Tool #11 Reflections

Reflecting on my "11 Tools for the 21st Century Learning" Experience

1. Some of my favorite tools in my toolbox are: Skype, iMovie, and Wordle. I plan on using Wordle in writing to brainstorm new topics and details. Also, I want my students to write a narrative on their life and then create a short digital movie. I would love to have this done before back to school and play a few while the parents are in the room. We will try for this!

 

2. I have to admit that I have been a little anxious over this assignment. However, after completing the training, I feel more confident in my abilities with the technology. I will really try to incorporate what I have learned not only in my bilingual center time, but also in the content areas as well.

 

3. I was surprised at how much I have learned in such a relatively small period of time. I do wish we would have done this over time in staff development, allowing for mastery of each tool before we moved on.

Tool #11

A few things I will need to make sure my students understand about being good digital citizens are:

1.  Safety- Students must be aware of the risks associated with "chat rooms", social network sites, and blogs. Students must be aware that there are people out there that prey on young, vulnerable kids. We as educators should model to our students how to think things through before posting on a blog or social networking website. We also must be aware of what our students see and hear on the Internet, who they meet, and what they share about themselves online.

2. I found this list of rules on Network etiquette, or "Netiquette". This is applicable to adults as well as students:

10 Core Netiquette Rules (Tips)

1. Spell check & proof read before sending or posting because errors make you look uneducated.
   
2. It is not polite to shout. Do not use all caps because it is shouting. 
3. Tell the truth in your profiles to create the best experience.
4. Do not say or do things online that you would not do in reality.
5. Do not flame because it gives you a bad reputation.
6. Stay away from spam and pop-up advertising for security reasons.
7. Be conservative in e-mail you send and liberal in what you receive since quality is better than quantity.
   
8. Do not send e-mail late at night because it may call your lifestyle into question.
   
9. Shop secure sites because they protect your information.
10. Anything on the internet can be found because everyone uses it.

http://www.networketiquette.net/

Tool #10

Today was the 1st day I had laid hands on an iPod touch in our training session. I had seen it used in some of the PreK classes I had been substituting in. The kids are very familiar with this technology and seem eager to show what they know. I look forward to using this in my bilingual centers.

Tool #9

1. Discuss how the screencast could help your students and how you might have students use Jing.
There are several ways that students will be able to use Jing. I would hope that students will want to experiment with this application and use it perhaps with narrating a story, like a personal narrative. Or perhaps in making short movies. As the year progresses, I am sure that the students will try and incorporate this in many content areas.

2. Skype would be great to use with my class! I hope we could be video pals with another class perhaps  in China or Russia. Perhaps for Social Studies, we could speak with another 2nd grade class about their communities and exchange ideas and thoughts. This will be great.

Tool #8

I liked this video I found on www.schooltube.com. It is a great example of a what students can do together.




Great video that I plan to use in a warm-up when introducing money.This video was recommended to me by another teacher. I also found it on www.schooltube.com.


I think that using streaming video can be a very effective tool when addressing the different learning styles of each of our students. This also can serve as a great hook when introducing a new topic. I plan to use this often.

Tool #7

Here is a fun video I created with my family about how to make a pizza! This was fun if not a little challenging. Enjoy!

This is my daughter, Emily Ann. She is demonstrating how to make a pizza. I added the sounds and edited it so it would be shorter that what we actually filmed. We used iMovie on the Mac to create the movie.

Tool #6

I think Wiki will be an important tool in my classroom. Students can create ongoing stories incorporating new vocabulary as it is introduced throughout each 9 week period. The story could have one ending, or groups can create different endings. 
Also, Wiki can be used when student are looking for help to edit writing done in Writer's workshop. They can share ideas and/or suggest corrections on classmate's work.