My powerpoint with audio!

Marine Mammals

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PLN

Developing a personal learning network so far has been great. I think it is a great way for teachers and future teachers, or anyone really who is looking to expand their network and start networking with other people. Developing your own blog, web-page, a cite where you store your favorite or bookmarked cites. They are all great ways to keep your connections and networks all in one place that is easy to find and work with as well as letting others see what you have. I think there are many potentials to having a PLN which mostly include the networking and new ways of discovering things that can help you with whatever you are working on. Having a PLN also gives you access to cites and information that you can store together and allow others to see who may not know what those cites are, or even what a PLN is so this way it just forms new people and new networking. I also think it is beneficial for classrooms because if a teacher has their own PLN than students and parents within the classroom can look at the web-page, or whatever the PLN contains and find out information about who will be teaching their children and a little bit about them in a positive light. There are a few limitations in developing a PLN, simply because there is just so much information out there, it is hard to condense it all into an easy to read and find PLN. This means that the person who belongs to the PLN needs to keep there cites clean and organized, also to update them regularly. If the cites or PLN network is not kept up at least a few times a week, or what not, it really is not worth it to keep. These things need to be updated to keep it alive and running, or a network is not a network with no effort put into it. PLN's are great and although there are some drawbacks, as always having to keep them updated and having others look/find them they are great ways to network and put yourself out there!

URL for presentation

Lets Learn About Mammals

My google doc presentation

blogs + classroom

Looking at all the teachers blog sites that I added on my google reader (teachers from grades k-6) I have found lots of ideas and new and interesting ways of doing things that I had not know before. One of the teachers who teaches second grade has a very detailed list of what the students do each day within the classroom. So she starts off saying what was done, what was sent home to be brought back the next day, and what is coming up for assignments as well as school wide activities. I think that is a really great way to save paper for one, and also keep the parents informed of everything that is going on in the classroom via the Internet. I know as a teacher I am going to be having a lot of parents asking questions, complaining, etc. Doing something like that I think really relieves some of that pressure that parents can sometimes provide on the child for due dates and bringing things home etc. By having the blog postings, it just states exactly what is due when and what is going on. It also allows problems to be resolved sooner than later. This teacher also included things that were going on within the school and outside of her classroom (ice cream socials, etc.) Also a spelling list for the week. I am just so AMAZED at this teachers organization and time spent on doing this for her students and their parents. It really brings the classroom together and keeps things up to date. I love it! Technology is such a great tool to be used every single day within the classroom and this is just another example. I hope to follow in this teachers footsteps and be able to do what she is doing with her blog and classroom.

SMC site

Exploring the Social Media Classroom website I came across Participatory Pedagogy. Similar to what we learned last week in the PTACK lesson. A way of getting students to learn from each other and in different ways than just notes, lecture and discussions. It is easier for students to feel connected and engaged when they are all working with the same thing under the same media outlet, for example computers or Google Docs, Google Earth, anything that all students within the classroom can participate in and feel good about discussing. A great for teachers to also get lesson ideas and see how pedagogy can be implement within a classroom and what it really means to a students education within technology. As they will be growing up with technology in their veins, it cannot be avoided, so why not embrace it.

Google Apps within the Classroom

Within my classroom I think that using Google Docs would be a great choice, and there are lots of things that can be done within the classroom with this application. Similar to what we are doing for week six, and uploading something to the Google Doc and then invite others to look at it and edit or what not. This would be great for a lesson in language arts. I know there is a lot of writing that goes on within all the different grades of elementary school and this would be a great way for students as well as teachers and even parents to view others work and comment, etc. This way it would be sort of like a clipboard for students to feel comfortable with other people looking at their work. They could also set it (sorta like we did) up with the groups and then just have those people be able to view and edit. Many options for students if they are not comfortable with the entire class/etc. viewing their work. Another way of integrating Google Docs and other Google Apps into the classroom is just really using them and introducing them to the students. Also with the Google Docs you can have spreadsheets, and presentations. A great and different way to lecture or teach a lesson with the students not being bored with the traditional talking and writing. For Google Sites, that is a great way to possibly have those within the classroom who have a blog, they can all be posted together, or a class website. Many things to incorporate technology into the classroom with each unit and lesson. I believe it also gives the students more confidence within their work because they have much more hands on and feedback using Google Docs and Apps like these. There even is a calendar which can be used as the class calendar that can have all the assignments, tests, quizzes, projects, etc. A good way to save paper and allow students to check it whenever they can at home, also great for parents. As with most things with Google, the things that can be done are almost endless, as a lot of the lessons can use technology at any state.

Task 2- I chose Google Earth!

For task 2, I decided to research Google Earth. I have this on my computer. I never really thought that it would be useful to me in terms of working with it within my classroom. I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND! I think this is going to be a great technology tool to use within my classroom as well as plan units and lessons around. I am very excited! With Google Earth, the software (easily down loadable) allows you to get an entire look at the planet from space. You use your mouse to move the earth around and find the area you want to see, all taken from satellites. You can even look for your own house! (Of course I did this, my parents house in Novi.) To me this is just a great playground for me as a future teacher. This allows me to show my students exactly what our planet, different countries, oceans, etc. look like from a point of view that far away and yet still accurate. The affordance of this item (Google Earth) will require the teacher to have a computer of course because that is where the program is. I also think Google Earth would be MOST beneficial if the students could view it in a LARGE format. For instance the computer is hooked up to a screen where what is on the computer screen is seen on a pull down screen in front of the classroom. Controlled by a box that usually is on the ceiling within the classroom. This way students can see it close up and personal. Not having to crowd around a computer. There are a few constraints with Google Earth. For instance if you are having problems with it and it is not working, or just other technical issues that can occur. The many strengths to having Google Earth available within your classroom include students being able to be "hands-on" with learning about our earth and different areas on earth. By being able to control the movement themselves or with the teachers help. Using Google Earth would go great with using the Smart Boards. That would really be AMAZING. As you would be able to write and use the Board with your hands all in front of the class. As well as allowing the students to be hands on with this and write and find places on earth. I would for sure use this technology with specific content in mind. Such as geography (maps) Social Studies (countries, cities) science and discovery (oceans, plates, mountains) As well as astronomy (rotation, moon, 24 hour days, etc.) The list is really endless with what you can do with Google Earth. I really could use this to incorporate students learning and raise excitement with what they are learning, versus just taking notes and looking in a book. Not a great way to spark students interests, especially elementary grades! TPACK is great also with using Google Earth. It is using technological content and applying it with pedagogical ideas and all using this to teach content with technology as the component. I LOVE IT. With Google Earth 5 ( I don't have that version..yet) you can look at the ocean floor and data from marine experiments. There is so much you can use with that to teach students (science, social studies) great way to inform/teach great content with real-time images. Something that will really draw in the students in a way like never before. As well as being able to record for Google Earth and for touring it. Great way for students to apply their learning. As well as for the teacher to prepare a "trip through____" before class starts with their voice recorded. SO COOL!

blogs-teachers

For one of the tasks this week Greg wanted us to be subscribed to about 12 blogs for our RSS feed. I am subscribed to a few within our class and then I subscribed to a teacher from each grade (K-6th). I did this because I do not know exactly which grade I want to teach (really wherever I can get a job) although I would like to have a preference. So I am hoping by following a blog from each grade will give me a chance at looking at different teachers, different grades and different perspectives. Both female and male teachers as well. Also how they incorporate technology into their classrooms and the effects it has.

website- social media

I found this really cool website, I believe it just came about, so it is pretty new. Its about social media in the classroom. I thought I would post it just in case others are interested!!

Also it is helpful to us teachers and information on how social media effects the classroom and technology and all that.

http://socialmediaclassroom.com