Tana PSA - NETS I, II, III, V

The public service announcement,(PSA),assignment was a direct response to the recent crimes of hate committed on the campus. iMovie was used to create this PSA.

My Crossword Puzzle - NETS II, III

My Crossword

This crossword puzzle was a lot of fun! I used to Microsoft Excel to create a spreadsheet where I designed a crossword puzzle about me. The crossword puzzle is interactive and shows students if the first letter in the word is correct by turning green and red if the answer is incorrect.

Journal 9: Playing with Skype, NETS V

Weller, T.J. (2009). Playing with skype. L&L, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25508&DirectListComboInd=

Playing with Skype, by Travis Weller is about the ease of use of Skype. Mr. Weller is the director of bands at Mercer Area Middle-Senior High School in Pennsylvania. The technology, Skype was used to connect the expert, whose music is being performed, with the students performing it. The media also connected the composers with the audience and the ensemble where the composers could explain their piece in order for the audience and ensemble to better identify with them. The technology requirements were manageable through grant funding. The Skype connection itself was free. The tools necessary were a computer with a broadband Internet connection, a data projector, a couple microphones, a webcam, some adapters to pump the audio feed through the sound system, and a projector screen. The author’s opinion is that the education “paradigm” is shifting; now, education is not solely run by a single teacher but through a network of teachers made possible by “playing with Skype.” Bringing in local and non-local experts from colleges and universities also campaigns for higher learning. I appreciate the way the author makes a note to inform his students of digital citizenry by spending 45 minutes discussing copyright laws, the music business, and censorship. Tapping into resources such as feedback and instruction from other experts puts learning content into perspective and adds dimension to material being learned.
1. Do I see myself using this technology in the classroom? Yes, definitely. In a lower elementary school class we could use Skype to connect children with their email pen pals via a live communication.
2. What about schools on a budget? Like the school in Pennsylvania, a grant can be discussed and a grass roots campaign harnessing parents’ potential in the community.

Journal 8: Navigate the Digital Rapids, NETS V

Davis, V., & Lindsay, J. (2009). Navigate the digital rapids. L&L, 37. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/MarchAprilNo6/Navigate_the_Digital_Rapids.htm#flat

This is a great article! I read Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat a couple years ago for a history class. The book was filled with possible statistics of the future of education and the United States’ role in the global economy. The outlook was grim. I am happy to see that someone is taking these predictions seriously. Navigate the Digital Rapids, by Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis discuss solutions to possible obstacles about educating a new generation of students and teachers. The article promotes the idea of digital citizenry where a transformation of “stagnant” curricula can easily be “navigated” once fear is overcome. The author’s offer tips to consider and what to avoid while making you a digital teacher. The tips are how to customize the learning environment, how to monitor and be engaged, how to have a plan, how to overcome the fear factor, how to deal with objections, how to put the learning in the hands of the students, and straying off topic once in a while is ok, too. The article also goes into detail about the current Flat Classroom Projects and has several links in the article to learn more about projects such as Net Generation Education, Digiteen, Digiparent, and Eracism.
1. How do I see myself implementing this in my classroom? In my second grade classroom we can be the next creators of Digikids!
2. What are the advantages of using this media? The advantages are that small learners will be empowered knowing that when we say they are the future, we mean it. As a future educator and a future digital teacher, I see the value in encompassing a worldwide canvas to exchange ideas in pursuit of extinguishing local problems such as racism in the community and global issues such as hunger.

Journal 7: The Beginner's Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips, NETS V

Zanetis, J. (2009). The Beginner's guide to interactive virtual field trips. International society for technology and education, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25443&DirectListComboInd=D

The Beginner's Guide to Interactive Field Trips, by Jan Zanetis reports on the benefits and endless possibilities of virtual field trips. There are many types of field trips that can be accessed without leaving your city or town. Virtual field trips are conducted over the Internet. There are asynchronous virtual field trips, which are not delivered in real time. Asynchronous trips are hosted via podcast, touring a specific location such as a museum. The article has three resources to get you started. The asynchronized field trips offer online labs and ask the expert tools to aid in learning. Interactive field trips are real-time experiences where students learn from an informal educator. This article discusses the opportunities to engage, how to get started, and a list of award-winning content providers. With today’s economy, virtual field trips are a great way to complement instruction that may have been simply “cut” out of the curricula. I definitely see myself using Virtual Field Trips in the classroom. Budget cuts are restraints that are inevitable. With the help of Virtual Field Trips my students will have greater access to organizations out of the state, such as NASA. I am impressed that this technology is not limited to one specific age group, for example the puppet activity can be used as early as kindergarten.

1. Are there fees involved? Yes, there are often fees but the content provider, NASA, offer a free program. A teacher can possibly convince administrators of the multitude of benefits and compare costs with an actual field trip, if funding is available.
2. How do I get started? Check to see if your school has a videoconferencing unit. Check for grants. Start by visiting the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration www.cilc.org.

Journal 6: Collaborative Documents - NETS V

Right now, there are Google Docs and Wiki, yourdraft.com, writewith.com, writeboard.com, and writer.zoho.com and others. For now I will talk about Google docs, which is also known as Google documents and is a free, web-based document that will store your data hosted by Google. The document, hosted by Google, allows the composer or composers to create and edit while collaborating with other composers in real-time. Classroom 2.0 has 10 discussions tagged ‘documents’. From these discussions I learned that multiple composers could edit the document at the same time, where Wikis only allow one composer to make edits at a time. One downside was that there is no real account for individual input and a possible solution was to have the different composers type in different colors. Google Docs also auto saves frequently so you can view the edited document almost instantly. According to one Classroom 2.0 respondent, who describes his favorite features of the collaborative documents as concurrent editing, export/save as popular formats, reviewing features, i.e. track changes, offline editing, sharing, and integration. It may be a good idea to identify what important features you would like from a collaborative document and that will guide your choice of program you choose. I commented on Brenda Mendoza who chose microblogging, KerriAnn Clark, who chose social bookmarking, and Christina Edwards’ post about gaming.