New Tech Standards & Requirements

Not only can technology be fun tool for learning in the classroom, but it is also required through the Oregon Educational Technology Standards. The three standards that I can especially relate to as an educator are:

-Communication and collaboration. I want to integrate this standard by helping students to create a podcast or video to synthesize their learning and share it with others. In my work sample, I'm hoping to have my students "publish" their scientific findings through a podcast. At the end, we will all collaborate with each other by sharing our podcasts over popcorn. I also want to establish a "sister classroom" from another country or culture, using technology (skype, email, video sharing) to connect with people who my students would maybe never talk to without technology.

-Research and information fluency. Our students should have a tool belt full of places to find legitimate and interesting information to apply within math, science, literacy, or nearly any subject. Technology, especially the internet, can be one of the best tools for research. However, since the internet has some of the best, but also some of the worst, research available, students will have to learn to analyze and think critically about their sources. The skill of critically sorting information is a strategy that will prove important in many other areas of learning as well.

-Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. To me, this standard incorporates all of the others. Critical thinking is the result of thoughtful teaching of the first two standards. Using technology as a tool to push student thinking to the top of Bloom's Taxonomy is the most important manner in which we can use technology in the classroom.

There are restraints to these standards, and the access to technology is vastly different from district to district and school to school. Although there are grants, some classes are less likely to have technology readily available. Moreover, some students don't have access to technology at home, which can create a disparity in ability to use technology for long-term projects and homework. However, all students deserve teachers who are willing to creatively use the technology available to them. There are plenty of things that a teacher can do with a single computer, like create a podcast, let group leaders research for their peers, and publish writing. The opportunities may be greater with more technology, but we should all be willing to use what we have so our students aren't left behind in this digital era.

Analyzing Student Data in a Spreadsheet

As an ex-Excel user, I was delighted to work with Google Doc spreadsheets, which I found easier and more user-friendly than Excel. Although my knowledge of Excel was helpful during my learning about Google's version, I think it would have still been a fairly simply process with no prior knowledge.

If/when I get a job, I can imagine tracking my students' progress through Google Doc spreadsheets. Additionally, by using Google Docs, I can easily access the information from my workstation at school, or my laptop at home. By showing the spreadsheet as a graph, it was much clearer that the low-scoring students had improved over time. Without the visual, the information wouldn't have been as clear, and could have even been misunderstood.

I can also imagine having students track their own data in this way. I'm currently teaching a Math Fact Club(!), and one of the things we're doing is tracking our own progress as the students improve their math fact learning. Using Google Doc spreadsheet, the kids would be able to use technology to make goals and watch their learning progress.

Watch what happens when I graphed the data of below average testers.

Here's a link to my Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aul3OPuXKt85dHYyTW5sa0Y2cFFnbk5EbWNuRmh6S0E&hl=en_US#gid=2

Multimedia project

VoiceThread is a web-based tool that allows for the easy creation of a podcast. I created a sign-in, uploaded a picture of myself and a little information, and I was off. VoiceThread can import sound from many sources, including a phone call and your computer webcam. After using Yodio and having so many problems, this program was a welcome, simple solution. VoiceThread also allows the creator to set personal and internet-based pictures and video to the uploaded sound. You can also write on your pictures during the podcast, if extra emphasis is needed. VoiceThread makes sharing easy too. By clicking the "share" button after the podcast is finished, it sends the user to a one-stop shop for embedding the video anywhere you want (e.g. facebook, youtube, etc.).

This program is so quick and easy to use that I feel comfortable attempting to use it in my 5th grade classroom. For my work study, my students are doing original science experiments, and should all have original results. Instead of sharing these results through a series of presentations, I want to use VoiceThread to create a special end-of-unit portfolio. To do this, I'll take photographs of each student during their science experiment, and later, they can set these photographs to the sound of their own voices. I think this will help involve literacy (speaking and listening especially) into my science unit. Integrating photographs and sound will excite both visual and auditory learners. It will be a special treat for the students, and additionally, a way for young scientists to collaborate and share their findings. It will also be a long-lasting learning assessment that could be included in parent conferences.

Below I've embedded my VoiceThread podcast, documenting my travels through video, pictures, sound, and writing.

OTEN

A couple weeks ago, I was able to attend the Oregon Technology in Education Network (OTEN) conference. I was excited to learn ways to integrate ipads, SMART-boards, and other technology seamlessly into my classroom. Additionally, I found out that technology can be used to help students think within all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, thus helping students think deeply and critically in a complex world.

Take a look at my VoiceThread!

http://voicethread.com/share/2308629/

Web 2.0 and Dropbox

Within the teacher community, most of us are living multi-computer lives. Many of us have laptops, desktops, and smart phones. Web 2.0 is a platform within the web that transcends the dependence of a specific computer to access our saved information. It is often referred to as "cloud computing." Here is a video introduction to the concept: http://www.commoncraft.com/video/cloud-computing. Because I spend so much time bouncing between computers, I have already taken advantage of the Google Suite, PicasaWeb, and Dropbox.

Dropbox has been especially helpful for school papers, pictures, and presentations. I used to email myself these items or use a flashdrive, but Dropbox allows me to put needed information into the "cloud," which I am later able to easily access. Dropbox allows for 2GB of free space, which is expandable if you use peer-pressure to get others to join (https://www.dropbox.com/referrals). As a person who is constantly terrified of the downfall of my computer, Dropbox is also a guarantee that important files won't be gone forever in the event of a stolen, soaked, or crashed computer. Take a tour of dropbox and see for yourself! (https://www.dropbox.com/tour).

Here's my group's Google doc about Web2.0 and Dropbox: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pKm-NFkaMiy6znGzZMRRtlYVf5HQPDsKhpd419fcKk8/edit?hl=en_US

Using Picasa

Here is a Google Doc focusing on Picasa, my favorite user-friendly picture sorting, editing, and publishing software. I have tried many other photo editing programs, but have always come back to Picasa because I find it so easy to use. My comfort with the program made this project easy, but I was delighted to learn more about the web album feature. I contributed to this project by posting the general overview of features and personal reflections about using Picasa.

As I'm planning my work sample, I'm thinking about taking photos of my students doing science experiments. I know I'll use Picasa to find, edit, and sort these photographs. I could even use the PicasaWeb album resource to share the photos with students' parents. Later, when I want to post pictures to a voicethread, they'll be easy to find within my Picasa albums. Take a look at our project, and try Picasa out for yourself!

https://docs.google.com/a/willamette.edu/document/d/1sMcpGAkdhQJJGwkoEpfpCTaIU6i1ULnK2Y9x2qAyz-E/edit?hl=en_US

Blogging in the classroom

As a future teacher, I'm always looking for ways to engage my students in meaningful activities. I think that blogging could be one of the tools that I use for activating students' interest and getting them involved, especially within literacy. In my 5th grade practicum classroom, we are currently involved in a project that requires students to write, edit, and publish their memoirs. They also have one hour a week to spend with laptop computers. Since so many of these students feel comfortable in the technological world, I would love to involve blogging as a way for these students to publish their work in a seemingly "more legitimate" way than just writing it on paper. In this case, students could provide positive feedback on each others' stories.

Another idea that I've been tossing around is reflective journaling between the teacher and the student. This would be a space where students could write without judgement, and communicate with the teacher about successes and difficulties that they're having in class. I think that this is another place that blogging could come into place. Instead of a paper journal, the students could blog with just the teacher, or the teacher and other peers. A necessary consideration would have to be creating a safe space within the blog, and scaffolding students' understanding of mutual respect and healthy communities.

Finally, because of my science focus, I can imagine using blogs to publish findings from classroom experiments. Especially for the younger kids, the idea that their original science conclusions were online would be exciting and novel. Students could also include diagrams, photos, and links to other research online. In all instances, blogging helps students move into the higher thinking in Bloom's Taxonomy; into analyzing, evaluating, and (especially!) creating. With proper resources, I can see my classroom as a place where blogging is a tool for showing critical and creative thought.

Other idea: use kidblog! Safe, closed off to the public, kid-friendly: http://kidblog.org/home.php