Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Educational Blog: "What Makes A Learning Experience Unbelievably Satisfying?"
I read the educational blog entitled "What Makes A Learning Experience Unbelievably Satisfying?" by Ben Johnson. I really liked this blog because it focuses on not boring the students. Johnson outlines various ways in which a teacher can interact with the student and better engage them in the learning process. Some things that I learned from this blog are actually things that seem like common sense but I think are commonly forgotten. For example, Johnson stressed the importance of giving positive reinforcement constantly to stroke the childrens' confidence and make them feel successful. Another point that he touched on was creating tasks for the students to do individually so that they feel needed. The basic jist of his blog was to treat each child like they are extremely special and consequently they will have an "unbelievably satisfying experience." After reading Johnson's blog, I posted a comment speaking from a student's perspective. I just basically said that I am a student who is studying to become a teacher. I know from experience that all the points Johnson touched on in his blog are very true and too often teachers forget to utilize those personal relation skills to better reach the students.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Podcast
I created a Podcast explaining how I intend to do this technology project. Being that I intend to be an ESL student, teaching vocabulary is an essential part of my job. So, earlier in the semester when we watched a clip about teachers using the flip videos with the students acting out various words, I got really interested. That same day, Alice and I decided to use the flip video and act out some random words we found on the internet. The activity was really fun and helped us to get better acquainted with the words, had we not of acted them out as well as said them on the video (giving their definition). Being that this activity was helpful and fun for me, I decided to experement more with the flip video for my project. After acting out vocabulary and stating the definition, I will make a video (with music) to present the words to the class. I will present them using the Smart Board.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
NU Educators Panel
* Three Questions I would like to ask the NU Educators Panel members:
1. What plans do they have for the future involving obtaining and using new technology?
2. How much money do they budgit each year for updating and purchasing new technology?
3. How important do they think technology is to their University?
1. What plans do they have for the future involving obtaining and using new technology?
2. How much money do they budgit each year for updating and purchasing new technology?
3. How important do they think technology is to their University?
Monday, March 22, 2010
Response to Peer's posts
Reflection # 7
What: Last week in our class, Technology in Education, we were asked to do an assignment with the flip video. Alice and I were partners and we decided to act out some vocabulary words. We got on google and looked up weird random words that we had never heard of. Then, we took turns videotaping and narrating as the other person would act out the definition of the chosen vocabulary word. It was really fun and a good activity to do to actually learn and remember the meaning of the word. Once we were done recording, it took about 10 minutes, we uploaded the video onto the computer and were then able to create a slide show of the different words we acted out, which we shared with the class.
So What: I had never used the flip video before and was impressed with how easy it was to use and how helpful it can be for teachers. In doing this activity, I realized that technology should be included to make learning more innovative and creative.
Now What: Now that i've had experience with using the flip video, and have seen how easy it is to use, I will definately try and use it when I become a teacher. It makes for fun and creative activities which only foster a better learning environment. As a student myself, I really enjoyed being creative with the assignment. This made me realize that students, in general, would prefer to be creative in the learning process. So, I hope to carry over what I've learned to my future classroom!
So What: I had never used the flip video before and was impressed with how easy it was to use and how helpful it can be for teachers. In doing this activity, I realized that technology should be included to make learning more innovative and creative.
Now What: Now that i've had experience with using the flip video, and have seen how easy it is to use, I will definately try and use it when I become a teacher. It makes for fun and creative activities which only foster a better learning environment. As a student myself, I really enjoyed being creative with the assignment. This made me realize that students, in general, would prefer to be creative in the learning process. So, I hope to carry over what I've learned to my future classroom!
My Weebly Page
I created a page on weebly.com com entitled Mckenzie's Education Page. My page is in the beggining stages as far as what I would like to create. I hope to (as a college student) create a page that is helpful for other education majors, like myself, who could use some help from someone who is in the same boat as theirselves. The reason I decided to create this page is because, as of recently, I have heard about and stumbled accross various helpful sites for teachers (that I would like to remember and use when I can). So, I decided to create a public site, in which I can keep a record of the cool sites, as well as help other college students. The Weebly is a really great site because it is super easy to create your own website. It has a drag and drop website editor which allows you to add creativie applications to your page. The thing I like best about Weebly is that it's free and available to anyone! So, future teachers feel free to check out my site!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
"Caught on Video"
"Caught on Video" by Bob Spankle is a great blog which outlines a variety of ways in which teachers can use the video camera in the classroom. Some of the ideas that I liked in the blog and could see myself incorporating into my classroom were the following:
* Never write another long note for a substitute teacher, rather video tape the instructions and email it to them.
* Have a student record the way in which to do a math problem correct. That way they can review the method when needed.
* Film all presenters and presentations so you can re-use the presentation in later classes.
* Film important lesson highlights so absent students can review them and not get behind in class.
Spankle wrote in his blog the following: "Video begs for reviewing and rewinding much more than a letter grade could ever hope for." I think this statement is key to the idea that the video camera is useful in the classroom. I think this because repetition is a student's best learning tool, so if the video camera encourages the students to rewind and re-watch something over and over until they get it, who can argue that it's not helful in the classroom?
* Never write another long note for a substitute teacher, rather video tape the instructions and email it to them.
* Have a student record the way in which to do a math problem correct. That way they can review the method when needed.
* Film all presenters and presentations so you can re-use the presentation in later classes.
* Film important lesson highlights so absent students can review them and not get behind in class.
Spankle wrote in his blog the following: "Video begs for reviewing and rewinding much more than a letter grade could ever hope for." I think this statement is key to the idea that the video camera is useful in the classroom. I think this because repetition is a student's best learning tool, so if the video camera encourages the students to rewind and re-watch something over and over until they get it, who can argue that it's not helful in the classroom?
Assignment # 3 Resources for Teachers
For assignment 3 "Resources for Teachers" I decided to use the Diigo "toolbox" to complete the assignment. In all honesty, I didn't really think much about the assignment, and Diigo was one of the sites a classmate had told me about that would work and was easy to use. So, I created a personal account with Diigo (which, by the way, was super easy) and started googling various activites and tools for English teachers. After finding some really cool sites, and being able to save them for use in the future, I was really impressed with Diigo and what it has to offer. The sites that I found were very informative, useful, and stuff I definately would like to keep in mind for when I become a teacher. So, it's great that with Diigo, I can save each website and go back to them when I need ideas for fun activities, SmartBoard lessons, printable worksheets, etc...
Diigo is a powerful research tool as well as a knowledge-sharing online community. How it works is by creating an account and bookmarking sites which you found interesting our helpful. You are then able to organize your "toolbox" by using tags or lists, which you can access from anywhere. Once you've started bookmarking sites, you are able to share your annotated pages with fllowers on Diigo, as well as draw on sites that other followers have bookmarked.
Personally, I intend to use my "toolbox" immediately with ideas and activities for lesson plans (required for some of my classes). This assigment allowed me to find some super cool sites that explain various activities, give good lesson plans, and have interactive activities already created with the SmartBoard (which is a focus in one of my classes). Further, I think that the more I get associated and familiarized with these sites, the more likely I am to use them in the future as a teacher. So, I intend to keep my toolbox and add more sites as I come accross them to Diigo, so that I don't forget about them.
The following are some sites which I thought were very helpful and interesting, as a future educator.
1. "20+ Ways to Use Flip Cameras in the Classroom" is an article I found where various taechers have shared how they have found uses in the classroom for the Flip Camera. One example that stood out to me was a teacher who said he used the Flip Camera to make videos of students using their calculation methods for math class. That seemed very creative and helpful to me and seems to be a great way of consollidating and communicating understanding.
2. Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab was another site that I found very interesting and useful for ESL students. This site contains listening quizzes (for various levels of learners), 20-minute ESL vocabulary lessons, Language learning and life tips, etc... Everything posted on this site is in podcast form, so it helps learn the language, but also helps with hearing the correct pronunciation of the English language. As a teacher, I could use this site in the language lab and require that the students spend a certain amount of time each week listening to various podcasts, and taking the quizzes.
3. ESL Teachers Board is the 3rd site that I found extremely helpful for ESL teachers. It contains Information for ESL teachers regarding places to post your Resume, a list of available jobs around the world, as well as various working opportunites (become an agent, volunteering, etc...) It also provides ESL resources for in the classroom, self growth tips, information for ESL students, and much more. This site was very interesting and I can see myself revisiting it when I am looking for a job (post-graduation) or need resources for in the classroom.
Diigo is a powerful research tool as well as a knowledge-sharing online community. How it works is by creating an account and bookmarking sites which you found interesting our helpful. You are then able to organize your "toolbox" by using tags or lists, which you can access from anywhere. Once you've started bookmarking sites, you are able to share your annotated pages with fllowers on Diigo, as well as draw on sites that other followers have bookmarked.
Personally, I intend to use my "toolbox" immediately with ideas and activities for lesson plans (required for some of my classes). This assigment allowed me to find some super cool sites that explain various activities, give good lesson plans, and have interactive activities already created with the SmartBoard (which is a focus in one of my classes). Further, I think that the more I get associated and familiarized with these sites, the more likely I am to use them in the future as a teacher. So, I intend to keep my toolbox and add more sites as I come accross them to Diigo, so that I don't forget about them.
The following are some sites which I thought were very helpful and interesting, as a future educator.
1. "20+ Ways to Use Flip Cameras in the Classroom" is an article I found where various taechers have shared how they have found uses in the classroom for the Flip Camera. One example that stood out to me was a teacher who said he used the Flip Camera to make videos of students using their calculation methods for math class. That seemed very creative and helpful to me and seems to be a great way of consollidating and communicating understanding.
2. Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab was another site that I found very interesting and useful for ESL students. This site contains listening quizzes (for various levels of learners), 20-minute ESL vocabulary lessons, Language learning and life tips, etc... Everything posted on this site is in podcast form, so it helps learn the language, but also helps with hearing the correct pronunciation of the English language. As a teacher, I could use this site in the language lab and require that the students spend a certain amount of time each week listening to various podcasts, and taking the quizzes.
3. ESL Teachers Board is the 3rd site that I found extremely helpful for ESL teachers. It contains Information for ESL teachers regarding places to post your Resume, a list of available jobs around the world, as well as various working opportunites (become an agent, volunteering, etc...) It also provides ESL resources for in the classroom, self growth tips, information for ESL students, and much more. This site was very interesting and I can see myself revisiting it when I am looking for a job (post-graduation) or need resources for in the classroom.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Promethean ActivBoard
The Promethean ActivBoard is an interactive learning technological device which works to motive learners, engage as well as assess the students, all while getting them used to new technology. With this board, teachers are able to prepare digital lessons (either already made and available online or lessons the teachers make up themselves). Teachers are also able to integrate text, web, video and audio content into the lessons (attempting to reach all types of learners). Also included with this board are wireless, hand-held devises which the students can use to interact with questions the teacher posts. This information can be found on the Promethean ActivBoard site.
It seems to me that the ActivBoard is very similar to that of the SMARTBoard. I guess I'm confused with what the difference between the two interactive boards are? I'm also wondering which board came on the education scene first?
It seems to me that the ActivBoard is very similar to that of the SMARTBoard. I guess I'm confused with what the difference between the two interactive boards are? I'm also wondering which board came on the education scene first?
ActivBoard Reflection
Tonight I went to the Lake Washington High School to learn more about the Promethean ActivBoard. Ms. Wageman was the teacher, a former graduate of Northwest University, who did a little presentation on the ActivBoard for us students. In her presentation, she showed us a video of various teachers around the community who have recently incorporated the board into their classrooms. A lot of the teachers expressed apprehension about having to change their methodology of presenting the information in their class (to incorporate the ActivBoard). However, every single one of the teachers also said that the board really added to their classroom in regards to presenting the material in a different way (to help the students better understand it), getting the students more involved in the lesson, and appealing more to the students (because technology is what they like to do). This video clip she showed eased the apprehension I have regarding using an activboard. Knowing that the more you use the board, the easier it comes really helps me grasp the concept that I can use the board, in a productive way, once I've used it enough to be comfortable with it. Ms. Wagner also expressed her luck, in that, while she was student teaching, the classroom she worked in had an activboard, so she was able to learn how to use it from the beginning. Getting familiar with the piece of technology early is the best way to use it productively in the class. In realizing this, I was very appreciative for all the time we are devoting to learning how to use the SMARTBoard and ActivBoard (while we are in college). So, when we actually become teachers we will already be well practiced with it!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Reflection: How the SMART Board is being used
What: In taking this Technology in Education class, and learning the know-how with Smart Boards, I've been paying a lot more attention to how the SMART Board is being used in the classroom. For example, many of the students who are learning how to use the SMART Board (in this class) are also in other classes of mine, and I've noticed that they are attempting to incorporate the SMART Board into their presentations.
So What: Another observation that has caught my attention is that, for the most part, the students are using the SMART Board for very simple things, such as playing youtube videos that correlate to the presentation they are giving, or for projection ideas they have previously typed, so the students can all see it at the same time. These techniques are not hurting the presentation, but in my opinion, they are very basic ways of using the SMART Board, and a lot more could be done with the SMART Board to get the kids involved in the learning.
Now What: I think that it's crucial for us, future teachers, to go beyond the surface (easy way of using technology) to use it to it's fullest. There is a lot that techology can bring to a classroom, but if we don't take the time to research and incorporate the various activities offered, it can become nothing but a time consumer in the classroom.
So What: Another observation that has caught my attention is that, for the most part, the students are using the SMART Board for very simple things, such as playing youtube videos that correlate to the presentation they are giving, or for projection ideas they have previously typed, so the students can all see it at the same time. These techniques are not hurting the presentation, but in my opinion, they are very basic ways of using the SMART Board, and a lot more could be done with the SMART Board to get the kids involved in the learning.
Now What: I think that it's crucial for us, future teachers, to go beyond the surface (easy way of using technology) to use it to it's fullest. There is a lot that techology can bring to a classroom, but if we don't take the time to research and incorporate the various activities offered, it can become nothing but a time consumer in the classroom.
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