Final Blog Reflection

I think that the most useful technology that I've learned this semester is Blogger. I definitely plan on using this with my students as a tool to keep them involved. They will be able to post and share and to find assignments in one specific location online. I think this will help them to be more successful in my class. I also really like this technology because parents would be able to see it and understand what is going on in my classroom rather than just guessing. Students will also have a greater audience which will be helpful when teaching writing to my students in the classroom.

In my teaching, I want to use technology continuously. With a blog, I would introduce my students to the concept and require assignments. I also would like to try collaboration with students and creating projects. I would also like to have a class wiki where students can share their work with others. This will help them in the classroom. I think it's important to continuously learn about new technology so I can introduce my students to these tools. They may need to know them in the future and providing them this access will help them to succeed.

In order to engage my students in active learning, I plan on having them experience and practice using these technologies. There is a good chance that my students will need to know about certain technologies in order to succeed when they are working in the future. Pointing this out when teaching will help them to be more engaged. Also showing them models can make them excited. However, I think it's incredibly important to have them create products using the technology so that they are a direct participant in the classroom.

Partipation: Wikis

I really like Wikis. I think they would be extremely useful in the classroom. It provides a place for students to share their work with one another and to receive feedback. I know I have used them frequently in my education and they have helped me. I like the idea of using them to teach different principles as well. Grammar is something that is difficult for students to grasp but putting examples on a Wiki can help them to see what other students have been able to find. I would also use a Wiki to share work. It would provide a real audience for students. They would be able to look at other students' work and to see what is required. It would also be possible to keep past student examples so that current students can see what other students have done, but they wouldn't be looking at their classmates work. It provides a greater incentive to do good work when it is published in this setting, which would be great for revision and editing lessons.

Revising Personal Technology project

I went through and made the suggested changes to my project. If you click on the links from the other post it will take you to the new project.

Thanks.

Partipation- November 30

They have a new form of technology and a new way of bringing technology into the classroom in the Davis School District. I found out about it this weekend. Usually, students are unable to bring laptops or computers into the classroom because they are a distraction, but many students now have Netbooks. These are smaller, but give students the same ability to spend time with technology in the classroom. In the computer lab, there were many technical difficulties and a student had a Netbook. Her group was able to be successful because of this technology. I'm not sure I'd want Netbooks in my classroom on a consistent basis, but I do think they would be beneficial to have in order to allow students to have more access to technology in the classroom.

Personal Technology Project

This is the link to my lesson plan in Google Docs. Lesson plan
I also created two different artifacts. The first is the example that a student could create for the peer review portion of the assignment. The second is an example of two students collaborating on a presentation. They outlined the basic ideas that they were going to focus on.

Partipipation: WritingFix

I was looking on the class blog and saw that someone found a resource called WritingFix. I decided to look at it because it seemed to be applicable to my content area. I loved the site- I think it will be enormously beneficial when I start teaching. It not only defines different things and gives lesson plans, but it also gives resources that teachers can go to in order to find additional information. This website provides methods to become a stronger teacher in the classroom. It also provides opportunities to connect with other teachers and hear their ideas, through this form of technology.

Participation- Zoho

I just spent time looking at the Zoho website. This provides opportunities for collaboration for students. It's a really interesting website- there are lots of different technologies you can incorporate into the class with this. I think in my actual class I would be interested in introducing this to my students. I'm not sure I would have them use the program for everything, but it would definitely be beneficial for them to at least be introduced to all of the options.

Personal Technology Project Idea

For this project, I am planning on researching Google Docs. I know we have spent time putting assignments onto Google Docs to share with students as part of other assignments, but the direction I want to go with this project is a little different. I want to research how to use Google Docs collaboratively and how students would be able to do this in the classroom. I haven't ever had the opportunity to do this before but I have many friends who enjoy doing this activity. I think it will be beneficial for me to study this as a way for students to work together to improve their writing.

Multimedia Project

This project and the technology would be valuable in the classroom because it gives students a chance to show their abilities. For this assignment, I responded as a student might in receiving an assignment to explore setting. I think that using this technology would be valuable because it forces both an exploration of plot, as well as how the setting affects the story.

I would also implement this technology in my class when giving students a chance to explore the relationship between text and visual imagery. The blend between the two is very important, and the text can strengthen this.

Participation: Response to Ashley's Blog

When I read the blog about OWL I became intrigued. It sounds like a great program and tool for students. I also started thinking about how much I could have benefited from something like this in high school. I feel like I had very little preparation and background in writing before I was expected to show my teachers my works. By allowing kids to explore different parts of technology, they become able to learn on their own, as well as in the classroom.

Participation: Google Calender

Before I did the Internet Communications assignment, I didn't know that there was an application called Google Calender. When I found out this was part of the assignment, I did it without thinking and spending much time realizing what a huge benefit this could be. Recently, I decided to check my gmail account to clean up the email that it had received and I found out that the Calender sends you reminders so that you don't forget about events coming up. This would be hugely beneficial in a class because it would allow students to remember things. I know I check my email regularly and will remember things that I am told over it more than I do if it is said in class. This would be a great tool to have students create so that they can remember big assignments for your class.

Participation: Using Technology in the Classroom

This week I had the opportunity to teach in a classroom where there isn't much technology available. In order to be successful, I decided to incorporate a film presentation as well as several overheads. These overheads focused on materials that I found using the Internet that strengthened my lesson on metaphors. It was good to see how technology really strengthens the classroom. When the film was turned on, the students immediately paid attention, even though they weren't really interested in the content. They were then able to make connections between what I showed them and the lesson for the day.

Storyboard

This is the link to my storyboard that I created: Storyboard . It discusses the basic plan I have for my students and what one student might do for an assignment.

Internet Safety Teaching

Before doing this, I watched the video on Frontline: Growing Up Online. From this video, I learned about what kids are doing and thinking when they make these decisions. I have never understood about why people act certain ways online, and I realized that it is a way of experimenting with identity, which many people used to do through their actions. It was interesting to me to hear about the attention that these kids received and that motivated their actions. It addicted them because they received attention and it was something for them to do when they were bored. I also thought it was interesting that many of the students have relationships purely through the Internet.

I spoke with a fifteen year old who just started tenth grade. She hasn't had a lot of exposure to the Internet, but knows the basic principles.

This experience was valuable. It was interesting to get her persective. We talked about the identity that kids create on the Internet and how she has seen that in her life. We also discussed ways of preventing this and different thoughts she has about why this is a negative thing. She recently opened a Facebook account and enjoys being on this, but she was very clear that she has friends in reality and that they would rather spend time together; Facebook is just a tool that they use in boredom. I think this was a very good conversation because I was able to see more than just my point of view of the Internet.

Internet Safety Reading

I chose to read the talk given by Elder Bednar at the CES fireside. I really enjoyed the talk and thought he made a lot of good points. One of the strongest ideas for me is that we sometimes become so ingrained in the importance of cyber relationships that we don't take the time to develop interpersonal relationships. This is so important because it is one of the skills that we need to learn. Another important idea that he shared is that we need to recognize our own reality. The example he gave of a man who created a different persona while online was surprising to me, but I can see how people can get caught up in it. The final main point was that technology can be a good thing. It allows us to get to know other people, retain friendships, and share the gospel. We need to utilize what we have in order to attain these goals.

As a parent or teacher, I would use the information given in this talk to teach my children/students about when to use technology. There are some instances when it's a great tool, and others when it can become a device of Satan. Knowing this, I would give them the chance to explore and find things on the Internet, but keep an eye on what information they share and discuss these ideas with them.

I think I can use the information from this article to become a positive influence as I perform the ideas for myself. Being an example is vital in teaching and will influence those around me greatly. I think I can also use it as I discuss these ideas with those around me and try to give them opportunities to do things that they wouldn't normally.

Picnik

I used the program to crop and fix the eyes in the picture. Originally there was a high level of red eye which I lowered. I also chose to crop the picture so that the focus was more upon me and not the items surrounding me.

Poetry Unit

This video shows us what poetry can become. They changed a popular poem to make it fit their beliefs and ideas better. This used rhythm to continue the poem, which is essential in poetry.



Why is this poetry? What did she do to create the feeling in the poem? What are some ways we can do this? It's through the rhythm that we use and the patterns in the writing.

Class assignment

Goodreads

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Course Calender

Introduction to Me and Our School

My name is Ms. Ence and I am going to be your instructor for this course. This is my first year teaching English and I am very excited to get to know all of my students. I love reading books- all kinds- and would love any suggestions that you can offer me. One of my favorite things to do is to ski in the winter, or to swim in the summer.





Our school is a great place to get to know one another and to learn about different backgrounds and groups. In order to find our school, I've included a map for you to follow.

Mt. Nebo Junior High:


View Larger Map

Good Reads

One really great way of networking with other English teachers is through Good Reads. This is a website that allows you to record and share different books with people that you have read. You are able to comment and review these books, discussing what is good and bad about them and why. With teaching, teachers would be able to recommend books for certain grade levels and types of students through Good Reads, increasing the amount of discussion that could take place.

Teaching Response

I just finished reading a blog that talked about teaching seventh graders. The teacher enjoyed the experience, but was surprised about the confusion that arose from the assignment. I have my first teaching experience this week for my practicum, and I haven't fully prepared yet. I wrote out my lesson plan, but I think I need to change some things. Because of what this other student said, I have realized that I need to go back and clarify some of the ideas in my plan to help my students succeed.

Copyright Analysis

The first video I watched was I feel it all-Jakey Toor. I think that this video did follow copyright law because she used the music to teach her students and make them become more involved in the classroom. It was a successful technique. However, the guidelines that were on the video we watched for class say that 10% of music should be used and she did use all of the song, but I think it was effective for her students.

The second video I chose was 1 El Tiburon Music Video. I think this group of students and this assignment did a good job of observing copyright. They created a music video that showed their Spanish skills. The students created the project, which means that it didn't require special permission. It helped me to see what my students can do within the classroom as they use the technology available to them.

Copyright Law

I really enjoyed learning about copyright. I've wondered about what is appropriate to show in the classroom before and this tutorial really helped. This makes it so I will be able to use additional material in the classroom and get ideas from things in popular culture. I also liked that they included the fact that it is not okay to show copyright material as a reward. I had never heard that before so it was interesting to learn about.

Resources for my PLN

I decided to use a variety of resources when I was creating my project. I chose a few blogs which describe the different teaching practices that a teacher can use, particularly focusing on foreign language speakers. I also included Clif Notes in order to try to make it easier to understand popular ideas. The other two resources link me to ideas in the media that describe current teaching conditions.

The social networking connection I participated in was Twitter. I decided to do this because I think it's important to understand what's going on with different teachers in the community. It is a good opportunity to participate in the teaching community.

Mindmapping

I really liked the idea of mindmapping. I think this would be useful in teaching an English class because it is a new way to connect ideas for students that they can see. It would also be effective because it is something that they probably haven't done before and it allows them to do something that they may be more comfortable with than writing.

Gadget

I decided to add the gadget that updates the news from Google. I decided to do this because I think it will end up being a benefit. I like the idea of having the current new and information on my blog because I think it will help to strengthen my blog and awareness of what I can do as a teacher.

Technology

I am scared to death of anything relating to technology. Usually I can find someone else who is willing to do it for me- which is great. However, I know that I need to overcome this barrier and I am really trying to do that. It's something that has always been difficult for me. I do know how to do some basic things on the computer, but that's the extent of my knowledge. I'm looking forward to the chance to learn more.