My Beliefs

     Technology in the classroom is needed more today than ever before in our nation's history.  We are continually reminded of the need to be competitive in the world market and stand strong as a world power.  To do this, our country must advance as we always have in the past.  In order to not fall behind we must put our focus in education on technology because it is our future without a doubt.  Children have the advantage when it comes to technology.  If they are taught technological skills, they will be prepared to continue to advance.  

     Technology is what keeps the youth interested and intrigued.  We must take advantage of our understanding of this and teach them in the way they want to learn.  This requires for us to sharpen our skills.  We must be willing to continually learn about technology as well.  This is a time of synergy with our students.  We can use technology in any subject and whenever we use technology we will have interested students.  In order for students to learn anything we teach they must pay attention first.  We will alway have their attention if we incorporate technology in our lessons.

Lessons Learned

     The articles and videos required for this assignment were enlightening.  I was amazed at how far technology has come in the last decade.  I saw parallels in the videos with the advancement of technology and the public response in usage and demand.  This is on the rise exponentially as they said.  I enjoyed the encouragement of using technology in the classroom.  I feel that we are at a crossroads in our nations history for advancement and it all is technology based as they stated.  I appreciated the comparisons of the Shift Happens video.  It is amazing that need for technology education is so evident and we can make such a difference if we encourage it in the classroom.  Two years ago the Shift Happens video was dramatically different although still compelling.  They have updated it and in such a short time I can't believe how much it changed.  I also loved the New York Times article referencing on-line shorthand.  We are going to need the updated version soon and often with how fast things are changing. 

     Learning about the class act portal made me want to use this type of strategy in my classroom.  Students can learn from the research that is being built upon year after year.  I also was learning so much from the high school students who spoke of wireless options for convenience.  This opens my eyes to what the next generation really desires and possibly where we are heading as a nation because they will make it happen when they are in the work force. I think this is what we need to be thinking of as teachers because we need to prepare the students in grade school so they will continue to advance.  The UNI and NETS*T standards and goal can help us continually set appropriate goals and evaluate our teaching on going. 

Strengths & Weaknesses

      I learned a lot by taking the UNI survey and studying the NETS*T  standards.  I feel that my areas of strength in technology include my experience utilizing technology for personal use, school work, and research, demonstrating awareness of the uses of computers, and using electronic information and reference resources.  I have had access to computers and have been required to utilize technology in most of the classes that I have taken at UVU.  I also use the computer on my own time in many ways.  I also have a strong desire to continue to learn more in the technological field and hope to take many classes and attend many workshops related to technology so I can learn more ways to integrate it into my classroom.  

     My weaknesses are using terminology related to computers and oral communications, using the more elaborate graphic organizers, and experience using the adaptive assistive devices for students with special needs.  I want to use the proper technical terminology comfortably in my teaching.  I also want to use graphic organizers and learn it well enough to teach it.  I have only had a little bit of experience with adaptive assistive devices.  I would like to learn more about them and be familiar more with the different types that are available now.  With these goals I know I will be better prepared to apply technology to increase productivity in my classroom.

     I would like to attend the workshops offered for teachers in Utah.  I will access on-line tutorials such as w.3schools.com to learn about internet explorer 8 and learn how to incorporate the proper terminology while explaining what I have learned in the classroom.  I would also like to access macinstruct and learn more about podcasts, google video, and their graphic organizers.   I will utilize it in my teaching.  I would like to utilize on-line tutorials onwhatever type of computer the school I work for uses.  I will look for opportunities to learn as much as I can about computers and adapt my lessons to incorporate this often. 

Brainstorming for Digital Storytelling

     The possibilities are endless.  Digital stories are imaginative and inventive.  They capture interest and intrigue.  As we watched many of the examples of other creators today I was touched, moved, and inspired.  Digital stories have the ability to capture the interest of children.  We are always looking for ways that will bring a unique element to the lesson and this will be a creative tool in making this happen.  

     As we create digital stories for our lessons, it will help us increase our creativity with technology.  We will be able to offer a fun addition to lessons creating messages that are narrated and enhanced with music.  Digital images set up in this capacity are more compelling.  Colorful images and text will teach students in a way that they want to learn. 

     As I introduce the digital stories that I make for my class, I will incorporate things that are part of the core curriculum in the stories.  Educational digital stories will be a great thing to make and share.   I would also ask the students to create their own digital story.  It would be fun to see how they will be able to use their own imaginations to create something that they will be proud of.  We could assign topics from language arts, social studies, or any subject.  The children could create a digital story of the events that happened in the school year and have a memorable keepsake of our year together.  

Video:  

     The NASA digital story would not come up so I watched a variety of digital stories about the topic we will be teaching for field.  We have been asked to teach about the Navajo Native American Tribe.  I looked up digital stories on the Navajo tribe and was amazed at the selection that were narrated in the Navajo language.  Knowing the story of how the Japanese were unable to crack the code of the Navajo language and how it played a key role in World War II, intrigued me, and I  listen closely to the digital stories spoken in the Navajo language.   The images were amazing as well.  The beauty of their land and the respect they have for the beauty of the earth in inspiring.  I watched the traditional dances and feel that this will be a great tool to share with the students in the classroom.  

Technological Intrigue

     As we are advancing in technology techniques, we find that it is an effective tool in the classroom now more than ever.  It seems as though the tools of technology are a magnet for children.  I used a power-point presentation, similar to what we are learning about in 3250, with a group of 7th graders and many of the students made positive comments about the presentation.  They were never distracted and stayed with me the whole class period.  

     We can bring the world into the lesson effectively when we take the time to prepare. The types of lessons that the students find interesting are the lessons that show the students that we are invested.  We can invest in educating them in a way that makes learning a win-win situation.  I plan to bring the core curriculum to life through technology.  Teachers cannot teach students who are disengaged and technology will be our key to effectively engage our students.  

     I plan to make many power-points through the summer months in preparation of the new school year.  I will also prepare web-quests and find appropriate youtube and teachertube videos to have for quick access.  I would like to have a class in another state to use skype with.  I will look for donations to have a smart board and other technological tools for my classroom. We will use Google Earth and the internet to prepare papers and projects and I will use pod-casts and vid-casts in teaching my students.  There will be new and exciting developments in the near future and I will continue to educate myself so that I will have the technological skills to utilize technology effectively throughout my career. 

VIDEO:  Do You Believe In Me?

     This is public speaking at its best.  I am amazed at the skill of the student and hats off to the teacher who coached him!  I am moved by his message and impressed with his confidence.  I believe he represents children from all over this nation.   We can and should believe in our students.  They will rise to the levels we set the standards for.  They can accomplish what ever they set out to do.  They will believe in themselves if we believe in them... He is right!

Welcome to Hyperlinkville!

     Hyperlinks make me hyper!  We had an amazing network of hyperlinks on our web-quest and just sat in awe of our creation.  Are we supposed to still giggle at our age?  Our web-quest is coming together and believe it or not we even had fun creating the teachers page.  We couldn't help but enjoy everything we learned about the Rainbow Plate on the quest to discover healthier meals.  I can't help but think that this beats that posterboard on Mrs. Dawson's wall in the 2nd grade any day.  Charting fruits and vegetables is fun, but a web-quest linked to a rocket launching off game!  I am so excited to teach!  

     Web-quests are fun to create.  I will use them to instruct children in a way that would make learning fun.  I think if more teachers used web-quests, homework would be getting done without fail.  I was amazed at the selection of videos available on you tube and teacher tube that we can use in our web-quests.  Within minutes I was able to link an excellent educational supplement to a lesson that can make such a difference.  When students are able to work on web-quests for homework, it will provide great opportunities for parents to be able to support children in their schoolwork and it will be fun for the parents as well.  This will be a great way to incorporate the support from home.  It would open up opportunities for parents to discuss internet safety and see their child's computer skills which will be important to their future in education.

     As we wrap up our web-quest I will quickly make another, so that the skills will be refreshed and planted deeper.  I plan to make several before my first year of teaching so that I will have options with quick access.  I'm sure they can be easily adjusted to teach any grade.  We are the recipients of the on going effects of the Industrial Revolution.  It is amazing to think about!

Video:  School House Rock-  A Noun is a Person Place or Thing

     Yes, I know what a drugstore record machine is!  School house rock is loved by all.  We can sing along as if we are still little second graders on a Saturday morning.  I plan on using school house rock videos in my classroom because they have stood the test of time.  I can recite the Preamble of the Constitution to this day because of these fun videos.  It will be fun to see how my students will respond.  I am looking forward to it soon!

 

Thanks Google images for making our web-quest amazing!

     Our web-quest is coming together and may I just say...It is Awesome!!  We had a blast getting our images together to put on the finishing touches.  So much, that we did not want to go to our next class.   But that is how it is with technology.  It is captivating and intriguing all in one.  I have learned that narrowing a topic is key, so that the lesson is spot on, and I think that makes it work so much more effectively.  Is learning supposed to be this much fun?

     We are putting the rubric together and will finalize our web-quest this week.  I am starting to realize that teaching with technology can be organized and prepared in a time effective way.  This is important to know since there will be so many things to prepare.  We want to teach in a way that students won't want to go home at the end of the day, and technology is the ticket. 

     I hope to prepare many web-quests for my students and to utilize the ideas that are at our fingertips (lesson plans and other web-quest ideas) to help me.  I won't over do it, but it can also be a tool for fast finishers and those who need a little more challenge that is technology oriented.  Web-quests are a tool for research and learning that help students.  Students engage with lessons in a way and may not even realize how much they are learning.  Talk about a win-win.       

Video: Billy Joel and Technology- What more do we need?

Hat's off Redhotscott!  That was better than MTV any day.  I have a new level of respect for the song We Didn't Start The Fire.  Seeing the images of world history made such a difference when you listen to Billy Joel nail those lyrics.  This would be a video that I would hope to use no matter what grade I teach.  I will find a place to fit this in!  I saw images in this video that I have never seen before (a fact of which I am not proud of).  I felt that I had been entertained and educated and loved every second of it.  This video made me want to learn more and familiarize myself with the stories of the images that I did not recognize and find out more of why they made it into this song.  I love American and World History and the more I learn the more fascinating it becomes.  This one hit it out of the ballpark!