Sunday, October 9, 2016
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Final Evaluation
My Reflection
1. My favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey were finally learning how to make a Google Form. I can't believe that I had never taken the time to just explore and teach myself. It was so easy, but I always told myself it would be challenging. I also enjoyed Socrative, now I give my kids exit tickets and quizzes in there, and I love that they only have to remember 1 room name and use the same room name all year long. Image from nlwirth.com
2. These tools have assisted my learning goals for the better. I now don't have so much to grade, and I get instant feedback on the kids progress. You can also see the question analysis and instantly determine if I need to do a quick reteaching mini lesson the following day.
3. There were several take-a-ways from the 16 Things exercises that surprised me, such as how easy a Google Form was to make, as well as the reminder to myself of all that the iTunes podcasts have to offer. I spend so much time searching for the perfect videos for my kids to view, and I totally forgot about the Kid2kid videos. I also really enjoy creating a blog and better understand how to embed videos in my post.
4. I love the way this assignment was presented, because you modeled what you expected us to do. Often times, as educators, we list out our instructions for the students to follow, but for our visual learners that does not work very well. What a better way was it for us to not only see you using the tool but embedding the details within your posts. Awesome execution. This saved so much time.
My next steps will be to...
maintain my blog as an educational journal
adding my blog URL to my e-mail signature line
sharing my blog with my colleagues and administrators
and to continue being a lifelong learner.
Thing #16
I created a slide show with my ballpark photos. I was disappointed because it lets you use YouTube to search for background music and I even added "Take me out to the ballgame" song, but then when I proceeded to download my final show, it said YouTube doesn't allow you to download it. I then went with one of their songs instead. I could have the students turn in their assignments using Photo Peach, even group work. I could have them include a title, text, and images. I could have them create a slideshow using real images of the moon in it's different phases, put them in order, and label them. Maybe if they had to create it, and review it several times, it would actually stick in their minds. I could require them to take the pictures themselves, too.
Thing #15
Skype
Prior to exploring Skype for this assignment, I had very little experience with all Skype has to offer. For years, I only knew it as a messaging system, a way to connect with someone in another location. After researching and visiting other podcasts, blogs, and websites, the educational benefits are exciting. I can not wait to bring my team members on board and collaborate on other ways we can bring it into the classroom. I do not want to just rush things without making sure we are utilizing it to its full potential. I am looking forward to taking to the kids on a virtual field trip with Skype next semester, where we can immerse the class in a different ecological setting, and have them communicate with a guest speaker in the rain forest/marine ecosystem, or the like, to discuss some conservation efforts, and human global impact on ocean systems. For years we have assigned the students to groups and had them read articles and conduct additional research, but I feel that providing real world opportunities and examples for the students to make connections, would definitely prove to be more beneficial in the long run, and possibly even turn some of them to pursue science careers. In addition to virtual field trips and guest speaker opportunities, I explored lessons that other educators have created using Skype. I even found something I want to customize/edit to include in my WebQuest that I would never have thought of otherwise. I am so glad I was able to explore Skype some more because just last week our District presented a training on the new features of Office 365, and Skype was one of them. We got to set it up in our work accounts and will use it also for lesson planning, with our team members. How exciting!
Thing #14
Podcasting
I love Apple, so exploring Texas Education iTunes Podcasts was awesome. I already subscribe to OnTRACK for College Readiness Grade 8 Science Kid2Kid Videos, which are amazing because they have videos for all of the Readiness TEKS. I also love the features as far, as speeding up the videos and listening at a faster, or slower rate. I also appreciate that all of the videos are also available in Spanish, for my Spanish speaking ELL's, as a supplement to the days lesson. I also spent some time browsing and subscribed to Digital Discoveries El Paso ISD Instructional Technology collection. I specifically found their Skype video to be very helpful as I prepare to use Skype for my next "thing".
I love Apple, so exploring Texas Education iTunes Podcasts was awesome. I already subscribe to OnTRACK for College Readiness Grade 8 Science Kid2Kid Videos, which are amazing because they have videos for all of the Readiness TEKS. I also love the features as far, as speeding up the videos and listening at a faster, or slower rate. I also appreciate that all of the videos are also available in Spanish, for my Spanish speaking ELL's, as a supplement to the days lesson. I also spent some time browsing and subscribed to Digital Discoveries El Paso ISD Instructional Technology collection. I specifically found their Skype video to be very helpful as I prepare to use Skype for my next "thing".
Thing #13
Using YouTube
I am already pretty familiar with using YouTube, but I used this opportunity to explore another video making web tool, Stupeflix. Stupeflix was so easy and after adding music, text and pictures, I was then able to upload my video to YouTube. I decided to look through my Shutterfly account, and I used pictures of my mom her last 4 years of life. I still miss her very much. See the video below.
As far as using YouTube for educational purposes, I think that it has many advantages. I often assign my students videos from YouTube, to view and answer questions. The kids do not run into problems, on any device, watching YouTube videos, which I love. There are always issues with other website that run flash. I also think it's a good idea for the kids to upload their videos on YouTube so they can be accessible to other classmates. File sharing and posting is often an issue because the videos are too large to send and share, with YouTube, this would not be an issue. They would also be searchable and the students could create a portfolio with all of the videos they have created all year long. The possibilities are endless.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Thing #12
Discovering YouTube
I have been using YouTube for years in my classroom. I use it for various different parts of the lesson cycle as well as for homework and practice. My classroom is a hybrid of a flipped classroom, and every week the students are assigned a snapshot assignment that almost always includes a video to view and answer questions/summarize for the upcoming lesson. I use a lot of YouTube videos because there is so much good material that is already created by other educators, or students like themselves. I do with they site had more search options that would allow you to filter out what you are looking for, or maybe even a place where only educators can share/sort videos by objective/lesson. I know the like button is there and you can add it to your favorites, but being able to see what other educators recommend on the site itself would be more beneficial. The subscription option only applies to one person/page, so I would like something more general. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything that is out there, that it is hard to narrow it down to something concrete, accurate, and valuable. The video I choose below, is a video that reviews Newton's Laws of Motion. I plan on setting up a station on review day for the students to visit, answer a few questions, and reflect about.
I love how easy Blogger works with YouTube to embed my video in my post.
I have been using YouTube for years in my classroom. I use it for various different parts of the lesson cycle as well as for homework and practice. My classroom is a hybrid of a flipped classroom, and every week the students are assigned a snapshot assignment that almost always includes a video to view and answer questions/summarize for the upcoming lesson. I use a lot of YouTube videos because there is so much good material that is already created by other educators, or students like themselves. I do with they site had more search options that would allow you to filter out what you are looking for, or maybe even a place where only educators can share/sort videos by objective/lesson. I know the like button is there and you can add it to your favorites, but being able to see what other educators recommend on the site itself would be more beneficial. The subscription option only applies to one person/page, so I would like something more general. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything that is out there, that it is hard to narrow it down to something concrete, accurate, and valuable. The video I choose below, is a video that reviews Newton's Laws of Motion. I plan on setting up a station on review day for the students to visit, answer a few questions, and reflect about.
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