Final Exam Video

How-to Guide for Veteran Teachers

If I were instructing a veteran teacher on how-to integrate technology into the classroom, I would begin by letting him or her know that technology is forever changing and there is no way to keep up. The only option for dealing with this is to know that it is also forever changing for the students so he or she must be able to efficiently guide and enhance the learning experience of the students via technology. It integrate the new technologies of today, a veteran teacher may choose to enhance instructional time by including a Poll Everywhere Survey as a Summarizing Strategy within a lesson. By doing this, the teacher will simply sign up on the website www.polleverywhere.com and follow the guidelines to create a survey. This is a simple interactive way to include the students in the lesson while allowing them to use their cell phones as a way to text answers within the class. As a current student, a cell phone is a part of my life and they are here to stay; I do not leave home without it, ever! With this being understood, allowing the students the opportunity to text answers during class will also help eliminate the need to fulfill a “tech-itch”; hence, allowing the students to focus on the lesson at hand. Also, as with most things in life, those that are “forbidden” seem to be the most enticing. Therefore, incorporating technology in the everyday classroom makes things like cell phone cameras and test messages seem less enticing because they are not “forbidden”. Also, I would suggest that the teacher integrate non-linear Power Point presentations. I have sat through many Power Points, and they can be 100 times worse than any lecture from a book or other types of notes. By involving the students in hyperlinked questions and answers, or allowing a slide to have a choice by which the lecture can change paths based on discussions with the students or by options the students are given allows the lecture to have an additive for the students to follow. This is a thing for the teacher to add into his or her notes. He or she would just have to right-click hyperlink this slide on the slide he or she wants to embed. I would conclude by saying that if a veteran teacher wanted to include additional ways to include technology, I would instruct him or her to allow the students time to work on assignments that include the computer and the internet. These are two things that go hand-in-hand and most all students have a working knowledge of. It is important to remember that “research” is not the only activity that can be educational via the internet. For example, NASA is working vigorously to engage students in science. In doing so, they have several activities that can be found on the internet and are highly functional with classroom lessons. Why would any teacher not want to actively engage his or her students with activities that are free and available to the students in ways that spark their interest? It is important to remember as a veteran teacher (as even as I eventually work toward that point) that technology is not something that anyone can keep up with, but we must be willing to constantly “learn”. This is what is always instilled in our students so if this is the way by which they want to learn, we must conform to the ways that best interest our students. Engaging the students to learn independently is key, and technology is the one thing that most students have in common in some way or another. This can be used to unify the classroom and invoke students in many ways and will ultimately be the way of the future which will be here sooner rather than later. (Ironically, I read the article at hand on my smart phone because I was away from a computer, but had extra time at that moment...is this another way to conform to student convenience for their learning benefit? Just an additional after thought...)

Quia Classroom Web Page

Click on the link below to view my classroom web site:
http://www.quia.com/profiles/abennett351

Article Video

WebQuest

http://questgarden.com/79/07/8/090326152554/

WebQuest

Web Quest 101

View more presentations from ABennett143.

Gabcast

Here my "on the scene" Gabcast Post. I am sorry that it is not to terribly exciting, but it is what it is. Enjoy!

Gabcast! Educational Technology #0

Wikihow Article II

Here is the link to my Wikihow Article. The pictures did not show up on my blog when I embedded the link, so you may follow this one to see the attached pictures.


http://www.wikihow.com/Tie-a-Knot-for-Fishing%2C-Known-As-the-Palmer%27s-Knot

Wikihow Article

How to Tie a Knot for Fishing, Known As the Palmer's Knot

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

I learned how to tie what is known as the Palmer's Knot from my fiancé. He uses several knots that his father taught him to tie, but this one was a good one for me to learn. It comes in handy when attaching a fishing lure to the fishing line.

Steps

1. Begin with sliding the end of the line through the metal hook.
   
2. Follow this step by feeding the line back through the metal hook, creating a loop of line on one side and two pieces of line on the other side.
   
3. Tie the two ends together, like you would begin tying your shoes.
   
4. Do not pull the tie completely tight. Allow your finger to be caught in the tie from the previous step.
   
5. Put the loop that remains around the lure.
   
6. Place the loop around your thumb so that it looks like hammer of a gun.
   
7. Remove your finger from the first loop that was formed, and begin to pull the end with the two loose strings.
   
8. Once the loop has been pulled tight, the Palmer's Knot has been formed.
   

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Tie a Knot for Fishing, Known As the Palmer's Knot. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Chronicle of Wikipedia Article Change

On Friday, March the 6th, I added the term "Paper Punches" to the heading labeled "Common Terms" under "Scrapbooking" on the Wikipedia site. I wrote a short definition to provide an explanation for what paper punches are used for in the scrapbooking world. However, I did not know how to format the section in the same way in which they already had the previous terms formatted. As I checked on Saturday the 7th to see if the article change had stuck, it had been formatted to match the terms that were already present. The words were the same, and because it had been formatted to match the other terms, I would say yes the article change has stuck. It is still present in this same manner today, Wednesday the 11th.

Pros and Cons of Blogging in Education

There are several pros and cons of blogging in education. Some of the pros include: posting homework assignments, creating links, pose questions, and generate discussions, create a portfolio, archive feedback, and collaboration. These are things that can be done between students, principals, parents, teachers, and other staff members. The pros can go on and on because we live in a technology based world where everything runs through the internet in one way or another. Blogs allow for communication within the educational world. On the other hand, there are the cons: understanding, safety, and control to name a few. There is always the fact that when something is typed it can be taken in a very different context than something that has been said outloud. As always with the internet, there is a possibility of viruses and safety of the students, but these issues are becoming less and less of a threat daily. There is also the issue that teachers do not have complete control of what the students say and do via blogging, especially if it is done using a home computer. There are a variety of tools available through blog software to help with this new type of classroom management though. Overall, I would say that the positives outweigh the negatives, but it takes a teacher who has complete control over her classroom to handle such issues and assignments accordingly.


Harper, Vernon B., Jr. "The new student-teacher channel: if self-disclosure between teacher and student can boost learning outcomes, blogging may be its most effective mode." T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) 33.3 (Oct 2005): 30(3). Computer Database. Gale. East Tennessee State Univ Library. 4 Mar. 2009
.


Richardson, Will. "New Jersey High School learns the ABCs of blogging: Weblogs can create online forums for classroom discussion, and build student skills." T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) 32.11 (June 2005): 40(1). Computer Database. Gale. East Tennessee State Univ Library. 4 Mar. 2009
.

Recommended Educational Blogs

http://technosavvy.org/
http://teachersteachingteachers.org/
http://www.techsavvyed.net/
http://weblogg-ed.com/
http://www.tommarch.com/ozblog/
http://www.speedofcreativity.org/
http://kathyschrock.net/blog/
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/
http://www.infinitethinking.org/
http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/blogboard/
http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is something that can be used in all aspects of education. It can be used for all teachers to have easier access to educational resources. As a future teacher (and a current student), it is easy to get bogged down in looking for information on the internet. By using social bookmarking sites, it makes site more organized and easy to find, and by joining a network, you then have access to other teachers' sites and information from the internet. This is useful within the classroom because teacher can integrate technology, activities, and information from the internet into instructional time for the benefit of the students. Overall, social bookmarking is something that makes life easier and more organized, and as future teachers, will make life easier at times.

Podcasting

I found the following podcasts on iTunes:

1) Aesop's Fables Podcast by LearnOutLoud.com (elementary school)
2) Why? The Science Show For Kids by Dr. Dave Brodbeck (middle school)
3) Chemistry - meaghersclasses by Richard Meagher (high school)

I listened to some of Dr. Brodbeck's Why? The Science Show For Kids and found that he explains things that are somewhat complex in a more simple way. This is good for middle school students because it introduces them to new and complex terms and ideas that they will continue to study, but it keeps them on a level that they can understatnd. I found that the podcasts offered ranged widely and would be good additions to any classroom. They would add a different perspective to the instructional time.

Poll Everywhere

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Google Docs Survey

Here I am posting the link to my Google Docs Survey. Please feel free to check it out or even fill it out if you would like. -Ashley


http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cEtEVnVEN3VheHNyRHlzRFRKUUlQWlE6MA

Gabcast

Gabcast! Educational Technology #0

Why I chose to become a teacher.

I found that although I spent two years in college without a major, I frequently found myself in the education field. This was working with a middle school softball team, volunteering at the Boys an Girls Club, and several other experiences that lead me here. I was once told that you don't choose education, education chooses you, and through my experiences, I found this to be true.