Hi All! Please post two things today:
1. What were some of your "Aha's" in the readings we had assigned for today and how will you incorporate some of those ideas into your vision?
AND
2. What is something you learned today from Barb? Because everyone likes positive feedback, please send her a nice email at BarbBumgardner@msn.com
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I think that an "aha" for me was in seeing those nifty neato little icons for the blog availability! First, I'd never noticed them before and second I had never used an RSS before, so it was just a very cool way to be able to access the stuff that is out there, without more stuff coming into my email inbox. (OK, so I'd never created my own Google page either, but if I really listed all my "aha's" then I'd be writing for a LONG time!).
I loved the Alan November article. It is too easy to window shop for gadgets without trying them on. Our budgets are too restrcited to waste any money on equipment that is not going to be education centered.
Donna
My aha was from "Play Time" and class yesterday; all about podcasting and iPods. I finally got bold and downloaded some podcasts to my iPod. The bold/brave part is that my husband has it hooked up to his computer and I was afraid that I would erase all his stuff when I tried to load mine. Teresa gave me the info about "manually" moving selections to the iPod and it worked like a charm! As for working this into my "vision", it will make it much easier to move forward with the idea of using blogs in a classroom/school setting; if and when LWSD ever allows them :)
One thing I learned from Barb and know I'll use was about the ReadWriteThink.org site - with all the GREAT ideas for alternatives to book reports. She had a ton of stuff that will be valuable! Thank you for organizing her as a guest.
I liked the Alan November article as well because it gives me a new way to look at what I really need to purchase and I can pass that thinking on to my staff. Although I didn't get why the kinder teacher needs a fax machine for the drawings. Someone will need to explain that to me. The podcasting article had some cool ideas for how to use a podcast on a regular basis. I liked Barb's resource pages that she worked off of today. She has lots of connections to other sites and resources to explore on her website.
I too enjoyed reading the November article. I agree that a lot of thought has to take place before purchasing from a tech budget. Although I think teachers should be given the opportunity to give their feedback about how the funds will be distributed, I think that we have to look at the big picture about how many people reap from the benefits of how the money is used (as Teresa suggested this morning).
In the play time article my "aha" was the fact that that it is possible to use a portable media player (ipod, etc.) to back up their hard disks. Does anyone know if you can save a word document on one? Does that work for an IPOD? I thought they only stored music.
I found Barb's presentation very useful today. I especially liked her website with links that I will actually use this coming school year.
I liked the Play Time article best because it covered the basics this is... and this does....for someone who doesn't have these ipods or mp3players, palmpads, etc.
There were no video games in my children's growing up years, so I am a real immigrant I guess, and this information will be useful.
Reading the Big6 article let me know what everyone else was talking about all last week and this week. I had never heard of this, though I have always been a believer in teaching skills in the context that the user will use them most often--in everyday curriculum areas-- like old special ed. practices that work to make learning functional.
I really enjoyed the RSS searches with Sharyn, thanks for having her come!
And Barb is just a walking encyclopedia of integrating technology into the content areas! I am especially going to try the different programs for powerpoint that she named--PhotoStory3, StoryBoard, and PhotoAlbum during the school year (now that I feel like a powerpoint user!)
1. Many A-HAs happened for me during last night's readings. The Podcast article was fab, and I connected with the idea of sound as a human expression. It really appeals to the music smart instinct in all of us, especially students. The Blog article also gave me an impression that it is another way for citizens to exercise their right to free speech which is a critical element for a healthy democracy.
2. I loved Barb's demonstration of the photo thingy. I will definitely use that in my class, perhaps even in concert with a photo scavenger hunt which is very fun. Cha Cha Cha!
You can never have too much input on how to handle the budgetary woes of a school library and we cannot afford (literally) to make mistakes so really test driving before you buy is critical.
I enjoyed Barb's presentation today because it was a quick (or long) walk through a ton of resources for the elementary people. I had been feeling that a lot of what we have been doing for the last few days was focused on the mid/high school levels.
Lots of Ahas! for me. Podcasting, RSS feeds, blogs. I can't wait to try out all this stuff this September. I've been wondering how I can help my library set up a podcast station. And Barb had some good stuff I can adapt for secondary level kids.
I also like the Alan November article. I think he made a great point about teacher's wanting all of the new gadgets, without having any clue of how they're going to use them in the classroom. It's made me think about how I would use Podcast and iMovie in the classroom (if that's what I chose to do).
Robin -- I'm not sure what he meant by having kindergarten teachers use fax machines. My thought was that he would recommend that b/c K5's like to draw and since it is easy to quickly fax drawings, they could do that with people they've asked quesions of. Theresa, as a K5 teacher, what do you think?
nallt -- I think you can save a word document onto your iPod -- I'm just not sure how it's done. If you go to apple, they should have a tutorial on how to work it.
Every year, when I read November's article, I scoff at the kindergarten fax machine example. I seriously do not know what he's thinking there. The "Scourge" article has been the driving document behind our annual tech plan at all of our schools ever since our tech department read it.
I'll bring my iPod tomorrow and we'll try to move some data!
I've been thinking about Barb's presentation and I was really impressed with the photo program. I think her webpage is a great resource!
Ah ha Moments: In "Blog Explosion" it said there are 42 million blogs, many of which are personal diaries. I was surprised by the number initially, but then it was pointed out that blogs offer worldwide access and are free. I was interested, too, in the discussion related to offering bloggers free speech protection similar to those enjoyed by journalist. I also learned more about the “Big 6” in the Eisenberg and Johnson article.
Barb Moments: I loved that she spoke specifically to the needs of elementary librarians! Some ideas I will use are the ReadWriteThink website, Photo Story 3 software, and her many links and resources from her website, including FactMonster.
I appreciated Doug Johnson and Mike Eisenberg's artile: Learning and Teaching Information Technology. This article provided a lot of support for my vision -- "computer literacy is not kow how to operate computers, but to use technolgy as a tool. . ." We have a separate computer lab that the teachers take their classes to and do something. I'm not really sure what, except that the students run down the hall because they don't know how to print in the lab, so their pages and pages print in the library. I would love to do some teaching in the library that could then move to their computer lab time. This will be a perfect opportunity for me to demonstrate databases and have the learning continue. Because we use the Big 6 language and we have a separate lab, the opportunity to reinforce knowledge and skills is there, it will just require some planning and application.
I picked up some great ideas around note taking during Barbara's presentation. I tried a number of things, and it was really hard for my 4th and 5th graders to record "just the fact" so they could create their "own" sentances. I tried the Fact Fragment Frezy, with not much success, but she provided a couple of twists to try. My second grade likes to do Biographies, I think the cube project would be welcomed. The whole idea about comparing text features in books and online was also an aha.
After reviewing the Campbell article, I realize that I have a great deal to learn before I am able to effectively "produce" and distribute a podcast that either I create or my students produce as part of a project. The article was written in 2005 so there must be much easier things now (garageband helps getting it to sound good but I don't think helps with the actual production/promotion). This is an aha moment for me because I realize that I get to use all of my years of music recording experience to connect directly with a different sort of audio production - I am excited to dig into that.
I thought Barb's litany of websites and ideas was helpful, but pretty overwhelming. Her suggestion of having an assignment that requires kids to document their steps in Google's advance search is brilliant and I will definitely be using it this fall with our senior research essay.
woops, forgot to include the vision connection bit. The podcasting thing will definitely loop into my goal of helping the LMC to become the tech nexus of the school, keeping up on the connections b/t tech and learning, and will bolster the quality of the virtual library.
ya ya.
Somewhat related to the topic
PowerPoint -- wow! What a tool and a blunder. I guess it can be said that a tool is only as effective as it's user. I have sat through many a corporate and conference presentation using PowerPoint and thought -- can you speak beyond the bullets, if not just print it and I'll read it with my coffee. Here are two finds I made while looking for the Joyce Valenza article. I know it was no longer required -- but I just had to try....
Put the Power Back into PowerPoint
is a directory site that points you to articles like these and more:
http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/WIT/PutPowerBackIntoPowerPoint.html
Avoiding PowerPointlessness Ban it now! Friends don't let friends use PowerPoint
Is PowerPoint the Devil
PowerPointless
Another site is Are You Experienced
http://www.waukesha.k12.wi.us/WIT/PutPowerBackIntoPowerPoint.html
"While Powerpoint can be a useful tool and a viable alternative for conveying information it has many drawbacks. We will look at a number of criticisms here and also some guidelines and options for using Powerpoint. "
These articles resonated with the Johnson and Eisenberg article I enjoyed.
There were many aha's for me today. I am excited about having the google web page and being able to look at different sites to add to it. I also now understand much better how a podcast can be used in school after reading the article and especially after seeing the presentations that students had done.
Barb's presentation was way too fast for so much incredible information. I will have to go to her website and peruse through it a while. She had great ideas that could easily be adapted to 7th and 8th grade as well. I am excited to set up a plan of how I will start using these ideas and gradually add more as I get more aquainted with them.
The Alan November article - No More Shopping Lists - brought back all my frustration at writing initial e-rate applications for two different schools. Sometimes the needs are so great that you don't know where to begin. At one school, I had to fight for two years to get teachers computers in their classrooms! The admin's reasons for nixing the idea were certainly odd. Trying to build in enough staff training was also very difficult. While I agree with Mr. November that purchases need to be driven by a comprehensive plan, well rooted in the curriculum, it is very difficult for poor schools that may not even have adequate electrical outlets.
Finally, at my current school, everything goes to the library for check-out from document cameras to video equipment, to listening stations and power cords. Sometimes this is a big hassle but, in general, it works relatively well.
Nicolette
My big aha today was the RSS, and the podcasting. I thought the article had some realistic ways of incorporating them into the classroom. I enjoyed Barb's presentation as she had a lot of great ideas. I look forward to someday after this week being able to "play" a little on her website.
I am constantly amazed how behind I am. Not only behind in getting my work done but behind in all the new technologies for education. Incredible resources are available. In looking at the RSS feeds given, so much seems to be above me and I consider myself technology literate. The further I dig the more illiterate I feel. Relying on consistent remarks of success on new technology will reinforce my need to look into the applications of newer technologies.
I didn't see a post topic for today, Thursday, but it says on the syllabus to post on the blog so here I go. About copyright...I think it would be fabulous to do a simulation with students so they would actually feel what it's like to have something of their own copied and used without courtesy. About getting a multi-media presentation ready...I was reminded of the need to be able to trouble-shoot. My I-book almost emploded and collaboration was necessary to trouble shoot. I feel okay about most trouble shooting on a Mac but I'm moving to a PC school. I have a lot to learn! Yikes! Party on!
Copyright - what a huge topic. One more thing to become an expert at. The presentation today was interesting and enlightening. It will be nice to have Jennifer as a resource as I find things to sort out. I am amazed at the amount of areas that I am aware of in the schools that I go to that are blatantly illegal. Finding ways to gently address them will be interesting.
Barb was really great I didn't expect such high energy but she seems to have loads of great ideas for integration of tech and content areas. I'd like to pick her brain for the new grade level I'll be teaching.
My aha was in the lab in the AM and the RSS feeds. I like that it's so useful and easy to organize. I plan to help my husbands use one as well. Another aha was the MAC lab. It took me a while to feel comfortable using the MAC after being so used to the PC at work and at home and in the lab at the UW. It helped me relate to that student that just pokes along because the screen looks like another languange to them.
I enjoyed the Playtime article best because of the imformation shared about the portable media players. My sons have had theirs for 2 or more years and I was never quite sure what they were all about. My older sister got one for her birthday last year. She's a digital immigrant like me and I anxious to see if she's using it.
The copyright and plagiarism isuses were very enlighting today. I had no idea that it wasn't okay for us to show videos for rainy day recess to the students for pleasure. I know of other violations that are happening at our school. I guess it has to start with us to make the changes.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! What a day! I was feeling very good about all the progress I was making with MS Publisher. I figured how to link to other pages, then I learned how to link to another page in the same document, and on and on and on....Then.....20 minutes before my husband picked me up for our dinner...I LOST IT ALL!!!!!!! So I emailed it to myself and found nothing when I got here. Robin assures me we are alright, though...we will show you what we have tomorrow and hopefullit it will be 10 minutes of a website and not 10 minutes of looking for one!
I don't know about you, but I am glad today is over!
Jackie, I'm so sorry to hear that your work is causing problems. There's nothing more frustrating than doing lots of work on the computer and then being back at square one again(or at least thinking that you are). Hopefully, Robin will be right, that you'll be able to access it without any problem.
Theresa, I am in the same boat you are, with lots of instances in my building where "fair use" is being violated. I'll be starting school with a fresh viewpoint on all this type of stuff!
See you all in the AM.
Are we supposed to blog tonight? Why not.
I enjoyed digging into the complexity of the copyright issue and know that it will definitely be a challenge to go through it with kids since downloading music is so pervasive. In the DR, there are other issues as I don't know the particulars of their national copyright law (I assume that there are international laws that must apply). Also, the level of corruption that students are familiar with there is pretty startling since many, many fathers are, shall we say, corrupt, so entering into conversations about ethics is always a little loaded. We'll see how it goes...
Yikes, Jackie!! Why do you think you lost it all? Let's talk today to see if we can troubleshoot. It's probably still in our UW folders.
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