Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Online game rubric
Resources:
California State University, S. (2007, March 16). Educational Electronic Games Rubric. Retrieved February 16, 2010, from Sacramento: Leadership Begins Here: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/k/kaym/rubric/edgamesrubric.html
Thursday, April 29, 2010
How many tools??
As a future teacher it is going to be very important that I use many different types of technology in my classroom. I have assessed 8 different browsers or tools below. Some I found were useful and some I found were not.
My rating scale:
18-20 Four stars
16-17 Three stars
14-15 Two stars
12-13 One star
0-11 No stars
FIREFOX
Total = 17
Comments: This is a browser. Most people use internet explorer. I honestly didn’t see that much of a difference in the browser. I like that I can personalize the top of the page to make it look pretty, but is it really necessary? The search engine seems to pull in the same information that my internet explorer pulls up. The speed of the site also seems to be the same. I really don’t have a preference between the two, except that I had to download firefox to my computer. THREE STARS
MOODLE
Total = 19
Comments: This is a VERY useful tool. I have used it in the past for 4 classes. The content depends on the creator. The professor has to create the content and the links. I have had some professors who have not used this program well and others who have used it beautifully. I think that this is a useful tool if used properly. FOUR STARS
DELICIOUS http://delicious.com/ed.tech
Total = 19
Comments: This is a VERY useful tool. I usually bookmark my stuff in favorites in the internet explorer. It has taken me a bit to get used to using this site. It is designed by me and will only be successful by me, the user. It is an awesome website for teachers to help organize all of the sites that will help with the teaching process. FOUR STARS
DROPBOX www.dropbox.com
Total = 20
Comments: This is an amazing tool! This tool is a way to save your files online. It makes your files available to you wherever you are and on whatever computer you happen to be using. I will definitely use this tool. FOUR STARS
GOOGLE APPS
Total = 19
Comments: This is a collection of applications that can be used through google. It contains searches, blogs, alerts, news articles and more. It is a one stop shop if you like google. The links are still active. I have recently been introduced to the blog tool. Definitely useful tool. FOUR STARS
PHOTO PEACH
Total = 20
Comments: This is a tool that would be useful for putting together pictures for the end of the year. You can import pictures from facebook, picasa, or your camera. Sound can be added, along with sound. This website does require registration, but it is easy and free. This is definitely an easy site to use. FOUR STARS
PREZI http://prezi.com/
Total = 17
Comments: Prezi is a program for presentations. It uses flying slides to present information. I found it to be a bit more challenging to figure out than the rest of the websites that I have experimented with. It has an introduction video which explains how to use it, but it still requires some time to get it the way you want it. It seems to be something that could make awesome presentations if the user has time to sit and play. This is not a program that you can just sit down and instantly make a presentation with. Takes practice. THREE STARS
PICNIK http://www.picnik.com/
Total = 20
Comments: This website got me addicted quickly. I spent way too much time using it. It is a program for editing photos. Over half of its features are free and if you want to use the more advanced features, there is a minimal fee. I ended up spending hours editing photos. (whitening teeth, cropping, changing color) I definitely think this could be used for the classroom. Sometimes we take pictures that need to be cropped. This program can then be used to make a collage. The collage can then be put into a slideshare program and shared at the end of the year. Awesome. FOUR STARS
Photos by Lynn Morris
Friday, April 23, 2010
Rules, Rules, Rules!
“Deliver it using 2 forms of technology, and have your students use two forms of technology.” Wow, how am I going to do that?
This lesson plan is supposed to be centered around technology, while still delivering a regular classroom lesson. Strangely, I found this a bit challenging. I know that there are many ways to incorporate technology in the classroom, but it is something that we are not conditioned to do throughout our training to become teachers. We are taught to mostly lecture and give paper based tests. I eventually decided to create a lesson about classroom rules and their importance. I believe it is important for students to understand the meaning of rules in order to further understand government and the way that things have been done throughout history. I was going to incorporate the “creation of rules” into this lesson plan, but decided that the creation of rules lesson is an entirely different lesson. I have carried out the creation of rules lesson plan before, so I decided that this would be separate.
My brain automatically goes to the non-technology things like: group work, poster board presentations and written tests. I had to search the net to find ways of incorporating technology. I decided to used visual demonstrations of new websites, group activities, group discussions, internet searches, epals, zolo, and web video clips to assist the students with this lesson. I felt that students that are in the 5th grade shouldn’t have any trouble working with the technology offered. Students in the 5th grade should have already been introduced to some technology and should be able to follow visual directions on screen while I am giving instruction. The NETS*T that I was using was NETS*T standard III A, because it uses technology to enhance learning (NETS for Teachers 2000, 2000).
Students should be able to use this new introduced technology to create a presentation to show their understanding about the importance of rules.
One concern that I have about my lesson plan is the use of epals . I have never used epals before (Epals Global Community 2010). It sounds like a wonderful idea. My children have had internet e-pals before, but they have been with people that they know from previous places we have lived. I am planning on doing a pen-pal/e-pal exchange with some of the friends I have made here on Guam when I move back to the states. We will use our classrooms. This is different, however, because the teachers will know each other. A big problem with the epals is that the students are depending on students from other areas to complete their projects. I would have to take into consideration the fact that some students may not get responses to their questions. I decided that if this happened, that the students would be given time to search the internet for classroom rules that are posted on the internet. This would be a bit less personal, but at least they would still be able to see rules from different places.
Technology is something that is becoming a big part of our daily lives. Students are becoming more and more technology proficient. It amazes me about how well students adapt and are able to quickly figure out programs. I gave the zoho program to my fifth grade daughter to play with to see if she thought it would be a fun alternative to Microsoft Powerpoint. She was able to maneuver through the program quite quickly. As a fifth grader, she has already been introduced to so much. I believe that with this lesson plan, the students should be able to discover the uses of the program to make a creative presentation, while learning about rules and why they are important to use as a society and as a classroom. I hope that I will continue to incorporate technology into all of my lesson plans.
Resources:
NETS for Teachers 2000. (2000). Retrieved April 21, 2010, from ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) website:
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2000Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2000.htm
Epals Global Community, (2010). Retrieved April 20, 2010, from epals website: http://www.epals.com/
Zoho Show, (2010). Retrieved April 21, 2010 from the Zoho Show website:
http://show.zoho.com/Home.do
This lesson plan is supposed to be centered around technology, while still delivering a regular classroom lesson. Strangely, I found this a bit challenging. I know that there are many ways to incorporate technology in the classroom, but it is something that we are not conditioned to do throughout our training to become teachers. We are taught to mostly lecture and give paper based tests. I eventually decided to create a lesson about classroom rules and their importance. I believe it is important for students to understand the meaning of rules in order to further understand government and the way that things have been done throughout history. I was going to incorporate the “creation of rules” into this lesson plan, but decided that the creation of rules lesson is an entirely different lesson. I have carried out the creation of rules lesson plan before, so I decided that this would be separate.
My brain automatically goes to the non-technology things like: group work, poster board presentations and written tests. I had to search the net to find ways of incorporating technology. I decided to used visual demonstrations of new websites, group activities, group discussions, internet searches, epals, zolo, and web video clips to assist the students with this lesson. I felt that students that are in the 5th grade shouldn’t have any trouble working with the technology offered. Students in the 5th grade should have already been introduced to some technology and should be able to follow visual directions on screen while I am giving instruction. The NETS*T that I was using was NETS*T standard III A, because it uses technology to enhance learning (NETS for Teachers 2000, 2000).
Students should be able to use this new introduced technology to create a presentation to show their understanding about the importance of rules.
One concern that I have about my lesson plan is the use of epals . I have never used epals before (Epals Global Community 2010). It sounds like a wonderful idea. My children have had internet e-pals before, but they have been with people that they know from previous places we have lived. I am planning on doing a pen-pal/e-pal exchange with some of the friends I have made here on Guam when I move back to the states. We will use our classrooms. This is different, however, because the teachers will know each other. A big problem with the epals is that the students are depending on students from other areas to complete their projects. I would have to take into consideration the fact that some students may not get responses to their questions. I decided that if this happened, that the students would be given time to search the internet for classroom rules that are posted on the internet. This would be a bit less personal, but at least they would still be able to see rules from different places.
Technology is something that is becoming a big part of our daily lives. Students are becoming more and more technology proficient. It amazes me about how well students adapt and are able to quickly figure out programs. I gave the zoho program to my fifth grade daughter to play with to see if she thought it would be a fun alternative to Microsoft Powerpoint. She was able to maneuver through the program quite quickly. As a fifth grader, she has already been introduced to so much. I believe that with this lesson plan, the students should be able to discover the uses of the program to make a creative presentation, while learning about rules and why they are important to use as a society and as a classroom. I hope that I will continue to incorporate technology into all of my lesson plans.
Resources:
NETS for Teachers 2000. (2000). Retrieved April 21, 2010, from ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) website:
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2000Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2000.htm
Epals Global Community, (2010). Retrieved April 20, 2010, from epals website: http://www.epals.com/
Zoho Show, (2010). Retrieved April 21, 2010 from the Zoho Show website:
http://show.zoho.com/Home.do
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Chaos
In this lesson the students will explore fairness and order as they experience relationships with others in their school and learn about rules in other schools. The NCSS standards state, “they develop an increasingly comprehensive awareness of rights and responsibilities in specific contexts.” The students will do research to compare old laws with new laws, compare their school rules to other schools and will create fair classroom rules for their class.
Analyze Learners
This is a fifth grade class. There are 22 students, 14 boys and 8 girls. All of the students are from military families. The students are learning a unit in social studies about examining the purposes and characteristics of various governance systems. They are learning how nations attempt to resolve conflicts and seek to establish order and security. The students have already had discussions about laws and why we have them. In the previous week, the students signed up with epals.com and were assigned different students around the world to communicate with as an epal for the year.
The students in this classroom are fairly well behaved, but there are some behavior issues. The students do not always follow the posted rules. There is one student with a learning disability in my classroom. He has a para-educator who assists him with his learning goals.
State Objectives
Students will:
1. Request a written copy of their epal’s classroom rules.
2. Discuss (in groups) the commonalities and differences of the rules that they found from their school and their epal’s schools.
3. Verbally state at least 2 reasons why they feel the rules could be different or the same.
4. Create a 2 minute presentation (within their group) using show.zoho.com showing some rules that they found to be similar and some rules that were different.
5. Verbally present their presentation to the class.
The students will individually request the school rules from their epal. After a week, the students will meet in their group and discuss the rules that they were given. The students will then make hypothesis’ about why they would be similar or different. The students will them choose which rules should be included in their presentation. The students will then work collaboratively in their groups to create their presentations. The groups will be given a week to organize their presentation and then will present their conclusions to the class. This will be an ongoing history lesson. This lesson will be followed by a making the rules lesson plan.
Select Instructional Methods
Methods
• Group Learning
The teacher will discuss rules from the past and why they may have been important. She will show an old rules poster and ask the students why they think that the rules were different a long time ago.
The students will have collaborative group discussions about their epal. The students will discuss where their epal is from and the possible reason behind some of the rules they may have found.
The students will work together in small groups to create a presentation regarding their findings.
• Individual Learning
The students will individually make connections with their assigned epal. They will ask questions and respond to any questions asked. They will develop a year long relationship with their epal.
Media
• The teacher will introduce epals by demonstrating the registration process to the students using her laptop and the projector. The teacher will show a video of different classroom rules throughout the country.
Materials
• Laptop computer, projector, video clip, paper pencils, internet resources.
Utilize Media and Materials
Preview the Materials: The teacher should ensure that she has introduced government and laws. The students should have at least an idea about why we have laws, so that they will hopefully be able to make the connection between rules and the classroom functioning smoothly. The teacher should know how to register for epals. She should have set up an account with epals and already know how it will work.
Prepare the materials: The teacher should ensure that all of the materials are available before the lesson. She should ensure that the projector is working and that the link for the video is pre-loaded. She should ensure that the internet access is available for the day and that the website search engine that she wants the students to use is written on the board.
Prepare the environment: The computers should be turned on and ready for use. They should be checked to ensure that they all have access to the internet.
Prepare the learner: The teacher should give the students a few moments to calm themselves and prepare for the lesson. This is an ongoing lesson. The teacher should review the previous lessons by asking questions at the beginning of the lesson. The teacher should ensure that all of the students state that they understand the directions that she is giving before moving on.
Require Learner Participation
Each student will have an assigned epal. Each student will email their epal and ask them to share their classroom rules. Each student must provide a minimum of 2 written rules from their epal to contribute to the group discussion and group presentation. Each student will be required to write in their own words why they think the rule that they are presenting would help maintain classroom order. Each student will write why they think that some of their rules were the same.
Each student will create a minimum of one slide in the presentation. Each student will verbally discuss their slide during the presentation.
The student with the learning disability will verbally tell the teacher the reasons that he feels that his rules were important. He will be given more time to complete his presentation slide. His para-educator will assist him where needed.
Evaluate and Revise
Evaluate student performance
Content: Were the students able to register for epals? Did the teacher have to assist them with the registration process after the demonstration? Were the students able to create a document requesting information from their epals? Did the students follow directions?
Were the students able to make connections between rules and classroom organization?
Were the students able to navigate through zoho to create a powerpoint? Was their powerpoint organized? Did it follow the format of the unit being studied?
What was the difficulty level of the excel bar graph? Were the students able to work together to complete the activity? Were the students able to follow the written instructions to step by step create the graph? Did the students work well within their groups? Did they take turns on the computer application?
References
http://www.epals.com
http://www.zoho.com
http://www.educationworld.com
Analyze Learners
This is a fifth grade class. There are 22 students, 14 boys and 8 girls. All of the students are from military families. The students are learning a unit in social studies about examining the purposes and characteristics of various governance systems. They are learning how nations attempt to resolve conflicts and seek to establish order and security. The students have already had discussions about laws and why we have them. In the previous week, the students signed up with epals.com and were assigned different students around the world to communicate with as an epal for the year.
The students in this classroom are fairly well behaved, but there are some behavior issues. The students do not always follow the posted rules. There is one student with a learning disability in my classroom. He has a para-educator who assists him with his learning goals.
State Objectives
Students will:
1. Request a written copy of their epal’s classroom rules.
2. Discuss (in groups) the commonalities and differences of the rules that they found from their school and their epal’s schools.
3. Verbally state at least 2 reasons why they feel the rules could be different or the same.
4. Create a 2 minute presentation (within their group) using show.zoho.com showing some rules that they found to be similar and some rules that were different.
5. Verbally present their presentation to the class.
The students will individually request the school rules from their epal. After a week, the students will meet in their group and discuss the rules that they were given. The students will then make hypothesis’ about why they would be similar or different. The students will them choose which rules should be included in their presentation. The students will then work collaboratively in their groups to create their presentations. The groups will be given a week to organize their presentation and then will present their conclusions to the class. This will be an ongoing history lesson. This lesson will be followed by a making the rules lesson plan.
Select Instructional Methods
Methods
• Group Learning
The teacher will discuss rules from the past and why they may have been important. She will show an old rules poster and ask the students why they think that the rules were different a long time ago.
The students will have collaborative group discussions about their epal. The students will discuss where their epal is from and the possible reason behind some of the rules they may have found.
The students will work together in small groups to create a presentation regarding their findings.
• Individual Learning
The students will individually make connections with their assigned epal. They will ask questions and respond to any questions asked. They will develop a year long relationship with their epal.
Media
• The teacher will introduce epals by demonstrating the registration process to the students using her laptop and the projector. The teacher will show a video of different classroom rules throughout the country.
Materials
• Laptop computer, projector, video clip, paper pencils, internet resources.
Utilize Media and Materials
Preview the Materials: The teacher should ensure that she has introduced government and laws. The students should have at least an idea about why we have laws, so that they will hopefully be able to make the connection between rules and the classroom functioning smoothly. The teacher should know how to register for epals. She should have set up an account with epals and already know how it will work.
Prepare the materials: The teacher should ensure that all of the materials are available before the lesson. She should ensure that the projector is working and that the link for the video is pre-loaded. She should ensure that the internet access is available for the day and that the website search engine that she wants the students to use is written on the board.
Prepare the environment: The computers should be turned on and ready for use. They should be checked to ensure that they all have access to the internet.
Prepare the learner: The teacher should give the students a few moments to calm themselves and prepare for the lesson. This is an ongoing lesson. The teacher should review the previous lessons by asking questions at the beginning of the lesson. The teacher should ensure that all of the students state that they understand the directions that she is giving before moving on.
Require Learner Participation
Each student will have an assigned epal. Each student will email their epal and ask them to share their classroom rules. Each student must provide a minimum of 2 written rules from their epal to contribute to the group discussion and group presentation. Each student will be required to write in their own words why they think the rule that they are presenting would help maintain classroom order. Each student will write why they think that some of their rules were the same.
Each student will create a minimum of one slide in the presentation. Each student will verbally discuss their slide during the presentation.
The student with the learning disability will verbally tell the teacher the reasons that he feels that his rules were important. He will be given more time to complete his presentation slide. His para-educator will assist him where needed.
Evaluate and Revise
Evaluate student performance
Content: Were the students able to register for epals? Did the teacher have to assist them with the registration process after the demonstration? Were the students able to create a document requesting information from their epals? Did the students follow directions?
Were the students able to make connections between rules and classroom organization?
Were the students able to navigate through zoho to create a powerpoint? Was their powerpoint organized? Did it follow the format of the unit being studied?
What was the difficulty level of the excel bar graph? Were the students able to work together to complete the activity? Were the students able to follow the written instructions to step by step create the graph? Did the students work well within their groups? Did they take turns on the computer application?
References
http://www.epals.com
http://www.zoho.com
http://www.educationworld.com
Thursday, March 4, 2010
How do I include him?
The important parts of a revised lesson plan should include activities that will enhance learning for the specific child with a disability in your classroom. Each child with a disability is different. They are all individuals and what works for one student may not work for another. For this writing exercise, I will pretend that I have a student who has slight mental retardation (MR).
My lesson focused on the food pyramid. For a student with MR, I would first need to analyze his abilities and then create activities that would help him to learn. My modified lesson would include time for this student to process the information that I was presenting in class. My revised activities would still include group work, would still include hands on opportunities for the students to sort foods, and would still include computer time. The difference in this lesson plan would be subtle individual accommodations for my student with MR. I would require him to still participate in the group activities, but his answers may be shorter. I would have to assess this student differently, depending on how his progress is to be measured. I would still require this student to sort foods with the rest of the class, but he may need assistance, or may only be able to sort one or two. I believe that these differences would be slight, as to not have the student feel that he is being singled out in the classroom.
In my lesson plan involving the food pyramid, I require the students to create a spreadsheet. This activity may be difficult for the student with MR. In order to assist this student with the use of the computer spreadsheet in the classroom, I would add a pre-made spreadsheet for this student that includes pictures. This student may still require some assistance, but hopefully he will be able to record his number data into the proper areas, with the assistance of pictures.
It is crucial to revise lesson plans regularly. Each year students are different. Even regular education students may require extra hands on activities in order to succeed in the classroom. I believe that each time that a lesson is taught, the teacher can learn from the lesson different ways of changing it to make it better. Even if a teacher revises a lesson to meet the needs of a student with a disability, she may try out the lesson and find that it did not work as planned. This would then require another revision to try try again.
One way to assess the appropriateness of the modified lesson, for example the modified spreadsheet, is to try it out. First, know your student’s abilities. Second, create the spreadsheet. Third, try it out. If it is too difficult for the student, or the student is unable to physically do what you ask, modify it again. Our goal it to get the student learning to the best of HIS ability and we want him to succeed, so it is up to us to modify until we find something that works, and works well.
I believe that all students should be included into the lesson. It breaks my heart to see students with disabilities sitting in the back of the classroom, or sitting by watching other students play on the playground. I believe that as teachers, we need to figure out ways to include these students to the best of their abilities. In order to do it, we need to invest time into learning about the individual student and what technology is available to them. The next step is to implement it. Sometimes learning a new technology is difficult for teachers and they do not want to spend the time learning the technology, this is lazy. We are teachers, so let’s get off of our butts and teach!
My lesson focused on the food pyramid. For a student with MR, I would first need to analyze his abilities and then create activities that would help him to learn. My modified lesson would include time for this student to process the information that I was presenting in class. My revised activities would still include group work, would still include hands on opportunities for the students to sort foods, and would still include computer time. The difference in this lesson plan would be subtle individual accommodations for my student with MR. I would require him to still participate in the group activities, but his answers may be shorter. I would have to assess this student differently, depending on how his progress is to be measured. I would still require this student to sort foods with the rest of the class, but he may need assistance, or may only be able to sort one or two. I believe that these differences would be slight, as to not have the student feel that he is being singled out in the classroom.
In my lesson plan involving the food pyramid, I require the students to create a spreadsheet. This activity may be difficult for the student with MR. In order to assist this student with the use of the computer spreadsheet in the classroom, I would add a pre-made spreadsheet for this student that includes pictures. This student may still require some assistance, but hopefully he will be able to record his number data into the proper areas, with the assistance of pictures.
It is crucial to revise lesson plans regularly. Each year students are different. Even regular education students may require extra hands on activities in order to succeed in the classroom. I believe that each time that a lesson is taught, the teacher can learn from the lesson different ways of changing it to make it better. Even if a teacher revises a lesson to meet the needs of a student with a disability, she may try out the lesson and find that it did not work as planned. This would then require another revision to try try again.
One way to assess the appropriateness of the modified lesson, for example the modified spreadsheet, is to try it out. First, know your student’s abilities. Second, create the spreadsheet. Third, try it out. If it is too difficult for the student, or the student is unable to physically do what you ask, modify it again. Our goal it to get the student learning to the best of HIS ability and we want him to succeed, so it is up to us to modify until we find something that works, and works well.
I believe that all students should be included into the lesson. It breaks my heart to see students with disabilities sitting in the back of the classroom, or sitting by watching other students play on the playground. I believe that as teachers, we need to figure out ways to include these students to the best of their abilities. In order to do it, we need to invest time into learning about the individual student and what technology is available to them. The next step is to implement it. Sometimes learning a new technology is difficult for teachers and they do not want to spend the time learning the technology, this is lazy. We are teachers, so let’s get off of our butts and teach!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Up's and Down's
The ASSURE lesson planning process is a fairly new process to me. I was introduced to this type of lesson plan last semester, Fall of 2009. I was introduced to the basics and was required to turn in one example of a “made-up” lesson plan. The requirements and process for this class have been a bit different. I have been challenged; seeking ways to introduce and incorporate technology into a lesson is not easy. Although this process has been challenging; it has also been fun and a bit frustrating.
The first part of the lesson plan seemed to be easy. I remembered the lecture that was given about creating this model and spent some time filling out the different sections. I had never seen the NETS*T standards before, so I had to spend a little time researching them online. I decided to use the NETS*T standard III A (NETS for Teachers 2000,2000). I chose this standard because it uses technology to enhance learning. When I began writing the section about Learner Participation, I began to realize that this lesson was going to be a bit more challenging that I had thought. The visual bar graph was going to give the students a visual representation to enhance their learning, but I didn’t want it to be too challenging for them. I decided that fourth grade students should have no problem filling out a chart, but would need specific directions for filling in a spreadsheet. I had created bar graphs many times and although it seemed easy to me, I decided that I would have to give them step by step instructions. My students are in 4th grade, so they should be able to read and follow these instructions with minimal assistance.
When I was finished, I inserted some example bar graphs into my paper and added some graphics. I spent some time adding some flourishes. I knew that this lesson was going to go on a blog and I wanted it to look great. I have never blogged before. I enjoyed adding the graphics and making it “appealing” to the eye. I visited a USDA website and discovered an online game for kids that could have fit into my lesson plan if I had chosen a younger age group (USDA, 2009). At this point, I decided that lesson planning could actually be fun and not such a headache, like it has been many times before. I started to think about the different ways of incorporating technology into my classroom and had fun thinking about the things that I could do in the future.
The next step of this process was very challenging to me. I spent a lot of time creating this document in Microsoft word and was very proud of the product. I knew I needed to copy and paste it into my blog and it sounded easy when it was described in class. I opened my blog and this is where the frustrations began. I copied my entire paper, went to the blog, clicked on the text section, and then clicked paste. Nothing happened. I did this multiple times. Nothing happened. After several attempts, I called my fellow classmates and asked if they were having this trouble and they were not. How frustrating! I ended up driving to UOG where a fellow classmate assisted me in the copy and paste process. It turned out that my computer was the problem and I was doing exactly what I was supposed to. When I followed the same exact process on her computer, it pasted. We then spent time saving some of my graphics and graphs to pictures and importing them into my blog. I spent a significant amount of time editing the document after this endeavor. After copying the document, it did not transfer over using the same font. Although it was frustrating, I ended up with a finished product that showed up online. Wow, I’m now a blogger! This introduction of technology will be something that I will change after this class is finished, to update family and friends back in the states.
This process was challenging, fun, and frustrating all at the same time. I now feel that I am better prepared for future lesson plans incorporating technology. I was challenged to think outside of the box and utilize standards that I was not familiar with. I had fun surfing the USDA website and finding other ideas for technology in the classroom. I discovered that blogging can be frustrating and is also going to take a bit of practice. This experience was definitely a learning one.
Resources
NETS for Teachers 2000. (2000). Retrieved February 19, 2010, from ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) website:
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2000Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2000.htm
United States Department of Agriculture. (2008). Retrieved February 19, 2010, from (MyPyramid) website:
http://www.mypyramid.gov/Kids/kids_game.html
The first part of the lesson plan seemed to be easy. I remembered the lecture that was given about creating this model and spent some time filling out the different sections. I had never seen the NETS*T standards before, so I had to spend a little time researching them online. I decided to use the NETS*T standard III A (NETS for Teachers 2000,2000). I chose this standard because it uses technology to enhance learning. When I began writing the section about Learner Participation, I began to realize that this lesson was going to be a bit more challenging that I had thought. The visual bar graph was going to give the students a visual representation to enhance their learning, but I didn’t want it to be too challenging for them. I decided that fourth grade students should have no problem filling out a chart, but would need specific directions for filling in a spreadsheet. I had created bar graphs many times and although it seemed easy to me, I decided that I would have to give them step by step instructions. My students are in 4th grade, so they should be able to read and follow these instructions with minimal assistance.
When I was finished, I inserted some example bar graphs into my paper and added some graphics. I spent some time adding some flourishes. I knew that this lesson was going to go on a blog and I wanted it to look great. I have never blogged before. I enjoyed adding the graphics and making it “appealing” to the eye. I visited a USDA website and discovered an online game for kids that could have fit into my lesson plan if I had chosen a younger age group (USDA, 2009). At this point, I decided that lesson planning could actually be fun and not such a headache, like it has been many times before. I started to think about the different ways of incorporating technology into my classroom and had fun thinking about the things that I could do in the future.
The next step of this process was very challenging to me. I spent a lot of time creating this document in Microsoft word and was very proud of the product. I knew I needed to copy and paste it into my blog and it sounded easy when it was described in class. I opened my blog and this is where the frustrations began. I copied my entire paper, went to the blog, clicked on the text section, and then clicked paste. Nothing happened. I did this multiple times. Nothing happened. After several attempts, I called my fellow classmates and asked if they were having this trouble and they were not. How frustrating! I ended up driving to UOG where a fellow classmate assisted me in the copy and paste process. It turned out that my computer was the problem and I was doing exactly what I was supposed to. When I followed the same exact process on her computer, it pasted. We then spent time saving some of my graphics and graphs to pictures and importing them into my blog. I spent a significant amount of time editing the document after this endeavor. After copying the document, it did not transfer over using the same font. Although it was frustrating, I ended up with a finished product that showed up online. Wow, I’m now a blogger! This introduction of technology will be something that I will change after this class is finished, to update family and friends back in the states.
This process was challenging, fun, and frustrating all at the same time. I now feel that I am better prepared for future lesson plans incorporating technology. I was challenged to think outside of the box and utilize standards that I was not familiar with. I had fun surfing the USDA website and finding other ideas for technology in the classroom. I discovered that blogging can be frustrating and is also going to take a bit of practice. This experience was definitely a learning one.
Resources
NETS for Teachers 2000. (2000). Retrieved February 19, 2010, from ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) website:
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2000Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2000.htm
United States Department of Agriculture. (2008). Retrieved February 19, 2010, from (MyPyramid) website:
http://www.mypyramid.gov/Kids/kids_game.html
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