Last Week of Class

The end of the semester is here and we are now in our final week of class. This semester has gone by really fast. It is hard to believe it is already over. This was my first class towards my Master's degree and I enjoyed the introduction to educational technology. I learned a lot about different technologies that I can use in my classroom. I also was introduced to some new software. I even used some of the software in my classroom that I assist in. 

I also found out a lot of great information about teaching online, which will definitely come in handy as I try to get a job with a virtual school. I hope to get my foot in the door and start my virtual teaching career. I am looking forward to other classes that I am going to sign up for to continue my Master's program. I am excited to learn even more about educational technology. 

It was great to work with everybody in this class! Thanks for reading my blog and adding your comments. Good luck to everybody!

Tiffany

Teaching Online

Lately I have thought a lot about teaching online. This class (EME 5050) has sparked my interest in virtual school. I have even researched the virtual school for the county I live in. It is called Volusia Virtual School. You can find out more about it by going to www.volusiavirtual.org . Students can enroll for free and choose either full time (K-12) or part time (Grades 9-12). I think it would be a great experience to teach online. I have many great resources now through this class to help me get started.

The only thing I am concerned about is that when I researched employment opportunites I noticed that the employer would prefer to hire teachers with at least 3 years teaching experience. Although I am still going to apply, it makes me wonder why they would have that requirement. The only way to gain experience is for someone to hire you. I am hopeful that I can get into a virtual school and begin teaching online.

I would love the opportunity to use the new technology I have learned through this course. I have also looked into the Florida Virtual School and am going to continue checking for employment vacancies. One thing that I think would be a great perk to teaching online is that I could work from home. Although I do not have children yet, I would love to be able to stay home when I do. Now is the time to start working towards the goal of teaching online.

Anyone have any thoughts on virtual schools?

My Digital Storytelling Example

Click here to view my digital storytelling example!


My digital story is an example for my Kindergarten class. I want them to write about what they would plant in a garden because we are learning about plants right now. They can include the types of plants they would want to plant and some of the tools they may use. They are only required to write a 3 sentence story and draw a picture (using the program). However, some students will write more. I will put all of the individual stories together to make a class story.

Please comment on what you liked or did not like about the example. It is pretty basic because it is for 5 and 6 year olds. Please take that into consideration.

Thank you!

Tiffany

Digital Stories for Kindergarten

Digital Storytelling is a great way for students to share stories. There are many benefits to digital storytelling, which I shared in the video on my last post. This week I decided to think about how I could incorporate digital storytelling into my Kindergarten curriculum. I want to integrate it with what we are learning about in the next couple weeks. This week we are on Spring Break, so I am going to integrate it next week.

In Kindergarten we really push writing. Currently our students should be able to write a three sentence story focused on one topic. So I am going to start my digital storytelling project by having my class all write three sentences about a specific topic. Then, I am going to bring in my laptop, since it has a built-in microphone. I found a great digital storytelling program that is geared towards younger students. It is called Little Bird Tales, found at http://littlebirdtales.com. As I was babysitting today, I had two girls (a 7 yr old and 11 yr old) help me create an example for my class. See below.

I have not decided what the topic is going to be yet. When I return on Monday, I am going to find out from the teacher I work with what topics we are covering in Science and Social Studies and choose a topic that will integrate that curriculum. Using the program I have talked about, I will have each student record their voice telling me their three sentences and then they will each draw a picture to go with their story. I will put all these together to make one class story. I think my students will love this. They are going to have fun with it. I will be sure to post the final product.

• Click to view my tale.
• 

Create a Digital Story

Digital Storytelling on Prezi

Save Yourself Some Time with Quick Keys!

As I was reading the module for my Educational Technology class, I came across a section about using quick keys. Quick keys are keyboard shortcuts that can save you time when using your PC or Mac. I have never really given much thought to learning some quick keys. The only ones I am aware of are Command+C to copy selected text to the clipboard and Command+V to paste. Keep in mind that these shortcuts I am listing are for a Mac, since that is what I use personally.

I decided to research some quick keys that I could use in my daily routine on my Macbook. Here are a few that I think I would use the most:

Command+M: Minimize window

Command+W: Close window

Command+X: Cut

Command+Delete: Move to trash

Command+I: Italicize the selected text

Command+B: Boldface the selected text

Command+P: Display the Print dialog

Command+S: Save the active document

Command+N: New blank document (if Word is active) or new window (if Safari is active)

Command+T: New Tab (when using Safari)

Some of these can save a lot of time and definitely be useful to anyone with a Mac. To find shortcuts for Windows, you can go to this website: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449. There are several keyboard shortcuts on there for Windows. I am definitely going to use this knowledge to help save myself some time. You can do the same!

Cell phones... learning tool or just a distraction?

Should cell phones be used as a learning tool in the classroom or are they only a distraction?

When trying to answer this question, I feel as though I am split down the middle. I can see both the pros and cons of allowing students to have cell phones in class. I want to look at both the pros and cons.

First, let’s think about why teachers may not want to use cell phones in the classroom. Some obvious reasons are that they are disruptive and noisy. If a phone goes off in your class with some up-beat ringtone, everyone is going to be distracted from their work. Another reason that phones can be a distraction is because most kids have games and other applications loaded onto their phone that they are going to be tempted to play when they think their teacher is not looking. Something that kids and young adults are really into nowadays is texting. It would be really easy for a student to pull out their phone, put their hands in their desk, and start texting while you are teaching. I am big on texting myself and I know how easy it is to send text messages. I don’t even have to look at my phone while I text because I have the keys memorized. I can imagine that students would use this to their advantage as well. Students have also used cell phones to cheat on tests. Whether they are texting a friend the answers or taking a picture of the test and sending it to a friend, there are many ways cell phones can be used to cheat.

Now let’s look at the opposite side of the issue and think about how cell phones could be incorporated into the curriculum. I looked at a Scholastic article called, Lift the Cell Phone Ban, (http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751073) and found this quote by Dolman, “It’s a stereotype of teenagers—that you can’t trust them with a cell phone. Our experience was that if you give them the opportunity to use them, and you give them guidelines to go with that use, you won’t have problems.” I can see how this would work. If you give specific guidelines in order to use the cell phones, students will either follow them or will no longer be allowed to use them. The majority of students in middle school and above have cell phones; many of them even have a Smartphone. It would not be hard to get enough students to bring in their phones for certain activities. A few ways to use cell phones in the classroom are: polling, taking pictures with digital cameras, text messaging for assignments or quizzes, Internet access, calculators, or even using the calendar to set reminders for due dates.

There are many benefits of using cell phones in a classroom, especially since this is a digital age. However, there are also some potential problems with allowing cell phone usage. I definitely think it would be something I would try if I taught middle or high school. My Kindergarteners might be a little confused and quite frankly, I would be shocked if many of them had cell phones. Overall, I think using cell phones in an educational setting is something that is worth a try. 

Classroom Blogs!

I have been thinking a lot about blogs this week. I have never had a blog before, but I am learning a lot about ways to use them. People use blogs for many different reasons. Some blogs can be personal like one that is written by a mother or wife. I have a close friend who is a military wife and does not live near her family now. Therefore, she decided to start a blog so that all of her family and friends can stay updated with her and her husband’s life. Some blogs can be for a business or work-related. There are also several blogs that are used in classrooms. Some can be educational, which are written by teachers for other teachers. Another aspect of a classroom blog is to write for the students and parents of your class. This is the type of blog I am interested in implementing into my classroom! There is a 1^st grade teacher at my school who is very involved with technology and I found the blog she uses for her class. I have now bookmarked this blog so that I can follow it in hopes of learning some great resources and technological ideas for the classroom. http://wrightsclass.blogspot.com/ Feel free to look at her blog!

I think a classroom blog can be very informational for parents. You can let them know about important things that are happening in your class. You can also use the blog to post pictures of things you are doing with your students. Parents love seeing pictures of their children at school. In the blog I linked above, the teacher even posted several videos. One of the most recent posts was where the teacher had the students in her class make paper slide videos. Yes, even first graders can make their own videos! It is a really neat concept. I also noticed in another post, the teacher made a slideshow of some of the student’s work for a particular assignment. What an awesome way to showcase what her class has done!

I am looking forward to starting a blog for my own classroom! I will include the students in the process of writing posts for the blog that way they can learn how to use blogs early on! While Kindergarteners may not be able to write their own blogs, it is never too early to learn about blogs and give some input into what we write!

Convenience of Teachers

“Are we doing what is best for our students or are we doing what is most convenient for us?”

To answer this question, I think you need to look at individual teachers. There are definitely teachers who teach for convenience and are just trying to take the easy road and teach what is required of them. However, there are also teachers who not only teach the curriculum provided to them, but also go above and beyond, trying to give their students an enriching learning experience.

Let’s look at the first option. Education is based highly on standardized testing these days. It is not uncommon to hear teachers 3^rd grade and above talking about preparing their students for the FCAT and how everything they are teaching is for that purpose. I believe that we can easily get lost in teaching to the test. There are also teachers who are simply teaching out of the textbook, making sure to hit the required standards, but not engaging their students. I am not saying that teaching to the standards is bad, just that there is so much more to expand on. They are teaching for convenience.

Looking at the other side, there are teachers who truly are doing what is best for their students. I work part time with a Kindergarten teacher, helping out the struggling students in her class. It is amazing to see the experiences that she gives these students. Her classroom is so busy (in a good way) with new, exciting activities every day. Technology can play a significant part in creating these experiences for our 21^st century students. We have a Promethean board in our classroom and it is enlightening to see the students’ faces light up when they are called to come up to the board and interact with it. Although, there are so many technological resources out there for teachers that are not being used. Think about how much our kids these days crave the use of technology. Whether it is playing video games, posting on Facebook, texting on smart phones, playing music on iPods, etc., they associate these items with something fun. Therefore when we bring technology into the classroom and give our students the opportunity to use it in an educational setting, it is easily going to enhance their learning. Unfortunately technology is expensive and not everybody can afford it. However, there are inexpensive ways to get started and integrate some technology into your classroom.

So overall, it is up to teachers as to whether they teach for convenience or do what is best for their students. Teaching is a demanding job. As a first year teacher last year, I completely understand how easy it could be to do the bare minimum. It is not easy getting up at the crack of dawn to go in and prepare things for the day and then go home and have a mile high stack of papers to grade. The work is never-ending. The feeling you get, however, when you see the delight in your students’ eyes and see the light bulb go off, over and over again, makes it all worth it. Stop teaching for your convenience and give your students your best! They deserve it!