Monday, March 26, 2012
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.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, March 19, 2012
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.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Educ 552 Wk.2 www.freetech4teachers.com
This week I decided to check out 77 Web Resources for Teachers to Try This Summer. Richard Byrne has compiled these ideas for teachers to explore and share with each other for resources that can be used in the fall. Of course you can begin implementing ideas at any point in time. Many of the websites he lists, I am familiar with such as: Twitter, Animoto, Blogger, Wiki, Google Sites....
He lists several sites for math, science, social studies, language arts, health/physical education, music, and art. I really think it is worth the time checking out the information to see what can be used and/or sharing with co-workers what they might like.
I plan to look at a few of the math and language arts resources. I will blog to report what I think would be great for my preschool students.
He lists several sites for math, science, social studies, language arts, health/physical education, music, and art. I really think it is worth the time checking out the information to see what can be used and/or sharing with co-workers what they might like.
I plan to look at a few of the math and language arts resources. I will blog to report what I think would be great for my preschool students.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Creating Animoto Video
This is a great tool that can be used both personally and professionally. I can use Animoto for anything we are working on in the classroom. I can't think of any subject area that I can't use to create a video with this new technology tool. I believe the implications are huge. I can create videos to extend lessons or reteach skills if needed. The children enjoy watching and learning with Animoto! If you are not familiar with Animoto, you can create an account for free at http://animoto.com/
Friday, March 9, 2012
Educ 552 Wk. 1 www.freetech4teachers.com
I was exploring Richard Byrne's Website. He has a vast amount of resources for teachers who are interested in learning about technology in the classroom. This week I checked out 47 Alternatives to Using YouTube in the Classroom. It is pretty common to use YouTube to extend curriculum on certain topics in order to enhance learning. Byrne's suggests multiple sites that teachers use in addition. I discovered School Tube- by utilizing this source our class can share and view videos from other students and teachers. I also liked Dot Sub to share with my co-workers who teach older children that are reading. This source allows teachers to change the subtitles into many different languages. This would be very helpful for ESL students. I am likely to use #27 frequently in my pre-k classroom. PBS videos can be shared with younger children. Teachers can search topics for concepts that are educational and developmentally appropriate. I hope everyone has time to check this site out. I will post each week as I find new tech. ideas to share.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Article Review
I made this video reflection in response to an article by Jane Stevens called "Multimedia Storytelling." In this article, Jane describes what a multimedia story is-a combination of text, photographs, & video clips used interactively to convey a particular subject.
This article also discusses storyboarding.It is basically a sketch or rough draft describing how to organize a story. There is also an editing section. The author describes this process as a way of helping make decisions about what information will go into the story. She suggests guidelines to use for videos, audio, still photos, graphics, and text.
This article has impacted my knowledge about digital storytelling. I will be able to create mulitmedia projects for several years as an early childhood educator to use in the classroom. I agree with the article and the rational used in "mapping" out digital storytelling.
This article also discusses storyboarding.It is basically a sketch or rough draft describing how to organize a story. There is also an editing section. The author describes this process as a way of helping make decisions about what information will go into the story. She suggests guidelines to use for videos, audio, still photos, graphics, and text.
This article has impacted my knowledge about digital storytelling. I will be able to create mulitmedia projects for several years as an early childhood educator to use in the classroom. I agree with the article and the rational used in "mapping" out digital storytelling.
Podcasting
I just dowloaded iTunes for free. I was able to view several educationally sound podcasts. My favorite one for families and teachers of early childhood children is Sesame Street. What a great resource to use in teaching academics and basic social skills. The video and audio stream worked perfectly and the best part is it is free. We all love that! Pass it on...
Friday, March 2, 2012
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