love the idea of using photo sharing in the classroom, but I don't think it can be used as much as I would like. I think a Science unit would be a great way to include photo sharing. Part of our Science program is to see if plants take in water through the roots or through their leaves and stems. Half of the class waters the roots of their plant only and the other half covers the base of the plant and waters only the leaves and plants. If students took pictures of their plants each day after watering this would be a nice way to see the gradual change in the plants. Students who are absent would not miss what the plant looked like on that day also. It would be good too because the students can label if they were in the "roots group" or the "leaves and stem" group. Another positive is this would not show students or have their names so it would be able to be posted on a site. Incorporating photo sharing into the classroom seems tricky to me. My school is very strict about sharing pictures. The concern is that some students have family members who are not supposed to know where they are and they could be found through the pictures. Even if you put that it was private I would not be allowed to take pictures, let alone post them, without permission from both parents and administrators and in the past this has been difficult to obtain.

I have never had to write a lesson plan organized in quite this way. I found this to be confusing and technical. I agree with some parts of the lesson. The lessons should be centered around the learner, goal oriented, and be measured in a reliable way. I agree that evaluation is a large part of lessons. This is very important now days with all the testing being done. I also agree that the learning should be performance based. This is usually a challenge. I teach basic math facts in third grade and finding ways to teach this without being all about memorization can be difficult.

D/B3

Social bookmarking seems useful to me. I think being able to have your favorite sites all saved in one place is helpful. Last year our school got all new teacher computers and if I would have known this was available I would have saved all my favorites to this. Instead I wrote them all down so I would have them, which takes longer and can be inaccurate if not written down just right. As far as sharing sites between teachers this is also helpful. It would be much easier to share among grade levels if we used social bookmarking. Something else I would like to do is use this as a choice of what students can look at when we go to the computer lab. In my school, each teacher is in charge of what they want to teach the students at the computer lab. I think it would be nice to show students how they can open up the page I've created and read the descriptions to choose what they want to go to. After awhile maybe show them how to choose their own or add to a class page.

I find the definition of instructional design and technology every changing much like teaching itself. I have only been teaching a few years and already I see so many changes occurring on best practices for teaching. Technology changes so much also. It only makes sense that when trying to combine technology with effective learning/teaching the definition is going to evolve. I really think that a good point was made when the book said technology instruction is going to make people think of media. This is why they added the word design because you have to know how to use the technology, but also how to create. I am fortunate enough to have an interactive whiteboard at my school. Every teacher has a SMART Board, but not all teachers know how to design lessons for the board. A lot of teachers continue teaching the way they always have because they do not know how to create lessons using this media. Another good point I think the book made was when talking about ethics. I can see this being a problem more in older grades, but even just being appropriate with technology is a problem at times. Students in young grades will see if they can get away with searching for inappropriate things on the internet. I see this as the beginning of teaching ethics and appropriateness on the computer.

Social Bookmarking and Photo Sharing

Here is the link to my social bookmarking page.


Here are some photos through Flickr you can view. I am not allowed to use photos of the students in my room so I just used family photos.

D/B2

What are your early impressions of using a blog and what was your experience using an RSS Reader this week? Any surprises, pleasant, or otherwise?

I find using a blog interesting. I like that people can comment and everyone can see this. I also like that you can link different sites to the blog. Compared to a Wiki, a blog would be better when you want people's input, but you don't want information changed.
The RSS Reader seems very different to me. I see it more as a way to gain knowledge than explain your own knowledge. I like being able to sift through information quickly and getting the "headlines" before deciding what I actually want to read completely. The very first day I looked at the RSS Reader I didn't like it at all because it felt too overwhelming. Looking back at it a couple times has helped me see how I can use different tools to guide what I look at and review.

Which part(s) of Dale's Cone do you think each tool (Blog, RSS) lends itself best to and why?

I think that the Blog fits into the "Direct Purposeful Experience" if you are creating your own blog. For example, in our class this was a direct, purposeful experience because I didn't just watch a video on this, but created a blog for the first time. I don't just know what a blog is, but know how to use/access/and control a blog. At the same time, reading a blog would be a visual symbol. The letters symbolize words that we string together with previous knowledge.
I see the RSS Reader fitting into the category of exhibits. You can interact with the RSS Reader, but you aren't really creating anything new. Just as Cone says in an exhibit you may turn a crank and this would allow you to gain more knowledge. Using a RSS Reader you may say you like something or mark it as unread, which will increase your knowledge of how to use the RSS Reader. It does not mean you now understand what you are reading. You are gathering information. This reminds me of when I go to a museum and I look at three different exhibits. While looking through RSS Reader feeds I see headlines, unless I choose to click on and read more. When I choose to do this I get a new, visual representation of what I'm looking at. The RSS Reader could be looked at as just a visual symbol also because most of this is reading. I don't think etiher the blog or RSS Reader fit into specifically one category. It depends on how they are used and what their purpose is for each individual.


Considering Seigel's concept of "computer imganation", what do you think would be at least one "imaginative" educational use of each tool (Blog, RSS) that takes advantage of each tool's inherent strengths? That is, what do you think you and/or your students could use these tools for that they might not be able to do with other more simple or low-tech tools? Or, as Postman might ask, what is a problem to which each of these tools is an answer?

At the grade level I teach (3rd), I think the Blog would be used best for discussing matters with parents. For example, I think with parents it would be nice to post information about an upcoming field trip. If I put on there I can have up to four chaperones the parents can begin to comment saying they would like to chaperone. Then, parents know when I get to the fourth chaperone without me having to choose between parents. Another thing a parent could do is say they will be a fifth chaperone and can drive if that is the reason for the limited number of parents. I think this works best because unlike a Wiki I would not want parents to be able to edit my posting, but I would want them to be able to see each other's comments. This is a benefit of a blog.
The RSS would be best used in the classroom as a research tool. They could subscribe to news to gain current events. In my classroom, this seems much harder to utlize because of tight curriculum constraints. It might be good for students to look at current events in Michigan with the race for Governor coming since michigan history is a grade level content expectation for third grade. I don't think I would use RSS often in the classroom, but as a teacher I would use this more to gain information. I can pick and choose topics that are broader than doing a normal Google search so it would be helpful when I want a range of information on one topic. This is especially true when I know I want to continue checking on something because then it is all compacted into one site. I also like that I can get information on books through this. As a teacher and a reader I like getting good book ideas without having to know titles of books.

Here are some interesting feeds I found from Google Reader:

Book Review - The Facebook Effect - By David Kirkpatrick: "A fascinating history of Facebook, and a thoughtful analysis of the Web site’s impact.

Federal government eying free lunches for all students in high-poverty areas, rules for vending machines: "The federal government could soon be paying for lunch for entire communities of children under a new plan in the U.S. House of Representatives. The plan also would create rules for vending machines and dictate training for food service directors.

Wiki and RSS Reader

To view my wiki click here.

R/D1

Teaching using solely technology would be a downfall of education, but teaching with technology is purposeful. I agree with the Reigeluth and Joseph essay that a transformation needs to occur. I think this is true because of technology. Adults and children are used to getting things quickly in today's society. It only takes a push of a button to do so many things that not so long ago took time to figure out. As technology changes so does human behavior. My niece is three years old and picked up an old rotary phone of my mom's. She did not know how to use this, but she does not how to answer a call on iphone. This shows that we must transform our teaching, we need to stay current to what students know before they even come to school. What skills are they really going to need to know? A touchscreen is much more likely to be a part of their future than dials.

I also agree that depending on what you are learning will depend on what technology you use. I teach third grade so a lot of the technological skills I teach are simple tasks such as typing, learning spacing, and learning how to go to a specific website. I teach these tasks while in the computer lab, but in the classroom I use technology to teach other skills. For example, I use the interactive whiteboard daily. This is helpful to me because I can save my lessons from year to year. Also, students are much more likely to stay focused if they have opportunities to come up to the whiteboard. When I teach using the interactive whiteboard the skills are spelling, grammar, vocabulary, math facts, geometry, and so on. It is helpful to me to be able to show a powerpoint for vocabulary that shows a picture of their new word along with the definition. Students are able to experience things they would otherwise not have the opportunity to see. A lot of the students I teach come from poverty and do not know what exists beyond their community. I am able to show them what a barn looks like because of technology. This is simple, but would otherwise just be something they'd hear about if not for technology. Now they can see a video, photographs, and even manipulate objects on an interactive whiteboard to learn more. Technology draws students attention much easier than pencil/paper tasks.

My worries align with the article by Postman. I find my job difficult often due to students not knowing "how to behave in groups". Students come to me not knowing that when someone does something you don't like yelling at them isn't most beneficial. They need to know appropriate responses. Students need to learn some things through experiences made by interacting with others. I teach a lesson weekly (in third grade) about how to behave around other people, how to calm down when you're mad, and how to solve problems dealing with others.

I can use technology to teach ideas, but I have not mastered using technology to help in social situations. Students in my class use computers daily and I have to teach them ettiquette. For instance, I teach the students that when they have headphones on they need to take them off before asking a neighbor for help or else they will yell. I think these are skills that need to be learned in a technological age, although I must agree that students need to learn how to behave in society. Students must know how to share, take turns, be fair, etc. I don't think technology will prepare students for this. I think there must be a balance of both using technology to teach and learning how to behave in society.