Summarizing the Semester

CC by lindymclean

Wow, I can't believe the end of the semester is already here! Although this is the end of the semester, that does not mean I will be finished with blogging, testing out new technologies, and keeping up with my personal learning network. All the tools that we used in this class were so helpful and I love how much I learned about integrating technology into my lesson plans. Before this course, I was hesitant to try out new technologies, but now I love roaming around on the internet looking for new ways to integrate technology into the classroom.

Although I have learned a TON, there is so much more learning to do! I would like to still look at iclickers, interact with smartboards, and explore the ways in which cell phones can be integrated into the classroom. I am going to integrate many of the technologies I have learned in this course, and I am excited to see how they work in a classroom setting. I can see how much fun and more interactive lessons would be after taking this course.

Elmos

CC by Old Shoe Woman

When I was in third grade, I remember we were one of the first schools to have two elmos. It was so neat! I remember my teacher using it to show us different measuring tools. It was so useful in the classroom because we could actually see what she was doing. Elmos are really useful in math and science when showing the students how to use different measuring tools or using different representations. Instead of using a transparency where you have to get special tools, this is so easy because teachers can just use the elmo to show students the tools.

Online Polling

This is something that I wanted to try out. I wanted to see how easy it would be for my students to make one. Online polling systems would be such an easy way to integrate into science or math lessons -- creating a hypothesis and testing it, etc. That is one of the GLCEs that come up in many of the K-5 grades. Plus, it is fun and easy for them to make.

Take this survey at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M65C78Y

Embedding documents into blogs

Using Scribd is a good way to embed a document into a blog or a website. This is a good way to communicate information with parents. Instead of copying and pasting what you had on a word document and having the format completely different, it would be very useful to embed a Scribd document into a blog or a website. For example:

Laura Catalano

Fables

While doing my final project on teaching fables, I decided to make another Photo Peach re-creating the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare." It was so much fun! I really think that students would enjoy making these as much as I did. It is really easy and fun to use. Here is my fable! Enjoy!

The Tortoise and the Hare on PhotoPeach

My Wiki Space

Wikis are very useful in the classroom. They are different from blogs and a weebly because they can be collaborated easily by different people. In an elementary setting, I think this would be a particularly useful tool. Especially in a Spanish class where much of the instruction is spoken. So, if I could integrate some writing assignments where students would collaborate with each other and begin to edit each others papers, I think this would be very useful. For any grade, I think this is something that could be integrated easily into any lesson plan. Check out my lesson plan/activity at http://lcatalano89.wikispaces.com/Lesson+Plan

More on SmartBoards

CC photo by jess_mcculloch

After going to a presentation on SmartBoards, it is clear that they are very effective and fun in the classroom. Not only are there TONS of features that the SmartBoard has, but it is just a great tool to increase the interaction in a classroom. Although students can not write on the SmartBoard at the same time, it is proven that this type of technology in the classroom is very useful to increase interaction and retention of materials. A few fun features the SmartBoard includes:
- Game templets: a popular way to review concepts in a classroom as a review.
- Electronic maps: can be used for quizzes, review, and interaction -- bringing geography to life in a way students can see and interact with.
- Timers: used for games in the classroom
- Websites: teachers can actually go to websites on the SmartBoard and write on it, circle something important, highlight things, etc.

... and SO much more! I really encourage all of those who have the opportunity to integrate a SmartBoard lessen into their classroom because I can see how students will want to participate and interact with the material after they are introduced to such a fun tool. However, students need to be aware that this is a very, very expensive piece of equipment and only special erasers and pens are used on the board. I think giving the students a little introduction/workshop would be ideal so they can understand how to use it, and how important it is to understand how to use the technology.

And MORE on Google: Google Docs

Google Docs are very useful. I can see them being a very useful tool in upper elementary, middle, and high school students. Students that are in a class where they are editing papers for peers, it would be much more efficient for students to load their papers on to Google Docs and have their papers edited that way (and less paper, too!). In an elementary setting, it might be more for viewing other classmate's posts, but in middle and high school, it will be very useful for students to load their documents onto Google Docs and edit electronically. The only problem with this is possibly not having enough computers in school, or not having a computer at home.

I used Google Docs for a Spanish homework assignment that had to be corrected by peers, and it was so much more efficient than printing out 5 copies of my assignment so each of my peers could have one. Instead, each student loaded their assignment onto Google Doc and we edited them that way. It will also be helpful that students edit electronically for possible future jobs, and because so much of our world is becoming online-only. This will only help our students in the long run to get them acquainted with Google Docs.

More on the wonderful world of Google!

I chose to explore the Google Calender. It can be such a useful tool, especially in the classroom. In an elementary setting, teachers could use this in many different ways. Teachers could use this and send it out to parents to keep them updated on what is going on in the classroom. Also, as young students are learning to gain academic responsibility, I think it would be really useful to use this to have the students check what they have due. In lower elementary, it could be geared more towards parents, and in an upper elementary setting, it could be used for students checking homework and what will be covered the following day. In a high school setting, it would be very useful because it gets the students ready for college because they have to be checking their homework on their own and it will help them gain responsibility.

Since it is easy to use, many teachers may find this to be a great quality when creating a class schedule. It they are unsure of the classroom activities on a monthly basis, there are options! Day, week, month, 4-day, and agenda are some of the options teachers can chose when using Google Calender to create their schedule for their classroom!

Google Earth: How can it be used in the classroom?

After researching about Google Earth, there are many ways in which it can be effectively used in the classroom. Google Earth is a tool that can help your students of any grade level understand topics such as the progress of human civilization, the growth of cities, the impact of civilization on the environment, and the impact of natural disasters. Using Google Earth can help your students understand geography other than just on a 2D map or 3D globe, but you could use Google Earth layers to study transportation, demographics, and in specific local texts.

This week, I want to specifically look at how Google Earth can be used in an elementary setting. I am going to use Google Earth to have students explore Chicago and how it has drastically changed even from 1999. In this type of lesson, we would be focusing on urbanization and what happens when cities become more populous. This would be a really great activity for students to explore on their own by using Google Earth. I can see this being a very useful for a third or fourth grade classroom.

I think this could be a very interesting tool to be used in the classroom. However, I felt like it was hard to navigate. It was hard to find something that I think third or fourth graders could understand. This was one simple way I felt like they could use this technology on their own.

A site that I used to get some information from:
http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/classroom-resources

My First Presentation with Audio!

Here is my completed lecture on "Making Bar Graphs" with audio! I had a lot of fun making this. I can't wait to use this technology in my classroom. I think it will be both fun for me to use and once I become more comfortable with this, it may be easier for my students to understand using this technology on different topic areas.
http://voicethread.com/share/1452734/

Enjoy!

Making Bar Graphs

Here is my first presentation without audio! The audio will be added later, but for now, here are my slides. Unfortunately, the slides did not come out in the same layout that I had saved them under. Here is the link where you can find the slides:
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B1LUvp0y6p3CMmMxYmUxNTEtZTVmNy00OGUwLWI0ZjAtYTZiMjExZGFjY2Iz&hl=en

My First Lesson Plan Integrated with Technology

I completed my first lesson plan about three hours ago! It took SO much work! I am very excited about it though. I was having a very fun time putting everything together: integrating the GLCEs with certain websites and in my case, paint, to make an effective lesson plan for the lunar cycle using technology. After three-four hours of work, I think i finally have a pretty good idea of how to make a lesson plan and all the work that goes into making one. Especially when integrating technology into it, teachers need to be very prepared with all the bombarding questions and often times goofing around that comes with a class of fourth graders in the computer lab. Here's a link to my website so you can check out my lesson plan! www.lcatalano89.weebly.com

Halloween Costume Ideas for Teachers

While searching for fun Halloween ideas to incorporate into the classroom, I came across a website about teacher Halloween costumes. Often times there are Halloween parties in elementary classrooms, which means that teachers should dress up. I thought the idea of teachers dressing up as children's literature characters was really creative. Dressing up as a character your students will know is not only cost-effective, but can be fun and integrative as well. Here's the website to check out all of their costume ideas: http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/holidays/a/Childrens-Halloween-Costumes-Based-On-Childrens-Books.htm

Enjoy!

Misconceptions of Astronomy

The content goals I would like to integrate technology are the different aspects of astronomy. With astronomy, there are many different content areas that can be taught: seasons, moon, stars, planets, angle and intensity of the sun, revolution of the moon and earth, etc. I think using Photo Peach would be a great way for students to understand the many sequences of astronomy. After learning about all of the sequences in any of the content areas listed above, I feel like it would be very beneficial for the students to take what they have learned in these different content areas and make a digital story out of the sequences of an area.

There are many different misconceptions about astronomy. At the elementary level, many children may not know why see see different phases of the moon, why we have seasons, the direction and axis of the earth, etc. Creating digital stories can help students at the elementary level understand the many sequences and cause-effect patterns of astronomy.

Digital Storytelling

The Lunar Cycle: What we see from Earth on PhotoPeach



This is my first digital story! This digital story in particular could be very useful for my classroom when teaching about the phases of the moon. This could show the students the phases of the moon in order, which may help them understand this better. It could be very useful to use this type of story telling specifically in science because there are many sequences. Digital storytelling will help my students tell stories specifically on the sequences of science, or for this case in particular, astronomy.

I absolutely loved using Photo Peach to create this piece. Not only was it very easy to use, but I could see my students using this too! There were no parts of this tool that I did not like. Everything was very user-friendly.

Enjoy!

Classroom Tour

While searching information about SMART Boards and the ways they can effectively be integrated into an elementary classroom, I came across another teacher's website. She posted pictures of her first grade classroom. I wanted to share this because I really enjoyed looking at the ways she set up her classroom and the different activities she had for her first graders. As we are all going to be teachers in the near future, I think it is useful to see different teacher's websites. I found this fun and interesting that she posted pictures of her classroom because I think it is useful to us as future teachers to see different ways to have integration and how other teachers have set up their classrooms.

Here is Ms. Bond's first grade "Classroom Tour":
http://teacherweb.com/MO/MillsElementary/MrsBondsFantasticFirstGraders/apt14.aspx

Enjoy!

SMART Boards: Are they useful in an elementary setting?

A SMART Board is an electronic, interactive whiteboard that truly enhances the elementary setting. When used in the right way, teachers can create more dynamic and meaningful lessons for their students. There are many strengths to using SMART Boards in the classroom.

Having another visual representation of something being discussed in class is one effective way of using the SMART Board. Using this tool can help show students a more clear way of explaining a particular topic, by showing them visually. By using a SMART Board in discussions, "Teachers notice an increase in students' attention spans, greater clarity in communication, and heighten ability to grasp information. Plus, students enjoy the interaction with the board and pick up the tools and features of the software the right way" (Dinga and Melenbrink). The SMART Board's touch-sensitive surface gives all students the opporunity to participate in learning. Overall, SMART Boards can be used in an elementary setting in many different ways; but more importantly, they help students engage in interaction with different lessons.

SMART Boards are very useful in classrooms. However, many educators find SMART Boards to be a problem when their lesson plans are restricted to having a SMART Board in the classroom. While teachers can use other resources instead of SMART Boards, the visuals can really loose their effects when they are transferred to another computer program or just shown on a projector.

In an elementary setting, there are many different ways SMART Boards can be used. They can be used in all content areas for visualization and interaction among students. For example, in a math lesson where the students are learning to count money, you can simply put different coins on the SMART Board and have students count the coins. Another example is when you are presenting a science lesson on "living and nonliving organisms." You can post pictures of living and nonliving organisms and have students interact by drawing circles around the images or categorizing the pictures into groups.

This is a tool that completely integrates TPACK. TPACK is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. SMART Boards integrate all of the different areas of TPACK because this source of technology enhances the lesson, it is not just used to simply be used. This technology is used in an elementary setting to reinforce the main concepts the students have already learned. With all of this said, SMART Boards are a "smart" choice when integrating visual images and helping students to engage in a variety of topics.

Resource:
http://www.enhancinglearning.org/httpwww.enhancinglearning.orgprojects_spotlight3.html

Art Education

After starting to follow a blog about Art Education on my google reader, I began to wonder if any of these art projects can be incorporated into an elementary classroom. I have always been very interested in art and taken art classes for fun on the weekends during my K-12, so reading about different art projects that different art teachers have created have made me wonder if any can be integrated into my own classroom someday. The art teacher had an entire blog about murals. I really like this idea because it includes all students working on one piece of art. All students will be able to say they created something, and it can be hung in the classroom and used in different lessons. Murals can be integrated into an elementary classroom during different science units and possibly for different social studies units.

Blogging about Blogs

As we are making our own blogs in CEP 416, I have been checking out other blogs by other educators. Another teacher recommended a blog to me regarding American Indians in Children's Literature. I have become increasingly interested in Children's Literature over the course of my undergraduate studies in Elementary Education. Literature is something that is so important not only for educators choosing the right stories, but for parents to be reading to their children, and children to be reading and be provided with books and literature appropriate for their grade level. I am very excited to get into the classroom and choose books to read to my students. Over the course of CEP and in more of my undergraduate courses, I hope for literature to be incorporated into the coursework.

Here is a really great blog about American Indians in Children's Literature. This blog stresses the importance about choosing the right books for educators to read to students, and for the correct information and literature to be available for the students to educate themselves:
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/

Check out Debbie Reese's blog! Enjoy!

Learning about Twitter

This week we focused on Twitter. At first, I thought Twitter was not very useful, but now I see that it actually has many different uses. For future teachers, Twitter can be used to follow different educators and to see different websites that different educators "tweet" to share with their followers. I do not quite understand how Twitter can be used in the classroom, but I can see how the ideas and the different tweets that other educators share with the Twitter world can be useful in the classroom. On the surface, Twitter may seem useless but as you get into it and follow other educators, it becomes very useful, interesting, and fun.

My Slideshow

CC by lcatalano89 SA

Here is my "Florida" slideshow! After figuring out how to embed these photos into my slideshow, I can see how it is very useful to use this in blogs that I could possibly be sharing with my future students or with the parents of my future students. Enjoy!

My First Licensed Photo and A Few Thoughts on Copyright

CC by lcatalano89

CC by lcatalano89 -SA

This is my first licensed photo with Creative Commons! The original is the colored photo. After licensing, I edited this photo using Picnik. This is my first time using both sites! I have to say, it is fun editing your own images. I added about five photos today of some interesting pictures I have from all over the country. I have been fortunate to travel a few couple within the past one/two years, and I hope to be doing more traveling in the next few years overseas.

A few comments on Copyright laws...

I completely believe that these laws are necessary. Especially when using images and videos, one should always give credit to person who captured the certain type of media. Now that I have started to post some of my images on the web, I understand that it is very important to give credit to the person for their image.

Integrating Creative Commons into the Classroom

Creative Commons is a site that will be very beneficial in the classroom. This site can help teachers incorporate images in the classroom in many different areas. In science, this site can help teachers show students real examples of science (whether they are learning about astronomy, seasons, matter and energy, plants, biomes, etc.). In language arts and literature, images can be used and incorporated into different topics or lessons. Using digital images in classrooms will be very beneficial to enhance the student's understanding of different topics. 

CC photo by Editor B

Blogging

This past week in CEP 416, we have been introduced to many different technology methods. I really like blogging in particular. I'm not sure if I am very fond of Twitter and other technologies that have been introduced yet, but I really do think that blogging is something that can be used in an elementary classroom. Since I am going into elementary education, I'm still unsure of how much technology can be used in the classroom.

After blogging and looking at other blogs, I have been able to see that this is something that can be used and integrated into the classroom. I feel like this would be something more for the parents to check out instead of using in an early elementary classroom. This is a great way to stay connected and organized with parents and let them know what we are learning and how they can help their child. As we go more in depth about the ways to effectively integrate technology into the classroom, I think I will be able to see and understand how future teachers can be efficient with combining teaching/learning and technology.

Hello World

I am currently a junior at Michigan State University pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. My major is Language Arts and minors are Spanish and TESOL. I hope to use technology in the classroom in unique ways that will benefit my students and their parents. From CEP 416, I hope to learn how to effectively use technology in the classroom and learn interesting ways to go about it. Although I have had little professional experience in working with technology, I hope that this course will allow me to learn how to incorporate technology either in elementary grade level instruction or teaching Spanish to elementary students.