Hey guys! We made it through the semester!! I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and wish you the best in your further pursuits. I hope to see all of you around campus and in future classes. Have a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful Christmas!!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Electronic Contact Assignment
This is a picture of Amanda and her husband Jon Marsh.I chose to interview Amanda Marsh as my electronic contact. She has been a teacher for 5 years. She graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. I have known Amanda for three years now. She has helped me in my pursuit to become a teacher. I can call on her for help and support through my educational endeavors. I thought of her for this assignment because I know that she has a passion for teaching. Her email interview with me is recorded below.
I began by asking her for a short description of where she teaches and what grade she teaches:
I teach a 4th grade inclusion class. I have 26 students in my class 5 of them have special needs that range from hearing impaired to physical needs. I have a full-time special education co teacher who is in my class all day to serve my special ed students in the least restrictive environment. I teach in Macon, GA in a school that serves about 525 students from Pre-K through 5th grade. My school is pretty much equal white vs. black students. If you want to see more on our test scores or demographics you can look at this website, http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=101&PID=63&PTID=214&SchoolId=42536&T=0&FY=2008
1. Do you use technology in your classroom? If so, how?
I do use technology in my classroom but not always on a daily basis. In my classroom I have 6 computers but they are not always working. My class goes to the computer lab once a week. Sometimes I have planned lessons and sometimes I just give them free time to play on educational websites. One of my most often used tools is the avery key. It is system that lets me hook my computer to my classroom tv so I can show my students movies on United Streaming or how to use the internet. Recently I did a lesson on searching for information in doing research for their science fair projects. I used World Book online and showed them how to search for articles, take notes, and cite them. What is nice is that they can watch what I am doing on the computer on my tv. The most common program used is our Accelerated Reader. The students can read books and take tests on them to check comprhension. They earn points and twice a year we have incentives for students who have reached their goal.
2. Do you think that technology is a hinderance or an asset to your classroom? Why?
2. Do you think that technology is a hinderance or an asset to your classroom? Why?
I think it depends on the type of technology. In our school we have this great cart that has individual keyboards students can use to type and then print what they have done. We also have a SMART board that teachers can check out. It is really cool. You can write on it and then save what you have written. Your college classes probably have them. Our school has one that is on wheels. The problems with these items is that it is such a pain to get them and set them up that teachers don't really have time on a daily basis to this. I maybe use the smart board once a year because it is such an inconvience to check it out and set it up.
3. Is there any new technology that you hope to use in your classroom in the future? If so, what?
3. Is there any new technology that you hope to use in your classroom in the future? If so, what?
We have been told over the next 5 years we will all have a laptop in our room and get a SMART board in each classroom. It would be nice to have one because it would be useful to design graphs, charts, or directions for assignments that could be pulled up and put on the screen when needed but would not take up wall space. A classroom can fill up quite quickly. Honestly I would rather have less computers just because they take so much space and limit the way the classroom could be arranged. I guess in a perfect world it would be nice to have only laptops so you could put them away when you are not using them and students could use them at their desk or at a table.
I found her responses to be quite informative. I would love to see the SMART board that she talks about. I find it sad that she has six computers in her classroom but that they don't always work. In schools today, technology seems to be the key for student success. I agree with Amanda, I hope that one day soon our students will be given laptops so that the classroom can be more spacious and the students can have more ease of transportation of their materials and technology.
Here is the link to my email message between Amanda and I:
Saturday, November 22, 2008
ACCESS Lab Trip
On November 21, 2008, Kelsey, Kim, and I took a trip to the ACCESS lab at Mary G. Montgomery High School in Semmes, AL. We interviewed Mr. Rose a psychology teacher and director of the ACCESS lab at MGM. He has been a teacher for approximately 25 years. He was very informative about how ACCESS works and how it will affect schooling in the coming years. 
He started by telling us about the equipment required to use the ACCESS lab. There is a document reader called the ELMO. By using ELMO, the teacher can work problems along with the students and the work will be projected on the screen and on the remote access site's screen. The Kodak is the hub that controls the entire system. It plugs into the live Internet connection that connects all of the schools in the area. It is a touch screen system that allows the teacher to have control over the classroom and allows for communication between the remote classrooms. Each student is given a computer upon entering the classroom and this is how they do their assignments and take tests. To allow for optimal communication, there is a small microphone located at the front of the classroom that allows all sounds and discussions to be picked up with little interference. 
He then told us how the ACCESS would work in the classroom. It allows for one teacher to actually teach the subject from one location with another class in a different area to be able to take the class simultaneously. This is a plus for more remote areas of Alabama because they may not be able afford to pay a full time teacher but that will not be necessary with the implementation of ACCESS in all Alabama schools. This system will be utilized for Advanced Placement classes. 
He told us about some software that might be useful for teachers now and in the future. The first is Komposer. He thinks that this is probably the best free HTML site that there is. There is also ftpsurfer which is also free and there is also Hot potatoes which is the newest tutorial site available. He suggests using these sites to help with building and implementing the curriculum that you teach. 
I really enjoyed his presentation of the ACCESS lab and the services available. He was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. He has excited me about the new technology available to teachers. From this experience, I have decided to use technology to the fullest extent possible in my classroom.
He started by telling us about the equipment required to use the ACCESS lab. There is a document reader called the ELMO. By using ELMO, the teacher can work problems along with the students and the work will be projected on the screen and on the remote access site's screen. The Kodak is the hub that controls the entire system. It plugs into the live Internet connection that connects all of the schools in the area. It is a touch screen system that allows the teacher to have control over the classroom and allows for communication between the remote classrooms. Each student is given a computer upon entering the classroom and this is how they do their assignments and take tests. To allow for optimal communication, there is a small microphone located at the front of the classroom that allows all sounds and discussions to be picked up with little interference. 
He then told us how the ACCESS would work in the classroom. It allows for one teacher to actually teach the subject from one location with another class in a different area to be able to take the class simultaneously. This is a plus for more remote areas of Alabama because they may not be able afford to pay a full time teacher but that will not be necessary with the implementation of ACCESS in all Alabama schools. This system will be utilized for Advanced Placement classes. 
He told us about some software that might be useful for teachers now and in the future. The first is Komposer. He thinks that this is probably the best free HTML site that there is. There is also ftpsurfer which is also free and there is also Hot potatoes which is the newest tutorial site available. He suggests using these sites to help with building and implementing the curriculum that you teach. 
I really enjoyed his presentation of the ACCESS lab and the services available. He was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. He has excited me about the new technology available to teachers. From this experience, I have decided to use technology to the fullest extent possible in my classroom.
What I Have Learned...
I have found this class very informational. I have enjoyed learning about how technology can be used in the classroom. It has opened my eyes to just how much the Internet can aid me in my classroom and to the students as a whole. I did not know that I would be able to use blogs with my classroom. I have found that blogs are a great tool to express feelings and help students branch out onto the Internet and learn new things rather than being chained to a textbook. I also learned that a class website will be helpful. I will use a website for my class so that my students can stay informed on what we did in class each day, check assignments, and it will help keep the parents informed on what their child is doing in class. I hope to utilize technology to the fullest in my classroom so that my students will have every advantage to succeed in their educational pursuits.
I cannot think of anything that I would have liked to learn about and did not. The only suggestion that I could make for next semester's classes is to go as a group to the ACCESS lab. The instructor will be able to give a more consistent and thorough presentation of the materials used and what ACCESS is all about. I would have liked to spend more time with the subject of ACCESS so that I could see how it worked in an actual classroom rather than just seeing the materials needed for it to work. But other than that, this was a great course!
I cannot think of anything that I would have liked to learn about and did not. The only suggestion that I could make for next semester's classes is to go as a group to the ACCESS lab. The instructor will be able to give a more consistent and thorough presentation of the materials used and what ACCESS is all about. I would have liked to spend more time with the subject of ACCESS so that I could see how it worked in an actual classroom rather than just seeing the materials needed for it to work. But other than that, this was a great course!
Blog Experiences
I looked at Kelsey Volz's blog posts. She and I have had very similar experiences with blogging. Through conversations with her and through her posts, I have found that this is both of our first times experiencing what it is like to blog. We both have learned new aspects of technology that we feel will be beneficial to us in our classrooms when we become teachers. Both Kelsey and I are excited to use blogs and other Internet sources to add to our curriculum as a whole.
I feel that the plusses of using blogs and Internet sources in the classroom is that you open a portal of expression for your students. With blogs, the students can have a safe environment to talk about their feelings about the day's lesson, the upcoming test, or ask questions to others. I also have found that blogs and class websites are a great tool for me, as the teacher, to upload assignments, the day's lesson through a podcast, or tips for excelling in the class.
I feel that there are also minuses in using blogs and technology in the classroom. Some of my concerns are that the students will know that the information from the day's lesson will be posted online, so they may have the urge to skip class more often. I also feel that though I would create as safe of an Internet site as I could, there are risks of putting information about yourself and your students posting information about themselves. This personal information could open a line of communication for child predators to influence the students.
Overall, I am excited about the future of technology in the classroom. I will use these tools that we have learned about during the semester and hope that I am making my class as interesting as possible. Though there are concerns, I will monitor the content of the student's posts and consistently remind them of the dangers of posting too personal of information. I believe that this will open new doors for student interaction and success.
I feel that the plusses of using blogs and Internet sources in the classroom is that you open a portal of expression for your students. With blogs, the students can have a safe environment to talk about their feelings about the day's lesson, the upcoming test, or ask questions to others. I also have found that blogs and class websites are a great tool for me, as the teacher, to upload assignments, the day's lesson through a podcast, or tips for excelling in the class.
I feel that there are also minuses in using blogs and technology in the classroom. Some of my concerns are that the students will know that the information from the day's lesson will be posted online, so they may have the urge to skip class more often. I also feel that though I would create as safe of an Internet site as I could, there are risks of putting information about yourself and your students posting information about themselves. This personal information could open a line of communication for child predators to influence the students.
Overall, I am excited about the future of technology in the classroom. I will use these tools that we have learned about during the semester and hope that I am making my class as interesting as possible. Though there are concerns, I will monitor the content of the student's posts and consistently remind them of the dangers of posting too personal of information. I believe that this will open new doors for student interaction and success.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Duke Documentary Posts
I watched/listened to two different podcasts about vastly different subjects. I was intrigued by each podcast, just in different ways. The podcasts taught me new ideas and informed me greater in others.
The first podcast that I listened to was The South in Black and White. This podcast was aired after the Duke Lacrosse team scandal. This program promotes this new class about not only history but racial issues today as well. He says that everyone thinks about race and you must reflect on your culture. The class will have conversations about history and how to deal with race today. There will be performances of the Emmett Till story, gospel music, and Southern story tellers to enrich the curriculum.
The second podcast I watched was a HIV educational video. It took place in South Africa and informed people of the horrors of rape. It showed a typical day for a teenage girl who was raped by her father and then chastised by her mother when supper wasn't ready when she got home. This video opened my eyes to the horror that children must go through in these types of situations.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Podcast Reviews
I personally found all of the blogs very well presented. I know that we were all nervous but I found that each group covered this fact up well. Even though I could not listen to my podcast because it has not been aired yet, I know that I said "umm" quite a few times too many. I also feel that my group members and I should have made our podcast more conversational and less lecture.
The first podcast that I listened to was about Blogging. It was presented by Ashley Corley, Brooke Busby, and Kimberly Pierce. I found that maybe by writing down what you were going to say before saying it, it would help with the pauses that sometimes elapsed. I also thought that the speakers could be a bit more animated when talking. I think that it would have helped the podcast be more attention grabbing.
The second podcast that I listened to was about Blog Experiences. It was presented by Rachael Beaty, Keller Weathers, and Joye Wiggins. I found the presentation hard to hear at times, so maybe talking into the microphone more or speaking louder would help. I also found that when the group members were talking all at once it was hard to understand what each person was trying to say. Talking one at a time will help this problem out immensely.
The last podcast that I listened to was about ALEX and ACCESS. The presenters were Susan Smith, Bridget Thompson-Hall, and Angela Minish. I think that by collecting your thoughts before you begin speaking it will help the tumbling over words and thoughts that haven't fully developed. I thought that the articulation could be improved as well.
I would like to close by saying that once again, I thought that all of the podcasts that I listened to were great and I was hard for me to criticize any of them.
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