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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Digital images

I am excited about this project. I am creating a virtual field trip through Granada, Spain. I am a very visual learner so this is a fun project for me to create. It is very important that as a future teacher I am able to adapt my teaching to all different types of learning styles. This project definately helps me establish a better understanding of how to incorporate visual learning into my classroom. I really appreciate all the resources that we have been made aware of in this project because they are all very valuable.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Digital Image Project

I feel a little bit better about this project now. At first, I didn't think that it was very relevant for a math curriculum, but now I see how it can be. I decided to do my project as a field trip of arches around the world. After looking at all of the different types of arches, I could go over the geometric formula for arches and show how each formula applies to each arch.

Digital Images

This week was a very good week I think, I am very excited about this project. I think it's cool that we are creating projects using digital images, I think it might be tough to find images for my project but not impossible. I am a very visual learner so I think it's cool to include images into lessons. My project includes two visual stimuli, the pictures and words to help students read along but they can also listen during the presentation. I wish my teachers had incorporated more visual cues for me while I was in school.
There are many more resources than I had realized, such as ARTstor and such. There are so many quality resources online that I've never heard of and had no previous knowledge of, that it's a shame it almost seems like some good websites go to waste because people are unaware of them. I can easily see how digital images can be incorporated into the classroom through both lessons and projects for the students, and I can't wait to get into the field and incorporate such projects!

Digital Images

So it is time to prepare for another project. The use of images in the classroom is very handy when teaching new subject matters and just in general to help students to engage themselves in the lesson. The project that we are developing (consisting of combining digital images to create a project) is unique and intriguing because there is a lot to do with images. As we learned, there are virtual tours, creative writing, math skills, and many other chances to combine imagery with lessons.

I know as a student it is always nice to see teachers combine both written, verbal, and visionary aspects to a lesson. I am a visual person so seeing pictures/words always helps me remember information longer as opposed to just lectures. I also feel using digital images, the students will enjoy the classroom more because it is a different aspect every time.

Digital Images

At first, I was a little hesitant with digital images. I didn't know how I was going to be able to incorporate images into a math lesson. I mean, besides finding pictures of great mathematicians, I really had no clue what to do. After seeing the sample projects, I began to think outside the box. Images don't have to directly relate to the subject. It is the job of the teacher to be creative and to figure out a way to incorporate images into the lesson. I realized that geometry is everywhere in the world. All you have to do is look a little deeper. I now know how important it is to be creative and incorporate images into the classroom.

As far as the article goes, I still am a little unsure about it. I still feel that it is important to go to a computer lab to do a project instead of using a computer in the classroom. I think having one computer in a class is more of an elementary idea instead of a high school situation. I think there are other ways to incorporate technology into the classroom and we should focus on those.

Ditigital Divide

I think there is a concern about digital divide in all classrooms. Many teachers in today's educational system understand the importance of technology in the classroom and fear falling behind in the world of technology. There is, more than ever, a need for more computers and technology in the classroom. Many of us today talked about the fact that there may be only one computer in a high school classroom with about twenty five students. This creates an obvious problem and creates a need for more computers. Even if schools have computer labs, they will be constantly utilized if every class is trying to use its resources. Also, in lower income schools, computers and other technologies are completely out of the question as funding is needed elsewhere. Again, this is problematic because students who attend these lower income schools suffer and fall behind in a world that is dominated by technology.

People should start taking action to remedy this problem by donating time, money, and resources. However, the need for other resources such as books and adequate supplies is, sadly, still extremely high for some schools and is a much more pressing need.

Digital Images

I am excited for this project because I feel like I can put a lot of creativity behind it. Pictures are always a lot of fun to work with and relating them to math will be very useful in the future. I believe that students will be more interested in a subject if there are visuals to go along with the topic. A photo essay, virtual field trip, etc are great ways to keep their attention while discussing and important subject. Especially for geometry, I feel that being able to work with digital images will be helpful in the classroom. I think there are many ways to incorporate images into a geometry lesson, making it easy for the students to relate to the topic. I feel like this project will be a lot of work and I hope that I can give it the appropriate time to make it worth while.

Going Digital

I thought that the article about Digital Divide was very interesting because it made me think back to my personal experiences in high school with computer activities. My family did not have access to the Internet in our house until I got into the later years of school and it was very hard on me to do some projects at home that would use the Internet because I was unable to do them and had to go into school early or do an alternate project because of this. I always felt as though I was the outsider because I was the only person in my classes to be at the disadvantage and not many of my teachers would think about this before they would give the assignments out. I was always shocked that no one would ask before making up the project if there was anyone who would not have this capability at home of using the Internet. From these experiences, I know that I will always ask someone before assuming they have this access so they would not have to feel in the same way that I did when I was in classes.

When it comes to the project about digital images, I am very excited for this one and think it will be the most fun one I have done yet. This allows for my personal creative side to come out more and use pictures and ideas that I am familiar with and want to use. It will also give people in the class a chance to know me a little bit better than they do. I also feel that it will be very relateable to my profession and with the idea I have come up with, I could honestly see myself using it one day with a child.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Copyright, Cyber ethics and Podcasts

I looked at the copyright rules for a long time and I still don't really know what is legal and what is not. It is very confusing to understand what you can and cannot do. It is especially confusing when I think back to school and I think about some of the experiences I had. I have a feeling that some of the copyright rules were broken when we watched films or the teacher handed out materials. Therefore, I am very confused about what is right and wrong. Unfortunately, a mistake could lead to a major consequence.

I think cyber ethics is very imporatant to discuss with students. There is so much information about people on the web that it is becoming increasingly difficult to monitor what kids are actually doing. The web is a very public sphere, but activity is easily hidden from parents and teachers. It is sad that so much bullying, stalking and other things like this go on in young childrens' lives. The internet has caused a lot of children to grow up very quickly and they have access to information and privileges that should come with age.

I am really pleased to find how useful I find podcasts. I think they are extremely applicable to the Spanish classroom. They are good for listening exercises, literature, grammar and culture. It is especially good for students to practice listening to native speakers, instead of me all the time. The videos are also useful in bringing worldwide content to the classroom. I am really excited about figuring out how to use this technology in my classroom and creating lessons that excite and engage students.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Cyber-Ethics and Podcasts

I want to talk about filtering that many schools use in order to try and prevent students from the many dangers online. At my high school several websites were blocked. Many were inappropriate sites that students shouldn't be on at anytime, but others were websites that the school just didn't want students to get distracted by during class. However, this proposed some problems when working on/researching projects. I remember when we had to do a math project about baseball statistics, but I could not get onto ESPN.com or MLB.com because they were blocked. There should be some sort of system where websites can be authorized under certain circumstances so that problems like these do not occur.

As for the podcasts, I don't really find them extremely helpful for math. There is a lot of visuals and representations that need to be shown in math lessons. Therefore I find the videos much more useful for my future classroom. I believe that when students can see what is being explained they understand it better and more clearly.

Podcasts/Videos & Cyber Ethics

I like the current project of searching for relevant podcasts and videos. It is extremely important to be able to find and utilize these technological tools in the classroom. In addition to the fact that students are becoming more and more used to learning through technology, podcasts and videos can give the student a new/different way of learning something. Having a teacher always lecture in front of the class can get old real quick, so having an alternative method of conveying information is a good way to keep students engaged.

It is a shame how some people take advantage of technology. It is because of these cyber bullies that people even have to waste time coming up with cyber ethics. I don't understand why people can't just be responsible and treat others with respect.

Cyberbullying/Podcasts

I think that online protection agencies and software is only a temporary and somewhat ineffective solution to the cyberbullying problem. I agree that these methods are affective, but I wonder at what cost? There are countless times that research in the classroom is hindered as a result of these anti-bullying technologies. They are almost too effective. Also, many cyberbullies are computer hackers and firewalls and protection software are only minor setbacks in their desire to push other users around cyberspace. However, as of right now, there doesn't seem to be a software or agency that provides complete protection as well as allow full browsing capacity. I would have to agree, as a result, that I would employ the use of these tools to protect my students and family.

In terms of podcasts, I have a more solid understanding about how effective they really can be. I enjoyed searching for relevant podcasts and their applicability to lessons and classroom activities is astonishing. They can be used in so many different ways for so many different things. I am really looking forward to exploring more podcasts and their usefulness in the classroom.

Podcasts and the Internet

I think it's very important for people to know about cyberbullying and cyber-ethics. I think the Internet can be a very scary place, and a lot of children and students feel invincible and safe. I think it's important for teachers and the school to work with the community to find a reasonable compramise about how the Internet should be best utilized in school. I think that each community is going to have a different opinion and it's extremely important to feed off of the community and parents. I think the school has a responsibility to keep the students safe to the best of their ability, and Internet use should be a monitored and constructive time within the classroom lesson. In this day and age, it's foolish to say that the Internet shouldn't be allowed in the classroom, because that would only be a disadvantage to your students. I heard about a website that allows a person to create their own social network, so it's much more controlled and only specific people are allowed in, I think this could be a great tool for the classroom. If teachers created a social network that is specific to each class, therefore limiting the people who can access it to your students alone. I imagine it's something like pipeline, but to be honest I'm not entirely sure.

About the podcasts, I'm surprised by how successful I've been finding quality podcasts. There's so much information on the Internet nowadays that it's almost overwhelming. I feel like the Del.icio.us website has really helped me narrow down the quality podcasts, and it's done a nice job refining my searches. I struggle with when I would use a podcast over a videocast though, if you could incorporate an audio and visual in one thing, why wouldn't you? I like that we're researching videocasts as well. I feel that both have a very useful place in the classroom, as always if properly incorporated into the lesson plan.

Podcasts

At first, I was not sure what to think of the idea of podcasts as well as videocasts. I had never really heard of them before and was not sure what purpose they were going to serve me as a child life specialist. However, after learning more about them and beginning to search for some on the Internet, I was amazed at how many there were that I would be able to use when working with young kids. The ones I liked the most were the ones that were by kids because I think that helps the children to relate more when they are listening to something by someone more their own age instead of an adult. I have also found some good videos that will help children to prepare for an operation and hopefully feel less calm about what they are going to be going through. Showing these videos as well as listening to podcasts will be used as a distraction tool to try and keep kids from worrying too much about their procedure and have some fun while they are in the hospital.

While I was reading the articles about cyber-ethics and cyber-bullying, I thought it was interesting and sad how many issues there have been related to this topic. Sometimes I feel as though there are parents who are not aware of what all their child is doing while they are on the Internet and that is leading to some of these problems. After reading these, I think it is still a really good idea for some hospitals to have computers available for the children so they could play games or do some other activities that have been planned, but I think there needs to be some kind of regulation on the sites. I would suggest for the computer to only have access to certain sites that have been approved as appropriate for the children to be on and have some relevence to what they are going through. I think as long as there are rules set and the children are aware of what they can and cant do as well as have some kind of blocker up for certain sites one does not want a child to go to, then it should be ok.

Podcasts/Videos and Cyberbullying/ethics

Before Tuesday and today, I didn't really know much about podcasts. I had tried to figure them out before as well as had friends try to explain them to me. The problem was that I never really understood them. I feel a lot more confident about my knowledge about podcasts. I know that they are an audio file that can provide a great deal of knowledge about a subject. I can see how they can be useful in a classroom. They provide students with another way of learning about a topic. It is always nice to be able to switch up the way students are learning, plus it gives them a chance to learn from someone else instead of listening to me all the time. The same thing goes for videos. Videos can provide entertainment as well as knowledge to the students. The videos can be extremely educational and beneficial to the class, however, if the students are watching from an entertainment view, they will like the video more without realizing that they are still learning.

I was shocked to find out so much about the cyberbullying. I knew that there were bullies out there and that this type of thing did occur, however, I didn't know how bad it was. I was shocked with the statistics. I can't believe that there are so many people out there trying to bully people through the internet. It definitely makes me more careful about signing online homework. I can see how parents can get scared and nervous about their children using the internet even though they might mean well.

Podcasts/videos

After extensively researching podcasts and videocasts in class for the past couple days, I am absolutely amazed at how large the field for both resources is. The possibilities for finding a pod/video cast are endless. I think it is a great tool for all teachers to be aware and to incorporate into the classroom. Pod/video casts are especially helpful for second language teachers because it allows the students access to listening to native speakers speak the language as well as seeing the traditions and practices of the culture. On top of pod/video casting being a great tool for teachers, it is a wonderful way to stimulate the student's attention and get them interested in a topic beyond the daily reading and activities.

I feel that the internet can be a very very dangerous place for young children in our society. There are so many people out there that spend their lives trying to hack into other people's personal information. It is so important that parents are aware of their child's internet activity and that parents are educated enough on the internet to monitor their children's activities as well. I am aware that as a future teacher I am going to be responsible for protecting my student's identities on the internet and for educating my student's on the benefits yet the dangers as well of using the internet.

Podcasts and VCasts

I have really enjoyed learning about the process of podcasts and vcasts lately. They can be a lot of use in the classroom when it comes to lesson plans and just developing a visual for students. It hasn't been to hard developing a lesson idea off of the information I have found; in addition I am assuming that it isn't too difficult to find media to enhance a lesson. One thing that an educator has to be aware about is the differences in websites being restricted in some places as opposed to others. So the validity of the website you are receiving the podcast from should be of a higher standard. For example...

I have a friend who is student teaching and she made a bunch of slides using famous speeches from youtube.com. When she went to present her material before her co-op, the site was banned because it was not a legitimate site to use on school properties.

I think this poses a solution more than a problem, because then you have to pay attention to where the information is coming from and whether or not it is trustworthy.

In addition to many of the good found on the internet, it can also lead to many bad situations. On a comment about bullying...it has been taken to a new level. It seems that our systems haven't even found a good way to control bullying in the real world...so in addition we have to worry about cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying can be very dangerous because of the ability to access people. However, it is also easier to catch a predator because of the trail that person leaves behind. How do we control or diminish the problem of cyber bullying? The concepts written by Hummel discuss the no tolerance rules under being caught bullying. Though it might always be a problem, at least there are rules and regulations on how to deal with the victim to make them feel safer on the internet. However, knowledge seems to be an occurring theme in using technology. The more informed a person is about the uses and missuses...we can have a safer environment.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Podcasts

After exploring the world of postcasting today, I found that I am growing more and more interested. I was really turned-off by the idea of podcasts before because I did not see the purpose of them. These podcasts seem much easier that just videos online, and they can be updated frequently. I like the idea of a teacher using her phone or computer to put homework assignments up on her podcast. I could see myself in the future possibly recording my lessons and creating a daily podcast so that students who were absent or need to review the lesson can access them online.

I am enjoying expanding my podcast horizons. I think that the more we learn about them, the more I see their practical, educational benefits.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

New Information

I thought going into reading the handout on copy right I was aware of what was allowed and what things were not allowed. I was amazed though to find that there was a lot more things that were illegal than I knew. When I was going through school and doing a project, I would take pictures and things off the Internet all the time without even thinking about it. I started to learn once I got into the upper classes about siting sources and the importance of making sure you were documenting what information you used and that it was in your own words.

The things that I learned through the handout I believe I will use as a child life specialist because of wanting to use different handouts that I have found that will help a child and their family or maybe using a movie clip of some kind and showing the child a particular point that I wanted to be made. I now realized how careful I have to be when I am looking to share things with people. I want to make sure that I dont cross any lines and I think learning these standards will help that and will make more clear what can and cant be done.

I am looking forward to these next couple of projects because I believe they can be very helpful and that I will be able to find things that are specifically related to my topic of interest and things that I may actually use when I get to my profession. Finding videos will be something that I can use and learn from and then share with others. I think this social networking idea will be of great help when it does get linked to other people who are looking for the same information because there are not a lot of people who I know who are in the same field as me and it will be nice to have others to communicate with who are familiar with my profession.

New Discoveries

Copyright laws are SO specific nowadays that it is a dangerous for a future educator and for that fact an educator not to know about. I was shocked that there were so many specific guidelines to using information found through Internet, media, video, etc that were considered disobeying copyright laws. I wonder if because of the advancement in technology, that these laws are being enforced with a stronger hand. I know for a fact that many of my teachers has disobeyed copyright laws by using anything from video, music, pictures, and many more uses of technology without giving credit or resources at all.

The problem with copyright laws is that most of the time when they are being disobeyed it is out of being naive as opposed to down-right disobeying. So in this case, it is important to read all individual copyrights or disclosers so that we as educators are not taking advantage of another person's/business' work.

It almost comes down to the point that sharing information found on the Internet can be a copyright infringement without giving the specific website to that person. I can understand most of the laws, but I feel that if you give credit to the site, author, web-designer, etc. then it isn't disobeying copyright laws. All the specifics seem to be a little dramatic to me. But of course I am wrong...and learned something new.

The Wonderful world wide web

I once had a friend try to explain to me podcasts, and it didn't work very well. He downloaded a podcast to my itunes and ipod and I never listened to it because I never updated it and I rarely update my ipod. I had kind of given up on podcasts until this point, and to my surprise they can be utlilized in the classroom. I hope to understand them a little better after a proper tutorial, I feel like my knowledge of the Internet decreases daily, as I learn what's out there. I feel like it'll be hard to find quality podcasts because they seem to be created by your average Joe. I know there is probably quality stuff out there too, it's just a matter of finding it. I can't actually imagine myself using the rss feed either. Maybe once I have a classroom and a class website rather than going to the website and seeing nothing, I can just check it through the feeder. But for me that seems almost pointless, only because there aren't too many websites that I go to, so to check one to see if there are updates and then go to the other seems like an extra step. And if there isn't anything new on the website I check it doesn't save time to check one website over the other to see that nothing is new. Maybe in a few years there will be more sites that I'd be interested in checking out regularly so it will be of use than.
I feel like the copyright information is very valuable and its important for students to know, and know how to avoid plagiarism. However, it seems very easy for students teachers and schools alike to take information without realizing it's against the law. I really didn't know the copyright information on all those formats, so it was useful for me.

copyright and RSS

I definitly like the google reader. It is very helpful and saves a lot of time. Plus this way, I can see what is new on all the sites instead of having to go to each site, especially since I forget sometimes to check certain sites. I think the google reader can be very helpful as a teacher because it lets you get a bunch of news without having to waste time since teachers don't have a lot of it to spare. As far as del.icio.us goes, I also think this could be very helpful, especially with the amount of sites we have looked at so far in class. There are so many useful websites out there but it gets so overwhelming trying to remember which ones to look at and which ones are useful. It seems like del.icio.us will be a useful tool to help ease the task of looking at all the websites.

I learned a lot about copyright issues. I didn't really know much about it besides the basics such as don't plagerize. I found it extremely interesting that most of the time you can copy things as long as they are used for an educated purpose and are distributed fairly and in reason. I was caught off guard when I was reading about the ability to copy videos if the they aren't being offered at a fair price. This seems a little sketchy to me. Who is to say what a fair price is? Just because one person thinks it is fair, does not mean someone else does. That one is the one that seems the most flexible to me.

copyright and podcasts

To me, the purpose of copyright laws and regulations is simply to give credit where credit is due. If people always just do that, I don't really see the need to have specific rules about stuff. If you use something that isn't yours, just say whose it is. It's that simple.

We went over podcasts very fast, and I don't feel that I really understand what podcasts are and what the point of them is. For our project, how many podcasts are we supposed to find? Do we have to review them? So many questions . . .

As a side note: I feel very rushed in this class; there always seems to be so much stuff to do and barely any time to do it all.

CopyRights

The chart that we printed off is very useful for educators. I had no idea that certain things were illegal and some things I thought teachers couldnt do, we can! Educators need to be incredibly careful when incorporating technolgy into the classroom because many copyright rules can be broken. It becomes difficult for teachers, however, when certain materials are unavailable, or a teacher has a really great idea and no resources. We all want to incorporate as much technology as possible in our classrooms so that our students have fun while learning, but we also have to keep in mind the legal aspects. Personally, I need to brush up on these copyright rules so that I do not break any laws in the future. As technology progesses, however, the laws on copyrights may also become more strick as well.

Copywrite Information

I found this all to be very confusing. The table that we printed was almost contradictory in spots and also subjective. For example, under computer software it says that Librarians can make copies if the software is sold at an unfair price. How do we know what an unfair price is? Who gets to decide whether $20 is fair or not? Also, it says that poems that are less than 250 words can be copied but for those longer than 250 words you can only copy an exerpt. Why are shorter poems not given the same consideration as longer ones? Also, under the interenet it says that links to legitimate sites must be posted. How do we know what sites are legitimate?

It just seemed to me that there were a lot of holes and questions regarding this handout. Maybe I am just reading it wrong, but it looks as if a large portion of it is subjective.

Copyright and Ciber Ethics

I think that, obviously, copyrights are necessary and important to protect products and new technologies. Also, cyber bullying is a very dangerous thing that can affect numerous people and lead to serious ethical and moral problems. However, it is also important to note that people cannot be forced to protect themselves. I think that instead of demanding students or families to register or protect their computer using web-available commodities such as Net Nanny, people should be educated on the dangers of surfing the net. One of the main arguments in the article "The Concerned Educator's Guide to Saftey and Cyber Ethics" is that teachers stumble upon websites such as whitehouse.com that are pornographic and clearly not intended for classroom use. However, teachers should test websites for not only appropriateness, but also validity and content before they show them in the classroom. I think that by forcing students, families, and teachers to be policed by these cyber organizations that fight "crime" and "indecency," we are creating a boundary of distrust that shows lack of faith in students, parents, and teachers.

RSS

I am glad we learned about RSS today in class. I am also glad we set up our Google readers. I definately see the benefits of this internet feature. In the future, I predict that the RSS feed will be helpful when I become a teacher in order to receive the latest updates in teaching techniques and standards while saving time. Conducting daily searches can become very time consuming, especially for teachers whose days are very structured. It is important that teachers can access necessary information through the internet quickly and efficiently in order to conduct their classes smoothly.

The copyright laws are especially important for teachers yet can be a bit overwhelming. I think it is vital for teachers to always have a hard copy of the rules and regulations on hand in the classroom so that they are able to protect their work as well as their students. Plagerism and illegal copying is easy to do without even realizing you are breaking the law and can get really messy. I feel it is the teacher's responsibility to protect him or her self as well as the student's because otherwise the entire school can be punished.

Wiki Wiki Wiki

As our wiki projects come to a close, I have been reflecting back on what I've learned over the past week or so. I have to say that I found Wiki easy enough to use, but I did stumble across several coding errors that became very annoying as I tried to complete my projects. Also, some of the pictures that I tried to upload refused to appear on the screen.

I think wiki would be beneficial for me as a teacher to post a syllabus, calendar, or classroom announcements, but I would save Wiki for my upper level English classes. I do not think this is the best way to present a project, but it can definitely compliment a project. I feel like there are other websites that are more creative than wiki that allow changes in fonts, sizes, colors, and themes. They offer a website that is more visually appealing, but not many people can edit the page at a time.

I do wish we would have had a more interactive lesson while learning the features of Wiki. Watching the videos in class today about RSS and del.icio.us, for example, were helpful. It was easier to understand in simple language and have a visual to guide us. It is aggrivating at times that we cannot utilize some programs in class because we are not administrators. We just have to explore on our own!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

More Wiki

The more and more we talk about the benefits of Wiki, the more familiar and supportive I am becoming with the concepts. I like how technology has become such a beneficial tool in the classroom, but I don't want it to replace a lot of the concepts in the classroom already. I just know with the technology advancing so fast, some parents don't wish their kids to be involved on the internet all the time.

Not only is that an issue, but finding access to a computer all the time to do homework, blogs, wiki updates, and other uses can be difficult for some students who can't find the resources. A lot more time-budgeting and sharing may be needed when using technology in the classroom.

I however, enjoy learning about the newer uses of the internet and its benefits for students. Atleast I am becoming more proficient...

Wiki Projects

I really like the idea of being creative with the wiki spaces because they will make the space much more appealing to the reader. This, in schools especially, is important. If a page is boring and too simple, students and parents alike will most likely become disinterested in its content and pay little to no attention to it. However, if it is made to be more fun, colorful, and interesting, more attention and positive feedback will be received.

Also, I am happy that we were taught how to incorporate sound and visuals to the page. This will help make the lessons and the information on the wiki space much more appealing and interesting, helping incorporate numerous types of learning.

On a whole, I like the idea of this project becuase it is something that we, as teachers will be able to use in the future. It is practical in the classroom and is multifacitive, applicable to students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

Wiki Project

I thought going into this project it could be helpful and would in some way help me for what I am going to be doing in the future. However, I have found some good sites for kids, but not too many of them could be directed in my field of study because most are based around a subject in school like writing or language arts, which is important, but doesnt do too much for those young children who are going to be having an operation some time soon. The only ones that are useful are the art ones where a child could go and create an art project to aleviate some stress and express what he or she is really feeling with out having to use words.

It is also hard because this is a large project that has a lot of expectations and requirements and we didnt get any time in class to work on it. It is hard to fit everything into my schedule especially with homework and stuff from other classes and I was really looking forward to having some time in class to work on it and ask questions and get some feed back before I went and worked on it on my own and was expected to turn it in. I want to do a good job on my project, but things this big take time and I think we need to have more time to do it in class so we can work with people and bounce ideas off of people other than ourselves.

projects and class time

I was a little upset with class today. I came in thinking we would spend the majority of class working on the wiki project but instead we barely even mentioned it. I had questions I wanted to ask but never had the opportunity. I would have prefered spending most of the time working on our project and then spending Tuesday learning about blogging. I feel that if a project was assigned and it requires a lot of work, that we should have class time, especially since it is due on Tuesday. I know that I have a lot of other things going on over the weekend as well as a lot of other homework to be doing and so I don't have the time to spend hours working on this project. I'm sure other people are busy as well and so it might have been nice to work on it in class. One of my major questions was where to find the reviews for the different softwares. Generally there is a specific site to go to and yet I can't seem to find it. I wish we had time in class to ask questions and to work on it, especially since we are working with others to do it. It would have been nice to talk to them about it.

Classroom Website

I am glad we are learning about wikispaces because I would really like to create a website for my class in the future. I know some teachers right now that have websites and I think it is very useful for students. The teachers post homework, links to helpful sites, and other classroom relevant material. There are so many different things you can do with this technology. It is very versatile. I think one of the major problems that people have with personal websites is keeping them updated. It will be very important for me to keep the classroom website up-to-date and relevant. Otherwise, students will start to ignore it and they may see me as unorganized. It is very important to keep up the things that you start and the things you tell your students to rely on.

Wiki project

I have enjoyed learning about Wiki this week. Wiki was another form of technology that I was not aware of before this class. It seems to me that the options for creating your own personal Wiki are endless which is exciting. I am excited to learn more about Wiki this weekend with the completion of our project. I am glad we were introduced to the vastness of Wiki this week because as it seems to be growing exponetially all the time, it is so important as future teachers that we are familiar with this. I can definately see myself creating a Wiki homepage for my classroom.

As for the blogging, I am still unsure how I feel about the idea. I understand that along with Wiki, blogging is growing as well. However, I still feel that blogging for students can be dangerous because it can be so easily manipulated. I am sure in the future there is going to be much better protection and advancements for blogging.

more wiki

This week I've realized how little I actually do know about the Internet. I'm glad that I have an opportunity to become more savvy and knowledgeable about such sites and applications as the wiki. I really like how you can incorporate almost anything onto your wiki page so easily. They really have made it very user friendly. I think the usability of this type of page makes it an even better resource for students. Adding their thoughts or projects to a wiki page or something similar would be very easy for them I think, because students are always on the cutting edge of technology anyway. When I was reading about the uses for wiki I came across the idea of a wiki as a student portfolio and I really thought that was an interesting idea. This would allow students to write their initial thoughts, say about a book, then link key concepts or new terms into their page to help clarify for themselves and others. Then this type of project also allows for a follow up section and they can see how their thoughts or ideas changed and progressed. I'm still trying to figure out how to best impliment a wiki but as I learn more I think it could potentially be very useful, again only if it's used in the correct way.

Math Softwares

I think the second part of our Wiki project will be very benefitial. Especially for math, there are so many programs out there and I know for sure that I am not aware of half of them. I have only worked with a few softwares briefly, but I would like the opportunity to explore more of what they offer. A lot of people may think that calculators are the only technology needed for math and that is certainly not true. There are several softwares that can not only do computations and generate graphs, but they can also just make the material easier to understand. Espeically for the visual learner seeing a graph generated can help further the understanding of what a graph is.

Wiki Websites

As we were going through all the links and websites today in class, I was amazed at the amount of information that is available. These resources are valuable, and I can picture useing them effectively in my future classroom.

For my AP Lit class in high school, we used a lot of technology including blogger.com and blackboard.com. Blogger was used mainly to present facts about major projects we did, but I am not sure if that is the best way to present. I like the idea of using the Wiki page to present literature projects because it can be more organized on a webpage than it could be on a blog.

I think a personal blog would be useful while reading literature. Students could use blogger as a journal to response to their readings. At the same time, they could comment on the peer's responses as well.

Blackboard.com is one of my favorite resources because it was extremely effective in my AP class. Not only is is easily accessible, but it allows for the continuation of class discussions online. Students can post new topics and also add to existing topics. English people...check it out!

Questions About Project on Software

Do I have to download three different math software in order to do this project? I don't like the idea of crowding my harddrive with extra software. Are there any computer on campus (like here in Buck or at the library) that already have a bunch of different math software downloaded on them? Having too many different software on my laptop will make my laptop run slower, which I am not looking forward to. Or is there a way I can review these software without actually downloading them?

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

WIKI!

After going through all the English websites, I was amazed at all the links that were compiled. I found many, many useful links on a variety of literature topics. It was frustrating when some links didnt work, but they were out-numbered by those that did.

I have mixed feelings about Wiki pages in general. I think it would be a great tool as a teacher to post projects and have an easy, accessible website for students to visit.

I think I would mainly use the Wiki for student projects. This type of media would be great to present a semester long project, or a book analysis. It is easy to view while students are presenting, and the information will be there outside of class for other students and classes to view.

It may be slightly advanced for younger high school students, but then again, by the time we are teaching, it may be common knowledge for all our students.

=)

Monday, October 1, 2007

Websites

I am really thankful for this assignment because it has opened my eyes to many useful websites that will enhance my teaching and my students learning experience. It amazes me how many teaching tools are available on the internet. These websites, in addition to other technological teaching instruments, are so important for us, as future teachers, to be familiar with in order to increase our "arsenal" of teaching tools.