This was a much different experience than the podcasts. As a matter of fact, it is amazing how quick 30 seconds can be! We found ourselves having to skim back on many of the details that we thought to originally include. Things like pictures also had to be much briefer than we had originally intended.
I think this would be a great project for high school or middle school students. Having to convert the files caused some technical difficulties that might not work for the short amount of time that elementary students have to complete these types of projects. This could be a great addition to a speech class!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Web 2.0
My project over the summer was for my class to build a book review website. All of the students reviews would be checked by the teacher before being posted.
Students could use a Wiki to do book reviews. The pages could be arranged by genre and/or reading level. The only problem I see with this would be students posting inappropriate reviews before the teacher has a chance to review them. If there were some type of teacher lock on the wiki, that would be great.
I actually think this could work better, because the students would already have their reviews typed.
Students could use a Wiki to do book reviews. The pages could be arranged by genre and/or reading level. The only problem I see with this would be students posting inappropriate reviews before the teacher has a chance to review them. If there were some type of teacher lock on the wiki, that would be great.
I actually think this could work better, because the students would already have their reviews typed.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Podcasts
I've known for awhile what podcasts are, but never really taken the time to listen to one. Creating a podcast is much more time consuming than the time it takes to listen to one. In class I felt some of the podcasts were funny, the funnier the podcast the less it gave information about the topic (or so it seemed to me). I think some of my students would have a lot of fun with podcasts, but it would be quite a lengthy process to encourage students to write a complete script. Most students would want to record "on the fly".
I found this website: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/ict/podcasting.htm . It has some really helpful ideas for using podcasting in the classroom.
As stated on the website, there are many student benefits to podcasting. From a 3rd grade teacher's perspective it gives the students an opportunity to review previously taught concepts, practice fluency, and hopefully have a bit of fun!
I found this website: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/ict/podcasting.htm . It has some really helpful ideas for using podcasting in the classroom.
As stated on the website, there are many student benefits to podcasting. From a 3rd grade teacher's perspective it gives the students an opportunity to review previously taught concepts, practice fluency, and hopefully have a bit of fun!
Wikis
A wiki provides for many different types of collaboration in and out of the classroom, such as: students can create resources for the whole class, students can participate in reviews of materials, create portfolios, collaborate on group projects, create classroom archives, community guides, and help organize thinking.
I really like the idea of my students creating a guide. During 3rd grade students study Ancient Greece, Rome, and Mali. Students could make a wiki that describes the various aspects of life in all of those civilizations. Each group of students could be assigned a civilization and would complete a wiki based on home life, education, sports, work, religion, etc. These are assignments that students have typically completed in Power Point. A wiki would provide them with more room for text.
In the future these wikis could also be used to help teach each unit of study. I think I've just come up with my wiki lesson!
For more information about teaching with wikis, visit: http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/
I really like the idea of my students creating a guide. During 3rd grade students study Ancient Greece, Rome, and Mali. Students could make a wiki that describes the various aspects of life in all of those civilizations. Each group of students could be assigned a civilization and would complete a wiki based on home life, education, sports, work, religion, etc. These are assignments that students have typically completed in Power Point. A wiki would provide them with more room for text.
In the future these wikis could also be used to help teach each unit of study. I think I've just come up with my wiki lesson!
For more information about teaching with wikis, visit: http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Time keeps on slipping....
Where does time go? Every year I feel like time is always a huge issue when it comes to lesson design. The amount of standards that I need to cover and the amount of time that I have, never seem to coincide with the types of lessons that I'd like to teach.
Now in my eighth year of teaching, I tend to be a tad more lax when it comes to the pacing guide (mostly because I now know what the students have background knowledge about), but there are always some units that test the time table. I've most recently been teaching a unit on geometry. The students have had a lot of fun seeing how these concepts relate to their everyday world.We've also made lines, angles, shapes, and solids with various materials. This kind of teaching takes a lot more time than a worksheet, but is also more meaningful for the students.
I've also seen this lack of time come into play when I am teaching the students a new type of software. Although, my students quickly catch onto the tools, they also are fascinated with the seemingly never ending design functions. If there is a substantial amount of time (2 weeks) in between these lessons, I typically have to go back and review. Although, I know that playing the "what if" game won't get me very far; I still wonder how different my classroom might be if I had access to half a class set of laptops every day.
As I finish this last semester my goals for my classroom are to find ways to incorporate fun, meaningful learning; while also trying to meet those guidelines that tell me when I should be done teaching a unit.
Now in my eighth year of teaching, I tend to be a tad more lax when it comes to the pacing guide (mostly because I now know what the students have background knowledge about), but there are always some units that test the time table. I've most recently been teaching a unit on geometry. The students have had a lot of fun seeing how these concepts relate to their everyday world.We've also made lines, angles, shapes, and solids with various materials. This kind of teaching takes a lot more time than a worksheet, but is also more meaningful for the students.
I've also seen this lack of time come into play when I am teaching the students a new type of software. Although, my students quickly catch onto the tools, they also are fascinated with the seemingly never ending design functions. If there is a substantial amount of time (2 weeks) in between these lessons, I typically have to go back and review. Although, I know that playing the "what if" game won't get me very far; I still wonder how different my classroom might be if I had access to half a class set of laptops every day.
As I finish this last semester my goals for my classroom are to find ways to incorporate fun, meaningful learning; while also trying to meet those guidelines that tell me when I should be done teaching a unit.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Welcome
Welcome to my blog! Over the next few months I will be posting my thoughts about topics related to technology in the classroom. I am a third grade teacher in Northern Virginia.
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
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