Even though I am not planning a career in teaching, I found this class to be extremely valuable. Before this class I was proficient on the basic functions of a computer (email, internet, word, a little PowerPoint and Excel), but there is so much new technology to learn! I found the lessons on PowerPoint, Excel, InspireData, 4Nets, and the Business Letter to be the most valuable for me personally. Outside of the classroom, I think I will use the above lessons with the most frequency.
As a teacher I would use InspireData, Inspiration, Filamentality, Excel and the Newsletter in the classroom. I think Inspiration is great tool to use in the classroom, especially for younger students. Inspiration allows students to organize their ideas in a visual and creative way. InspireData is a program that I would use over Access any time! I loved InspireData. InspireData is visual, easy to use and easy to teach which makes it a great program for both students and teachers. The Filamentality Hotlist is another fantastic tool that I would definitely use in the classroom. I had the most fun creating my Filamentality project! I think students would enjoy this type of interactive assignment much more than a simple worksheet that is to be filled out with the facts from a book. The websites you add onto Filamentality are fun and interactive and keep students engaged and interested in learning. I would also use a weekly Newsletter to keep parents and students informed of what is going on inside and outside of the class. Using Microsoft Word to create a newsletter with colorful graphics and WordArt is a great communication tool. I would use Excel as a teacher to keep track of the grades of my students so that I could keep them apprise of their progress as well as to keep myself organized. I felt the Blogs, the Rubric and the Software Evaluations did not have very much value for me personally. I think the largest reason for this is because I do not plan on becoming a teacher. The Blogs I found to be time consuming but not the most valuable use of time. I think the idea of a Blog is great, but having to write one every week and respond to two Blogs I felt to be excessive considering the level of value they bring. I think the creation of the Rubric was very fun, but not valuable to me personally. I also found the Software Evaluations to be of less value to me for the same reason. I think if I was planning on becoming a teacher I would definitely find the Rubric and Evaluations valuable, but not necessarily the Blogs….
I think the video project was very fun to do! However, I feel there could be improvement on the amount of time we are given to do the video project. I feel that the video project holds a lot of value and possibility for learning but we were not given enough time to fully capitalize on it. I enjoyed the video and learning the technology and editing, but when working with a group it is difficult to get everyone together and film given only one week.
All in all, I think this class is very valuable and I learned so much!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Blog 14
The article, “Splicing Video into the Writing Process,” is a very informative article on the concept of teaching students through the creation of a video. The aspect I like most about this concept is the required collaboration of the entire class. The class is divided up into groups based on their strengths. There will be a director, a talent crew, a writing crew, etc. This brings the whole class together which I think is a great skill to master for the real world. The project not only teaches students how to work together, but it also teaches them the facts of the topic they are working on as well as technology, writing and creativity. The example the article describes is the Civil War documentary created by one class. Students are compelled to learn about the Civil War in depth so that their video is accurate. Another aspect I enjoyed about this type of project is that the students help each other when filming. For example, they work together to come up with ideas on how to prompt the actors to remember their lines. They also all come together to edit when the class views the rough draft of the video. Everyone has an idea on what to do when it comes to editing. This is where the creative process can be explored. One student wants to add sound or cut a clip or add in a picture from the web. Learning through this type of exploration is one of the best ways to remember something. As everyone vies for their ideas to be heard, students have to learn to work together. When working together, students have to accept that some ideas will be used and some will not. In this way, students learn when to be leaders and when to accept the ideas of others. When the video is finished, the students invite their parents to watch the video they worked so hard on. I think this part of the project is important. Knowing the video is going to be presented to parents and peers, students will work extra hard to make sure it is done right.
I found the filming process of movie making to be very fun. I was not sure how I would feel about it at first as I am not experienced in acting or film. However, as a group, we had a lot of fun with the project. It is interesting to watch other people act and give as well as get feedback. I was concerned with how the lighting and sound was going to come out because we filmed outside. For the most part, everything turned out great. There are a couple of parts in our film when the camera was too far away from the actor and the result is poor sound quality. This is the first project I have ever had to film and then edit. The editing process was also very fun. To cut out bloopers and add in sound effects and transitions is great. The best part, of course, is watching the final project and seeing how all your hard work has come together. If I were a classroom teacher considering movie making for a class project, I would definitely talk to other teachers first for tips. It is important to give students enough time to complete the project correctly. I felt my group was very pressed for time as we only had 1 week from the time the project was assigned to the time the filming had to be done. Granted, the film was not required to be very long, but given mishaps and multiple people’s schedules, enough time is essential. I also think it is important to make sure students understand how to use the filming equipment. It is very easy to record over scenes you wanted to save or even film with the cap on! When assigning this type of a project to younger students, there may need to be a bit more direction. You can’t just tell younger students where to get a video camera and tell them to start like you can with college students. We were required to make and submit a storyboard before we were allowed to begin filming. I think this step is especially important for younger students. Storyboarding allows the teacher to monitor the students’ progress and topic choice before they begin the filming process. All in all, I think film making is a great way to teach group collaboration, creativity, technology and content.
I found the filming process of movie making to be very fun. I was not sure how I would feel about it at first as I am not experienced in acting or film. However, as a group, we had a lot of fun with the project. It is interesting to watch other people act and give as well as get feedback. I was concerned with how the lighting and sound was going to come out because we filmed outside. For the most part, everything turned out great. There are a couple of parts in our film when the camera was too far away from the actor and the result is poor sound quality. This is the first project I have ever had to film and then edit. The editing process was also very fun. To cut out bloopers and add in sound effects and transitions is great. The best part, of course, is watching the final project and seeing how all your hard work has come together. If I were a classroom teacher considering movie making for a class project, I would definitely talk to other teachers first for tips. It is important to give students enough time to complete the project correctly. I felt my group was very pressed for time as we only had 1 week from the time the project was assigned to the time the filming had to be done. Granted, the film was not required to be very long, but given mishaps and multiple people’s schedules, enough time is essential. I also think it is important to make sure students understand how to use the filming equipment. It is very easy to record over scenes you wanted to save or even film with the cap on! When assigning this type of a project to younger students, there may need to be a bit more direction. You can’t just tell younger students where to get a video camera and tell them to start like you can with college students. We were required to make and submit a storyboard before we were allowed to begin filming. I think this step is especially important for younger students. Storyboarding allows the teacher to monitor the students’ progress and topic choice before they begin the filming process. All in all, I think film making is a great way to teach group collaboration, creativity, technology and content.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Blog 11
Bridging the Digital Divide is a great article on how to overcome the obstacles presented by technology. Not every student has a computer at home or parents who know how to use a computer. A lot of the time, the only time a student has access to a computer is at school. For this reason, it is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure students are equal in their technology intelligence. The article gives suggestions on how to create equality with regard to technology. Considering many schools only give students access to computers in a computer lab…a greater accessibility to computers is needed. The article states that computer labs can be intimidating, can make computers seem like an extra addition to school rather than a necessary part of everyday school. The way our world is now, I think it is very important that students have daily access to computers. I think this unlimited access is the only way students will be able to keep up with the changing world of technology…especially if they do no have access at home. The article suggests computers be used in a lab as well as in the classroom. If the school does not have enough funding to have multiple computers in one classroom, the article suggests grouping a couple of computers with two chairs each to create a sort of computer station. In this way, more than one student can use a computer at a time and the access is easier and more frequent than in a lab. The article also brings up the issue of software in classrooms. Often, the school does not have enough funding to have software that enhances the different learning styles of students. The article suggests using productivity software and internet resources to broaden the type of software students are exposed to. It is difficult to cater to each student’s learning style, but if students have a choice of how to create a certain project, they can choose the software that compliments their style. Another fantastic idea the article brings up is the one of getting parents involved in the technology their students are learning. If parents do not have experience with technology, it may be hard for them to guide their children. The article suggests opening up the computer lab in the evening for students and parents who need extra help or just time on a computer. Regarding the issue of lack of funding for school systems, the article says this is no excuse. There are always ways to get donations to schools! All in all, I think this is a great article that touches on a very important issue in the education system today.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Blog # 9
I thought the midterm was appropriately challenging. I had to really think about question number one because I had not reviewed the extensions before the test. I know I lost a little bit of time on this question but, I think I got remembered them all. Adjusting the document margins was easy for me, as was inserting a header and using WordArt. The ISTE search was a little tricky because when I searched for an article with the word ‘ethics’ in the title, the first two results did not look like journal articles to me. The first two results either did not have an author or did not have a journal issue listed. So, I did not know if # 2 was a trick question or not….not that Erika would do that to us . I decided to go with the third article listed because it showed both a journal issue and an author…I hope that was right! Question # 3 on Excel took me a few minutes until I realized I had to compute the numbers into percentages of the total number of students before I could make an accurate pie chart. The questions about average and sum formulas were fairly easy to me because I reviewed them beforehand. The use of Clipart and wrapping text around a picture was also fairly easy. However, I did not know how to wrap text before we did the Newsletter. Question # 7 on Inspiration got me! I had my Inspiration diagram all done but, because I still do not know how to do a screen shot I lost the notes part of the diagram when I copied and pasted it into my midterm! I can’t believe I forgot to learn how to do a screen shot! It is such a simple thing and since I am not a Mac user, I forgot all about it! I also thought the question about PowerPoint was fairly easy. I am familiar with PowerPoint and I actually remembered the lecture on PowerPoint, so coming up with three things to consider when making a PowerPoint presentation came pretty easily. All in all, I think I did pretty well, but not without effort.
I thought the midterm was appropriately challenging. I had to really think about question number one because I had not reviewed the extensions before the test. I know I lost a little bit of time on this question but, I think I got remembered them all. Adjusting the document margins was easy for me, as was inserting a header and using WordArt. The ISTE search was a little tricky because when I searched for an article with the word ‘ethics’ in the title, the first two results did not look like journal articles to me. The first two results either did not have an author or did not have a journal issue listed. So, I did not know if # 2 was a trick question or not….not that Erika would do that to us . I decided to go with the third article listed because it showed both a journal issue and an author…I hope that was right! Question # 3 on Excel took me a few minutes until I realized I had to compute the numbers into percentages of the total number of students before I could make an accurate pie chart. The questions about average and sum formulas were fairly easy to me because I reviewed them beforehand. The use of Clipart and wrapping text around a picture was also fairly easy. However, I did not know how to wrap text before we did the Newsletter. Question # 7 on Inspiration got me! I had my Inspiration diagram all done but, because I still do not know how to do a screen shot I lost the notes part of the diagram when I copied and pasted it into my midterm! I can’t believe I forgot to learn how to do a screen shot! It is such a simple thing and since I am not a Mac user, I forgot all about it! I also thought the question about PowerPoint was fairly easy. I am familiar with PowerPoint and I actually remembered the lecture on PowerPoint, so coming up with three things to consider when making a PowerPoint presentation came pretty easily. All in all, I think I did pretty well, but not without effort.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Blog # 8
Hello Class,
When I saw we had an assignment on Excel I was far from excited. I used to be terrified of Excel! I thought it was so complicated with all its formulas and split cell commands….Since I began working at my current job, I have been forced to become somewhat familiar with Excel. However, I was still not comfortable with it. After reviewing the Excel tutorial and taking the quiz I realized I was as bad at Excel as I thought and that it is actually a great tool to have knowledge of. With the assignment I played around with Excel formulas and charts and realized once you know the basics, Excel is a necessary tool…especially for teachers! Needless to say, I learned a great deal about Excel with this most recent lesson and I think that from a teacher’s standpoint working knowledge of Excel is mandatory!
With the software evaluation, I learned a great deal about some of the educational software that is out there. For one, I learned that most of the software is available for parents as well as for teachers. Because I am not planning on becoming a teacher, but I am planning on having children, I found this assignment very interesting. Many of the software I reviewed, like Timez Attack and Starfall’s Reading and Writing Journal, I would buy as a parent. If I had a child at home who was learning to read, I would definitely buy Starfall’s software. This software is easy and fun to use and would be very useful when teaching a child to read.
I also enjoyed the articles on WebQuests. Before class the other day, I had absolutely no idea what a WebQuest or Filamentality was. In the first article, “5 rules for writing a Great WebQuest,” I learned the five important points to consider when creating a WebQuest: find great sites, orchestrate you learners and resources, challenge your learners, use the medium, and scaffold high expectations. The last point I find very important because one of the main things WebQuests allow a teacher to do is help the student along. When working with younger grades or even special education children, the teacher is able to give more help in a WebQuest and less help with older students. I like that with WebQuest, a teacher can tailor a lesson or an assignment to meet different needs. WebQuests are a great way to implement Bloom’s Taxonomy because WebQuests require students to understand the material, not just memorize facts. I also enjoyed the fact that WebQuests mostly include real world problems or controversy. This small dose of reality keeps students aware and involved in the world around them.
When I saw we had an assignment on Excel I was far from excited. I used to be terrified of Excel! I thought it was so complicated with all its formulas and split cell commands….Since I began working at my current job, I have been forced to become somewhat familiar with Excel. However, I was still not comfortable with it. After reviewing the Excel tutorial and taking the quiz I realized I was as bad at Excel as I thought and that it is actually a great tool to have knowledge of. With the assignment I played around with Excel formulas and charts and realized once you know the basics, Excel is a necessary tool…especially for teachers! Needless to say, I learned a great deal about Excel with this most recent lesson and I think that from a teacher’s standpoint working knowledge of Excel is mandatory!
With the software evaluation, I learned a great deal about some of the educational software that is out there. For one, I learned that most of the software is available for parents as well as for teachers. Because I am not planning on becoming a teacher, but I am planning on having children, I found this assignment very interesting. Many of the software I reviewed, like Timez Attack and Starfall’s Reading and Writing Journal, I would buy as a parent. If I had a child at home who was learning to read, I would definitely buy Starfall’s software. This software is easy and fun to use and would be very useful when teaching a child to read.
I also enjoyed the articles on WebQuests. Before class the other day, I had absolutely no idea what a WebQuest or Filamentality was. In the first article, “5 rules for writing a Great WebQuest,” I learned the five important points to consider when creating a WebQuest: find great sites, orchestrate you learners and resources, challenge your learners, use the medium, and scaffold high expectations. The last point I find very important because one of the main things WebQuests allow a teacher to do is help the student along. When working with younger grades or even special education children, the teacher is able to give more help in a WebQuest and less help with older students. I like that with WebQuest, a teacher can tailor a lesson or an assignment to meet different needs. WebQuests are a great way to implement Bloom’s Taxonomy because WebQuests require students to understand the material, not just memorize facts. I also enjoyed the fact that WebQuests mostly include real world problems or controversy. This small dose of reality keeps students aware and involved in the world around them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)