Voicethread

"Interview" videocasts

Teach Someone Using Technology: Skype

Teach Someone Using Technology..Continued

I also wanted to include, I have been teaching my Grandmother who is eighty-four, how to Skype. She worries about some of her children because they are constantly traveling outside the United States. This includes my dad, who loves being able to Skype with her while he is away on business meetings or trips. I thought this would be a hard task because she has never used a computer, however, she has learned very well!! I have learned many things from her while teaching her to Skype. The entire experience has been very rewarding and it is good to see her smile!!

Google Earth Tour

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

Very enlightening!! :) I believe it is always good to think about your future. Look at yourself from the outside looking in. What do people think of you? and what is your purpose? If your future is unclear this can actually become frustrating. Knowing that I am influencing someone is someway is a good thing. So, What is my sentence? and, Was I better today than yesterday? I really do not know. I find myself brainstorming about the future daily. Sometimes I wonder what my future holds and if I am going in the right direction. But, I do know this. Life is built up of chapters. I am determined to finish this chapter in my life before moving on to the next and yes, I do believe I am better today than yesterday. There are friends, instructors, boyfriends, girlfriends, parents and many others who are in your life for some reason. Each of these people play a role and it's up to you to change and be better with each day that comes.

PLE/PLN

WOW!! This young lady is in the seventh grade!! She is amazing! Her PLE is so great and I was able to learn a lot from her!! I agree, that this type of classroom gives you freedom to do what you need to do. This will help you realize what is most important and how you need to organize your time and assignments that are posted on your class blog. I agree that all assignments should be taken care of asap. If not, there is a big chance of falling behind or becoming unorganized. I am thankful for students like this who share their learning experiences with the public. It is very helpful!!

Substative Presentation: Why Blogging in Elementary School is Useful

FYI :)

Just wanted to share a few photos with everyone...My dad is currently in Haiti lending a helping hand...so keep him in your thoughts... :)

My Blog: Future Teachers/Technologically Literate

In my blog post for this week, I will tell you my thoughts and feelings on becoming a future teacher who is technologically literate and what I have learned from comments for kids. My thoughts and expectations of this course have changed drastically from the first night of class. When the semester first started, I knew I was familiar with technology, but that I wasn't a computer "wiz", however, I had no idea I was this far behind. After the first several assignments, I knew I would enjoy the class, but that it would be a challenge. I have been in complete "awh" of the technology teachers are using and how fast and young students are learning. I have mentioned in many of my blog post and comments that teachers must be open to learning from fellow teachers and their own students. This has been constant in my work because this is me!! Although I am learning technology in my EDM 310 class, I am sure that most of my learning will be from experience and when I am teaching in the class room. I am sure that some of the technology I have learned this semester will be used in my class room and I plan on taking advantage of that and helping my students become organized by blogging about class assignments and experiences. I am hoping that this semester is a staring point to my technological journey and that it will only grow and excel from now.

TimeToast Timeline

April 11: Three examples why it is important for students to post their work to blogs..

My first example is the PS22 chorus which consists of about fifty fifth-graders and is directed by Gregg Breinberg. PS22 is the largest elementary school in Staten Island and has students from all ethnic groups, social and economical backgrounds. The students are assigned to the chorus by auditions. The chorus meets twice a week during school hours to practice. They perform throughout the year at school functions, local events, and on special requests. We were assigned to watch a video of the PS22 chorus for an assignment this week. These kids are so full of talent and energy!!! I watched several of their videos on YouTube and they are truly amazing kids!! The students are so heartfelt with every song they sing. It was a great idea to put their videos on YouTube! It has earned them national attention on news and radio programs. They are such an inspiration to many young students. This is a perfect example of why it is important to teach our students to blog!!


Another example that would help students learn and become more interested in blogging is http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dragonflytv-podcast-pbs-kids/id111037941. This is a program that is ran through iTunes. It shows a variety of lessons that the students have learned. The video that I watched was about Natural Science. The students explored the environment, performed many experiments, and asked their audience to join in with their class projects. These students were very smart and excited about learning and blogging about their lessons and projects.


The last example I found came from a different assignment and I love it. It is called "Teaching Kids to Manage their Digital Footprint - 140 Character Conference Panel Discussion" which is from the The Innovative Educator.The Innovative Teacher. I actually came across this website before noticing it is in one of our upcoming assignments. This website focuses on teaching kids how to manage their Digital Footprint, teaching us why social media curriculum is critical in schools, and why it is important that technology is being used and is going to be used more and more to enhance group discussions and projects through blogging. I am so surprised to see what so many teachers and schools around the world are doing with their classrooms and technology. Their are so many ways to involve your students in technology and I feel that blogging is one of the important, if not the most important, types of technology I have learned since starting this class.

April 11: Dr. Seuss - The Zax

Dr. Suess is the bomb!! This video is a great way to teach us a lesson with something as simple as a cartoon. This is exactly how people act when asks to change "their ways". Change is very difficult and I believe this Dr. Suess video is one of many different approaches we can use to help people see that change is necessary. As teachers we need to learn to stop being stubborn and to open our minds to new ideas. The education world is changing day by day and if we do not start exploring and learning new ways to teach our children we are going to fall behind.

Skype!!

I started "skyping" about six years ago when I moved away to college my first year!! I skyped my mom and dad almost every night before we went to bed. It was so much fun. haha!! Over the years, I continued using skype with friends who had also moved away and with new friends who I had met on vacations and trips. My skype name is samantha8285 and I currently have about eight friends that I keep in contact with on skype. We try to call each other several times a month to share stories and new information about our life. Whenever I was away at school, my favorite person to skype with was my next door neighbor Leann!! She is about ten years younger than I, but we are like sisters, have a lot in common and love to chat. Some examples of other friends on skype are: Juan, who lives in Puerto Rico and Margaret and Julie, who live in Florida. Here are a few crazy pictures of Leann. I caught her making faces on skype and took some pictures.


GOTCHYA!!

Comments4Kids Week 13

I watched Tui's video about her summer camp experience. Tui mentioned that she loves swimming, bringing her teachers coffee, washing dishes, and helping her partner in camp activities. I told Tui to keep up the good work while at camp and that I'm sure she is an amazing student and a great helper. Summer camps are usually a great opportunity for students to get away from home and experience a new environment. This will help the student learn to work with their peers and manage their time at camp.

My Survery: What's Your Fitness?

My survey is focused on an individuals fitness or how much exercise he/she gets each day. In the last year I have become very interested in exercising and fitness. I started working out everyday for my new years resolution :) Exercising definitely keeps me energized, motivated, and in better moods. I hope this encouraged you to get fit if you haven't started already:)!!

Fellow Classmate Survey Answers:
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Comments4Kids Week 12

I watched Zane's first video explaining his experience at the Ambury Farm. In his video he talked about feeding the animals and how he would love to go again!! I commented on Zane's video and informed him that I also love animals and would love to go to the zoo or local animal farm again one day soon.

Comments4Kids Week 10

I commented on Sahil's blog on Percy Jackson and The Olympians! Sahil talked about the five book series: The Lightning Thief,The Sea of Monsters, The Titans Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. These books will make up movies that are in the works. I informed Sahil that I was very interested in watching the movie and I could hopefully read some of the books before I watch the movie:).

Comments4Kids Week 9

I commented on Mr. McClung's class blog about his students mapping out earthquakes. I informed Mr. McClung that this was very interesting and an awesome project for the students. This is a great experiment for the students to work together, learn more about our planet, and where earthquakes occur.

Comment4Kids Week 8

I commented on Kindergarten Days day 112. I informed the class that I felt taking the tornado drills seriously was very important because they can be useful one day. I thought some of the kids were humorous. Some of the words or phase they used reminded me of myself growing up. They are very smart and witty. I am convinced that this is a fun and exciting class to teach.

KAIA!!

I love Kaia's photo essay! It is so great to look for the little things in life like the sunset. I adored all the pictures and think it is awesome that she is learning all the little things in life, like the sunset. It is so great that her father is helping her explore the outdoors. I think it is great how close Kaia and her parents are in learning new technology. It is also so great that they are teaching her about photography and the outdoors. Each parent and educator should learn from parents like Kaia's in that they are encouraging and teaching their children or students how to use technology at an early age. I know it has taught me and I plan on using these techniques with my children and students in the future. I believe that Kaia and her parents will be a great team and that Kaia is going to keep learning and excelling in all she does.

Comment4Kids Week 7

I commented on Caitlin's essay. She gave her reasons on why she prefers dogs over cats. I stated that I enjoyed her essay and also why I preferred dogs over cats.

Mr. Chamberlain on his blog titled Dear Kaia: Voicethread and Video

I loved the voice threads! This is a great idea for kids who can not spell or read. I thought it was an amazing job of using technology in new and creative ways. I find that this type of blog/voice thread are very motivating and I am encouraged to use them in my own class in the future. These are great ideas and I enjoyed watching all the voice thread comments.

Comment4Kids Week 6

I commented on Afio Mai and welcome to Room 9 which consisted of a well known welcome song called, Nau mai, piki mai. The song was accompanied by a folk dance performed by the third grade class. I loved the video. The kids were excellent.

The Future of Education: Morgan Bayda and Dan Brown

I personally enjoyed Morgan Bayda’s post, An Open Letter to Educators. I agree with Morgan Bayda and Dan Brown about their thoughts on today's education and where it is going. I have had many classes like Dan Brown explained. Sitting in a large classroom going over facts that I did not remember after the semester. However, I believe it is better for our students to experience a classroom setting if it offers hands on activities or if the teacher is more involved with his/her students. From my experience, I find that when teachers and students interact together it is easier to remember the given facts. If the classroom is similar to that of Dan Brown then we need to encourage these teachers to learn and use more technology. It is our job as future teachers to know and learn new technology(even if we are learning from our students). With our wisdom we can teach our students and others teachers that are unaware.

Although I feel that is wasn't smart for Dan Brown to quit school, I really enjoyed his blog and felt he was very convincing as well as a good speaker. If Dan enjoys classes that involve technology and other computer software programs, he should investigate other schools or classes that offer these programs. I agree with Dan Brown about expensive textbooks. I have purchased textbooks in the past and did not use them. This class has made me realize that when I become a teacher, my students are going to be extremely advanced in technology. Although I have learned some different types of technology this semester, like Twitter and blogging, I know that my future students might be more technologically inclined than I and I need to open and willing to learn from them. :)

Comment4Kids Week 5

I commented on Iona's article "2012. What people believe" Her article was about the theories of the events that are expected in the year 2012. I informed her that I liked her article and not to worry for they are only theories.

Comment