This week in class, we started on our final assignment. We were instructed to create two of the three documents explained in class (brochure, newsletter, or flyer). I chose to create a flyer and a brochure.
I have really enjoyed learning about all the different programs available to create interesting, colorful documents. I had never thought of creating a class newsletter or even making my own brochure to outline a particular subject until starting this assignment. It makes me really excited to use these programs to create documents for my classroom and even for myself. I love using all of the Microsoft programs and while creating my final projects, I discovered the numerous templates offered by the programs. It is such a time saver and they are awesome!
Once again, this assignment helped me realize that the possibilities of collaboration are endless. I love the idea of sharing documents that I have created with other teachers and vice versa. It would also be fun to work on a document with another teacher and bounce ideas off one another. Using programs that have such great features such as Microsoft Word helps to make each document creative, colorful, and informative all at the same time.
My favorite part of this final assignment was creating a brochure. It allowed me to research a topic that I am very interested in as well as create an individual, informative document for elementary students. Using the ocean as my topic for the brochure came to me after watching Planet Earth and realizing how the ocean is such a huge part of our Earth yet we know very little about it. I think living in Utah doesn't really give students the opportunity to experience the ocean up close and personal. However, creating a brochure or newsletter could be a great way to provide kids with loads of information about the ocean or any other topic.
I never imagined all the information that I would learn from taking this class. There are so many things I picked up that I am excited to share with my future students and their parents. I love the idea of collaboration among teachers and I know it is something that I will be implementing wherever I end up teaching. Technology will continue to evolve and I love that using it in education will help prepare our students for their futures!
Video Reflection:
I absolutely LOVE School House Rock. It is such a fun, interactive way to introduce kids to topics that can sometimes be a little boring. This video is actually one of my favorite segments because it is so catchy and helps you to remember that a noun is a person, place, or thing. These videos are awesome tools that I think could be used to teach basic subjects like nouns in younger classrooms.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Using Educational Videos & Video Reflection
This week we focused on finding and using educational videos in the classroom. We were instructed to find two educational videos we would use while teaching and post them on UEN/in our blog. My two videos will be posted at the end of this blog.
Before using Teacher Tube, I really had no idea that there were so many great educational videos available for free on the internet. Especially for younger students, videos can be a great interactive tool to get the attention of your classroom. There are often things you would like to teach in your classroom, but since time is limited in each subject, it could be helpful to find a science experiment or a difficult math concept and show it to your students on video. I really like the idea of using videos to make difficult subjects much more interesting and exciting.
I chose one mathematics video and one social studies video. For math, I picked Mr. Duey's fraction video. Math was one of my most difficult subjects, especially fractions. I definitely think a video like this could have been helpful for me and may have even allowed me to get a little more excited about doing math. It is entertaining and also very informational. I think it would be perfect to use in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade. The social studies video that I chose uses Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" to present a brief world history to students. I think this video could be an awesome introductory tool to teaching the history of the last century. You could also allow students to pick one event that is included in the song to do their own presentation on.
The more I learn about the tools available to use technology in the classroom, the more confident I become about using it to teach. I love that there are so many tools available for teachers and students on the internet. Teacher Tube is a great place to collaborate with others as well. You could upload the educational videos you use in your own classroom to share with teachers in your school, district, or state.
Using a video to teach can be a great introductory tool or also a great reminder for students who seem to be struggling with a certain topic. It allows students to have fun while learning a new concept. I especially like the idea of using videos to make math an easier subject for students to become engaged in since this is something I have always struggled with. It is so helpful to learn about the numerous sites that provide these videos for teachers. I now know that using videos in my classroom will definitely be a possibility.
Video Reflection:
The more that technology evolves, the more kids/students become dependent on it. This video illustrated just how technology-smart kids are becoming. It also seems to be happened at a younger age now. I didn't feel like this video reflected the ideas of students, but rather just the technological generation. However, it made me think of a video that was sent to me in an email a few days ago. Here it is:
Before using Teacher Tube, I really had no idea that there were so many great educational videos available for free on the internet. Especially for younger students, videos can be a great interactive tool to get the attention of your classroom. There are often things you would like to teach in your classroom, but since time is limited in each subject, it could be helpful to find a science experiment or a difficult math concept and show it to your students on video. I really like the idea of using videos to make difficult subjects much more interesting and exciting.
I chose one mathematics video and one social studies video. For math, I picked Mr. Duey's fraction video. Math was one of my most difficult subjects, especially fractions. I definitely think a video like this could have been helpful for me and may have even allowed me to get a little more excited about doing math. It is entertaining and also very informational. I think it would be perfect to use in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade. The social studies video that I chose uses Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" to present a brief world history to students. I think this video could be an awesome introductory tool to teaching the history of the last century. You could also allow students to pick one event that is included in the song to do their own presentation on.
The more I learn about the tools available to use technology in the classroom, the more confident I become about using it to teach. I love that there are so many tools available for teachers and students on the internet. Teacher Tube is a great place to collaborate with others as well. You could upload the educational videos you use in your own classroom to share with teachers in your school, district, or state.
Using a video to teach can be a great introductory tool or also a great reminder for students who seem to be struggling with a certain topic. It allows students to have fun while learning a new concept. I especially like the idea of using videos to make math an easier subject for students to become engaged in since this is something I have always struggled with. It is so helpful to learn about the numerous sites that provide these videos for teachers. I now know that using videos in my classroom will definitely be a possibility.
Video Reflection:
The more that technology evolves, the more kids/students become dependent on it. This video illustrated just how technology-smart kids are becoming. It also seems to be happened at a younger age now. I didn't feel like this video reflected the ideas of students, but rather just the technological generation. However, it made me think of a video that was sent to me in an email a few days ago. Here it is:
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Podcasts/Vidcasts & Video Reflection
This week in class we learned about different ways to use podcasts and vidcasts in the classroom. My group created our own vidcast to portray a "lesson of the day". We posted this vidcast on our UEN homepage.
I am a huge fan of podcasts, but I had never thought about using them as a teaching tool. I never realized what a great idea it is to use podcasts and vidcasts in the classroom until we explored this lesson in class. I definitely think that podcasts especially could be a great review tool for kids who have difficulty taking notes or need help going over a subject again. To test this idea, I recorded my daily notes from my Thursday psychology class onto a podcast so I could review them before my quiz on Tuesday. I was able to upload this podcast to my iPod and now I can review my own notes through audio whenever I get a minute. With technology such as iPods and MP3 players becoming so readily available to kids today, I think using them as a learning device could be a great idea for parents and teachers.
While creating our vidcast from a teacher's point of view, I also began to think of the collaboration possibilities of this technology. For example, among an elementary school's second grade staff, each teacher could create a two or three minute vidcast on a science topic. Then the teachers could email them to one another and show them in the classrooms. It would be fun for the kids to see other teachers explaining science besides their own. By doing this, it would cut down on work for teachers and also give a great opening activity for a new topic to be presented in class.
I also began to think of ways using podcasts could help the teacher. Each student could record a one minute "all about me" summary and then the teacher could listen to them in order to get to know the students better. It would also be a great way for the kids to get to know each other at the beginning of the school year. You could also complete the same activity with vidcasts. This would help the teacher learn names quickly as well.
As always, I think the possibilities of using this technology in the classroom is endless. It is a fun idea for showing a quick educational video by vidcast or recording lessons for kids when they miss school. I love the idea of using the podcasts and vidcasts as a tool for myself in order to become a better teacher.
Video Reflection:
I thought the video this week was a great reminder of why letting our students use computers is so valuable. There are so many great benefits kids get from learning to use programs such as blogging. It is such a great communication tool and it also allows the students to post their own individual thoughts. I like the idea of using blogs to collaborate as well.
I am a huge fan of podcasts, but I had never thought about using them as a teaching tool. I never realized what a great idea it is to use podcasts and vidcasts in the classroom until we explored this lesson in class. I definitely think that podcasts especially could be a great review tool for kids who have difficulty taking notes or need help going over a subject again. To test this idea, I recorded my daily notes from my Thursday psychology class onto a podcast so I could review them before my quiz on Tuesday. I was able to upload this podcast to my iPod and now I can review my own notes through audio whenever I get a minute. With technology such as iPods and MP3 players becoming so readily available to kids today, I think using them as a learning device could be a great idea for parents and teachers.
While creating our vidcast from a teacher's point of view, I also began to think of the collaboration possibilities of this technology. For example, among an elementary school's second grade staff, each teacher could create a two or three minute vidcast on a science topic. Then the teachers could email them to one another and show them in the classrooms. It would be fun for the kids to see other teachers explaining science besides their own. By doing this, it would cut down on work for teachers and also give a great opening activity for a new topic to be presented in class.
I also began to think of ways using podcasts could help the teacher. Each student could record a one minute "all about me" summary and then the teacher could listen to them in order to get to know the students better. It would also be a great way for the kids to get to know each other at the beginning of the school year. You could also complete the same activity with vidcasts. This would help the teacher learn names quickly as well.
As always, I think the possibilities of using this technology in the classroom is endless. It is a fun idea for showing a quick educational video by vidcast or recording lessons for kids when they miss school. I love the idea of using the podcasts and vidcasts as a tool for myself in order to become a better teacher.
Video Reflection:
I thought the video this week was a great reminder of why letting our students use computers is so valuable. There are so many great benefits kids get from learning to use programs such as blogging. It is such a great communication tool and it also allows the students to post their own individual thoughts. I like the idea of using blogs to collaborate as well.
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