What? This week we did not have class but Erica, Kiyna and I finished working on our Digital Story. We were able to work out problems and fix things that we had been wondering how we were going to work it out.
So What? Now that my teammates and I have finished our Digital Story I've realized more how a Digital Story could apply to education and other classes that I am in right now. I would like use Digital Stories when I need to present a boring topic in class. I could insert a short Digital Story to switch it up so the presentation isn't so boring.
I also learned a lot about teamwork. Kiyna, Erica and I had a lot of different ideas about how we wanted the Digital Story to turn out. Even though we all agreed on the general idea, we disagreed on a lot of small details. Although we disagreed we were able to work out our differences and come up with compromises that we all agreed on. It helped to make our Digital Story better than it would have been if we had done it separately.
Now What? Digital Stories will really be helpful when I am teacher. I could use Digital Stories to teach almost any topic. I could also use a Digital Story if I was asked to present something to my fellow teachers or to parents. It would be fun to make a Digital Story about my students for the parents. I could insert pictures of each student and some of their artwork or school work and have the students talk about themselves and the school year while it's showing their picture. This would be a fun way to show the parents at midterm or at the end of the school year what their children have been learning in class.
I really enjoyed this assignment, I thought it was the most fun assignment we've done this semester. I really enjoyed learning how to use Windows Movie Maker and Photo Story and how it can be used to edit pictures and songs to make it match up the way you want it to. I will use both in my classroom to create videos that can inserted into boring presentations to help motivate students to want to learn about the topic I am introducing in class. I really think the students would enjoy them if they aren't too long and if they are not overused. It would be a different way for them to learn so they would be more likely to remember the information.
Video: I think it's good to use young people as much as possible to try to motivate kids to want an education. Kids don't want to listen to adults but they look up to teenagers and other people they think are "cool". Part of a teachers job is to motivate children to want to learn. A teacher needs to know how to get children to realize that getting an education is a privilege and not simply a right. People have worked very hard over the years in America to give children an equal right to be educated and most kids now days take that for granted.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Digital Story
What? In class we learned how to create digital stories using Photo Story. We learned how to create music for the story or insert a song from somewhere else. We also learned how to edit the pictures we insert.
So What? I thought it was really fun learning how to make Digital Stories. I think this project will be really fun and helpful to me. I think it would be fun to create Digital Stories when doing a presentation instead of just going through a Power Point. With the Digital Story I can create it how I want it and only share photos and images that I want to share. If I just show a YouTube video, I could spend a long time looking for videos that match up to what I would like to share and still not find a video exactly the way I want it. If I create my own Digital Story, I can make it exactly how I want it.
I think it would be very helpful to use during Field Experience. It would be an interesting and different way to change up how I am teaching the students and get them excited about a topic. For example, if I was going to teach the Civil War, I could create a Digital Story with pictures and interesting facts and stories from the war and that time period. This would help get the kids interested emotionally and take interest in the Civil War before I even start teaching about it. I could also use it after I've taught them the unit just as an overview and refresher on all that they have learned.
Now What? I could use Digital Stories when I am a teacher in a lot of the same ways as I would use them in field. I could create a Digital Story about a topic I will be teaching as a way to get them interested in what they will be learning. I could get the students thinking about the topic and thinking about higher level thinking questions rather than just about the facts. I could have them write a journal entry about their feelings and questions and their responses to questions that were asked in the Digital Story.
Digital Stories are a good way to make a topic that may seem boring to a child become interesting and more real. Using pictures and music together is a powerful way to invoke emotions in the viewer and help them to make real world connections to the information instead of just reading random facts from a text book. By using lots of pictures in the Digital Stories I create students will be able to easier visual things that they might not have had experience with. For example, if I was teaching about the Civil War, showing pictures would help them visualize that time period, the way people dressed, weapons and uniforms, what homes looked like, etc. If children haven't had any experience with those things, it's hard for them to visualize another place or time.
Video: I thought the NASA digital story was interesting to me, but I think students would find it kind of boring and I don't think they would pay attention. I think it would be better than just lecturing to them because they have the visual images to go with what they are hearing, but I don't think they would find the information interesting because of the way it was presented. I think by using more interesting music and a better narration would make students more interested in learning about outer space.
So What? I thought it was really fun learning how to make Digital Stories. I think this project will be really fun and helpful to me. I think it would be fun to create Digital Stories when doing a presentation instead of just going through a Power Point. With the Digital Story I can create it how I want it and only share photos and images that I want to share. If I just show a YouTube video, I could spend a long time looking for videos that match up to what I would like to share and still not find a video exactly the way I want it. If I create my own Digital Story, I can make it exactly how I want it.
I think it would be very helpful to use during Field Experience. It would be an interesting and different way to change up how I am teaching the students and get them excited about a topic. For example, if I was going to teach the Civil War, I could create a Digital Story with pictures and interesting facts and stories from the war and that time period. This would help get the kids interested emotionally and take interest in the Civil War before I even start teaching about it. I could also use it after I've taught them the unit just as an overview and refresher on all that they have learned.
Now What? I could use Digital Stories when I am a teacher in a lot of the same ways as I would use them in field. I could create a Digital Story about a topic I will be teaching as a way to get them interested in what they will be learning. I could get the students thinking about the topic and thinking about higher level thinking questions rather than just about the facts. I could have them write a journal entry about their feelings and questions and their responses to questions that were asked in the Digital Story.
Digital Stories are a good way to make a topic that may seem boring to a child become interesting and more real. Using pictures and music together is a powerful way to invoke emotions in the viewer and help them to make real world connections to the information instead of just reading random facts from a text book. By using lots of pictures in the Digital Stories I create students will be able to easier visual things that they might not have had experience with. For example, if I was teaching about the Civil War, showing pictures would help them visualize that time period, the way people dressed, weapons and uniforms, what homes looked like, etc. If children haven't had any experience with those things, it's hard for them to visualize another place or time.
Video: I thought the NASA digital story was interesting to me, but I think students would find it kind of boring and I don't think they would pay attention. I think it would be better than just lecturing to them because they have the visual images to go with what they are hearing, but I don't think they would find the information interesting because of the way it was presented. I think by using more interesting music and a better narration would make students more interested in learning about outer space.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Field Experience-Week 3
What? This week was our last week of field working with the 6th graders. Erica and I were able to teach more lessons on Ancient Greece and help the students more with math and other subjects.
So What? For one lesson this week we taught the students about Aesop's Fables and then divided them into groups and had them act out a fable. We took them outside to do this and they got a little bit wild some of the time but for the most part they all did really well and their skits turned out very cute. They all seemed to enjoy it and the groups worked together well. For another lesson we had taught the kids about myths and then had them work in groups to create their own myth. This was the day that our supervisor came and observed. The class had a substitute that day and they were really crazy for the substitute but then when we taught they were super good for us. Our supervisor told us we did really well considering the substitute.
I learned that you can set expectations for the students and change their behavior, regardless of how they are behaving for others. I think it was very helpful to have a partner while teaching because while I was talking, Erica would help keep the class under control and while she was talking, I could help keep the class under control. It's a really good way to learn to work well with my fellow students and to learn to take advise from them. What I might think is the best way does not always work the best, and I've learned, working with Erica, that it's important to listen to the advise of others as well.
Now What? Learning to work with others will be really helpful as a teacher because I will be able to work with and take advise from other teachers and from the principal instead of just assuming my way is the best. Some things that I don't think will work actually turn out better than I expected. Others have ideas that I wouldn't have thought of considered doing on my own so working with a partner and with the cooperating teacher has really helped me to listen to the opinions of others.
Working with 6th graders was very helpful to me. I have only worked with younger students and working with older kids is very different. This experience will help me in the future to decide whether I want to work with younger kids still or if I want to try working with older students some more. It has helped me to see that it is fun working with older students and that I am capable of doing it, but I still think I would do better working with the younger grades. This field experience has helped me to actually start considering more what age group I really want to work with in the future.
Video: I think that it is really good that they are teaching teachers how to integrate technology effectively into the classroom. Kids need to be exposed to new technologies because many of them will go into careers working with technology and if they don't have the basics down it will be harder for them to learn the new stuff. I think it would be good if they start teaching future teachers how to use the new technologies as well. This way, they will be prepared and need less training when they actually get into the classroom to teach.
So What? For one lesson this week we taught the students about Aesop's Fables and then divided them into groups and had them act out a fable. We took them outside to do this and they got a little bit wild some of the time but for the most part they all did really well and their skits turned out very cute. They all seemed to enjoy it and the groups worked together well. For another lesson we had taught the kids about myths and then had them work in groups to create their own myth. This was the day that our supervisor came and observed. The class had a substitute that day and they were really crazy for the substitute but then when we taught they were super good for us. Our supervisor told us we did really well considering the substitute.
I learned that you can set expectations for the students and change their behavior, regardless of how they are behaving for others. I think it was very helpful to have a partner while teaching because while I was talking, Erica would help keep the class under control and while she was talking, I could help keep the class under control. It's a really good way to learn to work well with my fellow students and to learn to take advise from them. What I might think is the best way does not always work the best, and I've learned, working with Erica, that it's important to listen to the advise of others as well.
Now What? Learning to work with others will be really helpful as a teacher because I will be able to work with and take advise from other teachers and from the principal instead of just assuming my way is the best. Some things that I don't think will work actually turn out better than I expected. Others have ideas that I wouldn't have thought of considered doing on my own so working with a partner and with the cooperating teacher has really helped me to listen to the opinions of others.
Working with 6th graders was very helpful to me. I have only worked with younger students and working with older kids is very different. This experience will help me in the future to decide whether I want to work with younger kids still or if I want to try working with older students some more. It has helped me to see that it is fun working with older students and that I am capable of doing it, but I still think I would do better working with the younger grades. This field experience has helped me to actually start considering more what age group I really want to work with in the future.
Video: I think that it is really good that they are teaching teachers how to integrate technology effectively into the classroom. Kids need to be exposed to new technologies because many of them will go into careers working with technology and if they don't have the basics down it will be harder for them to learn the new stuff. I think it would be good if they start teaching future teachers how to use the new technologies as well. This way, they will be prepared and need less training when they actually get into the classroom to teach.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Field Experience-Week 2
What? This week was the second week of field experience. We had the opportunity to teach and help out more and also to teach 2 social studies lessons.
So What? For the first social studies lesson we taught we created a power point but we weren't able to hook up the computer at the school so were weren't able to use it. Erica and I have learned a lot about accommodating when things don't work out exactly the way we planned. The second time we taught created the power point in Google Presentations so we were able to use the teachers computer to do the power point. Google Presentations is very helpful because so long as you have the internet you have access to your presentation.
I have actually enjoyed working with and teaching the 6th graders more than I thought I would. I was so scared to teach them because I want to teach 2nd or 3rd grade. I never thought I would do well working with the older kids but I have actually enjoyed it. This field experience has helped me to realize that I can do things that I originally thought I could not do. It is good to be able to try new things and gain different experiences and a new perspective on my abilities.
Now What? I learned a lot from having to adjust the lessons unexpectedly. For the first lesson we couldn't use our power point and during the second lesson the direct instruction part went way more quickly then we had thought it would. The kids already knew everything that we were teaching them. We knew they had some background in it, but we didn't think they would know it all, so it went really quickly. We had to learn how to adjust and extend our lesson to take up the entire time. Learning how to adjust and adapt will be really helpful when I am a teacher. Things don't always go as planned and this field experience is helping me to realize that you actually can adapt and still have things go well.
I have learned a lot from watching my cooperating teacher teach the students. There are a lot of things that I would do similar to what she does and other things that I would do completely different. It is fun to get ideas from her and see different approaches to teaching so I can find out better what way I would like to teach and to see first hand how these things apply in the real classroom and how students respond to these teaching methods. I know that in my future classroom I will teach math different than she does. The kids do not seem to understand the math very well at all. There are a lot of things I would try differently.
Video: I thought it was really interesting that they are using the Wii in classrooms to do physical training and to help the brain. I know that exercise has been shown to help kids think better and do better in school and I think using the Wii is a really good idea because it's fun for the kids and it's something they would want to do and it would be beneficial to them at the same time. I like that the kids are able to check out a laptop from their school if they don't have a computer to use at home. That is really beneficial because not all kids have access to a decent computer at home. This way they can still do assignments and homework at home that requires access to the computer.
So What? For the first social studies lesson we taught we created a power point but we weren't able to hook up the computer at the school so were weren't able to use it. Erica and I have learned a lot about accommodating when things don't work out exactly the way we planned. The second time we taught created the power point in Google Presentations so we were able to use the teachers computer to do the power point. Google Presentations is very helpful because so long as you have the internet you have access to your presentation.
I have actually enjoyed working with and teaching the 6th graders more than I thought I would. I was so scared to teach them because I want to teach 2nd or 3rd grade. I never thought I would do well working with the older kids but I have actually enjoyed it. This field experience has helped me to realize that I can do things that I originally thought I could not do. It is good to be able to try new things and gain different experiences and a new perspective on my abilities.
Now What? I learned a lot from having to adjust the lessons unexpectedly. For the first lesson we couldn't use our power point and during the second lesson the direct instruction part went way more quickly then we had thought it would. The kids already knew everything that we were teaching them. We knew they had some background in it, but we didn't think they would know it all, so it went really quickly. We had to learn how to adjust and extend our lesson to take up the entire time. Learning how to adjust and adapt will be really helpful when I am a teacher. Things don't always go as planned and this field experience is helping me to realize that you actually can adapt and still have things go well.
I have learned a lot from watching my cooperating teacher teach the students. There are a lot of things that I would do similar to what she does and other things that I would do completely different. It is fun to get ideas from her and see different approaches to teaching so I can find out better what way I would like to teach and to see first hand how these things apply in the real classroom and how students respond to these teaching methods. I know that in my future classroom I will teach math different than she does. The kids do not seem to understand the math very well at all. There are a lot of things I would try differently.
Video: I thought it was really interesting that they are using the Wii in classrooms to do physical training and to help the brain. I know that exercise has been shown to help kids think better and do better in school and I think using the Wii is a really good idea because it's fun for the kids and it's something they would want to do and it would be beneficial to them at the same time. I like that the kids are able to check out a laptop from their school if they don't have a computer to use at home. That is really beneficial because not all kids have access to a decent computer at home. This way they can still do assignments and homework at home that requires access to the computer.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Field Experience-Week 1
What? This week we started our 3 week field experience. Erica and I are in a 6th grade class at Edgemont Elementary in Provo.
So What? We haven't had the opportunity to teach yet, but we've observed a lot and we've been helping the kids out, especially with math. I've realized I've forgotten all the 6th grade math I know and I've been relearning it as I help the students with their questions. This has been helpful to me because I realize that just because I've learned something in school, doesn't mean I will remember it when it comes time to actually teach it.
The teacher does not use a lot of technology in her lessons. She has played a couple of videos, but other than that she mostly uses the white board when she teaches. The classroom does have a few computers for students to use to type up papers. And they have computers twice a week.
Now What? I think that having computers in the classroom would be very helpful to me as a teacher because I could have my students use the computers to look things up on the internet or to type up assignments. The teacher says that she also uses them as a reward for if students finish work early sometimes. I think if I have computers in my future classroom, I would use them as a reward also.
I think that observing the teacher and helping the students with their questions will be really helpful to me as a future teacher. I've learned so much about how the classroom works and what things work for the students and what doesn't. A lot of the kids in the class really don't understand the math. It is helpful to see what the teacher does to try to help them understand. When I have my own classroom, I will have to use different techniques to help my students understand topics when the way I thought would work, doesn't work. I could teach a whole lesson and they might not get it and I'll have to find a new way to teach it.
So What? We haven't had the opportunity to teach yet, but we've observed a lot and we've been helping the kids out, especially with math. I've realized I've forgotten all the 6th grade math I know and I've been relearning it as I help the students with their questions. This has been helpful to me because I realize that just because I've learned something in school, doesn't mean I will remember it when it comes time to actually teach it.
The teacher does not use a lot of technology in her lessons. She has played a couple of videos, but other than that she mostly uses the white board when she teaches. The classroom does have a few computers for students to use to type up papers. And they have computers twice a week.
Now What? I think that having computers in the classroom would be very helpful to me as a teacher because I could have my students use the computers to look things up on the internet or to type up assignments. The teacher says that she also uses them as a reward for if students finish work early sometimes. I think if I have computers in my future classroom, I would use them as a reward also.
I think that observing the teacher and helping the students with their questions will be really helpful to me as a future teacher. I've learned so much about how the classroom works and what things work for the students and what doesn't. A lot of the kids in the class really don't understand the math. It is helpful to see what the teacher does to try to help them understand. When I have my own classroom, I will have to use different techniques to help my students understand topics when the way I thought would work, doesn't work. I could teach a whole lesson and they might not get it and I'll have to find a new way to teach it.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Podcasts, Vidcasts, and Digital Story 1
What? Today in class we learned about how to make podcasts and vidcasts and how they can be used in the classroom. We also started learning about digital stories and the different ways we can create them.
So What? I think knowing how to create podcasts and vidcasts is a very good thing to know how to do. When I am creating assignments for other classes, they would be helpful to add into a powerpoint if I was doing a presentation about something. It would help the presentation no be so boring for those listening. They could actually hear and see something other than just the words on the powerpoint. The vidcast would be an easy way to show a step by step process that I might not be able to show in the classroom (for example, something that is done outdoors).
Digital stories are also a good thing to do how to create for a lot of the same reasons as the podcasts and vidcasts. I could use them in a powerpoint to give a presentation in one of my classes to add variety. Having classmates to work on the project with is very helpful because if I get stuck and don't know how to do something they might know the answer or I might know the answer to a question they have. This makes it so we don't have to ask the teacher for help as often.
Now What? I think I will use digital stories in my classroom when I'm a teacher to engage my students in the topic we are covering and get them interested and wanting to know more about it. If we are going to be talking about ancient Greece I could create a digital story using pictures and music that would interest the students. I could show pictures of modern architecture from local buildings that they would recognize and compare it to ancient architecture so they could see how much influence ancient Greece still has on their lives today. I could use a vidcast in the classroom to show the students how to do a process. I could post podcasts of class lectures on the classroom google site so that students who were absent that day could listen to it so they wouldn't get behind in class.
Video I thought the NASA digital story was interesting to me, but I think students would find it kind of boring and I don't think they would pay attention. I think it would be better than just lecturing to them because they have the visual images to go with what they are hearing, but I don't think they would find the information interesting because of the way it was presented. I think by using more interesting music and a better narration would make students more interested in learning about outer space.
So What? I think knowing how to create podcasts and vidcasts is a very good thing to know how to do. When I am creating assignments for other classes, they would be helpful to add into a powerpoint if I was doing a presentation about something. It would help the presentation no be so boring for those listening. They could actually hear and see something other than just the words on the powerpoint. The vidcast would be an easy way to show a step by step process that I might not be able to show in the classroom (for example, something that is done outdoors).
Digital stories are also a good thing to do how to create for a lot of the same reasons as the podcasts and vidcasts. I could use them in a powerpoint to give a presentation in one of my classes to add variety. Having classmates to work on the project with is very helpful because if I get stuck and don't know how to do something they might know the answer or I might know the answer to a question they have. This makes it so we don't have to ask the teacher for help as often.
Now What? I think I will use digital stories in my classroom when I'm a teacher to engage my students in the topic we are covering and get them interested and wanting to know more about it. If we are going to be talking about ancient Greece I could create a digital story using pictures and music that would interest the students. I could show pictures of modern architecture from local buildings that they would recognize and compare it to ancient architecture so they could see how much influence ancient Greece still has on their lives today. I could use a vidcast in the classroom to show the students how to do a process. I could post podcasts of class lectures on the classroom google site so that students who were absent that day could listen to it so they wouldn't get behind in class.
Video I thought the NASA digital story was interesting to me, but I think students would find it kind of boring and I don't think they would pay attention. I think it would be better than just lecturing to them because they have the visual images to go with what they are hearing, but I don't think they would find the information interesting because of the way it was presented. I think by using more interesting music and a better narration would make students more interested in learning about outer space.
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