Final Thoughts

This class has opened my eyes to the possibilities of using technology in the classroom.  I was increasingly challenged to use new tools in Google such as Blogger, Google Sites, Presentation, GoogleDocs, Google Forms, and Gmail. I also was challenged to use other Web 2.0 tools such as Animoto, Delicious, Glogster, Picnik, Smilebox, Timetoast, Twitter, Storybird, Wordle, and PBworks.  I think my favorite tools to work in were those in Google such as Google Docs, Blogger, and Sites, but I also really enjoyed Glogster, Wordle, and Storybird. 

I am very grateful for all that I have learned and cannot wait to utilize many of these tools in my future classroom.  I have also learned that the more organized that you are before beginning a technology project, the more equipped you will be to complete it in a timely manner. Making storyboards were a great way for me to get organized before making various projects. After all the practice that I have had with inserting and embeding various tools, pictures, videos, and documents, I feel much more comfortable and confident with using technology in my own classroom. My only wish for this class is that we would have worked more with SmartBoard technology as they are heavily used at Tennessee School for the Deaf where I will be doing my internship next year. 

This class really exceeded my expectations, and I have recommended it to many of my friends.  I am very grateful for my teacher, Ginny Britt, for all her patience with all my questions.  I look forward to updating you all about my experiences in the future!

My Classroom Website

I have been so excited to create my very own classroom website. The most difficult part has been becoming accustomed to Google Sites. Links such as "edit sidebar" direct you to a page where you can manage the appearance of your website.  Similarly, "edit page"link  can be found at the top of each page and allows you to change the layout of that page as well as type, insert photos, gagets, and documents.

While working on my website, I did a good job at organizing the various pages in a way that will be easy for readers to navigate.  Likewise, I really enjoyed designing the site.  However, I think I spent too much time working on the appearance of my site initially.  I think I could have saved time by doing this later because I ended up changing many of my designs and fonts anyways.

Having a classroom website will really serve me well in my classroom.  Classroom websites are a great way to keep parents in touch with what is happening in the classroom. Similarly, classroom websites are a great way for students to stay organized with notes, projects, and deadlines for the class because they can access it anywhere.  Posting videos, pictures, notes, calendars, and announcements only a few ways that a classroom website can be utilized.

When I am using this website in the future, I will add more pages and links in the sidebar that include the classroom syllabus as well as any documents, websites, or multimedia sources that we had accessed online.  I would even love to email my students a link to this site before class started so that they could begin looking forward to the various projects and activities that we would be completing in the school year. I am encouraged that I feel so much more comfortable with creating and using a classroom website and look forward to how I will use it in the future!

Storybird

This past week in class, me and my partner, Michelle, presented a Web 2.0 tool called Storybird. Michelle and I really enjoyed researching this tool and discovering ways that it could be used in the classroom. Storybird was much easier to set up and maneuver than I expected. The introduction video seen above also helped us to become more comfortable with how to use it. After setting up our own accounts, Michelle and I collaborated online to create our own Storybird about the Thanksgiving season. You can read our story by clicking on the link below:

http://storybird.com/books/what-are-you-thankful-for-2/?token=6293f3

Here are some practical ways that Storybird can be used in the classroom:
1. For teacher-student, student-student, teacher-parent, student-parent collaboration, discussion, and participation.
2. For engaging students in reading and catering to their particular reading level.
3. For foreign language classes to practice translating and/or writing stories in that language.
4. For in class creative writing assignments and class discussions on a variety topics.

Next time when using Storybird in my classroom, I will make sure to set up a classroom account so that students can collaborate with each other and see each other's work. Michelle and I created individual accounts as well as a classroom site and it got a little confusing of which account to use. Also, you cannot be on more than one account at the same time so this can be a bit of a hassle. The least account names the better!

My Journey to Southeast Asia

This Digital Storytelling project has been my favorite assignment all semester. I am not sure which I enjoyed more- learning to use iMovie or reminiscing on all my memories from my trip this past summer to S.E. Asia. Either way, this project allowed me to become more comfortable with making Digital Stories as well as gave me a greater appreciation for people who make them on a weekly basis. I am thankful that I had my boyfriend to help me with this project because he is very well versed in iMovie. The hardest part was learning to use the various settings and tools but once I got the hang of it, the process became much more enjoyable. I am so grateful that I had organized the video before hand through a PowerPoint because it saved me so much time. Regardless, there were still many changes I had to make as I created the video and saw what worked and did not work. One of the most challenging parts for me was using songs that corresponded with the message that I wanted to convey in the movie.

I can see Digital Stories being very useful in the classroom. Teachers can create Digital stories to introduce themselves the first day of class, share a special experience that happened in their life, or as as a supplemental tool for teaching a particular lesson. There are numerous digital stories that can be found on sites such as YouTube or TeacherTube.

Next time I make a Digital Story, I think I will make sure to have all the video footage that I need beforehand. There was a specific clip that I wanted to use in my video but was unable to because I had to wait for it to be sent to me. I think video footage makes the viewer feel like they can experience Asia with me which was a huge reason why I created the video in the first place.

Interactive Spreadsheet

This is my Interactive Spreadsheet! This activity is designed to serve as a form of assessment for students. Teachers can create a spreadsheet to assess students' prior knowledge before a lesson or use as a summative quiz after a lesson. The spreadsheet I created is designed for testing students' knowledge after a lesson on Cell Organelles.

My experience with using Excel is very limited and I had no idea how to create a spreadsheet when I began this project. However, I followed a list of directions that my teacher provided which helped me to become a lot more comfortable with using the various commands and equations. Excel can be difficult because one minuscule error will prevent the spreadsheet from working correctly. There were a few times that I mistyped a particular equation and the column I was working on did not work correctly. Good for me, trial and error is sometimes the best way to learn.

If I were to use a spreadsheet again, I would make sure to have all the assessment questions typed out in another document as well as any pictures that I wanted to include. The more organized you are with this before time, the less time it will take to create the spreadsheet. Also, I would make sure to have your spreadsheet saved with the answers and without the answers so you can save in your records.

DNA Graphic Organizer

Creating Graphic Organizers through programs like Inspiration are a great tools to display information for a specific lesson or to assess students' understanding of the subject material in an in class project or homework assignment. Visual aids and graphic organizers are tools that help students learn and remember information because they help students organize information in a meaningful way. Teachers can ask students to replicate a diagram on a test or quiz or create blanks for them to fill in.

When I was creating my own Graphic organizer, the hardest part was organizing the information on DNA that I needed to be able to create it. However, once I organized the DNA ladder into 3 different sections, it was much easier for me to remember that DNA is made of a sugar-phosphate backbone and base-pairs in a double helical shape. I even was able to use this graphic organizer for lesson plan that I wrote the following week on DNA.

If I were to create another graphic organizer, I would definitely utilize the Inspiration program if my school had purchased the software. I love that you can organize the information in multiple ways from bubble trees to outlines. Being able to change between data formats allows the teacher to use the information in multiple ways. Furthermore, I would create more "notes" that students could access if they needed more information about a particular part of the diagram. No matter how you choose to create a graphic organizer, I enjoy that you can make a diagram simple or complex depending on the needs of the students in your classroom.

We're going on a picture hunt!

Last week, I ventured on a Picture Scavenger Hunt with 2 of my classmates. Our goal was to find pictures that represented "opposites." On our journey around campus, we found many opposite objects and had a lot of fun! We had to be creative, but with 3 UDL minds (we are all special education majors), we got the job done in no time. We utilized Hannah's iPhone to take pictures. I was hesitant about the quality of these pictures at first, but it ended up working really well. In fact, I think having an iPhone worked better for this project because we did not have to worry about resizing the pictures once they were downloaded on to our desktop.

I think this type of Scavenger Hunt activity would be so fun to do with students! You could divide students up in groups, have them collect pictures using an array of topics, and then have them incorporate their pictures into a PowerPoint presentation. More advanced students could supplement their pictures with information that they had researched. Specifically, this activity could be very useful for an elementary or middle school science classroom when students are studying leaves, trees, flowers, or other aspects of nature that could be easily captured with a camera.

Next time I do this activity, I would love to have my own iPhone to be able to take such great pictures :) I was worried about the resolution of the pictures, but I was surprised at the quality of them in the presentation. If possible, I would make sure that each group member had a camera so that they could capture their own pictures as well.

Slideshow

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Get your own

Here is a Slideshow made on Picasa showing the pictures that my group took during our Scavenger Hunt. This would be another great way for students to organize their photos during a technology-based activity!

Inquiry Based Activity- The Exploration of the Heart

Of all our activities thus far in TPTE, I really can see myself using this IBA (Inquiry Based Activity).  It was very good practice for me to design a lesson based on National Education Standards, and I was very impressed with how well the activity went.  After looking at the high school Anatomy and Physiology standards, it was not difficult for me to decide on a topic and find websites that creatively and resourcefully provided students with ways to learn the information.  I decided to create a worksheet based on the chambers and blood flow of the heart.  I can see myself using this worksheet if I were ever asked to teach an Anatomy class. There are so many structures and functions to be memorized and understood that it would be very important as an Anatomy teacher to utilize many different technological tools.  This activity shows that there are even creative ways to design technology based worksheets.  Next time, I would definitely utilize classroom textbooks again. It was so beneficial for me to view structures and information pertaining to the heart based on what students would be reading and learning from the text. Plus, it helped to refresh my memory as well. :)

Websites used in this IBA activity:
http://texasheart.org/HIC/Anatomy/Anatomy.cfm
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/heart-article/

Check In

In TPTE class thus far, I am learning more about technology than I would have expected! In the first few weeks of class I thought that at the speed we are going we will run out of things to talk about. Now, I am beginning to think that not even a semester is long enough to review all the tools on the web. I am thoroughly enjoying the class and am excited about the new things I will learn in the future. I just hope I can remember it all!

Quest of Webs

This past week, we did an activity on WebQuests! I had never heard of a WebQuest before, but I really enjoyed critiquing a few examples with other students in my class.  As we reviewed various sites, I noticed a couple things that set WebQuests apart from each other.  First, is organization of the site.  WebQuests are so useful because they provide all the directions, links, and tools that one needs to research a topic and accomplish an activity . However, if the objectives and instructions of the activity are disorganized, this process becomes much more difficult.  The layout of the site is very important as well.  Even simple things like colors and pictures when you first visit a site are so influential in your perceptions of it.

I could definitely see myself using WebQuests in a Science Classroom.  There are many biological concepts that relate to issues going on in the world today such as genetic engineering, gene cloning, etc. A WebQuest would help students become familiar with topics like these while learning about the biological processes behind them and then formulating their own opinion about them.  Similarly, WebQuests would help organize group activities and discussion with other students that would aid in their understanding.  By creating my own WebQuest or utilizing one from the internet, there are many ways that this web 2.0 tool could be used in the classroom.

The next time I am searching for a specific WebQuest to use in an activity, I will be aware of sites like QuestGarden where they are organized into various subject areas.  I will know how to critique a specific WebQuest through the site evaluation that we completed in my TPTE class. I will know that it is important for there to be an author, reliable contact information, and consistent revisions made to the site. 

Website Evaluating

This past week I evaluated a site called Cells Alive which has multiple demonstrations, animations, and models representing various cellular structures and processes.  A few of my favorite interactive tools are the model of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell as well as the demonstration of mitosis and meiosis. I appreciate that you can watch the process as a whole or focus in on one particular step.  I can really see myself utilizing a site such as Cells Alive in the classroom.  It is so important for students to study the particular parts, steps, and functions of cellular processes through scientific resources such as textbooks, articles, and lectures.  However, allowing students to visually see these processes often helps incorporate all that information.

This activity taught me various practical ways to evaluate a website that can be used in the classroom.  I learned that it is important for there to be contact information on the site as well as an author.  Having the credentials of the author posted helps the reader to know that the information on the site is reliable.  Also, as technology is always changing, it is important that the site is consistently under revision so that information is portrayed in a current and applicable way.  Finally, I learned that the most successful sites are those that are user-friendly to various age levels.  I appreciate that the Cells Alive is not difficult to navigate with clearly identified links and headings on the side of the page. 

Overall, this activity was very beneficial for me as a future educator. In the "Internet Age" that we live in where information can be so instantly accessed, I must be able to decipher between valuable and invaluable sources.  This activity provided me with questions to ask concerning various websites which will be beneficial as I conduct my own online research and as I teach my students how to conduct theirs. 

Picky Wiki

This week, we created our first Wiki! I had never used a Wiki before, but I am continually amazed by the various tools that can be utilized on the internet.  There are many benefits of a Wiki which include creating a glossary, working on group projects, composing a study guide, peer editing, making a calendar, and organizing data.  I really enjoyed the All About Me Wiki through PBworks because it is an organized way to read information about the other students in class.  This would be a great way for students to introduce themselves in a class setting. You could also have students post on their Wiki page but present another student's Wiki so that they would become more familiar with the students in the class.

While there are many benefits to using Wikis, I do think that the site could be more user friendly.  It was more difficult for me to figure out how to set up my page initially than it was to use sites like GoogleDocs.  There are many tools that I do not think I would know how to use if my professor did not show us in class.  I enjoyed the KWLS chart because it allowed me to really process what I had learned about the activity and what I still had questions about.  The YouTube video that we watched called "Wikis in Plain English" was a great, concise summary of why Wikis are useful.

If I were to utilize a Wiki again in my classroom, I think I would create a glossary page and have students post various new vocabulary that they learned. For example, after a lesson on the parts of the cell, students could individually post the name of the organelle and its structure and function.  If a student sees that someone wrote something incorrect or lacks information, they can fix it for them.  Overall, I think Wikis can be very useful in the classroom, and I am looking forward to gaining more experience to boost my confidence with using them.

A Technological Journey

This semester I hope to become more comfortable and familiar with using technology personally and professionally.  I know that as I grow more confident using technology as a means of learning in my own life, the better I will be able to utilize it in my classroom.  I am especially excited to learn how to use software programs such as Excel to better organize my own information as well as create graphs and diagrams for students. Likewise, I am so interested to learn about Smartboards because they have become very popular in Deaf Schools being that they are so interactive.  I am looking forward to continually seeing the benefits with educational blogging as well as creating a website for students and their families.  I hope to learn about the advantages and disadvantages to using texting in the classroom and any success that teachers have seen with it.  I am curious to see the function of podcasts and web streaming in the classroom to connect students with skilled teachers and various lessons.  I feel most comfortable using Powerpoint, Word, and various online resources, but I know there is so much more of technology to be explored! I am thankful to be on the journey. 

Lets Talk About Me.

I am a senior at the University of Tennessee studying Deaf Education and Biology.  I was born and raised in Franklin, TN and am a graduate of Brentwood Academy. I love all the music, good restaurants, and coffee shops of Nashville and yet the small-town feel as well.  In elementary school, learning sign language became a fun hobby of mine, but over the years, it has grown into a deep admiration for the Deaf community.  I never would have thought that I would like Biology much less be passionate about teaching it.  Nevertheless, my freshman Biology courses revealed my desire to understand the processes and structures involved in everyday life. When it came to choosing a licensure area, I was hesitant to choose Science because of the rigor and difficulty I knew it would bring. However, I think it is so important to be passionate about what I will teach so I know the hard work and stress are completely worth it.  Next year, I will be interning at Tennessee School for the Deaf as well as the Deaf Education program at West High School. I am thrilled at the thought of the experiences and opportunities I will gain there and cannot wait to see my progress as an educator and always a student.