Graduation

2012/2013 Pre-K pictures and videos coming soon!

Week 4-www.freetech4teachers.com EDUC 552

Today, while exploring this site, I found a link to join www.edutopia.org. I was asked to create an account. It took a few minutes, but it was free and I could tell there was a good variety of material for educational benefit. Once I joined and established my profile, I was able to browse the site by grade level, core strategies, videos, blogs, and/or schools that work. I decided to take a look at the lower grade levels. I found several recent articles on topics such as brain-based learning, tips for teaching ESL children, parental guides for learning, curriculum help, and ways schools can immerse themselves in technology. Edutopia will be very helpful in my profession. I can use some of the strategies in my classroom, share ideas with other educators, and families. I highly recommend this site because it is free, easy to create an account with, and has several useful links to browse with a variety of topics for any age/grade level.

Curriculum Video

My Screenr Video

Educ 552-Response To Twitter Questions

1. What did I learn from using Twitter? I realized that Twitter is more than just a social network for personal use. I once thought, I would use it to follow people I am friends with or perhaps a famous person. I am now aware that I can follow and make connections with people/companies all over the world in order to learn more about my field of study-education. I also learned how to use Tweetdeck to participate in topics of interest live. I am also able to use Twitpic to upload photographs about what I am doing in my classroom. I like being able to link websites, such as my personal blog or sites I enjoy, for others to see. I am still trying to get used to the 140 character limit, but I see the benefits of being able to make a point quickly. I hope in the future, more states/districts will allow Twitter to be used for educational purposes in the classroom. Using Twitter has provided me with a vast amount of sources for teaching and learning that are helping me as I work towards my goal of becoming a master teacher.

2. Who is the most interesting person I am following? I enjoy following Richard Byrne from Maine. He is a certified Google teacher, writer, and speaker. I enjoy reading his tweets and following his free4teachers.com website. He tweets useful information about technology for teachers and students. He also shares several free websites for students to use in the classroom related to many subject areas. My favorite item I learned from Richard was one of his tweets about Androids for school. He mentioned Google play. I found this link http://www.android4schools.com/tag/pre-k/ I was able to view 3 learning apps and download them to my phone for free. There were also links to other websites such as www.paradise.com and Famingo Sandbox that are targeted for children between the ages of 3-6 geared for learning in an early childhood setting.

3. Do I think I will continue to use Twitter after this course is over? Yes, I plan to use twitter for personal and professional use. Personally speaking, I have found many of my Facebook friends are also on Twitter. I like Twitter more than Facebook and have been thinking of using Twitter only and closing my Facebook account. Twitter is a faster way, due to the 140 tweet character limit, to view updates on my friends and their families. I will also use Twitter to continue my personal learning network-PLN. I am finding so many wonderful people to follow in the education field who are providing a wealth of information. Many of my classmates are sharing great resources as well. I hope we all continue to be in touch through Twitter for several years to come.

EDUC 552 Free Technology for Teachers-Week 3

I found an awesome website for educators at http://learning.snagfilms.com/ Snag Learning allows teachers to browse by a specific grade level, learning subject, or channel. I discovered several elementary videos from National Geographic, Content Film, Media That Matters, Jeff Corwin, Explore, & Sundance. Most of the films are about animal and earth science. I would warn against a few of the National Geographic episodes depending upon the age of the students. Some children may not be ready to hear about the aggressive nature of animals for example. My preschool children can enjoy the Jeff Corwin films that promote learning and exploration about animals and their habitats. I also think my children would enjoy the Content films describing "Big Stuff" such as aircraft's, machines, and ships.

Washburn Art Lab-Enjoy