Prezi Reflection

I really didn't get to do much with the actual creation of the Prezi powerpoint because we were unable to do it during class time. I did love how easy it looked and how much you could do with it to "spice it up". I think it would be an amazing resource for all teacher to become experienced with incorporate into the classroom.

Scenario

I believe that I am familiar with multiple resources that will better me as an educator. I am also quite easy to get along with. I love to joke around and have fun. I feel I am an extremely patient person and love being around children. I plan to teach to my full potential and learn more each and every day. I would say my downfall would be "babying" my students at first until I become more used to teaching. I am extremely nervous about when I first begin to teach, especially in my own classroom. I really don't want my students to be able to detect my nervousness. That is something I need to work on.

In 3-5 years, I see myself in my own elementary classroom, teaching to the best of my abilities. I also see myself married and possibly starting a family of my own. To get to where I want to be, I have to give 110% in everything I do. My goal is to teach and I am determined to reach each and every goal that I set in my life.

To learn a new software, I could either "tweet" to other educators if they have any resources to help me, do a search online, or ask people I know that may have some suggestions for me. In the world we live in today, there is an endless amount of resources available to us at all times. Most of it can be found almost instantly too!

Technology can help students with any sort of disability or learning style. If they need a bigger font, you can do that. If they need visual or auditory, you can accommodate those needs too! Technology also has educational games that makes learning "fun" for students. There is also something for kids, teenagers, etc. of ALL ages! Technology also allows teachers to be able to "hook" their students at the beginning of a lesson. They can create a video, show pictures, etc. It also allows the teachers to be able to show smaller objects that can be seen by all easily.

When I was in school, we didn't have enough computers for all of the students, so there wasn't much learning using technology. There was a projector/elmo in almost all the rooms though. They were used mainly for powerpoints or notes though. My senior year, we finally got 2 interactive white boards for the junior/high school. You could tell it was like a "whole new world" for us. Nobody knew how to use it, so it was pretty entertaining to watch them try. Each teacher had it in their classroom for 2 weeks at a time to try to get a hang of it.

I don't know if I would encourage the use of cell phones in my classroom let alone in another teacher's classroom. I feel that some students would abuse the privilege. On the other hand, laptops and iPads would be helpful in the classroom. There are so many resources that can teach students different subjects at their own pace. That way you don't go too fast for one student, but too slow for another. Technology accommodates all needs for all students.

Education website has NUMEROUS activities for students. Some educational, and some that are more fun. Math Games for Kids is one of my favorite. I also really enjoy Animoto. It is not "educational" but it is a great tool to teach a quick lesson to catch your students' interest. These are just a few of the websites I have found useful, but I know there are an endless amount still out there to be discovered.

Podcast Favorites

I liked the "Tech Chick Tips" podcasts. My most recent was "Building Your Capacity". They always give AMAZING teacher resources. They're actually entertaining to listen to also because they don't talk monotone; they have fun with it and act normal.

My Wow Moment

I was SHOCKED at how much we had to do for DED 318 for it only being worth 1 credit hour. I do NOT have enough time to do all of the projects to the potential I would have liked because I have so many other classes that are demanding my time too! Unfortunatly, this class stressed me out rather than being a fun learning experience. It was impossible to keep up with everything each week. I think projects need to be more optional or given more time in class to do it rather than the one done in class being extra credit. Make the extra credit assignment be the one that is due outside of class time. I did learn about NUMEROUS amazing resources throughout this class though and truly enjoyed that part of it.

Semester Favorites

My favorite website that we used was Animoto by far!. It is so easy to use, but yet looks like you put SO much work into it. It's awesome! Everyone should check it out.

My second favorite tool we used was the Fun with Text Projects: Wordle and Tagxedo. These again were so easy to use and look amazing! You can choose your colors, orientation of words, size of words, shape, etc. You could use these to introduce a lesson to your class.

Podcast Reflection #12: Tags are Ways to See Things (Kevin Honeycutt on Tag Teams and Art Snacks)

This podcast caught my attention because we've been talking about tags a lot in my DED class at Kansas State University, especially with out Delicious sites. Using tags prevents information from getting lost in the virtual world. A tag is one word that you could use to describe the info, but you can have several tags for everything. If you have an educational website, you could use "teachers", "education", "edu", "teaching", "learning", etc. Anything that could help you find a resource later is helpful. The general "rule" about tags is that you should try to have at least five tags on everything because some people use different tags for the same thing or might make something plural while another leaves it singular. You need to find a balance between overstructuring tagging with strict rules and not having enough. Honeycutt used the phrase, "When you put things in the ocean, they get lost" just like information would without tagging in the virtual world. On the internet, people are overwhelmed with all the information that is available so easily and quickly. This is only going to increase, though, with time which is why we must implement tagging now rather than later.

Art Snacks is website that Kevin Honeycutt talks about in this podcast. On this website, you are able to build a creative learning community where students can access 10 minute art lessons that teach other lessons at the same time. There are 135 curriculum aligned 10 minute art lessons all on this one website! This website is also a learning network where teachers and kids work in the same place. Some teachers use it as art curriculum because there isn't an art teacher while others use it to "teach" the class, so they (the teacher) has the freedom to walk around the classroom and mentor the class in ways you normally wouldn't be able to. Honeycutt's dream is to have thousands of videos created by anyone and everyone about anything and everything. They try to keep this website as safe for kids as possible. If someone says something inappropriate, they are first warned. If it happens again, that person is then banned from the website completely. You have to register to use this website strictly because it helps to prevent scammers from getting on (which has worked so far). Also, this website has kids becoming mentors to one another. People go out of their way to be nice to each other because they have had mentors and role models. Another thing he mentioned is that there are currently about 3300 members, and he does NOT want a million users. At that point he would break it up into another website because it would lose it's "community" feel. I thought this was awesome. It just goes to show how important being a part of a community it is and makes me like the website that much more! When you go to the website, the creators and members "greet" you at the door just as an educator would to his/her students in their own classroom. To the creators, you are not a member, you're an artist. They aren't videos; they are are lessons. It isn't just a picture; it's artwork. You can also get in touch with Kevin Honeycutt at his e-mail kessdack.gmail.com or his website.

Podcast Reflection #11: Building Your Capacity

I watched the podcast "Building Your Capacity" by the Tech Chick Tips. Here they talk about 5 different websites for teachers to build the capacity to become an even better teacher. I actually went to these and really liked all of them.

The first website is "21 Foundation" which is all about 21st century learners with 21st century learning. It is to raise awareness and realize the importance of implementing learning to nurture the 21st century citizens. Within the website, there are several categories such as "Nurturing Creativity". Whatever topic you choose, you will then be given multiple websites to help you incorporate the topic in your classroom. Some, if not all, even have video clips for you to watch. It's really a great website for anyone that is interested in the 21st century learning.

The next is a website called, "60 Symbols", created by the University of Nottingham, which has a TON of symbols, all with which have something to do with physics and/or astronomy. Whichever symbol you decide to click on, it brings up a definition of what the symbol is for and a YouTube video that goes along with it. There are multiple pages of symbols to choose from on this website and it also talks about the scientists that put this masterpiece together. The one downfall, in my opinion, is that it is more for younger students, but it could probably be used for most science lessons/classes.

The third website is "TES Connect" or a teacher social networking site. TES stands for "Times Educational Supplement". You have to register to become a part of the community, but it is a great place to find numerous resources for your classroom, all in one place and easily. This website is used by thousands of schools and has over 700,000 registered users!!! Here, you have a place to share ideas, thoughts, and views to other people from all over. You can network with other teachers and even look for jobs! TES Connect has many classroom resources and advice as well as classroom materials. I believe that all teachers should be aware of this amazing resource.

Teacher LED is the next resource the Tech Chick Tips talked about. In other words, this is an interactive whiteboard resource for teachers. It's actually somewhat like the TES Connect website. You can download different resources depending on what you need at the time to open it up. It has different topics under the different subjects that you can choose from. It also has some games for students to play, and each option has a description with it that explains how to use the tool.

Finally, the fifth website these ladies discussed was "Online College" where you can find different resources to build your capacity. The thing they talked most about is the blog posts. They found a whole list of posts about being a new teacher: different tips, strategies, using technology, classroom management, working with students, etc. This website wishes to get as many teachers possible invested in blogging that they can by building a personal learning network. It can also inspire students. There is a blog post called "50 Famously Successful People that Failed at First". "20 Great Talks on the Future of Education" and "50 Inspiring Films to Share with your Students" are also interesting blog posts.

Overall, these are all great resources for anyone, especially teachers and future educators like myself. I think everyone needs to check out these websites and use them whenever possible!