Evaluation

In all honesty, when I think back upon my previous educational experiences, going through the activities contained within this blog have been some of my very favorite. Nearly all of them were new to me, and I truly enjoyed being able to creatively express the concepts I learned in completing them. One of my favorite exercises was using Wordle to uniquely display a group of words. This is an activity I believe my students will truly enjoy, and I can envision many simple, yet effective, classroom uses. Additionally, I had fun experimenting with some of the applications on the FD's Flickr Toys website. My second graders would also have a great time using this website to creatively display various images.

This program has assisted my lifelong learning goals by enabling me to become more open-minded about using various forms of technology in the classroom - especially technology that is typically seen as "trendy" or used primarily in personal, instead of professional, settings. For example, before completing this program, I could not even envision using a blog as a means of sharing information professionally. Now, of course, I realize that there are endless ways in which to do so. One of my greatest hopes when becoming a part of this Master's cohort was that instead of fearing the "unknowns" associated with technology, I would eventually grow to learn more about and even embrace the use of technology in my teaching experience. These discovering exercises have brought me a great deal closer to realizing that goal.

One surprising outcome of this program is the fact that I have enjoyed participating in it so much! I actually looked forward to completing each new assignment, and as I did so, I could only imagine how much my students would love taking part in these activities, as well. I was also surprised to find how easy it was to pick up on using each of the applications. It was neat to discover that I could participate in and create such unique products, even as someone who is new to much of this technology.

Personally, I feel that the format of the program is very straightforward and simple to follow. It seems that you have it laid out in such a way that the students going through it can fairly easily determine what needs to be done and the means by which to do so. Thank you for taking the time to make this such an enjoyable, user-friendly, and worthwhile learning program. This truly is a great teaching tool!

Thing # 15

Skype is an online application that has many potentially effective uses in the classroom. It would be a wonderful tool for allowing students to visit with an author in another city or state, in order to ask questions about a book they have been reading, about the process of becoming an author, and about steps taken to create the book they have read. This chat can be saved for later review and discussion, which is a beneficial component missing from traditional author visits to schools.

Also, I like the idea of using Skype to bring a field trip to the classroom, in cases where the students are not able to actually travel away from the school due to budgetary constraints or other hindrances. This would be a great way to take a virtual field trip to the zoo or even to NASA.

Finally, I loved the idea of using Skype as a means of receiving after-school help. Teachers, tutors, or librarians could be available at set times throughout the afternoon to help students who are struggling understand the concepts presented during the school day through Skype, without having to actually be present with the students. It seems as though there are countless uses for this tool in the classroom!

Thing # 14

As I was exploring Podcast Alley, I first looked under the "Education" section in search of podcasts that might be useful for our second grade classroom. Although there I came acorss many podcasts focused on learning a new language that could be very helpful for older students, I had difficulty finding any applicable podcasts for younger children. However, after I typed "second grade" into the search engine, a huge number of potential podcasts were located. One that I particularly loved and added to my Bloglines account is called "FMS Friday Funcast." These podcasts have been created by first grade students in Bath, Maine, who broadcast school news, interviews, jokes, and music. It was fun to listen to these adorable children's voices as they share what they have learned, and I think my second graders would be inspired to hear children even younger than themselves doing something as creative as this. This might be a good stepping stone for us as we someday experiment with podcasts in our classroom!

Thing # 13

For this activity, I uploaded the TEASe video on courage I created this summer as a means of introducing my second graders to the concepts of courage and heroism. The process of uploading, titling, and creating a caption for the video was fairly simple, and now I can see why so many people choose to share their videos this way on YouTube.

Over the summer, as I was trying to gain ideas for my own video, I used YouTube videos as a resource, and this was a huge help to me in finding information, mainly because the videos contained on this site span so many different subject areas and styles. I also think this would be a wonderful way to display student work for parents to see. Instead of posting videos on our school's website, causing things to slow down due to a lack of bandwidth, this would be a great alternative. As a teacher, I would need to be cautious of displaying students' last names, and also of allowing pictures of the children to be seen publicly. However, if used carefully, this could be an excellent resource for children to use in sharing digital slide shows of writing projects with illustrations and other such activities.

Video on Courage (Uploaded to YouTube)

A Scene from My Favorite Movie, Father of the Bride

Thing # 12

YouTube can definitely be a helpful and entertaining resource for both classroom and personal use, especially because there is such a tremendous variety of videos to choose from. Although this variety is a great benefit of YouTube, it is also something that can be an obstable when trying to choose appropriate videos for students to view. Because anyone can post anything, it is important that teachers use common sense, being sure to screen materials carefully before allowing their students to watch them.

For this activity, I selected a clip from Father of the Bride (the more recent version with Steve Martin), which has been my favorite movie since I first saw it as a little girl. My parents took me to watch this film in a movie theater, and to this day, I remember taking in every detail with such excitement. To me, it seemed that the creators of the film had depicted the most perfect wedding, and I loved the way the main characters George Banks and his daughter Annie interacted with one another. After seeing this movie, I began dreaming about what my own wedding day would be like, and to this day, I still love every detail of this film.

Thing # 11

After exploring the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees, I found that one of my favorite was Mango Languages (mangolanguages.com). This has terrific classroom applications, as it can be used to help children learn a new language through audio, visual, and kinesthetic means. Not only does it include all learning modalities, but it is also organized in an effective and easy-to-understand manner. I enjoyed viewing the sample Spanish lesson provided.

While looking through the larger list of Web 2.0 tools, I found one that I especially love called Story Something (storysomething.com). This is a great resource for parents who are short on time but want to be able to share and enjoy stories with their children. I encourage the parents of my second graders to read to them and to listen to them read as often as possible, and this would be a fun and interactive way to accomplish that objective at home.

Thing # 10

Psalm 28: 7

I found that using Zoho Writer to create an online productivity document is a very effective and straightforward way in which to publish written communication. I greatly appreciated its similarity to Microsoft Word in layout, making it easy to learn to use and get started. For this activity, I created a document using one of my favorite Bible verses, Psalm 28:7. I have posted a link to this document above.

Thing # 9

I enjoyed reading the ideas posted on the Technology Poppers Wiki, and it was fairly straightforward and took only a short time to add my own ideas to the list. I think a Wiki "Sandbox" would be a fun resource for my second graders to use in publishing their own list of favorites. This would give them a good opportunity for writing practice, as well as a great means of practicing simple technological applications. Also, a Wiki could be used as a brainstorming activity for writing, in which the children add ideas to be used in a specific piece we will be completing in class, before writing their rough drafts.

As far as personal uses are concerned, a Wiki could be utilized for creating any sort of list compiled by groups to fulfill a certain purpose. For example, lately especially, I have been involved in the planning of several baby showers for friends, many of which involve three or more hostesses. This would be an effective way to gather ideas from other hostesses, create to-do lists, share guests lists, etc. Also, a Wiki could be used as a way to share recipes among family members and friends, without using all of the paper required for a recipe collection book. There are countless ways, it seems, to use Wikis in both professional and personal settings!

Thing # 8

After reviewing websites explaining the origination and uses of Wikis, I became convinced that a Wiki could be an incredible learning tool for students, even students as young as my second graders. However, in order for my students (or any students) to use this tool effectively, they would need guidance regarding the proper usage of Wikis and help in discovering some ways in which they can enhance learning.

Wikis have a variety of applications when it comes to giving students a means of practicing and sharing their writing. In my school, a literary magazine is published annually, displaying student writing samples and illustrations teachers have selected. Due to the fact that this is published in small book format, only a small percentage of the entire student body is represented in this magazine. However, if we were to develop a Wiki by which students could publish their writing samples, the doors of opportunity for more students to contribute would be open. This could inspire greater numbers of students to write to the best of their ability, knowing that the chance their work would be published had risen significantly.

In our classroom specifically, I would love to use a Wiki to help the students in creating writing pieces collaboratively. Often, I do this for the guided practice segment of my writing lessons; however, this activity involves writing the story for the students on our whiteboard as they share in a whole group setting. It would be wonderful to have them write their ideas for themselves, adding to one another's thoughts through the use of a Wiki.

Thing # 7

Using Glogster, I was able to create the poster below, which was a fun activity! I think using Glogster could also be an enjoyable way for students to create posters depicting concepts they have learned. This would certainly challenge them in ways that creating a poster from paper would not. For example, not only would a student need to have a firm grasp of the concept he or she is presenting, but the student would also need to use enough imagination to illustrate that concept using the tools provided by Glogster alone, instead of simply using a writing instrument and paper. This would help the student not only grow in understanding the knowledge to be presented, but it would also enable him or her to better grasp a new technological skill.

Glogster

Thing # 7

Tonight, I tried using Wordle for the first time and absolutely loved it! I had such a wonderful time creating a Wordle using the words within my blog. It is a very straightforward program to use, and it allows for a great deal of creativity and many options regarding choice of words to include. I enjoyed adjusting the color, font, and format in which my Wordle design was displayed. To view my final design, click here.

I truly believe my students would be grateful for the opportunity to use this in the classroom, possibly for displaying spelling word lists, descriptive words to be used in writing assignments, new vocabulary words learned, or locations they have identified in geography. In fact, there are endless possibilities for creative classroom use!

Thing # 6

Today, I discovered RSS feeds, and after exploring this technology, I think this is a wonderful tool for keeping in touch with what is happening in the world around us, both efficiently and effectively! In fact, I created my very own blogline, in which I described my thoughts about newsreaders and RSS feeds in greater detail. To view my blogline, please click here.

Thing # 5

It was neat to explore the different API's created by Flickr users, and I was amazed at the creativity brought to life through these sites. I also enjoyed fd's Flickr Toys Trading Card Maker, and I was able to make a trading card with a picture from our summer vacation. I can see how this would be such a fun tool for my students to use, in order to display photographs of special projects or pieces of art they have created. Also, it could be utilized as a means of introducing themselves to one another at the beginning of the school year, by displaying a picture of importance to them and text explaining that picture.

Thing # 4

This was actually my first time to use Flickr, and I was able to find many interesting pictures! This site is a fantastic representation of the talents of a diverse group of photographers. One of my favorite pictures was one of a beach along the island of Cozumel. My husband and I were able to vacation there this summer, and it truly does look this beautiful in person. Absolutely amazing! Here is a link to this picture: Cozumel Beach.

Thing # 3

Marathon Time!

Other than the start of the school year and graduate classes, this is a photograph related to something else that has been on my mind this semester - marathon training. I first became interested in running when I joined Team in Training, sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a means of raising funds for cancer research. I ran the 2008 Houston 1/2 Marathon in honor of my Aunt Beth, who had fought and won a battle with leukemia only two years earlier. My sweet husband ran by my side, as a means of support (and to catch my fall in the event that I passed out from exhaustion!).

Since that time, I have been hooked on running! Although I am not able to dedicate as much time to preparing for the upcoming Houston Marathon (January, 2010) as I would like, I can say that I'm giving it my best shot!

Thing # 2

Although this is my very first experience with blogging, setting up this blog has been fun and fairly simple! I used blogger.com to create an account, and once I was through, posting has been very straightforward. Because I usually have little time to spare, I have never been one to follow blogs or even to spend much leisure time at all on the computer, other than e-mailing or the occasional Internet shopping trip. :) However, I have read through blogs when looking for new recipe ideas, and as I viewed them, I imagined it would be much more difficult than it was to create my own. Ah, the joys of new technology - especially technology that is easy to operate!

Thing # 1

I just finished viewing the "7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners" presentation, developed by training specialists of the Public Library of the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and the information that was spoken about made a great deal of sense to me. I discovered that I naturally desire to participate in many activities that would fall into categories associated with lifelong learning without even realizing it, as I am sure that many educators do.

The habit spoken of that I can most relate to is Habit 3: Viewing Problems as Challenges. I truly believe that God allows everything that happens in my life to occur for a reason. I have learned, after watching many plans "fall through" and seeing things turn out differently than I had intended, that there is always a silver lining to be found around each dark cloud, if only I take the time to discover it. I now know, no matter what challenges come my way, the they have been brought into my life with purpose. Such trials cause me to depend more on God and to realize that the greatest learning comes when I am stretched and forced to step outside of my comfort zone.

The habit I most struggle with is Habit 7 1/2: Play. As odd as it may seem, I believe this habit comes least easily to me in part because of the role birth order has played in my life. I am the oldest child in my family, with one brother two years my younger, and from the time I was small, I learned to play the role of "mother." While my mother was away at work, caring for my brother came naturally to me. "Responsibility" became a foremost concept in my mind, as I learned to make meals for us, to clean up after his messes, and eventually to help my mom take him from one activity to the next as he grew and became more involved in sports. At school, I was also given greater responsibilities, such as helping to tutor fellow classmates and assisting my teachers with various jobs. I have always enjoyed taking responsibility for a task and seeing it to its completion. However, I often get caught up in such pursuits, and this leaves little time for play. It is difficult for me to take a break and simply relax, especially when I know there is work to be done. However, over time, the importance of play is becoming more and more a reality, especially as I see the negative effects lack of play can have on physical health and emotional well-being.

My Learning Contract from 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

After viewing a presentation on The 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners, I created a personal learning contract, as recommended at the conclusion of the presentation. To view this contract, please follow this link: My Learning Contract