My Beliefs

My beliefs about technology in the classroom. I believe technology is very beneficial in the classroom when used correctly. I think that technology can spark an interest. It can be used as another way of teaching. And it can be fun.
I don't think that you should just use it as a time filler, like adding a YouTube video just because you need a few more minutes on your lesson. If the video sheds more light on the subject and adds to your lesson then great, but don't use it just to use it.
One of my favorite things I have learned this semester is about making vidcasts. I think that those would be a great tool for the students to know how to make. They can be fun and entertaining but most of all educational.
Technology is only going to get better, and by knowing how and the appropraite ways to use it in a classroom, can only make you a better teacher.

Lessons Learned

Honestly after reading and watching the videos the main thing that stuck out to me was how much technology there is out there. And the fact that I probably don't utilize it in a way that is really beneficial to me. The video in titled "Did you know" was fascinating to me. I had no clue on most of the information in the video. The reading and the videos really got me thinking about what is next? How are we going to be using technology in our everyday lives and how am I going to make sure I am making it beneficial to use.
I also started thinking about a school here in Utah that was using Ipod touches for there school work. How long before that becomes the norm?
Technology is a great resource that we have, but by having as much as we do are we still learning all that we should? I find myself saying oh I can just google that, or look that up later. But when I do that am I retaining the information?
As a teacher I am going to need to find away to include technology in my class in a way that the students are engaged. I want the students to not only know they can find an answer by googling it, I want them to remember the answer for themselves. That is going to be a fine line to have to find. For students to learn to use technology to benefit them but not to use it as a crutch they will consistently need.

Strengths & Weaknesses

After reading through the NET Standards and doing the UNI surveys, I realised I have a lot to learn. My strengths mainly were that I know how to use technology. I use the internet, and other devices daily and feel confident in teaching others the basics.
I feel that my weaknesses fell in the categories of knowing more in depth content and understanding the ethical, social, legal and human issues surrounding the use of technology according to the NET Standards. Looking toward the future, I would like to learn more about how to make sure I am making the best possible ethical choices for my students. I want to be able to teach my students to use the content on the internet legally.
By going here I found a tutorial about copy right. This tutorial will help me learn about copyright and be able to pass this on to my students. It will also further my professional growth because I will then be more aware about the laws. When I am creating a project I can legally use material. Ikeepsafe is another website I found with tutorials about internet safety that will teach my how to use the internet safely in my class.

Reflection #12 Last two days of field.

The last two days of field were really laid back. The students were ready for there Thanksgiving break and there were alot of activities designed around the holiday. Mondays are early out days so they always seem alittle rushed. Tuesday was our last day and we didn't want it to end.
I learned so much during the past few weeks! Going into field, I was wondering if I had chosen the right path. School was killing me and I was just stressed out. Day one of field I knew I was on the right path. And still after our time in the class I know I want to be a teacher! The students made all the stress of homework, classes and everyday life totally worth it. They taught me more in the short time than I ever imagined. Students want to learn you just need to guide them. I need to give myself more credit than I do. I can be a teacher.
I can not wait for the next field experience, I can only imagine how much more I will learn. I hope to take alittle bit from each experience to help me grow as a teacher.

Reflection #11 Field week three

This week I was thinking alittle about technology in the class. Rebekah was able to use her digital story in class. The students loved it. But that was one of the first times I had seen technology in the class besided the use of the ELMO projector.
I asked the teacher about what access to technology the students have. They do have a speciality class were they go to computers but other than that they don't use it alot. I even noticed once the teacher had the students write a newspaper artical and told them she would type it up like it was really in a newspaper. I thought it was interesting she wouldn't have them do it.
In the future, I am wondering how much I will be able to actually use technology in my class. And how I can make it a priority to try.

reflection #10 Field week 2

Week two of field was awesome! I taught my first lesson! I know this is what I want to do.
My first lesson was on visualization. I had the students act out emotions. It was great! I would draw an emotion out of a hat and they would do an action when I said the word. Next I had them act out a sound, to help them visualize. One group did the word gulp, they did it with out making the noise just the action then the rest of the class would have to guess. I thought they chose an awesome word that took a minute to guess but they acted it out perfectly! I got some great feedback from my teacher. I need to work on being clear in my instructions.
In the future I hope to remember this experience and build upon it. Remember the feedback I got and continue to grow.

Reflection #9 Field week one.

We had three days in field this week. The first day we mostly observed. We did get to help some in math but mostly just alot of observing. Day 2 alot of observing agian.
I was really impressed with the class right off the bat. They are a really well behaved class. They all seem to get along really well. I can't wait for the rest of the experience to have more interaction with the class.
I was talking to the teacher about the class and how well behaved they were. She said this has been one of her best classes management wise they have been easy. Hopefully in the future I can get a class like this.

Digital story Day 3 reflection # 8

Today we had a free day to work on our digital stories. My partner and I spoke with our teacher for field and she didn't know what she wanted us to do for our digital story. So most of what we did was brain storm and find a few resources for what our teacher might have us do.
Our teacher said that she teaches a unit on Mountain men in Utah. But she didn't really know if she wanted us to do something on that. She kind of was pushing for something in literacy or math. So we started looking through the core for ideas.
So far we are thinking about doing to separate stories one on Fantasy and the other is still up in the air at this point. But we want to be prepared just in case one doesn't cover anything she wants us to teach.

Reflection #7 Digital story day 2 Copy rights.

During class this day we learned about copy rights. We learned how to tell if something is copy righted. And how we can copy right our work.
I had no clue about copyrighting. I knew it existed but didn't know what I could use or couldn't use. To be honest I am still alittle confused! But I am going to do more research.
In the future I hope to know enough to pass on to my students the importance of copyright laws. And teach my students how to copy right there material.

Reflection #6 Digital Story Day 1

We learned about about digital stories in class. We learned about different elements that make a story a story and what we need to do to create our own. We were shown examples of other digital stories.
This is another way for us as teachers to enhance our lessons, I think that is the number one reason we are doing this. In class we watched a video about the Holocast and it was amazing. It lead to discussions, more than just on the holocast about our feelings. A digital story can and so many elements to a lesson. That is why we are learning how to create one.
Having the knowledge to create a digital story and also just having seen the impact they have on a lesson will benifit my future class. I think a fun way to use this may to have my students actually create there own. Expecially if it is a subject they aren't thrilled about learning. This might be something fun for them to create and make the subject exciting. They will also get to know the material this way. I hope to use digital stories in my future class.

VidCast Reflection #5

Stress Podcast



Our podcast was on Stress, it is a core objective in forth grade. From Uen.org Standard 1, objective 4. Standard one states “The students will learn ways to improve mental health and manage stress.” Objective four states: “Explore positive options for managing stress”

We choose stress as our topic, because it is something that effects everyone. And we found it interesting that it was a core subject taught in fourth grade! I don’t really remember being stressed in fourth grade. But I do see that it is very important to start teaching about the effects of stress and positive solutions on dealing with stress, before you are completely overwhelmed by stress.

This podcast connects to the NETS and INTASC Standards on many different levels. The NETS states: “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources, and promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes” I believe this podcast about stress does that by letting the student know that everyone gets stressed and giving some ways to help eliminate stress. And the podcast is asking the students to reflect on what stresses them out, and ways to think about ways to control their stress.

Thinking about potential drawbacks for using this in my class, I can’t think of many. The podcast doesn’t go into much detail. It would be great for using at the beginning of a lesson to get a discussion started about stress. It wouldn’t stand alone as a lesson, there is a lot about stress that isn’t covered. So if there wasn’t time to discuss stress and I wanted my students to learn everything in one video this would not be the one I would show.
In the future, I could see adding to this series, taking each section more in depth. Making each new podcast a section to go over in class. I could use this video as a intro to the lessons, then create a podcast that is just about effects, managing, or causes of stress. I could even have my students take a topic and create there own for the series. There are many possible directions to take this series.

Reflection #4 Vidcasts

This week we learned about vidcasts, what they are and how to create them. We learn about how we can use vidcasts in our classrooom. Our assignment this week was to create a vidcast.
As a teacher this gives me another resource for teaching and presenting material to my students. Learning how to do this will help me in the future so I know and understand how to use a vidcast. For my life in general vidcasts can help me create fun projects for my family, for friends and just for entertainment.
My future classes and teaching styles will be affected by knowing how to use a vidcast. I may not always create my own but I will know that they are a resource that can help teach my class in a fun and creative way. Having my students create there own vidcasts will help them have a deeper understanding of the subject they are learning. Along with a new understanding of the technology they are using.

Podcasts - Reflection #3

Today we learned about podcasts. Podcasts are defined as "A podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication." on wikipedia. Today we created a podcast of a public service announcement.
I had heard of podcasts before but never actually listened to one or created one. We did this assignment so that we would know how to used this technology and show others how to. This technology will be really helpful to have in a class. For me right now it might be benifical to record lectures and upload them so I can relisten to them later on, or while studying.
In the future I think I will use this type of assignment in my class. Students can use podcasts to record themselves telling information about a subject. They can save thier information on a certian subject and listen later to themselves explaining what they learned. This would also be a great group activity where students take sections of a book or assignment record what they learn and then switch groups and listen to another podcast. This will affect the way I teach because now this is something I want to use in my class.

Reflection #2 Google Docs and Google Sites

This week in class we learned about how to create a google site and a google document. Are assignment was to create a google doc and share it with another person. We also had to create a google site for a fake classroom.
I think that these assignments will be really useful to us now as well as when we are teachers. The google doc has helped already with different class group assignments. Where we can all gather information and collaborate on creating a document. Its really nice that you don't have to be all together, you can be in different locations at different times working on the same project. The google site assignment is something that I thing will be more useful when we have a class but it is good to know how to do it now.
For the future, I believe the google site is a great tool for a teacher to have. I hadn't really thought about having a website for my class before. This assignment has shown me all the advantages having a website would bring. My favorite part was the homework page. I think that this benefits the students as well as the the parents. They can see exactly what I am expecting for the next day. And it is always there for reference if there are any questions. Google docs will be a huge benefit for my class also. They can work in groups and instead of having a bunch of papers or note they can all be in one place. As a teacher I will be able to give group assignments and also check and see who is contributing. Both of these tools will be a great resource for my class.

What technology was like when I was in school

In elementary school, I remember going to the computer lab maybe once aweek. We worked on computers that just had the black screen and green writing. There were a couple "colored" computers we took turns using. I honestly don't remember anything but playing Oregon Trail on the computers. They didn't really play a huge part in what I was being taught in the classroom. Somewhere around fifth or sixth grade we got a new computer lab and computers! It was a really exciting thing then. This is the first time I remember playing typing games and learning how to type. We would even sometimes type our reports for class. Around this time we also got a home computer. Computers started having more of an effect on what we were doign in school.
In Jr. High, I didn't use the computer for more than typing reports until ninth grade when I took an actual typing class. But all we did in that class was practice our typing.
In High school, we started using the internet for research. I personally didn't have it at my house yet. It wasn't until my senior year, that I got my first email address. My cousin had the internet at her house so I would go there to email and do research for class. It was also this year that I got my first cell phone. It was easier to communicate using email and cell phones. Cell phones were starting to be used for more than just an emergency.
After high school cell phones, and the internet started having way more of an effect on education. I started at UVU, and could registar online for classes. They started black board, you could email your professors, or email assignments.
Now technology plays a huge role in education. If students don't know how to use a computer it would be harder for them in school. There are even some schools trying out having ipods instead of a text book. I can only imagine what role technology will play in the future.