Frustration With Communication

In the past couple of weeks I have been experiencing a lack of communication with teachers. There was a complication with one of my lesson plans and I tried contacting one of the teachers through email. After no response over the next couple of days, I started realizing that maybe she did not check her email daily. So I decided to call and leave her a voicemail, but again did not receive anything back for days. Finally when it was too late she responded back to me a week later.

I got to thinking that we have the ability to communicate so quickly and there are still people who do not take advantage of this. With busy schedules and hectic work lives these days you would think that this is a way to make things easier.

Does anyone else experience these complications or find it frustrating? When do you think this will change and people will realize that quick responses and fast technology makes it easier to communicate and organize, especially with teaching where you are in constant collaboration with others.

Integrating Google Docs in the Classroom

Working with Google Docs was a new experience for me. I found it interesting that you can do this and have it be so accessible from anywhere using the internet. This is very useful for future knowledge inside the classroom because students are able to share their work easily. This could be very helpful when doing peer edits. Peer editing is a great way for students to look at their other classmates work and give them helpful feedback. Using Google Docs makes it easy to do this on their own time. They can take this home as an assignment and spend time really thinking about how to help their peers improve their work. 

Developing my PLN

My Personal Learning Network has been quit an experience for me. I have felt very overwhelmed this semester and I have had a hard time finding time to keep up with the reading of others blogs and my bookmarking websites. I think that it would be a great tool when I am actually in the classroom and am looking for that extra advice and others ideas or experiences, but for now I have a lot to focus on in each of my classes to just get through each week. I am still learning a lot of new material in prepping for my internship year next year and it is hard to read outside material and focus on that as well right now.

I do however, love the blogging assignments. I think blogging is a great tool for teachers and am learning the benefits for students and parents as well. I really enjoy writing in my blog each week and find it very helpful to keep everything in one area. I think my problem with the other areas such as bookmarking and Twitter is that I am too busy to put them to use right now. I am very glad that I am learning how to use them though, because I know I will find it beneficial in the future.

I also would like more feedback on my PLN. I say this because whether it be good or bad, I am not sure what I need to improve on, what I am doing right, or what direction I am headed in at all. If I had some guidance through these new learning experiences I think I would find it easier to maintain and develop a broader PLN.

Lights, Camera, Action!

 CC-NC-SA photo by dettbarn

During my science classroom observations this week, the students were assigned either the sun, the moon, or the Earth. Their task was to create a presentation with their group and share facts, size, shape, and more about each object. They did their research through books and other paper articles that their teacher gave them, but they were also given the option to use the internet at home if need be.

Once they gathered all of their information they were able to record their presentations using the Flip camera and download their projects onto a mini laptop. The students were all very excited about this opportunity and almost all of the groups wanted to be able to record their projects. Their teacher gave them a short lesson on what would happen to them if they messed around or inappropraitely handled the equipment and the kids paid very close attention. Once they gathered their facts from the book resources, I took them into the hallway where we recorded their projects.

I was unfamiliar with how to specifically use the Flip camera, but it was pretty easy to figure out. The disadvantage to not knowing much about the equipment was that I was unaware if they were able to piece together certain takes on the computer after they were finished. It took each group a while after each mess up, where we started to record all over again. They did not quit grasp the idea that they needed to speak loudly in order to hear themselves, but they were pleased with their outcomes.

I found this way of presenting their projects very interesting and although I was unable to see each of the presentations, I think they turned out very well. I would have enjoyed editing each video for the groups if there was time, but the teacher did not present that option. I would like to try this out in my future classrooms and hope my school district is able to provide me with equipment like this.

Ring Ring! Using Cell phones In Our Classrooms

 

Screen Shot of Geograffiti

Using cell phones for educational purposes is becoming increasingly popular in K-8 classrooms. Students are able to use cell phones for many different purposes and there are many websites that allows them to call or text in and leave audio recordings. Some of these websites include; Google Voice, iPadio, Yodi, Tumblr, Geograffiti, UhaveAudio, and Phonecasting.

            One specific website that I took a closer look at was Geograffiti. They recently lowered their age limit from 13 years old to K-12 classrooms. It is a tool for students to call in and record their voice to appear on a map, pin pointing their location. According to a blog post by Liz Kolb, there are many different ways to use Geograffiti in a K-12 classroom:

1)    Center Time (K-3)
Students can work on fluency, oral presentation skills, reading, creating an argument, reasoning, inquiry, questioning, by calling in to Geograffiti.
2) Homework, Field Trips, Spring Break
Students can work with their parents over spring break or summer break and leave voicemarks about their experiences, vacations, and what they learned over the break. Students on a field trip could record their observations (such as a trip to the zoo or a science museum).
3) Language Study
Students learning a new language can call in voicemarks and practice their new language skills
4) Social Studies
Students can ask others (friends and family) to call in from different parts of the country to give their perspective on local, national, and international social and cultural issues.
5) Oral Histories
Students could document oral or local histories by conducting interviews that would be placed on the map.
6) Real time Math
Students could call in to Geograffiti when they recognize that they are doing algebra, geometry or physics in their real life, they could describe the situation and put it into mathematical terms.

Some of the advantages to using cell phones in education is that it is something kids can take ownership in and have very quick responses or collection of data appear right in front of them through the use of technology. A major disadvantage teachers think about is that students will use their cell phones for personal use in the classroom or perhaps cheat on tests or assignment.

 

Moon Phase Presentation With Audio!

Here is my first audio recording for a fourth grade science lesson on Moon Phases!

Moon Phase Presentation

Here is my presentation on Moon Phases using PowerPoint on my MAC and uploading it to ZohoShow.