Flowgram Presentation

Flowgram Presentation

I think the flowgram could be an effective teaching tool. However, the way I designed my PowerPoint it was a little difficult to add voice to it. The first slide needed me to explain that we were talking about mammals and to review what a mammal is. However, I feel adding voice to every slide in my presentation became redundant.

I do think the original images did somewhat portray things that I could not express. Just because the pictures were so beautiful. I think students would love to create their own flowgram presentation. This would be helpful for visual learners. I think it would also help students who were very shy and do not like speaking in front of the class. I am not sure if this will change the way that I PowerPoint in the future. I like being able to control the pace and in what direction the lesson will go in. With the flowgrm presentation your lesson is set for you.

Thing #21

I loved using Animoto. This was very easy and fast to do. I set up my account and was ready to go. I already had images loaded into Flickr so I just selected photos from there. The hardest part was selecting the music. Not because it was hard to do, but because it was hard to find the perfect song. I did not find the song, but I found something that I thought would work. I really enjoyed using this and will use it again.

Reflection

• What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
• My favorite "things" were number 21, 8 and 9. I really enjoyed making and animoto video and will continue to do so. I think my students will really love it. I also enjoyed making the signs. Even though I got frustrated because some of them would not work. That helped me realize what my students may feel like in the same situations. I also really liked changing my images through the flickr toys. This one I will definitely continue to use. Not only in my personal life, but in my professional also. I have already showed my students some of the photos and they really loved it.
  

• How has this program affected your lifelong learning goals?
• This program has affected my lifelong learning goals dramatically. I know how important technology is. However, I did not realize how much it has changed. I had no idea about the vast amount of resources right under my finger tips. I will without a doubt continue to keep looking for fun and exciting ways to implement technology into my classroom.
  

• Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
• I was surprised at myself. When I first started this program I was nervous about doing it correct. But, as I continued through my thoughts shifted. It was no longer about right and wrong, it was about fun and discovery. It was about learning and becoming better at things I did not know existed. I throughout enjoyed this project.
  

• What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
• I don't think you need to do anything differently. I thought time would be a factor. However, I found myself staying up way to late just to finish. I got into the project and lost track of time.
  

• How will what you have learned influence your practice as a teacher?
• This will without a doubt effect me as a teacher. I have learned to put myself in my students shoes. They are constantly learning about technology and so should I. I need to be aware of the resouces available to me and utilize them.
  

• How do you plan to keep up with new developments in web 2.0? Recommend a way that you have found to be useful.
• I will keep up with web 2.0 through research. I will also use blogs and RSS feeds. I think the RSS feeds will be the most beneficial. I can track the things that I want to track and read them at my convience.
  

Thing #23

I have seen that video before so I was aware of the copyright laws that are out there. However, before that I did not completely know about them. I knew of them, but what they consisted of. I try my best to make sure I am not breaking any copy right laws when I use stuff from the Internet. I liked how in module 6 we were given sites to go to that were safe. I will be sure to utilize those sites from now on. I will also check for creative commons. I have not heard of that until now and I think it is great. I will use this in the future. This will allow others to use my work and possibly make it better.

I did see two places on the 23 things website showing that the idea was from another site. The first was at the bottom of the page in the right corner. It stated the following:

Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.

The second place was at the bottom of thing 23. It stated the following:



This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

These two places helped me identify that the 23 things were created and modified from some other person's work.

Thing # 22

I chose to listen to a podcast from the website The Educational Podcast. The podcast was from radio willowweb. This was a podcast done by children and they were talking about Volcano's. This was really cute and informative. The students talk about the subject, do vocabulary, jokes, poetry corner, did you know section and wonderful websites all about the subject. This particular podcast was #29 on the website and it was done by second graders.

I found the educational podcast the easiest to navigate. I thought it was very user friendly. There was even a spot on there you could click on to show you how to navigate the site. The thing I did not like though is that you had to click on the podcast to know what is was about.

I think after listening to the children create a podcast it has inspired me to have my students create one. the only problem is finding the time to do one. However, I do think my students would love it.

As of right now I did subscribe to the Radio WillowWeb podcasts. I think they are very informative and relate well to what I am teaching. As of now, this is the only one that I have subscribed to.

Thing #20

Thing #19

I am a member of TeacherPop, myspace, Proteacher and facebook. I added some pictures on my TeacherPop, you should check it out! I think that facebook is more appealing, just because it does not have all of the advertisements like myspace does. I found facebook to be interesting. However, I do not feel I will continue to use it. I only have myspace to keep up with two of my cousins who live out of state. I do not communicate with students or parents on either facebook or myspace. My profile is set to private, so you cannot even view it without permission. I joined proteacher a while ago because it had a document on there that I wanted. I do keep up with it. I was disappointed that it did not have an RSS feed. I think proteacher is a great tool. A lot of times I can go there and find what I am looking for.

Thing #18

I think it is important for educators to know about social networking because most of our students are using it. I think it is important for us to be aware of the things are students do. I already had a myspace account so I chose to create a facebook account. I like the simplicity of facebook. At times myspace has items displayed that are inappropriate. Facebook did not have that, as far as I could tell anyway. I liked how facebook suggested people from the information I gave. A lot of the suggestions were people I knew. I did not add them as friends because I do not think I will continue to use this account. I did add one friend from this class. I do not see a classroom use for these sites because they are banned at my school.

My account

Thing #17

I already have a deli.ci.ous account. I created one at a new teacher seminar during the summer. The instructor walked us through the site and how to create an account. I think this is a great tool. Not only can I use it for school, but I can use it personally also. I have the option to make sites available to the public. This is a one of the many tools. It allows students and parents to view the sites that we use in class. However, if I have sites that are for my personal use, I can make them private. I think this is a great tool and I do use it.

Thing #16

I decided to chose iGoogle for my start page. It was easiest to pick since I already have accounts with Google. I will make it my permanent start page. I did not have one before. I think this will be useful. I will be able to see all of my favorite things at one location. The online calendar will be useful because I can update all of my activities and then link it to my husband. Hopefully, I will no longer hear "You didn't tell me that." I will also use the calendar to keep me on track for assignments for school and deadlines for work. I did create an on-line to do list. However, I don't think I will use it. I think it is to much work to create it and then keep coming back to it to check. I will stick with the to-do lists that I can see at all times. I would recommended the PDF converter. I really found this took useful. I think it will be extremely useful at school because some of us have fonts on word that others do not have. With the file converter it does not matter. They will be able to open it as a PDF and not have the font.

Things #15 stretch (a.k.a thing 8 stretch)

I decided to look up skiing in wikipedia. I did not specify the type to see what would come up. It just so happens that the entry covers all different types. I thought the entries were well written and accurate. The content does seem to be valid, although a little redundant. After visiting the discussion board I found that some had the same views as I did. Some felt that the article was redundant. However, others felt more needed to be added. Some felt that the pictures did not go well with the entry. I thought they were good though. They may have been changed, but I did not see that they were. I did view the history and it was interesting to view the changes. Until now I did not even pay attention to the tabs at the top. I did not even realize you could view the changes. For me, it now makes wikipedia have more validity.

Thing #15 (a.k.a thing 8)

The fist site I chose to explore was the primary math link. When I clicked on this link I thought the site was very welcoming and friendly. The main site had activities that were being shared by teachers around the world. At the bottom of the site it had the links to the teachers who were members. I explored one of the other links which was Kathy Cassidy's blog. I thought this blog was very well done. She had her students video-recording each other. The recordings were linked to the site through you-tube. She also had a link on there which allowed you to ask the class questions if they were close by. I would love to learn how to do that. I would not change anything about this site.

The next site I chose to explore was called school's then. I did not really enjoy this site. The site was only one page and I thought was very wordy. It was created by a first grade class, so I expected it to be in more kid friendly terms. I also thought that there were a lot of examples of school now, and very little of school then. Which the site did not mention, what they considered schools then to be. I would have liked to have seen this be kid friendly and have more about schools in the past.

The third space I chose to explore was Salute to Seuss. I thought this site was very user friendly. I liked how it had a page for each topic. You could click on the side and select what you wanted. That way you did not have to go through all the information to get what you wanted. This site gave good examples of things to do with the class. It also had a student gallery to view. I loved it, I think it is well done.

I think a wiki has many uses in a classroom. I think you could create a class wiki to keep parents up to date and allow them to interact with you and other parents. I also think you could create a wiki as a grade level to share information. The wiki could also be used in the classroom for students to share information.

Thing #14

I signed up for an account with flowmaster. I tried gliffy first, but I did not think it was easy enough for my students. I did however, sign up for bubbl.us and create an example of a project. I chose to create an example of short u words. It is a simple organizer for the students to use. I am not sure if they could use it, but I am willing to give it a try. I liked that it was just one simple shape and they could manipulate that shape. For my grade though I would have the template already made and they would just have to fill it in. I could not figure out how to get it to publish, so I included a picture of the chart. Therefore, the reason I chose bubbl.us is because it was the friendliest for my grade level.

Thing #13

I really found zoho writer very interesting. I it set up almost exactly like word. I found it to be very user friendly and easily accessible. I also thought it was very easy to publish the writing. Even though I did publish my writing I made it so it could not be edited. I think this could take place of word easily. The fact that someone does not have to worry about having the correct version would be eliminated. This could be very useful for collaboration. As of right now I do not feel I would use it in my classroom since I have the young children. However, I may find a way to implement this in the future.

Zoho experience

Thing #12

I chose to use Google calendar and alerts. I think both of them were very easy to create. I did not have any trouble setting up either one. I already have a Google account so it was just a matter of adding them tools to it. I did make my calendar public, but I don't think you can the alerts. At least I did not figure it out if you can. I really like the calendar feature the best of the two. I think it will be very useful. I will be able to keep up with deadlines in school and out of school. I can also keep up with events or appointments that I have. I will use the calendar within the school. As of right now I feel I do not have a use for the alerts at school. However, that may change in time as I become more familiar with the program.

Google Calendar

Google Alerts

Thing #11

I feel the easiest way to find feeds was to use edublog's award list. I also liked topix.net. For me I like edublog because it had all of the top blogs there and it was user friendly. I liked topix because I could search it by location. I liked being able to pin point to news to my local area. I did not really find any of them confusing. However, I did not like the google blog search. I felt to search was too broad. I also typed in teaching and when I opened a link I had something very inappropriate come up. I am glad my children were not in the room. I also could not get feedster to open. I thought that was unusual. I did not try to find blogs any other way. I liked what I found this way so I left it at that.

Thing #10

I really like the idea of RSS feeds. I saw the orange icon every where and knew it stood for RSS, but I did not understand what RSS meant. I am really glad I now know. I created my reader through Google since I already had an account. When I clicked on the button for Google blogger I did not have to register, which surprised me. I automatically recognized me. I think I will use this feature to stay up to date on blogs and news. I think this will be a very valuable tool. The one thing that I did not like. When I added my own blog to the reader, it showed me everything I ever created. This includes the items I deleted because I made a different one. That part of an RSS feed scares me. I guess I will have to try and not make mistakes.

Thing #9

I chose to use Image Chef. I picked this site because it is the only site that I could get to work. I created three different signs. This site was very fun to play with, I became addicted! I just clicked on templates at the top of the page and it showed me all of the pre-made templates. I then just typed in the message and saved it. I decided to take a screen capture of the signs and then post them as images on my blog. I would use this site to create fun sayings to put on my newsletters. I think this site is too complicated for my students to use individually, since I teach a younger grade. Although it would be fun to do with the students as a group.

Thing #8

I created this image on fd's Flickr Toys. I found it very easy and fun to create. I think this site would be very useful in the classroom. My students would really enjoy seeing their photos in a different and unique way. I personally do not have a problem with posting pictures on the Internet. As long as I have permission from the parents I do not see anything wrong with posting pictures online.

My creation
Originally uploaded by stacy.averill

Thing #8

I used fd's Flickr Toys to create this photo. I really enjoyed playing with all of the different ways to create photos. I will use some of these options in my classroom.

Abby
Originally uploaded by stacy.averill

Thing #7

I decided to upload my own picture. This is a picture of my oldest son. Even though the picture cuts part of his right eye off, I love it. I really like how it captures his innocence and his freckles. I found it very easy to post on flickr. I did not already have an account so I created one. I found that very easy to do as well. The site is very user friendly. The thought of linking my blog to flickr scared me, but it was very simple.

There are tons of pictures on flickr that will come in very useful in class. I like to use pictures and have the students create sentences for them. It is a fun way to learn about sentences. I would also use this site to share photos with parents. I would only post pictures with parents permission. I would also create a group titled parents and only allow parents to see the class pictures. This is a great site and I will continue to use it.

Thing #6

I browsed through several sites before I found my favorite. I would have to say my favorite web 2.0 tool is del.icio.us. This is a great tool that will allow you to easily manage your bookmarks from any computer with internet access. I did not do an in depth exploration of this site, but I am excited to. I did sign up for the site and I am looking forward to using it. I think it will be very beneficial to access my bookmarks on any computer, without having them saved on the computer.

This will be useful in the school as it allows me to access links I found that will teach content to my students. It will also allow other people to access your bookmarks. This is a nice feature for students, parents, and colleagues.

Thing #5

To me school 2.0 means that as educators it is our responsibility to have our students use the web in ways that will teach them the skills they need to be successful in today's society. School 2.0 I think are sites that will be used by educators to help us teach our students about the technology available. This is a movement to make educators aware of the importance of technology.

I think in the future schools will have to have a computer for each student in all grades. I think our world is going to a paperless world. In order for our students to succeed in a paperless world, they need to be taught in a paperless world.

I watched the atomic learning video about 2.0 tools. I found it very interesting that the web started around the early 1990's, and that during that time many people did not use it. The video stated that the web started as being web 1.0. I agree with the video that the Internet is rapidly growing.

I read the New Literacies: Enrichment or Essential. I thought this article was very interesting. It made you think about what we are teaching children. Are we really enriching them or is it essential in today's society? I personally think technology is essential and is becoming more essential by the minute.

Thing #4

Blogging is a way for many people to communicate with others. Blogging allows people to read and respond to other peoples posts. I would not use this for my students since I teach first grade, but I would use it for parents. Blogging allows one to immediately post their reactions to the posts.

I found the 10 commandments very interesting. I think the first commandment is very important. That is to read the entire post before you respond. This is very important to help you avoid an open mouth insert foot moment. I know personally I have had to many of those.

I also found the how to post like a King or Queen very interesting. I think this site tells people the proper etiquette for blogging. This is important and hopefully everyone will follow them.

Class blogs that I have commented on:
Heather Adcock- I commented on thing #2. I selected this comment because I really liked how she described the 23 things experience as a journey.

Stacy Jones- I commented on thing #9. I really could relate to her frustration of not getting the sites to work. I thought her sign saying "Hang in there" was very cute and fitting.

Elizabeth Shepard- I commented on thing #8. I loved her idea of using students photos on badge maker, and turning them into a "get to know you" bulletin board.

Danielle (Marcy) Austin- I commented on thing #7. I enjoyed looking at the picture. Even though the picture seemed really gross, it turned out very humorous when I found out the man was drinking chocolate out of the toilet. Still gross, but funny! I posted because I thought the picture was a great find!

Lynette Miller- I commented on thing #9. I thought the smileys she created were interesting. I especially liked the one about how teaching is a gift that drives you crazy. I could not have said it better myself.

Outside of class blogs:
Christine Poindexter- I commented on thing #8. I knew Christine from outside of school and I have not seen her in awhile. therefore, I decided to post and see how she was doing, and to comment on her cute nephew.

ProTeacher- I posted about a story that they shared. I have been looking for the story since I did my student teaching. I finally found it and I wanted to thank the person.

Thing #3

The possibilities for a blog are endless. I will discuss a couple that I feel will be the most beneficial to use and implement as a first grade teacher. I think one of the best ways to implement this for me is to document what is working and not working in my classroom. I have listed this as one of my areas to strengthen this year, and I think this would be a great way to document my reflections. I think the other way to use a blog is to communicate with parents. I could post calendars, events, homework, and announcements. I currently have my own website to communicate all of these areas with parents, but I think a blog would be a better way to communicate with parents. The reason I think a blog would work better, is that with a website the communication is one way. With a blog the communication could be two way. Parents could read and post questions or comments immediately to announcements or homework assignments.

Thing #2

I decided to have the name of my blog be my full name. I thought this would be the easiest way since others will be viewing my blog. This way people will know who the blog belongs to. I decided to name my avatar my first name since that is what my friends know me by. I hear Mrs. Averill all day! I wanted to see something different on here.

The blog was easy to create. I only had one difficulty and that was when you had to type in the letters for the security code. My glasses were in my classroom, so I had to have my husband read the letters to me. The letters were very blurry and hard to read without my glasses. Other than that the directions were easy to follow.

I feel I picked an avatar that looks like me. I picked clothes that are the closest to what I actually wear. I enjoyed picking earrings. I wear diamond earrings everyday so I picked the same for my avatar. I only wish mine were as big as the ones my avatar has. ;) I picked a shopping center for my background because I love to shop. I really enjoyed creating my avatar.

Thing #1

I guess I never really thought about it, but I would have to say that I am a lifelong learner. I am a very curious person and enjoy learning about new things. After listening to the 7 1/2 habits I picked habits 6 and 7 as strengths, and habits 1 and 4 as weaknesses.

I feel that I am good at teaching and mentoring others. Even though I am a first year teacher, I still enjoy being able to help others when I can. As a teacher it is my job to teach children, but I also enjoy teaching colleagues. Before I was a teacher I was in a position where I had to teach and mentor people daily. I really enjoyed it and I still do. I think this has always been one of my strengths. I also feel I am good at habit 6, using technology to my advantage. I am constantly on the internet trying to find better ways to teach something. I am also good at incorporating technology into my lessons. I also use the internet to research things in my personal life. Technology is a wonderful tool and I love using it.

I feel that habit 1, begin with the end in mind is a weakness of mine. A lot of times I do not think of the big picture and what I want the outcome to be. I do not think about a specific goal and create things specifically to carry out that goal. However, I hope to eventually be able to do it. I also think that habit 4, having confidence in myself is a weakness. I am very hard on myself and tend to over think things. A lot of times I do not trust my decisions and instincts. I need to remember what they said on the presentation "don't say it or think it unless you want it to be true." I will try my best to live by that.

I would like to learn about the many different web 2.0 tools that are out there and how they apply to teaching. I feel a lot of the time sites are too hard for lower elementary. Therefore, I am hoping to find some web 2.0 tools that are designed with the younger grades in mind. I found it very easy to create a blog and post on it. So far I have mixed feelings. I am a little overwhelmed. Hopefully, that will change as I continue to work on this.