Podcast #10 Tech Chicks 0082

YOUTUBE PLUS EPISODE!

In this episode of the Tech Chicks they discussed a website entitled embed plus.  This website is a fantastic way to incorporate youtube videos into your classroom.  This way the educators can use the youtube videos in their classroom and to do this the teachers can do a plethora of things.  To begin, the teachers can choose where the video will start and stop.  So if the first 30 seconds are unimportant, the teacher can edit the video to have it begin after the unimportant information.  From there the teacher can add annotations that add information in specific spots.  This way the teacher can add information for the teacher.  From there the teachers can add the videos into their websites with an embed code.  Also, in this website they can delete the comments from the original youtube website so that the student's cannot see the comments.  Another fantastic feature is the feature to zoom in on certain images on the video. 

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.