CED535 Week 5

This week I'm most excited about my Google Site! I cant wait to share it with my class and parents. I think it is a great communication tool. My students are more likely to check my site, than read directions on a handout. They want to use technology and what are they doing at home......using technology. So, while their online at night, I think they will check my site if they have questions about about anything. I just think they are less likely to shuffle through their school bag, or get out their assignment notebook. Anything that has to do with the computer and being online will definitely win that battle!
I'm also excited for parents to be able to access it. I hope they find it useful. I included a calendar with all the important school dates on it. I also included a page with with school news and important information. Not all the things teachers send home actually make it home. Educators know this!!!!! If the information doesn't make it home how do the parents find out about it??
My site has all those important details on it. I also included an athletics page with all the directions to the schools we compete against. Parents like to stay informed and communication is the key to their childs success as well. Parents know that when you ask a child how their day was they get a short answer.
How was your day? Fine
What did you do? Stuff
Like what? I don't know
Now parents can see what their child is doing in my classes and when things are due!
I always thought these sites were cool, but I didn't know how to create one. I hope I can help other teachers at my school create one as well. I'm looking forward to using it.

CED535 Week 4

The one thing I'm most excited about this week is Podcasting. I think it would be really cool for my students to interview someone and share it. My first thought was a veteran. We need to start interviewing veterans, Holocaust survivors, stories from the Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam veterans, and other people who wont be around much longer. Those generations are quickly dying off and if we don't record these stories now, they will be lost forever. It breaks my heart to think of all the elderly men and women that never got to share their story. I think students who take part in an interview like this would feel moved. I don't think our children grasp how precious and priceless these stories are. I remember an elderly man from church while I was growing up. He had a number tattooed on his arm. I asked his one day why and he went on to tell me that he was a prisoner during WWII. His name was Rueben and he continued to tell those war stories whenever I saw him. I never forgot him, or the stories he shared. I just wish I could have utilized the technology we have today, because I could be sharing Rueben's stories with my children. Children today need to utilize that technology and I will definitely help my students realize how precious these people are.

CED535 Week 3

I don't want to go as far as to say that I liked the homework for this week, but I did. I really enjoyed the information and lessons that were assigned. Chapter 5 and the RSS feeds was great. I was excited to start using my own account on google reader. The book was correct because it is addicting. I find myself checking my RSS feeds often. I especially like using the reader on Fridays. What a great resource for my social studies classes today. We were doing current events and I would flip back and fourth from my reader, to CNN. I have CNN on my RSS, so we would read the latest news, then go to CNN and watch the video clips that went with the article. It worked perfect and saved me a great deal of time. I also set up some "personal" non educational feeds as well. I'm a huge advocate for rescuing animals and the humane treatment of animals in shelters. What can I say I love dogs! (no.... I'm not a PETA person....I don't want you guys to form any crazy theories of me...hahaha) Anyway, it was nice to see what was going on at some of the Pitbull shelters I like to follow. I didn't have to search, it came right to me.



I'm really excited about my flicker account as well. I think my mom is too! She has been waiting a long time to see the Hawaii pictures that I always seem to forget about. I think it's a great idea and I will definitely start posting all my pictures on there. I just need to get all my little discs out of my drawer and plug them into my computer!

CED535 Week 2

I really enjoyed Chapter 4 about Wikis. I feel like my whole view on them has changed. I thought it was cool that Harvard did a study and posted information that wasn't factual on different sites. It only took Wikipedia a couple hours to correct the errors. I was shocked and pleased to see that the site is credible. I would definitely use it and I didn't before. While reading the chapter some great ideas popped in head. I know how much parents love to know what their child did at school, but getting the day out of them is like pulling teeth. I know when I ask my stepson how his day was, he just says fine. If I say what did you do today at school, he will say I don't know.....stuff. UGH
I use my Flip to record some of our service projects and field trips. I thought it would be cool to have a class Wiki of things we do. It could be pictures and videos of our field trips, service projects, in school projects, or class parties. I know parents would enjoy watching those types of things. It makes them feel good to see their child having fun, learning, and contributing to the community. Setting up a class Wiki is definitely on my "to do" list!!

CED535 Week 1

This class should be interesting. I do not currently have a WIKI that my students look at, or a blog for them. I have concerns about these types of communication. I know that our administration does not want us encouraging our children to sign up for an email, or other kinds of Internet sites. I guess my boss is worried that if something happens the school would be responsible. While reading one of the assigned chapters for this week, I was happy to read that statistics are low for incidents with children. I guess I'm interested to learn how to use these sites for educational purposes, in a middle school setting. It's not that I don't think it can be done, or useful. These sites are new to me and I don't know how to use them yet.......but hey.........that is why I signed up for this program. I know my students would enjoy doing these types of activities, but I need to learn how to do it and make sure it's safe for them. My other concern is time. I feel like we are learning great things, but they seem to be time consuming. I guess it'll become easier with time, but right now I feel overwhelmed. Last........ I just worry about putting my students names, pictures, or videos on the Internet. I still don't feel like anything is "safe". I need some convincing! Hopefully these are all concerns that will no longer be on my mind when we finish.

CED530 Week 5

Well.........
Almost done with another class!! I'm going to be very--- happy when I get the Pecha Kucha out of the way. I just looked at the rubric and realized, I need to go back and re-work it a little. I'm sick of looking at it to be honest!! I have an issue with talking (I am a teacher haha) so this 20 seconds per slide is torture. I feel like I can't get my point across in that short of time. But........... I'm really excited to make a Christmas animoto! Unfortunately I STILL have not gotten confirmation on my account :( so the animoto will only be 30 seconds.

The rubric assignment peeked my attention the most this week. I just got home from a 2 day convention about differentiated assessment. Rick Wormeli was the presenter and he did a phenomenal job! We talked about rubrics for a little while, but he has a great deal of information in his books that I have. I'm going to take the information from his books, as well as our class and see what I come up with. I am familiar with rubrics, but I don't use them as much as I should.

CED530 Week 4

Last week, I really enjoyed doing the 30 second Animoto. (I'm waiting for my educator account still) Even though I only made a 30 second one, I thought it was really cool!!! Out of all the things we have done in this program so far, I loved this site. I had so many ideas going through my head. We have a science/social studies fair coming up in March, so I'm going to use the Animoto for the presentations. I'm also going to use it for my personal photos as well.
Thoughts for this week......
I think Prezi looks cool. I have an account I just haven't had time to explore yet. I'm just excited to get to the actual presentations. Sorry Louis, but I'm not a fan of papers and citing sources in APA. That's why I didn't want to be an English teacher. hahaha No offense if you read this
Overall, these past two weeks have gotten me excited about presentations. But......I'm still unsure how the Pecha Kucha is going to go. That should be interesting. I'm sure I can do it, but I really like to talk! My students wish I wouldn't talk as much as I do.
I really liked the book Presentaion Zen and I will definitely refer back to it in the future.