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Sunday, July 18, 2010

Google forms



Here is the link to the survey form I created using Google docs. And here are the results. A friend of mine who is also in this class was very kind to take my survey. To answer the question of how I would get this form to parents, I might post it on Edline so that it could be easily accessed without the necessity of needing email addresses. For students i might create a link on the desktop of my classroom computers so that it would be easily accessible to my students. As for coworkers, I might email it to them assuming I had all their email addresses. I definitely think this is one of my absolute favorite activities. Partly because I had no idea it existed and I can already think of a variety of ways I can use it. For example, I have parents and students complete surveys each year to give me feedback on our program. Normally, I send these home in a paper format, however, this is a great way to complete those. Also, it would be even better because the results would be tabulated as the parents complete the surveys which would make it easier for me. I just LOVE this tool!

The creation of a Google form would be a great way to have students reflect on an activity. This type of activity would fit well under standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, bullet c- promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. I also think that if you used Google forms to create a quiz or test for students would help change up the routine of things. This type of activity would best fit under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet d- provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. And finally, if you used this form to get feedback from parents then this activity would fit well under technology standard 3- Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, bullet c- communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.

Friday, July 16, 2010

TPACK

I created my TPACK document using Google docs. I found this article to be very interesting and relevant as we move further into the 21st century. Our students are so technologically stimulated that its necessary for us, as educators, to utilize technology in the classroom. This article made some great points about how our pedagogy knowledge, content knowledge and technology knowledge can and should combine. It also had a great breakdown of each of the components and how they are interrelated so that it was easily understandable. The article also made great points about current and past technology integration. I also liked the examples of TPACK and how to implement it. I thought that this was a great article and very useful. I also thought that answering the questions was very thought provoking and helped me get more in touch with my knowledge.

This activity fits well under standard 5- Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, bullet c- evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning. Since the activity also made us be reflective practitioners it also fits well under standard 5- Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, bullet d- contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. Finally, because the activity made us take note of the professional organizations that we are involved in as well as whether or not we could improve in this area the activity falls under standard 5- Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, bullet a- participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

Jeopardy

Using Jeopardy Labs I created a review for students on the rainforest. You can access my review here. I chose to have my jeopardy lab assignment correspond with an earlier assignment using power point. Most of us have been involved in a jeopardy game whether we were using it as a teaching tool or were playing it in a classroom. This tool is amazing! It makes creating a game so simple and much less time consuming. I also found it suprising that this site was created by an undergraduate student. i also thought it was interesting that if you create an account and make a donation it goes toward the students' tuition and books.

This assignment fits well under standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, bullet b- engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources when you are using it with students. The assignment also fits well under standard 2- Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet a- design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity when using with students. Finally this activity fits well under standard 3- Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, bullet b- collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. I feel that using this tool helps to support student success and innovation. I love this tool and feels it fits under many of the standards and these are just a few of them.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Photostory



I used Windows Photostory to create the above PSA on cyberbullying. I then posted the video on You Tube. The video can be accessed using this link. I was nervous when i started looking over this assignment because I was worried that Photo Story would be difficult to use and that the conversion to a video would be difficult. However, after beginning my first journey using photo story I found it to be very easy. For this particular project, the hardest thing was pulling pictures together and figuring out what exactly to say.

As I was using Photo Story I thought of many great uses for this program. This particular activity falls under technology standard 4- Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, bullet c- promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. I also thought that this could be a great end of year class activity if students were able to create a class scrapbook using Photo Story. It would allow them to work together as a class and take a trip down memory lane and review the year. This type of activity falls under technology standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet b- collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. Finally, Photo Story would be a great tool for students to use to summarize their learning after an activity such as their weekly story. They could also create their own story and narrate it using this story. Both of these activities fall under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullets a- design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity and d- provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Prezi

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Motion Path

Using Microsoft Power Point I was able to create my motion path assignment. Now this assignment was much easier once I had completed and fully understood the labels assignment. This was such a fun assignment to complete. It sort of allowed me to practice my new skills learned from last assignment and create a movie like atmosphere using power point.

As far as technology standards, this assignment easily fits under technology standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet a- demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. This is because I utilized my prior knowledge to complete this assignment. This activity also easily fits under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet c- customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. This assignment fits well under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, bullet a- promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

Since there were issues using FTP I am also embedding my motionpath via slideshare.

Labels

Using Microsoft Power Point I created my label power point slide. I have to say that this was one of the more difficult assignments for me simply because I struggled understanding the directions. I was able to find a picture of a flower and label the parts with no problem. The issue came when I began trying to understand how to add the show notes and hide notes buttons to the slide and get them to function. I read and reread Dr. Pierce's instructions and researched and just could not figure it out. A couple emails and cries for help later my husband was feeling sorry for me in all my frustration as I was on the brink of a meltdown (keep in mind this is several hours later). He sits down and researches a little figures out these buttons are called action buttons and then guides me in the right direction. It is then that it all came together. LOL! Once I understood, I realized how easy this was and that this assignment should have taken 30 minutes not 5 hours. Anyway, I guess some things are like that. :)

As for the assignment it easily fits under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet a- design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. The assignment also fits very well under the same standard, bullet c- customize and personalize learning activities to address student's diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. This assignment also fits well under technology standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet a- demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

Since there was difficulty with FTP I am also embedding my labels slide via slideshare.


Friday, June 18, 2010

Ignite

Education 6305 afterschool
View more presentations from rkellar.

I created this slide show suing the Ignite format. I was able to upload it using Slide Share. I thought that this was a great idea to make a presentation on something. This type of activity easily fits under technology standard 1, bullet a- promote, support and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

This activity could be changed or students to be utilized as a formative or summative assessment for a unit of study. This type of activity would fit under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet d- provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

The activity as a whole also fits well under technology standard 4- Promote and Model Digital Age Citizenship and Responsibility, bullet b- address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.


Thursday, June 17, 2010

Power Point

Education 6305 rainforest
View more presentations from rkellar.

I utilized Microsoft Power Point to create my slide show on the rainforest and then was able to upload it to the web using slide share. I enjoyed using power point as it is a very convenient and easy to use tool. I also enjoyed learning about slide share since I had never used it before nor did I know anything about it. This type of activity fits well under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet a- design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

This type of activity could also be used as a formative or summative assessment by asking students to create informational slide shows on topics. For example, as a formative assessment you could have students do their own research on a topic and present it to the class as an introduction to a topic. As a summative assessment you could ask students to create a slide show of main points that were taught. This type of activity would fit well under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet d- provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

This activity also fits well under technology standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet a-demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. This is due to the fact that students utilize power point and then transfer the information to new technology, i.e. slide share.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Jing #2- Screen cast

I used Jing to create a screen cast on how to download Skype for Windows and create a profile for skype. The screen cast is available through a URL link once I share it via screencast.com through Jing. Its very nice since Jing automatically saves your video and stores it in your history.

I thought that using Jing to create a screen cast was fairly easy. However, I did find it difficult when I was recording to ensure that all of the screen was viewable when i needed it to be. My screen cast is a bit "rough" since it is an amateur screen cast and I wasn't able have all of the screen viewable at all times. It would have been nice to be able to adjust the Jing outline around my screen cast at different times. However, for a first shot I think it is pretty good and as with everything the more I use it the more I will figure out and the better my screen casts will get.

I thought that this activity would be very useful in the classroom. There are many times that you might give the students directions on how to do something on the computer and then the next time they don't remember how to do it. Using Jing you could create videos fro these different activities and if a student forgets how to do something they could watch the saved video. This type of activity would fit well under technology standard 5- Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, bullet c- evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

The use of Jing screen casts could also be helpful for activities when you allow the students to teach things to each other. This type of activity fits well under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, bullet a- promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. This type of activity also fits well under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital -Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet a- design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Jing #1- Image

Using Jing I was able to create this image.

I realized that when I saved this image to my computer it was a PNG image rather than a JPEG which was something I had never heard of. It was very easy to use the upload button on my blog post to upload the image from where I saved it on my computer. I also thought it was very cool that the images are stored on my computer and in my Jing history and on the Jing website.

I struggled trying to figure out how to get the picture website and thats when i figured out that I could click on the picture in my Jing history and edit it. And its very cool that when you save the image to your computer that it saves to your Jing history at the same time.

I really enjoyed using this website to create this step by step instruction. I can't count the amount of time as teachers we spend on writing out step by step instructions on boring plain paper. This allows us to "spice" it up a bit and do something different in the classroom. This activity could be used with older kids to do a directions project such as this. This type of activity easily fits under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, bullet a- promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. This could also be used by us the educators in creating documents to illustrate directions for the students. This type of activity would easily fit under technology standard 5- Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, bullet d- contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. You could also do an activity with another class where each class had a hand in adding something to the image. This type of activity would also fit under technology standard 5, bullet a- participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

Self Assessment

When I completed the survey for the self assessment I realized I wasn't doing as well as I had originally thought. I had thought that i was pretty on top of what I was doing in this class. Then I realized there was a lot I didn't realize I should have done like all the requirements for the blog posts. I had remembered looking over the blog rubric at the beginning of semester but then I guess I had kind of forgotten about it. I also didn't realize that there was anything we should have done for the TPACK assignment. I thought that it wasn't due until the end of the semester and that we were to work on it as we went along and the survey made me realize otherwise.

I like that we had this self assessment because it gives us a chance to make any changes needed to ensure our success. However, because it was already 3 weeks in I have a lot to go back and edit. Had we had this self assessment sooner I could have caught my mistakes earlier and not had so much to go back and edit. I think it would be nice to have one every couple weeks to make sure we're on track. This would be especially helpful since this class is moving at such a quick pace.

This type of activity best fits under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning and Assessments. More specifically bullet d-provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. This activity also fits well unders technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity. More specifically bullet c- promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

This activity would be great to do with a group of students to help them check thier knowledge and ensure all assignments are turned in at different times throughout the year.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Google Draw Tool



This is my drawing that I created using Google Draw which is a tool under Google Docs. I had not previously utilized any online drawing tools that I recall. However, I have utilized the Paint application on windows and drawing tools associated with Microsoft Office. I thought that this tool was very easy to use and would be easy for students to use of any age. Of course you would want to model and provide guidance but this is definitely something that would be fun and easy for students to use.

This activity could be used with elementary students as an activity at the end of the story. you could ask them to draw a picture of their favorite part. An activity like this would pertain to technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity (bullet c-promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes). The activity we completed might fall under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessment (bullet a-design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity). Older students in a classroom might also work with peers using this tool to create a mini story. They might use lines to divide the page into four squares and create a mini story. This type of activity would fall under technology standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning (bullet b- collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation).

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Glogster

My Glog

So this was a fun and interesting activity. Again something I had no idea existed or even what it was. Glog or Gloster is a web portal where you can create interactive posters or glogs and share them with others. Again I think that Glog could be very useful in class. It could be used in the first days of the year so students could get to know each other by creating their own personal glogs and sharing with the class.This type of activity would best fit under technology standard 2- Design and develop Digital Age Learning and Assessments. More specifically bullet a- design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

I think students could create glogs about a story they are reading that week or other such activities. This type of activity would best fit under standard 2-Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. More specifically bullet d- provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

They could even glog about special activities such as field trips etc. This type of activity would most likely fit under standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire student Learning. More specifically letter c - promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. Depending on how much you glogged it could end up being a sort of scrapbook.

My only issue would be that for a classroom the setting would need to be private so that not everyone could see. Otherwise I think it would be fine as long as it was closely monitored. There are probably issues I am not thinking of but I see it as useful and fun for students.

Self Portrait


This is the self portrait I created using the Picasso Head website. When I began this I thought what a cool site that would be great for elementary students. It would allow them to really work and express themselves. As I worked on creating my portrait I struggled with the shapes because they were specific. I wasn't able to really stretch their shape. I could only make them larger or smaller. This was a specific issue when it came to my hair. I had wanted to make this a realistic looking drawing but it didn't really work out that way. So I decided to embrace it and go with it. I suppose it is somewhat realistic.

As far as the technology standards I feel that this activity would be great for students to express themselves and their creativity. This type of activity best fits under Standard 2-
Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet a - design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. This activity could also fit under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity, bullet a- promote, support and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. I think this activity works with this standard because the students have to utilize the shapes on the website to create their self portrait which requires creativity, innovative thinking and inventiveness.

Learning Styles Inventory

After completing the Vark learning styles questionnaire my results were Visual: 12, Aural: 9,
Read/Write: 9, and Kinesthetic: 8. I believe that is a very accurate synopsis of my learning style. I always prefer to have some sort of visual explanation whether it be a diagram or a picture. I prefer that there is someone that would be able to explain it to me or ask questions to should I have them. I also prefer to read about it and take notes to help with comprehension. Finally if there is a way I can practice or try something out I like to do that as well.

This is a great activity to do with classes both for the teacher and students. This type of activity allows the teacher to see the varying personalities in his or her classroom. This activity also allows students to better understand their peers. As for the technology standards this activity fits under Standard 2-
Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet c- customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. This type of activity also fits well under technology standard 4- Promote and Model Digital Citizenship, bullet b- address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. This is because it allows you to gauge the types of learners in your classroom.

Snipping Tool


I chose to snip these two images because I have learned a lot about them in the last few months. The Scholastic website I learned has a variety of resources from book lists and teacher resources and classroom ideas. I only remembered Scholastic for the little book order forms you would get in class and books I had. Then, for a class last semester I had to use this site for a project and realized the plethora of resources it had available to teachers.
The voicethread snip is because I am really excited about this both as a resource and a teaching tool. I am overwhelmed by the many ways I can use this as a resource for learning centers or a way to communicate with students or other persons. I am also excited because I had no idea that this communication device existed prior to today.
And I have to say I didn't know this Snip It tool existed and now that I do I am pretty excited about it and plan to use it more often. :)

As for the technology standards, I would say that this activity best fits under Standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet a- demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. This is because this activity allows students to discover new technology to utilize and to demonstrate how they use that knowledge. This activity could also fall under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, bullet d- provide multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. This is because the activity would make a great formative assessment to allows students to show what they learned. The activity also fits under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, bullet c- promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. This is because this activity is both reflective and creative because students have to reflect on knowledge gained and creativity when snipping.

VoiceThread

So I have to tell you when I began this assignment I was thinking that this was lame. However, as I began exploring the assignment I was pleasantly surprised. This is a very cool thing that I had not ever previously heard of. As I watched the video "What is Voicethread" and it said it was a way of communicating based around media I didn't understand. However, the more I explored and understood the more fun it became and the more comfortable I got with voicethread. I thought that the "Who are you?" voicethread was a great idea and would have been a neat intro assignment to get to know everyone. It was nice to put voices with the faces we see in pictures. It sort of makes it more real and personable. :)

This is definitely something I could see using with a class or even a great way to connect your students with students in other schools or grades. I could see using this as a Pen Pal type activity but for the 21st century learner. This type of activity would best fit under technology standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet B-collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation. This activity would also fit well under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity, bullet d- model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments. This is because students are communicating in a virtual environment. The activity would also fit under technology standard 4- Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, bullet c- promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. This is because the activity requires students to model digital etiquette and responsible interaction.

Thanks for enlightening me Dr. Pierce!!

Google Reader Continued

My Shared Items

I figured out how to hyperlink text I think and this should take you to my Shared links in Google Reader. Hope this works!

Also here are the links to the blogs I subscribed to:
The "Alice Project"
Pissed Off
My Happy Rainbow

As for the technology standards I would say that this activity best fits under Standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet c- communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats. This is because this type of activity could be a great way to distribute information to students, parents, etc. This activity also fits well under standard 4- Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility, bullet d- develop and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools. . This is because thus allows students to subscribe to blogs that interest themas well as giving them the opportunity to explore what people of other cultures are doing and the differences among people. Finally this activity fits well under technology standard 5- Engage in Professional Growth and development, bullet a-participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning for many of the same reasons.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Google Reader

As I began this assignment I was again pushing my technology comfort zone. Google Reader is a program that i have no experience with nor had I even hear of. After watching the video I still felt confused but just decided to start following the steps to see where I ended up. I began by figuring out that RSS means Really Simple Syndication. Basically syndicated blogs are available from a general site so you can follow that blog and see a summary of whats new to the blog. This is different from our usual routine of hopping from site to site to see whats new. With this method you can view all the new information in one place. After figuring all this out I decided to view the Educblog website. As I looked through the site I chose three different blogs to follow using Google Reader. The blogs I chose to follow this semester are "Look at my Happy Rainbow," "Pissed Off," and The "Alice Project."

I chose to follow the blog "Look at my Happy Rainbow" because it was the journey of a male kindergarten teacher. It spoke to me as I am always intrigued to hear what males in the profession are thinking and feeling. I truly enjoyed reading through his many experiences as a kindergarten teacher. I also enjoyed reading the different strategies that he is using and whether they are helpful or not. I really enjoyed reading about some on the unique experiences and activities they are completing.

The second blog I chose to follow is "Pissed Off." This blog caught my eye for obvious reasons. It is a teacher blog site. But as I began looking on the blog I was drawn to pictures and words that reminded me of how I feel some days. I could also relate to many of the things mentioned on the blog. It seemed that she was putting into words my feelings on some various topics. This blogger just seems to vent on the day to day realities of being a teacher and I so enjoyed reading it and most often found it humorous.

The final blog I chose to follow was The "Alice Project." I chose this site because i am a big fan of Alice in Wonderland. As I was exploring the site I was intrigued at the journey the class took down the rabbit hole so to speak. I was also intrigued by the fact that the instructor really took learning to a new level and truly on a 21st century level. Everything regarding the project was online and at the students' finger tips. This allowed me to see that with a little work and my being tech savvy that students of any age could explore a concept in a similar manner.

I will enjoy continuing to follow these blogs throughout the semester and see what happens, comes up and new ideas and strategies!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Google Docs


Using Google Docs I was able to post my resume. Using Google Docs was a little odd at first simply because it was new. But once I started working with it I realized that it was very similar to Microsoft word and therefore very simple to use. I would prefer to use Microsoft Office but can see how this would be useful and beneficial to use.

This activity would best fit under technology standard number 4- Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility bullet b- address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. THis activity also fits well under the bullet c- promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information of the same standard because students must use appropriate digital etiquette and be responsible with their posting.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Internet Connection Test

When I clicked on the link to the assignment I was slightly confused. However, the Internet Connection test results said that my download speed is 9.94Mbps and my upload speed is 0.37 Mbps. Apparently download speed is how quickly I can receive information from the Internet. Upload speed is how quickly I can transfer information to the Internet. I am not sure if my results were good or bad as I am not very fluent in these technology terms. If someone can tell me one way or the other it would be appreciated. My computer is less than a year old and I have cable Internet so I hope that is good.

I feel that this activity best fits under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity bullet b- engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources because the Internet is something that the students use daily. This website could also fit well under technology standard 5- Engage in Professional Growth and Development, bullet d- contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community. This is because if students have the ability to complete such tests and understand the results then they could check connection speed on computers within the school in turn contributing to the effectiveness of their school.

Personality Profile- Accurate

As I suspected the Keirsey personality test revealed that I am a Guardian. This is not surprising to me at all. Of the four personality temperaments (Guardian, Idealist, Rational, and Artisan) I relate most to Guardian. I am not a thinker (Rational) or a creative person (Artisan). I do have some Idealistic traits but am mostly a "walk the line kind of person" (Guardian).

As I said in my previous post I take my duties and responsibilities very serious. I think its important to keep things running smoothly both at home and at work. I take being a dependable, responsible and honest individual very seriously. I am meticulous about keeping schedules and want things to be planned and situated. I believe firmly that there is a right and wrong way to things and that often this is being lost in our society. I am also very practical and disciplined. Obviously I am very much a guardian. I know that often when i have take the True Colors test I previously spoke of I am usually gold.

I think that being aware of your own personality traits can help you to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses and be more aware of how others perceive you. Many times in our lives we have all felt that we were saying something a certain way when in reality it may have not come out the way we thought. This is something that for the most part can be avoided when you are in touch with yourself and your personality.

I think that using this type of activity in a classroom will help you identify their personalities and in some ways help to get at the root of what makes them tick. This can help you to adjust your lessons and materials to better fit them. It could also help in grouping students to make sure the students will work well together.

This activity would best fit under technology standard 2- Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments bullet c- customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. This is because it allows students to learn more about themselves and their personality. This activity would also fit well under technology standard 3- Model Digital Age Work and Learning, bullet d- model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning. This is because students are able to evaluate and analyze their personality traits.

Personality Profile- Suggested

I have taken a few personality tests. Since I work with children and have attended some teen camps as a counselor the main test that comes to mind is called True Colors. It is very similar to this websites fundamentals but you receive a color rather than a title. I also remember taking a few quizzes throughout high school and some of college to help me decide what I should do with my life. I lover personality quizzes that are accurate because I think that they help you become more in touch with your inner self and help you know yourself better including possible weaknesses and strengths to be aware of.

Based on what I read in the article I could not choose just one temperament. However, of the two I relate to I would say I am mostly a Guardian. I am very serious regarding school and work and love to have fun with my friends. Being dependable and trustworthy are very important to me. I am very organized and rely heavily on my calendar. I feel its important to be cooperative and follow the rules. However, there were many things under the Idealist section that I related to. This seemed fitting since I am often referred to as an idealist. I love to learn and I am told I am very enthusiastic. While I have many friends I think its important to focus on meaningful friendships and relationships. I am very giving, loving, kindhearted and giving. i am constantly trying to improve myself to be my best self.

I would say I am almost right down the middle between these two temperaments. These are both cooperative personalities and for the most part I am however I can be cantankerous but then again can't we all. :)

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Browser Wars Assignment

So I have to first say that reading this for me was almost comparable to reading a medical terminology paper. HAHA!! I am aware of the various browser such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape and Mozilla Firefox. So I was able to pick out this terminology but otherwise felt lost. However, I did find it intriguing to learn about how far Internet browsing has come over the years. Especially considering the first browser was developed in 1991. Can we imagine our lives if the medical field progressed at the same speed as technology?

Anyway, enough about that. Now on to the learning outcome questions. "A web browser is an Internet based hypertext system invented in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Tim Burners-Lee." Basically I took this to mean that it is the tool we use to browse the web. It gets us from website to website. The top 4 web browsers as of April 2010 are FireFox (46.4%), IE 8 (16.2%), Chrome (13.6%) and IE 7 (9.3%). I was shocked that Safari was not higher on the list of web browsers as I would figure with the iPhone and MAC computers it would be well received.

I have worked mainly with the Internet Explorer versions of web browsers. However, my in-laws have a MAC so if I am there I will use the Safari we browser. I recall have the Netscape browser on school computers as I was growing up. Otherwise I am not to familiar in using other web browsers. I don't do much other than use the web browsers to get from site to site so as long as they get the job done I am fine. Therefore, I think that all of the browsers are fairly easy to use. Safari is a little different because things are kind of backwards from IE versions with the close button and so on but otherwise very similar. I am also not one to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to technology. i don't really understand my apprehensiveness but it none the less exists.

A browser war is a competition among web browsers. The goal of this competition based on the article appears to be to be used the most and be popular. It also seems to be about having a lot of features. To me the big deal to be number one is driven by market value and money. But isn't a lot of things in life. I also think again this comes back to popularity. But that's just my thoughts; there could very well be much more to it than what I see. Someone who better understand this all could probably give me a lot of other reasons. But this is what i think drives it all.

This activity would best fit under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity bullet b- engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. This activity also fits well under bullet c- promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes under the same standard since students have to reflect on their knowledge gained from the article to respond to the article.

Sources: Browser Stats
Wikipedia- Browser Wars

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Blogger- Introductory Post

I am 25 y.o. and am pursuing my Masters in Education with a concentration in reading specialist. I hope to finish in May 2011. I live in Fairmont with my husband and two cats! I work full time through the Marion Co. Board of Education as a Site Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Club. I am originally from Cairo, WV which is in Ritchie County.

This activity would fit well under technology standard 1- Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, bullet d- model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments since students are sharing information through a virtual environment. This activity would also fit well under technology standard 4- Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and responsibility, bullet c- promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information as they have to model responsible and appropriate etiquette on their blog.