Tool #11

1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox? Briefly describe a particular activity that you will plan for your students using at least one of these new tools.
-Prezi, Google Blogger, Storybird

2. How have you transformed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom? How has your vision for your classroom changed? Are you going to need to make any changes to your classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner?

-I need to make sure expectations about digital citizenship are clearly set at the beginning of the year.  I now have more tools at my disposable when it comes to incorporating technology in all of my lesson plans.

3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

-I was surprised at the user friendliness of some of the tech resources. They encouraged me to try to incorporate more technology in my lesson plans.

Tool #10

1. Discuss at least three things you would want to make sure your students understand about being good digital citizens.

-Everything they do on the computer is made public or can be publicly accessed.

-If students misuse their privileges, they will be taken away.

-Use research sites properly so they don't accidentally plagiarize.

2. Share at least one of the resources mentioned above or on the Ed Tech website that you plan to use instructionally.

-The Atomic Learning workshops are very useful

3. Explain briefly how you would "teach" the idea of digital citizenship to your students.

-Digital citizenship needs to taught or reviewed every year, at the beginning of the year, before any tech related assignments are given.

4. Explain briefly how you plan to share the idea of digital citizenship with your parents.

-Send a letter home to parents explaining the meaning of Digital Citizenship with the District contract about tech use and provide online links that further explain these topics.

Tool #9

1. Why do you think it is important to tie the technology
to the objective?
-Students need to understand that technology is an invaluable tool to help them learn as well as produce products. Their options are limitless if they are willing to put forth the effort to explore (or if the teacher points them in right direction).

2. Why should we hold students accountable for the
stations/centers?
-Students need to be held accountable so we can prolong the shelf life of tech resources. Also, If we hold them accountable students can see tech resources as tools for learning, not just tools for entertainment.


3.Visit 2 of the applicable links to interactive websites
for your content/grade level. Which sites did you like. How could you use them
as stations? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these
stations?
- Snappy Words and Glogster (students would have specific parameters depending on the assignment)

4. List two to three apps you found for the iPod
Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station
looking like? How can you hold the students accountable for their time in these
stations?
-Freebooks is good one- kids can do group annotation on selected text excerpts. Choose shorter excerpts at first and build up to longer excerpts.

5.What about other ways to use the iPod Touch/iPad? Share
another way you can see your students using the device as a
station.
-research, create imovies, write group narratives

Tool #8

A couple of things that stood out-
I learned how to set up my iTunes account without using a cc.
I also learned how to navigate the Apps.
I also learned how to sync the ipads.

Most of my students are very comfortable with all sorts of devices and their features ( ipads, laptops, itouches, activ boards, etc...) so I don't feel the need to go into great detail when I assign them projects that require technology.  They are, for the most part, aware of good digital citizenship etiquette.

Tool #7

1. Design a collaborative project with another
classroom.

I would like my students to collaborate with the other 2 LA classes when we do the Persuasion Unit.

2.Post the following about the
project:

a. Content objective- Students will create a new PSA for the opposing viewpoint for an existing PSA.

b. When you plan to implement- During the Persuasion Unit

c. What tool(s) you plan to use- I plan to have students use resources from BigHugeLabs, Google Docs, Flicker, Skype.

d. A brief description of the project (plan-two or three
sentences)- Students will need to choose partners from other classes.  They first need to analyze an existing PSA for the use of persuasion techniques and describe the effectiveness of those techniques.  Students will then need to create a new PSA that offers an opposing viewpoint. The final product is student selected (poster, magazine ad, pamphlet, video, etc...).

Tool #6

I already regulary use Google Docs in my classroom (to collaborate, edit, and share).

One new tool I would like to use is Blogger for the summer reading assignment or any other novel. See the assignment below (in red). Students would also be able to make comments on each other's blogs.

Character “Webpage”

SUMMER READING BOOK PROJECT

For this activity you will be creating a “webpage” for a major character from your book.  Pick a major character from your book. Then pretend YOU are the character.  Create a webpage blog for your character. Use Google Blogger or another other free blogging website to create your webpage.

Rubric

Include the following requirements to demonstrate your understanding of the text.

****Remember: Pretend you are the character**** Be creative!

______Web address that includes the title of the novel.

______ “About Me” section:  Describe the character.  What do I look like? 

Personality traits?  Home?  School?  Age?  Hobbies? Include figurative language in your description (similes, metaphors, personification).  ****INCLUDE a photo (find a picture that you feel “looks” like your character)

_____ “What’s happening?/ Events/What’s on my mind?” section: This section is where you will blog. A blog is like an online journal where you share your thoughts about what is going on in your own life or around the world.  A blog allows others to see what’s going on in your mind.  For this section, write a blog that you think the character would write.  Possibilities: topics your character cares about, major events that happen to the character, problems/challenges the character has to solve.  Make sure to use text evidence.

OR

______ “Words of Wisdom” section: You will describe the overall theme of the book in this section.  Theme is the main point of the entire story.  What life lesson does the character learn by the end of the story?  What life lesson can your character share with others?  Do not use “The theme of this story is…”

***Find at least 1 quote (either from the story or elsewhere) that represents the theme of the story. 

______ “Photos” section:  Find words/images that represent the important details of the character and story.

_____ Add one EXTRA section of your choice/details that make your webpage personal and unique.  Some examples, but not limited to:  Favorite recipe with picture, Favorite musical group with link, favorite quotes, link to another blog or website, Question and Answer section- where people write in to ask you as your character for advice, travel advice/recommendations, favorite charity description and link for donation

_____ Make sure to write in 1^st person p.o.v. where it is applicable.  EX:  I can’t believe I’m grounded again!!!

______Overall look of the website, (borders, layout and design, colors, photos, quotes etc.) correct spelling and correct capitalization

______ Creativity and Visuals

______ Keep track of your sources – we will use that source list to create a NOODLE TOOLS document

Another tool I could start using is Today's Meet.  This would be a great way to get immediate feedback on whatever topics we are focusing on- theme, characterization, predictions, vocab., etc...   This would also allow students who may not be as vocal a place to reveal their thoughts without the fear of being harshly judged (I'm thinking of my very shy students). I've included a sample of a warm up question I could present to kids at the beginning of class as a follow up to a class discussion.

tool #5

I decided to do a wordle document for my Plot Elements unit. This would be the first page to my flipchart presentation/lesson.


I also used Storybird to start a story.  Students would finish the story on their own and incorporate the Plot Elements. This would be done after the lesson.

http://storybird.com/books/scientist-goes-mad/


This would be a great interactive way to get the students involved.