Final Thoughts on TPTE 486

My days in my technology class have regretfully come to an end. Despite this reality, there are many things I will take away from this course. I learned so much about integrating technology into the classroom experience. This truly changed my perception of education. I will certainly use a website and blog to communicate with parents and students. I will also use web 2.0 tools such as Glogster, Wordle, Smilebox, and Wikis to enhance student learning.

There are a few structural issues I had with the course as a whole. I really wish we had dedicated more time to projects during class time. This improved as the semester came to a close, but much time was spent on presentations throughout the semester. As much as I enjoyed them, I wish we had simply had a week of presentations and then moved on to other tasks. This would also eliminate any advantages of having a later presentation date. I was also a little concerned that some students received easier tools to do a project on. Thank goodness I did not get Prezi! This may need to be considered next time around. All in all, however, I enjoyed the course and immensely value the knowledge I gained throughout the semester!

Website Work

Our final project of TPTE 486 was creating a classroom website in Google Sites. Though very tasking and time-consuming, the overall product is a great tool that I intend to integrate into my future classroom. The creation of the site when fairly well. Google Sites is pretty easy to work in when doing simple things like creating pages, adding images, etc. However, linking pages was really frustrating because sometimes the link colors would be different. It seemed like no matter how I tried to correct this issue, I still did not have complete success. When I create my next site, I will be sure to make space in my schedule. I say this because I learned that starting and managing a classroom site is very overwhelming and takes a lot of time and effort. I will definitely use this in my professional practice to showcase my abilities to future employers. I will use it in the classroom to communicate with parents and provide a resource outlet for the students.

Here is a link to my finished classroom site:
https://sites.google.com/site/carolinedenton486/home

Now Your Feature Presentation!

 

Above is one of my final projects in TPTE 486: a digital story. This assignment proved most frustrating, but the finish product was worth the fuss. I had a horrible experience in which I thought I had saved my first draft as a version which could be edited. Unfortunately, this was not the case, so I had to start all over. However, it was super easy to work with the second time around because I had figured out the most efficient ways to do things. Next time I will be sure to save correctly.

I found iMovie fairly easy to work with. However, it is one of those programs with limited instructions,  so you just have to play around in it in order to figure things out. I learned that even a novice tech can produce really effective and pleasing presentations. You just have to be willing to go for it and make mistakes. I am really glad I challenged myself with this course and this assignment. I feel like I will utilize iMovie to make classroom  presentations more lively and entertaining. Through my tech use in the classroom, I hope students will view me as a more effective teacher and a better teacher overall.

Animoto!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Striving for Excel-lence

This past week, we worked in Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets. My spreadsheet, in accordance with the 3rd Grade English curriculum, is a practice in identifying sentences as declarative, interrogative, or exclamatory. I am proud of my finished product, but the process proved difficult for me. I started my spreadsheet on a Mac then finished it on a PC. The setup in Microsoft Excel varies, so it was hard for me to adjust and find some of the setting options. Next time I will definitely stick to one system for easier completion. However, the result of my hard work is an easy-to-use spreadsheet that I think students will really enjoy as opposed to the old fashioned handouts. I learned that constructing interactive practice exercises (like my spreadsheet) is a great way to get students learning through computer use. I think this is how I will integrate Excel into my classroom. I may also use it to record grades. Below is a screenshot of my finished product!

Diagramming Using Inspiration

This is my diagram on physical geography in accordance with 3rd Grade Social Studies curriculum standards. I designed this diagram with ease in a great program called Inspiration.

Smilebox Brings a Smile to My Face

Smilebox is by far my favorite Web 2.0 tool! Smilebox allows users to upload photos or videos and create invitations, greetings, slide shows, collages, photo albums, and scrapbooks. I found so many different templates and editing choices that I was overwhelmed (with excitement of course)! Smilebox proved user-friendly, and I was able to complete mine in just 15 minutes! For the most part, my photos uploaded and inserted with little issues. I do wish that I could have been able to directly resize my photos within Smilebox. Perhaps next time I will be more conscious about my photo choices so that I may eliminate any blurred shots.

I learned that Smilebox is a great Web 2.0 tool to integrate into the classroom. I can see myself using it to send slide shows of field trips, e-cards for holidays, and scrapbooks at the end of the school year. I am really fond of this tool and cannot wait to create another Smilebox presentation.

Here is my first Smilebox presentation of my brother and I. Coincidentally, he took this course a few years ago with Dr. Obannon!

Digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

We are going on a... Scavenger Hunt!

For our class last Wednesday, we were instructed to go on a scavenger hunt for objects defining different shapes. We were asked to record our findings through digital images, then create a slideshow appropriate for classroom use. Below you will find my finished product.



Overall, our search was successful. Creating my Google presentation could have been better executed if I had simply made my presentation there as opposed to uploading a powerpoint. The transition proved a little messy. Next time I will make sure to do it this way in order to eliminate unnecessary steps.

I learned that using digital images to teach a lesson proves very useful. Students will better comprehend the different shapes through the use of the images we found as opposed to ordinary primary colored shapes. In essence, through the use of a digital image presentation in the classroom, ordinary lessons can become more relevant and meaningful.

My Digital Image Collection Experience

My latest project involved creating a digital image collection and sharing it with my teacher using Picasa Web Albums. Included were five images from several methods: 1) CD Collection: Big Box of Art, 2) Web (free image)- Google Images, 3) Scanned Image, 4) Digital Camera Shot, and finally 5) Screen Shot of my organization through USB folder.

While the task should have proved simple, I did encounter a couple of problems. I had never used the screen shot technique, and it was much more complicated on my PC than on a Mac. However, I have used all the other listed methods before, so I completed those steps with little complication. I learned that I should look into utilizing more methods when applying images and photos towards my school work and eventual classroom. I also learned to be more careful next time when using free online images; this was due to the fact that a virus warning popped up on my computer when I tried to choose a clip art image in Google Images!

In my future teaching career, I will use images from various sources to brighten up power points and other presentations. Hopefully this will encourage the students to remain engaged in class lessons.

Picniking!

Learning to use Picnik is one of my favorite activities yet in TPTE 486. Picnik is an online photo editing Web 2.0 tool that allows you to do nearly anything to a photo. At home, I took my favorite photo of myself, and used Picnik to turn the image into a form of self-expression. My family has always referred to me as "Princess" so I found it only appropriate to give myself a crown!

Picnik Fun

This tool was simple to use and much fun too! I was able to crop and touch up my image, as well as apply "stickers" and frames. Some attempts at editing (or creating I should say) did not go well for me because they were off limits to the free user. Most of the advanced tools within Picnik require Premium status, which is met with a small fee. If I find myself referring back to this tool, I may choose to register for the Premium account next time.

Through use of this tool, I learned that there are many ways to enhance and further creativity in one's use of images. I will use this tool for a student self-expression activity should I be placed in an upper elementary classroom. I myself will apply it to enhancing my images used in presentations.

Google Docs Sort of Rocks?

Throughout the semester, we have been using Google Docs to share assignments with our teacher. At first, I was unfamiliar with this sharing tool. Like a wiki, you can collaborate on pieces in Google Docs. The first time I shared an assignment on Google Docs I resent it after some edits. Yet what I quickly learned is that you only have to share it once and then the person you shared it with has unlimited access to the viewing (and editing if you give them permission)! I haven't double-shared since!

Overall, using this tool has proven very beneficial. Not only does it make submitting assignments to the professor easier, but it really helped when Paige and I were creating a lesson plan together too. I can definitely see similar uses in the classroom setting- sharing lesson plans, project ideas, syllabuses, class policies, supply lists, etc with fellow teachers of my grade.

Perhaps what I love most about Google Docs is spelled out in its name- Google. Yes, Google. Google Docs is tied directly into my Google account which hosts my email, homepage, website, and various other resources. Whether file-sharing or collaborating, the fact that Google Documents is part of my Google account makes it just a click away (rather than a URL, a sign in, and a select away).

A Pessimistic Perspective Of Prezi Presentations

Recently we learned about Prezi, another interactive presentation tool. The primary difference between this and Glogster is the creator of a Prezi presentation has infinite space to work with while a Glog limits you to a single page. The idea is to use this web 2.0 tool in lieu of power point slides. Honestly, I have a very definitive view of this tool: I hate it.

The end product of using Prezi is spectacular- from one idea to another, the flow can twist and turn and captivate the viewer. Yet getting to the end product or any product at all proved impossible for me, the weak computer user. Prezi is not a user-friendly tool, and instructions on using Prezi are too vague. I tried for almost an hour to create a Prezi for my lesson plan and eventually forfeited- and I NEVER give up on anything.

Nothing went well for me in this process of creating my own Prezi: the navigation tool bar in the shape of a sphere constantly threw me for a loop. If there must be a "next time" for me, I will try to get help from an experienced user so that I may effectively create a Prezi. Advanced computer users will have a field day with this web 2.0 tool, but it honestly isn't for me.

If I ever figure it out, I would imagine Prezi to be a great substitute for boring, colorless slide show presentations. I do not, however, recommend student use of Prezi for the elementary grades. If the teacher has difficulty working this user-unfriendly tool, then I highly doubt the students will have any success.

How I felt using Prezi

My New Netbook!

So sorry I haven't posted in a while- school is so hectic these days with 18 hours! However, I have great news. I purchased a new Toshiba netbook. For those who don't know what this is, a netbook is a small version of a laptop. Mine has a 10.1-inch screen and a 250GB hard drive. I absolutely love it! It is much lighter, making it easy to transport to class and quite frankly, I find it very fashionable with its blue design.

I purchased my Toshiba NB505 mini at Best Buy with the help of various employees. I wanted to make sure I got the best computer within my budget. I would recommend Best Buy to anyone looking to buy a netbook because the staff was really helpful and intuitive to my wants for my new computer. The only thing I don't like about my new computer is the built in mouse. The left and right buttons are really loud. If I attempt to use them to scroll, everyone around me hears, "click, click, click, click..." I guess next time I will play around on the computer a bit more before buying it; although I don't think I would have chosen another one anyways because the battery life is nearly three times that of my old computer and the features that come with this netbook are fantastic. 

I will use this in my professional practice as my travel computer. I obviously will have a desktop because of the more suitable capabilities for the elementary classroom. However, my netbook will be great for keeping up with parent's emails and doing basic internet work. I have used it for several weeks now and find it as an adequate substitute for a laptop, at least in the capacity of which I currently use one.

I named him Tosh! My new baby!

Blogging about Glogging

Paige and I were responsible for the Glogster portion of the Web 2.0 Wiki we have worked on as a class. I must say that I fell in love with this fun and innovative way of learning and self-expression in general. What a clever idea an interactive poster is! Students can use these to do About-Me projects, book reports, or nearly any type of project requiring a poster. As a teacher, I plan to use this tool to bring color and vibrancy into a mundane lesson.

While preparing the Glog used in our presentation, we did have trouble discovering some of the more advanced techniques that really enhance your finished product. Paige was able to go in after I created a rough draft and edit it with animation and text boxes that really made our work great. Next time, I think I will mess around with the various settings extensively before diving in to a new Glog because a good background knowledge of the various capabilities makes Glogster use much easier. Most importantly, I think Glogster really taught me that learning should and CAN be a fun, bright experience, and as a teacher, I should always be on the look out for tools that make an enhanced experience possible.

A Glimpse at Our Glog on Glogster

Oh My Wordle!

Today we learned about Wordle! Basically Wordle is a web 2.0 tool that can be used to create word clouds that you can apply in many different ways to your classroom. It is most certainly a unique and fun tool, very creative and perfect for adding color and design to any syllabus, worksheet, or learning experience. Unfortunately, one thing about the tool is flawed: once you have entered in your text and created the word cloud, you cannot go back and edit the words.Take, for instance, my "about me" word cloud:

 

So as you can see, I intended to emphasize my name and my boyfriend's name. However, I obviously would have liked my name to appear larger than his since this is an "about me" word cloud. I thought leaving it this way would give a visual representation of what I disliked about the tool: the inability to edit without starting over. I do not, however, want to take away from how neat and fun this tool is overall. Next time, I will simply count the words that I want emphasis on before creating the cloud. This way the word I want to be the largest will be listed the greater amount of times. It's as simple as that!

I think using this tool for "about me" assignments could be very fun for the younger, less technologically involved students. Using this tool is very basic and no registration is required. Most importantly, you can personalize the text, colors, fonts, etc!

The Wonders of WebQuest

This past week seemed slightly overwhelming as our class has shifted focus from one web 2.0 tool a week to learning about multiple tools at a time. The primary focus of last week, however, was yet another tool I had never heard of: WebQuest. WebQuest works much like an online project, where students are encouraged to collaborate and problem-solve as a unit. This type of learning is very hands-on and engaging for the students. I should take a brief second to tweak what I have been saying. What I have been describing is the ideal WebQuest- the type that a teacher should integrate in the classroom. However, as we learned through our WebQuest about WebQuests evaluation, there are both good and bad WebQuests out there and careful attention needs to be paid by the teacher before accidentally using a poor one.

When completing and discussing the WebQuest about WebQuests Worksheet, my group learned a lot about this unique tool. It was very beneficial to be assigned individual tasks, then come together to discuss our findings. The collective ranking of the sample WebQuests allowed us to determine what is most important in finding a good Webquest and what aspect of evaluating can be given less attention. We decided that a good WebQuest forces students to make decisions through teamwork and collaboration. The task is clearly stated, and the goal can be reasonably executed. While efficiency is important, a longer project with better long-term benefits is acceptable over a shorter project in which the goals are overly simplistic and could be accomplished through other means.

After completing the WebQuest as a group, we were sent to find our own WebQuest for classroom use. The one I found is called Earth Buddies. This WebQuest is designed for a second grade class and is designed to educate students about the reality of our environmental predicament (too many landfills and too much waste) and allow them to educate others about their newly-acquired knowledge through artistic expression. I evaluated this site using the same general roles from the group work, with an emphasis on collaboration, creativity, and problem solving. This WebQuest ranked highly in these aspects, and the overall appearance of the WebQuest was professionally executed and seemingly suitable for the young learner.

While I eventually found this great WebQuest, searching for a strong one proved time-consuming. A word of advise to future WebQuest users: plan ahead to allow time to find the perfect one! You have to examine multiple sites before you find a wonderfully executed one such as Earth Buddies. I can totally see myself using this WebQuest in my future classroom. The environment is such an important topic right now, and allowing students to brainstorm on possible solutions to landfills will encourage more healthy habits such as recycling and reusing.

I think this web 2.0 tool is great way to supplement material. When chosen correctly, the WebQuest will be stimulating and in many ways, fun for the students. Isn't that, after all, what group work and projects should be?

Earth Buddies WebQuest

Website Evaluating

For the latest assignment, we were to work independently and evaluate a website for its reliability and usability. I chose KidsKnowIt.com for my evaluation. This site was absolutely something I could see myself integrating into my future classroom. Everything on the site seemed informative and interactive. The evaluation we were asked to complete caused me to check out each component of the site, from the creator and publisher down to the accessibility. Looking at the evaluation as a check list, KidsKnowIt Network passes with flying colors.

If I were to integrate this site into my future classroom, I would use tools such as the educational podcast and movies. I also found a very handy spelling page where one can create a custom list of words that would be applied to any of the nine games. Students could use this tool in order to learn their new words. There are also endless educational games, which associate fun with learning. There are even a couple of databases on this site where students can explore. And then there's the best part- EVERYTHING, and I mean literally everything, on this site is completely free in access. There are no limits, as the hope of the creator is that this site will reach endless children and provide them with free educational resources.

Through this web evaluation, I discovered that utilizing a website in the classroom is not the first step. The first step is the most important- examining a website thoroughly in order to determine if it is reputable, safe, and kid-friendly. I think this realization midway through my evaluation made the critiquing run smoothly. Next time I think about finding a website to use, I will utilize these steps so I insure that the site is appropriate. For now, I can say that I will be continually revisiting KidsKnowIt.com so that when I begin my teaching career, I will already be familiar with a great educational website.

This activity assisted me by providing me with a prime example of a suitable website for students. It also opened my eyes to the processes necessary in order to fully evaluate the worth of a site. It showed me how endless the possibilities can be when a teacher finds a great educational website. Great sites can be applied to the learning process in so many ways through interactive games, podcasts, videos, databases, worksheets, etc. I look forward to stumbling upon other educational websites in the future!


KidsKnowIt.com:

Wiki is Wonderful

This week we created a class wiki in which we shared information about our hobbies, our experiences with children, and our desire to teach. Again, I found the introduced tool easy to use. I worked on the wiki for fifteen minutes in class and had nearly completed the assignment. Things ran smoothly because we were working on setting the wiki up collaboratively, which is ironically the main purpose of this tool. We learned that collaboration can still place once you have left the classroom setting. We completed our individual pages at home but were able to make additions to the group page from completely different locations and at any time we pleased.

We encountered some problems on Wednesday, however, when we were editing the homepage. Someone accidentally changed the link address to the homepage, which subsequently made some of the "Back to Homepage" links on our individual pages not work. Next time, I think it is probably a better idea for us to set up the homepage before we start adding additional pages. This will eliminate the possibility for link issues, at least in the sense in which they occurred this time around.

Within my future classroom, I can see utilizing wikis in various ways. For example, I could set up a study guide and assign each student a page/ question to work on. When each student has completed their part, the entire class will have a collaborative study guide in which they can use to prepare for a test. This of course is something that would be most effective within an upper elementary grade. Should I be placed in a younger classroom, I am not certain of how I could really use wiki effectively. Obviously I could have a frequently asked questions page for the parents, but I'm not sure of how to get younger children engaged with this tool. If anyone has some ideas, feel free to share!

I almost forgot! Here is the link to our first wiki!

Blogging About Blogging

It seems a little unorthodox to write a blog about my experiences creating my blog! However, I feel that blogging about blogging will fit well on my page. The creation of this blog was extremely easy. I have a Facebook so I barely had to follow the instructions given in the TPTE packet. Blogger does a great job of making the creation process straight-forward and user friendly. One thing that I don't like are the design choices. There doesn't seem to be a great selection of themes, which is disappointing for those of us who would like a little individualism.

Through the creation of this blog, I learned that I should not be so afraid of trying new things on the web. I continue to learn about the vast resources available through web use on a daily basis as I work through this course. When I create my professional blog in the future, I will do one thing differently. I will make my own theme design in order to personalize my page. In my professional practice, I will use a blog to reflect on daily activities in the classroom, record field trips, and post important messages for parents.

I am... a blogger??

Welcome all to my blog- my first ever! I am really excited to embark on this journey through TPTE 486. By the end of the course, I will hopefully have a greater understanding of integrating technology into the elementary classroom. Ideally, I will develop the basic skills needed to apply these techniques within my own classroom in the future. I hope the presentation of my projects on this blog will serve as a representation of my hard work and willingness to learn more about technological application. I would also like to network with other students studying elementary education at the University of Tennessee, and this will provide an ideal outlet! I look forward to posting another blog in the near future!