Course Reflection

Through this course, I was happy to learn that the same great teaching strategies I use in my classroom can and should be used when integrating technology. The four strategies to use when integrating technology are: deductive, inductive, scaffolding, and use of metaphor. These four strategies best ensure student mastery of your lessons. The deductive strategy is one teachers may have used- introduce a rule, then give examples to prove the rule. This may be most used for science or math lessons. The inductive strategy is used to present examples and allow students to deduce the rule. In this way, you are more the guide on side. The scaffolding strategy is something I use often as a third grade teacher. Helpful hints, partially finished products, and examples are given to help students through their lessons. Lastly, I think the use of metaphors is important with young children. It makes sense to me to use metaphors or comparisons to explain difficult concepts.

Integrating web-based technologies helped me to think about and evaluate the uses of technology. While looking for technology applications to use in my StAIR, a stand- alone instructional resource, I tried to keep several evaluation objectives in mind. First of all, I looked for ease of use both for myself and my students. Also, if it cost money, was difficult to access or carry out, I bypassed the application. For me (and my specific objectives), Moodle is such an application. I admit there was quite a learning curve, and once "mastered" took much less time and effort to implement. That being said, I now know how to use Moodle, but I still haven't found easy ways to add the kinds of media, audio (video, still clips) in quick, easy ways. So, I guess another of my evaluation objectives is "bang for my buck." In other words, does this application allow me (or the students) to do what I need to quickly? For me, Moodle is a no.

Through this course, I feel I have met most of my own personal goals for learning about technology integration, as well as creating a few new ones. First, I have found and tried a wealth of new applications such as Google Reader, Picasa, Docs, Scholar, and Voice, as well as blogs, wikis, Moodle, and WebQuests. Through the use of these and other new programs, I have found new ways to find, convert, download, and add videos with Zamzar, a free file conversion site. I have also found a few new ways to record and add audio clips to my projects, through a technology site called Digital Inspiration. With colleague recommendations, I have found a wealth of new websites. Other examples include KidBlog a safe and easy way for kids to blog and We Transfer an easy way to send big files. I know that with this knowledge and guided practice, I have the momentum and confidence to continue with the projects I've begun in CEP 811, but also to create new (and better) activities in the near future.

Some things I'd like to try in the near future include creating additional StAIR projects but in another format. As mentioned above, I found the Moodle application somewhat time consuming and constricting. I will try additional activities using Power Point, as I feel I could more easily add images, sound, and animation. Also, the kids a familiar with Power Point, and should be able to easily navigate through it. My first StAIR project is a math goal and I have many other math topics that could be created for student differentiation and remediation. I'm excited to create these using technology new to me, such as Camtasia. Through this site, I can create a lesson through screen recording. This would allow students to learn or review a lesson at their own pace. I would also like to find a way to get kids involved in some sort of online communication, but haven't decided on the format- wiki or blog. I did sign up for a class site through KidBlog, and am currently researching and contemplating possible uses. Also, our district is continually adding more technology options, such as a small, mobile iPod Touch lab for students. I'll spend some time researching apps that will fit my curriculum. One thing I have learned- for every thought, for every lesson, for every content area, for every age group and user, there is an application or program for that!

Computer Based Instructional Objects

I just finished a computer based instructional object for an introductory math lesson. This lesson, designed through Moodle, has opened a new world of differentiation options for my classroom and myself. While I'm not excited about the Moodle platform itself, I'm excited about the opportunities.
There are many topics in my third grade curriculum that students just "don't get" after the typical lesson and practice sessions. They are the same topics every year- in math it might be counting money, partial products multiplication, the lattice method of multiplication, etc.
Other topics may include certain spelling skills, reading fluency issues, generating writing topics and so on. With a stand alone instruction activity, I can assign individual students to any topic I've created for instant remediation.
For example, I could create a stand alone computer-based resource on the lattice method of multiplication. It could include a video taped explanation of the strategy (similar to what they've seen in class), step-by-step directions, a quiz involving the steps and answers, etc. If a student needs further instruction or explanation (or their parent do), they could link up with this instructional activity through my web site.
Before the beginning of next year, I'll definitely be thinking of opportunities for differentiation.

3rd Grade Bloggers

There seems to be a fine line between what is great teaching and what is great technology. I can see the benefit of blogging for older students and adults, but at this point, I don't see how I could effectively use it to improve or promote student learning for third graders. I've looked at several third grade blogs (example 1 and example 2) and so far they look like on-the-fly comments about a variety of student-generated ideas. I realize the web allows students to write for an immediate audience- an authentic audience, but for what purpose? In writing, we stress a few key ideas: "What's the point? Why are you writing this? Who is your audience? What is your message?" With the blog entries I've read, there doesn't seem to be a point, a message, or an intended audience.

Also, if I had a great idea, when would they blog? Is it done from home, where not all of my kids may have access to computers? If it's done from school, I have 28 kids and 2 computers. Say, for example, I'd like kids to comment on a particular math problem from their homework page. If they are asked to work from home, how can I require it if they can't all complete the task? If I only ask a few to blog from home, what's the point? If I do it in school, how do I fit in the time? Questions, Questions, Questions. That's all I have at this point are questions.

Ideas? Thoughts? I'd love to hear how blogging might enhance my third grade curriculum, but so far, I haven't been able to think of anything creative.

My Best (Free) Teaching Resource

Whose Pedagogy is it anyway?
I LOVE United Streaming from Discovery Education! There, I've said it. I think it is an awesome site for just about anything visual. A picture is worth a thousand words, and really, they offer a little bit of everything. First, they offer videos or video clips on every topic and covers every grade level- photographs as well. You can search in a myriad of ways, to narrow the field. You can even search by curriculum standard. They also have builder tools for quizzes, assignments, and writing prompts. United Streaming lets you save media to files and folders that you create. These can also be shared across your grade level, your building, or your district.
I've been using this resource for a while now, and for my third graders it's perfect. I can show a video clip to enhance my lesson about economics or light refraction. These are often difficult topics for third graders, and the short and snappy movie clip enables them to see visually what I've been trying to explain. United Streaming also offers a wide variety of popular children's books in video format. I have used these to introduce an author or genre, to reinforce reading fluency, or for short content "scavenger hunts." Lastly, I've been able to supplement my science and social studies textbooks with short video clips. For example, students can put on headphones and listen to a topic of interest regarding a certain big idea like pioneers or sound waves. They may take notes or fill in worksheets I've prepared. The individualized video clip is nice because students can pause, rewind, or stop the clip to take notes or ponder. Then can begin again when they are ready. The United Streaming videos or visual media do not take the place of my instruction, but they make a great enhancement to my lessons. It lets me move from being the only one talking in our classroom, and allows the students to have variety and choices in their learning. It also gives students with different learning styles the chance to be an active participant, while watching and listening to a media clip.
I've also watched a few of the videos or clips for professional development. For example, I've watched clips about professional authors presenting writing lessons to a class of students. United Streaming is a quality resource for educational videos/ visual media for any classroom.

Online Experience and the MI Merit Curriculum

At this time the Michigan Merit Online Learning Curriculum doesn't directly apply to me as a third grade teacher. Having said that, there is much to be said for the ideas presented here, and many are used by k-5 teachers in delivering elementary-level curriculum.
The document states the goal for educators and policy makers is to "provide high quality integrated learning experiences that will engage and challenge today's high school students." Maybe we should make that today's students (of any level), as these are the kinds of experiences we want for all of our students. The document also states that it is important that "students in grades k-12...programs must have experiences where the teacher makes extensive use of available online resources and communication strategies." This is where MSU's CEP-811 course, Adapting Innovative Technology to Education comes into play. The policy states that school districts should provide "support systems, policy, and knowledgeable professional educators to guide students through an online experience." While my district doesn't require courses such as this, they certainly are supportive of this type of technology-based learning.
There are certainly a variety of age-appropriate elements of this 6-12 technology guideline that can be incorporated into my third grade classroom. Some examples include: providing opportunities for students to interact with experts around the globe for authentic learning activities; using webquests, podcasting, and webinars; using technology tools for online research and online projects; providing opportunities for interactive discussions with experts such as authors or scientists; communicate with other students outside our classroom; and providing authentic experiences through online field trips.
Just as with any subject, spiraling and extended age-appropriate experiences help students to develop greater understanding of course content. If students come to middle and high school with a variety of online learning experiences already under their belt, they can begin to use those skills to develop a deep understanding of more sophisticated topics.

iPod Touch in the Elementary Classroom

I was just informed yesterday that my building has received a grant for 15 iPod Touch handheld devices. I'm not quite sure yet what I would use one for.. I did find a website of another elementary district in Minnesota using the iPod Touch, and they had some interesting views and information. One thing they mentioned was that the students were more engaged in learning with an iPod. This obviously would be a great tool to put some much needed "oomph" into an otherwise dull skill & drill learning activity. My kids' are always excited about practicing their math facts in the computer lab, and this would be a way for them to do this same activity at their desk, in their own time. Something I'm concerned about is making sure the apps fit into my curriculum. At this stage of the year, I'm trying to finish what I've already started, and don't have time to create or add something new. However, this summer will be a perfect time to investigate the many "apps" available for teacher and student use. Something to look forward to!

Moodle Frustrations

Don't get me wrong- I'm all for technology integration in the classroom. However, certain applications are better suited for particular uses, and trying to force an incorrect fit is like wearing really great shoes that pinch your feet and cause painful blisters. My school district uses Moodle and Google Sites as the applications of choice for online content delivery. While I'm sure there are very good reasons to use these two free applications, they don't fit my purpose or my style. Maybe because I'm an elementary teacher, or because I'm a creative person and visual learner, but these two apps feel clunky! I can't seem to get them to do what I want- place a picture where I want it (not in the lame table they allow me), add audio and video in intuitive kid-friendly places, etc. I've spent more time trying to get these two applications to bend to my will than is necessary. While they are free, they don't fit my needs. This summer I'll be looking for other ways to deliver curriculum to my students- one that doesn't take all my time trying to force it to do what I want!

Google Picasa

Wow! This could be the free picture editor and photo storage site teachers are looking for. Picasa allows 1 GB memory for your photos. A new feature allows you to upload your pictures, then scan them for faces. Picasa then shows you all the faces in the group and you can assign a name to them. This allows you to sort your photos by the people in them. You can add name tags individually or in groups. It's quick and easy. The photo below shows a recent field trip- I've tagged each student and Picasa not only gives me a list, but frames students as I roll over their name on the "People" list to the right.

Since Picasa doesn't actually store the original photo, there is no chance of ruining or losing it while editing.

You can organize your photos by folder, album, or people. Photos in folders are scanned from the hard drive on your computer, so a photo deleted from a folder is also deleted from your hard drive. Use caution when organizing photos in folders. Photos in albums allow you to create virtual groups of photos (not the originals) and you can organize them as you wish. Original photos deleted or moved from albums are not changed. Photos can also be organized by people, through the face scanning software mentioned above.

Along with a great place to store your photos, you can edit them as well. You are able to perform basic fixes, such as: crop, red eye, retouch, and add text. The tuning slide bar allows a more sophisticated fix, such as fill light, highlights, shadows, and color temperature. Lastly, you can add special effects to your photos such as: sepia, grain, black & white, and glow.

Picasa offers two quick ways to share your photos- upload them to the web or email them to friends.

Other interesting applications include: resizing photos, making a collage, adding captions, movie maker, map your photos, add tags, upload to Blogger, or back up your collection to an alternate drive or CD.

If you're looking for a free photo editor with great capabilities, Google's Picasa is for you.

Wikispaces

Here's a Wiki I created for my cross-district grade level team.

http://3rdgradeeduwiki.wikispaces.com/

Wikipedia Edit

Well, now I can say I've edited my first Wikipedia article. While I didn't find anything alarming or amiss in the entry for my town, I did find a dead link to an elementary school. I signed up for private editing privileges, updated the link for the school, and saved the changes. All in all, the process was relatively easy.

Quality WebQuests

What makes a quality WebQuest? That is today's question. Bernie Dodge, creator of the WebQuest cites several specific qualities, including: an introduction to set the stage; an interesting, doable task; web-based information resources; the process or steps the learner takes; some guidance on how to organize the information (a product); and a conclusion to bring closure. See WebQuest.Org for resources.

Short term Quests (1-3 class periods) are for knowledge acquisition and integration and long term Quests (a week to a month) are for analyzing knoweldge deeply, transforming it, and create a product to share with a larger audience. The long term Quest should also include higher order thinking skills such as: comparing, classifying, inducing, deducing, analysis, construction, and evaluation.

I've searched high and low for what I would consider a quality WebQuest and have come up mostly empty. What I have found seem to fall under the category of "change without a difference." They are presented in a way that uses technology, but only to deliver content- the same content that could be read in a textbook or other printed format. Many of the Quests did not call for higher order thinking at all, and the tasks were vague.

Some of the other pitfalls included: reading levels that were too difficult for the grade, too many options for finding information, pages with too much information in too small of type, dead links, projects that called for multiple worksheets, and on and on. Some things I wished I'd found: sites that asked students to interpret information or data, not just read and regurgitate; sites that took advantage of experts in the field; sites that called for students to think critically about information. I know that creating a WebQuests takes a considerable amount of time, but if they are done in the spirit of Bernie Dodge's intentions, they need to be done well, so they can truly be "change with a difference."

Time Spent vs. Benefits

Well, it's been a few days, and my technology life has been interesting to say the least. I'm struggling again with the idea of how best to juggle the amount of time spent working on/ creating/ thinking about/ learning about how to integrate technology in my classroom vs. the actual educational benefits for students. Sometimes I feel like I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to learn how to use certain technology tools or getting technology to work (when I need it) and the benefit is not worth the cost. Here's the struggle. Yesterday, during a routine update to my teacher machine, all of the stored data on my thumb drive was lost. Luckily, most of it was a backup, but not all of it. We'll see how much can be magically retrieved. So, the question is, "How much time do I spend trying to retrieve what was lost?" Web site files, SMARTBoard notebook files, pictures.... the list goes on and on- thousands of files. It takes a great deal of work to technologically recreate what I could easily and quickly do on paper. So, again, what is the benefit of using technology instead of paper, pencils, and books? I guess since I myself am a visual learner, I benefit as much if not more than the students from the use of technology. I enjoy using and looking at a well done power point or web page, as a picture is often worth more than a thousand words. So, I'll regroup and decide what can't be retrieved, what is worth doing over (and well) and carry on. Maybe in the process, I'll find a better, updated tool or strategy to replace what I've lost- I'll try to look at it as an opportunity.

Traditional weg pages vs. blogs

What are the benefits of web pages vs. blogs? This is my first experience with blogging, but it seems to be a more immediate medium. I fling my thoughts into cyberspace where others can instantly connect and comment on them. I don't yet know what the benefits are. Do most bloggers find their followers helpful? I've peeked in on blog sites in the past, and most people who post seem genuinely helpful. I am looking forward to this aspect. I do love the idea of finding experts and seasoned users who can help me through pitfalls and tech. troubles. I'm much more comfortable using a web site to communicate, and like the fact that is is static. Once things are posted, I can use them as a reference for future use. A downside is that there isn't really interactive communication, it is a one way conversation. How do teachers use their websites or blogs in an educational setting with elementary-age students? Let me know.

Blog's Inception

Fellow Teacher Techies,
This blog has been created as an assignment for a graduate level class on Adapting Innovative Technology to Education. My current ed. tech. passion is the integration of the SMART Board and document camera into my daily teaching. I am finding wonderful and exciting ways to bring a world of information into my third grade classroom. I know we are all at various levels of technological proficiency, so this might be just the place for all learners to share their ideas, products, lessons, wondering, questions, and yes, rants. Join me in talking about the benefits and disappointments surrounding technology and teaching!