Monday, June 11, 2012

Tool 11


1.I would like to set up a website for kids to refer to for assignments and daily class work.


2. I will certainly need to make changes in my classroom. I have expanded my knowledge of what is out there for me to use. Now I need to embrace the challenge.


3. I had no expectations about what 11 Tools was. I am surprised that I learned a lot and I'm excited about using the technology in my classroom.
TOOL 10
1. Students need to understand plagiarism and the serious implications of it. They also need to understand that not all information and websites are reliable and how to locate good sources. The Alan November information is good for this.
2. I plan to use Atomic Learning to present this information to my classes. Several mini lessons can convey this information.
3.Good classroom behavior is a huge part of using computer labs and classroom computers.
4.Sending a letter home to parents at the beginning of the year to make sure everyone understands digital citizenship is important will help reinforce this issue.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

TOOL 8  I learned that I need to put the apps on my laptop and then transfer them to the iPad or Netbook. Also, I learned that I should not use my personal iTunes account so i set up an account using my s
school address.

I plan to manage the devices like I would in a lab or the library. Students will understand the rules and if they do  not abide by these rules, they will loose the privilege of using the device.
TOOL 7  Each year seniors create a legacy project that includes essays describing their memory of each school year. I think having students write their memory at the end of each year would enable students to write in more detail about their school memories. Another idea is to move the legacy to be completely online and this would allow students to use many of the online resources. The idea is to start within this school and then move to other schools the students attended.

CONTENT OBJECTIVE  To create pages for the senior legacy by collaborating in Google Docs at the end of each year to write their memory of that grade.

PLAN TO IMPLEMENT At the beginning of their freshman year student will write an essay about their middle school years. At the end of each year, students can reflect about that year.

TOOLS TO USE
Google Docs
iPad to document changes in growth through pictures and growth
If this project moves to online, we would use Skype and Voicethread
TOOL 9
1. Using technology with the objective is the best way to get the students actively involved in the learning for the day. They are learning without realizing it and if they are actively involved, they will remember.
2. Students should be held accountable in the centers because it is an indication of what they have learned and they are not just playing with the devices. If not held accountable, students will use the center time as play time. An end project, etc is necessary.
3. In Thinkfinity I liked Comic Creator in which students can create a comic strip as the final assessment upon completing a reading. I also liked English Grammar 101 in which students complete  self-paced grammar lessons and a reteach is necessary. Grammar is still important today and this allows the students to be in charge of their grammar learning.
4. Apps
Elements of Gothic Literature - Students can use this as an introduction to Gothic Lit. Background knowledge is important for the students complete understanding of the literature of a certain time period.

Shakespeare in Bits provides the students with the opportunity to watch brief videos about their reading and gives them interaction with voc and analysis of what they always perceive as difficult.

5.The ipads allow student to quickly get information on questions or gives them the opportunity to do brief research on any topic (relevant to the class discussion).


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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

TOOL 6   I can see this being very useful for getting the kids involved in reading and the teacher using it to check for understanding. I'll definitely use this. http://todaysmeet.com/hillsroom http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/LTE5NTY5NTM0NTU
I'm not sure that I would use this site. If I did, I would use it for the students opinion on  what topic or reading selection they would like to do next. This gives them a choice and it is not me telling them what to do. Not all kids have a cell phone, so it would limit the kids who could respond.
TOOL 5 I used Stupflix with research this year. It was very easy for the kids and me use. After making the video, the kids posted this to the web through Weebly. For me, this was difficult due to logging in issues. Many of the kids could not log in and get the video posted. Unfortunately, I don't know how to get to their weebly, so I don't have an example to show.

I made this wordle from the intro to Beowulf. I can see the kids liking this because they seem to focus on words they don't know and comprehension goes down. with this they can see what is important.
TOOL 4 I used Google Docs with research this year. I found it exhausting. The kids from different classes were in groups and it was difficult to get them to work together. Also, the kids did not like it because it was something new. I will have to work on refining how I use it next year. Using Google Docs for testing sounds interesting, but I will have to see how it truly works in the classroom.


TOOL 3
I tried teachertube for Frankenstein video and found that several of the sites had been removed or would not open. Naturally, this was frustrating. Next I went to youtube and it worked fine. I probably will stick with this. I have used youtube in the past and had no problems. I tend to stick with what works with no problems. Tried kidstube and discovered it to be censored for high school topics. This site must be for elementary kids and I won't use it.


This video is from the original movie and I like to show the kids the difference between older movies and the newer ones.


Good for introducing Beowulf.

I thought the videos were interesting and my students might learn something from watching them.I loved the dropbox for our team. It keeps you organized with all materials at your fingertip. Just keeping adding and I can use it when school begins to remind me of what we did.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Tool 2

It was fun to see what others were thinking and how they may use the various tools. this is uncomfortable for me because I don't like to share and be public with my thoughts. I don't find it different when sharing with team mates, but I don't like the whole world knowing. I checked out Holly's recommendation for www.freetech4teachers.com and it looks interesting and useful.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Tool 1

I had the best help ever. Quinton Freeman is so calm and helpful with those of us who are technically challenged. Thanks!