iMovie: NETS-T II

iMovie PSA from Kayla Richardson on Vimeo.

I created a short 40 second PSA about the CSUSM campus using iMovie. I used different clips of films and added music to the background with small amounts of text about CSUSM. I also added transitions and different effects that iMovie has to offer to make it more visual pleasing.

Wiki Page: NETS-T V

This is a wiki page that I created based on GoogleSites. I gave information about why it would be advantageous to use it in the classroom, some recommendations when using the program, and maybe why it would not be as successful in some classrooms/situations. The purpose of a wiki page is to post information that would be useful to others and, furthermore, by being members of the page, you can contribute ideas, thoughts, and suggestions of your own.

Journal #9 "Scribble Maps Helps Students Visualize Their Worlds" NETS-T III

Hill, W. (2010, November). Scribble maps helps students visualize their world. learning and leading through technology, 38(3), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201011?pg=43&pm=2&fs=1#pg43

 Summary
Wanda Hill, the author of the article, describes being fascinated by geography as a young student and the difficulties with creating the same excitement for students today--in a time where classrooms are driven by standards and tests. In light of her frustration, Hill introduces a new web-based map program called Scribble Maps. Through Scribble Maps, users can create maps full of color, adding pictures and text boxes for information. Users can also view their maps in standard map view, satellite view, hybrid view, and night sky. Hill describes a school in Washington who used Scribble Maps to study their state. Students were able to embed pictures and information relating to population, historical sites, landmarks, industry, and climate.  Another project Hill describes was with a fifth grade class who study four biomes connected to historical parks; including the climate, plant life, and animal life found in each. The students learned about  the ecosystems found there and how they survive in that environment, moreover, it was relevant because these parks were in Washington where the students could actually visit.

Q#1- What else can students learn from using Scribble Maps?

Through Scribble Maps students learn a lot about research and research tools. In order to create a map a lot of knowledge needs to be known, for example, what animals live there, what bodies of water are within proximity, important landmarks, and any other fun facts. Students will learn how to research this information using the internet or print media. Using Scribble Maps in this manner is a lot like doing a research report without having to write a  lengthy research paper.

Q#2- What if students do not have access to computers?

Like always, I suggest using class time in order to get projects like these accomplished. The program is free, which is convenient, and as long as a computer has internet they can be accessed at anytime. It is advantageous if students do have a computer at home to work with, however, with the time permitted in class it should be sufficient to get the project complete.

Inspiration: NETS- T III

Inspiration is a unique way to form diagrams and create visual representations of information. It is very much like a blank canvas allowing for a lot of creativity and inventiveness. I created a tree diagram to illustrate how the artifacts I have created through Education 422 have met the NETS-T.

Journal #8 "I Can See Me: Webcams In The Classroom" NETS-T II

Frey, T, Houlton, A, & Gruis, E. (2010, November). I can see me: webcams in the classroom. Learning and leading with technology, 38(3), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-november.aspx

Summary
I'd like to start by saying, this article was really interesting. Incorporating webcams into the classroom started with a third grader named Sam, who was having trouble with his reading skills. Sam didn't enjoy reading at all or aloud to the rest of the class. His teacher had an idea of having him read in front of a webcam so he could see himself and correct his errors. It turned out to be a great idea and Sam, and now other students who are using the webcam as a tool, have greatly increased their reading skills. The webcam is also used for academic skills such as listening comprehension and spelling. Another advantage to using the webcam is that students can videotape themselves or audiotape themselves and then share their work and ideas online via social networking sites, DVDs, emails, or just loading it on to flash drives. Again it's just another tool to open up the doors to more opportunities.

Q#1- What's another way to use the webcam in the classroom?
The first thing I thought of after reading this article was using the webcam to practice giving speeches. So many students, actually people in general, fear public speaking. A great way to practice would be using the webcam. Although it is different because you are just staring at yourself and not a classroom of 30 people, it still allows you to work on skills like looking up and making eye contact and not moving around a lot. Students can record themselves and play it back to see what needs improvements and what they did well.

Q#2- How do you get webcams in the classroom?
Like everything they cost money but are fairly inexpensive. Also, a webcam for each computer would be unnecessary; I would imagine that 10 or so per classroom would be plentiful and like many activities that take place in the classroom the webcams can be set up as stations where kids take turns using them. Some sort of rotation could be put into place so everyone gets a turn. Just like using the computer to write word documents, students can use the webcams each week to better their reading skills.

Journal 7: My Personal Learning Network NETS-T V

My Personal Learning Network is in development so it is not terribly large yet. I am currently following six people on Twitter, some of which are individual people involved in the educational field and others that are educational organizations. On Delicious I have seven people in my network of the same variety as I mentioned with Twitter. The purpose of my PLN is to be in contact with other individuals who have the same common interest of education. By doing so, we can bounce ideas off one another and it is a very give-take type of relationship. An advantage is that it's not necessary to personally know these people, I can just follow them to see what new things they discovered or are incorporating into their classroom.

The people I am following on twitter are all educators themselves except for one (one is an education and technology organization). What they all have in common is the passion for teaching and the determination of incorporating more technology into the classroom. I chose to add these people as my followers because I liked that they were just regular teachers with a common cause. That is to say, I will one day be a teacher like themselves so what they say is very relevant to me. I chose to participate in a middle school topic discussion using twitter (#midleved), and it was very interesting. The chat went on all day long and it was simply anything involving middle school. People were tweeting about what they were doing in their classroom that day, what units they were working on, lesson plans they found useful--all kinds of stuff. It was basically just a period of complete resources. I liked it a lot. It was a very fast paced chat and tweets were continually popping up, however, no two were the same; everything everyone tweeted was unique and I liked that a lot.

From this assignment, I gathered that I like Delicious more than Twitter. I like the more slow pace of Delicious and that comments (tweets) are not constantly popping up making it hard to follow at times. The way I found people was by searching education and then adding technology to make it more narrow. I got a lot of results and ended up searching a few pages and adding people who I thought were interesting. I bookmarked the pages I did because they were all tools I could see myself using. I bookmarked a digital storytelling tool, tutorials on using google and using google in unique ways, an article on cyber safety and the prevention of cyber bullying, and the last was a website on integrating different technologies into the classroom.

Finally, I joined The Educator's PLN and I watched a video about using Google Calendar as a way to lesson plan. It was actually very useful and something I could definitely see myself using. The narrator of the video describes how it's so useful and beneficial to have lesson plans on GoogleDocs so you never loose track of anything, you can access it from any computer at anytime, and lastly because it keeps your desk a lot more neat! And I love organization!

Internet Safety Google Site: NETS-T IV

I created a collaborative website with two other classmates about cybersafety and ways to be responsible citizens while on the web. It was created through GoogleSites, so it was free and also made it accessible to every group member--allowing us to work on it at our own convenience.

Crossword Puzzle: NETS-T I

This is a math crossword puzzle I created using Microsoft Excel. I manipulated many features excel has to offer that most probably don't know exist in order to create it. It's a very innovative way to create fun activities for students to learn.

Journal #6 "Interview with Will Richardson" NETS-T III

Rebora, A. (2010, Ocotober 11). Change agent. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01richardson.h04.html?cmp=clp-edweek&intc=bs&sms_ss=delicious&at_xt=4cb7dc75d0303b73,0


Summary
Will Richardson is a former teacher and now a technology expert. He seeks to find new ways to bring technology into the classroom and then use his knowledge to influence and help other teachers do the same. The interviewer asked many questions and I'll make point of the most important ones. Richardson credits teachers to not using technology very often/enough to the fact that it's a culture shift. People are very stuck in their ways of teaching and don't like change. He brought up a very good argument to those who say kids are born "tech savvy", explaining that kids have less of a fear of technology then adults but they know more of the social advances of technology and less about how to use technology to learn. Richardson also shows a little bit of concern when he talks about how technology implementation is really an uphill battle. With the budget being as bad as it is, teachers don't even get the basic utensils for a classroom, let alone computers.

Q#1- With public school systems being in such poor conditions, in terms of finances, how can I still manage to teach my students using the web?
Just because every student does not have a computer in front of them does not mean we cannot teach them or show them what is out there. People cannot use tools if they do not know they exist. A very simple example could be an instance where I have students working on a research project. In an effort to show them better ways to reasearch more narrowly or simply to have another outlet as a search engine I could introduce delicious.com. I could show the students how it works how to tag, bookmark, and share with others. What they chose to take from that is all individual but at least they know it's there and I am giving them access to an instrument they would otherwise not even know was available.

Q#2-  How can I change the way of thinking and convert other teachers to using more technology?
I would do as Richardson suggested and make sure that I am constantly modeling the use of technology. Reminding the other faculty that the computer has so much value. I would also try to be an advocate of technology by maybe not only modeling the use of technology in the classroom but sharing it with others. Send others emails about new ways of using technology so they can implement it at their own pace and it doesn't feel too forced.

Classroom Newsletter: NETS-T III

Newsletter


This newsletter is a basic, one page summary used to inform students and their parents about what they can expect from my class. It's an easy way to introduce myself to them and also give parents and students the most efficient ways to communicate with me. I made it using Microsoft word and really utilized many of the features word has to offer.

Test Survey: "All About Me"

Journal #4 "Commuting in the Clouds" NETS-T II

Johnson, D. (2010, January/February). Commuting in the clouds. Learning and Leading with Technology,37(4), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200912#pg20


Summary
"Commuting in the Clouds" is an article regarding how to use web-based programs versus the software programs we are so use to today. The author, Doug Johnson, brings up numerous valid points as to why it is more beneficial and, at the top of the list, is that it is free! Along with the benefit of no cost, web-based programs are also more convenient because you can access them from any computer in the world, there are no concerns about whether or not you saved the document in the right version, and it allows others to work together collaboratively.  Using the web-based programs also, in terms of education, would allow schools to use less powerful computers that are less expensive; again saving the school systems money. Johnson explains that he converted to a netbook (the less powerful computers) for a few months to see if the whole idea was really doable. Converting for Johnson worked smoothly and nicely. He justifies cloud commuting saying that the internet, email, word processing and presentation programs all worked just as well as a normal computer. His final thought is basically, what are we all waiting for?

Q#1- How do schools get started?
I think that right now schools should start familiarizing their teachers, staff, and students with the google docs and other web-based programs. Even if Microsoft office is still on the computers at the schools currently, teachers and students should stop using them and just migrate towards the clouds. As computers die and schools look into getting new ones they should seriously consider buying netbooks. Netbooks are clearly less expensive and by that point the students and all other staff members would be "cloud savvy" and ready to make the adjustment.

Q#2- What is one way I could use it in the classroom?
To start I would have all students compose their work on google docs. It is advantageous for students to actually use google docs at school so that when they go to their homes they have the option of working on their assignments. That is to say, they are not limited to fixing things and making progress when they are only at school. I would also like to form some kind of group project or group report where the students would have to use google docs, for example, to work together when they are not together in the classroom. Both of these ideas of introducing web-based programs to the students allows them to become familiar with all the perks that web-based programs have to offer and hopefully encourage them to use it in the future.

Journal #3 "Bring The World Into Your Classroom" NETS-T 2

BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION:
McDermon, L. (2010, September/October). Bring the world into your classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(2), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100910?pg=36&search_term=bring%20the%20world%20into%20your%20classroom&search_term=bring%20the%20world%20into%20your%20classroom#pg36

Summary

The entire article was surrounded around the idea of bringing video conferencing into the classroom as a tool to teach. One of the two videoconferencing programs discussed was the "read around the planet". This program was really neat because basically two classes set up times to meet and share stories with one another. The stories could be anything from books to poems and skits--they could be published by authors or could be produced by the students. Megaconference, Jr. was the second program which sets up a twelve hour window between 7AM and 7PM where students at anytime can present to others. There is a lot of freedom in this program in that these students can devise any sort of presentation by incorporating one or many of the academic disciplines.

Q#1- The program at face value can be intimidating, how could you get started?
I think the best way to get started is by teaming up with another school specifically. Have every class that is going to participate in videoconferencing present or team up with the classes all form the same school. That way you are only experimenting with one school and the teachers could easily communicate with one another on what's working and maybe what needs improvement. It gives faculty and administrators the opportunity to perfect their skills with the program so the students can later interact with whomever they want around the globe.

Q#2- How would this program be successful globally?
This is one of my favorite articles I've read thus far. What I love about it is it gives students the opportunity to play with technology and learn in the classroom. That is to say, it's not something they need to do at home and there would, therefore, never be the case where a student who does not have access to a computer at home would never be able to participate. No student is ostracized because everyone gets to participate on campus.

School 2.0 Reflection Tool: NETS-T V

I investigated the NETS-T: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning Through Creativity. I chose to investigate resources from this standard because I think it is one of the most important. Children's creativity is what allows them to be so unique and express themselves. As teachers, it is our job to not only encourage students to show their creative side, but to also to give them an outlet to do so. A really good resource that I found from the reflection tool was the "google group". Anyone can create a google group, it's free and easy to set up. Furthermore, you can belong to as many groups as you would like.

What I liked about the google groups is it is something that can be used as a social networking device in which students connect with certain friends who have similar interest or hobbies but it can also be used academically. It's a creative way to show students how to connect with their other classmates. As a teacher you could introduce "google groups" to students who are working on projects together. Through the program the students can email each other, group members can publish posts on the page for all the group members to see, or they can run a live discussion in a form of a chat room. The possibilities are endless and it's our job to stimulate their creativity.

Introducing programs like these to students just gives them yet another outlet to be creative. While they may use it for school, they could also use it to create their own page for personal reasons and begin the networking process. It relates to the NETS-T standard in terms of inspiring students to think outside of the box and use resources on the internet many might not know exist.

Journal #2 "Join The Flock"-NETS 5

BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION:
Ferguson, Hadley. (2010, June/July). Join the flock. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100607#pg14


Summary
"Join The Flock" was an article written by Hadley Ferguson about her experiences of joining twitter. She explains how at first she was apprehensive and didn't quite understand how to use the program but once she got started, she simply could not stop.  Twitter has opened a whole new outlet for teachers by being able to share information with other teachers across the country--whom they have never met! Teachers post about anything from lesson plans to different communities who are holding meetings. It's a good way to stay current with things and share different pieces of information with the teacher community. The second article by Shannon McClinktock Miller was about how you can enhance your twitter experience. She talks about utilizing everything twitter has to offer in order to better your teaching style and just learn. Both articles were primarily about using twitter as a form of education for teachers to incorporate some of what they learn into their classroom.

Q#1- How can I incorporate twitter with my future students?
 At first I thought this idea was a bit of a stretch but with all the technology advances we have had I think this is completely realistic. I could teach my students how to set up twitter accounts and create a PLN for our classroom. Students could use twitter as a form of instant communication. For example, perhaps they have a homework question or were unclear on the assignment, they could instantly tweet me. Or, better yet, their fellow classmates. Between all the the students and myself it could be like a constant chat room with quick feedback. Overall, it would create a very fun learning environment and I think the students would take to it very well.

Q#2-  What could be some drawbacks from introducing twitter in the classroom with my future students?
Every new vision usually comes with consequences. The biggest drawback I could think of would be children you don't have internet access at home. Since the means for twitter is to communicate about academics I could also have children exchange phone numbers on the first day and emphasis that there are two ways to get in touch with their peers and myself, and that would be through telephone or the internet. Each student is bound to have one of the two. The idea is for not a single student to feel ostracize in anyway from the class. I would also stress how both are equally useful.

Journal Article #1 "Taking Laptops Into The Classroom" NETS 6

BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION: Green, Tim, Donovan, Loretta, & Bass, Kim. (2010, August). Taking Laptops Schoolwide: A Professional. Learning and Leading Through Technology, Retrieved from https://acrobat.com/#d=7rIs4heRCXPhOZp7l-otEg

Summary
Integrating laptop use in the classroom can be incredibly beneficial--if it's done correctly. This article explains what methods can be used to successfully use laptops in the classroom. The first important means for teaching technology is building on previous knowledge. The article stresses that instead of teaching brand new concepts build on what the students have already learned in previous classes about computers. The authors used the example of teaching basic word processing and then later teaching how to put images or sound effects into the document. The second important factor was to use the PLC approach which focuses more on learning and less on teaching and individual accountability. In order for all of these approaches to work successfully it's important to remember four factors. The first is school climate. A school should have a supportive administration and parents and, ideally, with teachers who have some kind of experience on laptops. Also, make sure that there is communication and parents and the school clearly know the educational value of having the computers in the classroom. The article suggested making a classroom web page to keep everyone informed, and I thought that was a really clever and good idea. The last two self explanatory factors to a successful integration of laptops into the classroom are collaboration and progression of use.

Q#1- Is it realistic to think this would be financially possible?

A#1- In the financial state we are in collectively as a nation, it seems unrealistic. However, laptops are similar to using a computer. Having said that, most if not all schools do have computers available to them either in the classroom or the library. Maybe a couple times a week a class could go into the library to use the computers. They're still learning the basic skills and then maybe when a school/district could afford it, a set of laptops could be bought for the classroom. Another way to get over the financial obstacle if the school is really inclined to use laptops would be to buy a few class sets. And then the classes can rotate them between all the different classes so the students all get their chance to work on laptops.

Q#2- Why is the PLC approach so effective?

A#2- A PLC approach is effective because it puts a lot of responsibility on the teacher rather than the student. The teachers work together to collaboratively devise a plan to teach the students on the laptops. And with the PLC approach it is more about teaching than it is about the student's accountability for grasping the idea.  If student's are struggling with a particular lesson then the teacher is responsible for addressing it. Like the second grade teacher, for example, who had the students who were struggling with the math concept. The second grade teacher "team" got together and assigned homework until the concept was understood by the students. You have more teachers working together and that can only help to better the student's learning environment.

Kayla Richardson...A Southern CA girl

My name's Kayla Richardson and I was born in Palm desert, CA. With the exception of my college years, I lived there my whole life and in the same house--which I think most would agree is quite rare. I never moved once until I came out to San Marcos for school. I went to James Monroe Elementary school k-5th grade, La Qunita Middle School for 6th grade, John Glen Middle school for 7th and 8th grade, and then finally spent all four of my high years at La Quinta High School. I moved out to San Marcos for college and this is now my fourth year living here. I love san Diego a lot and always have, since this was the destination for many of my family vacations at our beach house in Oceanside :)


To be perfectly honest I do not have a lot of experience with technology at all. And to be more honest I have never been a huge fan. All my friends tell me I'm the only person they know who doesn't have a facebook; so I figure since it's so unique why change it now. I don't have an ipod or any fun gadgets but I do, however, have a macbook. I just got it in June after one of my many windows ran systems crashed. My parents decided they only wanted to buy me ONE more computer before I graduated haha and so an apple was the route we took. And so far it's amazing! I'm actually really excited about this class because it's going to teach me a lot of things I didn't know I could do with my macbook, which is very exciting!!


What strikes me most about the College of Education mission statement is it's enthusiasm about diversity. I love the recognition of how each student is different in their own right and the idea of really celebrating their differences. I have taken a lot of classes on campus about cultural diversity and the importance of supporting each student's culture and making them feel comfortable talking about it in the classroom. With a depth of study in linguistics, I am extremely passionate about different languages and the ability of young children to be bilingual or even multilingual. I feel this idea coincides with the mission statement and that makes me even more excited to become a teacher and finally get into the classroom!