Friday, November 25, 2016
Blog post 19: Using video for teaching and learning
http://ed.ted.com/on/HD6kgNma
In this assignment for the week using videos for teaching and learning, was a great eye opener. I did not know about this new tech tool!!! It is virtually cutting teachers work by facilitating lessons about many different subjects and contents. This is so handy to have as a teacher resource because students need to be exposed to many forms of instructional materials so that they can relate to the new information. Video is a strong influence with students because it engages students attention instead of just reading off the textbook.
The videos have subtitles where students can be reading off or can be in different languages in which case I would use the Spanish subtitles for the ELL students. Students can answer the questions you assign and have the video next in the screen where they can stop, listen and watch the video again for the information needed to answer the questions the teacher has assigned for the assignment. The discussion board is handy too so that students can use their higher order thinking capacities to participate in the classrooms discussion about the video lesson and share among themselves about their perspectives about the video and assignments.
I would use the TED-Ed videos in the following ways: First, as a teacher I would use this video technology in my 5th grade classroom to introduce what is going to be my final project subject matter of Social Studies. I would add as many connecting links about the timeline to introduce the students with different eras of history. The link above is related to the 13 Original Colonies where students will be exposed to different video links about the colonies and there would be small assignments about the videos that I would create to specifically help the students with their own year long project. Second, students could also look up other videos about the time in history we would be working on so that they can have several different informational references. Third, the students could also add video links into their assignments to make their presentations more appealing. There are many educational channels but this one on TED-Ed is made specifically for teachers with lessons already created or if needed a teacher can just flip the video lesson to accommodate the plans the teacher has in mind. I particularly like the aspect that a teacher can add their own questions in the THINK section of the lesson plan by adding up to 15 questions for the students to answer. In the Dig Deeper and the Discuss section of the plans a teacher can include open ended questions where the students would have to answer in a written narrative format about the lesson and gives the teacher the opportunity to really find out if the students really understood the lesson or if we need to adjust our form of re-teaching it. This TED-Ed video lessons is a wonderful resource for new teachers who have a hard time trying to come up with different forms to engage students in their learning. I am definitely going to use this in my everyday teaching.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Blog 18 using Google photos
Using Google photos is an awesome technology addition to the classroom. I had not experienced building a photo album before. I thought it would be hard but it was not very difficult. I would like to use this photo feature in the classroom with my 5th grade students so that they can create a video documentary of their 5th grade experience. We would start taking pictures starting at the first day of school. Students would start saving and uploading their own pictures and adding text to the album reminding them about the events around the picture. Students would create a biography about their year long activities and special occasions. At the end of the year they would be able to share their photo albums with their family and especially their friends. The students would see how much they have changed and matured at the end of the year. I myself would keep my own album of everyone and my favorite pictures as a whole class. At my campus we are very big on dressing up for Dr. Suess birthday, for career days, for NFL jersey day, for Halloween and every other chance we can wear fun attire. I would also include other campus staff so that students can remember everyone on our campus. That would be so cool to watch a few years later. Up until 4 years ago, I had done the yearbook for my campus for the past 15 years and I really miss those experiences.
Another educational activity would be a Science photo album. Students would find pictures of the subject matter we are working on and build an album for that subject. The albums would include pictures of such items as landforms so that students could keep real life pictures of what a real canyon, delta, glacier, or valley really looks like. This would really help connect students to their learning and students would be able to study off their albums. Students would also be able to create slides with their vocabulary words and add photos or pictures associated with the science words/vocabulary.
I think I would also do a Social Studies project with my students. They would be able to create a photo timeline of an important characters in History. Maybe students could select to create a photo timeline of Martin Luther King's life and present to their fellow classmates. Students would share their photo findings with the whole class so that everyone can see their characters documentary. This photo technology would be very helpful for students to learn and help to prepare them for middle school so that they can include photos in powerpoints or create a photo diaries of themselves they can share. Google photos is a really cool and I am planning to use it to store all my photos and share with my family the albums created.
Another educational activity would be a Science photo album. Students would find pictures of the subject matter we are working on and build an album for that subject. The albums would include pictures of such items as landforms so that students could keep real life pictures of what a real canyon, delta, glacier, or valley really looks like. This would really help connect students to their learning and students would be able to study off their albums. Students would also be able to create slides with their vocabulary words and add photos or pictures associated with the science words/vocabulary.
I think I would also do a Social Studies project with my students. They would be able to create a photo timeline of an important characters in History. Maybe students could select to create a photo timeline of Martin Luther King's life and present to their fellow classmates. Students would share their photo findings with the whole class so that everyone can see their characters documentary. This photo technology would be very helpful for students to learn and help to prepare them for middle school so that they can include photos in powerpoints or create a photo diaries of themselves they can share. Google photos is a really cool and I am planning to use it to store all my photos and share with my family the albums created.
Blog 17 Google photos link
This is the link to a photo album I created about baby pictures and how fast children grow up.
https://goo.gl/photos/3PwacumEEGzskpBG6
Bertha Gonzalez
https://goo.gl/photos/3PwacumEEGzskpBG6
Bertha Gonzalez
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Blog Post 16: Self Directed Learning
I found this article to have a dramatic statistic that is affecting our public schools. According to the this article 500,000 for our Mexican descent students are leaving our U.S. public schools and returning to Mexico with their families. The students returning are U.S. citizens who have grown up in the states and do not even speak Spanish. The families are returning because the families source of income has moved or ended and now they must return to Mexico. Unfortunate the Mexican schools have no clue about how to handle the influx of U.S. born children who do not even speak Spanish and their government is trying to integrate them back into the mainstream of their culture but now this students are being discriminated because they've returned back from the U. S. and do not know the native language. Teachers in Mexico are not equipped to communicate with these children and now their goal is to transition the children as quickly as possible to be Spanish fluent.
This scenario is affecting our school community as closely as our own campuses. At my campus our demographics show that our turn around for students who leave our campus is about 18% of our population. When the students leave our campus and new students arrive we have to start at square one to bring them up to slowly integrate them into our dual program. At least in the the U.S. we work with the student's native language but in Mexico the government is having a difficult time with this group of students.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/13/498271392/invisible-children-raised-in-the-u-s-now-struggling-in-mexico
http://gettingsmart.com/2016/11/6-reasons-google-classroom-great-tool/
This article targets 6 Reasons Why Google Classroom is a Great Tool For Teachers
Students are growing up with 21st century technology use and so they must be exposed to to be able to compete with the world's job market. The article emphasizes that students must be able to work online not only in their learning but also with their homework load. Students must be able to access materials and resources online and be familiarized with different browsers used. This online classroom has some teacher benefits which cut down on paperwork since assignments can be turned in and graded online. Students are working on a live document that saves automatically and the excuse of not finding or loosing work will no longer be a believable one. Student's use of technology is greatly engaging for students and they become more involved in their own learning. Teachers can also monitor group projects and see their groups cooperating towards one common goal. This article is very informative and a good source of reference to start our own Google Classroom assignments.
This scenario is affecting our school community as closely as our own campuses. At my campus our demographics show that our turn around for students who leave our campus is about 18% of our population. When the students leave our campus and new students arrive we have to start at square one to bring them up to slowly integrate them into our dual program. At least in the the U.S. we work with the student's native language but in Mexico the government is having a difficult time with this group of students.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/13/498271392/invisible-children-raised-in-the-u-s-now-struggling-in-mexico
http://gettingsmart.com/2016/11/6-reasons-google-classroom-great-tool/
This article targets 6 Reasons Why Google Classroom is a Great Tool For Teachers
Students are growing up with 21st century technology use and so they must be exposed to to be able to compete with the world's job market. The article emphasizes that students must be able to work online not only in their learning but also with their homework load. Students must be able to access materials and resources online and be familiarized with different browsers used. This online classroom has some teacher benefits which cut down on paperwork since assignments can be turned in and graded online. Students are working on a live document that saves automatically and the excuse of not finding or loosing work will no longer be a believable one. Student's use of technology is greatly engaging for students and they become more involved in their own learning. Teachers can also monitor group projects and see their groups cooperating towards one common goal. This article is very informative and a good source of reference to start our own Google Classroom assignments.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Blog Post 15: LiveBinders: Bertha Gonzalez
My binder is an array of different tools I have found on Pinterest.
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=2114448
LiveBinders for teaching is a different take on the perspective about organization and filing important and relevant information. One of the ways I would use the LiveBinder is to organize some charts I have on Pintrest but are in no particular order and in different boards. The binder I created and will help me organize different subjects into the different tabs. There I will have all the charts, graphs and activities under one tab or expand into more tabs about the same subject but different assignments. I was also able to create a tab for my ELL students with all their assignments under that tab which I can easily access without having to be fumbling with all the big binders with all the copies I have on my shelves. I can then bring up on the overhead project where students can all see and work in their Interactive Notebooks. Assignments for different subjects can be stored in different binders and this would eliminate the need to keep paper copies.
Another way I would use the LiveBinder is organize all the charts and graphic organizers for my 5th graders to have access to and so they will be able to use for their assignments especially in Reading where we can do up to two organizers a day. The tabs are easily accessible and with a description of what is in the tab students will be able to locate easily. Students would be able to move from tab to tab where the different graphic organizers are located along with teachers notes about what is expected for the assignment. Students would also be able to look at a reference section where I would add information about the lesson I had just presented in case the students feel they missed some important information and want to see what I had just covered. This would also be beneficial to any students who were absent and now needed to do make up work. All the assignments and notes about the lecture would be in the reference section for students to look up.
I think that the best way I would maximize the use of LiveBinders would be to organize all the data we are given about our class. We are constantly breaking down data about students, assignments and other demographics that I could create a binder for each category. One binder would be about student's data to include test scores for each student and grades for each grading period. I would separate the tabs into each 9 period weeks so that I can keep track of all the students assignments and grades. This would mean that I could cut down on paper copies and maybe even eliminate filing cabinets with all the paper files. LiveBinders is a great way to cut down on paper clutter and help us organize so we can have easy access to many of the files that we would otherwise not be able to get a hold of when we are at home. With LiveBinders we can have access to all the important information whenever we want to access it because it is through the use of technology. Our binders could also be shared with others and that would be helpful for teachers to share with their grade levels and can even be used as a teacher's personal portfolio with all the documentation an administration would want to see as evidence of work performance.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Blog post 14: Final lesson ideas
The lesson I would like to propose as a final for this web class would be for the subject area of Social Studies for the 5th grade. The concentration of Math, Science and Reading during the schooldays is more overpowering than that of the area of Social Studies and for this reason I would like to do an intensive year long project with 5th graders with the focus on the timeline of lessons of a year long Social Studies units addressed during the class. I know it is late in this school year to start this project now, so I would use it at the beginning of the next school year. I have noticed that students enjoy Social Studies and are not very familiar with its contents until addressed in class. But with the time restraints and since Social Studies isn't a testing subject, it is just skimmed to address only minimum content knowledge.
In this year long project I would address all the TEKS to start with the beginning of the year lessons. I will present the research project at the beginning of the school year and assign teams with 3 students on each team. The project would use the web tools of Blogger where students will write their findings and present as a Prezi presentation at the end of the year. Blogger will serve as an individual communication tool used only between team members and where I can monitor their progress and entries. A list of important activities or events that I want to be touched upon will serve as a indication of what students should address. Students would take notes about the Social Studies lessons addressed during the day and start collaborating with their team members of how they want the information presented on their Prezi presentation early in the school year as assignments are covered in class. There will be a time limit on the Prezi presentations so that students can address only the most important aspects of the Social Studies timeline they want to present.
In order to monitor progress and students assessments I would compile a timeline of different entries that will be required to be done by a specific time of the year so that students will be working and collaborating on the project during the whole year and not wait until the end of the year and try to backtrack all the information covered in class. I would require photos, quotes, maps, and other online Internet resources that students might need to do on their own. Students would be able to use campus resources such as guidance from librarian or even computer technology teacher that can guide them about finding information or input about how to import pictures or other graphics.
I know this project seems intense and will require effort and commitment from the students but at the end I feel the students will have a clear understanding of everything they learned through out the school year and they can keep their Prezi presentation as a valuable resource of what they learned in Social Studies in their 5th grade class.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Blog post 13: Helping a teacher use wikis
The scenario Jane is facing can be a challenging one with 6th graders. One of the problems that I could see Jane encountered was the problem about collaboration. The problem about collaboration with their group members can be a result of the maybe the students being too young to fully understand the dynamics of working as a member of team. Students need to be fully aware that their entries about their research paper affects the whole team. The responsibility should not just fall on just one team member. Collaboration is about everyone contributing to the assignment and taking responsibility for their contribution. Jane should be very clear with the students that she is able to monitor each student's individuals entries and speak to the group and clarifying misconceptions about assignment entries. Maybe the students who were not collaborating thought they were getting away with mooching off another classmate's commitment. On the other hand, group/team projects can be a personal challenge to that student who wants to really get a good grade on the research paper and does not want to rely on the other's partners lack of commitment and responsibility and would rather do the entire work of the team to ensure a good grade for him/herself. In this case Jane should acknowledge the work each member of team has brought to the paper and grade each student according to their input on the project.
Another problem that I could see Jane also encountered was about the team members respecting each others entries and contributions to the assignments. Jane needs to make the team members aware that the wikis is not about changing each others entries but adding to and enhancing each others contributions to the assignment. Maybe students can meet and discuss changes to the entries of other classmates and with agreement of the student who wrote the entry go back and edit the section that would need revision. That way emotions do not take the best of everyone involved and no one gets surprised or upset about changes done to their entries. I know that the whole purpose of the wikis is to work and edit at the comfort of each others home and schedule, but team/group projects do require a commitment to maybe meet face to face once in a while to agree on specifics about the assignment and its content. Being honest about each others additions or deletions should be done tactfully and with the highest regard to each other feelings. Here is like where students can find information about the etiquette when editing some one's entries. http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/26237/editing-others-posts-general-etiquette?noredirect=1&lq=1.
A third problem that I feel was obvious with Jane's assignment was the fact that students were embedding information directly from other websites with no significant informational value. Maybe Jane should of added a list of websites where students could find reliable information about the topic of hydrology. This way students were aware to concentrate their research on the websites specifically on the subject. The following website would of been a good source of information for students to start looking up about hydrology. Maybe a link like this one would set the team on the right path to their research paper: https://ce103.edublogs.org/project-ideas-and-resources/. Jane needs to make sure that students understand that they have to reference all the sources they are using in the research paper by adding a reference page at the end of the paper to acknowledge all the sources that they found and used information from. This link might be used by students to show them how to reference a source of information:
http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2010/11/how-to-cite-something-you-found-on-a-website-in-apa-style.html. This might be a little too much for a 6th grader to understand the full implications on not giving credit to the information source but can give them an idea of not just to copy and paste items thinking no one would ever find out.
Jane has a good concept about using technology wikis in the science class, with just a few adjustments to her assignment, I'm sure her students would benefit tremendously from this type of science research.
Another problem that I could see Jane also encountered was about the team members respecting each others entries and contributions to the assignments. Jane needs to make the team members aware that the wikis is not about changing each others entries but adding to and enhancing each others contributions to the assignment. Maybe students can meet and discuss changes to the entries of other classmates and with agreement of the student who wrote the entry go back and edit the section that would need revision. That way emotions do not take the best of everyone involved and no one gets surprised or upset about changes done to their entries. I know that the whole purpose of the wikis is to work and edit at the comfort of each others home and schedule, but team/group projects do require a commitment to maybe meet face to face once in a while to agree on specifics about the assignment and its content. Being honest about each others additions or deletions should be done tactfully and with the highest regard to each other feelings. Here is like where students can find information about the etiquette when editing some one's entries. http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/26237/editing-others-posts-general-etiquette?noredirect=1&lq=1.
A third problem that I feel was obvious with Jane's assignment was the fact that students were embedding information directly from other websites with no significant informational value. Maybe Jane should of added a list of websites where students could find reliable information about the topic of hydrology. This way students were aware to concentrate their research on the websites specifically on the subject. The following website would of been a good source of information for students to start looking up about hydrology. Maybe a link like this one would set the team on the right path to their research paper: https://ce103.edublogs.org/project-ideas-and-resources/. Jane needs to make sure that students understand that they have to reference all the sources they are using in the research paper by adding a reference page at the end of the paper to acknowledge all the sources that they found and used information from. This link might be used by students to show them how to reference a source of information:
http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2010/11/how-to-cite-something-you-found-on-a-website-in-apa-style.html. This might be a little too much for a 6th grader to understand the full implications on not giving credit to the information source but can give them an idea of not just to copy and paste items thinking no one would ever find out.
Jane has a good concept about using technology wikis in the science class, with just a few adjustments to her assignment, I'm sure her students would benefit tremendously from this type of science research.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Week 10-Twitter
Week 10-Twitter Hashtags-Bertha Gonzalez
This week I choose the online video for Twitter to find out more in depth about this social media. I am too new to using Twitter. The only reason I have an account is because my professor from last semester had assignments due thru Twitter and it was part of the class requirement to obtain a Twitter account to communicate thru. The social media app is very popular and is used in many ways, especially to keep in touch with an extensive circle of people. For me I try to stay away from this type of media just because it can be very addicting and I would probably be stayed logged in for hours. But I can see how beneficial it can be to follow many of the educational hashtags that I was able to find here. One of the sites I found to be very interesting was the #bullying. This contained many informational links and hashtags that provides information to stand up against bullying. This is very beneficial for when people are looking for answers and great resource for students to find the courage to stand up to bullies. These informational hashtags can be a used to combat bullying and change the culture of bullying and to help spread the message especially with our younger generation. No one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable and hurt you in any way and knowing where to find answers can be an outlet for anyone who is going thru this type of ordeal. All the links associated with this hashtags have positive and inspiring messages that can be of comfort and a source of inspiration. Bullying in the schools is a very definite danger that has to be abolished. Students need to stand up for themselves and their friends so that this does not continue to exist in our school grounds. #bullying is an educational source that we as teachers can pass onto our students so that they can find help and the support to combat bullying.
The forms I would use the Twitter hashtags in my classroom would be to provide a list of educational links so that parents can use to find information about almost anything concerning their children. I also found an hashtag of #mathchat where teachers can find resources about math and almost another subject. There is also a hashtag of #scichat where students can go to for anything regarding with science. All this hashtags and links into Twitter contain a lot of information that can benefit our students and be a great resource for when we are looking for different activities or lessons for our classrooms. Twitter is a great avenue for anyone in search of answers about any subject to connect even more information and resources that are just mind blowing with endless possibilities.
This week I choose the online video for Twitter to find out more in depth about this social media. I am too new to using Twitter. The only reason I have an account is because my professor from last semester had assignments due thru Twitter and it was part of the class requirement to obtain a Twitter account to communicate thru. The social media app is very popular and is used in many ways, especially to keep in touch with an extensive circle of people. For me I try to stay away from this type of media just because it can be very addicting and I would probably be stayed logged in for hours. But I can see how beneficial it can be to follow many of the educational hashtags that I was able to find here. One of the sites I found to be very interesting was the #bullying. This contained many informational links and hashtags that provides information to stand up against bullying. This is very beneficial for when people are looking for answers and great resource for students to find the courage to stand up to bullies. These informational hashtags can be a used to combat bullying and change the culture of bullying and to help spread the message especially with our younger generation. No one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable and hurt you in any way and knowing where to find answers can be an outlet for anyone who is going thru this type of ordeal. All the links associated with this hashtags have positive and inspiring messages that can be of comfort and a source of inspiration. Bullying in the schools is a very definite danger that has to be abolished. Students need to stand up for themselves and their friends so that this does not continue to exist in our school grounds. #bullying is an educational source that we as teachers can pass onto our students so that they can find help and the support to combat bullying.
The forms I would use the Twitter hashtags in my classroom would be to provide a list of educational links so that parents can use to find information about almost anything concerning their children. I also found an hashtag of #mathchat where teachers can find resources about math and almost another subject. There is also a hashtag of #scichat where students can go to for anything regarding with science. All this hashtags and links into Twitter contain a lot of information that can benefit our students and be a great resource for when we are looking for different activities or lessons for our classrooms. Twitter is a great avenue for anyone in search of answers about any subject to connect even more information and resources that are just mind blowing with endless possibilities.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Blog post 11: Week 9 : Group code i23b5m
Bertha Gonzalez
This week with the Edmodo application learning was really a great hands on experience. It is easy to set up and to create assignments. This technology resource will be a great asset to the classroom setting so that students can get a real life experience of how technology can benefit their learning. Students are engaged longer with this type of assignments since they crave the technology hands on use. The creation of the assignments can have many different aspects of students selecting their responses to include the typical multiple choice answers, fill in the blank, true or false and the short answer type. Teachers can unload pictures, video clips and files that students can have access to. The use of the "backpack" to hold the students assignments is a good indicator for students to remember where their assignment are stored. Assignments can have deadlines for submissions and sending deadline reminders would benefit students with turning in assignments on time. I really like that you can schedule when you want to release your assignment at a specific day, so you can create assignments early and have them send out later. The grade book feature is also good to keep up with daily grades and quiz grades. Students and parents can get immediate feedback about assignment grades.
This technology resource would be very useful to my fifth graders so that the beginning of the school year to send out an introduction message welcoming students into our new classroom. I would also send out a poll to get to know about students interests and what their expectations are for this school year. Another use for Edmodo would be to create online assignments or quizzes different from the typical paper/pencil assignments for students to submit from their homes. Students would have to be committed so that to submit assignments before the assignment deadlines. Parents would be able to follow their children's progress and there would be no surprises about grades. Constant monitoring from parents is an important key to ensure student's success and with this form of communication parents can join in and assist students with thier assignments and monitor their progress through out the school year.
Bertha Gonzalez
This week with the Edmodo application learning was really a great hands on experience. It is easy to set up and to create assignments. This technology resource will be a great asset to the classroom setting so that students can get a real life experience of how technology can benefit their learning. Students are engaged longer with this type of assignments since they crave the technology hands on use. The creation of the assignments can have many different aspects of students selecting their responses to include the typical multiple choice answers, fill in the blank, true or false and the short answer type. Teachers can unload pictures, video clips and files that students can have access to. The use of the "backpack" to hold the students assignments is a good indicator for students to remember where their assignment are stored. Assignments can have deadlines for submissions and sending deadline reminders would benefit students with turning in assignments on time. I really like that you can schedule when you want to release your assignment at a specific day, so you can create assignments early and have them send out later. The grade book feature is also good to keep up with daily grades and quiz grades. Students and parents can get immediate feedback about assignment grades.
This technology resource would be very useful to my fifth graders so that the beginning of the school year to send out an introduction message welcoming students into our new classroom. I would also send out a poll to get to know about students interests and what their expectations are for this school year. Another use for Edmodo would be to create online assignments or quizzes different from the typical paper/pencil assignments for students to submit from their homes. Students would have to be committed so that to submit assignments before the assignment deadlines. Parents would be able to follow their children's progress and there would be no surprises about grades. Constant monitoring from parents is an important key to ensure student's success and with this form of communication parents can join in and assist students with thier assignments and monitor their progress through out the school year.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Post 10-Bertha Gonzalez
On one of the free technology for teachers sites has many informative articles that capture the young students imagination. One of the articles contained on the site is an article about bats and their habitats. It explains in very kid friendly vocabulary how bats live, what they eat and how the raise their young. Students would be able to identify with video clips because they're not long and is not overwhelming with information and provide enough information for students to remember. The other short video clips are also Science related to include lessons about the functions of the skeletal system, which is always a big hit with students because they can relate to broken bones or sprained ankles. This site can be a great resource to continue to visit since it is continuously updated with the different topics that are students find interesting and appealing. A teacher would be able to use these short video clips as a writing assignment for students to summarize what they learned and keep a writing journal with all their entries.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/four-halloween-themed-lessons-from.html#.WAGmuztlm1s
Another really cool and interesting site is
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/tinytap-courses-create-interactive.html#.WAGwKTtlm1s
Here the teacher can create games like slides with interesting facts about different themes and students can interact with the games. Students would not realize they are learning since the site feels like the video games they enjoy so much. Teacher creates worksheets where students fill in the blanks or answer multiple choice questions about the information slides. The wonderful thing about TinyTap is that you can use and share other TinyTap user's creations. This is an added benefit because we can enjoy many more themes from other creators which makes the selections unlimitless. So are if we're looking for a specific theme chances are someone has already created it. Which saves us some time in creating a new one.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/four-halloween-themed-lessons-from.html#.WAGmuztlm1s
Another really cool and interesting site is
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/tinytap-courses-create-interactive.html#.WAGwKTtlm1s
Here the teacher can create games like slides with interesting facts about different themes and students can interact with the games. Students would not realize they are learning since the site feels like the video games they enjoy so much. Teacher creates worksheets where students fill in the blanks or answer multiple choice questions about the information slides. The wonderful thing about TinyTap is that you can use and share other TinyTap user's creations. This is an added benefit because we can enjoy many more themes from other creators which makes the selections unlimitless. So are if we're looking for a specific theme chances are someone has already created it. Which saves us some time in creating a new one.
Post 10-Bertha Gonzalez
On one of the free technology for teachers sites has many informative articles that capture the young students imagination. One of the articles contained on the site is an article about bats and their habitats. It explains in very kid friendly vocabulary how bats live, what they eat and how the raise their young. Students would be able to identify with video clips because they're not long and is not overwhelming with information and provide enough information for students to remember. The other short video clips are also Science related to include lessons about the functions of the skeletal system, which is always a big hit with students because they can relate to broken bones or sprained ankles. This site can be a great resource to continue to visit since it is continuously updated with the different topics that are students find interesting and appealing. A teacher would be able to use these short video clips as a writing assignment for students to summarize what they learned and keep a writing journal with all their entries.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/four-halloween-themed-lessons-from.html#.WAGmuztlm1s
Another really cool and interesting site is
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/tinytap-courses-create-interactive.html#.WAGwKTtlm1s
Here the teacher can create games like slides with interesting facts about different themes and students can interact with the games. Students would not realize they are learning since the site feels like the video games they enjoy so much. Teacher creates worksheets where students fill in the blanks or answer multiple choice questions about the information slides. The wonderful thing about TinyTap is that you can use and share other TinyTap user's creations. This is an added benefit because we can enjoy many more themes from other creators which makes the selections unlimitless. So are if we're looking for a specific theme chances are someone has already created it. Which saves us some time.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/four-halloween-themed-lessons-from.html#.WAGmuztlm1s
Another really cool and interesting site is
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/10/tinytap-courses-create-interactive.html#.WAGwKTtlm1s
Here the teacher can create games like slides with interesting facts about different themes and students can interact with the games. Students would not realize they are learning since the site feels like the video games they enjoy so much. Teacher creates worksheets where students fill in the blanks or answer multiple choice questions about the information slides. The wonderful thing about TinyTap is that you can use and share other TinyTap user's creations. This is an added benefit because we can enjoy many more themes from other creators which makes the selections unlimitless. So are if we're looking for a specific theme chances are someone has already created it. Which saves us some time.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Blog 8-Google forms
Survey link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUcTR08QcmUOfLs_2Ej6Ow2r5tiZZU1fh6fo32MMh-DtWQrQ/viewform
This weeks video was so informative. There was so much useful ideas that we can use in the classroom. The survey is a great tool to find out about the information that our students have learn by quickly asking simple questions. Maybe for a Social Studies report they can conduct a survey and find out what the students would like to change in their classroom or on the campus. Also they can conduct a survey about the what the students would like to have for lunch in the cafeteria, and present their case with concrete proof of the responses, to the head departments of Food Services at central offices.
Also the idea of students working on a project together and everyone contributing from their homes when they can not physically get together to finish it. They can participate and create their projects and know who is working on what part of it. As a teacher to be fair, we could watch the way they work with each other and who is doing their part and who falls short on the part. The possibilities are endless with all the assignments we can share with students. Creating assignments online and having them graded with immediate results is a possibility I am looking forward to looking into. The students will be engaged because they love the technology aspect of doing homework online. Also being in contact with parents and being able to share some of the information the students are working on will be a benefit with getting them involved in the classroom. Students can create brochures with all the font features plus import pictures and release their creativity aspect of their personalities. Students class information presentations can have a new aspect with the way they are developed and presented with the slides to include colorful pictures and much more. Powerpoint's will be more interesting and powerful when the students learn to use all these tools. And best of all these application are easy to learn so they will be creating spectacular assignments in no time at all!!
This weeks video was so informative. There was so much useful ideas that we can use in the classroom. The survey is a great tool to find out about the information that our students have learn by quickly asking simple questions. Maybe for a Social Studies report they can conduct a survey and find out what the students would like to change in their classroom or on the campus. Also they can conduct a survey about the what the students would like to have for lunch in the cafeteria, and present their case with concrete proof of the responses, to the head departments of Food Services at central offices.
Also the idea of students working on a project together and everyone contributing from their homes when they can not physically get together to finish it. They can participate and create their projects and know who is working on what part of it. As a teacher to be fair, we could watch the way they work with each other and who is doing their part and who falls short on the part. The possibilities are endless with all the assignments we can share with students. Creating assignments online and having them graded with immediate results is a possibility I am looking forward to looking into. The students will be engaged because they love the technology aspect of doing homework online. Also being in contact with parents and being able to share some of the information the students are working on will be a benefit with getting them involved in the classroom. Students can create brochures with all the font features plus import pictures and release their creativity aspect of their personalities. Students class information presentations can have a new aspect with the way they are developed and presented with the slides to include colorful pictures and much more. Powerpoint's will be more interesting and powerful when the students learn to use all these tools. And best of all these application are easy to learn so they will be creating spectacular assignments in no time at all!!
Friday, September 30, 2016
Week 6: Pinterest
www.pinterest.com/bagonzalez05
This weeks Pinterest readings have been really helpful in understanding the whole pinning frenzy. Up until a few months
ago I had not experienced what Pinterest was but once I started playing with it I was hooked! I have used it to
find lesson plans, instructional video of how to cook recipes and many arts and crafts ideas. The webinar exposed me
to what more Pinterest can be. I have to try to pin differently by having the pin button ready to pin at any given moment.
I really appreciate the fact that the company had a specific section dedicated to given acknowledgements and given
credit where credit is due when you import a picture or pin from other sites. The Pinterest side where educators
have a library of resources will be really helpful when looking for specially geared subject matter. For the older
students in middle school it would be great to create a board and share with other students. Students can create not
only educational boards but also boards about their hobbies and we can get an inside view of what interests and
motivates them. Maybe a list of books that they would like to read or places they would like to visit. These would
be great topics for them to write about during class and get them excited about writing. The Pinterest app is wonderful
to have on my phone and the fact that others can invite me to their own boards is also good because we can share
our different pins with other colleagues. This website is very helpful in our everyday lives and best of all is easy to
maneuver and use it. And I really appreciate that!!!
This weeks Pinterest readings have been really helpful in understanding the whole pinning frenzy. Up until a few months
ago I had not experienced what Pinterest was but once I started playing with it I was hooked! I have used it to
find lesson plans, instructional video of how to cook recipes and many arts and crafts ideas. The webinar exposed me
to what more Pinterest can be. I have to try to pin differently by having the pin button ready to pin at any given moment.
I really appreciate the fact that the company had a specific section dedicated to given acknowledgements and given
credit where credit is due when you import a picture or pin from other sites. The Pinterest side where educators
have a library of resources will be really helpful when looking for specially geared subject matter. For the older
students in middle school it would be great to create a board and share with other students. Students can create not
only educational boards but also boards about their hobbies and we can get an inside view of what interests and
motivates them. Maybe a list of books that they would like to read or places they would like to visit. These would
be great topics for them to write about during class and get them excited about writing. The Pinterest app is wonderful
to have on my phone and the fact that others can invite me to their own boards is also good because we can share
our different pins with other colleagues. This website is very helpful in our everyday lives and best of all is easy to
maneuver and use it. And I really appreciate that!!!
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Blog post 3: Evernote Page: Bertha Gonzalez
This weeks assignment was very challenging for me!!! I probably saw the video about 4 times to try to understand it. Unfortunately I was not able to submit by Fridays deadline but nevertheless I had to post this. Attached you will hopefully find information about my Evernote. It is about how students can do research and keep their notes and information on Evernote. https://www.evernote.com/l/AkEO7NvL3CtMi4M8zm0BwMorrarLiAzaRx4
Friday, September 16, 2016
This weeks articles on Feedly have exposed me to the many technology instructional websites and ways of blogging. The thousands of resources available online is a bit intimidating when trying to seek a specific subject or area of interest. As I looked thru the many choices of adding to my Feedly, I came across an eye catching website: Free Technology for Teachers. As I viewed the contents I found that there many connections that I could be able to integrate in the classroom for example the creative page of Pixton. In this webpage you can create a comic strip or even a small book by customizing your images from what is available. This program takes you step by step in creating a comic scenery with backgrounds and scenery's and one of a kind individual that you custom make to your specifications. This would be a great hands on tool to have students create their own storyline and getting them interested in writing. Students can display their creativity and own writing they can then share with their fellow students. Pixton is free for the very basic creations but is a paid website to upgrade to the more complex features. This program is worth trying in the classroom to see if students would be interested in this form of writing. Although anything revolving around technology will surely engage the students into producing quality work.
As I continued to surf thru my selected sources of information I came across the Leadership-Getting Smart article. The article within about Project Based Learning (PBL) which is about teaching students to learn thru hands on high quality projects that reflect their academic ideas and express their findings thru projects. The students projects contain attributes that involve college and career readiness which many experts advise we should be directing our students towards. The PBL produce lifelong learners and teaches students to think critically and solve complex problems. This is an aspect I have been trying to find out more about to try to integrate in the my classroom. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be enough time thru out the day to try to integrate something new, but it is worth the time to take a very closer look at PBL's.
This experience with Feedly has been a very positive learning experience for me. I know that I will continue to use the sites to research the articles contained and learn more about the different sites I selected.
As I continued to surf thru my selected sources of information I came across the Leadership-Getting Smart article. The article within about Project Based Learning (PBL) which is about teaching students to learn thru hands on high quality projects that reflect their academic ideas and express their findings thru projects. The students projects contain attributes that involve college and career readiness which many experts advise we should be directing our students towards. The PBL produce lifelong learners and teaches students to think critically and solve complex problems. This is an aspect I have been trying to find out more about to try to integrate in the my classroom. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be enough time thru out the day to try to integrate something new, but it is worth the time to take a very closer look at PBL's.
This experience with Feedly has been a very positive learning experience for me. I know that I will continue to use the sites to research the articles contained and learn more about the different sites I selected.
Friday, September 9, 2016
The Guide to the Classroom Blog was very interesting! The possibilities about the use of blogging is infinite with possibilities. I would use this blog page to contact parents and distribute information about our classroom. I can keep them informed about student's assignment due dates, distribute important parent meetings dates and be able to communicate about current events. My only concern would be that not all parents or students families might have internet access or computers at home. So that would be a challenge to communicate with all my student's parents.
The option of blogging discussions with my students sounds fabulous!!! I would assign reading novel assignments and my students and I could be able to discus the readings and have two way conversations. I really think that the students would really enjoy to respond via email about our classroom assignments. That would be an encouragement option for them to read the novel in order for them to be able to respond via email to other classmates and maybe other classes in the building. Creating e-pals with other schools and student would also be an attractive option to increase reading participation in the classroom. Like the article mentioned this would give the shy/quite students in class feel more comfortable about speaking or participating in conversations since maybe in class they do not feel at ease. The blog would give them the opportunity to express themselves thru text since they would be able to reflect on their response instead of quickly answering questions in the classroom.
The demonstration aspect of blogging would open many opportunities for students to showcase their creativity. I think that maybe a good example of students using this feature would be to demonstrate their findings about their science projects or other research based assignments. Students would be able to showcase their academic digit portfolio about their findings and other classmates can view and learn from their fellow classmates. Students can share ideas with each other and collaborate for group projects from the comfort of their homes. I feel the possibilities are endless with this new technology forum that will make students authors and publishers of their own work.
The option of blogging discussions with my students sounds fabulous!!! I would assign reading novel assignments and my students and I could be able to discus the readings and have two way conversations. I really think that the students would really enjoy to respond via email about our classroom assignments. That would be an encouragement option for them to read the novel in order for them to be able to respond via email to other classmates and maybe other classes in the building. Creating e-pals with other schools and student would also be an attractive option to increase reading participation in the classroom. Like the article mentioned this would give the shy/quite students in class feel more comfortable about speaking or participating in conversations since maybe in class they do not feel at ease. The blog would give them the opportunity to express themselves thru text since they would be able to reflect on their response instead of quickly answering questions in the classroom.
The demonstration aspect of blogging would open many opportunities for students to showcase their creativity. I think that maybe a good example of students using this feature would be to demonstrate their findings about their science projects or other research based assignments. Students would be able to showcase their academic digit portfolio about their findings and other classmates can view and learn from their fellow classmates. Students can share ideas with each other and collaborate for group projects from the comfort of their homes. I feel the possibilities are endless with this new technology forum that will make students authors and publishers of their own work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)