Screencasting is the method of using tools such as podcasts or videos to present information. I read the thread titled, "Teacher's Use of Podcasts as a Teaching Tool!" This teacher had created "masterycasts" to help her students learn material. She recommended using Camtasia Studio to create podcasts, and said that thought it is not free, it is worth the money to get it. I was interested in one teacher's use of podcasting to study the Titanic, because I want to be a history teacher. She had her students pretend to be passengers and crew members and podcast about it. This uses technology in a fun and interesting way, and which engages students with a unique assignment.
The second thread I followed was titled, "Free Editing Tools That Work Well with Screencasting Captures?" I am not familiar at all with creating videos so I was interested to see what's available. This teacher was loking for help in finding tools that can create videos with multiple features and that has better quality than Windows Movie Maker. Some recomendations were Jing and Screentoaster, but the teacher who started the thread said that both of these did not have the editing capabilities he desired. Someone recomended Microsoft Producer which works with Microsoft PowerPoint, and the teacher was going to try it, but he never wrote back to say if it worked well or not. I think making movies for students is a great idea and I would definitely look into this Producer because it is free. I wouldn't be as worried about how many features it has because I would jut want to create basic videos to present information in a visual way for my students to make learning more fun.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
NETS Powerpoint, NETS-T #III
NETS Presentation
This is a Powerpoint Presentation teaching about the NET-Student standards and different assignments that could be used to meet those standards. There were graphics for each slide, and one assignment for each standard.
This is a Powerpoint Presentation teaching about the NET-Student standards and different assignments that could be used to meet those standards. There were graphics for each slide, and one assignment for each standard.
NETS Collaborative Rubric, NETS-T #II
This rubric was created to grade our class peers's NETS-S Powerpoints. It has categories from full credit to minimal credit, and each category has specific requirements that must be met to receive the points for that category.
This rubric was created to grade our class peers's NETS-S Powerpoints. It has categories from full credit to minimal credit, and each category has specific requirements that must be met to receive the points for that category.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Journal #4: Finding Students who Learn with Media, NETS-T # I, V
Bull, G. (2010). Finding students who learn with media. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(5),
Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?
Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25255&DirectListCom
boInd=D
Again, this article was interesting because it dealt with a project applicable for a social studies classroom, which is where I want to be a teacher. What I particularly found interesting was that the writers point out how different students respond to technology, and how some are more interested in the technology than the content, and others are more interested in the content than using the technology. I think that sometimes new technology can seem great, but actually not reach every student. Sometimes these technological assignments turn out to not teach as much as they seem like they would. The writers point out though, that "an application such as PrimaryAccess can automatically collect information about a child's performance...This, in turn, can provide the teacher with information that may allow her or him to differentiate instruction earlier."This would be helpful when using a web based program or other more detailed electronic project, to see if the students are really understanding the material.
How can I use a program that doesn't measure student progress?
I think that taking a survey before using the program about what the students already know about technology and the program we are going to use can show me how to help them or put them in groups so that each student's abilities can help the group. I would also explain about the material so that students do not have to research it all on their own, and even give a test before so that I know if they are understanding the basics of the content. Through these tests, I will be able to evaluate if a student will focus too much on either content or technology, and help to mold the project structure so they get a balance of both.
How can I monitor that my class is completing the work and not wasting time just playing with the online tools?
I would organize the project so that I could follow students' progress online and make sure they are not getting stuck or not working on the assignment. I would have them finish parts of the project spread out through a certain amount of time, so that they can work on it in stages. Then they will not be overwhelmed or having to do sloppy work because they waited until the last minute.
Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?
Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25255&DirectListCom
boInd=D
Again, this article was interesting because it dealt with a project applicable for a social studies classroom, which is where I want to be a teacher. What I particularly found interesting was that the writers point out how different students respond to technology, and how some are more interested in the technology than the content, and others are more interested in the content than using the technology. I think that sometimes new technology can seem great, but actually not reach every student. Sometimes these technological assignments turn out to not teach as much as they seem like they would. The writers point out though, that "an application such as PrimaryAccess can automatically collect information about a child's performance...This, in turn, can provide the teacher with information that may allow her or him to differentiate instruction earlier."This would be helpful when using a web based program or other more detailed electronic project, to see if the students are really understanding the material.
How can I use a program that doesn't measure student progress?
I think that taking a survey before using the program about what the students already know about technology and the program we are going to use can show me how to help them or put them in groups so that each student's abilities can help the group. I would also explain about the material so that students do not have to research it all on their own, and even give a test before so that I know if they are understanding the basics of the content. Through these tests, I will be able to evaluate if a student will focus too much on either content or technology, and help to mold the project structure so they get a balance of both.
How can I monitor that my class is completing the work and not wasting time just playing with the online tools?
I would organize the project so that I could follow students' progress online and make sure they are not getting stuck or not working on the assignment. I would have them finish parts of the project spread out through a certain amount of time, so that they can work on it in stages. Then they will not be overwhelmed or having to do sloppy work because they waited until the last minute.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Journal #3: Keeping the Peace, NETS-T # IV, V
Levinson, M. (2010). Keeping the peace. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(5), Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?
Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25237&DirectListCom
boInd=D
This article describes a school where the use of technology created a war of opposing views about the use of this new technology. The culprit was instant messaging on school-issued laptops. It was interesting to read that some parents saw the situation as "the school had made a decision for the home, and they were given no choice in the matter." This was a tricky situation as the laptops could be taken home, which brought school policy into the home. I have known about problems with technology and different views of parents. However, I think that these parents have a point: technology is something where people have very different views, and educators need to approach this as they would other controversial topics. However, parents need to know that just like other controversial topics, sometimes they come up in school, and technology is becoming the way of the future. I think the school did the right thing in blocking the iChat, but also creating an IM to use at school, and creating a "boot camp" for kids to learn about the proper ways of having a laptop.
http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?
Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25237&DirectListCom
boInd=D
This article describes a school where the use of technology created a war of opposing views about the use of this new technology. The culprit was instant messaging on school-issued laptops. It was interesting to read that some parents saw the situation as "the school had made a decision for the home, and they were given no choice in the matter." This was a tricky situation as the laptops could be taken home, which brought school policy into the home. I have known about problems with technology and different views of parents. However, I think that these parents have a point: technology is something where people have very different views, and educators need to approach this as they would other controversial topics. However, parents need to know that just like other controversial topics, sometimes they come up in school, and technology is becoming the way of the future. I think the school did the right thing in blocking the iChat, but also creating an IM to use at school, and creating a "boot camp" for kids to learn about the proper ways of having a laptop.
How would I deal with parents who disagree with my use of technology in my classroom?
I know that this may happen, along with parents having issues with other aspects of my classes. However, I think that I will have to take into consideration their views, as they are the parents and need to have a say in their kids’ education. Thus, I will inform parents of projects that involve technology, and give information that parents may want to know. If I want to use a website where kids have to register, I will get parental permission first. I think that if my school did what the Nueva School featured in the article did with having a laptop program, I would want clear regulations about what kids can use on the laptops at school, as it is easy for students to use social networking programs instead of focusing on work. However, I think that there should be a place for the social networking, and that this should be monitored, and left mainly up to the parent to decide.
Is it possible to use social networking for school purposes?
I think that a way to incorporate social networking into school would be through using things like iChat, Facebook, and Twitter for students to do work through. They may have to ask a question of their classmate and then show me that they did this. Thus, they can get the desire to be on these sites out of their system during class, but use them in positive, educational ways. Maybe using Twitter for discussions as a part of homework would be good, and it would be something that I could monitor as well. However, I would need to make sure this was alright with parents, and that the students were allowed to get a Twitter account. If some were not allowed, I would not do this assignment.
Journal #2: Using Podcasts to Develop a Global Perspective, NETS-T # II, V
Maguth, B.M, & Elliott, J. (2010). Using Podcasts to develop a global perspective. Learning and Leading with
Technology, 37(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?
Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25244&DirectListCom
boInd=D
This article was very interesting as I want to be a history/social studies teacher, and it was under this subject category. I liked the assignment that this school gave to their students about researching a current problem, as through this students can practice researching and lean about a contemporary issue while also looking at its place in history. This keeps the learning material relevant and practical. The students in the article had the opportunity to work with software that is technologically advanced and can give them skills that they can take into the job force and for themselves personally (such as editing and adding music to their podcasts). The end of the project was rewarding as well, because the students had their works put online. This gave them more motivation to work hard (which is always a good thing for teachers). The article sums it up great when the author writes, "The assignment was an authentic learning experience in that it allowed students to showcase a degree of depth on an important global issue, led them to be well informed on multiple perspectives, and gave them a chance to discuss current global issues." This is something to strive for as a teacher, and it is great to have good examples of projects that I could incorporate into my lessons.
How can I incorporate technology into my teaching if I am not that technologically savvy?
I think that there are seminars for teachers to instruct them in new technological equipment and programs. I am not personally familiar with podcasting, and I would definitely need assistance and a tutorial in order to understand this program. I would hope that maybe there would be sort of an IT guy at the school who could help me out and maybe do a lecture for my class on using the software. If there was no one to do this, I would just have to become very familiar with the program to be able to teach it, and this would take some time on my part, as well as me actually making one of my own as an example.
Besides researching current issues, what other type of assignment would be creative and useful for a social studies class?
I think a good project besides current issues would be to have each student take a subject that they are interested in, based on a group of broad categories such as art/music, sports, history, a country, etc and research their specific subject and create a podcast. This would be a project to fit their interests, but show them that social studies can cover broad subjects within it which are relevant to their lives. There would be more specifics for the project, so that they can get a multicultural experience and go deep into a subject. This would hopefully be fun and engaging for them, and be a unique project that is different from just writing a paper or creating a poster board.
Technology, 37(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?
Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25244&DirectListCom
boInd=D
This article was very interesting as I want to be a history/social studies teacher, and it was under this subject category. I liked the assignment that this school gave to their students about researching a current problem, as through this students can practice researching and lean about a contemporary issue while also looking at its place in history. This keeps the learning material relevant and practical. The students in the article had the opportunity to work with software that is technologically advanced and can give them skills that they can take into the job force and for themselves personally (such as editing and adding music to their podcasts). The end of the project was rewarding as well, because the students had their works put online. This gave them more motivation to work hard (which is always a good thing for teachers). The article sums it up great when the author writes, "The assignment was an authentic learning experience in that it allowed students to showcase a degree of depth on an important global issue, led them to be well informed on multiple perspectives, and gave them a chance to discuss current global issues." This is something to strive for as a teacher, and it is great to have good examples of projects that I could incorporate into my lessons.
How can I incorporate technology into my teaching if I am not that technologically savvy?
I think that there are seminars for teachers to instruct them in new technological equipment and programs. I am not personally familiar with podcasting, and I would definitely need assistance and a tutorial in order to understand this program. I would hope that maybe there would be sort of an IT guy at the school who could help me out and maybe do a lecture for my class on using the software. If there was no one to do this, I would just have to become very familiar with the program to be able to teach it, and this would take some time on my part, as well as me actually making one of my own as an example.
Besides researching current issues, what other type of assignment would be creative and useful for a social studies class?
I think a good project besides current issues would be to have each student take a subject that they are interested in, based on a group of broad categories such as art/music, sports, history, a country, etc and research their specific subject and create a podcast. This would be a project to fit their interests, but show them that social studies can cover broad subjects within it which are relevant to their lives. There would be more specifics for the project, so that they can get a multicultural experience and go deep into a subject. This would hopefully be fun and engaging for them, and be a unique project that is different from just writing a paper or creating a poster board.
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