Lesson 5!

Lesson 5 Blog

The Nets are standards that can easily be met if we can just utilize all this technology that we are learning about. The Common Core Standards that seemed to be hard to cover can be made easier with the use of these resources, along with Program Reviews.  I have been learning about so many resources, I am amazed that so many exist.

The Horizon Report was great because it was like our Technology Explorations. It had a lot of resources that had a hyperlink attached with a brief description of the site. This will be a great resource because the information is easily accessible, which is always the best kind for busy teachers!

The terms, synchronous and asynchronous, were new to me. I think these are good terms to know because I am sure they are used in dialogue about these resources we are learning about.  

E-mail is not used for students at my elementary school, but I definitely see a use for it in the older grades. It is important when implementing student emails and the use of technology in general that students are taught the rules and the etiquette of such resources. Interent safety is very importabt and it must be taught. This is a focus I can instill in my younger students, so as they grow they can continue to understand the importance of safety rules and internet regulations.  

1.    What did you learn that was totally new to you?

A few of the Tech Explorations for the week were very new to me, such as Glogster and Jing. I am not sure how I feel about Glogster because it seems like another social media website. They keep growing and it seems like too many, however it is a resource that can be used in the classroom. I think the best place for my student to use Glogster would be to implement it in during our Economics Unit  for the Entrepreneur Fair. Students can create posters to advertise their products and then create a digital poster using Glogster.

Jing was also a new resource for me. I think this is a very handy tool to have downloaded so it can be used as needed. It reminds me of the capture tool on the smart board technology and it would be great to use on the desktop. Both were new and I can see me using them in my classroom, so very beneficial.  

2.    How can you use this information to inform your instructional strategies with your own students.

All of this information is great because not only does it give me ideas on how to incorporate the resources, but it creates completely new ideas so I can incorporate these resources.

It was a good activity to review my District’s AUP because in the past I just handed out the form and expected it to be signed, without knowing what all it entailed.

I think the information learned this week will allow me to continue to think of ways I can implement technology to benefit my students. By doing this I not only will meet the Common Core Standards, but I will meet the NETS and Program Review expectations. It is a learning process for me that will highly benefit my students if used correctly.

EDOL 533

Technology Exploration Assignment Form

Student Name: Samantha Norman                            Date: 7/29/13

15. Prezi - http://prezi.com/ and SpicyNodes - http://www.spicynodes.org/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Prezi: Prezi is a really cool way to present information. It is the NEW Power Point in a way. It is free, but has the option for upgraded versions and it can be used on an iPad. It allows for more creativity for how information is viewed and what the eye needs to focus on. Students love it! Spicynodes: Spicynodes is similar to Prezi in the way it presents its information, however Spicynodes seems to be a better piece of software for showing connections between ideas rather than making a presentation. An iPad app that is associated with this site is called WikiNodes that displays Wikipedia information in the form of Spicynodes, which makes browsing really neat.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  Prezi: I used Prezi last year with my 4th graders in Social Studies. Their job was to create a Prezi in small groups on a certain Native American Region. They had different things they needed to include like what states they lived in, what they ate, what they lived in, etc. After each group created a Prezi they presented them as a class. It was very interesting to them and they couldn’t wait to work on it. They remained engaged and focused. I will definitely use this in my classroom next year and more often! Spicynodes: This site could be used to show the connection of ideas in any subject area. I love math so my brain immediately goes to that subject. You could have a main topic such as fractions, and then branch off of fractions to show how to compare, add, subtract, etc. It would be a good assessment tool for teachers and a fun way for students to show what they know. It then could be used as an information bank to referenced back to after the topic has passed.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Prezi: I would definitely recommend this for teachers! It is a much better way to present information compared to a Power Point because it is new and different and students will love it! Plus, it is very easy to use. Spicynodes: Not only will I recommend this, but also I would love to use it this year in my classroom. I think it will bring something new and exciting to class and students will really enjoy it. They are always excited to use technology and to integrate it into their student products would cover a variety of standards and follow the 21st Century Skills and NETS.

16. Edmodo - http://www.edmodo.com/ and a math dictionary http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/dictionary.html

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Edmodo: This site is used a lot in our district’s high school and I created an account at a technology conference this past year. I look at it as an Educational Facebook/Twitter. You are able to follow different “people” or “pages” and you can have discussions with people. Teachers can also interact with their students and post assignments, send reminders, and get grades back to them quickly. Math Dictionary: This site is a dictionary of math terms that has interactive pictures and printable options. It is very easy to navigate and the print option is really neat! There is also another tab where there are math charts that you can print and put around your room or even give to individual students if needed.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting Edmodo: Edmodo would be a great tool to use if you are a high school teacher. I feel like it would work best in high school because students have more access to technology at that age and they have the freedom to get on the internet outside of school. I love all of the technology you can implement at the high-grade levels, which is why I think I am extending my certification through middle school. At the elementary level this site could be implemented if students used it to complete quizzes or assignments. Math Dictionary: This site would be good for students to reference back to if they forget a concept after it has been taught. It could be used as an example if you wanted to do a similar concept on a Wiki. You could also use it for students to explore and learn concepts on their own, with a follow up lesson.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Edmodo: I would recommend this site to teachers who teach higher-grade levels. I think it is a great resource and teachers could get a lot of benefits from it. I also think students would enjoy it because it is another Social Media site they can use. Math Dictionary: I will recommend this site to my fellow teachers. It is very easy to use and is student friendly. I think teachers will love the printable charts because they are one less thing we have to make!!

17. Glogster - http://www.glogster.com/ and Jing http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource Glogster: Glogster is a “graphic blog” that can contain music and video. It reminds me of a MySpace page, which I am not fond of. It is free to create and account seem easy to use. You are basically creating an interactive poster. Jing: Jing is a really cool site that would be a great tool to have downloaded onto your computer. It gives you the option to take screen shots and even just take “pictures” of certain items. Once you take the “picture” you can save them and share them.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  Glogster: I would use this site in reading. I would ask students to create a Glogster to describe a character. They could “become” the character and create a Glogster that represented them as the entire character or at a particular time in the book.  Jing: Jing could be used to snap pictures to create a how – to. It could also be used to input pictures anywhere. The only problem I see with this is copyright issues.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Glogster: This would not be my first recommendation, however I would suggest it, if it fit into something they were looking for or wanting. It could be used to discuss advertising, or even more subject specific and could be used to display a concept. It might work well in our 4th grade Entrepreneur Fair, because students could create a more tech savvy ad for their fellow students. Jing: I would recommend this to teachers to have on their computers because you never know when it would come in handy. I think it is an easy to use tool that is worth the download, especially because it is free!

18. You Tube for Education - http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400 and SchoolTube http://www.schooltube.com and TeacherTube http://www.teachertube.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.   All of these sites allow teachers and students to explore videos in a safer setting than regular YouTube. There are not inappropriate advertisements running on the side and no crazy videos popping up on searches. I also found that TeacherTube has downloadable documents and pdf’s that can be very helpful to teachers.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting? I would use these sites to search for videos to show to my class and I would also allow kids to use them to search for their own information. I feel more comfortable allowing students to search freely on these sites rather then the Google or YouTube. SchoolTube is one that seems very safe and full of information.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? I would recommend these sites to both teachers and students because I think they are good resources. They allow for safe browsing and are full of information students can use for projects or for their own personal learning.