Week 14 PLE

I completed parts 1-3 for the PLE :)

I did the course evaluation, the survey, and checked my grades in moodle. The End.

Internet Safety Reflection

I skimmed all of the articles, but I chose to read the article by Elder Bednar entitled "Things As They Really Are" in depth. I loved this article! I just love how he pointed out that Satan doesn't have a body, so he does everything he can to destroy ours. It is a sad realization, but it is true. Satan is going to tempt us and try to make us misuse our bodies. We cannot succumb to the pressures the world puts on us. Technology can be used for great things, but it can also be very harmful. Fidelity is required to enter the Lord's house. We must stay fortified and not desecrate our wonderful bodies.

The video resources were useful as well. I watched a few videos on YouTube. One was about how to protect a family from internet filth. It discussed the importance of putting a computer in the main part of the house. Also, checking the internet history regularly is good. Putting password protection can be a wonderful tool. Also, just make sure you are open with your children about the dangers that are out there. Make a plan about what to do if something pops up on the screen or if they are tempted to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable. And don't only talk about it...role play it. Practice together how to turn off the monitor.

The thing I learned most from the reading and video was that it is very much just a matter of awareness as to the safety of the computer. If a parent or a teacher is aware of what his/her children are doing as they are using the internet, the children will be much safer. Open communication is crucial, and making children aware of the dangers is important.

For my experience, I talked to a woman in my ward. She only has one more child left at home, but this child is exposed to much more technology than her older children were. She already knew that internet safety was important and that there was so much filth out there. I gave her a few statistics about the impact of chat rooms and pornography on today's society. She was shocked. She did share with me the fact that in her home the internet is password protected and that her kids can't get on the internet without her permission. One thing she said she is now going to do is check the internet history more regularly so she can make sure her kids are being safe.

Week 13 PLE--Final Presentation

Here is my final presentation :)

Children online activity sites

Way fun children activity sites...so cool!

Literacy

http://storynory.com/

http://www.storylineonline.net/

http://www.starfall.com/

http://www.kiddierecords.com/

Mathematics

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

http://illuminations.nctm.org/WebResourceList.aspx?Ref=2&Std=0&Grd=0

Week 12 PLE

2-3 important things that I learned from the research on technology use with early childhood students:

I learned that students are able to demonstrate fairly symbolic and abstract skills starting at around age 7-8. This is much earlier than I would have expected. I guess I always assumed that students would not be able to do technological things until they were older, maybe age 9 or 10. But they are actually capable much sooner than that.

Using technology can encourage social interaction as well. This is teaching across the curriculum! This was explained in the website when it said that if you put 2 or 3 chairs around the computer the children will work together. What a great idea!

I learned that students benefit much more when the technology is actually IN the classroom rather than in another room. When I was in elementary school we had a computer lab, but no computers were in the classroom (until 5th grade, that is). I guess, if possible, it is best to have computers actually in the classroom.

Lesson Plans :)

I have set up links to my lesson plans! Look in my list list to see them :)

Or go to:

Math http://docs.google.com/View?id=d5fbcd5_10d7zwrrxm

Science http://docs.google.com/View?id=d5fbcd5_9dfhmn84h

Language Arts http://docs.google.com/View?id=d5fbcd5_8f6hqjkfx

Yay!

Week 11 PLE

A Day with Fractions video
The students had varying expressions in this video. Some seemed so excited to have their pictures taken and to smile for the camera while others had very little expression and seemed indifferent to the technology present.
Cube Things video
This video had a bunch of still shot pictures of the children smiling. Their voices were recorded over the music playing in the background. The students sounded excited to be recording their voices. Each student in the class was on the video. The children were each able to create their own movies. From what the students said it sounded like a lot of fun for the students. They were very proud of their videos. They used math and technology together to make some fun videos.
The ABCs of Conservation video
The children seemed to love being on video tape while teaching about how to conserve. This was an adorable video. It seems like kids usually love to be videotaped and that could definitely be seen on this video.

WeEk 10 pLe

I Love Spiders video
The students seemed very excited to be gathering information from people from a different state via internet. They were learning about spiders from a different state. They were also able to use a camera to take pictures of spiders. They were excited to be able to take pictures. Having technology in this classroom was definitely a benefit because the teacher was prepared and knew how to use the technology herself.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Video
This class used the computer to draw what they would before have been drawing on paper (while doing story extension). The teacher says that when the children use computer they truly develop curiosity and love it. It is a good way to learn technology and include the family in the class. Wonderful for all students (English speaking and ELL).

Habitats video
Using a good, appropriate software for the specific activity the students are engaged in is important. This class had a Mac to use which is pretty fortunate. It is important to take full advantage of the technology available in the classroom.

Week 9 PLE

I completed parts 1 & 2 of the PLE assignment. In addition to doing these things, I found out about the technology available in the Kindergarten classroom on the BYU Campus. It is in a school in the JFSB where children can attend preschool or kindergarten. I focused specifically on what the Kindergarten classroom had to offer in technology.

This Kindergarten classroom is equip with 2 computers. They are in one corner of the classroom. This way they are not the central focus of the classroom but they are available when they need to be used. The computers are only used by students occasionally. The class also has a digital camera that is used almost daily. This is the main technology that is actually present in the classroom everyday.

In addition to the equipment in the classroom, the teachers in this Kindergarten have access to computers, VCR/DVD players, projectors (digital and overhead), and basically anything BYU has to offer. This Kindergarten has a unique opportunity because it is on the BYU campus and therefore has access to any BYU equipment needed. If there is a technology problem the BYU IT department can be contacted and the problem can be solved quickly.

Science Challenge and Voice Thread (Week 8 PLE)

I watched the Science activities (with voicthreads) of Heather Musser, Katie Nichols, and Meagan Miller. There are benefits and hazards of implementing something like this into the classroom.

Benefits: A fun interactive way to look at science. So much new technology that is available. Looking at space and the world is much easier this way. Close-up observations of things on the earth. Tons of variety. Teaches across the curriculum because the students are learning about science and technology at the same time.
Hazards: If there is an assignment which must be completed at home there is a possibility that some families would not have a computer. This does not allow students as much hands-on experience where they are actually outside looking at things. Younger children are not as capable on the computer and this is therefore not as feasible to use in the younger grades.

Overall I believe that this would be good to implement into a classroom. Of course it should not be used for every lesson, but it would be good to use occasionally. Moderation in all things :)

2nd Grade Science Technology...Kidsperation!

PLE Week 7--Science Challenge

This week we created a science challenge where we use technology to teach a science principle. I chose to create an activity for 2nd graders to use. I am basing my activity on the Utah Core Curriculum, 2nd Grade, Science, Standard 3, Objective 2b: Measure, record, graph, and report changes in local weather. We will be focusing on measuring and graphing the information about the weather.

As an activity we will record the weather every day for a week as a class. The students will then record the weather for a week on their own using Kidspiration 3. They will use a science activity on Kidspiration where weather can be recorded. This is a fun, interactive computer program where pictures and words are used to record weather. After collecting data for a week on their own (using pictures and words) and bringing their findings to class the, class will graph the information using a bar graph to see what weather happened the most during the two weeks.

The pedagogy behind this is is very simple...collecting data will be the activity. The class collects data about weather for a week together. This is to model how to correctly collect and record information. The students are then able to experiment with data recording on their own. They record weather for a week using pictures and descriptions. They will then bring their information to class. Using the two weeks worth of weather, as a class a bar graph will be created. This is a good introduction on how to graph information that the students have collected. This is a good fit for the activity because the teacher is modeling correct use of how to collect and record data and the students are able to experience hands-on, personal collecting of data. Kidspiration is a wonderful fit for this activity because it is simple and easy to use. It allows for any kind of weather to be described in a simple way.

This activity uses dynamic representation because the students are viewing things using technology and they are able to manipulate the technology. It is interactive and allows them to add information to it. This is good for this activity because students are able to collect data on their own; hands-on experience always makes something more meaningful.

Virtual Tour Views...Week 6 PLE

I viewed the virtual tours of Katie, Trisha, and Rachel. I loved how different each tour was in topic, explanation, and activity. I think that implementing virtual tours into the classroom is a wonderful idea for the older grades. It would allow them to experience technology and the world firsthand together. There is such a variety of activities which can be experienced online. It does, however, have its downsides because then the students are not learning from each other or from a person who is experienced in a topic. Rather they are learning information from a computer screen which is not personalized. Virtual tours are also not always positive in that most students in the younger grades would not be capable of reading the descriptions and doing the activities required in a virtual tour. Virtual tours are aimed toward the older grades.

Virtual Tour of Utah on Google Earth

Okey-Dokey...here is my tour for Google Earth. Enjoy exploring some of the geography of Utah :)

Google Earth Virtual Tour Challenge

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Goblin Valley	Take a look at at least 5 pictures of Goblin Valley. Also watch the you tube video found at the link included. Think about how these rocks formed in such a strange way. Use clay to create a "Goblin Valley" of your own. How was your valley formed?	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nTsgljYM_M
2. Utah Lake	Look at Utah Lake on Google Earth. Use the ruler tool to measure how long and how wide the lake is. For each measurement convert it to miles, feet, and inches. Which measurement has the biggest number? Why is this?	Google Earth view of Utah Lake
3. Antelope Island	Look at the picture Antelope Island Beach Great Salt Lake Utah, on the West shore of the Island. Write a paragraph telling why no plants are growing in this beach habitat.	Look at the Google Earth picture of Antelope Island Beach Great Salt Lake Utah
4. Kings Peak	Explore Kings Peak from many different angles and views. Zoom in, zoom out, observe the geography of the land and what it looks like. Now look at the photos of the Wasatch and Uintah Mountains found at the attached links. Compare and contrast the growing on each mountain. How are they similar and different? Why? (Hint: Think elevation)	Wasatch Mountains: http://www.rockiesguide.com/guide/uploads/images/239/Albion_Basin_-_Wasatch_Mountains.jpg http://people.westminstercollege.edu/faculty/mrubinfeld/photos/Westminster%20framed% 20by%20the%20Wasatch.jpg Uintah Mountains: http://travel.utah.gov/photos/images/Uinta_Mountains.jpg

4th Grade, Social Studies, Standard 1, Objective 1a

I chose to do this activity for my students because it is an multimodal, dynamic representation of a few different geographic regions in Utah. It is multimodal because it uses visual, textual, and auditory learning for the students. It is dynamic because they get to interact with the technology. I did this because I love Utah and I believe it is important for students to know about the land around them. This activity will allow students to become more acquainted with the Utah geography while exploring neat features on Google Earth.

Meeting My Perf...a digital story fairy tale

This is the digital story I created. I chose to do this because it will help demonstrate the fairy tale genre which is part of the core curriculum for second graders. This is a fairy tale about how I met my wonderful fiance...

Digital Storytelling in the Classroom

Why might incorporating digital storytelling into an elementary school classroom be difficult? Well to start off with, I am majoring in Early Childhood Education. Young children are not typically able to do too much on a computer such as creating digital stories of their own. I guess in my case I would be the one creating digital stories to help in my teaching. Something that may be difficult will be to make sure that the media that I use is not distracting from the lesson that I am teaching to the children. It will have to have a clear purpose that is made known to the students. I think that digital storytelling could easily be a distraction if not used for a clear purpose.

Digital Story Creation

I am going to be making a digital story! It is going to be a fairy tale telling a fabricated rendition of how I met my fiance. I think that doing a digital story of this will be fun because it is a new way of presenting a story to a class. I am doing this as part of instruction to a third grade class about different genres of writing. In the Utah Core Curriculum, 3rd Grade, Language Arts, Standard 7, Objective 3b there is a requirement that states genre identification is important. This digital story will demonstrate one of these genres; it will demonstrate a fairy tale. I will be teaching this using multimodal representation. This means that the children will be learning the information in a variety of ways; this digital story includes visual, auditory and textual learning. Attached is my storyboard outline.

TPACK knowledge! Week 3...

This week we learned a bit about TPACK. This stands for Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge and is something that I need to incorporate into my teaching. The main thing that I gleaned from this week's reading is that teaching TPACK style takes preparation and teachers must know how to use specific types of technology in their teaching to best support student learning.

Preparation is something that I've been thinking about in all of my classes this semester. In order to incorporate TPACK into my teaching, I must (a) know how to use technology, (b) know content in the subject area, and (c) be able to apply my pedagogical ideas into my teaching. Application is definitely the hardest part. I guess another thing I learned is that I need to become more technologically aware...yep. If I'm going to teach the kids while using technology, I better know how to use it myself. This will take preparation...

Skype experimentation

Yay...my print screen. As you can see, it took a bit of assistance. Who would have guessed that you have to press apple-shift-3 to do a print screen on a mac? Katie was my skype buddy :)

Second Week of Class

The most useful thing I learned this week is that I need to learn more about technology. I've always felt fairly technologically savvy. I've been able to make my way through classes without a hitch. But putting together my Wiki this week was a new challenge; it was quite difficult. Another thing I learned is that following directions is very important. I am glad that there are step-by-step instructions to help me set up my Wiki because if there weren't I would be very lost. It is important that proper steps are followed when using technology or else things can easily be messed up. Yep, that's my second week :) A little overwhelming, but I guess it will just take time to figure out.

A.B.'s technology background

I am so excited to learn more about technology and to create my very first blog! I have not have much experience in technology. Besides the regular Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Internet instruction I had in grade school, my technological ability is not too far advanced. Although I have not had too much formal training, I feel that being exposed to technology in school has forced me to advance to a certain level. As such, I feel comfortable (but not advanced) when using technology. I use email regularly and Facebook on occasion. Computers are a daily part of my college career. I am lucky because my wonderful fiance is very computer savvy and can help me in times of need :) Maybe after this class I will be more technologically independent! Okay...here it goes...