Monday, May 2, 2011

Scenario:

So as I understand it Superintendent "Will Wildcat" is looking to hire educators that are strong in the understanding and implementation of 21st Century Skills.

What are 21st Century Skills you may ask?
Here is a link that provides more information: http://p21.org/

To me, 21st Century Skills are basically informing and instructing the children we have in our classrooms about how to use technology in their daily lives. It involves "critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation". 


I understand that the teachers being interviewed will be asked to provide activities or projects that address ISTE NETS-T standards. These standards basically address the issue that 


-Societies are changing
-Expectations are changing
-Teaching is changing
-Educators must lead... 


WE are living in the society that's changing, expectations are changing around US, WE are the teachers that will be affected by the way teaching is changing, and WE are the Educators who must lead our students into the future! :) 


Here is an example of a project that is aligned with the NETS standards that I made for my Ed Tech Class,  you will find the lesson plan via the link to the google doc it's in. 


Teachers will also need to be capable of differentiating their instructional styles with an emphasis on the role of facilitator: I have learned a lot about this in my educational classes and will elaborate below. 


So, in response to Superintendent Will Wildcat, I write the following: 
I have many strong attributes as a future educator. I am communicative, interactive, positive, dedicated, love children, work well with children, and love technology! Challenges I have are time, I have a tendency to try to fit too much in in a day's worth of learning. However, I feel like this is manageable. As I am a new teacher, I am still learning and I think how much students can comprehend will depend on the various students in my classroom. I have learned in my various educational classes at Kansas State University that differentiated instruction is really important. According to Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, all students have preferred ways of learning that works best for them. This means, that no two students in your classroom will be exactly alike. To make up for this, the teacher needs to take this into account when teaching and planning lessons. Not all lessons should be in the format of direct instruction, but should involve various strategies that adhere to the different learning styles: Musical, Logical, Naturalist,Bodily- Kinesthetic, Visual-Spatial, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Verbal- Linguistic, etc. It's important that my lessons be clear, and have a variety of ways for the students to engage themselves. 
In 3-5 Years, I see myself in my future classroom, hopefully an ESL classroom, or a Reading Specialist classroom. I am getting my bachelors in English as a Second Language - Elementary Education currently at Kansas State University. Once I graduate with that degree, I plan to come back and take the required courses to get my Masters to become a Reading Specialist if possible. I plan to get there with a lot of hardwork, dedication and motivation. My motivation is mostly my future students, I want to be the best teacher I can be for them, so this is the urge behind wanting to do my best in every aspect of my teaching. 
As for strategies to learn a new software application, I love learning about new software. I, Myself, am more of a trial and error learner. I would rather play around with the software than actually watch the demonstration videos or read the instructions. However, if need be I would be willing to watch the demo videos and read the instructions if the software was too complicated to just play around with and figure it out that way. However, in my ed tech class this semester (Spring 2011) at KSU, I have had extreme success with trial and error when trying out new software, and if that fails youtube.com will usually have a demonstration of how to do it, and/or google.com will have directions. We are lucky to have these resources right at our fingertips, literally. 
In my opinion technology can impact student learning in a variety of ways. Learning styles, like I mentioned above with the reference to Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence is something we as teachers need to take into consideration. Those students who are visual-spatial, might really like some aspects of technology because to me, technology is very visual. However, students that are bodily-kinesthetic might not like technology as much because there isn't as much getting up and interacting. So, I can see the pros and cons of implementing technology in the classroom. However, I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons. The resources for Education  and Technology are practically endless. Technology has definitely had an impact on my own education as I mentioned in the beginning that I attended a school with a one-on-one laptop program from 6-12 grade. I think because I was introduced to a computer so young, that it automatically became a part of my life. Honestly, if my computer broke down, it is similar to not having enough air to breathe. I literally use my laptop all the time. I stay updated through email with my teachers and collaborators on group projects, my grades are online and I also use various forms of social media to stay connected to friends and family. And, my laptop did break down this semester of college and I had to have it fixed, honestly it really impacted the way I look at things. I am so dependent on technology which is good and bad when you look at through critical eyes. Technology is becoming a predominant part of our society - and I think I am part of the society that grew up with it's impact gradually influencing my life. The funny part is I look at my younger sisters who are 17 and 13 respectively, and see hos it's influenced them even more because technology is getting more advanced by the day. 
I would personally encourage my staff partners in a building, such as teachers I work with, and my administrators to use technology by first explaining it's impact on me, and then detailing how beneficial it can be to the classroom. While I don't agree with having cell-phones in the classroom in Kindergarten, I do think other things such as Ipads, and laptops are heavily beneficial. There are all sorts of Educational applications that can be utilized in the classroom. 
I am familiar with all sorts of activities on the computer and a ton of technological tools. Here is my website for proof http://www.wix.com/amzink11/everything-from-a-to-zink#! If you visit my website you will find the tab titled "DED 318 Projects" From this tab, you will be able to see a small variety of resources that I am familiar with from my Educational Technology Class. Other applications that I am familiar with include, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excell, Microsoft Powerpoint, Garage Band, Iphoto - all of which are basically apple/mac programs, but that is the main computer being used in classrooms these days, so I feel as if this is beneficial. The various types of educational resources found on my website such as Glogster, Google Maps, Wordle, VoiceThread, and Prezi, are only a glimpse of what I know how to use. If you visit my Delicious account, you will find a large variety of resources that I am remotely familiar with and would like to use in my future classroom. 
Overall, I have a lot of ideas for how to implement these resources and Google in general in my future classroom due to my book from this class "Retool your School" . And, I have learned tremendous amounts in this class, sometimes it was a bit overwhelming, but I feel like I have everything I need right at my fingertips. I have websites to go to for lesson plan ideas, resources that I can implement and incorporate in my lesson planning to relate to different learning styles, and overall a greater appreciation for technology and it's impact on the future of education. Because of this, I feel like I would be a great pick for your school. 









My Wow Moment:




What really surprised me this semester is the fact that technology can be incorporated in so many ways. I grew up in a middle school and high school that had a 6th-12 one on one laptop plan and we used our laptops a lot (we had macs!) however, I learned just how much more technology can be implemented.

Our book this semester was a great resource and I would recommend it to a future teacher or a current teacher looking for ways to incorporate technology. There are lesson plans in the back as well as ways throughout the book how to use different parts of technology and inspiring stories.
I bought my version of this book on Amazon, here is a link for it: 

Also, I was really surprised at how much a person can do with google docs and all the google programs frankly, and I want to give a shout out to how much I love them! 






From Google Docs, to Forms, Presentations, and even Maps, and Spreadsheets, google has it all! Our book has a pretty detailed description of how to use all these apps too! 


Overall, I learned so many things in this class it's hard to put them in so few words - so I will just say I was awed by how many ways there are to implement resources and how many free resources are out there for teachers! They rock! Also, I am wowed by Google. Simply put, Google Rocks! :) 

Hopefully you have as much fun learning about technology as I have if you get this book! :) 





Podcast Favorites:

My Favorite Podcast producers were Anna and Helen from "Tech Chick Tips" 

Here are some blog reflections I did about them:

http://everythingfromannatozink.blogspot.com/2011/01/podcast-reflection-3-tech-chick-tips.html
http://everythingfromannatozink.blogspot.com/2011/03/podcast-reflection-8-tech-chicks.html


What I said previously in the year really encompasses how I feel about their blog I feel like...

"Overall these "tech chicks" offered some great resources in a fun and spunky way. Though it's just a podcast, you definitely get vibes of their quirky personalities and tell that they love technology. Annnd they mentioned they especially like it when people like their facebook version of their site, if you have a facebook account just look up "Tech Chick Tips" and like them! :) I know I did!" 




Anna and Helen, are truly just two teachers who are really passionate about teacher and incorporating technology into their classrooms. I love how you can listen to a podcast and then go to their website and view a transcript of all the resources they mentioned. Also, their podcasts are often downright hilarious and you can tell these two definitely enjoy what they're doing. As a result, I will most likely continue listening to "Tech Chick Tips" and keep my subscription to them on itunes active! They are such a great resource! 

Semester Favorites...

Reflections: 

As we are coming to the end of Educational Technology here at K-State, we are in our final reflections. Here are some of my final reflections about this course:

I'll admit I came into this class thinking I knew a lot about technology and computers and general, but I was proven that I could learn even more! This class has really opened my eyes about the use of technology in the classroom and I've gained so many new resources, tools, ideas from this semester and as a result would like to share these with you.

One resource we used from the very get-go is www.delicious.com .


This was a way to save and access all of your bookmarks from any computer with internet access. Here is a link to my Delicious.   I really enjoyed bookmarking all the cool websites I used and found this semester here in my Ed Tech class, and now have them archived for future use in my own classroom. How great is that?!? :)

Another resource I really really like that I had heard about prior to this class, but never really checked into it is www.animoto.com .  This is basically a website in which you can make free 30 second videos using any picture and any music.  It is really simple to use and I've found myself using it to make videos in my content area and about myself, and one about culture for a future lesson plan. Here they are:

About Me:

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

My Content Area/ESL- English as a Second Language:

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Culture:

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.


Also, here are some other resources that I learned about this semester that I LOVE!!! :)

-Glogster -basically a site for making online interactive posters! So much fun!
 also, you can go to the right side of the page and then create an educational account...

Here is a Glogster I did:

-Wordle- A word cloud website, Here's a wordle I did about me:



-Tagxedo - Another word cloud website, Here is an example of a Tagxedo in the shape of a star about ESL:


-Prezi- the "new powerpoint", this website is pure genius! It's a new way of presenting in which you can collaborate with others, it's basically a large canvas and you can create a path for the presentation to follow.

Here is an example of a Prezi I made with my Ed Tech class about Hybrid Cars:


Overall, these are all great resources that I loved using, Enjoy! :)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Culture

Here is an animoto video I made about culture, enjoy :)


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.




Friday, April 22, 2011

Challenge Based Learning Reflection:







Overall, I think it was great we had the opportunity to learn about Challenge Based Learning in our Ed Tech Class. It was something I wasn't real familiar with and it was interesting to learn more about it. 


According to the apple website most of us in Ed Tech got our ideas for our own Prezi presentation off of, Challenge Based Learning is 
"Challenge Based Learning applies what is known about the emerging learning styles of high school students and leverages the powerful new technologies that provide new opportunities to learn to provide an authentic learning process that challenges students to make a difference."


It also states that this type of learning is 
"Challenge Based Learning is an engaging multidisciplinary approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to leverage the technology they use in their daily lives to solve real-world problems. Challenge Based Learning is collaborative and hands-on, asking students to work with other students, their teachers, and experts in their communities and around the world to develop deeper knowledge of the subjects students are studying, accept and solve challenges, take action, share their experience, and enter into a global discussion about important issues."


Both of these quotes put into words essentially what we learned about Challenged Based Learning. Essentially you assign a challenge to your students, ours for our Ed Tech Presentation was how you can help the environment. We titled it "Say Hello to Hybrid Cars". Overall, I think our group had a lot of fun with the project, and I've even discovered that I really like using www.prezi.com and have already decided to use it for a group project in another one of my classes! :) 






Here is another resource so that you can hopefully implement this in your own classroom! :) 
http://www.apple.com/education/challenge-based-learning/









Friday, April 8, 2011

Podcast Reflection #12: Geocaching in Education - Driving Questions...

Geocaching in Education... at Burton, KS




First off - you may ask - what is Geochaching?
It is.... "The recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website" or in this case, GPS locations set by the teachers for their students to find the clues. 


Here's a snippet about Geocaches from Wikipedia...
"Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (tupperware or similar) or ammo boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek," sharing many aspects withbenchmarkingtrigpointingorienteeringtreasure-huntingletterboxing, andwaymarking.
Geocaches are currently placed in over 100 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica.[1] After 10 years of activity there are almost 1.3 million active geocaches published on variouswebsites. There are over 5 million geocachers worldwide." 


These teachers mentioned that in the school they observed at Burton, KS, the 3rd grade teacher did an activity with Geocaching that involved science and the 5th grade class did an activity that invovled explorers. It was mentioned that the 5th grade activity was especially cool because the students felt like they were explorers :) 


The teachers planned everything and figured out where they were going to hide the clues and took the GPS out, and made different routes for the students - using "easy GPS.com" free software
- I checked out this website and it does offer free GPS software that seems easy to use.

There is also a link on this website about Geocaching with GeoBuddy which sounds like it could apply to students.. or be used in the classroom. However, it does cost, unlike the other aspect of the website.


The teachers being interviewed mention that it's important that people know what a wavepoint is - apparently it's the destination you're heading to, where the clues were hidden for the students.

Ideas at where to start:
google using "GPS in education"
I found some cool ideas such as .....
-this article about it http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6463503.html, which in itself contains several links about geocaching...
-this is the official Geocaching website http://www.geocaching.com/
Here are some other neat websites:
http://www.terracaching.com/
http://www.navicache.com/
http://www.terraclues.com/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
http://roxannnys.pbworks.com/w/page/6883465/Using-GPS's-and-Geocaching-in-the-Classroom


Recommend it? and Why? using GPS
-it helps the learner that is kinesthetic in their opinions
-Benefits
More Ideas on how to use it in the classroom
Awesome blog about geocaching
Geocaching for kids


Overall, I found this an interesting topic as I didn't know much about it. I have friends that have told me briefly about Geocaching before, but I never really understood all it entailed and the fact that it can be used to engage students in their learning is awesome!
Also, there are a ton of websites out there about this topic, so just start googling away and you'll find several!

This blog also has a great review of using it... http://delightfullearning.blogspot.com/2009/09/educaching-review.html
and a resource called Educaching