Final Reflection

What were your favorite 2 assignments in this class and why?

I really enjoyed doing the digital story assignment and the concept map assignment. The digital story assignment allows students to be creative, and I can see how this could be used as an assessment tool, or a great way to introduce a lesson. I also liked the concept map assignment that I did in inspiration because I am a organized person, and this is such a neat way to organize one's thoughts.

What are the top 3 technology tools you hope to use in your future classroom/position?

Unitedstreaming- Teachers can access lesson plans, video clips, and even games!
Inspiration- Teachers and students can use this to develop concept maps to oraganize thoughts.
Powerpoint- Powerpoints are a wonderful tool for both the teacher and students to use to display information.

What piece of technology would you like to get better at, and what are the steps you can take to improve your skills?

I would like to get better at using the promethean board. What a wonderful technology to use in the classroom! The students love to actively be engaged! I plan to attend the promethean board training our county provides to help me develop the skills I need for this to be a success!

DHMO Website:

--Who wrote or produced the information?

Tom Way

--What authority or special knowledge does the author have?

I did not really see any credentials listed.

If the site is credited to an organization, what do you know about that organization?

The organization which this site is credited to is the United States Environmental Assessment Center.

--What bias or slant do you detect in the source? What does it say that indicates a bias?

This website definitely sheds a negative light on DHMO and is very biased against it. Everything stated is not proven to be true, but this website states information as if they were facts.

--Should DHMO be banned? Why or why not?

I do not believe that DHMO should be banned because it is important for our health.

Podcasts

Podcasts are a very unique way to communicate with others. I think that it would be cool to do podcasts with my students, but the question is, will I have the time? I understand the purposes of them, and I am sure it would be very beneficial to have the students create one. My concern is whether there is enough time in the day to do all these activities and get everything else on our lesson plans accomplished. To be honest, I was confused which podcasts we were supposed to listen to, so I listened to one from Willowcast, and one from Coleycast.

Willowcast has a very cute podcast called Fabulous Fish. After Mrs. Wiederholt's first graders read a story in their reading series, they did research and created their own segments in this podcast. The host, Joe, does a fabulous job tying every section together and making connections. This podcast included a variety of information including fish facts, how fish survive, how fish swim, the most interesting fish, and some funny fish jokes. I really enjoyed listening to this, and they had me captivated from the beginning. What a fun way to do research! I am sure the parents will enjoy listening to their own children in this podcast as well.

Coleycast had a podcast called Wind Folktales that struck my interest. During the science unit on weather, students were given the assignment of writing a folktale which would answer the question, "Where does wind come from?" This allows the students to delve into their creative juices and it was very interesting to see the different points of view the students took. This assignment was very imaginative, and I like that a lot because it allows those creative students to shine. It was a good idea for the teacher to turn this assignment into a podcast to bring all of the student's stories together.

Digital Stories

Digital stories are a great way to get students engaged by either watching a story that teaches content, or by the students physically creating one. Digital stories would be a great way to introduce new material before a lesson to get the students interested. When a class makes their own digital story, it can help students organize ideas as they learn to create stories for an audience, and present their ideas and knowledge in a meaningful way.

We watched a plethora of digital stories in class, but there are two that stick out in my mind. There was a digital story that I really liked, and one that I did not care for all that much. The digital story that I really liked was about animals in the rainforest. Students each drew a picture of an animal in the rainforest and read an interesting fact about each animal. This video was full of intriguing details and creative illustrations. I felt like this was a very unique way for students to do research.

The other digital story was about a letter to the president. This video was definitely made to express the opinions of those who do not support our president and his decisions. Although I did not agree with this video, I saw that digital storytelling is an excellent way to invoke feelings, and express opinions/thoughts/ideas of others.

Martin Scorese: The Importance of Visual Literacy

As a future teacher, I feel very convicted about meeting the needs of all students. To do this, teachers need to be aware of all the different learning styles, and how to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students. This video about the importance of visual literacy helped me to see that not only do the visual learners need to be exposed to images and develop skills to interpret them, but all learners need to be able to make meaning from an image. Martin Scorsese states that it is very important to reach young children at an early age to look at images and interpret them. Visual literacy is another type of intelligence that is beneficial for students to possess. Visual literacy allows students to see how ideas and emotions are expressed through a visual form the same as grammar or vocabulary. Before watching this video, I was unaware of how strong visual literacy is, and how powerful it can be for students to develop. By teaching visual literacy to my students, I will be enabling them to express themselves through visual images.

Day 1 Teaching Perceptions

1. Who are you and what are you going to teach/do as a result of the degree you're currently seeking?

My name is Alexis Outlaw. I am an Early Childhood Education major, and I will be teaching kindergarten at Canongate Elementary in the fall.

2. Why are you taking this class and how do you feel about that?

I am taking this class so I can become more familiar and comfortable using technology. I look forward to integrating technology in my own classroom. I am excited about being able to use the tools I learn from this class to become a more efficient and effective teacher.

3. What do teachers/others need to know about supporting learning with technology and why do think they need to know it?

It is very important to support learning with technology. So many things are done on the computer today, and that is not going to change. The computer allows us to find information instantly. Another great form of technology in the classrooms is Promethean boards. The students absolutely love being able to learn while doing. They are actively engaged while using the activ board.

4. What do you hope to get out of this class?

By the end of this course, I hope to be able to develop tools that I will be able to put in my toolbox to help incorporate technology in my classroom. I think it would be wonderful for me to feel comfortable enough to create a blog for my classroom for the parents and students.

5. What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to using technology?

A weakness of mine when using technology is becoming anxious. I get frustrated really easily when I can not figure out my mistake. A strength of mine when it comes to using technology is I always like to try new things, and I like to get my students actively involved in learning. Technology will allow me to do so.