Making sure I have it right...

The presentation that I gave, Using Jing and Screencast-omatic to enhance Literacy was difficult because it is not something that everyone uses on a daily basis. I think that I did a pretty good job nonetheless. Here is my self-reflection:

1. Organization of the presentation (flow, length, practiced). Presentation parts: Intro, Body, and Conclusion + References and Appendices.
-I made sure to begin with general information and then began giving information about Jing.com and Screencast-omatic.com and finalized with reflections to summarize.
2. Topic stimulation (active engagement).
-I was fully engaged and continued to ask questions to make sure classmates were involved.
3. Usefulness of materials (clear, practical, handy, relevant, informative, handout(s), resources provided).
-Examples were given of ways these programs can be used in and out of the classroom.
4. Knowledge of the topic (expertise, good ideas, insights).
-I researched both jing and screencast-omatic as well as other screen cast programs to get the full affect of these types of programs. I believe I became an expert at this type of program.
5. Scope of teaching ideas and curriculum impact (goals clear, important, appropriate, significant, doable).
-I gave examples of ways teachers can implements lesson plans with these programs and or simply teach with these programs.
6. Effort (digging deep, extensive depth displayed in the research and provided presentation, work-work-work-work, persistence).
-I researched all different types of programs like Jing so that I can fully understand the different types of programs and so I can also get a comparison.
7. Audience involvement (Grabbers, Check for Understanding stops, activities, Summative assessment tools, etc.).
-I asked questions to get my classmates involved and active.
8. References (APA style is followed).
- I followed APA format and sited all of my websites that I utilized in my presentation.

There would be a few things that I would change about my presentation but I think for the most part it went well. I thank everyone for their support, especially my group!

Now its time to say goodbye...

I always loved that Mickey Mouse Club Song :)

Coming into this class, I believed that SmartBoards and WebQuests were the extent of technology used in the classroom. From time to time, internet searches were used here and there but mainly lecture and things of the sort invaded most of the class experience. After this class now, I feel that type of thinking was quite minimal. There's an array of different programs and tools that could be utilized that I've never known about. It is disappointing to know that all of these tools were out there and I am just learning about many of them now.

The tools that I will definitely use in my own classroom would be Glogster, Jing, Googledocs, Wiki, and Google Earth. These were my favorite because I could see myself usng them in various different ways for an array of different types of lessons. I can use Google Earth to show exactly where Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is and where "Romeo and Juliet" took place and I can use Jing to teach the students how to revise their own work. These programs would be a large part of shaping my curriculum to fit the new style of thinking that is the 21st century learner.

On another note, I thought the class presentation were great. My only problem was the whole process. I felt it took too long to get everything together and I wish everyone could have been a little bit more prepared since Dr. S sent out a message saying to be ready. It turned out well though. I think everyone did a great job and I received so much information that I know I could use for my future. So thank you everyone for sharing their project with me.

On to the blogs. I was never a fan of blogging. I understand and embrace the purpose of blogging but I do not like to blog. I have commented on various different peoples blogs. I have recently commented on Joanne Kuri's blog Extra Extra Read All About It!, Pamela's "Final Reflection", and Tara's "colorful Uniqueness of Everyone's Blogs".
I have found everyone else's blog interesting yet the action of blogging still has not caught my interest.

Dr. Smirnova, I appreciate everything you have taught us and I look forward to wworking with you again!

Good Luck everyone!!

Engrade

Engrade is a great site. I have used two different grading websites in the past that I loved. One was Powerschool.com and the other was Snapgrades.com. neither was free.

I loved that this site had most of the qualities of these sites yet it was still free.
I was worried that the students would not be given access to their grades online but I noticed that as long as they have their access number, they are able to view their grades online.

Everything I would need is right on this website. On Powerschool, they have a seating chart but it is not completely necessary in a high school setting(in most cases at least ;) ) Therefore I don't think there is anything I would add onto this website.

I think this is a great website for faculty members because they would be able to easily keep track of grades and it would be less work to calculate grades and percentages. This also keep the students and parents more informed of their grades. When grades are available to parents and students, they are able to improve their declined grades and parents are able to be on top of their child.

The websites I have used in the past were used by all members of the faculty and was required by the school but if I come across a school that does not have this available, I will definitely sign up my class for engrade.com. :)

NET-S

The standards listed above are necessary for students to fully engage in their education.

Each standard is extremely important but the two that I feel will help the students most are Technology operations and concepts and Critical thinking, problem solving and decision making.

Critical thinking and problem solving are part of high order thinking that we hold so high. Students need to learn how to process information and delve into the critical information of the topic. With the ability to do so, students would be independent and high achievers.

If the students have the ability to complete technology operations and concepts, they would be able to complete other standards that are on the list such as research and information fluency.

Teachers have the ability to implement these standards in the classroom because all it takes is to learn the new Web 2.0 tools and to take time out and think about what would help the students.

The only problem I see infringing these standards would be support from principals and districts. Because of budgets and cutbacks, students are not given the ability to express their selves in other ways other then their notebooks. Hopefully soon enough, the state will give more back to the schools.

21st Century Literacy

Being in this class, I have realized that technology is not only for social-networking and finding symptoms for sicknesses on WebMD.com. Technology is a whole other resource for learning.

Does anyone remember what Literacy meant when we were younger?

The 3 "R"s

Reading

Writing

Arithmatic

Now in the 21st Century, literacy is not only the ability to read texts, it is about finding information online, critically analyze the information you found to make sure that it is relevant and useful, and organize it. Also, students and teachers alike must find ways to express themselves using various different technology tools such as Blogs and Mini-blogs (Twitter).

With these technologies, teachers will be able to engage the students as the video, Digital Natives that Dr. Smirnova made available to view, illustrated to us. Integrating technology into the classroom may be foreign to some teachers but it would help the students since concrete books are becoming antiques and computer screens are becoming the norm.

My Picasion :)

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Google Tools

Wow, did I learn a lot! I just checked out the tutorial on Google Tools and there was so many things that I just DID NOT know. I'll be completely honest and say that going into the link, I thought I wasn't going to learn anything knew from this tutorial but instead, I learned so much.

My favorite of the Google tools has to be Google Reader. First, I didn't even know it existed. :-/

Secondly, this has to be one of the best tools because every site that you frequently visit is implanted onto this one site. You don't have to go further than the one page.

The best tool for the classroom, I think, would be Google Docs. I think the students would think they are completely involved in the implementation of texts or documents in the classroom. It's also great because, as the Education 2.0 video showed us, Students of the 21st century want to be engaged and they are itching for technology as a way of engaging them. This would be a great tool because they are on the computer completing the tasks they need. Also, they do not have to worry about Flash drives and disks; they can simply upload presentations, documents, and papers onto Google Docs and they can edit it at home, school or at a friends house. This app is also great for teacher to teacher networking. Lesson plans can be shared and various documets or resources cna be shared via Google Docs.

The Best part is these apps are FREE. How much better can it get?

My proposal to a principal would be:

Mr./Ms. [Insert Name Here],

Google Tools has many different apps that every teacher can utilize in their classroom. Google Earth could be used by History teachers to view the different geographic locations of certain events while English Teachers can use it to show the various different places Shakespeare's settings took place. Google Docs can be used by teachers and students alike, demolishing the need for Flash drives and disks. Students wouldn't have many excuses for not handing in a paper or project since they would have to type it on the computer anyway. They would also be learning the effective art of editing :). Teachers can use this app for networking and sharing resources and lesson plans that work. Blogger can be used for reflections while Google Talk can keep everyone communicating. The best part is that all of these applications are absolutely FREE. It would be great to implement into the classroom and I hope you consider allowing the teachers and students to collaborate using these tools.

Thank you Google for making every one's life that much easier!