My favorite tool has to be tool 3. I learned about so many cool image generators that I can't wait to put to use in my classroom. In fact, just next week my students will be creating wordles as a culimating activity for our in class author study of Eve Bunting. Each student has chosen their favorite book and plans to represent the theme and major issues within the book through a wordle.
This whole process has broadened my thinking about technology in the classroom. I always knew that the use of technology was extremely important. What I was surprised to know was the vast number of resources available to me and my students. I look forward to using them throughout the year.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tool 11
As teachers, we often have to adjust our teaching to the times we live in. Digital citizenship is a perfect example of this. As a teacher the three most important things I teach my students are:
1) Anything you say/type on the internet can be just as hurtful as the things you say in person. Cyberbullying is very real and should be talked about at a young age.
2) Is is extremely important to give credit to those you borrow information from. Just like citing sources in a book, we must cite our sources on the internet.
3) Not everything we read on the internet should be taken as fact. We must be careful to evaluate the validitly of the sources we use.
In the classroom, I present these ideas to my students in context. When we blog or post things on googledocs we talk about cyberbullying and making appropriate comments. When we conduct research we talk about how to evaluate the strength of a website and how to give credit to our sources.
1) Anything you say/type on the internet can be just as hurtful as the things you say in person. Cyberbullying is very real and should be talked about at a young age.
2) Is is extremely important to give credit to those you borrow information from. Just like citing sources in a book, we must cite our sources on the internet.
3) Not everything we read on the internet should be taken as fact. We must be careful to evaluate the validitly of the sources we use.
In the classroom, I present these ideas to my students in context. When we blog or post things on googledocs we talk about cyberbullying and making appropriate comments. When we conduct research we talk about how to evaluate the strength of a website and how to give credit to our sources.
Tool 10
As a mobile phone and ipod user, I've often played with various apps. However, before this school year I didn't have very much experience with educational apps. After receiving my loner itouch I quickly began playing around with it. I tried baby flashcards for my own children. They loved it! My four year old also likes using abclite to practice writing letters. Here at school I've tried Flashcard study helpers, ABC magnets and mylanguage. All have been so helpful with my ESL learners especially. I look forward to the chance to add more apps throughout the year!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tool 9
I think screencasts are a great tool for students and teachers. As teachers, we can create screencasts to help supplements instruction. Students can create screencasts to teach each other how to do different tasks on the computer. I might use this in my classroom to show students how to navigate the web to a website like Odyssey, Easy Tech, Brainpop or tumblebooks. I could even highlight the steps for a Wordle. For language arts, the opportunities are endless!
Skype is another useful tool for the classroom. Videoconferencing is a perfect example of students being able to instantly interact with others without ever leaving the classroom. One of my goals this year is to Skype in bookclubs with other classrooms across the state. In addition, currently I'm using it with a colleague who couldn't be with me to learn the ins and outs of sharing information through Jing and Skype. It is like she was never away from us. Taking it a step further, parent conferences are coming up and she will easily be able to participate even though she can't be on campus! Skype is just another example of one of many numerous ways the Internet brings people together across campus, towns, nations and even the world!
Skype is another useful tool for the classroom. Videoconferencing is a perfect example of students being able to instantly interact with others without ever leaving the classroom. One of my goals this year is to Skype in bookclubs with other classrooms across the state. In addition, currently I'm using it with a colleague who couldn't be with me to learn the ins and outs of sharing information through Jing and Skype. It is like she was never away from us. Taking it a step further, parent conferences are coming up and she will easily be able to participate even though she can't be on campus! Skype is just another example of one of many numerous ways the Internet brings people together across campus, towns, nations and even the world!
Tool 8
Videos have always been a helpful aid in the classroom. They can grab the students attention and keep them focused on the material...sometimes better than the teacher. This video is perfect for our author study of Eve Bunting in language arts. With Halloween right around the corner, this video allows us to see a fun book and celebrate the season as well! Check out In the Haunted House and see for yourself!!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tool 7
Photostory is an incredible classroom tool. I've actually already had the pleasure of seeing it in action in my language arts classroom. It was especially useful during our author study of Eve Bunting and her picture books. Here is my fun photostory based on our "Pie Your Teacher in the Face" day in fifth grade. I thought I could show the kids and give them something fun to look forward to...
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tool 6
After visiting a few wikis online, I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure how wikis would apply to me, or how they would be a better choice than a blog or google docs. I quickly learned that wikis would be the best choice for LA when the kids are hoping to collaborate instantly. They could work together on vocabulary, spelling or even book reviews! Book clubs could create discussions, add to it, change it and see it instantly! What a great new tool that I can't wait to use. If you've implemented wikis in your classroom, I'd love to see them. Please send me a link!
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