Conclusion

It is amazing how overwhelmed I felt at the beginning of this class and now it is almost over and it was a great experience.  I thought that there was so much work and I would never get it done.  Now, I almost have a full working website!!  How exciting!

I also learned so much about the different technologies on the internet.  Who knew what an RSS was?  Now, I DO!  There are so many different things that could be useful in the classroom and help my students grow and learn.

Now, the challenge is to figure out HOW all of this useful technology will be used in my classroom.  Factors such as access to the internet and computer projectors are my main issue.  Once I overcome those, I will be able to do so much with my students.  

I plan on using my website in the future and creating web-based activities for my students to use in order to incorporate technology into my classroom and engage my students in the many things that are available for them out there.

Social Bookmarking

I learned so much today from the presentation by Alissa and Liz. I had no idea what RSS and social bookmarking was until NOW. Social bookmarking actually sounds pretty interesting and would be a great tool to keep all of your online references available to you in an organized way. I'm all about organization and if I can have all of my favorite websites together using "tag bundles" it would be great.

I'm not sure if I would use in this the classroom as a way for students to collaborate and interact with each other. It would take a lot of time to teach them the purpose of social broadcasting and how to do it, as well as the fact that some students do not even have internet access at home.

Overall, I think this is great for me personally, maybe not in the classroom, but FOR the classroom.

What are SmartBoards?

SmartBoard is a type of interactive White Board that is used in schools. SmartBoard is actually a trademarked name that is now just a common name used to describe the interactive white board. A SmartBoard works using a computer and some type of projector. Once the device is connected, it allows the projector that you are using to become interactive, in the form of a touch screen. This is a great device to allow teachers to work collaboratively and interactively with their students.

My school does not yet have SmartBoards, or if they do they have very little and are hard to obtain. I have always thought about trying to get a SmartBoard for my classroom so that my students could participate in active learning. It is such a great tool to use for your students work work with the information that is given and change and manipulate what is on the screen. It is also shown that retention rates are higher in students that use SmartBoard in the classroom.

It is my goal to try and get approved to have a SmartBoard for my classroom, for next year. Maybe (cross your fingers) it will happen.

(Probably not)

Using Multimedia (Ch. 9)

The internet is a completely different world and language. Multimedia is just taken for granted since we see it everyday on the web. There are so many different formats for pictures and graphics on the web, including .gif and .jpeg. Different programs are used to create images and videos that we see on the internet, Photoshop being the most popular.

I am so happy we do not have to use HTML for our websites. After reading this chapter I have realized that it requires a lot of understanding of the "computer talk" that is out there. It seems so complicated and intricate.

My website is going to have graphics and videos, however, they are not going to be original. I will be using others that I have found on the internet. It is important to have pictures and videos, maybe even sound, on your webpage in order to keep the visitors occupied. Those visiting your site will not be excited and interested if it was just full of words and no colors or images.
I want my webquest to be as appealing as possible and I think images and animations are the way to go. Middle school students need to constantly be entertained and even though they are using the internet you still need to keep there attention.

I hope I can make my website creative and a fun page for all of my students to visit.

Wikis

A wiki is website that allows any user to add and edit the content on that webpage. This is different from a blog because it allows for multiple authors to make entries onto this site. Wikipedia is just one example of a wiki. It is an online encyclopedia where anyone can go and add, change, or edit information on the online encyclopedia.

There are several ways that teachers can incoporate wikis into their classroom:
1. collective glossary
2. a group story
3. group problem solving
4 and more.....

I think wikis are great for the classroom in the sense that they allow students to work with each other, edit each others work, and comment. Student can be creative and contribute to their classmate's work.

After reading about wikis, I am actually considering creating a collaborative glossary and help wiki where students can add and edit definitions of different math terms and explain how to solve certain problems. It is a great way to have a more student-based learning approach to teaching.

Factors will impact using curriculum webs in schools (Ch. 12)

Sure, curriculum webs sound wonderful. Before you jump into anything there are many things to think about. As the teacher it is important to understand that you are the most important resource for the curriculum web because you are the one that knows how to use it. Some things you need to think about:
How many computers will I have?
How many ability levels do I need to accommodate?
How is my classroom laid out?
Do I have to use the computer lab or are there computers in my classroom?
Am I connected to the Internet?

When thinking about how I am going to use my curriculum web I am a bit overwhelmed. The factors that effect my success are so many that it worries me my students will not gain all they are able to from the curriculum web. For this reason, there are things to consider before I begin.
- Find out who has internet access at their homes
- Practice the curriculum web tasks myself to see if they work properly
- Make sure my students have the necessary computer skills
- Prepare my students for working with the curriculum web
- Have any important materials that need to be handed out ready

It will also be important to question and poll my students to see how the curriculum web is work and how they feel about using it.

I think a curriculum web can be highly successful in my classroom if it is presented properly. I hope to work very hard on preparing the website in order to allow for easy access and navigating for my students.

Podcasts

We now know technology is starting to take over. Radio broadcasting is now old news and the now there are PODCASTS. With the craze of iPods, podcasts means "iPod" + "broadcast" combined.  It is a great way for teachers to bring technology into the classroom.  It is also useful for students to create them in order to help each other in school.

There are many different types of podcasts, including radio programs, blogs, interviews, news reports and educational podcasts.  They can be audio or visual (vidcasts).

I like the idea of using podcasts in my classroom in order to catch students up that might have been absent or are having difficulty understanding a topic.  It is a great way to have students hear a new voice or see something explained in a different way.

Podcasts however only accommodate to the audio and visual learners.  Also, I do not have computers in my classroom and in order to use computers I have to schedule time in the computer lab.  So the access to the podcasts would be a major obstacle for me in school.  I love the idea of have students use them, however, for me it might be too time consuming, unless it is required to be done at home.

I'll try and think more creatively on how I can incorporate these into my teaching practice and have it effective for the students.

What makes an effective website?

Who ever thought creating a website would be so intricate! The steps of designing a website seem easy enough:
1. pick your audience
2. chose a theme
3. decide the sections
4. design the look

Easy as pie! Not so much. Each step entails a lot of thinking and planning. It is important to always consider who your audience will be and make it easy for them to navigate your page. Also, the less text the better. People don't like to read a lot on the computer so it is beneficial to use pictures and break up the paragraphs when necessary.

Do your research! The materials you use and the information you need should be thought out before you begin. Once the information is gathered, chucking is used to group the information into coherent pieces on the different pages. When all of the information is chunked it will be easier to plan the navigation for the site.

Is that it? For the most part. But there's a bunch of planning to do before you can actually put your website together. If this is not done, your website will not be as effective as it can be.

On that note, I better get started. This could take a while.....

Webquests

What is the value of webquests in education?

Until the presentation tonight I did not understand the difference between a curriculum web and a webquest. Little did I know a webquest is simply a feature under the umbrella of a curriculum web.

All webquests need to contain seven different elements in order to be complete:
1. Introduction - sets up the problem and contains an essential question
2. Task - what is to be done
3. Process - step by step guide that breaks up the task
4. Evaluation - a rubric of the assignment
5. Credits - copyrights and acknowledgements
6. Conclusion
7. Teaching Guide - resource and information for fellow teachers

Webquests can be very effective and valuable in education. Teachers can make webquests involving activities for students to complete, projects, clips, and videos. This is a great way to keep students engaged in learning and helps to differentiate activities for them as well. Students can work at their own pace and feel a sense of ownership and responsibility for their work.

I plan on using my webquest with my students and allow them to explore the possibilities of the internet. It will be a great way to get them excited about their learning.

Planning Instruction and Assessment

How are instruction and assessment related? How will you assess your students' learning?

Instruction and assessment are very different than what they used to be. Teachers used to stand in front of the class, students would copy notes, and they would have a test at the end of a unit. Now, it is much more involved and creative. There are so many more resources now that teachers can utilize.

A curriculum web is one way that has changed instruction and assessment. Students, and teachers, are now able to use the web as a resource. Learner activities are a great way to assess your students' understanding of a topic. They are great forms of assessment for teachers that allow for learning while begin formally and informally assessed. Students are also able to self-assess as a tool to check their own work.

With technology becoming more integrated into the classrooms, teachers and students are now able to utilize this as a means of instruction, as well as assessment. Learner activities offer a variety of purposes, including instruction, practice, and assessment.

Currently, I use a variety of forms of assessment:
- traditional tests and quizzes
- projects
- workshops
- constant questioning in class

I know I will look more into utilizing the internet in my instruction and would love to develop new types of assessment as well.

Learner Activities

Learning is so complex and it is important to think about differentiating your instruction when teaching.  When differentiating there are so many things to consider:  how will I group my students?  How can I keep them engaged?  What activities should I focus on?

When thinking of learner activities for my curriculum web, there are a variety of goals I want to accomplish.

1. Keep the students interested and engaged.

2. Relate to my students.

3. Use real world scenarios.

The internet has such an extensive list of engaging activities for teaching my students probability.  On my curriculum web I want to include small, basic tasks as well as some project-based learning.  Students need to realize the importance that math has in the world and how it relates to them.  

Some links that I have found that might be helpful are:

The spinner game (to relate to my carnival activity I will be doing): Spinners

Making decisions:Stick or Switch

Looking at weather: The Weather Channel

Some of these sites will help my learners understand the concept of probability through real-life situations.  By seeing the information in context, it will allow them to grasp a deeper understanding.

Curriculum Web

Decisions, decisions.....coming up with a topic for my curriculum web has been tough.  What will my students like?  How will I hook them?

Who ever thought it would be so hard.  I know the topics inside and out and still, coming up with how to make the students want to go to the website and participate the activities is challenging.  There is so much to consider.....

Uhhhh, brainstorm and think!!

Curriculum webs are great tools for teachers, if students become engaged in the activities.  They are so underutilized and can be very effective.  Students believe that technology in the classroom is very productive and aids them in the learning process.  However, teachers feel it is a lot of work and many times useLESS in the classroom.

Hopefully, my curriculum web will be one that students not only find helpful in learning the topic, but one that is fun, engaging, and interactive.

We'll see......

Website Evaluation

The internet is such a useful source of information and there are so many resources out there for students to research. Many teachers have students 'surf the web' to find useful sites and information on specific topics. In middle school it is especially important to make sure you review with your students how to search the web and how to determine whether or not a site is a useful source.


A good way to determine if a website is a reliable source is to follow the Five W's: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. If these questions are ask, most likely, the website is legitimate.

I have found that students will google and click without really recognizing what site they are going to. To my students, EVERY site is a reliable source, mainly because it is convenient to them. It might be helpful to have students take an elective class that focuses on how to research on the internet and where to find websites they can use for projects and resources.

Copyright and Fair Use

It is amazing how many people violate copyright laws everyday.  And most of it is unknown!  I was shocked in class today on how many different scenarios can be considered copyright violations.  Under the Fair Use Doctrine, people are able to use copyrighted materials as long as it is for educational purposes, but even then, there are still more stipulations.

Teachers are always using other people's materials in their lesson plans, activities, and various resources.  For the most part, this is alright, however, sometimes that is not the case.  I do not feel as though I have violated copyright laws in my classroom.  At least I hope not.

After learning all of the different cases and interpretations of fair use, I will be much more mindful of what I am using in my classroom!

Introduction - My First Blog

Hello! This is the first time I have ever done a blog and it's a little scary. I guess I am going to start by talking a bit about myself. My name is Alexandra and I just became a NYC teacher in September. Prior to teaching, I was an operations analyst at Lehman Brothers. Now, I teach 7th grade mathematics. Let me tell you, this is the best decision I have ever made. This job has opened my eyes to so many things and has made me realize that you actually can enjoy your job.

So here I am. Taking a course in technology and starting my first blog. This is overwhelming and not exactly what I expected. However, it will be an adventure and I am ready to take this on!!!