June 24 - 27
Wow here it is the last week of the technology course. It is crazy how fast 2 months went by. I feel that we learned about so many different sources of technology that we can use in our classrooms. Some of them I like and some I am not so sure if I would use them or not. It is hard when it comes to thinking about using technology in a classroom that you currently do not have. I know that if I get a classroom in the fall I know that I will not have access to as much technology as I would like but you learn to use what you have available to you. As teachers we have to learn this and try to expand on what we have already in our classrooms. Some schools are lucky to have access to several forms of technology.
For the last week we had to evaluate a web 2.0 source. I chose to do mine on Weebly since I spent so much time working on my classroom website over the course of these past few months. I will admit when it came to creating the Weebly site there were some things that I liked adding to the site and then some things that I didn't. I think Weebly is a great site for any teacher to use when creating a classroom website. Weebly offers so many different options to teachers and they don't even have to pay. I will admit that I did not know much about web 2.0 before taking this course and I guess I still don't know that much but I am looking forward to learning more about the different web 2.0 sources that are available to teachers out there!
Here is a link to pintrest which has tons of great links to Web 2.0 resources for teachers!
http://pinterest.com/esheninger/web-2-0-tools-for-educators/
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Classroom Websites
June 17 - 23
This week we had to create a classroom website. For the most part I enjoyed this assignment because it is something that I can use in my future classroom with just a few tweaks. I however did not enjoy adding the widgets or the creative cursor to my website. I feel that the widgets kind of take away from the important parts of the website. I tried to pick ones that would be the most relevant to the classroom but some of the widgets I wanted to use didn't work. I think that if I was to use this site with my actual classroom that I hope to obtain in the fall that I will eliminate the most of the widgets except the countdown. I also struggled with trying to add a cursor to my website. I could not get any of the ones from the website that was supplied to us to work so I searched for other ones. Again, I don't think that the cursors are anything special but instead are an again an unnecessary addition to the site. Mind you these are simply my opinions about the task that we were asked to complete. If I was to use this site for a real classroom I think I would try and make it so it is password protected so that I could add pictures of students completing projects or activities that I might assign in my classroom. I don't feel comfortable adding pictures of real students on the website for the whole wide world to see. Here is the link to my website: http://msdcampbellsclass.weebly.com/ I hope that you all enjoyed looking at it!
I think that this website is very interesting and helpful to teachers. I hope that you enjoy!
http://www.creativeteachingsite.com/
This week we had to create a classroom website. For the most part I enjoyed this assignment because it is something that I can use in my future classroom with just a few tweaks. I however did not enjoy adding the widgets or the creative cursor to my website. I feel that the widgets kind of take away from the important parts of the website. I tried to pick ones that would be the most relevant to the classroom but some of the widgets I wanted to use didn't work. I think that if I was to use this site with my actual classroom that I hope to obtain in the fall that I will eliminate the most of the widgets except the countdown. I also struggled with trying to add a cursor to my website. I could not get any of the ones from the website that was supplied to us to work so I searched for other ones. Again, I don't think that the cursors are anything special but instead are an again an unnecessary addition to the site. Mind you these are simply my opinions about the task that we were asked to complete. If I was to use this site for a real classroom I think I would try and make it so it is password protected so that I could add pictures of students completing projects or activities that I might assign in my classroom. I don't feel comfortable adding pictures of real students on the website for the whole wide world to see. Here is the link to my website: http://msdcampbellsclass.weebly.com/ I hope that you all enjoyed looking at it!
I think that this website is very interesting and helpful to teachers. I hope that you enjoy!
http://www.creativeteachingsite.com/
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
My Concept Map
I have attached my concept map so that my classmates have a chance to see it! Hope you enjoy!
Online Learning and Blackboard Site Creating
June 10 - June 16
While reading through this weeks articles it made me really stop and think about online classes in general. I have taken several online classes through out my college career included my first Master's program that was done completely online. However, for any student to be successful when taking an online class or classes they have to be fully prepared because online classes can be more difficult or challenging then on campus classes. Students have to be good written communicators since most of the communication is written. If a student is unable to clearly express his or her thoughts in a nonverbal way then they are most likely not going to be successful in an online course. But sometimes students are uncomfortable with communicating nonverbally and can "give up" and become less motivated to do the work that is required of an online class. Another part of being a successful online student is being self-motivated as well as self-disciplined. A student needs to be both committed and discipline when it comes to an online class because they are not sitting in a classroom on a daily or weekly basis so they need to step up and make sure they are checking in to their class every day to see what students might have posted on the discussion board and respond to their fellow classmates or to simply turn in an assignment. Again, this links back to the written communication skills because as a student you want to be able to post a response not only to the question posed by the teacher but reply to what your fellow classmates have posted as well as asking them questions related to their posts. This is going to make the online classroom a more successful one because in order to make an online classroom environment more welcoming and excited the students need to be able to feel safe about what they can post and know that they are not going to be criticized by their fellow classmates. But again this is a good way for students to learn from each other by reading what their classmates have posted to see if they think the same way or to just simply see another individuals way of thinking about the topic that you may not have even thought of. Another important aspect of making a student successful online is knowing how to use the technology that is available to them. If a student does not know how to use the basics of a computer they are not going to be successful in an online learning environment. As teachers we are going to try and make sure that all students are going to be successful in the online learning environment but we can not sit there and show our students how to go about the basics of a computer. This is where the student needs to decide whether online classes are for them or not. Online learning is an amazing opportunity but it can be more challenging then the traditional classroom setting. So as a student you need to think of what is going to help you be a more successful student and if you can't communicate nonverbally, be self-motivated and self-disciplined, be committed, or have the basic knowledge of computer skills then online learning might not be right for you. But that is ok because online learning is not for everyone and there is nothing wrong with that.
We also had to create a Blackboard site. I have to admit that I did not have much fun creating my own site. I tried to watch the tutorial videos that were provided but at first I couldn't see any of the images and when I went to YouTube to watch them a few of the videos I felt did not help me a lot. When I tried to watch the video on how to create a DB post it seemed like the video skipped some important steps and well I just tried my best through playing around on the course site to create my course site. I guess that is how we learn through trial and error. I am just wondering if this course would have been a little bit easier if it was a hybrid course and we could have had a step-by-step guide from our teacher how to create a blackboard site. I guess this links in with the discussion about a successful online learner. Sometimes I feel that certain concepts are better learned if taught in an actual classroom rather then the students having to figure out how to do things by themselves. I have attached a link to an article about Converting Face-To-Face learning to Hybrid Course. I hope you enjoy reading it!
http://flightline.highline.edu/id/online/converting.to.hybrid.pdf
While reading through this weeks articles it made me really stop and think about online classes in general. I have taken several online classes through out my college career included my first Master's program that was done completely online. However, for any student to be successful when taking an online class or classes they have to be fully prepared because online classes can be more difficult or challenging then on campus classes. Students have to be good written communicators since most of the communication is written. If a student is unable to clearly express his or her thoughts in a nonverbal way then they are most likely not going to be successful in an online course. But sometimes students are uncomfortable with communicating nonverbally and can "give up" and become less motivated to do the work that is required of an online class. Another part of being a successful online student is being self-motivated as well as self-disciplined. A student needs to be both committed and discipline when it comes to an online class because they are not sitting in a classroom on a daily or weekly basis so they need to step up and make sure they are checking in to their class every day to see what students might have posted on the discussion board and respond to their fellow classmates or to simply turn in an assignment. Again, this links back to the written communication skills because as a student you want to be able to post a response not only to the question posed by the teacher but reply to what your fellow classmates have posted as well as asking them questions related to their posts. This is going to make the online classroom a more successful one because in order to make an online classroom environment more welcoming and excited the students need to be able to feel safe about what they can post and know that they are not going to be criticized by their fellow classmates. But again this is a good way for students to learn from each other by reading what their classmates have posted to see if they think the same way or to just simply see another individuals way of thinking about the topic that you may not have even thought of. Another important aspect of making a student successful online is knowing how to use the technology that is available to them. If a student does not know how to use the basics of a computer they are not going to be successful in an online learning environment. As teachers we are going to try and make sure that all students are going to be successful in the online learning environment but we can not sit there and show our students how to go about the basics of a computer. This is where the student needs to decide whether online classes are for them or not. Online learning is an amazing opportunity but it can be more challenging then the traditional classroom setting. So as a student you need to think of what is going to help you be a more successful student and if you can't communicate nonverbally, be self-motivated and self-disciplined, be committed, or have the basic knowledge of computer skills then online learning might not be right for you. But that is ok because online learning is not for everyone and there is nothing wrong with that.
We also had to create a Blackboard site. I have to admit that I did not have much fun creating my own site. I tried to watch the tutorial videos that were provided but at first I couldn't see any of the images and when I went to YouTube to watch them a few of the videos I felt did not help me a lot. When I tried to watch the video on how to create a DB post it seemed like the video skipped some important steps and well I just tried my best through playing around on the course site to create my course site. I guess that is how we learn through trial and error. I am just wondering if this course would have been a little bit easier if it was a hybrid course and we could have had a step-by-step guide from our teacher how to create a blackboard site. I guess this links in with the discussion about a successful online learner. Sometimes I feel that certain concepts are better learned if taught in an actual classroom rather then the students having to figure out how to do things by themselves. I have attached a link to an article about Converting Face-To-Face learning to Hybrid Course. I hope you enjoy reading it!
http://flightline.highline.edu/id/online/converting.to.hybrid.pdf
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Concept Maps
June 2 - June 9
Well another week is done. This week we had to make a concept map about a chose topic. I figured that I might as well do my concept map on the Revolutionary War since I spent so much time creating the Prezi and lesson plan. The concept map was a little easy to do and was also a little bit of fun. I am not sure however if I would use something like this in my classroom but I might have my students do it because it is an easy way for students to display important information about a topic is a quick and easy way. I think that creating a concept map this way is going to be more creative then having to do one on a poster board. Below I have included a link to an article from Stanford about using concept maps in the classroom. I hope you guys enjoy it!
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/SEAL/Reports_Papers/Vanides_CM.pdf
Well another week is done. This week we had to make a concept map about a chose topic. I figured that I might as well do my concept map on the Revolutionary War since I spent so much time creating the Prezi and lesson plan. The concept map was a little easy to do and was also a little bit of fun. I am not sure however if I would use something like this in my classroom but I might have my students do it because it is an easy way for students to display important information about a topic is a quick and easy way. I think that creating a concept map this way is going to be more creative then having to do one on a poster board. Below I have included a link to an article from Stanford about using concept maps in the classroom. I hope you guys enjoy it!
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/SEAL/Reports_Papers/Vanides_CM.pdf
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Internet Resource Evaluation #2
How could I use this: I think I
would use this site to create simple diagrams to use in my classroom discussing
various topics. I also think that I would encourage my students to learn how to
use this site so that way they can create a flow chart or diagram on a topic of
their choosing. I think this way they could share a concept with the class that
they worked hard on by creating a flow chart or diagram. I think I would have
the Standard package so that way my students’ work could be kept safe. This
package would also keep my diagrams private and safe as well so that way I
could use them the following year without having to worry about losing my work.
Ease of Use: This site seems pretty easy to use. This site is used to create flow charts and diagrams. The user can select from a pre-made template or create one from scratch. The user can simply place the shapes where ever they want and can simply add text and connections by adding a line connector. Changing the size, color, and fonts is easy by simply clicking on the properties box. Finally, the user can easily export to a variety of different formats making their project easy to share with others!
Cost: Gliffy has three different price plans.
1.
Free: no private diagrams, 2 MB of storage space, the
user can create 5 diagrams, and there is no collaboration feature.
2.
Standard: Cost is $49.50/year for each user. The user gets
200 MB of storage space, 200 diagrams, unlimited collaborators as well as
access to private diagrams.
3.
Pro: $99.50/year for each user. Also, there is unlimited
storage space, diagrams, and collaborators.
Flexibility of Design: This
site seems really easy to create any flow chart or diagram that you need in
your classroom or business. The user of course will have a lot more flexibility
with their designs if they choose one of the paid plans compared to the free
plan. Also, there are no private diagrams for the users who have the free plan.
The collaboration feature can also add some additional benefits because you can
revert back to what you originally had if you don’t like something someone else
did.
Security: The only plans that are protected are the Standard and Pro. With these two plans the site stores the users’ documents on secure servers that are backed up so no information will be lost. The users who simply have the free plan can only have public documents so their work is not secure.
How could I use this: I think I
would use this site with my students to encourage them to make a simple
presentation. I think this site would be simple enough for any student to use
in the classroom. I like how this site focuses more on the information that is
being presented rather than a whole bunch of different styles. I think this
would be a good site to use with the students in order to get them used to
making simple diagrams before setting them free on a site that has more
features. I would want my students to understand the basics of making a diagram
so they don’t feel so overwhelmed if they were starting out on a more complex
site.
Ease of Use: This site is pretty easy and simple to use. The users simply double clicks and places the popple wherever they choose. The tools that the user can choose from to enhance their popple are borders, font size, text alignment, pictures – both clip art and drawings, connecting to an existing popple or deleting the popple can be found all around the popple. This makes the site very simple for any user. The user can also add YouTube videos, as well as pictures from Flickr and Google maps. The only downfall is that you cannot edit the shapes or designs and can’t export to a variety of formats.
Cost: Popplet has three different plans:
1.
Free: 5 popplets and can use all of the features.
2.
Monthly: Cost is $3/Month and can create unlimited
popplets while using unlimited features.
3.
Yearly: $30/year and can create unlimited popplets while
using unlimited features.
Flexibility of Design: There is
not much creativity in the way of design style. This site is simple and basic
and just focuses on the information that is being presented and not much on the
design of the popple.
Security: This site offers three different levels of security. The user can choose to share their popple, collaborate with other users allowing them to make additions, or collaborate with other users by allowing editing. The users chooses whether to keep their popple private or share it publicly.
How could I use this: I honestly
do not think I would use this site in my classroom because it was difficult to
figure out how to use and only after a little bit of playing around was I able
to figure out what to do. I don’t think this site is very student friendly
either especially not with the younger students since they are drawn to
different colors that “jump out” at them and draw them in.
Ease of Use: Unlike all of the other sites I have evaluated both this week and last week this one seems very complicated to figure out how to use. It starts by not giving the prices for the different plans that are available. I think that the prices should be listed so that any individual who is interested in signing up can see the different options. There is little explanation on what to do when you start your project. Once the user clicks start here, you can edit the text and point size. The only color that you can have is black or white. The feature button allows the user to change the background picture, place a picture, add a link, or delete the bubble. It is simple to save.
Cost: Slatebox offers two different plans that also include 3 different options for the organization plans. However, there are no prices listed for any of the plans.
1. Free: This option is for one user only and allows private/public
slates with a URL
slatebox.com/YourName.
slatebox.com/YourName.
2. Organization Plan: Team slates with URL organization.slatebox.com,
app store with access to both free and paid visualization apps, dashboard
management, and unlimited slates.
a.
Basic: 10
users with all the features listed above.
b.
Pro: 60
users, with all the features above and IOS/Android support.
c.
Massive:
125 users, with all the features above, IOS/Andriod support and bonus
integration features.
Flexibility of Design: Like I
mentioned above this site is not very easy to use and does not offer many
design features. Also, the user has to do much of the figuring out on how to
use the site through exploration because there is not much help. If you ask me
it is very boring and too complicated for most users.
Security: The user decides whether they want their slates to be private or public. All of the plans allow both private and public slates.
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