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Sunday, August 8, 2010

After 11 Tools: Reflections

My favorite tools are Photo Story and Video Resources. I can envision our students creating projects and incorporating them into a variety of subject areas. The teacher would be able to integrate different subject matter such as gross motor skills, fine motor skills, music, art, math, etc.

~ To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping ~ Chinese Proverb


This entire journey was difficult for me. As a school administrator, I don't get to apply a lot of classroom technology. A lot of the tools were new and challenging for me. I must say that I am glad and I have no regrets about taking this summer journey. I have often told my teachers that they will not do anything that I would not do myself. I know firsthand what my teachers went through. This technology awareness will also support my classroom walk throughs.

Tool 11: Digital Citizen

These technologies are neither good or bad its only how you make them so. As teachers, it’s up to us to help our children understand the consequences of their actions and prepare them for the facts of life. We have to help them think long term.

Here are three things I would want to make sure my students understood about being a good digital citizen:
1. Anything you say or do can be copied, pasted, and sent to millions of people without your permission.
2. If you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to someone else.
3. Just because it’s online does not make it true.

Teachers can support and demonstrate student learning on how to become a digital citizen by modeling appropriate behaviors in the classroom.

Tool 10: Exploring Mobile Technology And Apps

Are you interested in space? There some apps from NASA that our kids would love to explore. The videos and images are incredible. The use of the apps would make learning fun, real and keep students engaged.

Shape Builder educates and is entertaining. It encourages thinking and fine motor skills. It is fun and engaging format with many fun sound effects.

The wow moment came when I was able to download several Top 50 Free Education Apps and begin adding to my library in “Tunes”: NASA, Space Images, Alphabet Tracing, Dot To Dot Numbers, Shape Builder etc.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Tool 9: Sharing Information Through Jing & Skype

Jing is new to me. I can see the many uses that can be utilized in the classroom. I could see it being used when a teacher is going to be out. A teacher could use it to leave "notes" for the students she teaches at school. Jing provides instant message chats. You can take a quick screenshot or video and post the link in your chat message.

Skype is one more tool for communication. I do not have it downloaded, but a friend of mine has been using Skype for many years to communicate with her family and friends from Costa Rica. Skype could also be used by a teacher unable to come to the classroom. The teacher would able to communicate with the students while still being out. Finally, students could collaborate with other classes across the country or world.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Tool 8: Videos are Useful Resources

My two videos were focused on a science unit on animals. I love the first video on “Animal Sounds” being portrait by early childhood students. The teacher was able to integrate a variety of subject matter such as gross motor skills, fine motor skills, music, art, math etc. This would be wonderful way to close a science unit on animals!



Teachers could preview this second video and come up with questions for the students to answer as the video plays. The questions don’t need to be hard, but they should be questions the students can only answer by watching the video.



Sunday, July 18, 2010

Tool 7: Creating Digital Stories

Hallelujah! This was quite an adventure. I must say that this cumbersome journey did serve its purpose. I learned how to incorporate a variety of technology resources into this digital storytelling project. It will be powerful to witness our children having opportunities of creating digital stories through PhotoStory. The evidence will show on their increase growth of listening, speaking, reading and writing. These types of experience with technology resources will set them up for their future academic success.

Popcorn ready! Let's view "Valentine's in Vegas".

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tool 6: Wikis

Fabulous website, I am joining their Wiki…. http://littlepawspreschool.wikispaces.com/

I navigated through the Wiki sites. Indeed, there are many educational resources that are useful for teachers sharing and storing formation and great places for students to work together. The collaboration piece is what makes it powerful. Students and teachers are engaged in sharing, learning and reflecting ways.

  1. Teacher applications: roadmapping, agendas, discussions of balance literacy
  2. Classroom applications: projects, writing books, discussing Big Books for Shared Reading http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Technology_in_the_classroom

Monday, July 12, 2010

Tool 5: Tagging and Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking makes it simpler and practical to organize all of my bookmarks. I did my browsing through both sites and used tags to find two websites new to me. My tags used were Pre-K, bilingual, and resources to locate information. I am using Diigo.

Story Place is an online digital library http://www.storyplace.org/. You will find Spanish and English versions of stories and resources for students in pre-school and elementary school. You must check out this amazing site! Teachers can also check this other website http://www.pbs.org/teachers/.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Tool 4: Cool Google Tools

Google Reader http://google reader is a useful tool for browsing and collaborating with other subscribers. It has a great format for news sites and blogs. Constant updates!
http://groups.google.com/group/google-for-educators

Google Docs http://google docs as the adminstrator of a school it would help me with communication, collaboration and time management. It is useful on reaching consensus through surveys, scheduling, news-letters, raising the level of work, etc.
http://www.google.com/educators/pdocs.html

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tool 3: Image Generators and Mashups

The best format to use in saving pictures was jpg for me. I practiced with “Spell with Flickr” and it was fun. I was able to save photos and other visuals to the gadgets on my blog. Teachers can use pictures and visuals as an anticipatory set for a lesson. The students can use the pictures as story starters.

More samples will be posted on my block.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Tool 2: Building Community and Comments

A positive outcome relies on collaboration! "The formal and informal leaders have to be clear that the goal is collaboration and not competition," says the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District's Anne Smith. Therefore, we need to support our teachers through staff development and scheduling extra time to work together. The Cool Cat Teacher commenting advice was fabulous. Once again, providing time for our teachers to work together on this area would be extremely beneficial.

I have selected these five blogs for my comments:
.Blogging in the classroom
.Ellen’s 21st Century
.11 Tools for the 21st Learning @ Tiger Trail
.11 Tools for the 21st Century Learner
.Simon Says

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Tool 1: Blog Set-up & Registration

Awesome! This will further extend communication with teachers, students and community. Let's get started!