Elem. Reading and Photostory

My reading this week was about using computer drawing programs to support student achievement. The reading argues that allowing students to use drawing programs on the computer supports non-lingusitic representation skills (creating visuals to represent things like vocabulary or curricular concepts). At first, I was hesitant to agree with this argument because I believed that students could simply create these visual representations using paper and crayons. To me, letting students create their drawings on paper saves me the time and energy I would have to use to explain how to use programs like Kid Pix or Microsoft Paint. However, after I read further, the argument was made that the computer motivates some students in ways that drawing a picture on paper never will. I had to agree. I know from experience that for some students, getting to use Kid Pix is a real motivator for them. The reading also gave examples of how I could use drawing programs for things like drawing illustrations, creating a hundreds day chart, and making portraits and tessellations.

My photostory project is going well. I just added my commentary to my pictures and I think it looks and sounds pretty good. I am still trying to figure out how to add music over my voice. Every time I try to add a music clip, my commentary disappears. Any help on this would be appreciated!

Reading, project 2

My reading for this week was an article about the incorporation of instructional "soaps" into the classroom to help in language acquisition. I think this is a great idea and I know throughout my Spanish learning experience I have had to watch several soaps, including the one discussed in the article, "Destinos." I didn't really like this show, but I 5 years later I can still tell you the main characters names and the basic plot line...so I guess it was doing its job! It was really helpful in learning vocabulary as well and in offering a first hand view into a part of the Hispanic culture. Another show I watched was "La Catrina," which I found a lot more interesting. That is where I learned that "estoy embarazada" does NOT mean "I'm embarassed," it means "I'm pregnant." I'm happy I learned that through the show rather than making the mistake myself! Overall, both of these shows were useful and educational...but they were also extremely cheesy and lame. I haven't seen any recent soaps, but hopefully within the past few years they have come up with some better ones that seem to flow a little bit more naturally. I think that is the only thing the soaps I saw were missing.

I'm excited to work on the photostory...but I think it is going to take me a lot of time. I'm really not good at all the intricacies of creating a photostory. Also, my voice is not the best for doing all the narrations...so I am not looking forward to that part, so we will see how it goes!

Thoughts on Technology of the week and Imovie project so far

So far I am every pleased with the Technology of the week topics.  Getting to know all of these different tools which can me used in the classroom is really neat.  The examples that each presenter has posted on the website seem to demonstrate the technology very well.  Not only that but also the ability that that certain technology has to cover all content areas. 

            Also it is very cool to learn how all of these different technologies work.  For example I have always wondered about java flash animations and applets and how they work.  Now I know thanks to tech of the week!!

            Another thing that I am very excited about is the Imovie project.  It seems to be a very cool idea and one that can be used for all subjects.  Being a math major the obvious uses for math are not necessarily teaching math, but teaching the history of math and key concepts such as applications to everyday life. 

            With such a simple program to use and create lessons I wonder why I have never been introduced to this technology before.  It seems very advantages in all aspects of teaching.  

Photo Story Project

I am really excited about the photo story project! I have so many ideas of what I want to do, the only thing I am struggling with is how to get all the information in that I want to, in around 3 minutes. The other thing I am worried about is using the moviemaker software. I hahve never used it before so it'll be a learning experience. Luckily I do have an idea of what I want to do so I am really happy about that! It will be cool to see and hear everyones stories!

Photo Story

I too am excited for this Photo Story project. The samples we viewed in class made by past students turned out very well in my opinion and will be a great teaching tool in the future. The Photo Story program seems like a great way to either introduce a new topic or provide a quick summery at the end of a unit.

For my project I was assigned Social Studies at the elementary level. I am planning on outlining my presentation as a virtual field trip to see different geographic regions of the United States. It is starting to come together well and I am excited for the finished product. I am a little concerned about the amount of time that we have to complete this project, especially since I do not have this program on my laptop to be able to really work on it outside of class. I also can't wait to see the projects of my classmates. Good luck and have fun everyone!

Project 2

After being introduced to Photo Story, I am very excited about how our projects will turn out. As we viewed and listened to sample projects, I could already tell that this is another project that will come in handy in the future when we become educators. I can picture myself using photo stories to add variety in the classroom and to introduce topics in a fun and interesting manner.

I am a little concerned about my own project, however, because I haven't thought of any great ideas yet. I have a general idea of what I want to do, but I am having trouble being creative with it. My content area is elementary math, and I am thinking about doing something related to comparing whole numbers (greater than, less than, equal to) and comparing the number of objects in different groups. Hopefully it will come together for me soon!

I do believe, however, that this project will be very beneficial to us in the future, and I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Project 2 Thoughts

This past Tuesday in class, we finished putting together our contributions to our wiki site. It was good to see everyone had collaborated and put some useful information on the site. This is definitely a good resource to use if we ever need help with Smart Board in the future. We also were introduced to Photo Stories. As a class we used our headphones (these make me feel like I am a pilot, by the way) and listened to some stories done by local high schoolers. These were interesting to listen to because they discussed local histories of the surrounding areas in Bloomington, Normal, and Eureka. I enjoyed the ones about local theater and woman's athletics. We also got assigned subjects to compose our own photo story. The topic I am doing is related to physical education and the state of the body for elementary students. Personally, I find the body more interesting so I am gearing my story towards hygiene, drug use, and healthy eating. So far, those are the broad ideas. I also downloaded songs from Yo Gabba Gabba and The Wiggles on iTunes that pertain to these topics...AWESOME! I am interested in starting this project because I have never worked with the program before and am excited to see the final result. Happy blogging everyone!