Thing #11.5 Evaluation

I really enjoyed myself, once again, doing this research. I have learned more tools that I can utilize in my classroom.

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I would have to say that I really enjoyed and learned the most by researching image generators, screencast, and digital citizenship. The only reason I did not choose microblogging and video hosting is because I use those two on a daily basis.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

This has really assisted me with my lifelong learning goals. I feel that it is always a great asset for me whenever I get a chance to learn new things to use in my classroom or to enhance my knowledge on topics I already know.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I think I will take something away from each lesson, although more from some than others. The only unexpected surprise I had was how little interest I had in the virtual world. With all the work that we have to fit into a school year I really do not see when I will have time to use this program. Maybe I could use it in an after school program.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

Once again I cannot think of anything that could be done differently. I really enjoyed these lessons. I am leaving 11.5 things with the same feeling I had when I completed the 23 things, VERY FULL OF NEW KNOWLEDGE!!!!

Thing #11 Digital Citizenship

Here are the 5 topics I would convey to my students:

1. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. Plagiarism is a big issue with students today. They must learn how to use information correctly and cite information that is not their own.

2. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. Students need to learn to use various useful sources in order to gain the best knowledge on a particular topic.

3. Use digital etiquette and responsible social interactions. Students should use the internet with the same etiquette they use in the classroom/library.

4. Use of valid resources. Students must learn how to filter through resources and determine which resources are useful/valid resources and which are not. For example, peer reviewed articles.

5. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. Students should learn that sharing their ideas/thoughts with others can be a powerful tool to have. But in doing that, they must understand that they will incur praise as well as criticism for their ideas.

Thing #10 Virtual Worlds

Up to this point, I would have to say that virtual worlds is my least favorite. Honestly, for me, it was almost a waste of time, but for a kids this might be interesting. I work in a low-income area, so something like this might be a way that one of my students could enjoy another life, their dream life/world, and take them away from their reality for just a moment. Second Life wasn't the easiest to use. I learned how to use most of the features of my avatar by talking with other avatars in the virtual world. For me, I would rather interact with others and learn from others in the real world/actual world around me. I am a big video gamer but I just could not see myself spending much time on this type technology.

Thing #9 Slideshare

Slideshare is another great program for sharing information. Although this is a great program, I feel that it is better suited for high school or even higher education levels. Slideshare is a great way for teachers to relay notes to students that may have been absent or a great way to present information, that was learned at a educational conference, to a faculty. Also these slideshares could be uploaded to a classroom website for student access. Although there are several positives that go along with using slideshare, I just really don't feel I will use this program that much in my classroom.

Thing #8 Screencast

All of these programs were fun to play around with. In the end, I would have to say that the Screencast-O-Matic program was the most user friendly and easy to use. I did not have a microphone and the quality of the voice recording was great. I also liked how the program highlights the cursor as it moves and as you click the mouse. I am definitely going to use this in my classroom, next year. For one, I can use it as a visual/hands on teaching tool for my students before going into the computer lab. Or, I can use it on my classroom website to show my students how to work problems or how to access certain websites for projects, from their home.

Thing #7 Video Resources

I chose 2 videos that I could use in my Science class. I also chose these videos because they were not too long and could keep the student's attention. I can use this 1st video when my class gets to the lessons on the periodic table. This is a short video that gives a brief overview about the different parts that make up the periodic table.

I can use the second video when my class starts learning about plate tectonics. This is a quick clip that discusses how volcanoes are created.

Thing #6 iTouch Apps

Now that I have played around with the iTouch I have fallen in love. The various apps that can be uploaded is amazing. What really amazed me was the vast number of educational apps that could be uploaded. I figured the pickings would be slim but I was wrong. Instead of giving every student an iTouch, the teacher could upload apps they want the students to use beforehand and have the students work in groups. With the iTouch, the students have access to the internet, enabling them to surf the web to gather information in theirsmall groups.

Thing #5 Microblogging

I would consider myself a Microblogging veteran. I have been using Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc for several years now. I know several teachers on my campus who use Facebook in their classroom and love it. For those kids that always lose their notebook and can't remember what their homework assignment was for the day, well Facebook/Twitter solve that problem. Teachers can post their assignments on a classroom page or the students can chat amongst themselves through the chat feature. Teachers can also TWEET assignments for the students to follow. Students can also upload or post assignments for completion. Back-channeling in the form of wikipedia can be used by students while brainstorming a topic for a research paper or with gathering and organizing information for a paper/project. By utilizing types of microblogging like wikipedia, students can work together at school and at home.

Thing #4 Video Hosting (YouTube)

As a teacher, I love to watch how others teach. I do this because I am always looking to improve what I do for a living. By using You Tube and TeacherTube a teacher can have access to various relevant videos pertaining to a topic they are teaching or wanting to gain knowledge from. Or it can provide another teaching tool for the students to learn from. For example, if there was a topic a teacher felt they were a little less knowledgeable in explaining, they could play the video for the students and have someone more knowledgeable explain the topic. Or a teacher could simply use it to change up the atmosphere in their classroom for a moment. I know I personally use it for coaching purposes all the time.

Being able to upload videos for assignments would give students and teachers 24/7 access to turning an assignment in. For instance, a teacher could have a classroom page setup on Facebook and could have an assignment where students have the option of uploading their presentation through youtube and posting it on the Facebook page.

Thing #3 Like Skype

I was already very familiar with Skype. I currently use it to communicate with family and friends from around the country. Skype could be used in several ways. Students can now be able to work on projects or assignments with students in their classroom as well as another classroom in the building or out of the building. Teachers could be able to conference with other teachers from remote sights. And its FREE.

Thing #2 Image Generators 2

Wordle-I really liked this application. It can help a student figure out what parts of a certain topic they need to focus in on while reading a certain article. When the student sees the larger words in the word cloud they will know those areas are key to focus in on. For instance, if a student had an article on the topic: cells. The word cloud would show them that they need to pay attention to key words like dna, molecules, nucleus, organisms, etc.

Glogster-Very innovative and I believe it gives students another option to be creative. I feel that Glogster would give those students that don't have confidence in their drawings skills a way to use technology to express themselves. Glogster also offers students ideas, through the use of art, that can help the student get their creative wheels turning. I wouldn't say using Glogster would make students think any better or worse, more or less. But, it does give them different avenues to express themselves without using pencil, colors, and scissors.

Voki-Very fun to play with. I agree that this method would keep a persons attention more than plain text. I definitely would love to incorporate this into a lesson and have the avatar explain a topic/introduce a topic, instead of just writing it on the board. Students would really enjoy this in a lesson.

Bookr-This also was very fun to play with and also something I plan on using in my classroom. Between the two, I believe the students would enjoy using Bookr instead of traditional pen, paper, and/or cutouts. This could be used by a student to tell a story or for a presentation. The "caption" cursor is also a very useful feature.

Thing #1 Registration

The Student-Understands how to use USEFUL forms of technology and search tools, in order to build knowledge on a topic. Also uses various platforms to discuss/share their ideas with others.

The Video-Very simple but very useful and informative. Great way to get a topic across in a very informal way. Easy to watch.

The Teacher-There for guidance and organization. Lets the student own the assignment but is there to help guide the student in the right direction.