In Summary....

When I first learned that I had to take this class as part of my studies, I remembered thinking, why do I need that class.  Now I can tell you with clarity, because every teacher new and old should take this class.  This is a class that should be offered for teachers just for a summer review.  Maybe have it as an option in the continuing learning and just make it available to certified teachers.  I know that I want to use these tools in my classroom.  I just worry that I will forget how to do everything.  Another idea is to create a workbook that thoroughly explains how to do these things and sell them.  So, as long as I can remember how to do the projects, I will use them in my class for sure.  Each one of the web tools gives you an opportunity to do something different and allows the different types of learners to experience something new which may help them uderstand something better.  They are all great tools for collaborative learning, for hands on learning, better teaching techniques, and emphasize fun ways to learn.  I hope that each of us use what we have learned and change the old school culture regarding lecture, blackboards, and Power Point slides.  We have so much at our fingertips now and I feel like so many of us take it for granted or choose not to use it because of fear.  Technology is here and there is more to come in the future.  We need to embrace it and use to help our kids learn and be the best they can be!!!

Favorite thing I learned in this class....

I would say that the favorite thing I learned in the class was the digital story and the interactive white board.  Science is usually just experimentation at the desk or exploring outside.  With astronomy added once again to the new curriculum, it is a great way to use these tools to exploe things not easily explored.  Also, because of the different learners that I will have in class, it is a great tool to use with kids that may learn better from computer hands on work.  It offers a visual with an interesting plot and it can be made current, especially with the digital story and music, pictures, etc.  I also think that the ease of using both of these softwares is important.  It doesn't really take too much time to put something together, especially if it's just for a portion of a lesson or review.  I was very impressed with these two projects, but I really liked learning about them all.

Website

The website seemed like a daunting task at first.  I like the idea of using it my classroom, but it is something that really needs time spent on it putting it together.  I would probably start at the beginning of the summer and create the website and start putting information on it and typing my welcome.  I think the hard part is finding links to put on it, but that may just be because I don't have a curriculum I am dealing with yet.  I would want to put resources, forms, letters, homework, projects, etc.  This would be the place that most of my assignments and student and parent information would be so they had access 24/7.  I think it would be great to make it personal too so the kids and the parents get to know me and what I stand for and what my goals are for their children.  It might be nice to have each student create a page with creative projects and examples of what and how they are doing in class, so that each parent can look at what there child is doing.  There is just so much I can do with this type of technology.

Using Technology

I think it's funny how we have all of this technology and have the ability to do so much so quickly.  Yet, there are so many people that are against using it or think that it has taken over our lives.  I think that it is what it is and it is here to stay.... so embrace it and use it!  I have heard stories about teachers that have interactive whiteboards in their rooms and they never even touch them.  Just recently, my computer got a virus and I was unable to get to many things I needed.  I thought to myself after it happened, why didn't I use dropbox or google docs so that I can access it from another computer?  Even I have to remember to use what is available and learn more about what is out there.  Being able to use technology in my lessons will be a great asset to me and to my students.  It will enable those learners that may learn better through technology the ability to do so.  Visual learners will benefit greatly.  We need to quit talking about how technology is ruining our lives and making our kids checked out and realize that there are great things to be discovered and great things that will help our kids learn in the classroom.

imovie/Digital Storytelling

The imovie is a great resource.  I thought it would be much more difficult to put together, but it went fast once I got the storyboard down.  You could really use this to teach lessons and I could use to demonstrate how to perform an experiment or show them authentic scenarios that we wouldn't be able to perform in class.  Another great thing you could do with this is have the students work in groups and create imovies.  Each group could create the movie and I can use it to help teach the subject and use it as an assessment tool in the end.  The project can be graded with a rubric and will help some or most kids learn a different way.  This learning tool would be good for those students that need to do hands on and for those that need to be creative, or those that need to learn organization.  The ability to add creativity into a science class is something that has been difficult and this would enable students to put a piece of themselves into the project and learn the content at the same time.

Blogging in the Classroom

http://hpscienceblog.blogspot.com/

I found this 6th grade science blog since I will be student teaching 6th grade science this fall.  I was looking through several blogs before stumbling onto this one.  It caught my eye because of the bright colors and cheerful appearance.  I think it's very important that the blogger use tools to catch their audience and making it look fun would be something important for a 6th grade student.  I liked that the teacher used current events to blog about the topic being taught.  Most of the blogs contain content information, current events, resources to look beyond what they wrote, and thought provoking questions about the subject.  When looking for a blog to write about, I did see several blogs that had the vocabulary, assignments, additional resources and information about what they were learning that day or week.  I really like that idea mixed with the current events and further explanations of the event with the thought provoking questions.

Inspiration Diagrams

I think that the inspiration diagrams will be very helpful in creating science diagrams and showing students how to relate one idea to another.  I like that you can use images and be creative with the diagrams.  This would be a great tool to start a diagram at the beginning of a lesson and build on the diagram as the unit concludes.  This again would be a great way to show relationships between what we learn one day and how it connects to what we learn another day.  Also, you could use these diagrams to relate material to authentic situations.  You could start with the idea you are teaching and have branches of real life situations or objects that correlate with the idea.  You can also create the diagram in class as you discuss with the class.  You can have the students offer past knowledge about the content and as you teach, add ideas to the diagram to connect past knowledge with new information.  The program is very easy to manipulate and create as you teach.  This would be an excellent tool.

ActivInspire and Whiteboard Project

I really loved doing this project!  I think that we have learned so many great things to use in the classroom, but this is such a great way to use when you know there has to be some lecture portion.  This gives me the ability to still be interactive with the class while still being able to teach the lesson.  The students get a chance to use the board and help teach each other as well.  This activity becomes a cooperative classroom teaching tool.  I know when I was in school how much we enjoyed writing on the board and helping the teacher out, but this gives a whole different tool that can be used.  I also like how easy it is to change things around if you decide that you don't like it or you want to change the activity.  The program also gives you many options to use different teaching methods to teach the same subject.  You could use the same content and have the student do many different methods which is good for students who may learn better one way versus another way.  Love this software!

Scavenger Hunt

The scavenger hunt was a great way to get students outside, learning and doing.  Being able to find the objects that relate to the class content, take a picture, and put it in a presentation is a great tool.  I really liked using the Google docs presentation much better than using the Picasa Web application, but I think that I would probably use both at some time when I teach.  I think students will have fun and be able to learn without even knowing they are learning! Plus these tools will be applicable in the future and things they can use down the road.

Thoughts on Picasa

Picasa Web seems to be a great tool to add the use of photos in the classroom.  For students to create slides and collect pictures about a content area would definitely help in the learning.  I also have a very hands on learning style for my classroom.  My hopes are that my classroom is active with a variety of activities students can use to learn about science.  Computer web tools are a great way for students to learn and I am very glad that technology is a requirement imposed by the state.

Web Quest

Webquest is an excellent tool for me to use for science.  It is basically a great science experiment where you can use technology.  Just like IBA, there are so many subjects in science that are great to use with technology.  This site gives clear direction about what the goal of the assignment will be, how to do the assignment, and how the assignment will be graded.  Also, as a teacher it is a great tool to make sure you are using the common core standards because you have to list the standard and the key ideas you want to accomplish with this assignment that meet those standards.  Some of the Webquests have a link to provide feedback.  This would be a great way yo see if the students like the project and if it something that you would want to do again.  I plan on using lots of these in my classroom as well as some of the other things I have learned that are technology based.

IBA

I like the idea of using a web based activity to teach a lesson.  My teaching style is more of a discovery and inquiry style.  Teaching science offers a variety of subjects and requires the student to do hands on activities.  The use of technology can help me incorporate questions and research that require higher level thinking.  I also think that its a good use of additional resources other then just using a textbook.  There are so many websites that offer quality information and some that allow the students access to interactive tools and games.  These are great ways to learn the required information and still have fun at the same time.  I think that I just need to get more proficient in creating the inquiry based activity, but I am sure that will happen with practice and time.

Creating and Evaluating Websites

I have had other classes this year that have required evaluation and assessment of websites.  I took this religion class in the fall and we had a group project where we had to find a website and decide whether the site was a primary and reliable source.  It is very interesting to see how many websites are not reliable, yet we tend to use them for information.  I liked doing this assignment just because it makes you look into a site you may think holds accurate information and you find that either you are right or totally wrong.  Most of the time now when I have to cite a website, I really look for journals and government and education sites because I know I am getting valid information.  When I think about using the web in my classroom, I realize now how important it is to have sites already available that I have checked and know to be accurate.  It would be too easy for my students to find sources that didn't provide accurate information. 

Interesting Teacher Wiki

I found a good and informative middle school science wiki which is perfect for me: Science Wiki.  I hadn't thought about using something like this in my classroom until we learned about wiki in class.  I know that Knox County has what they call Parent Portal and that gives student and parents access to teachers, grades, etc.  I like the idea of using a wiki much better because you can personalize it much more.  This wiki that I found for another teacher provides information about policies and expectations of her classroom, homework and projects students need to be working on, reminders, and additional information about the unit the class is learning.  These tools can really help parents get involved in their child's classroom and assist the teacher and student by just knowing what needs to be done.  I know as a parent myself that it really helps when I know what is going on in the classroom and what and when things are due.  My son isn't very good at staying on task and I know this to be true for other students as well. The thing I noticed about many teacher wikis are they lack a little spunk.  Sometimes I wonder if they are required to create one and do not decide to do so on their own.  There isn't much creativity or time taken to create or update the presentation.  I would definitely make sure that I was making the presentation desirable and the accessibility and maneuverability simple to ensure parents were able and willing to use this source.

Welcome and Expectations.... technology thoughts to ponder

My name is Kristen and I am originally from Southwest Florida.  I graduated from The University of South Florida with a B.A. in Criminology.  I had various jobs after college working in counseling and teaching situations.  I was a counselor for emotional and behavior problem juveniles.  I have been an aquatics director and swim and lifeguard instructor and am presently going back to school at The university of Tennessee and teaching water aerobics at the YMCA.  I have a wonderful husband and 3 great kids (2 boys and a girl). 

I wasn't sure what to think when I signed up for this class.  Now that class has started, I am truly loving every bit of it.  I knew technology would play a bigger role in the classroom than when I went to school two decades ago, but I didn't realize how much until now.  I know that I will be able to learn many things that I can use in my classroom.  I like the idea of creating a blog for my classroom to help connect to parents and students.  This will allow both to know what is going on the classroom, what is coming up and just some fun information about the classroom activities.  I expect to learn much more and am looking forward to it!