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 :)