I just made a video at Animoto!

I just made a video at Animoto!

Zach movie.wmv

Reflections

1. My favorite tools that I played around with during this course were the google documents. We used the GMail accounts the district provided last year with our fifth graders but we did not do it justice. The email accounts were used primarily for email purposes which is just the beginning. Next year, I would like to have my older resource students collaborate with their peers to work on class assignments. By partnering them up on assignments, I could support the special education student when he/she is out of class. This is something we could collaborate on either online or side by side. The fact that the documents are saved in one place and accessible by any computer makes the documents mobile! This is convenient when the special education students are often pulled to different locations. Through the online collaboration of google docs, the special education students can stay connected even when they are out of class!


2. Last year I was thinking about an entire grade level in regards to technology. However, this year I am refocusing my attention to my special education students and using technology to boost not only their knowledge but self-esteem as well. At the end of the year, I had already started to mentor a fourth grader who I am going to call on to help his peers. I have found that technology is an equalizer and students who sometimes have difficulty with reading and writing, are not intimidated by technology. This is a medium where we can reach them!

3. Unexpected outcomes from this program was the realization of how much I am unfamiliar with! I have heard of some of the tools but hadn't taken the time to experiment with them. Use it or lose it! So I will definitely make a concentrated effort to expose my students to these tools this year so that together we will fill our toolboxes!

Tool #11

Three topics of digital citizenship that I would address are: digital security, digital safety and online bullying. Students don't realize that they have an online identity. Even adults sometimes forget about simple safety measures. For example- posting that you are out of town announces that your home is unguarded. Girls posting there whereabouts while they are there allows for stalking. I think the best way to teach about these topics is through your own experiences. Keeping the lines of communication open to your students and reminding them that they are creating their online identity which will follow them. I would utilize Brainpop and personal experiences. We have a teacher that experienced online identity fraud and I would ask her to share her experience with my students. This provides them with "real" experiences.

Tool # 10

There are an infinite amount of free applications available for the itouch/iphone. I enjoy the fact that they can be downloaded directly to the device without having to sync with a computer. The delete function is also convenient. I like the following free applications: 300+ sight words, eReader, Stanza, Evernote,Classics, and USA Free. I have also used the timer function to signal students when an activity is finished.

I have played with the ipad in the Apple store. I loved the graphics and the size of the device. This would be great for our special education students with vision issues.  The e-reader application literally puts a book at your fingertips. 
I like the application: iReward Chart. This application would allow the teacher and/or student to track appropriate behaviors. I downloaded the application to my iphone and have been using it with my preschooler. I am using it to reinforce positive behaviors. For example, when he cleans his room he gets a star and then the accumulation of stars results in a reward. There is a pass code on the application to prevent him from giving himself "free" stars. This application would be great for our students who are on behavior intervention plans. It is portable and private. Locabulary lite is an application that provides speech to common vocabulary terms. The vocabulary is divided into - quick phrases, moods and assistance. For our life skill students there is an application- Model Me Kids. This application has mini videos on showing a child going to different places- such as the hairdresser, mall, doctor, grocery store and restaurant. This would be a good reference tool for our nonverbal students.

Thing #9 Jing and Skype

I can see where Jing would be beneficial in illustrating or further clarifying information. Some students need visual representation to refer to when learning new information. The fact that the icon is always visible makes it readily available. I like the fact that there is no need to go to a different site to access it.

Skype makes visual representations available also. I used Skype recently when my father was in the hospital. My friend and I were able to discuss our blogs while talking to each other. We utilized the chat feature when my dad went to sleep. Since I am a Resource teacher and not always with some of my students- I can see where my students could Skype me from the class room at designated times when they needed assistance. This would be an agreed upon time where I would be available.

Tool #7

For some reason I am having difficulties today editing and posting to my blog. Whenever I sign in and then view my blog- I am not staying signed in because I can not edit my posts. So I am going to try just adding a new post.
Photostory was a simple medium for creating a video. I used a digital camera and a microphone. I think students will like the ease of it and it is a great starting point for creating multimedia presentations. I have used imovie and I really like it better. However- it has so many more features that I think it is best to start with photostory.

Tool #7

I made the following video using photo story. Making the video was easy- but posting it to this blog has not been.

Tool #8 Part 2

I choose this video tutorial because it shows how an application can be used on the itouch to give students with limited speech capabilities a voice. I think embedding videos is a great idea! In my class blog I could embed "how to videos" for the students so that they could access them whenever they needed re-teaching on a subject or a visual demonstration for using a certain application on their itouch. With special education students needing information repeated several times this would allow them to access the information as much as needed and still maintain some independence!

Tool #8

I choose the following video because I am interested in using visual schedules on the itouches for our special education students. We want to create more independence for our students when inclusion support is limited.

11.5 Part 2: Social Bookmarking in Plain English - Common Craft...

11.5 Part 2: Social Bookmarking in Plain English - Common Craft...: "Social Bookmarking in Plain English - Common Craft - Our Product is Explanation | Diigo"

Tool #6

I like the idea of having students work collectively on a book summary/report by assigning different parts of the book to different groups. In the end, each groups work can be collectively put together on the wiki for a book summary. I think for teachers a wiki can be a powerful collaborative tool. Teachers can be assigned rights as collaborators and then each grade level can have a page. Daily schedules can be posted and curriculum. This wiki can serve as a web page to allow parents to view but only those with rights can edit. Navigating through a wiki is much easier than navigating through web page design.

Tool #5

I ended up using Delicious for my bookmarking. The two sites I marked are:

http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/

http://www.polleverywhere.com/

I tagged these both with "mobile technology." I am interested in using the itouches as polling devices in the classroom. We have the activ votes for the activboard- but this would allow the students to expand their answers and ideas and not just respond with multiple choice. I can see where social bookmarking could be a great collaborative tool in the classroom. Students could research sites needed to perform group research projects. They enjoy using the internet and this gives them a clear purpose and objective.

Tool #4

1. I created a form document to find out when some of my peers would like to get together to work on 11 Tools. I asked three questions using multiple choice and selecting a choice. I have used this before when we worked on the Power to Learn grant. It is very convenient and definitely makes working on grants easier.
2. I had already set up my Google reader account but I added some of my peers from 11 Tools both at my school and where I had originally worked. I sometimes forget about Google because I use my work email for everything. I will have to remember how convenient it is!
3. The form document will allow me to collaborate effortlessly with my peers. The youtube video was very familiar to me. I spent many evenings printing off emails and then entering the information into spreadsheets. No more!!! The Google Reader will allow me to stay connected to others through my "home base." This should promote more collaboration and networking. I can totally see using the form document to communicate with students. Together the teacher and student can create projects and research topics.

Tool #3

Oh The Places I Have Been!

http://bighugelabs.com/map.php



I really enjoyed working with this tool! The educational benefits are many. As you can tell from my blog- I added many new items. The students can create digital pictures of the places they have visited. I can see creating a class wiki and then having the students visit these same sites to complete homework assignments. For example: Assignment 1 could be to create a map of all the countries/states they have visited. Other students could comment and learn about their classmates. A great beginning of the year activity that would promote new friendships in a nonthreatening environment.

Tool #2

My thoughts about building an online education community and participating in a PLN are a definitive yes! Students are already sharing online- via facebook and email. As educators, it is our responsibility to teach them tech-etiquette as well as the benefits educationally of online communtities. They have the social aspect down- we just need to further their horizons.
I agree with Cool Teacher that if you are going to make a comment- make it count. The blogger needs to have productive feedback. Online discussions with real teachers allows us to collaborate conveniently and on our own timeline.
I made comments on the following blogs:
http://manchestersblogspot.blogspot.com/
http://coopers11tools.blogspot.com/
http://meredithadixon.blogspot.com/
http://msmaniloffsblog.blogspot.com/
http://tigertrailcenturylearning.blogspot.com

Tool #1

I had fun creating my Voki! I absolutely love mobile technology! Can't imagine life without it. I played with an ipad and thought it was great, however I love the fact that the iphone/itouch is portable and can even be carried in your pocket. I have adapted to the small screen and find it's size one of its best features! I have utilized it for sharing media- both educationally and for fun.

It is amazing to me how quickly the younger generation coexists with this technology. As adults are learning to adapt, the youth just utilize it!