Our last week of courses has finally arrived, I can't believe it! For our eighth week, we ended with security on a personal and educational basis.
We of course think of security every day, whether it be wearing our seat belt, locking our doors, or using a password for our email. Safety is a big part of our lives in these times. Safety on computers is very important on a personal level. Online shopping has increased immensely in the past few years, which means security issues that go along with that have as well. It is important to always remember to use strong passwords, ones that use letters and numbers. It is also great to always use caution, if something seems off, that means is probably is.
In an educational setting, security is even more important! We are responsible for keeping and teaching our students security. We should teach them first, the school's policy, second how to stay safe on the internet. They should rarely ever give their full name on the computer/internet at an elementary school age. They should also remember to not give out personal information. I think that it is also a great point to show students why it is so important to be safe on the internet. They should understand why it is so vital to be safe, both at school and at home.
Thinking back about the computers at school, students are required to sign in on the computer using their unique login and password. Students are also required to sign an agreement at the beginning of each year stating that they understand the rules and usage requirements. Students are also using computers that block certain websites including facebook, shopping, and of course adult content. Students should know why they are blocked and that we are at school to learn!
I also experienced online safety at WKU when I worked in a computer lab there. Those computers were on what is called a deep freeze, where students had to save information and data in another place other than on the actual computer due to the fact that when logged off, all content from that entry is wiped off. This can seem somewhat annoying when a computer turns off unexpectedly and data is lost, or if you forget to save things is a "findable" place. However, this can be a good thing in the security realm. It was a life saver whenever strange things popped up, or it seemed that a virus had taken over. All we simply had to do was restart the computer and everything was good as new! So on an educational basis, this kept students safe!
On my personal computer, I have some type of software (not sure of which specific brand) that sometimes prevents pop-ups and restricts downloads. Everything is able to be controlled by me, and it seems to be working well (knock on wood!) The only things that every concern me is online shopping at places that do not accept PayPal. I feel that if you don't accept PayPal, you are just not very credible!
Overall, security online is extremely important! It is important for ourselves, and especially to teach our students!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Week Seven
Week Seven's Reading
Week seven's reading focused on software and file management. For the most part, I was familiar with both of these resources, but I still found it interesting to read!
Most of people in today's world have hear of software, and most of us have used it ourselves. However, some of us are in the dark regarding to the educational realm of software. The first type of educational software discussed in our reading was drill and practice. Drill and practice software means software that gives students instant feedback on their work, giving them practice on skills that they have already learned. When I think of this type of software, my mind instantly goes to Accelerated Math, which when done in a timely manner, allows students to have instant feedback on if their answers were correct or not. I do think that this helped me in school, but I often remember how much it frustrated me as well!
The other various types of educational software (there are quite a few!) include problem solving, creative, tutorial, simulation, image and draw/paint. The type that I see myself using the most in my own future classroom is the creative category. I think that this can kind of cover a lot of the areas of educational software and it helps to promote creativity in the classroom, which I love!
This week's reading also dove into file management. I was familiar with the different types of file extensions (i.e. .pptx, .pdf, .jpg). I liked seeing these in such a organized chart that had them categorized!
Technology Explorations
This week's technology explorations were so interesting and I loved reviewing all of them! The first category included websites such as Diigo and Delicious. Both of these sites allow users to record and keep track of interesting links that they find on the internet. Diigo seems to be a bit more advanced, and thus has a fee to go along with it. The third resource under this umbrella was HistoryPin, a site that allows users to find pictures from virtually anytime in history where cameras were prevalent. It is a very entertaining and valuable resource! The fourth and fifth resources were something that I never knew existed: talking calculators! While both talk and are simple to use, the PBS talking calculator is free and simply on the webpage, whereas the SoftPedia required a download.
The second category of our technology explorations for week six included a site for a math wiki, 2write4math. This math wiki provided a wealth of information on incorporating writing into math content. The website included many resources within itself including lesson plans, assessments, and various articles. The second category also included PicLits, a site that allows users to find pictures based on key words and create wonderful visual images that include their selected key words. It is absolutely amazing!!
Comprehensive Assignment
For my comprehensive assignment, I chose to use Tagxedo, a web 2.0 tool that allows users to create graphics using words of their choice. You can create anything from a heart to a whale, all in different color schemes and your own words!
In the classroom, I think that this web 2.0 tool will be a hit! I think that students will love to think of and choose the words to use, as well as the color scheme and shape. It is a great way to incorporate technology as well as creativity.
Overall, I found this week to be wonderful and informational just like the ones before. I look forward to using these resources in my future classroom!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Week Six
This week, we created our very own WebQuest! We researched
and learned about these earlier in this course, but our big assignment for this
week was to make our very own. At first, I was very intimidated. It is somewhat like a creating a lesson plan, but
one that everyone can see! I was pleasantly surprised however when I first
began. It was easier than I expected, and very well explained throughout the
entire process.
After I signed up
for my free 30-day account on WebQuest, I decided on which subject area and
grade level I would like to focus on. I chose Social Studies; partly because I
love it myself, and partly because I thought it would be interesting and fun
for students to do. I can recall in Middle School one of the only good times I
had, planning a trip with a group. I remember this being one of the most fun
and exciting projects that I have ever done. It spoke to my personality and my
interests. It also made me feel independent and mature, something that I
remember most of all. I found in neat that my teachers “trusted” my peers and I
to plan a vacation, as if we were mature enough to prepare for such a thing! It
is a feeling that I want to provide my students with however, a feeling that
they are old and wise enough to “conquer the world” so to speak and plan their
own vacation. So, that was my basis for my WebQuest, Around the World in 80 Days. Although my students are not actually
travelling around the world in 80 days, I thought it was a cute and catchy
title for their trip-planning project.
My WebQuest
was based solely on the students planning their own trip. They were required to
work in groups, as well as a small list of requirements (go to a different
country than which you live in, go on at least three excursions or tours on
your trip, stay for at least five nights and six days, and most of all have
fun!) for each group to complete. I also made sure that there were individual
tasks that students had to complete so that there was contribution from every
member. This was mostly in regard to the last step of the WebQuest, creating a
blog (much like we do here) to document their travels, a travel diary if you
will. Each student would have a daily task, or two, to document. They ranged
from the food they ate each day, to the historical connections they could make
from things they had discussed in class. I also considered doing a sort of
social media connection in terms of a Twitter or Facebook feed that they could
summarize each day on. I however overlooked this when focusing on the other
requirements for the WebQuest, leading me to another discussion of my WebQuest
experience.
This is
probably one of the most fun things that I have done in my graduate courses,
but I could also easily say it is one that I underestimated the time commitment
on. This took much longer than I expected (as we were warned!) and if I had
more time to take on it, I would love to make it a little more visually
appealing. I was kind of unsure how much information to divulge to the
students. I did not want it to bore them, or take the excitement out of how fun
it should be. I hope I was not too vague! However, this is definitely something
that I can see myself using in my future classroom. Now that I have created
one, I have more confidence in my future abilities, and I am sure that I will
be thinking of many more ideas that I can create WebQuests on! I included the link to my very own WebQuest below!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Week Five
WEEK FIVE'S READINGS
Week five's readings focused on the various types of online communication tools. I was interested to see that there were some that I knew, and some that I had never heard of. The technology explorations this week were another set of wonderful and informational resources that I can, as always, see myself using in my future classroom.
As stated above, the reading provided for this week focused on online communication tools. I had heard of the common ones such as email, chat, blog and wiki. I had of course heard of Skype as well, but never knew the term VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). I love the idea that this tool can be used to communicate with other classrooms, including ones that are all over the world! I am the type of person that loves to learn about other cultures. What do they do on a typical Friday night? What are their Christmas celebrations like? I just love to learn about other regions of the world and want to pass along to my students that it is important to know about the world, not just the corner that we live in! VoIPs would enhance that learning process and make it so much cooler than the typical pen pal communication.
I also knew of Twitter, but not under the umbrella of microblogging. I love the idea of using educational microblogging resources such as Edmodo. It creates a platform and a space for students to be engaged in what is going on in the classroom as well as a safe space to place comments that they would not necessarily be comfortable saying out loud in the classroom. I also love that it brings in a sense of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. For this generation, this style of communication is perfect!
An online communication tool that I had never heard of in this week's reading was Virtual Worlds. I suppose that I have heard of video games like this, but never in an educational setting. I think that would be a very interesting way to target students' attention!
TECHNOLOGY EXPLORATIONS
The first technology exploration from this week led us to Prezi. Prezi is
an online resource that allows users to create innovative presentations that
are like a new and creative twist on the traditional Powerpoint presentation.
It allows viewers to move across the presentation, sometimes taking twists,
turns, and full circles around the board. I like that it is innovative and
different, but it can often give me a headache quickly the way it moves around
so much! However, this can be controlled by the user.In
a school setting, Prezi would be a wonderful addition for projects that require
presentations. When students are required to teach their
peers about different topics, this would be an awesome resource to use.
Spicy Nodes was also an interesting resource from the first technology exploration. This one confused me a little, especially since I
had never heard of it before. Spicy Nodes allows users to create nodemaps
for their websites, or for other purposes such as idea mapping. It seems to be
pretty easy to use, and even has a separate section for educational uses of it.
The website is super easy to view and very aesthetically appealing. Students
would love it!
In
a school setting, this would be a wonderful resource for students to create
maps about topics that they can teach their peers about. It would really excite
students and offers a lot of help and information, making it easy to use. This
could also be used to organize ideas, helping students to see ideas in a visual
sense.
The second resource was Edmodo.
I
receive emails at school about Emodo
at least three times a week, even when school is on break for summer!! Until
researching it, I had never known what it was. Emodo is a resource for classrooms
that allows everyone to connect with each other. I picture it as a facebook or
other social media account for school. It allows teachers and students to
connect over things at school, assignments, questions, etc.
In
a school setting, this is perfect, especially since it is designed for a
classroom setting! Classrooms could use it to discuss things learned in class,
the homework for the day, or even just a little introductory assignment to get
to know everyone. It also has a feature for students to use apps to measure how
students are learning in the class. It is a perfect addition for classrooms! Math Dictionary was another fantastic resource from the second technology exploration. To
say that it is
wonderful is an understatement. I only wish that I had known this when I had
math classes! This resource gives definitions of math terms in a fun and
colorful way. It is amazing! It is grouped alphabetically allowing users to
quickly and easily find definitions of terms. Best of all, when you select a
term, there are visual and interactive examples and activities so that you can
better understand the definition. Genius!!! I love this site, and even find it
helpful for myself!
The third technology exploration led us to Glogster. Much
like Edmodo, I had heard of Glogster,
but never really knew what it was. I must say, I was very impressed! Glogster
is an online tool that allows users to create online posters, or Glogs. It is
created specifically for educational purposes and it a very graphic oriented
resource. It seems easy to use and provides many options for users. In
a classroom setting, this could be used in so many different ways! I envision
giving students a topic and having them create a poster, or Glog, to teach
their peers. It is geared toward students, so it seems that it should be pretty
easy for students to use. It offers many options for students as well, so that
is an awesome addition! Jing was also included in the third tech exploration.
Jing is
a resource that allows users to capture screenshots and even create tutorials
that can be sent to other users. It can be used for many things such as
teaching students how to use a program, or simply edit a document. You can send
students or other users the things that you have captured in a simple and easy
way.
In
a school setting, Jing could be used to teach students how to use programs such
as Edmodo, or even simply Microsoft programs. It may also be used to show
students how to safely use the Internet or simply use email.
The fourth and final technology exploration for week five began with You Tube for Education. I
never knew that there were other facets of You Tube such as You Tube for Education! You Tube EDU is
a site for strictly educational content. It is categorized by educational
subjects ranging from math to engineering. I also love that it has videos
categorized by age group as well. It seems very easy to use for both students
and teachers.
In
an school setting, this resource could be very helpful. There are many times
that we as teachers would love to use a visual representation of something that
we are teaching but just are not sure where to find a reliable source. This
resource solves that problem, and even gives resources by categories!
As with the weeks before, these technology explorations were fantastic resources. Many of them are making their way to my list! I cannot wait to put these into use in my (hopefully soon) future classroom.
As with the weeks before, these technology explorations were fantastic resources. Many of them are making their way to my list! I cannot wait to put these into use in my (hopefully soon) future classroom.
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