My Blog at Endeavour Elementary

This last week at Endeavour Elementary I introduced my blog to my cooperating teacher and my principal. It was my last day there for this semester and I thought that it would be good to get some outside opinions on what I have done with my blog.
I quickly realized that neither of them really had a clue as to what a blog was. I was really excited that I could seem really smart and teach them about what a blog was and why/how we created one.
I was also able to show them a few of the projects that I had created with the programs and software that we have been taught to use. I was asked a lot of questions about the SMART board and what it could do.
I think I have mentioned it before, but Endeavour Elementary does not have this type of technology. I also showed a few of the lessons that I created to interact with the students using the interactive white board.

My principal encouraged me to post a link [using Google Docs] that takes people to a resume. I thought that this was a great idea. I later found that Google Docs and other Web 2.0 tools actually have templates specifically designed for creating resumes.
This will be my next addition to my blog.

Yay! I can help you with that TECHNOLOGY...

The other day, I was using my USB storage drive to transfer the Jeopardy game that Professor Sorenson had put on our blog for my roommate. She wasn't sure how to open the program in an older version of PowerPoint. Well, I actually knew what to do because of when I had presented a lesson plan in technology in education and the formatting had an error when I opened it in an older version. I had to save the document as a PowerPoint presentation specifically for an older version.
This particular situation just made me realize that throughout this semester, I have learned more than just new technology that I will be able to incorporate into my classroom, but I have also learned a few new things about how the actual machine functions.

I just wanted to point this out to our class and see if anyone else has had solved a similar situation, in which they knew how to handle the problem from something that they learned in Technology in Education.

What I have learned about technology...

Reflecting on my learning experience...
- Kidspiration/Inspiration software
- WebGrader
- Excel (small details that help organize documents more)
- PowerPoint Presentations (How to create games using the program; more creative clip-art, ect.)
- Box.net (Storage)
- MediaMax (Document storage device)
- Podcasting
- Blogger
- Google Docs
- Google Web Creator
- SMART Board
- Elmo
- Web 2.0 Tools
- Wiki Spaces

All of the items on this list are the programs /software that I learned to use throughout the course of this class. I know that I will be appreciative in knowing these functions so that I can use them when I begin teaching.

There were a lot of cases in which I would learn about something new about technology that I used the very next day when I went to Endeavour elementary in Mukilteo.
___________________________________________________________
YIKES!
I began this semester with quite a bit of fear and frustration in learning new technology and actually knowing how to use it. I have become much more confident in my abilities to use technology for it's intended purpose and feel that I will be able to use this to my advantage for future classes here at Northwest University as well as in my future classroom.

I am a very organized person and in many ways, learning the technology that we have been introduced to in this class, my life has been made easier!
Works Task Launcher is a program that we didn't actually discuss in class, but I challenged myself to using the templates that are designed to help people organize and plan. I really liked the features of this program and the calendar has been especially helpful!

How my knowledge of technology has changed by doing this project...
Well, to begin with, I would have never seen myself with the capabilities of creating a blog of my own and being able to actually put my personality and creativity into it, and I have. I also never would have seen myself being capable of creating a podcast and linking it to my page. In addition to being able to podcast I feel confident enough in myself, that i believe I would be able to walk someone through the steps that are required to be taken in order to record a podcast.

One aspect of my project consisted of converting a lesson plan that I created about rocks and minerals to Google Docs, so that my work could be available to the public and would have linkable sites. My lesson plan had two parts, including a PowerPoint presentation, which I was also able to create to a linkable site.

The one thing that I feel I have learned the most about ,throughout the course of this class, is the interactive whiteboard (SMART Board). I think that the activities and learning material that can be taught through using this very engaging tool, are limitless. I found it very rewarding to also successfully create a PowerPoint presentation that was also compatible with the features of the interactive white board! This lesson is actually posted on my blog if you would like to see, in more detail, what I mean.

I feel that the majority of what we learned in this class are now programs or software that I feel I could upgrade to the expert list. However, I want to learn more about podcasting and creating wikis.

THANK YOU PROFESSOR SORENSON!

Ps.. Professor Sorenson, you should check out this link...

My Classroom in Five Years...

I know that my classroom will not look anything like what a lot of classrooms look like today. Technology has developed so much that I don't think that there is anyway that someone would be able to tell what their classroom will look like in two years.

My classroom will have a small interactive whiteboard for each student in my class as well as a control panel that is optional to use with this equipment. The extra control panel will have a number key, letter keys, an enter and cancel button as well as a send and receive buttons. This will be a large part of how students will interact with the teacher and how in-class work will be done. My students will also have access to updated programs and equipment on computers that are in the back of the classroom.

The room that I will be in will be very organized with tubs or other sorts of organizers dividing art and craft materials, handouts, worksheets, and daily problems.

There will probably be no need for a large library because students will be able to access book online, however, I will have a descent size library in my classroom so that students can have elaborate reading material to fit their needs that they can touch and feel.

I think that there will still be a lot of creativity and color in elementary classrooms. I know that I will do my best to engage students interests in a variety of subjects through visual images that are mentally stimulating.

I enjoy thinking about what my classroom will look like in the future. I know that my ideas of what my classroom will be like as I continue to develop a style and more concrete ideas.

Ms. Gubler’s Class (Sing Along—Activity Rocks and Minerals)

THREE HARD ROCKS
( to the tune of "Three Blind Mice" )

Three hard rocks.
Three hard rocks.
See how they form.
See how they form.
They all have minerals deep inside
So far in the earth where they like to hide,
A geologist can identify
three hard rocks______________________________

Igneous rocks.
Igneous rocks.
See how they form.
See how they form.
Granite cools slowly, obsidian fast.
They both are tools to study our past.
Igneous rocks.
Igneous rocks._________________________________

Sedimentary rocks.
Sedimentary rocks.
See how they layer.
See how they layer.
There's mud and sand and gravel, too.
They're carried by rivers and oceans blue
Where they stick together and bind like glue.
Sedimentary rock.
Sedimentary rock._______________________________

One last rock.
Metamorphic rock.
See how it forms.
See how it forms.
It's formed by joining the other two.
Adding some heat and some pressure, too.
Can you believe it, we're almost through
Three hard rocks.
Three hard rocks.

Mrs. Carson's & Ms. Gubler's Classroom

At the beginning of the semester I introduced myself through a PowerPoint presentation as a firefighter, a runner, and a student. I think that this was a great way for me to start out the school year and to introduce the students to another teacher figure that will be in the classroom on a regular basis.

As the semester has progressed forward, I have noticed that my being there has made me much more confident in what I know. I have also been asked to lead a few mini-lessons on a particular worksheet or handout that the students have been assigned and this has really challenged me to use what I have learned in the classes that I have taken here at Northwest. I have also noticed that at the Elementary level I am looked at as being cool and students know that I am young and think that I more of their friend than a teacher. This has been something that I have been working on. I don't think that it has become an issue in the classroom, but outside of class, at recess, lunch, etc, students think that I am not there and they can do as they please.

I guess that all students do this, and it's just a matter of if they get caught or not, but I am really enjoying being in the classroom and I have learned so much from my cooperating teacher. My cooperating teacher and I also have a lot in common, both being from small, country towns in eastern Washington. Her teaching techniques are great, and I hope that I absorb as much as possible from her as I can.

More Reflection-- Using SMART Board & Teaching

The more familiar I become with the SMART board and what I can do with my teaching in conjunction with the program, I find myself becoming more excited to teach. Now, this may also be because I am working in a classroom and I am seeing how students learn and relate to the teacher in the classroom and I imagine what how they would relate if material was presented to them in a different way.
As this relates to me teaching, I find myself trying to combine a whole bunch of ideas that I come up with all at once, which I know won't help my students retain/understand information and, for heaven's sake, won't help me when I am trying to make the technology do what I want it to do, so that it looks and works the way that I want it to. I need to narrow my ideas more in this area and create works that are interesting and engaging but not too "busy" without a purpose.

So, I am continuing to enjoy learning and working with the technology that we have been working with in the classroom.

Panel Questions : Before and After

General Questions
- Where do you teach/ administer/...work?
- What age level/ grade do you work with?
- How long have you been teaching?
- Where else have you worked? What were your reasons for transferring?

Technology Related Questions
- Do you think that the use of technology is necessary in the classroom?
- What are some of the technological programs/ systems that you use in your classroom?
- Are there any additional technology-related programs that you would like to try out in your classroom/ work place?
- Do you feel that your students are familiar/comfortable with the technology that is being introduced to the generation today?
_________________________________________________
Questions that came up throughout the panel discussion...
Laurie Sween
- Is Hope Heart a Christian program/foundation?
- What is Quisdom technology? Interactive response mechanism

Casey Ward
* Advice-- Use Web Grader; Parents can see it being updated daily (grades and assignments); Reduces unnecessary communication with parents because everything is posted online.

Jeremy Kowalski
- United Streaming: Great place to find video clips and pictures for educational use.

SMART Board & Teaching Continued

Hey everyone. I have found a way to use the SMART board features with my presentation for tomorrow night! I am very excited about that!

See you then!

SMART Board Presentation

My presentation will be Part 2 of a unit lesson on amphibians and reptiles. It will be a PowerPoint file and throughout the presentation I will ask students to partake interactively, using a few of the SMART board features. I have created this presentation myself and hope that as I become more familiar with the SMART board features I can create slides that will be more interactive with the features that are offered by the software.

Here are the specific standards that this activity will fulfill:

EALR’s/GLE’s
Science 1.1.6 Living Systems
- Describe characteristics of organisms
- Describe and sort organisms using multiple characteristics (e.g., anatomy such as fins for swimming or leaves for gathering light, behavior patterns, how plants and animals get food differently)
Reading 2.2.2
- Understand and apply features of printed text and electronic sources to locate and understand information.
- Identify and use icons, pull-down menus, and toolbars.
Writing 1.5.1
- Publishes own writing.
- Illustrates work (e.g., drawings, computer graphics, collages)
Communications 3.2.1
- Understands how to use available relevant media and resources in oral presentations.
- Uses presentation technology with teacher guidance (e.g., white boards, overhead projectors)

Activity Plan: Description of Activity

Objective: Using direct instruction, teacher will give information and instruction to learn the key characteristics of and reptiles. As a class, understand scientific vocabulary and make references to a variety of amphibians.

Introduce the spotlight feature, writing on the white board using another program, and the sliding screen.

I will be using the spotlight feature on the first slide to focus on the lizard that is in the bottom right-hand corner. I will show the class how to use this feature and to exit from it as well.

Throughout the presentation on Reptiles, there will be questions that the class will be asked to answer together, and I will be showing the students that they can use the pens to write their answers on the board.

There is one slide in particular that I will be utilizing the sliding screen feature. This slide is the slide that introduces to the class some of the characteristics of all reptiles. Near the top of this slide there is the term "cold-blooded." Underneath the term there is the definition, however, I want to be able to ask the class if they can remember from the amphibian lesson, what cold-blooded means, so I will use the screen to make sure that the definition is not revealed until I have the opportunity to ask a student and then I can continue with the rest of the characteristics of reptiles.

Introduction/Anticipatory Set:
° Show and tell the turtle that I caught
- Class turtle (When presenting this to a class; I would introduce a turtle to be our class pet)
° Share experience and photos. (Teacher)

Teaching Steps (Class Participation and Learning Assessment)
° What are the key characteristics of reptiles? (Teacher) [Rhetorical] (Focusing on turtles…class pet)
° Share list w/students (Model)
° What were some of the characteristics of amphibians that we learned about? (Teacher)
° Ask students? (Check Understanding)
° How can we tell the difference between reptiles and amphibians; what are some characteristics that set them apart? (Teacher)
° Share list w/students (Model)

Closure:
° Ask students for some of characteristics of reptiles that we learned about today. (Teacher) (Check Understanding)
° Write answers on board.

I will end my presentation by asking the class to write on the board 2-3 things that they learned about reptiles.

I have really enjoyed working with the interactive board in our class. At first I felt that using an interactive board in conjunction with lessons/activities that I have created myself by means of another program like PowerPoint, etc., was very frustrating. There are certain steps that you have to take to assure that everything transfers over to the program correctly and that the features work properly once you have them in a different program than what they were originally made.

Now that I have successfully transferred a PowerPoint presentation to the SMART board and was able to use the fun, interactive features I feel that in many cases students would benefit from using an interactive program to learn new things. The technology that the youth has grown up with today is more advanced,but students are comfortable with it and are very familiar with the technological features.

This is very useful is working with the diverse needs of the students in my class. Some will really enjoy having a way to learn visually while others will be able to write on the board and that will be more useful to those individuals. Because there are ways to insert text into the programs that work together with the SMART board, I can also reach the students in my class that like to read and absorb information that way. I think that using this technology can reach a number of learning techniques and a variety of levels.

Here is a link to my presentation: Reptiles

SMART Board & Teaching

My first thought for this blog was to just type the word annoying and frustrating in big, bold, red letters and post that as my blog!

I found this great interactive lesson plan that was a link from the Read Write Think organization, and would be a very fun lesson to present to the class, however in my practice presentation today, I wasn't able to use the SMART board features with my lesson, so I felt that my lesson was somewhat boring. There are many more opportunities for students to come up with their own ideas, and as a class create a project that is very informative and fun using this program in conjunction with the SMART board features.

After talking with Professor Sorenson about the lesson plan and the inability to use the features of the SMART board, she said that she would call the SMART board experts and see if there was a way to use the features in my program, and I was later informed that there is a way to incorporate the SMART board into my lesson plan.

.... We shall see how it works later this evening!

Stay Tuned!

Students & Productivity Software

How will you help your students learn/use productivity software?...

I think that it will be very important to have a very engaging and interactive way to introduce new software that I plan on having my students use in the classroom. The reason for this is that if the software seems inferior to the software and programs that they already use at home, away from school, then students will not be interested in using the software that I have for them to use.

The activities that I create for my students to do using the software, need to have some areas in which the students can use their own creativity and imagination to personalize their work/creations. I think that it is also important to have a handout for my students that walks them through the various features that they can access through the software. I would also post this handout on line and link it to the class blog, or have it somewhere on the school website/class website where they can refer to it outside of class if they need to.

Internet Issues for MY Students

There are so many "bad" things that can be accessed through the Internet today and i think that these will be the main concern for issues with my students using the Internet. Sometimes the security programs installed on your computers in the classroom simply do not catch everything.

Another issue that may occur in the classroom with my students using the Internet, is conflicts with software. I may have the students using an older version of a particular program , because I am familiar with its features while my students do not know how to use it. Old technology and new technology are so different, being that our technology today is so advanced and has combined a lot of the tedious steps to working a program, that now everything is very simple to understand and the computer does a lot of the work for you.

Another issue may be that because there is so many other programs and neat "things" that students/children use on the web daily; I may have a difficult time getting my students focused on the program that I am asking them to use. Students may take advantage of the use of Internet in the classroom and be on another site, completely off task with the goal of the assignment.

K-12 Online Conference: New Tools "Learn to Blog" "Blog to Learn"

I chose to listen to Anne Davis talk about blogging in the classroom because I feel like there is so much to learn about blogging and I think that student would really enjoy using a blogging program of some sort to learn. There are so many neat features to engage students and student can still portray a sense of their own character and personality in their work.

Throughout the course of this work shop conference I learned that there are a lot of different ways to teach students how to use blogging for educational purposes. I could set up a blog in my classroom where students could communicate with me or their classmates. They could read comments that other students have wrote about their projects and share their thinking with their peers.

I also learned that the new ideas, and the fun, creative environment that you create in your classroom can become a permalink, which means that posts made on the class blog can become permanent in the archives. The archives is also where I could post permanent blogs, like homework assignments or class calendars.

There was also a brief introduction to pod casting that was especially great for me, because it was simple to understand and just gave the basics about starting to podcast. In fact, this entire conference was intended to be for beginners to the world of blogging and was easy to follow and did not use any highly technical terms that people, like myself, who are easily intimidated and confused by new means of technology, could not understand.
Some of the characteristics that blogging seems to create in the classroom are students building anticipation to learn, joy, prompting wonder, nurturing learner, exploring the world around them and being involved.

Blogging is so easy to do and with the proper program can be a FREE, safe, and entertaining and engaging place for students and teachers to collaborate. With the more in tune to this technology I become, I really believe that I will incorporate this feature in my classroom. I think that it can be especially useful in lessons that require writing and reading. I also think it could be a fun feature to use in math and science because of what you can post in the archives for students to refer to. I would want to place links to websites that have interactive learning games associated with different lessons that students could play in their free time or use as review for a unit test, etc.

The link to this conference is http://k12online.wm.edu/learn.mov.

On the home page of this conference there is an additional link to How to use Blogmeister which I found very interesting and easy to use. On the comments that were made in regards to this conference, it also seems that it is a very popular program used by teachers for blogging in the classroom.

Integrating Technology-- In Lesson Plans

If I were to integrate technology into this lesson plan, geared toward teaching students how to gather and display information in an organized fashion using outside resources for their data, I would need to have access to five computers in my classroom as well as a SMART board. Being aware of the fact that SMART boards are still very new to educational technology; I have stated ways that I can accommodate my ideas using a PowerPoint presentation.

Just recently, in class, we were introduced to a new software called Kidspiration/Inspiration, and after I realized and understood the neat and creative ways to use the program, I decided that I would really like to try to incorporate this software into my classroom when I become a teacher. For this lesson, students would need this software available to them on the computers in my classroom in order to create webs that displayed data gathered from the class about themselves. The data would be related to "Favorites" and there would be a variety of webs for each group of 2-3 students to create. In order to introduce the software to the students, who will catch on faster than I did, I will also need to have the software installed on my personal computer.



Today, technology is so much more advanced. However, students that I will be teaching are familiar with these advances and have experience in working with the new style of programming that is becoming so popular. I think that having technology in the classroom will help in engaging students to complete their assignments. I also think that since many students share this common ground, communication will flourish, encouraging students to use their imagination and share their ideas. I think that students who may not be as well learned on the topic of technology will be interested in learning the steps to creating projects on the Kidspiration software. Students who are more familiar with technology will be excited about showing them something that they don't already know.


With this particular software, students are able to show their personalities in the way that they set up their projects, or by the pictures that they include on their webs. Students are given options and are encouraged to think for themselves. There are so many different ways that students learn and I think that if they are given the choice in which way works best for them then they are creating, within themselves, a "learner -centered" environment.



Challenges can arise when teaching any lesson or unit and they will all need to be approached differently depending on the situation. Some of the challenges that could be presented are situations in which there is a student who learns better without using technology. In this particular lesson on graphing and charts, there is always the option of having students create their graphs/charts using graph paper or lined paper and a ruler to create their projects. Students can still make their assignments colorful and creative by coloring or cutting and pasting.

Another possible challenge is that students become comfortable with learning how to create and understand subjects through technology that they lose interest in learning by the "old curriculum." I think that a certain balance of technology and hands-on thinking will keep students excited about learning both ways. Students won't be complacent in their learning either, because they will constantly be given the opportunity to learn by different means.

The National Educational Technology Standards for Students that this lesson plan covers are:

1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c.. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions

6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.
c. troubleshoot systems and applications.
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

If you would like to look at the lesson plan that I have made changes to, specifically focusing on integrating technology I have posted it to my blog under "My Assignments" as Assignment # 3 and have included a link at the bottom of this post.

Assignment 3- Technology Integration

Article: The Concept-Mapping Classroom

There were so many great ideas on ways to incorporate Inspiration/Kidspiration into the curriculum. Some of the more specific ideas that I feel could be beneficial in the classroom caught my attention. For example, using the record tool to record your own voice describing the objectives of an assignment or creating a template that students can refer to for certain lessons.

One point was touched on in this article that I actually somewhat disagreed with and that was that this software is not to be used for projects that don't involve creativity and individual ideas. I think that this software could also be used to create more structured templates where students have to follow a set of instructions; however within these instructions can be creative with the different tools that are available.

As with most of the other software that has been introduced to us in this class, there are many options in making fun and creative documents with this software. It would be a great addition to my classroom.

Kidspiration/ Inspiration Tools...Way Cool!

I really think that the Kidpiration/Inspiration Software could be very useful in the classroom. Students have the freedom to create very unique, individualistic, projects and can have a lot of fun doing it. The software is easy for students to work with because of its simplicity. In a lot of ways this program reminded me of the Paint program that is a sub-tool of Microsoft Word. There are also a lot of pictures and colrs for students to choose that will create a more colorful and fun project. I believe that students sometimes do better when they are given choices, especially when it is to show who they are through their work. That is why I think that with practice in learning all of the neat things this simple program can do, you can create detailed projects that are associated to a specific lesson.
I began playing with the options Kidspiration provides, and created a document that shows a few reasons why I have chosen to become a teacher. Why I Want to be a Teacher (Kidspiration)
I have also created an example of a simple project that a student could create with Kidspiration.My Favorites (Kidspiration) .
If you are unable to access these projects from this blog; I have also added them to "My Creations" on the right-hand side of my Blog.

Online References for Teachers and Students

Teachers don't always know every detail about a project that they are going to have their students do, so there are a number of resources like AOL@School.com and Britannica Online Encyclopedia that teachers AND students can go to for more information about a particular topic.

Students can also use AOL@School.com for studying various subject areas and learning good study habits. There are websites that I have listed under this category that have spelling lists that students can use in their writing or if there are words that students are unsure of how to pronounce; these sites will pronounce the word for them. I have also included Merriam-Webster Dictionary for times when students or teachers don't know what a word means or how to use a word in the correct context.

This category has references that students and teachers can use easily. These particular sites are also very simple to use in structure. Kids will not be confused about how to use these references, especially if they are at all in tune with the technology of the time.

Classroom Management Tips and Resource Sites

Throughout the past few weeks that I have visited Endeavour Elementary, I have noticed that there are students that simply don't work well with one another, or if there are students that do get along, it can effect their work progress in the classroom. There are other elements of a classroom environment that can be distracting to students or characteristics of the classroom that aren't engaging at all. This category has a variety of websites like Youth C.H.G, and Kims Korner 4 Teacher Talk, that give ideas to teachers about how to solve problems with classroom control, organization, discipline, and classroom decor. The one site I particularly like is Pro Teacher. This site is great for new teachers!
The ideas that other teachers have chosen to give to this site on morning routines, or bulletin boards, etc. make new teachers feel less stressed and confident in the way they are going to structure their classrooms.
I know that I will be referring to this site a lot over the next few years!

Websites with Fun and Effective Activities for Grade Schoolers

Whoo Hoo! There were so many fun sites to look at when I decided to have a category that included links to websites that have ideas, programs, or worksheets with fun activities for grade schoolers. I believe that if there is a fun and creative way to get students involved without losing the educational value of a particular subject area or lesson, then why not use it! Well, these websites have numerous ways to engage children's minds, and imaginations so that students don't become complacent or bored in the classroom environment.
My favorite site that has great creative ideas but also incorporates technology into the lesson is Host Classroom Game Shows with Power Point. There was an example given by a teacher who had her students play a game called "Who wants to be a Winner!?" She describes how she hosts the game in her classroom and I've attached it below [Teach net contributor, Kathie Anderson (3rd grade teacher, Sioux City, Iowa)];

I type questions from the most recent story we are working on for shared reading in our third grade class. I cut the questions apart and put them in a small box. Then we play "Who Wants to be a Winner!"
I divide the class into two teams. Each team gets three options, each of which can only be used once during the game. I write the three options on the board. When the team uses an option, it is erased. The options which the team can use are: pass, ask a friend on their team or ask the whole class.
To start the game, I pick a number. The team which chooses a number closest to mine, gets to start first. The first player on the team chooses a question question from the box without looking at the question. The player then reads the question and decides if s/he knows the answer. If the player does not know the answer, s/he may pick an option. If the child passes, the player whose turn it is next, can have a chance at answering the question. If the pass option is used, it is then erased and cannot be used again by that team.
When all the options are used by a team, the players must try to answer their own question even if they don't know it. When all the questions are gone, the game is over. The teams get one point for each question and the team with the most points win. Of course you must ask the player, "Is that your final answer?" The kids love this game!

I would love to play this game with students in a classroom. I think that many students would enjoy it and it would create a fun, interactive environment.

This is just one of the many creative ideas that these websites provide teachers with!

Elementary Teacher Supplies Online

There are so many neat posters, markers, colored pencils, paper, books, worksheets, puzzles, games, and the list goes on and on, for elementary teachers to add to their classroom. Many teachers like to purchase these items on their own so that they can keep them. There is also a budget that is given to each teacher at the beginning of the year that allows teachers to buy new creative "tid bits" for their classrooms.

After looking through a number of sites that sell educational posters, and many other things that teachers can add to their curriculum or walls. I have chosen Beyond the Blackboard, One-Stop Teacher Shop, and PreK-12 Teacher Supplies as three places that I will go to spice up my classroom.

One aspect of each of these sites that I really enjoyed, was that you could choose the grade level and subject area to narrow down your search for new supplies. There are also a number of organizational materials that teachers can purchase to keep important documents safe, as well as notebooks that have directions on how to create a template for designing lesson activities or field trip forms, etc. There are also books that you can purchase that already have these forms and templates made for you, that you can simply copy and fill out. Teachers can purchase any type of sticker, post-it, or labels too. Kids love stickers and here teachers can buy them cheap. These are also great additions to art projects, journals, or for correcting papers.

I think that being organized is very important and makes things a whole lot easier; so I thought these characteristics of an easily accessible website were great for teachers.

Teaching Standards for Classrooms/Grade Levels

As future teachers, we have all been introduced to the basics of lesson planning. The classes that we are taking here at Northwest Univeristy are preparing us for the challenge to be organized and on task as educators.

This particular tab consists of two websites that teachers use on a daily basis to assure that the lessons/lectures that they are planning for their students meet the requirements of the state learning objectives, etc. The Online Grade Level Resources Home and the Washington EALR's GLE's and Educational Technology websites are easy to understand and retrieve information from. I know that just over the past few weeks I have become very familiar with these websites and I will continue to make reference to them so that I have a purposeful direction with the lesson plans that I will be making in the near future.

I have chosen to add this to my blog to make access to these sites easier and quicker.

Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

Web 2.0 has so many sub-contents that can be very useful in the classroom. One in particular was Google Earth. As a class we looked at some of the ways that you could engage students in a geography or social studies lesson with this program.

It is fun to see how close of a picture the satellites were able to get of your own home or of a school. I think that elementary students would really be intrigued by some of the things you can do with Google Earth. Another great way that Web 2,0 allows you, as a teacher, to become more communicative with your students and their families is with the Calender option.

This program allows you to create a calendar with events or activities that are scheduled to happen throughout the course of a year. This could be very useful for teachers to organize events ahead of time so that parents and students as well as other teachers, can be aware of what is going on in the classroom

SMART Board (WOW!)

The SMART Board has so much to offer. There are so many different characteristics that you are able to add to the learning environment. I think that for me to fully understand and enjoy technology; I need to interact with all the neat things that it can do, just like we were able to do in our last class. Knowing that I am not up to date with a lot of the technology that is out there today, I really thought that having the opportunity to get to know the SMART Board in a comfortable environment with others who are also new to the program, was comforting and fun.
I also feel that the time that we were given was an ample enough amount that the process of "how to" do the engaging additions to the SMART Board did not simply go through one ear and out the other, the information stuck and I am actually learning a lot. I hope that the neat ideas that are introduced to us in Technology in Education can be incorporated into my lessons when I begin my teaching career.

Autumn 2006: Interactive Educator What I learned...

http://downloads.smarttech.com/media/education/pdf/ieAutumn06.pdf
- You can use the SMART Board for any subject; just need to be creative
- Students will be engaged more if the material being introduced is new, fun, and exciting
- There will always be some students that don't respond well to new technology or new material in general; need to be able to make exceptions for those students
- It's always good to introduce the new technology before jumping into a lesson using the new technology.
- When I first heard about the SMART Board I automatically assumed that it would be a great tool to use in the classroom for students who were visual learners, but students who were more hands-on tactical learners; it may not be the best idea. After reading this article I can see that once you are familiar enough with the technology this advancement can be used to teach the visual and the tactical.

Reflection: Creating Web Page

"To ERRR is human, but to really mess things up you need a computer!"

To be completely honest, this assignment was very overwhelming and frustrating for me. It seemed that I would follow the instructions to a "T" and still have difficulties getting to where many of my other classmates were getting.
Once I was able to really set some quality time aside with my computer,and my cell phone so that I could call my little brother, outside of class I began understanding all of the perks to being able to post blogs correctly and create layouts and other fun things on my web page. I didn't realize that there were so many options and choices that you had to personalize your web page. When I began to understand how to create and add elements to my page , this was more fun for me.
I have learned so much already about what I can do with technology to make my teaching environment more user friendly and I think that this class will get me to where I need to be technologically, so that I can continue to use technology to my advantage in education in general.

School Website-- Endeavour Elementary

Endeavour Elementary has a web site that consists of a very simple layout. I think that this is a positive characteristic that allows parents and students to find the information they are looking for quickly.
On the other hand, however, there are very few teachers that have a web page for their class.
It is obvious that the teachers have alternative ways of updating their personal classroom information and keeping their students and parents up to date with the events and other activities that are going on in the classroom.
Before we were assigned to look at our cooperating schools web page and look at it from an outsiders point of view, I was put into the position to revert to the web to find information about my cooperating teacher and general information about when classes began etc. I found myself going around in circles for quite some time before I was able to find the information that I needed. So, I think it is important to create a page that is not only something that someone who is connected with the school can use, but also someone who wants to be connected with the school or simply get information about the school and its programs.

Technology Standards (In Class)

Technology standards I need to work on...
- Being aware of who my audience is when creating my website. For example, I will be applying for any teaching position from kindergarten to the 8th grade.
- Using more than one search engine when searching for something on the web.
- Being up to date with what technology can be used for. (Or at least know my options for using technology to create a project etc...)

Article:"Engage Me or Enrage Me

When I was through reading this article, the first question I asked myself was "What kind of student was/am I? I quickly realized that I set high standards for myself and always have. This put me into the number one category of students. Although I may not always reach those high standards, I strive to.
It was interesting to me to be reminded that children "back then" didn't need people or technology to entertain them or encourage them to learn or do something. I know my mother has always told me this growing up. She would say, "if you're having someone over, don't expect me to have a list of things to keep you entertained. There are plenty of activities to do outside or in your room."
I feel that I have gained the majority of the knowledge I have form what Prensky referred to as the "old curriculum, " and I think that this way of learning engaged me more than any video game would. However, after reading this article I am better aware of the increase of technology as an everyday action for the younger generations as well as the fact that in many cases, these technologically advanced gaming systems and other programs are engaging to students now.

Why I want to be a teacher?

I desire to become a teacher for multiple reasons. I think the two most important reasons are simply because of my personal life experiences that I have had in working with young people as well as the challenges that I have overcome as God has led me on this path to become an educator. I have had the experience and opportunity to carry out many teaching roles and in every situation I learn something new, and I love that too.
As for my thoughts on the role of technology in education, technology is always changing. As teachers, I don't think that it is ever going to be possible for us to keep our students updated on what is really out there in technology. However, because it is becoming the way of the world, it is important to give them the foundations of basic technology so that may function successfully in those environments. In my case, I think that my students will be teaching me new things that i can do with the technology that is being renovated today.