Podcast Reflection #9 (Salman Khan:Let's use video to reinvent education)

In this podcast found here a man by the name of Salman Khan decided to put a few videos up about math for his cousin so he could help tutor him!  This was a very interesting way to think about tutoring.  In the past, people would sit in a classroom and get frustrated.  Then to make things worse there was always someone standing behind them asking them if they understood when they did not.  So Salman decided to put up more videos to help others who were struggling with calculus.  This way people can find help in the comfort of their own home and they do not need to feel guilty about being behind in class.  
Later on, he discusses how he has flipped the classroom.  At home, he has the students watch his videos and then come to class to do their homework. This way students are able to pause and rewind when they do not understand a topic.  "Teachers have used technology to humanize the classroom"   this means that when the students are in class they are able to communicate with others when they do not understand.  No more is there just a lecturing teacher and note taking students.  Now they can understand the concepts at home, then come to class to put their new learning's to the test.  This way, no child is stuck being confused and frustrated.  Every kid works at their own pace.  No more moving too fast for students. 

Comics in the Classroom

Hello again!  I know it has been an awfully long time since I last posted, so here we are again!  Well a few weeks ago (before Spring Break) we were working on using Comics in the classroom as a way of incorporating different means of teaching to reach different students.  we even got the chance to make our own comics, which is a lot harder than it looks.  So here is what I came up with from the website found here titled ToonDoo
I can see so many different ways that these could be used in a classroom today. Students really can relate to comics because they enjoy reading them on their own time.  So by teaching information in a way that can relate to the students lives is highly influential and successful.

Podcast, Wesite and Blog Mid-Term Critiques

Part 1: Podcast

I evaluated a fellow student's podcast, website and blog in class on Monday and gave the person a lot of feedback on her work.  In their podcast I had a few things to say and add.  First off, it was way too short for the amount of topics discussed.  They needed to go into more depth on the certain websites and resources that they were sharing.  Another thing was we had discussed all of the resources in class already so this podcast was more of a review then an actual resources learning moment.  The images used were also confusing and blurry at times.  I would have added more detail and different resources then the ones gone over in class.

Part 2: Website/Blog
Again, here I evaluated the same student's website and blog and this really helped me get to know what I find important to have on my own website.  It also helped me evaluate my own website.  On the student's that I evaluated, I wish they would have had more exciting images and videos.  It is important to hook your viewers in immediately. To do this one must have interactive images and items that will keep the attention of their viewers. 

Podcast Reflection #8: Podcast364: The ELL Bill of Rights

This podcast was from Moving at the Speed of Creativity, and in this episode he is interviewing Ruslana Westerlund.  She is an advocate for the ELL Bill of Rights and actually has a website in called ELL Bill of Rights.  Here she promotes the equality of students and makes sure that the teachers and students know the rights that are given to ELL students.  For those that do not know, ELL means English language learners.  Ruslana is from the Ukraine and believes firmly in her beliefs and I completely agree with her.  As teachers we need to make sure we are teaching the ELL students as much as possible in a way they can understand.  To promote her website she created t-shirts that she travels with to different conventions throughout the country.  This way she gets the word out about ELL students.  To purchase one visit her website!  

Classroom 2.0 Site Reflection

On this website teachers can connect and post discussion questions.  Another interesting aspect to this site is if a teacher has any kind of educational question they can post it, and within a matter of seconds it will be answered by a colleague from around the world.  This is such a great way to gain perspectives from around the world, and be able to grow as a multicultural educator.  Also, it is a great way to get your question answered quickly.  As of right now there are 53,651 members on this website and more joining everyday.

This site prides itself on being a social media network in education by holding discussions, event notifications and by being able to connect with colleagues going through the same things as you in their own classrooms. 

Edutecher Site Reflection

On this website there are fantastic resources and link to a community of different people who have links as well.  On this site you can click on the links tab and it directs you to a checklist asking you for the grade level you are interested in.  Then from there you can click different subjects ranging from ESL, software and math.  From there is gives you a list of different websites and links you can use to further your research on the topic. A neat feature about the checklist though is that you can click more than one item so you can cross subjects in a lesson plan or in the link they give you.  Another neat feature is that you can share information with colleagues and students by clicking a tap.  From there you can exchange link you find and offer up new ideas.  Lastly, you can download an application for you Mac devices.  Then you can use this website on your laptop, iphone, ipad and ipod.  HOW COOL!
To find this website click here

Podcast Reflection #7: 0003 Tech Chick Tips

In this episode of the Tech Chicks Podcast they discussed a multitude of different topics referring to education.  The first tip they gave was the website called citation machine here teachers and students alike can create citations to put in their bibliographies if they are working on a research paper.  This website it kid friendly and will help them create correct citations.  Also there is an application that allows one to choose APA or MLA format.  This is incredible because depending on the teacher one may prefer one over the other.

The tip of the week from the Tech Chicks was dealing with student safety.  They were discussing students being online and how they should not share their real names or addresses. To ensure this does not happen they said that they told their students to make up a DJ name for their projects and podcasts.  This way they cannot be tracked.  Also, if students post anything online and there is an email slot available have the students use your address as the email.  This way the teacher can be in charge of making sure no one is being inappropriate when contacting the students.  So the teacher is then in charge of distributing out the comments to the students. 
The last bit of information given was directed for the teachers for a get to know me idea.  They posed that the teacher create either a podcast about their life or an ilife movie about your classroom, and home life. Also, for meet the teacher night when parents are invited, bring a camera so you can get photos of the student and parents together.  This way you can have them do family projects with pictures included later on! 

Kan-ed Portal Site Reflection

This is a website for Kansas educators and student's alike.  There are multiple applications for the students that help in a number of ways.  First there is a link titled Heritage Quest, in this like students would be able to conduct true genealogical reports by using this website because it is a free site that helps anyone find their heritage.  Then there is another application that is titled the backpack.  This is a way for teachers to upload homework for the students.  This is a brilliant way to eliminate the student's common excuse of I forgot my homework in my locker...  There is no more excuses when you can download your homework straight from this website then upload your answers to it.  Also, there is a big list of online reference tools for students to use.  This list includes ProQuest and KidsInfoBits.  These sites are paid for by the state and allow students to find information for research at anytime. 
For teachers there are also many links that will be of great use. There is a link called thinkfinity  that works as a lesson planning archive.  This is incredibly helpful for teachers becuase it will spark their imagination to help inspire better lesson plans to keep the students engaged.  Also, there is a link on the site that is labeled "test builder" this link helps teachers create tests as well as allows tests to be tried by different educators in the district.  This is a great way to check for error in your tests to ensure maximum learning.  

Podcast Reflection #6: Podcast340: On Board the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus in Yukon, Oklahoma

This is a Podcast titled "Moving at the Speed of Creativity" created by Wesley Fryer. In this episode he is conducting an interview with a man named Ryan who is a volunteer on the John Lennon Bus. This bus tours the country going from school to school to promote musical talent of the students. When the bus comes to a school they have eight students collaborate and write lyrics and music that show off each child's talents. From there the students get to create their own music video that gets produced on the bus. This portable recording studio has even been used by the Black Eyed Peas and Natasha Beddingfield. This lets me know that this program is worth bringing to your school. It is an impressive program that highlights student's musical talents and hopefully will prove to the nay-sayers that the arts are important. Here is the link to the Lennon Bus

Podcast Reflection #5: 0020 Tech Chick Tips

In this podcast the Tech Chicks discussed a number of websites that will be very beneficial for educators. The first one is titled thinkquest . This is a website that works to inspire students in a competitive nature. Students group together and have an adult or teacher sponsor them and they create a website that works to help teach other students different topics including math, language arts, science and social studies. This is an annual global competition that includes students ranging in ages from 9-19.

This next website is titled litesum.com This is a website that works as a summarizing site for Wikipedia. When you come to the site, you can fill the search bar with anything and it will begin creating a summary for the entire Wikipedia entry. This will be helpful for students who need a quick explanation for a term that they do not understand fully. This site was created by Jake Jarvis while he was a freshman in high school. To find more of his sites go to jakejervis.com

Podcast Reflection #4: Teacher's Podcast Ep. 55

In this podcast, there are multiple people discussing teaching tools that educators can use to better their classrooms and enhance professionalism in the educational realm. In the beginning of this podcast they are discussing an online resource called Voice Thread. This is an online website that allows anyone to publicly publish their presentations. This way other people on the website can comment on your presentation. This is an effective way to get one's editing done by multiple different people. This is a cyber, communication and professional space online!

Their next topic was twitter and the ways they have used it in their professional lives. One of the announcers said she used it while giving a lecture and throughout the lecture she was videotaping it live online. This way, people in the audience, and online were able to pose questions by tweeting at her. It was a really interesting way to pose questions and get more dialogue from the audience and the person giving the lecture. The way she was able to see the tweets was she had a tweet deck displayed on the wall so every tweet that was directed at her was seen by the audience and she was able to answer and comment on them.

Podcast Reflection #3: 0024 Tech Chick Tips

The Tech Chicks are a fantastic duo to follow. They make listening to the technological podcasts interesting because they find interesting links and people to talk to. In this particular podcast they held a discussion with the technology integration specialist from an Ohio School District. This particular interviewee began as a teacher and then ventured out to begin his own website and podcast station. His website is ohiotreasurechest here you can find interactive and engaging websites and links for students. Here there are hands on activities that the students can log on to and do online! After he worked on his website for a while he decided to create a podcast. On it he has a show every two weeks and he presents four gems from his Ohio treasure chest that include math, science, social studies and language arts. Check it out!