Final Ed 675 Blog - What a Great Experience!

Well, the end of the class has arrived, and I can't believe what a full and enriching experience it was! There were so many amazing technology tools to learn about, and so many talented people "out there" using them. Technology truly has changed every avenue of life, as well as education. I was grateful to be able to incorporate them into both the class and my school. I could easily have spent 20 more hours each week experimenting to use these tools in my classroom! Over the summer will be a good time to do so, when I can "play" more and see what I could use for next year.

I was hoping to utilize more Web 2.0 tools into my project. Like Jing, except I couldn't figure out how to get "into" the program and begin. I almost used ispring to create my final presentation, but it wouldn't let me add any music to the video, and I think music adds so much! I did use Wordle for several images, which I had to import into Photoshop and flatten and crop. That is a wonderful tool in itself! And a tool called Cool Edit Pro was amazing for editing mp3 files - what a lifesaver, in that I had to find copyright free music for each video on freeplaymusic.com. Vimeo was also great for posting videos, and I plan to use it again!

Ed 675 was such a rich class, and I'm glad I was able to take the course. Thanks to all my fellow teachers for sharing all their helpful information and experiences - both online and face to face! I hope we can strike a healthy balance between technology and that all-important personal touch in our teaching!

Marc Prensky "critique" article/Final Project Presentation

I was glad to read the article about criticisms of Marc Prensky's view of technology and digital natives. I think the author made several valid claims, and provided actual research to back up his views. Personally, I think it's sad that so many students are either on their phones, their IPods or other devices, even as they walk down the hall or have a "free moment of downtime". It seems that they can't easily tolerate not staying in touch with friends, or being amused by some game, or listening to music. That constant stimulation doesn't allow for much deep thought or reflection, or maybe a different use for their time.

While I can understand their interest and fascination with, or respect of technology, I think in some ways students are missing a more well-rounded life experience. I am always glad to hear about the ones that have pursued a different interest or hobby, one that involves actually producing something tangible or making a difference in the world for other people. I think there are other ways to interact with people, in the real world. And to be fair, I'm sure that I am just not aware of more of these instances. I hope that the media continues to look for these students and makes their contributions known - role models are so important for them.

I think part of my opinion comes from research for my final project - the phenomenon of mobile learning. I have been researching about this topic, and had to learn about the different uses and prevalence of mobile devices for education in today's world. While I can see a place for them, I still see the value in real experiences, with real objects, or going to actual places as in field trips. I think we humans are designed to take advantage of our five senses. With the way education seems to be going, and technology heading toward such a virtual human experience, we may actually be shortchanging students by replacing "authentic" activities with virtual ones. Maybe we will realize that a better balance needs to be maintained to give students a truly well-rounded education. I guess time will tell.

Ideas for Final Project (What I've Learned - Future of Education with Technology

Before I took this course, I had a vague idea of some of the technology "out there in the cloud". But after the last week or so of investigating available tools, apps, etc., I am literally blown away by all the different things I've discovered. I am also fascinated by the fact that they are available "free of charge" and only require establishing an account in order to access them. It seems like I should be paying for such powerful tools!

I wish I had grown up with more technology, so that I could feel it was more a normal part of my life - something I was naturally comfortable using. It is definitely a learning curve, and I am finding that I really need to adjust my perception of technology, my comfort level with trying new things, and my tenacity in trying to solve technological "problems".

Technology seems so natural to my students! I need to keep in mind that they have been surrounded by it, and they absorb knowledge and procedures very easily and readily. Of course, technology that I took for granted as a child my own parents were amazed with and had to learn to use as well. I guess in some ways, there's "nothing new under the sun". And these new technologies will become old-fashioned to future generations, too.

The question for this project is, which direction do I want to take, and what aspect will I want to focus on? I have enjoyed gathering all the information, and find that I go off in different directions, depending on my interest in something. I just need to try and narrow my focus to a particular area. Being a kindergarten teacher, I have tended to tailor my projects to that grade level, but I'm finding that there are more technological possibilities for the older students, due to their more mature skills and abilities.

Whatever direction I head in, I hope that I will be inspired to create a presentation that is unique. Ideally, I would like it to be useful, thought-provoking and visually effective, or maybe fill a niche that hasn't been addressed. Not a tall order, of course :)! I better get started!

Prezi Presentation

After learning the basics about Prezi, I found that it is a very usable tool, and gives a very cutting-edge feel to a presentation. I like how it provides a variety of design choices as far as font, color, size and especially the ability to imbed images or video in a simple manner. It did take me a bit of experimentation with successfully uploading a video, but I felt it was worth putting that in to personalize the presentation. One thing I am still getting used to with Prezi is its path feature. I agree with the tutorial in that viewers of the Prezi can get a little disoriented visually as the path pans from one area to another.

I really like learning about all the different and new ways to use technology - it is amazing! My teaching partner is really excited about incorporating what I've learned into our parent orientation and curriculum night programs for next year!

Second Edition of Classroom Website

I have just "launched" my second edition of our classroom website! When I created the initial edition, it was quite a learning curve! I first needed to understand how to use Weebly. Luckily, it was quite user-friendly, as it resembled using a simplified Microsoft Office Word program. I did find that there were some 'glitches' (things I really didn't understand how to resolve :)), but for the most part, it just took lots of time. One thing I still can't quite figure out is how some things look just fine in the 'edit' mode, but once it is published, things change or shift around. Oh, well, can't be perfect!

Creating the videos was probably the most creative element. I found that using Windows Movie Maker worked nicely, and I eventually got the hang of it the more I used it. Adding my own choice of copyrighted music added to the challenge of getting it uploaded and viewable. I fortunately had the help of our school technology teacher, who steered me to Vimeo, rather than YouTube, which had an issue with the copyrighted tune I had chosen. Vimeo worked just great, and it had a password protection option that I used, to put parents' minds at ease.

Speaking of making videos, I found a whole new appreciation for movie makers! The decisions that have to be made as to shooting footage (angle, action, etc.), along with the editing choices (what to keep, what to throw away), made for time-consuming projects. I ended up editing the majority of my footage, to capture the essence of the moment, or stay true to the message of the video. The first edition of my website included a video with a song I loved, but little did I know about the copyright issue! I had the video length and content just the way I liked it, and so I was very reluctant to try and find copyright free music to accompany it! Live and learn. In the second edition, I took advice of others who steered me toward the freeplaymusic site, and after searching for quite a while, found two songs that would work for my two videos. I tended to look at both the style of music and the length of the MP3 files, to determine which songs to choose. It certainly cut down on my personal choices for music, as I liked being able to choose a familiar song that seemed to perfectly fit the mood of the video. But, beggars can't be choosers!

I also found it a challenge to find appropriate websites for kindergarten students on my second edition, as I wanted to offer all new options. Many had tons of ads, which seemed to diminish the educational emphasis :). I did want to try and choose websites that had some relevance to the website edition's content, and I lucked out with a few of those. I will probably have to search other teachers' websites for their top choices, as they have probably had some experience with them.

So, I feel that the website experience has been worth it. I'm glad that the parents are enjoying it. One told me today that she loves the site, and that her preschool son especially loves the videos. Nice to hear that from such a youngster! Well, on to the next project :).

Parent Website - Experience and Readers' Comments

Wednesday, April 27, I "launched" my parent website, entitled CCCA Kindergarten Kids!! on Weebly. It was definitely a learning experience to build and design my first website! After getting accustomed to the mechanics of Weebly, I found that it was very user-friendly, in that I could manipulate the 'Elements' components to customize the pages to my needs. I really enjoyed being able to create a "place" where the parents of my students could better see and understand what special activities and events their children enjoy and learn about. Having the opportunity to combine text, pictures, video and links to educational websites makes it much more personal than simply communicating using a weekly newsletter. Our class is blessed to have a number of engaging, unique learning experiences to introduce content and review and reinforce it in memorable ways. I was pleased with the way that the site personalizes kindergarten for the families. I learned a few important basics about photography and filming, and to try to include each child somewhere in the website, whether in still pictures or video format. I have learned to use a few technology tools to create the site, such as Voki, Wordle, Windows Movie Maker, and several educational sites for younger students. I hope that the site will make a stronger and more effective home to school connection, and that families will feel more a part of their children's school day.

I did receive a few comments about the site:

• Awesome!!!!!! (from my teaching partner :))

• thank you.... this web site is fantastic!!!

• Thank you Mrs. Johnson! That was absolutely WONDERFUL! I enjoyed cruising around and looking at the different things. Thank you again for all that you do!!!

• WOW - what an awesome website!! It was so great to see all the pictures and videos - we hear about a lot of what happens at school but it is great to actually see what we are being told to help put it all together!

• This is very nice. Thank you for sharing. Is it a public site? If so, I would request that names are not used and events are not listed until after they have occured. (I responded to this parent that no names would be used and I would intentionally be aware of privacy and security issues).

I have begun to plan more web pages for special activities and events, to post on the site shortly. Doing this project made me much more aware and appreciative of what the creators of websites, videos, newspapers, etc. go through to create a final product to communicate to an audience. But the end result has been rewarding!

Woody Norris Invents Amazing Things - TED video

Woody Norris invents sound-related devices, one of which can target and channel sound to particular locations with a clearer more intense quality, calling it 'hypersonic sound'. He has marketed his invention, and sold it to the military, which uses it to create the sound of troops where there are none, thereby fooling the enemy. He has also sold sound devices to the ABC Network, Sony Entertainment ('Jabber' headphones), and Safeway Food Stores (for broadcasting advertisers). The science behind the invention is to create sound out in front of the source, not directly from the source itself, which can therefore amplify and purify the sound. He claims the concert industry could use it to assure a front row concertgoer hears the same sound quality as the backrow patron. The relevance of Norris' video talk to education is that he feels sometimes education closes peoples' minds to new and different, untried possibilities, because they feel that they've been taught the most recent innovations, and aren't willing to explore other possibilities. I think in some ways he is right, because education can channel students' thinking, much like the sound waves concept he has invented. It doesn't always promote divergent thinking, but may try to direct students' thoughts to one 'correct' answer. I would be interested in Norris' educational and employment background, just to see if he was more of a maverick and pursued his own ideas and ways of thinking. Very interesting video!

The Death of the Flip Camera - What a Big Mistake!

http://http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/the-tragic-death-of-the-flip/?ref=personaltechemail&nl=technology&emc=cta1 Although I have had only three occasions to use the Flip Camera, I am totally sold on what a great product it is! As I am not very tech-savvy, I appreciated the user-friendly appeal of the conveniently sized device. I just used the Flip camera yesterday, to capture our kindergarten mega-learning stations event, with about 12 different measurement centers and 44 rotating kindergarteners, over an hour's time. I had never used the Flip without a tripod, and so I was a little doubtful about the quality of the footage I would create. I went from station to station, to try and record the essence of the station's objective - kids having fun learning about various facets of science. I have to say that, in that hour's time, I was able to video each child, engaged in whatever station he or she visited, experimenting, exploring, sharing what was learned with their group members. I must have recorded about 25 different short segments, and I was impressed by what I saw on each one. The picture quality was great - the color and clarity were super! If I decide to use the audio, that was audible in each case. I found that due to the light-weight aspect of the camera, it was so easy to manipulate, as I panned from one child to another. Also, by just the touch of one button as a toggle switch, I could quickly catch special moments on video, which I probably would have missed with a more complex device. As to the New York Times article by David Pogue, I would totally agree with him. He was absolutely correct in giving the Flip camera a '10', for all the reasons I stated above. I didn't know all the 'behind the scenes' reasons that the parent company likely discontinued the Flip. If Pogue's allegations are correct, what a sad decision the company made, on several counts. Getting rid of a great product, eliminating all those employee jobs, not realizing what a gold mine they really have - all ridiculous, from the point of view of those who would be buying such a wonderful product. All future novice videographers will be truly missing out on access to a tool that could ease them into the world of technology. I plan to get as much use out of our school's Flip camera before it dies a natural death - at least ours will have lived a useful life and made this teacher happy!

ISTE February 2011 issue article - Brain Training With Video Games

http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-february-march-2011.aspx I just read an interesting ISTE February 2011 journal article, Brain Training With Video Games, by Curtis Boehmer. He has worked over 30 years in a Michigan school with speech and language delayed students, and has sought effective ways to support their academic achievement. He certainly seems sold on an intensive, research-based intervention program using video games to teach attention skills, visualization, sequencing, patterning and spatial relationship abilities. The program does involve a 45 minute, 4 day a week commitment by the students, over a 12 week period. Boehmer admits that teachers of these students didn't see any visible progress until after 6 or 7 weeks, but then noticed academic gains from the students. I agree with Boehmer that the video games' inherent engaging format, repetition of skills, and integration of different abilities is what helps make it successful for these students. But he also admitted that after students "peak" at a certain point, they don't really show more gains unless their teacher steps in with encouragement, to spur them on to further achievement. It seems as if the combination of technology (to "hook" students and keep them engaged with repeated practice and the intrinsic motivation to succeed in the games) and human contact (teacher praise and encouragement) is likely the key to the program's success. I know in today's world, we can't fight students' attraction to video games - they are addictive. But I was glad to see that human contact and intervention also play a part in helping struggling students. Technology can be rather distant and sterile, and most everyone likes to share what they have learned or achieved with other people, or someone significant in their lives. So while I understand that "brain training" may be the way to proceed with students, I hope we teachers don't neglect that human touch. People still need people!

Three Web 2.0 Tools and Help Videos

I thought that the three Web 2.0 tools - Kerpoof, AnswerGarden, and Symbaloo - all had some educational value, perhaps moreso at one grade level than another. For me as a kindergarten teacher, I thought that the first tool, Kerpoof, held the most promise for use with students in the classroom. I teach emerging readers and writers, and they need help with the whole literacy process. Kerpoof offers young elementary students the opportunity to compose, spell, create a storyline, illustrate and share with an audience. I like that it is so user-friendly, and clear for the students to understand as a literacy tool. They are very imaginative, and would really enjoy being a part of the creative process in developing a story from start to finish. We read from the 'Magic Tree House' series, which is an adventure fantasy that gets their attention, keeps them interested and prompts lots of comments! They would therefore enjoy working together as a class in sharing their ideas, while learning about the writing process and its basic steps. They love any type of animation, and would love to re-read the stories and revisit the characters, perhaps even creating a series of their own! The AnswerGarden tool might be more appropriate for older elementary students, and I like that it gets them involved through an online poll activity. It also provides a great visual for brainstorming together. The Symbaloo tool is wonderful in that it helps a teacher be organized by grouping websites according to common themes, topics, etc. Having the visual of each icon to click and access the websites is very user-friendly, especially for those new to navigation. It's a very effective way for anyone to manage resources and reference others to use them.

ITSE March/April 2011 Issue - Article: Is It Time To Make Mathematics More Fun?

In working with kindergarteners, I need to both teach content and make learning fun. Since kindergarten may be the first formal education experience for these young students, I realize that in order to get their attention, keep them focused and engaged, I have to "make learning fun". In some ways, these children may have already been exposed to the attitude, either blatantly or subtly, that "math is hard, and you won't like it", perhaps from an older sibling, or even a parent! Math is actually a fascinating and amazing subject, but it also requires some abstract thinking at gradually higher grade levels. I think the conceptual nature of math puts people off, and makes them think math skills are unobtainable. (I don't exactly think of myself as math-skilled, as I have problems with logic and reasoning.) However, using the tips from this article, I think I could present math in such a way that it will intrigue and interest students better. Counter to that from my own math education, the author's perspective begins with the advice to let students use calculators to solve equations or problems. He believes that the most important thing in math is not necessarily being able to do the algorithms - it is more important to make math a part of our lives by making it relative to what we want to know (the weight of something, how large an object is, etc.) Making math a natural aspect of a student's life can motivate him or her to want to use math skills to find out answers. Another tip is to present math in a game-like format. I know this is good advice, because my own students love to play math games in computer lab - and they are very good at it! They enjoy seeing how many points they can acquire, or if they can "get to the next level" in a math game. It surely makes the learning fun! The third tip is to teach the reasons behind ways to solve a problem. Some children can devise their own method, which makes perfect sense to them. Perhaps more sense than solving a problem through rote steps which work, but don't lead the student to understanding why they work! I really liked this article, as it is so "kid-friendly", and even moreso, "kindergarten-friendly"!

March 30 - First Night of class

I am amazed and impressed by all the Web 2.0 tools available to learn and use for this course! I am especially interested in learning more about creating videos to introduce a unit, teach a simple concept, review material, or have some active participation with my kindergarteners. I think they will be especially attentive and remain more focused, if they have an animated character to listen to and watch, like the one created with the xtranormal video program. I also am interested in learning how to use the Animoto tool. One thing I have not done is create a class webpage, for the kindergarten parents to view and access. I have often wanted to update families, let them know of some new or exciting learning activity, an upcoming event, or just share some pictures of things their students have been doing. The webpage would be perfect for this! I hope to learn ways to use this technology to make my teaching more current and interesting to my students. They are often so tech-savvy, that I need to keep up with them!