Intasc

During my Ed Tech course this I have learned to use googledocs to build presentations with charts and to interpret data. In addition I have used web 2.0 tools and multi-media tools that will be invaluable in the classroom. There are examples of how I might use these tools to enhance learning in my classroom in my blog.


Click here to view my Intasc Standards

What does technological literacy mean?.

    In our everchanging world it is now more important than ever that we expand our technological literacy.

To me this means that we use technology to enhance learning and to inspire and enlighten one another. We can build academic skills in our students and improve their academic achievements using our creativity and collaborative efforts.With so many new and exciting tools we can work on team projects in real time with those in other countries. Students can design and use programs to sharpen their critical thinking skills 

It is vital to teach our students to be good digital citizens with ethical behavior and to keep thinking forward to new and exciting learning experiences.

Student Progress Analysis

This was a fascinating process in which I learned how to look more closely at data and how to use it in a google docs spreadsheet.
It was very helpful to break out the raw data of the students who were struggling and to see how they made progress over the course of the last 5 tests.
All of the students made great progress - especially in the last test. I might review my teaching in the areas where a few of them fell behind,but celebrate that they improved!
I feel far more comfortable now with using spreadsheets through this exercise and I am certain I will have many opportunities to use it in the classroom. I plan to work in Special Education and there will be a lot of data to analyze and these tools will be extremely helpful.
I have embedded the three sheets I used in the study and the chart. It may be too wide or long to see,so I am also including this link.


http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aue2qQHCLeQKdDU5LUNBclVrbGwxdzdmLTFNQ05rWVE&hl=en

youtube video

I have been unable to get the screentoaster audio to work well,so I am embedding this youtube video so that you may get the full effect!

Critical Assessment Mulit media

The project I worked on was a presentation of a youtube video on screentoaster and then embedded it into my blog.
The purpose was to incorporate two new ( to me) web 2.0 tools. This would be great in the classroom. Students can use both screentoaster and youtube as instructional videos as projects and also to teach lessons to each other. It would be great to send to a fellow student who is absent. It could also be used together on a class blog to show parents projects the students are working on in class.

Capture your screen in seconds

Free online screencasting tool

Screentoaster with youtube

http://www.screentoaster.com/watch/stV0xSQk1IR1xZRVxeX1JaVFdT/lo_homecoming_parade

http://tinyurl.com/yzvd2kv

This is an example of using three web 2.o multi media tools together. I used Screentoaster to show how to copy and paste a youtube video and then changed the very long Screentoaster url into a tinyrul.While this is a very brief introduction,it shows that it is easy to combine these tools to make an inventive and fun demonstration.Students in the classroom could use these tools separately or together,or with other web based sites to host data. They could show each other tutorials using screentoaster ( or similar products) and youtube is not only for entertainment - they could show each other events- such as guest speakers in class - when a fellow student is absent,or show their parents projects they are doing in the classroom. The possibilities are endless!

fliipmyphotos.com

In this presentation I used flipmyphotos.com as a photo management tool. The purpose was to test this particular web 2.0 tool to alter photos.I don't love this site. The idea is great - but there are issues with downloading and uploading files - specifically with file size. The directions were not clear. It is in Beta,so perhaps they will work out some of the problems.

I have previously resized photos in Irfanview with better success.

This site was not as easy to use as others,yet there are multiple uses for these types of programs. In classroom settings and for homework students can use a program such as this to change and add their photos and artwork. They may use it individually or in group projects.I think students could have a lot of fun with this type of program as well as making a more professional photo.

Sype

I have had a Skype account for a little over a year.

My husband travels ALOT and we have used Skype internationally to stay in touch. It is amazingly cheap,and usually a very clear connection.

We don't use microphones or webcams with it,but I can see where that might be useful.

Web 2.0 tool flipmyphotos.com

Here is a link to my short presentation about my brief experience with this tool. There are many times in a classroom that students could use this to manipulate photographs - I think it would be fun to spend some time exploring this tool!

I do have more frustrations...I have been trying to add the before photo to this presentation. It said the photo was too large,but it wasn't too large the first time. I then tried to change the photo with no luck - all too large.This is a problem with Google docs as well as flipmyphotos. The help is not really helpful. I ave resized photos before in Irfanview with better success.

http://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0Aee2qQHCLeQKZGc4eGZwaGhfNzUyemR0amcy&hl=en

Music technology

My son is in his high school band and the teacher uses Smartmusic to assess their playing. The students purchase the Smartmusic software and microphone and install it on their computer.( It is also available on a computer in the classroom). The students play their instrument while signed in and the band teacher is able to retrieve their recordings and place them in the proper "chairs" in band!

Much less pressure and better use of time than in the old days when each student had to play in front of everyone in class.

Experiment

We'll see if this URL works...I tried using Screentoaster to capture a youtube video of the LO Band in the Homecoming parade.

http://www.screentoaster.com/watch/stV0xSQk1IR1xZRVxeX1JaVFdT/lo_homecoming_parade

Yet Another tool

Youtube has been around for a while and is another great source of a web 2.0 based tool - used to store and share videos.

Here is my son at the Homecoming game - Trombone Suicide! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUe0zlUywmY

We also view photos on Flickr - Web 2.0 is extremely versatile and I don't have to use all of the memory on my laptop!

another use of technology in the classroom

Several days ago I observed a high school science class. The teacher did a great demonstration using the Smartboard - it involved a " bird" hunting peppermoths. It really engaged the students and was a great demonstration of how they blended into the forest.

Ideas

I am trying to think of ideas of how to use blogs and other technology in a Special Education classroom.

Games,puzzles,searches...these are all great,but I would like to begin compiling resources for the future that are inventive and creative.

If anyone has ideas I welcome them~

Blogs in the Classroom

I am considering more uses for blogs in the classroom. It would be a great tool to post schedules for students and updates for parents. Communication is one of the keys to a great classroom and blogs are a great tool.

It could be used for parent sign ups for field trips and parties as well as for academic assignments and students would enjoy seeing what is planned for future classes and pictures and memories of things past.

Web 2.0

This is an awesome platform which makes use of a huge variety of web based tools. It offers freedom in that all of these applications may be used from any computer anywhere - they are not limited to documents help on your computer.
I really like the googledocs.If I have written a draft of an essay I need for school and my computer crashes,I may use any computer to find it and complete it. This is fabulous compared with the MS documents where the essay would only be retrieved from my computer.
Wordle is another web 2.0 tool that I will use both in my personal life and in the classroom. It is a fun,interesting way to use words both as an art form and as a collaborative tool.
I would use this with students as a tool for spelling tests and recognizing words as well as an art project. It might be fun to have them use the randomize selection over and over to see the different possibilites there are with words and colors.With more experimenting I can imagine finding more uses for this as well as googledocs.

OTEN update

During the OTEN conference I attended two workshops.
The first was Smartboard instruction with specifics to geometry. The class gave a brief overview of Smartboards,but the bulk of information was how to use it with specific software related to geometry.

The second session I attended was about clickers taught by a instructor for Corban College. I had no idea what clickers were....I thought they were behavioral tools! I was very intrigued by their application as an assessment tool. The anonymity option was especially interesting. I can see how these could be useful in many classrooms.

yodio link

OTEN Conference

The conference at Pacific University last Saturday was eye-opening. I was somewhat familiar with many of the topics that were discussed,but intrigued by the keynote speaker's address and the interaction of students and teachers present.
I attended sessions on Smartboards. It was interesting,but spoke more to the application of higher math and smartboards rather than day to day tasks.
I also enjoyed a session on "clickers". I thought it was something that made a sound - what a surprise! So interesting that they are instead used for assessment and feedback . I have since asked teachers I know about them and found that many have very high regard for using them in the classroom.
Overall I really enjoyed the conference and will plan to attend in the future.

First blog

This really isn't my first blog...I have attempted this several times and have been unsuccessful - which tells you about my technical skills.
Third time's a charm?