Tech Tool Review

Pic Monkey

          I really had fun playing around with this webiste. I have used a website that was very similar to this, but they closed it down a couple years ago. So I am super excited that I have learned about Pic Monkey. As a teacher this will come in handy to make pictures more fun and interesting for the students. It will even be fun for the students to play around on. There are so many ways to create unique photos that students will love. 

As a teacher you can use this site to create black and white photos. Kind of like I did here with some tulips I got for Valentines Day. I used the black and white tool, but reversed it, so I was able to apply the black and white where I wanted while still having a 'pop' of color. You could use this as a teacher to teach students the dynamics of colors.  

I like that you can add text to the pictures!

QR Code

Khan/Koller Review

The Khan Academy is a very interesting resource. After signing up and exploring the website, my first impression was that the website was very neat, organized, and in depth. I found that this was definitely a site that I would use myself. It has information, lessons, videos, and problems that teach me – as a college student, while also having those same elements at the education level of the students I could be teaching.

Because of the statistics, progress tracking, activity tracking, and other valuable student measurements that the website offers, I would also be interested in using it as a teacher to help teach my students and would encourage them to utilize this resource. One worry for this website would be the difficulty to use the website by younger students. It is a complicated website that may not have the usability that a young student would need. This may be solved by having a parent help the younger students access the website at home. Another worry I have in using this website is internet / computer access at home.

I thought that the videos were well made. One of the history videos that I watch had multiple speakers talking about the subject. This kept my interest in comparison to a single speaker that “drones on”. It felt like the information was presented in a non-lecture way, where I was free to think about the information being presented, pausing where necessary, or even going back to re-watch a particular segment.

I do not think that credentialing through online courses will be the future. I believe it may be a part of the learning process, but the credentialing process will stay in the schools. While I do not believe that this will be the primary style of education, I think that it will make learning and strengthening our minds more accessible and students with the drive to better themselves will have better resources to do so.

            A course that interests me on Coursera is Dog Emotion and Cognition. I like dogs and understanding more about them sounds like fun. The course also sounds different from the normal course, so I am interested in seeing what I would learn.

           Columbus State does not appear to accept Coursera transfer credits.

           I have not taken a course on the website so I cannot say for sure, but the courses do not appear to be more challenging than those I have experienced before. I imagine as long as I pay attention and take the time to learn the material I feel that the course would be as difficult as any other college level class. In terms of interest, being able to pick a subject of study would allow me to learn about what interests me. In the end, who teaches a course has a big impact on the difficulty and how interesting it is presented.

             I think that MOOCs are the wave of the future. I do not believe they will be the only method of learning, but a supplement to how we already learn. It will allow a student like me to go to class and learn like I currently do, but also go home, learn more if I am struggling, cement subjects that I already understand, and become a better-rounded individual by learning subjects that I may not consider in a college environment.

Pintrest in the classroom

Pintrest idea for Dr. Suess Week

I have used Pintrest before.I am what you can call a Pintrest Junkie. I use it on a daily basis. . I find stuff on there from stuff for the classroom to dyi or recipes for dinner. I love what Pintrest has to offer, there are so many different things you can find on it. 

I have used Pintrest many times for inspiration on things to use in the classroom and even ways to organize my classroom. I can't say that Pintrest was main resources for teaching resources, but it is now. It is filled with endless possibilities!! I love how you can find inspiration for classroom activities, lesson plans, and even free printable worksheets to use in the classroom. Pintrest is a wonderful way for teachers and even students and their parents to share ideas and tips. 

The only downfall with using Pintrest for lesson planning and activities is that these activities do not always pertain to Ohio's state standards or even other state standards. Some activities could pertain to other state standards and not Ohio's. It is important for every teacher to look in depth at the activities and/or lesson plans to make sure that they do indeed pertain to Ohio standards. 

ORC Lesson Plan

          The lesson plan I selected is appropriate for grades third through fifth. I plan on using it in my fourth grade classroom. I believe it will give the children a challenge without being super hard. This lesson plan is a science lesson, but also incorporates literacy skills into the activity. This lesson introduces students to a study of the tropical rain forest. Pre-reading activities allows students to access and build upon prior knowledge, including listening to sound effects of the rain forest, writing, and drawing. During reading, students use simple note-taking strategies, find patterns in text structure, and learn vocabulary. During post reading activities, students demonstrate synthesis of the text by writing efferent and effective responses to the text. 

For the Common Core Standards I first checked out the Ohio Department of Education website to take a look at the Common Core Standards. The fourth grade learning standards focus on helping students recognize the components of various systems and then investigate dynamic and sustainable relationships within systems using scientific inquiry.

Next, I went to the ORC website and checked on the strand that I would focus on in my science lesson. I plan using the first topic under Earth and Space Science, Earth's Surface. The strand: Earth's surface has specific characteristics and land-forms that can be identified. 

       

My plan for this lesson would be to implement this lesson in its entirely. I like how it gives the objectives of what the students will be able to do and have sections about what will happen in each section. I also like how it offers extensions to further their curiosity and student assessment and reflections. I would like to make this lesson a "lab" over a couple of days to allow the children to get the whole experience of the rainforest and not just skim it. 

The objectives of this lesson are:

Prereading: Students will

1. Brainstorm a list of words associated with the rainforest
2. Draw and describe a picture representing their concept of the rainforest
3. Work together in groups to brainstorm a list of facts about the rainforest

During reading: Students will

1. Discover locations of the tropical rainforests through a globe or a map
2. Listen to text read aloud
3. Determine and take notes on new vocabulary and facts about the rainforest
4. Particpate in classroom and group discussions of the text
5. Draw and describe a picture representing a new level of knowledge about the rainforest
6. Discover features of the text structure
7. Reread the text to pratice fluency

Postreading; Students will

1. Choose from a variety of genres (e.g., letter, description, poem) and write about the rainforest
2. Generate a list of questions about the rainforest and proceed in a small group to research using the Internet

Challenges of this lesson would be classroom management and time management. Often time students get excited about "lab" days that they sometimes forget some of the classroom expectations and rules. I would begin my lesson by setting expectations with the students and discussing what the objectives for the lesson are. We would discuss as a class the procedure for "lab" days in the classroom. 

Assistive Technology for students with Austism

       According to Dictionary.com, autism is defined as a pervasive developmental disorder of children, characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity and emotional detachment. Autism is a word that refers to a wide range of developmental disorders that some people are born with or develop early in life (Kids Health). This kind of disorder affects the brain and makes communicating and interacting with others difficult. People with autism often have trouble talking and understanding language from an early age. Autism is a pervasive disorder, meaning that most people with this has delays, differences in many developmental areas making learning harder for them.

             

              What is assistive technology and how is it beneficial for students with autism? Assistive technology is an item and/or piece of equipment that is used to maintain, increase, or improve the functioning capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Computers are an example of an assistive technology strategy for students with autism. Research has show that using computers can increase attention and decrease anxiety-related behaviors in students with autism. Computers provide predictable, concrete learning environment and provide students with a sense of control and consistency in a world that generally affords them little of either. the teaching and learning opportunities available through the internet are numerous and varied! Free lessons, courses of study in almost any subject are available online. 

              There are numerous software programs available that can focus on a variety of skill areas. There is software programs for basically all the skills such as language skills, attending skills, problem solving skills, fine motor skills, academic skills, and even provide appropriate leisure time activity skills. 

              Students with autism can benefit from the use of a smart board in the classroom.  Interactive whiteboards such as the SMART Board interactive whiteboard can help teachers to include these sorts of learning enhancements by including engaging multimedia in their Notebook lessons, encouraging students to interact with the Smartboard on an hands on basis, and creating schedules and templates to instill routine and structure in lessons (Blossom Learning).

              Many students with autism have difficulty communicating and interacting with others. The Bluebee Pals are an assistive technology tool used to engage students in learning and socialization (Autism Speaks). Their wide range of compatibilities introduce an exciting communication device that provide enhanced educational opportunities for special needs children (Bluebee Pals).

              

            Visual stimuli, interactive manipulative and sound are all important learning augmentation that can help students with autism to excel in the classroom (Blossom Learning).  Technology has come a long way from where it first began. I can only imagine what it will look like in the next few years. Smartboards have become what the future looks like for classrooms with special needs children and all children for that matter. The product can only help children and will only get better. I foresee that classrooms will begin to introduce not only the smartboard, but also ipads in the classroom. Our world has become all about technology and it has become the future of our classrooms.               

References:

Kidshealth: http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/autism.html

Dictionary: http://Dictionary.com

Autism Speaks: http://autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-library/assistive-technology

Bluebee Pals: http://bluebeepals.com

Blossom Learning: http://blossomlearning.com/showerresource.aspx?rid=56