Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Session 2
Share your ideas/plans for embedding technology tools in your classroom instruction to help students communicate/collaborate globally. What would you like your students to gain from technology usage? How do you envision the use of these tools will enhance students' learning in your classes?
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38 comments:
Like I have said, I have been out of the classroom for quite a while. We are just a week into this class and I am blown away by what is taking place in schools now. I realize I need to familiarize myself with the computer and all of the tools we have now to enhance learning. I like the idea of a flat classroom. I could see how students would get excited about working collaboratively with students from around the world. Using the flat classroom would allow students to gain computer and communication skills while broadening their knowledge of the topic studied and of another culture.
I would love to know some websights or tools I could use for pre scool age children. I would appreciate any reccomendations.
I was just subbing for a French class this last week, and it had been a couple decades since I had to be asked "Parlez-vous français?". I used Google Translator trying to help the student interpret the French to English text.
I was reading this week how Google Translator was giving students confident to communicate to other students in different countries. I think that would be a great way to incorporate technology to encourage the flat classroom effect and set up some type of discussion/collaboration with students outside the USA.
Last summer I took a course on Middle School Literature. I gained so many new ideas and have implemented them into my 7th and 8th grade lit. courses! Now I am excited to try some of the web tools that I found out about in last weeks session. I think I could use some of the technology tools in place of some of the other activities that we are presently doing in our circles. One thing I really would like to try is a collaborative effort between the 7th and 8th grade lit. circles. I'm not quite sure how I could do this, yet. Right now I am getting exposed to all sorts of really cool technology tools, but I feel like I need to take some time to use the tools on my own before I can say which ones I really want to embed within my class lessons. But all of this is really exciting for me and my students. I like to change things up every now and then so that learning takes place without boredom and drudgery! This way, I will be changing it up and exposing them to critical technological materials and techniques that will carry them through our globally connected world!
I would like to begin using think.com again. The nice thing about this site was that students could communicate with other students all over the world and join different collaborative projects, but all content on the site was monitored and flagged if anything inappropriate was posted. I think it would be neat to have students create a podcast like the ones from Willow Canyon. In the intro to their podcast, the teacher said that they used a site called garageband, which I had not heard of before. I am going to look into using this site. I have found it more difficult this year to integrate technology tools, than in years past because I change classrooms every period. I need to make a greater effort to use some new tools for the sake of my students.
As an art teacher it is hard to me to find technology that can apply to my art class, other than using graphic design and certain computer programs to teach content. I liked the music portion of the article where the teacher has his students record music electronically. At my old school, the art program teamed up with the music teacher who was doing this very same thing. The art program made videos to go along with the students music. I am also thinking of making an online gallery of student work, as a way to communicate globally. I could have my students access galleries of students around the world, and see the work they are producing as well.
I have used web 2.0 tools to intro duce and reinforce math concepts. However, I don't do it as often as I should. I would like to do it more. The students learn a lot and they love it. As well as learning the math concepts, I would like the students to learn to navigate through the different sites and become familiar with whatever tool they are using.
I do not have a classroom right now but my daughter is a preschooler so I plan to integrate technology when I am working with her. For younger students in the primary grades, I would have them utilize Kerpoof to make drawings or movies about what they are learning in class. For example, if they were studying the water cycle, I would have them draw the cycle using Kerpoof. I'd also incorporate Voki to have them give a voice to what they learned, to convey their message to others.
The GSN site excites me the most and the activities for students can start at five years of age. I would definitely find a collaboration project for my students. The idea that they can partner with other students across the globe is awesome. They not only are learning about researching a project, they are also learning about different cultures, effective communication, technology, etc. The list goes on and on.
Integrating technology broadens a students perspective of their world, will inspire them to write more, teaches them another skill, as well as problem solving. The activities can be very current and relevant to them. Being a global student will promote tolerance and acceptance of other people and cultures.
Being on Leave of Absence this yearhas left me feeling a bit out of touch, but I am finding myself excited about incorporating more technology tools into my classroom next year. I am looking forward to utilizing more of my computer lab time to explore these web tools instead of simply doing tech-steps & Odyessy.
It would be easy to start listing all of the technology tools that we use in my classroom everyday. This topic really got me thinking, "which, if any, of these tools actually connect students to a global community?" We can interact with a whiteboard, build DNA on iPads, and research on laptops, but it almost seems wasted if it remains confined to my classroom. I work at a school that definitely needs more exposure to people of different cultures who have different backgrounds, beliefs, and ways of life. In recent years many teachers have tried to incorporate cultural diversity into their lessons but it simply isn't the same as direct student interaction.
My students have made some connections using Edmodo, mostly with students across the state or in neighboring states. They are highly motivated by working with others and could really benefit from experiences across the globe. My hope for the future of my classroom is that students will learn how to interact in a constantly changing and diverse society. That they will be forced to adapt quickly to new situations as they arise and that their critical thinking skills will be tested. These skills will all be important for the ever-changing jobs of the future. I hope that I will be able to provide relevant and eye-opening experiences that will prepare them for success.
Since at this time I am not in the classroom I only have the ability to speculate at how I will do things. As I read the flat classroom,it is all so new to me. The concept that hits me the most was the untouchables. The Butler, The Baker, and the Candlestick maker. Is this group not the larger percentage of whom we will send out of our high school and college.Even a large percentage of professionals in our lives derive no income from a global resource beyond being the conduit which goods and money move.At this time being inclined to teaching a trades related profession on a senior high level, I have a hard time getting myself to think global. Just not sold on the idea of the flat world,it being the answer for the larger percentage of our students jobs upon graduation from High School and even college. The technology on the other hand I can get a grasp on. It is such a part of our method of communication today that those students and adults whom do not learn and embrace it will founder. Communication is the key element that we all need to be able to function. I would like to think I will be able to bring the use of technology to my students in the use of word processing being able to express an idea in written form, the use of a spreadsheet in being able to communicate numbers. PowerPoint to communicate and idea. Podcast is new to me. Until this week I new nothing of the inter-workings of a wiki.I am impressed with its capabilities. I guess in my thoughts the one goal I would set for myself to teach,be it local or global is to teach my students how to use the new technologies to truly communicate. It is the magic in a flat world,round world and even and upside down world.
We have a shortage of foreign language teachers in our county. It would be wonderful to utilize the google websites for translation as well as on-line courses for teaching and certification. My students use dictionary.com and other programs like techsteps where they receive feedback from other students. I am interested in implementing garage band and picnic the sites the social studies class in the video used to make their production. Youtube is blocked in our school. We search google and yahoo and are able to find educational videos to supplement our instruction weekly.
Test.
Ok. I think it's working now. Tried twice and it wouldn't post. I always tell my students to try and fix the computer or smartboard before they ask me for help. I ask them if they run to get their parents at home when they encounter a problem with a video game. They tell me no because they want to stay on the game! I believe by making them think for themselves they will become global learners. Using the tools available to you is sometimes frustrating. But being willing to try and overcome problems enables you to become a better learner.
Google has so many tools to offer for students today. It’s easy to have students create spreadsheets to calculate data they obtain in lab activities and co-writing technical design briefs. I can give tests and students can gather great data with Google forms. But perhaps the greatest Google Apps available is Google Sites. The majority of things we do on the Internet requires navigating through websites. There is a great deal of organization and logic that goes into designing a good website. Students who pull all their work together into an organized website are making it available for them to reference at any time from anywhere in the world. How many students keep their classwork and homework from last semester or last school year? In organizing all their school work into a Site, they will be developing many skills needed for the 21st century.
One thing I would like to start is a class blog. My students are usually motivated by assignments that involve technology. Plus, we write everyday in my class for one reason or another, and providing this alternative method of communicating their ideas would benefit students in many ways. Actually, there are so many different sites and suggestions from this class that I want to check out and potentially use, I'm not even sure where to begin! So far, however, I would really like to use Prezi.com, Edmodo, and Wikispaces. I want my students to learn how to use technology for their own educational advantages, not just for entertainment and socializing with friends. I feel that all of these tools will keep my students engaged, and they will use these sites to help them complete projects for class. Many of these programs help the students organize and visualize their information, which are both key components in their overall understanding.
As I mentioned in last week's post, I am currently having my students create a Google site that will feature their journalism articles, writing workshop pieces, and anything else they decide to create. Last week, we transitioned from brainstorming and researching to putting in the necessary work to get the project moving. While we still have a lot of work ahead of us, the project has been a lot of fun. I have noticed more effort from the class, and they are holding each other accountable for their draft deadlines. They are using most of the Google applications, and getting familiar with sites like Flickr for photos. Most days we are in the computer lab or using the mobile lab. Once we have established a functioning site filled with content, I will introduce them to creating podcasts and videos. It's my goal that the site will increase their engagement and make learning relevant to the world they live in.
Found this article of interest as I was going through the news this am.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/business/blackberry-aiming-to-avoid-the-hall-of-fallen-giants.html?ref=technology
Preschool aged recommendations:
- www.starfall.com this is a website I use with some of my younger students, or students that are very low academically. My students seem to really like it.
- There are also some interesting iPod, iPad apps that are good for younger children as well. There are a lot of free sight word apps, I believe PBS Kids has an App, Lakeshore also used to have some apps that were free as well.
Share your ideas/plans for embedding technology tools in your classroom instruction to help students communicate/collaborate globally.:
This is not something I have tackled with my students yet, but I have several ideas.
I would like to create a blog for my students to learn to communicate by use of these means, and in a positive/safe manner. Skype is also something I would like to try to use with my students at some point, possibly with a school in another county, state, or country.
What would you like your students to gain from technology usage?
I want students to learn to communicate effectively and safely with others that are there age in other parts of the state, country, and world. I would also like them to gain the skills necessary to perform in the technological world so they can be successful.
How do you envision the use of these tools will enhance students' learning in your classes?
I believe this will enhance students learning because they will know how to communicate with others, and begin learning how to think more critically to find answers on their own.
Thank you for sharing the Blackberry article, it was a very interesting read. I really enjoyed thinking about technology of the past, for instance the mention of the Atari and Walkman. I also didn't know that pagers were "born" in the 1950's.
My students also use dictionary.com from time to time if we cannot find specific word in our classroom dictionaries.
I also like the garage band idea as well.
One of the things that I have started in my classes is that each student will have an Access email account which will allow communication with myself and to send classwork digitally. Also I am using Prezi, which students make there prezi's available publicly and available for comment by other Prezi users. We will also look at using "Glogster" which is a neat site for creating basically a website that they host, but they promote it as an online poster. This site also shares publicly the students work. Glogster has an open to all site and a site called GlogsterEdu just for students and teachers.
I think the usage of these types of tools allows the students to express themselves and show there creativity to a large population, it also has the possibility of global communication with other students.
http://edu.glogster.com/
http://prezi.com
To be honest, after the readings, I was thrown back at how important, competitive and ever changing our students' futures are. Anyway, I'll get to all that on our discussion board.
Well, I found this really cool site called ePals. Upon all of our readings and viewings, I thought this site might be a way for teachers and students to ease their way into communicating and learning globally. This isn't a traditional social network like Facebook or Myspace in which students communicate with people they know, students are challenged to communicate with other students stateside and around the world. The perks are endless. Not only does it allow teachers/students to explore fundamental learning, it also challenges critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, etc.
Like I said, I think this site will be a good stepping stone to larger explorations in global communication. I'm going to give it a shot, and I'm sure my students will flip out when I tell them! That gets me excited. Here's the URL:
http://www.epals.com/
To S. Skeen:
I have been using Garage Band for awhile now, and I love it! There's so much stuff you can do. I did a podcast with my students using Garage Band, and my kids absolutely went bananas over it! I haven't used it extensively as the 4th grade teacher from Utah has, due to time constraints, but I plan on diving in much deeper as the year progresses.
There are many ideas and plans I have for embedding technology into my classroom. However, having the resources to do so is sometimes difficult. Having a class blog would help students communicate and collaborate. Using Skype would be another great way to embed technology into the classroom. Some technology tools that I use in my classroom are: laptops, ipads,and our classroom Smartboard. I also like to use a variety of internet websites to help my students with assignments. I would like for my students to gain communication skills from the use of technology in my classroom. Technology tools is a wonderful way for students to communicate and collaborate with others. These tools with enhance my students learning in many ways. They will have the opportunity to communicate with others and learn a different way to learn concepts. Students will become more responsible for their own learning.
I would like to work with students on more projects that require them to create products to share online with others such as podcasts, videos, blogs, online literary magazines, etc. I’d also like for them to begin working with students outside their own classroom, moving from collaborating with students in another school in our district to collaborating with students worldwide.
As a librarian, I often work with students completing persuasive speeches and research papers, and these students often have trouble seeing issues from other perspectives. I’d love for them to work with students in other areas of the country and world to gain more insight into the issues they research.
By completing these projects with technology, students should gain the confidence to apply similar technology tools to projects and tasks in the future. I hope that they will see technology as a way to solve problems, share ideas, and collaborate for purposes other than those assigned in a school project.
Having students complete long-term projects with technology tools should help make them more independent and responsible for their learning. Creating a product and sharing it with someone other than the teacher or classmates will motivate some students to create better work and be more creative. I find that when students know their work will be shared with others (and not just read by the teacher and returned), they generally put more effort into it. If they are given more responsibilities and more freedom to be creative with their products, students might make more of an effort to engage with the lessons and tools and work beyond the minimum requirements.
I think it is easy to say technology should be used on a daily basis, and state all of the reasons for doing so in the classroom. I must say at times I have found myself at a loss when it comes to certain aspects of technology use.
Technology can be embedded into the classroom by daily writing prompts online, data collection spreadsheets in Math and Science, the use of IPOD's for wiki's and other communication, and the list could go on and on. I would think that depending upon the content area you would then choose the technology tools that would enhance it the best.
As I'm not currently working in a school, I can only discuss how I hope to utilize technology with students. I will soon be applying for school counseling positions and plan to use technology in many ways. For instance, working with peer helpers to design multimedia video presentations for promoting messages on anti-bullying and substance abuse prevention, connecting students with others around the world for classroom guidance, and developing spreadsheets for testing coordination. I also plan to maintain a website that would allow users to download commonly used forms, access useful links, online survey tools, career exploration, career interest inventories, scholarship guides, etc. Another idea that I have is to identify at-risk students and connect them with mentors from around the world as "email buddies". I hope that students would find these experiences motivating, and also improve their communication and problem-solving skills.
Ashley here are some PreK sites:
http://prekinders.com/
http://www.first-school.ws/
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/lessonplans/
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
http://www.preschoolexpress.com/
Here's a few good luck.
By allowing students to communicate globally, students are learning about different classrooms (could be locally) or different cultures (worldwide). There is an abundance of uses for technology when students are given the availability.
When students use technology in my classroom, my goal is for them to be actively engaged and learning. Even if it is as simple as students playing an online math game which focuses on multiplication. This is much more interesting to students than the teacher lecturing or giving a worksheet with problems. By actively engaging students, they are more likely to learn.
I teach in a MI classroom. We use technology everyday. I want the students to be able to use the computer very well. My students have serveral different disabilities and if they know how to use the computer well they can overcome some of these disabilities. The computer can help them do things that they would not normally be able to do.
I feel that one of the most powerful aspects of technology in the classroom now is giving students the ability to publish and share their work and ideas with students all over the country and world. I must also preface that statement with a disclaimer that guidelines should be followed to ensure that the safety and privacy of students is maintained when publishing their work online. Students will often be much more engaged and aware of their work if they know it is going to be seen and commented on by others. This also teaches students to be responsible digital citizens and teaches them the proper ways to use online tools. I have found that Google Sites and blogs give students an excellent way to communicate and collaborate across classes and even schools. Students can be invited to join a Google site that is created by the teacher or student and then actively collaborate on the site by adding content or commenting on content that is already posted. Blogs can also serve the same function. The commenting features allow multiple perspectives to be considered and can create productive conversations among students. These sites and blogs should of course be monitored by the teacher. Thinkquest.org is another site that is excellent for collaborating on projects with students from all over the country and world. The site is also heavily monitored for inappropriate content because every teacher can flag content on the site. Thinkquest.org is more geared toward elementary and middle school aged students rather than high school students.
Share your ideas/plans for embedding technology tools in your classroom instruction to help students communicate/collaborate globally. What would you like your students to gain from technology usage? How do you envision the use of these tools will enhance students' learning in your classes?
I have attempted to use Google tools in the past, but I have not used them in some time. I moved to having students use EdLine to store and hand in work. Since this works, I've allowed myself to get into somewhat of a comfort zone and not really expanded myself or my students into other ways of using the internet to share ideas. I would like to use Google tools for future projects in my class. The ability to share projects with one another would definitely be a powerful tool. I have had difficulty in the past setting up the Gmail accounts, hopefully that won't be an issue now. I plan to take a day just to show students some of the valuable features Google has to offer and some of the things that they can do. I hope to give them some tools that they can take with them that would be useful in other classes as well as in there personal life.
As a TIS it is my job to get teachers to use this technology in the classroom. I find all these great WEb 2.0 tools for them to use and rarely does anyone even look at them. As I model lessons I am trying to incorporate tools so teachers can see how easy it is. Next year, I hope to have a classroom that I can use these tech tools on a daily basis. I would love to use Classdojo as a behavior tracker, instead of the traditional methods such as moving your card etc. I am also interested in student collaboration whether it be writing with someone else in the school or someone in the class. Other teacher web tools such as planbook would also be a great way to keep track of lessons and websites to use for lessons. I have been doing research and in my county 70% of the teacher graduated prior to technology being in the teacher education ciriculum. This makes it hard not only for me as TIS but for my teachers I am trying to get to use these tools.
I am begining to feel overwhelmed. I have an understanding that the flat classroom is necessary. I have been out of the classroom since 1997. I have not kept up with techniques and/or technology. I have so much to learn I do. However, have faith in myself and will get through. I just know I will need a lot of encouragement.
As far as preschool sites, the ones suggested are great. You might try looking at the sites provided on LEARN 21 (link on wvde website). This site has tons of interactive resources for all grade levels (including preschool) and most content areas as well.
url for Learn21:
wvde.state.wv.us/learn21
We use Ipods in the mornings two days a week. We have purchased apps that enhances the lessons that I am teaching. Currently they are using TapQuizMaps and a multiplication app. We use Ipads to find information on the internet (wikipedia) in addition to the encyclopedia.
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