Exploring New Things (Thing Twelve)

As I started exploring some new tools that I haven't used before, I was drawn to Be Funky.  I'll be honest...I thought the name sounded interesting.  This website is great for photo editing.  It has an endless amount of photo editing features.  These features go beyond the basic cropping and changing your picture into black and white.  You can add frames, text, and graphics to an uploaded picture.  There are also different effects that you can choose from.  The site is incredibly easy to use.  I don't think it could be any easier.  The most challenging thing about this website is you could spend hours just clicking on the different features and effects to change your picture.  This is definitely something I will use on a regular basis for my personal use.  For classroom use, the students would enjoy using this site.  They would probably have a lot of fun editing pictures especially since many of my young students may not have ever done this before.  The most monitoring that would be required is making sure that students have uploaded an appropriate picture.  As long as the original picture was appropriate, they probably could freely use the features of the site without worrying about them running into trouble.  I think the students could show me their understanding of a topic by using the text feature of the site.  I could upload a picture that reflects a standard and they could label the picture with the appropriate text.  Also, I like the imaginative and creative element of this site.  Students don't get to tap into their creative sides very often so I think this site could remedy that.  Overall, I think this is a really fun website!  Check out my before and after picture below of my beloved dog Jules that I edited using Be Funky.

Before:

After:



After I had explored Be Funky, I decided to check out another website based on a recommendation.  I went to Glogster EDU.  This is something that students could really take ownership of and show their understanding.  Glogster is a site that allows you to create digital posters.  Above and beyond that, there are many great social features to the website.  Tags can be added to your glog and your glog can placed into a subject category that allows others to view your digital poster.  Glogs can be shared digitally or they can be printed.  Glogster would have a lot of uses in the classroom (for productivity and for students).  As a teacher, I could create a plethora of posters that I could use in my classroom or on my classroom blogs.  They could be content-related or related to the rituals and routines of my classroom.  Also, students can create posters using the site.  This site isn't quite as user-friendly as Be Funky, but it is still easy to use.  Again, this site would allow students to be creative.  It could really take the old "poster report project" to the next level.

iRespond Training

Description: This field experience consisted of attended two iRespond training sessions.  The trainings consisted of ways to use iRespond in the classroom and for productivity.  This field experience allowed me to further implement iRespond in the classroom and with students as well as help my colleagues and coworkers through their iRespond questions.

Standards: TF-I.A, TF-I.B (Technology Operations and Concepts), TF-V.A-C (Productivity and Professional Practice)

Semester: Spring 2011

Hours: 2 Hours (February 17 and February 24)

Population:  Elementary School Teachers (General and Special Ed.)

Reflection:  This field experience allowed me to gain deeper understanding in using iRespond Response Systems.  This is important because I can implement the use of iRespond in my classroom with my students and help my coworkers develop a deeper understanding as well.  Professional learning opportunities allow me to grow stronger as a technology facilitator and leader in my school as they give me an opportunity to teach others what I have learned.  Also, they are allowing me to become an expert in the field I plan I getting in to.

The Finished Product...Sort Of (Thing Eleven)

So I talked a little bit about pulling photos from Flickr to teach my students about solid figures.  Here is the slide show that I created representing those pictures:

The slide show shows a real world photo of each type of solid figure that I have to teach students about in fourth grade.  I think using the real photos takes the standards outside of the classroom and shows them how they will apply the knowledge. As we are going through the slide show, I could talk with my students about the characteristics of each figure to introduce them to the concepts.  I could also use a slide show to assess my student's understanding of each figure (I would take away the captions for that).

I used the website http://www.slide.com/ to create my slideshow, and I have learned that I definitely need more experience using the site.  I was a little frustrated that I couldn't get the end product that I was thinking of in my head (hence the "sort of" in the title of this post).  With a little time and practice, I'm sure I will be a pro in no time.

Photo Credits:

Cylinder http://www.flickr.com/photos/fordsbasement/4581447234/sizes/l/in/photostream/

By fordsbasement

Cube http://www.flickr.com/photos/saturnino/2741287457/sizes/l/in/photostream/

By sekundo

Sphere http://www.flickr.com/photos/researchgirl/4961459251/sizes/l/in/photostream/

By researchgirl

Cone http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_curb/3130893505/sizes/l/in/photostream/

By Peter Curbishley

Pyramid http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaybergesen/3335698859/sizes/l/in/photostream/

By jaybergesen

Triangular Prism http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-travelling-bum/5334394660/sizes/l/in/photostream/

By The Travelling Bum

Rectangular Prism http://www.flickr.com/photos/brenda-starr/3466702375/sizes/o/in/photostream/

By ~Brenda-Starr~

Fascinating Flickr (Thing Ten)

Wow!  Who knew that Flickr, the online photo storing website, could be so useful in education!  I have only used Flickr to view family or friends' photos.  I have never thought of its uses in the classroom.  After learning about Creative Commons, it will definitely be a site that I use more to pull photos from.

As I started to explore Flickr, I wanted to find pictures that would directly relate to a fourth grade standard.  In a few weeks, I will be teaching my students about solid figures (cubes, pyramids, spheres, etc...).  I would love to find a real world tie-in to teaching my students all the characteristics (aka boring information) about the figures.  I got the brilliant idea to pull photos from Flickr that represented each of the types of solid figures using pictures taken in the real world.  I can use the photos as an introduction to solid figures or I can use the photos at the end of the unit as an assessment.  As you can see above, I found a great photo to represent the figure sphere.

As David Jakes says, "Being visually literate is just as important as reading and writing and should be considered a fundamental literacy of a 21st Century education." (See his wiki at Visual Literacy and 21st Century Skills) There are so many uses for Flickr in the classroom.  Ultimately, I could pull pictures of each type of quadrilateral so my students could review these characteristics.  I also think Flickr could be used in many of the language arts areas.  Prompt writing, looking at synonym or homophones, and using adjectives are all ways that Flickr could become meaningful in the classroom.  Flickr is also great for looking at history and geography.  Really the possibilities are endless, and I'm glad that I have learned a little more about using Flickr!

Photo Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/researchgirl/4961459251/sizes/l/in/photostream/ (By researchgirl)

Some Rights Reserved (Thing Nine)

Creative Commons:  Something that I have never even heard of....until today. 

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I really didn't know all that much about Copyright until today either.  I know a little about the Copyright Act and I feel like I know the basics (especially about the legal uses as a teacher).  Mostly, I know that if I'm not following the rules set up by the Copyright Act then I am breaking the law.  Let's be honest though, in the moment of making copies, creating a powerpoint, or using internet media, not many people care all that much about the rules of Copyright.  I think the problem is that wording of the Copyright Act and Fair Use Guidelines can be confusing and people don't want to take the time to really understand it.  Not to mention, as a teacher, rules and laws can get in the way of the materials that you really need to teach your students!

I definitely didn't know that the instant something is created it might as well be stamped with that little "c" in the circle...pretty much everything has a copyright. I know that little "c" indicates all rights reserved, which really disables anyone else to use or modify the work.  That is great if you want to reserve all rights, but sometimes an author or artist wants a little flexibility and may not mind if eithers use or modify their work.  That is where Creative Commons come into place.

I have never noticed Creative Commons (indicated by a "cc" in a circle) on a website before.  I've also never looked for it before either!  It is definitely something I will keep my eyes out for.

I have been working on writing research reports with my students, and, just last week, I taught a lesson about researching using the internet.  My students are pretty young so it can be hard to get the point across that work or media online is really only for us to read or look at.  We cannot "borrow or steal" someone else's work.  While that is true in most cases, Creative Commons allows for a little more flexibility.

As a teacher, I find myself using media from the internet all the time.  I usually don't think twice about it, but I probably should be more careful in the future.  I wouldn't want someone else use my work without my permission!  Now that I know more about Creative Commons (and how to use the Creative Commons search engine), I will be more likely to use clip art and media that is completely legal to use.  I really like the feature of the search engine that allows me to use Google Images and Flickr to find media that is legal to use.

Overall, I think Creative Commons is something important for educators to know and understand.  It not only reminds me of the importance of following Copyright laws, but is also allows me to use some resources and media that I find online.

DeCODING the Web

HTML code can be confusing, but for some reason I like it!  I probably won't take up the task of creating a website or my portfolio from scratch using HTML code, but I do like understanding "behind the scenes". 

I first learned HTML code in high school.  I took a web page design class so I have a little (teeny, tiny miniscule amount) background in web page design.  Then, the big MySpace craze started and I got a little practice using HTML code in creating a profile for the site.  Now, I'm getting the opportunity to jump back into using "The Code" while I'm getting my master's degree. 

I think it is really beneficial to understand the basics of HTML code.  It can help you fix small glitches while creating a web page.  Also, I think it makes me well-arounded as a future instructional technology leader.  Honestly, anyone can use a template or a pre-designed plan, but understanding HTML code gives me a little bit of an edge.

In the next few weeks, I need to begin looking at how I'm going to set up my online portfolio that will ultimately be one of the final elements I need to graduate.  I'm a little overwhelmed with the task.  I've never really created a website before.  The most extensive thing I've done is blogging, and this project will definitely take more than that.  I do know one thing: I'm not planning on creating the site from scratch using HTML code.  That would be really overwhelming.  I will probably use a free site like SeaMonkey or GoogleSites.  Listen out for more information about what steps I take next in creating my portfolio in the near future.

Wiki Wiki (Thing Seven)

Wikis are one of the Web 2.0 tools that I really know the least about.  I totally get Wikipedia and how it works, but I have never ventured out to create my own wiki or use wikis in the classroom.  I've heard colleagues and classmates of mine talk about how they used wikis in their classroom so I've known it was possible.  I took the time to research and investigate educational wikis today and I found out a lot of interesting information. 

Overall, I really like the idea of creating a wiki as a comprehensive tool that all students collaborate on.  The Let's Go West wiki really required a lot of collaboration to create an end project that all the students could use to learn from (as well as anyone else who visits the wiki).  I like the idea of breaking down one big subject into smaller parts and having my students responsible for researching and developing an article on each of these parts.  Finally, the students post all of their articles to our wiki, and, voila, a great resource is born.  I teach intermediate level students so I think that this could easily be accomplished within my classroom.  It could definitely meet social studies or science standards (depending on the topic we choose) and it would be a great authentic task to teach informational writing standards.  I think the students would be motivated to partipate knowing that other people would be viewing our work.  In older grades, I can see where a wiki of this nature would become a wonderful study guide for the students to use.  How amazing is it that the study guide for a course or a semester could be created by the students?  The Math 12V Outcomes Portfolio really represents this idea. 

I've always viewed wikis as what I see on the Let's Go West and Math 12V Outcomes Portfolio pages, but I got exposed to a few other ideas as well.  In the Codeblue wiki, the page opens with a list of links that could be useful to reference.  Next week, I am teaching my students how to research for an informational report.  We go in to several lessons about using online sources.  It would be a great assessment to have my students create a wiki page of linked sources they used; therefore, I can see if my students are using the appropriate sites for their research and all the students could refer to the page to help them with their reports.  I also liked how the Codeblue wiki has students collaborating with medical professionals.  It is a great idea to get field experts involved with a classroom wiki, and it will probably take the students' learning to a higher level.

Finally, I thought about ways to introduce a wiki and using wikis to my students without "scaring" them away from the idea.  Wikis don't have to just be about researching informational topics.  I really enjoyed the Kindergarten Counting Book.  What a great way to get younger students involved in a wiki!  The page consists of numbers and photographs and a minimal amount of words so I think my students would find it interesting.  Also, I plan on showing my students The Thousands Project as well.  I think this wiki really shows how global wikis can be.  A wiki can be a great source of collaboration outside of the classroom as much as inside in the classroom!

I am beginning to develop my own ideas of how I will use a wiki in my classroom with my students.  I definitely feel motivated to begin using wikis.  I think my students will enjoy it and it is a great way to get my students collaborating with each other.

RSS = Really Simple AND Really Smart! (Thing Five)

I love love love Google Reader!  There are so many amazing things about it.  I keep up with my RSS feed on my phone so it is convenient.  Not too mention, it keeps me informed...really informed.  I can follow a wide variety of blogs and newsfeeds.  In one place, so many of my interests are met ranging from education news to instructional technology news to friends' blogs to entertainment gossip.  If you don't know about using an RSS feed, I highly recommend you get informed!  I promise you will love it too!

As I was looking through my Google Reader this weekend, I found quite of few interesting articles and blogs.

An interesting post about creating 3-D pop-up story books online stood out to me.  I currently plan writing for the fourth grade team at the school that I work at.  I'm always looking for new ways to engage my students in writing.  The website is called ZooBurst.  It allows teachers or students to publish stories online.  The original blog post gave me a little information about the site and some positives and negatives.  ZooBurst definitely looks like something I will check out in the future.  Here is the link to the blog post:
http://blogs.learnnc.org/instructify/2011/02/04/zooburst-3d-popup-books-elementary/.

Hope you get a chance to check it out!

P.S. I found another interesting article that really caught my eye about teachers, students, and Facebook.  Take a look at it here: http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/36512.  Let me know your thoughts if you get a chance to check it out.