Class #5

I've been soo busy this week I forgot to blog.  So I apologize to those who were looking for a place to comment.

I really enjoyed seeing all of the differen Prezis.  I really like them and want to figure out a way to use them in class.   The only problem is that we don't have enough computers in our school to actually get it easily or frequently enough for a project like that.  I am also one of the few teachers w/out a Smart Board in my school.  Ironic since I'm such a nerd.

I have really enjoyed this class and there is a lot I will be taking away with me. Some will end up in the classroom and other stuff will just be for me.

Class #4

Whew.... that was a lot of info.  I am looking forward to the week off to do a little work.  I like all of the sites we've been learning about and can think of many different ways of using several of them in class.  

I think making a Pecha Kucha will be challenging, yet fun.  I also am looking forward to the Prezi one where I get to "brag" about how cool my photos are.

All that being said... I still wish I had a little more time to play around with all of the websites we've been going to.  

Session Three

Well... I'm liking the class.  We've got a lot of fun, creative people and there is a lot of information and ideas being shared.  The websites we've been sent to for class have been really good for the most part.  It's great seeing various examples of what we're learning about.
That being said, I am beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed.  There are so many websites to visit and write about that I feel like I don't have the time to appropriately check out each site. I don't want to have to skip some of them or not spend enough time on them because I've got other things going on at work or at home.   I'm sure we all have the same problems... and I don't want to make excuses, but I think you understand my position.

I am getting a little excited to make my own digital story.  Looking at the suggestions in the digital story telling book, they say no more than 500 words.  Wow.... 500 words... that's it.  That's not a lot of words.   Plus I'm trying to think of what kind of story to do.  Should I do one I can show my students (and then have them make their own), should I do one for family or one for my zombie march site to help promote it.  It's really hard to say.  Even after I decide what... I'm not sure what really to talk about that has a surprise or twist to it or emotion.  There is definitely a lot to think about.   I'll be doing a lot this weekend on that, along with lesson planning, delivering Cub Scout popcorn, etc.

Why can't we have 4 day work weeks w/ 1 day to catch up!?!?!

Digital Stories & My Class

I am trying to get my students to write more and not think of writing as a chore.  I think the ability to use technology as a vehicle to help the reach the goal of writing.  Right now I am thinking that posterous.com would be a really great way to get kids to keep a visual journal with a few sentences or paragraph explanation. Or using some other site that would also be equally stimulating to get them to write.  A great site for online news stories that appeal to younger kids is TweenTribune.com.  Not only can kids read the stories, they can post their thoughts and respond to other comments.  All these tools have awesome potential...but the only wall I hit is the lack of available technology for my students.

I also like the ideas in the PresentationZen book.  I think all of the ideas make sense.  However, putting them into practice is a whole other thing.  There definitely is the temptation to sit down and do everything on the computer from the get go.   However, a lot is lost, too.   When you type, you can go back and delete whole sections that may have included a really good idea kernal that will never see fruition because it was deleted, never to be revisited.  I myself have beeing trying to do journaling everyday after my classes about how class went and what I can do to make it go better.  Sitting down and writing about the day, away from a screen is defiantly theraputic.  Especially when you're trying something new or teaching something new for the first time. It's that reflection time that is missing when I type that is the difference I think. I definitely think a little more before handwriting something then when I type something.  


Needless to say.... I'm excited to see where all of these new ideas and resources take me, and eventually my students and how they learn.

Digital Storytelling (CEDO 530 MEC AA 0034) Class #1

I am super excited for this class.  Thus far it seems to have serendipitously connected with several things I've been kicking around the back of my mind for awhile.  Ever since getting my mac and playing with some of the multi-media features, I've thought it would be fun to do some sort of video/photo/media projects with family photos, etc.
 I've also been thinking a lot about  oral story telling in general over the past couple of years, so I'm very excited about that aspect as well.
I am looking forward to learning more about the approaches discussed in Presentation Zen and applying them.  I also am looking forward to a new, creative way to present information in a away that isn't death by PowerPoint and actually have meaning.

Furthermore,  am excited to be working with new group members and having fun collaborating.  I think a lot is gained from collaboration when you can be creative and have fun while working on something in a fun way.

As for what I hope to accomplish, I want to turn some of my family photos and some of the zombie march event photos into digital stories that can then be used a examples for students.  I also hope to learn of new online resources that can assist in making the whole process easier from the technological tools aspect. I don't want to recreate the wheel if someone can share an easier way to achieve the same end.

Here's to a great class!  *clink*

Principles of Teaching and Learning & Me

     I found this article to be really interesting and several things jumped out at me.  First I will address the learner side of things and the particular points that jumped out at me.
     The first was point #2 How students organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they know.  I think this is a huge challenge in today's classroom. Kids today, I think, have shorter attention spans because of all the options available to them.  They have over 250 digital cable channels, MySpace, Facebook, millions of YouTube videos, downloadable content, online TV, streaming video and audio, MMORPGs, virtual battles with opponents half-way around the world.... and more.   I definitely think this affects how the learn, process and store information.  I imagine alot of their connections are more random connections than organized systems, especially for middle school children who are all about learning who they are and very social to boot.   This defiantly will have an impact on the classroom.
     I also found 4 and 5 about teaching the skills and then the students how to know when to use it challenging. I find perhaps to be the most challenging thing we do as teachers.  I especially think middle school is probably the hardest level because the kids are so social and all over the place.  Actually, looking back at the article now... pretty much all of them are so intertwined that I'm impressed the researcher was able to pull them apart and describe them so well.




     For the teaching piece, #4 (Effective teaching involves prioritizing the knowledge and skills we choose to focus on) is the one that strikes closest to home for me. I am teaching in a relatively new subject area for me and trying a lot of new things this year.   My school is trying making a big literacy push across the board.   I have been reading a lot of books and talking a lot with our school reading specialist.  My thing is how much to bite off this year... because I know I can't do it all and also struggling with the feeling like I should be doing more. 


    Additionally, my school is also making the switch to standards based grading (or really... shouldn't it be called assessment).  We all need to cover X amount of standards in each class in each grade.  This ties into the piece about having a universal set of expectations.  So while I think it's a great idea and I love it,  I'm still concerned about how it will all work.
  This is what I was thinking about after reading the article.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Enhancing Learning Materials Through Technology, Class 1

     Alrighty,  I'm really interested in this course now... not that I wasn't already.  But I am interested to see how a lot of the traditional paper items get translated to a digital format.  I know you can do KWL charts and venn diagrams on a computer but I'm more interested to learn about the impact those have vs. their paper counter parts.  
The only thing which will be more challenging for me this year is that my classroom doesn't have a smartboard, like 90% of the classrooms in the school.  Plus, as many of us already know, it's hard to get into the computer lab at times.
     I'm hoping to tie in what I learn in this class to my schools literacy push.  I think there is a lot of potential for taking what I have here and using in the classroom.  It should be a good class and I look forward to applying it as we learn applications.