I have learned that Google is bigger than I imagined. They are amazing. It seems they anticipated a users need before the users and designed tools for it. I am still working through all they offer and finding what fits me. Google reader has been great for keeping track of all my sites.
My PLN is taking shape. I added The Synapse to my list today and found some good groups within the site to join. I also forgot that I am a member of delicious. I haven't used it in the past year but need to start again. Like many, the PLN acronym is new to me. Normally I am all about face-to-face discussions but with my online courses I can appreciate a network that is on my wavelength. I can attest to learning much from my other networks at MSU. Just today I read a posting from my riparian zone class that was for the Bucket Project, collecting water macroorganism data to share online with other schools. This I will use for my class in the fall. A perfect example of gaining great material that will improve the learning of my students in my ecology unit and doing something new in a new way at my school.
On the Synapse site the group I joined is discussing how not to lecture in class. This is a problem I have, too much talking. I needed practical suggestions and my network provided that for me today. I also love that there are others who struggle like me and we can grow as teachers together.
It takes a discerning eye to understand what will benefit learning. This is where my guiding principals will be important. They need to be succinct and forward thinking. I don't have much time during the year to add something new. I want to spend time wisely this summer getting ready for the new year and having all my webtools in place.
I have learned that I need to limit myself time wise. Every time I sit down, daily, it can easily turn into 3 or more hours. It seems impossible but the clock does not lie. I need to utilize google reader to the fullest. i also did a google chrome page to help me.
Now another week is starting and I feel like I need extra time to just absorb this past week. I am not getting stressed out though, I am learning, exploring and planning. That was my objective in taking this course. I think so far I am successful.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
PLNs
I have done a lot of reading about PLNs. I find I can't just jump in without tons of knowledge first. I have connected with these: the FischBowl blog has been great and Jeff Utecht at the ThinkingStick and a personal account from a teacher of her students PLNs at JessiesBlog.
I have spent just over 4 hours here in cyberspace but I did accomplish a lot. After much searching this week today I did joined Twitter, WeTheTeachers, and Classroom 2.0. My network did consist of this class, my teaching partners at school, and NSTA biolist. I keep track of my updates on Google Reader (did that last week). I am now as busy as I think I want to be.
My one question- Will this benefit me in the classroom? If it does not benefit me for my students I don't know if I will keep it.
I have spent just over 4 hours here in cyberspace but I did accomplish a lot. After much searching this week today I did joined Twitter, WeTheTeachers, and Classroom 2.0. My network did consist of this class, my teaching partners at school, and NSTA biolist. I keep track of my updates on Google Reader (did that last week). I am now as busy as I think I want to be.
My one question- Will this benefit me in the classroom? If it does not benefit me for my students I don't know if I will keep it.
School is out.....finally
Students were done Thursday and we finished yesterday.We have got to be the last ones! It was also a week of moving into the new building. I'm certainly not set up, my stuff is just there.
With all the PLN stuff swirling in my head this week, I stopped by the tech dept, had them get me set up for the new building and to talk web 2.0.
I got the scoop on moodle and other foreign web notions, three other teachers are wanting to set up blog pages, the district is going to powerschool, I will have direct access to googledocs, and the district doesn't have enough room on the servers to do everything but they are working on it. They also shared a little known fact...I can access the schools network directly from home! Gradebook, files, drives, everything. Would have been nice to know for this year. No more traveling back and forth with my very full jump drives.
Mark gave me a fantastic book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski).
By page 11 I was hooked. If you have read the book send me your thoughts or any other books you found interesting.
With all the PLN stuff swirling in my head this week, I stopped by the tech dept, had them get me set up for the new building and to talk web 2.0.
I got the scoop on moodle and other foreign web notions, three other teachers are wanting to set up blog pages, the district is going to powerschool, I will have direct access to googledocs, and the district doesn't have enough room on the servers to do everything but they are working on it. They also shared a little known fact...I can access the schools network directly from home! Gradebook, files, drives, everything. Would have been nice to know for this year. No more traveling back and forth with my very full jump drives.
Mark gave me a fantastic book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn and Malenoski).
By page 11 I was hooked. If you have read the book send me your thoughts or any other books you found interesting.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Good Sites
I did some blog searching and found these
http://areallydifferentplace.org/ This blog page by two teachers that showcases student blog pages as well. I think it is well done. I like the fact that 6th graders are blogging. There are even writing helps on the right side. I read some of the blogs and the students are creative and do respond to each other. I assume it is a weekly assignment.
Risely Roarer's Blog
This is a three year project that students have done. It is from class blogmeister which is a
blogging engine for students to write. The teachers prompts are short and easy to understand. Each student has a page that they can post on. Some write poetry, tell a story or an adventure. I really like that this is very interactive.
Looking at Wikis I found this blog site, ComputerScience4Teens that has a wiki page. I like that they have a student scribe that posts notes. Unfortunately there has not been any recent updates but school is winding down.
Wikis seem only to be specifically for those involved. I will have to keep searching to find a better classroom model of how it works.
http://areallydifferentplace.org/ This blog page by two teachers that showcases student blog pages as well. I think it is well done. I like the fact that 6th graders are blogging. There are even writing helps on the right side. I read some of the blogs and the students are creative and do respond to each other. I assume it is a weekly assignment.
Risely Roarer's Blog
This is a three year project that students have done. It is from class blogmeister which is a
blogging engine for students to write. The teachers prompts are short and easy to understand. Each student has a page that they can post on. Some write poetry, tell a story or an adventure. I really like that this is very interactive.
Looking at Wikis I found this blog site, ComputerScience4Teens that has a wiki page. I like that they have a student scribe that posts notes. Unfortunately there has not been any recent updates but school is winding down.
Wikis seem only to be specifically for those involved. I will have to keep searching to find a better classroom model of how it works.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Guiding Principles
I have thought all week about my guiding principles. This is what I have come up with...
A. The technology must be be interactive. Students must do something with the technology you provide. Just watching/listening isn't an option. If it makes a student read, think and have to respond I can live with that. As a 7th grade teacher that in itself is tough to do.
B. The technology needs to be user friendly. Again these young students are easily put off. Many are techno shy and so the more success they have the more adventurous they will be. It needs to be accessible as well. To become familiar with a piece of technology it needs to be used over and over by more than just the science department.
C. The technology needs to promote a deeper learning. So much of what is the "old way" is limiting. I think of the old chalk board in my room, really allows surface learning. With the SmartBoard I am able to use examples that we can manipulate. One step further is a simulation that allows a student to manipulate and actually see the changes he has caused. I also don't want deeper learning at the expense of not covering the state standards though.
D. I think the technology should be connective. I want my students to know they live in a global world. We start with using technology that can be a link with others. We posted their digital photos of the onion slides they made so they could share this with their families.
E. I think technology should be efficient. If it saves me time and paperwork, it is good. Love the new computerized grading and attendance. Still takes time to get it all in but I can manipulate it to give me more data from the raw scores I input. My students learned OpenOfficeCalc this year for their graphing. They love the options they had and the quickness of it.
Since this is a work in progress I expect to refining or even changing my principles. The readings we did were very good. I ask now is it just "old things in old ways" or "old things in new ways"? Have I progressed to "new things in new ways"? That would be my goal.
B. The technology needs to be user friendly. Again these young students are easily put off. Many are techno shy and so the more success they have the more adventurous they will be. It needs to be accessible as well. To become familiar with a piece of technology it needs to be used over and over by more than just the science department.
C. The technology needs to promote a deeper learning. So much of what is the "old way" is limiting. I think of the old chalk board in my room, really allows surface learning. With the SmartBoard I am able to use examples that we can manipulate. One step further is a simulation that allows a student to manipulate and actually see the changes he has caused. I also don't want deeper learning at the expense of not covering the state standards though.
D. I think the technology should be connective. I want my students to know they live in a global world. We start with using technology that can be a link with others. We posted their digital photos of the onion slides they made so they could share this with their families.
E. I think technology should be efficient. If it saves me time and paperwork, it is good. Love the new computerized grading and attendance. Still takes time to get it all in but I can manipulate it to give me more data from the raw scores I input. My students learned OpenOfficeCalc this year for their graphing. They love the options they had and the quickness of it.
Since this is a work in progress I expect to refining or even changing my principles. The readings we did were very good. I ask now is it just "old things in old ways" or "old things in new ways"? Have I progressed to "new things in new ways"? That would be my goal.
Why I like to blog..
I had never heard of blogging until the IT person at a local school invited staff to learn the basics of blogging for the classroom.. I was the only one to show up! Their loss because it is a great tool in the classroom. I like to blog because I like to learn and share what I find. It gives me an outlet to post interesting items and food for thought. Didn't you ever come across something that you knew your students would be interested in but simply didn't have time in the classroom to share it? This is where it can be done. Or if you find that something in class has the WOW factor for students, posting it lets them access it again and again.
This is what happened with the Bacteria Song. I found this online and kids at school
were singing along by the end of the week because I posted it to the class blog page.
Kids were downloading it to their ipods.
So why do you blog?
This is what happened with the Bacteria Song. I found this online and kids at school
were singing along by the end of the week because I posted it to the class blog page.
Kids were downloading it to their ipods.
So why do you blog?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
