Technology Standards Audio Podcast Post

Hello Devoted Followers :) - here is my last post on my blog for the semester. Click here to listen to my audio blog on the ISTE National Educational Technology STandards and why and how I will use them in my classroom. Thanks!

Exploring the Web for additional tools for my classroom

So the world wide web is an AMAZING source of information if we know how to find it. Today I looked through some different websites recommended by Brother Chan. I looked through Google's "more" section, dropbox.com, jingproject.com, and rapidintake.com

There is a lot of help for us teachers out there. Google is awesome with lots of resources available. As I looked through it I came upon lesson plan templates, a simple version of powerpoint, google scholar where you can find academic research, there is also google earth, which can be a lot of fun. Google is an awesome source of information!

Dropbox.com is nice. It is an online folder you can access anywhere. It gives you one spot to put all your information and you can reach it on pretty much any electronic device. It's nice because, I believe, you can share a folder with others.

Jingproject.com allows you to make share information in a more creative way than just text. It allows you to send pictures and video, among other things. It spices up the information you send to people.

rapidintake.com is an elearning source. You can use a free trial, but then you have to pay about $60 a month for it. I believe you use it to create courses or to teach via technology, ie something the students can access over the internet. My nieces are homeschooled and so they have learned some by online classes. It is interesting and it will be interesting to see how much this type of teaching comes into play in the near future. It seems important as educators to understand technology and the direction it is heading so we can use it to our benefit and not be left behind! :)

Reflecting on my video production process

I really enjoyed creating my own video. It is a lot of work. I realized it is better to get too much footage then too little because then you have more to work with when you get to the imovie phase. I liked using imovie. It really helped me to watch the video tutorials and to take time to play around with different options. It is fun to piece the video together on imovie, but it does take a long time to get things "perfect", but I learned a lot in the process. Having to do this really taught me a lot. I want to create more videos soon so that I can keep practicing and get better at this skill. I think students would think this is a great and fun way to present material and be creative!

Video About Me and My 3rd Grade Class

Wow!!! I just completed my first iMovie. It was definitely useful and helpful to my process to watch the iMovie tutorials! Then it just took time to experiment, edit, and perfect to get to the finished project. There is always more to perfect, but it is in a pretty good state, so please enjoy. Click here to watch it!

Scan of my plan for my video about me

Here is a scan of my first draft of my plan for my video about me. I already have some new ideas, but this is where I started. :)

Imovie Video

Aloha devoted blog followers. Click here to see my first video production on imovie!!! :) Enjoy!

Podcasting for teaching and learning

Hey ya'll... check this out! Here is my latest learning in technology. I made an audio podcast. It was fun. Took a little while to figure it out, but I'm learning! Click here to listen to my Podcast.

Technology in the Classroom

As an up and coming elementary school teacher I know that technology is an important part of my classroom setup. Technology in the classroom is strongly encouraged in all formal teaching courses. Children in this 21st century are technology "junkies". They have iphones, Wii's, ipods, laptops and more. Technology is a normal part of their modern day lives. As teachers we can incorporate this technology fascination into the classroom as a tool to encourage and stimulate academic learning.

As a future teacher I have to admit I am worried the children will know more than I do about technology. I will probably learn a lot from them. My lifetime experience with technology is much different then that of my future students. I remember the green faced computers I used on occasion as a child in elementary school. I got my first computer as a laptop when I entered college. I can still remember thinking, when cellphones were coming out, that I never wanted one because it seemed to preoccupy people's lives. I have to admit at times I have felt technologically resistant, but I also see the great value in it. Typing makes writing papers more efficient. Searching on the internet is a good and quick beginning to any research topic. Cell phones create a feeling of safety to be able to call someone at the drop of a hat.

As a future teacher I do want to incorporate technology into my room. I think it is important for students to learn to type. Knowing how to type well saved me precious time as a student. I want my students to know how to safely and effectively use the different programs on the computer like word and excel. I want my students to know how to safely and effectively use the internet in the various ways it can be used. I know in order to do this I need to refine my skills prior to teaching and also continue to learn as a teacher from my students and also in other ways outside of my classroom.