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.