Journal #6

Journal #6

            IPads are such a unique tool.  I have had the opportunity to explore the device over the past few weeks.  It appears that there are countless free apps geared towards preschool aged children for practicing colors, shapes, letters, etc.  I have had some difficulty finding apps that are relevant for use with my fourth graders.  I am still searching for a free app that allows teachers (or students) to enter vocabulary words and definitions to practice terminology.  However, I am also hopeful that there will be less emphasis on rote memorization in the next few years. 

            Through our iPad session in class, I downloaded an app called ShowMe.  I was able to use the app the next day.  I had two absent students and I introduced a new math skill.  So, I used the app to do a short mini-lesson and demonstrate a few practice problems.  The students were able to use the internet to see my ShowMe presentation.  The parents of both students replied that it was extremely helpful for them, and the students liked watching a video instead of reading the textbook to try to figure out how to complete the homework they missed. 

Journal #5

          This class is arranged in a way that allows me to apply what I am learning to my current classroom and curriculum.  The past two weeks I have used and explored tools that have improved my teaching.  Currently, I am having students create podcasts in math to post on the web for students to refer to when completing assignments or for review.  Additionally, I am transferring and updating some old PowerPoints to Prezis.  The benefits of Prezis being available on the web instead of saving a file to a certain location and the ease of incorporating pictures and videos is enough support for me to convert to this tool.

            I was even presented with a few opportunities to share these resources with other teachers.  I am finding that I am not the only one who had not heard of a Prezi.  Now, others in my building are exploring the tool as well. 

Journal #4

            Since my last entry, we visited the Challenger Learning Center at Heartland during a class session.  The experience that the center creates for students who visit is extremely interactive and lifelike.  Throughout the experience, I could not help but think of all the benefits for simulations similar to the missions. 

            It is important to teach content as well as how it can be useful in their current and future lives.  As a student, I always loved math.  It was by far my favorite subject.  However, I stopped enjoying it when I began taking courses such as calculus and trigonometry.  My problem with the content was not that I did not understand how to solve the problems.  Instead, my problem was that I did not understand why it would be useful.  It was never presented in a lifelike way. 

Without the use of technology, I am able to create many lifelike experiences for my students.  For example, in science we give group assignments in which job assignments are given.  We use language such as “I hypothesize” when making predictions.  I refer to my students as “scientists”.  If money was more of a surplus, we would wear lab jackets each day.  Nonetheless, there is so much that can be done by using technology to create simulations.  After all, how could we be more lifelike?  We live in a world where technology surrounds us.  I can’t wait to find more ways to use it! 

Journal #3

The first few chapters of Disrupting Class have resonated with me as a result of some current experiences in my own school as well as connections to other aspects of this class.  Ever since I viewed the video remix which showed teachers “flipping their classrooms”, I have been interested in the concept.  It seems that Mr. Alvera’s classroom, as described in Disrupting Class, needs to be flipped.  Poor Rob just needed a hands-on approach, instead of a lecture, to understand the concept. 

In my fourth grade classroom, we just finished a science topic on Forces and Motion.  We explored concepts and vocabulary such as velocity, gravity, types of simple machines, and potential and kinetic energy.  When discussing the content with an assistant who works at the junior-high, she informed me that the content is the same as what is taught in 8^th grade.  The difference is that the material is taught to my 4^th graders with a much more interactive and exploratory approach.  It is through such activities that keep my students intrinsically motivated to learn the information. 

I must admit that keeping my students intrinsically motivated is not always as easy as the first chapter in science.  I believe some content areas and specific content lends itself to being fun and enjoyable whereas others do not.  Thinking forward, this is what I hope to find some more solutions for during this course.  How do I keep this motivation of all students when they are all motivated by different things and have different likes and dislikes? 

Journal #2

         Thinking back, over the past few weeks, I am proud of the accomplishments I have made in my transition to become more technologically savvy.  I was a bit worried when I realized the Video Remix was due, and we had not discussed the process of finding videos and editing them in class.  A Video Remix seemed like a project only technology specialists would be able to do without assistance.  

I quickly remembered the “community questions” section of the course wiki in which I could connect to my classmates.  Sarah shared some useful information for a program to download and use to complete the Remix.  From there, I was able to use a basic search engine to leap over other small hurdles.  For instance, I had difficulty saving the videos I wanted to use in my Remix.  Through a basic search, I determined I needed to install an add-on.   

A teaching online support team, as I read about in the HETL resource, makes perfect sense when using technology.  It was nice to have some parts of a support team over the past few weeks. 

As I look to the future, I would like to develop a support team in my building.  Therefore, I am beginning to create a coaching session with teachers new to interactive white board technology.  This project will be for my first extra assignment.  I plan to continue to use the resources available to me in order to make a better support team for the staff in my building. 

Emerging Technologies Journal Entry 1

        Originally, I enrolled in C&I 489 as an elective to meet my desire to develop as an effective 21st century instructor and explore up and coming technologies that could be used in my classroom.  As I reflect on my original intentions, I can tell that my purpose is going to need to change slightly in order to successfully complete the given tasks that this course requires and, of course, learn. 

      To begin with, a new goal of mine is to become comfortable with the current technologies used within this course.  For example, reading an online version of a text is a new challenge for me.  My first idea when I realized that there were approximately 80 pages of text to read via a PDF file was to print the pages and read it and take notes like I would with a regular textbook.  I decided that I would learn more if I explored some of the tools I was reading about, such as note-taking capabilities and research tools, and read the text as it was intended as an electronic read. 
      
       As far as my feelings toward the course, I am excited to meet both my original and current goals as indicated above.  However, I am nervous and a bit intimidated by all the new technological terms and information that I have been exposed to over the past few weeks.  I did not realize I was such a laggard is so many areas!  From our class discussions about “the cloud”, easily hacking iPhones, terabytes, and server farms I now know I have a lot of research to do in order to meet those goals. 

End of Course, but Continued Exploring

I am finishing this course at the same time I am completing Dr. Weilbacher’s C&I 411: Curriculum course.  It has been a great couple of courses to take simultaneously.  Dr. Weilbacher has mentioned that the two of you, Dr. T, have had conversations and he is not afraid to admit his fear of technology.  In class conversations on curriculum, I have already had the opportunity to share with my colleagues who support the notion that online courses are impersonal that it certainly does not have to be that way if the course is created and administered properly. 

It is great to feel reenergized in the summertime and have a fresh feeling of excitement for a new school year.  I give much credit to this course and the things that I have learned for feeling that way now.  I stayed up much too late last evening, by choice, and was excited to wake up this morning to continue adding to my online course through Haiku Learning.  An idea sparked, and I could not let it go.  I am considering contacting my principal, who is supportive of staff sharing their learning from classes or workshops, and giving a brief overview of Wikispaces and Haiku and how they work. 

As far as advice to new students in the course, I would suggest taking deep thought in your topic of choice.  Find something to create your course on that is essential for students but currently presented in a perceived “boring” way.  Then, explore the options to reach your students through meaningful and exciting alternatives while meeting the objectives.     

Almost Complete

           Wow!  I am really beginning to be able to visualize what my completed course will look like to my students.  I feel so much differently with this course creation than I have with other online environments that I have created such as Webquests.  I find myself standing up for e-learning in conversations with my colleagues.  Many people claim that online classes cause them to feel disconnected.  I disagree!  I feel very connected in this course.  I really believe this is a result of the eTools that are used in this course as well as those built into the courses we are creating. 

            I feel a bit naïve to admit it, but I did not know that there were online equivalents to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  I had used Google Docs before when multiple people were in need of accessing the same document, but I never made the comparison to Word or considered that it could replace it.  I am sure there are other people in my district who lack this information or the ease of its use.  I am excited to contribute in the upcoming technology conversations by suggesting Google Docs and Google Presentations instead of spending the money to upgrade to the newest version of Microsoft Office. 

            As I come to the end of my course creation, I am constantly reminding myself to choose and create purposeful activities for my Wiki and not just find tasks that will work.  It is a bit strange to create activities to fit this mode of delivery and also meet my objectives.  Previously, I had objectives, created an activity, and then decided how the information would be presented.  I have this etched in my brain so that my course remains purposeful and not just an excuse to use technology. 

Stop and Reflect

            So far in C&I 438, I have put a lot of thought into what the norms of teaching and schooling are going to look like five years from now.  I already knew that online courses already exist across all grade levels, but I was interested in learning how those courses at the elementary level allow students a sufficient amount of interactions with classmates and teachers.  Through some of the elements incorporated into this class as well as the podcasts I viewed this week, I have learned that using tools that allow for synchronous communication as well as personalizing profiles allow students to feel connected to real people instead of just a computer.  I will remember these personal touches when planning and using online courses. 

            I have gained a better attitude toward changes, such as one-on-one computing, that will probably occur within my district over the next few years.  Upon reflection, I realized that the computers will just be an added tool for use in classrooms.  I will not be restricted to use the computers 100% of the time or give up the other successful tools for learning that I use currently. 

            Course management systems, Yodio, and Twitter are all pieces of technology that I had previously not explored.  I am excited to now have the ability to record using Yodio.  This skill inspired me to explore Movie Maker which was already loaded on my school computers.  I am now able to record my students reading to track their progress on audio.  I am excited to incorporate this fun way of progress monitoring in August! 

Online Learning and Teaching - For Me?

I recently took a few quizzes designed to help me make a decision about whether online learning and teaching is right for me.  Due to enjoyment and success in taking previous online courses, I have already found that an online environment meets my needs as a student.  Nonetheless, I was unsure if I was ready to become an online teacher.

I already know that to be an efficacious teacher, online or face-to-face, you must have well planned objectives and lessons.  When adding another element such as technology, it is even more important to be prepared.  One area that may be a challenge when teaching online is my lack knowledge about computer terminology.  Nonetheless, I am certain I will find success with practice and the use of Google!  I am a master at "Googling" acronyms and information.