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.