Projects and Tech of the Weeks

I have really enjoyed both learning about and doing these projects. Though the webquest was quite a bit of work, I really liked my topic so that made it fun. I also really enjoyed my google earth topic once I finally found it. I think the technology for both of these projects was decently easy to use once we got the hang of it and I think both can definitely be used in our classrooms one day. I had a lot of fun putting these together.

In general I love learning about all the different technologies that we will have access to as teachers. I think these will all be great to usse in our classrooms and especially for Elementary I can totally see the kids having a blast using all of these different technologies. Though I have enjoyed them all, I especially loved the iclickr presentation. That is something I will definitely have to buy and use in my classroom. I am also very thankful that Christine included all that information on setup and how to use it. I also thought it was a really neat idea to do the presentation by making a quiz for all of us to take. So, great job Christine! haha. Really though, everyone's presentations have been great, I am learning a lot, and I cannot wait to be a teacher so I can use all of these different activities with my students.

Web Quest and Google Earth

I have really enjoyed putting together both my Web Quest and my Google Earth project. I think that the Web Quest is a great tool to introduce students to the endless resources of the internet. In today's internet dependent society it is never too early to teach students how to successfully navigate the internet. Putting the Web Quest together was a little challenging at the beginning though. There were so many possibilities of websites but finding age appropriate and dependable ones took a while.
Google Earth is so cool! You literally have the whole world at your fingertips! There are so many options beyond just the science and social studies topics that you might first think is all that you could use Google Earth for.

Photo Story

I really enjoyed the Photo Story project. I think that this idea is a great way to introduce a new topics, start discussion on current topics, or quickly review a topic at the end of a unit. The finished projects we viewed in class were all very creative and well put together. It was very interesting to see the different ways in which my classmates all started with the same program and basic idea and yet used it so differently to relay their message and standards. I can definitely see myself using Photo Story as a future teacher to integrate yet another useful technology into my classroom.

Technology of the Week

I enjoyed learning about Dipity today in class. I would use Dipity when I become a teacher. I think it would be need to have students create a project introducing themselves to me. It would be neat to make my own Dipity timeline about myself to tell my students a little bit about myself at the beginning of the school year. I could include picture and information about my life. Students then could create the same time of timeline for themselves. I would also like to create a timeline about first grade. It would be a great way for students to look back on what they learned during the school year. I would include pictures of my students on the timeline. The students could then have a digital scrapbook of the year.

Dipity is aslo a great tool for any subject. I could see myself using it the most in history. It would provide me with the opportunity to create a timeline of history in different cultures that we study.

I enjoyed watching the photo stories today. I was very impressed by everyone's movie. I could see myself showing these types of videos in class.

photo story

The photo story project was a lot of fun, and seeing some of the examples in class, I really understand how effective these kinds of presentations can be for students. The audio and visual component together make the subject seem to come alive, and by introducing a unit that students may find somewhat boring using this kind of technology may get the students more engaged.

I found the photo story project somewhat challenges in the way I had to cut down the information I wanted to share with students into the time frame. It makes sense that after a few minutes students are less likely and less able to pay attention, and I found I had to cut out some of the examples I would have liked to share. Also, pacing the voiceover so as not to speak too quickly was also challenging as there was so much information that I wanted to get to.

While my project focused on the steps of the research process, fulfilling the fifth goal of the state objectives, I can really see how photo stories could be used to introduce a novel. Background information, fun quotes to look forward to: there are numerous possibilities that could be effective in getting students excited about a new literary unit!

I thought that all the photo stories I saw were very informative and i think that doing one every once in awhile would be a great change in pace for student. I think its important not to use these stories all the time because it is important to do hands on teaching to. But, every week or so mixing in a short introduction to a topic or talking about a certain event would be very helpful.

Photo Story

I really enjoyed working on and creating this project. It was an interesting look at how to summarize such a broad topic (Civil Rights Movement in my case)by using pictures and presenting it in this style. From all of the videos I got the chance to see during class today, I can tell that this will be a useful tool in presenting information to students in a more interesting way to them. By keeping the Photo Stories to the point, they can be a very good tool to keep the students attention during class, and also a way to create a good introduction to a new topic or unit being taught in the classroom. I was worried while making the video that I would have an issue with the vocal recordings, either that they would turn out too loud or quiet, but when I finished with the project, I was very satisified with what I heard from my video.