EDU Post #11

The past two weeks have been pretty busy getting the students ready for TCAP.  I haven't had much to do tech-wise, but I have worked with my student teacher on proper internet use for researching projects, etc.  I spoke with her about Dropbox and highlighted the necessity of always having a backup for your computer.  Dropbox is an excellent tool for this and I downloaded it on all of my computers.  Last week I primarily worked with my team website.  Our administrators requested that anyone with a website post information about TCAP proctors and volunteers for end of the year activities.  I worked with the various teachers around the building to help them set this up. 

Article Review: Pinterest

http://web.appstorm.net/reviews/social-networking/pinterest-the-social-network-you-didnt-know-you-needed/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+webappstorm+%28Web+AppStorm%29

I have heard a lot about this social app, but I have never attempted to use it myself.  Pinterest is another social app that allows users to post visual images about various topics.  It allows users to sign up using their Facebook or Twitter accounts.  Users who sync accounts can share their images between all three networks.  The biggest draw is that it allows users to share images and links in an easier format than Facebook and Twitter.  I see a use for education, but like Facebook and Twitter a big drawback is the danger in adding students to a friend's list on these social media applications.  If a similar social app is designed for educators than I would definitely find a use for it.  Images play a large role in my curriculum (social studies) and it would be great to share these with students outside of the classroom.

Article Review: ClassConnect

http://web.appstorm.net/reviews/social-networking/classconnect-find-build-and-share-lessons/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+webappstorm+%28Web+AppStorm%29

Appstorm's review over ClassConnect describes it as an online sharing site for teachers.  It provides a method of saving and sharing various resources with other teachers.  Links, documents, lessons, videos, and other files can all be saved on the application.  Appstorm describes it as more than a normal cloud server since it allows URLs to also be saved.  ClassConnect also contains a teacher section in which educators can create classes in an attempt to make organization easier.  The app also allows users to refer colleagues in return for 500 MB of free storage.

My Thoughts:  I may very well try out this app after reading this article.  Access to free storage, easy organization, and the ability to connect with colleagues around the globe make this app a must have.

Article Review: Stratocam

Stratocam is a website that randomly selects images from Google Earth and shows them in a slideshow.  At first glance it would seem that this website is too simple for use in the classroom, but it might have its uses.  Geography and social studies teachers are required to teach about land forms and bodies of water in several grade levels and this website would help teachers show real world images.  Users are able to zoom in and out and viewers are able to make their own snapshots.  This would make for a great "bell-ringer" type activity.  Students may also create their own images and post them on the website.  This is something that I will definitely be using in the future.

http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/2012/04/stratocam-the-best-pictures-from-google-earth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheWhiteboardBlog+%28The+Whiteboard+Blog%29

Article Review: Socrative

The Whiteboard Blog posted an article about www.socrative.com.  This website allows teachers and students to create a poll for many uses.  Apps are available for various Apple products (iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc) and one for Android as well.  Socrative can be opened up with a web browser and students are able to answer short questions or complete entire tests.  This website sounds very similar to Google docs and their form option. I like the idea behind the apps.  This would be a wonderful tool for school systems that have purchased iPads or similar devices for their students.  Teachers who are brave and willing to allow students to use their cellphones may also find a use for this tool.

http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/2012/04/socrative-class-quizzes-and-polling-via-any-device/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheWhiteboardBlog+%28The+Whiteboard+Blog%29

EDU 6000 Post #10

I honestly did not have much to do this week.  No one has needed help with their Shutterfly website and the only real technology issues I had was with my student teacher.  We discussed various ways for students to conduct research online and I requested that she search for appropriate websites that the students could use.  I also plan on downloading the Dropbox webapp for my personal and professional use.  I will also discuss this with my student teacher and encourage her to use something similar.

Article Review: TeamGantt: Stunning Project Management with Gantt Charts

App Storm: TeamGantt: Stunning Project Management with Gantt Charts
http://web.appstorm.net/reviews/project-management/teamgantt-stunning-project-management/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+webappstorm+%28Web+AppStorm%29

I chose this article for review because I am always struggling with time management.  App Storm acknowledges that there is a plethora of management apps available.  Gantt charts allow users to drag and drop projects onto a calendar and share them with other people.  They also provide a short tutorial about using the chart.  I didn't see much that was innovative with Gantt charts, especially for the $10 monthly fee for the starter version.  I honestly believe that there are better and cheaper apps out there.

Article Review: Jolicloud Me: Making Your Own Personal Cloud From All the Other Clouds

http://web.appstorm.net/reviews/media-reviews/jolicloud-me-making-your-own-personal-cloud-from-all-the-other-clouds/

I was inspired from another class to work on my organizational skills.  I found this article about something called Jolicloud that allows a user to create their own personal cloud.  I have been intrigued about the idea behind a cloud and I am happy to find this app.  Jolicloud is currently in beta according to Web.appstorm, but it allows a user to collect links to information that they have shared on social networks.  Twitter, Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, and Instagram are all supported.  The idea behind a personal cloud is a good one, but I am more interested in a cloud designed primarily for educators.  I plan on looking for information about such a cloud.  Has anyone come across one?

EDU 6000 Post #9

This week I started to set up a TCAP prep section on my 6th grade team's website.  I plan for this section to include the different content areas and information that parents can use to help their students prepare for the TCAP assessment.  I discussed this with my team and we had a few ideas, mainly links to websites and wikispaces that parents and students can access at home.  I will continue to work on this portion of the website over Spring Break.

Tech Review: Student Centered Collaboration

http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/9-pbl-on-line-resources-that-put-students-at-the-center-voice-input-contribution/

This article identifies several different web applications that allow students to collaborate.  I chose this primarily because I have planned on using a few of the apps in my classroom.  Surveymonkey, Google Forms, and Kidblog are all resources that I have heard and thought of using.  The only one that I have had any real experience with is Google Forms.  The blog post goes into little detail on their use in the classroom and mainly just identifies the resource.  I would have liked to see a more in depth study on how they could be used (i.e. examples, lesson plans, etc).

Edu 6000 Post #8

In-service!  I was finally able to teach my in-service about creating a website.  It turned out very well and everyone enjoyed the class.  I went over the basics of creating a website through shutterfly and showed how to edit, add, and remove various pages.  The class took about one hour and I will be working with several people throughout the semester on their websites.

EDU 6000 post 7

Google docs...this is an app that I have only really begun using in the past few years. I spoke with Mrs Taylor about using Google docs to allow teachers to make substitute teacher assignments available to other teachers. I have had several days when I was sick and unable to make it to the school. I had to call one of my co-workers and beg them to print copies of an assignment that I sent in an email. Google docs would allow moe and others to store and use assignments easily. The next week I will be working with my fellow six grade teachers in using Google docs to this end. I will also be receiving a student teacher within the next few weeks. I can also work with her and teach her many of the Web tools that I have used!

EDU 6000 Blog Post #6

Not much done this week.  I received an email from central office stating that I didn't have a good enough description for my in-service class.  I had to go back and look over the information for my class and be more specific in the goals and tasks of the in-service.  Hopefully the coming week will be a little more exciting.

Review: Using BrainPop with Promethean ActivExpression Quizzes

This was a very interesting article.  I enjoy using BrainPop in my classroom.  For those of you who do not know, BrainPop is a website that offers cartoon videos over a variety of educational topics.  Students love watching the videos and they fit many state and national standards.  The only problem I have had is the quiz function.  The website's quiz function allows students to email results that can then be graded.  This is an excellent way to save paper, but bad for clogged inboxes.  Apparently BrainPop allows functionality with Promethean ActivExpression.  This a student response system that allows students to electronically respond to questions with a handheld device.  I had no idea that BrainPop offered this!  The only drawback is that my school uses CPS a different student response system and I have no idea if BrainPop supports this.  I am definitely going to research if BrainPop has functionality with other systems.  If so than I have found yet another tool to teach my students.

EDU 6000 Blog Post #5

I haven't had a huge load of work this week.  I am waiting on approval from Central Office on my inservice class.  My building administrator approved the class so I only have to wait!  I spoke with my building's academic coach about working on the Parking Lot.  This is a school level website created thru Shutterfly.  It is designed to allow collaboration and I made a post about different Web 2.0 tools that are useful in the classroom.  I think that my next task (until the inservice) is to lend my help to developing this website.  It seems pretty bare at the moment, but I think that I can change that!

EDU 6000 Post #4

I submitted my survey to the faculty and received a pretty good turnout.  I had a total of 22 people take the survey (not all of the teaching faculty but most) and 15 stated that they would like to learn about creating a website.  I spent some time with our Academic Coach in filling out the paperwork (is it really paperwork when it is all electronic?) and submitted my request for an inservice on February 28th. 

My survey can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDg5b1RYUGp0d3JRekZtY0JId1BHS2c6MQ#gid=0

I am also intrigued on how I could use a survey in the classroom.  I can create tests, quizzes, and other types of assessments.  While I wait to for the inservice, I may look into showing others on my hallway the various uses of Google Docs!

EDU 6000 Blog Entry #3

I spoke with Mrs. Taylor about creating a survey for the teachers in my classroom this past week.  We took some time to look over a few possible websites for creating a survey.  We spoke about www.surveymonkey.com, but I feel that Google docs provided the best (and easiest) way to create a survey.  My survey will consist of 5 questions in regards to website creation (i.e. have you created a classroom website, familiar with Shutterfly, etc) and I will send this out to the faculty this week.  This past week was pretty light in regards to a work load, but once I compile my results and begin teaching others about creating a website I expect I will be yearning for the easier days :)

Review: Safter Internet Usage

Whiteboard Blog: Safer Internet Day

I thought that this might be appropriate for my first review.  Children need to be taught about proper internet safety before they log onto a computer.  Children are taught at an early age not to speak with strangers, look both ways before crossing a street, etc and internet safety should also be included.  This blog entry includes different resources for teachers as they teach this important concept.  I really appreciate that resources for older students are also included.  High school students who begin to make purchases online also need to be aware of phishing sites that could steal their identity.  There is also a link to posters that teachers an print and post in the classroom with different tips and helpful advice.  I may very well do this myself!

EDU 5625: Educational Technology in Indiana: Is it Worth the Investment?

http://ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/PB_V4N4_Spring_2006_Education_Technology.pdf

Review/Summary:  This article is written by Vincent J.Palozzi and Terry E. Spradlin for the state of Indiana.  It provides information in a brief to the state government in the hopes of creating a state-wide policy towards educational technology.  The article provides information comparing various Midwest states (Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, etc) and information from states such as Maine and Georgia.  At the end of the article, the authors list their recommendations.  These include following the state of Maine in providing wireless networks and laptop computers to students who do not have any.  The authors state that Maine witnessed a rise in student performance.  They also included a recommendation for finding a way to assess a teachers ability to use educational technology.

My thoughts:  I enjoyed reading this article and wished that I could have found a similar document for the state of Tennessee.  I am originally from Iowa and I was interested in seeing another Midwestern state's policy towards educational technology.  The idea of providing wireless networks and computers to students seems to be a good one, but there are too many pitfalls in my opinion.  School districts would have to deal with insurance issues and theft, as well as, finding a way to monitor the students and their use of the equipment at home.  Students or others at the household may use the technology to search for pornography or other unsavory things.  I applaud the idea of assessing teachers and their use in educational technology.  The state of Tennessee also requires that teachers complete a training program over a time period of a few years.  Overall I thought this article was illuminating and I hope to find a similar one for Tennessee.

EDU 6000 Blog Entry #2

EDU 6000 Blog Entry #2

I worked with my grade level teachers on creating groups this week, but to be honest they were able to do so quite easily.  Much to my chagrin I realize that my first project was a bit too easy.  I spoke with some other teachers about technology needs and ideas and I have a few more ideas.  I will speak with Mrs. Taylor this coming week about creating a class website.  This is a personal project that I have done in the past two years and I would like to share it with other teachers on other grade levels.  I also spoke with our academic coach about teaching an in-service on how to create a Shutterfly website.  If I do teach an in-service it will be in about two weeks due to time constraints on making it available to the faculty.  I feel that my current goal with Mrs. Taylor is to get a poll together on technology needs from the faculty in an attempt to see what they would like to learn.

On a side note, I assisted one of my co-workers in reconnecting her computer to the wireless network.  This is something that I was not able to do as recently as a year ago and I felt quite proud of my accomplishment!

EDU 6000 Blog Entry #1

I started off my first week speaking with Mrs. Gina Taylor at Montgomery Central Middle School.  We discussed various activities that we could work on throughout the semester.  She decided that my first task would be to work as the Powerschool coordinator for the 6th grade hallway.  Powerschool is an online grade book application used by the Clarksville-Montgomery County school system.  Mrs. Taylor told me about a problem that was discussed in recent SIPs (school improvement plan) meeting.  The school has had difficulty reaching the desired achievement for students of low sociology-economical and racial backgrounds.  She informed me that Powerschool can be used to help keep track of these students, however, few teachers in the building understand how to do this.  My assignment is to work with my grade level teachers and show them how to create groups in Powerschool.  Groups are exactly what it says; teachers can select students to track, print progress reports, etc and place them in a specific group.  I plan on starting this task next Monday (January 23rd) and I will update my blog by the end of the week.