Search This Blog

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The new calendar

New calendar

The calendar is shown here in a smaller size. It took me hours to figure this out. I had done another calendar, which I didn't realize was actually a spreadsheet. Again, very frustrating. Here is a link to the first calendar.   (It begins on the June 2011 page and runs through December 2011.)  The current calendar doesn't have many events, but I understand how to add to the calendar.

What I did: I created a calendar in Google calendars and published it.  There are many choices and templates.  Because of the lateness of the hour, I just went with the first one I found.  Later I can go back and customize it.  This is the link to this current calendar.


What I Learned:  I learned how to embed an HTML.  I wasn't very clear on this before.  I learned where and how to find the calendar template and enter my events.  Later I was pleased to find out that Google sends an e-mail reminder to me for each event. 

NETS-T:  This assignment aligns with:
-Standard 3c, which states that teachers "communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats."  The calendar can be very effective in communicating with students, parents, and colleagues.
-Standard 5d, which sttes that teachers are to "contribute to the effectiveness of the school and community."  This tool can be used to communicate homework, important dates, etc. to parents and students.

How I can use it:  I can teach students how to set up a calendar and use it to organize their homework and activities.  I could also use it as a communication tool on my school webpage to keep parents and students informed of specific homework, activities, etc.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Google survey

I had a really difficult time with this assignment.  Honestly, I doubt if I would ever want to make a Google survey again.  I worked for more than 8 hours on  this project.  Finally I am posting it. I hope someone responds to the survey.

What I did:  I went to Google doc's and constructed a survey about attitudes towards school lunch.  I used each of the formats.  I was pleased with how easy it was to construct the survey.  I was very frustrated with the difficulty of publishing it.  I wouldn't have stayed with it so long, except that it was required for this class.  If I was sending it to parents, I would place it in an e-mail or on my page of the school website.  For students, I would send it to the homeroom teacher, asking them to post it on the desktop.  Students could take the survey during "bellringer" time or after finished with other work.  I did take the survey myself and viewed the results.

What I Learned:  I learned how to make a survey using digital tools.  To view my survey (finally!), click here.

NETS-T:  This assigned aligns with:
- Standard 4c, which states that teachers "promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information."  I took care to use polite language in my survey.  I would use this to model for students, not only that they can create digital surveys, but that they must use good etiquette (thank respondent for taking time to answer, seek opinions politely, etc.)
-Standard 2a, which states that teachers "design or adapt learning experiences that incorporate digitsal tools..."  This would be a good way to give a pre-test that would guage student understanding before beginning a unit or giving a test.

How I Can Use It:  If this tool were to work for me, ... I could use it to modify weekly reading tests.  I could type the test questions into the survey form.  It sure would reduce the pile of papers on my desk at the end of the week.  Maybe it will work better for me on the school computers.I will give it a try. But right now I don't care for these Google docs and feel unlikely to use them.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Shortening URLs

This is my vacation place, Peppertree Resorts in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.  I can't wait to be there!  It is a lovely place to stay, especially for families.  I encourage you to check out the travel site,using this newly shortened web address:                  http://tinyurl.com/643exhl
 

What I did:  I learned how to turn a long URL into one that is shorter, and therefore easier to share.  I uploaded a photo from my Picasa folder.


What I Learned:  For the fascinating story of how I created this shortened link, please go to my link.

NETS-T:  This assignment relates to:
- Standard 3d, which states that teachers are to "model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning."  This is helpful in locating and sharing information.
-Standard 31, which states that teachers "demonstrate fluency in technology systems..." It shows that I know more than just copying and pasting URLs. 

How to Use It:  I'm trying to think of ways I might use this new-found skill.  This was an interesting exercise, but I don't think I'm likely to use it much.  They say it makes twittering easier... but I don't tweet.  When sending URLs in an e-mail, I am more likely to highlight, copy and paste.   Sometimes, when writing reference lists for papers, I've had difficulty managing a long URL.  The paper would certainly look neater if I used smaller (ie. tiny) URLs.  Still, I am glad to know that this option is available to me (and my students). 

Our Menu of Beach meals is also available, if anyone is interested.









Thursday, June 23, 2011

Reading questions 4

What I did:  
I listened to the podcast,  "The Myth of Multitasking" (Scientific American 7/15/2009).  I read pages 12-15 of Multimodal Learning Through Media: What theResearch Says (2008, Metiri Group)  I followed up the reading by reading the Wikipedia article "Web 2.0"

What I Learned:  
Click to read my reading questions 4 responses.

NETS-T:  This assignment aligns with:
- Standard 5b, which states that teachers are to: "exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building and developing the leadership and technology skills of others."  As teachers, we are called on to be educational leaders.
-Standard 5c, which states that teachers are to "evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis..."

How I Can Use It:  This assignment caused me to reflect on reasons why we need to use current technology.  I had to formulate a response as to why technology is necessary for our schoolchildren.  As educators we are often questioned by people who say "I never had such foolishness when I went to school!"  These people should be taken seriously, as they are the ones who vote to appropriate funds for our schools.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Online Graphics







Click on the graphs (above) to see them in more detail.
What I Did:  I downloaded the Summary of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Results for West Virginia, available from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCRS).  It lists scores for 4th grade and 8th grade progress in the areas of math, science, and reading, state by state.I reviewed the statistics for WV's reading scores, then created graphs using Kids' Zone .

What I Learned:  It's not the first time I have worked with this site, but I haven't done it often.  I took some time to prepare the graphs using different formats.  My favorite was the Bar Graph, but I also created graphs using the Line Graph.  I was glad to have a few days to work on this, because I made many revisions to the graphs.  Both 2-D and 3-D effects are good..  Usually I use Excel to create graphs.  I think I prefer Excel because it is easier to revise the charts.  I had to go back and re-do these charts many times, because I am picky.  It's important for graphs to be accurate and clear. (Note:  I was practicing with different graphics.  If these were for actual submission, I would have only used one style of graphic.)

NETS-T:  This activity aligned with:
- Standard 1-b, which states that teachers are to "engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources."  Using this program to create the graphs helped me to understand the NAEP data, and made me better able to explain it to others.
- Standard 5a, which states that teachers are to "participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning."  These types of graphs would be useful in presentations to the School board or Local Standards Board (LSB).

How to use:  The 3rd and 4th grade Techsteps require students to make graphics using Excel.  After they have done this once, it would be good for me to introduce the Kids' Zone site as another option.  It is a site worth exploring for many purposes.


Click to read my Online Graphics Assignment 1.

Click to read my Online Graphics Assignment 2.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Blog Poll Gadget

What I did:  I devised a Blog Poll Gadget in Blogger, using the existing tool on the right hand side of the webpage.  I actually did this activity twice, because it was fun.  The current poll is "What Instrument Family Best Describes You?"  I went to the "Design" link on the Blogger page, clicked on "Add a Gadget" and chose this from a list of easy options.

What I Learned: This was so easy it needed no instructions.  I discovered while looking around on the Blogger site.  I guess I also learned that my page has few followers.  I didn't get many replies to either blog poll.  (I know we all are busy keeping up with this fast-paced class.)  I have extended the voting time til 6/24. I was able to do this by changing the ending date, using the edit function.

NETS-T:  This relates to:
- Standard 4c, which states that teachers are to "promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information."  This is a light-hearted and fun way for people to connect online. 
-Standard 1a, which states that teachers are to "promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness."  There could be a "Question of the Day" that students would be required to log in, and could also design questions.

How It Can Be Used:  Any student who is using Blogger is likely to discover this gadget like I did, just by looking around the site to see what features it holds. 
It encourages people to look further into the Blogger site.

Zoomerang activity

 This is my Zoomerang survey.  Click to take my survey about "School Lunch".

What I Did:  I registered for and activated the Zoomerang tool.  I designed and activated a survey geared towards students in North Jefferson Elementary School.  I enjoyed this activity, and I am sure my students will enjoy it.  Kids always like asking "Do you like this, or this?"  

What I Learned:  I learned how easy it is to design a survey using this online tool.   I realized that it is important to frame survey questions correctly.  Before choosing my topic and composing my questions, I did some research.  I read an online article on survey design, titled How to Begin Your Survey Design Project by Creative Research Systems.  It gave some guidelines to establishing goals and following steps.

NETS-T:   This activity related to:
- Standard 1a, which states that teachers are to "promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness."  Although the tool is easy enough to use, it requires creative thinking to design the survey subject and questions.
-Standard 4c, which requires the teacher to "promote and model digital etiquette and social interactions..."  Students would need some instruction in developing a "polite" survey.

How It Can Be Used:  This activity can also be used with the 3rd grade Techsteps project "Class Favorites", which requires students to gather opinions from classmates and then design an Excel chart.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Reading questions 3

.
What I did:  I read pp. 9-11 of Multimodal Learning through Media: What the Research Says (2008, Metri Group).  I reflected on the reading and answered the review questions.


What I Learned:  See my answers to review questions.


NETS-T:  This relates to:
- Standard 5c, which states that teachers "evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis ... in support of student learning."  It is advisable for teachers to keep up with this kind of research to understand how students learn.
-Standard 2c, which states that teachers "customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles..."


How I can use this:  Discussions of memory (esp. working memory) come up frequently in eligibility meetings (for special education).  I will have more current knowledge to use in these discussions.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Word cloud



What I did:  I made my word cloud, which I called What is Math?
To do this I used WordleIt was super easy, in contrast to my last project. 
.
What I Learned: Wordle is a fun and creative way to display knowledge.  It can be done in minutes.Also, I finally got the hang of linking text (important). I can go back and correct my previous posts.(I did)

 How I can Use It:  I could use this when I am beginning or wrapping up a unit.  This would fit nicely into a math discussion using our Everyday Math series.  Students contribute their words and I add to the Wordle.  Afterwards, I display. They will learn quickly how to do it, then they can design, explain and display their wordles. I see this as a good project for beginning cooperative groups.

NETS T? This activitiy relates to:
- Standard 1a, which states that teachers "promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness".  The creator of this document would have to use appropriate words and images that suit the main idea.  "Main idea and details" is an important concept for 3rd and 4th grade students to grasp.
-Standard 1c, which states that teachers "promote student reflection using collaborative tools..."  Students could design a Word Cloud in group, involving each student to reflect and contribute to the final presentation.

Jing Screencast-final

UPDATE:  FINALLY FINISHED ON 7/26.  SEE THAT POST.
Click to view my Jing video. I've spent two days doing this project.  It's probably wrong, but I can't do any better. I was really frustrated while doing this project.  I was trying to show the Jing video on my Blogger page.

Jing project reflection:
What did I do? I downloaded and installed Jing.  I made a Jing image (see my earlier post), using the tools. I made a tutorial video. I saved both to the blog.

 What did I learn? I have seen works like this, but didn't know how to manipulate images.  These are works of a beginner. It will take much more practice before I feel skilled with the Jing tool, but I have a start.  Using Jing, I can "create visual artifacts that are customized" to my particular needs.

 How can I use it? Jing will be helpful in my classroom, making demonstrations for my students.

 How does it relate to NETS T? This project relates to:
- Standard 3a, which states that "Teachers demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations."
-Standard 3c, which states that teachers "communicate relevant information and ideas effectively ... using a variety of digital-age media and formats."  This is a good way to give necessary information using an attractive presentation, designed with digital tools.

Here are answers to my test questions.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Jing Image


It takes a long time to establish good string playing habits. I like to use visuals with my students, and I find they respond best to pictures of children playing. This is the kind of poster I would display in my studio to use as a reference.

For my reflection on this project, click here.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Working on the Jing Image

 
Posted by Picasa

Cute violin player, demonstrating perfect Suzuki form. For more information about the Suzuki School of Music, please go to the website for the Suzuki Association

Monday, June 13, 2011

Self-Portrait in the style of Picasso


Posted by Picasa
What I did:  I went to the site Picassohead and learned to use the graphics to make a self-portrait.
It doesn't look too much like me, but there is resemblance. At least I captured my messy hair, LOL! I'm pleased with the finished product. Click on the link if you want to try your hand at creating a self-portrait in the style of Picasso.

What I Learned: I learned to use the graphics.  It was interesting and fun, and didn't take very long.  This was easy to create, but tricky to blog. Per Professor Pierce's suggestion, I saved it to my desktop. It didn't work to save it in doc's, so I saved it again in Picasa3. From Picasa I clicked on the blog option at the bottom of the page. Hope this helps someone else who is having trouble publishing their portrait.

NETS-T:  This activity corresponds to:
 -Standard 3-b, which states that teachers "collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation."  The student would have to use innovative thinking to design a self-portrait that bears a reasonable resemblance.
-Standard 1a, which states that teachers are to "promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness."  Students would think this activity is "cool".  It encourages introspection and creativity.

How I Can Use It: This could be used in a number of ways to supplement student writing.  The graphic could be made before or after the written composition, as an illustration or a springboard.  One writing assignment could be autobiographical in nature.  Then the Picassohead could be used to illustrate the finished written product.
.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

snipping tool


This cow is from a picture I took in Vermont last summer. (In Montpelier, less than a mile from the state house!)

What I Did:  I learned how to use the snipping tool, that was already in my Microsoft tools.  Noe the icon to access this tool is on my desktop.

What I Learned:  It is literally what it says--for snipping.  With this gadget, I can cut a small piece from an existing picture or document and insert it into my blog, or a doc, or an e-mail or...  It goes directly to the clipboard, so the image is ready to be pasted wherever I want to put it.

NETS-T:  This activity aligns with:
- Standard 2a, which states that teachers will "design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity."  This will help me when I only want to use a "snip" of a picture tp place in a document or a post.
-Standard 3a, which states that teachers "demonstrate fluency in technology systems..."  Since this gadget is always part of our Microsoft Office system (no download necessary), we should be aware of it and know how to use it.

How It Can Be Used:  I'm sure I will use this a lot.  Too bad I didn't know about it earlier.  I use images frequently on my school documents, esp. spelling lists and math bellringers.  Images add interest to the learning activity and spark the curiosity. 
My students will like this tool. It will be very helpful when designing their Techsteps projects. The 3rd graders can use the snips when designing their virtual field trips. I can see them having a lot of fun with snipping pictures with different shapes and using different colors of ink.

Friday, June 10, 2011

reading questions 2

What I did:
I read the required article, titled "Multimodal Learning Through Media: What the Research Says". It was a very interesting article about some popular wisdom that has always been presented as truth.

What I Learned:
Use this link to view my written responses.

NETS-T:  This assignment related to:
- Standard 3d, which states that teachers are to "model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning."
-Standard 5a, which states that teachers are to "participate in local and global learning communities..."  This article increased my professional knowledge and caused me to reflect on popular wisdom.  We students in this class were all involved in reading this and responding to it.

How It Can be Used:  This article took a hard analytical look at the commonly held wisdom that "We remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we say, 90% of what we say and do."  As with most conventional wisdom, it isn't totally wrong, but it is far from totally correct.  From this article I came away with the knowledge that I should "question the data".  In this case, actual numbers (percentages) are given.  I should always question how it was tested, and how valid is this data.  I should teach my students not to accept what they have "always heard", but should develop healthy skepticism.  This is especially important in the technology age, because not everything on the Internet is accurate.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

more diigo

Note:  I tried to set up a link to my library, but I couldn't link it. I don't know why.

UPDATE:
My Library, added 7/26. Ok, it is linked now. Here and in "My Links". I have added quite a few more links.

I joined some groups in Driigo.  One group is called "Good Music".  It has many links to new and up-and-coming music.  I also joined a group called "I Love Teaching Math!"  It has some great math teaching ideas from enthusiastic teachers.  Then I joined a group called  LanguageArtsTeachers.  It looks like it will have many links for teaching elementary literature.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

We do the "voki pokey"

teaching philosophy

First thing I learned:  I guess I should have read the assignment before just going ahead and writing a philosophy. I did it all wrong.  "Teach Every Day", is a good statement, so I am keeping it.  Today's submission is more in keeping with the assignment..

This second submission is the Brief Teaching Philosophy
I am not usually so brief when stating my philosophy. For the longer version, see my previous post

The voki thing in the post above this tells part of my Brief Teaching Philosophy (in a rather intellectual tone of voice.) Click on the play button on the voki thing to hear him speak. (The play button is the larger arrow in the lower left hand corner of the voki.)

What I did:  I wrote my philosophy statement, but it was wrong, so I redid it.  I wrote a 2nd philosophy, aligned to the questions posed in the assignment.  I sent both to Google docs, then published both to the web. Using the Microsoft start button, I clicked Word Options, clicked spelling and grammar.  I clicked "show readability statistics".  I then hit the F7 button to spell check and display the Flesch-Kinkaid reading level for the document. I signed up for and created a Voki account Using the tool, I made the animated Voki.  It talks, using my words (from my philosophy), but in a suave British accent.  (See the post above this one to see the cute animated Voki thing.)

What I Learned:  One iomportant lesson I learned was that I must be careful to save documents in Google docs, just as I would in Word.  I almost lost both statements,  but fortunately had them on my travel drive.  On both philosophies, I had to edit-edit-edit.  I wanted them to be as brief as I could make them.  I learned to make the weird Voki thing.  My students will like it.  I learned to use the Microsoft tools for editing.  I didn't know I had those.

NETS- T:  This assignment goes with Standard 3b, which states that the teacher will "collaborate with students, pers, parents and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation."  This could have been a dull assignment, had it not been for the Voki to brighten it up.

How to Use It: Learning will be enhanced by creating a Voki creature and making it "say" what the class has learned.  I will use the Flesch-Kinkaid tool when writing professional documents.  I may also want to use it for elementary school doc's.  My students do not read on a high level, and it is necessary to write in a way that they can read.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Diigo questions + Diigo posting + Blog response

I.  Responses to Diigo questions
  1. Describe the 3 steps to recommend in the film to get started social bookmarking?
a.       Driigo is a great tool while reading online.” Good for highlighting and annotating (adding comments to) web pages online.
b.      Has a new list feature to organize and display specific collections of bookmarks.  Sidebar helps you find things easier.
c.       You can maintain social contacts with friends.  Using social bookmarking, you can see what friends like and what they tag. Common interests can be noted.
  1. Describe Web 2.0, and how it differs from previous stages of the web? It helps you connect with people sharing specific interests.  You can use it to check out what friends are looking at.  You can click “Communities” and “common stuff”.  There is a forum for group collaboration and discussion.  You can send messages to friends. It is more powerful tool than existing social bookmarking services for research and sharing with community. 
  2. What is social bookmarking and what advantages does social bookmarking offer that traditional storage and retrieval of web sites does not? Driigo has added social network features and delivers content specifically tailored to interests.
II. Diigo posting
     1.   For a browser, I most often use Internet Explorer. I never liked Netscape Navigator. I’m not    very adventurous, and I haven’t tried many different browsers. I have recently downloaded Firefox for this class. It is good but I’ve had trouble with computer memory (leads to crashes).

     2. “Browsers add-ons” are added to the existing browser. Add-ons make it easier to access, read, organize and store information on the computer. They are very popular, because they are easy to install and to use. . I don’t have enough memory on this computer to run many add-ons.

     3. Of course I have Java, necessary to run FSU Blackboard.Safari is necessary to manage I-Tunes.  These seem to take a lot of space on my hard drive. I use Adobe flash for games. I think Google is an add-on. I use that extensively. Also Microsoft ClipArt gallery. I don’t do much adding on because I generally have a problem with memory on this computer.

III.  Blog response
What I did: I did the reading and answered the questions.  I registered for Driigo.I began building my Driigo library/archive.  There is now a toolbar on my computer for Diigo.

What I learned: I learned how to search for groups that are within my interest. I chose several groups to join and to read their regular postings.  I chose topics related to Education, Health and Wellness, Tech nology, Special Education, Music.

NETS- T: This activity is aligned with:
-Standard 3a, which requires teachers to "demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations." This is a current technology system. We are required to learn about new technology and to use it in building our blogs.
-Standard 5d, which states that teachers are to contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession..." Reading brings new and current thoughts and tends to re-vitalize me.
How It Can be Used: I will be adding to this library regularly.  The postings are brief, but very informative.  They add to my base of knowledge of current issues related to my field.

    Monday, June 6, 2011

    Philosophy

    Please view my educational philosophy  It is entitled "Teach Every Day".  It contains thoughts gathered from 28 years of being "in the field".