10/30/08 reflection

Today we used the book projector tool, which looks sort of like a flatboard overhead, but is actually a camera instead of a mirror, so it can project books, with great detail, making it large enough for everyone in the classroom to see as the teacher reads along. We also used the laptops today and the hanging projector to receive instructions. I'm using my blog now to post this reflection and we used moodle to get our instructions. There has been some enthusiasm about using this technology, especially the book projector (a.k.a. "ELMO"), and there were fewer complaints today than usual because the technology we used was all working well. The technology I was using all worked very well and I was grateful for that. My school has some iclicker things so that the students can each participate silently from their desks and get to use a toy in an educational setting. There is also a computer lab right next to my classroom that I plan to use and I have to video myself teaching a few times, so I will be using that technology as well to both record and to upload.

interactive writing

Some critical attributes of interactive writing are that it must involve either teacher/student interaction and/or student/student interaction, as it is interactive; this is often done by the teacher literally writing with the student, but not correcting a previous writing with the result of discouraging or disapproving of the child. The teacher and the student together write something and correct it together as they go.
Some technology that can be used for this is that they can use a smart board to do their writing together, as opposed to using paper or a chalkboard. Also, they could type up the writing and use the various features found in programs like Microsoft Word to highlight parts of the text for different reasons (like the really strong parts, or the spelling errors). You could use a projector and show a powerpoint to introduce interactive writing or to present a student's finished writing project, including the interactive writing step.

others' virtual tours

I haven't been able to watch anyone else's virtual tour because my computer won't download the file. However, I have been talking to other people about the assignment and looking at the names of others' projects and I'm surprised at how varied the topics of the tours are. My partner, Caitlin, and I looked at six of the most famous volcanoes in the world. Another group looked at the seven wonders of the world, which I think would be possibly the best way to really teach those so that the kids could see not only where they are but what they look like and then judge for themselves if it should be a wonder of the world. I believe other groups did naming the seven continents of the world, which is again a great way to make this lesson more interactive, engaging, and real since you can actually see the continent, learn quickly some information about it, and see where it is in relation to where you live. I have learned a still efficient, yet more engaging and possibly effective way to teach many things in many different subject areas to my students of all ages, and I look forward to using GoogleEarth in my classroom as I think it is (or at least can be) a truly educational tool.

virtual tour

Our virtual tour was about six of the most famous volcanoes in the world. We traveled from places in the United States, to the Polynesian islands, to Asia, to Europe, to South America, and we included the largest active volcano, which is in Hawaii. Each spot gives you a picture of the volcano and information that my partner and I put in, as well as information that was already there as a part of GoogleEarth. I would use this in my classroom when talking about volcanoes (more generally how land is formed or the different physical features of the world) and I think it would be really helpful and interesting for my students to see different parts of the world and to really understand the difference between the different kinds of volcanoes.

Google Earth

I have learned how to mark things on google earth with the push pin thing. I've also learned about the layers (like 3-d) and how you can use different options to view locations in different ways. I've learned that you can make a personal tour as you look up locations and then click on them and hit "play" to see your tour played for you. There are also ways you can look down a road and all around an area, using "street view." I have learned a lot about how to use google earth. I might use this program in my classroom by encouraging my students to be more familiar with the physical world all around them by actually seeing what different things look like. I can use it to show my students things that they don't get to see in their community (if they're in a desert, I could show them an iceberg for example).

Google Earth

re-try kmz link

Oceans and river virtual tour.

kmz website

bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/783427/Main/761241
This is my website for a kmz activity that's about rivers and oceans and how they effect the environment, which is part of the first grade Utah state core.

digital storytelling reflections

After looking at a few other groups' digital storytelling project, I can better see how this tool can be used to convey more emotion and that it allows the students to tell a story, rather than the teacher all the time. Also, this is using technology, which is good, and it helps those more shy students to be able to present without having to physically speak in front of the whole classroom. Just as books teach you about all of the different subjects, this assignment has no limit as to what content area it can be about, although the teacher does have the ability to specify what the students' should be presenting on. I think this is very helpful for the classroom, so long as the computers and internet are available for the students to use.

adapting storytelling

I would adapt this digital storytelling assignment to a fourth grade social studies lesson by having the students (in groups or individually) write a fictional story about life on the Oregon Trail and then make a movie of it to present to the class. This will not only incorporate technology into this assignment, but also the students will hopefully have more fun and better remember what they learned in this unit.

Photostory: Catcher's Mitt

digital storytelling project two

lousy catchers mitt

http://www.teachertube.com/skin-p/mediaplayer.swf

digital storytelling project

lousy catcher's mitt
http://www.teachertube.com/skin-p/mediaplayer.swf

digital storybook

I think that the digital storybook is a great way to get kids more interested in not only reading, but also in writing and in writing and sharing their own stories. By making a bigger production of their stories, as opposed to just handing them in or reading straight from their paper to the whole class, this is a more fun and educational way to integrate technology and language arts.