Blogfolio

1. Intro video
The Nets teaching standard the introduction video met was 3c. The standards is to "communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats." The video met this standard because it allowed students to video each other and use technology to introduce themselves to the class. I would use the introduction video at the beginning of the year to break the ice. I may also let my students to make a video at the end of the year to talk about the things they learned and some of their favorite moments.

2. Ghostery
Ghostery met the teaching standard 4a. That standard is to "advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources." Ghostery meets standard 4a because it involves tracking users and selling information to outside sources. I do not think that I would incorporate Ghostery very much in my teaching because I will be teaching elementary. Ghostery is a better concept to learn about in high school because that is when students will use the most technology.

3. Facebook
The Facebook project promoted and modeled digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. This standard is 4c. Facebook met this because it is all about social interaction. I would use Facebook as a way to teach how to use appropriate etiquette online and to introduce the topic of online bullying. This would be a better topic for older students, especially high school. It is important however, to introduce cyber bullying at a very young age so that children will be aware of the effects that it can have.

4. Concept map
The concept map met standard 2c. This standard is to "customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources." The concept map is a tool that I would use in my classroom. It would be very useful for making presentations to my class. I would also allow students to make their own concept maps about a topic or about a writing prompt. By doing this I would incorporate the use of technology and I would also be allowing my students to organize their thoughts. I could also allow my students to make a concept map about a certain topic and then present it to the class so that we could all discuss it.

5. Voki
Voki uses standard 3c, which is "communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats." A Voki allows students to create their own cartoon character that speaks. It meets the standard because it allows students to effectively communicate using digital media. I would use this in my classroom to introduce a topic to my students. Children love cartoons and they would be a lot more interested in a cartoon character teaching them something, rather than an actual person. This website is very easy to use so I would let older students make their own Voki. I would have them create a Voki about a certain topic so that they could present them to the class. Voki is a great way to incorporate technology in the classroom.

6. Webpage
Standard 1a is to promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. Making the webpage met this standard because it allowed me to be creative and invent my own page. I created my page about photography and this allowed me to do individual research about the topic. I then took the information I learned and transferred it to my webpage. I also had to be creative and try different fonts, backgrounds, and photos to see which ones would make my page more visually appealing. I will definitely use a webpage when I become a teacher. It is very important that parents are able to communicate with the teacher and to know what is going on with their child's education. My webpage will have upcoming events, games, homework help, photographs, and things for the parents to read. The younger students might not be able to actually create a webpage, but many of the older ones would be able to do so. They could make their own webpage about something that interests them or about something that we will learn about. This allows the student to research and develop their technological skills, as well as learn proper online etiquette.

7. Extranormal
When we made an Extranormal video we met standard 1b. This is to "engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources." This standard fits the Extranormal assignment because I made a video about bullying using digital tools. I would use this as a tool in my classroom to introduce a topic to my students. It is a fun way to learn about a topic rather than simply reading about it. I probably would not allow my students to actually make an Extranormal however, because it is more difficult than Voki. It would be more appropriate for high school students.

8. Movie Maker
The standard movie maker met was 2c. This standard says, "customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources" Movie Maker meets this standard because it allowed me to use digital tools and resources to create my own personal movie. I would allow my students to use Movie Maker because it is a fun way to lean about and present information. I would also make videos for my students to watch because they are more interesting than PowerPoint.

my movie

Xtranormal

Be a Friend
by: ashtont29

My Photography Website!!

Problem & Solution

My problem is that I never have enough time to get everything done. I have school and work every day so it's hard to fit everything in. One way of solving my problem using my car is driving faster. Although it may be impractical and more dangerous, it would allow me more time to do my work. I could also get some audio books to listen to in the car so I could study while I drive.

Voki

Outer Space Concept Map

Constellations

I.    Stars

A.    Sun

The Sun is the closest star to Earth and it produces heat which sustains life on Earth. It is made of the gasses hydrogen and helium. The sun is approximately 864,000 miles in diameter and about 92 million miles from the Earth. The sun is considered a yellow dwarf star, which burn about 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Galaxy Orgins

I.    Galaxies                                                                                                           

A.    Types of Galaxies

Uranus

I.    Outer Planets

A.    Saturn

Saturn is the second largest planet. It has seven flat rings around it. The rings are made up of billions of pieces of rocks and dust. Saturn is almost ten times as large as the Earth and can be seen from Earth. 

B.    Jupiter

C.    Planets

Neptune

Mercury

I.    Inner Planets

Venus

Earth

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet closest to the Sun. It is the second smallest planet, being only 42,000 miles in diameter. The planet Mars is a rusty color because there is a lot of iron in the soil. Mars got its name from the war god in ancient Roman mythology. 

History

I.    Discovery of Space

Space Travel

As a part of the "Space Race," the Apollo 11 went on a mission to the moon. Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. His famous quote was, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Several missions to the moon have been successful since then and space exploration continues to expand.

I.    Space Technology

Outer Space

Satellites

Nicholaus Copernicus

Nicholaus Copernicus was one of the first scientists to make observations about outer space. He proposed that the Earth orbited the Sun and that all of the planets orbited in a circular motion. Copernicus was cautious to voice his opinions about space because he was an official at a Polish Church, which was very strict about their beliefs.

I.    Scientists

Galileo Galilei

 

 

Tracking

When I downloaded the add-ons Collusion and Ghostery, I found that several people were tracking me. I went to several different websites such as Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and I googled some things. On Facebook and Pinterest and Youtube I had only a few trackers at a time. However, when I googled something I ended up with 22 trackers at one time. I do not fully understand the purpose of tracking but I do find it scary. I am definitely going to be more careful and aware of these things when I use the internet.

Practical Advice for Teachers..

The article explains how a computer science teacher, Snezana Markovic' allows her students to use technology, even though Serbia's policies do not allow online education for primary and secondary grades. In 2003, Markovic' defied the policies and used a PowerPoint presentation. She has continued to promote the use of multimedia in her education through e-learning and using web tools. Two of Markovic's projects have received national awards. She integrated three subjects and gave students the ability to choose the web tools they want to explore a topic. This allows the students to be inspired to work. since she has used ICT in the classroom, she has noticed that the students' motivation has skyrocketed. Many have succeeded in areas that they struggled in before. She advises teachers to plan with other teachers and to take the students' thoughts, needs and abilities into consideration. The class also uses a closed Facebook page and uses different websites to interact and store their work. Serbia's policies still do not allow online education, but change is slowly coming. Markovic' also emphasizes a very good point, that learning should be student-centered, not curriculum centered. I thought it was interesting how dedicated this teacher is to technology use and to helping her students. However, I am concerned that too much technology will take away from face-to-face interaction and may take away from real hands on learning.

Teachers' Expectations Can Influence How Students Perform

Alix Spiegel addresses how a teacher's expectations can effect how a student performs. The Harvard professor, Robert Rosenthal did an experiment in 1964 to test this. Spiegel reviews how some teachers were told that certain students did very well on an exam. The teachers were made to believe that these students "were on the verge of an intense intellectual bloom." As a result, teachers spent more time with those students and gave them more approval. So how to we change teachers' expectations? The article suggests that instead of changing how teachers think, we should change their behaviors. Robert Pianta gives a very good example of how a student can become disgruntled and continue to make problems if their teacher expects them to. If the teacher responds positively, then the student will as well. Some teachers tested this out by doing behavioral training and working with a coach to change their behavior in the classroom. This helped the teachers' expectations grow tremendously. I found the article very interesting because as a future teacher I want to make sure I do not develop certain thoughts and behaviors that will affect my students.

My Facebook Page

What is this person known for? By looking at my facebook page I think a person could tell that I'm a pretty friendly person and that I also love taking pictures. You can tell that my education is important to me and that I love my family and friends.

What do they value? 

This person obviously values their family and friends very much. They love life and are committed to their own education and success. I hope people would see how I value life and my Christian faith as well. 

Is this person committed to the growth of others? 

I believe this person is committed to the growth of others because she is going to be and elementary teacher. From her page I also see where she has been involved in activities to help others .

Nine Ways the Common Core Will Change Classroom Practice

In this article, Robert Rothman explains that many teachers have been introduced to the new Common Core Standards and that most like the new standards. One complaint that was made however, was that the math standards were pretty much the same as before. Rothman goes on to try to persuade the teachers that they are different and he explains how. The first way is that the new Common Core Standards go more in depth than they did before. The teachers are to focus on the most important topics so that students can fully understand them. The old standards were criticized because they seemed to be teaching the same content year after year. The new Common Core Standards introduce new content in each grade and build on the understanding of the previous content. They also focus on all of the aspects equally and try to teach the students to fully understand and know how to use the knowledge gained. Students are encouraged to continually to work on math problems and use the appropriate tools until they solve them with the new standards. The English standards also changed with the new Common Core. Students are encouraged to read more nonfiction books and to really focus on what they are readings. A student should be able to explain a text using evidence or examples from what they read. Teachers are supposed to continually increase the complexity of what students read with the new curriculum as well. Small group and class discussion are also a new part to the common core.

New Technology Welcomes Students In Western Springs

At John Laidlaw Elementary School, the fifth graders were issued thirty Google Chromebooks. A Chromebook is basically a laptop that uses the internet browser Google Chrome and has several interactive applications. The students use the applications to do several assignments such as writing papers and taking quizzes. The applications also allow the teachers and students to collaborate with one another. The younger grades at this school use Macbooks and kindergarten through second grade now have iPads. Technology is definitely increasing in the classroom and it has students excited about learning. I am however concerned that using so much technology may make the students lazy in a sense. I see both the positive and negative sides of this.

Four Creative Ways To Teach the Common Core with Public Media

This article explains how the new Common Core State Standards emphasize the use of media in the curriculum. The first way the article says to teach the new CCSS is the “emphasis on informational text.” Students should be subjected to nonfiction and informational text by different forms of media. The second way the article recommends teaching the Common Core is through “focus on an argument.” Students should be able to read and analyze an argument and form their own opinions about the subject. The article suggests that KQED and PBS Learning Media have several different digital formats of controversial issues available to students. The third way of teaching is “the push for media literacy.” The CCSS really focuses on being “media savvy.” The students should evaluate the different ways information is presented digitally and how it influences people’s opinions. The final way for teachers to teach the CCSS is through “encouraging online collaboration and exchange of ideas.” A key part of the new standards is that students learn how to be a part of an online community and to communicate and express ideas digitally. I think it is very important for students to be technologically savvy but for it to not take too much away from other curriculum.