What?
This week we didn't have class because we covered everything the week before. I met with my team, Kristina and Matt to work on or vidcast and also worked on finding videos for the Video assignment. There are two assignments due this week (on the 15th). We will be doing our podcast/vidcast and also finding an educational video to post on our UEN site.
So What?
I enjoyed taking a look at the educational videos that are available through Youtube and Teachertube. There a many good videos as well as videos that I didn't care much for. How can this help me as a teacher? I will post one educational video on to my UEN page so that I can use it in my lesson plans. Once the video is downloaded and saved onto my page, I have access to it for as long as I want. Videos may be taken off and I wouldn't be able to access them anymore if I didn't download them. We have been shown how to convert files so that we can use them on other sites like UEN. One of these programs is Zamzar which is a free online file conversion site. My students will also have access to the videos that I choose to post on my classroom site and it will work the same way.
My colleagues and I will be able to share videos that we use for our lessons through this site. Some of our best lesson plans can come from the colleagues that we work with and by collaborating with each other. Having this technology, I will be able to access information that may otherwise disappear. I like it!
Now What?
What does this technology mean to my future students? There are hundreds of great educational videos that I have access to which will help me teach the core curriculum. Many children are visual learners so seeing a video that also explains what I am teaching can only help. In my search for a video to add to my UEN page, I found many videos that teach an idea or lesson through music or movement that I may not have ever thought of.
Having the ability to download and convert these videos is going to make my job as a teacher easier. I believe that teaching through different learning styles is very important and this will help me to do that. I know that I learn better by seeing something step by step or visually seeing it rather than just through lecture. I plan to use videos to help me get through to students of all learning styles. Plus, it's nice to have a change from the ordinary lecture and spice it up with something that will draw the students attention.
The videos that I find may also give me new ideas on how to teach a subject in a way that I hadn't thought of. We are blessed to have so many amazing people to learn from and get ideas from. I think that by watching and learning from the videos that I find and by adding them to my UEN page, I will become a better teacher with more creative ideas to help my students succeed.
Video Reflection
The video was short but I liked it. I feel a bit like the parents that the high school students were talking about. They said that the parents often have to go to their children to get help with the computer or with their cell phones. Okay, I'm not that bad but I am still learning to use much of the technology around us. The new technology that is made available to the general public amazes me! I still have a plain old cell phone, it's not an iPhone or a blackberry but it works fine for me right now but who knows if it will in the near future. Things are changing so quickly.
The students talked about having all of the media you need accessible to you at all times. Many phones already do that and I am guessing that a good portion of the population has laptops now days. The media that they mentioned are things like having access to your photos, email, the internet, social networks, etc. As teachers we had better be prepared for the technology that is coming our way. We need to know how to access the information (media) that the young people have access to. Yikes, I feel really old! At 35, I'm feeling like a grandma! I'd better get learning quickly! Luckily this class is helping with that.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Reflection #12 and Video Reflection
What?
What did we learn this week? We actually learned quite a bit. We covered two weeks in one class period and still had time to work a bit on our PowerPoint project with our group. We covered podcasts/vidcasts and also video simulations. Again, I am amazed at how much information is out there for us to use as teachers! I love it!
So What?
I will start with the podcasts and vidcasts. We discussed what podcasts and vidcasts are. I felt a bit dumb for not knowing what they are but there were several other classmates that were in the same boat. I knew that you can download podcasts onto your iPod from iTunes but that's about all that I could have told you. I, now, know that a vidcast is a video recording of you or anything that can be put onto your iPod or anywhere else. A podcast is the audio part that you can record and then download.
There are great uses for both podcasts and vidcasts as a teacher, student and colleague. In class on Thursday, we discussed the ways that we can use the podcasts and vidcasts in our future classrooms. Some of the things that we came up with are, for the vidcasts, we can create short lessons on a vidcast so that the student can learn by watching a short video of a lesson and he can do it at his own pace. Some of the things that were suggested were sign language lessons where they can learn at their own pace by pausing the video when needed, etc. We can also create step by step activities that they can follow on their own time. It seems like it will be quite simple. Many phones, computers and video recorders are able to record the short video and then they can be downloaded to the computer desktop and then added to youtube or teachertube.com or even on our UEN site.
Podcasts are kind of the same idea. They consist of the the audio part. You can record things like sound, simple instructions, a song that your class may be learning or a read aloud book. Doc Waters informed us that podcasts are popular for those learning a foreign language. That makes tons of sense! It never hurts to know more than one language and being able to listen to it on the go. We are such busy people now days that it would be ideal.
As colleagues we can share the different vidcasts and podcasts that we make and collect with our teams and other colleagues. More than one person working toward an idea will give us other avenues to follow and new ideas to pursue. I think that it's a great way to work as a team.
Now What?
Everytime I go to class I learn more ways that technology enhances our class and teaching. I love the idea of podcasts and vidcasts. They are still personal because you are on there and are their teacher. I am excited to learn how to do vidcasts and podcasts. I would also like to make one with my children so that they can see how things work in the classroom and we can also do it for fun to use in our homes. I may be able to use this technology for other classes as well. I think that it opens up a whole new bunch of ideas for me and for my students. I think that it would be a great independent study activity to have the students learn on the vidcast or podcast rather than drill information into their heads all of the time. They can go at their own pace this way too because they can pause or stop the video or podcast. It opens up new opportunities to use technology in the classroom that I hadn't thought of before.
I also plan to use these different forms of technology in my teams with my colleagues at school. We can brainstorm and pick each other's brains so that we can help the students to be the most effective learners. I am always excited about new ideas on how we can work together since that is such a vital part of teaching. I look forward to learning how to use this new technology in my own classroom!
Video Reflection
I really enjoyed the short but sweet video for this week! It answered the question, "Why Let our Students Blog?" Allowing our students to blog allows them to be creative and express themselves in writing on the internet. It also allows them to voice their opinions and have a "voice" in our society. It allows them to reach out to other students their age as well. The video showed students blogging and having friends in other parts of the world that follow their blogs. I think it's such a great idea to open up their eyes to other cultures and ideas by doing this. It's also a great way to keep a journal. I for one, am terrible at this and try to do a better job by doing it on my blog.
It also engages the students in other types of learning besides that traditional way of sitting in your desk for hours on end. They can be creative with their blogs and I will definitely encourage blogging with my students!
What did we learn this week? We actually learned quite a bit. We covered two weeks in one class period and still had time to work a bit on our PowerPoint project with our group. We covered podcasts/vidcasts and also video simulations. Again, I am amazed at how much information is out there for us to use as teachers! I love it!
So What?
I will start with the podcasts and vidcasts. We discussed what podcasts and vidcasts are. I felt a bit dumb for not knowing what they are but there were several other classmates that were in the same boat. I knew that you can download podcasts onto your iPod from iTunes but that's about all that I could have told you. I, now, know that a vidcast is a video recording of you or anything that can be put onto your iPod or anywhere else. A podcast is the audio part that you can record and then download.
There are great uses for both podcasts and vidcasts as a teacher, student and colleague. In class on Thursday, we discussed the ways that we can use the podcasts and vidcasts in our future classrooms. Some of the things that we came up with are, for the vidcasts, we can create short lessons on a vidcast so that the student can learn by watching a short video of a lesson and he can do it at his own pace. Some of the things that were suggested were sign language lessons where they can learn at their own pace by pausing the video when needed, etc. We can also create step by step activities that they can follow on their own time. It seems like it will be quite simple. Many phones, computers and video recorders are able to record the short video and then they can be downloaded to the computer desktop and then added to youtube or teachertube.com or even on our UEN site.
Podcasts are kind of the same idea. They consist of the the audio part. You can record things like sound, simple instructions, a song that your class may be learning or a read aloud book. Doc Waters informed us that podcasts are popular for those learning a foreign language. That makes tons of sense! It never hurts to know more than one language and being able to listen to it on the go. We are such busy people now days that it would be ideal.
As colleagues we can share the different vidcasts and podcasts that we make and collect with our teams and other colleagues. More than one person working toward an idea will give us other avenues to follow and new ideas to pursue. I think that it's a great way to work as a team.
Now What?
Everytime I go to class I learn more ways that technology enhances our class and teaching. I love the idea of podcasts and vidcasts. They are still personal because you are on there and are their teacher. I am excited to learn how to do vidcasts and podcasts. I would also like to make one with my children so that they can see how things work in the classroom and we can also do it for fun to use in our homes. I may be able to use this technology for other classes as well. I think that it opens up a whole new bunch of ideas for me and for my students. I think that it would be a great independent study activity to have the students learn on the vidcast or podcast rather than drill information into their heads all of the time. They can go at their own pace this way too because they can pause or stop the video or podcast. It opens up new opportunities to use technology in the classroom that I hadn't thought of before.
I also plan to use these different forms of technology in my teams with my colleagues at school. We can brainstorm and pick each other's brains so that we can help the students to be the most effective learners. I am always excited about new ideas on how we can work together since that is such a vital part of teaching. I look forward to learning how to use this new technology in my own classroom!
Video Reflection
I really enjoyed the short but sweet video for this week! It answered the question, "Why Let our Students Blog?" Allowing our students to blog allows them to be creative and express themselves in writing on the internet. It also allows them to voice their opinions and have a "voice" in our society. It allows them to reach out to other students their age as well. The video showed students blogging and having friends in other parts of the world that follow their blogs. I think it's such a great idea to open up their eyes to other cultures and ideas by doing this. It's also a great way to keep a journal. I for one, am terrible at this and try to do a better job by doing it on my blog.
It also engages the students in other types of learning besides that traditional way of sitting in your desk for hours on end. They can be creative with their blogs and I will definitely encourage blogging with my students!
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