In Addition to That ...

Haha, so I guess we're supposed to actually answer a few questions on our blog. Oops! But I maintain that it's not my fault ... I got an email telling me to do this this morning. So here I go!
Something that works best for my program ... I would have to say that I love the links. I think it's really cool that I can link other websites or webquests to mine so my students can use those as resources.
I wish that I could make this lesson plan something where I can use technology to enhance instead of only using technology in the lesson. Does that make sense? While I was writing my lesson plan, I came up with all sorts of things that I could have my students do that didn't involve technology, so I kinda wish I could have used that somehow.
The peer evaluation and planning sheet were very useful to me. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to set the webquest up or how many resources I needed and things like that. I thought the planning sheet did a good job at helping me see what I needed and giving me advice on how to make it better. Feedback is always a good thing.
I have learned that you have to really think about what you want the kids to know. You can't just make up a fun activity and do it ... the activity needs to mean something and there are a lot of ways to help that happen.
Uhh ... I hope this is what I was supposed to do! Later ...

Lesson Plan!

Hallelujah! It's the end of the semester and I have FINALLY finished the last project for this class. I know, I know ... it's a fantabulous accomplishment. Just kidding. But I really have finished, and a few days early to boot! I hope you all (if anyone even reads this) are proud of me.
Anyways ... to the point of this entry. So I finished my project and it's quite fun (if I do say so myself) It's a lesson for fourth grade students about ... CLOUDS! So if you wanna look at it, here's the link:
http://ia.usu.edu/viewproject.php?project=ia:12976
Hope you like it!

Digital Photos!

Today in class we made geometry photo things! (specific, I know) In my group, we took pictures of rectangular prisms, cylinders, squares, trapezoids, and pentagons. It was really interesting to go into IPhoto and ComicLife because I've never used them before. I think that doing digital photos in a classroom with young children is something that they will really enjoy because they can take the pictures and I'll upload them and stuff. I really liked this activity and plan on using IPhoto in my future classroom.

Games for Kids!

Today we looked at web applications and how we can use those applications in out classrooms. There were a lot that I looked at (and if you really think about it, they're just games) and a few that I really liked.

I was looking at games for fifth graders, and one that I really liked was found at www.history.org/kids/games/foundingFather.cfm. What I really liked about this one was that it taught about the founding fathers in a game show kind of a thing. It asks questions about a founding father (like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, etc.) and the children would have to decide who did that. This game would fit the fifth grade Standard 2: students will understand teh chronology and significance of key events leading to self-government. In my classroom, I would use this to reinforce what I was teaching my students about the founding fathers during this time.

Another fifth grade game I found was for math and it reinforces about the order of operations. The website was www.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/alg.cgi. What I like about this game is that there are different levels, so the children can do it at their own level instead of having it be too easy or too hard. This works for Standard One: Students will expand number sense to include integers and perform operations with whole numbers, simple fractions, and decimals. I'm focusing on the performing operations part of this standard, which is one of the objectives.

All in all, I think that web applications are a good thing to use in the classroom.

Cloud Webquest

Today in class we learned about webquests. I looked at a lot and I think they can be a very good resource for teachers in all grades. A webquest is something that the teacher can make and change so it applies to their grade and the level of learning that their students should get.

I am doing my webquest on zunal.com and I want to do mine on Fourth Grade Science. I'm doing Standard 2, Objective 1, Indicator a, which is about teaching my students to identify different cloud types. If I don't do that one, I will do indicator d, which is about comparing different kinds of weather phenomena. I might switch the indicator, but I really like talking about the weather, so that is what I'm going to be teaching.

To teach this, I have a main idea about how to teach it, I just need to decide which indicator I want to use. If I teach the different types of clouds, I was thinking of having each of my students choose a different type of cloud (or I could divide them into groups and each group will have a specific type of cloud) and do a presentation about that type of cloud. This would include information about: what this clouds consists of and how you can tell it apart from other clouds, and things like that. If I teach the weather phenomena, I would have each child (or group) choose two opposing weather phenomena and make a presentation about how they are different, what conditions they are made under and such.

Website Valid! ... or not?

Today we're looking at different ways to find out if a website is valid or not. I think this is a very useful thing to know because as a teacher, I need to be able to tell my students if they can/cannot use certain sites. The website I devised to evaluate was a biography of George Washington. I would put the url here, but it won't let me.

The first evaluation site I used was WAVE, which can tell you if your website is accessible or not. All you have to do is type in the url and it will evaluate the site and tell you how many accessibility problems there are. The cool thing about my website was that WAVE could not come up with any accessibility errors. So, this would probably be a very good site for the children to use. The only thing I don't like about WAVE is that it's not foolproof. In order to make sure that your site is accessible, you have to check it out, even after WAVE has checked.

The next evaluation site I used was the Kathy Schrock guide. I used the elementary school level, since that is what I plan on teaching. It asks lots of questions, about the inteernet site, how you're hooked to the internet and what web browser you're using, then it gets into the details. The first part asks how it looks, talking about the pictures and spelling and author's name, among other things. Part two asks what you leaned from the page, asking if the title page told you what it's about, comparing the information you got to an encyclopedia, and asking if everything on the page (pictured and photographs included) helps you learn. I really like this web evaluation guide because it doesn't make the decision for you. It asks you questions that are necessary to know if you're going to try to decide if your website is valid or not, but it lets you make the decision. Based on this guide, I would have to say that the website I chose, the bibliography about George Washington, is valid.

From using these evaluations, I've learned that validity is more than how a page looks. It also includes accessibility to people with disabilities and to people from different places. Validity has to do with resources and details that can be verified from encyclopedias and other valid resources. Opinions are not a valid thing, the main thing to look at is good information.

I really like the idea of making sure that the websites used in my classroom are valid. Students can't always tell if something is good or not, but if I'm willing to take the time and effort, I can help them find resources that will help them do what they need. And the biggest thing I learned from this lesson is that I can decide if a website is valid or not.

Surveys and Spreadsheets

Today I learned how to use spreadsheets and surveys in google docs and excel. Being an early education teacher, I really like these ideas because I think they are good ways to teach the children about graphs. If you use excel to make pie charts or other kinds of graphs, you can just display it in front of the children to show that different information changes what the graph looks like. I also think it would be useful because you can just make a graph or chart in front of the children and show them that they are important because their opinions and views can change how the graph looks.
I also think the survey is a great idea, though I would probably not use it with the younger children without explaining it in detail first. I think it's a good idea, though. A good, quick, and easy way to find out how your students feel about things. I even think you could use it to give an at-home quiz, or one at the beginning of class to see how your students are understanding what you're teaching them. I think the surveys are a great idea.
Here is a survey I made about animals:

Google

I really like google docs. I think it's a good way to do collaberative writing. It shares what you're writing as you write it, which I believe is a neat way to discuss things with your students. I really like the idea of having children write a story using it because it gives them the chance to work together and be creative. Though, seeing as I plan on teaching the younger grades, I don't think they'll be doing a lot of this on the computer. I think google docs is a great thing to use, probably starting in third grade. But if you want an example of collaberative writing, here are two of mine:

My name is Claudia, and at the moment, I am the reining world champion in figure skating, working for the gold medal at the Olympics in Vancouver. The weather is cold and I think my toe is freezing off. But, it is not the time to think about silly things like that, it's time to WIN! I've worked super hard these past few years and onw I feel that I'm prepared to kick some butt. This is my time, no turning back now, I'm going for the gold. That Veronica chick can kiss my gold medal butt, cause I'm going to win. Our practice sessions have been going really well lately. I actually stuck my triple Lutx 5 times in a row. This means I have pretty much amazing. Which I am. I have mad skills not only on the ice, but off the ice.

My day at the Olympics (don't I feel unique)
Just like everyone else writing today ... I miraculously just won a gold medal at the Olympics, though I have no idea how ... mysterious. We are all winners! Now I don't feel very special. I magically became a famous Olympic star with absolutely no effort from me! I wish I could always make a good dinner with no effort from me. If only, if only! Dinner is way better than winning a gold medal anyway. I mean, who eats medals?! Nobody, unless you have super strong teeth ... So if you want to eat medals ... Drink lots of milk ... It does a body good. and even then, it would probably hurt real bad. If it doesn't make your teeth fall out, that is. But who needs teeth really? Did they invent baby food for nothing? I've eaten lots of baby food over my lifetime, and it wouldn't be so bad! ...... sick!

All in all, I think using google docs is a great way to incorporate technology in the classroom and have a fun time while you do it.

Fair Use ... or Not?

I loved learning about the fair use policy. I think it's fascinating that teachers, and other people, can use things without express permission if it is for the better good. From what I understand, the validity of fair use is determined by four factors. They are:
1. What it is going to be used for
2. What the work is about
3. How much is used
4. How it affects the market
I think that by using these factors, I will be able to use materials in my classroom without getting in trouble. But I think that, if possible, it is always best to get permission to use something. That is the best way to make sure I won't get in trouble for it.
For me, I think it is easy to tell if something is fair use or not. In the copyright cases we had, my group thought that almost all the cases were used inappropriately. This makes me think that teachers need to be very careful about how they're using the fair use policy, which I'm going to be very careful about in the future. I'm glad I learned about copyright and the fair use policy.

New Resources

I think that the YETC is a very good resource to use in my classroom. When I graduate, I plan on teaching first grade and there are so many things I can get from the YETC that I never knew about before. I can rent DVD's, make movies, and transfer video disks to DVD!
While in there today, I liked a lot of the things the director, Nathan Smith told us that we can use from the internet. I my class, I know I definitely want to use storyonline.net, which is a website where you can download books, and read with the stars. They have stars like Amanda Bynes, Pamela Reed, Bradley Whitford and so many more. I think that using TV or movie stars is a good way to help children get excited to read.
I also think I want to use the spellingcity.com, which is a cite where your children can take spelling tests, learn spelling words, and play games involving their spelling words. I think that's a good way to help students learn how to spell good, which is something they will always be able to use.
Xmind is a wonderful tool that involves concept mapping. Some things I really like about this is that it teaches children how to organize their thoughts. This will help them all throughout their schooling because they will be able to write more comprehensive papers and will learn how to defend their thoughts. Another thing I really like about this is that it's free.
Stellarium is a great way to learn about the stars. I don't know if I'll be able to use it in my classes, since the children will be so young, but I thought it was fascinating. You can look at actual constellations, or just show the children how to find major stars like the North star and things like that. It's a very visual tool, which is fun as well.
All in all, by going to the YETC today, I learned a lot about different resources that are available online, and learned about resources that are available in the YETC. I think that I'll be using all of these things throughout my career.

UEN Resources

As someone who is learning how to be a teacher, I really appreciate it when I find new resources. Today I learned about a website called UEN and I think it's a very good source of information. On UEN, I can make my own calendar, look at the weather and look up different information to help me plan lessons or find supporting, background information. There are premium services and all sorts of other things I can use.
I think that UEN will be useful when I have my own classroom because it opens lots of opportunities. I'll be able to download short movies to help teach my students about certain things without paying for it and I can even use it to make my own lesson plans. The lesson plans will be made completely by me and will have everything I need in them. They will include technology usage, group work, assessment plans and so forth. I'm excited to use UEN because I'll be completely electronic, though I will be able to print my lesson plans any time I need or want to. I think that UEN will be a very useful thing to use in the future and am excited to learn how to use it.

Using Blogging

I think that blogging can be a very useful thing. As a teacher, it can be used to get advice from fellow teachers and to tell them things that work for you in the classroom. You can also use it to keep in touch with the parents of your students. You can help them know how their children are doing in school and when different assignments are due and things like that. When I looked at the examples, one of them had a teacher who had blogs talking about the different assignments for her students and I think that can be very useful, especially when students get sick or something.
As an undergrad, I think that it's a very good idea to look at other teacher's blogs because I'm still learning how to teach. By looking at their blogs, I can come up with new ideas of how to teach materials and I can become motivated. Sometimes teaching can be discouraging, but by looking at other people's blogs, I think you can get lots of positive feedback.