I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos
Monday, August 16, 2010
Your Favorites (17 photos), by Tiera Pennix
I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos
New RGE Videos
Amateur videography from my phone, but a sneak peak at the new building none the less!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
11 Tools- Reflections
1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox? Briefly describe a particular activity that you will plan for your students using at least one of these new tools.
I really like Skype because it integrates technology wihtout getting rid of the social aspect. I would use Skype to participate in the ePals program! Students could collaborate on assigments using Google docs and PhotoStory.
2. How have you transfomed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom?
I have broadened my comfort level with integrating technology but I still am reluctant to throw out other, less technological mediums, that work for SOME assignments... call me old-fashioned!
3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was surprised that there were so many sites that are now accessible! A couple years ago we couldn't even access YouTube from district computers... now it's encouraged! I really liked how the program was self-paced so you could take what YOU needed based on your level of technical savvy!
I really like Skype because it integrates technology wihtout getting rid of the social aspect. I would use Skype to participate in the ePals program! Students could collaborate on assigments using Google docs and PhotoStory.
2. How have you transfomed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom?
I have broadened my comfort level with integrating technology but I still am reluctant to throw out other, less technological mediums, that work for SOME assignments... call me old-fashioned!
3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was surprised that there were so many sites that are now accessible! A couple years ago we couldn't even access YouTube from district computers... now it's encouraged! I really liked how the program was self-paced so you could take what YOU needed based on your level of technical savvy!
Thoughts About Tool #11
Three things I will be teaching my students about digital citizenship:
1. Never share personal information with an unreliable source(you wouldn't share an ice cream cone with a stranger so why would you share your address?)
2. Plagiarism- even elementary students need to know that taking something from the net and portraying it as your own thought is STEALING!
3. Say what you mean, and mean what you say!- When communicating and collaborating with peers it is easy to type things you wouldn't necessarily say. Being a good digital citizen means taking the etiquette you have in reality and apply them to the virtual setting.
Seeing as the students in school now are the first generation to really "grow up" with the 2.0 world, I think it is easy to relate many aspects of digital citizenship to how we act in reality. This not only helps students make connections to reality vs. virtuality, but makes them think critically about how they SHOULD be acting in daily interactions!
1. Never share personal information with an unreliable source(you wouldn't share an ice cream cone with a stranger so why would you share your address?)
2. Plagiarism- even elementary students need to know that taking something from the net and portraying it as your own thought is STEALING!
3. Say what you mean, and mean what you say!- When communicating and collaborating with peers it is easy to type things you wouldn't necessarily say. Being a good digital citizen means taking the etiquette you have in reality and apply them to the virtual setting.
Seeing as the students in school now are the first generation to really "grow up" with the 2.0 world, I think it is easy to relate many aspects of digital citizenship to how we act in reality. This not only helps students make connections to reality vs. virtuality, but makes them think critically about how they SHOULD be acting in daily interactions!
Thoughts About Tool #10
I have an iPhone, and it's questionable whether I have downloaded more apps for me or as "research" for the iTouches we're receiving! I found an app called iSeismo that is a great simulation for how a seismograph works. I realized after teaching Earth science for 3 years that it was very difficult to describe how a machine detects such subtle changes in the earth's surface. This app, when you put it on a table and shake the table, works like a seismograph! Pretty cool! I also really like the flash cards apps (there are TONS of them) and Distant Suns lite. It gives great information on planets, constellations, and will use your current location to show which stars you can see at night. I am also a HUGE fan of the free Words with Friends (Scrabble) game.
Using these devices is great (I love mine!)... in moderation, I worry about how EXTENDED use of these devices will aid students when children are already becoming further and further removed from HUMAN interaction and if will effect their social skills not their social NETWORKING skills! I know I can speak from experience with my former students that sometimes at school is the only place they have one-on-one interaction with peers/adults because from the time they get home until they go to bed, parents aren't home and video games are babysitters! My biggest trial will be how to get students to use the devices as a way to ENHANCE their interactions, not EXTINGUISH them!
Using these devices is great (I love mine!)... in moderation, I worry about how EXTENDED use of these devices will aid students when children are already becoming further and further removed from HUMAN interaction and if will effect their social skills not their social NETWORKING skills! I know I can speak from experience with my former students that sometimes at school is the only place they have one-on-one interaction with peers/adults because from the time they get home until they go to bed, parents aren't home and video games are babysitters! My biggest trial will be how to get students to use the devices as a way to ENHANCE their interactions, not EXTINGUISH them!
Thoughts About Tool #9
I think Jing/screencast.com could be a GREAT way to leave directions for a substitute, especially for doing activities like BrainPop or streaming videos where you have several steps and "clicks".
Students could use this to capture screens on websites with virtual math manipulatives to show step by step instructions on how to, for example, regroup using base 10 blocks or model equivalent fractions using fraction strips! I could be used along with Photostory to narrate even. I also like the idea of using the program to aid in instructions of independent assignments for students who are accelerated learners and need better instructions when the teacher may not be available!
I love Skype, my husband uses it in his industry so I am mildly familiar with how it works. I love the idea of getting guest lecturers when there is no budge in the budget for field trips, getting parents involved (especially if they have webcams at work if they cannot make a parent conference), and most importantly, ePALS! I have loved the idea ever since I saw the Cicso Systems commercial when the class says they are going to Japan and they turn on the ACTIVboard and communicate with a classroom half way around the globe. I REALLY want to get involved with that if my Skype account will ever go though!
Students could use this to capture screens on websites with virtual math manipulatives to show step by step instructions on how to, for example, regroup using base 10 blocks or model equivalent fractions using fraction strips! I could be used along with Photostory to narrate even. I also like the idea of using the program to aid in instructions of independent assignments for students who are accelerated learners and need better instructions when the teacher may not be available!
I love Skype, my husband uses it in his industry so I am mildly familiar with how it works. I love the idea of getting guest lecturers when there is no budge in the budget for field trips, getting parents involved (especially if they have webcams at work if they cannot make a parent conference), and most importantly, ePALS! I have loved the idea ever since I saw the Cicso Systems commercial when the class says they are going to Japan and they turn on the ACTIVboard and communicate with a classroom half way around the globe. I REALLY want to get involved with that if my Skype account will ever go though!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thoughts About Tool #8
I really like Blinkx "wall it" option because if I were to set up a class website, I could create a "collage" of videos that pertain to the week's lessons. These could also be accessed from home as a review to answer every parents quetsion of, "So, what did you learn today?" These video clips are about the Scientific Method and Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis.
I was unable to access Hulu... the blue district website popped up saying the site was restricted. I wouldn't use this in the classroom if I couldn't guarantee it would work!
I already use videos a lot in my classroom because I feel students retain the information better if they get it in formats they are familiar with (like it or not, our students watch a lot of TV so this is pretty accessible to them!).
Thoughts About Tool #7
This is my PhotoStory video of one of my science fair groups working on their experiment.
I would use this to do the same thing! Students could narrate their science project experience by documenting with pictures and then reflecting using dialog or music. I couldn't find iMovie software on my district computer, so I used PhotoStory. I just happened to have some pictures of students on my computer to make my sample!
I would use this to do the same thing! Students could narrate their science project experience by documenting with pictures and then reflecting using dialog or music. I couldn't find iMovie software on my district computer, so I used PhotoStory. I just happened to have some pictures of students on my computer to make my sample!
Thoughts About Tool #6
Students could aid in their learning by posting solutions in response to problem solving questions in mathematics. By reading over other students thinking, they can better understand alternative solutions.
Thoughts About Tool #5
1.These are the 2 websites I found using Diigo.
The first one, www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com, is a great resource I found by doing a tag search for "elementary math" and "vocabulary". The second one, whatedsaid.wordpress.com, was on the list of hot bookmarks from the Diigo community.
2. Social bookmarking will be useful in my classroom when we do research to bookmark sites that contain information that they will continue using throughout the assigment. This will save time in having to write down sources, etc. and save paper from printing sites!
The first one, www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com, is a great resource I found by doing a tag search for "elementary math" and "vocabulary". The second one, whatedsaid.wordpress.com, was on the list of hot bookmarks from the Diigo community.
2. Social bookmarking will be useful in my classroom when we do research to bookmark sites that contain information that they will continue using throughout the assigment. This will save time in having to write down sources, etc. and save paper from printing sites!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thoughts About Tool #4
OK, I made a Google Doc, but I thought by sharing it that it would somehow show up here... apparently not so. I e-mailed the doc to my co-teacher using her district address.
I added 5 bloggers to my Google Reader; I added the same 5 to my blogspot reading list, in case the moderator needed to see proof!
I think the Google family of applications is wonderful, as I am a proponent of a "one stop shop," and this website is so much more tham just a search engine now! Personally, I like Google Docs because I have a Mac at home, and sometimes when I e-mail documents from Word from my Dell as school there is a compatibility problem. (And forget using PDLC!) If I downloaded the docs I needed to Google, the compatibility issue wouldn't be a problem anymore, Thanks!
Additionally, I have used our districts Sweden folders in my classroom since I came to the district and sometimes the path to find them can boggle some of my third graders minds! I think using Google Docs is a much more "user friendly" way to access docs from different locations. Plus, Google docs opens the door to students accessing work from home... if they have computers.
I added 5 bloggers to my Google Reader; I added the same 5 to my blogspot reading list, in case the moderator needed to see proof!
I think the Google family of applications is wonderful, as I am a proponent of a "one stop shop," and this website is so much more tham just a search engine now! Personally, I like Google Docs because I have a Mac at home, and sometimes when I e-mail documents from Word from my Dell as school there is a compatibility problem. (And forget using PDLC!) If I downloaded the docs I needed to Google, the compatibility issue wouldn't be a problem anymore, Thanks!
Additionally, I have used our districts Sweden folders in my classroom since I came to the district and sometimes the path to find them can boggle some of my third graders minds! I think using Google Docs is a much more "user friendly" way to access docs from different locations. Plus, Google docs opens the door to students accessing work from home... if they have computers.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thoughts About Tool #3
Dumpr - Photo Fun
1. The jigsaw photo could be a great way to spark interest in a new topic as a set... maybe kids could put the pieces together until they could guess the topic of discussion for the day. (This is a picture I took from the beach during our family vacation to Destin.)
title="Wordle: Everything">
alt="Wordle: Everything"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">
2. The Wordle could be useful for students to determine the jist of a story or write a summary since words used most often are largest. Also, students could enter their own writing to determine words they "overuse" since those words would also be largest. (This wordle is of the lyrics to the first song my husband and I danced to at our wedding. Clearly, "la" was a frequently used word!)
Thoughts About Tool #2
I really like the idea of building/participating in a personal learning network because, especially as a new-ish teacher, because you can learn so much about OTHER peoples trial and error, too! The idea of the "virtual coffee house" mentioned in one of the links really resonated with me because so many times I have thought and thought about ways to, for example, make teaching equivalent fractions interesting and low and behold, a colleague I may not have thought to ask, has a GREAT idea!
Commenting is something that I always struggle with because although I am sincere, I feel like dork reiterating what the person originally said (obviously they know what they said already, right?). I think the part about telling WHY you agree and adding your own examples will be helpful though.
Blogs commented on:
1. Melanie Dulworth
2. Chris Tuckett
3. Amy Lail
4. Rosaura Ramirez
5. Stephanie Robledo
Commenting is something that I always struggle with because although I am sincere, I feel like dork reiterating what the person originally said (obviously they know what they said already, right?). I think the part about telling WHY you agree and adding your own examples will be helpful though.
Blogs commented on:
1. Melanie Dulworth
2. Chris Tuckett
3. Amy Lail
4. Rosaura Ramirez
5. Stephanie Robledo
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Thoughts About Tool #1
My college Ethics class had a wiki (which I guess is a blog?) that we had to post arguements to different cases/situations on anonymously , in addition to comments on other people's thoughts. I never used it again, but I like the outlet to be able to bounce ideas off other people as well as get ideas for classroom technology implementation.
I had an existing Google account so that step was already taken care of. Creating the avatar was fun; it was kind of like creating a character of yourself for that game Guess Who? The talking part is a bit strange though...
I think using a blog would be a great way to get anonymous feedback/peer review during the writing process since much of it is set up like a word processor already. Maybe we could use it in science to post experiment procedures and students could post their hypothesis, observations, and conclusions to the related experiment. In math maybe we could address "reasonableness" for a certain problem's answer when doing problem solving; making students CONNECT with other people's thought process.
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