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!