I have successfully uploaded a podcast to my school website using Audacity. Not to bad, albeit a bit "stuffy" sounding do to my cold! I also suscribed to Mr. Griffin and Mrs. Green's podcast through the RSS feeder to my Google reader page.
Podcasting is a technology that I could see the students really getting into however it would take me some time to figure out how to best utilize it in my math class. Perhaps that is simply because I'm not very familiar with it. I could also see using it on my webpage for clarifications of assignments.
The URL to my podcast is: http://www.sturgisps.org/145520514154555703/podcasts/browse.asp?A=399&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=58344
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thing 19 - Digital Storytelling
I really enjoyed the ease of this technology - -especially since I thought it was going to be difficult. In a relatively short time I was able to assemble a short slide show of my children at the Fair. And it actually looked halfway professional! I shared it with my students the next day and they all seemed to like it as well. (not to mention that they enjoyed the few minutes of "down" time!)
Perhaps I could take photos of my students "doing" math and share them on my website for parents. I would have to make sure there are no legal issues prior to doing this. At the very least, our Pod could have a slide show of our students running during parent/teacher conferences.
Perhaps I could take photos of my students "doing" math and share them on my website for parents. I would have to make sure there are no legal issues prior to doing this. At the very least, our Pod could have a slide show of our students running during parent/teacher conferences.
Thing 18 - Discovery Education Streaming
I have used United Streaming in my classroom for short examples of math concepts. While exploring this site I was made aware of how much more it has to offer to teachers. For instance, the webinars and even the calendar. I would like to make this a site that I visit on a regular basis for new information to integrate into my classroom.
I also learned how to save segments under my content and download segments onto my school's drive so that I don't have to worry about internet connectivity issues. This was great!
I also learned how to save segments under my content and download segments onto my school's drive so that I don't have to worry about internet connectivity issues. This was great!
Thing 17 - Photo Sharing
I opened a Flickr account and uploaded many photos. It was relatively painless!
In math, I could see students using the special effects to show rotations, reflections, and translations. They could create some great art with their photos. They also could create examples of stretching and shrinking (ratios) using the special effects.
In math, I could see students using the special effects to show rotations, reflections, and translations. They could create some great art with their photos. They also could create examples of stretching and shrinking (ratios) using the special effects.
Thing 16 - Geocaching
Geocaching is the 21st century's idea of a treasure hunt! What a great way to get students actively involved in learning about latitude and longitude. Teams could create geocaches for other teams to find.
Two caches in the Sturgis area include:
1) Oak Lawn Terrace: N 41° 47.477 W 085° 25.192 [Other Conversions]UTM: 16T E 631291 N 4627809
2) Under the bush : N 41° 47.536 W 085° 24.825 [Other Conversions]UTM: 16T E 631797 N 4627928In Michigan, United States
Two caches in the Sturgis area include:
1) Oak Lawn Terrace: N 41° 47.477 W 085° 25.192 [Other Conversions]UTM: 16T E 631291 N 4627809
2) Under the bush : N 41° 47.536 W 085° 24.825 [Other Conversions]UTM: 16T E 631797 N 4627928In Michigan, United States
Thing 15 - Google Earth
Just days after I explored Google Earth I had the opportunity to take my students on a virtual field trip to Tiny Town, Colorado. We are studying ratios and Tiny Town is a perfect example of ratios being used in real life. I flew them from Sturgis Middle School to Tiny Town, CO, zoomed in on the miniature village, and zoomed out to show them the relationship to Denver, CO and the Rocky mountains. After showing them its location, I was able to find a "Tiny town home video" that someone uploaded to YouTube. All of this was an excellent hook into the lesson that followed.
I also put placemarks on atleast 4 locations. These include Tiny Town, CO, the missouri and mississippi river, Norfolk VA, and NJ.
I will certainly be using this on a regular basis in my classroom.
I also put placemarks on atleast 4 locations. These include Tiny Town, CO, the missouri and mississippi river, Norfolk VA, and NJ.
I will certainly be using this on a regular basis in my classroom.
Thing 14 - Google Notebook
The Google Notebook is like the 21st century version of the 80's Trapper keeper. I say this because when I would reseach information for school papers, I would find documents, make copies, and file in my trapper keeper to sort through later to write my paper. The Google notebook allows me to search the web, find info on a particular subject and keep all of the info in one place.
I created a notebook on Pysanky eggs with 4 references including a link to a website that I use several times a year.
I would utilize this feature in more of my "planning" of teaching than having the students use it. This could be a place that I store ideas, stategies, etc. and I could access/add to it from any computer.
I created a notebook on Pysanky eggs with 4 references including a link to a website that I use several times a year.
I would utilize this feature in more of my "planning" of teaching than having the students use it. This could be a place that I store ideas, stategies, etc. and I could access/add to it from any computer.
Thing 13 - Google Apps email
I'm not sure if I want to monitor several work emails at one time. That said, I do like some of the features of Google email, including the instant messaging and calendar functions. I think the instant messaging could replace many of the emails that seem to "fly around" during a work day if everyone was on this site.
The calendar could be a good place to store assignments, test dates, etc. so that students who had access (or parents) could keep up-to-date. I like that I have a choice what the "public" sees and what I can keep on the calendar. I need to spend time working on the calendar because I was getting frustrated trying to set up a recurring event. I'm sure with time I would figure it out!
The calendar could be a good place to store assignments, test dates, etc. so that students who had access (or parents) could keep up-to-date. I like that I have a choice what the "public" sees and what I can keep on the calendar. I need to spend time working on the calendar because I was getting frustrated trying to set up a recurring event. I'm sure with time I would figure it out!
Thing 12 - Google Start Page
Thing 12- Google Start Page
In August I created a Google start page on my regular sturgisps.org address. To that I added many different gadgets and am still playing around with them. I think my biggest hurdle is knowing which site to access, and when. I feel like I have too many different sites/emails etc. and that something might fall through the cracks because I don't attend to every site, every day. Any suggestions on how to manage the many different sites?
In August I created a Google start page on my regular sturgisps.org address. To that I added many different gadgets and am still playing around with them. I think my biggest hurdle is knowing which site to access, and when. I feel like I have too many different sites/emails etc. and that something might fall through the cracks because I don't attend to every site, every day. Any suggestions on how to manage the many different sites?
Thing 11 - Sites
Thing 11 - Sites
Creating a website through google docs is fairly simple, although I think limiting too. It could appear limiting to me since I'm not well versed in it yet. I was stumped on adding gadgets and tried to put some pics on a page and my efforts failed. I think I need more time with this one. I have a "stretching and shrinking" unit that has a culminating project. With some thought I believe I could adapt it to the computer and I think the students would really like that.
Creating a website through google docs is fairly simple, although I think limiting too. It could appear limiting to me since I'm not well versed in it yet. I was stumped on adding gadgets and tried to put some pics on a page and my efforts failed. I think I need more time with this one. I have a "stretching and shrinking" unit that has a culminating project. With some thought I believe I could adapt it to the computer and I think the students would really like that.
Thing 10 - Presentations
Thing 10 - Presentation
Using google docs presentation my team was able to create a pretty cool show on the topic of happiness. Since I have never created any type of computer presentation I found myself getting lost quite a few times, deleting accidentally, and also having fun "playing". This is a great way to collaborate on a project and fairly easy to navigate through. I could see myself creating several presentations on topics within my math class such as solving equations and also little known facts, brain teasers and biographies of math geeks.
Using google docs presentation my team was able to create a pretty cool show on the topic of happiness. Since I have never created any type of computer presentation I found myself getting lost quite a few times, deleting accidentally, and also having fun "playing". This is a great way to collaborate on a project and fairly easy to navigate through. I could see myself creating several presentations on topics within my math class such as solving equations and also little known facts, brain teasers and biographies of math geeks.
Thing 9 - Google Spreadsheets
Thing 9 - Google Spreadsheets
I could see using this technology at the beginning of the year to gather data on my students - such as name, address, email, phone, etc. I could also use this at parent teacher conferences to get a pulse on how parents thought their student was doing, etc. I really like how it takes the form information and organizes it into a spreadsheet!
Check out my form on my Thing 9 continued blog...
I could see using this technology at the beginning of the year to gather data on my students - such as name, address, email, phone, etc. I could also use this at parent teacher conferences to get a pulse on how parents thought their student was doing, etc. I really like how it takes the form information and organizes it into a spreadsheet!
Check out my form on my Thing 9 continued blog...
Thing 8 - Google Docs
Thing 8 - Google Docs
This could be a great place for collaborative work in the classroom and between other classrooms. One small feature that I particularly like is being able to see all of the edits and by whom. Many times on group projects several carry the burden for the masses. This way it is easier to see how the work was divided up.
Professionally our team will be able to work together on documents without the email hassle factor. I think it will take a little bit of adjustment though before people are truly comfortable with it.
This could be a great place for collaborative work in the classroom and between other classrooms. One small feature that I particularly like is being able to see all of the edits and by whom. Many times on group projects several carry the burden for the masses. This way it is easier to see how the work was divided up.
Professionally our team will be able to work together on documents without the email hassle factor. I think it will take a little bit of adjustment though before people are truly comfortable with it.
Thing 7 - Skype
Thing 7 - Skype
Although I'm not certain how I would use skype in the classroom I do feel it has value to me.
I have had conversations with my team and with the 21 things class. I have tried to record a conversation but am not certain where to see if it recorded or not. Hopefully after our next class I'll have it uploaded to share. Also, I've used the chat feature and find this quite handy. The key is to have others signed up. That could be a hurdle.
My skype id: kdinsmor
Although I'm not certain how I would use skype in the classroom I do feel it has value to me.
I have had conversations with my team and with the 21 things class. I have tried to record a conversation but am not certain where to see if it recorded or not. Hopefully after our next class I'll have it uploaded to share. Also, I've used the chat feature and find this quite handy. The key is to have others signed up. That could be a hurdle.
My skype id: kdinsmor
Thing 6 - Wikis
Thing 6 - Wikis
Truth be told, I'm having a difficult time understanding the magnitude of wikis. On the surface wikis seem like a place where people can collaborate on projects, share information, etc. But peeling back the surface of a wiki exposes layers yet to be discovered. What I do know for certain is that a "wiki" is like the simple term "car". There are many definitions of each, with many variations on a theme - and then some. Specifically, I found myself fascinated with the Aristotle Project on Wiki on Education and wondering how I could use a project such as this in my math class. I could also see our math department creating one site where we share information for our students and their parents to access.
Truth be told, I'm having a difficult time understanding the magnitude of wikis. On the surface wikis seem like a place where people can collaborate on projects, share information, etc. But peeling back the surface of a wiki exposes layers yet to be discovered. What I do know for certain is that a "wiki" is like the simple term "car". There are many definitions of each, with many variations on a theme - and then some. Specifically, I found myself fascinated with the Aristotle Project on Wiki on Education and wondering how I could use a project such as this in my math class. I could also see our math department creating one site where we share information for our students and their parents to access.
Thing 5 - Educational Bookmarking/Networking
Thing 5 - Educational Bookmarking/Networking
Educational Bookmarking
Delicious, an internet-based bookmarking site, has the potential to be amazingly helpful to me as an educator. Besides the obvious of allowing me to access my "favorites" from any computer it does several other jobs nicely. First, it can make searching topics more meaningful since it shows how many others have tagged the same idea. Also I can tap into any one individual's bookmarks to see other sites that might be useful to me. Finally, in the classroom I could have students access certain sites through published bookmarks. I would like to spend time "playing" in this site.
Networking
I joined the social network of Ning in Education. It is a forum of individuals interested in education (really?!). Anyway, I have found information about some current research in several different areas and discussions regarding it. I could join different groups within this site that are of interest to me. There were other nings that would be of interest to students however after reading more in my "ning" it was pointed out that nings could not be utilized by students under 13 years of age. This could present a challenge.
I also joined MACUL and took a look around. I still am not certain what this site is all about. I did notice that many of the posts are several months old. This made me wonder how much activity this site saw.
Educational Bookmarking
Delicious, an internet-based bookmarking site, has the potential to be amazingly helpful to me as an educator. Besides the obvious of allowing me to access my "favorites" from any computer it does several other jobs nicely. First, it can make searching topics more meaningful since it shows how many others have tagged the same idea. Also I can tap into any one individual's bookmarks to see other sites that might be useful to me. Finally, in the classroom I could have students access certain sites through published bookmarks. I would like to spend time "playing" in this site.
Networking
I joined the social network of Ning in Education. It is a forum of individuals interested in education (really?!). Anyway, I have found information about some current research in several different areas and discussions regarding it. I could join different groups within this site that are of interest to me. There were other nings that would be of interest to students however after reading more in my "ning" it was pointed out that nings could not be utilized by students under 13 years of age. This could present a challenge.
I also joined MACUL and took a look around. I still am not certain what this site is all about. I did notice that many of the posts are several months old. This made me wonder how much activity this site saw.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Thing 3 - blogging my way through the year
As a first time blogger I am really not sure how I will utilize this technology in my classroom. Hmmmmm.....I don't know how comfortable I am with putting it "all" out there.
Anyway, perhaps I will use it to help keep middle school parents in the loop. Many parents still want to be involved but find it difficult to get all the info from their kids. This would be a good way to keep in touch.
Anyway, perhaps I will use it to help keep middle school parents in the loop. Many parents still want to be involved but find it difficult to get all the info from their kids. This would be a good way to keep in touch.
About me
Welcome!
As a Sturgis Public Schools graduate I find it a pleasure and an enormous privilege to be on the opposite side of the desk, so to speak, working with the future graduates of Sturgis Public Schools. This is my 7th year working in this district. While working here I have taught Young 5’s, Kindergarten, 7th and 8th grade science, 6th and 8th grade math and currently 7th grade math.
My role as a teacher has me wearing many hats. I am a facilitator, mentor, coach, and cheerleader, to mention just a few! I want to create a strong working relationship between my students, parents and myself in order to ensure that all of my students have a successful year. With that goal in mind, please feel free to contact me with whatever questions, concerns, and/or comments you might have.
As a Sturgis Public Schools graduate I find it a pleasure and an enormous privilege to be on the opposite side of the desk, so to speak, working with the future graduates of Sturgis Public Schools. This is my 7th year working in this district. While working here I have taught Young 5’s, Kindergarten, 7th and 8th grade science, 6th and 8th grade math and currently 7th grade math.
My role as a teacher has me wearing many hats. I am a facilitator, mentor, coach, and cheerleader, to mention just a few! I want to create a strong working relationship between my students, parents and myself in order to ensure that all of my students have a successful year. With that goal in mind, please feel free to contact me with whatever questions, concerns, and/or comments you might have.
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