About Me
9 years ago
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Completion of Wk 14 PLE
I completed the University ratings, the course feedback survey, and my grades in moodle look fine. My Internet Safety Reflection Post is one post down. Thanks!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Internet Safety
1. What article did you choose to read for your article of choice?
My article was under the Media tab and it was titled The Message: Mushrooms, Music, Movies, and Magazines. It was a New Era article and it discussed how media can be similar to mushrooms, some are delicious and good for your body. Others, though, are poisonous and are almost always fatal. He spoke of one specific mushroom that was delicious but very poisonous. You didn't realize that it was bad for you because of its taste until it was far too late. This can very easily be compared to the problems with the media. So often, we enjoy what we watch, listen to, or read until it is far too late.
2. Describe the video resources you watched?
I watched all of the PBS videos, the iKeepSafe video, and 2 of the Netsmartz videos. The iSafe videos wouldn't load. I think I received the most information out of the PBS videos . I found most of it horrifying and it kind of scared me into not wanting to have kids. Not really, but I can tell, it's just going to get harder and harder. The BYU cartoon was cute. I think that is a great tool for younger grades.
3. Write a paragraph describing what your most important "take-aways" were from the readings and video?
I was impressed by the first article about "Let our voices be heard". I know I struggle with this because I enjoy my dumb shows, like Greys Anatomy and I know that the type of things that are portrayed on that show aren't appropriate.
In the second talk by Elder. Bednar, I was inspired by the emphasis he placed on our physical bodies and how much Satan uses that gift to attack us. I find it interesting just how much that really can be connected to Internet Safety because issues with the internet so often relate back to immorality and addiction.
The third article of guidelines was helpful. I find myself thinking about how I will be able to be open with my children someday about their use of the internet. It's such a stressful thing because you want your children to be open with you but you just can never be aware of everything. Plus, you want them to make good decisions for themselves. Also, when we got married, my husband and I placed filters on our Internet and I feel safer just by having them there.
The fourth article from Dr. Graham gave good, solid advice for how to keep our homes protected from the problems with internet use. I found the "preside" paragraph insightful. We, as parents, need to lead our families into righteous choices.
4. Write a paragraph or more describing the details of your "doing" experience (you don't need to include any names).
I talked to my mom about Internet Safety. I think she was aware of the problems that are out there, but maybe not the best ways to protect. There are still two children at home with her and they are really young, 8 and 5. Both of them enjoy getting on game websites, like PBSkids.org or Nickelodeon's website. I think she feels that they are at a harmless stage when it comes to Internet, but as I learned, it's never too early to introduce them to Internet Safety. Granted, they don't do any form of chatting. Plus, the desktop at home is ancient, so most computer use ends quickly because its so slow. I talked to her about having an FHE that discusses being private about our information and about what to do if anything uncomfortable pops up on the screen. I also suggested she should get filters on the computer that block anything with certain words or images and that has times specified on there. I think she felt appreciative of what I learned and shared with her. My mom doesn't have a lot of knowledge about the computer and I think that frustrates her, but I told her that I was always available to help her and answer any of her questions.
My article was under the Media tab and it was titled The Message: Mushrooms, Music, Movies, and Magazines. It was a New Era article and it discussed how media can be similar to mushrooms, some are delicious and good for your body. Others, though, are poisonous and are almost always fatal. He spoke of one specific mushroom that was delicious but very poisonous. You didn't realize that it was bad for you because of its taste until it was far too late. This can very easily be compared to the problems with the media. So often, we enjoy what we watch, listen to, or read until it is far too late.
2. Describe the video resources you watched?
I watched all of the PBS videos, the iKeepSafe video, and 2 of the Netsmartz videos. The iSafe videos wouldn't load. I think I received the most information out of the PBS videos . I found most of it horrifying and it kind of scared me into not wanting to have kids. Not really, but I can tell, it's just going to get harder and harder. The BYU cartoon was cute. I think that is a great tool for younger grades.
3. Write a paragraph describing what your most important "take-aways" were from the readings and video?
I was impressed by the first article about "Let our voices be heard". I know I struggle with this because I enjoy my dumb shows, like Greys Anatomy and I know that the type of things that are portrayed on that show aren't appropriate.
In the second talk by Elder. Bednar, I was inspired by the emphasis he placed on our physical bodies and how much Satan uses that gift to attack us. I find it interesting just how much that really can be connected to Internet Safety because issues with the internet so often relate back to immorality and addiction.
The third article of guidelines was helpful. I find myself thinking about how I will be able to be open with my children someday about their use of the internet. It's such a stressful thing because you want your children to be open with you but you just can never be aware of everything. Plus, you want them to make good decisions for themselves. Also, when we got married, my husband and I placed filters on our Internet and I feel safer just by having them there.
The fourth article from Dr. Graham gave good, solid advice for how to keep our homes protected from the problems with internet use. I found the "preside" paragraph insightful. We, as parents, need to lead our families into righteous choices.
4. Write a paragraph or more describing the details of your "doing" experience (you don't need to include any names).
I talked to my mom about Internet Safety. I think she was aware of the problems that are out there, but maybe not the best ways to protect. There are still two children at home with her and they are really young, 8 and 5. Both of them enjoy getting on game websites, like PBSkids.org or Nickelodeon's website. I think she feels that they are at a harmless stage when it comes to Internet, but as I learned, it's never too early to introduce them to Internet Safety. Granted, they don't do any form of chatting. Plus, the desktop at home is ancient, so most computer use ends quickly because its so slow. I talked to her about having an FHE that discusses being private about our information and about what to do if anything uncomfortable pops up on the screen. I also suggested she should get filters on the computer that block anything with certain words or images and that has times specified on there. I think she felt appreciative of what I learned and shared with her. My mom doesn't have a lot of knowledge about the computer and I think that frustrates her, but I told her that I was always available to help her and answer any of her questions.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Summary
5 Ways for Young Children to use Technology
Make & Display a Graph- spreadsheets
Explore with Digital Tools- digital microscopes
Tell a Story in Pictures & Words- Paint programs
Write, Record & Visit- Take pictures of a field trip
Share & document Learning- chronicle their progress with photos
Helps them to revisit back to their ideas and experiences
Digital Cameras are engaging and easy to use
Visual Representation is important because their written skills aren't quite there yet
Go from concrete to abstract thinking
Technology and Learning
Use small groups at computers, keep the physical setup so a few can sit at each computer
social atmosphere if they work with a few others
Technology and Curriculum
technology needs to interactive and open ended and lets them have ownership
work at their own pace and its a collaborative effort
Make & Display a Graph- spreadsheets
Explore with Digital Tools- digital microscopes
Tell a Story in Pictures & Words- Paint programs
Write, Record & Visit- Take pictures of a field trip
Share & document Learning- chronicle their progress with photos
Helps them to revisit back to their ideas and experiences
Digital Cameras are engaging and easy to use
Visual Representation is important because their written skills aren't quite there yet
Go from concrete to abstract thinking
Technology and Learning
Use small groups at computers, keep the physical setup so a few can sit at each computer
social atmosphere if they work with a few others
Technology and Curriculum
technology needs to interactive and open ended and lets them have ownership
work at their own pace and its a collaborative effort
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Videos
Bookends of War
Inside Kapunahala
While I watched these two videos, I found some great ideas for how to include technology in my classroom. I really enjoyed the Kapunahala video. I thought having children participate in a small TV broadcast show was absolutely adorable. I don't know how realistic it is for everyone, but it looked to me like the children were having a blast. I think they felt more mature and independent, like they had an actual part in something big.
With the Bookends of War video, I felt like the teacher seemed very aware of the reality of technology. I'm glad she mentioned that it was hard at first to really know what she was doing with everything. I also thought she looked very involved with her students and they seemed excited about their websites.
I just hope that I can be as creative as these teachers were with using technology. Also, you have to be willing to have your class be somewhat loud and messy so that your students have the freedom to discuss their projects. I know I'll have to work on that.
Inside Kapunahala
While I watched these two videos, I found some great ideas for how to include technology in my classroom. I really enjoyed the Kapunahala video. I thought having children participate in a small TV broadcast show was absolutely adorable. I don't know how realistic it is for everyone, but it looked to me like the children were having a blast. I think they felt more mature and independent, like they had an actual part in something big.
With the Bookends of War video, I felt like the teacher seemed very aware of the reality of technology. I'm glad she mentioned that it was hard at first to really know what she was doing with everything. I also thought she looked very involved with her students and they seemed excited about their websites.
I just hope that I can be as creative as these teachers were with using technology. Also, you have to be willing to have your class be somewhat loud and messy so that your students have the freedom to discuss their projects. I know I'll have to work on that.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
3 Videos
After watching the three videos, I found the most important thing was to have age-appropriate tools and technology resources. In all of the videos, I could tell that the programs they were using were appropriate for that age group and if the teacher didn't take the time to ensure that, the students would probably feel frustrated or bored. All of the students in these videos seemed very engaged in what they were doing.
Along with that, I found that the technology was used to enhance any unit or theme instead of becoming the unit or theme. I feel like it would be easy if you had technology readily available to just rely on it for most of your activities. But, these teachers in the videos used it to add to the lessons, not take over the lessons. Overall, I thought the story extension was the most enjoyable looking. I loved how it took ideas and illustrations directly from the students and allowed them to make a book.
Along with that, I found that the technology was used to enhance any unit or theme instead of becoming the unit or theme. I feel like it would be easy if you had technology readily available to just rely on it for most of your activities. But, these teachers in the videos used it to add to the lessons, not take over the lessons. Overall, I thought the story extension was the most enjoyable looking. I loved how it took ideas and illustrations directly from the students and allowed them to make a book.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Reflection on Technology
I filled out the consent form and midcourse evaluation.
I thought it was interesting to find out what was available to my friend's classroom. Four computers seemed like a lot for the classroom but she does teach in a ritzy area. Also, I thought it was cool to know that the kids love using the computers during free time. I guess for some students, technology really can enhance their learning. Other classes just always talk about hands-on experiences and inquiry learning, so I feel like technology kind of defeats that, but if you use it right, maybe it doesn't.
I thought it was interesting to find out what was available to my friend's classroom. Four computers seemed like a lot for the classroom but she does teach in a ritzy area. Also, I thought it was cool to know that the kids love using the computers during free time. I guess for some students, technology really can enhance their learning. Other classes just always talk about hands-on experiences and inquiry learning, so I feel like technology kind of defeats that, but if you use it right, maybe it doesn't.
Technology Interview
I interviewed a friend, Amanda Higgins, from Texas about the technology she uses in her classroom; she teaches 1st grade. Some of the technology resources she had available to her right in her classroom were 4 desktop computers (these computers have microphones and 2 have webcams), a laptop at her desk, a sound system of sorts where she hangs a microphone around her neck and then the whole class can hear her, the I clickers like we have here at BYU, and a fancy overhead projector (not the old rickety kind).
She also can check out a digital camera, a dvd player, and a TV. The school has a computer lab that they go to twice a week and if needed can find more times to visit there.
The main thing she said she would love to have is something called a Smart White board. They are supposed to be getting them installed over the summer but I guess these white boards have tons of abilities and programs. She also said it would be nice if they had a projector automatically hooked up into the ceiling so she wouldn’t have to mess with the overhead projector.
She said she tries to use technology quite a bit, but her computers get the most use during free time. There are a lot of math and science games, which are great, except she had to figure out a system so they could take turns. They do use the digital camera as often as possible because the students love taking pictures themselves. She gathers a lot of her ideas off of teacher websites and other teachers in the school.
I asked her if she felt like technology did enhance her lessons or if she felt like she had to work hard to use the technology because it was available to her. She said that most of the time, it definitely helps because it makes the students feel more grownup. Sometimes though, she said it was just high maintenance because it breaks and she doesn’t always know how to fix it and there’s not much technical support.
She also can check out a digital camera, a dvd player, and a TV. The school has a computer lab that they go to twice a week and if needed can find more times to visit there.
The main thing she said she would love to have is something called a Smart White board. They are supposed to be getting them installed over the summer but I guess these white boards have tons of abilities and programs. She also said it would be nice if they had a projector automatically hooked up into the ceiling so she wouldn’t have to mess with the overhead projector.
She said she tries to use technology quite a bit, but her computers get the most use during free time. There are a lot of math and science games, which are great, except she had to figure out a system so they could take turns. They do use the digital camera as often as possible because the students love taking pictures themselves. She gathers a lot of her ideas off of teacher websites and other teachers in the school.
I asked her if she felt like technology did enhance her lessons or if she felt like she had to work hard to use the technology because it was available to her. She said that most of the time, it definitely helps because it makes the students feel more grownup. Sometimes though, she said it was just high maintenance because it breaks and she doesn’t always know how to fix it and there’s not much technical support.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Reflection on Voice thread & the science challenge
I looked at Natalie, Ashley G., and Ashley P.'s voice threads. Also, I commented on their actual video, not their post, I hope that's right.
I thought this activity was much less stressful. I used Kidspiration and honestly, I loved it. I thought this is something I can really use and it has so many great activities already set up that apply wonderfully with so many state standards. I also thought Stellarium was pretty dang cool and I bet 1st or 2nd graders would have a ball with that. As for the thermometers and microscopes, that all depends on what your school can afford- so that's a little tough, but anything you can download onto your computer for free is awesome.
I thought this activity was much less stressful. I used Kidspiration and honestly, I loved it. I thought this is something I can really use and it has so many great activities already set up that apply wonderfully with so many state standards. I also thought Stellarium was pretty dang cool and I bet 1st or 2nd graders would have a ball with that. As for the thermometers and microscopes, that all depends on what your school can afford- so that's a little tough, but anything you can download onto your computer for free is awesome.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Science Challenge
For my science activity I have the following planned:
A 2nd grade activity that discusses the importance of a balanced diet and they will then create a balanced diet on kidspiration.
A more detailed version of the activity: The intro to our Health Unit will include an open large-group discussion of the importance of a balanced diet. I will ask what the students understand of a balanced diet, what types of food make up a balanced, etc. We will discuss the seven food groups. I will then ask the students to pull up their Kidspiration program where I will direct them to click on the science section. After clicking on science, I will have them scroll down to the Balanced Diet activity. Before they begin, I will explain that this activity is to see if they know what foods go under certain balanced diet categories. I will show them an example on my own computer which is hooked up to a screen for everyone to see. I will drag the wheat bread over into the grains section and show that this type of food satisfies the grains need. They will then finish by putting 10 different foods into food categories.
Content: 2nd grade Science: Standard 1: Students will develop a sense of self.
Objective 1: Describe and adopt behaviors for health and safety.
A. Explain the importance of balance in a diet.
Pedagogy: Inferring, Classifying, Organizing, Analyzing Data
Technology: Kidspiration
The representation of this content is considered interactive because the students are using the technology and creating their own balanced diet. ( I will look more at this, I apologize for lateness, I got held up at work and got home right around midnight)
A 2nd grade activity that discusses the importance of a balanced diet and they will then create a balanced diet on kidspiration.
A more detailed version of the activity: The intro to our Health Unit will include an open large-group discussion of the importance of a balanced diet. I will ask what the students understand of a balanced diet, what types of food make up a balanced, etc. We will discuss the seven food groups. I will then ask the students to pull up their Kidspiration program where I will direct them to click on the science section. After clicking on science, I will have them scroll down to the Balanced Diet activity. Before they begin, I will explain that this activity is to see if they know what foods go under certain balanced diet categories. I will show them an example on my own computer which is hooked up to a screen for everyone to see. I will drag the wheat bread over into the grains section and show that this type of food satisfies the grains need. They will then finish by putting 10 different foods into food categories.
Content: 2nd grade Science: Standard 1: Students will develop a sense of self.
Objective 1: Describe and adopt behaviors for health and safety.
A. Explain the importance of balance in a diet.
Pedagogy: Inferring, Classifying, Organizing, Analyzing Data
Technology: Kidspiration
The representation of this content is considered interactive because the students are using the technology and creating their own balanced diet. ( I will look more at this, I apologize for lateness, I got held up at work and got home right around midnight)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Virtual Tours...
I posted on Ashley, Tammy, and Natalie's blogs.
This by far was the most stressful assignment for me. I think getting to know Google Earth was a great thing because that application in itself is really fun and would be a good asset to the classroom. However, making an actually virtual tour is a lot of work. If I had more practice at it, it would probably be easier. And if we all just had the google earth app on our computers, then I could just have them download directly on to that instead of embedding it onto my blog or website. That didn't seem to work quite as well. I see the perks of a virtual tour, but again it goes back to do I have time to do this?
This by far was the most stressful assignment for me. I think getting to know Google Earth was a great thing because that application in itself is really fun and would be a good asset to the classroom. However, making an actually virtual tour is a lot of work. If I had more practice at it, it would probably be easier. And if we all just had the google earth app on our computers, then I could just have them download directly on to that instead of embedding it onto my blog or website. That didn't seem to work quite as well. I see the perks of a virtual tour, but again it goes back to do I have time to do this?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Core Content for Virtual Tour
Standard 2
Students will understand that volcanoes, earthquakes, uplift, weathering, and erosion reshape Earth's surface.In the Science 5th Grade Core
I chose this topic for the virtual tour, mostly because everything else I tried kept bombing. I just kept going through the Core curriculum to try to get inspired about something I could do. Plus it was hard to find places besides popular cities that had more stuff to click on. I wanted to do things like the Rainforest and the Sahara Desert but Google Earth didn't really like those choices.
I do feel like the virtual tour can help the students learn a concept more. I don't know if it is the best way, but it is different. Plus they can do it at home with a parent and they also have the option of playing with the layers and finding out different information. It is nice to let the students do the inquiring. I think the best thing would be to let the students just explore on there and see what they can find.
Plan for Virtual Tour
| Location | Activity Description | Google Earth Content |
| 1. Cleveland Volcano | Find the answer to the following question: Is this volcano active? | Places layer |
| 2. Mt. St. Helens | Find the answer to the following question: What year was its' last major eruption? | Volcanoes layer |
| 3. Haleakala | Pick your favorite 3 pictures. | Volcanoes and Panoramios layer |
| 4. Damavand | Find the answer to the following question: Is this volcano active? Choose one other fun fact to share. | Wikipedia layer |
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Is it hard to use a Digital Story in the classroom?
I would say, it depends. The greatest challenge is that I plan on teaching young kids- so if I used this tool, I would be making it myself. That's fine, except that teachers are already lacking in spare time, so to try to find time to make videos that pertain to my lesson concepts is kind of unrealistic. If I'm teaching more like 3rd graders, they might be able to do a simple video by themselves, which I think would be absolutely fun. However, I have to be honest- this was a really fun assignment, stressful but fun. I felt very accomplished at the end when I watched my video.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Different Representations
This week, we learned about the different ways to represent content knowledge. We discussed textual, visual, auditory, dynamic, and multimodal. For our digital story, we will be using several different representations, including textual, visual, and auditory. This means that our digital story is considered multimodal. I think this info is beneficial, but the TPACK stuff got kind of confusing. What I gathered is that TPACK means you use your technology knowledge to enhance your pedagogical knowledge to teach content..... Wow, that sounded intense.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Websites
Soo, today I learned how to make a website! Although, I felt quite rushed and frazzled, it's pretty cool to see my lil website. None of what we did for it is necessarily hard, I just didn't know how to do it before. I think that's what I'm realizing about this class, it's not hard, I just need the instructions for it. Hopefully I'll use this someday, it would surprise me though that a school wouldn't just provide a website for us to add our info on. Maybe they will but we will still have to know how to embed pictures and videos, so I guess it is beneficial. Anyway, it was a dandy class.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I don't know much....
So, I don't know much about technology. I know google pretty well and gmail. And I can blog somewhat, but other than that- I'm pretty lacking in the technology world. I do think it's interesting though, so I'm excited to learn more in this class. We'll see how it goes.
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