Monday, December 6, 2010

Using Podcasts in the Classroom

It is easy to tell a student about an event in history; it is much harder to help them connect and experience it.  For example, take Martin Luther King Day.  Schools have a day off to honor him, yet most teachers do not do more than read a book to commemorate the day and teach students about Martin Luther King.  Merely reading a book does not do much to connect students to what they are learning about.  However, you can use podcasts in the classroom to help make that history come a little bit more alive for students.  For example, the Education Podcast Network provides an excellent podcast on Martin Luther King that can be used in the classroom.  Varying up the teaching method, such as using a podcast as opposed to always using a book, is a great way to capture students' attention, while exposing them to new technology and new ideas.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

epals

The aspect of epals that I found to be the most intriguing and useful is that of the classroom projects collaboration option.  I have been told throughout this program that the best resource in education is other teachers.  We have been encouraged to collaborate, share ideas, and branch out of our comfort zone.  Epals allows for this collaboration to take place on a larger scale than is possible just within your own school or district.  Lessons are posted, complete with standards, for your perusal.  Teachers are also offered a forum in which to discuss lesson ideas, questions, or suggestions.  It is the ideal resource for a new teacher, who may be looking for lesson ideas and unsure of where to turn to.  All in all, it is a great resource for all teachers, new or veteran!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Using Flickr in the Classroom



Flickr can be very useful in the classroom.  It is a way to utilize photographs in lessons, while teaching students about attribution and plagiarism. It also provides a safer way for students to peruse pictures online, as opposed to using something like Google, which may turn up inappropriate and undesired responses.  Another fun thing to do with Flickr and your class would be to start a classroom Flickr account, to share things that the class is doing throughout the year.





One great Flickr tool that I found helpful was Bubblr.  This site allows you to create comic strips using pictures from Flickr.  I think that this is a great tool to use in the classroom, because it allows students to be creative, and using their storytelling abilities, through the use of images.

Share It, But Attribute It! -Using Flickr Properly


What you need to know about copyrighted work before you use Flickr:


Attribution:  Others may copy, distribute, display and perform your copyrighted work, and other works based on it, but this is contingent on them giving you credit for what they use.

Noncommerical:  Others may copy, distribute, display, and perform your work, and works based on it, but this is contingent on it being used for noncommerial purposes only.

No Derivative Works: Others may copy, distribute, display and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.

Share Alike:  Others are allowed to distribute derivative works, but only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

An idea I came across in Niki's Learning Technology Blog that I really liked was the idea of using 12 second video clips in Twitter.  It is microblogging, but in video format.  This was suggested as a tool for English language learners, but I think that there are some other great ways it can be used also.  For example, students who are learning a language in school such as Spanish or French can do a class blog, not posting in type, but in short video clips, thus practicing speaking the language and practicing comprehension when others speak it.  My sister is a speech pathologist, and microblogging through video clips could work well with what she does, as it focuses on speaking as communication, rather than typing, thus giving the client further practice.

As for microblogging in general, while I am not a fan of resources such as Twitter, they do have one aspect that appeals to me that is addressed in Scribd that really appeals to me;  instantaneous response.  With so many people having smart phones nowadays, and our constant connection to the internet and social networking sites, Twitter can offer the immediate gratification that other methods of communication do not. If you have a Twitter account set up for your classroom, and your students subscribe to it, you have a direct means of contact, especially if students have their tweets sent to their phone, as many people do.  This provides for a more constant flow of information and ideas, and the ability to react and respond to those ideas from virtually anywhere.  However, in my opinion, the jury is still out on whether or not Twitter should be used in the classroom in regards to internet safety.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

I think that the idea of embracing children's creativity, as presented in the post "In Your Dreams" from the "Learning With 'e's" blog is a very important concept.  I think that too often children's natural creativity is ignored, and not utilized in the classroom to the fullest extent possible.  This blog post considers the idea that not only can we encourage a child's creativity in school, but we can do so using technology.  This is an interesting idea to further look into.


Learning With 'e's

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Read Kiddo Read

ReadKiddoRead

I really like this group because not only am I an avid reader myself, but I feel very strongly about getting kids interested in reading, not only in the classroom but at home.  One of the resources about this group that I particularly liked was that it offers lesson plan ideas for different children's books.  I was surprised to find lesson plans for one of my personal favorites, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus."  They also offer things such as book suggestions to use for students, broken down into genres. All in all, it is a great resource that I plan on fully utilizing!

Everybody Loves Play Doh

A learner is like play doh.  They never stay the same.  They are constantly changing, being molded into different things.  Play doh inspires creativity and imagination, two things that are necessary in keeping your learner occupied and interested.  Under capable hands play doh can be molded into fantastic creations.  Similarly, under the proper tutelage learners can be molded into students with a lifelong love of learning.  As George Siemens wrote, "Learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime."  Our job is to make sure that they are interested in learning throughout life.

Taking that into consideration, as teachers we must be lifelong learners too.  We must be willing to mix things up now and then, squish our play doh back into a ball and try something new with it, mold new lessons, incorporate new technologies and new ideas.  As depicted in George Siemens' video on the conflict of learning theories with human nature, "Its not just what we know today that is important, it is our ability to stay current as knowledge changes."  If we cannot change with knowledge, if we are not willing to re-mold our play doh, then we are not doing our job as educators.

George Siemens Article

George Siemens Video

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Technology as a Pro and a Con

I watched the video, A Vision of K-12 Students Today and had mixed feelings about the message being presented.  Overall, I agree with the idea that teachers need to be up on technology, and need to integrate technology into their classroom and lessons.  It is a waste not to incorporate the interests of the child into your attempts to teach them something.  If a child is constantly glued to their ipod, why not give them educational podcasts to listen to?  You need to work with those interests to come up with the best learning experience you can give that child.  However, it really bothered me in the video where the signs were reading things that were implying that we should be giving the children technology based things all the time, anytime, whenever they wanted.  A friend of my is currently reading the book  "Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul" By Stuart Brown.  She was telling me how it discusses all the technology given to children today and that in addition to helping them, it is hindering them.  Back before all of this technology kids were forced to be more creative with their free time, making up their own games, using their imaginations.  But nowadays so much of that is done for them, with interactive toys that not only give them something to play, but tell them how to play, what to think, etc.  This has resulted in adults entertaining the workplace without the creativity to come up with innovative ways to do things that their predecessors had.  Some of the brightest minds in NASA right now are retiring, and they are concerned about the incoming people who are taking their jobs, because they lack the innovativeness and creativity that is necessary in a job like that.  Taking this into consideration, I found it ironic that some of the signs being held up referred to creativity as something that needed technology to grow.  So while I think that technology in the classroom is a good idea, I think that it is a fine line to walk, and that teachers need to be aware that not everything should be replaced by technology, because you risk losing valuable skills in the process.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Blogs Helping With Homework

Back in the day if we had a homework question outside of school hours, we would have to call a friend in the class and hope they knew the answer.  Now though, if you have a question, there are a variety of ways to get ahold of a classmate for help.  Kids can text, email, IM, and facebook chat with a classmate.  However, having a class homework help blog might be the more beneficial way to go.  With the other methods, it is restricted to one classmate helping another, and doesn't benefit other students in the classroom that might have the same question.  If the teacher had a homework help blog, students could post questions for each other on assignments, help each other out, and even help prevent misunderstandings on assignments that may occur when information is being exchanged between two students instead of the whole class.
TSLT Goal 3: Standard 1


I also find that blogging would be a good way for students to express their opinions on what is going on in the news in a safe environment.  Many times in the classroom it is intimidating to express your opinion on current events, especially for shy students, and being able to express your thoughts on different matters affecting the world through a blog can be much easier.  This is also a good way for teachers to make sure that everyone participates.  By posing a question to students and asking them to respond via blog, they are giving every student the opportunity to express their opinion, while also allowing them time to compose their thoughts and word their answers regarding what sometimes could be delicate topics, a chance they wouldn't have face to face in the classroom.
TSLT Goal 4: Standard 1


Lastly, Blogging can be used as a way to keep parents informed on what is going on in the classroom.  By allowing parents access to the blogs, they can see what is being discussed in school, and can continue the discussions/learning in the home.


TSLT Goal 4: Standard 1

Safety Tips

I think that many kids realize the safety tips we have been drilling into their heads all these years such as do not talk to anyone online that you do not know, do not give out personal information to anyone you do not know, do  not assume that people are who they say they are online, etc.  However, I think something that kids do not seem to understand is how easy it is for people they do not know to glean information about them simply from looking at things such as their blogs and Facebook accounts.  Too many kids are posting their school schedules for their friends, their works schedules, and other personal details that make finding them, and finding out about them, frighteningly easy.  Therefore I think it would be good policy to teach students how easy it is for a stranger to find out all about them.  Some good rules for students to keep in mind are:

(1) Never post when you will be out of town, or home alone
(2) Do not post any sort of schedules such as work, school, etc.
(3) Do not post personal details such as where you work, or where you go to school
(4) Do not post direct names of friends and family
(5) Make your settings private so that the only people who can find/access your blog are people you have invited/approved