Danielle

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Inspiration

Inspiration is a really neat tool that can be used in the classroom. There are also many different uses for Inspiration. For instance, a teacher can prepare an outline or diagram for the class as the introduction or review for a unit. Another way to use this tool is taking your students to the computer lab and having them work on a project through Inspiration. There are many features that I liked and some that I did not. I liked that you could either add different parts to the diagram or could use ones that the site provides. I also liked that examples were included by subject and descriptions. Because Inspiration is new to me, I had a hard time getting started. I could not find an 'import' button where I could use pictures from the internet in Inspiration. I'm sure that this is possible and with more experience developing these projects will be easier. Overall, I think that this is a very useful tool and I think students would really enjoy using it. I would definitely recommend Inspiration to other teachers because I think it would only benefit the classroom.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Technology Project Plan

I think I want to create a website for my future classroom. On the site, I will have links like a calender for the students that includes homework, school events, etc. Another link would be a wiki for students to sign up for projects, somewhere for the students to ask questions/comment, videos or information regarding what we are currently learning, and other things as well. I would like to do a website because I think this will be very beneficial for me. As a secondary social studies teacher, I want to have a website so the students can follow along with what we are doing in class. I want to be interactive with them and give them the opportunity to use their 'technology skills' or maybe gain some.

I went with my plan to create a website for my project. So far, I have created my site and added some text to the 'home' page. I am also in the process of adding a calender with a wiki attached. Some other ideas are to add music/podcast to the site, flickr, and some sort of photo show in the 'about me' page.

'Blogs for Educators'

One of the blogs that I looked at was:

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

This site was really cool. The first item up was different methods of teaching students. I love this because so many students learn in so many different ways that it is important to keep this in mind at all times. The bloggers example was of a video of a flight attendant who raps the preflight instructions to the passengers. I bet this made every passenger aware and listening to what was going on. The site also lists many different resources for teachers of many subjects. They have links sorted into subject areas, such as social studies and math so it is easy for people to find what they are looking for.

The second blog I looked at was:

http://www.ncs-tech.org/

This blog is full of information as well. It is very organized and includes pictures and videos along with the text. At the top of the page is links that you can follow to obtain more information. On the left-hand side is categories. This was my favorite part of the blog. There are so many helpful tools that people can look at here. There are different subjects included in this blog as well, which can help a bigger variety of viewers.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

SMARTBoard Presentation

Teaching with the SMARTBoard was really fun. As a teacher, you would really need to prepare the activities and make sure that the information and skill/fancyness level of the lesson or review matches your students level. It is also important to walk through the lesson several times to make sure all parts are working properly and that you know what to do and what the answers are. The interactive whiteboards are great to use as a class, and I think that if a system were in place for the students to come up and play with it/answer the questions, that would be best. Otherwise, you may not get volunteers!

Caught on video

The use of video seems like it would benefit many different types of professions. I never thought about a doctor using an iphone or a device like it to convey procedures and such to patients. It's a great idea, especially for those who are more visual than auditory. I like how the article listed scenarios where the flip video could be useful. It gave me ideas that I can integrate into the classroom in the future when I am a teacher. My favorite suggestion is number 11-recording a 'play by play' of what the student has done over a period of time. Instead of having to describe all of a student's accomplishments to their parents (which can be time consuming and hard to remember), video taping throughout the term will actually show the parents what their child has done. With technology continually advancing, I think that this concept will be used in classrooms more and more.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Assignment #3

The activity I picked for the SMARTBoard is about Roman Gods. This would be a good activity for reviewing the different Roman Gods and the difference between monotheism and polytheism. I picked this activity because there is an array of games involved. There are plenty of opportunities for the whole class to be involved, either calling out answers or coming up and playing with the board.

The link to the activity is:

http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Notebook+Activities/Browse+Notebook/United+States/Secondary/7-9/Social+Studies/Roman+Gods.htm

*My activity meets the following standards for various reasons. It teaches about ancient Rome and their beliefs in different Gods and Goddesses. The activity allows the class to use different forms of learning. Discussing the different Roman Gods will benefit auditory learners, The slides containing descriptions and pictures will benefit the visual learners, and being able to go up to the board and play the games will help the kinetic learners.

*I think the SMARTBoard can improve my classroom in many different ways. You can be as creative as you want with the activities. If you wish, you can edit the activities provided to fit the style/needs of your classroom by adding or removing slides. It also gives a chance for the whole class to participate. It can be used as an introduction to a lesson, in the middle to provide information, or at the end for review. I think the SMARTBoard is great and will benefit any and every class.

NETS standards:

Teachers-

4. Promote and Model Digital citizenship and responsibility

b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources

c. promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information

Students-

Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

a.	understand and use technology systems.
b.	select and use applications effectively and productively.

d.	transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

Grade 7
Social Studies
EALR			WA.4.	HISTORY - The student understands and applies knowledge of historical thinking, chronology, eras, turning points, major ideas, individuals, and themes in local, Washington State, tribal, United States, and world history in order to evaluate how history shapes the present and future.
	COMPONENT		4.3.	Understands that there are multiple perspectives and interpretations of historical events.
		BENCHMARK / GLE	4.3.1.	HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION: Analyzes and interprets historical materials from a variety of perspectives in Washington State or world history.
		BENCHMARK / GLE	4.3.2.	MULTIPLE CAUSATION: Analyzes multiple causal factors that shape major events in Washington State or world history.
	COMPONENT		4.4.	Uses history to understand the present and plan for the future.
		BENCHMARK / GLE	4.4.1.	HISTORICAL ANTECENDENTS: Analyzes how an event in Washington State or world history helps us to understand a current issue.
EALR			WA.5.	SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS - The student understands and applies reasoning skills to conduct research, deliberate, form, and evaluate positions through the processes of reading, writing, and communicating.
	COMPONENT		5.1.	Uses critical reasoning skills to analyze and evaluate positions.
		BENCHMARK / GLE	5.1.1.	UNDERSTANDS REASONING: Understands evidence supporting a position on an issue or event.
		BENCHMARK / GLE	5.1.2.	EVALUATES REASONING: Evaluates the breadth of evidence supporting positions on an issue or event.