2nd Life

I watched the video Orientation in Second Life and am not really sure there was a good "take away" for me. It was a monotoned video so it made it hard to follow for me. I am sure that if I had an avatar then it would have made more since to me. I know that they are looking for ways to make using second life more user friendly for students.




As I said earlier I am not familiar with second life or using avatars. I have learned a bunch already about benefits of using a avatar for students but I have not created one. It looks cool but it seems like a lot of work. Unless I needed to use second life for school then I probably wouldn't.

This video opens my eyes to technology that is available and how much it has grown even in just the last few years. I want to be familiar with the technology that my future students are interested in and hopefully find ways to integrate it with my lessons.

My Favorite Survey

I did a survey over people's favorite color. The three questions that I asked were:

What is your favorite color in the crayon box?
How do you incorporate your favorite color in your life?
What is your least favorite color in the crayon box?

Three people took my survey. All three had the favorite color of blue. All three of them also incorporate their favorite color in their clothing. One of the surveyors is a Dallas Cowboy fan and wears their gear a lot. The Dallas Cowboys' colors include blue. One of them also incorporates it when they buy their school supplies. The least favorite colors were white from two and black from the other.

Sam I Am Digitally Savvy

The video Digital Youth Portrait: Sam was amazing. I say it is amazing because she has so many technological opportunities available to her and she utilizes them. I wish that I had some of the same opportunities when I was 13. I am glad that we have them now for students to use the make learning easier or more interesting. I love how Sam used the digital piano to learn new songs and better her piano skills.





I can't imagine my life today without some of the technology that wasn't available to me when I was a kid. With online social networking I am able to keep up with my friends that live very far away or people that I graduated with that I wouldn't necessarily pick up the phone and call. I am able to use my cell phone to text and talk to people almost at anytime or anywhere. But no texting while driving. :O) I can use an avatar instead of a real picture of myself for online sites that I use. I am also able to collaborate on projects with peers using Google Docs.

I want the students in my future classes to know what is available to them and how it can make learning interesting and at times easier. I want them to see technology as a tool that they should be familiar with because the sky is the limit. I want to make sure that they also know safety procedures when using the Internet.

Commenting On Classmates Blogs

I commented on Jenlmen's blog on the Power of Sharing Apps. She wrote a great post and I loved her comments on integrating apps into her own classroom.

I also commented on Sammy Speaks' blog on Collaboration. There were some great points made it this blog.

Collaboration using Wiki

Paula White's video "Parallel Play or Collaboration--Leveraging the Wiki Platform for High Quality Work" was very informational. It describes the process of using Wiki in classrooms and how it benefits collaboration between students. It talks about many students' use of wiki and how it helps them.





Before watching this video I was very unclear as to what a wiki was. I am a little more enlightened but still somewhat confused. The examples given by Paula White helped. I also researched it a little more on the Internet. I think it would be great for planning extended family vacations. It is hard to get all the schedules and ideas back from all family members in a timely fashion. This would make it a ton less hectic.

As Paula showed in the video this is a great way for students to collaborate with each other not just in the school setting but at home as well. Often some students are shy about giving input and this could help them voice their ideas. The more information I learn the more significance I see it has in a classroom setting.

K-12 Comments

I commented on Kayla's blog on Publishing and Rejecting comments.

I also commented on Nick's cool blog on International Blogging Challenge! Challenge #2.

Both comments are waiting approval.

The Use of Apps

The video "The Wizard of Apps" is extremely informational. My biggest "takeaway" from it is that there are so many tools online that are free to help you be safe, research, be creative, and collaborate. This video although extremely long shows you many websites to use. Research is difficult to me using the Internet because you never know which websites to use. This video gave plenty of helpful hints when doing research.

Like I was saying about doing research on a certain topic I am shy about using many websites. I want to make sure that they are providing the right information that I am looking for. Also, safety is important to me. I use online social networking and need to be careful. I should always be aware of what I am sharing and who I am sharing it with.

I know it is important to teach technology to students, but when we do this I also know that teaching them about safety when using technology is just as important. We need to show them the proper skills to utilize. If I were taught some of these things a long time ago it would have made some things much easier.

I used pipl.com to search my name. I wasn't able to find out anything using my merried name but I found my old address and current address and picture of where I am currently living under my maiden name. None of my online social networking sites were listed or my email address. I also didn't find any pictures of me. Other information that was provided wasn't correct. They did have my zodiac sign correct but that was about all. I must be doing okay at keeping my information somewhat private.

My Voicethread about a caterpillar

This is my voicethread on The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Thoughtful Comments to Classmates

I left a comment on Jenlmen's voice thread blog on fire safety. I thought that it was very information. It was a good topic to do for a voice thread. I enjoyed it.
http://jenlmenblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/keep-lid-on-it.html#comment-form

I also left a comment on Kayleighdawn16's voice thread blog over Dear John. I am reading that book now. I think she did a really good job at picking a topic. So far the book is great! It was a good idea to do a voice thread over her favorite book.
http://kayleighdawn16.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-favorite-book-dear-john.html#comment-form

DigiTeens

What I took away from the video Digiteens: Digital Citizenship by Digital Teenagers is that students can learn a lot from each other about new age social networks and using the Internet. They see how they can relate to the subject through each other. I liked the first one about Texting While Driving.



I can see the importance in the messages that the students wanted to get across. When you use the Internet you need to be extremely careful when sharing any information. I use social networking as well as shopping online. I make sure that my information is set to private and make sure that sites are secure. I also know about the problems concerning texting while driving. You can't possibly give driving your undivided attention if you are texting. I know that now it is a law that professional drivers such as city bus driver and school bus drivers are not to use cell phones while working. This is one step in the right direction.

I want to utilize technology in my classroom as much as I can. Having students share useful information on popular technology used is a great tool to get other students to listen. I liked the use of technology for students teaching other students.

Classroom or No Classroom?

My most significant "takeaway" from the video Project Learning: An Overview was how much students of all ages love hands on experiences. I have always been a better hands on learner and I was fortunate to go to schools that made hands on experiences readily available to their students. I know there are a lot of students out there that don't get all of those opportunities. Sometimes college is the first time students get to work in labs or are encouraged to go outside of the classroom to do an assignment that needs hands on experience. Project learning is a great tool to use to help students better understand a concept.









My elementary school was a science and arts magnet school and my middle and high school as well. I have always enjoyed the arts and science. These schools gave me opportunities to find what I really enjoyed. For science I didn't just read out of a book and do a worksheet. I was able to go to a science classroom and get hands on experiences and do project learning. As I got older I really appreciated the opportunities that I had being able to go to these schools.

I would love to be able to incorporate project learning into my classroom. I liked how students in elementary school were able to use laptops and research their own topics in class. I understand that doing project learning in your classroom can make it hard when grading students. I think that we should think out of the box as teachers and give our students as many opportunities as possible. I think that sometimes teachers tend to shy away from lessons that includes project learning or hands on because it includes more planning and preparation and is harder to grade.

A Story in 5 Photos

Here is my story of getting a pair of new shoes.













The End.

Independent Learning Project About Sex Ed

I watched the video called Sex Education: What's Going On Down There? It was done by Sarah Mueller. She did a great job! It was very unique and creative. She combined technology with old school flip chart drawings. She had music in the back ground while she spoke on the topic. It was very informational. She used other people's personal experiences as well as hers. She made a sort of touchy subject easy to listen to. Her illustrations were great. A lot of the other videos where done the same way using some of the same methods but she stepped out of the box. I recommend that you watch this video.

Luis: An Inspiration

I think the most significant "takeaway" from the video, Digital Youth Project: Luis, is the amount of opportunities for students that has risen due to technology. Luis came from a family that didn't know much about technology. His mother said the closest thing to technology that she uses is the ATM. He has been given some really great opportunities to do something that he loves and he not only takes advantage of the opportunity but he shares it with others. I think that it is so great that he is doing so much to improve and help out his community. He shows great leadership capabilities and I believe will go far.







I am definitely grateful for all the opportunities that has been given to me. I love technology and probably couldn't get through the day without it. I use my phone as my alarm clock. I stay connected with friends and family through Facebook. When I go to work I am on a computer from start to finish. I check my email everyday. I use online bill pay. My parents are just now, within the last few years, getting familiar with technology. I was excited when my dad joined Facebook. He tells me all the time how he wished that he had all the great technological tools when he was in school that are available today. He now shows me good videos that he has found on YouTube. I am so glad that even more learning opportunities have come about in the classroom when it comes to technology.



It is so important to share knowledge. As a teacher-to-be I want to provide my students with all the opportunities I can for advancement in technology. Technology is in our present and definitely in our future. I want them to feel like they were given some great learning tools that they can share with others. I know that I still have a lot to learn about technology that is available and will continue to learn as technology grows.

Class gone totally technology!

When I watched the video "A Peek for a Week in a Kiwi Junior Classroom" I was amazed at how much this teacher has integrated technology into her classroom. For everything they do and every lesson she is teaching she has come up with a tech savvy method of learning. They even use technology to integrate physical activity and body movement into the classroom! I was absolutely floored at how much they do in their classrooms with computers and the white board. I can't imagine how technologically smart these kids will be if they continue this path.





When I was the same age as these children there wasn't even a computer class available to me. Now there are computers in almost every classroom in the school that I attended. I am just now learning to use a white board and these children look as though they have just about mastered it. I am so glad that we have willing teachers that want our children to learn to utilize the tools available to them for learning. I am a very visual, hands on learner and I wish I would have had some of the technology available today for me when I was learning to read, do multiplication, or whatever.



I believe this teacher is a teacher to look up to when it comes to integrating technology. I wonder does she teach a crash course in technology that the students will learn to use for the parents?... :D I am glad that there is so much more technology available for teachers to utilize now. I want to do everything that I can to help children learn. I only hope that when I am a teacher I have the tools that she had for her classroom accessible for mine.

Teens, Technology, and Teaching

I watched the video Digital Youth Portrait: Nafiza. Wow, I must be really behind because I have never heard of "2nd Life" or "Avatar". Besides the movie Avatar of course. It is so crazy how much technology is available to us for the use of learning and education. It amazes me how fast young kids and teens pick up on technologically induced learning. This video was a good example of technology that is used by students that to me seems difficult. They work at understanding how to use 2nd life and Avatars together. They put it all together and made educational videos that were seen by 10s of thousands of people.



I don't relate to the video when it comes to 2nd life, avatars, or video games but I do when it comes to cell phones, ipods, and online social networking. Nafiza mentioned her cell phone being her alarm clock and I do the same thing. I listen to my ipod a lot at home and I also plug it into my car. I am also a Facebook junkie! :D When I was in high school the "it" thing was instant messaging and email. I could be on instant messenger for hours if my parents would have allowed it. I can't imagine being in high school and having an ipod or a facebook page too. I am sure my parents are not too upset that those things weren't around then.

The teacher in the video said that he wants his students to not only use the technology that they know and are familiar with but the technology that they aren't. That is such a good attitude to have. As teacher and future teachers it is important to embrace technology because it is here to stay and improve. He had a great idea to use the technology to make educational videos and to learn to do it as a group. Sometimes trying to figure out techie stuff this day and age is confusing and it helps to have someone to go to like Nafiza was for her fellow classmates.

My Blog Feedback

I decided to become a "blogging buddy" to students in Mrs. Yollis' Classroom.

I commented on Kayla's blog titled My Wonderful Teacher! Here is the link for that: http://kayla-kaylavacations.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-wonderful-teacher.html#comments

I also commented on Jonah's Jumbo Blog titled The Time Machine. Here is the link for that: http://jonahsjumbo.blogspot.com/2009/10/story-8.html#comment-form

These student's wrote some really great blogs. I was impressed. You should check them out!

In my T4T class I commented on:

Mike's High Tech Classroom: Norm?
http://mikesweb72.blogspot.com/2010/01/high-tech-classrooms-norm.html

Tiffany-326's Blogging Buddies
http://tiffany-326.blogspot.com/2010/01/blogging-buddies.html

A New Age Grammar Lesson Called Blogging

My most significant "takeaway" from this video was that these kids are 1st and 2ND graders and they are all ready blogging. Wow! I am impressed. The video "We Like Our Blogging Buddies: The Write Stuff with Blogging Mentors" was a joy to watch. The kids were so excited about blogging. They were using a fun and different way to learn grammar and writing skills. This video just shows how much technology can change our educational system today. I am in my mid 20s and just started blogging last semester. I am thrilled that there are educators out there willing to try new stuff to teach children today.



I remember when I was in the 4Th grade after the bombing of the Murrah Federal building my class received letters from other children around the world. They began to be our pin pals. It was such an exciting experience for all of us. I can't imagine how much more exciting it would have been to blog. It would have enabled us to share our feelings and communicate to other children anywhere at a much faster speed. We would wait weeks for letters to come back. With blogging you have the ability to form a much stronger bond with your "blogging buddy" because you are able to receive and respond so quickly. I have participated in a program where I wrote to a 2ND grader from a low income school for one semester. It was just as exciting for me as it was for him. The teacher of the 2ND grade class would go on about how much her students loved having a college student write to them. That was a great experience for me.

Education has come so far and will continue to grow in a positive direction if we allow our students to learn in new and exciting ways. In this video the teacher provided her students with such a great learning tool and they had fun with it. She gave them the opportunity to learn new skills out side of the usual learning environment. She gave them someone they could look up to that made grammar more exciting. I hope that I can do that for my students in my class someday. I believe it is stuff like this that really sticks with kids. When teachers go above and beyond to make learning fun and a great experience kids grow up to appreciate it. I know I did.

An Eye Opening Veiw of How Much Kids Love Technology

This video amazed me when I saw it. The video Digital Generation Project Youth Portrait: Cameron is about a boy who is 11 years old and loves technology. He is constantly using technology to better his understanding of things such as school work and sports. I couldn't believe how much an 11 would know about technology. I think that I am somewhat technology savy but nothing like Cameron. It makes me think that many children like Cameron love technolog and as teachers we need to keep up with it as they do. It is important for teachers to be able to teach their students about technology just as they do math, english, and spelling.



This video makes me think about how much more I use and depend on technology then my parents do. They often ask for help on navigating the internet and using online social networks. I never mind helping. In fact I love that they are interested in using technology. This video showed me that I am like some of Cameron's teachers. He could teach me some new things about the technology that he loves and uses. I don't want to fall behind when it comes to new age products and technology. I love learning and will continue to try and stay ontop of technology used but there will always be more to learn and often children to teach you.



I know how important it is for chidren to have access to computers and the internet. It should now be just another subject provided such as math. To me it is just as important as the other subjects taught in everyday classrooms. I am not sure that computer class or time is provided to every student during the school day in many schools around our area but I know that it should be. You use computers so much in adolescence and adulthood that it would be hard to imagine life without them now. Actually, where I work I utilize a computer and specific programs everyday. Last week some of our programs crashed and we have been stumbling trying to get through without them. You never know how much you rely on technology until it isn't there to use. As much as we use it today, can you imagine how it will be in 10 or 20 more years? I want our future adults to be as prepaired as possible. Education is changing just before our eyes.

About Me

My name is Jennifer and I am a 1st year Grad student at UCO. I have a bachelors in Science and a minor in History. My major is Elementary Education. I am finishing my teacher certification while working on my masters. My ideal grade to teach would be 2ND grade. I love children and hope to make a difference in children's lives like teachers have made in mine. Education is so very important and I want to be apart of it, whether it be teaching or learning.